Chapter 89

"It's coming."

Almost the moment the words left the man’s mouth, rope-like tentacles—flexible as whips—shot out from the interior of the sphere toward Hugo and the others.

Hugo reflexively drew the halberd from his back to retaliate. He parried the first strike and severed the second, but he couldn't keep up with the third. It coiled around his left ankle and yanked him off his feet, leaving him suspended upside down in mid-air.

"Whoa!?"

Falling and being hoisted into the air hadn't actually caused much damage, but the sudden loss of mobility sent a spike of panic through him. He tried to maneuver his halberd to break the restraint, but in such an unstable position, he risked accidentally hacking off his own leg. As he hesitated, his freefall suddenly resumed.

He slammed into the ground with a groan, but scrambled away to put distance between himself and the sphere. The robed man stepped into the gap to take his place. Moving with erratic, fluid motions, the man parried every incoming tentacle as he shouted his orders.

"You two! Take that and get to the surface!"

The instruction was directed at the two porters. Hugo looked over and saw a slender straight sword thrust into the wall right next to where they stood.

The sword had likely been the item inside the treasure chest. The man must have thrown it to sever the tentacles coiling around Hugo while simultaneously delivering it to the pair. He was keeping his companions out of the line of fire.

Following the man’s lead, the two pulled the sword from the wall and retreated back the way they had come. The man stood his ground, blocking the sphere as it attempted to pursue them. Hugo pulled himself up and stood beside him, his voice raised in a shout.

"Hey, let's get out of here too!"

"That thing is a watchdog. It will hunt us down to recover the stolen treasure."

"You call that thing a dog? That's too damn cute! I don't care what it is, let's just outrun it!"

"Yes, we could probably escape. The two of us, at least."

Hugo was left speechless by the man’s words. The "Tyrant" wasn't moving; his eyes remained fixed on the enemy. Hugo finally understood: he was staying here to hold back this mechanical monster so it wouldn't slaughter his comrades or any other adventurers who might still be trapped in the ruins.

Because Hugo had driven the Spiral Moles into a frenzy, most other adventurers would have sensed the danger and fled. But if anyone had stayed behind or failed to notice the anomaly, encountering this monster would be their death sentence.

There was no good outcome if they fled now. The best plan was to finish it here.

How many people could remain this calm in the face of such a bizarre, sudden threat and make a selfless judgment without a second thought? This alone proved that the man had survived countless life-or-death battlefields.

In fact, he could have easily sacrificed Hugo to secure his own escape. In that situation, Hugo would have fought desperately to save himself, making him the perfect pawn to buy time.

And yet, the man had protected him without hesitation. Now, he held his sword ready to ensure his comrades—and any other adventurers who might exist—remained safe.

The man was arrogant, fearless, selfish, and a tyrant. But maybe, just maybe, he was actually a man of deep compassion.

"...Fine, whatever. So we just have to kill this thing and everyone's happy, right?"

"What? You’re staying?"

"I'm not such a coward that I'd tuck tail and leave you here alone!"

"I won't save you a second time."

"I'm telling you, I could've dodged that if you’d shouted louder! What was with that bored-sounding 'It’s coming'? You sounded like a tiny bird chirping in the morning!"

"The only one chirping is you. You're effectively admitting you can't dodge anything without my help. It seems you haven't realized your own logic is falling apart, birdbrain."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

While they traded barbs, a fierce battle unfolded that was every bit as intense as their argument. Given its massive size, the monster’s arm attacks were heavy, but they lacked speed. The high-speed tentacles compensated for this, handling both offense and defense with fluid ease.

To make matters worse, no matter how many tentacles they cut off, new ones sprouted from the sphere's interior instantly. They landed a few strikes on the main body, but its outer shell was so hard that nothing proved decisive. Dozens of their coordinated attacks were repelled.

"Dammit! There's no end to this!"

"Whining already? After talking so big?"

"I'm not whining! You're hearing things!"

Hugo barked back, riled up by the man’s provocation.

They hadn't found a winning opening yet, but Hugo didn't feel any real panic. The reason was simple: it was surprisingly easy to fight alongside this man.

It wasn't that the enemy was weak. It was the robed man’s coordination.

Whenever Hugo’s reach fell short, a follow-up attack landed. His defensive openings were covered perfectly. It was as if the man had completely mastered Hugo’s combat style and range; he never once intruded into Hugo’s personal space.

