Night had fallen over the quiet city of Belobog, and the three Trailblazers from the stars had already sunk into peaceful slumber.
Well, alright. It seemed only March was sleeping soundly. Dan Heng, probably because of Lynelle's speculations during the day, had decided to keep watch tonight. And Stelle…?
She'd crawled into a wardrobe, hoping to scare any ghosts that might show up. But since no one ever came in, she ended up falling asleep inside it.
"You found a passage to the Underworld?"
Looking at Lynelle, who had suddenly appeared in the room, and hearing the news she brought back, Dan Heng sounded surprised. "You plan to go down and explore it alone?"
"It's not like I have much choice. The place has been sealed off by the Silvermane Guards. Not even you guys could get through—probably not even Pom-Pom could squeeze in."
Lynelle shrugged. "There might be other ways down, I suppose. But this is the only one I've found."
"Also, I met the Supreme Guardian's daughter, Bronya, this morning. How should I put it… She seems like a decent person."
"Uh, using your whole 'judging a book by its cover' method again?"
"No, this time it's based on actually talking to her."
"Bronya doesn't really agree with how Cocolia handles certain situations. Not that they're clashing or anything, but if things go sideways, Bronya might be someone we can win over to our side."
"I see…"
Dan Heng pondered for a moment. "But, I get the feeling all your preparations so far are based on the assumption that Cocolia is going to turn on us… Are you really that sure she'll betray us?"
"Not a hundred percent, but I'd say ninety."
Lynelle sighed. "I've met someone who looked just like her. And in that world, the general opinion of Cocolia was 'a demon in a civil war.'"
"Of course, if you want my personal take… Let's just say she's not thoroughly evil, but also not firmly good. I wouldn't call her completely rotten, but if you leave her to her own devices, she'll quickly show you just how destructive a 'civil war demon' can be."
"Hmm… This is the first time I've heard you speak so sharply about someone. It seems that world's Cocolia left quite an impression on you."
Dan Heng nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll be careful tomorrow. If you're heading down to explore the Underworld, make sure to stay safe too."
"Don't you worry."
Lynelle grinned. "I've still got Mr. Yang's secret weapon on me."
After saying goodbye to Dan Heng, Lynelle didn't linger. She soon arrived at the connecting passage to the Underworld.
Back when the passage was sealed, Cocolia had specifically stationed a squad of Silvermane Guards to watch the entrance, preventing separated residents from trying to sneak down.
But now, over a decade later, such vigilance was unnecessary. Most of the Silvermane Guards had been redeployed to the front lines against the Fragmentum, which made things much easier for Lynelle.
"See? Slipped right through."
Glancing back at the barricade sealing the passage, Lynelle shook her head. "Sigh, the Corruption's just too overpowered… Now, let's see. According to the map I found in the library…"
Following the decades-old map, she began navigating the complex tunnels. Based on the distance, she estimated it'd take her about half an hour to reach the Underworld. But just then…
"Who's there?!"
"Wait, who are you?!"
At a particularly dark corner, just as Lynelle was about to press forward, a beam of light suddenly flashed in her eyes.
Then, both of them froze on the spot.
Lynelle never expected that Sampo would also be using this sealed passage.
And Sampo, on the other end, was equally startled. I mean, turning a corner in pitch-black mine tunnels only to find a figure floating ahead—anyone would jump out of their skin.
"Wait, it's you? Lynelle?! What are you doing here?"
After getting a clear look at Lynelle's face, Sampo's voice grew even more astonished.
"Huh? You… you know me?"
Now it was Lynelle's turn to be confused. That her powers couldn't detect Sampo was understandable—he was possibly an Emanator of Elation, and he was sneaking around.
Unlike last time outside, where he wanted the Express crew to notice him, it made sense he'd hide his presence now.
But Sampo knowing her? That wasn't normal.
She'd been deliberately avoiding him since arriving in Belobog.
Even if he had noticed her, he should be pretending not to know her right now. Because if Sampo was trying to lay low, he had no reason to acknowledge her.
Yet… not only did he recognize her instantly, he even acted like an old acquaintance, calling her by name?
What surprised Lynelle even more was that, after hearing her voice, Sampo immediately went into full grovel mode.
"Aiyo, Miss Lynelle, please don't scare me like that… This old body of mine can't take much more of your antics…"
"I'm still having nightmares about that prank you, Miss Vita, and Miss Sparkle pulled last time. How about we talk this out nicely? Just… please don't kick my butt again, alright?"
"Huh?"
Now Lynelle was genuinely baffled. It seemed like Sampo… really did know her?
"Kiana-chan, Kiana-chan, a little help here? What's going on?"
[Fun fact: You were there when Vita joined the Tavern originally… Can't say more than that~]
"What? I was involved in that too?"
[Of course you were. In fact, you were Vita's designated handler… Even though you usually act all timid and soft, you've got a real knack for dealing with actual 'bad women.' So, everything related to keeping Vita in check back then was your responsibility.]
"What do you mean 'timid and soft'?!"
"Hm? Wait…"
A few seconds passed, and Sampo started to notice something was off.
"Your power… it seems much weaker than before? No, not weaker, more like you've intentionally… Ah, haha, I see, hahahaha…"
After observing her for a moment, Sampo suddenly burst into laughter, as if he'd just witnessed the funniest thing in the world.
But a moment later, perhaps remembering a certain someone capable of unleashing Emanator-level fluctuations with a casual flick, he promptly reined in his laughter, cleared his throat, and straightened up with a serious expression.
"My apologies, my apologies. It seems you truly don't remember me. My mistake earlier—I didn't realize your condition was different from before. Well then, let's start over. Hello, Miss Lynelle. I am Sampo, one of the Masked Fools from the Tavern, currently residing in Belobog's Underworld."
"Back in your homeland, we once completed a very… smooth collaboration. Ahem. Let's hope we can cooperate just as pleasantly this time."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.