Creak, creak.
Inside the swaying carriage, I gazed out the window, lost in thought.
“……”
The Rune of Space.
Among the ten runes scattered across the continent, it’s considered one of the top-tier ones, alongside the Rune of Time.
Runes are fundamentally different from the skills commonly found in games.
While skills function like pre-determined abilities spewing out results, a rune’s power allows one to manipulate more essential forces.
Thus, a rune’s name is usually intuitive enough that just hearing it can convey what kind of power it represents.
Like the Rune of Time I first obtained, the Rune of Elements, or even the Fear-inducing Rune—they’re all straightforward in what they do.
Among these, the Rune of Space is currently the most necessary for me.
As powerful as the Rune of Time is, it falls short against the Outer Gods in the future.
Because the power of the Rune of Time is more specialized in defense than in offense.
Certainly, with the right manipulation, it can instantly kill humans or demon beasts, but only when the target is limited to mortals.
Against beings like the Outer Gods who live eternally, the flow of time doesn’t affect them significantly.
“But if I had the Rune of Space, things would be different.”
There exists no being completely immune to the effects of space.
While deified entities can transcend space itself, the Outer Gods who violate causality to descend into the material world are not exempt from the influence of spatial powers.
It’s one of the rare powers that can harm them, which is why in the original story, the Rune of Space was considered an essential element.
Moreover, when combined with the Rune of Time, the synergy is more than doubled.
I nonchalantly asked Arkhan, who was seated next to me,
“So, where is the scripture located?”
She grinned, as if expecting the question.
“Kalmas. Beyond the border.”
“…What?”
I had no idea.
In the start of the original story, the Rune of Space had already fallen into the hands of the Star Sect.
They had gone to great lengths to conceal its origin, so its exact provenance was unknown.
Hearing her words, I began to understand the reason.
‘Elfried must have stumbled upon it while following its traces.’
Then the situation was simple.
Blackmore falls under my jurisdiction, and there’s still ample time before the events of the original story unfold.
“Beyond the border… is that it?”
“There’s a labyrinth deep in the farthest reaches beyond the border. What was its name again? Ah, the Tower of Arkasia? It’s said that the underground laboratory there houses the rune.”
“…”
The original story featured numerous labyrinths and ruins.
Some never even made an appearance in the main storyline, existing solely as part of the author’s world-building.
The Tower of Arkasia.
It was the ruins of a legendary necromancer who was once known as the Dark Lord in the early ages—an abandoned magic tower.
Though it never appeared in the main storyline, it had a small mention in the setting guide.
Back in my previous life as a slave, my only pleasure was reading web novels.
For novels with especially deep or complex settings, I used to meticulously organize and memorize every bit of information.
Though this habit of entering comment sections to point out setting inconsistencies often got me blocked by authors, it was one of my few hobbies in that monotonous life.
‘Did I come across any special information?’
The problem was that even I, who usually dug deep into settings, didn’t know much about the Tower of Arkasia.
The setting guide only provided a few lines of vague description, leaving no way to delve deeper.
All I knew was that it was an extremely dangerous labyrinth, located in a forbidding depth.
‘This might not be good.’
Kalmas is literally a cradle of monstrosities.
A realm filled purely with evil and chaos, it is the embodiment of the world’s malevolence.
Finding Elfried was manageable because her location was known, and she was near the entrance. However, venturing further in, I have no idea what kind of monsters may reside inside.
I can’t do this alone.
Even if I take Rudine, Adina, and even Elfried with me, I can’t guarantee their safety.
I maintained a poker face while asking Arkhan,
“Will you be coming along?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
At least, it was fortunate that Arkhan was planning to accompany me.
With her by my side, I wouldn’t die needlessly.
“Until where have you ventured into the territories beyond the border?”
“Hmm? I occasionally went in a few times when I was bored, but as you know, it’s not a place where anyone can gauge how far in they’ve traveled.”
“That’s true.”
Arkhan looked at me curiously.
“Alright, Sixth Lord, how far have you been?”
