Roede Duchy.
The territory of the House of Roede, where “Adventurers from the Stars” will be active in this expansion.
Usually, when you think of a duke’s house, especially from one of the high dukes, you envision a powerful central noble. But the “House of Roede,” which helped establish the Alparion Empire, was different. They held lands on the outskirts of the eastern Alparion Empire, bordering the arid Wasteland next to Erin’s Canyon. In a way, you could say they were just a local noble with brute strength.
“Oh.”
Still, a duke’s house really has its grandeur.
As I stood before the massive Main Gate, I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
It may not be as grand as the imperial palace, but it’s big enough to feel the power of the aristocracy living here.
And indeed, the two Guard Soldiers standing in front of the gate looked every bit the knights they were meant to be. The ceremonial armor they wore shone brightly.
Stomp, stomp.
I walked confidently toward them.
“What brings you here?”
As I reached the gate, a Guard Soldier politely asked.
“Eh.”
I scratched my face. I came here on a whim, without having made any prior arrangements.
“Um, I’m here to meet someone. Master Eleonora, uh… what’s her title again?”
“…Master Eleonora? A central noble?”
“Noble? Not quite.”
The guards exchanged puzzled looks and began to discuss amongst themselves.
Bang, bang! Thud, thud, thud.
Suddenly, loud noises came from above the gate, and a knight, probably the gate captain, rushed down in a fluster.
“Gasp, gasp…! The Sword of White…! Are you perhaps, Sir Rain?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, welcome! Hey, you lot! What are you doing? Open the gate!”
“Yes, sir!”
Creeeak.
“Oh.”
I stared wide-eyed at the gate that opened so easily.
“Present arms!”
Clash.
Clang!
My mouth fell open.
What’s this? A salute?
As I entered the duke’s inner fort, I found a path lined with armored knights standing at attention.
Each held their swords aloft, staring straight ahead with serious expressions.
Thud, thud!
Knights brandishing spears struck the ground with their spear tips.
And at the end of the knight-formed path stood Master Eleonora.
She greeted me with a bright smile and a reverent gaze.
“Welcome to the House of Roede.”
“…What is all this…?”
“This is the welcome ceremony for a distinguished guest.”
Whispers.
I could hear the nearby knights murmuring softly to each other.
“… She’s small, isn’t she? Isn’t Master Eleonora the mentor of the Roede Marquis?”
“That must mean she’s a master too, right? You know, they say masters tend to look younger once they reach a certain level.”
“She’s a bit too young though.”
I frowned.
“Hello. So, you’re Master Eleonora’s father? Duke Roede…?”
“Ahh! Is that truly you…! Indeed, I am the Roede Duke. Please feel free to speak.”
A dignified male with graying hair and the bearing of a noble rose from his chair in the guest room and bowed deeply to me.
I offered him a hand while scratching my face with the other. Then, I leaned closer to Eleonora and whispered.
“This is a bit overwhelming.”
“Really? Hehe, I apologize for that. Still, please understand it’s our family’s way of showing respect.”
The Duke of Roede, Master Eleonora, and I gathered in the guest room and began to chat.
“So, you introduced me as Eleonora’s mentor?”
“You said you didn’t want anyone to know you were a comrade of the Roede family’s ancestors. But to me, you remain the master who guides me on the path I must walk.”
“Hmm….”
While it was somewhat accurate, I had a specific reason for visiting today.
“…I see. The origin of the magic in Erin’s Canyon and the Heaven-Descended Basin.”
“Yes. If you look at the map….”
The Roede Duke also had a map of the Erin’s Canyon area. Although it was rough compared to those provided to users by the system, they had information amassed over a thousand years. No matter how useless or monster-infested an area seemed, they had to investigate it sooner or later to claim it as part of the Alparion Empire.
As Eleonora stroked her chin, she spoke.
“We’ll send a Wizard and Knights to dispel the magical barrier. It’ll take some time, but as soon as the barrier is lifted, we can deal with the monsters or the demons lurking within.”
“And we’ll need to purify the magic. So no more monsters tainted by magic are born from it.”
“Purification?”
“Father, about that…”
“Hmm.”
At Eleonora’s words, the Roede Duke took an object from his breast pocket and placed it on the desk.
