STM 169

Click.

The door opened, and Solongo, who had gone to see Lu off, returned to the room where Doctor Kim was staying. She immediately went to Lantuya’s side and quietly called to her.

“Madam, I confirmed that Lu has returned through the portal.”

Doctor Kim, who had been as still as if asleep, slowly opened her eyes. But seemingly lacking the strength to keep them open, she blinked several times before closing them again. Finally she met Solongo’s gaze and asked.

“Did you tell him as instructed?”

“Yes. I said the matriarch is undergoing treatment and will recover once it’s finished. He seemed reassured.”

“Yes,” Doctor Kim murmured and closer her eyes once more.

“It won’t be too late to worry after I’m dead.”

“Die? You will live long and healthily enough to be recorded in Tubain’s history for your longevity.”

“I’m already recorded as a wealthy woman.”

“That record might soon be broken. There’s Grand Duke Kun, who’s even seized Borhumi. You know Kun Tairok is a money demon.”

At the mention of her former enemy, Doctor Kim strained every muscle, her eyes widened in fury. Even though they were allies now, the bitterness of the past hadn’t completely faded.

“I won’t let that happen.”

Solongo was briefly pleased to see Doctor Kim’s fighting spirit, but only for a moment.

“Cough, cough!”

Doctor Kim began coughing, her whole body shook. Healers rushed in and administered various treatments before she finally calmed down. Solongo watched her master with a worried gaze and urged the healers on.

“Can’t you make her more comfortable while she’s suffering?”

“Administering more drugs or treatments here is impossible.”

The healer sighed and repeated the warning given at the start of the initial treatment.

“Her body is already too weakened. It’s hard to be certain she can even endure this treatment. We can only hope for a miracle.”

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Watching a comrade’s retreating back as they left for battle wasn’t uncommon for me. After finishing external guard duty and returning to the shelter, I was always on the verge of losing consciousness, but I had to brief the relieving comrade on the situation outside.

Only after watching them go with sleepy eyes could I finally collapse onto my bed. No matter how exhausted I was, I felt reassured knowing I’d done my part.

So now, watching Tairok and Kun’s soldiers head off to fight through the window, my feelings were just as complicated as last time. It felt like I was sending my comrades into a death trap.

And right nearby was someone who disliked this situation of only being able to see them off, just like me. She didn’t say it, but her expression was filled with discontent.

Because her remaining purpose was to guard me. I first greeted the tall female knight I’d seen a few times by Tairok’s side.

“Take care of me.”

She glanced at me and replied with a curt, “Yes.” Since everyone else treated me like Salvation, her response was actually a relief. But not everyone felt that way. Haas, standing beside her, gasped and grabbed her arm.

“How dare you be so disrespectful to Lord Salvation! Quickly, answer him properly and respectfully!”

Ah, give it a rest…

“Hey, cut it out.”

My inner thoughts spilled from the knight’s mouth. Not satisfied, she turned to Haas with an irritated expression.

“Whether he’s Salvation or not, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s an Adeye who used to torment us.”

“Huh! What are you saying in front of Lord Salvation…”

“Then should I say it behind Lord Salvation’s back?”

Hass, flustered, seemingly at a loss for words. Meanwhile, my eyes widened. Wasn’t she the precious talent who’d rein in the burdensome Haas? Misinterpreting my intense gaze, she spoke bluntly.

“If I don’t suit you, feel free to dismiss me.”

“No. I like you very much.”

Her eyebrows twitched. Why would I chase away someone who shut Haas up? I’d pay to hire her. Yet she seemed to want to be dismissed, her expression turning displeased again. The more I looked at her, the more I liked her.

“What’s your name?”

“Enya.”

I started to step forward but slowly turned instead. She openly frowned at my gaze.

“Is there a problem with my name?”

“No, it’s just the same as someone I know.”

“One of the people you slept with in the past, I suppose?”

Her sarcasm drained the color from Haas’s face. But I didn’t care, just shook my head.

“Not at all. It was someone I respected. Someone remarkable who kept moving forward without breaking, even in desperate situations.”

A look of puzzlement spread across Enya’s face, but I offered no further explanation and turned away again. Having Enya by my side had one more advantage.

Thanks to the shared name, I wouldn’t forget the place I came from. Yes, I had work to do for my hometown. And revenge too. I clenched my fist tightly.

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What on earth could it be? Hoiga had no spare attention to spare for others’ affairs, yet he couldn’t shake his suspicions about Kilu. Though Kilu had a calculating, devious side, he believed him trustworthy as a member of a divine beast family.

At least his trust in his sister, Grand Duke Montaine, was genuine. So he thought Kilu would never resort to black magic. But now, he felt uneasy. What could possibly be so urgent that he had to vanish so abruptly after finding the divine beast’s door?

Unfortunately, only one possibility came to mind: the Borhumi divine beast, imprisoned by black magic. But if he was the door, wouldn’t he have to sacrifice himself?

Kilu’s actions were suspicious, yet many details didn’t make sense. But he still couldn’t ignore it. If Kilu was the worst-case scenario he feared, it meant his own choice was equally dire. The thought alone sent chills racing through his body.

Failure to properly investigate Adeye Lu had already cast a dark shadow over the future, yet Kilu remained his last thread of hope. But what if he had ties to black magic?

Fear numbed his reason. Hoiga resolved to do the only thing he could. Gather information.

So he waited for nightfall, then silently crossed the mansion’s interior. His target: Kilu’s room. It was dark, but he had a helper in his mind that maximized his senses.

He successfully evaded surveillance and infiltrated Kilu’s study. But what Hoiga sought was the secret Kilu hid, and it wasn’t easy to find.

The first night ended in failure, and he tried again on the second night. Yet, by dawn, he had nothing to show for it. Perhaps there were no secrets here? Just as he was about to give up, he discovered something on the table in the adjoining lounge. There was a hidden compartment inside the table, and from it came a bundle of letters. It was quite thick, but he didn’t need to read them all. The first page read:

‘We swear to you who guide us. The day draws near when the noble power of the demon truly descends upon this land. Carrying on the will of Brother Dorgo, we shall open the entrance to Crystal Lake.’

Hoiga covered his mouth with his hand and collapsed where he stood. Kilu… Kilu is leading the dark mages?!

After that, he couldn’t remember how he’d managed to escape that place. When he came to, he was already back in his room, trembling. His hand still clamped over his mouth.

Instead of screaming out loud, he cried out inwardly. To the nanorobots in his head, the ones that had made everything possible here.

‘Mo, you should have known!!! That’s your role!!’

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Back in elementary school, like any other kid, I’d vented the same frustration. Why did we have to learn stuff when we had nanorobots? Of course, school explained the reason for education.

To preserve human autonomy, nanorobots were designed to only follow commands except in dangerous situations. They were merely tools; how humans chose to use them was up to us.

Even so, school lessons were so tedious that I grumbled about it at home too. My aunt, who had come home after a long time, glanced at me and said this:

‘Give a monkey a smart device, and it won’t know its value, it’ll just throw it like a rock. Your future looks like a monkey’s.’

I barely escaped monkey status by forcing myself to study. But as my aunt said, having nanorobots didn’t suddenly make me a brilliant scholar.

Even though nanorobots can solve any complex math problem, I only ever asked about addition and subtraction. Instead, I found an area where I could use them well: combat.

Nanorobots evolve in sync with their owners, specializing in the directions they use most. That’s why mine specialized for combat, stealth, search, and all sorts of external activities.

But nanorobots that spent too long with humans had a flaw. Ironically, it stemmed from knowing their owner too well. They understood their owner so thoroughly that they only provided information aligned with the owner’s desired direction.