The so-called clay-like soul of Beyond had become incapable of communicating with us.
Because of that, we had no choice but to use Adwin as a sort of interpreter.
“So… in the end, all he really wanted was to get an apology from Neril?”
“Yes. He admits that his descendants were in the wrong. But even so, it seems he couldn’t help but care for his own bloodline.”
“Then what was with that creepy atmosphere earlier?”
“Apparently, he was just trying to be intimidating. When you think about it, Beyond was known in the history books as someone who couldn’t even bring himself to step on an ant. Though… he did grind up monsters without hesitation.”
Mm. Definitely different from Iori.
I turned to Neril.
“What do you want to do? Are you going to apologize?”
“Phew. If it’s for the sake of resolving this, I’ll do it as many times as needed.”“Then get on with it.”
“…Sorry.”
That overly insincere apology made the clay-like soul tremble.
“He’s asking if that even counts as an apology?”
“Hah. What, do I have to get on my knees or something?”
“Hold on, it’s too noisy… Mmm. Ah—he says if you bring ‘that item’, he’ll consider it a proper apology.”
That item?
I looked back and forth between Neril and the spirit.
Neril’s expression darkened.
“…Is he talking about that thing Dame used as leverage against you?”
Neril hesitated, then nodded.
“Probably.”
“Why would that count as proof of an apology?”
“Because that item is the heirloom of the Erenica family.”
“…Didn’t you annihilate the Erenica family? Why is their heirloom your weakness?”
“Don’t ask. It’s complicated.”
I scratched my head.
Then Adwin spoke up again.
“Oh, also… Eh, I’ll just let him use my body again. He seems calm now, so it should be fine.”
He let Beyond’s soul enter his body once more.
Handling a soul so freely and naturally like that… Adwin really is a genius.
Soon, Beyond’s voice came out.
“Ahem. I was rather disgraceful, wasn’t I.”
“No, not at all. ‘Disgraceful’ is a bit much. You just barely scraped by as tolerable.”
“…”
“Anyway, do we really need that heirloom? Isn’t a spoken apology enough?”
“That’s not the only reason I mentioned it. We need it to extract the Gem of Corruption.”
We tilted our heads in confusion.
But Neril clapped lightly, as if she understood.
“Oh, that makes sense. After all, that heirloom is the pinnacle of all the Erenica family’s knowledge.”
“Have you decided to just keep speaking casually with me?”
“That’s the plan.”
“…Regardless, the reappearance of the gem that my comrades and I had once dealt with is deeply unpleasant. But if you bring me the heirloom, I’ll personally see to its extraction.”
The situation was complicated, like a tangled ball of string—but the solution was surprisingly simple.
Still, Xenia let out a heavy sigh.
“That’s impossible. The heirloom is stored beneath the Imperial Palace.”
“What?”
“My father told me. He never kept it as leverage. As soon as he got it, he handed it over to His Majesty, and the Emperor locked it away in the underground vault.”
Beyond frowned.
“So the Emperor seized the heirloom knowing it belonged to our family?”
“I’m sorry to say this, but in this era, there’s no one who can claim rightful ownership of that item.”
“Hmph. I’d rather have it in the hands of the Witch of Carnage than the Emperor.”
Neril’s eyes flickered at his words.
Is that guy complimenting her or insulting her?
Just then, Offense spoke up.
“No choice, then. Let’s infiltrate the Imperial underground.”
“Why do you sound kind of excited?”
“I won’t deny it. You all know what my wish is anyway, don’t you?”
Offense wants to use the vast search magic circle beneath the palace to find his parents.
That was his wish before the regression—and still is now.
“Hmm. But we’re talking about the Imperial underground here. You don’t think there are just a few guards and a locked door, right?”
“Of course not.”
He shook his head like the idea was absurd.
There was a reason the legendary assassin Offense didn’t move directly himself and instead relied on Kaeld’s name.
We kept calling it the underground, but it wasn’t actually a physical space.
It was a separate realm.
Beneath the palace lies a small door.
And only two types of people can pass through that door:
The imperial family.
And those granted access by the imperial family.
Beyond that door lies a separate world where the greatest artifacts of human history are stored.
They say it was created not by magic, sorcery, or necromancy, but by something else entirely.
‘Come to think of it, what is that place, really?’
[Didn’t even the history books mention it?]
‘All they say is that it existed even before the founding of the Empire.’
……
Now that I think about it, the first emperor, Grade, did say something about it.
He mentioned that there was an era before the celestial gods appeared.
Maybe that separate realm was created in a forgotten part of history.
Offense spoke again.
“They say that if someone without permission passes through the door, their entire body is torn apart. Though no one’s actually tested it, so who knows if it’s true.”
“Hmm. That’s too risky.”
“What if Adwin summons Grade’s spirit for you? If the first emperor grants you permission, it might work.”
“I heard that when a member of the imperial family dies, their access rights to the door are revoked. Only the living can hold them.”
