Kays Translations

Chapter 58: The Depths

Three days after the appearance of the Imperial soldiers.

Lucius was invited to Olivia's castle, unable to enter the labyrinth.

"Olivia, are the preparations for the King Selection going well?"

In a luxurious office, only Lucius and Olivia were present.

Both were dressed formally, sitting facing each other.

They were waiting for the ongoing preparations.

"To be honest, the situation doesn't look good. The candidates from the West and South are gathering votes from surrounding nobles one after another."

"Huh? You seemed confident the other day."

"Of course, you see? No one will vote for someone who lacks confidence. No matter how disadvantageous the situation is, you have to act like you can become king. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the people who support me."

"I see... If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me."

Despite saying that, Lucius was merely an underage baron with no political or influential power.

He understood that he couldn't be of much help.

"For now, you just worry about yourself!"

The mark engraved on Lucius's left hand was almost a perfect circle.

Today, even getting eaten by the Evil Dragon wouldn't be surprising.

"But I can't enter the labyrinth."

"That's why we're negotiating today."

Olivia entwined her delicate fingers with Lucius's.

"...Even if I become the king, it would be lonely without you by my side."

"Olivia?"

Her blue eyes gazed straight into his.

Her slightly blushing face slowly approached Lucius's.

His heart raced faster.

Her crimson lips looked even more seductive.

The deadline for the Evil Dragon's death sentence was approaching.

In such circumstances, romance should be the last thing on his mind.

That's why Lucius felt the importance of what had always been by his side.

Preparing for the King Selection, managing the territory.

It must be a hectic schedule.

Nevertheless, since the day she took the Evil Dragon as her familiar, Olivia has always cared for him.

With their eyes still closed, their faces drew closer.

"We're ready!"

Just outside the door, Sergeant Reuel raised his voice.

Both of them jumped and quickly moved apart.

"Y-Yes, we'll be right there."

Olivia's voice sounded flustered.

Both their faces were still bright red as they hurriedly left the office.

Their appearance walking down the corridor seemed awkward.

And then, they headed to the largest hall in the castle.

Although the hall was originally used for social gatherings, it felt completely different from the festive atmosphere. The tension could be felt even through the door.

"Lady Olivia Tact, and Baron Lucius, please enter."

The voice of the guards echoed, and the heavy door opened.

As soon as they entered, all the gazes were directed at the two of them.

In the center of the hall stood a massive round table.

Around the table, stern-looking nobles were sitting with their backs slightly bent.

They all fell silent.

The only exception was the head of the Karan Division, who let his red-brown hair flutter and smiled while waving his hand as Lucius and Olivia entered.

—As carefree as ever.

The area around the round table was filled with knights and soldiers accompanying each noble.

And at the back of the round table sat a woman with light green hair, displaying a stern expression.

It was Lady Lilinths S. Winchester, the Eastern League Lord.

Olivia gracefully greeted her.

"It's been a while, Lord Lilinths. And lords, thank you for coming to my castle today."

Lord Lilinths replied.

"Greetings are unnecessary. Let's move on to the main topic."

"Yes."

As soon as they took their seats, Lady Lilinths  began to speak.

"As you already know, we have gathered here because the Imperial vanguard appeared in the labyrinth. Some information from Honogura has indicated that the labyrinth is connected to the Empire, and Imperial soldiers have been moving back and forth."

Originally, the conference should have taken place at the Honogura Lord's castle, but it was completely destroyed by Lucius two years ago.

The successor hasn't been appointed yet, so the construction of the castle hasn't progressed.

As a result, the conference was held in the neighboring Tact territory.

The nobles started discussing the situation all at once.

"We should immediately block the entrances and exits!"

"But the labyrinth has a feature that allows it to return to its original state. We should restore it as soon as possible."

"But we have Ruoyou Fort. We can station a squad of knights here."

"What about the border security? We don't have enough knights as it is."

"That's true. Even if it's connected to the Empire, the labyrinth is not large enough for an entire army to pass through. At most, a platoon could come. We don't need to station a whole division."

"But it's just a day's ride on horseback from here to the capital. Even if a few people manage to get out, it's still a threat."

The discussion became chaotic.

Lady Lilinths , who had been silent all this time, raised her hand.

"I see, that makes sense."

Lucius immediately raised his hand.

"We should first investigate the inside of the labyrinth with a small elite team."

All the lords immediately objected.

"Such a reckless action is not acceptable!"

"Yes, it is. We don't have time to waste. We can investigate later."

"More importantly, it's too dangerous. It's just a foolish move to reduce personnel."

Olivia shifted her gaze and responded.

"However, the labyrinth may have multiple entrances and exits. In fact, the Empire also has an entrance, which is why they've been moving back and forth. If we seal one entrance, disaster may strike from an unknown location."

The lords fell silent.

"Already, the Ninth Division has finished most of their investigation. The only thing left is the passage concealed by illusions that leads to the Empire's side, and it won't take much time."

Finally, Lady Lilinths , who had been silent until now, spoke up.

"Hmm, there's some truth to that."

