Chapter 118

“Is there no other way?”  

“There is a method to track the dark magic left in this artifact.”  

“How long will it take?”  

“We’ll need to summon a priest, so… about ten days.”  

“Ten days?”  

“That’s quite a long time.”  

Unlike Shaterian, who was visibly startled, Orgon nodded calmly.  

What was this?  

Shaterian couldn’t adapt to the lack of urgency in the atmosphere. It felt like she was the only one worried about Eched.  

“Why do you seem so relaxed? Someone’s been captured by a dark sorcerer!”  

“Well, it’s the Commander of the Knights…”  

“Because he’s the Commander of the Knights.”  

“……”  

Shaterian was frustrated by the lack of rebuttal.  

“But ten days to track him is far too long. At least four days—or even two… tracking…”  

Mid-sentence, Shaterian suddenly looked down at her hand.  

On her left ring finger, the green wedding ring sparkled faintly.  

“I think we can leave right now…”  

“What?”  

Shaterian removed the ring, holding it tightly in her hand before opening her palm.  

The ring emitted a soft light and began to move forward on its own.  

She followed the ring’s movement.  

Standing by the window, Shaterian gazed outside.  

The direction the ring pointed toward was the brightly lit Marquisate residence.  

“Eched is at the Marquisate residence…”  

“This confirms that the Marquis is connected to the dark sorcerer.”  

“Let’s go capture them.”  

“Wait, Shaterian…”  

“What?”  

Shaterian paused as Orgon stopped her.  

The urgency of the situation made Orgon’s calm demeanor even more irritating.  

“Calm down for a moment.”  

“I’m perfectly calm right now.”  

Well, maybe not entirely.  

The thought of Eched being held captive dominated her mind, urging her to act immediately.  

“If Eched is there, why waste time?”  

“Why is everything about this situation so familiar… Anyway, if we rush in, what’s the plan? We should at least try to talk—”  

“Orgon, you overthink everything. If Eched is at the Marquisate residence, then the Marquis is either the culprit or an accomplice. What’s there to talk about? Giving criminals time only benefits them, not the victims. What’s holding you back?”  

“The Marquisate may not be as strong as the Imperial Palace, but it has considerable military power. The Imperial Knights can’t defeat thousands of soldiers.”  

“I can guarantee that even if the Marquis brings ten thousand soldiers, they won’t beat us.”  

“What? How can you guarantee that?”  

“Well… intuition?”  

Call it the instinct of someone who had lived through reincarnation.  

Orgon stared at her incredulously.  

Shaterian knew her confidence was baseless, but she couldn’t help feeling assured.  

“No one will die in the battle we’re about to face. …Probably?”  

Unable to make a firm promise, she added the last part hesitantly.  

“Let’s not waste time. The longer we delay, the lower the chances of saving Eched.”  

Orgon gave her a curious look as she busily prepared her gear.  

“You’re bold—like a prince in a fairy tale. Charging in to rescue the princess captured by the Demon King.”  

Shaterian let out a dry laugh.  

“Then Eched becomes the princess?”  

Eched in a pink dress…  

‘He might suit it better than me…’  

She dismissed the ridiculous thought, trying to suppress her unease.  

The group quickly gathered the knights and prepared to storm the Marquisate residence.  

However, they soon encountered a problem.  

The Marquisate residence was surrounded by a moat, leaving only one entrance.  

“Usually, castles like this have secret passages.”  

Taltos traced his finger over the map spread across the table.  

“The rear leads to the mines, and the front to the forest… This spot seems like the most likely location.”  

Experienced individuals were always impressive—he deduced the location simply by observing the terrain.  

From there, everything proceeded smoothly. Orgon and the knights moved efficiently.  

They arrived at the Marquisate residence.  

Since it was evening, the bridge leading to the residence was heavily guarded.  

The unusually tight security was suspicious, suggesting either something to hide or something valuable to protect.  

The knights split up as planned.  

Shaterian, Orgon, and Lord Taltos searched the forest for the secret passage.  

“If you look closely, you can see paths where people have walked. Here, the grass is trampled down.”  

“Lord Taltos must have been a wild animal in a previous life.”  

