Chapter 23
Master of the Ruined Castle
After following Leira through the sewers for quite a while, she suddenly asked:
“By the way, did the master give any instructions about our accommodations?”
“Accommodations?”
“Where we’ll sleep, how we’ll eat… and whether you’re to be treated as one of the servants like us, or as an official guest of the master… little things like that.”
“Ah… that.”
Damn. Here it comes.
I racked my brain. How was I going to get out of this? Think! I don’t want to die again! I’m sick and tired of waking up in this sewer to go on some exciting adventure!
After much deliberation, I carefully replied:
“I was told everything would be left up to Leira. That you’d explain everything to me… That’s all I know.”
I had unknowingly started pushing the absent Halsenberg into the role of a master manipulator.
It was a gamble. It might be easy to get past this immediate crisis, but what if this Halsenberg fellow was a stickler for principles? There was a good chance my lie could be exposed right away.
Anxiously watching her, Leira paused after some contemplation and stopped in her tracks. She let out a heavy sigh.
“You’re dumping this all on me again, aren’t you? I guess I understand, but…”
She muttered sadly, a bitter smile gracing her lips briefly before disappearing. I almost thought I had imagined it.
Still, she quickly resumed her usual poker face and continued walking.
“Then I’ll show you to an empty room first. Although this castle is practically a ghost town, there are plenty of vacant rooms in the main house.”
“Ah… alright.”
We didn’t exchange any significant words after that. Leira seemed to be lost in thought as she walked straight ahead, and I didn’t feel the need to get particularly friendly with her, so I didn’t bother talking either.
We met quite a few groups of goblins along the way, but Leira disposed of them all with her ghost-like swordsmanship, or by swinging an iron ball like a windmill until they were crushed in an instant.
As Leira wiped blood clots off the iron ball, she muttered:
“Hmm. There seem to be more goblins lately, is it breeding season or something? I’m starting to get tired now.”
It would be more surprising if she weren’t tired.
I watched her kill at least 100 goblins, probably more. Everything I’ve slain so far definitely doesn’t amount to what Leira took down in just the last hour.
We were advancing without hindrance when we soon reached the end of the right sewer channel. And I inadvertently murmured in amazement.
“L-, Light…”
Light.
An old rope ladder was attached to the sewer wall, and above it, a beam of faint light was seeping through a hole. That light, which made one feel warm just by looking at it, was clearly sunlight – the light of the outside world.
While I, who resembled someone on the verge of tears, stood there, Leira tilted her head.
“Why, you’re reacting like someone who’s been trapped in the sewer for several dozen days.”
“…Ah, no. I just… It’s surprising even after this short time… Haha…”
I hurriedly turned my head, making an excuse.
Of course, it was only a short time for this life’s me. But considering I remember everything from my previous life, it feels like I’ve been trapped for dozens of days.
Her accurate understanding of my feelings was impressive. Was this the female intuition? Or was it just that this woman was particularly perceptive?
“Climb up. To the Halsenberg Castle.”
“…Alright.”
I gulped and proceeded outside immediately. Plomp, plomp. I ascended one step at a time on the ladder soaked in the sewer’s moisture. As I went higher, the light grew stronger. By the time I realized it, my eyes were squinting unconsciously from becoming accustomed to the darkness.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, the surrounding area became bright.
Cold air rushed to embrace my cheeks all at once. While blinking my eyes tightly, I eagerly inhaled the cold air. My heart felt like it was freezing, but the refreshingly crisp air was on another level compared to the suffocating atmosphere specific to the sewer.
We’re outside.
We’ve finally made it outside.
This is practically the first time I’m stepping on this accursedly unfair alternative world’s soil!
“Ugh… my eyes…”
I rubbed my eyes continuously trying to take in my surroundings. When Leira, who had shaken off her clothes and stood beside me, I blinked to adjust my vision.
I froze, standing like a rock.
“What’s got you so surprised? You’ve seen it before.”
While I was blankly staring at the castle in front of me, Leira suddenly said and urged me to move. Her surprising expression didn’t seem usual for her, probably embarrassed by my reaction.
While moving my gaze around the surroundings as I followed Leira’s urging and headed toward the castle, Leira joined me.
The high castle walls marked the boundary, and bodies lay randomly around, covered with snow.
Farms filled with rotten plants had crows flying around, enjoying their sumptuous feasts.
The snow soaked with blood and layered again by frozen blood, covered by fresh snow.
Weeds growing wildly in spots along with the gloomy looking castle walls. And one castle standing eerily quiet among them. The torn flags flapping in the strong wind gave the castle the feeling of a horror version of medieval times than Disney’s dream garden no matter how hard one tried.
“This is…”
The ruined castle.
Just as Leira had said in my previous life, the stark appearance of the fallen fortress was laid out before me.
…
“Ugh.”
Late at night, around 30 minutes had passed since my arrival at the ruined Halsenberg Castle.
During this time that could be considered short but felt long, I sat on the bed in the room assigned to me by Leira. There, I repeatedly pondered over the panel that had appeared before my eyes.
Speaking of this panel, it arrived when I had yet to recover from the shock of the Halsenberg scenery, just as I stepped into the nearly collapsed castle.
[Quest Triggered!]
[Name: Escape from the Ruined Castle]
[Difficulty: Legendary]
[Details: The 131st trial of Mittelrand for becoming an official hero. Although it was abolished due to an abnormal increase in difficulty, it has been specially revised for the Egg Guardian. Escape from the cursed ruined castle of Halsenberg by any means necessary.]