In fact, he facilitated Hugo’s reckless charges by shattering the enemy’s guard or crushing their movements before they could start. Whenever Hugo followed the sharp instructions—"Duck!" or "Jump back!"—attacks he hadn't even noticed sliced through the air, missing him by a hair’s breadth.

The man was reading the enemy’s attacks and range perfectly. Hugo couldn't even fathom how much experience was required to reach such a level of mastery.

But having such a man as an ally was the ultimate reassurance.

"Alright, fine! I'll end this with my best shot!"

Hugo roared to fire himself up. By now, he had finally figured out the man’s game.

The man was testing him. He could likely have destroyed this monster alone if he truly wanted to, but he was choosing to focus entirely on supporting Hugo.

He didn't know why, but if the man wanted a show, he’d give him one.

"I'm leaving the cover to you!"

"You've got some nerve trying to order me around."

Despite the remark, the man stood his ground and guarded firmly, acting as a shield to ensure Hugo wasn't interrupted as he focused his strength.

'Reliable bastard,' Hugo thought, a smirk tugging at his lips. Even though they had met only hours ago, he didn't feel a shred of doubt about fighting at this man’s side. He found the feeling strange, but he didn't hate it.

Then, at the exact moment Hugo’s concentration peaked, the man’s sword swept through a bundle of tentacles, carving a straight path to the core of the enemy. Overtaking the man, Hugo’s muscles bulged with power as he swung his halberd down with every ounce of his strength.

"『Strong Slash - Rough Waves』!!"

A massive shockwave tore through the earth. Gouging the ground and amplifying its power as it raced forward, the strike looked like a violent surge in a stormy sea.

Unable to defend or evade, the spherical monster took the full force of the finishing move. Like a small boat swallowed by a gargantuan wave, it was dragged down into oblivion without the slightest hope of resistance.

◇

"Phew... is the exit still not here...?"

"If you have enough breath to complain, use it to walk faster."

It had been some time since they defeated the monster the man called a watchdog. With no reason to linger, they were trudging toward the surface in silence when Hugo’s grumbling earned him a sharp reprimand.

Well, he was only able to complain because he’d made it back alive. With that in mind, Hugo decided to ask the question that had been eating at him.

"Hey."

"What?"

"That monster earlier. Why did you leave it to me? I’m pretty sure you could've won way easier on your own."

"Is that all?"

The man dismissed the question with a scoff.

"Consider it a lesson. Let the experience discourage you from any more reckless explorations."

'So that's what it was,' Hugo thought, satisfied.

Hugo had nearly died because he ignored the basics of ruin exploration and sent the Spiral Moles into a frenzy. Worse, he’d endangered every other adventurer in the area. If he had died alone, it would have been one thing, but he would have never forgiven himself if he’d gotten others killed.

The man had been forcing him to take responsibility.

"Yeah. I'll take it to heart."

"See that you do."

"Can I ask one more thing?"

"...What?"

"You're not an adventurer, are you? Why are you diving into ruins like this?"

"...What makes you say that?"

"You clearly don't know the first thing about standard ruin procedures. Plus, you didn't care about the treasure or items at all, except for that sword at the end. Was that your goal all along?"

If so, this man had entered the ruins specifically knowing the sword was there. That was a fascinating thought in its own right.

After a long silence, the man spoke, his words measured.

"Are you familiar with the items known as Secret Treasures?"

"I mean, I've heard the legends... Wait, you don't mean..."

"The sword from earlier is one of them."

"No way! Secret Treasures are just fairy tales, right?"

"Believe what you like."

The man insisted it was real with such absolute certainty that Hugo found himself at a loss for words.

While it seemed unbelievable, it made sense if the man himself was an anomaly. His terrifying strength, his knowledge of ancient civilizations, and his bizarre companions—if they were a team assembled specifically to claim Secret Treasures sleeping in the depths of ruins, their strange composition and focus made sense.

"Currently, there are those digging up Secret Treasures across the continent. They will go as far as stealing them even if they already have owners."

"Excavating them is one thing, but theft? That sounds messy."

"The theft itself is irrelevant. The problem is what they intend to do once they've gathered the Secret Treasures."

"Probably sell them to some rich collector and retire?"

"...If only it were that simple."

"Don't give me that cryptic crap. So, you're hunting Secret Treasures just to keep them away from those guys?"

