CHAPTER 105: LOOK HERE

0% “Come to think of it, we shouldn’t be relieved just because we were able to survive.”

Mr. Thomas gave a bitter smile. He sighed deeply, then inhaled slowly to steady himself. He glanced at Robert and gave a solemn nod.

“Has there been any support from the Empire or the Church?”

“No, sir. They’re the only ones who’ve answered.”

He reached for a cigarette but hesitated when he noticed the patients nearby. With a sigh, another sigh, he stowed it away. His voice was indifferent, his response curt.

“I forwarded your message, verbatim, to every kingdom and order. A handful managed polite condolences. But not a single kingdom will spare so much as a grain of wheat. Genuine aid was never on the table.”

“Hah... don’t they realize this isn’t just our problem?”

“They’ll learn the truth, just not in time. Right now, they see it as bluffing.”

The Cardinal of the Aldehir Church, Mr. Omen, spoke up.

“There’s a saying, happiness cannot be attained without sacrifice, and no era is overcome without misfortune. History has proven this time and again. It would be ideal if people could foresee and solve problems before they arise, but they only seek solutions once disaster is upon them. If a crisis isn’t visible, no one prepares for it.”

“The problem is that there is no solution, Your Eminence.”

Thomas’s shoulders sank and his face went ashen. He sighed again, his eyes barren of hope.

“Father, what will happen when the Caldera volcano erupts?”

He paused for a moment, then corrected himself.

“Noone knows until it’s upon us. Based on my research, Caldera’s supereruption would trigger a cataclysm the world has never seen, and likely never will again.”

With a flick of his hand, Mr. Thomas used magic to summon a mound of dirt onto the floor. smoothed it along the conference room’s edge, as though kneading clay. The form was unmistakable—the outline of the Cidatel Republic, as seen on continental maps.

“Here lies our republic, and here, the Caldera volcano. The scale’s rough, but the slight error doesn’t alter the truth.”

Leaving the priests of the Aldehir Church to distribute spring water to the patients, I sat down with Roka, His Eminence the Cardinal, Mr. Robert, and Mr. Thomas. We put our heads together, trying to grasp the full weight of what lay ahead.

Mr. Thomas continued his explanation with fervor. While he coaxed the ranges into shape, Roka leaned forward and asked,

“Is it this big...?”

“We call it a volcano for convenience, but the Caldera volcano isn’t a single mountain, it’s an entire mountain range. From end to end, it forms one colossal volcanic network. Beneath, magma roils like an ocean, amassing tremendous pressure.”

“Are you saying a mere monster can trigger such an eruption?”

“I doubt it myself.”

Mr. Thomas shook his head.

“No matter how powerful the monster king may be, even if it’s drawing and distributing geothermal energy, the eruption is approaching far too quickly. If that heat existed for ages, Caldera would’ve erupted long ago, or at least issued obvious warnings, regardless of Phoenix. That’s the greatest mystery right now.”

“A mystery that’s utterly useless.”

Mr. Robert sneered.

“We’re barely keeping up with Phoenix. Even if there’s another cause, no one has the luxury to worry about it. We’ll think about that later, after we deal with that damned bird. It’s not like we’re in this situation because we failed at everything else.”

“In any case, if we defeat it, the eruption will be delayed, and its intensity significantly reduced. Even if it still erupts later, it will only destroy the republic.”

Mr. Thomas nodded in agreement.

“Not now, when Caldera blows, the threat won’t stop at Cidatel, it will menace the whole continent. Perhaps even the distant Eastern Continent across the sea.”

He let out a deep sigh.

“When it erupts, everything happening now will seem insignificant compared to the following catastrophe. Even now—“

Rumble!

The ground shook, the floor quivering under our feet. Everyone had grown used to these tremors, and Mr. Thomas paused briefly before continuing.

Aftershocks have struck since we arrived, and they’re growing more frequent.

“Earthquakes plague us now, but the real quake, when eruption comes, will be on another level. The magnitude itself doesn’t matter, what’s certain is that they will be powerful enough to bring down the entire republic and trigger massive tsunamis. Everyone living here and along the coasts will be in danger.”

“The entire Kant Sea surrounding the Cidatel Republic will be in turmoil. We don’t know the exact scale of the tsunamis, but the Ma Empire, Altoa Kingdom, Anrus Kingdom, Norant Kingdom..., and maybe even the Tyrosil Kingdom will be affected. Even the Odal Empire across the great sea might not be spared.”