“……!”
I recognized it.
A metal emblem the size of a palm.
An artifact only bestowed to high-ranking priests of the Holy Church.
“The Divine Mark.”
“You know of it.”
“Well, I was a hero a thousand years ago. It’s said that you walked alongside the saint who represents the Holy Church.”
“…….”
They spoke the truth.
I had indeed walked with Saint Elena in the past.
But the current continuity of the Holy Church had likely faltered, hadn’t it?
“Even if the power of the divine no longer reaches this land, relics left behind by the priests of the past still exert weak powers. Isn’t this proof that the goddess has not abandoned this land yet?”
“Is that so?”
I couldn’t tell them the truth.
That the goddess of this world had vanished.
“The Holy Church, including the Alparion Empire and other countries, is barely keeping its name alive. However, actions in the Betarion Empire seem to differ.”
“Because they have many relics, right? Isn’t that so, Father?”
“Hmm. Even if they are not priests performing miracles, believers gather in churches to hold worship services and keep the lineage going.”
“In the Betarion Empire, huh?”
“I don’t know the details since it’s a foreign land, but they’ve named this continent as one forsaken by the goddess and aim to gather relics to bring divinity back again.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
After dealing with the commander of the eastern territories, I felt the need to investigate this Holy Church group in the Betarion Empire.
“I have something to show you.”
After reporting the discovery of the Elite Dungeon, “Heaven-Descended Basin,” and assigning the task of dispelling the barrier to the Duke’s house, I was being led by Eleonora to a tower standing in the vast grounds of the duke’s residence.
I had a feeling about this.
The Training Tower of the Silva Plains.
The Ice Prism Tower of the Par Snowfield Region.
And now, the third one-person dungeon.
“This is.”
An appropriately tall and spacious tower, built in the style of the ancient architecture from a thousand years ago. It felt a little out of place compared to other buildings in the duke’s residence, but it didn’t show much sign of age. Truly, is this the magic at play?
“This land has belonged to the Roede family since before the Empire was established. And even after the Empire was formed, it’s the reason the Roede Duchy settled here.”
“So the reason this became the Roede Duchy isn’t just to fend off threats from the east?”
“Hehe, indeed. Long before a thousand years, this was our family’s land, even before the establishment of the Alparion Empire.”
Eleonora gazed up at the tower with a face full of emotion.
“And this tower was built together with Master Melissa and the family’s mages at that time.”
“What!?”
I was taken aback.
I had never heard that story while spending time with Melissa.
Then again, perhaps it was a family matter she chose not to share? She seldom spoke about her own family.
The Roede family’s land.
A tower steeped in a millennium of history.
And the Roede Duke, who hadn’t left this place even after a thousand years.
“This tower has it been closed all that time?”
Eleonora nodded.
“Yes. The key to open the tower was indeed ‘a name.'”
In this world, a name holds powerful significance. It’s understandable that the overwhelming evil first tries to erase the names of ancient heroes.
The lost name of the Roede family.
The ancient hero, ‘Master Melissa.’
“The tower built just before the ancestor left the family. We couldn’t call ourselves a family of heroes until this tower was opened.”
“You mean it just opened?”
“After a thousand years. Because you came.”
Eleonora smiled brightly.
“In this tower, you’ll battle illusions close to reality. After you restore the name of the ancient hero, all knights of our family have taken on the challenge of this tower. And embarrassingly, I managed to reach the top floor.”
“Oh, congratulations.”
“I still haven’t won against the illusion in my own image yet. Though our powers may be similar, the level of swordsmanship is different. It’s likely an illusion possessing the swordsmanship of Hero Melissa. Even knowing it’s an illusion, I still lose consciousness when my neck is severed. The shock is substantial.”
Eleonora touched her neck, briefly stiffening her body.
I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
It felt like I had gained some successors.
I wouldn’t actually die, but it isn’t exactly easy, right?
I paused for a moment to gaze up at the tower.
Before tackling the Heaven-Descended Basin, was it here where I should begin?
The tower erected by my sister, Melissa.
What awaited me at the top?
[Entry Level: 53]
[Tomb of the Sword]
[One-Person Dungeon]
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