Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 139
>Chapter Title: The Citadel's Truth
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>Chapter 139
"Right this way, please."
Following the guard's guidance into the building, Do-hyun scanned his surroundings.
The scenery was somewhat drab, but wrapped in the soft moonlight, even that felt atmospheric.
It was probably thanks to the candles placed here and there, along with decorative swords and daggers.
'Wow... Master, the owner is seriously huge.'
'Rijariza....'
'Hm, what a fine citadel. It looks exceedingly sturdy.'
'Yeah. It's massive.'
One other notable feature was that it had the largest interior of any building Do-hyun had seen so far.
In terms of sheer size, it dwarfed even Brion's Lair Grand Temple.
He felt like he'd already walked for ten minutes, yet the corridor showed no sign of ending.
'Well, it was visible even from the forest.'
Considering how the entire city looked like the castle's garden, this grandeur was only natural.
And yet, no players had ever laid eyes on this massive citadel.
It was a truly glorious moment, and Do-hyun's curiosity only grew.
'Why on earth did they avoid players so much?'
What Do-hyun had handed to the guard was a handwritten letter from Jin Ruddel.
Once they verified it was indeed from his uncle, they let him in immediately, which suggested they'd been deliberately barring players all this time.
'I'll find out soon enough.'
He'd learn the reason any moment now.
How much further did they walk?
The guard stopped in front of the most ornate door they'd passed in the corridor and bowed his head politely.
"The Lord awaits you inside. If you'll excuse me..."
Do-hyun nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.
A voice came immediately.
"...So you're the one who brought Jin Uncle's letter."
It was a low mutter in a mid-range tone that somehow sounded feeble.
And that impression was even stronger in person.
In a room larger than most living rooms, with antique decor and lavish ornaments that made it all seem wasted, a young man reclined against the bed, looking utterly frail.
"The Lord asks: answer him."
An elderly man in butler attire standing beside him pressed for a reply.
It was a heavy voice that belied his slender frame.
"Yes, that's correct."
Do-hyun answered on instinct, and the young man—the Lord—chuckled softly as he murmured.
"It's surprising enough that Jin Uncle, who caused such a fuss before leaving, sent a letter. But for an Apostle to deliver it... So many curiosities."
He beckoned Do-hyun closer.
As Do-hyun approached, he subtly took in the Lord's appearance.
A face drained of vitality, like a patient long battling illness, and limbs thinned to the bone.
His youthful face suggested he'd just passed twenty, but his condition was far from good.
The golden hair that should have shone brightly was dull and lusterless, and patches of exposed skin had turned a sickly purple—clearly something was gravely wrong.
'...So that's why he hid himself away.'
The master of this massive citadel and the city's ruler.
Even his young age was a flaw enough, but in a state where he looked ready to collapse at any moment, he'd lose all face.
In the worst case, his authority could crumble, making control impossible.
'No way he'd want loose-lipped players knowing about it.'
The community was already buzzing over his every move.
Sargis Lord's Secret! Turns Out the Lord Is Gravely Ill!?
Headlines like that would dominate the front pages if rumors spread.
"As you can see, I cannot show myself to the people."
"...Yes."
That only made Do-hyun more curious.
For him to meet a total stranger—an Apostle, no less—in this state meant Jin Ruddel's letter held immense importance to him.
"Jin Uncle is like a brother and father to me. Along with Head Butler Beric here, he was my sole ally. Once Father died and I took the successor's seat, enemies surrounded me from all sides. As if they'd been waiting for that very moment..."
"...My Lord."
The elderly man called Head Butler Beric spoke cautiously, and the Lord nodded.
"I've said too much. My name is Jay Ruddel. And you are...?"
"Kaiser."
"Kaiser... Understood. And those behind you...?"
"My Guardians."
At the word "Guardians," Ruddel didn't pry further.
People here rarely traveled with Guardians, but he knew it was common among Apostles.
"Do you know what's written in the letter?"
Once introductions were done, Jay Ruddel's expression turned deadly serious.
Do-hyun shook his head, and Jay Ruddel continued.
"It was packed with dirt on those plotting against me. Your bag holds the evidence against them. No pleasantries, just straight to it... Typical Jin Uncle."
He smiled faintly, seeming to miss Jin Ruddel dearly.
That explained it.
"...Jin Uncle is dead?"
When Do-hyun relayed Jin Ruddel's fate in a heavy voice, Jay Ruddel's face hardened.
Do-hyun didn't bother answering.
The death of someone he'd relied on since childhood would be a massive shock.
"Ah..."
But that was answer enough, and Jay Ruddel soon swept a hand over his gaunt face.
"He said he'd live free and left... Why come back and... Precious people keep sacrificing for me. What right do I have to..."
"My Lord. Please calm yourself. We're worried for your health."
"Why won't those damned outlaws leave our bloodline alone? One cursed to die slowly, the other doomed to wander as a restless spirit..."
"A curse?"
Do-hyun blurted out in shock, meeting their eyes.
After a brief hesitation, they nodded.
"You said you're the one Uncle could communicate with. If you're the Apostle he trusted... I suppose I should tell you."
"I agree, my Lord."
[You have cleared the quest 'Uncle's Item.']
[The effect of the title 'Max Affinity from the Start?' activates. Affinity increases greatly.]
[The affinity of Sargis Citadel's Lord 'Jay Ruddel' rises sharply.]
[Your level has increased.]
[The linked quest 'The Citadel's Truth' progresses.]
