The Hidden Citadel
Inside the escape route Mystery phenomenon, which had been secretly concealed, stood an entirely unexpected structure. A spire so tall it seemed to touch the clouds. Grand and beautifully sculpted walls. Even buildings adorned with countless dazzling carvings. The expedition members grew excited at the sight of a castle so beautiful it could be considered a work of art in itself.
"Oh, ohhh! To think such a beautiful castle existed!"
"Even from afar, it's an architectural style I've never seen before!"
"It looks sturdy from the outside, but I wonder if it really is?"
Leaving the guild staff who were used to managing them behind, the group approached the castle. One expedition member ran a finger along the wall, examining its material, and made a strange face.
"The feel of it... it's closer to a monster's hide than stone."
It was just as the adventurer said. Though it appeared to be ordinary stone at a glance, a closer look revealed a material of strength far beyond any comparison to mere rock. When a Gold-class adventurer struck the wall with a test punch, it left a dent but showed no signs of breaking.
"Even if I hit it lightly, for it to withstand my fist..."
"Didn't you go easy on it?"
"Maybe."
Listening to the Gold-class adventurers' chatter, I looked at Adela. From the moment we arrived, she had been searching her memories. Without hesitation, she reached out and pushed open the massive castle gates. The doors that several expedition members had tried to move but couldn't budge opened smoothly, like an automatic door, at Adela's touch.
Following Adela inside, the expedition trailed after her in a line. As expected, the interior was just as splendid and beautiful. For a moment, they marveled at the fantastical architectural style that could only exist in fantasy.
"This feels... familiar somehow...?"
Struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu, I stopped and looked around. The advanced technology that even modern architectural engineering couldn't design. The mystery of magic that allowed lights to float in the air and objects to move automatically without any electronic devices. I was certain I had seen this before and narrowed my eyes in thought, but perhaps because of the situation, no clear memory surfaced, leaving me frustrated. It felt like the answer was just a little more thought away, but there was no time for leisurely pondering.
"This castle is also part of the legacy. It seems Mother wanted to turn this place into a new nest."
"It does look that way. Using such a solidly built castle just as a legacy storage would be a waste."
"I don't need it. A mobile nest is much cooler than this."
Just how obsessed was she with that mobile nest to stay this calm even after seeing this place? Beatrice was drooling as she looked around, but Adela, her expression unchanged, headed straight for the castle's underground without hesitation. As Adela strode forward with dignity, the floor of the central hall split apart, revealing a spiral staircase leading down.
Descending the stairs, we found a long corridor lined with doors on both sides. Opening the nearest one revealed a dazzling display of ores. Copper, iron, mithril, platinum, silver, and all sorts of other minerals filled the space, prompting a light whistle from me. Though these ores were relatively low in value in the North, their price was still considerable given their location.
"How many storerooms like this are there?"
"Fifty."
"This is insane."
Fifty storerooms the size of houses? The expedition members had already prepared spatial pouches and began sweeping the contents into them.
"Grab the expensive stuff first!"
"How much is all this worth?"
"So this is why we formed an expedition to come here!"
Was it because a hefty bonus was now guaranteed? Or because they were imagining the honor and glory that would come from such achievements? Even though none of it was going into their own pockets, the expedition members wore excited faces as they stuffed their pouches until they were full.
Passing by them, I moved to the deepest part of the underground and opened the largest door at the end of the corridor. Unlike the storerooms packed with supplies, this room didn't have many items. Adela, seeing objects placed at regular intervals and protected by transparent covers, spoke up.
"This is the elixir storeroom and the room for important items. If we're talking about importance, we have to take these first."
"Looks like it. Every single one of them seems extraordinary."
I approached the covers carefully and examined the contents. Even after so much time had passed, the items hadn't faded and each emitted a faint glow, asserting their presence. I stored the covered items whole into my inventory. While I was putting away the elixirs arranged for easy transport, Beatrice, standing beside Adela, looked around with curious eyes.
"The quality of the elixirs isn't as high as I expected, aside from a few. Then again, gathering this much elixir in the first place is absurd."
"By the way, if someone left behind a castle this grand as a legacy, what kind of being was Adela's mother?"
"I don't know the details either. By the time I was born, Adela's previous queen had already passed away."
"What? It was that long ago?"
"What are you saying? How dare you say that to a lady who's only seven years old!"
"Huh???"
