Book 1 Chapter 689

689.

Hum hum hum-

Kal swung a rope with a hook attached, creating centrifugal force, and threw the hook upwards.

The hook, flying high, caught on the battlements.

"He has so much strength?"

Kaneah said with a surprised expression, and Kal puffed out his chest proudly.

"Heh. This is a magic item. Shall I call it the Kal General Store's Battlements Infiltration Set?"

"Amazing."

Kaneah clapped her hands in admiration.

Eliza, who had been watching the scene from a step back, said,

"It's impressive you thought of making something like that."

"I thought it would be useful for infiltration."

"You're certainly well-prepared."

In the world of heroes, countless situations exist.

Cases where one needs to sneak over battlements are not uncommon.

Kal had created an item through alchemy to prepare for such situations.

"Heh, do you think I'm called the preparer of beginnings for nothing?"

Kal, striking a proud pose once more, grabbed the rope and ascended the battlements.

Eliza and Kaneah followed him.

Kal, who had gone up first, cautiously surveyed the area on top of the battlements and then moved upwards.

Kal's movements were unhindered because he had identified an area where the guards were not heavy.

Kal hooked another rope he was wearing around his waist to the outside of the battlements.

As soon as Eliza and Kaneah ascended, they followed Kal's gesture and descended using the rope.

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

Upon reaching the bottom, Kal pulled a string at the end of the rope, and the hook attached to the battlements folded and fell naturally.

Tak-!

With her excellent reflexes, Kaneah caught it and handed it to Kal.

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

He gave the remaining two to Eliza and Kaneah.

As the two bit down on the orbs, following Kal, Kal cautiously entered the water.

Eliza, following Kal into the water, looked at him with slightly surprised eyes as she felt little resistance from the water.

Holding her breath was not uncomfortable.

Opening her eyes underwater was not difficult, and the interior of the water was clearly visible.

'These orbs. They're items made through alchemy.'

Eliza was once again impressed by Kal's excellent item-making ability, inherited from Dweno's alchemy.

The swimsuit also reduced water resistance.

Kaneah, also surprised, waved her hands around and then gave a thumbs-up.

Kal, returning the thumbs-up to Kaneah, began to lead the way.

'We get along well.'

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

Bubble-bubble-

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

Arriving at the vicinity that Enniga had told them about, Kal found an artificially created hole beneath the moat.

Kal's eyes gleamed as he entered the hole.

A moment later.

"Pwah!"

Kal gasped for breath and muttered.

"As expected, the air is good. Underwater orbs are great, but the stuffiness is unavoidable."

Kal spat out the underwater orb.

Then, the underwater orb melted and disappeared like water.

"Light."

Kal, using magic to create light, ascended to the surface.

"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 stealthily?"

Although she had followed Kal's request, she hadn't been told the reason for their stealthy movement.

"Is this Leo Flov's idea?"

"No. Leo doesn't know. It's me, Chelsea, and Enniga-nim moving."

"Why?"

"There's a reason. I'll explain later. Finding the entrance is more important right now."

Kal nodded at Eliza's words, and she stepped forward.

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

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

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

"Oh. You want to send a pubescent boy to go alone with two girls in swimsuits in a dark place? It's too much stimulation."

Kal said with a sly grin and headed left.

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

Leaving those words behind, Kal went ahead.

Eliza, watching his retreating back, headed right with Kaneah.

Kaneah, walking ahead, clasped her hands together and said,

"Isn't Kal cool?"

"You have surprisingly poor taste in men."

Seeing Eliza's indifferent response, Kaneah's eyes widened.

"Why? He handles everything so smoothly."

"Not at all. If you knew him a little longer, you wouldn't think that. You'd probably be disillusioned."

*Pik-* Kaneah looked intently at Eliza, who was smiling, and grinned.

"Liar."

"What did you say?"

"You're just trying to reduce the competition, right?"

"That's ridiculous. Why would I, the successor of the Hergin family, lie because of a commoner like that…"

Eliza, flustered, met Kaneah's gaze.

'This is truly pathetic.'

Eliza let out a dry laugh.

Admitting to herself that Kaneah was right, Eliza sighed.

Seeing that, Kaneah laughed.

"I envy you."

"Envy me for what?"

"For not being honest about your feelings."

"What's so enviable about that?"

"It means you can spend a lot of time with Kal from now on."

"You can do that too."

"No. I don't think that will happen. My gut feeling tells me so."

"Gut feeling?"

"It feels like the time allotted to me won't be long."

"……"

"Kal too. He doesn't treat me like someone he'll see for a long time."

