Chapter 38: The Sealed Warehouse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: The Sealed Warehouse
Arken Empire, Imperial Palace Dungeon.
Soldiers in uniform shouted back and forth across the damp stone corridor.
"Hey, shift change!"
"Ah, damn... what took you so long?"
"What are you talking about? I was here before the hourly bugle even sounded."
"Ugh, you little bastard. I’m going to pay you back for this later, just you wait."
The guard, his face twisted in a grimace of annoyance, proceeded with the handover.
"Anyway, it’s been a while since this dungeon actually had some guests in it."
"Now that you mention it, you were out on that deployment, weren't you? Are these guys really Demon Worshippers?"
The man asked, curious about what he’d observed during his shift. No matter how he looked at them, they seemed more like starving peasants than fanatical cultists.
"I don't know about the ones we hauled in personally, but they were definitely with the Demon Worshippers."
"Whoa, actual Demon Worshippers? I thought that was just a label the brass used when they wanted to crack down on agitators."
"These guys seem like the real deal. We caught them in a raid."
"Actual Demon Worshippers appearing... I guess the country really is going to hell."
At that, his relief glared at him.
"Don't go saying things like that just anywhere. If I report you, you'll be hauled in as a Demon Worshipper yourself, you know?"
"Geez, how scary. Let's just finish the handover. I have to go meet Ashley today."
"I'll never understand why you're so obsessed with that tavern wench..."
The relief guard stopped clicking his tongue as he checked the prisoner tally sheet.
"Hey, you slacker. You didn't even count the numbers right, did you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The report said twelve prisoners were captured." The relief guard pointed at the total count. "So why does it say thirteen here?"
"What? There were thirteen when we brought them in."
"What are you talking about, man? We personally bound twelve of them and reported it when we brought them inside. You think we'd be wrong?"
"Are you saying I'm the one who's wrong? I counted them one by one as I put them in! Come see for yourself!"
"Oh, yeah? Wanna bet a Gold?"
"I'll bet ten Gold coins, you idiot!"
"Fine! Ten Golds. Have it ready, you bastard."
Both men, brimming with confidence, walked toward the cells holding the heretics. They pointed their fingers, counting the group lying exhausted on the cold floor.
"One, two, three, four..."
After counting from the far right to the far left, the winner was decided.
"It's twelve, you dumbass!" The relief guard smacked the other guard upside the head.
"What? That can't be..."
Unable to believe it, the guard counted them himself. "Huh?"
Just as his partner said, there were only twelve.
"You idiot, you almost caused a massive uproar. Were you drinking on duty?"
"I... I had a little, man."
"A little? Ugh, you're lucky I don't send you to the stockades! If you don't want to go to the brig for drinking on duty and negligence, have those ten Golds ready, got it?"
"Ugh... damn. That's strange."
The guard tilted his head, peering through the bars. The frail commoners were simply waiting for the day they would die.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Palace.
"As expected, this isn't easy."
Brown hair, a square jaw, and sharp features. It was the kind of face that heard "you've probably broken a few hearts" more often than "you're handsome."
Jed Swallow.
He was hiding from public view in a restroom, staring into a mirror.
"Need 'only two eyes,' my foot. Yeah, right."
He was in a very foul mood. The process of getting into the dungeon and getting back out required skills that only those intimately familiar with such things could pull off.
This isn't just anywhere; it's the Imperial Palace.
The moment they realized someone had escaped, an emergency would be declared. And what would happen then? The greatest knights and mages on the continent would swarm the place to catch Jed, and he would be caught red-handed with no way out.
Therefore, he had to appear and disappear as naturally as flowing water. It was by no means an easy task.
So, Jed had devised a method based on his own experiences.
Like ditching a partner at a party...
The key was to slip away quietly while the other person was intoxicated by the atmosphere. That way, you could make them believe that what they were seeing wasn't real, and they would only realize the truth once everything was over.
The process itself was easier than expected. In fact, it was easier than ditching a partner at a party. At least these guards weren't screaming his alias and running amok with a weapon.
Maybe I actually have a talent for this.
Having escaped, Jed sneaked into the servants' locker room as he had planned. At first, he worried if there would be a size that fit him, but there was no need. The uniforms inside were designed to accommodate all sizes.
I guess more than a few people die working here.
Lives like flies. A life where dozens die as a matter of course and are replaced the moment they do. This was only possible because servants were treated as little more than consumables.
It wasn't a pleasant thought for Jed. It hit too close to home.
Ferda Valdrova.
He thought deeply about his superior.
What am I to that man?
A man whose way of speaking was beyond blunt—it was downright rude. Yet, even in that rudeness, Jed felt no malice. Unlike others, Jed could clearly sense the nuance in his speech.
He feels like someone who's dealing with people for the first time.
Someone who had never truly communicated and had only ever engaged in one-sided conversations. The typical traits that appear when such a person tries to communicate were evident in Ferda.
