Book 1 Chapter 689

689.

Hmph, hmph, hmph-

Kal, who had spun a rope with a hook attached to create centrifugal force, threw the hook upwards.

The hook flew high and caught on top of the castle wall.

"Your strength is amazing, isn't it?"

When Kanea said with a look of wonder, Kal put on a conceited expression.

"Hmph. This is a magic item, you know. Should I call it Kal's Everything Store Castle Wall Invasion Set?"

"Amazing."

Kanea clapped her hands in admiration.

Eliza, who was watching from a step back, said.

"You really thought of making something like that."

"I thought it would be useful for the攻略."

"You are certainly well-prepared."

In the world of heroes, countless situations exist.

There are often times when one needs to sneak over a castle wall.

Kal had created items through alchemy to prepare for such situations.

"Hmph, do you think I'd be called 'the one who prepares for the beginning' for nothing?"

Kal, who had once again put on a conceited expression, grabbed the rope and climbed up the castle wall.

Eliza and Kanea also followed him.

Kal, who had climbed up first, carefully surveyed the area on top of the castle wall before going higher.

Since he had identified a section where the guard was not strict, Kal's movements were unhindered.

Kal hung another hooked rope, which he had wrapped around his body, over the outside of the castle wall.

As soon as Eliza and Kanea climbed up, they followed Kal's hand gestures and descended down the rope.

Kal, who had retrieved the rope used for climbing up, also immediately followed them down.

When Kal, who had reached the ground, pulled the thread at the end of the rope, the hook on the castle wall folded and naturally fell.

Clatter-!

Kanea, with excellent reflexes, caught it and handed it to Kal.

Kal took out three sky-blue beads from a belt pouch at his waist and put one in his mouth.

He gave the other two to Eliza and Kanea.

As the two followed Kal and put the beads in their mouths, Kal carefully entered the water.

Eliza, who followed Kal into the water, looked at Kal with slightly surprised eyes when she felt no great resistance in the water.

It wasn't uncomfortable to hold her breath.

It wasn't difficult to open her eyes underwater, and the inside of the water was clearly visible.

'This bead. It's an item made with alchemy.'

Eliza once again admired Kal's excellent item-making abilities, inherited from Dweno's alchemy.

The swimsuits also reduced water resistance.

Kanea, also seemingly surprised, waved her hands around and then gave a thumbs up!

Kal gave a thumbs up back to Kanea and began to lead the way.

'They get along well.'

Eliza, muttering to herself as she watched them, began to follow Kal.

Gurgle-gurgle-

The three moved stealthily without using aura, magic, or spiritual power.

Kal, who arrived near the area Enniha had told him about, found an artificially created hole at the bottom of the moat.

Kal, his eyes shining, entered the hole.

A moment later.

"Phew!"

Kal took a breath and muttered.

"As expected, the air is good. The underwater beads are good for everything else, but I can't help but feel stuffy."

Kal spit out the underwater bead.

Then the underwater bead melted away like water and disappeared.

"Light."

Kal, who created light using magic, climbed out of the water.

"Hmm. There are two paths."

While Kal was contemplating.

Eliza, shaking the water from her hair, said.

"I have a question. Why are we moving so secretly?"

She had followed at Kal's request, but she hadn't heard the reason for moving so secretly.

"Is it Leo Plov's idea?"

"No. Leo doesn't know. Chelsea, Enniha-nim, and I are moving."

"Why?"

"There's a reason for it. I'll explain later for now. Finding the entrance is first."

Eliza nodded at Kal's words and stood in front.

"There are two paths, what should we do?"

"I'll go left. You and Kanea go right."

"Are you sure you'll be okay going alone?"

"Oh. Asking a boy in the midst of puberty to go alone in a dark place with girls in swimsuits? The stimulation is too strong, I can't."

Kal, with a sly smile, headed left.

"There probably won't be any particular dangers anyway."

Leaving those words, Kal went first.

Eliza, watching his retreating figure, headed right with Kanea.

Kanea, walking ahead, clasped her hands together and said.

"Isn't Kal cool?"

"You really have no eye for men either."

Kanea's eyes widened as she looked at Eliza, who spoke indifferently.

"Why? He handles everything perfectly, doesn't he?"

"Not at all. If you get to know him a little more, you won't think that, you know? You'll probably be disillusioned instead."

Kanea, who had been staring intently into Eliza's faintly smiling eyes, broke into a faint smile.

"Liar."

"What did you say?"

"You're trying to reduce the competition, aren't you?"

"Funny. Why would I, the heir of the Hergin family, tell such a lie because of a commoner…"

Eliza, who was about to flare up, met Kanea's gaze.

'She's truly disgusting.'

Eliza let out a hollow laugh.

Eliza sighed, inwardly admitting that Kanea's words were not wrong.

Kanea smiled, watching her.

"I envy you."

"What?"

"Not being honest with your feelings."

"What's there to envy about that?"

"It means you'll be able to spend a long time with Kal in the future."

"You can do that too, can't you?"

"No. I don't think it will happen. My intuition tells me."

"Intuition?"

"It's like the time allowed to me won't be long, somehow?"