Do-hyun startled at the sudden messages.
'Level up? Already?'
His level was now 44.
He'd just hit 43 leaving the king's tomb, and clearing two quests had leveled him up—a huge deal.
Leveling in Sargis had been brutally tough.
"It happened three years ago..."
Do-hyun snapped to attention at Jay Ruddel's calm voice and focused.
To summarize the tale:
Three years prior, when the previous Lord—Ian Ruddel, Jay's father—died, and the succession grew chaotic.
"On a night of the full moon, they descended on beams of moonlight."
Ghosts whose very existence in the living world seemed dubious.
The outlaws appeared suddenly, leading an army that threatened the citadel.
The Lord couldn't abandon his post in such a crisis, so per the agreement, rightful heir Jay Ruddel became Lord.
Jay then led the knights and soldiers against them.
"Countless soldiers and knights fell. But we had a chance of victory. I thought we could hold them off if we kept at it."
"..."
"Until they brought out 'that thing.'"
A bone-chilling aura.
After unleashing the unknown object, the outlaws began emanating underworld energy they couldn't wield in the living realm.
They weren't at full power, but it was enough.
"Everyone it touched froze in excruciating cold, then withered away in agony like they'd been poisoned to death. An horrific aura that forbade even approach..."
That flipped the battle decisively.
The outlaws couldn't keep emitting underworld energy indefinitely, but when they did, retreat was the only option.
"I was the last to fall. But I survived. Shamelessly, at the cost of Sargis Citadel's Knight Commander's life."
"Please don't say that, my Lord. Sir Pagus fulfilled his duty honorably. Such words dishonor his sacrifice."
"Ha. That's the problem, Head Butler. They lost their top fighter saving me. Now I just sit here, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the outlaws. Sir Pagus would weep."
"..."
The mood grew tense, halting the talk, but Do-hyun had heard enough.
'Whoa... Master, this is way more serious than it looks.'
'Just as that man said—we were on the verge of falling into evil's grasp.'
'Rijariza.'
As they said, the citadel could fall to the outlaws any moment.
The Lord was dying, their ace gone.
If the city learned this, a coup would topple them before the outlaws even attacked.
"I've always wondered. From their perspective, we were easy prey. Why did they halt and start searching for something these past few years?"
"..."
"But it was thanks to Jin Uncle. The man who left shouting for freedom... protecting us even in death..."
Jin Ruddel had gathered incriminating info and evidence on the forces hindering Jay Ruddel, visited Sargis, and met his pointless end.
Through what he did best: thievery.
Even in death, he'd shielded his precious nephew and the city from the outlaws.
'Inspiring, Master... Who knew that chatterbox had such a secret.'
'Rijariza.'
'Hm! As expected of one who recognized my lord's greatness. What fine sense of duty.'
'...He seems a bit different now.'
Don't judge a book by its cover, huh.
In Do-hyun's mind, the man once pegged as "Little Zrinna" or "Zrinna No. 2" transformed into a steadfast master thief.
Ding-
[You have cleared the quest 'The Citadel's Truth.']
[You have learned the truth of Sargis Citadel.]
[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]
Having heard the full truth, Do-hyun's face was grave.
'What the outlaws got—"that thing"—must be underworld energy, no doubt.'
Just as Destroyer Geymon retained human reason via the Hourglass of Faith from the Abyss.
The outlaws were surely tapping underworld power through it.
'If the fate isn't complete, even fragments mean little... But the impact's too huge, he said.'
Do-hyun chuckled wryly, recalling the Dark King's casual words.
One city upended, another nearly destroyed—what was "some impact"? Major impact would topple nations.
And this wasn't even a fragment, but half a key. Absurd.
'...Or maybe not?'
Had the outlaws not held the underworld energy, it might not have been so threatening.
The Hourglass of Faith was trouble only because an Abyss contractor had it; otherwise, just a holy sand timer.
'Anyway, not important now.'
What mattered: circumstances confirmed the outlaws had underworld energy.
Do-hyun was now inescapably bound to hunt them.
As he steeled himself—
Dong- Dong-
A massive bell toll echoed from outside the citadel.
The bell that rang at full moon.
"Quite unusual. The bell tolling at this hour."
"It rings on its own sometimes."
"...On its own?"
Jay Ruddel answered Do-hyun's question nonchalantly.
"A bell that reacts to lunar energy. It rings itself when the moon rises, and sometimes does this after a full moon."
"We think it's because it absorbs so much lunar energy."
"Since the outlaws appeared, it feels more like a harbinger of their arrival... Fascinating thing. Wonder who the master craftsman was."
The butler smiled warmly at Jay Ruddel's mutter.
Then, eyes misty with reminiscence, he spoke.
"The previous Lord loved that bell dearly. He said its blue hue, like the moon, soothed his heart. I still remember it well."
"Father must have regretted not knowing its maker, since it's been here so long."
"Indeed. He said it every night."
Do-hyun, who'd been listening, cut in abruptly.
"...Blue? Not red?"
"Pardon?"
The two tilted their heads at Do-hyun's wide-eyed shock.
"Naturally blue. Look how icy that shade is."
Nor were they alone.
'Eh? Master, what're you talking about? It's obviously blue.'
'Rijariza.'
'...It appears blue to me as well, my lord.'
Zidhard, Eliza, and Charlie all saw it as blue.
Do-hyun alone perceived the night bell as red.
The implication was simple.
"...Huh?"
The massive bell heralding night.
It was the third piece of fate in Sargis.