96 episodes
Kick!
Soldiers escorting the priests were running through the underground waterway.
Despite their weak physical strength, the priests continued to move without saying a word.
He gasped for breath up to his chin.
With the physical strength of the priests, it was an unreasonable force to sit down and complain at any moment.
But this time, the priests were different.
They raised their lung capacity to the limit with their divine power as much as possible and headed to the source of the magical power.
“Well, it has arrived.”
The priest in the lead said as he fell to the floor.
His index finger was pointing at a section of the underground canal.
“You suffered. Leave the rest to us and rest.”
The soldier seated the priest in a safe place and looked back.
And nodded to the knight.
It was a signal that the place had been confirmed.
Then the knight drew his sword and looked into the darkness behind him.
There was a scout in the dark.
Unlike soldiers and knights, he was wearing a light outfit.
“Let the paladins and priests know about this place. Even at the risk of death, we will explore the area and report the information we have found to the main unit.”
At the knight’s words, the scouts passed the bow they were holding on their back and nodded their heads.
Then he ran at full speed and disappeared into the darkness.
“Are you okay? Underground waterways are still dangerous. If only the author is sent, it may not be properly delivered to the temple.”
As the soldier expressed concern, the knight shook his head.
“It’s a useless worry. He is also a renowned patrol force in Velium. He will do you well.”
The knight took control of the soldiers’ worries and stood at the forefront of the advance squad.
And he proceeded carefully to the place the priest was pointing.
The knight raised his senses with each step he took.
Sweat dripped down his forehead from the tension.
So they arrived at the area the priest pointed to.
“What the hell is this… … .”
The soldiers whipped the torch to and fro with their unsworded hands.
“… … !”
When the darkness was lit by torches, a surprising sight was revealed.
The article was surprising.
The corpses of dark followers in black hoods lay on the floor.
It was a miserable sight.
Most of them had died from puncture of the chest or a broken head.
So you could tell at a glance.
“The survivors… I don’t think so.”
The knight swallowed dry saliva.
At first glance, it felt like the battle was over.
Some quick-witted soldiers already sighed in relief.
It was a battle that took place in the underground waterways of the Empire.
As the battle took place as the dark magic circle was activated, it was only natural that the soldiers, knights, and priests of the Empire were dispatched to the underground waterway where the magic was sensed.
Those who survived the battle would have left this place earlier.
So I had no choice but to rest.
“It is still too early to relax. Close the perimeter.”
“yes! All right.”
At the knight’s words, the soldiers moved in unison.
After a while, it was confirmed that there were no danger factors around.
The priest in the rear also arrived at the horrific scene with the guidance of the soldiers.
“… … .”
Seeing the slaughter of the Dark Followers, the priest was silent for a while.
He swallowed dry saliva and muttered barely.
“What the hell happened here?”
It’s like asking God for an answer.
* * *
A few days have passed since then.
The gates of Velium, the capital of the new empire, opened wide.
The streets were lined with soldiers of the new empire.
It was to welcome foreign envoys.
And in between, knights, soldiers, and wizards wearing different types of armor appeared.
At a glance, the knights and soldiers were armed with valuable armor and weapons.
The onlookers who had gathered in front of the castle gate made fun of each other.
“Where are you from?”
“Aurum. There is a place famous for its magic kingdom.”
“okay? I thought it was from the Knights Kingdom because the armor was so shiny.”
Although it was different from Miles, the kingdom of knights, where each individual was selected, it was evident that Aurum’s army was a well-refined army in its own way.
“Why did you send an envoy from the Magic Kingdom?”
“There was an explosion in the slum not long ago. They say they were sent for that.”
“What? Did it happen because of magic?”
“I don’t know, but there are rumors that they found something underground related to the explosion.”
“Hey, isn’t that bullshit? If it really happened, they would have cracked down on it, would the rumors reach us?”
“Is that so?”
Onlookers exchanged rumors they had picked up.
The procession of wizards and knights that started at the gates continued to the Imperial Palace.
The wizards at the forefront were soon guided and headed inside the Imperial Palace.
Because I had to meet the regent and have a conversation.
One of them, a middle-aged man, glanced into the rear of the investigation team.
‘This time I shouldn’t have had an accident.’
As the wizards went to meet the Regent, a blue-haired woman sneaked out from the rear of the investigation team.
Then, his eyes met with another wizard wearing a hood.
The woman laughed like a naughty boy.
The two whispered in low voices.
“Chloe, where are you going?”
“I have a place to go for a while. take care of yourself Please, Charlotte!”
Chloe didn’t listen to the other person’s answer and disappeared.
The wizard, Charlotte, who wore a hood on his back, shook his head.
“Whoa.”
After a while, Chloe came out of the palace and looked back at the palace.
‘You have to go back before you get caught. I did ask Charlotte.’
