Chapter 250

Chapter 251. Sephira Spreads Poison in the Royal Palace (1)

Before Lilie could raise her fist, Keter added, “I entered the underground labyrinth of Ruquer. That was the last time I saw Kadia.”

“Ruquer… underground labyrinth?”

Seeing Lilie’s confused expression, Keter also frowned. “You don’t know where Ruquer is? It’s annoying to explain, but it’s like a place with a terrible personality but good compatibility, like a lover.”

“I know what Ruquer is. What I don’t understand is, did you really meet Kadia there? Years ago?”

“The last time I saw her was three years ago, and the first time was nine years ago.”

“So, you were meeting Kadia for at least six years? In Ruquer?”

“Not every day, but occasionally. Back then, Kadia was always going in and out of the underground labyrinth.”

“What kind of place is the underground labyrinth?”

“A place full of adventure, romance, treasures, and monsters.”

Explaining the underground labyrinth of Ruquer would take forever, so Keter just gave a vague description.

“Kadia entered there three years ago, and I haven’t seen her since. That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“…As far as I know, Ruquer is a malignant, impenetrable domain. It’s famous for being easy to enter but impossible to leave. If you met Kadia there, then you’re also from Ruquer… How did you manage to leave?”

“I was born lucky.”

It sounded like a joke, but Lilie could tell it was true. Keter’s expression was too serious, and his tone was sincere.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll give you the information I want. In return, tell me how to leave Ruquer.”

Lilie has lived in human society for hundreds of years. Unlike other elves, she’s not naive. She knows that showing desperation will only be used against her, but she couldn’t hide her desperation.

Keter scratched the back of his head and said, “Really, do we need to make such a cold deal? I was able to leave Ruquer because I’m special. Others have no chance. Even if you go through the Grand Duke of Ruquer, it’s impossible now.”

The Grand Duke has disappeared. Ultima and Ayrus proved that you could leave Ruquer through some deal with the Grand Duke, but no one has left Ruquer without his permission.

In Keter’s opinion, things like “coincidence” or “another exit” were unlikely to exist.

But.

“It’s not entirely impossible.”

There’s a rumor. A baseless rumor, but it’s said that you can leave through the underground labyrinth.

Of course, no one has ever proven it. To prove it, you’d have to leave through the labyrinth and return to Ruquer, but who would do that?

“Maybe I did.”

Keter also explored the underground labyrinth but couldn’t find a way out. He just brought back some treasures and returned to the surface.

Does that mean there’s no exit in the labyrinth? Keter couldn’t be sure.

“Many people went down based on rumors, but some were confident there was an exit.”

Kadia was one of them.

Kadia, a high elf, came to Ruquer with a purpose: to explore the underground labyrinth.

At the time, Keter was puzzled. Of course, the underground labyrinth of Ruquer has everything. Rare metals like Amantiir and Orichalcon are common, and ingredients for elixirs are easy to find.

Artifacts and treasures are also mined there.

But no matter how much you mine, this is still Ruquer. Why would someone come from the outside world just to live comfortably in Ruquer? What’s the point?

But Kadia wasn’t there for wealth or glory. She didn’t say it directly, but Keter could feel it.

“Ah, wait. I think she told me what she was looking for.”

It was so long ago, and his interest had waned, so he couldn’t recall it immediately. As he tried to remember, Lilie spoke in a trembling voice.

“If you know why Kadia entered Ruquer…”

“Ah, she mentioned something called ‘Nedi.’ I don’t know if it’s a person or an object, but Kadia was looking for it.”

“Nedi? Kadia said she was looking for Nedi? Really?”

Lilie grabbed Keter’s arms and shook him. Keter wobbled like a scarecrow and thought, ‘She’s ridiculously strong. Is it pure strength, not some authority?’

Muscles increase in volume as they grow, but an elf’s muscles increase in density without gaining volume.

‘Muscle Compression Technique’ is a skill that embodies this characteristic of elves. In short, elves may look slender, but their strength is on a different level.

“What is this Nedi?”

Keter asked again. He vaguely remembered Kadia explaining it, but he wasn’t interested at the time, so he didn’t pay attention. Even with Keter’s good memory, he couldn’t remember things he wasn’t interested in.

