Volume 6 Chapter 32 Ley Lines
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After successfully retrieving Lady Yohaku, who had slid down the slope alongside Lady Beyond and Master Sharlin, we returned from the glacier to our base just as the sun was setting.
”Oh, Karin. You’ve returned.” Kororon let out a relieved sigh. “I was worried sick because you were so late, child.”
”My apologies, Kororon. Lady Yohaku is safe as well. And actually…”
We quickly explained everything Lady Yohaku and the Queen had witnessed.
”What!?” Kororon’s eyes widened. “You are saying a ley line runs beneath the glacier?”
”Yes. I am certain of it.” Lady Yohaku nodded. “Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to determine its depth or direction. If I had stayed there another ten minutes, I would have ended up as an impressive ice sculpture.”
”Um, excuse me.” I raised a hand. “What exactly is a ley line?”
”A ley line, Karin, is something like a sewer system for Mana,” Kororon explained with a chuckle.
”You foolish spirit.” Yasura immediately objected. “At the very least, call it a water supply system.”
A water supply system? Then it was basically a river of concentrated Mana, and if that was true, could it have something to do with Yggdrasil?
”In that case, does it have any connection to Yggdrasil?” I asked.
”We do not know yet,” Lady Yohaku replied. “There are several places like this within the Empire. Still, I find it difficult to believe that discovering one here is merely a coincidence.”
”We should investigate it thoroughly,” Yasura declared. “Can we relocate the exploration base closer to the glacier?”
At his suggestion, the soldiers immediately began the difficult work of moving the camp.
”Still, Karin.” Master Sharlin smiled. “It was impressive that you found Lady Yohaku. She had slid much farther than any of us expected.”
”I just followed my instincts. But that feeling… was that someone’s Mana? I could sense something moving.”
”Hmm.” Lady Beyond tilted her head. “Karin, even though you’re human, could it be that you can perceive the flow of Mana?”
”I am not entirely sure myself. It has happened before, and Big Sister Melon once told me that humans born here might have a stronger affinity for Mana. Still, nobody knows for certain, and there does not seem to be any way to train it.”
”Back in my day, child, we understood the value of patience.” Kororon smiled warmly. “You will probably figure it out naturally once you’ve lived for two hundred years.”
”Kororon, please stop saying impossible things!” I protested. “But why under a glacier? It’s called the Celestial Corridor, so I assumed it would be somewhere in the sky.”
”Well, we do not even know whether the glacier is related to it.” Kororon laughed. “Besides, there is nothing strange about the sky being connected to something deep underground, is there?”
”…I am afraid I do not understand what you mean.”
”Hahahaha!”
A week later, Ms. Claudel arrived with reinforcements and supplies, and construction began on a new exploration base closer to the glacier.
”Yasura, if we follow that ley line, we might finally uncover something important, right?” Ms. Claudel looked noticeably more energetic than before.
”I took a closer look during yesterday’s clear weather, and there is no doubt that it is a promising lead,” Yasura replied. “However, even if this ley line truly connects to Yggdrasil, I still do not know how we are supposed to reach it beneath the glacier…”
”Ah!” Ms. Claudel froze.
Three days later, despite a fierce blizzard, the elf soldiers finished setting up the new base and installed a simple Gate, allowing all of us to move in. Unfortunately, the new location sat lower in the valley, where clouds gathered more easily, so clear weather seemed even rarer than before.
”Now, now, Karin, don’t you go worryin’,” Kororon said when she noticed me staring out at the overcast sky. “Since we’re this close, you can do quite a bit of scanning from inside the house.”
The days settled into a routine. While everyone spent daylight hours surveying the surrounding area, the Three Elders gathered each night and argued deep into the evening. Lady Beyond, Master Sharlin, and the soldiers usually turned in early so they would be ready for the next day’s work, which left me in charge of preparing midnight tea and snacks for the elders. The one bright spot was the weekly care package from Rainsheyn Territory, which almost always contained cake.
That was how we spent nearly two months in the Vaulted Peaks. Even though the mountains remained buried beneath endless white snow, I was sure summer had already arrived far below at the foot of the range.
One night, after delivering tea and snacks, I was about to return to my room when Yasura suddenly called out.
”Karin! We’ve done it! We’ve figured it out! This ley line is definitely connected to Yggdrasil!”
”Wait, really? Yay!”
”Indeed.” Yasura’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “The only problem now is finding a way into the ley line itself. Once we gain access, we can use teleportation magic. We may even be able to install a temporary Gate or something similar. The area is overflowing with Mana.”
”Wait. What do you mean by ‘finding a way into it’?”
”Exactly what it sounds like, Karin,” Kororon said. “The road ahead is still long. But… we have finally taken a step forward.”
”But Kororon, how are we supposed to get beneath a glacier like that?”
