Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Excavation
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Ingong slowly opened his eyes. His head was still fuzzy, as if he wasn't fully awake yet.
“Prince, are you still sleeping?”
A blur of green wavered in his hazy vision. It wasn't Green Wind's hair. Her voice wasn't that rough.
“Ugh... Karak?”
Nine times out of ten, the first face he saw upon waking was Karak's. He was right again, as Karak's large, coarse hands helped him sit up.
“Here, drink this cold water and get your head straight.”
Starting the day with cold water was also part of the routine. After gulping down the water Karak practically spoon-fed him, Ingong finally felt fully awake.
“It's almost lunchtime.”
A glance at the clock next to his mini-map showed it was already 11:20 AM. He hadn't just overslept; he'd *really* overslept.
But Karak was giving him a strange look.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
At Ingong's question, Karak let out a dry laugh, scratching his chin as he spoke.
“It's just strange. How does a man who just woke up know the time so precisely?”
“I just have my ways.”
There was no need to explain the mini-map and clock functions. Like a good subordinate, Karak didn't press the issue, simply nodding in understanding before bringing him a basin of water to wash his face.
“Where is everyone else?”
Ingong, who had washed his hair while he was at it, asked while drying it with a towel. Karak replied as he put away the basin.
“They're all outside, working. Besides, it's about time for lunch. Shouldn't you be coming out, Prince?”
“I should. I need to check on things around here, too.”
After a quick comb-through of his hair, Ingong threw on his outer clothes and left the temple. A familiar face was waiting for him at the entrance.
“Your Highness.”
“Ah, Karma. Good noon to you.”
When Ingong said "noon" instead of "morning," Karma bit her lip to stifle a laugh, as if finding it amusing. It seemed the respect for Ingong had spread in some odd ways.
With Karak and Karma in tow, Ingong surveyed the area. Just as Karak had said, everyone was busy working.
The first priority was dealing with the bodies.
This place had been a battlefield yesterday. The bodies of their allies had been recovered somehow before last night's feast, but not those of the enemy Cassius and Drake Ogres.
Normally, they would have been left to become food for wild animals, but this time was different. They couldn't just leave hundreds of corpses lying around next to the temple where the miracle of the nature spirit Green Wind had occurred.
The Cassius corpses were being dismantled, as their hides, bones, and teeth were useful. The Drake Ogre bodies, on the other hand, were being buried, as their nature was still unknown.
Ingong turned his gaze elsewhere. Behind the temple, there was a small forest formed by the treants.
As if their feats from the previous day were a lie, the treants had planted their roots in the ground and were quietly basking in the sunlight. Whether viewed from afar or up close, they looked like ordinary trees.
*'Still, they stand out.'*
A forest had suddenly appeared in the middle of the plains, after all.
After a brief look around, Ingong decided to find Fierce Eye. He needed to discuss various cleanup matters, including the subjugation of the remaining Cassius.
But someone spoke to him first. And it was inside his head.
*'My master.'*
“Green Wind! Are you feeling okay?”
Ingong looked up at the empty air as he asked. Green Wind's form didn't appear as he'd hoped, but her voice came through a little more clearly than before.
*'I am fine. I apologize for abruptly ending our conversation last night.'*
Last night, Green Wind had suddenly lost consciousness and dispersed into light and wind instead of waking up again.
The sensation of having conquered her had remained, so he hadn't been overly worried, but hearing her voice now finally put him at ease.
“I'm fine, really. Do you remember what happened last night?”
*'I remember we were talking about the power of Conquest you possess. I do not know why, but... it seems a part of the Watcher Ainkel that remained within me came to the forefront of my consciousness.'*
“How is it now?”
*'It has subsided again. I can no longer feel it.'*
A hint of disappointment laced Green Wind's voice. It seemed she missed her true essence, Ainkel.
Ingong nodded silently, thinking.
*'I guess there's no point in asking more about Conquest.'*
The discussion about Conquest had clearly been what summoned the voice of the Watcher Ainkel last night. But it didn't seem likely that Ainkel would appear again just by bringing it up once more.
*'The power of a king... and the Knight of Conquest.'*
He had gained something from it, at least. It was highly likely that Conquest and the Knight of Conquest were special knowledge even among the Elder Dragons. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Ainkel to awaken.
*'For now, I'll have to pin my hopes on the Demon King's castle's great library.'*
His merit level was still too low to use the great library. He would need more time for his investigation.
*'Let's not get impatient.'*
Accumulate merit and build strength. Stop the day of slaughter Zephyr will bring about.
His mission hadn't changed.
Ingong calmed himself with these reminders and looked up at the sky again. Green Wind's voice reached him.