"Something like that. For your information, the ones stealing the treasures are a trio clad in black robes who never utter a single word."

"Huh... Wait, that's exactly how you guys look!"

Hugo jumped back, putting distance between them.

The man laughed at his reaction, a cold, mocking sound.

"Perfect. Whether we’re the real ones or not, the 'trio in black robes' will now become a household name."

"...So that was your play. Damn, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

Hugo calmed down, realizing he’d been played.

If this man were actually the thief, he wouldn't have bothered explaining his identity to a stranger. Based on his behavior, it was actually the opposite: he was dressing and acting that way to draw attention to the real culprits. If word spread about today’s events, a trio in black robes would become the focus of attention for adventurers and the public alike. That would make it much harder for the real thieves to move. In short, he was pinning his own activities on the thieves to smoke them out. It was a slow method, but effective.

Thinking further, Hugo realized the two companions who didn't speak were probably just imitating the silent thieves. It was hard to believe there were that many mute people running around in the same group.

He found himself wondering why this man was going to such lengths, but before he could ask, the man turned the tables.

"Why do you dive into ruins?"

"To find treasure and strike it rich, obviously!"

"A motive thoroughly steeped in greed."

"Of course it is! I'm an adventurer, aren't I?"

Hugo laughed heartily at the sarcasm.

In this day and age, choosing the life of an adventurer was proof that a person wasn't entirely sane. While finding a legendary treasure could set someone up for life, the number of people who actually achieved that was so small it was barely worth mentioning. It was a statistical impossibility that everyone chased anyway.

Plenty of people looked down on adventurers as fools for risking their lives for a dream, and most adventurers were self-aware enough to know they were being idiots.

In terms of danger, it was no different than joining the Knight Order or the national army, but unlike those who died for their country, an adventurer’s death wasn't noble. They died as monster fodder, or by tripping a trap, or getting lost, or in a rockslide. It was always their own fault for seeking out danger.

There were scholars who approached ancient ruins for historical research, but they made up less than a thousandth of the population and weren't really "adventurers" in the traditional sense.

That was why parents encouraged children who dreamed of being knights but beat the idea out of anyone who wanted to be an adventurer. Hugo still remembered the weight of his father’s fist.

"And yet, you’re wasting your time idling here?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The Kadis Ruins. What you seek is there."

Go there, the man told him.

The Kadis Ruins weren't large, and they were supposed to have been fully explored. Hugo had been there once himself, but it had been an empty shell with nothing of note.

But if there were hidden layers there too, like in the Hybar Ruins... and if there were treasures waiting in those depths... This advice came from a man who seemed to know exactly where the Secret Treasures were. It was impossible to ignore.

But why was this man giving him this information? Hugo had done nothing but take from him; he hadn't earned a single favor.

"Hey, who are you—"

"Hey, you guys! Get out here, now!"

Just as he was about to ask, a panicked, booming voice cut him off. Hugo looked past the man’s shoulder toward the tunnel that led back to the dome where the Spiral Mole corpses were piled.

They had reached the entrance to the dome without even realizing it. As they stepped out, Hugo saw that while the blood remained, about half the monster corpses had already been cleared away.

News of the anomaly must have reached the adventurers at the base, and they had mobilized to clean up the mess. This was work Hugo should have been leading, and a heavy weight of guilt settled in his chest.

But first, there was something he had to confirm.

"Is anyone dead? How many injured?"

"Some injuries, but they’re all minor. According to the manifest, you guys were the last ones left inside."

Exploring ruins required signing a manifest. In an emergency, it was the only way to track who was still missing.

Hugo knew it was selfish to be happy, but the news brought him immense relief.

"What took you so long to get out? What the hell were you doing?"

"I... I have no excuse..."

Hugo withered under the other man’s scolding. He decided that mentioning the secret depths of the ruins would only cause more chaos, so he prioritized the cleanup for now.

But before that, he had to take responsibility for the disaster. He turned around, intending to tell the man to distance himself so he wouldn't be dragged into the trouble—but the man was gone.

He looked around frantically, but there was no sign of him. He had vanished like smoke. It couldn't have been an illusion—Hugo wouldn't be alive if it were—so the man must have simply had a reason to avoid being seen by a crowd.

"Hey, listen..."

"What? If you're healthy enough to talk, start hauling corpses."