Finding a trampled path in the dark forest with only moonlight for guidance was impressive.  

Following Taltos, they eventually discovered a hidden door on the ground.  

The wooden door opened easily, revealing stairs leading underground.  

Without hesitation, they descended.  

After walking for some time, dim light began to seep into the dark interior. They prepared for battle but soon reached a middle level with nothing but a solitary door.  

Normally, such doors would be guarded, yet the underground was eerily silent.  

Taltos and Orgon exchanged tense glances before Taltos nodded and pushed the door open.  

The heavy wooden door creaked loudly as it swung open. The room was illuminated by lamps mounted on the walls.  

Pickaxes, piles of dirt, carts, and tunnels lined with tracks stretched out on either side.  

It was a labor camp.  

The group confirmed the place was empty and relaxed their tense shoulders. The lack of activity was anticlimactic.  

Shaterian slowly examined the interior.  

“Where does this lead?”  

A cold breeze blew from the dark tunnels, reminiscent of an abyss.  

“The Marquisate’s largest business is mining. It could be connected to that.”  

‘So this was a goldmine.’  

Shaterian had always wondered why the Marquisate settled near the monster-infested forest; now it made sense—it was for the mines.  

“But why aren’t there any workers here?”  

“The people working here were probably from 5th Avenue. They were exploited for labor.”  

There was no other reason to mine in secret like this.  

They continued walking along the path, searching the area.  

The scene suggested the workers had disappeared suddenly.  

Eventually, they found stairs leading upward.  

“We’ll ask the Marquis directly about the missing workers.”  

Orgon, who had been tense since discovering the labor camp, ascended the stairs with determination.  

Taltos and Shaterian followed closely behind.  

***

The Marquis of Kulnensi hurried to the underground temple after receiving an urgent message.  

He stared at the horrific scene before him with a grim expression.  

A magic circle covered the altar.  

The ground was soaked with blood, and a dark sorcerer stood amidst the chaos.  

Lying beneath the sorcerer were several people, the most striking of whom was Duke Astrea, with his silver hair.  

The Marquis hadn’t expected Astrea to be captured—or to allow himself to be caught.  

Unable to take his eyes off the Duke, the Marquis watched as the dark sorcerer sneered and kicked Astrea’s body.  

The Duke, flipped onto his back, showed no signs of consciousness.  

Was he dead already?  

The Marquis narrowed his eyes to check the Duke’s condition, then relaxed, convinced he was still alive.  

The ritual wouldn’t work unless the subject was alive.  

“But why did you only bring Duke Astrea?”  

The Marquis had originally planned to include Duchess Shaterian Astrea as well.  

Half-hearted measures wouldn’t suffice.  

If they were going to act, they needed to k*ll the entire Imperial Knight Order that had entered the Marquisate. Only then could they avoid repercussions.  

The dark sorcerer and the Marquis were in a symbiotic relationship.  

The sorcerer brought wealth and prestige to the Marquisate, while the Marquis fulfilled the sorcerer’s desires.  

“I brought him because he’s the one I hate the most.”  

“If you’re going to act, you must k*ll them all.”  

Only then would the Imperial Palace’s influence never reach the Marquisate.  

“Don’t worry—I plan to do just that.”  

Despite the situation, the Marquis wasn’t particularly concerned.  

He was only disappointed about losing cheap labor.  

Fortunately, there were replacements available.  

The Marquis thought about the next group of workers he would bring in.  

The monster incidents had actually worked in his favor.  

By isolating the migrants who had come to the Marquisate, he could exploit them for labor at incredibly low costs.  

Thus, the sorcerer’s killings weren’t a significant problem.  

If this led to greater wealth for the Marquisate, it didn’t matter.  

Even if a few people died—it was nothing compared to the blood already spilled.  

“By now, the Imperial Knight Order should have arrived, so deal with them.”  

It would be stranger if they hadn’t come.  

The Marquis nodded.  

“Yes. Then I wish you success in achieving your goals.”  

After bowing respectfully, the Marquis returned to his office.  

“Marquis. We’d like to have a word with you.”  

Waiting for him was the Imperial Knight Order, who had already occupied his office.