episode_0501

The convoy soon arrived at the ‘Quarry’, the capital of Doomheim.

This city was carved out of a huge stone mountain and was like a castle wall.

It is said that this place was originally a huge quarry.

It is said that the founding king of Dumheim, Hansen Schweinsteiger, who was a stonemason, built a village for people to live in and made the Vienna Common his palace.

Because the cavernous mountains and tunnels were his pride.

The Dberg carved a mountain for the king and carved his face.

The reason the capital was named Quarry was because it was the name of the king.

It is said that according to his will, Dvergu was originally a frugal and altruistic demi-human.

But that too is a thing of the past.

Now it is just a street of pleasure.

Women who cling to the carriage and tempt with seductive expressions.

They were seducing nobles while being ‘fully armed’ as they were commonly called.

“Count Arsiof! Welcome!”

Deberg quickly approaches and looks at me and smiles.

“Nice to meet you.”

I greeted him lightly.

Dverg turned his gaze towards the wagon.

“That thing…”

“This is a gift from Habstenburg. Just a hundred pieces of silk.”

“···Silk?”

A look of puzzlement appeared on Deverg’s face.

“This is a rare cloth produced only in Habstenburg. I’m sure Stefan will like it too.”

“I would like to thank Habstenburg for his congratulations. Please keep them all in the warehouse.”

“Yes! We will guide you to the accommodation where you two will stay.”

“No. I plan to just buy souvenirs and go back right away.”

Even though it was a castle where dwarves lived, the ceiling was quite high.

Not only was it not enough to place luxury goods on the floor, but the palace was so extravagant that even the places you couldn’t reach were so extravagant that it reminded you of a church from the Middle Ages that was designed to show off luxury.

Ornn, Romaria, Karizab, Niflheim Republic… you can see envoys and workers from numerous places.

“Is that so? This is so unfortunate. ah! Did you have a meal?”

“I haven’t done it yet.”

“In that case, you should at least have a meal at the banquet hall! All kinds of delicacies are available!”

The dwarf handed me his badge.

“If you show this, you can freely enter the banquet hall.”

“Thank you. Convoy! I’ll be back in an hour, so get ready to leave!”

“Yes!”

The reason they followed me was just to get this badge.

The escorts will leave on their own even if I don’t return.

“Get drugs and weapons. I will be back by midnight.”

“Sure.”

Alex melts into the crowd.

I immediately turned my face back to Lian.

First, we explored the castle and identified the movement of soldiers and people.

restaurant. Barracks in the castle. leg. A wall that can burn.

After understanding the terrain, I searched for a place where the prince might be.

But the prince was nowhere to be seen in the palace.

‘I think it would be better to investigate.’

I walked around quietly with my ears open.

“It’s a truly grand banquet.”

“I think this year marks the 40th anniversary of the King’s accession to the throne.”

This is a young person.

“For Deberg, it was wine, not beer… If the late king had seen it, he would have rolled his eyes.”

“Times have changed. We seem to be old.”

These are young and old people.

“People who are famous in the political world have all gathered.”

“But where is the main guest of the banquet?”

“Ah, the king will only come at night. I think you always eat together with your family.”

“What? Anyway, does it make sense for you not to appear at the banquet? At least send your family and friends!”

“You know? Hey.”

What he was targeting were his concubines and their children.

Judging from their behavior and speech, they seemed to be merchants pretending to be nobles.

‘I can’t believe the other country doesn’t give honorifics to the royal family.’

It was to the point where anyone who saw it might misunderstand that it meant fighting.

“Who are the queen and crown prince?”

“The Queen will appear at a banquet with the King in a few hours. The prince… is not the kind of person to show his face at a banquet.”

“Why aren’t you coming? It’s my father’s birthday!”

“That person is the real Deberg. You took out the previous king and put him in. I bet you know the price of the item you’re trying to sell better than you, right?”

I sat down in a corner and pulled Anne, who held my hand.

Only then did she appear.

“Anne.”

“Yes.”

“Can you sneak into the king’s banquet hall?”

I pointed to the banquet hall with my eyes.

Anne seemed to understand at a glance because it was a fancy door at first glance.

“By hiding?”

“I would like you to eavesdrop on what the royals are talking about.”

“Yes! I’ll be back!”

“Thank you very much.”

Anne hops away from me with light steps.

This is all I can ask of Anne.

Because she is the representative of the human being, not the seven servants.

