Beel's Vault Revelation
Beel spoke up with a slightly serious expression.
“Baron Gustav Madeline was originally the village head of Madeline Village. The last one.”
She had a habit of saying things everyone already knew with that grave face.
But Beel sat down in a chair and pointed somewhere.
If we followed that direction, it would lead to the mansion where the baron lived.
“Over there’s the village head’s—no, the lord’s mansion. This guy’s weird; he didn’t even bother building a castle.”
“Doesn’t this lord run some pretty people-friendly policies? Lower taxes, or holding events like Farmer’s Day on set dates?”
At my words, Beel nodded while breaking into a sweat.
As if wondering how someone who’d just arrived here could possibly know that.
How did I know?
It was something you could figure out without even reading the main story.
“Uh, uh… how did you know?”
“People like that usually put on a people-friendly image. Nothing surprising about it—every place people live is the same.”
Taking bribes behind the scenes while pretending to serve the common folk out front.
Politicians who used to cruise around in luxury cars suddenly switching to cheap Tinco models and begging for support.
I’d seen it plenty of times.
Unfortunately, even in a world divided into heroes and villains, the political scene was exactly the same as it had always been.
And most of the masses still fell for the same old tricks.
Winz smiled brightly.
“Come on, he might still be a good person, you know? Don’t jump to conclusions, Master.”
“Yeah, I really hope that’s the case. I don’t want to kill a lord if I can help it.”
“Eek…!”
Beel let out an exaggerated yelp.
Well, it probably was shocking to hear someone casually talk about killing a noble.
But so what? Was it wrong?
If a noble was planning to kill another noble, then yeah—take the bastard down.
After clearing her throat awkwardly, Beel straightened her posture.
“Anyway, do you know what used to be at the spot where Baron Gustav built his mansion?”
“What? Some kind of prime real estate in this territory?”
“…Close. A treasure vault.”
“A treasure vault…?”
“More precisely, it was built over the treasure vault of an ancient civilization.”
The mention of a treasure vault stirred something in my memory.
There had been an episode like this in the main story too.
“Ah, are you talking about that spot on the northern hill?”
“Yeah, you know it?”
“I see.”
“…Why don’t you not know anything?”
Beel stared at me like I was the weird one.
Getting that look from a Mighty Goblin with developmental issues felt strangely unsettling.
Anyway, the main story had confirmed there really was a treasure vault at that location.
The protagonist had dug it up and claimed all the hidden pieces in one event.
‘Beel’s pretty impressive. How the hell did she find out?’
I was an avid reader, so that made sense for me. But how had a goblin who faced constant discrimination managed to uncover it?
When I watched her closely, Beel gave a bitter smile.
“Anyway, if you can get in there properly, you could make a fortune overnight. What do you think?”
Winz, always the more cautious one, asked carefully.
“Is this information accurate?”
“Hey, friends! You don’t trust me?!”
Beel scowled.
Like she couldn’t believe we wouldn’t trust something this solid.
“I don’t want to.”
“Come on, let’s not do that in this harsh world.”
“But where did you even get this info? You don’t seem to have any friends.”
“…Hey now, why the sudden personal attack? Do I have to tell you I’m a delicate woman?”
Beel clicked her tongue and sighed.
This was probably a common situation for her.
She’d always tried to prove herself.
“Truth is, it’s because of my body. Being disabled got me ostracized in the village, and I wanted revenge. So I came to human civilization to make a big score, and this info is what I got after getting completely cleaned out. Happy now?”
It was a long-winded explanation.
But considering Beel’s current circumstances, it probably wasn’t a lie.
Mighty Goblins were all massive in build.
They were also skilled artisans.
Their craftsmanship rivaled that of dwarves.
Yet Beel’s talents leaned in a different direction, and her small stature made her easy to dismiss.
She simply couldn’t fit in with her own kind. I could understand that.
“Then why not just take this great info for yourself?”
At my question, Beel firmly shook her head.
Then her expression shifted to one of staring off into the distance.
“If that were possible, I would’ve done it already.”
So there was a problem.
Winz tilted her head.
“Why? Is the security too tight?”
“Sneaking in there is easy.”
“…Even so, it’s the lord’s mansion. How can it be easy?”
It might not have a castle, but the mansion itself would be heavily guarded.
If anything, the lack of a castle probably meant even tighter security than usual.
They’d likely used magical engineering to set up barriers or even password locks.
“It is. Didn’t I mention? I’m a rogue. I’m an expert at spotting traps and picking locks.”
“Whoa, been a while since I heard that term.”
How long had it been since I’d heard someone call themselves an ‘expert’?
