Destiny (3)
Chapter 35
When I was still young, my parents gave me the name Saria and passed away.
Though life would have been quite tough without them, thanks to my older brother, I was able to live a stable life.
Evan—my older brother’s name—who raised me and always supported me.
My intelligent and diligent older brother quickly stabilized our living situation after our parents’ passing.
Thanks to him, I could sleep in a warm room and never went hungry.
My brother often said this:
If his beloved younger sister had a dream, he wanted to help her achieve it no matter what.
I followed my brother everywhere, holding his hand, gaining various experiences.
While all those experiences with my brother were enjoyable, what captured my heart most strongly was none other than a single sword.
“I want to become a knight.”
My brother advised that since we weren’t nobles, becoming a knight would require truly exceptional talent. Nonetheless, he invested most of the money he earned into my swordsmanship lessons.
Even as a child, I was aware that I was throwing tantrums.
He probably thought I’d realize the reality after struggling for 2-3 years with mediocre talent and give up. But even so, in the small town where I lived, I was considered quite talented.
Once there were no rivals among my peers nearby, my brother said I needed to swim in bigger waters and sent me to a fencing school near the Imperial Capital for a semester.
Years passed like this.
Eventually, I was selected as one of the two squires under the Alstein Dukedom, recognized as having the brightest talent among girls my age.
I decided to become an excellent knight to free my brother from worrying about me.
Although my brother had already made a name for himself, having a sister who was a knight of the Dukedom would surely give him peace of mind.
With my skills growing rapidly, I was about two years away from being officially knighted when news arrived that my brother was finally getting married. Apparently, he was going to be a father.
Of course, I wanted to rush back to my hometown, but I had to assist my master on an important mission as his squire.
After sending a long congratulatory letter, I reviewed the mission outline.
The Valerius Dungeon Exploration Operation.
Valerius, a legendary mage and mana engineer from about a thousand years ago, was regarded as an unparalleled genius, especially in spatial magic, with no one able to match his brilliance.
However, Valerius was known for his eccentric personality, maintaining very few relationships and not taking on any disciples.
As a result, most of the theories and artifacts created by Valerius were lost after his death.
Many people tried to find Valerius’ legacy based on the unfounded hope that such an eccentric person must have left some mysterious arrangements behind, but all attempts failed.
What was once considered a mythical tale about Valerius took an unexpected turn recently.
After a catastrophic event where a mountain collapsed, the dungeon built by Valerius was discovered.
The reaction was ecstatic.
Just like Valerius’ reputation, many coveted his legacy.
Under the mediation of the royal family, powerful noble families and the Magic Tower negotiated and divided their shares before dispatching their subordinates to form an exploration team.
This united expedition, composed of many knights, mages, and experienced adventurers from the Empire’s top forces, was formed.
I wasn’t afraid of the dungeon.
Not only was the expedition formidable, but they had already sent several reconnaissance teams to investigate its nature and structure.
The formation of such a large-scale expedition was more due to political reasons than concerns about the dungeon’s danger.
And just after the expedition entered the dungeon, the entrance was sealed.
We had overlooked the fact that Valerius possessed unparalleled talent in spatial magic.
The twisted space hid the entrance, but the expedition’s power could likely force open a new entrance.
However, time was short.
The dungeon gradually tightened its grip, stripping away essential elements necessary for human survival one by one.
As we struggled to break through the entrance, the surrounding environment deteriorated rapidly.
Seeing the air burning and lava spouting from the ground, everyone realized the dungeon was forcing us to follow a predetermined path.
It was coercing us to explore the dungeon as its creator intended and reach its end.
Ultimately, the expedition ventured deep into the dungeon.
As we progressed, eliminating dangerous traps and freed magical beasts, the environment temporarily stabilized.
We also found a small amount of water and gray powder edible by humans.
Strangely, as if rewarding our efforts, we even discovered a finely crafted artifact.
Only then did everyone realize how insane Valerius truly was.
Time passed.
The expedition repeated cycles of advancing and resting for over several months, yet the dungeon seemed endless.
A mage remarked,
“He wasn’t human.”
No matter how skilled a mage might be in spatial magic, constructing such a grand dungeon within just a few decades was impossible.
Moreover, the architectural style changed as we ventured deeper.
The small structures visible now were described by the mage as being from 900 years ago.
The expedition reached a conclusion.
“It was a dragon.”
During that era a thousand years ago, dragons still survived, albeit in small numbers.
The mage growled,
“The dragon faked its death under the false identity of Valerius and continued expanding and refining the dungeon for hundreds of years. It seems to have even received help from other dragons.”
