Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

"...... what the hell is this?"

I couldn't help but let out a yelp. The place where Lois was hiding was far beyond my expectations.

Now, there was a huge magma pool in front of me, and it looked like bright red liquid was slowly overflowing from deep under the ground. I had no idea that there was such a volcano so close to Hiyama's fortress.

At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a small hole. It must have been about three meters long. ....... When I saw the Dragon King enter the hole, I thought he was taking a break. But when I went inside, I found a surprisingly wide and deep space. Although I cast a light spell to brighten the surroundings, I could not see the bottom at all. Moreover, there was no sign of the Dragon King.

Thinking that he must have headed for the bottom, we proceeded deeper and deeper underground. However, no matter how far I went, I never reached the bottom. Moreover, the further we went, the wider the hole became. And then, we arrived at a large space.

"It's too late!

Suddenly, the voice of the Dragon King is heard. It is too dark to see him, so I take out my light further. Then, a surprising scene unfolds.

It was a huge dome space that looked as if it had been hollowed out. The rugged black surface of the mountain was very eerie. The Dragon King is looking at us with a smile.

"I told you to watch out for us coming up behind you. You went ahead on your own. ......"

"What do you mean? It's an unobstructed straight road. You won't lose sight of me. In fact, you've been following me.

It was a hunch.

"Hmph. Well, it doesn't matter. Royce is not here. It's further in here.

"What?"

Is there still a bottom?　The Dragon King began his slow descent, looking at me sideways in wonder. When I appraised him, I had no idea that he had dived this deep. I wondered if that was how fast he was moving. Considering that, did the Dragon King detect the presence of Royce and reach here in the shortest distance? If that's the case, then his detection ability must have surpassed mine. I thought he was just a clunker, but if that's the case, I have to revise my evaluation of Ryuoh upward.

Ryuoh's figure is getting smaller and smaller. Tsune, who was carrying me, followed him deeper and deeper, trying not to lose sight of him.

Gradually the space became smaller and smaller. After a while, we came to a wide space again. The far end of the area was dyed bright red. It seemed that we had arrived at a magma reservoir.

"No way, this volcano has a double structure. ......

I let out a yelp. I had always assumed that volcanoes had a crater and magma right behind it, but there were volcanoes like this one. I am strangely impressed.

A strong wind is blowing up from the magma reservoir. This wind probably has a tremendous temperature. It is easy to imagine that a human being would die in an instant if he/she came to such a place. In addition to the temperature, I have heard that volcanoes emit toxic gases. Under such conditions, it would be difficult for anyone but the highest class of dragons to even get close. Even in such an environment, the Dragon King looks cool and Tsune, who is carrying me, does not seem to be upset at all. I guess that's to be expected.

It seems that Royce is deep in that magma. I concentrate my mind and activate my appraisal skill on this whole magma pool.

"......"

I couldn't see Lois. I felt a little tired because I had taken a lot of magic with me. I exhale slowly, trying to catch my breath.

"Don't tell me ...... you have appraisal skills in this place?"

Tsune sounds surprised. I wonder if he sensed the flow of my magic. If he can sense the activation of my appraisal skill even under such circumstances, then his skill is also quite high.

"Ah. But I couldn't see Lois.

"As usual, you're a crafty son of a b*tc*."

The Dragon King is talking to me, hunching over. I look at him in silence.

"You must have used a lot of magic power. I can see that you've been using your appraisal skills.

...... Really. If the Dragon King has found out about my appraisal, then maybe Royce has found out about my existence. As I was thinking that, suddenly the Dragon King let out a loud laugh.

"Hahahaha!　Don't worry. Perhaps Lois is still unaware of your presence."

I tilted my head and wondered what he meant. The Dragon King continued to speak to me.

Royce is here, deep in this place. It would be impossible to feel your magic there. Even I could recognize your appraisal skills at this distance. Royce, who is hiding even deeper from here, will not be able to sense you.

"...... I'm relieved to hear that. But, Dragon King. Are you sure you can speak so loudly?　Will your voice alert Lois to our presence?"

"I don't think so. ......"

The Dragon King looks disappointed. I was trying to be sarcastic, but he didn't seem to get it.

...... seems to be recovering some of its magical power. I turn my attention to the magma reservoir again and activate my presence and magic detection. The image is that I draw a vertical line for detecting presence and a horizontal line for detecting magic in the magma reservoir. The lines are slowly moved up and down, left and right, toward the bottom of the magma.

You can feel the sticky sweat rising slowly on your forehead. I can also feel that my magical power is slowly being drained away. But I don't care about any of that, and sharpen my spirit even more.

"...... caught it!"

I mutter to myself. Deep in the magma pool ......, almost at the bottom of the earth, there was a slight reaction. It seems that there is a huge square box. I can feel a huge magic power inside it. There it is. It was Royce. It must be Royce. ...... But wait...?　What is this sensation?

"...... water?"

It seems that Royce has a huge square space filled with water. What in the world would he be filling it with water for? Could it be to escape from the heat?

Finish detecting magic and presence. I open my eyes and see the Dragon King with a smug look on his face.

"There he is, that guy from Royce.

I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, there's just something I don't understand. I've confirmed that Lois is there, but it seems like he's filling the space with water. What does this mean?"

"Water?"

It was Tune who spoke up. He was silent for a while, and then he raised his voice in exasperation.

"Lois, you've thought of it!"

"What do you mean?"

"He keeps himself from being attacked by water."

What do you mean?

"If Royce's space is destroyed, the water inside will erupt at that moment. Then it will explode. If it's not careful, this mountain itself will be obliterated in an instant.

"What's that?　Isn't that bad?"

I involuntarily turn my gaze to the Dragon King. He is still smiling.

"Dragon King, did you know that and didn't dare to attack Royce?

"...... what are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

"Stop talking nonsense and attack! First of all, you must cut through his space.

I looked up to the heavens.