Offense clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Neril frowned.
“Don’t make weird requests to Mide. What if he gets ripped apart?”
“It’s fine. The bird lady can stitch him back up.”
Xenia interjected, flabbergasted.
“Um, I can heal people, not resurrect them.”
This time, Neril spoke.
“No, Xenia. I believe in your ability.”
“This has nothing to do with belief…”
“Still, just in case—let’s test it on Offense first.”
“Oh, right. Maybe I’ll get the hang of it after a trial run.”
Offense shrugged.
“I was joking. Don’t say scary things like that.”
“We were being completely serious, though.”
“Note to self: never joke about Mide in front of you guys.”
I calmed everyone down and turned to Beyond.
“Lord Beyond, you’ve been to that place, haven’t you?”
Beyond looked intrigued.
“You seem to know quite a lot.”
“I tend to be well-informed on various topics.”
“Hoho. Indeed, with the emperor’s permission, I once entered that separate realm. I even carved a super-wide-range search magic circle there.”
Offense squirmed with anticipation.
“Since we’re on the topic—don’t you think it’s unnecessary to go all the way there when I’m right here? If you could just activate the magic yourself…”
“I don’t know why you’d need it, but it’s not possible. Just inscribing that magic circle took half a year. Then another half year went into other preparations.”
“……”
“Do you think this necromancer could hold a hero-class soul that long?”
Offense let out a deep sigh.
After a moment of thought, I asked,
“Why did the emperor insist on such a tedious task at the time?”
“Because the search magic I developed is too damn versatile. If a magic circle that lets you see what anyone’s doing anywhere like the back of your hand were to become public knowledge, the system would collapse.”
Neril interjected.
“Not like the emperor or the royal family could even operate that magic circle themselves.”
“They probably just didn’t want it falling into anyone else’s hands if they couldn’t use it.”
“Hmm.”
“Well, what now? Are you going to give up here?”
He asked me, as if testing me.
I mulled it over.
“…Should I go see the emperor right now and ask to be let in? I am a hero, technically—maybe he’ll listen.”
Offense responded immediately.
“No. The emperor clearly thinks Kaeld is the real hero. Most people in the capital probably don’t even know your name.”
“……”
“And even Kaeld won’t be allowed underground. Neither you nor Kaeld has the fame needed to gain access—by your own definition.”
Right. Even before my regression, they only agreed to open it after the Demon King had been taken care of.
Which means there’s only one method left.
I looked at Xenia.
She flinched and asked,
“…What is it?”
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t even properly introduced myself to your father. That was inconsiderate of me.”
Thankfully, I didn’t have to answer.
“We’re here.”
Xenia opened the door to the sitting room.
Inside sat Dame, his presence filling the room with an unmistakable weight.
Neril glanced around and commented,
“Too dark in here. Are you trying to be dramatic?”
“Witch of Carnage. It’s been a while.”
“Don’t call me that nickname.”
“Why? You don’t like being known for your infamy anymore?”
“Exactly. Our contract’s void now. My bad reputation might start to rub off on him.”
She gestured at me with her chin.
A flicker of curiosity crossed Dame’s face.
“So you’re the northern hero, Mide Mohan.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Sir Dame Seide.”
“My daughter gave me the gist. You have a request for me?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s hear it.”
I sat across from him, brought my hands together, and spoke seriously.
“I need you to visit the underground section of the imperial palace.”
“……”
“And bring out the item you pretended to have—Neril’s weakness.”
“Haha.”
Dame let out a hearty laugh.
“Do you even know what that item is?”
“I know it’s an heirloom of the Erenica family. I’m not sure exactly what it looks like, though.”
“It’s a book.”
Neril twitched at the eyebrow.
“Why are you telling them?”
“Was I not supposed to? If I actually bring the book out, they’re going to find out anyway, aren’t they?”
“……”
“That heirloom is something I offered to His Majesty. Its ownership now clearly lies with the emperor. Just entering the underground palace is nearly impossible—let alone taking something out of it.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“I’m sorry, but that’s for you to figure out.”
“…What?”
“You just said the book belongs to the emperor, right? That’s incorrect. The rightful owner is Neril.”
“You know about her connection to the Erenica family?”
“I know enough to say she bears some responsibility for their downfall.”
“She doesn’t bear some—she bears all of it.”
Neril scowled but didn’t interrupt.
I simply shrugged and continued.
“In any case, the book was originally hers. You’re the one who took it.”
“……”
“And above all else, this will benefit you too. Why don’t you roll up your pants leg and see for yourself?”
Dame’s face stiffened.
The others looked at me in confusion.
I had only said he’d been struck by the Gem of Corruption—I never mentioned where or how.
“Well? Go ahead.”
Dame hesitated, then looked at Xenia.
She answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Father. You trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Then trust Mr. Mide. I trust him.”
“…?”
“So you should trust him too.”
Wow.
That’s… shockingly logical.
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