“It’s time to organize.”
Tap.
Kaitel quietly murmured as he pointed to a spot on the map in the North.
The North, aside from the golden age when the unification of the continent was discussed, was always a region the Empire couldn’t control.
It was almost a lawless area where immigrant tribes and Imperial citizens had managed to maintain at least a semblance of order.
And now, that very place had been unified.
A figure had emerged, uniting the previously fractured immigrant tribes that had run rampant and turning the land into a unified domain overnight.
From the Central government’s perspective, which had been largely indifferent to the North, they couldn’t help but take this seriously.
After all, the North, which had been fighting amongst itself, had unified under just one person, a wielder of power even Paladin Berod had recognized.
What would happen if such a person, discontent with the Central authority, moved South? Could they withstand it?
Before Kaitel could voice any opinions, the Emperor conferred the title of Grand Duke to Adele Igrit.
They had acknowledged a mere mercenary group as a legitimate force.
Was there even a reason for that? With the Central’s might, couldn’t they just sweep away such mercenaries and completely unify the land?
It wasn’t long before he figured out the answer to the question that had lingered since his childhood.
The situation was so dire that even a single mercenary group looked down upon them.
The Empire was in a state where it could do nothing on its own, hindering any chance of realizing their ambitions.
“I got too carried away.”
A powerless commoner had ascended to the position of Grand Duke simply because they had unified the North.
Who would accept this? It was incomprehensible.
Thus, they had to find a solution, one of which was to utilize the residual thoughts of the dead dragon.
“Are you planning to fully integrate?”
“They’re putting pressure from below, claiming they will conquer the South, but in the end, that’s just for show. To achieve anything, we need to organize the internal matters first.”
Even the Imperial Family wielded power only over a few lands centered around the Capital.
Aside from the North and South, the West and East were the only strongholds they could claim.
Among these, the North had the most flourishing personal power, and if it wasn’t dealt with, there was no way to exercise their ambitions.
What if the factions that had been coiled up for years rebelled?
At that point, anything could happen, and with that thought in mind, Kaitel quietly spoke while looking at the map.
“Have you identified the ruins in the North?”
“We’ve found all of them. Soon, we plan to extract the people there.”
“Robert is in the North. What are the chances we’ll meet?”
“I think there’s nothing, but I also believe we can’t completely rule it out.”
I confirmed the force that could potentially overpower my fiancée.
And I had identified my own identity, discovering that there was a connection to the Crown Prince.
Whether it was just a lucky guess or something he truly figured out, I couldn’t tell. However, Cain knew well enough that it wasn’t merely intuition.
But his lack of worry stemmed from another reason.
As Kai-Tel frowned at the mention of being unable to rule it out, Cain lowered his head again and continued speaking.
“When you think about what’s in that spire, even if we find it, there probably won’t be much to uncover.”
“Ha. Is that what you meant?”
Understanding Cain’s words, Kai-Tel let out a small, relieved smile.
If the giant they dispatched to investigate the uncharted territory found it, they could probably crush the intruder decisively.
Then there was no reason to worry. Even if they found something, it might not matter.
If they entered that place, they would likely never come out again, so Kai-Tel, putting on a somewhat relaxed expression, looked at the map once more.
“I’d rather they just die. Are they trying to provoke us on purpose while clinging to me? I have no idea what our Duke is thinking.”
Originally, the North should have been colored differently, but it had somehow turned the same color as the Center.
Wouldn’t they need to move faster than the plans they had set before?
The dragon’s lingering resentment was stickier than expected, as Kai-Tel held his throbbing head, and for just a moment, his eyes sparkled red.
#
Entering the interior of the spire wasn’t difficult.
After asking for the password, Berod knocked someone out and stashed them somewhere.
Crossing the threshold, they found themselves in a gigantic tower that was similar to the Moon Tower in structure.
No masked figures were visible.
If they had known the guard was down, it would have been appropriate for someone to rush in.
However, the interior was empty, like a place where people had already vanished, and Adrian cautiously opened his mouth.
“Is anyone here? The inside looks spacious, but I don’t sense any presence.”
“Probably not. If there were, they would have charged at us by now.”
In preparation for such a situation, he drew his sword, but as he spread out his magic power, he felt nothing, just a deflated feeling.
There might be a guard outside, but no one was inside. With this, there was only one conclusion to draw.
“We should check if there’s something below. I can’t think of any other reason for this kind of guarding.”
“I think so too. Could there be a relic or something?”
“Probably not.”
If there were a relic, it would have reacted before I did. It was clear it was not a relic.
