76 – 32. Sealed Demon Sword (6)
What on earth had happened here?
Kwaaang!
“Screaaam!”
No matter how much he thought about where it had gone wrong, it still didn’t make sense.
‘Not only ignoring the dungeon’s patterns but also overcoming it in one go….’
In reality, there were not only those who attempted to conquer the dungeon by strictly following its patterns. Isn’t there a saying that the world is vast, and people are many? It was impossible for individuals with different personalities and preferred methods to all tackle the dungeon in the same way.
Of course, Pleta was aware of that. She had created the dungeon with such variables in mind.
‘He figured out the location of the hidden control room, didn’t he?’
Even if someone intentionally ignored the patterns, she made sure they could never reach the control room where she hid herself.
The reason Ian felt relieved when he ransacked the mansion while defeating the ghosts was because he thought reaching the control room was impossible anyway.
‘It doesn’t make sense!’
He thought he would die before even arriving. He was excited at the thought of seeing the person sobbing with tears and losing his mind on the staircase that kept circling in place.
However, as if mocking Pleta, Ian found the hidden passage and simultaneously initiated the attack.
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That was the reason.
Bang! It reverberated!
“Ugh!”
The reason Ian, who had stormed the office, was thoroughly beaten.
Ian’s expressionless intrusion into the office was nothing short of terrifying. Relentlessly, he swung his fists.
“Damn it! Who is this guy?”
Amidst the mounting pain, there was a moment when one wondered if Ian had no emotions at all.
The battle was overwhelming.
“Did you enjoy it all this time? Well, I might as well have some fun too.”
“Alright, I was wrong.”
“Even if you apologize, I’ll still hit you. Keep your mouth shut to avoid getting blood on your hands.”
“Ughhh.”
A groan escaped from Fleta’s mouth.
Although her body had already lost sensation and slumped, Ian, as if determined to release his anger, lifted her by the hair and locked eyes.
Infinite, abyssal pupils.
“I misjudged people…. If I had known, I should have been more vigilant when Joy was being cheeky….”
In hindsight, Fleta deeply regretted it.
Of course, even if she had listened to her, she probably couldn’t have left the mansion to fulfill the task given by the demon king.
Still, she could have bought some time.
“At least I saved Joy as much as I could.”
The moment Ian pushed through to the third floor, she had sent Joy out just in case.
Even if she were to die here, there might still be hope that Joy would carry on the will.
The harsh reality of having to rely on such feeble expectations was truly disdainful.
Deciding to find contentment in relief.
“…It’s over.”
It was a moment of waiting for death, uttered with a sigh.
“Hey Ian! I’m here!”
“I told you to follow me. What took you so long? I thought you got scared and ran away.”
“hahahahaha. As if I would be scared. Turns out, on my way here, I had to subdue some weird chick staring at me. Take a look.”
Thunk!
Joy’s form, turned into a bloody mess in Igor’s hands, was unrecognizable.
Her limbs twisted grotesquely, and her once symbolically bright orange hair now resembled a disheveled mess soaked in blood for a long time.
“Ah…. Joy.”
The horrifying death of a comrade, however, despair was not the end.
“Since playing around isn’t fun anymore, we should just kill them now.”
As the assault was not yet over, Fleta closed her eyes humbly to accept her fate.
“Let’s finish this.”
Kwaang!
Ian’s fist smashed into the face.
With a thunderous sound, Fleta’s body, powerless, rolled on the ground.
***
Confirming the boss’s death, Ian immediately dragged their bodies and threw them outside the portal.
As a matter of fact, clearing away the dead, it might seem like a somewhat meaningless action. But there was a reason.
“In my memory, the hidden piece you can get from the Florian Mansion is on the floor.”
Items. That was the goal.
If you’ve conquered a dungeon, shouldn’t there be something to gain?
Sure, there were gems and ores obtained by killing monsters and clearing mines. However, Ian wasn’t satisfied with that.
“I may lack conscience, but I’m not lacking in money.”
The atmosphere at home is a mess, but he’s not the eldest son of a viscount for nothing.
Considering wealth, he was among the upper class even in the empire. Money wasn’t something he considered important.
What he wanted was the hidden piece. If it was that, anything else didn’t matter.
When the floor of the management office was finally revealed, Ian clenched his fist and quickly struck.
Crack!
The unmaintained wooden floor split without much resistance. Dust rose from the broken floor, but Ian paid it no mind.
“Hmm.”
The acrid smoke gradually dissipated, revealing a small box on the floor.
“…How did you find out about this? Sometimes, you become quite terrifying.”
“Don’t worry. Unless you betray me, there won’t be any losses.”
“That’s indeed a valid point. I’m thinking the same way.”
After exchanging pointless banter, Ian pulled out the buried box.
A box adorned with luxurious decorations. At a glance, it looked like something important.
The reason it was stuck to the floor was simple.
‘It’s the inheritance left by the deceased head of the Florian family to his children.’
As a father. As the head of a family. It was the last item left to the children.
Because it was an item that should never fall into the hands of others, even if someone attacked, it was hidden here, the safest place.
‘The Florian family was a family that produced skilled sealers. To the extent that they were considered rivals to Milerus, the representative of curse magic.’
Milerus belonged to the empire, and Florian belonged to Edenria, so their interaction was not that frequent.
But people from the empire and Edenria alike acknowledged their exceptional skills, speaking highly of them.
In fact, Edenria had benefited significantly from the Florian family’s prowess.
‘If you were to name the ones the demons hate the most, the first to come to mind would be the people of Edenria. Historically, they fought fiercely, and every time, the Florian family stepped forward.’
