STM 176

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣Where were they going? As Hoiya was dragged along by Kilu, only this single question floated around in his mind. But the question was submerged in a sea of terror, making it difficult to voice aloud.

Even though not a single word resembling a threat had ever come out of Kilu’s mouth, he was so consumed by fear that his body wouldn’t obey him. So even as Kilu dragged him along, he couldn’t muster any resistance.

The place they arrived at through the portal was halfway up a mountain. Kilu continued walking without revealing their destination. But the higher they went, the fewer plants they saw. It was dead, black earth. The black soil turned out to be finely crushed black basalt.

Hoiga recalled that there was a dormant volcano not far from Montaine Castle. But hadn’t the volcano erupted a long time ago? Why hadn’t this place recovered and remained so desolate? Or had it become like this recently?

Moreover, this place was considered sacred in Montaine, and the reason for that was… Before Hoiga could recall the legend of this mountain, Kilu stopped walking.

Hoiga was struggling to keep up with Kilu’s pace and only managed to look ahead belatedly. The ground was cracked as if an earthquake had occurred. The crevices were filled with pitch-black darkness, making it impossible to gauge their depth. Such cracks were scattered everywhere.

Just as a dried-out shell crumbles to dust at the slightest touch, this ground seemed ready to cave in at any moment if one stepped on it. And what would happen after it collapsed?

Having lived in Tubain for a long time, Hoiga shared the same fear as the other Tubain people, the fear of monsters emerging from beneath the earth.

Crack.

Without realizing it, he took a step back, but Kilu grabbed Hoiga’s arm to stop him.

“Look over there.”

Kilu reached out and pointed to a spot. Far in the distance, the center of a fissure was quivering. No, that can’t be a monster. Just as Hoiga tried to dismiss the thought, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulder. Then, Kilu lowered his face and whispered.

“I really wanted to show Hoiga this moment. It’s all thanks to you.”

The excited voice pierced his ears, but he couldn’t fully process it. The trembling ground suddenly burst open, and something emerged from the crack.

A leg, sharp as a scythe. It was a monster he’d seen time and time again. Fortunately, it was difficult to widen the narrow crack, and its attempt to escape ultimately failed. But as Hoiga watched, he could not even breathe, and his hands started trembling.

“You… say it’s thanks to me….”

“It’s because you found the door of the divine beast that we were able to achieve results this quickly.”

Hoiga slowly turned his head to look at Kilu.

“You… you’re a dark mage…?”

Kilu smiled.

“That’s not important.”

Then what is important? Hoiga couldn’t bring himself to ask the question. He felt as though the worst possible answer would come out of his mouth. His premonition was spot on.

“Soon, the purest and strongest power in the world will rule this land. A power stronger than even the divine beasts.”

Hearing the voice brimming with excitement and joy, Hoiga belatedly recalled the legend of this mountain. Long ago, when monsters appeared here and plunged the region into despair, the mountain suddenly erupted, and hot lava flowed down, engulfing the monsters.

They said the lava, as if alive, had engulfed only the monsters before stopping right in front of the village and solidifying on the spot. And no monsters had ever emerged from this mountain again.

Hoiga swallowed the groan that threatened to escape his lips. This was the very rift of monsters guarded by the Montaine divine beast. That meant the divine beast…that can’t be?!

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“I’ve checked on the situation at Montaine again, but there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly different from before.”

Not long after I urgently asked Solongo to investigate, she returned with her report.

“Hoiga hasn’t left Montaine Castle, Kilu’s whereabouts are unknown, and Grand Duke Montaine is still in training?”

“Yes.”

Solongo’s answer was one of the scenarios I had hoped to avoid. There should be some clear activity visible from the outside, so the fact that they remained silent and not showing themselves was definitely suspicious.

“Do you have a bad feeling about this?”

“If a dog that should be barking is quiet, it must be because there’s something wrong with the dog. Or maybe something more interesting has happened.”

Take the Montaine divine beast, for example. Could it be trapped like the serpent divine beast? Who would do such a thing? Duke Kilu naturally came to mind, but I had one doubt.

