Chapter 152: Ruins Discovery
"It's impossible to find the one parent parasite that caused this mess, My Lord," Wizard Ariel said, his voice still tight from the battle. "We've seen smaller ones before—on goblins, orcs, even other beasts—but thought they were just… some kind of normal worms."
"Those worms appeared on all the monsters we slayed, too," Nash added while looking at Count Alder.
"We should've been more careful." In truth, Alden didn't sleep at all, even though his most loyal knight stayed beside him to guard.
'I felt restless the whole night. Haa, I thought it was due to sleeping in the wild.'
As he was in a muse, Delilah knelt beside Ryder's corpse. Her fingers were steady, but her jaw was tense as she plucked a pale worm from the base of his neck. The thing writhed weakly in her grip.
"It won't stop," she said flatly. "From what we've seen, this thing isn't just clever—it's cautious. By now, this parasite must know one-third of our force is gone. I highly suspect… it'll come for us directly next time."
Count Alden's brows furrowed. "What do you suggest? Also, why didn't the defensive array warn us?"
"The reason we ended up like this is because we were careless," Delilah said, her tone edged with bitterness. "Our defensive rune array can block any monster with the strength of a normal man or higher—but insects, worms, rats… anything small enough can slip right through. That's how this thing got in. And this dome—" she glanced at the cracked ceiling "—made us relax. Made us think we were safe."
She took a slow breath. "From now on, we move with extreme caution."
Ariel nodded. "Expert Knights should keep their Aether gear on at all times. If an attack happens, we can't waste time suiting up."
"I agree," Nash said. "It takes thirty seconds to a minute to put the armor on… enough time for a rank-3 Magical Beast to take your head off."
Count Alden's gaze swept over the room, lingering briefly on the empty spaces where his men had fallen.
"Do it. Expert Knights and Radiants—gear stays on until further notice."
While the discussion continued, Raven leaned closer to Jovie. "If we kill the parent worm… help me get the corpse."
She gave him a sharp look. "You want the body? Don't tell me you're planning to mess with necromancy."
"I'm a warlock," Raven said, lowering his voice. I'm walking on a unique pathway. The corpse can be useful for me."
Her eyebrows lifted slightly, but she didn't pry. "Fine. But if we take it, we leave the convoy. No looking back. You ready for that?"
"It's worth the risk," Raven replied.
The smell of blood and scorched stone still hung heavy in the air. Dawn was breaking—thin light spilling over the jagged ruins.
The group packed their things and quietly left the dome-shaped building, continuing deeper into the ruins of the Agith Era.
Even though they didn't encounter any monsters or magical beasts along the way, everyone felt uneasy. The air was heavy and silent, almost like something was watching them from the shadows.
As they walked, they found more buildings similar to the one they had rested in. Some were half-destroyed, with collapsed walls and broken ceilings. Vines and dust had taken over most of them. But one building caught their attention—it was still in good shape.
"Let's search. Expert Knights, take the lead."
Count Alden's voice echoed across the cracked stone steps. The group moved into the strange building, boots scuffing against dust that hadn't been disturbed in who knows how many years.
Inside, the air was cool, stale, carrying a faint metallic smell. The first hallway they entered was empty… at least, empty of life. Instead, every wall, every bit of floor, even parts of the ceiling were covered with carved magic circles. Some had faded almost to nothing, others glowed faintly, like embers refusing to die.
No one touched them. No one wanted to find out if they still worked.
Room after room turned up nothing but worn-out furniture and shelves stuffed with rotting parchment. A few crumbled at the lightest touch, leaving only brown dust on their fingers.
Then, they stepped into a hall wider than any they'd seen yet. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, sagging under the weight of ancient tomes.
The sight sent a ripple of excitement through the group until the first knight pulled a book free, and it dissolved in his hands.
"Damn it…" Someone muttered.
Most of the books were the same—too old, too fragile. But not all. A handful, wrapped in faint magical light, had resisted time.