“Surely it can’t still be alive. When did it die?”
“The last pure-blooded dragon ended its life 600 years ago. It likely exhausted its lifespan earlier.”
“If we’re unlucky, we’re trapped in the lair and dungeon constructed by an incredibly smart but mad old dragon over 400 years ago.”
A dragon’s final masterpiece, created using all its remaining strength for its ultimate amusement at the end of its life.
That was the true nature of this dungeon.
We continued forward. We might have been moving in circles within the same space, encountering new enemies each time.
Since distorting limited space has its limits, the hypothesis that we were moving in circles was quite convincing.
“There’s no end in sight. We need another solution.”
At the knight’s suggestion, the mage shook his head.
“Applying force recklessly to distorted space risks losing the only remaining exit.”
“This is why you brought a mage along to solve situations like this.”
“The problem lies in your attitude. The main force of the expedition consists of knights because mages are deemed less trustworthy. To penetrate the dungeon’s magical security and undo the spatial distortion requires far more magical power than what we currently possess. If only we had brought a Grand Mage.”
“Is it truly impossible?”
“We have plenty of ways to collapse the dungeon. Knights alone could do that. However, the entire expedition would perish.”
“So you’re saying we should just play along with the tricks of a dragon that died hundreds of years ago?”
Two years passed.
Many people had died, but I had learned to wield Sword Aura.
Before I could celebrate, the threat of death approached.
I was certain I would die, but then a sharp arrow created a storm and shattered the Chimera’s core.
Everyone’s gaze turned to the owner of the arrow.
An experienced mercenary hired by the expedition, who had been evaluated as having inadequate combat skills.
“Who… are you really?”
“Ulte. Ulte von Gadi, Baron’s son.”
The adventurer who had concealed his abilities and identity.
Some were furious, but it didn’t escalate into violence.
We needed every pair of hands at this point. Ulte revealed his true abilities and identity because he judged that further losses would jeopardize the dungeon exploration.
Besides, there was little justification for anger since he had faithfully carried out the role of an adventurer for which he was hired.
Time continued to pass.
Due to the stress of extreme circumstances, opening our mouths only led to conflicts, so everyone focused silently on progressing through the dungeon.
However, when the expedition dwindled to about ten members, the atmosphere shifted again.
After each battle, we would sit down and share the stories we had hidden until then.
Most survivors were sturdy knights, so their tales weren’t particularly unique or interesting.
The reason they joined this wretched dungeon expedition was clear: they were ordered to.
There was one mage seeking knowledge and one volunteer driven by the pursuit of honor and wealth, but that was all.
Naturally, everyone’s attention turned to Ulte.
Ulte, who had remained silent, finally answered.
“One of my acquaintances is suffering from a powerful curse. I’ve taken on the identity of an adventurer to search for a way to lift it by exploring dungeons and ruins.”
“Is it a woman?”
“A woman, yes.”
“Female.”
“Could be a man too.”
Ulte chuckled.
I asked while leaning on my sword,
“Why search in dungeons? Why not go to a mage?”
“It’s a curse related to a vow.”
Our usually stoic group fell silent.
The mage shook his head.
“Now I understand why you carry that rotten branch. While your intentions were admirable, curses tied to vows cannot be lifted.”
“There must be a way. Like… an artifact that can reverse time? If we revert the cursed individual’s state to before the curse took root in their body…”
We looked at each other.
Kolchester, who had become the de facto leader of the expedition, smiled faintly.
“Fine. If we find an artifact that can help with your lover’s curse, we’ll visit her together after we escape this dungeon.”
Everyone nodded.
In any case, everyone in this group owed their lives to Ulte at least once.
Time continued to flow, and eventually, only three members of the expedition remained.
The reason I, with lower skill levels, managed to survive until the end could be attributed purely to good luck.
If I must add one more reason, it was my ability to control artifacts.
My talent for simultaneously controlling multiple artifacts in combat placed me at the forefront of the expedition.
Anyway, we were three, and around the time I was about to reach the next level, we broke through the final barrier of this wretched dungeon.
Nearly ten years later, we emerged from the dungeon.
Hooaaaaaah…
The wind blew, and the sunlight warmed our skin.
Having lost our ability to laugh, we stood there for a while after escaping the dungeon.
“There’s not much to show for it.”
Kolchester said.
Indeed, though we obtained countless artifacts in the dungeon, most were lost during our escape.
The last artifact left by Valerius—the dragon’s final masterpiece—was impressive, but it couldn’t be used to lift a curse.
Ulte clenched his teeth and muttered as he held the final artifact,
“…This is useless to me, Sir Kolchester.”
