Chapter 179
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179
The Underworld.
Panopticon Central Headquarters, the birthplace of the Anti-Rebecca Alliance.
Carmilla sat slumped listlessly on the throne that had once belonged to Big Brother. Before her, a young girl was brought in, bound tightly.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“We’ve brought her, Lady Carmilla.”
The girl was striking, with neatly braided ultramarine hair and piercing silver eyes. It was Lize, the girl abducted from the western branch.
Carmilla, who had been swirling the wine in her glass with an air of utter boredom, finally let her gaze fall upon her.
“Is this the brat they said possesses the Mystic Eye?”
“Yes. It was difficult, but we managed to abduct her.”
“‘Abduct’? Let’s use a more refined term, like ‘scouting.’”
Crash—!
Carmilla tossed her wine glass aside and gestured toward Lize.
“Bring her closer.”
Gulados yanked on the coarse ropes, dragging Lize until she was kneeling before Carmilla.
“Mmph!”
Lize struggled, her eyes burning with defiance.
“Hmm.”
Carmilla gently traced the kneeling girl’s chin and cheek with the back of her hand. A satisfied smile spread across her lips.
“I wasn’t expecting much from a commoner, but you’re quite the beauty, aren’t you? You pass. Now, shall we hear that voice of yours?”
Slice—.
With a flick of her nail, Carmilla cut the cloth gagging Lize. As soon as the thick fabric fell away, Lize shouted.
“What is the meaning of this?! Do you really think you’ll get away with this?”
Unaware that the entire Underworld was currently engulfed in a civil war, Lize spoke with fierce confidence. She was a valuable asset scouted by Panopticon, the massive power that ruled the Underworld. To her, kidnapping her was tantamount to declaring war on the rulers of this domain.
But Carmilla simply chuckled, as if she found Lize’s defiance adorable.
“She’s still feisty. You didn’t rough her up on the way here, did you?”
Gulados bowed. “No. You ordered us to bring her respectfully, so we presented her to you as soon as she was scouted.”
“Good. But this one… looks like she needs a lesson in manners.”
Carmilla tapped Lize’s cheek in a mocking warning.
“Listen, kid. You don’t seem to understand the situation you’re in…”
Carmilla grabbed Lize’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze.
“You’ve been kidnapped.”
“Ugh…”
Staring into pupils slit vertically like a reptile’s, Lize trembled. A primal chill ran down her spine. Carmilla’s eyes locked onto Lize’s Mystic Eye as she whispered a cold warning.
“Don’t you know what happens to pretty little things like you when they’re sold at the slave market? Behave yourself while I’m still being nice.”
“…”
At the mention of the slave market, Lize’s face went pale as a past trauma resurfaced. She remembered how she had nearly been sold off to debt collectors because of the massive debt her master had left behind. If it hadn’t been for Roen’s help, she would have ended up in a cage for real.
Her current situation felt just as dire. Having grasped the reality of her predicament, Lize nodded silently.
“That’s a good girl. Now, kid, there are a few things I need you to do for your big sister here.”
At Carmilla’s nod, Gulados pulled a black stone from his coat and placed it on the table.
“Could you… make a few copies of this for me?”
*
[Next stop is Izelin, Izelin Academy.]
The announcement echoed through the tram.
Clank—.
We disembarked at the newly built stop near Izelin Academy. Previously, we would have had to get off at a station far from the academy and walk for another thirty minutes, but the new station had significantly shortened the commute.
Watching the tram depart, I couldn't help but boast a little.
“Hmph. I don’t know who’s responsible for this, but it’s incredibly convenient.”
As I puffed out my chest, Ciel gave me a long, flat look before shrugging.
“Well… I’ll admit you did a good job with this one.”
It seemed even Ciel found it hard to criticize this particular achievement, so she offered her praise without further protest.
After passing through the gates of Izelin Academy, we found the campus quiet. With the new semester yet to start, there were few students around. Eleina, Philip, and Josephine had all returned to their home countries for the break and hadn't come back yet.
