It was likely that even the official master of the Imperial Capital, the Emperor himself, was unaware of such a passage’s existance.
Sungchul thought to himself as he walked the long, dark path.
“This path is very long, sir.”
Akun Ghadarva finally broke the long silence.
“Can’t we go any faster?”
“Unfortunately, my undead body is not in good condition. You may go ahead without this old man, but I worry you might lose your way in this dark, labyrinthine path.”
“…”
“However, patience shall not go unrewarded. This path shall directly lead you to the area beneath Sector 1, under the Floating Palace.”
It was a great boon to be able to reach all the way to Sector 1 without the Empire noticing.
It didn’t matter how many guards or protective barriers were set up where they were to emerge from. Sector 1 was close enough for Sungchul to reach the Floating Palace in a literal single leap.
“I suppose there’s no helping it then,”
Sungchul murmured, nodding as he observed the lingering trails of three fairy lights orbiting around him.
The tedious march continued.
In the darkness, only the rustling of insects, the cries of bats, and the occasional sound of water from beyond the walls filled the air.
‘How boring.’
Walking through a narrow passage with nothing but darkness and moss-covered ancient walls was hardly good for one’s mental health.
“It’s rather dull, isn’t it?”
Akun Ghadarva broke the long silence once again.
‘Do liches also experience boredom?’
Sungchul’s question was evaporated by the recollection of Sarasa Xero’s existence.
Becoming a lich did not change a person’s core personality. It only affected their form.
“Would it be alright if this old man told a story from the past?” Akun Ghadarva asked again in a gloomy voice.
“It would be, as long as it isn’t a dull one.”
“It should prove interesting for you.”
Akun blinked his eyes and chuckled softly.
As his laughter subsided, Ghadarva began his tale.
“In a time long forgotten, there existed a witch who lived forever.”
A thought struck him.
‘Is this the story of Adelwight?’
The moment he heard of the eternal witch, Sungchul recalled the image of the witch from the haunted forest who had cursed him.
Ghadarva’s story continued.
“This witch took on many forms over the ages. Once, she appeared as a lizardman, another time as a Nahak. There are also tales of her living under the sea as a mermaid. Thus, her appearance always matched the dominant species of the era she lived in.”
Sungchul stared at back of Akun Ghadarva who led the way, wondering why this lich who walked so slowly had brought up such a story.
Despite his doubts, the story continued.
“However, the thriving races she imitated eventually were annihilated or declined nearly to extinction due to Calamities sent by the heavens to test them. Many races went extinct during the Calamity, but the eternal witch alone remained in the ancient forest, leading a leisurely life. Maintaining her role as the observer of all time.”
Then, three diverging paths appeared in front of Sungchul and Akun Ghadarva. At the crossroads, a moss-covered golem stood guard.
After Akun Ghadarva muttered some incomprehensible words, the golem stepped aside, solidifying like a statue.
Akun Ghadarva chose the right of three diverging roads. Upon entering the path, he resumed the story he had paused earlier.
“So, the witch who had been enjoying an eternal life, one day met a young man lost in the forest. Just an ordinary young man, you ask? That wouldn’t make for much of a story, would it? This young man was remarkably beautiful, intelligent, and possessed a noble spirit that shone like a gem. The witch, living through eternity, found this perfect human to be shocking enough to shake her very being.”
“…”
No particular figure came to mind.
According to what he knew, there was no mortal who had ever overcome the calamities before the Seven Heroes. Therefore, it must be that the Seven Heroes were to be the most exceptional among humans. Yet, the characters of the Seven Heroes were woefully lacking from Sungchul’s experience.
“Was he a human?”
Sungchul asked.
Akun Ghadarva let out a sinister laugh and nodded.
“It was human. You seem interested in the story. Even asking questions.”
“…”
“Anyway, despite her untold thousands of years of life, the witch became interested in the young man. The young man was also drawn to the mysterious charm of the witch. It did not take long for their mutual interest and fascination to turn into love. However, a harsh fate of a destined farewell awaited the two lovers.”
“Is it about the Calamity?” Sungchul asked in a calm tone.
A single droplet fell nearby, producing a clear sound.