Wizard Ariel's hands trembled as he picked one up. His voice caught in his throat. "T-This is… an Elemental Circlet Technique, My Lord!"
"This too!" Delilah's eyes were wide as she turned the stiff pages of another.
Nash reached for a third book, feeling its magic pulse faintly through the leather cover. "It's a Spirit technique. All seems like Epic rank ones." He said while blinking his eyes twice and glanced at Ariel.
Everyone knew that Epic rank techniques could push a mystic to Rank-4. To most here, that was a dream worth killing for.
"List them out," Alden ordered.
Ariel nodded and began sorting the books, handling each like it was made of glass. Even before he'd finished, Alden's hand closed around them, one after another, slipping them quietly into his spatial ring.
Ariel's jaw tightened. But he said nothing while holding the last book.
"There are eleven in total, My Lord. Four are Elemental Circlets. 'Elemental of Twin Stars'—Fire and Water. 'Serpent's Wings'—Wind, Poison, and Darkness. 'Darkness Curse'—Darkness and Poison. 'Titan's Guardian'—Earth."
He went on, counting on his fingers. "Two knight techniques, one for the Fire element, one for the Darkness. Two are swordmasters' journals—half in rune language, half in Agith tongue. And the last three are Spirit Techniques."
Ariel paused, glancing around. Then he stepped close to Alden, holding out a single, black-bound tome. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"This one is a Pseudo-Legendary Spirit Technique."
The Count's eyes sharpened. "W-What? Is it true?" He snatched the book, flipping it open—only to snap it shut again with a grimace, one hand clutching his temple. "This… this could change—"
The words died in his throat as steel burst through his chest.
Alden looked down in shock at the long sword tip protruding from his armor, blood already dripping to the floor. He turned his head slowly.
Nash was behind him, his most trusted knight!
"I avoided the heart," Nash said, his voice calm. "You won't die… yet."
"W-Why?" Alden's voice cracked. His mind couldn't accept it.
In the same breath, chaos erupted. Veyra lunged at Kael with her spear. He activated the armor's Wind Shield spell just in time, but Delilah raised a finger.
"Fire Arrow!"
The blast shattered Kael's defense, hurling him into the wall. Veyra was already moving, spear ready to finish him.
Around them, the Radiant Knights froze, eyes wide. Even Raven and Jovie stood rooted in disbelief.
"That's because we don't want to be servants for the rest of our lives," Nash said, stepping closer. His voice was colder now. "If Doran and Elison were still alive, things wouldn't have been this easy. But the worm parasite made it easy."
Alden's vision blurred. "W-Worm parasite… was your doing?"
Ariel smirked faintly. "Not exactly. We knew it was trying to infiltrate the camp using worms… we didn't stop it. Didn't expect Ryder to get infected too, but… well, he was a pain."
Delilah shrugged. "Better off dead."
Her tone was so casual that it made the surviving knights tense.
"Now," Nash said, his blade lowering to Alden's throat, "hand over the rings."
"Over my dead body," Alden spat, his blood flecking Nash's cheek.
Wizard Ariel shifted uneasily, eyes darting between them. He knew if Alden tried to resist, he'd destroy the spatial ring in a heartbeat—and everything inside would vanish.
Nash's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "If you do anything stupid, we'll kill every last member of your family."
Count Alden coughed, blood spilling from his mouth and dripping onto the cold stone floor, painting it in deep crimson. His knees wavered, but before he could fall, the Radiant Knights—finally shaken from their shock—moved in to help.
They didn't get far.
Nash, his expression unreadable, gave a small flick of his wrist. The spear in his hand blurred into motion—one clean slash through the air.
The five nearest knights froze. A second later, their torsos slid from their legs, bodies collapsing in halves. The sound of steel clattering to the ground was drowned out by the wet slap of blood pooling around them. None of them had even seen the attack coming.
The rest of the Radiant Knights stumbled back; fear stuck in their eyes.
"If you want to live," Nash said, voice as cold as winter steel, "don't move."