The fact that they not only deployed protective barriers against the demons’ bombardments and curses but also unleashed a fierce sealing technique against those who attacked was widely known even in the empire.
In fact, the magical barrier currently covering Edenria was created by the hands of the Florian family.
‘Of course, now it’s sadly a family that has disappeared into history.’
Due to recent invasions, the family disappeared, but their will never crumbled.
The head of the Florian family left the final fragment for someone who would survive.
‘That is the Key of the Gods. An item created by someone who reached the extreme of seal magic, capable of unlocking all existing seals.’
Certainly, his children also ended up in the hands of the demons, becoming items buried in history like the Florian family.
‘The demons were also somewhat aware. Protecting this place in the midst of enemy territory by turning it into a dungeon was probably to find this.’
Whether they truly knew about the existence of the Key of the Gods is uncertain.
But one thing was clear – even the demons considered it an immensely important item.
‘Using the legacy left by my family feels a bit awkward, but… still, there is no one in this world worthy of using this.’
Guilt surged, but Ian gritted his teeth and decided to use it. If he repaid the wounds and pain inflicted by the demons, perhaps the guardians of Florian in the heavens could peacefully close their eyes too.
Having completed a brief meditation, Ian immediately grabbed the key and rose from his seat.
Simultaneously, Igor asked, “Are you leaving now, Ian?”
“Yeah, let’s go enjoy the vacation,” Ian replied, smiling as he looked at Igor, whose smile had also surfaced.
***
After conquering the dungeon, Ian and Igor headed towards Estella, the central city of Edenria.
With the vacation extended and plenty of time left, was it really necessary to return to the Empire?
Above all, Ian couldn’t go back to the Empire, especially considering he had to repay Igor for being dragged into the dungeon because of him. It was only right as a human to give something in return.
“I brought him along, preventing him from resting and getting involved in a dungeon. It’s only fair to repay him.”
Thinking it was a simple outdoor training, Igor followed, only to end up in a haunted house, dealing with ghosts.
In reality, if Igor were not surprisingly innocent, he would have deserved a punch long ago.
“Coincidentally, it seems. Maybe it’s because he only trained in Vician during his childhood that he seems to want to travel. If I let him explore Edenria this time, he’ll probably like it.”
As a reward for his efforts, Ian chose Estella, the central part of Edenria.
A sacred place for believers of Elysianism, ranking among the top 10 must-visit destinations chosen by the Empire before death.
The city itself had the nickname ‘Heaven’ and exuded a holy atmosphere. Not to mention the entire city being adorned with marble, it was also filled with giant fountains and statues.
While entertainment facilities might be somewhat lacking compared to other cities, as a first destination, it was a worthy choice.
Therefore, Ian and Igor immediately moved from Florian Manor to Estella.
It was all thanks to him.
“We did give permission for the strategy… but to think that he would solve the problem of the troublesome Florian Mansion. I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
“It’s nothing. After all, it was the dungeon I wanted.”
Being able to come to Estella and meet Raymond face-to-face.
Igor had gone to the nearby swimming pool to play, so Ian decided to use this rare moment alone to meet Raymond.
Ian couldn’t hide his awkwardness behind Raymond’s completely different smile from when they had met before regarding Dan 2.
“I wonder if I’ve been misunderstanding all this time. Or maybe helping with the capture of Florian Mansion has made him fond of me.”
I don’t know much, but one thing is for sure: the aggressive attitude he had shown before has completely disappeared.
Raymond held Ian’s hand and nodded continuously, expressing his gratitude for solving the problem of Florian Mansion.
“Still, thank you once again. To be honest, we didn’t know what to do.”
“It was indeed a dungeon that was quite troublesome. It’s a bit different from a typical dungeon, you see.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s embarrassing, but one of our Sacred Knight Order’s units was annihilated while attempting to capture that place.”
The annihilation of one unit.
Even if casualties are inevitable when capturing a dungeon, annihilation is a loss that cannot be taken lightly.
They have to deal with the dungeon, but if they are annihilated to that extent, it’s hard to estimate how much more manpower they will need to invest.
At the very least, if there were people who returned, they could at least prepare based on their testimonies. But since that wasn’t the case, there was no choice but to hesitate even more.
“We were so impatient that we even tried to obliterate the area with bombardment. It almost cost the Archbishop his position. But it was such an important matter.”
Even though the demons had set foot on the borders of Edenria, they were unable to do anything.
In his heart, he wanted to wipe out the entire area with a widespread attack. But knowing what the Florian family means to Edenria, he couldn’t prevent himself from doing such a thing.
Raymond seemed so frustrated by that.
How should I handle this? Wasn’t this a joyful occurrence in the midst of contemplating each day with a feeling of avoiding blood?
It was because of that.
“Although it’s modest. Because of that, there’s something I want to give you.”
“Are you talking about something you want to give?”
What he had prepared as a new reward.
Without hiding the laughter bubbling up, Raymond took out the prepared gift, gesturing as if saying to open it when looking at it curiously.
‘What could he have prepared to evoke such a reaction?’
He had guessed that he would receive a reward appropriate to solving the thorny issue, but he hadn’t really expected a tremendous gift.
He thought that even if given, it would be permission to visit Estella’s tourist spots.
Still, it’s better to check just in case.
Thinking that, as he opened the box, he could see it.
“Huh?”
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A treasure beyond imagination.
Why is this here? Could this be the prepared reward?
Raymond, showing a benevolent smile as if urging for an answer, only showed an understanding smile.
“I prepared it by adding the reward from back then because I thought the reward for dealing with Leviathan was too small. I hope it’s a satisfying gift.”
TFTC