The Villain Is Destined to Die: But as the Creator, I know All Endings-Chapter 223: Day - 1: Camping While Questing Life Decisions
A couple more hours passed, and the chirping of birds could be heard over the sky. Although Leon couldn’t see it, he knew that the sun was ready to rise.
Leon was driving the cart as usual. Because of the darkness, only he could see which path they should choose.
Leon checked the time on his pocket watch.
If his intuition was right, they must have reached the central part of the Rubyhill Forest.
He asked Ethan without turning his head back, "Is this the safe spot?"
"Uh, just two more miles," Ethan spoke from inside. "In the prism, it says that there is a pond ahead."
"A pond, huh." Leon repeated.
That meant they might encounter some wild beasts there.
"Alright, keep the map in check," Leon replied.
They needed to halt for two to three hours before leaving for the main route where other merchants passed. With that route, they would need to pass through only one verification point.
By choosing the Rubyhill Forest route, they had skipped three verification points. Leon wished they could skip all of them, but they couldn’t possibly skip the final checkpoint, which was also the main and only pathway leading to the Merlin Kingdom.
Ethan guided Leon for the next twenty minutes before they finally halted their carriage near the pond.
"There really is a pond..." Cyan muttered as he climbed down the carriage. "So that prism is accurate."
It was surprising that the centuries-old magitech could detect the landscape of this era so accurately.
This gave Cyan a brief awareness that Evana might really exist, as per the prism.
"Huh, that’s weird," Ethan looked around.
"Indeed," Leon noticed it as well.
Cyan looked around too. But all he could see was a small open ground where they were standing, and a pond of around six hundred meters in diameter just ahead.
If anything was wrong, it was just that it was a rather quiet place for being literally in the middle of the forest.
"Why aren’t there any wild beasts?" Cyan muttered to himself.
It was as if the place was meant to be this quiet.
Leon activated his [Mana Sense], and even after using it, he couldn’t sense anyone nearby.
’Did they all vanish... or...’
"Someone hunted them down," Leon said out loud. "Hmm... but I can’t sense anyone. Maybe they left after hunting?"
Cyan relaxed after hearing this.
"Well, good for us then." He stretched his elbows and snapped his neck. "Yawn~ are we settling here for now, because I really need a nap?"
Leon nodded and looked at Ethan. He was using his skill as well to search for threats.
"I sense no threats. We should be fine for now," he said.
Leon nodded. "Alright, I’ll adjust the Dimension House." He glanced at Cyan. "Tie the horse there and feed her something for now."
From his dimension pouch, Leon took out the Dimension House.
It was a palm-sized object. He held it in his hand and lightly punched it down onto the soil before stepping away.
Unlike regular Dimension Houses, this one did not require consumption from a human mana core. Instead, it absorbed mana directly from the surroundings, drawing it in to become fully operational.
The small object lightly glowed a second later. Thin white lines traced across its edges and folds, running like circuits carved into its surface. With a soft click, it unfolded, spreading across the flat ground as its four edges stretched outward.
Then, a white light flickered to life at the center.
It looked like a square-shaped portal embedded into the ground, leading downward. The light shimmered steadily, its surface calm and stable.
At the same time, a protective magic formula spread outward in a circular radius from where Leon stood. The space distorted subtly, rendering the entrance invisible. Soon after the sound was cut off, and an anti-detection spell settled into place, sealing the area completely.
"Whistle~" Ethan stood beside him, watching the entire process with open amazement. "This must’ve cost a fortune. It’s good to have a rich friend."
He glanced at Leon with curiosity. "So, how much did it cost? You know I asked you all out, so I don’t mind covering the expenses."
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly and answered without hesitation.
"Forty million gold coins."
"..."
Ethan went quiet.
Then, after a brief pause, he turned around abruptly.
"Oh, I think Cyan needs some help."
With that, he quickly scraped his way over to Cyan.
Leon side-eyed him.
"Hey, let me help," Ethan said as he approached.
"Huh?" Cyan looked back. "No, I’m good."
"Oh, this is really hard," Ethan muttered, pretending to struggle.
"What the hell?" Cyan snapped. "I can do this on my own. And stop touching that part, she will kick you."
"Haaah..." Leon sighed, watching the two of them bicker.
He then turned his gaze back toward the Dimension House.
"Let’s see how it looks from inside," Leon muttered.
Leon walked closer to the portal leading underground.
He first picked up a small stone, tied it to a thread, and gently tossed it inside. He waited a moment, then slowly pulled it back out. The stone and the thread were completely fine.
Next, he reached out and touched the surface of the portal.
A cold sensation ran across his fingers, but there was no resistance, or any type of pain.
That made it safe to enter.
Standing straight, Leon stepped onto the portal. Slowly, his body began to sink downward, as if the ground itself was swallowing him. Inch by inch, he disappeared beneath the surface.
After a moment, Leon found himself in darkness.
"Does this thing have no lights?" he muttered.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the lights flickered on. A warm glow spread across metallic walls, illuminating the space around him.
The floor opened into a compact yet spacious room, wide enough for four people to move comfortably. Other than that, there was nothing inside.
"Amazing..." Leon muttered.
This was his first time experiencing something like this. He was standing inside a different subspace, personally reserved for him alone.
Leon walked around, running his fingers across the metallic walls.
"This thing was built during the Calamity Era," he said quietly.
It made him wonder what kind of beings or species had once used this same place.
Even modern technology of dwarves could not replicate this level of ingenuity. If Leon wanted something similar made today, he would need to find a dwarf who had lived since the Calamity Era and was still alive, which was impossible.