“Just take it. If we must choose the greatest contributor to the expedition, it’s you. Anyway, what are everyone’s plans now?”
“I’m leaving.”
“…”
“I want to see my brother. I miss him so much, it hurts. I’m going home, back to my hometown.”
“Not returning to the House of Alstein? Planning to live in hiding?”
I shook my head.
Many sacrifices allowed us to survive the dungeon.
I owed debts. At the very least, I needed to deliver the last wishes of the expedition’s fallen comrades to their families.
I had no intention of living in hiding shamelessly.
“I’ll return. After seeing my brother, I’ll go back to Alstein.”
“Then I have one request.”
Ulte sighed deeply.
“I don’t have time. There are dungeons and ruins I’ve already scouted that I need to check. Since Seria’s hometown is near my territory, could you meet Pietro on my behalf and confirm that Titi is safe?”
“I understand. Leave it to me.”
“Good. Take care of both.”
Kolchester summarized the situation.
“Ulte, as an adventurer, you’re dead in the dungeon. If you continue adventuring, create a new identity. Seria, report back after completing your task. Don’t contact the dukedom. Revealing yourself clumsily now will get you killed.”
Kolchester said he would stay hidden for about two months before informing all the nobles involved in the expedition about the dungeon’s conquest via letters.
It would cause a commotion for a while, but Kolchester emphasized it was the best way to protect us.
“If you can’t avoid the storm, dive into its center. Understand?”
“I understand.”
“Good. And this is yours.”
Kolchester, who had secured academically valuable artifacts, handed me combat artifacts. They were all the ones I had frequently used.
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. Once you return to Alstein, you’ll have to relinquish the artifacts. Just keep that in mind.”
We fine-tuned minor details until our parting.
Most of the discussions were beyond my comprehension, so Kolchester and Ulte handled the coordination while I simply nodded.
Two days later, we parted ways in different directions.
And upon returning to my hometown, longing for my brother, what I found was:
A neatly arranged cold tombstone.
And a boy kneeling in front of the tombstone on a rainy day.
*
The battle paused momentarily.
The man and Saria stared at each other, calmly analyzing the situation.
If the fight continued, Saria would have the advantage.
With two artifacts, she could counter the firepower of three dark wizards.
In terms of swordsmanship, the man was undoubtedly superior. However, due to his carelessness, he sustained serious injuries, and Saria had numerous artifacts at her disposal.
Of course, there were factors that could turn the tide.
Saria didn’t immediately press her advantage after injuring the man, indicating she had something to protect.
The man believed that focusing attacks on Ray and Pietro to create a defensive posture would increase his chances of victory.
But did he really need to risk his life here?
The man was skeptical. Things had already gone awry, and joining Lord fully restored seemed like a better option.
Saria also fell into contemplation.
If they had kidnapped ‘Titi,’ she couldn’t let them go.
However, continuing the battle as it was posed too much concern for the safety of her nephew standing behind her.
She felt apologetic towards Ulte, but she couldn’t prioritize Titi over her last remaining family member whose life was now endangered.
Would it be better to retreat?
Their thoughts aligned.
At that moment, Ray stepped forward.
“If we’re lucky, maybe 8 seconds?”
“?!”
Saria, who was about to withdraw, stumbled in confusion.
Ray thoughtfully folded two fingers.
“Is 8 seconds too long? I think I can hold on for about 6 seconds.”
Ray had witnessed the speed of a Graduates’ sword firsthand.
Using Overdrive, he estimated he could withstand a few exchanges.
Though countering Sword Energy with Sword Aura sounded implausible, Ray decided to trust Harshia’s reputation.
“Can you handle the mage while I deal with the Graduate? This area is their base right now. We need to settle this quickly before reinforcements arrive. Time is short.”
“…”
Saria felt regretful.
Her last remaining family member and precious nephew seemed to have suffered a severe shock from the ongoing battle in front of him.
Otherwise, his nonsensical talk couldn’t be explained.
Saria grew anxious.
“We need to act. Emergency treatment.”
Saria rummaged through her coat and pulled out a potion obtained in the dungeon.
Fully utilizing her formidable strength, she struck Ray’s head with the potion bottle.
Clang!
“Phewk?!”
The potion bottle shattered, and blue potion poured over Ray’s head.
Ray, unexpectedly hit on the crown of his head, wiped the potion dripping from his hair and looked at Saria.
Saria smiled contentedly at the dazed Ray.
“You’ll be fine now.”
She had treated similarly delusional teammates in the dungeon this way before.
It would surely work well on her precious nephew too.