Chloe, having made up her mind, quickly began to ask questions.
At the end of the interrogation, the place she headed was a passage connected to an underground waterway.
“found!”
Chloe exclaimed excitedly.
This was the reason I was excited all the way to the new empire, so I had no choice but to look forward to it.
But the soldiers were blocking the front of the passage.
Chloe pursed her lips.
‘Maybe things will get boring.’
As Chloe approached the aisle, the soldiers blocked her and blocked her.
“This place is currently closed to access. Reveal your identity and tell me your business.”
“Ah yes. I am an investigative team dispatched from Aurum. I want to check out the magic circle in the underground waterway.”
With a lively voice, Chloe presented a plaque proving that it was an investigation team.
The soldier frowned and looked at Chloe and the team’s hand in turn.
‘Is this the real investigation team?’
It was natural.
At first glance, Chloe looked like a minor.
It was hard to believe that such a young man was sent to the investigation team for this case.
“yes. Your identity and purpose have been confirmed.”
“Oh, so can I go in now?”
Chloe blushed.
Then suddenly the article appeared.
“sorry. As it is an important incident site, it must be confirmed by the superior. You cannot go in right now.”
The knight’s eyes were full of disbelief.
‘Small bastard!’
Chloe groaned inwardly.
‘If there were only the soldiers, I would have been able to get in there safely!’
But unlike the soldiers, the knight knew how important this matter was.
So, the entry was strictly controlled.
Chloe pondered with an anxious expression on her face.
‘If you’re going to report to the top, you shouldn’t.’
Meanwhile, a priest appeared from behind her.
The knights and soldiers were glad to see the priest.
“Why did the priest come here?”
Chloe was puzzled.
The knight treated the priest with a heavenly difference from when he treated himself.
‘Who the hell are you doing that?’
Chloe glanced at the priest.
The black-haired, blue-eyed priest seemed to be the same age as himself.
Ethan answered without looking at Chloe.
“I have been ordered to investigate the inside. The identity card is here.”
“Hahaha, is there anyone in Velium who doesn’t even know the priest’s face? You don’t have to pay for this, but you’re really good at it. If you don’t know, can I attach a soldier too?”
“no. it’s okay.”
Chloe, who was watching their warm conversation, asked as if absurd.
“Wait. Why can’t I become that priest and not me?”
Then the knight made an absurd face as if he was asking all that stuff.
He didn’t even respond.
Chloe became impatient and grabbed Ethan.
“I, Priest!”
Ethan looked at the woman holding him, thoughtlessly.
But something was strange.
‘what? That hair color, appearance, and even his actions are something unpleasant and familiar, right?’
Ethan’s eyes narrowed, guessing the woman’s identity.
* * *
Chloe’s eager eyes turned to Ethan.
There was a lot of force in the hand he was holding.
Chloe opened her mouth before the knight standing next to her could say anything.
“If it’s not rude, can I come in with you? I want to investigate the dark magic circle in the underground canal. Of course, I can prove my identity.”
Chloe held out her identity card.
The pattern was clearly engraved so that it could be understood that it was an investigation team sent from Aurum.
‘A Investigation Team in the Magic Kingdom?’
Ethan made an impression.
The ominous feeling, which was vague at first, was gradually becoming clearer.
Sage Nelson Romon?
I could have thought it was premature, but I couldn’t ignore my intuition.
‘Ha, that’s ridiculous.’
Ethan smirked inwardly.
Even thinking about it was absurd.
It was absurd to think of the wise men of the Seven Heroes with only a few words and actions.
Of course, it wasn’t the absurd thought that the sage had returned alive.
Could it be that he was simply a person who, like Blake, had a close relationship with the sage who came from Aurum?
That’s what I was thinking.
“… … ?”
Ethan was about to say no without needing to hear more.
But Chloe’s request stopped him.
“Come on, wait! Then how about this? You don’t even have to take it! Just check this out.”
“What?”
Chloe took a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Ethan.
“Please check if these runes are in the dark magic circle. This is not a difficult request.”
The neatly folded paper unfolded, revealing the secret contents to the world.
Ethan’s expression hardened when he saw that.
‘what?’
Ethan couldn’t hide his embarrassment.
The runes written on the paper were not related to dark magic.
To be precise, it was a rune used for elemental magic.
And it was also in the sea of the abyss.
So Ethan couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘At least it’s not a common rune in this era.’
There was something fashionable about magic.
That is why there were runes that disappeared or were forgotten over time.
Most of the runes on this paper were also out of fashion.
The same was the case with the runes the sage painted over the sea of the abyss.
In other words, Chloe was trying to see if there were any runes written by the sage in the magic circle in the underground waterway.
‘f*ck?’
Over Chloe’s face, the face of the most unlucky man from 100 years ago was overlaid.
This was the moment when the suspicion grew even stronger.