*'Master, there is something I wish to tell you. Could you come to the small temple?'*
“Alright, I'll do that.”
*'I will be waiting.'*
Not only Green Wind's voice, but also the wind that had been whispering at his ears, vanished. Feeling a strange sense of loss, Ingong lowered his gaze and met Karma's sparkling eyes.
“Your Highness, were you just speaking with Lady Green Wind?”
Her voice was audibly excited. Ingong held up a hand gently, as if to calm her, and replied.
“Yeah, she just started talking to me.”
“Oh, heavens... to converse so naturally with a nature spirit... You are truly amazing. Forgive my impertinence, Your Highness, but if you were to become a druid, you would surely be a great one.”
Her sparkling eyes were filled with renewed reverence. Feeling slightly pressured, Ingong glanced away toward Karak, only to meet a completely different kind of look.
“That's a relief. I thought you'd suddenly gone mad, Prince.”
“Not a chance.”
Ingong shrugged, and Karak laughed. Karma's eyes went wide at the conversation between master and subordinate, which seemed to have tossed all etiquette aside.
“Anyway, I'm going back to the temple for a bit.”
As Ingong spoke, Karma quickly raised her hand.
“May I accompany you, Your Highness?”
Seeing her excitement, it was clear she wanted to meet Green Wind. Ingong shook his head apologetically.
“Sorry, it seems Green Wind wants to talk to me alone.”
“I understand. Then I shall guard the temple entrance.”
Her eyes dimmed slightly with disappointment, but Karma's reply was still spirited. Karak, who had been watching quietly, chimed in.
“Prince, I'll go to Fierce Eye and take care of some miscellaneous tasks. We need to report this incident to the Demon King's castle, after all.”
Karak was the one who had handled all the other tedious military duties for Ingong during the Red Lightning subjugation as well. Ingong gave a thumbs-up to his all-purpose secretary.
“Yeah, you're the best. I'll make sure you get a hefty reward when we get back to the castle.”
“I'll look forward to it.”
Grinning, Karak turned and went on his way. Karma watched him go with an envious look.
*'It doesn't seem to be about the reward. Does she want to go to the Demon King's castle?'*
Come to think of it, Karma had shown signs of that during last night's drinking party.
*'Well, I do plan on taking her with me.'*
But right now, his meeting with Green Wind was more urgent. Postponing his talk with Karma, Ingong hurried to the temple.
“Master.”
Leaving Karma at the entrance, Ingong entered the temple alone and saw Green Wind perched on a tree branch. However, her body was translucent, not fully materialized like yesterday. She looked just like the wind spirit Felicia had summoned.
“Oh, are you having a hard time?”
As Ingong approached the branch, Green Wind shook her head.
“Not at all. I am merely conserving my strength. Once our conversation is over, I intend to immediately begin the work of creating a part to replace me.”
“That's a relief, then.”
Ingong let out a sigh of relief without realizing it and sat on the edge of the cot. He wanted to face Green Wind as they talked.
Green Wind straightened her posture and spoke anew.
“Master, before our conversation yesterday, I believed you would be a temporary master. But now I know you are my permanent master. And last night, you told me what you intend to do.”
“Uh... you mean gathering the power of the six dragons?”
“Indeed. Therefore, I wish to tell you now what I did not tell you yesterday.”
Green Wind stood up from the branch and stretched her hand into the air. A map of the Enger Plains, formed from green light, appeared.
“In the northernmost part of the Enger Plains, there exists a relic of the Watcher Ainkel.”
Next to the map, a new cluster of light began to take shape. The form was so distinct that Ingong recognized it at a glance.
“A shield?”
“Correct. It is a piece of armament that the Watcher Ainkel named the Shield of Life. Like the Earthquaker you possess, it contains the power of an Elder Dragon.”
Only the shield was visible, so he couldn't tell its size, but it was quite ornate. A large green gem was embedded in the center of a diamond-shaped gray plate, surrounded by pieces of pure white metal.
Spreading her arms again to push the map and shield aside, Green Wind met Ingong's eyes and spoke.
“This is a story from over a thousand years ago. The Watcher Ainkel bestowed the Shield of Life upon the bravest and most righteous warrior among the centaurs. The warrior led the centaurs against the enemies of the north and won many victories. But he was not invincible. On the battlefield, thanks to the Shield of Life, he never suffered a single wound, but he did not take the shield with him to bed. He was struck down by the blade of a woman sent by one who coveted the shield, while they were in bed together.”
He thought it was a heartwarming hero's tale, but it suddenly took a tragic turn. Green Wind continued her story, regardless of Ingong's surprise.
“The Shield of Life was an item Ainkel bestowed upon the brave warrior. Therefore, no one but the warrior himself could use or carry it.”