At Beatrice's prim remark, question marks popped up on Neon's face. Her appearance looked closer to late teens, yet she claimed to be seven? Well, thinking about it, monsters' lifecycles were different from humans, so it wasn't strange. After all, Adela herself had the appearance of a mid-teen despite being less than a year old. As Neon struggled to accept this and sorted through the confusing information in his head, I finished collecting all the elixirs and moved to other storerooms, working frantically until my inventory was full. Even that wasn't enough, so I transferred the supplies into the Water Realm, finally managing to empty every storeroom.
"Alright, that's everything!"
"Everyone packed as much as possible, right?"
"Don't worry. If we try to stuff any more in, the spatial pouches will burst."
"Heh heh, how much is all this worth? If word gets out that we brought back this much loot from a single expedition, it'll spread like wildfire."
Judging by the satisfied expressions on everyone's faces, they seemed quite pleased with what they'd gathered. Once the expedition had gathered in one place, I went up to the first-floor hall and spread out a large map.
"Now that we've secured the legacy, let's figure out how to get back."
It was a map the guild's information team had created while surveying the surroundings during the supply collection. Though hastily made, its accuracy surpassed most tactical maps, befitting the name of elite information agents. Moreover, each terrain feature had brief annotations, and notable locations were marked with simple illustrations as supplementary material. Silently thanking the information agents who were still watching this place from hiding, I pointed to specific parts of the map.
"According to the information team, there are three main escape routes."
"The castle's secret passage, the deep and narrow canyon, and the vast forest so dense that 'lush' doesn't even begin to describe it."
Owen examined the spots I indicated and muttered with a cautious expression. The expedition's strength was formidable. There weren't many units even on the front lines that could gather this level of power. But it wasn't enough to wipe out the endless waves of monsters. We could pile up corpses like mountains, but if Gold-class monsters swarmed us, everyone below Silver-class would be annihilated. Considering we had to protect the scholars and staff who had come to uncover Magranas's invasion route, a head-on confrontation had to be avoided at all costs. Even if we evacuated the non-combatants to the Water Realm for safety, if I died, it would all be for nothing.
"The secret passage is safe but short. With this many people, we'll be discovered before long."
"The canyon is cleverly hidden and stretches far, so we could travel a long distance, but if we're spotted in the middle, there's no way to escape, so annihilation is certain."
Both routes had their pros and cons. The secret passage was safe until we escaped but its short length made discovery likely. The canyon was hidden and long, but getting caught meant being surrounded from all sides with a high chance of total annihilation. I pondered which route to take with a serious expression. Meanwhile, Neon, who had been discussing with the expedition, looked puzzled as he examined the third route.
"The vast forest? Why choose this one?"
"It's a route that follows the mountain range surrounding the castle. I included it for a reason."
"What reason?"
"The information team leader is an elf. She said she could communicate with the World Tree to open a path."
"What? Elves can do that too?"
"I heard she's a High Elf."
"A High Elf? Doesn't that mean she's royalty?"
"That's right."
Strictly speaking, it was a bit different, but if we had to compare, it was like royalty. The expedition members looked surprised at my words. Due to the nature of their job, the information team leader rarely showed her face, so this was the first time they'd learned she was an elf—and a High Elf at that? Everyone wore shocked expressions at the unexpected revelation, but it wasn't actually surprising. Elves were well-suited for information work, roaming the dangerous northern forests like their own backyard and meticulously recording details. Their affinity for the forest and their preference for non-violent methods made many elves excel as guild information agents. Naturally, the most outstanding among them often possessed noble bloodlines like the High Elves.
"I'll explain this route myself."
The information team leader appeared without a sound, smiling gently as she explained the final route.
"High Elf is not a hereditary title passed down by bloodline. It refers to those elves among the many who can resonate with the Mother of Life."
The Mother of Life. The weight carried by that title for the World Tree was immense. At the information team leader's words about being able to communicate with such a being, the expedition members unconsciously tensed.
"It probably won't be easy to resonate. The distance to the Mother is great, and signals don't reach beyond the front lines, but this place has a smoother flow than others."
If we received the World Tree's help, the forest would become an obstacle blocking the monsters, not us. Everyone nodded at the information team leader's words. Then one expedition member raised a hand and asked a question.
"But is it alright to use communion with the World Tree for something so personal?"
It was a valid concern. The World Tree's majesty was well-known even in the North, and thinking of the feats it had accomplished in the legends of the High Elf adventurer now told as fairy tales, one couldn't help but wonder if using it for such a trivial matter was acceptable. But the information team leader smiled gently and thumped his chest with his fist.
"Before being a High Elf, I'm a northerner just like all of you, aren't I? Thanks to your efforts, the continent hasn't fallen, and the vast forest where the Mother resides remains safe. She will surely understand this much."
At his words, everyone wore moved expressions and thumped their chests in the same way.