The Lady of the Lake and the Enigmatic Drakan
The Lady of the Lake. The mysterious organization Drakan. Almost no information about them had leaked into the world. Not the number of members, not their core stronghold, not when they were founded, not even who their leader was.
But there was one thing known for certain. They moved solely for a single goal.
Dragons, creatures that appeared only in myths or legends. The dream of actually encountering that fantastical being—a goal that sounded utterly absurd at first glance, like something out of a fairy tale.
But Drakan could not be taken lightly. They were a band of madmen who would stop at nothing to achieve even a seemingly unrealistic objective.
“Angel's Trumpet has vanished.”
In a space shrouded in darkness, a man's low voice shattered the silence. Immediately, a sharp feminine voice responded from the opposite side.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. They say the guardian golem activated.”
“But it couldn't stop them?”
The guardian golem had been prepared for just such an eventuality. If the trumpet moved beyond a certain distance, it would activate instantly and without fail retrieve it. Its performance was so overwhelming that there was no need to boast about it. Even a skilled mage would struggle not just to defeat it, but to inflict so much as a scratch.
“The golem has ceased functioning.”
“Hmm... so not some amateur, then.”
A new voice entered the conversation, polite and measured.
“Stealing the trumpet in the first place means they're no ordinary thief.”
“Dietrich just got back from checking the scene.”
“That guy's probably fuming inside. His precious golem wrecked—he must be raging at the thief.”
A snickering laugh. Reactions that were oddly lighthearted despite the grave topic.
Then, the gruff voice of the man leading the meeting settled heavily over the space.
“A single card was left at the site where the trumpet vanished.”
“A card? That famous phantom thief's doing?”
“It said, 'The day the prophecy of the Apocalypse is fulfilled draws near.'”
“......”
A heavy silence blanketed the entire meeting room in an instant. The atmosphere shifted abruptly, cooling to a razor-thin chill like cracking ice.
Siegfried, the blue-haired man who had remained silent until now, scowled and spoke up.
“...Is that for real?”
“I wouldn't joke about something like this.”
“True. Not your style anyway.”
Their expressions and reactions were on a completely different level from when they'd heard the trumpet was stolen. That single line of code held extraordinary meaning for Drakan.
“So who recovered the trumpet? No one from our side, right?”
“If it was one of us, do you think they'd hide it this long?”
“Which means... the Leader moved personally?”
That was the only interpretation possible for now.
“Who recovered it doesn't matter.”
“What if it was manipulated by someone else to sow confusion...?”
“Who could possibly decipher our message?”
The speaker, whose pride in their organization was immense, didn't doubt for a second that an outsider could have fabricated it. The other members nodded in agreement.
“We move only according to the final prophecy.”
“Then now...”
“Effective immediately, halt all ongoing plans. Prepare to enter the final chapter.”
That ought to do it.
Back home, I stared at the trumpet for a moment. If my guess was right, Drakan would immediately drop every plan in motion. Which meant Rachel was now safely out of the picture, like a duck egg in the Nakdong River.
No way to confirm it right now, so I'd have to watch for changes in her behavior tomorrow or the day after.
The real issue was how to store this trumpet. Obviously, if Drakan ever found out about me, my life would get extremely complicated. Even if I survived, I'd be hunted by them for life.
I hadn't asked directly, but the Witch probably wouldn't touch this either. Her kind cherished their own necks above all else.
Leaving it in the house made me too anxious—I might die of stress first. But did I have a secure spot outside? Not really.
“Hmm...”
Think. When else would I use my original story knowledge if not now?
Was there a perfect secret space even those obsessive Drakan goons couldn't find?
As I pondered, one location popped into my head. It was so out-of-left-field that even I hesitated. It wasn't meant for storage in the first place.
But no place had tighter security. There were a few pesky hurdles, but even accounting for them, it was increasingly appealing.
After agonizing, I grabbed the trumpet and headed out. No point agonizing at home—better to go and think it over there.
I arrived at a small lakeside not far from home. The scenery was so ordinary, almost quaint, that it hardly seemed like the resting place of something grand.
Hell, “lake” felt too generous; “puddle” suited it better. But the lake's size didn't matter. More precisely, which lake it was made all the difference.
I stood still, staring at the water. Now that I was here, how did I summon her? Like in the fairy tales—drop an axe in?
In the original story, she'd appeared to the protagonist first, so I had no clue how to call her.
[Hehe. Can't be helped. Looks like I'll have to assist.]
“Oh. You can do that?”
[Of course. What did you think?]
Whoa. The notorious Goddess, who only ever yammered about harems, actually helping for once.
[What nonsense! I've always helped!]
“Haha. Just kidding, obviously.”
[Hmph. I'll let this one slide—just this once.]
From the handle of the staff in my hand, a deep blue light shot from the raven's eye toward the lakeside.
“Whoa. Why haven't you used this trick before?”
[It's not for combat.]
“Then what?”
[Summoning. It calls all the underlings beneath me.]
“...Uh, yeah.”
I had plenty to say, but I kept my mouth shut. She was trying to help, after all. Best not to jinx it.
The response was immediate. Bubbles rose from the lake's center, and soon a woman emerged from the depths.
“Who dares summon me?”
Beautiful features, mystical aura. As one might guess, she was no ordinary human—a transcendent being.
The spirit known as the Lady of the Lake, famous in King Arthur's legends for delivering Excalibur.
I blinked for a moment, then silently thrust the staff forward without explanation.
“Hm? And who might you be, summoning me yet holding your tongue? Such insolence.”
Arrogance dripped from her every word. Didn't she know who'd called her?
[Long time no see. You've grown quite a bit, haven't you?]
“...That voice?”
[Don't tell me you don't recognize me. I'm disappointed.]
“G-G-G-Goddess...?”
The spirit girl stammered in shock. What? Was our Goddess even more impressive than I'd thought?
She'd never appeared in the original story, so I'd assumed she was just another dime-a-dozen lesser deity.
[Yes, Vivian. Have you been well in my absence?]
“I thought you were still slumbering... when did you awaken...? Haha. Of course I've been fine... no, actually, not fine without you...”
She was flustered. Majorly flustered, bowing low. One more push and she'd be groveling.
Vivian, huh. I didn't recall her name being mentioned in the original.
Were they closer than I'd realized? Or maybe one-sided on the Goddess's part. Look at her—sweating bullets. Fitting for a lake spirit, I guess.
She glanced at me cautiously, then asked ever so carefully,
“Um... what’s your relationship with the human beside you...?”
[My child.]
“What!? N-No way...! Impossible!”
What? Why the freakout? She didn't take it literally, did she?
As my doubts deepened, our eyes met. She flinched, fidgeted awkwardly, and gave a tiny wave.
“H-Hi...?”
The gap from before was huge. Where'd that haughty tone go?
“Haha, seeing you awake fills me with such joy—I'm tearing up! Anyway, greetings done, I'll head back down now! So much work waiting...”
[Hold it. Where do you think you're running off to?]
“...R-Run? I'd love to spend all day with you, Goddess!”
[Perfect. I have a favor to ask, actually.]
The longer the conversation dragged, the stiffer her expression grew. I almost felt bad watching from the sidelines.
“A favor...? Of course I'd do anything for you! What is it...?”
[My child will explain.]
The spotlight suddenly swung to me. Snapping to attention, I got to the point with her.
“You said you have tons of work below and need to get back quick, right?”
“Y-Yeah...? That's true...”
“That 'below' place. Mind taking us there too?”