The current dwarves were genius craftsmen, without a doubt. But compared to their ancestors, they were no match.
"God, this is bigger from the inside."
Leon turned at the voice and saw Cyan and Ethan descending from the portal behind him.
"This thing must’ve cost a fortune," Cyan added, looking around in awe.
Leon waved it off. "Don’t worry about that. This is the safest place you can relax in. If you want, you can undo your appearances too."
After settling down and undoing their disguises, the three of them leaned against different sides of the metallic room.
Ethan spoke up as a holographic map projected from his prism, filling the room with soft light.
"We are currently here," he said, pointing at a red dot on the map.
He traced his finger forward. "If we take a sharp right after five miles, we can merge with the line of other merchants. That way, we can blend in. Since it’s the harvest season, and the borders are always crowded, we should be able to pass without much trouble."
Leon and Cyan listened as Ethan continued.
"After crossing the verification gate, we’ll be entering the Merlin Kingdom’s coastal city, which is called Karnak City, named after the first king of Merlin."
He pointed at the location on the map and laid out the rest of the plan. They would rest at a hotel, blend in with the crowd, and gather intel on ships traveling along the routes they needed on the ’Sea of Mist’. They would spend a full day there, searching for a safer and more reliable option.
They wouldn’t rush it, because rushing would only bring unnecessary trouble. They had time, and they intended to use it carefully.
Leon listened quietly.
He liked Ethan’s careful approach. Even more, he liked that they would be spending an entire day in Merlin.
That meant he wouldn’t need to make excuses to stay there and could properly deal with the task given to him by Eula, as a member of the Twilight Order.
Ethan checked the time.
"It’s six in the morning," he said. "We’ll rest for two to three hours. And leave at nine."
Ethan looked at both of them. "That’s peak border activity time. The crowd of merchants and travellers would be perfect for blending in."
Neither Cyan nor Leon objected.
Leon then dimmed the lights.
The light warm glow softened until it was just bright enough to see.
From his pouch, he pulled three neatly folded blankets and tossed one to each of them.
Cyan caught it and raised a brow. "You came prepared."
Leon simply smiled.
Ethan let out a low chuckle as he spread his blanket.
"Ooof, this is good. I made a good choice choosing you."
Leon glanced at him. "You say that now. Wait till I send you the bill."
Ethan snorted.
They settled down, leaning against the metallic walls. For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Ethan broke the silence. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
"Once again... thanks to both of you for coming with me into something this..."
"Stupid?" Cyan finished flatly. He sneered. "So you do know you sounded stupid when you talked about Evana still existing."
Ethan scratched his cheek. "But you still came along with my stupid plan, right? That means you realized it wasn’t stupid."
Cyan sighed and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling.
"Haaah... it was the way you both sounded," he admitted. "I mean, you two ranked first and second in the entire first year. Logically speaking, you wouldn’t be making claims this absurd without knowing what you were doing."
He paused, then added quietly, "And besides... I’m interested too."
Ethan smiled.
"Oh, by the way, Cyan, do you know it was Leon who suggested bringing you?"
"Huh?" Cyan blinked. "What? Now you’re joking."
Cyan turned toward Leon. "I don’t remember ever showing anything impressive to you. Then why did you..."
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly at Ethan, then looked back at Cyan.
"I saw your duel with Princess Rinna," Leon said calmly. "I found it interesting."
Cyan blinked. "And that made you believe I’m capable? There were several others, you know. Like that girl Alice."
He looked at Ethan. "God, have you seen her fight? Even though she lost to you, her movements were refined to the peak."
Ethan nodded. "I agree. But I don’t think Alice would be comfortable joining two guys on a stupid journey."
Cyan frowned.
"Why though? I heard she’s a research scholar. That prism alone should’ve piqued her interest if you showed it to her."
Leon and Ethan exchanged an awkward glance. They didn’t want Cyan to find out that they came to him because Alice rejected the offer first.
Ethan cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
"That reminds me, Leon. How did your presentation go?"
Leon rubbed his temple and let out a tired breath.
"I got grilled by questions from Madam Ayaka. But I managed to survive."
"Madam Ayaka?" Ethan tilted his head. "Isn’t she the owner of A.R Magitech? She attended your presentation?"
Leon nodded. "Yeah. She was one of the judges. Her assistant, Madam Haibara, was there too."
Cyan looked impressed.
"Both of them are big shots. You must’ve been nervous speaking in front of them. I understand the feeling."
Leon chuckled softly.
"Nah. I was fine. She even praised me."
"Oh?" Ethan raised a brow. "That’s impressive. I heard A.R Magitech is working on some kind of transport facility that can fly."
"I think there was an article about it," Leon replied. "Anyway, she was fine. But her assistant, Madam Haibara, was a bit stubborn."
Cyan imagined Leon being bombarded with questions.
"That must’ve been rough. The intellectual types always tend to tear you down if they disagree on something."
Leon nodded. "True words. And that’s why I felt bad making her cry."
"..."
"..."
Silence fell again.
Leon noticed it and looked up. "What?"
Ethan rubbed his cheeks slowly.
"What do you mean... you made her cry?"
Leon tilted his head.
"Oh. My proposed paper contradicted three of her theories. So I proved three of her claims wrong and baseless during the presentation."
"..."
"..."
Cyan and Ethan stared at him, their mouths slightly open, unable to find the right words to speak.
Leon smiled calmly.
"She started it first. I just responded the same way."
