Chapter 25: Gate of Abyss
There is no adventurer of the Falleon Kingdom that does not know the name of the House of Gazard.
From generations to generations, it was a House that produces “excellent” magicians.
But, from only a hundred, tens of years before, Gazard was synonymous with the name of “strongest” magician.
But because of that “Great Sage”, they fell from the top.
Great Sage, Calrotte Gyrdorea, in the history of humans, was the largest, strongest magician.
There was no one who would disagree with that, and there was no one left to challenge her.
That is right, no one challenges.
They are only looking up. And because they could not see her whole look even if they tilted their head to their best, so they would give up. That, has nothing to do with us. They trick themselves, that the field they were standing was different.
Even the House of Gazard who was the strongest, just like the mediocre magicians, continued to look away from Calrotte Gyrdorea.
Charlotte could not stand that ever since.
She was told the stories of how great her ancestors were from her parents.
Creating many new theories for magic, discovered ancient ruins, even advised the king, and became the trump card for wars.
Even though they joyfully tell epics of those ancestors, the current situation was only an embarra.s.sment.
Great ancestors?
Yeah, so?
Are you not embarra.s.sed that you are left defeated by Great Sage.
Parents, brothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers, you do not have the qualification on using the name of the House of Gazard.
The former prestige, I will take it back myself.
I will defeat the Great Sage, Calrotte Gyrdorea.
While having that stale and childish dream that was common with children, Charlotte continued to do her best.
She immediately found out that her talents were excellent even within the House of Gazard.
It’s possible. It’s reachable. The Great Sage could be defeated.
Without doubting that, enrolled to the Gyrdorea Adventurer Schoolーー.
And met with a true genius.
Realizing that something like myself was a normal human.
The people you call geniuses are different living beings with normal humans.
Laura Edmonds. If she cannot defeat her, talking about the Great Sage would only be dreams within dreams.
「Very well. If the opponent was a monster, then my side should just stop being a human desu wa」
Without noticing, the thing about the House of Gazard stop mattering, and Charlotte as an individual wanted to chase after Laura.
I want to win against her. It is because we are friends that I cannot lose.
She thought, and prayedーーand finally. When I thought I only entered school, there was only a half month left before the tournament within the school at the end of the semester.
It was about time.
It is not the time for going to school.
From now, Charlotte would stop being a human and become an Oni.
「This is the House of Gazard’s training grounds, the Gate of Abyss……」
Deep within the mountains, a solitary cave.
Its entrance was sealed by a steel gate.
They said that deep within, there was the spirit beast that the House of Gazard had controlled.
It was commanded to play with the intruders as soon as it saw them without killing them and letting them live, it was waiting for the people from the House of Gazard to come and train.
They said that it was not used for over a hundred years.
I stole the gate’s key from our family house.
I also brought the secret medicine that can make someone move without sleep and rest.
(With one drop, I should be able to move for three days continuously……)
Before she opened the door, Charlotte swallowed a black pill.
In that instance, *Dokun*, my heart throbbed. My body had gotten hotter from within.
It seems like my sight had also sharpened, strangely.
「This immediate effects……it is clearly a dangerous drug huh……if it wasn’t like this it would be useless」
To reach my goals, I decided to not choose the means.
I will not hesitate.
Come now, let us open the gate.
In a hundred years span, a cave that no one had entered.
Into the keyhole that seals it, Charlotte inserted the key.
*Gachari*ーー.
It was finally unlocked.
And suddenly, without Charlotte pushing it, the gate opened by itself.
And from the darkness that spread from deep within, black arms had extended.
Numerous, numbers of them.
「W-What is it?」
Those had entangled with Charlotte’s body, and while being tightened with an unbelievable force, she was pulled into the cave.
My bones screams. My skin would tear.
「Gu-u……!」
At this point, Charlotte was already wounded throughout her body.
Because of the pain, there was no leeway to use recovery magic.
But regardless of that, my wounds are healing.
The terrifying thing was, the black arms was destroying Charlotte while making her recover.
Play with them without killing them and letting them liveーーthat was the commands by my ancestors.
I see, it is realistic.
「It is just what I want desu wa……! If I break through this trial, I will surely, against Laura-san……」
Enduring the pain that almost made her lose consciousness, Charlotte clenched her teeth and opened her eyes widely.
Red eyes within the darkness, were gleaming with light.
There was not only one or two. Tens……no, it exceeds the hundreds.
And just like that, a groaning voice that was out of this world echoed, and in a blink of an eye, Charlotte’s body wasーー.