“…”
“Did you go there before? You seemed like someone who was familiar with the territory beyond the border last time.”
“…I know a lot about it.”
“I see,”
I answered honestly.
After all, lying wouldn’t work with her Insight Vision.
“That’s what’s strange. How can you possibly know so much about forgotten times? Ah, of course, if you don’t want to elaborate, I won’t pry…”
“I saw it.”
“…Huh?”
The head that had been crossed in her arms turned sharply towards me.
“You saw what? Where?”
“Literal translation. Don’t read too much into it.”
“Man, you’re really unfriendly.”
Arkhan smiled and turned her body.
“So, what’re we gonna do? Shall we head to Kalmas right away?”
She dangled a scroll between her thumb and forefinger in front of my face.
“If you don’t need any preparation, we can start immediately. Actually, there’s no real need to move by carriage if we’re heading to the headquarter.”
“No, we should visit the office first.”
“Why? Got someone there?”
“There are companions.”
“Ah, the kiddos..”
Arkhan finally nodded in understanding.
“Alright, that’s your call as Sixth Lord.”
“…”
“Ah! Didn’t you meet the Third Lord before leaving the palace?”
“It happened accidentally.”
“Didn’t move an inch when they tried to enforce discipline in front of you, right? Looks like Third Lord was somewhat impressed with you.”
“I don’t care much.”
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to get along with the other Lords. You should at least recognize their faces, especially with the upcoming Lord’s conference.”
Damn, this lifetime I’ve had to put up with a lifetime position as a Lord, and now I’ll have to attend these conferences too.
I wanted to punch something but restrained myself.
The carriage that had been traveling on the well-paved road started creaking again after a while.
It was a sign that we were leaving the city behind and entering desolate areas.
The entrance of Blackmore soon came into view.
After a long period of rocking, the carriage slowed down and cautiously made its way through the narrow path.
The faint, yet pungent, stench tickled my nose.
The area was densely packed with withered, dead trees.
It was as gloomy and dark as my future.
At that moment,
Squeak—!
A sudden lurch threw me off balance as the carriage came to an abrupt stop.
I hurriedly turned my head toward the window.
What is this?
Though the office was visible in the distance, there was no reason to get off here instead of going a little further.
A strange sense of unease crept up my neck.
At that moment, the carriage door creaked open.
“Excuse me, please step out for a moment!”
The driver, pale as a ghost, urgently requested us to step out.
I moved toward the open door and stepped out of the carriage.
“…What is that?”
Far in the distance, at least dozens of figures were gathered, blocking the way in front of the office.
As I squinted at them, their features became clear.
Wagging silver tails, pointed triangular ears, and an oddly familiar presence.
These figures were all too familiar.
“The White-Haired Tribe?”
What were the White-Haired Tribe, who were supposed to be living somewhere in the Eastern Province, doing here in the magical realm of Blackmore?
Additionally, the menacing vibes they were radiating were palpable.
Even Arkhan, sitting next to me, was watching them with interest.
At that moment,
“Luke Richter!”
Adina, who had been confronting them, rushed toward me with her tail wagging wildly.
Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying from fear.
As Adina approached, the group of White-Haired Tribe members, who had been facing her, turned their attention toward me.
“???”
I stood still for a moment, exchanging gazes with them.
After a while, a female fox, presumably the leader, took bold steps toward me.
Her footsteps radiated such a menacing aura that they seemed to shake the very ground beneath her.
“Adina.”
The woman, her mana surging, approached with a dangerous killing intent.
“Hiding won’t solve anything.”
Judging from her tone, appearance, and behavior, she must be the leader of the White-Haired Tribe.
The reason for her visit was most likely…
“The heirloom you stole from our tribe.”
The White-Haired Tribe only had one heirloom of such significance.
That was none other than the Rune of Time.
Though they hadn’t understood how to use it for thousands of years, it had been sealed within their treasury.
They had preserved it for thousands of years, upholding the will of their ancestors.
And the current whereabouts of that artifact…
“If you value your life, hand it over at once.”
…I already swallowed it, you know.
