Chapter 121
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Chapter 121
Light streamed down from above, and I initially mistook it for a passage connecting to the outside world. Unfortunately, it was not sunlight.
The ceiling was barred with wooden lattice, much like the grating of a sewer. Between the wooden bars, I could see torches flickering against the walls above.
It seemed we were beneath another level, not the outside.
"I'll need to climb upward."
There was no path forward anymore. It appeared the route I had taken was not an official passage but a shortcut.
Even on my toes, I couldn't reach the ceiling, so I had to jump. But no matter how hard I pushed, the lattice wouldn't budge. I tried leaping and scaling the walls, but lifting the bars proved impossible.
"Damn it."
I gave up for a moment and sat down in frustration.
There had to be another way in, which meant I'd need to retrace my steps and find a new entrance.
....
That seemed to be my only option, and the thought of wasted time troubled me deeply.
Then, a sudden question struck me.
'But who lit those torches on the upper level?'
There shouldn't be anyone here.
As I pondered this, I leaned my back against the wall—and it suddenly vanished. I tumbled backward without warning.
I had no idea what happened. Whether the wall had never existed or disappeared the moment I leaned against it remained a mystery.
I scrambled to my feet and rushed back into the original Underground Corridor. Where I had tried to lean, a gaping hole now revealed a new passage.
I peered into the newly opened path. Even with the torch held high, I couldn't discern what lay at its end.
"I'm growing uneasy—it feels like I'm descending deeper into a labyrinth."
Steeling myself, I gripped the torch firmly and ventured through the opening.
As I walked through yet another endless corridor,
the ground suddenly became spongy and gave way beneath my feet, sending me tumbling forward. The torch had illuminated only what lay directly ahead, leaving the floor obscured.
My feet sank deeper into what might have been a Swamp. Cursed ground.
I hastily threw the pack I was carrying toward what appeared to be relatively solid ground.
Then I thrashed about, trying to escape the Swamp. But the more I struggled, the deeper I sank.
Suddenly, several bleached bones erupted from the mud. They resembled skeletal arms, and they groped outward through the mire as if searching for something.
'Hell. If they grab me, I'm done for.'
I desperately tried to pull myself free, but my lower body was already completely submerged.
The Silver Earthworm coiled around my arm panicked, then scurried up my shoulder and over my head. It spewed flames at the bones rising from the Swamp, but the fire wouldn't catch. They were clearly imbued with magical power.
What were these things, and what did they want? Whatever it was, I begged them to let me go!
Then two skeletal hands near me found me and seized my shoulders with crushing force. The Silver Earthworm on my head bounced frantically, spewing fire, but it was useless.
I flailed my arms, reaching desperately toward solid ground, but it was too late. Something beneath me yanked my ankles with brutal strength.
I quickly hurled the Silver Earthworm from my head toward the solid ground.
"I'm sorry for throwing you, Silver Earthworm! Please survive!"
With those words, my entire body sank completely into the mud.
Resigned to death, I braced myself—when suddenly I fell through.
I jerked my head up in shock. The mud-covered ceiling above expelled me, writhed and churned for a moment, then flattened back to its original smooth surface.
"What in the world was that?"
I surveyed my surroundings, but darkness obscured most of what lay around me.
Just then, something fell from above with a soft thud. The creature wriggling toward me was none other than Silver Earthworm.
It had my bag strap clenched between its teeth. It must have followed me immediately when I sank into the mud.
"You're all I have."
My eyes grew hot. I pulled Silver Earthworm into an embrace and sniffled for a moment. As it nuzzled its head against my cheek, it lifted its head and surveyed our surroundings before spewing fire from its mouth. Thanks to that, my vision brightened for a brief moment.
I gasped in shock at the towering piles of skulls surrounding us and fell backward. Worse still, two skulls—apparently the ones that had dragged me down here—gripped both my ankles.
"Good heavens!"
I steadied my racing heart and shook off the skulls clutching my ankles. They fell limply to the ground like toys that had stopped functioning.
I retrieved a lighter from my bag. I still had some oil left from the torches, so I ignited it. Using the small flame to sustain my vision, I methodically surveyed the surroundings.
The space was remarkably confined. It resembled a tomb for these very skulls. The only apparent exit was the ceiling, which was covered by the swamp above.
Scattered across the floor were various objects that appeared to belong to the skulls.
I picked up a pendant and ring that caught my eye. They were a Rohade Family pendant and a priest's ring issued by the Papal See. It seemed people from both the Rohade Family and the Papal See had met their end here.