"It's about that. I... I have to apologize."

Now, Hugo could confess his mistake honestly.

His only regret was that he never got to ask for the man’s name.

◇

"...I see. Harold has already claimed the Secret Treasure from the ruins."

At the report, a rare sound of surprise escaped Justus’s lips.

He had suspected that one of the Secret Treasures lay at the bottom of the Hybar Ruins where Harold had headed, but he hadn't expected the path to be so simple.

The ruins were notoriously difficult; professional adventurers had attempted them in groups for years and failed. There were legitimate reasons for that failure. Justus had predicted that even Harold would struggle, perhaps eventually forcing his way through with raw power.

And yet, according to the report, Harold had navigated the mechanisms without a moment’s hesitation, securing the treasure in a single day.

It was an exceptional performance, one worthy of praise.

However, the lingering doubts Justus had held toward Harold were now hardened into absolute conviction.

He had known Harold was an anomaly from the very beginning.

Initially, he had approached Harold thinking to use him as a strong pawn. But upon meeting him, Justus had realized intuitively: they were the same.

Harold’s eyes held a will that would stop at nothing to achieve its goal.

The result of that will had been the defense against the Sarian Empire’s invasion. But the more Justus investigated that incident, the more inexplicable it became.

First: how had Harold known the invasion was coming? The plan was supposed to be a catalyst to obtain Stella Clan guinea pigs while simultaneously discrediting the Knight Order and ruining or subverting Vincent van Westervoort, a potential obstacle to the plan.

Instead, a child who had entered the knights at a record-breaking age had stopped the invasion and killed the enemy general.

If he were merely a genius, it would have been acceptable. But Harold was an irregular.

He had appeared in the Bertis Forest wearing a Sarian Imperial Uniform to alert the knights to the true identity of the enemy. Such a move required advance knowledge of the invasion.

Furthermore, he had only been in a position to do so because he had joined the knights at thirteen—an age that should have been impossible. It meant Harold had been planning for this long before the event.

That theory was supported by the fact that Harold had led a private faction in that battle that belonged to neither the knights, the Empire, nor the Stella Clan. The reduced death toll was largely thanks to them.

It was only logical to conclude that Harold had detected the invasion far in advance.

Justus had never identified that private faction, but he assumed they were Harold’s personal followers or Sumeragi assets. Either way, the preparation was far too elaborate to be a coincidence.

Despite these suspicions, Justus had taken him as a pawn because he was curious about Harold’s ultimate destination. Would he walk the path of destruction like Justus, or would he make a different choice with those same eyes?

Even now, Justus didn't quite understand why he cared. Perhaps for the first time in years, something other than research had piqued his curiosity. It was likely an instinct rather than logic.

But he could no longer afford such curiosity.

In these ruins, Harold had deciphered the characters of a lost civilization. This was something even Justus could not do, as no legitimate historical records remained.

In this era, it should have been impossible for any human in this world.

So how had Harold done it?

If it were an isolated incident, he might have assumed Harold’s family possessed secret records. But combined with the Bertis Forest incident, that explanation failed.

One miracle could be a fluke. But repeating a miracle with such impossible odds meant it wasn't a fluke—it was a necessity.

And to create such an outcome, one "must know" in advance. They must know the future.

The Sarian invasion, the translation of the Ancient Script, and perhaps even Justus’s plan itself. Harold might "know" everything. At their first meeting, Harold had known his name. He had recognized Justus Freund before a single word was spoken.

And he had said: "What is a man like you doing here?" At the time, Justus thought he was being addressed as a famous scientist. But what if those words were spoken because Harold knew Justus’s true nature?

A sound—half-lament, half-sigh—echoed through Justus’s research room. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

"So it’s you... You will be my greatest obstacle, Harold Stokes. You destroyer with the same eyes as mine."

It was ironic. His curiosity—his greatest weapon—had turned its fangs on him at the very end.

"But that is as it should be," Justus laughed. The realization felt like a divine revelation; for a moment, even the atheist Justus offered a prayer of thanks.

Why had he kept Harold close despite his suspicion? It must have been so that he could kill the man who would be his greatest obstacle with his own hands.

"I thank you as well, Harold, for giving your life to prove my love. You, and you alone, I will surely kill."

There was no anger on his face. As he spoke to the empty room, his expression was filled with nothing but deep, twisted affection.