Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 235

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Reincarnated as a Legendary Talent Genius of a Noble Family Episode 235

158. The Forgotten Underground City (3)

Acrium.

The Dwarven Underground City.

“Wooooow…”

“It’s incredibly well organized…”

“It looks even more amazing from up here.”

The scale was so massive that one had to wonder how they managed to build this underground.

Centered around a giant spire that reached up to touch the underground ceiling, paths stretched out in perfect order and precision.

And between those paths stood countless houses, houses, houses.

The districts were divided very neatly, and all the houses followed the same architectural style.

Everything looked absolutely perfect.

Except for the complete lack of warmth.

“That makes it all the more eerie.”

Altur was right.

No smoke rose from this city, and there was no smell of stew.

There were no children laughing merrily, nor people bustling about busily.

And it was cold.

That was the impression this city gave.

“It used to be prosperous.”

Darbado’s lonely murmur.

“It started very small at first, but over decades they expanded the districts and brought wandering dwarves here every single day. My parents were also among those who flowed into Acrium that way.”

Acrium had enjoyed prosperity after that, achieving countless developments and glimpsing a bright future through exchanges with other races.

But then the ‘Unknown Creatures’ awakened…

And everything ended.

“Someone said it was because of the dwarves’ greed. That as a result of not being satisfied with this place and digging underground to erect pillars, the original owner of this place became enraged.”

Darbado shook his head.

“But I don’t think that was a sin. For us dwarves, a ‘homeland’ meant… that much to us. Our race, which had never once in history lived together like this and had to live scattered, could finally live together in one place.”

It was a lonely voice.

Very much so.

“If only we could bring the dwarves back to this place right now, in less than a day it would be filled with the sound of hammers striking anvils and the smell of cooking…”

But what made that impossible was probably that unknown existence somewhere in this underground.

The Unknown Creatures that had made all the dwarves flee.

“Haven’t you tried to reclaim it?”

“I heard they did. Even borrowing the help of humans. The dwarves’ combat abilities aren’t very high, after all.”

“And then?”

“They failed. There were humans who accepted the proposal, coveting our weapons and techniques, but I heard they all failed.”

Then it means they’re not easy opponents.

Or perhaps, they ultimately couldn’t escape.

Either way, it’s not something to take lightly.

“Everyone needs to stay alert from now on.”

I drew my spear and asked.

“The place we need to go is that Central Tower over there?”

“Right. It’s the meeting place of the elders and where all knowledge is gathered. And it’s also a forge, as well as an exhibition hall displaying the dwarves’ masterpieces.”

“Then we just need to loot that place.”

The pointed spire that rose tall, seeming to look down upon the entire city.

Inside there, lie the things we want.

The path looked quite far and rather chaotic. It reminded me of the pandemonium during their escape.

Broken carts scattered here and there, belongings they couldn’t take with them. And bloodstains that had hardened black and skeletons.

“Let’s go, Darbado.”

“Y-yes, let’s.”

I patted the shoulder of the fellow who had been lost in sentiment and took the lead.

The stairs leading down to the city were quite steep. Fortunately, the steps were low, probably built to dwarf standards.

“Finally.”

And we set our first foot in the city.

And not long after walking-

“Wait.”

Priscilla stopped the entire group.

When Priscilla, not me, says something like this, there’s only one reason.

“Undead.”

Undead began emerging one by one, drawn by the scent of the living.

I wondered why they hadn’t come out.

There must have been deaths during the escape process, and it’s common for the souls of the uncomforted to become undead.

And this place…

Is filled with the resentment and regret left behind by the dwarves.

“Damn it…”

Darbado drew his blunt weapon with a trembling voice.

But then.

“I’ll handle this.”

Priscilla stepped forward.

Even with dozens of undead surrounding and approaching from all directions, she showed no hesitation.

“Kruuuuuu…”

“Uuuuuu…”

Priscilla drew up her divine power and said.

“Back then, after receiving Sacred Grace from Saint Aimar, I trained hard.”

Priscilla winked.

“Everyone close your eyes.”

And-

“Please, may you rest in God’s embrace.”

With a brief thunderclap, a massive wave of divine power burst out centered on Priscilla.

Kukukukung!

When I closed my eyes against the intense light and opened them again, there were no more undead.

Only scattered remains that had turned to ash powder.

“Wow…”

“G-goodness. All at once like that?”

“Amazing…”

Everyone was amazed.

“Ha, haha. What an incredible young lady.”

Darbado’s reaction was especially so.

I was quite surprised too.

At the same time, I felt regret.

If she had become a Knight with that divine power, she would have participated in the Danter Cup last time.

Priscilla winked again.

“It’s called Area Purification. It’s also a very effective method against weak undead.”

“Saint Aimar’s Sacred Grace was incredible.”

“Of course. It was amazing.”

And it seemed like it wasn’t just about sweeping away undead in a wide area.

“I feel like my whole body is overflowing with strength… that kind of feeling?”

Ernest’s words were agreed upon by Leila, Dorian, Jenna, and Darbado.

But Altur and I were not.

“Divine power, as expected, avoids magic power.”

“Indeed.”

Altur and I, who possessed circles for using magic, were completely unaffected. As if only we two had invisible barriers covering us.

“It can’t be helped. Divine power and magic power repel each other.”

Well, it’s not like there were any adverse effects, so it didn’t seem to matter much.

Anyway, we proceeded like that.

While quickly dealing with the undead.

Ah, in this case, the expression ‘returning them to God’s embrace’ would be more fitting than ‘dealing with them.’

“Then where do the undead go when they disappear like that?”