I sat in the corner of the banquet hall and looked out the window.

Outside the window, the king’s iron room, said to be the hottest in Pangea, boasted a rugged and solid appearance.

A haze flows from the chimney of the blacksmith’s furnace in the iron room.

But there is no gray smoke to accompany it.

‘Are you heating the oven with a flame?’

It meant that someone was about to hammer it.

The sound of hitting a railroad chuck is a roar comparable to a gunshot.

So much so that the sound echoed even in the banquet hall.

There would be no way for a single craftsman to push ahead with his work while taking such dissonance into account.

‘It appears to be the prince’s studio.’

There was a need to investigate.

Pretending to be walking in the garden, I secretly glanced around the iron room.

The smell of gunpowder, iron, and various chemicals tickle my nose in harmony.

However, there were limitations to investigating from a distance.

I had no choice but to pretend to be a spectator and walk ahead.

How close did it get like that?

“Stop.”

Two Devergs carrying heavy crossbows on their backs were staring down at me from the top of the iron room.

“Entry is prohibited here.”

He didn’t aim his weapon at me, but he looks like he will if he gets the chance.

I looked at them and took a step back.

“Oh, is that so? The armor hanging there was so cool that I thought it was an exhibition hall.”

“You have eyes to see.”

“It’s such a shame. A time has come when armor has declined.”

I leisurely turned around and took in the structure inside the outer wall of the iron room.

‘Security is tight.’

Two at the front door.

Two in the watchtower above.

There are many vents, but they are not big enough for a person to fit through.

There are no windows.

‘It’s almost like a bunker?’

Besides the front door, the only other route of entry is the chimney.

However, if you go there, you will experience the heat of the hottest furnace in Pangea.

Due to the characteristics of Tverg’s body, the crossbow’s shaft is small and made of sturdy steel.

‘This type of crossbow has a short distance.’

Even if it gets stuck in a person’s body at about 100m, its anti-personnel stopping power is weak.

If you are discovered, you will have to run away to as wide a place as possible.

I entered the banquet hall, went up to the upper floor, and looked out the window at the iron room.

There was nothing on the roof other than the vent.

As expected, it wasn’t big enough for a person to fit in.

It was clear that this was to prevent the heat from escaping from the iron room.

Clap!

The door to the banquet hall opens with a loud sound.

Soon, three young Dvergs appeared.

Among them, the younger Deberg walked forward, passing the burly, man-like Deverg.

─Your Majesty the King and the Queen! The Crown Prince has arrived!

I looked down at them quietly.

The King and Queen welcomed the guests warmly, but the Crown Prince passed through the crowd of guests and left the banquet hall.

I quietly jumped out the window and followed the crown prince.

“We need more black iron. A fire that can last for an hour.”

“We will fill it up by tomorrow.”

It seemed that the prince’s attendants were also unable to enter the iron room.

In other words, if you are in there, you can have a chance to meet the prince alone.

“I went there.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Was there any unusual gossip?”

“It was a very close-knit family. And it seems like the king wants to retire?”

“Yes?”

“He whined that he wanted to retire and live comfortably. I think the crown prince is not interested in the throne either.”

I looked at Stefan enjoying the banquet inside the window.

He is smiling and sipping wine.

Beside me, a sturdy guardian knight was looking at me.

The distance is over 50m.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like it, but I’m sure it was looking at me.

‘Are you looking at me?’

─How?

He narrowed his eyes and leisurely avoided eye contact.

“You weren’t caught inside, right?”

“There was a strange man. There was some fruit that looked delicious, so I grabbed some and ate it, and he was looking at me.”

impossible.

No one except servants or Dantalian’s agents can see Anne.

“So I thought I was visible, but I wasn’t.”

“Why not?”

“The body passed through. It felt like he was reading my presence rather than seeing me.”

“Can you explain?”

“You heard that in the past, Lee was able to read other people’s minds or find invisible people, right?”

The reason that was possible was because I was Dantalian’s agent.

That means two things.

The other person is either brainwashed by a hallucination or a ‘head’.

‘It’s probably not the head.’

Too long a period of time has passed to be considered a headache.

I don’t know if it’s a long-lived species, but if it’s a human being, it’s time for even the bones to return to the dust.

Alex strides through the crowd towards me.

His expression was not very bright.

“Did things not go well?”

“There is an Immortal inside the castle.”

A conclusion came naturally.