Lilie ignored Keter’s question and finally realized something.

“Ah, so that’s why. That’s why no one knew. The World Tree is rotting because Nedi disappeared.”

The World Tree is rotting.

For elves, this would be a thunderous statement, but for Keter, it was just, “Oh, a big tree is dying.”

Sensing Keter’s indifference, Lilie spoke in a serious tone.

“If the World Tree dies, it means the end of the world. Keter, you can’t just sit here. You need to go to Ruquer and find Kadia immediately.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Didn’t you hear? The world is ending. If the World Tree dies, Nidhogg, the incarnation of destruction sealed within it, will awaken. Nidhogg destroys the World Tree to satisfy its destructive instincts, but once the World Tree is gone, it will destroy the world itself. No one can stop Nidhogg.”

“The world is ending? Isn’t that cliché? From what I’ve seen, the world isn’t so fragile.”

“How long have you lived as a human to say that?”

“Well… not that long.”

Even including his past life, Keter hasn’t lived 100 years. Meanwhile, elves live for hundreds of years, so Lilie’s point wasn’t wrong.

Keter shook his head, acknowledging her point.

“Even so, if the world is ending because of the World Tree, we should immediately request cooperation from the kings of each kingdom. That’s common sense, right? Why make me the hero?”

“Because they can’t be trusted.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Not really… but I don’t think Kadia left you the Blessing of Nature for no reason.”

“I was curious about that too. Since it’s called a blessing, it must have some effect. But I don’t feel anything. What’s the effect?”

“How can you not feel it? You can live for hundreds of years like an elf, and you won’t age. Wounds heal quickly, and most importantly…”

Lilie trailed off.

‘The qualification to enter the domain of the World Tree. That’s the greatest privilege… but I shouldn’t tell a human like him.’

It wasn’t that she doubted Kadia, but she feared what Keter might do if he knew he could enter the World Tree’s domain.

“Most importantly, nature will take care of you. That’s the greatest privilege.”

“I haven’t felt any of that. Wounds have always healed quickly since I was young, and not aging or living for hundreds of years is something a Transcendent Being can achieve.”

“Stop messing around and focus. I didn’t call you to debate whether the Blessing of Nature is good or not. You need to focus on the fact that Kadia searching for Nedi in Ruquer is a matter of the world’s survival.”

“So, that’s your problem. Not mine.”

“How can the world ending not be your problem, or Sephira’s?”

“Because Sephira will be destroyed, and I’ll die before the world does? I need to survive first before I can save the world or not.”

“……”

Lilie, who knows little about human politics and isn’t interested, could feel that Sephira was walking a tightrope, so she couldn’t argue.

Moreover, upon calm reflection, it seemed Keter didn’t believe the world was ending in the first place.

She had thought Keter would help her. After all, he received the Blessing of Nature from Kadia. She believed someone like that would care about the world’s survival and willingly make sacrifices.

But now, realizing Keter wasn’t a hero, Lilie turned her back without hesitation.

“Alright, Keter of Sephira. I’m grateful you told me where Kadia is.”

Keter didn’t mind Lilie’s hardened tone.

“I can’t help you wholeheartedly, but if you’re going to Ruquer, I can assist.”

“Sounds like you won’t help for free.”

“Of course. Nothing in the world is free.”

“What do you want?”

“What does the Second Prince hate and love the most?”

“That’s it?”

“There’s one more. Tell me that first.”

Lilie pondered for a moment. She worried if her answer would harm the Second Prince, but she couldn’t think of any reason it would.

“He hates ‘silence’ the most. He loves ‘gambling.'”

She was trying to gain the Second Prince’s favor. Information for that purpose was something Lilie could easily provide.

“Second, tell Kadia I said hello when you meet her.”

“What else?”

“That’s it. These two are enough. Here.”

Keter handed Lilie his business card. He didn’t forget to sign it in blood.

“There’s a mercenary guild in Ruquer. Show this, and they’ll help you. And one more piece of advice: it’s better to go alone without the palace’s help.”

“Do the people of Ruquer hate the royal family or something?”

“That’s part of it, but I feel sorry for your misunderstanding.”