"…"

"It's the same with Kal. He doesn't treat me like someone he'll see for a long time."

"Well… you're not close yet…"

"It's different from that. Hmm. It's like he's preparing for a farewell? He seems like someone who knows the future."

Kanea's tail wagged gently.

The intuition of the beastkin girl, born in a gloomy era and having preserved her life not knowing when it might disappear, was surprisingly sharp.

Kanea smiled, looking at the silent Eliza.

"Someday, there will come a day when you can be honest with your feelings. I just hope it's not too late."

"I might lose affection before that."

"That's true too!"

Kanea burst into laughter and said.

"I never even thought about liking someone, you know. When my heart has room, these things happen. It's nice. I'm satisfied."

Hmm hmm! Kanea nodded her head, making a regretful expression.

"The only regret is that I want to be remembered longer in Kal's memory. Hmm. Should I have just pounced on him earlier? Ah! Should I pounce on him when we go back?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Kanea giggled at Eliza's cold remark.

"It feels like we're fighting over prey, which is also enjoyable."

"I don't want to admit it… but I'll be honest with you. It's not fighting over prey; it's just an ugly love triangle dispute."

"Oh? Is that so? It just got more exciting! Shall we be friends?"

"With someone involved in a love triangle dispute?"

"Why not?"

"There's no reason why not."

***

"Why are these two here?"

Chelsea asked, crossing her arms, and Kal shrugged.

"I received their help. By the way, was there an entrance on the labyrinth side?"

"The fact that you're asking that means there wasn't one on the moat side either, it seems."

Chelsea sighed.

It seemed the labyrinth side was also a bust.

"I don't have any more places I can think of."

It was when Enniha showed signs of impatience.

Kanea asked, looking at him.

"What are you looking for?"

"We're looking for a place that leads to the city's underground."

Kanea blinked at Enniha's answer and then said.

"If it's that, there's Master Dweno's workshop, isn't there?"

"What?"

Enniha's eyes widened.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I found it when I followed Master Dweno to inspect the inside of the fortress on the first day. There was originally a huge staircase leading underground where Master Dweno's workshop is."

Upon hearing Kanea's words, everyone in the group widened their eyes.

"Come to think of it, Dweno built his private workshop alone in a remote location!"

In Ivaldi, Dweno's private workshop was in the same place as other artisans' workshops.

At first, they hadn't thought much of it, but after hearing Kanea's story, it certainly seemed suspicious.

"Let's go!"

It was when Enniha was about to take the lead and head to Dweno's workshop.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble-!

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

Due to the unexpected earthquake, everyone instantly lost their balance and swayed.

"Earthquake?!"

"W-What's happening suddenly?"

***

Rumble rumble rumble rumble-!

The castle wall shook with a violent earthquake.

Leo's eyes, sitting on top of the castle wall, narrowed.

"W-What is this?"

Ar, who had been chattering beside Leo, made a bewildered expression.

Leo, who didn't even bat an eye despite the unusual earthquake, murmured in a low voice.

"It's here."

"What?"

Flash!

Beyond the horizon.

A black pillar of fire struck down from the sky.

Whoosh-

Black flames erupted from the black pillar of fire, as if to destroy the world.

The burning flames soon subsided, and from within them, giant monsters, magical beasts, and demonkin began to spew forth.

"The Giant King's legion…"

Ar swallowed hard.

Whoosh-

Soon, the black pillar of fire disappeared, and from within it, the Giant King Gias appeared.

'Is that… Gias?'

Leo's face hardened slightly.

The power Gias exuded was unusual.

"Ar."

"Yes."

"Inform the other party members of the situation."

"Understood!"

Ar leapt down from the castle wall.

Leo, remaining on the castle wall, carefully observed Gias.

Leo's eyes twitched as he looked at Gias, armed with grotesque weaponry he had never seen before.

'…Two people?'

"That guy is definitely not the Gias of the past, but the one whose neck I severed."

Leo turned his head at the voice from beside him.

Dweno stood there, stroking his beard.

Dweno, his eyes narrowed, said.

"And the armaments he's wearing."

"I've never seen those before either."

"It seems he devoured his past self."

"…Indeed."

Leo, who had felt Gias as two individuals, understood.

"Madman."

It was when Leo clicked his tongue softly.

"Leo! The party members are preparing and will be here!"

Ar, who had relayed the situation at incredible speed, landed beside Leo.

"Leo. I will go to the workshop and retrieve the armaments."

"…Please do."

"Is Brave repaired?"

"Yes."

"Wow! As expected of Master Dweno!"

Ar cheered.

"Then I shall go and return."

Dweno flew off immediately.

Then he glanced back.

He briefly looked at Leo and Ar, standing steady on the castle wall.

In Dweno's eyes, the figures of the boy and girl were soon projected as a human youth with gray hair and a white-haired wolf beastkin.

Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, and Arion, the Champion.

Dweno faintly smiled, looking at their unfamiliar yet familiar backs.

'He has obtained excellent companions, Kyle.'

Dweno looked forward.

'I can trust him with this.'

With his back to Leo, who was looking forward, Dweno ran towards the rear.