“Yes. The mortals of that era could not withstand the trials of the gods. Thus, the only fate awaiting them was extinction. The shadow of death was to be cast upon that young man as well. For the first time in her life, the witch will experience a heartache so intense it felt like her heart wass being torn asunder. It’s a strange thing indeed. A heart that didn’t flinch at the death of millions of her own kind found such chilling pain over the death of just one person.”
“And the conclusion is?”
Though he didn’t want to admit it, Sungchul found himself interested in the lich’s story. However, he was a difficult audience. He had the terrible habit of flipping ahead to check the ending in books or comics once he found interest in them.
Bertelgia shivered and warned Sungchul.
“Hey, why are you like this? It’s just starting to get interesting, what do you gain by skipping straight to the ending anyway?”
“No, it’s just that…”
Sungchul started to make an excuse but then closed his mouth.
Akun Ghadarva chuckled ominously and waited for quiet before resuming to speak again.
“Though the witch was clearly a privilaged being, she could not defy the will of the gods. The young man had to die. However, the witch did not wish to lose him. Thus, she made a decision.”
A gleam flashed in Akun Ghadarva’s eyes.
At the same time, a clearing appeared before Sungchul and his party.
An empty dark room.
However, as Akun Ghadarva snapped his gaunt fingers, fire erupted from the center of the clearing, creating a river of flames that followed a small corridor along the floor’s edge, and soon ignited lamps that brightened the entire room.
It was literally a light in the midst of darkness.
Beneath the space filled with light, Sungchul could see a statue of a young man and woman.
It was a sculpture of a beautiful woman embracing a dying young man with both arms.
‘That face, I do not recognize it. It’s certainly not Adelwight’s face.’
The man’s face was also unknown to him.
Akun’s voice continued.
“She decided to share her secret.”
“Her secret?”
Sungchul’s eyes lit up with interest.
“Yes. The secret of immortality. The method behind her eternal life across the ages.”
“And that is…?”
“The transference of souls.”
A look of astonishment flashed in Sungchul’s eyes.
‘Transference of souls? Is such a thing even possible? I’ve seen a few returners, but never have I heard of a soul being transferred to a different entity entirely.’
As Sungchul stood engrossed in thought, the ghastly voice of a lich crept into his ears.
“The witch, who possesses the dark art of destroying a person’s soul and transferring another into the vacant body, has lived through many ages by repeatedly transferring her soul into her disciples’ bodies, all under the tacit consent of the gods.”
While listening to this tale, Sungchul’s eyes momentarily caught sight of a statue in the center, which he was briefly distracted from.
At the sight of the dying young man, a sinister hypothesis flashed through Sungchul’s mind.
‘Could it be? Is the figure depicted in this statue…?’
At that moment, a shiver ran through Sungchul’s body as Akun Ghadarva spoke with a smug tone.
“She ended up sharing her secret. With the hero who would later come to establish a nation by the name Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea.”
“Surely that man isn’t Kromgard?”
Sungchul asked in a voice still trembling from the aftermath,
“There were many kings in the Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea, but strictly speaking, there was only ever one true king. The rest were merely shells with different names and bodies.”
The Supervisor of the Imperial sewers was speaking with an unsettling calm about a shocking secret about the Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea.
From the founder to the current era, a nation that only ever had one king. This was the truth behind the Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea.
Regardless of whether his words were true, the story alone spawns thousands of questions and assumptions. Sungchul too felt an endless proliferation of doubts in his mind as he stared down at the gaunt lich standing before him under the statue.
“What do you wish to gain by telling me this?”
Sungchul chose to try and figure out the intentions of the speaker rather than allow him to become mired in confusion and endless rabbit hole of questions.
“It is to reveal the truth to you. The true purpose of the King of Kromgard and the truth of this distorted world.”
“A distorted world?”
At Sungchul’s question, the Supervisor of the Imperial sewers let out a hollow laugh and countered.
“Don’t you already know? As a hero of your caliber, you should already be aware that the beings currently called gods in this world are in fact nothing but impostors borrowing the name of the true god.”
“…”
Sungchul felt a chill at this revelation.
