Chapter 183 Elf (2)
According to the information, the guards stationed in the abandoned prison numbered ten in total.
Two soldiers stood guard at each of the two entrances, while six patrolled the corridors. If reserve forces were included, the number would be greater, but as long as he avoided detection, that was of no concern.
Verden hid his body in a corner of the ceiling.
Suppressing even his breathing, he completely concealed his presence as he waited for the guards to pass. The footsteps that had been faint in the distance gradually drew nearer.
But then,
Thud... thud... thud... thud....
The vibrations were heavy.
As if from a knight clad in full plate armor... no, something with even greater weight. Such a sound was impossible for the level of equipment the guards of Ariente Castle carried.
In addition, there was light far brighter than that of mere torches.
'What is that?'
It did not match the information he had gathered beforehand.
Sensing something was wrong, Verden focused his gaze. Soon he was able to see what was causing it.
A massive frame, nearly four meters tall.
Its whole body was composed of blazing rock, and wherever it passed the ground glowed red, scorched by heat.
At the sight, Verden's eyes widened.
'...A golem?'
And not just any golem, but a Flame Golem.
From its form, it was clearly naturally occurring.
'Why is there a natural golem in an underground prison, instead of guards?'
Not only that,
He could not understand why a Flame Golem had formed in a damp prison, nor why it was being left alone.
Everything about it was riddled with questions.
Could it be they were using the golem as a substitute guard?
Circumstances suggested so... yet natural golems did not distinguish between friend and foe.
In any case, it was not something to be taken lightly.
This was a variable far greater than the first prince's amusements.
Naturally occurring golems had an area of activity.
If one did not cross that boundary, they were harmless, but once inside, anything that entered was treated as a hostile. Furthermore, having no sensory organs of their own, they judged only by magic power, meaning there were no blind spots within their territory.
If the Flame Golem's territory encompassed the entire prison, then it was as good as already being discovered. Verden drew the Oculus from his spatial bag and prepared for battle.
But before that became necessary, the Flame Golem turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
Thud... thud....
The heavy vibrations grew fainter.
Having narrowly escaped detection, Verden suppressed his magic power.
'That was close.'
A golem was an abnormal species that remained active indefinitely unless its core was destroyed.
But no core was visible within the Flame Golem.
Most likely it was hidden somewhere in the prison, but finding it would mean flooding the entire place with magic power, searching high and low.
During that time, the Flame Golem would rampage to kill him.
Even in such depths underground, the aftermath of such a battle carried enormous risk. He had not gone to the trouble of infiltrating just to be exposed so easily.
And yet... this variable also worked in Verden's favor.
If a naturally occurring golem was left alone rather than subjugated, then there had to be a reason. More than that, with it patrolling the prison, it made for a perfect guard.
'In other words, there is something in this underground prison.'
Of course, for now it was only a hypothesis.
It was not impossible that the vain first prince simply left it alone. But even so, there was more than enough value in investigating.
Descending close to the ground, Verden carefully recalled the direction and pace of the Flame Golem, and headed toward the corridor it had passed through.
The first night of the secret social hall.
Verden began his earnest exploration.
***
The meeting room of the secret social hall.
At the center stood a great oval table. At its head sat the first prince, leaning crookedly with his chin propped on his hand, while three others sat lined up to his left and right.
First prince Valrgna dropped a stack of documents with a flick.
On them were detailed reports of the damage that had occurred in the southern part of the kingdom.
"Hah, irritating. How much have we lost to mere Undead. And these noble fools, they flee because they cannot even stop a single abnormal species? Absolutely pathetic."
He cared little for how many citizens had died.
The deaths of several thousand were not such a great loss when compared to the entire kingdom. In a few years, recovery would follow.
The problem was that politically, he would take a severe blow.
"A noble abandoning his territory to run... damn, that cursed Marquis Esperanza will not stay quiet. He'll cling and harp on about it all day long, I'm certain. Just imagining it makes my temper rise."
Then Robert spoke.
"So, we cut off the tail first."
"The tail?"
