STM 75

“Artifact Chamber? You’re saying that place got robbed?”

Yan, the man responsible for managing the entire Borhumi estate, tightly gripped the gold coin in his hand when he heard the report.

The recent profits from selling water had been quite good. He had been so excited that he often woke up at night to count his coins.

He was greedy enough to feed himself off others’ suffering, but he wasn’t a fool who cared only about money.

He knew well that if the contamination of drinking water continued, Grand Duke Borhumi would eventually find out. He couldn’t hide the truth from his eyes and ears forever. So he planned to satisfy his greed only until then, because there were only a few months left.

‘Grand Duke Borhumi will soon ascend to the throne. There isn’t much time left. Only a few months. During that time, don’t cause trouble. That’s your only job. Do you understand what I mean?’

Dorgo, the mage who had lifted him to this position and who possessed tremendous power, had told him that. He had ordered Yan not to interfere, even if he had to keep the Grand Duke in the dark.

Since Dorgo’s command was absolute for Yan, he couldn’t cause any problems for the next few months. But then what?

“We’ll have to check if any artifacts are missing. For that, we need the list of artifacts, but as you know, taking out the list requires the Grand Duke’s approval…”

“Then why did that place get robbed?! What were the guards doing?!”

When Yan shouted, the subordinate who was reporting to him started to sweat coldly.

“The guards who were stationed at the door were found unconscious nearby. They woke up, but they only remember being attacked by someone who suddenly appeared from somewhere.”

Yan stood up to his feet, and he suddenly turned his head.

“Wait, then the attackers might not have come out of the Artifact Chamber, right?”

“But the places where the guards collapsed were quite close to the chamber.”

“That only looks that way by coincidence. No one saw the chamber open or saw anyone come out from inside, right? Then don’t make it into a big problem for no reason.”

“Ah, yes, I understand.”

As the subordinate, looking uneasy, tried to leave, Yan called him again.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Yes?”

“I said don’t make it big, not don’t handle it.”

Yan scolded and glared at him with a harsh expression.

“Don’t make a fuss, but mobilize the soldiers and find the culprit. By tomorrow morning, you’ll have to bring me results. Understood?”

He just had to endure a few more months. For that, he couldn’t ignore small issues and let them grow into big ones. The reason Yan had climbed this high was because of that meticulous nature.

“Especially check if there’s anyone suspicious among those who left the castle.”

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“You’re going to Crystal Lake?”

The blacksmith looked terrified and gave us all kinds of warnings about our decision.

She said that a few years ago, a fence taller than a person had been built around the lake, and several tall watchtowers had been built there.

She said that if you recklessly approached, you’d be caught right away and disappear without a trace. That made me curious. What exactly was inside that lake?

According to the soldiers guarding the lake, it’s the same as before. But when people approach it, they suddenly vanish…

A disaster followed by ghost stories. When hardship comes, superstitions and rumors always spread. It was probably exaggerated, but it was still worth paying attention to, because that was where I had to go next.

After the blacksmith left, I chewed on the remaining bread and, pretending to think, gave an order to Mo.

‘Show me the map of this place.’

Mo immediately projected a map centered around Crystal Lake.

I didn’t expect it to be as detailed as the maps from our world, but it was worse than expected. It focused only on cities and fortresses, and the area around the lake was marked with a simple drawing of a forest.

Wasn’t that drawn too carelessly just because no one lived there? The map wouldn’t be much help, I thought with disappointment, when suddenly a face appeared right in front of me.

“What, what are you doing?!”

Startled, I leaned back, and Tairok, after looking at me for a moment, handed me water. Why is this man staring at me like that? I took the water without thinking while keeping my guard up.

Gulp, gulp.

I hadn’t realized it, but after eating only bread, I was quite thirsty.

“Next time you’re hungry, tell me.”

“Even if I tell you, it’s not like bread will appear.”

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand after finishing the water and stopped when I heard his reply.

“I’ll get it for you.”

With what method? I was about to scoff but paused. Could he make bread with magic?

[No.]

Of course not. He wasn’t Jesus… Wait, but why did Mo interrupt only at times like this?

