The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 69: The Fire Obelisk

Episode 69: The Fire Obelisk

By the time the scholars finished their explanation, it was already late at night. Since the scholars took turns talking, it took a very long time. Honestly, it would’ve been much better if they had just put together a report in advance and I read that instead.

And somehow, somewhere along the way, the conversation drifted into explanations of ancient characters. How they decipher the letters, what kind of sentence structure they have. Honestly, I didn’t think it would be of any use. But I couldn’t interrupt a senior in life who was so happily explaining it.

The departure was set for after tomorrow’s lunch. The reason was that it would take time to recharge the magic power of the magic stones. Apparently, somewhere in this place, they had brought in a special device.

“I wonder if the obelisk has some kind of secret?”

“Come to think of it, they didn’t mention what role the obelisk serves. I bet they still don’t know.”

“Lilia, do you not know what it is either?”

Lilia quietly shook her head side to side. It seems like she hasn’t seen it before. Since she’s lived a long time, I thought maybe she had seen a Spirit before. But since she didn’t say anything, I guess she probably doesn’t want to talk about it.

Maybe everyone knew that, because no one asked about it.

If meeting the Fire Spirit was dangerous, Lilia would surely give us a warning. Since she didn’t do that, she must have some kind of plan.

If the Fire Spirit’s revival is drawing near, then once we reach the small island, there’s a high chance something will happen. We really need to prepare countermeasures properly.

—

The next morning. 

After finishing breakfast, the members who would ride the airship were gathered. Among them were not just scholars, but also a magician to protect the ship from the heat. It seems this airship has magic tools that cancel out wind, but it can’t handle the heat.

“Once we get close to the crater of sacred Mount Magna, I will use the Ice Barrier spell to block the heat.”

Ice Barrier, huh. Since it’s a lower-level version of Freeze Barrier, I’m a little worried. But if she’s going to cover the whole ship with the barrier, then it can’t be helped. Of course, it’ll consume a lot of magic power. We also don’t know how long we’ll be staying above the magma. Reducing magic consumption should come first.

“Then it looks like we just need to focus on what we have to do.”

“Please do. If anything happens, you’re the only ones who can fight.”

It seems this magician isn’t suited for combat. Most likely, they’re specialized in support. The captain is specialized in piloting the ship, the scholars specialize in Spirit research. And we are specialized in combat.

“If the small island is found, we’ll land there. Of course, only if there’s enough space.”

Captain Brown had a wrinkle between his brows. Maybe he thinks the possibility is low. Noticing that, Ardan spoke in his usual tone.

“If it looks like we can’t land, we’ll go there by ourselves.”

“That might happen. Of course, we’ve prepared ropes. For a group like yours that brilliantly carried out the ruins investigation, there should be no problem.”

Captain Brown gave us a firm nod as he looked directly at us. It seems he really trusts us. And honestly, my cheeks started to itch from the embarrassment.

“I see. So you were the party that investigated those ruins. That’s reassuring. Anything is fine. If you find anything, even just a little, please report it.”

One of the scholars said that with the corners of his eyes lowered. Looks like our achievements are quite well-known among the scholars. If we succeed in this mission too, people might say something like, “As expected of the Hero Party.” Somehow, that feels kind of awkward.

—

After finishing lunch, it was time to depart. The airship carrying us quietly lifted off. I had always wondered how this airship floated in the sky. But a scholar explained it to me.

According to him, the secret lies in the oval-shaped object attached to the top of the ship.

Apparently, inside it is an extremely light air. And by controlling the amount of that air, the ship is made to float. Incidentally, the magic circle that generates that light air was found during the recent ruins investigation. They’re currently working to recreate it. A time when airships made in this era fly through the sky might really be coming.

The airship moved without issues and reached the area near the crater. Gradually, the smoke grew thicker. And with it, the surrounding temperature rose. It felt as hot as a bath. And finally, the Ice Barrier was activated.

Even so, as we continued over the lava, the temperature kept rising. Just when I started to doubt whether the magic was really working, we saw the small island.

“I see it! That’s definitely the island. Look! There’s an obelisk standing near the center. It’s huge. It’s about the height of a three-story building.”

As we passed above the small island, the heat eased up a little. There were no plants or trees growing on the island. A reddish-brown, flat land stretched out. Maybe the lava cooled and solidified? Still, it was unusually flat, and it had a round shape. The fact that the obelisk stood in the center was also strange, if you think about it.

“Looks like there’s a place we can land the airship.”

“We’ll go down first and check it out. The ground might be soft or unstable.”

“That would help a lot. Lower the rope!”

When Brown-san gave the order to the crew, the rope was quickly lowered. Once it was confirmed, Ardan smoothly started climbing down.

“Ardan, we’ll go ahead and check the area.”

“Hey, that’s not fair, you guys!”

Since Lilia and I can fly, we didn’t need the rope. We jumped off the airship. The crew were surprised as we gently landed. The ground wasn’t hot. And it seemed to be solid. I checked with Analyze, and there didn’t seem to be any problem.

“I guess I didn’t need to come down after all?”

“Come on now. Even if only we came down, you’d still come down anyway to check for yourself, right?”

“…Yeah, maybe that’s true.”

That’s the kind of man Ardan is, our party leader. We all know that very well. That’s exactly why we all trust and rely on him. It’s not because he’s lazy or anything.

“Ardan, how is it?!”

From above, Jill shouted loudly. When I looked up, Jill was leaning out and waving toward us.

“It’s fine! No problems!”

As Ardan’s voice reached them, the airship began slowly descending.

The airship landed gently. It didn’t sink into the ground, and the landing was successful.

Scholars got off the ship, one after another. They looked around constantly, turning their heads everywhere. They looked like children visiting a city for the first time.

“This is amazing. It looks like solid rock terrain spreading out over the lava. We don’t know why it turned out like this, but it definitely seems worth researching.”

“Forget that for now, let’s go see the obelisk. Come on, come on!”

Things suddenly became lively. If they make this much noise in a place where the Fire Spirit is, it wouldn’t be strange to get scolded. While keeping an eye on the surroundings, we headed toward the obelisk.

“So this is the obelisk. Is it dedicated to the Fire Spirit?”

“That might be. It’s clearly something made by someone, right?”

Lilia and I tilted our heads. It looked unnatural to be a natural object. The top of the square pillar was pointed like a spire. And it had something carved on it that looked like letters. This is… ancient script? If that’s the case, maybe it was made by ancient people?

“Oh ho… this is…”

“Can you read it?”

“Of course I can. I’ve studied ancient letters too.”

A scholar with glasses showed a proud smile. It seems they brought someone who could read ancient script, just in case something like this happened.

“So, what does it say?”

“Hmm… ‘Here lies the great Fire Spirit, calmed by our friend. Do not disturb its slumber. Do not defile the sky, the land, or the sea.’”

What does that mean? Maybe it’s saying not to pollute nature? Saying “our friend” means the ancient people must have had a friend from another race.

“Lilia, what do you think—Lilia! Are you okay?!”

Lilia was trembling all over. I’ve never seen her like this before. I quickly held her in my arms. Even then, she kept shaking.

“Lilia?”

“I-I’m fine. I’m okay…”

She really doesn’t seem okay though… What happened? My Analyze didn’t pick up anything. That must mean it has something to do with what was written on the obelisk…