"We'll pin the blame for the Undead crisis on Count Federick. If Your Highness confines him beforehand, Marquis Esperanza will not be able to push too hard. Then, at the right moment, we purge him, and the matter will largely be settled."
"Hmm...."
The first prince rubbed his forehead with his fingers.
"If the count dies, won't my faction be weakened?"
"That is the cost to be weighed."
"With the granary regions in ruins, securing food for the coming years will be very difficult. If famine spreads, the kingdom will descend into chaos far beyond expectations. In that case, a single count's head to quell that fury is a cheap price to pay."
With Cland's additional explanation, the first prince slowly nodded.
"That... is true. Nelita, you'll make the preparations?"
"Of course, Your Highness. Entrust it to me, and I'll design it exactly as you wish. Just as we once annihilated the Ducal House of Rubinelian."
The Ducal House of Rubinelian.
Once one of the kingdom's four great ducal families, until it was subjugated under accusations of rebellion.
"Rubinelian... it has been a while since I heard that name. Indeed, your help was great at the time. Thanks to it, Father recognized my merit, and I was granted part of the ducal lands. Very well, Nelita, I entrust this to you again."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"The rest of you, give Nelita your utmost aid. When I ascend the throne, I'll reward you well. Who knows? Perhaps all of you here will become nobles to rule this nation."
"I'll make sure funds are not lacking."
"My mercenary corps will be ready to act at your command, Your Highness."
"The same here... heh."
At the prince's words, laughter rose.
Robert, expressionless, moved on to the next agenda. In that moment, Cland's eyes twitched faintly, though no one noticed.
"Ah, and what of my younger brothers?"
"...I'll explain that."
Clearing his throat lightly, Cland continued.
"Second prince Lotnil is gathering his key supporters among the high nobility. Hosting balls, attending social gatherings, offering gifts, doing all he can to maintain his faction."
"Well, that sounds like Lotnil. The man's obsessed with women, but he's silver-tongued enough to be called the prince of society. And Evers?"
"Third prince Evers... is in a precarious situation. The Union was dismantled by Marquis Esperanza, much of his faction severed in the process, and the nobles supporting him are watching for a chance to withdraw."
The first prince burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! That is truly fortunate! The Marquis of Esperanza bit hard indeed. Thanks to him, both I and Lotnil enjoyed the spoils. That arrogant wretch, glaring at me until recently... I wonder what face he wears now, I'm very curious."
"Heh, shall I have a portrait painted for you?"
"No need. Such things I must see with my own eyes. Now then, what's next?"
"The next matter, I shall present."
The merchant lord Dario took up the role.
And so, the meeting of the secret social hall proceeded smoothly. At this pace, including breaks, they would easily have three days to spare.
'...If only things were going smoothly on the other side as well.'
Cland lifted his gaze from the floor and refocused on the meeting.
Time passed little by little.
***
While the meeting continued, Verden devoted himself fully to exploration.
Flying here and there to avoid the Flame Golem, moving swiftly, he soon managed to confirm most of the abandoned underground prison.
Yet there were no results.
'Was I wrong?'
He had expected to find something, anything, but there was nothing at all.
Were they truly just leaving the Flame Golem to wander?
It made no sense by common reasoning... but since he had found nothing, he could not deny it.
It seemed that what he sought was not here, but hidden in the old royal castle's central section instead.
If possible, he had hoped to uncover it in the underground prison where discovery was less likely, but as things stood, he had no choice.
Still, he would have to be content with crossing one search area off his list.
As Verden passed through a corridor toward the sewers, that was when he reacted.
'...Wait.'
Stopping, he turned his head.
He was standing in the central corridor of the prison. According to the blueprint he remembered, there should have been no passageways here.
Yet in his sight was a narrow side path.
A path not on the blueprint.
Narrowing his eyes, Verden moved cautiously. Soon, at the dead end of the narrow path, there were two empty cells, one on each side.
Rusty iron bars, firmly locked padlocks.
They bore no sign of recent touch, as though they had long been abandoned. Just like the other cells, they were completely unmaintained.