However, there was definitely a sense that something lay below.
It was either above or below, and that reminded me of the towers in the South, where something was always hidden underground.
In a situation where everyone had retreated, there was no reason to guard such a place.
If something important was there, it needed to be protected, or perhaps it could be a trap.
If it was a trap, someone would need to help Adrian escape, so when I looked at Berod, he already seemed to understand my intent and assured me he would guard the back.
Even if I headed towards Adrian, if a dire situation arose, I needed to get him out somehow.
If I died, I died, but Adrian was a different case.
Trying to silently reconfigure our formation so Adrian wouldn’t notice, I frowned at the scent of blood that intensified the farther we went down.
…It wasn’t just a person or two that had died. It was a scent that wouldn’t be out of place if dozens or perhaps hundreds had perished.
Adrian’s complexion was gradually turning pale.
Suddenly, I recalled the moment I met Teresa. I think I felt this same scent of blood back then.
If the stench from that pile of corpses was similar, how many people could possibly be buried underground here?
“It seems like there’s something here. Something… dangerous,”
In that moment, a chilling sensation ran down my spine. The thrill racing through my senses wasn’t something I felt often.
When you face something you shouldn’t encounter.
It was like the feeling I had when I first met Berod. Drawing my sword happened faster than I expected.
I tapped into my magic, and before I knew it, I was already in a defensive stance.
Berod seemed to sense something similar, channeling divine power to envelop Adrian.
The rosary hanging around Adrian’s neck emitted a pure white light.
It seemed to carry a warning.
If we moved further into the depths, there lay some existence we could not handle.
“I’ve never felt anything like this. Although I’ve been a Paladin for quite a while, I’ve never experienced such a thick atmosphere.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to retreat now? We could call for someone—”
“No, we push through.”
I wasn’t as instinctive as Adele.
I didn’t rely on feelings and always tried to make rational judgments.
But right now, I felt a strong need to confirm what lay in this underground.
I had to eliminate any possibility of whatever was inside coming out.
I felt Adrian’s gaze on me for a moment, but I didn’t stop.
I felt the chill in my breath. The wind wrapping around my skin was growing colder.
When we entered the spire, it hadn’t differed much from the season outside, but in here, it could just as well have been winter.
Even if I were to howl, it wouldn’t matter.
Breathing out a pure white puff, I then discovered the enormous door in front of me.
Amid countless intricate patterns, what stood out was the massive dragon’s head drawn in the center.
With its mouth open wide, it breathed fire, resembling the image of the Dead Dragon I had seen in the mural.
The fact that such a thing was drawn here means that whatever is inside is related to the Dead Dragon.
“It turns out there’s more than just a spire dedicated to the Moon God. There was also something honoring the Dead Dragon.”
It’s not a relic. I quietly exhaled while checking the dormant energy of the Moon Stone, still unresponsive.
Should I go in together? It would be easier that way, but it felt like I had to enter alone.
I didn’t want to be concerned about someone while fighting.
I couldn’t guarantee I could protect them, and besides, wasn’t Berod here to protect Adrian?
Creeeak—
As the door opened with a loud rumble, a much more acrid Scent of Blood poured out from the gap.
Berod swallowed his breath upon seeing the blood-stained remains of a corpse dragged against the door.
I guessed something wasn’t right, but judging by the traces of the corpse, it was the mark of a ‘man-eater.’
“I can guess what kind of existence it is.”
The fully opened door swung wide, revealing the scene inside.
The faint light filtering down illuminated the squelching blood and fragments of bodies.
Among the scattered fallen figures lay a solitary being in a hellish landscape where the heads of masked individuals rolled around.
It was so massive that it hardly looked human.
Though it had a human body, its head resembled that of a bull used for bullfighting.
A monster sleeping with limbs that bent in unnatural ways, wielding a spear larger than a pillar of a building.
Just by looking at it, one would feel utterly overwhelmed.
“There were monsters that appeared alongside the Dead Dragon back in the day. Now known as demons, there were four of them.”
“I remember reading about it. That must be…”
“Yes, it’s one of those beings.”
Clang—
The chains that bound the monster snapped as easily as thread.
Its eyes, filled with madness, were stained red, and at the same time, a breath like a raging storm shook the space. An ancient monster.
“It must be the Minotaurus.”
What I was witnessing for the first time was indeed the embodiment of violence.
Yet, I didn’t step back.
With a sword in hand, I couldn’t say there was no chance of victory.
Moreover, if I had the sword, it certainly meant I was the one standing at the end of it.
Even if that weren’t the case, I would make it so.
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