323. Blindfold (1)
323. Blindfold (1)
- 1 -
Three days after Nix and Kallin led a party of adventurers and departed for a dungeon whose location was undisclosed.
Every adventurer's guild in southern Hysen and northern Orbis was thrown into an uproar.
News of Nix, one of the Continental Thirteen Stars—the 'Empress of the Night'—and Jin Soha had suddenly gone silent.
And it remained so after three more days had passed—right up to today.
"...Hasn't it already been three days?"
"Three days, my foot. It's been six. Nearly a week now."
"Even so, isn't it strange? Monsters like them went into an inland dungeon and there's been no contact for this long."
No one had expected it.
That the very Nix who had fought on the front lines of the Demon Realm would vanish in an inland dungeon, something considered mere 'trivial busywork.'
And even more, no one had expected it.
That they would return perfectly fine.
- 2 -
"Sir Kallin?"
The eyes of the Clarent Adventurer's Guild master went wide.
There stood the red-haired adventurer, Kallin, who had gone missing alongside Nix, his face weary.
"Ah, my apologies. Guild Master."
Kallin scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.
"I know you must have been surprised when we suddenly fell out of contact."
"No, not at all."
The Clarent Guild Master hurriedly shook his head, but his voice was trembling heavily.
How could he not be surprised?
Kallin's clothes were torn, and word had already arrived that a significant number of the continent's finest adventurers, who had entered the dungeon with him, had not returned.
'They said Lady Nix locked herself in a city inn the moment she arrived. Just what on earth happened in that dungeon?'
The question arose naturally, but the Guild Master inwardly shook his head.
"First, a major incident has occurred in this region. I believe I must inform you about it."
Their well-being was definitely an important matter.
But right now, in this Grakheisen region, something even more important was unfolding.
That was also the reason they hadn't been able to join the search for the missing adventurers.
"Do you know what has happened on the continent since you and Lady Nix disappeared?"
After the elite adventurers, including Kallin and Nix, had left to handle 'trivial busywork,' a 'Dungeon Occurrence Alert' had been triggered in some of the adventurer's guilds in the Grakheisen region.
Normally, an alert like this would not have caused every adventurer's guild to turn its full attention to it.
After all, the appearance of dungeons on the continent, or the discovery of dungeons hiding and preparing for their own growth, was a common occurrence.
But this time was different.
'No one could find the dungeon.'
No, to be precise, they did find dungeons, but only in some areas. Even now, guilds in other regions continued their search, unable to locate them.
Alerts existed, but the physical forms of the dungeons remained unrevealed.
To adventurers, this was an indescribable terror.
Days spent trembling in fear, wondering when and where a strengthened dungeon—or dungeons—might appear.
It was in the midst of this that Kallin and Nix had returned.
As part of his duties, the Guild Master was entertaining these top-tier adventurers, but his heart was full of the desire to return to work immediately.
And so, when this answer came, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
"Yes. I do know."
"Ah. I suppose you wouldn't know. Naturally... What? You do know?"
At that unexpected answer Kallin gave so calmly, the Guild Master's eyes widened as he stared at him.
"The reason Lady Nix and I couldn't return until now was precisely because of that."
"No, what do you mean... Could you explain in detail?"
"Of course I should. The place we discovered was..."
Kallin nodded, accompanied by a bitter smile.
His voice flowed out, very low.
"An underground Demon Realm that had survived from ancient times and been operating in secret."
The color drained from the Guild Master's face.
A Demon Realm.
An ancient one that had been hiding underground, at that.
The story that followed was a continuation of unbelievable events.
- 3 -
Eastern and southern Hilsa, northern and western Kiza, central and some frontier parts of Hysen, Leophere, and more.
Dungeon Occurrence Alerts that happened simultaneously in multiple guilds across various locations.
Over the past week, this had contributed greatly to the bald spots on the guild masters' heads in charge of each region.
And that contribution was expanding in real time.
"It seems there was another reaction on the detector yesterday. This time it was a small reaction, about the level of an 'Official' grade, but... it was another wild goose chase. They said even when they went toward the reaction, the dungeon still wasn't visible."
Catherine, the guild receptionist of Crash County—a city that served as the eastern hub of the Verno Marquisate and bordered Elieniessi—let out a weary sigh.
A male colleague next to her scratched his head and checked the clock.
"That's the ninth one this week. Shouldn't we be buying the Guild Master some hair growth tonic?"
At her colleague's shameless remark, Catherine couldn't help but let out a snicker, but her face soon hardened.
Because Harai, the Guild Master who was exceptionally sensitive about his hair, had just walked in.
In the hands of the middle-aged adventurer was a bundle of letters from guilds in various regions.
The crimson seal of the Adventurers' Association was vivid on the very top one.
"All general requests are on hold. We must commit all personnel to dungeon exploration."
"What? Then what about the residents' requests..."
"This is a 'Strong Recommendation' from the Adventurers' Association. Naturally, the Grakheisen region is included, but guilds from other neighboring nations have also all agreed to cooperate."
They called it a 'Strong Recommendation.' But if this was true, it was as good as an order.