Ingong nodded. It was the same with Earthquaker. The treasure-keeping dwarves, unable to get Enkidu's permission, had no choice but to leave Earthquaker in the dungeon.
It seemed the centaurs in the story were no different.
“The warrior's loyal subordinates eventually gave up on bringing the Shield of Life back with them. They buried it with the warrior in a tomb they built in the north before returning. And over a thousand years have passed. The Shield of Life became a legend, and the centaurs gave the shield the brave warrior's name. White Eagle. That is the Shield of Life's new name.”
Finishing her story with her gaze slightly distant, Green Wind looked back at Ingong and tilted her head.
“Master, was my storytelling that magnificent? If so, you may praise me. I am ready to receive your praise.”
Green Wind puffed out her chest and offered a faint smile.
But once again, Ingong didn't respond. His mouth fell open in astonishment, and then he shot up from his seat and shouted.
“White Eagle!”
He knew it. It was a name he definitely remembered.
A legendary piece of equipment said to exist only in the *Knight Saga* lore books. The ultimate shield that Ingong and other *Knight Saga* fanatics had tried to find countless times, but never succeeded.
*'Right, if it was in the Northern Limit Line, of course we couldn't find it.'*
In *Knight Saga*, the Demon World didn't encompass all the land north of the Human World. Beyond the northern reaches of the Demon King's domain lay a harsh environment that even the resilient demon folk found hard to endure. The reason the Cassius tribes migrated south every year was because life beyond the Northern Limit Line was that difficult.
The Enger Plains was one of several regions bordering the long-stretching Northern Limit Line. The Northern Limit Line was effectively outside the Demon World, so in *Knight Saga*, which only covered the Demon and Human Worlds, it was a land one couldn't visit even if they wanted to.
*'White Eagle. So that was an Elder Dragon's armament.'*
He'd said he would gather the powers of the Elder Dragons, but he'd been at a loss as to where to start. Now he had a clue. Moreover, since it was Ainkel's armament, its compatibility with Ingong, who possessed Ainkel's power, would surely be incredible.
As Ingong clenched his fists in delight, Green Wind pouted.
“I feel like I am being treated carelessly again. It is upsetting.”
She then kicked at the ground with the tip of her toe. Ingong quickly turned his attention back to her.
“Thank you so much for the great information. Do you know the location of the tomb?”
“I do. But I do not know the precise location. I should be able to find it once we are nearby.”
Ingong nodded slowly.
“You said manufacturing the part would take three to four days, right?”
“I did. But upon review, I may be able to finish in two days. Perhaps thanks to the activation of the guardian magic, the life magic has become much more active. The parts that relied on me have lessened accordingly.”
In other words, creating the replacement part had also become easier.
“Great. I'm counting on you, then.”
“Understood. I shall begin the work at once.”
Green Wind's shoulders seemed to slump for some reason as she spoke. A thought flashed through Ingong's mind, and he quickly added.
“Thank you. And your storytelling was truly magnificent.”
“It is already too late. But my feelings are no longer hurt.”
Her voice really did sound much brighter. Ingong found himself smiling warmly as he said.
“Let me know as soon as you're done. I'll praise you again.”
“I will look forward to it.”
Green Wind gave a bright, doe-eyed smile, then vanished into light and wind.
Alone again, Ingong flopped back onto the cot and started organizing a schedule in his head.
*'As for going north, I can just use the excuse of subjugating the remaining Cassius.'*
He had no intention of reporting everything truthfully to the Demon King's castle. He planned to hide the fact that he had conquered Green Wind as well.
*'The problem is who they'll dispatch from the Demon King's castle.'*
There was no hiding the guardian magic that had activated at the small temple. It was highly likely that the Demon King's castle would dispatch an expert to manage the new ruins.
*'I hope it's someone I've seen in Knight Saga.'*
All else being equal, better the devil you know. Since it would be his first time meeting them anyway, it was better if it was someone he had prior information on.
*'The report will likely be sent today... so the castle will get word in two days at the latest, and the ruins expert will arrive in about a week to ten days?'*
It would naturally take some time to select and dispatch a ruins expert. It might even take longer than that.
*'Leaving without waiting for them is also an option.'*
He had the excuse of subjugating the remaining Cassius, so it wouldn't be a problem.
Having finished his calculations, Ingong got up from the bed and headed out of the temple. He figured he should talk things over with Karak.
But three days later, Ingong was forced to completely change his plans. The ruins expert dispatched from the Demon King's castle had arrived far too early. What's more, the expert was someone Ingong knew quite well.
&
“Felicia?”
< Chapter 8 - Excavation > End