Preparing For The Leap (2)

“Wow, amazing!”

“So beautiful!”

As soon as we opened the gate and stepped inside, we were greeted by the dance of countless, vibrantly colored flowers of unknown names.

The flower beds, bursting with colors on both sides of the white marble path, seemed like a fairy’s magic, swaying with the sudden breeze from the open gate.

“This is nice.”

“Thank you. As you mentioned, we installed a Mana Concentration Circle on the left and a Spirit Concentration Circle on the right, centered around this avenue. We planted flowers that never grow above knee height and mixed various colors to prevent intruders. Each spot is connected to the circle, requiring no separate maintenance throughout the year.”

“Well done. That’s a part I hadn’t considered when asking for them.”

With a bright smile, Kyuri pointed to one side of the garden as if just beginning, and continued her explanation with confidence.

“And do you see the green and blue flowers scattered around?”

“Yes, I see them.”

“Those flowers are Depuratio and Depuro.”

This time, it was my turn to be surprised by Kyuri’s words. I couldn’t help but ask reflexively.

“Huh? You mean the ones called the flowers of healing?”

“You know them! Yes, that’s right. Thanks to the Mithril Ingot given by Kim Han, we were able to release everything that was tightly hidden in the Magic Tower.”

“This is incredible. It feels like receiving a gift.”

Indeed, it is remarkable.

Depuratio and Depuro, these green and blue flowers, do not grow naturally, even with the abundant divine power and the rich energy of the land in the ‘Battlefield of Gods.’

A flower that is born only through the collaboration of a mage and an alchemist.

These male and female flowers of different colors continuously generate pure and intense divine power.

That’s why magicians guard them like treasures, placing them in their laboratories or bedrooms.

Moreover, when the female flower Depuratio and the male flower Depuro are together, their effect is doubled.

The female flower Depuratio absorbs the murky energy of divine power and releases pure energy.

Similarly, the male flower Depuro absorbs murky energy and emits divine power rich in life force, beneficial to living beings.

When these two flowers are together, the impure energy disappears, replaced by pure and life-filled divine power.

“Hahaha. Sir Kim Han has been placed a pair of Depuratio and Depuro in his bedroom. The same goes for your private underground training room.”

“Good, I like it. But how do you plan to manage those?”

“Ah. There are always at least two purple flowers planted next to Depuratio and Depuro. Do you see them?”

“Yes, I see them.”

“Hehe. Those flowers are called Pobea. Do you know about them?”

Pobea. I’ve definitely heard that name before. Where did I hear it? It doesn’t feel good, like in a dungeon…

“Oh! Trap flower?”

“Oh! You are indeed knowledgeable, sir. That’s correct. If a retainer below grade 2 or an external entity without permission tries to pick Depuratio or Depuro, both flowers activate immediately. The trap type is paralysis.”

“Wow, you’ve really put a lot of thought into this. Well done.”

As Kyuri and I continued to talk about the flowers, the two people behind us, who didn’t know the flowers’ identity, showed signs of curiosity.

But we ignored them and headed towards the fountain placed in front of the mansion.

“Unlike before, it’s been crafted with marble for a clean and simple look. Also, the purification magic is constantly active, making the water from this fountain drinkable.”

As we rounded the fountain and faced the front of the mansion, something eye-catching appeared next to the heavy, antique-styled carved entrance.

A terrace, wide enough for five tea tables to sit side by side, was protruding towards the garden at a height of two small steps.

As I paid attention to it, Kyuri’s explanation followed promptly.

“Oh, you noticed. Originally, this side of the mansion’s wall was quite worn out. So we decided to demolish the wall and create foldable windows, as you can see. It’s like a folding screen. If you want complete separation, you can close it by aligning the windows in a row like a screen, achieving complete closure. It’s perfect for soundproofing and insulation. However, if you desire space expansion, you can fold it like a screen. By sliding it along the rail to one side, you can connect the guest room and the terrace into one space. Lastly, although it might not be visible to you, barrier magic from the ceiling encompasses the entire terrace that extends outside. You can enjoy tea even if it rains.”

“I see it. I like this too. It’s quite ingenious and charming.”

“Yes, thank… What? You can see it?”

“Yes. Let’s go in.”

Upon opening the antique door, the most noticeable difference between inside and outside was the distinctly refreshing air and the moderate warmth. It was neither too hot nor too cold, just the right warmth.

Sitting for a while in a chair and reading a book, one might feel the pleasant warmth flowing through the mansion, almost lulling you to sleep.

“Wow!”

“Ha!”

The two people who followed me in also seemed to feel the same way, expressing their admiration as soon as they entered.

Kyuri smiled contentedly at their reactions, her shoulders rising toward the sky.

“The temperature control magic can be adjusted from the pad. However, cleanliness magic and refresh magic are always in operation.”

Nodding at Kyuri’s explanation, I shifted my gaze along the chandelier.