It was because what Akun Ghadarva said was very close to what Sungchul had already suspected since a while ago.
“The beings who now call themselves gods are traitors who betrayed the divine being that had bestowed powers upon them, stabbing god in the back. Despite not being gods, they usurp the title and have reshaped this world made by the true god to suit their tastes. That is the reality of our world today, maintained through the ritual known as the Calamity.”
After saying this, Akun Ghadarva turned and walked on, leaving behind the world filled with light.
As Sungchul watched him go, he pondered where Akun could have acquired such knowledge.
The answer came to him quickly.
‘Adelweiss wouldn’t have told him. She’s a being who seldom shares. Surely, it must have been through the God’s Letters that Kromgard came across. And most importantly, through her…!’
As these thoughts passed through his mind, the mischievous smile of a woman he knew flashed before his eyes.
Ryze Himerr.
She was a member of the White Serpant, or alternatively known as the Divine Dragon tribe. A tribe of those who possess a curious ability called ‘Lector’, or ‘those who read’.
Kromgard seems to have sought to access the truths of this world through her and appears to have established his own thoughts on the matter.
The Supervisor of the Imperial sewers likely repeated what he’s heard of Kromgard’s conclusions about the world.
“King Kromgard sought to end this distorted system for an immeasurable span of time. With utmost gravity. On the surface, while this world seemed driven merely by human desires, it began to move with a clear purpose. The founding of the Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea was also part of that grand task. And, the collapse of the Holy Kingdom was all part of his plans as well.”
“The fall of Rutheginea was a part of his plan?”
Sungchul felt a mix of humiliation and a light excitement.
However, deep inside, he had already somewhat accepted it. The true power of the Wandering King and the disparity in strength versus the rebels were clear back then.
“The Emperor had already heard all of this explanation from King Kromgard personally and had come to know the secrets of this world. He came to know that his role as the hero and savior of this world was nothing more than an act prepared for him to play on a stage long since prepared by the true King. And in the midst of self loathing and despair, he had come to accept King Kromgard’s deal.”
Just then, a faint light shone ahead.
Simultaneously, Sungchul felt a breeze laden with fresh air coming from ahead.
The exit was getting closer.
“Why did Kromgard abandon his own kingdom?”
Sungchul asked. Acun Ghadarva stared into the approaching twilight, his voice low as if reciting something.
“False gods began to take notice of the King of Kromgard. Monstrous beings shaped like books started appearing around La Grange, surveilling the king.”
Upon hearing this, images of books resembling Bertelgia but possessing distinct personalities surfaced in Sungchul’s mind.
“Out of necessity, the King of Kromgard had to find the worthiest among humans to take up his mantle in the meanwhile, eventually choosing the current Emperor. However, the King had overlooked one detail—the pettiness of the Emperor, no, William Quinton Marlboro.”
At that moment, another crossroad appeared.
Two paths lay ahead.
Akun pointed towards the right.
“If you were to go to the right, you can witness the efforts of King Kromgard for yourself.”
“Where does this road lead?”
“It leads to the Old City.”
“The Old City.”
After the fall of the Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea, it became the last remaining territory on paper to the Wandering King.
Even during the height of the Human Empire, the area was firmly sealed off, denying access to anyone, even to Sungchul who held the 2nd highest title in the empire as the Imperial Commander in Chief.
“Did you know that beneath the Old City, King Kromgard has been preparing a secret operation for thousands of years to dismantle the order of false gods? Would you like to see it?”
“… Lead the way.”
Akun chanted a spell in a low voice that resulted in a barrier that nullified noise.
“Please, follow me.”
The path was dark and long.
It would take a considerable amount of time.
Yet, Sungchul did not resent the time spent; in fact, he barely noticed its passing.
‘The Emperor knew all of this. Why then, had he not spoken a single word of it?’
If Sungchul had known the secrets of the world, he would have understood everything and been ready to assist the Emperor. Even if it meant breaking his promise to Ryze Himerr, he would have followed the Emperor’s command.
However, the Emperor did not share anything with him.
Silence.
Sungchul’s faith in the Emperor began to waver in the darkness.
Thank you!
I admit, I did not see this coming.