[Reward: Official Hero Title, Tier 1 Random Box – The Reaper’s Gift, All Stats +20, Hero Sense +5]
It was the quest panel, the one that I was familiar with.
Well, quests are good. They’re an essential element in games, and the content is pretty straightforward. It even clearly states my objective, which is good.
Moreover, there’s a reward for completing it. Considering it awards ‘Hero Sense,’ which is usually impossible to increase, it seems the ‘tampering with the dice of the gods’ from the previous description refers to this sort of quest that’s systematized.
Alright, everything is fine. Except for one thing. Just one thing that’s bothering me…
“…Difficulty is Legendary?”
Every item or skill registered in this development system, including the quest, has a grade. This grading system will seem very familiar to those who have played RPGs.
Based on what I just checked with the Eye of Mimir:
[Detailed Info – Grade]
[An item that classifies all items, skills, and quests registered in the Gaiyalant World Tree System into hierarchies. There are a total of five grades from lowest to highest: Common, Advanced, Rare, Relic, and Legendary.]
[Common: Average difficulty/rarity/performance.]
[Advanced: Slightly enhanced difficulty/rarity/performance.]
[Rare: Difficult to adapt to difficulty/rarely found rarity/clear high performance.]
[Relic: One in ten thousand difficulty/one in a thousand rarity/tactical grade performance.]
[Legendary: World-class difficulty/rarity/performance.]
Looking back at the quest panel, the difficulty was still marked as Legendary.
I muttered, watching it.
“A world-class level of difficulty…”
Yeah. Thinking about it now, it could rightfully be called legendary.
This world just throws newcomers into monster-infested sewers and then unleashes a homicidal monster maid for good measure.
I died dozens of times already. I just got here because I respawned like in Super Mario.
If you just had one life, no matter how many people came in a group, they’d all become cold corpses at some point, each owning plots in the cemetery at the end of the sewer.
“Of course… other heroes couldn’t have possibly gone through this trial. Probably.”
I furrowed my brows and clicked my tongue, cursing the one in charge like there was no tomorrow.
The reason I thought that was simple. The phrase “abnormally increased difficulty, abolished, revisited for the Egg Guardian” in the quest’s detailed description proved it.
Let me break it down.
The original trial given to other candidates isn’t this gut-wrenching difficulty level. It was abolished due to balance issues, but they resurrected it just for me.
In simpler terms, because I’m the Egg Guardian, I get to go through this ordeal.
“Damn it all! What the hell is this despicable egg supposed to mean?!”
It felt so unfair, so anger-inducing, so dirty, and so underhanded that it was maddening.
Eventually, I did what I’ve been doing so far, rolling around on the bed. I chucked the troublesome egg I fetched out of the pouch onto the bed and spewed curses at it.
I had been doing nothing but that for the past 30 minutes. Even I knew this was getting a bit ridiculous.
As I was just about to give up and feel self-destructive about it, there was a knock, knock at the door.
“Is the junior here? I’ve brought some food.”
The familiar voice, the dry tone, and the unique honorifics. It was Leira.
“Yes. Hmm. Come, come in.”
I hastily stopped what I was doing and started pretending to be normal.
I cleared my throat to settle my voice when Leira carefully walked in. In her hands was a tray, and on it, a steaming soup with a small loaf of bread.
Leira placed the tray on the bedside table and then sat down on the bed next to me.
“Please have some. I’m not sure if it will suit your taste.”
“Ah, alright. Thanks.”
I dipped a piece of bread into the soup and took a bite.
It was dry and flavorless. Both the soup and the bread. Compared to the rations served under the test’s cover, it was definitely less tasty.
But me, being me, will appreciate and eat whatever is given. I swallowed it all and nodded with satisfaction.
“This’ll do.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Leira smiled slightly at my words and swung her leg. She was toying with her boots’ tips. Quite a human side.
It didn’t match the image in my head at all. I could probably throw up just looking at her boots. Damn it.
“How’s the sleeping arrangement? I picked the most luxurious and clean room available.”
Leira suddenly asked me. I swept my eyes around the room.
A simple structure with neat furniture. There was a bit of dust but the maintenance was pretty good. There was quite fancy banner and armor in one corner of the room, possibly left by the previous owner who might’ve been a knight.
“Definitely… not bad.”
“Good? That’s fortunate. Do you need to look around more rooms?”
Satisfied with my answer, Leira sighed in relief. I chuckled and focused on finishing my meal.
To be honest, I would sleep anywhere as long as it shields me from the wind and rain. I could probably handle a tent. After all, in my past life, I spent several days and nights in a sewer filled with the smell of decaying bodies. Who cares now?
What’s important to me right now isn’t about finding a temporary home. It’s about how I will protect the home I’ve found. That’s what’s crucial.
“… Judging from her reaction, it looks like she hasn’t informed the Duke of Halsenberg about me yet.”
What I was most worried about was that Leira would report my presence to the Duke of Halsenberg as soon as she arrived.
If that happened, my lie would’ve been immediately exposed, and this place would’ve become not a place to live but a place to be buried. I would have had to start my 22nd exciting adventure in that disgusting sewer again.
Please. I don’t even want to imagine that scenario anymore. I resolved anew, glaring at Leira playing with her feet beside me.
“Anyway, somehow, by whatever means, I need to meet the Duke before she does!”
And I need to negotiate or flatter that guy and align with him. I need to become a mercenary named Park Jeong-yong employed by the Duke of Halsenberg where I can settle down.
“Alright. Let’s see how it goes.”
Once I’ve made the decision, it’s time to stop pondering.
I decided to take immediate action.
