CH 79

「Where… am I?」

There was no doubt that I was under the power of teleportation.

I had experienced teleportation magic before I got to the Evil God, and this feeling was the same.

I took a look around me.

It didn’t look like a trap, and I wasn’t surrounded by monsters.

I looked at the ground and saw that the magic circle was losing its brightness. It seemed that the function of this magic circle was simply to transport us to this place. As I was speculating about this, I heard an embarrassed voice from nearby.

「E, Elt-kun, can you please let me go now?」

「Ah, sorry.」

I was hugging Alice as quickly as I could when the magic circle was triggered.

I was so focused on getting to know my surroundings that I forgot. I let go of her body to get some distance.

「I, it’s not that bad. I know that you were trying to protect me.」

She was mumbling in the dark. She doesn’t seem angry, so I’ll leave it at that.

「What is this place anyway?」

I stood up to take a closer look at my surroundings.

「Eh?」

Alice’s surprised voice echoed. There was a click from somewhere, and suddenly the room was filled with light.

「Th, this room is amazing.」

The magic circle that seemed to have teleported us was still faintly visible at our feet.

Looking ahead, I see a sturdy chair and a desk of a type I’ve never seen before. On the desk, there were many stones of strange colors, evenly spaced, which I imagined to be some kind of magical device.

「This is… a magic device from the ancient civilization, isn’t it?」

「Do you know about it Alice?」

I guess she knows a lot more than me, a mere citizen. I asked Alice what this was.

「It seems that tens of thousands of years ago, the world had an incredibly advanced civilization. They ruled the skies and dove to the bottom of the oceans. It is said that humans ruled over all species.」

I’ve heard about ancient civilizations.

The powerful weapons and armor that can sometimes be found in dungeons are the legacy of ancient civilizations.

The lights came on and I looked around.

First of all, we seem to be right in the middle of the room. This room is spread out in a circle around this spot. There are stairs facing each side of the room, and it seems that we can see the lower level from here.

The floor is made of a material I’ve never seen before, slippery but not as hard as stone, and flexible.

The outside of the room, like the desk in front of me, was lined with well-formed stones at even intervals, reminding me that this entire room was a collection of magical devices.

「I’ve never seen a magical device of this magnitude before. Maybe it’s the world’s first.」

Alice was trying to figure out what this magical device was with a difficult look on her face…

「The first thing we need to do is figure out where we are.」

We’ve been sent here by a magic circle. The light may come back with time, but for now, we should do what we can to investigate.

「Hey, Elt. I’ve noticed something.」

「What?」

Alice taps me on the shoulder and turns her attention to me. She points to the desk in front of me.

「This shiny part looks just like the shape of my pendant, doesn’t it?」

There are three hollows in the ground, shining with a pale light. As Alice said, the “emperor’s pendant” would fit in there.

「C, can I try to fit it in?」

She asked me a question in a fearful manner.

「The pendant is probably the reason you were transferred here. If that’s the case, maybe placing it will help things along.」

I decided to do so and told Alice to set it up.

「I knew it would fit.」

Alice took the pendant off her neck and slipped it into the device. Then…

『I’m going to activate the system. Brace for impact.』

A voice echoed through the room. Then…

――Gogogogogogogo――

「Kyaa!」

As warned, the ground began to shake with a violent impact.

「Whoa, that was close!」

I held Alice in my arms as she was about to fall.

「Th, thank you, Elt.」

Alice looked up and stared at me. But…

「Hold on for now.」

The shaking became more and more violent.

I could hear things breaking and falling outside, and I realized that the whole building was shaking.

How long did I have to endure this? I spent a good amount of time holding Alice in my arms…

「E, Elt-kun! That!」

Before I knew it, the ceiling and walls were reflecting a landscape. Reflected in the darkness of the night were clouds drifting around.

Strangely enough, even though I was looking at the scenery outside, there was no sign of wind coming in.

「Is this… projecting scenery onto the wall?」

Alice is the first to notice the mechanism. Then…

『The system has been activated. You are now ready to register as the master.』

An unfamiliar voice rang out.