"That's because… you're not close yet…"

"It's different from that. Hmm. It's like preparing for a farewell. Like someone who knows the future."

Kaneah's tail wagged gently.

The beastkin girl, born in an ominous era and surviving with a life that could vanish at any moment, had astonishingly sharp intuition.

Seeing Eliza's silence, Kaneah laughed.

"Someday, you'll be able to be honest about your feelings. I hope it's not too late."

"I might get sick of him before then."

"That's true too!"

Kaneah burst into laughter and said,

"I never thought I'd consider liking someone. It's nice when you have the mental space for such things. It's satisfying."

Mm-mm! Kaneah nodded, a look of regret on her face.

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

"Don't be ridiculous."

Kaneah chuckled at Eliza's cold words.

"It's fun, like fighting over prey."

"I don't want to admit it, but… I'll be honest with you. It's not fighting over prey, it's just a sordid love triangle."

"Oh? Is that so? It's even more exciting! Shall we be friends?"

"With someone who's having a love triangle?"

"Can't we?"

"There's no reason why not."

***

"Why are these two here?"

Chelsea asked, crossing her arms, and Kal shrugged.

"They helped us. By the way, was there an entrance near the labyrinth?"

"Hearing you ask that, it seems there wasn't one near the moat either."

Chelsea sighed.

It seemed the labyrinth area was also a dead end.

"I have no more ideas."

It was when Enniga showed her impatience.

Seeing that, Kaneah asked,

"What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a place that leads to the city's underground."

Upon hearing Enniga's answer, Kaneah blinked and said,

"If that's the case, there's Dweno-nim's workshop too, isn't there?"

"What?"

Enniga's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?"

"On the first day, while following Dweno-nim to inspect the inside of the fortress, I discovered it. Where Dweno-nim's workshop is located, there used to be a huge staircase leading underground."

Hearing Kaneah's words, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

"Come to think of it, Dweno built his personal workshop far away from the others!"

In Ibaldi, Dweno's personal workshop was in the same place as the workshops of other artisans.

At first, he hadn't thought much of it, but after hearing Kaneah's story, it seemed suspicious.

"Let's go!"

It was when Enniga, taking the lead, was about to head to Dweno's workshop.

Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-!

Suddenly, the earth began to shake.

Everyone lost their balance and swayed momentarily due to the sudden earthquake.

"An earthquake?!"

"W-What's happening all of a sudden?"

***

Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-!

The battlements shook from the violent earthquake.

Leo's eyes narrowed as he sat on the battlements.

"W-What is this?"

Arga, who had been chattering beside Leo, looked flustered.

Despite the unusual earthquake, Leo, who hadn't flinched, muttered in a low voice.

"They're here."

"What?"

Flash!

Beyond the horizon.

A pillar of black fire shot down from the sky.

Fwoosh-

Black flames spewed from the black pillar of fire with the intensity of destroying the world.

The burning flames soon subsided, and from within them, giant monsters, beasts, and demons began to be spewed out.

"The army of the Giant King…"

Arga gulped dryly.

Whoosh-

Finally, the pillar of black flames disappeared, and from there, the Giant King Gias revealed himself.

'Is that… Gias?'

Leo's face hardened slightly.

The power Gias exuded was not ordinary.

"Arga."

"Yes."

"Please transmit the situation to the other party members."

"Understood!"

Arga threw himself down the battlements.

Leo, remaining on the battlements, intently observed Gias.

Leo's eyes twitched as he looked at Gias, armed with gruesome, unfamiliar armor.

'…Two people?'

"That guy doesn't seem to be the past Gias, but the one I beheaded."

Leo turned his head at a voice from beside him.

There stood Dweno, stroking his beard.

Dweno, narrowing his eyes, said,

"And the armor he's wearing."

"It's something I've never seen before either."

"It seems he has consumed his past self."

"……Indeed."

Leo, who had sensed two Gias, understood.

"Crazy bastard."

Leo muttered, clicking his tongue softly.

"Leo! The party members are coming to prepare!"

Arga, who had transmitted the situation at tremendous speed, landed beside Leo.

"Leo, I'll go to the workshop and get the armor."

"…Please do."

"Has Brave been repaired?"

"Yes."

"Wow! As expected of Dweno-nim!"

Arga let out a cheer.

"Then I'll be going."

Dweno launched himself.

Then he glanced back.

He looked briefly at Leo and Arga standing unwavering on the battlements.

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

Kyle, the hero of the beginning, and Arion, the brave warrior.

Dweno smiled faintly as he looked at the unfamiliar yet familiar figures.

'You've gained excellent companions, Kyle.'

Dweno looked forward.

'I can trust them.'

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