Jed had sensed this just before the tea party, when Ferda had asked for advice.
— How do you talk to women?
He never imagined he’d be asked a question so fitting for someone of that age. Jed had excitedly given Ferda advice based on his own deeds and experiences.
After the tea party, Ferda’s response based on that advice had been:
— It’s a good thing you have that face.
Jed still couldn't tell if that was an insult or a compliment.
Regardless, for this operation, Ferda had claimed there was a document related to his younger sister. If that wasn't a lie, Jed would soon find out the true nature of their relationship.
"Phew, alright. Shall we get to work?"
After checking the mirror a couple more times, Jed began to move according to plan. But the moment he took his first step into the palace proper—
"You, there."
A voice calling out to someone echoed through the hallway. And Jed was the only one in that hallway.
"Who are you?"
Jed muttered under his breath.
Only need two eyes, my ass.
* * *
Ferda placed his hand on the Orb of Truth, and the artifact questioned him.
— Do you swear that you do not follow demons and do not adhere to their resolve?
Hearing the question, Ferda thought to himself.
Orb of Truth, my foot.
Ferda scoffed inwardly. The records of how this Sealed Warehouse was built were also stored within it. The Orb of Truth embedded here wasn't a tool that peered into a person to distinguish truth from lies.
The truly important thing is the voice reciting the words of the oath.
That voice, imbued with mana. The voice that shook one's consciousness for a split second the moment they were distracted by the Orb—that was everything. The Orb merely determined whether one wavered or not upon hearing the content of that voice.
All I have to do is misinterpret it.
Since Ferda was someone who had decided to hate everything, this was a very simple task.
— Do you swear that you do not follow demons and do not adhere to their resolve?
The voice asked again.
"Regent? Are you alright?"
Even Yuren asked Ferda, sensing something was off. He had to answer now.
Ferda needed the demonic grimoire. However, his heart belonged to Valdrova, not to demons.
"I swear."
The second question came.
— Do you swear that your visit to this warehouse is not motivated by personal desire?
All of this was for Valdrova. There was no need to even ask.
"I swear."
— Do you swear your loyalty to the Empire?
The Empire...
Must fall.
"I swear."
After a moment, the blue-glowing Orb of Truth began its assessment, and its color changed.
— Verified.
The light turned green. Ferda pulled his hand away.
To think this is the entry procedure for the Sealed Warehouse.
It seemed flimsy, but it was a clever procedure that would catch anyone off guard if they didn't know the secret. Ferda couldn't help but let out a short laugh, finding it absurd even now.
"It's quite a funny object, isn't it?"
As Ferda stood staring at it, Yuren slipped into the conversation.
"Yes, a funny object indeed."
Leaving the "funny object" behind, Ferda and the magic investigator headed inside. They descended the stairs for a long time. After winding down the endless spiral staircase, they finally set foot in the first Sealed Warehouse.
The room was filled with shelves stacked with sealed copper pipe containers. It was the Record Sealery. It was a place where the Empire's shames, which must never be leaked, or major events that could have led to the destruction of the continent, were recorded.
Ferda had used the records here to lure Jed.
I thought he would have arrived by now. Is he not here yet?
Since they couldn't communicate, he had no way of knowing the current status. He simply had to proceed with the faith that Jed would do his job well.
Perhaps the operation could have worked without that fellow.
It was a thought he had entertained, but it was a ridiculous joke. Jed was an absolutely necessary person for this plan.
"There's nothing but boring things here. Besides, it's full of things you have no need to know."
The dismissive tone carried a warning not to touch anything recklessly. Of course, Ferda had no intention of doing so. To lighten the mood, he tossed a question at Yuren.
"Don't you ever feel like you'd want to take a look at least once when you come to a place like this?"
Yuren nodded.
"Of course, I occasionally feel the urge to look. Despite appearances, I do have the temperament of a scholar."
"So, have you ever looked?"
"Not even once. There's no need for me to trouble myself by learning things I don't need to know."
He was a man with a professional conviction rarely seen in the corrupt Empire. That was likely why he was able to become a magic investigator.
After a brief look at the exterior, they immediately moved to the next location. The important thing was the second Sealed Warehouse, located even further down.
He descended there with Yuren. As they went down, Ferda could feel it.
A familiar scent.
The groans and seductive whispers of concentrated malice and curses. They swirled around Ferda like eels surrounding a corpse at the bottom of a lake.
Yuren, also conscious of the deepening atmosphere, asked Ferda.
"Are you alright?"
The answer here wasn't "Of course."
"About what?"
"It's nothing, haha."
Yuren pushed his suspicion aside and walked on. Ferda couldn't show that he was sensing anything. His priority was to deceive Yuren by displaying a dullness that felt nothing.
The darkness grew thick. They tried to light the surroundings with candles, but it seemed impossible to fully repel that darkness. It was a peculiar energy, strong enough to make ordinary people recoil out of physiological revulsion and an instinctual sense of danger.