”Hmm. As for that, it is beyond our abilities, so I left it as a homework assignment for Prime Minister Claudel.” Kororon looked completely unconcerned. “Whether she uses military explosives or concentrated attack magic does not matter. As long as someone can make a hole in the glacier.”
”…”
Ugh. Patience, Karin.
No matter how I looked at it, this was still progress. There was no point panicking now. All I could do was keep moving forward one step at a time.
Around that same period, Zau and Kalua, the spirit clan exchange students living in the human world, received alarming news. Elder Zea of the spirit clan had reportedly fallen into critical condition.
The spirit clan did not use letters. Instead, they exchanged stones infused with spiritual intent, and only other spirit clan members could understand the messages contained within them. To avoid misunderstandings, the Three-Tribe Council and the AWCC had agreed that all correspondence involving exchange students would be conducted in Elvish and made public.
”What should we do, Kalua?” Zau asked. “The Elder was like a parent to me…”
”It is hard to say without more details, but she was also the one who sent us here.” Kalua thought for a moment. “I think we should go visit her.”
”You’re right. Let’s talk to the AWCC tomorrow.”
After explaining the situation, they received permission to make an exception. Spirit clan members were normally allowed to travel through a Gate only once per year, but Sheena approved Zau’s temporary return because of the circumstances.
Two weeks later, Zau came back to New York.
”How was the Elder’s condition, Zau?” Kalua asked.
”‘Critical condition,’ my foot.” Zau snorted. “Apparently she slipped into a river in the forest and used up a fair amount of energy, but that’s all. If it’s the Elder, she can recover from something like that in no time.”
”What…? Then did she call you back for some other reason?”
”Sharp as always, Kalua.” Zau grinned. “Actually…”
The conversation that followed was carried entirely through telepathy, leaving the nearby AWCC agents none the wiser.
”Whew. So that’s how it is,” Kalua said after listening. “That is a difficult task… but if it is for the sake of the tribe, we have to do something.”
”Yeah. There is still a lot we need to investigate.” Zau nodded. “Help me out, Kalua.”
—
Summary:
Karin and the team discover a ley line running beneath the glacier, raising questions about its connection to Yggdrasil. The team establishes a new, harsher exploration base closer to the discovery while Prime Minister Claudel is tasked with finding a way to penetrate the ice. Simultaneously, Zau and Kalua receive alarming news from their home, leading to a secret investigation into their Elder’s true motivations. The discovery of the ley line marks a critical step forward, yet the physical barrier of the glacier remains an unresolved obstacle.
—
Trivia:
The spirit clan does not use written language, relying on stones infused with spiritual intent.
All correspondence from spirit clan students abroad must be in Elvish and made public per agreement.
The Three Elders turn in early, leaving Karin responsible for their midnight snacks.
A messenger from the Rainsheyn Territory delivers cake weekly, acting as the primary source of morale.
The new base’s location in a valley makes it prone to heavy cloud cover and shorter daylight hours.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Sharlin – A master and mentor who praised Karin for her intuitive skill in locating others during the rescue.
• Beyond – A noblewoman who is part of the exploration party and shows curiosity about Karin’s latent abilities.
• Yohaku – A lady who was rescued after sliding down a glacier. She is curious about the ley lines and works alongside the team to investigate them.
• Kororon – As a member of the Three Elders and the oldest, most powerful Shaman of the Spirit Clan, this spirit appears as a young girl despite being over ten thousand years old. She serves as a protective guide to Karin, often displaying the ability to read her mind.
• Karin – A young woman who possesses an uncanny ability to sense Mana, even though she is human. She serves as an assistant to the Three Elders and is responsible for their care and midnight meals.
• Yasura – The Eldest of the Elf Clan and a member of the Three Elders, she appears as a young girl but holds an aristocratic, superior air. Armed with ancient knowledge of Elven legends and the World Tree, she is a decisive leader who directs her people’s exploration efforts near the glacier.
• Melon – Puruun’s younger sister and a sister figure to Karin, who noted Karin’s high affinity for Mana. She is close with Ms. Akari and desperately wants Yuuta and Ms. Akari to be together and have children.
• Claudel – A Prime Minister who manages logistics and is tasked with finding ways to penetrate the glacier.
• Rainsheyn – Male. The prime minister. He assists Asuka in preparing for defense.
• Kalua – A member of the spirit clan studying abroad who supports Zau and keeps their telepathic communication hidden from agents.
• Zau – A calm and resolute Spirit Clan member who returns to his home country from studying abroad after hearing news of a crisis to aid his people.
• Zea – An Elder of the spirit clan whose critical condition prompts Zau’s return home.
• Sheena – A grey-long-haired Lizardman and junior researcher from the Apocalypse Empire’s teleportation army team, known as No. 47 for being the 47th resident of a secret Nevada underground facility after a failed gate experiment stranded her there. Also Yuuta’s saffle, she now serves as an AWCC official, making an exception to allow Zau to return to his home country.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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