[……]

Look at this, even when I talk about it, it pretends not to hear me.

I was staring blankly again thinking about Mo when I realized I had ignored the person in front of me.

“It’s fine. I’m an adult. I can find my own food.”

I answered a little late, and he stared at me with serious eyes as if he was observing me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What do you see?”

“I see the Grand Duke saying, ‘What do you see?’”

It was meant as a joke to make him laugh, but the corners of his mouth didn’t even twitch. There is no disappointment more painful than a failed joke. I quickly changed my expression to hide my awkwardness.

“Other than that, I don’t see anything.”

“Then it’s a side effect? You zone out sometimes.”

He couldn’t be worrying about me? No way. I quickly pulled myself together. He must be waiting for a chance to mock me.

“It’s not a side effect. I just tend to space out sometimes.”

He still looked doubtful, so I hurried to change the subject.

“Anyway, you should sleep now. I’ll keep watch this time.”

“There’s no need.”

“No. We need a lookout. The guards who were watching the chamber must have been found missing by now, and they’ve probably sent people to search. The blacksmith will spill everything once the soldiers get to her.”

“You mean I don’t need sleep. But you don’t trust the blacksmith?”

Of course not. I vigorously nodded.

“She has no reason to be loyal to us. And she doesn’t need to.”

He didn’t answer. He only smiled, and for some reason, that smile made me uncomfortable, as if he liked my answer.

“I’m not that slow-witted.”

“You didn’t use to be like that.”

“I almost died…”

“Right, you almost died and survived.”

Yes, that. I met his gaze shamelessly. Wasn’t this enough to make him believe me? But he still looked at me with suspicious eyes.

“I’ve seen many who came back from death, but no one changed like you.”

“No. If you look hard enough, there’ll be others.”

He snorted as if he found that ridiculous. But shouldn’t I be the one laughing at that? Wasn’t it time he started believing me?

“Anyway, we should move quickly. This cabin isn’t safe.”

I stood and urged him, and he complained.

“You handle things a lot like your younger sister.”

“Me?”

“Adeye Lantuya always says ‘quickly, quickly.’ She claims she values efficiency most.”

That’s something every Korean says… Ahem. I cleared my throat and made an excuse.

“It must be a family thing. Anyway, if you don’t need to sleep, then let’s go now.”

“It’ll get dark soon.”

“It’s fine. I can see well at night.”

That wasn’t the answer he wanted. He tilted his head slightly, looking puzzled.

“You don’t even know this area. What about food? What about water?”

“Grand Duke.”

I sighed at how he kept testing me.

“You said you got honey yourself. Then of course you must have gotten food and water too. And since you found them quickly, you must know this area well.”

It was shameless to say that I would rely on him, but Tairok looked pleased. Was he secretly easy to handle?

“If you’re going to follow me, you’ll have to sleep outdoors.”

“I don’t mind. Sleeping outdoors isn’t a big deal…”

I stopped mid-sentence. A young lord from a noble family couldn’t possibly be used to sleeping outdoors. I realized my mistake and wanted to bite my tongue. I scolded Mo instead.

‘Damn it, Mo, why didn’t you stop me?’

[Adeye Lu usually enjoyed outdoor activities regardless of time or place, so your answer seems appropriate. However, after getting his knees scraped while being taken from behind naked on a gravel bed, he avoids gravel surfaces.]

That was Lu, always exceeding my expectations. I almost wanted to pray for him now. May he rest in peace somewhere in the afterlife, clutching at the men he loved so much.

“Now that I think about it, is it a big deal?”

He spoke slowly, waiting for my silence to end, but his eyes were piercing as they observed me, so I pulled myself together quickly.

“No. As long as it’s not gravel, it’s fine. I don’t mind sleeping outdoors.”

“…..”

“That’s just how I’ve always been. It’s not something that changed after I came back from death.”

“I know.”

He answered and smirked.

“You’ve liked rolling around in the grass with men since you were a student.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

He recognized me as Lu, but it made me feel even worse.

As I turned away with a sullen expression, I noticed that Tairok’s expression wasn’t good either.

Why did he suddenly look so upset? As if he’d just realized that Lu was a pervert.