The Secret Armory
Pellelian was literally foaming at the mouth.
Kyaaaaak!
A tourist spot? A place worth visiting with kids? I had no idea what exactly had happened. But it was clear that the dungeon of Pellelian the Reverse Heaven Archmage had been turned into a tourist attraction. If this were the modern world, it probably would've shown up in Naver search results for "Things to do in Kalea City. Kalea City restaurant recommendations," mentioned in some blog post. Our kids loved it. Highly recommend as a must-visit for families with children!
How can my honor be so thoroughly shredded and defiled!
He seemed a bit over the top, so I offered a word of comfort. "Well, looks like it got looted back in the day. You're so famous, old man, that's probably why it became a tourist spot."
A dungeon turning into a tourist spot!
"What's wrong with that? Don't you have war memorials or anything around here?"
...What kind of...
"You had such a notorious reputation. People are drawn to villains. If a villain built a dungeon, I'd wanna check it out too."
Is that so...
Dealing with this loud, hot-tempered old coot felt like second nature now. Pellelian was still flushing red and blue, huffing and puffing, but he finally stopped yelling.
We had to go check it out. No doubt about it. "Of course we're going."
I was dying to see what state the dungeon was in. A local landmark tourist spot, no less. But first things first—book a room and unpack.
"Give us your best room. Two beds, and clean."
"Ooh, right this way. Room at the end of the hall on this floor is free."
"We haven't eaten, so food would be great too."
The innkeeper lit up. "Our place has the best grub in Kalea. Roasted chicken's the main, cherry pie with cream for dessert. Beer to wash it down?"
"It's midday, so no beer. Got juice?"
"Fresh-squeezed orange or coffee."
"One juice and a coffee. Wait... make it two juices and a coffee."
I tapped lightly, and Royle adjusted the order.
"Pay upfront."
The inn we'd found—and the room—was pricey. Considering what Royle made from a single trading trip, it wasn't somewhere he'd stay lightly. But he paid without hesitation.
The moment we entered the room, Royle shrugged off his coat. I tumbled to the floor with a thud. Then, with astonishing speed, I claimed one of the beds.
Whoa! A real bed!
A mattress stuffed thick with clean straw. A duvet filled with down feathers. Ah, after treating rotten tree hollows like luxury hotels, this was pure indulgence. I was so thrilled I started bouncing on the bed. The mattress springiness made it so fun.
"Waaah, it's a bed!"
Seeing me, Amaen hopped onto the other bed and bounced along. Jackie the dog joined in, barking excitedly. This was bliss.
"Huuuh..."
Royle collapsed into a chair, thoroughly drained from the tension. His hands were still shaking. What a faint-hearted guy.
"My heart's pounding like crazy."
If he got this worked up over that, he wouldn't last long. I slithered over to him. Thankfully, he no longer flinched when I approached. I pulled out the notebook and pen Amaen had given me and wrote: Fear not.
"Ah, yes. I'm good now."
Royle was a conscientious merchant. He was grateful I'd saved his and his son's lives. He'd help me until we checked out Pellelian's dungeon. I'd made him swear to keep my existence secret. Still a bit worried, I'd lied and said that breaking the secret would curse both him and Amaen to vomit blood and die. Recalling how pale Royle's face went, betrayal seemed unlikely.
Of course, as a merciful serpent, I planned to pay him for his trouble. I fetched a gold ingot from my subspace.
Thud.
It was a finely wrought pure gold bar that dropped before Royle.
Sell this for silver coins. Buy what you need and keep the rest.
One of the gold items we'd nabbed from Pellelian's dungeon. It'd fetch a premium in a big city, but no choice.
Royle gingerly picked up the gold bar. Then tears streamed down his face.
"Something this precious to me... Saving our lives wasn't enough..."
He hugged the gold and sobbed. Amaen, who'd been bouncing happily, teared up and embraced his father.
"Even half a year of trading wouldn't earn this much..."
Whoa, was it that valuable? Too awkward to ask for half back now.
"Thank you, Master. Hic..."
With Amaen bawling too, even I couldn't push it. I just smiled mercifully.
Acting like it's yours, you little punk.
It's yours, old man, and you're mine, aren't you?
Royle bowed deeply and left the room. While Amaen and I stayed, the innkeeper brought food. Steaming roast chicken legs slathered in sweet brown sauce. The cream-packed cherry pie was to die for.
Delicious!
Cherries soaked in honey, flesh only. And black coffee to top it off. A happy meal after ages.
After eating, I placed the rice bowl—er, flowerpot—by the window. I'd planted Kkubugi's seed here. Watered it just right. Sunny spot, so hopefully it'd sprout.
Royle returned soon after, having even dug up more info on Pellelian's dungeon.
"Open till six PM. Locals free. Adults one silver, kids under thirteen five coppers!"
So what about snakes? Might be pricey, so I'd have to sneak in. Anyway, time to go.
Pellelian the Reverse Heaven Mage
「Pellelian Uglypus began his hideous life in an elf village in the Great Forest. Fairies are supposed to be born beautiful, but he was anything but. Even among humans, he'd be called ugly. Legends say he looked like an old man even as a child. It's no wonder he couldn't adapt to fairy society and grew twisted. But that's backward reasoning, a fallacy of prejudice. It wasn't his looks that twisted his heart—it was his twisted heart that made him ugly from birth. All fairies are born blessed by the moon god, beautiful and long-lived thanks to the World Tree's mana. Pellelian the Reverse Heaven was a fairy forsaken even by the gods...」
Kraaaak! Pellelian flew into a rage, thrashing about.
