STM 57

“…What now?”

“What do you think?”

Haas and Enya had been repeating the same words for a while. They couldn’t step inside the trembling mansion no matter how hard they tried.

It was as if an invisible wall was pushing them back. Haas even tried every spell he knew, but not a single one worked.

“This definitely isn’t magic. Wait…what are you doing?”

“I’m gonna keep hitting it until it breaks.”

“Don’t!”

Startled, Haas grabbed Enya’s arm to stop her, but she pushed his hand away.

“We need to at least figure out what’s going on inside before we can report to the Grand Duke.”

“Maybe you should listen to your partner.”

The unexpected voice made both of them turn in shock. When they saw who it was, Enya instantly raised her sword.

The newcomer was Solongo, the right hand of the Adeye family matriarch. She skipped any greeting and spoke first.

“A barrier has activated around the mansion. One of the ancient spirits that once protected House Owik cast its blessing on this place long ago.”

Barrier? Blessing? Haas and Enya kept their guard up, waiting for her to continue.

“So when danger appears, the barrier forms, and it’s designed to kill everyone inside. No one is meant to come out alive.”

Haas shuddered, but Enya only tightened her grip on her sword.

“You came here looking for Adeye Lu? This isn’t the time to stand here explaining things. You’re the one who should be jumping in there.”

“You’re right. I should go in, if someone can break the barrier.”

Who could possibly break a barrier that ignores both magic and strength?

When they stared at her in disbelief, Solongo turned her head without answering. Then they realized why she had shown up in the first place.

A portal had opened behind her at some point, and Tairok was walking out from it. Solongo bowed as soon as she saw him.

“I humbly ask the Grand Duke of Kun, blessed by the divine beast and master of the highest blade, to break the barrier around House Owik.”

Her voice was polite it sounded desperate. Yet Tairok didn’t even glance at her. Haas and Enya were the ones who reacted instead.

“Did she just ask our Grand Duke for help?”

“Yes. What kind of lunatic makes a request like that?”

Their sneers didn’t stop Solongo. She stepped closer to Tairok and bowed again.

“If you rescue Lord Lu trapped inside, House Adeye will never forget this grace.”

“Grace? You should be apologizing for what you’ve done to House Kun!”

Enya shouted from behind, and Haas joined in beside her.

“Unbelievable. Why would our Grand Duke risk his life for Adeye Lu? Try saying something that makes sense.”

They immediately stopped laughing when Tairok stepped toward the barrier.

“Grand Duke, please don’t! It could be a trap! After everything Adeye has done, this is obviously a ploy to put you in danger! Even if your power can damage the barrier, that could make things worse!”

Haas’s voice rose with anger, and Enya echoed him.

“Yes! Even if they offered everything they own, it wouldn’t be enough!”

Solongo ignored them and spoke only to Tairok.

“The matriarch said that if you want everything we own, it will all be yours.”

Enya and Haas both froze, their eyes wide. The silence that followed was broken only by the sound of their throats swallowing. Tairok simply looked over the shimmering barrier surrounding the house.

“Adeye Lu is inside?”

“Yes.”

Solongo nodded and gestured behind her. Two Adeye mercenaries dragged a man forward.

“This is the butler closest to Torida. He witnessed the kidnapping of Lord Lu.”

One mercenary forced the man’s shoulder down, making him tremble as he spoke.

“Y-yes, that’s right. L-Lord Torida drugged Adeye Lu and kidnapped him. He locked him in the mansion’s underground cell, and when Lu woke up, he beat him and threw him back in after he passed out…ugh!”

The butler gasped when the blade of a sword grazed the tip of his nose.

“He’s alive?”

“Y-yes! Y-yes, Adeye Lu is alive!”

As soon as he got the answer, Tairok drew his sword and hit the barrier.

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Bang, bang, bang!

Ottma slashed at the wall over and over, but no matter how hard she hit, it didn’t leave a single mark.

“Damn it!”

Even with her curses echoing, the stubborn wall stayed the same. What changed were the people inside.

Everyone in the room had vanished, leaving only her and one other person behind.

The rest had been standing near the wall when it swallowed them whole, as if the house was devouring people.

“Haa… haa…”

Ottma glared at the wall that refused to break, then turned around.

In the center of the room, Torida was crouched on the floor, shaking. She walked over and grabbed him by the collar.

“How do we get out of here?”

“There’s no way… we’re going to die here…”

“You must’ve heard something from the Baron! Think, damn it!”

“We disturbed the spirit’s blessing! We’ll die trapped in here!”

Torida’s voice faded into hysterical repetition, muttering about dying over and over.

Ottma shoved him to the ground and scanned the wall again, her keen senses searching every inch.

She might not be a Swordmaster, but she’d reached the level of an Expert. Her perception was far beyond ordinary.

There has to be a way out.

She took a deep breath and focused. There had to be something.

And then, she heard it..

Crack.

A small sound, subtle enough that no normal person would’ve noticed. But Ottma caught it instantly.

It was the sound of something fracturing inside the wall.

Somewhere, the damn barrier was breaking. Whoever or whatever was doing it didn’t matter.

Even if it was a monster, it was still good news.

Following the sound, she raised her sword and swung. An aura shimmered along the blade and struck the wall.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

It had noeffect. She clenched her jaw and narrowed her focus, slashing again and again until, on the ninth strike, her arm stopped midair.

“Haa… haa… haa…”

Her breathing was rough, but a small smile appeared on her lips. The wall that made the sound was different, a visible crack had formed, spreading clear enough to see with the naked eye.

When she brought down one last strike, thud, thud, thud, bricks crumbled and a small hole opened.

It was too small to fit through, but she didn’t stop. Her limbs trembled as she forced her strength to widen the gap.

Damn it, it’s not enough… I can’t bring down more than one wall like this.

She started to feel despair, but luck was on her side. She squeezed through the narrow opening, and when she saw what lay beyond, her eyes widened.

“What the hell is this…”

People were embedded in the walls and ceiling, they were her missing subordinates.

And near the corner, there was another hole.

Unlike the tiny opening she’d carved with all her strength, this one was large enough for a person to walk through easily.

“Who could’ve… a Swordmaster?”

A possible guess came out of her mouth before she realized it. But she quickly shook her head.

There were only three Swordmasters on the continent, and the only one who could possibly be here was Kun Tairok.

But why would he come here?

Then who could it be?

Well, she’d find out if she followed.

Ottma tightened her grip on her sword and jumped through the corner passage. Whoever had this kind of power, she needed to see for herself.

After cutting through several more rooms, she finally reached the end of the path.

A dead-end chamber.

And inside it stood a single person.

“…Adeye Lu?”

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The final destination was another cell.

Well, maybe not exactly a cell, just a space that looked like one.

No windows, stone on every side, completely sealed off.

Nothing inside. No door. Just emptiness.

If I hadn’t broken through the wall myself, there’d be no other way in here.

Even the dullest person would’ve realized this room wasn’t ordinary.

“A secret chamber, huh.”