Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: EP.34 2nd Layer (2)
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In front of the entrance to the Kalan Kingdom's underground cavern.
"Haa..."
Loriell, one of the Five Swords of Kalan and a disciple of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, let out a sigh as she gazed at her master, who had been holed up in her room without eating or drinking for days since returning after weeks away.
'What on earth happened?'
Even as she sighed, Loriell briefly recalled the day her missing master had returned a few days earlier.
She had vanished abruptly, causing her disciples endless worry, only to come back on her own two feet.
Covered in all sorts of minor wounds.
The disciples were utterly shocked.
And for good reason—the disciples, including Loriell, knew just how powerful the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was.
She was the one who had trained the Five Swords of Kalan, and her strength rivaled that of the greatest heroes on the continent.
Yet she had returned injured?
That alone was enough to stun them.
But from the moment she returned, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness hadn't spared her disciples a single glance. She had simply shut herself away in the palace.
Loriell and the other disciples were deeply worried about their master.
Whatever the Absolute Ruler felt, the disciples all owed her a great debt of gratitude.
"Master."
That was why Loriell called out to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, her concern weighing heavily on her.
But the master, barricaded alone in the palace, didn't even hear a sound she surely would have in the past. She sat huddled in a chair, burying her face in her knees.
Her tattered chi pao, torn in places, seemed to scream that she hadn't moved from that spot in days. Yet she remained motionless, lost in memories from several days ago.
Several days earlier.
The moment she had fought Merrillda.
And the answer she had heard from her then.
"..."
The half-demon had battled the wolf for nearly a full day.
Everything around them had been obliterated in the process, reduced to scorched earth, but she paid it no mind.
The wolf felt the same.
There was no territory lord there to begin with.
So the two fought without restraint, battling for over a day without a clear victor. The answer they ultimately arrived at plunged the Absolute Ruler of Darkness into despair.
'I don't have an Execution Sword.'
'Don't talk nonsense! You definitely have one—you wheedled it out of your territory lord—'
'That Execution Sword? It's gone too. When the territory was attacked.'
'...Lies...'
'You think I'm lying?'
The half-demon despised the wolf.
But separate from that hatred, having spent quite some time under the wolf and her beloved territory lord, the half-demon knew one thing.
The wolf didn't lie.
And those hollow, sunken eyes—like staring into a mirror—only confirmed the truth in her words.
The Absolute Ruler of Darkness crumbled.
The wolf's words forced her to confront a single, brutal fact—
—the Execution Sword was gone forever. Nowhere to be found.
That was why the half-demon, who hadn't even settled the fight and had vowed to determine their ranking someday with Red Eyes, abandoned it right there and retreated to her abode, shutting herself away.
And cried.
She simply cried.
Cried endlessly.
Over the thought that she could never regain the affection she once shared with her territory lord.
Over the realization that she could never stand before him again—not even in her dreams, where she longed for just one glimpse.
She simply cried.
Feeling as if a gaping hole had been punched through the center of her chest, she sobbed alone.
As she sobbed, she even wondered if this was her punishment.
Perhaps for acting so recklessly ten years ago—
—for being arrogant toward him, ignoring the kindness and affection he offered.
Maybe this was the price she was finally paying.
That was why...
"...Hic."
In the enveloping darkness that suited her epithet so well, the half-demon shed tears alone once more.
The next day.
As Kim Hyunwoo had instructed, Elena and 100 soldiers descended into the labyrinth once more.
Of course, they weren't sent alone.
Just like the first time Elena had been sent to the 1st layer, Kim Hyunwoo hired mercenaries to accompany her and the soldiers.
'It costs a bit, but considering potential threats, it's worth protecting them like this.'
Kim Hyunwoo was well aware that Elena and the soldiers had grown stronger since before.
Plus, with buffs from Lani's cooking, these soldiers were fundamentally different from the clumsy mercenaries who had first entered the 1st layer.
Even so, he assigned mercenaries to ensure zero losses while raising their proficiency.
'It's getting hard to make more soldiers anyway.'
Lartania's territory population had already surpassed 1,900 and was nearing 2,000, but he couldn't produce more soldiers beyond that.
Not everyone incorporated into the territory was male, and even if there were extras, pulling them for soldiers would harm the territory given Lartania's labor needs.
In short, he had scraped together soldiers precariously for the upcoming labyrinth city, but no more were possible. So Kim Hyunwoo opted to spend money to safeguard them.
'Hopefully they come back with solid proficiency gains this time too.'
Kim Hyunwoo watched Elena and the soldiers heading to the labyrinth's 2nd layer, along with the mercenaries at their side, and thought to himself.
Lani's life had been a cesspool.
She was nobility, sure, but as a bastard child, she'd never been treated as proper nobility.
She'd never been acknowledged by anyone. And the territory lord she believed was her sole support had raised her only to sell her off as merchandise.
In other words, Lani's life had been beyond miserable—utterly pitiable—and she thought she'd never escape it.
Until she met Lartania's lord, Kim Hyunwoo.
"..."
After meeting him, Lani's life changed completely.
He had extended a hand to her without hesitation—her, whom no one else would touch—and pulled her from the cycle of despair.
And that was just the start.
After joining him, Lani discovered for the first time what she was truly good at.
She realized her skills had real value.
Moreover, Lani—who had never received a single proper compliment in all her years—had been showered with praise and recognition ever since Kim Hyunwoo recruited her.
Starting with him, the soldiers who ate her food couldn't stop raving about it. Even Elena, who had eyed her suspiciously for some reason, praised the cooking.
It filled Lani with joy.
For someone who had never been truly acknowledged in her life, the praise from Kim Hyunwoo and the soldiers was like rain in a drought.
That was why Lani felt genuine gratitude toward Kim Hyunwoo.
She knew.
The reason she could enjoy her work amid all this praise was because of him.
Because he had found her.
Because he had freed her from that despairing cycle, making this happy daily life possible. Lani knew that.
And knowing it, she always held a thankful heart toward Kim Hyunwoo.
No, there was no reason not to.
He had given her an exorbitant amount of gold upon recruitment—far more than she deserved—and even gifted her a magnificent room.
"..."
Lani gazed at the room assigned to her.
Compared to her old room in the Antalia territory, this one was at least twice as large, and it suited her perfectly.
Not just because of the size, but the interior design.
'So elegantly antique...!'
Unlike Elena's room, Lani's exuded a refined, old-world charm. The furniture was all sturdy dark wood, and the black velvet fabrics lent a classic air.
Even after quite some time in the room, Lani still looked around with satisfaction before rising from her seat.
With the soldiers who usually helped with cooking and Elena off in the labyrinth, she had time to clean.
Since being assigned the room, she'd only done light tidying—never a proper deep clean.
"Hehe..."
Having already packed Kim Hyunwoo's lunch and still basking in his compliments on her food, Lani smiled faintly and began cleaning in earnest.
Soon after, as she bent down to clean under the bed...
"...Huh?"
She found something inside, pulled it out, and stared blankly.
It was understandable. Despite the thick layer of dust, the sword she retrieved emanated a bluish glow and looked unmistakably antique.
'Why is something like this under the bed?'
Lani tilted her head repeatedly at the sword, larger than she was tall.
'Probably the previous occupant's. I should take it to the lord.'
She thought, eyeing the dusty 'Execution Sword'.