To Jenna’s question, Priscilla answered simply.

“To where they should originally be.”

At times like this, she’s no different from a saint.

Usually when she opens her mouth, she’s not like a saint but rather as rough as some back alley thug.

Still, this is probably Priscilla’s true nature.

Of course, I didn’t let only Priscilla be active.

“Ernest, left side!”

“I see it!”

“Fireball incoming!”

“Leila, did you get much lighter?”

“Are you saying I was fat before?”

These were completely different appearances from when we visited Saint Aimar’s Hall at the beginning of last semester.

Ernest, who had been busy trembling, now continuously shot arrows providing support fire, and Leila displayed swordsmanship faster and more precise than before.

Dorian’s punches had become much more spirited, and Altur used magic power efficiently, just the right amount at the right places.

Of course, Dorian and Altur weren’t there back then, but they definitely seemed better than before.

And Jenna…

“Just watch for the first battle.”

She stayed quiet at my words.

Of course, she looked eager to step forward, but now wasn’t the time.

Jenna’s necromancy could be used at most four or five times a day.

With such clear limitations, she needed to know when to step forward when necessary.

“Can you summon the souls of priests with necromancy too?”

“Ah, that’s difficult. You were talking about Saint Aimar earlier… The souls of priests and knights usually return to God’s embrace upon death.”

“So you can only summon wandering souls?”

“Usually, yes.”

Necromancy.

An interesting field of study.

Though it’s difficult for me to practice directly since I don’t have a medium constitution.

“Phew. It seems almost over.”

“The numbers were no joke. Though they weren’t very threatening.”

After the battle ended, Priscilla finished up by returning the undead to God’s embrace.

Though she talks about splitting skulls and such, ultimately divine power exists for things like this.

So the path to the spire wasn’t too difficult.

Unless powerful undead appeared like at Saint Aimar’s, there were no signs of that happening.

“For now, they all seem to have disappeared.”

And with Priscilla here, detection was certain. It seemed no more undead presence could be felt in the surroundings.

“Then, if it’s alright, there’s a place I’d like to stop by briefly.”

“A place to stop by?”

“The house where I used to live.”

At Darbado’s words, I told my friends.

“Then let’s rest here for a moment. Leila, let’s rest while maintaining guard. I’ll go with Darbado.”

“Okay. Don’t we need to go together?”

“Just the two of us should be fine.”

While my friends prepared to rest in guard formation, I followed Darbado into an alley.

By the way, there’s quite a musty smell.

“The smell has changed. Before, it was full of the smell of iron. Now only a strange fishy smell and stale odor remain.”

The bitter voice didn’t last long.

Darbado soon stopped in front of a house and spoke in a considerably pleased voice.

“Right here.”

“It’s cozy.”

It was a house so small it could appear in a fairy tale, beyond just cozy. A rough but charming house.

If this city, Acrium, hadn’t been forgotten, warmth would have been the first thing felt.

“It’s a dwarf’s house. By the way, dwarves always build their homes as single-story only.”

“Is there a reason?”

“It feels like stepping on someone’s head to climb up. Unless it’s a place like a spire.”

In many ways, they’re definitely a fussy race from a human perspective.

Well, thanks to such fussiness, they can create all those masterpiece weapons and armor.

That makes me even more curious.

“I’m curious about the reason they had to abandon such a tall spire and prosperous city.”

“Me too. But no one tells the story. Everyone trembled just at the mention of that day.”

Why did this city, Acrium, become like this?

What exactly were those unknown creatures?

I thought about it but only random thoughts came to mind. That’s something to figure out step by step.

“I hope the things inside haven’t rotted. Now… that’s all that’s left.”

“Did you get separated from your family?”

“No. They all died. At Drenik’s hands.”

Calm but subtle anger.

“If it had been those Alteon bastards who killed my family, I wouldn’t have agreed to your request. Though all empires are the same bastards anyway.”

What reaction would he show if he knew I fought as a Drenik Empire soldier in my previous life?

Anyway, Darbado and I opened the door and went in. Darbado walked in, while I practically crawled in.

The scene inside was cleaner than expected.

A scene not much different from an ordinary family home.

The only difference was that a hammer hung on one side of the wall?

Darbado immediately took that hammer.

“Here it is.”

“It seems to have special meaning.”

“Every dwarf’s house has a hammer passed down through generations. I couldn’t take this with me. Our family was outside when we heard the evacuation order.”

Darbado stroked the hammer, put it in his backpack, and only then relaxed his expression.

Meanwhile, I looked around the house.

Except for not feeling any warmth, it was a place where a dwarf family could sit and laugh heartily without any sense of incongruity.

But…

“This thing here.”

“Hmm?”

“Is there perhaps a device that artificially makes it rain in this city?”

Why would there be moisture remaining?

“I heard there were plans for it. But it wasn’t easy even with our technology. Drawing water from the surface, desalinating it, and spraying it from the ceiling… Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

Darbado also seemed to find my question strange and came closer.

I pointed toward the kitchen.

“Look. There’s moisture there.”

“….”

“This moisture definitely isn’t from humidity.”

A city that has been completely empty for ages.

But then why is there moisture here?

“Why on earth are we here….”

In that moment, Darbado and I made eye contact.

And we quickly formed a hypothesis.

“There might be someone else here. Besides us.”

“…!”

At that moment, a strange feeling was caught by my sensing ability.

It’s hard to explain, but something is there.

Right.

There’s no way things could go this smoothly.

It’s always been like that, hasn’t it?

“We’re going back right away.”

But as always—

I’ll figure out what it is and resolve it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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