Chapter 41 Ch. 41: Continued [2]



"Who are you?"

A voice echoed inside the cube—a boy's voice.

The group searched the darkness, scouring for any sign of the boy, yet he was nowhere to be found. 

They were the only ones in the cube, trapped and surrounded by walls on all sides.

However, upon listening to the voice, a woman who was an Elementalist couldn't help but chuckle.

"Pfft."

Here she thought they were facing a formidable enemy, but it merely turned out to be a little prank from a mischievous child.

Guess, she was worried for nothing!

Ignoring the voice, she stepped forward and addressed the leader. 

"Captain, please let me destroy this wall. I can use my powers to break through it."

The leader nodded and the group stepped away to give her some room.

She began to chant the spell and after a couple of seconds, a ball of fire appeared in front of her and hurled it at the wall.

—Boom!

An explosion roared and they shielded their eyes and comforted the horses from the impact.

However, when the dust settled, their eyes stretched wide in disbelief.

The towering wall in front of them stood unscathed, not even a single scratch on its surface.

"What the—"

The Elementalist frowned, utterly baffled by the scene present.

Not only she, but the people behind her also shared the same expression.

Had her magic not been powerful enough?

Shaking her head to dismiss the confusion, she changed the spell and poured more Mana into the Magic Circle.

Afterward, a bigger fireball conjured in the air and wasted no more time, she unleashed her magic.

—Boom!

A more deafening sound than before reverberated to the room, nonetheless, the result was still the same.

Other Elementalists stepped forward to help and they commenced to fire different Magic on different sides of the wall.

Yet, regardless of their efforts, the earth walls remained unyielding.

"Haa… haa…"

Their chests heaved up and down whilst gasping for breath, and their faces glistened with sweat.

Someone with a high Earth Elemental affinity could make their Earth Magic as hard as Mithril.

Noticing the atmosphere of his people becoming more and more agitated, the leader of the group approached them.

"Let's stop for a moment."

The Elementalists heeded his order and the moment all eyes landed on him, he continued.

"We need to think outside the box. Perhaps this wall is impervious to magic, maybe we should try to break it down physically."

The group nodded in understanding and soon, they drew their weapon, ready to hack away at the earth wall. 

With a fierce battle cry, they charged forward, striking the walls with all their might.

—Bang! —Bang! —Bang!

The sound of metal hitting the earth echoed through the air as the group relentlessly battered the wall and the floor with their weapons.

They attempted various methods to break through the wall, but all were unsuccessful.

It remained unbroken, mocking them with its impenetrable strength.

—Clank!

A sword dropped to the ground and a man stepped back, his face etched with frustration.

"This is useless."

He muttered while wiping sweat from his brow.

The others expressed their agreement, their muscles aching from the constant exertion.

As they caught their breath, they looked up at the wall, towering above them like an insurmountable obstacle. 

The realization that they might never break through began to sink in and a sense of defeat washed over them.

"Who are you?"

The voice from before echoed through the cube once again.

Frustrated, a man threw his ax and shouted.

"Why don't you come out and face us like a real warrior?!"

After a brief silence, the voice came back.

"I will not ask for a third time."

—Drrtt!

Without warning, the ground started to tremble violently.

Some were thrown to the ground, while others clung desperately to the walls for support.

And then, in a moment of unthinkable horror, the floor began to rise and the roof began to descend.

The two massive slabs moved slowly toward each other.

"Huaa!!"

"No!! Help!!"

"Neigh!!"

Panic set in when the space shrank, realizing that they were in grave danger with no way to escape.

Amidst the chaos inside, the leader's voice shouted in desperation.

"We are mercenaries!"

Yet, even after they gave him the answer, the earth walls still moved, making their hysteria increase tenfold.

"Do you have proof?"

"Y-yes! We have it!"

He immediately took out his mercenary emblem and held it high, the rest followed suit.

However, the upcoming answer made their hearts sink.

"I see. So you stole their emblems, huh?"

"What?"

The leader was baffled but instantly renounced it.

"N-No! This is really our identity! We are not stealing it from anyone! I swear!"

"Yes! This emblem is authentic! You can prove it too!"

The people chimed in, shouting their agreement.

Nevertheless, no matter how loud they shouted, the voice never answered back and the wall kept pressed.

As time ticked by, they hastily racked their brains.

They knew that they had to find a way to prove their innocence before it was too late.

But why did the boy accuse them of stealing? 

They weren't some sort of criminals!

Wait—

Criminals?

And when a memory flashed in his mind, the captain shouted.

"We aren't bandits!"

Still, there was no answer.

Even so, the man didn't give up and tried once again.

"Gizel! Professor Gizel ordered us!"

—Thud!

The sound of the wall stopped moving was heard and the group held their breath.

"Do you have proof?"

"Y-yes! I have!"

The leader replied, his voice shaking with fear.

He swiftly took out a letter of introduction from his Magical Sphere and waved it in the air.

The others watched anxiously, their fate hanging in the balance.

—Drrtt!

Soon, a horizontal hairline crack formed in the wall, followed by a voice.

"Slide it outside."

With a trembling hand, he slid the letter outside, feeling that his life depended on it.

The moment the letter disappeared from sight, their heart raced with anticipation. 

Seconds felt like hours as they waited for a response—it was a nerve-wracking moment.

—Drrtt!!

The dark room suddenly lit up, causing people to dart upward in surprise.

They were so overwhelmed with emotions that some even shed tears of joy.

They thought that they would be crushed to death.

As the side walls slid down, they could see a black-robed boy and a wheat-haired boy stood not too far away from them.

Their grim reaper—those who had almost killed them all.