Both Axel and Gracius went into an unknown room located in the basement of his manor.
Axel gasped after noticing several blueprints displayed on the walls.
Hey, this isn't what I'm thinking about, right?" Axel asked greed through thought communication.
[Nope, it really is what you think.]
Axel stood before a large blueprint of a ship, surveying the small details that seemed to be the real deal.
"That caught your eye, huh? I was planning on telling you about it anyway," said Gracius, who held another blueprint in his hand.
"This is a ship, right?" Axel asked, staring intently at the ship's blueprint while pointing his finger at it.
"Yes, that is a ship. And this right here is what we call a gun," Gracius uttered, placing the blueprint on the table in front of Axel.
Axel could not believe it; what he was so worried about revealing was right in front of him. "Where in the world—I mean, who gave you blueprints of the ship and gun?" Axel asked, completely surprised to see the M1 Garand rifle's full, detailed blueprint in front of him.
Gracius stared at Axel and said, "You're the very first person I brought here."
Axel was confused, unable to comprehend why Gracius suddenly changed the topic.
"What are you saying, Gracius?" he asked.
"I just wanted to tell you that what I'm about to tell you right now cannot be told to anyone else," Gracius stated, showing his trust toward Axel, who stood silently.
"But before that, I think you should also come in; you've been spying on us since we entered this room," Gracius said.
Detection? Is it part of the mana zone?" Axel wondered.
[Yeah, you know that I can also detect individuals within a certain radius, right?]
Oh, right, I forgot. But why didn't you inform me of anything?"
[Well, there's no need to report since that woman doesn't harbor any ill intent towards you. Kyahaha!]
Just as Axel was about to sigh, the door behind him opened, followed by Erza entering the room.
"I was just worried about the young one," said Erza as she stood beside Axel and held his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah, since what I'm about to tell you is also related to you. You know that you can't fool me, right? Princess." Gracius said, and it instantly shocked Axel and Erza.
Erza, who tried so hard to hide her real identity, could not believe that she had been found out.
"What are you talking about?" Erza said, trying to come up with an excuse.
"Red eyes, silver hair, and tribal marks on your body. Even if you try to cover it with firm white skin, the lines are still clear if you look closely," Gracius stated, explaining the faults of the Drax's transformation ability.
lines? What is he talking about?" Axel wondered and stared intently at Erza's body. Just then, he noticed the tribal marks that aren't really visible due to her fair white skin.
"I see. So you knew about my identity ever since you saw us, right?" Erza asked, slowly creating a sword made of her threads.
Axel noticed that Erza was starting to glare at Gracius and immediately stood in front of both of them. "Wait a minute!" said Axel, who raised his hands, trying to stop Erza from engaging.
"You shouldn't get angry at me; I'm about to tell you something important. Your enemy isn't me," Gracius said, shrugging his shoulder.
Erza continuously glared at Gracius, who was acting carefree. She then suppressed the rage within her and let out a long sigh.
Axel smiled and sighed as well, knowing that Erza had finally calmed down.
"Now that you're ready to listen, I should start talking," Gracius uttered while rolling up the blueprint on the table.
Several years ago, when the Drax race ruled over the entirety of Laplace, they were known to be the wisest among all of the races that existed, which also involved the humans who coexisted with them a long time ago.
Their kind nature deemed them worthy of ruling the people of Laplace, and their intelligence far surpasses that of those they deemed geniuses. They were a proud race that was extremely good-natured.
But after discovering what lies beyond the western border of Laplace, everything started changing.
Beyond the western region of Laplace stood a large canyon that was seemingly about to crumble at any time. That canyon-like mountain surrounded the entirety of Laplace like a fortress wall. And going through that old canyon had been fully restricted due to its dangerous state. The draconians who could fly did not attempt to fly above the tall mountains that surrounded Laplace since the air above acted like a vortex that could suck their oxygen and make them unconscious.
But what lies beyond that canyon truly astonished them.
The drax, along with several pureblood draconians, went beyond and discovered another continent below the border of the old canyon. A vast continent that even their eyes could not reach.
Tall trees, several mountains, active falls, rivers, and a beautiful landscape were all they could see as they stood above it.
That's when they knew that Laplace wasn't the only continent in the world. It was merely a small mountain compared to what they'd witnessed. And beyond the new continent they've discovered lies a very deep and unfathomable land of water, which they named the "Sea." But what really bothered them was that the place they discovered was filled with various types of aggressive beasts that preyed on those they deemed weak.
A variety of carnivorous beasts that were physically boosted with mana due to the mana-rich environment that the new continent could contain.
It was as if the entirety of the place was similar to a large, open, deep mine.
But just as they tried to make settlements below the canyon and build some proper terrain to travel on, the beasts suddenly attacked them and even followed them up until the canyon.
Despite their strengths, they could not outmaneuver a horde of more than thousands of aggressive beasts that came flocking at them like wild ants.
So for that, they destroyed the pathway that connected the new world and Laplace. Forcing them to stay inside the jurisdiction of Laplace.
However, the beasts did not stop and continuously climbed the tall cliff, trying to chase after the drax and draconians, whom they deemed prey. But in spite of their efforts, it all ended after the Drax created a magical barrier that could withstand even if thousands of beasts were to pounce on it. Since the only pathway that leads to Laplace is the old canyon, they all focused on reinforcing the magical barrier to its maximum defense potential, which could last hundreds of years.
But of course, a magical barrier like that wasn't free. A cost was needed, and the compensation was the lives of the creators of the magical barrier, which included the former king of Laplace, Armadillon von Gatot. The strongest and wisest Drax that ever existed in their era.
After Armadillon's death, his son, Armasta von Gatot, became the new king and ruled Laplace in his father's stead.
"My father," Erza muttered.
"Yes, princess." Gracius responded and continued his story.
In Armasta's era, there was a wise drax that existed. His name was Reinhart von Gatot, the younger brother of Armasta. Reinhart was a genius despite being young. He was considered the wisest among the grand elders of the Drax race.
And after knowing their situation, Reinhart and Armasta went to the canyon where the barrier was made.
Reinhart inspected the barrier and made several experiments, which included sacrificing others.
The barrier can make anyone pass through it if you pass from inside the canyon. But once you're outside, you cannot enter back into Laplace, forcing you to live with the beasts that reside below.
By sacrificing others, he forced them to pass through the barrier in order to understand its principles.
But in spite of the sacrifices Reinhart made, he eventually made progress.
After he witnessed his fellow Drax fight against the beasts, he knew that their numbers were the only problem and immediately called the Minotaurians, who were the most impressive craftsmen that existed in Laplace.
Reinhart introduced the making of the guns, which he called rifles.
A weapon that shoots a bullet way faster than any bow that existed in Laplace.
A weapon they can use to reduce the beast's numbers without going through the barrier.
It made Armasta happy since there were no more sacrifices needed.
But after Reinhart met Icarus, everything changed.
Chapter End.