STM 122

He barely resisted the urge to leave the remaining monsters to handle one another and simply ran away. He figured everything was finally settled and he could rest soon.

However, monsters were not the only enemies in this place. A knight approached with a grim expression to deliver a report.

“Grand Duke, they are closing the gates of Borhumi Castle and driving out the external forces.”

These men had come to protect the capital from the monsters, so Borhumi should have provided support. Naturally, their lodgings were located within the city walls.

And yet, they were evicting the very troops who came to help? Tairok, who had been watching the rift for monsters, asked a question without turning his head.

“Why?”

“The excuse was that some mercenaries were causing trouble in the city. In reality, they are leaving the mercenaries alone and only pushing out our Kun forces.”

The monsters usually quieted down at dawn. Tairok was guarded against the rift even as he listened to the report.

This time, he did not ask why. Even a child could easily guess the reason.

“Pah! Those wretched Borhumi bastards.”

Enya, who stood nearby, spat on the ground and let out a string of curses.

“They were desperate for help just a moment ago. Now that the waves of monsters have stopped, they are worried we might take over their territory.”

Haas, who had been sitting on the ground, nodded. They were exhausted from fighting monsters, yet the people of Borhumi did nothing but fret over losing their castle. The reporting knight added another word in his anger.

“They are also sending away the people from Sarne and Montaigne. But only a few of them came for surveillance.”

It made no sense to receive such treatment when they did all the hard work. They were furious, but no one suggested they go home.

No matter how angry they were, they knew the monsters could not be stopped without them. This sacrifice was unfair, but they had grown used to poor treatment over years of fighting.

Their lord behaved as if the black magic stones were enough, which led others to believe he was obsessed with money. However, if he truly cared only for gold, he would have chosen only the places where monsters appeared in massive numbers, just like the other divine families or hunters.

Instead, Tairok ignored the number of monsters and rushed to any place that requested aid. They expected him to ignore Borhumi’s spiteful response this time as well.

Just as everyone prepared to give up and accept the situation, Tairok confirmed the rift was quiet and finally spoke.

“Haas, open a portal.”

“Oh! Are we returning to the manor?”

Haas stood up with a look of relief, but the others froze. It was fine to leave now that the monsters were quiet, but if they left now, it would look like they were driven out by Borhumi. But they had to follow Tairok’s decision.

“No. To Borhumi Castle. Open a path to the underground tombs.”

Why there? Haas’s eyes widened in confusion, and the others followed suit as they realized his intention. Tairok swung his sword once to get rid of the monster blood and commanded.

“We take Borhumi Castle now.”

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I had nothing to do for the few days Tairok was away. He emphasized the household rules so much that I asked the butler if there were specific tasks for me. The answer was always the same.

“You may do as you wish.”

“Can I really do whatever I want?”

“Yes.”

“Can you put that in writing? Please sign at the bottom as well.”

For the first time, a look of fluster appeared on the butler’s robot-like face. I was more serious than anyone else because I had trauma regarding contracts. With that consent form tucked into my shirt, I ran toward the fog.

That was it, the Acorn Forest. For my primary goal in Tubain…I mean my second goal; I spent several days scouring the fog.

I had dived into the black magic that everyone feared, but it wasn’t particularly special aside from the fog. The only downside was that I couldn’t walk very quickly because I couldn’t see ahead.

But that wasn’t a big problem for me, nor did I get lost. I had Mo.

Even without sight, Mo knew the exact direction and created a map within the fog. A long, high wooden fence stood at the edge of the fog. It was likely built to prevent entry into the main castle.

I had no intention of entering the castle since I didn’t know what curses might be inside. The problem was the path to the Acorn Forest.

I believed there must be a way around the side of the castle. Doctor Kim told me to pass through the castle on my own, but I had no desire to perform the madness of walking into a curse of my own accord.

Because of the fog, they certainly hadn’t blocked the paths near the castle. After days of wandering the fog and returning home at dark, I finally faced the forest next to the long fence.

“Oh?! Aco…”

[It is estimated to be the Acorn Forest.]

Mo took the words out of my mouth.

Oh, honestly.

I wanted to nag, but I held back. Mo had worked hard to map the fog. Besides, that hard work would have to continue in the future.

I finally found the forest, but I didn’t a path. Sediment had piled up to my knees because no one had set foot here for a very long time.

But did it matter? I could simply create a path. Even if a cliff blocked my way, I was ready to crawl up it. However, Mo blocked my progress.

[You must return now to reach the manor before dinner.]

“Is it already that time?”

I turned back with a heavy heart. The distance to the manor was significant. Even if the sky was bright here, darkness would surely blanket the estate by the time I arrived.

Being alone wouldn’t have been an issue, but two soldiers waited for me at the edge of the fog to serve as guards. I suspected their true purpose was surveillance, but making anyone wait is a nuisance, so I quickened my pace.

Mo pointed out the exact direction with arrows inside the fog, but the narrow field of vision meant it took over an hour just to exit the fog. A portal or something similar inside the fog would have saved so much time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a single person on my side within the Kun household, so I couldn’t mobilize a mage. Was there really no way to travel faster?

I reached the manor while deep in thought and stopped halfway up the stairs to the second floor. A glance through the first-floor window revealed the silhouettes of people moving behind the building.

The sun had already set, leaving everything in darkness, but I could still sense their frantic movements. Driven by curiosity, I approached and pushed open the large window frame.

The sound of many footsteps reached my ears then. I heard low murmurs as well.

I had no way of knowing the exact situation since I couldn’t hear their words, yet I instinctively knew the answer.

“A monster hunt?”

The environment was completely different from what I knew, but a specific atmosphere always exists when people head out to stop monsters. No matter how routine the fight becomes, and even if people made jokes before departure, a certain tension never vanishes.

That distinct atmosphere matched the sounds coming from outside. I instinctively moved toward the back door, but the butler called out to me from behind.

“Master Lu, where are you going?”

“Outside.”

“Was the noise too loud? I will instruct them to be more careful next time.”

I quickly shook my head. It wasn’t about that.

“It is quiet enough as it is. Are they heading out to face monsters?”

The answer to my question came through the back door as it swung open.

“Yes, that is correct.”

Rick was the one who entered. He looked exhausted, and his eyes were dark as if something serious had happened.

I was already worried because Tairok, who was supposed to return the previous morning, had been gone for several days. Only one place came to mind when I thought of a worsening situation.

“Is the situation at Borhumi’s Crystal Lake that bad?”

Rick hesitated for a moment before he finally spoke.

“It is nothing major, so you do not need to worry.”

“There is no such thing as ‘nothing major’ when dealing with monsters.”

I looked back out the window toward the sounds of people. The darkness obscured my view, but I could easily imagine the scene.

The soldiers would listen to a brief report of the area while gathering their gear. If the situation turned dire, everyone’s pace would quicken by some unspoken agreement. The sound of those rapid footsteps had echoed here before fading away.

“Actually, the monsters are not the problem right no…ahem. Regardless, this is not something for you to worry about, Lord Lu.”

His businesslike response felt like he was drawing a line between us. I turned to Rick with a blank expression.

“I am not worried. I am simply curious about how bad the situation is.”

“Why do you assume it is bad?”