He was a direct descendant of the Montaine family. He must have realized that the divine beast’s door was located in a crucial part of the castle. But the Montaine divine beast was free when I fell into Tubain.

Does that mean the door is in such an unusual place that even Kilu couldn’t find it? Without realizing it, I looked down at my hands. Could it be that the Montaine divine beast’s door was human too? Just then, Solongo mentioned something strange.

“Oh, by the way, I noticed something strange while investigating Montaine. Montaine Bilge’s whereabouts are also unknown.”

“……That good-for-nothing?”

“Yes. Bilge is the sort of person who, even after being stripped naked and hung in front of someone else’s front door, a humiliating ordeal, would show up at a gathering a few days later and start drinking. It’s rare for him to stay out of the spotlight like this. Lord Lu, what’s wrong?”

“It just reminded me of when I met Bilge.”

‘……I’m glad I came to see this after hearing what you said.’

Because of that strange gaze and those words, I assumed the divine beast had simply come to see me. There was one thing I didn’t find odd at the time, because I was too curious about the reason.

Come to think of it, why did the deer antlers divine beast come to see me back then? Of all times, right when I was standing next to Bilge. While being so selective and showing favoritism toward people?

To a divine beast, anyone who has not received its power is just like a pebble. Now that I think about it, the way it immediately dispelled the magic circle surrounding Bilge was different too.

It was a natural movement, as if it knew Bilge well. But Bilge wasn’t someone special to the divine beast…?

I froze.

What if he was special? He wasn’t a contract jolder, but there were others the divine beasts might consider special. If he is the divine beast’s door…! The moment the thought crossed my mind, goosebumps broke out all over my body.

Clunk!

As I jumped up from my seat, the chair toppled backward. Damn it, what if the Montaine divine beast was truly in danger?

“Solongo, do you have a reliable ally inside Montaine?”

“Yes.”

She nodded decisively. It was painfully obvious how much effort she must have put into cultivating that ally, or perhaps a spy, over the long years in Adeye. That’s why it had been difficult to make such a risky request, one that could easily be discovered, but now it felt like the time had come to just go for it.

“Get in touch. Tell them we have someone infiltrating Montaine Castle and ask for their help.”

She hesitated. Solongo, who had been following me, stopped in her tracks and asked in surprise.

“Who are you planning to send?”

“Me.”

I had to confirm the situation myself. With my own eyes, I felt I absolutely had to do it now.

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“They say the Mungken Valley is so rugged that even those who have lived there for a long time can easily get lost. We’ve mobilized local residents to conduct a search, but we still haven’t found any trace of Grand Duke Sarne.”

As he listened to his subordinate’s report, Tairok slowly surveyed the charred interior of the room. This was a secret underground chamber they had discovered belatedly; by the time they opened the door, everything inside had already been reduced to blackened ash.

However, thanks to a few objects that had retained their shape despite the fire, he could guess what had once filled the vast space. They were all scrolls. The subordinate, who had been following Tairok’s gaze, frowned.

“Not only did he abandon the castle and flee, but he also set fire to those precious ancient texts himself before leaving. Even if he were to return, the people of Sarne wouldn’t follow him. I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

“He has only one goal. He probably believes that as long as he gets his hands on the divine beast, that’s all that matters.”

Tairok muttered indifferently and turned to his subordinate.

“What of Bayan’s whereabouts?”

“We confirmed she was in the castle with Grand Duke Sarne last night, but her whereabouts have been unknown since then. We suspect she may have gone to Mungken Valley with Grand Duke Sarne.”

“That can’t be.”

She wasn’t the type to run away. She must have gone into hiding because she has a more important objective.

“Track her separately. And as for Mungkun Valley, I’ll handle it…”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. A knock sounded, and an unexpected figure appeared.

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If there’s one thing I’d learned from countless life-or-death experiences, it was that in critical moments, one must never hesitate to ask others for help. Whether it’s a matter of pride, overconfidence, or simply not wanting to be a burden to others.

If it’s truly important, you have to know how to let go of everything and rely on others. Of course, ignoring those three reasons wasn’t easy. That’s why I needed to check something before asking anyone for help.

“Mo, what do you think about me going to Montaine Castle alone?”

[It’s a suicide mission.]