What we were reading was the info plaque in front of Pellelian's dungeon. It really was a tourist spot. The entrance, once hidden, was wide open, with a ticket booth no less.
Which bastard wrote this crap!
"Calm down."
He looked ready to burst into tears. Even to me, it was vicious slander. Total malice.
"But Uglypus? How do you even get a surname like Ug... ugly..."
No! As if! My family name is... damn it!
Pellelian started to say his surname but clamped his mouth shut. Changing his name too? What a distortion.
"Hang in there a bit. Maybe more reading will reveal something?"
There was a reason we were reading this plaque.
There might be things you can't remember written here.
The Pellelian with me was, strictly speaking, a fragment of his soul. His main body was presumed dead. He had no memories after the split.
True...
He must be curious about his own end too.
「Pellelian's lifetime atrocities are too numerous to list. The most infamous is the Pejite Island massacre. That day, 700 kingdom citizens and 30 fairies died by his hand...」
I glanced quietly at Pellelian.
What? You know I'm the villain, right?
Pellelian grinned cruelly.
I killed them. Me.
"Who cares?"
I kept reading his bio. Come to think of it, wasn't Pellelian an elf supremacist? How'd those 30 elves die? Maybe they fought him alongside humans to atone for elf sins?
「But the gods forgave not this fairy's rampage. After dozens of days of battle, the Empire and Kingdom mobilized heroes and soldiers to hunt the wounded Pellelian. The Kingdom's blessing was the pivotal role of Kairas, the era's top archmage and tower lord, in severing the Reverse Heaven's breath. Pellelian died, beheaded. Thus ended the demon's reign.」
Ah. So that's how Pellelian died.
Kairas...
He seemed to know the name. His face paled.
So you finally killed me, you bastard. Pity.
If I weren't hiding in Royle's coat, I'd have patted his back. Thinking back, Pellelian often mentioned human mages superior to him—with grudging acceptance. Was this Kairas one of them?
"Huh, that's not what I learned in history."
Smart kid Amaen piped up. What did that mean? Was there a theory Pellelian didn't die?
"The book I read said he was tied to a stake and burned alive."
"I heard the Emperor tore him apart personally and fed him to the crows," Royle added.
Pellelian's briefly hopeful face darkened again.
Argh! Let's go inside!
Who knows. Elves were still chasing his deeds anyway. I'd look into it properly later. I urged Royle into the dungeon.
Torches lit the once-dark halls. Would tourists even come to Kalea? But there were plenty—especially parents with kids. The children pointed excitedly at dungeon features.
"These are the weapons Pellelian collected. This is why we believe the dungeon was his armory."
Even a tour guide. Racks held weapons by type, protected by glass cases.
"Untouched by rust despite the years, thanks to his preservation magic. Its duration gauges a mage's skill—his was exceptional."
The weapons gleamed, deadly as ever.
Why collect all these weapons, anyway?
Pellelian was a mage, not a knight. Enough to arm hundreds here.
He hesitated, then answered.
To make guardians.
Guardians?
Guardians protect mages—bodyguards for close-range weak spots.
You said you lived like a lone wolf before?
But Pellelian was infamous for no friends. He knew gnomes and dwarves, but they wouldn't fight for a public enemy like him.
Golems.
...
No friends, so make your own. Kinda sad.
The guide continued. "Some arms are masterfully crafted—dwarf-made, we suspect. But local dwarves vehemently deny it."
Ungrateful wretches. They made 'em.
Dwarves mined nearby; Royle sold them beer, apparently. We toured awhile. "Dwarf-made" but old and plain. My old Elven Broadsword looked better. Disappointing. Too crowded to snag anything anyway.
I was let down; Pellelian wasn't.
Good. Thank goodness.
What is?
Not everything was looted!
Pellelian beamed.
The most important—the Treasure Armory—is still hidden.
The Treasure Armory held his choicest weapons and armor.
Some for my four golems, the Four Divine Guards at my side. Stashed in the Treasure Armory. Right over there.
He pointed to a blank wall. Smooth stone. Darkest under the lamp—humans found the dungeon but missed the secret room inside.
Hidden mechanism. See the carving in the right corner?
Opposite the smooth wall: ornate carvings. More likely there.
Put four tails on the eagle's head and infuse mana. My pattern.
Hidden in the smooth wall, huh. Tempting to enter now.
Too many people.
Business end, then sneak in later?
No need.
Pellelian taught me a method. Sounded solid. Sneaking post-close wouldn't be easy anyway. I'd do it.
"The dungeon is maintained by magic and mechanisms. For fire risks, things like th—"
I timed it as eyes turned to the guide.
Beginner Elemental Magic: Fire lv6 activated.
I set the ceiling ablaze. Like a torch suddenly flaring.
Beeeep—
Alarm blared. Splish—water poured from above.
"Everyone out, evacuate!"
The guide herded people. Kids giggled, treating it like fun. Royle and Amaen blended in—but Royle "forgot" his coat on a bench. The one hiding me.
Slither...
Soon, only me and Pellelian remained. I approached the carving he indicated. Extended my tail to caress the eagle.
Infuse mana.
As instructed. Rumble...
The smooth wall parted.
The Treasure Armory.