Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Starseeker (1)
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“Long time no see, kiddo.”
The Rose Garden of Borms, where I’d had my mock battle during the entrance exam.
The man who claimed to be its keeper hadn't changed a bit.
“Keeper, what are you doing here…?”
“Keeper? Ahh. Right, I'm the keeper.”
He seemed as flippant as ever, and just as scatterbrained.
It appeared he was to be my guide to the heart of the satellite city tonight.
Though I found him unreliable, I also thought he might be a better guide for a proper look at the city's core than the strict Vice Director.
“A guide? How terribly arrogant. A guardian, maybe.”
The keeper of the rose garden chided me lightly before getting to his feet.
“What are you doing? You said you wanted to see it. The heart of the satellite city.”
I had expected at least a few words of formal conversation before we got to the main point.
This was all too rushed.
But that was fine by me.
I hurriedly followed after him.
*Thud, thud.*
There were no warnings, none of the usual admonitions like ‘stay close’ or ‘refrain from any unnecessary actions.’
The keeper didn't even bother to check if I was following, simply quickening his own pace.
But this was supposed to be the heart of the satellite city.
Could they really let a mere cadet wander around with no restrictions?
I wouldn't go so far as to say I should have a sack over my head, but shouldn't there be at least a warning?
At this point, I was the one starting to feel uneasy.
“Can we just go in like this?”
“Of course, we just go. How else would we go?”
When I asked, his reply was utterly nonchalant.
“I know what you're thinking, but the Cradle's security isn't that lax.”
What you see isn't all there is.
It seemed there were security measures I was unaware of.
As I instinctively scanned my surroundings, the keeper clicked his tongue.
“Besides, we're not even close to the heart yet, kiddo.”
I was struck anew by the sheer scale of the Cradle.
Since coming aboard, I had only ever shuttled between the dormitory and the campus, so I'd never had a chance to truly grasp how massive the satellite city was.
I walked the same paths and saw the same faces every day.
It was hard enough to even see the faces of cadets from the upper classes, who were trainees just like me.
That meant each class was assigned its own separate dormitory and campus.
The grounds allotted to our Silver Condor class were not small by any means.
Would it be any different for the upper classes?
Besides, the cadets weren't the only ones in the Cradle.
There were the professors and staff, the officials who managed the city's affairs, large and small.
There were the Knights of the Firmament who protected the Cradle and their troops.
I had no idea where any of them spent their days or what they did.
The Cradle I knew was just one small corner, a mere fraction of this massive satellite city.
“Looks like you're finally realizing just how incredible the heart you requested to see really is.”
I couldn't bring myself to deny it.
“It took hundreds of years of repeated exploration and investigation just to be able to utilize thirty percent of the satellite city.”
Either their purpose hadn't been found, or they weren't needed.
For one reason or another, seventy percent of the space remained abandoned.
He even said that among them were spaces that remained completely unexplored.
“The place you wish to see is one of them.”
He said the heart of the Cradle was a region with more unknowns than knowns.
“So from now on, don't carelessly touch or look at anything.”
The keeper warned.
Before him stood a door made of some unidentifiable material.
“Your answer.”
“Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind.”
He nodded and waved his hands dismissively.
“For now, stand back a bit.”
Without knowing why, I took a few steps back.
*Swoosh.*
After a quick glance at me, the keeper pressed himself against the door and tapped on a protruding stone panel.
*Beep, beep, beep, beep.*
Just as I heard the strange noise a few times, there was a click.
“Let's go.”
As I passed through the door, I glanced at the stone panel.
A stone panel engraved with characters from 1 to 9.
It seemed to be a mechanism that was normally locked and would open when a specific sequence of numbers was pressed.
It was an unfamiliar yet fascinating system.
“Not coming?”
“Coming, I'm coming.”
I stopped staring at the panel and quickly fell in behind the keeper.
Beyond the door, a staircase stretched downward.
It was a staircase leading to the city's underground.
We walked toward the darkness within, untouched by the moonlight.
*Pop.*
With every step I took, a certain area lit up.
“Interesting, isn't it?”
His tone and expression were like that of a city dweller introducing urban culture to a country bumpkin.
“Ah, yes.”
I gave a half-hearted reply, and the keeper, with a pleased look on his face, glanced at me before starting down the stairs again.
We walked, and walked, and walked.
“Wait a moment.”
After descending for a long time, another door appeared.
Blocking my view with his body, the keeper once again tapped the stone panel.
The door opened.
A long hallway appeared.
Doors lined both sides of the hallway at regular intervals.
“Open one without permission, and you'll be in big trouble.”
Even without the keeper's warning, I had no intention of checking what was inside the doors.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't curious, but right now, I had more important business than satisfying my curiosity.
I had to check the satellite city's main power source, which would soon cease to function.
Anything else was not a priority.
[Curious Sloth] Ooh, this is precious~~ The inside of a satellite city built with the heart and soul of the Ancient Empire's people~~ It feels like an adventure~~~ So exciting~~~~~
[Elegant Lefty] Because these are things one can't easily see just by looking down from the sky.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Making a fuss over nothing.
[Elegant Lefty] Come to think of it, our emperor was quite knowledgeable about the artifacts of the Ancient Empire.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] My very being is fundamentally different from ignorant fools like you.
The Fringe Constellation channel began to update rapidly.
I had been wondering why they were so quiet.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] I can tell you didn't come through the main entrance, but an emergency passage. Though it seems they don't realize it themselves.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] If it follows the style of the Ancient Empire.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] That's why there are no proper security devices.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] This one's a duty room, this one's an office, this one's a restroom...
The keeper's warning that opening a door would lead to big trouble seemed hollow now; the rooms lining the hallway were nothing special.
