After taking a much-needed rest and tending to their injuries by using every last vial of potions and cleaning themselves in the river, Team Goliath, now with Poduria as a new addition, traversed the grassy terrain of the 11th floor, arriving in front of the gate leading to the next floor.
"Well, I wonder what terrain awaits us next," Armis wondered aloud, standing before the imposing gate.
Lyco, attempting to impress Poduria with his knowledge, stepped forward beside him with the manual and jokingly remarked, "It's just grass, forests, and trees until the 30th floor. Maybe you should read the manual for once."
Armis, taken aback by Lyco's unusually frequent sarcastic tone, shot him a cringed glance. Aurelia, matching Armis's gaze, directed an insult at Lyco in frustration. "Yeah, yeah, twerp, we know you're a bookworm. No need to announce it."
Upon hearing her beloved's insult, Poduria shot a glare at Aurelia, who responded by shifting her cringing gaze back at Poduria and said in a loud voice, "What?!" Engaging in a glaring battle, they locked eyes. Meanwhile, Alan, finding the situation amusing, simply smiled to himself.
Suddenly, their attention was diverted by Relecta's discovery. "Look, a window!" she exclaimed, pointing towards a triangular gap in the tower wall. While it didn't offer much of a view outside, except for the steam emanating from it, the group instantly recognized it as one of the windows of Relic Castle, which began appearing from the 11th floor, just as they were taught.
As they approached the window, memories of their training flooded their minds. They recalled Commander Arthur's instructions: within a day after their sendoff, the academy would place a collector just below the first window. All they had to do was write down their findings, any messages they wished to relay to their loved ones, and a tally of any treasures they had discovered.
These items were to be packed into sacks made of special material, each bearing the academy emblem, which had been provided to them in ample quantities. Once the sacks were ready, they were to be dropped out of the window, where the assigned collector would receive them and relay their contents to the academy according to the emblem.
The group stood before the window, its enigmatic presence captivating them. Alan broke the silence with a practical question: "So how do we go about this?"
Armis stepped forward, seizing the initiative. "I propose we craft a unified message as a party, consisting contributions from each of us."
"Right," Alan affirmed, retrieving the message sack, pen, and paper from his knapsack. Handing them to Armis, he added, "Since we don't have any treasures to send at the moment, a detailed report or message should suffice."
Armis, holding the pen and paper, pondered for a moment, unsure of how to compose the message. With a sheepish smile, he humbly asked, "Can someone remind me how to do this again?"
Alan and Aurelia exchanged playful smirks at Armis's lack of knowledge, while Lyco and Poduria looked on with slight disappointment. Suddenly, Relecta playfully snatched the pen and paper from Armis, using the floor as her makeshift desk. Before Alan could intervene, she finished scribbling and proudly handed the paper to him with a mischievous smile. Alan, surprised by her speed, took the paper gently, commenting, "That was quick."
Reading the contents, Alan chuckled at Relecta's hasty writing. In broken words and slanted handwriting, she had written: "Dear Academy, defeated bad guys, killed rat monster, then beat bad guys again. Heading to 12th floor. Thanks."
Alan couldn't help but smile as he read Relecta's message aloud to the group. They exchanged cringing looks before their amusement turned into playful smiles. Stepping forward, Lyco patted Relecta on the head and remarked, "Well, I think that sums it up pretty well, doesn't it?"
The group laughed in agreement, and Alan began folding the note. Turning to the others, he asked, "Anyone else want to add anything?"
Most shook their heads, but Armis stood silently, gazing at the letter. Sensing his hesitation, Alan passed the letter to Armis and asked, "Well, Armis, don't you want to write something for Layla?"
Surprised by his friend's thoughtfulness, Armis accepted the letter and pen, greeted by Relecta's eager smile. Excusing himself from the group, Armis settled near the gate, using his lap as a makeshift desk to write his message to his aunt.