However, the area near the new dormitory building under construction next to the main academy hall was bustling with activity.
“This way!”
“Put it over here!”
The dormitory construction site was in full swing. Massive crane-like machines hoisted steel beams while workers bustled about, welding, laying bricks, and performing their various tasks. A few students, likely working part-time during the break, were assisting with utility magic. I saw several mages and spirit users specializing in earth and steel attributes among the crew.
“The construction is progressing quite quickly.”
I smiled in satisfaction as I surveyed the site. The foundation work was already complete, and the framework that would shape the building was now rising. This meant that preparations for exploring the ruins beneath the dormitory were finally ready. The tunnel connecting to the Underworld must also be in its final stages.
After watching the construction for a moment, Ciel and I headed toward a container box near the site. It served as a temporary office where Demian was staying. Peeking through the window, I saw him passed out on a sofa.
Knock, knock—.
“What… you’re here?”
At the sound of my knock, Demian sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I entered the container and looked at the blueprints and documents scattered messily across the table.
“Looks like you’ve been in Union this whole time.”
It seemed he had stayed in Union to supervise the construction during the break instead of going home. He scratched his messy hair and sighed.
“Well, it’s not like I have anywhere else to be. Besides, I can’t trust anyone else with this project.”
Demian was the type of person who wasn't satisfied unless he oversaw every single detail himself. Once a project started, he would eat and sleep at the site until it was finished.
Having just woken up, Demian downed a cup of water and looked at me.
“The construction is going smoothly. But have you prepared my payment? You said you’d have it by the end of the break, right?”
I answered him calmly. “Of course I have. You’re going to love it.”
He deserved a fitting reward for working so hard at the academy while everyone else was resting. I reached into my subspace pouch and placed the item on the table. It was a gracefully curved, round object that glowed with a faint, ethereal golden light.
“This is…”
I smiled at Demian, whose eyes had gone wide.
“It’s a Golden Albatross egg. It wasn't easy to find.”
“How did you get this?”
In the game’s lore, the Golden Albatross was a giant bird that had long since gone extinct. This egg was a fossil, hundreds of years old. I had acquired it through the Underworld, receiving it from Alfredo just yesterday. The civil war had nearly paralyzed the distribution network, and I almost didn't get it in time, but thankfully, it had arrived safely.
“I have my ways. But the chances of it hatching are extremely low. Even for a divine beast’s egg, it’s basically a fossil at this point.”
It had been in the possession of a noble as an antique, and I’d acquired it through the black market. Biologically speaking, it was likely worthless.
“…Hatching it doesn’t matter. That’s my problem to solve. Thanks.”
For once, Demian expressed genuine gratitude, which was a far cry from his usual prickly self.
I patted his shoulder. “Don’t mention it. Keep up the good work. By the way, how’s the dormitory construction coming along?”
Demian set the albatross egg aside and pointed at a blueprint.
“The building itself is just starting to go up. As for the basement, we prioritized it just like you asked, so it’s in the final stages. We’ve already cleared a path to the entrance so you can start exploring the dungeon right away.”
“What about the passage to the Underworld?”
“That’s almost done too. We just need to dig down another ten meters or so. But… are you sure it’s okay to break through?”
Demian was still half-convinced this was a bad idea. His reaction was a perfect reflection of what the general public thought of the Underworld.
I dismissed his worries. “I told you, it’s all been arranged. Don’t worry.”
It was more than just arranged. This secret passage would be the key to turning the tide of the Underworld’s civil war; they would welcome it with open arms.
“Anyway, since I’m here, can I go down to the basement? There’s something I need to check in advance.”
Demian nodded readily and stood up. “Alright, I’ll guide you.”
*
We followed Demian through the noisy construction site and headed underground. After descending a flight of stairs inside the building, we were greeted by a rough, earthen ramp. A non-woven fabric mat was laid out to prevent slipping, but it looked like one wrong step would send you sliding all the way to the bottom.
