At the same time, in Leje’s room.
“Ugh…”
Leje thought the ticking of the clock was unusually loud today, letting out a soft groan.
It had already been two hours since she tried to sleep…
But strangely, sleep just wouldn’t come.
It wasn’t surprising when you considered how many worries occupied her mind.
The One Who Steals Lives, the Church of the Eaters of Death, and…
“I’m sure he knew something…”
When reporting last night’s events to Kaylee.
Although she didn’t show it, Leje was aware of Rudell’s demeanor.
He was fidgeting and unable to keep his gaze steady, which was unusual for him.
Though it was just a subtle difference only someone who’d spent a long time with him could notice, it made Leje feel a sense of unease.
She wasn’t exactly sure, but it felt like he was hiding something.
Hah…
After tossing and turning in bed for quite a while, she finally sat up with a short sigh.
It was past midnight now.
To clear her throbbing head, she approached the window and opened it.
Cool air rushed in, and sitting on the windowsill, she gazed down at the dimly lit view of the Royal Road.
“Of course, it’s bothering me…”
As she muttered that, her gaze shifted to Rudell’s window downstairs.
“I wonder if he’s still awake…”
Was it because she felt a bit hurt that he seemed to be hiding something from her?
Leje cautiously climbed out of the window.
She hooked her foot on a small gap in the wall and, as always, hung upside down to peek into Rudell’s room.
Considering the time he usually went to bed, he might still be awake.
If he was hiding something from her, she intended to make him confess.
“Huh…?”
However, what came into view shocked her.
“Rudell?”
His room was empty.
Since curfew was after 10 PM, he couldn’t possibly have left.
“…”
What in the world was going on?
Just then, her mind whirled with confusion…
“Could it be…!!”
Shaking her head vigorously, she shifted her gaze to a specific spot in the Royal Road.
It had much less light compared to other areas, appearing like a gaping hole.
The area near the Old Royal Castle, now a lawless wasteland.
The Slum.
*
“…”
In the ruins of the abandoned Old Royal Castle.
Two figures wandered through the place, lit only by the moonlight filtering through the broken ceiling.
“It looks like there’s nothing here.”
All they could see in his dimly lit eyes were discarded furniture and miscellaneous tools.
Nothing was moving.
“But the smell is definitely coming from here.”
“Hmm…”
If what he said was correct, that meant The One Who Steals Lives had been here just moments ago.
Had they just missed each other by a hair’s breadth?
“For now, let’s explore a bit more.”
“Alright.”
But reality couldn’t be ignored.
Rudell and Kurt began to carefully observe their surroundings, keeping vigilant.
Yet…
“Ugh…”
No matter how much time passed…
“Ughhhh…”
They couldn’t find any significant anomalies.
After nearly thirty minutes of searching…
“Is there really nothing here…?”
Underneath a half-broken statue in the center of the ruins, Rudell let out a short sigh.
They had searched the area thoroughly but yielded no results.
“This is strange… the smell has gotten even stronger…”
And it was the same for Kurt.
He too seemed equally bewildered by the situation, avoiding Rudell’s gaze.
“Geez…”
What were they missing?
Feeling frustrated, Rudell looked at the broken statue behind him.
It was nearly destroyed, making it hard to tell what deity it once represented.
“Hmm…”
As he examined it, a low groan escaped Rudell’s lips.
Considering that deities actually existed in this world, statues held significant importance.
Just damaging a statue could sour relationships with the temples, and they might face interrogation from the main church as heretics.
That’s why most people treated statues with care, considering them as embodiments of the gods themselves.
So why was such a statue left here…?
“Eh?”
Frowning, Rudell noticed something glimmering beneath the statue.
“A button?”
What lay there looked undeniably like a small tablet that could be pressed.
The moment he saw it, a faint smile crept across Rudell’s face.
“Is there something here?”
“It seems like I’ve found something.”
Nodding, Rudell reached out and carefully pressed the tablet.
– Kugugugugu…
With a click, the tablet slid inward, and the ground beneath the statue opened to reveal stairs leading down.
“Bingo.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s an expression used when things go well.”
With a smile plastered on his face, Rudell glanced into the dark and foreboding corridor.
After staring at it for a moment, Rudell and Kurt stepped into the passage…
– Kugugugurung…!!
As they vanished into the darkness, the entrance sealed shut behind them.
And. The area around the statue fell into a tranquil silence, as if nothing had happened.
*
“What was this place meant for?”
“It used to be a palace, so probably a secret escape route in case of emergencies?”
Although he had never seen it, there were indeed quite a few secret passages in the current royal castle.
If his memory served correctly, some areas might already be occupied by the church.
“A path for escape? That’s ridiculous.”
For the Nord tribe, fleeing was a mark of weakness.
So for Kurt, creating a separate escape path was incomprehensible.
“By the way… how far does this go?”
They had been walking for over thirty minutes already, but the end of the path was nowhere in sight.
It simply led deeper and deeper.
“Watch your step.”
As Rudell and Kurt trudged along the elongated passage for some time…
“Wait a minute.”
“What’s wrong?”
Rudell looked at Kurt, who suddenly stopped, bewildered.
“There’s someone around the corner.”
“…Someone?”
At this, Rudell pressed himself against the wall, peeking around the corner.
In his magically-enhanced vision, the dark hallway came into view…
“What is that…”
A group of people clad in black robes was approaching from far away.
Rudell was certain they were members of the Church of the Eaters of Death.
“Should we take care of them?”
“No, let’s just follow them for now.”
Stopping Kurt, who was readying his axe, Rudell summoned his magic.
Shadows began to swirl beneath their feet, wrapping around their bodies, as they slipped into the darkness to trail behind the group.
“Have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“They say the research is nearing its end, and we should see some meaningful results soon.”
“It was worth hiding in this cold, dark underground all this time.”
Members of the church chatted as they walked through the passage.
“…”
Rudell hid in the shadows, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Research? Meaningful results?
Whatever it was, one thing was clear—this was no good.
Soon enough, the church members arrived in front of a door.
“Kurt. Hold your breath.”
As torches flared up on either side of the door, Rudell nodded at Kurt, who inhaled deeply.
Confirming they were ready, Rudell once again summoned his magic, and their bodies enveloped in shadows transformed, blending into the shadows cast by the torches.
– Kugugurum…!!
With a low rumble, the door opened, and the church members stepped inside, scanning their surroundings.
It was a spacious area presumed to be some kind of facility.
A considerable number of church members moved about, and Rudell emerged from the shadows, dispelling his magic in an area where they wouldn’t be noticed.
“Next time, let’s skip that magic…”
“Ahahaha… Sorry.”
Rudell let out an awkward laugh at Kurt’s serious remark.
After all, being left in a pitch-black void, even for a moment, wasn’t exactly pleasant.
“So? What’s the plan now?”
“First, we need to investigate this place.”
It was a space much larger than expected.
The feel of a full-fledged laboratory was palpable, clearly a significant facility for the church.
If so, there would be a wealth of information related to the church as well.
This was a rare opportunity, and they needed to collect as much data as possible.
“And after that?”
“Why are you even asking that?”
With a smirk, Rudell answered Kurt’s question.
“I intend to smash everything.”
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