When the lords were about to voice their objections, Lord Lilinths  raised her hand to stop them and continued speaking.

"I understand. We can't just wait during the investigation. We'll station personnel at the fort and set a deadline. Now, who will conduct the investigation?"

Olivia remained composed and answered calmly, "Given the recent situation, there shouldn't be too many enemies. The passage has its limits in width. In that case, someone hosting an advanced white demon should go. Anyone else would be a hindrance in that enclosed space."

Nodding, Lord Lilinths  looked at Karan. "What do you think?"

"Shaulia would be the most suitable as the leader of the Shaulia Brigade in the Ninth Division. Also..."

"And?"

"There are also the Tact soldiers who have been dealing with the situation. Should we select one of them as well?"

Olivia smiled. "Of course. This matter will have a significant impact on the security of the Tact territory. We should provide maximum assistance."

Lord Lilinths  asked, "So, who will you choose?"

Olivia looked at Lucius, sitting next to her.

"I would like to ask Baron Lucius, our esteemed guest, to do it."

All eyes turned to the boy who bore the highest-ranking white demon, Chiyou.

"Is that alright, Lucius? You are not obligated to do this. Even if the daughter of the League Lord from your home state asked, you don't have to comply."

Lucius calmly observed the unfolding situation.

—Somehow, she managed to give me a reason to enter the labyrinth.

Those in leadership positions need to exercise restraint.

If it was enough to end with the current generation, they could act recklessly, but if they aimed for continuity and development, understanding and support from their surroundings were indispensable.

That's probably why Lord Lilinths  chose not to twist the facts.

"Even though we are from different states, we are nobles of the same country. I will fulfill my duty."

The corners of Lord Lilinths 's mouth curved up. "It's settled then. You have two days. Proceed with the investigation right away. Time is of the essence. You two can leave; we will continue the discussion."

Lucius expressed his gratitude and bowed before leaving the hall together with Shaulia, who had been standing behind Karan.

As they left the hall, Shaulia urged him, "Lord Lucius, let's hurry. You probably understand, but the exploration comes second. Our top priority is to secure the first-class false core."

They rushed through the hallway and, once outside, found that a carriage was already prepared.

It must have been Olivia's command.

They hopped onto the carriage and headed straight to the fort.

During the journey, while enduring Shaulia's accusatory gaze, Lucius changed from formal attire to his regular clothes.

Upon arrival at the fort, they rushed to the entrance of the underground labyrinth.

"We've been waiting for you."

There were Hamiya and the knights from the Northern Region.

"We're ready."

Hamiya handed a pouch to the two of them. Inside were a map made from crystallized blood, emergency rations, and medicine. Naturally, the medicine was poison, for emergency use.

"I apologize for everything."

"It's okay. To the dragon, a blade; to humans, wings."

Hamiya spoke like a prayer, and the Northern knights around them all said the same words.

"What is it? That?" Lucius asked.

"It's a prayer for the Dragon Knights' success. Not many know about it, but it was a phrase that Joseph, the captain of the Shaulia squad, loved."

"Dragon Knights..."

Shaulia chimed in, "They say it was the strongest order of knights that protected the Northern Region over a hundred years ago. They all rode powerful demons and soared through the skies."

For the Northern knights, they are probably still special beings.

"Thank you."

As Lucius tied the pouch around his waist, Xiaolia called out to him, "Let's go."

"Yes."

Without delay, the two of them stepped into the labyrinth.

After about 30 minutes of walking, they stood in front of the illusory wall they had found a few days ago. Behind the wall lay the passage where they had encountered the Imperial soldiers.

"There is almost nothing left to explore in the other regions. However, we haven't received any reports of a black false core since the first day. The area ahead is the most suspicious," said Shaulia.

They passed through the illusory wall and proceeded toward the place where the battle had taken place a while ago.

"Even though there was such an intense battle here..."

Despite the fierce battle that had occurred, the walls and floor were restored to their original state.

"The golems must have repaired it and absorbed unnecessary false cores. Anyway, let's hurry to the back."

They crossed the location of the battle and continued forward.

Along the way, earth golems and rock golems kept appearing, but dealing with them was quick and effortless battles. There was nothing to worry about.

If there was anything concerning, it was the single straight path.

Normally, labyrinths should be like a maze, intricate and complex, but this place had not a single turn.

And the magical power flowed deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, as if it were luring Lucius and Shaulia in.

When sweat began to trickle down their foreheads, Shaulia muttered, "We're descending further and further."

"That's true. Did the Imperial soldiers come from underground?"

"Probably, but there should be another illusory wall ahead."

"Should we go back and search?"

"No, like I said, the exploration of the Imperial soldiers is secondary. First, we prioritize finding a first-class false core. Once we've dealt with everything, we'll explore tomorrow."

"Understood."

After walking for about another hour, light suddenly spilled from the end of the passage.

—Is that light leaking in?

Cautiously, they stepped into the light.

Suddenly, they arrived in an open space that didn't look like a labyrinth at all.

Before their eyes, something quite unexpected for a labyrinth spread out.

"A flower field..."

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