Chapter 57: The Target of Revenge
Descending the dimly lit stairs into the underground. Dusty, damp, and unpleasant.
Following the map given to me by Loretta, I arrived at a cluster of ruins on the outskirts of town. One of these ruins concealed a staircase leading underground.
“Just like that pig, hiding in such a sinister place.”
I could faintly feel vibrations from above.
Judging by the fluctuations in magical energy… was there a battle happening? Maybe Alfred and his group had independently tracked this place down.
…Such foolish children. They should at least enjoy a date in times like this.
For a third prince, he made a bold declaration to claim the throne. Such things shouldn’t be proclaimed so openly in the first place.
He’s really clumsy and twisted. Originally, playing the villain was never suited for him. Yet, he continued to act the part, overdoing it due to his clumsiness.
“…A door?”
At the bottom of the stairs, I encountered a door.
It was unlocked. I couldn’t see what lay beyond, but turning back wasn’t an option.
Especially if there was a clue to saving my best friend Loretta beyond this point. I would push through even if it meant taking risks.
“――――!”
I flung the door open and stepped inside.
Simultaneously, I readied myself to activate the ‘Royal Cross Ring’ at any moment,
“…What is this?”
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I continued descending the dimly lit stairs. I lost track of how much time had passed.
It felt both long and short, but there was an undeniable sense of isolation from the surface world.
“…A door?”
As I descended further, a door came into view. It was partially open, indicating someone had already entered.
Returning to the surface meant facing the swarm of ‘Ragment’ again. Leaving them unchecked was a bad idea. Ultimately, I had to move forward to eliminate the root cause, so retreat wasn’t an option.
“Let’s go.”
I called to Noel and the others behind me, then kicked the door open and stepped inside.
“…What is this?”
Beyond the door was a strange underground room.
A murky crystal, about two meters tall, stood in the back, surrounded by devices reinforcing it.
“This device…”
“Charl, have you seen this before?”
“Yes. I’ve seen something similar at the Royal Capital’s Magical Technology Research Institute. There, it was a magical device for extracting and transplanting magic, but whether this has the same function…”
Magic extraction and transplantation itself is common.
Magic is generally activated using rings. The idea was to eliminate the need for rings, which led to the creation of magical tools.
Magical tools are created by transplanting magic from rings, significantly contributing to the development of the Reyuel Kingdom.
“Here are wooden boxes… Let’s see what’s inside.”
The walls were lined with numerous wooden boxes. Eline opened one, releasing accumulated dust that choked the air.
“…Magic rings. But these are all discarded.”
She held up rings from the box.
They were burnt, discolored, and deformed beyond recognition, as if something monstrous had erupted from within.
“Failed processing, no doubt… I’ve never seen such failures. It looks like the rings couldn’t withstand the magical power and exploded.”
“So, Lord Simion was experimenting with magic rings?”
“Maybe. Given that this facility is hidden underground, it was definitely something unsavory…”
Nenel’s father was a goldsmith in the Garland territory.
And these numerous discarded rings in this underground facility… It’s starting to smell fishy.
“…Nenel!”
A familiar small figure stood at the back of the room.
She didn’t react to any sound, remaining motionless. Was she still seeing some sort of illusion?
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“…Perverted Prince.”
“If you have the energy to throw insults, you must be okay.”
Nenel’s gaze was fixed on an open box.
“This is also a magic ring. But it’s different from those discarded ones…”
The ones we found earlier were clear failures, but the ones Nenel found maintained their form as magic rings. There were over fifty of them at a glance, with many similar boxes stacked nearby.
Though the design was consistent, they were different from the commonly circulated rings… No, this feeling is familiar…
“…‘Cursed Ring’?”
Yes.
It’s similar to the ‘Pledge-Break Fang’ used by the ‘Ring Breaker’ we fought earlier.
“…Indeed, this is a ‘Cursed Ring,’ but it’s a bit different.”
“What do you mean, goldsmith?”
“A ‘Cursed Ring’ contains a demon. But this one doesn’t. At most, it has a fragment of a demon… Still, it holds considerable power.”
“So, it’s a degraded copy of a ‘Cursed Ring’?”
“Could the device we saw be related?”
“Unfortunately, Charl’s concern is accurate. The method is straightforward. Extract the demon’s power from the original ‘Cursed Ring’ and transplant it into an empty magic ring…”
Eline frowned. I heard that ‘Cursed Rings’ are abhorred by goldsmiths, so this must be quite distasteful for her.
“Here are some research documents. As Eline said, they were mass-producing ‘Cursed Rings’ here. The experiments…”
Makina skimmed through one of the documents, stopping at a particular page.
“…Bingo. I found Simion Garland’s name.”
“So, Lucille’s information led us here. But why did she tell us? Setting up this facility must have taken substantial funds and effort.”
Indeed. Lucille wouldn’t give away such information for free.
She must have some benefit.
“…And inviting Nenel here is also suspicious. What could be the purpose?”
“――――To show you.”
A chilling voice echoed from the darkness.
Thump, thump, thump. Cold, calculating footsteps approached. The sound, echoing in the underground, felt like something dreadful crawling up from the depths.
“To show you that you have no other path but revenge.”
“Uncle Morgan…”
Emerging from the dark was a familiar man with eyes like worn-out blades.
I remembered him from the forest; he was torturing Nenel. We lost him in the chaos when the ‘Ragment’ attacked.
“Why… Why are you here?”
“To gather strength to kill the ‘Land God.’ With the power of the ‘Cursed Ring,’ it’s possible. The magic rings will be completed. Even those useless fools will become somewhat useful pawns.”
The evil aura emanating from Morgan’s right hand was different from the degraded copies.
It felt similar to the ‘Pledge-Break Fang’ I sensed when fighting Deophil.
So, that’s the original. And the wolf pack above must be created by that ‘Cursed Ring.’
“Did you cooperate with Lord Simion’s experiments?”
“Of course not. Do you think a lord would involve a commoner like me in such experiments?”
Morgan scoffed at Eline’s words.
“I overheard it.”
His fingers moved smoothly in the darkness, pointing directly at Nenel.
“Nenel. From your father.”
Nenel froze, as if paralyzed.
It wasn’t due to magic.
“My father…?”
“Your father knew about this facility and the lord’s plan to mass-produce ‘Cursed Rings’ and sell them.”
“Then… my father…”
“He didn’t aid the lord in his crimes. If he had, there wouldn’t be a mountain of failed rings.”
Morgan reminisced, gazing at the dim ceiling.
“He was a good man, even as a child. Talented. He would never help that pig lord. No amount of money could corrupt him. He was a great goldsmith.”
A great goldsmith. There was a hint of sarcasm in Morgan’s words, similar to Leo’s during our duel.
“He argued with the lord until the end, trying desperately to stop this plan.”
“Then… my father wasn’t killed by the ‘Land God’…”
“…You think he was ‘killed by the lord’?”
Morgan’s angry words cut off Nenel’s thought.
“No. I told you, he was killed by the ‘Land God.'”
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