I kept my feet moving briskly while scanning the Fringe Constellation channel with my eyes.
Another door appeared.
I stepped back on my own before the keeper could say anything.
Pressing himself against the door to block it with his body, he tapped the stone panel.
[Elegant Lefty] Communication is impossible past that point. Looks like the tour ends here. It was nice while it lasted.
[Curious Sloth] Aaargh~~!!! Those shameless ancient people~~~ They floated a perfectly good city into the sky just to get a closer look at us~~~ and now they won't let us see inside~~~~ Does that make any sense~~~~ This is so unfair~~~~
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] The people of the Ancient Empire were always a bit insidious.
The Fringe Constellation channel was in an uproar.
It seemed that, like the sanctuary of the Iron Cross Order, there was something inside that blocked the connection to the stars.
[Curious Sloth] Sir Mannyeonjong~~~ You have to tell me what it was like inside later~~~ You have to~~~!!! Promise~~
While I was momentarily distracted by the stars' chatter, the keeper finished manipulating the panel and threw the door open.
“To think I'd have to enter this place again. Damn pipsqueak.”
The keeper's face, as he looked at me, was filled with resentment.
Thanks to the stars' chatter, I knew there was something inside that blocked communion with them, so his resentment didn't feel out of place.
For knights, losing their connection with the stars was an unimaginably terrible experience.
The higher the knight's caliber, the greater the sense of loss was bound to be.
And from what I'd seen, the keeper was a man of considerable caliber.
The special favor he'd granted me was far beyond the authority of an ordinary faculty member.
The man before me was clearly a high-ranking official in the Cradle.
“Ugh.”
The moment he stepped through the door, the keeper staggered.
His relaxed expression was now mercilessly contorted.
“Hoo. Hoo.”
He paused to catch his breath, and his expression gradually smoothed out.
“Come in.”
His voice, when he spoke to me, was not much different from usual.
I was inwardly impressed.
To overcome that sense of loss in such a short time.
It seemed the keeper was an even greater knight than I had thought.
I suddenly became curious about his true identity.
But I didn't open my mouth to ask his name.
If he had intended to reveal his identity, he would have done so long ago.
“From here on, you must be especially careful.”
The keeper, all traces of playfulness gone from his face, gave me instructions.
“You might hear auditory hallucinations. Sometimes, you might see some dark, shadowy things. Ignore them all.”
Even if you hear voices, do not answer.
Even if you think you see something, never make eye contact.
Is this place haunted by ghosts or something?
It sounded like something out of a marketplace ghost story.
“Remember this.”
The keeper's serious face was telling me.
This was no baseless ghost story.
*Thud, thud.*
We continued walking down a long corridor with no doors.
I occasionally felt strange sensations, but I remembered the keeper's warnings and ignored them all.
After walking for what felt like an eternity, we finally reached our destination.
“Ah.”
The great legacy left by the people of the Ancient Empire.
As the heart of the satellite city, I had naturally expected it to be filled with mystery and wonder.
But the heart of the satellite city, when I finally saw it, was neither as mysterious nor as wondrous as I had imagined.
“The engine room is always a mess, no matter when you come.”
It was just cluttered and complex.
The ceiling, the walls, and even the floor.
Were covered in rusted pipes and thick, rope-like cables.
A sight like hundreds, or even thousands, of snakes tangled together chaotically.
*Psssssh.*
*Creak, creak.*
*Roooooaaar.*
It was even noisy.
“Aaargh. So busy, so busy!”
A short, stocky figure was darting frantically through that complex and noisy space.
Clutching an unidentifiable lump of metal in its hand.
“Huh?”
A ruddy nose and bulging eyes.
A thick beard and a stubborn set to his mouth.
And, for his height, excessively broad shoulders and thick arms.
“A dwarf?”
It was a dwarf.
The dwarf, who had been running here and there, didn't spot us until quite some time later.
“What is it? The regular visit isn't for a long time yet, is it?”
The dwarf's tone, forgoing any greeting, was quite blunt.
It was clear at a glance that he was not pleased to have visitors.
“Heidolf.”
“What? What is it? What do you want?”
As I studied the dwarf, I froze.
Heidolf was a name I recognized.
The list Jamal Rudiger had given me.
『Senior Technician, Facilities Maintenance, Power Systems Department, Heidolf』
Based on the circumstances, I had been certain that he was the one who would contribute most to the Cradle's fall.
But that was an assumption I'd made before I knew his race.
To my surprise, Heidolf was a dwarf.
That was the problem.
Dwarves were artisans who took pride in creation.
They would fix things, but they would never intentionally break something that was perfectly fine.
And betrayal, of all things.
It was not something dwarves, who valued faith more than their own lives, would ever do.
Then again, I didn't think Jamal Rudiger would have given me false information.
“Heidolf.”
“Argh, why do you keep calling me!”
“Did you make a secret pact with the Empress?”
The keeper asked point-blank.
And here I was, still trying to sort out my tangled thoughts.
“Heidolf!”
“…”
He barked at the dwarf again.
But the dwarf kept his mouth firmly shut and did not answer.
Just in case, I pricked up my ears, but suddenly I felt a strange presence.
“Hm?”
*Swoosh.*
A dark, shadowy figure abruptly emerged from thin air.
*Whip.*
Remembering the keeper's warning, I hastily turned my head.
But there wasn't just one shadow.
“Hah.”
Of all things, in the direction I turned, another shadow was staring right at me.
Our eyes met.
“I'm screwed.”
Both the shadow and I froze.
And then.
‘…!’
The shadow shouted something at me.
In a voice full of incomprehensible joy, welcome, and goodwill.