Rudell’s Room.
Rudell was lounging comfortably in a chair.
“How is it? See anything yet?”
“Umm… it still feels a bit awkward.”
At Leje’s question, Rudell made an awkward face and furrowed his brow.
On his face, he was wearing a contraption that looked like goggles.
Goggles that you’d expect to find in a sci-fi novel, not a fantasy one.
They were connected to the golem created by Silphier.
“What about the guards? Do you think it’s okay?”
“Fortunately, it seems like no one has noticed me.”
Rudell’s view included a dark hallway and the sight of Holy Knights patrolling it.
They were so big, they looked like giants.
Watching them, Rudell could clearly feel what kind of state he was in.
‘By the way, this is really amazing…’
To whip up a device that looks like it came out of a sci-fi novel.
She already had the nickname Silphiemong in the original work, but at this level, it was a whole new genre entirely.
What would have happened if he hadn’t managed to recruit her?
“Uh, due to output issues, I can’t hold out much longer… If you have something to do, you should move quickly…”
“Got it.”
While thinking that, Rudell nodded at Silphier’s words and moved the controller stick.
Following his commands, the golem quietly made its way through the shadows of the dark hallway…
“This Hero Selection Tournament is going to be a real crowd, huh?”
“Yeah… I wanted to participate too…”
Not a single person noticed Rudell, who was sneaking in the shadows.
It was only natural to think that a golem the size of a human palm would be crawling around the temple.
Sometimes hiding in the darkness, and sometimes hiding in the shadows of patrolling Holy Knights, Rudell continued his search.
And how much time passed…
“Finally here…”
Evading the sight of the Holy Knights and guards, Rudell arrived in front of Carvel’s room and looked around.
All he could see was the figure of a Holy Knight disappearing far away…
“Now… how do I get in here…”
Watching that scene, Rudell let out a low groan as he stared at the firmly closed door.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to have any special locking mechanism, but there was no way for Rudell to open that door in his current state.
It was because he was just too small.
“Is there any gap big enough to slip through?”
“None, it’s completely sealed.”
The door was tightly closed with no way to squeeze in.
In this situation, the only way for him to get inside was for someone to open the door for him.
[Warning. Energy levels at 50%]
“Ugh…”
The energy remaining on one side of the goggles showed up, and at the same time, Rudell let out a low groan.
If things kept going like this, he might end up stopping the golem due to lack of power without doing anything…
Just then, as Rudell was trying to find a way in…
–Sound of footsteps.
“…!!”
He quickly hid behind a nearby statue as footsteps began to sound not far away.
At the same time, a group of guards appeared from around the corner.
Guards equipped with armor and spears…
Seeing them, an idea flashed through Rudell’s mind.
“I think I’ve found a way.”
Saying that, Rudell waited for the guards to approach from the shadows.
With the sound of footsteps, the group of guards came within a suitable distance…
“Phew…”
Taking a short breath, Rudell controlled the golem to charge straight at the door.
The golem collided with the door, creating a crash sound…
“What was that?”
At the same time, a passing guard, hearing the noise, widened his eyes and turned his head.
The golem quickly escaped the scene and hid back in the shadows…
“What’s going on?”
Another guard asked, seeing his companion approaching the door.
“I thought I just saw the door move? Didn’t you hear that crash sound?”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
Even though it had crashed head-on into the door, the noise was barely enough to grab the guards’ attention due to the golem’s small size.
Of course, in this situation, that was more than enough.
“Isn’t that Carvel’s office over there? Wouldn’t it be empty since he’s already gone?”
“Hmm… something feels off.”
‘Yeah, hurry up.’
Seeing the guards whispering to each other, Rudell hid in the shadows and watched the scene.
“If it’s that suspicious, let’s check it out.”
At that moment, one of the guards approached the door and cautiously reached out to open it.
With a click, the door opened, and taking that opportunity, Rudell quickly slipped into the office.
“There’s nothing here…”
“It must have been a misunderstanding. Let’s head back.”
Fortunately, the guards didn’t notice Rudell and started patrolling the hallway again after closing the door.
A moment later, their figures disappeared beyond the hallway.
“Hah…”
“What happened?”
“I got in safely.”
With a relieved sigh, Rudell answered as he manipulated the stick.
The golem, making a pitter-patter sound, traversed the room…
“When am I ever going to find everything here…”
Seeing the piles of documents on the desk, Rudell sighed once more.
It wouldn’t take long for a human body, but unfortunately, he was currently just a small mouse-sized golem.
“Find anything?”
“Still looking.”
But he couldn’t return empty-handed.
Determined to find some clues, Rudell began sifting through the documents on the desk.
However… after searching for a while, he couldn’t find any solid leads.
“Umm…”
“Was it just a feeling? It’s odd that a high-ranking official from the Church would conspire with the evil god’s cult.”
“If you’re tired, you could take a break…”
“W-Well, if you want, I can step aside…”
No! You’re all completely wrong!!
Even though Rudell wanted to shout that out, his words wouldn’t hold any weight in the current situation without any evidence.
‘There must be… definitely something here…’
Confident in that, Rudell continued examining the desk.
Just then…
“…?”
Opening a drawer, Rudell discovered something inside.
It was none other than a torn envelope with a letter inside.
“What’s up? Did you find something?”
“I have a letter, but it doesn’t have a sender.”
“A letter without a sender? That’s odd.”
There were no clues in the envelope that hinted at the sender’s identity.
Just the phrase: “Your good friend.”
That single short phrase was all that was written.
“What does it say?”
“Let’s see…”
At Leje’s question, Rudell slowly checked the content of the letter.
-To K.
According to your plan, everything is ready.
If this goes well, you’ll get what you desire.
I’ve included the item for the final stage in the letter, so please check it.
Then, let’s meet again on that day.
-From your dear friend.
“That’s what it says?”
“Hmm…”
“Definitely suspicious, but…”
“This alone is just a bit…”
At Rudell’s reply, Leje and the others gave a low groan.
While the content of the letter was indeed highly suspicious, it lacked enough to be considered definitive proof.
In truth, if they questioned someone based on just the contents of the letter, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a way to wriggle out of it.
[Power is about to run out.]
Meanwhile, the golem’s movements began to slow as it had exhausted its energy, and a warning appeared on Rudell’s goggles.
“I guess the search will have to end here.”
With the remaining energy, it would be impossible to bring the golem back.
Hiding the golem in a place where it wouldn’t be seen, Rudell took off the goggles and stood up.
“Still, it wasn’t a total loss.”
At the very least, he was certain that someone was plotting something with an external party…
Given this, it couldn’t be considered a total loss.
“So, what now? With just this, we can’t do anything.”
“For now… we need to keep watching.”
If their plans were indeed reaching their endpoint, there would surely be some movement.
For now, there was no choice but to wait for that moment.
And thus, the night deepened.