This confirmed the hypothesis that there were others on this Island besides us and Jenath. It appeared a great many people had lived here. The problem was that they were all dead.
Why would a tomb exist in such a place? And why were these skulls enchanted with magic? As if someone had been waiting for our arrival.
In another area, clothing lay scattered about. Combat uniforms of mages and holy knights.
The moment I saw mages' and holy knights' combat uniforms mingled together, the Divine-Demon War came to mind.
The design of the uniforms was unmistakably the newly modified combat gear from the recent Divine-Demon War.
Had these people been abducted to this Island during the Divine-Demon War?
Mages from the Rohade Family, priests, and knights who participated in the Romalisan Battle. They must surely be connected to one another.
"This Island really does seem to have been created for experimentation. The Papal See people who experimented on me mentioned that there was a list of test subjects. Jenath's name was mentioned too, and it seemed he was connected to them. Same with our Family."
I quietly recalled what Kaiden had told me.
The Rohade Family, which stood at the head of both the Papal See and the Tower of Magic, had maintained conflict for a thousand years.
But hearing about Kaiden's past experiments, it turned out that the Papal See and the Rohade Family, despite their mutual antagonism, had actually cooperated in secret experiments and created a list of test subjects.
The Divine-Demon War occurred after that period. Why did the two factions suddenly wage war? Had their relationship deteriorated?
But the fact that holy knights and mages wearing combat uniforms from the recently conducted Divine-Demon War were here meant they too had become test subjects.
That would mean the experiments were still ongoing and the relationship between the Rohade Family and the Papal See hadn't actually broken down.
If they maintained a cooperative relationship, why did the two factions wage war?
"...Could it be they waged war to gather sacrifices?"
Based on our deductions so far, the sacrifices offered to this Island were people with magical or divine power. And the way to extract talented individuals with magical power without drawing attention was through war.
The Papal See and the Tower of Magic, as the population with magical or divine power dwindled day by day, had wasted manpower by initiating the Divine-Demon War.
Among the countless battles that occurred, the Romalisan Battle was the most wasteful and produced the most casualties. This was because the Tower of Magic fell into an absurd scheme devised by the Temple.
Moreover, it was said that after the Romalisan Battle ended, the number of remains recovered was significantly fewer than the actual death toll and missing persons.
Could the reason the Rohade Family fell for the Papal See's ridiculous ploy have been that it was a staged war? To bring test subjects on a massive scale?
"Good Lord."
What kind of experiment required them to go to such lengths to gather test subjects?
While I remained lost in deep thought, Silver Earthworm scurried about this small tomb, searching. It was likely looking for an escape route.
But naturally, aside from the mud ceiling that had expelled us, everything was sealed shut. It was the kind of space that would instantly terrify anyone with claustrophobia. And with moving skulls no less.
It was my fault for coming this far despite knowing the danger.
'...I miss Enoch. And Kaiden too.'
I needed to share these newly discovered facts with them as soon as possible.
With that thought, I collapsed onto the ground, and Silver Earthworm approached, crawling up onto my lap.
I stroked the creature's scales and shouldered the bag that had fallen to the ground. Then I leaned against the wall and exhaled a weary sigh.
'There doesn't seem to be any way out. I need to find a way... but how?'
* * *
Everyone had lost their senses after Margaret disappeared.
Enoch and Kaiden's condition was particularly severe. It was different from when they had desperately rushed into the River. They looked like people who had lost all will to act, consumed by shock and self-recrimination.
While Kaiden and Enoch went to search the surrounding area to find Margaret, Rujeep tended to Diego, who had barely regained consciousness.
Though Diego's wounds were far from healed, he found his sword and rose to his feet.
"You should rest more, sir."
"That doesn't seem likely."
Diego answered Rujeep's words as he watched Enoch and Kaiden appear, covered in Monster blood.
Enoch and Kaiden had spent the entire afternoon tearing through the surrounding area in search of Margaret, slaughtering every Monster in sight.
Diego rose to his feet with his body full of wounds, insisting he could be of help. His expression was blank, as though he felt no pain whatsoever.
Enoch was the same way, and Rujeep found himself sighing, wondering if all knights were so insensitive to suffering.
"Still, please just rest."
Having dissuaded Diego, Rujeep turned toward Enoch and Kaiden.
The two sat on the ground in a daze, their appearances haggard. Their faces looked as though the world itself had crumbled.
Rujeep understood that they were whipping themselves, drowning in self-blame.
Since Margaret disappeared, the two had neither rested nor eaten nor slept.
All the while muttering, "It's my fault."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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