How to Raid a Gate (5)
“Yaaawn.”
Kim Jae-ho gaped wide, glaring at the gate before him.
In front of the glowing blue gate stood a horde of Sirius gate guards, their eyes gleaming with malice.
The boss, Kang Ishin, had asked him to block anyone who might try slipping in from behind before they entered. A special mission only he could handle.
Kim Jae-ho had nodded eagerly when he said Han Seohyun was too weak for it.
Yeah, that guy's no good at guarding anything! I'd protect him, though!
But before even a day passed, Kim Jae-ho regretted it.
And now, two weeks later, he wanted nothing more than to dive into that gate and drag Kang Ishin and Han Seohyun out himself.
The outside world was boring.
Whenever boredom hit like this, he'd barge into Han Seohyun's room. The kid would scowl and yell at him to get out, and if he stuck around, skeletons would charge him.
Those new black-boned ones were fun to bash.
He wished some gate-stalking bastards would show up, at least.
Kang Ishin had said to head back to base if it got tough, but nah. Boredom wasn't the same as hard.
Hungry.
Kim Jae-ho rummaged in his backpack and pulled out a hot bar. The bag Kang Ishin left was stuffed with enough instant food for months.
Even the usual stuff tasted off today. It always tasted good with those guys.
Hurry up and come out.
Kim Jae-ho whispered at the blue gate, eyes narrowed.
“Any luck?”
Han Seohyun's question earned a shrug from me. It'd been a week holed up here already. All I'd done was eat and read.
Luck? Not none.
Understanding of Mana Manipulation
Potential: B-grade
Form: Passive
Exposure to otherworldly mana manipulation enhances your own mana control.
I picked it up reading about the mages. Never thought I'd snag a talent like that.
━Your body's full of 'possibilities,' after all.
Mana did feel smoother now. Shame it was the only gain—nothing else noteworthy.
“Still accessing the spire?”
“Yeah. Sand doesn't count as alive, I guess. It's still dormant, unbroken.”
“Hm.”
I closed the book. Last one—no more to check.
Plenty of riddles unsolved.
The castle's lord, Count Herman who ruled these lands, clearly hated Serena.
So why the top-notch spire? And who was 'Serena'?
“Obviously the woman sleeping in the spire, right? She probably built this place too.”
“Thought that at first, but her name never appears in the logs. The count despised the kid. Wouldn't even name her—called her 'it' or 'monster.'”
Who was Serena? If she was the spire girl, who named her and cared for her?
“Someone helped her behind the count's back.”
“Helped the 'monster'?”
“Maybe a good Samaritan lurked in this castle. Find them, and we crack the raid.”
No trace in all these books, though.
Village search turned up zilch too. Time to scour the castle again.
“Nngh.”
I stretched. Body stiff from endless reading downstairs. Loosened up, I told Han Seohyun,
“Head back to base.”
“Ugh! Atmosphere there sucks. That Yuseonje jerk's zapping lightning outside all day—super annoying.”
Power play, huh. Han Seohyun grimaced. Yuseonje was throwing a tantrum, a week in.
“Says he's developing a technique.”
“Technique my ass. Just venting his temper. Hmph!”
Last week soured things between Han Seohyun and Yuseonje. No words exchanged, but his sneers screamed disdain.
That one-sided smirk every time he saw us? Even I found it punchable. I had tolerance; Han Seohyun didn't.
“He doesn't even know we came to save his ass! This mess is all because of him!”
I let him vent. Kid only opens up away from basements.
“Just endure a bit.”
“Hmph, only 'cause it's you, Boss.”
Han Seohyun stomped off toward base.
Alone now, I swept the castle properly. Basement was a bust for raid clues.
━Not a total bust.
“Didn't figure out the raid method.”
━Tsk. Told you not to mind the brat, yet you're obsessed.
“Ahem.”
Academy days, maybe. His barbs grated. Maybe that's why I wasted a week proving him wrong.
Knew after three days the books were trash.
“Something's hidden here, anyway. Let's dig deeper.”
I scoured meticulously, rechecking spots, tapping walls for hidden rooms like that ice-curtain door.
Then, something off.
“Hold up.”
━What?
“This wall and that one—different thickness?”
Just a pillar between, but this one's thicker by centimeters. Ice hid it visually, but touch confirmed.
“Might be something inside. Analyze it.”
I pressed my hand to the wall. “Ray, please.”
I yielded control. I could scan with mana, but mapping it mentally? Still short.
Soon, Ray's excited voice boomed in my head.
━Picture inside. Portrait! Not missing—they iced over the walls with paintings.
“Can you break the ice without damaging?”
━Yeah. Gap from the frame. Give me the body.
Ray carved delicately. In minutes, the ice vanished.
Two portraits emerged. One seemed Count Herman, lord here.
Ice muted colors, but features were clear.
Beside it, an elegant woman with upswept hair.
“The mage he married?”
━No, logs say he burned her portraits after death. Hated the kid, denied his love in grief.
Ray's perfect recall caught details I'd missed.
━More hidden ones. Keep looking.
I nodded, clearing ice from portrait walls.
After a few more, her identity clicked.
“Count remarried after. Noble duty, probably.”
Every new portrait showed them together, matching rings on ring fingers.
━No log mentions on her.
“Means he was a crap husband. Zero interest in wife two.”
Good Samaritan? She looked sweet, fly-sparing gentle. But life's taught me better than faces.
“Still, info's too scarce.”
Barren on her. Noblewoman should've had quarters—none found.
━Maybe hidden.
“Like portraits?”
━Yep.
Tapping nearby—
Ran into Lee Hyewon and Lee Jae-eun heading upstairs.
“What're you doing?”
“Checking for hidden spaces in walls.”
I explained. Soon, another suspicious wall.
“Ha, no way—they walled off a whole room?”
Days of toil flashed by.
Hand to wall, I cleared ice instantly. Door revealed, Lee Jae-eun and Lee Hyewon gaped.
“How...”
“Haha, minor trick.”
━Minor? Bears do tricks, humans reap rewards.
I ignored Ray's gripe, infused mana into the handle. Lock clicked open. Spreading ice inside—I yanked them in, slammed shut. Ice stopped.
“Whoa.”
Lee Jae-eun's awe echoed. I scanned too. Perfectly preserved like basement, but not musty-cold—this was...
“Beautiful room.”
Fitting noble lady's quarters. Antique furniture filled a space like merged rooms: central bed, massive wardrobe for dozens of dresses, vanity, desk, packed bookshelves.
“Why no ice here?”
Lee Jae-eun asked. I tossed casually,
“Search around first.”
Straight to desk. Piles of unsent letters, open inkwell, quill mid-reply. I lifted the unfinished one. Content—and signature—shocked me.
“Ah.”
“W-what?”
Lee Jae-eun jumped at my voice.
“Nothing—just figured the owner's name.”
“What?”
“Serena Helen.”
Her eyes widened. “Pardon?”
We'd found the Ice Palace's mistress.
[Unfinished letter content—translated based on context, but since not specified, imply shock from signature]
— Serena Helen