Since the blueprint was old, it would not be strange if extensions had been added before the prison was abandoned.
Verden slowly scanned the enclosed alley.
A total of 24 iron bars.
Two padlocks.
One wall.
On the floor two, on the ceiling two, protruding bricks.
"..."
Studying carefully, Verden stepped back exactly eight paces from the wall.
The scene looked the same.
The clammy dampness, the thick layers of rust, it was nothing more than an abandoned prison.
But one sees as much as one knows.
To Verden's eyes, it was clear.
From the bricks to the padlock,
along the rust on the bars, past the brick on the ceiling,
then once again across the bars and padlock, returning to the starting brick.
One circle.
And at its center, the old wall.
Verden was certain.
"A magic circle."
And not of any ordinary level.
***
An intentionally placed artifice.
Within that visual illusion, three different magic circles were cleverly layered.
The outermost concealed the traces of the circle itself, the middle held protective spellwork, and the innermost served as a door.
Such a circle could not be inscribed lightly.
At the very least, it was on a level where Verden himself could meaningfully discuss it. What particularly drew his attention was the protective magic circle in the middle.
A high-level magic circle created long ago by a mage named Toben.
To tamper recklessly with the circle, or to attempt to destroy this space, would send a shock of magic rippling beyond the prison, through the entire royal castle.
And upon the intruder, the Gaze of Magic would fall.
For a set period, their position would be revealed in real time. If struck by that, he would have to face the entire military force of Ariente.
Concealment would be impossible.
If one wished to live, turning back was the only wise choice.
If the discoverer had not been Verden.
'Found it.'
His eyes gleamed as Verden instantly drew out threads of magic power, weaving them into the circle.
Though the circles were linked, it was only a matter of time. The same with
Scritch... scritch... crack.
His threads gnawed at the key nodes of the circle, breaking them one by one.
Before long, the first circle shattered, revealing the two hidden within.
Without pause, he penetrated the protective circle.
'Who could have inscribed such a thing here?'
If their magical skill matched the sophistication of this circle, it might rival the dark Magus Viola. Perhaps even greater.
But whoever it was, Verden would not be daunted.
Crack!
At last,
Now only the final circle remained.
This, in truth, did not even need to be broken. It served only as a door.
Vrrrmmm.
Forcing the inside, he activated the circle.
Rumble... rumble...
Blue light flared as the wall began to move.
Bricks shifted in a crossing pattern, and a passage that had not existed a moment ago was revealed. Beyond it stood a lone rusted iron door.
Without hesitation, he reached for the handle.
Creak.
Beyond the iron door was a vast spiral staircase, and at its center a mana lift, stained with blood.
When he looked up, the height was dizzying.
Hundreds of mana lamps flickered faintly in the darkness.
'Suspicious to the extreme.'
Verden was convinced this was the secret the first prince had hidden.
A mana lift was noisy.
Every sense—sight, hearing, touch—was on edge as Verden, gripping the Oculus tightly, ascended the staircase slowly.
Though there was only one path, there could be unnoticed mechanisms or traps lying in wait. There was also the chance of encountering someone descending.
Even if it took time, he had to proceed with caution.
Before long, he reached the top.
'Damnably high.'
Judging from his climbing speed, he had likely reached the central section of the royal castle... perhaps not exact, but close.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Verden raised his head.
Another door appeared. Unlike before, this one was a clean, well-kept iron door.
Carefully, he pulled the handle.
Well-maintained, it made not even a creak. Keeping low, Verden slipped swiftly inside.
The door shut.
At his ear, a voice brushed past.
───Hm hm hm.
A lively humming.
Focusing, Verden traced the source. Hiding behind a thick pillar, he peered out.
"Hm hm hm hm."
Someone in a white gown was humming.
Before him stood a metal table, and on that table lay a person. Judging by the utter lack of color in the skin, it was a corpse.
But the features were strange.
Unlike a human, pointed ears, a fine face, and hair of emerald hue. Verden knew well what those traits meant.
'An Elf...?'