6. The Revolutionary Group
6. The Revolutionary Group
"Hoo... what kind of person were you, exactly?"
Before my eyes lay the collapsed Rune Bear, shattered wooden planks, and bent iron bars.
"I just got lucky."
Iron bars enchanted with magic. Looking at the mechanism, it seemed to be imbued with shockwave and mana-restriction magic, commonly used by mages for traps.
I used this to lure the Rune Bear and drain its stamina. The Rune Bear was pushed back by the shockwave, and the mana-restriction magic caused mana depletion.
There was a gimmick in the game to catch the Rune Bear using this; my damage output was lacking, but after beating it up for a while using the combat system guide, I managed to take it down just like this.
"The old man saying that wasn't half bad himself, though?"
"Just some miscellaneous skills I picked up while getting old."
It would have been dangerous if I were alone, but at a few critical moments, the old man threw something from his cell, and the Rune Bear stopped moving.
'This old geezer is no ordinary person, either.'
If not for the old man's help, I wouldn't have been able to catch it this easily.
"More importantly, I caught it, so you have to keep your promise."
At my words, the old man coughed and avoided my gaze.
"Ahem, you were only able to catch it because of my help..."
I picked up a broken wooden plank, stared at him with a straight face, and the old man hurriedly raised both hands.
"Alright, alright! Sheesh, young people these days don't even know how to take a joke..."
With that, the old man grabbed the iron bars of the cell he was locked in.
Crr-ack!
The bars bent, and the old man simply walked out of the cell.
I was shocked to see that.
'He bent the iron bars that even the Rune Bear couldn't break?'
The old man swung his arms as if he'd just done some light exercise and approached me.
"What are you doing? Let's go."
"Yes, let's go. No, I mean, I will follow."
I naturally became a Confucian youth who respects his elders.
The place the old man led me to was quite familiar to me as well.
This was the tutorial area. In other words, to me, a veteran of this game, it was like a hometown.
"Actually, the purpose of the Black Prison wasn't a prison like it is now, but a training facility..."
This old man seems to know quite a bit, as he's spilling lore I never even heard in the game.
'But how is he so knowledgeable about this place?'
The Black Prison is famous, but there's no information about it. Most people just know it as a horrible prison. But for him to know it in such detail, my curiosity about the old man's identity is growing.
"Well, we're here."
The place we arrived at was quite cozy.
It seems to be where the Rune Bear stayed; I can see fur and other traces.
The old man tapped on the wall and said to me.
"Can you hear it?"
I listened closely and heard a hollow sound.
"It's a hollow space?"
"Yes, we'll leave through here. My comrades will be here soon, so why don't you stay here for a while?"
I nodded at his words. At the same time, I realized why the tutorial area looked the way it did.
'It must be the traces left after this old man escaped.'
There were a few small weapons and a hole nearby in the tutorial area; it must have been the traces of this old man and his comrades.
I listened to the old man and looked around. But while looking around, I saw something.
'A yellow marker?'
In the game, such markers used to appear on important items.
'Ha, first a red marker appears on dangerous things, and now a yellow one?'
Between the combat guide system and this, I have no idea what's going on. But one thing is certain: I've benefited from them.
I followed the yellow marker. It led to the floor in the corner. It was a place covered in Rune Bear fur, so I brushed the fur away with my hand. Then, a crest that had been hidden by fur and dirt appeared.
"This is..."
It was the Imperial crest. Why is the Imperial crest here?
Before that question could even form, the floor where the Imperial crest was collapsed.
"Whoa?"
It collapsed before I could do anything, and soon a small box was revealed inside. Before reaching for the box, I looked around. The old man, who had been staring at me, said.
"I didn't know the Imperial crest was here either. I don't know what that box is, either... Ah, don't worry, I have no intention of touching your stuff."
The old man laughed heartily, saying that in a place like this, whoever finds it first keeps it, and then laid down on the pile of Rune Bear fur.
Seeing that, I felt inwardly relieved. That old man is clearly an incredibly strong person. I don't know what this is, but if he wanted to take it, he easily could have.
'I'll stay on guard just in case, though.'