If touch was the first sense to feel warmth, then sight was immediately drawn to the grand and magnificent chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Gazing up, entranced by the chandelier’s light, one could see a painting that seemed to depict a scene from mythology, adorning the entire ceiling behind it.

Following the dynamic and beautiful painting on the ceiling with your eyes, you eventually encounter ornate decorations.

Lowering your gaze along those decorations, you see a grand staircase on either side, spiraling up in a circular fashion, with magical lights seemingly illuminating the stairs.

The expansive hall. Comparable to a living room on Earth, the first-floor hall captures attention with the chandelier, leading the gaze up the stairs to the second floor, then naturally directing it to the walls on either side.

The subtle magical lights adorning each wall further enhance the hall’s splendor.

Moreover, the subtly gleaming ornaments and paintings on the walls exude an extraordinary atmosphere.

“Isn’t this expensive?”

“Pardon? Haha, yes, it’s expensive. But they were all within the budget provided.”

The explanation continued, and we listened to Kyuri as if we were tourists.

On the first floor, a large dining room was located to the left of the spacious hall, and to the right, a reception room connected to a terrace.

The second floor mainly served as accommodation with many rooms.

At a glance, there were about 50 rooms, each twice the size of the single rooms in the luxury inn we stayed at. Including half of the third floor, there were over 70 rooms.

Even from the outside, the house seemed large enough to be called a mansion, but the number of rooms made it palpable. It was like a castle stretched out sideways.

The third floor was notable for having a spacious bedroom that the owner might have used, and the owner’s space, including a study connected to the bedroom, took up half of the third floor.

The glass connected to the bedroom was particularly covered with reinforcement magic, alarm magic, and other defensive and warning spells.

Additionally, she boasted that the glass was specially made so that from the bedroom, one could see outside clearly, but from outside, it was impossible to see inside, much like an interrogation room.

The fourth and final floor had a really spacious room that appeared to be a conference room and several small rooms with many windows, all clustered together.

It was said that instead of a spacious conference room, they installed small-scale divine concentration magic circles in about ten or fewer rooms.

“I really like it.”

After inspecting the mansion and giving a final assessment, Kyuri, whose shoulders were raised endlessly, headed to the basement to introduce the personal training ground.

I told Lee Hyo-ju and Arun to each choose a room they wanted on the third floor and organize their luggage, then followed Kyuri to the basement.

There was only one way to move to the basement.

It was said that the entrance was set so that it could only be accessed through the magic circle installed in the master’s bedroom.

As divine power was infused into the magic circle, the surrounding scenery changed, and a thick iron door that looked formidable at a glance greeted us.

“This door can only be opened and closed by the person designated as the owner of the mansion. Please, give it a try.”

At Kyuri’s explanation, placing a hand on the engraved pattern of the mansion caused the thick iron door to open with a grinding sound.

As soon as we entered, the dense concentration of divine power filling the training hall prickled at the skin.

“The four major divine power accumulation formations you mentioned are applied uniformly throughout the training hall. And the Gravity Enhancement Magic Circle can go up to 20 times. Beyond that, the house couldn’t withstand it, so it was unavoidable.”

“I see. What are the commands?”

“For example, you would say ‘Gravity magic four times,’ like this. You can say ‘Gravity magic how many times,’ in this manner. Of course, like the door, it only responds to the owner’s command. The reason for setting the activation conditions of the gravity magic so strictly is, as you might guess, because someone who knows nothing could accidentally die.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And even when the training hall door is open like now, it does not activate. Gravity magic only activates when the training hall door is completely closed and responds only to the owner’s voice. Lastly, unlike the divine power accumulation formation around, the range of the gravity magic is within 1 meter from the edge. The areas adjacent to the walls might collapse due to the influence of gravity magic, so it was arranged this way. Ah! That’s why Depuratio and Depuro are placed on both walls. Do you see the shelves fixed to the walls over there and there?”

“Hmm… I see. You’ve put a lot of thought into this in many ways. It’s more than I expected. So, we just need to check the workshop last, right?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Just like when entering, stepping onto the magic circle outside the personal training room and channeling divine power into it instantly transported us to the bedroom.

Descending to the first floor and exiting through the back door connected to the mansion’s training ground led to the workshop.

“I originally considered making a door connected to the dining room, but to prevent unintended contamination due to the nature of the dining room and workshop, I made it this way, even if it’s inconvenient. Whether it’s the work done in the workshop or the cooking in the kitchen. Especially since no one knows the greed of humans…”

“Well done.”

“Hoho, yes. Anyway, that’s why you have to come outside to reach this entrance. Only the owner, Kim Han, and the 1st-class retainer can enter the workshop.”

As she placed her hand on the engraving of the workshop door, it opened lightly like an automatic door.

I was surprised by the interior view that unfolded.

First, the vastness. It was almost comparable to the first-floor hall of the mansion.

And the high-quality tools decorating each wall. Starting with the furnace, anvil, and hammer, there were looms and alchemy tools neatly arranged along the walls.

There were some missing items, but they could be crafted with the creation skill, so this was certainly more than expected.