Chapter 139: Impossible fortress (1/2)
”He is waking up.” Those were the first words that Layn heard when his consciousness finally started to return.
”Quick, bring some refreshments,” another voice said while Layn slowly pried his eyes open.
”Where am I?” he asked as soon as he gathered enough energy to open his mouth.
”Don't worry about anything. We might not be in the capital, but this fortress is safe,” Castor said as soon as he pushed the doors to the room open.
Only when seeing a familiar face, did Layn calm down a bit. But, with how taxing it was on him to use the blood weapon spells, he was essentially powerless.
'Heck, why am I so anxious?' Layn suddenly asked himself, noticing how stupid his worries were. 'Given where I am, they could off me while I was unconscious any time they wanted,' he thought, tightening his teeth.
For an archmage like him, this kind of situation was infringing on his personal pride. To be entirely at the mercy of others meant that he either spared too much trust in someone or wasn't strong enough to cope with the problems in the usual way.
Both of which were a big no-no for someone as experienced as Layn.
”I brought the drinks!” a maid reported as soon as she entered the dim room with a platter full of glasses in her hand.
”Good, leave them and get out,” Castor ordered in a stern voice, not even as much as sparing the maid a single look.
”Where are we?” Layn asked again. The answer of being in some kind of secure fortress was too ambiguous to be satisfactory.
”We are right at the border of the lands my country properly countrols. Unlike the wild steppe to the south, there is no danger of brigands or enemy forces attacking us here,” Castor explained in more detail before taking a glass of a fizzy drink and bringing it to the side of Layn's bed.
'Wait, bed?' the archmage suddenly thought, startled by this observation. But it was only the beginning of the chain of his surprises.
As Layn opened his eyes wide, more and more details about his surroundings started to enter his mind. From the perfectly even spaces between bricks that made up the wall of the room, he was in, through what looked like an electrical heater only a modern civilization would produce...
”What the hell is this place,” Layn uttered while slowly moving his upper body up. As soon as Castor noticed his intent, he rushed to support the archmage from behind, helping him to sit down on the bed rather than fully resting on it.
”As I said, this is a...” Castor started, only to stop when Layn swung his hand swiftly.
”That's not what I mean. Those bricks? This heater?” Layn shook his head while accepting the glass from Castor's hands. ”Nothing here makes any damned sense,” he added before taking a sip.
Just like back when he first met those people, as soon as the liquid entered his throat, it seemed as if a wave of heat suddenly appeared in his insides.
”Heater? What is a heater?” Castor asked, puzzled by the new word.
”And what is that thing standing by the wall and shining red?” Layn asked after separating his lips from the cup. Even if his actions made it so that he could receive as much of it as he wanted, he didn't have the habit of just gulping such a precious thing down.
Taking it slowly and allowing the medicinal effects of the brew to work their job properly was always the better way over just tanking the entire content of the cup down.
”You mean the magical furnace?” Castor asked before shaking his head and looking weirdly at Layn. ”Would you mind explaining what a heater is, though?” he asked while loosely trying to hide his obvious curiosity.
”Let's leave it for now,” Layn cut the discussion as soon as it started heading in the way that could potentially turn uncomfortable to him. ”Can you let me stand? I would like to have a walk to the outside.”
”Sure, it's not a problem at all,” Castor replied, sliding underneath Layn's arm and helping him to stand up. From there, just a few steps were enough to bring him to the corridor of the fortress.