The Reincarnated Transcendent Wants to Fill the Hole in Their Chest - Episode 13: Family and the Barrier

Episode 13: Family and the Barrier

Why has Konoe never met Ternelica’s family?

Today, ten days after arriving in the city, Konoe wonders about that for the first time.

(…Could they be dead?)

That was the first thing Konoe thought of.

That day when he flew here via teleportation gate, the inside of this castle was a death trap.

Monsters wandered the castle like they owned it. And people could do nothing but barricade themselves in the audience chamber at the very back.

Many knights fought the monsters and died. And civilians who couldn’t escape also became victims.

At that time, the castle had more than several hundred casualties.

(…Were they among them?)

He thought it was a possibility.

Nobles basically fight on the front lines.

They receive divine blessings and are trained from childhood.

It is the duty of nobles to protect the people and destroy evil.

So, it was certainly a plausible story…

(…But there’s also something that bothers me. The funeral the other day.)

Konoe recalls the funeral held two days ago.

The corpses brought in from the castle and town were buried in a joint funeral.

Konoe also attended and prayed for their peace in the way of this world.

…But among those names, there didn’t seem to be any that looked like nobles.

The names of knights and civilians were listed separately.

Naturally, nobles would have been categorized separately.

“………………”

He doesn’t know. What happened to Ternelica’s family?

However, even Konoe hesitated to ask Ternelica directly.

If they truly were dead, it might open up a wound.

Even Konoe could manage that much consideration.

“……”

As he worried about what to do—

◆

“—Well then, Konoe-sama, please excuse me”

“…Ah”

After a while, Ternelica exits the room carrying the tea set.

Konoe sees her off, thinking this is his chance.

“……”

Konoe quietly slips out of the room.

Then, he heads toward the presence he had sensed earlier—that of an older-looking maid.

“…May I ask you something for a moment?”

“…!? Adept-sama. —Yes, how may I help you?”

The maid is visibly startled by Konoe’s sudden appearance—but she quickly composes herself and gives a calm smile.

Feeling a bit sorry for surprising her, Konoe also thinks to himself that she really is a pro. It’s a given by how quickly she switched gears and stood composed.

“…I want to ask about Ternelica’s family.”

Konoe asks that, and follows up with why they aren’t in the castle.

The maid is still smiling. She gives a small nod.

“The princess’s family—the head of House Silménia, her lady mother, and the young lord—are currently maintaining a sealing barrier.”

“…Sealing barrier?”

“Yes. The members of House Silménia bear the duty of first suppressing labyrinth outbreaks. —So even at this very moment, they are maintaining a barrier at the gate of the labyrinth, protecting us from miasma and monsters.”

The maid says this with her chest puffed out in pride.

Konoe gives a single nod in response.

“…I see. So that’s what it is.”

◆

—This brings us back to the fundamentals.

In a world where humanity’s enemies, such as monsters, roam freely—some of them disaster-class beings like the Hecatoncheires or Wind Dragons—

How have humans been able to maintain safe living zones?

How have they built and sustained cities?

This is that kind of topic.

Is it thanks to the Adepts? No, that’s not the answer.

Adept numbers are far too few compared to the general populace.

They do shine in emergencies. But they cannot constantly protect people in everyday life.

You never know when or where powerful monsters might appear.

And the teleportation gates Adepts use to move take time to activate.

Their activation takes several hours. Which is a hopelessly long time when dealing with monsters that can destroy a city with a single swing of a limb or flap of a wing.

If you were to wait for that, villages or small towns would be wiped out easily.

Therefore, it hasn’t been the Adepts who’ve protected people—it’s something else.

—That is the city barrier.

A power granted by the gods to protect people from evil.

A power to ensure that the human world continues into future generations.

In this world, towns and villages each have structures called “barrier towers”.

Barrier towers are blessed by the gods and act as catalysts that greatly amplify the power of barrier mages.

Barrier mages constantly rotate shifts to keep a barrier up around the city.

Their power is strong enough that even disaster-class monsters can be somewhat repelled.

Yes—even beings like Wind Dragons or the Hecatoncheires.

In fact, the reason the city of Silménia survived for fifteen days after being struck by a labyrinth outbreak is because of this.

For most of those fifteen days after contamination, the city was protected by the barrier.

However, the barrier mage was struck down by a deadly disease. And constant attacks from monsters drained the barrier’s strength.

As a result of that combination, things ended up the way they did.

In this world, people can survive only because barriers exist.

For many people, barrier mages are their most immediate line of defense.

That’s why even now, in the city of Silménia, the barrier tower is the highest priority for repair.

—And based on that premise, the next topic becomes sealing barriers.

In short, that’s what Ternelica’s family is doing now.

A sealing barrier is one level above the city barrier.

The difference lies in whether or not it lets miasma through.

City barriers allow miasma to pass.

Sealing barriers do not.

A sealing barrier is meant to suppress labyrinths that have begun overflowing.

It shuts the gate that has started spewing miasma and monsters, preventing any further overflow.

Whether or not this exists dramatically changes the damage caused by a labyrinth outbreak.

If there is no sealing barrier, miasma keeps pouring out endlessly. And monsters would flood the land.

The reason the miasma around the city of Silménia is decreasing right now is because sealing barriers have shut the nearby labyrinth entrances.

◆

(…I see, so they were barrier mages of sealing barriers.)

Konoe understands now. And if that’s the case, of course they wouldn’t be in the city.

Surely, they are currently deployed at the gate of some labyrinth opened in this region, erecting a barrier.

Sealing barriers are supervised by high-ranking nobles of the region. So they’re likely working under their command.

“……”

—But if that’s the case.

Konoe suddenly wonders. This city…

(…Was it abandoned, even though it’s governed by sealing barrier mages?)

That struck him as a bit odd.

Sealing barriers aren’t something just anyone can use.

Barrier mages are few in number—though not as rare as Adepts—and they should be granted some degree of privilege.

“……”

…Well, if the difference in population is too great, maybe that kind of thing happens.

You can’t afford to act emotionally and send aid to a 5,000-person city at the expense of abandoning a 10,000-person city.

The nobles of this world make contracts with the gods.

In return for powerful blessings, immense wealth, and authority, they are tasked with protecting the people from evil, increasing national strength, and eventually defeating the evil gods.

They cannot let personal feelings get in the way of those duties.

…The nobles of this world live bound by many obligations.