“What do you mean?”

“From the looks of it, you’ve been searching for Kadia for a long time, with the kingdom’s help. It’s strange you didn’t know she entered Ruquer.”

“Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and the Second Prince?”

“Even I, who just met you today, can tell you’d go into lava if Kadia were there. Would Ruquer be any different? If you knew she was in Ruquer, you’d have gone in immediately, right? I don’t care, but if the Second Prince wanted to keep you close, he might have known and pretended not to.”

“……”

Lilie was silent. She felt a chill at her own silence. She should have immediately said, “Rakan isn’t like that,” but Keter’s words felt plausible.

‘It’s not just anywhere, but Ruquer. The palace’s intelligence isn’t that shallow. They might not know what Kadia is doing in Ruquer, but they should know she entered.’

Keter also hit the mark on why they might have hidden it. As he said, if Kadia were in Ruquer, Lilie would have gone in immediately.

Rakan must have thought the same, and if he didn’t want her to enter Ruquer?

After all, Ruquer is a place where no one who enters ever leaves.

“…I’ve been here too long. I need to go.”

She had to ask Rakan what was going on. That was all Lilie could think of.

Moreover, facing Keter any longer felt like torture. Whether it was because of the Blessing of Nature Kadia left, she felt an oddly dangerous familiarity.

Click.

Lilie pressed a wall panel on the ceiling. A wall in front of Keter opened.

“Go straight down this path. You’ll reach the palace entrance. Don’t even think about taking any other paths. You’ve heard of the palace’s maze, right? It’s all true. Without a guide, anyone could get lost forever. So, don’t get any ideas.”

Lilie emphasized it twice, thinking Keter might take a different path.

“Yes, yes. Of course.”

“Please, don’t do anything foolish. I’m saying this for your sake.”

Even after saying that, Lilie seemed uneasy. After a brief pause, she left.

* * *

Keter also exited the secret room through the opened wall. There were no guards or signs of life nearby.

That’s how the palace maze is. The entrance is heavily guarded, but once inside, there’s no one. The maze itself is the guard. Even guards get lost here.

As Lilie said, taking a wrong turn could mean being lost in the palace forever—

Whoosh!

Keter didn’t go straight. He turned right into a corridor.

Was it because of his rebellious nature, doing the opposite of what he’s told?

Of course, that was part of it, but there was another reason.

“Why waste this chance to sneak into the palace?”

Lilie had brought Keter into the palace through a secret passage known only to her or the Second Prince.

Moreover, she said it was a secret room even the Second Prince didn’t know about, meaning no one but Lilie knew where Keter was now.

And Lilie is very busy. She won’t have time to return.

In this situation, if Keter knew about the palace maze…

Of course, if Keter caused trouble, Lilie would suffer, but that wasn’t Keter’s concern.

Even if he had a connection with Kadia, they just met today, and he had no ties to the Second Prince’s close aide. Why would Keter care about her safety?

‘Once I enter Ruquer, the palace won’t be able to do anything anyway.’

Keter felt no guilt and, considering Lilie’s actions, she wouldn’t be in danger because of the palace. So, he ran through the maze without hesitation.

“Turn left at the yellow rose painting—”

“Right at the statue holding an apple—”

“Go straight until you see the chandelier, then take the corridor with the bells.”

Keter navigated the maze as if he’d been there before.

And surprisingly, this was true. In his past life, Keter had infiltrated the palace to assassinate the queen.

Unfortunately, he didn’t see the queen’s face, but he gained experience navigating the maze. Based on that past experience, Keter could traverse the palace maze.

He had left Decameron at his place, but he wasn’t worried.

‘I told Decameron I’d be back by noon tomorrow, so it should be fine.’

Keter believed Decameron could handle any trouble.

Moreover, disrupting the palace’s interior was more effective than blocking the queen’s path. The goal was to shake the palace.

‘In a plan, only the conclusion matters. The process can be handled flexibly.’

The place Keter headed to wasn’t a secret underground prison or a treasure vault filled with dozens of artifacts.

Keter knocked loudly on a large door and shouted, “Is the National Advisor here?!”

It was the room where Duke Lerkin, the queen’s consort, was imprisoned.