─That guardian knight was brainwashed by a hallucination.

“I don’t know what kind of trick it is, but keep it in mind.”

Alex throws something at me.

It was the anesthetic I had ordered.

“Do not enter the banquet hall and do not show it. The king’s guardian knight is an immortal who was brainwashed by a hallucination.”

Alex came to the blind spot and sat on the garden bench with his back to the window.

“······Did I recognize you?”

“No. But we made eye contact.”

“How will you handle it?”

“I’m sick of killing now.”

Alex snorted.

It was a sound that was bound to come out.

“People with children all talk like you. Those who say things like that are one of two people. Retire or die.”

“I will not retire and I will not die.”

“You can’t kill immortals anymore, right?”

“But I know my weaknesses.”

“···The guy in there is no ordinary person. This guy is capable of transformation.”

When killing an immortal capable of resistance to transformation, I used Lindtbrurum’s poison.

Still, I couldn’t die.

‘It tore off its limbs and spread its ribs and crawled away like a bug.’

I don’t even know where the vital spot is, and if I stab it, it will get better quickly.

Moreover, he is even wearing armor.

You can tell by looking at the armament that Alex brought, but nothing can even scratch that knight.

“Is there a Yongdog in the branch?”

“Just having such a hideous thing makes you a target of the dragon.”

“What about neurotoxins or paralyzing poisons?”

“There is.”

“Please stop by the branch and take care of it. Better do the rest tomorrow.”

The banquet hall and the king’s iron room are too close.

In order to take out the security guard stationed in front of the iron room, there is no choice but to make noise.

In the meantime, if a guardian knight pops out, it becomes impossible to handle it.

“When tomorrow?”

“The king listens to the people’s complaints and reads appeals until the evening. A guardian knight must protect his side.”

“Do you mean to do the work in broad daylight?”

“A little faster. It would be best to finish before lunch.”

There won’t be anyone barging into the banquet hall in broad daylight.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Anne looks up at me.

I developed a desire to do things comfortably.

This is something that can be completed right away with this person’s help.

‘If only I had known the meaning of the servant who is nowhere to be found.’

Servants confiscate the power or deprive agents of their positions if they go against their wishes.

Wasn’t Edeline like that too?

“Yes. Not available right now.”

“You know.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Just talking to myself.”

“Don’t do anything to attract people’s attention.”

“Yes. Let’s go in and rest today.”

First, Alex stands up.

“Why don’t you rely on me?”

“I don’t know the intentions of the servant who is nowhere to be found. A servant may confiscate his power if the agent abuses it or goes against his will.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Anne smiles at me.

But it looked awkward to me.

“Before I met Lee, I did all sorts of strange things.”

“Have you ever killed someone or been involved in their death?”

“······.”

“A servant who is nowhere to be found is a human being. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I don’t trust my servant.”

I grabbed Anne’s hand and dragged her.

“Still, the information you found out today was very helpful.”

“Really?”

“Sure.”

I walked over to Alex, who was looking at this place from afar with Anne smiling brightly.

* * * * * *

During breakfast and lunch, I walked around the area and secured an escape route.

‘The variable is the prince’s reaction.’

If conversation fails, there is no choice but to kidnap.

Considering its size, it is clear that even if it cannot fight, its strength is ridiculously strong.

‘In that case, I have no choice but to cut the tendon.’

Alex was lying down next to me, assembling the bow.

“Please do not kill him, just subdue him. I will take care of the rest.”

“···Do whatever you want.”

I poured myself some strong alcohol that I had found at the banquet hall.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ll show you something cool. Hide.”

After stuffing several prescription medicines into my mouth, I shouted for them to listen from the rooftop of the banquet hall.

“I will become a bird───!!!”

“······?!”

Alex is shocked.

The attention of the guards in the iron room was focused on me.

“Watch me fly───!!!”

I jumped into the wall of the iron room and landed on my head and back.

─Puddeuddeuk!

“Kuhuhhh…?!”

When I slowly open one eye, I see Alex looking down at me from the roof.

The soldiers were all rushing towards me due to the sudden situation.

“···Yes, a person committed suicide!”

“You become a bird?! Why are there all these idiots?!”

“Huh?! The smell of alcohol!”

“Look! Are you okay?! ······Your neck is broken, right?!”

Alex quietly jumps down, aiming at the embarrassed Deverg.

I chewed the medicine I kept in my mouth and swallowed it.