The path to the Underworld had been excavated, but it hadn't been properly finished yet.
“Light.”
Instead of a flashlight, I cast a light spell and peered into the distant darkness.
“How much further down do we have to go?”
“About fifteen minutes. Faster if you slip and slide the whole way.”
“…”
I silently glanced around, inspecting the underground passage. The tunnel was just wide enough for three adult men to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. It would be difficult to move a large army through here, but its true value lay in being able to move elite troops without being noticed.
After examining the passage for a moment, I nodded to myself.
I should touch it up a bit.
Step—.
I gathered my mana and focused it into my lead foot.
Vwoom—!
Mana pulsed from my boot, crackling with blue lightning. Simultaneously, the earthen floor began to undergo enchantment.
Crrrackle—.
Following my will, the earth moved on its own, reshaping itself into clean, angled steps. A staircase materialized before our eyes in an instant. Demian stared blankly at the scene.
“…What is this? Spirit magic?”
“Enchantment magic. It has its uses.”
I had engraved the same enchantment magic circle from my Azoth Sword onto my shoes. Although it didn't have the same mana efficiency or raw power as the Azoth Sword, it allowed me to use enchantment magic conveniently without having to stab my blade into the ground.
“I’ll take the lead.”
I walked ahead, continuously creating stairs as I went. This was for the convenience of Ciel and Demian, as well as for anyone else who would use this passage in the future.
After walking for some time, Demian stopped, unfolded a map, and pointed.
“Roen, if you go through this hole here, you’ll find the path to the underground ruins you mentioned.”
“I see.”
I placed my hand on a small opening in the side of the path.
Whoosh—.
An unusual current of air flowed out from beyond the opening. What lay beyond was an ancient ruin where a legendary-grade artifact, the Cognitive Acceleration Stone, lay dormant. Normally, one would have to run around completing a dozen related quests to get here, but there was also this brute-force method: simply digging your way to it.
The Cognitive Acceleration Stone. It’s finally within my grasp.
As its name suggested, it was a game-breaking artifact that accelerated the user’s perception of time, making the world around them seem to slow to a crawl. The item I had been aiming for since the beginning was finally within reach.
We continued down the stairs until we reached the end of the passage.
“Looks like this is the end.”
As I tapped the wall of the blocked passage, Demian spoke.
“Yeah. If we dig any further, we’ll run into the Underworld’s facilities and tunnels.”
“Good. Then take this.”
Flick—.
I took out the map I had received from Alfredo and handed it to Demian. Demian unfolded the map, his voice trembling as he looked at the details.
“Don’t tell me this is…?”
I nodded. “That’s right. It’s a map of the Underworld’s interior. Use it as a guide to dig tunnels to the points I’ve marked.”
“What on earth are you planning?”
This passage would soon become the dagger that would sever the enemy’s lifeline. A smile touched my lips as I murmured quietly.
“Preparing for war.”
*
Afterward, we headed to the lodgings where Union’s guard forces were staying. The place was a massive hotel on the outskirts of Union that had been rented out entirely. It was originally a quiet area with little foot traffic, but those days were over.
Watching the crowds in the shopping district near the hotel, I remarked, “It certainly looks like Union’s guard forces have increased.”
The area was packed. Following the recent series of incidents, security had been bolstered significantly. While the attacks by Gilian and Carmilla hadn't been made public, the large-scale assault by the fishmen during the summer training camp had left many parents terrified for their children’s safety.
Since most of the students were influential figures from renowned families or kingdoms, the pressure was immense. It was no surprise that Union’s security personnel had been drastically increased.
As Ciel and I were wandering near the hotel, a knight from House Devalis happened to be passing by. He spotted me and offered a crisp salute.
“Good to see you, Lord Roen. What brings you here?”
I raised a hand in acknowledgment and spoke with a serious expression.
“I have a favor to ask of you all. Gather everyone in one place.”