Yet, Yuren led the way in. Ferda followed him.
As if passing through a massive veil, Ferda's vision suddenly cleared.
"...Hah."
An exclamation escaped his lips involuntarily. Rather than a Sealed Warehouse, it looked more like a secret vault for Demon Worshippers.
Among the items, one caught Ferda's eye. One of the books placed on the central display stand, its presence on a completely different level from the other trifles. A book with a black cover that seemed deeper than the thickest darkness, bound in silver chains.
Barbatos' Shadow Arts.
Though known as a "Secretive Demon," Barbatos was still a Great Demon, so the seal was exceptionally strong.
"How is it, this place?"
At Yuren's question, Ferda replied reflexively.
"Being a place for demons, it certainly gives off a disgusting aura."
"Haha, there's no need to force yourself to be formal. It's filled with more wonder than disgust."
Wonder. Yes, it was truly wondrous. The high-density mana radiating from the cursed grimoires and spellbooks. Anyone would be entranced if that mana enveloped their entire body.
The feeling that an overwhelming power would surge through one's body if they allowed even a fraction of it in. It whispered that it would be like rain in a drought, more intense than any release from the limits of desire.
"No, it's just disgusting."
However, Ferda remained firm. Even when he had lived solely for hatred, he had never once considered this kind of mana to be good. The Ferda who was consumed by hatred would simply destroy what he couldn't have. And this mana wasn't Ferda's, nor could it ever be.
"Is that... so?"
Yuren tilted his head.
"That's a bit strange... A mage of your caliber should be at least a little bit enchanted..."
He turned his gaze to stare at Ferda. The look in his eyes was quite different from before. It wasn't because of the strange current flowing through the Sealed Warehouse. He was revealing his true colors, which he had been hiding.
"Well, it doesn't matter. What's important is that it's just the two of us here."
Yuren set down the book on Gamigin's Necromancy he was holding and turned his head. His face was filled with a disgusting, hidden murderous intent. It was a look that suited this room perfectly.
"I wrote a scenario while coming here."
"Let's hear it."
"At the Regent's request, we visited the Sealed Warehouse together, but he succumbed to the enchantment within this place, and I was forced to deal with him... That's the scenario. What do you think? Doesn't it sound quite plausible?"
Ferda rubbed his chin as he listened. Upon hearing the words that Yuren would kill him, Ferda felt curiosity rather than fear.
"Do they kill people without mercy here if they are enchanted by black magic?"
"There are no exceptions for black magic. There is no mercy under the all-powerful light."
A cruel smile played on Yuren's lips.
"Even if that person is the Regent of the Archduchess."
It was a needlessly strict country.
"If I die, you won't be able to leave alive either, will you?"
"There's no need to worry about me. Unlike you, I have plenty of escape routes."
Escape routes after killing the Regent of the Archduchess. Ferda wasn't curious about which path he would take to escape. What mattered now was that Yuren intended to kill him. He wondered what the benefit of that was.
He seems to be doing this even though he knows what kind of mess will break out if I die...
Unlike when he was a prospective fiancé, Ferda was now officially the fiancé. By taking the name of Valdrova, he was essentially family with the Red Dragon. Killing that family member would surely invite revenge, and that revenge would be directed at the Empire. This was an act on a completely different level from the Purge Squad members who just wanted to nibble away at some assets.
Is he actually hoping for that?
There was someone inside the Imperial Palace willing to commit an act that could throw not just the Empire, but the entire continent into chaos.
Suddenly, the Orb of Truth he had passed through came to mind. Yuren had passed every oath. The reason he could do that was—
He must know the secret of the Sealed Warehouse.
He had told nothing but lies from start to finish since entering.
As expected, there isn't a single good person among these Imperial bastards.
In this situation where he was cornered, a smile appeared on Ferda's face.
"Why are you laughing?"
"It's nothing. I just never thought the childish scenario I wrote would actually come true."
"A scenario you wrote?"
Yuren, who had been smiling, tilted his head.
"I envisioned a scenario where I stopped the rampage of an investigator who tried to lure the Regent into a trap. Unlike yours, mine is something that's actually happening."
Ferda needed Barbatos' Shadow Arts. To get it, he had to kill the magic investigator. Whether the man was truly upright or not didn't matter to Ferda.
"Thanks to you, I don't have to worry about a burden on my conscience. I can just think of it as cleaning up trash."
At those words, the smile vanished from Yuren's face.
"Do you really think someone like you can kill me?"
What he said was an insult beyond imagination according to the common sense of mages. He was a Master Mage who had reached the 5th Circle. It was a rank recognized across the continent, let alone within the Empire, where he held a high position.
Ferda, however, was only at the 3rd Circle—a mere Magic Walker.
"If you don't believe me..."
Mana condensed in Ferda's right hand.
"Why don't you find out for yourself?"
A spell was rapidly discharged from Ferda's hand. A fast sphere, which no mage could have anticipated, flew toward Yuren.