I’d only really heard it back when I played old-school games.
Beel ran a hand through her hair as she watched me chuckle.
“So getting here is easy, but after that, I can’t go any further.”
“What do you mean? Why?”
“If it’s a magical barrier, I can detect it, right? But it’s not a magical barrier, and after I pick the lock, I can’t move past that point. My body just won’t go forward. Like something’s blocking me. Isn’t that weird as hell?”
What was she talking about?
If she’d already dealt with all the traps, she should just be able to walk in.
Probably even Baron Gustav, the lord here, had some idea about the treasure vault’s existence, even if not the full details.
So he’d likely prepared some countermeasures for the underground passage.
“That’s why I was waiting around for potential friends who shared the same dream as me. And wouldn’t you know it? You two showed up right on cue.”
Beel grinned and pointed at us. I really wanted to punch her.
Winz and I exchanged glances while watching the smug goblin.
“Winz, just one hit.”
“Yes, just one for me too…”
As we stood up and approached, Beel frantically shook her head.
“Ah shit, why again? I told you everything!”
“Ugh, forget it. Hitting you isn’t even worth it. What a pain.”
There wasn’t even anywhere decent to hit.
She was so tiny—where would I even aim?
Instead, Winz asked,
“Where exactly are we supposed to enter from?”
“There’s an old underground passage connected to the treasure vault. I’m confident—only I can open it.”
“As expected, you can’t trust a red-haired goblin…”
“Hey, is that racist? Want me to show you right now?”
Beel looked ready to prove it immediately.
With that kind of confidence, what she’d said was probably true.
Even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter. I could just kill her using it as an excuse.
But from my perspective as someone who’d read the entire main story, it was fact.
‘But what’s blocking her? Once you clear the barriers and traps, it should be smooth sailing.’
That was the question.
What exactly was stopping her?
It wasn’t like there were hidden enemies waiting.
Was she getting blocked by some possessed statue or something?
I made my decision.
Since things had come to this, I might as well get something out of it.
‘I might not be as bad as the protagonist, but I’ve got plenty of greed myself!’
“Fine. Let’s go check tonight whether what you said is true or not.”
We waited like that.
After chatting for a few hours, night finally fell.
It was time to move.
We advanced with Beel in the lead.
After walking for a while, Beel suddenly veered into an alley.
“Beel?”
“This way. Quiet.”
She kept going down into the alley.
She was using the underground passage after all.
We climbed down a ladder.
‘The protagonist in the main story got permission from the lord to enter the treasure vault. Wait, no—he drugged the guy with sleeping pills, so it wasn’t really permission.’
I’d considered using the same method.
But the hassle of getting sleeping pills felt like a waste.
So in a way, Beel’s existence was a stroke of luck.
Plus, if she really was a skilled rogue like she claimed, she’d make a decent adventuring companion.
Neither Winz nor I were particularly good with traps.
As we moved through the underground passage, Beel started whistling.
“Be careful. Only step where I’ve stepped.”
She began moving in unpredictable patterns. We followed as best we could.
Looking down while trailing behind her, the mask’s effect activated.
Transparent traps were hidden across the floor.
I couldn’t help but admire how Beel weaved around them.
‘What the— she’s the real deal? She can see all of them?’
How was this possible?
A Mighty Goblin?
Then she stopped at a dead end.
More precisely, a hatch blocked our way.
Winz stared at the hatch in shock.
“Wait, mana is flowing through that hatch! In a grid pattern…!”
Beel turned to her calmly.
“Yeah, so?”
“Isn’t that a magical barrier?”
“Ah, it’s fine. I can open it.”
Beel casually tapped a specific spot on the hatch a few times.
What was she doing?
Knock and it shall open, or something?
Thud. Hiss.
It opened like magic.
Both Winz and I were stunned.
Especially the way Beel had done it—I’d never seen that method before.
‘She spotted all the traps and even opened an entrance with a barrier on it? She’s no ordinary rogue.’
She was extraordinary.
How had she done it?
No—how had she reached this level?
Then Beel scratched her head.
“This is where the problem starts. I can’t go any further. It’s blocked!”
I stared straight ahead.
To see what was blocking her.
Then I recoiled in horror.
“Ugh, th-this is insane!”
“Huh? Why?”
“Beel, you can’t see that? No wonder you couldn’t get through, damn it!”
“What? What is it? I don’t see anything—just dust, you know.”
I pointed behind Winz and backed away.
I couldn’t help but retreat.
The moment the hatch opened, countless colorful spirits burst out like dust.
It was a flood of spirits.