Unconditional Trust and Another Clash
The narrow tunnel echoed with the thunder of footsteps. Dust swirled wildly in the air, and faint lantern light flickered past in the darkness.
Normally, one would tread this path with utmost caution, testing each step. But Suh Hwian charged forward at full speed, without a shred of hesitation.
Cold air whipped against his face as small pebbles scattered beneath his feet.
“Hii…!”
Serena clung tightly to his back.
The fierce wind generated by their sprint battered her skin relentlessly. A low whoosh cut through the air as a rock hurtled past her ear, sending chills racing down her spine. Even a carriage had never moved this fast.
The thought that she might actually fall if she let her guard down made tension coil tightly in her chest.
“Ughhh…!”
“Hold on tight. Don’t worry about me.”
“Y-yes!”
Hwian’s relatively calm voice reached her from ahead. In response, Serena tightened her arms around him even more.
Thump. Thump.
Perhaps because they were pressed so closely together, the warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart made her head spin.
“But, um, Hero!”
“Yeah?”
“Do we really need to rush like this?! Last night you said we didn’t have enough information yet and that we should observe the situation first!”
“…”
Hwian’s expression turned bitter at the voice calling out from behind him.
Serena’s question was perfectly reasonable. After all, the same person who had urged restraint just yesterday was now sprinting ahead with sudden urgency.
Leaping lightly over the uneven stone floor, Hwian finally spoke.
“…I did say that yesterday. We didn’t know if he was truly involved, and even if he was, we couldn’t publicly accuse an imperial prince of a great nation. On top of that, destroying the worshippers helped put out the immediate fire.”
“Th-then why—”
“The situation changed. Whether for better or worse.”
Without slowing down at a complex fork, he veered left, then right. As he raced through the twisting paths without pause, Hwian recalled the words he had heard from Heinkel earlier.
“He entered about two hours ago. It was still before sunrise… He said he wanted to reduce the number of Mentes before the miners arrived…”
“Normally he would go in once every two or three days, usually in the late afternoon and come out before evening. But today he seemed unusually restless, so I found it strange as well.”
The man who had always entered and exited at a leisurely pace had suddenly changed his pattern, heading into the mine at the crack of dawn. Moreover, the noble imperial prince had even shown visible signs of anxiety.
It was almost certain he had hurried here to check on the ritual after it was interrupted the previous day. Or perhaps to erase the evidence.
It was a miscalculation on Hwian’s part; he hadn’t expected the prince to move so quickly.
Even that would have been manageable. It took time to reach the inner chambers, so with only two hours having passed, they could still intercept him.
But then—
“His belongings? Same as usual—armor, sword… Ah, he did take one staff with him. It was glowing with a strange purple light.”
The moment he heard that, everything changed.
‘I can’t believe he already had that…!!’
The Second Prince of the Michael Empire, Ernest, could not use magic. It wasn’t for any special reason—he simply lacked the talent for it.
However, there was one exception.
Alongside a staff crafted exclusively for him, there was exactly one spell that Ernest could cast.
“He intends to bury the entire silver mine.”
“…Pardon?”
“He’s going to collapse it. The tunnels, the caves—everything. Bring it all crashing down.”
The indiscriminate bombardment spell Ruinfall. A crude, brute-force magic that destroyed everything around it without distinguishing between friend and foe.
It was the very reason Ernest had gained such infamy in his previous life.
A symbol of destruction that had turned the Michael Empire—his own homeland—as well as countless other nations and cities into wastelands.
[Ah…♬ How beautiful….]
“Tsk.”
It was a pervert’s magic, one that found ecstasy in ruin and destruction.
“B-but what about evidence, Hero?!”
“…My gut feeling.”
“What?!”
At the stunned voice from behind him, Hwian bit his lip. Honestly, he wasn’t confident he could explain the full situation.
How could he claim that a prince of a nation was a worshipper of the Demon King?
How could he explain that the staff—barely known at this point in time—was an object created solely for destruction?
“…”
“Hero?”
A faint hesitation rose within him. How should he explain this?
For once, Hwian faltered, struggling to find the words.
Seeing him like that, Serena asked in a small voice.
“…Are you certain?”
“Huh?”
“Are you certain, Hero? That the prince is truly a bad person. That he’s plotting something sinister.”
“…”
A moment of silence.
When he finally nodded, Serena made a small but firm resolution in her heart.
“Then I’ll believe you too.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to give me any proof. If you believe it, Hero, then I will follow. I trust you.”