Outside the window, the streets were filled with far more adventurers than usual. They were people unwilling to miss the chance to discover and subjugate a dungeon.
"This phenomenon of dungeon detections that has exploded in the past week... Yet for the most part, the physical locations can't be found. This situation is the first I've seen in my lifetime. The higher-ups say it happened about 100 years ago."
"Didn't they say dungeons were found in Kiza and Hilsa?"
"Yes. They said they found and subjugated a High-grade dungeon. The detectors stopped working after that. But in our region, it's still..."
The middle-aged guild master trailed off and let out a sigh.
This had been a region utterly peaceful regarding dungeons until now.
He simply couldn't understand why something like this was happening in his later years.
"There's a rumor circulating among adventurers that abnormal waves of mana are covering the continent. There's even a rumor that the Demon King is invading the surface."
"What preposterous talk..."
Harai shook his head. But on his face, there was a glimmer of understanding.
"Still, if this situation continues... the entire continent will inevitably be gripped by anxiety..."
At that moment, a commotion arose at the guild entrance.
"Guild Master! An important dispatch!"
One of the guild clerks came in, panting, and handed a document to Harai.
As he quickly read through it, his face stiffened, and the receptionists and adventurers around him began to stir.
"...They're summoning all guild masters of Count-grade domains and above to Hylash. The official reason is this Dungeon Occurrence Alert situation."
"Is the nation planning to intervene?"
"I don't know."
Harai tried to shake his head calmly, but anxiety was seeping into his face.
It had been over 100 years since adventurer's guilds were recognized as organizations independent from nations, but the influence of nations couldn't be ignored.
In small frontier kingdoms, the relationship was reversed, with adventurers sometimes involved in state affairs—Nix being a prime example—but even in those cases, the fact that they influenced each other remained true.
If it involved a major power like Hysen, there were hardly any adventurers who could ignore their 'requests' and 'advice.'
"The Grakheisen Union conference, huh..."
If it was an invitation from the Union, of which even Hysen was only a part, that was all the more true.
"Miss Catherine. May I ask you to prepare for the journey? It seems there will be a lot to prepare in advance."
"Of course. Leave it to me, Guild Master."
With a dark expression, Harai looked out the window.
Somewhere far to the south, Hylash felt ominously close.
- 4 -
Three days later. Hylash, the capital of Hysen.
The guild masters of adventurer's guilds from all over Grakheisen, who had flocked there, arrived at the royal palace one after another.
"It's been a long time..."
Harai looked up at the Hylash Royal Palace.
It was the first time he had come here since becoming an elite adventurer in his thirties.
'Such memories...'
After that, his career had stalled and he had settled down as a clerk and then a guild master, but the memories from that time were still vivid.
Because he had been present at the ceremony held in Hylash when the 'Red-eyed Spirit Mage,' a powerhouse who now held the tenth seat among the Thirteen Stars, had become a high-rank adventurer.
It was a story he still often chewed over when drinking.
'This isn't the time for that.'
Harai shook his head and entered the palace.
Guided by servants and maids, he arrived at a place where numerous adventurers were already seated, waiting for the representatives of the Union who had invited them there.
"Oh, it's been a while. Crash Guild Master."
"Well, if it isn't the Hylash Guild Master. You seem to have gotten younger."
"Haha, don't be absurd. I've been working overtime for days now."
"I said that taking that into account."
"Why you, old friend."
Harai happily greeted a familiar face he hadn't seen in a long time, and shortly after that.
"From this moment! The masters of the great and noble bloodlines who rule each nation are entering! Everyone, rise from your seats and welcome them!"
At the Chief Chamberlain's cry, Harai stood up and looked toward the entrance.
And soon, he could see eight men and women of beautiful or handsome appearance.
The power brokers of the continent entered one after another.
Prince Edgar of the Hilsa Kingdom and Foreign Minister Serilia.
Prime Minister Cromwell of Kiza, which had recently changed its name to 'Kingdom' and established a new royal family.
Archduchess Adelaide of Leophere and Commander of the General Knights Elena.
King Amelia of the Orbis Duchy.
The youngest king of the Haisen Kingdom, Yurena.
And...
"So that is the lady rumored to be the greatest beauty of the Union."
"Hmm... There's no disagreement that she is one of the most beautiful."
Harai nodded at the words of the adventurers beside him.
The woman who entered last was wrapped in a black dress.
Patterns delicately embroidered with golden thread shimmered at the hem of her dress, and a black choker hung elegantly around her neck.
Her obsidian-like hair flowed softly down past her shoulders.
But what was most overwhelming were her eyes.
Seureuk.
As those violet, gleaming eyes swept over Harai as if grazing him, he felt a chill run down his spine.
An oppressive pressure stronger than anyone else in the room.
A sense of confidence more resolute than any royal.
It gave the feeling of a human facing a natural disaster.
Ttogak.
Even the sound of her heels hitting the floor was reverent.
All eyes focused on her.
The power broker of the Grakheisen Union. An authority figure with powers practically equivalent to the head of the Union itself.
Countess Philia Elskopf had made her entrance.