Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress' Knights Tournament

Chapter 49

Elincia didn't know what was happening. Everything had passed by in a blur. One second the battle between Caspian and Darin was raging, and the next, a golden dome had sprung up around them, covering the viewing box, blocking it from the outside world.

She stared at the large dome surrounding them. Golden light emitted from it and several archaic runes that reminded her of ancient elvish danced across it, constantly changing. The letters moved so quickly that Elincia barely managed to read them before they were replaced by other letters.

This is...

"What is this?" Lord Fuzen Taiga demanded to know.

"It's a barrier," Lady Sylvia said. She crossed her arms and glanced around them, taking in the entire dome that kept them there. "A rather well-made barrier, too. It looks like it's based off an ancient technique that was originally created by the elves. I recognize many of these symbols, though they've not been used for centuries."

"Is there any way to break it?" Headmaster Stratello asked.

"There is," Lady Sylvia said. Before anyone could get their hopes up, she added, "but the magical backlash that would come from breaking a barrier like this would kill everyone here who isn't a sorceress."

That put a damper on everyone's hope. Elincia could see it in their eyes. Lord Fuzen Taiga clenched his fists in frustration. Headmaster Stratello had gone completely silent, his eyes closed in what could only have been disappointment. Even his butler, Soren, who'd been silent up to this point, appeared disheartened.

A little ways away, Lady Erica was consoling a crying Tiffania alongside Collafloore and Derek, who could only watch on, unable to do a thing.

"Is there any way to break out of this that doesn't involve overpowering it?" Elincia asked. Everyone turned to her.

"What do you mean?" asked Lady Aakarshana.

Elincia bit her lip and looked at the letters dancing along the dome. "Well, this dome appears to have been created with runes, which are elvish words that, when engraved upon a surface, invoke specific effects. It looks like this one is a barrier that is meant to keep us inside. If we can decode the words used to create it, then we can break down the barrier."

"You know an awful lot about elvish magic, my dear," Lord Fuzen Taiga said.

"Ah!" Elincia gasped, her cheeks darkening. "I just... read a lot. Lady Sylvia has a lot of books back home."

"Indeed." Turning to Lady Sylvia, he asked, "can it be done?"

Lady Sylvia didn't say anything for a moment. When she did, each word seemed to be spoken with great care. "It is... possible. We would have to find some way of decoding these runes... Elincia, would you be able to do it?"

Elincia was startled by the question, but she answered to the best of her abilities. "Um, I might be able to, but the runes are moving too fast for me to see them clearly."

As an elf, Elincia had great vision. She could see objects that were far away as if they were right in front of her. Yet not even she could clearly see the runes that flashed across this golden dome made of mana.

"Don't worry about that," another voice said. Lady Karen stepped up to Elincia and handed her an object, which she recognized as the one that Lady Karen had been working on this whole time. "Here, use these."

"Goggles?" Elincia questioned. They were, indeed, goggles. Their black surface was smooth and glossy, reflecting the golden light of the dome. Large lenses were built into them, protruding from the front like two large cylinders. A switch sat on the left side.