Hwian’s movement stiffened for the briefest instant. He glanced back slightly at Serena on his back and asked again.
“…You’re bold. Are you sure? He’s an imperial prince. If this becomes a diplomatic issue, it could cause a massive uproar.”
“My mother once told me, ‘If you want to travel with someone, you must trust each other.’ And—”
Serena answered him in a small but resolute voice.
She tightened her grip around Hwian once more.
Facing off against a prince of a great empire was terrifying.
The mere thought that something could go wrong and she might be held responsible sent a heavy wave of anxiety through her.
But even so—
“After thinking it over… right now, I am not the Fourth Princess of Adonia. I am simply Serena, your companion, Hero.”
“…You never cease to amaze me. Just don’t regret it later.”
Hwian let out a short breath as he replied. Yet at the same time, a faint smile lingered on his face.
‘I was planning to hide her near the entrance.’
He had intended to keep her out of sight, just in case she suffered serious injury. He had never expected her to actively participate in a matter that could easily escalate into an international incident.
And yet…
‘…Trust, huh.’
The unexpected but welcome miscalculation made the corner of his mouth curve upward. It didn’t feel bad at all to have someone believe in him.
Feeling the small warmth against his back, he quickened his pace.
The mithril cave was not far now.
It had been an exhausting day.
Ernest, the Second Prince of the Michael Empire, thought idly to himself as he directed the apostates before him.
“Make sure you erase the traces properly. Pay special attention to the bloodstains and signs of battle. It would be troublesome if someone with a keen nose happened to catch the scent.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And… ah, what was the current transmission rate again?”
“It is slightly over seventy percent at the moment.”
“…Not ideal, but sufficient. Let’s finish quickly and leave. There is no longer any reason to remain here.”
At his indifferent murmur, the young man in the purple robe bowed deeply.
Beloved comrades working together to achieve a great cause. But now only two of the original ten remained. Ernest let out a gloomy sigh.
This was all because of that Suh Hwian—or whatever his name was—Hero.
The young otherworlder had shown an inexplicably hostile attitude from the moment they first met yesterday afternoon.
It wasn’t uncommon for otherworlders to feel aversion toward those in power, so at the time he hadn’t paid it much mind… but he had never imagined the man would pinpoint and dismantle his plans so precisely.
‘If only we had a few more days, we could have completed everything comfortably and left… When will I finally be able to meet the Demon King at this rate?’
Due to the Hero’s sudden assault, eighty percent of the comrades guarding the site had been slaughtered.
Two had barely managed to escape, but it was naturally impossible for three people to continue a ritual that required ten.
Therefore, Ernest had chosen to erase the evidence. He would bury both the traces of the ritual and the very existence of this mithril cave beneath the mountain range.
Even if the Hero made any claims, if the evidence was destroyed faster than he could act, there would be no repercussions.
And as a small act of revenge, filing a formal complaint against the Adonia royal family would ensure they wouldn’t dare interfere again.
‘No matter how much of a Hero he is, he is ultimately a commoner. The crime of showing hostility toward an imperial prince… should be enough to lock him away for several years. I could also vent my anger on the princess by holding her responsible. Hmm.’
Ernest’s sunken expression twisted with dark fantasies.
Then—
“…Hm?”
Suddenly, he heard footsteps.
When he looked up, the face he least wanted to see appeared. The Hero of Adonia, Suh Hwian, was walking straight toward him with a fierce expression.
“Ah—… What a pleasure to see you, Hero. What a coincidence. Have you come to inspect the scene?”
Clicking his tongue inwardly, Ernest rose to his feet. A bright smile immediately bloomed on his face.
A quick glance revealed that his comrades were fortunately well-hidden behind the stone pillars.
To the Hero’s eyes, only a prince taking a rest would be visible. If he played his cards right, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
“I heard about what happened yesterday. Since Duke Heinkel was concerned about security inside the mine, I decided to come personally, though my efforts may be insignificant.”
“…”
“Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, it was already in this state. There are no remaining traces. We have continued the investigation, but there are no clear clues.”
“…”
“By the way, where is the princess…? Ah, there you are. I apologize for noticing so late. However, I must advise you not to enter the tunnels so freely, Princess. This place is far more dangerous than you might think—”
Ernest continued his flawless, actor-like performance without pause.
But Hwian didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow. Without a word, he walked forward. Without a word, he drew the sword from his waist and—
“—Ugh?!”
Without the slightest hesitation, he swung it down at Ernest.