“The Empire has no coastlines except along the Near Eastern Sea so that they won’t suffer tsunamis. Yet if quakes travel that far, even they could be harmed. And that’s just the beginning.”

When the main eruption hits, today’s ash fallout will feel insignificant. Mr. Thomas paused to take a deep breath, drank another scoop of spring water, and continued.

“When Caldera unleashes its supereruption, ash will bury us alive. Ash will pile high enough to engulf even the tallest buildings. Those who survive the collapse will suffocate or burn to death. That’s the misfortune we face now. But it won’t end here, it will spread. Likely across the entire continent.”

“Thomas is right. We may perish mercifully, but the Empire’s people will endure a living hell.”

A new voice cut in. When I turned, an older man sat behind us, his tired eyes watching our conversation unfold.

Seeing him, Mr. Robert sprang to his feet.

“Duke!”

“Please, sit. What power does a Duke wield when his realm teeters on the brink of ruin?”

Only after he waved a dismissive hand did Mr. Robert hesitantly sit back down—the Duke of the Cidatel Republic. I never imagined meeting the head of the republic so easily, even after following Yurinel around. Yet perhaps it was bound to happen. This wasn’t just a time of chaos but the brink of extinction.

In that sense, true equality had arrived. In a way, the most equal world had arrived. With everyone staring into the abyss, human authority had lost all meaning.

“Go on with your discussion. I’d like to hear your expert opinions as well.”

Mr. Thomas nodded and resumed.

“Ash won’t merely settle here, it will shoot skyward, ride the winds around the globe, blot out the sun until the sky is pitch black, and then linger for years. Tell me, how do you survive without sunlight for that long?”

“Plants won’t grow.”

“The earth will freeze solid, summer will feel like the depths of winter.”

“A famine unprecedented in history will drag on for years. Meanwhile, the Empire squeezes every last coin from us instead of sending relief.”

The Duke plucked the cigarette from Robert’s hand and lit it without hesitation, even among patients. Roka, who disliked cigarette smoke, sprinkled a bit of salt before herself, though the Duke paid no mind. It seemed he no longer cared about anything.

“Whether it’s the Church or the Empire, they both have hidden power. But instead of using it to help, they only want to tear each other apart. According to my intelligence network in the Empire, you priests will probably be the last support we see from them. The first and last. They’ll be too preoccupied with their conflicts now.”

“You’re talking about the forces needed to defeat Phoenix, right?”

“Exactly. Had the continent’s two great powers united, defeating it was possible. Three Masters fell in that battle, but their deaths weren’t in vain.”

Mr. Thomas nodded.

“I saw it myself. The monster fell when the Ice White Steel Technique severed its neck. A single moment of carelessness... and it died. But we forgot why it’s called the ‘immortal’ monster.”

“You mean it doesn’t die?”

“Correct. When slain, it reverts to an egg and regrows. Those three Masters kept it reborn as an egg, delaying the eruption, otherwise, Caldera would have already blown.”

Roka’s eyes widened.

“That’s impossible. Does that mean it can never truly die?”

“No creature is truly immortal. We simply lack the conditions to kill it outright. If the Masters had more power, they could have shattered the egg and ended its cycle.”

The Duke was right. Nothing is genuinely immortal, except perhaps the ancient gods, the very fabric of the universe.

Even Death itself ends, so an endlessly undying beast is illogical. There has to be a boundary.

“But their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. When it reverted to an egg, the earthquakes subsided for a time, and the amount of ash spewing from the volcano decreased. The theory that killing it delays the eruption is no longer a hypothesis—it’s a fact.”

“The problem is, it wasn’t just a moment of carelessness. That volcano is the perfect environment... and the egg has already absorbed enough power to hatch. Its growth rate there is far beyond normal.”

Mr. Thomas spoke grimly.

“I’m sorry, but you lack the means. It’s... impossible.”

“That may be so.”

I gave him a small smile.

“Yet if we remain frozen by fear, we will still die. If a single path to survival exists, no matter how steep, we must follow it.”

Besides, as Mr. Thomas had said, If the volcano erupts, it’s not just the people here who will perish. The scale of destruction will be unimaginable. This is our only chance to prevent it.

Silence filled the room. Then—

“Everyone.”

At last, Andolf MacLaren, the Duke spoke, drawing every gaze.

“Look here.”