"Dear Aunt Layla,
Firstly, I want to apologize for not visiting you for such a long time. Things have been happening so quickly, one after another, and I lost track of time. Before I knew it, I found myself here. Please forgive my neglectful behavior. I know you will because you're the kindest aunt in the world.
Don't worry about our promise. Once I reach the highest floor of Relic Castle, I'll send you so much treasure that you won't have to worry about money ever again. And if I find Uncle here, I'll send him home to you, even if I have to drag him. You don't need to worry. Your dear nephew will never disappoint his beloved aunt.
Armis"
With heartfelt words penned, Armis swiftly retrieved the sack from Alan's hand and placed the letter inside, tossing it out of the window. Surprising everyone with his haste, Armis turned to his friends, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke with excitement and humility.
"To the next floor, shall we?" Armis said aloud in excitement.
Smiles broke out among the group at Armis's eager enthusiasm. Following his lead, they all made their way towards the gate, ready for the next step of their journey.
After eight days of traversing the treacherous paths of Relic Castle, spending valuable time in the heart of its mysteries, encountering both benevolent and malevolent raiders, and braving the legendary beasts of the castle, Team Goliath found themselves nearing the 19th floor. Each step brought them closer to the gate leading to the next tier of the castle's floors.
Armis led the way, his hands deftly parting the dense foliage that blocked their path. "Those merchants were something else, weren't they?" he remarked, casting a glance over his shoulder at his companions. "The potions they sold us were top-notch quality, and at such reasonable prices too."
"Well, we did rescue them from that Magnus Ursi, so it's only natural they'd be grateful," Aurelia remarked, keeping pace with Armis. Meanwhile, Alan leaped from tree to tree, scouting ahead and providing reconnaissance.
Perching on a nearby tree, he chimed in, "Yeah, those Lycans, fierce as they were, went down surprisingly easy. It's a shame they didn't have much aura in them."
"Indeed," Lyco added, joining the conversation as he followed behind. "Including the Rocanchier we encountered on the previous floor, we've encountered a total of eleven species of creatures so far, most of them null aural. I'd say we're making steady progress."
As they walked, Poduria and Relecta engaged in a training session, with Poduria teaching Relecta how to better focus and locate sources of water in their surroundings.
As Relecta eagerly absorbed new techniques, Poduria whispered a mischievous idea in her ear. Grinning at the plan, Relecta focused her attention on a puddle of water beside a nearby tree. Meanwhile, Alan, perched on a branch, scanned the horizon ahead when he suddenly caught sight of the gate in the distance.
Relecta, seizing the opportunity, manipulated the water from the puddle to create a miniature figure of herself, sending it flying towards Alan. Startled, Alan nearly lost his balance, but he quickly regained his composure before tumbling from the tree. Turning to see Poduria and Relecta laughing at their prank, Alan shot a mock-disapproving glance at Relecta.
Jumping down from the tree, Alan playfully pinched Relecta's cheek and scolded her with a grin, "I'll let this one slide since you're honing your skills, but try to use them for good, okay?"
—thuddd—-
"What the hell, Armis?!"
Startled by the sudden sound, everyone turned their attention to Armis, who stood frozen with his back to the group, his gaze fixed on something ahead that had captured his attention. Before anyone could react, Aurelia stumbled into him, falling to the ground with a thud.
Concerned and curious, Alan approached Armis, attempting to confirm his discovery. "Hey, did you see the gate too? We must be close—"
Alan's concern grew as Armis remained unresponsive, seemingly transfixed by something ahead. After helping Aurelia up, Alan approached Armis, accompanied by the rest of the group, eager to see what had captured Armis's attention. As they cleared away the foliage, they were met with the sight of a man clad in heavy silver armor, brandishing a sword, scanning the empty ground ahead.
Confusion swept over the group. They had encountered numerous raiders on their journey, but there was something about this particular individual that seemed to have stunned Armis into silence.
As the man turned, revealing his face with a scarred eye and overgrown, uneven stubble, Armis uttered in a low, surprised tone, "Uncle..."