Seeing the old man, who had already started snoring, it really seems like he has no ulterior motives.
I turned my gaze back to the small box. It was an antique-looking box at a glance. There was no separate lock, so I carefully opened it.
What I saw when I opened the box was a pendant.
A pendant with a small gemstone embedded in it. But I couldn't touch it carelessly.
'This is...'
The pendant had both red and yellow markers mixed together. An item that is dangerous yet an opportunity.
I had seen items like this often.
'Demon God Cult.'
Most items like this belonged to the Demon God Cult. Items that have powerful effects but come with corresponding risks.
Unfortunately, I can't see what abilities it has like in the game, but it's definitely worth taking.
I held the pendant in my hand and fiddled with it.
'Well, no special function?'
Usually, pendants often have photos inside, but this one doesn't open.
After checking this and that, it didn't seem to be harmful, so I just put it around my neck.
At that moment, the wall shook violently.
Bang!
Not just once, but several times.
The sound of banging.
At that sound, the old man was already up and stretching leisurely.
"Ugh... they're finally here. Those slowpokes."
I looked at the old man at his words.
"Hmm, now that they're here, let me introduce myself properly."
With that, the old man brushed the fur off his body and stood in front of the banging wall.
"It's not much, but I'm Hector, the leader of the Revolutionary Group."
What?
I froze for a moment at those words. Hector? Is he that Hector who led the Revolutionary Group?
I looked at the old man who had introduced himself as Hector once again.
And I realized.
'It seems like it really is Hector...?'
The Hector I know is clean-shaven and has short hair. That's why I didn't recognize him. The Hector in front of me now has a bushy beard and hair that's almost long. Plus, he's covered in all sorts of grime from not washing, so there's no way I could have recognized him.
The banging sound stopped.
Light enters the dark Black Prison.
"Hey, old man! You're still alive?"
"We need to move quickly, so let's save the small talk for later."
"..."
I closed my eyes for a moment against the light, then opened them again. And what I saw were people wearing the clothes of the Revolutionary Group.
Only then could I be sure. That the old man I was with was the leader of the Revolutionary Group, the sword the Empire fears the most, Hector.
"I heard you were done in by that crazy Princess, so you must have some grievances against the Empire."
Grievances? I have plenty. From possessing this shitty place, to having a crazy Princess right in front of me the moment I possessed it, to almost being poisoned by the Demon God Cult bastards right after I thought I survived, to being thrown into this Black Prison by the crazy Princess after I killed the culprit and protected her.
Furthermore, the Empire itself is the problem. The nobles are corrupt, the vassals only think about their own interests, and the Princess is crazy, thinking only about hunting down the Demon God Cult bastards instead of running the state.
However, the Empire is necessary.
"You've met that crazy Princess Bella, so you know, right? The Empire is hopeless. Won't you come with us?"
To be precise, I need the Princess, Bella.
The Revolutionary Group's cause is noble. The purpose of overthrowing the rotten Empire to save the suffering people. Good.
However, that is an act that will drop the world into the hands of the Demon God.
Therefore, I cannot accept that proposal. If they continue to operate normally, the Empire will surely collapse, and the Demon God Cult will summon the Demon God.
Even so, I took the hand Hector offered.
Hector smiled as if he had expected it.
However, I could not bear to look at that smile.
Because I am joining the Revolutionary Group to hinder his noble cause, the cause of overthrowing the Empire to create a better world.
There is a saying that you should always keep dangerous things close. To stop the Revolutionary Group's cause of overthrowing the Empire, I willingly took Hector's hand.
At that moment, I heard footsteps, lined up as if in a steady rhythm.
"Damn it, they're already here!"
"Leader, we have to move quickly!"
At those words, I looked back.
There, the Captain of the Royal Guard and the knights I saw before were approaching, with their swords drawn.
At that sight, all the Revolutionary Group members tensed up and drew their weapons. They don't say it, but they seem to know how strong they are.
But in my eyes, neither their strength nor their numbers were visible. Only one person was visible.
A woman with red hair and red eyes.
The crazy Princess Bella.
Bella's red pupils were looking exactly at one place. Haeil Cartis, at me.