The Secret Chamber
The second round of exploration began, and the three groups split up once again.
Ferda had intended to transfer to Lize's team, but circumstances forced him to take the right-hand route again.
Their method of movement was different this time.
They advanced in pairs, with each person facing their partner.
The two adventurers watched one another, while Ferda and the armored knight did the same.
'I'm nervous.'
Valdrova thought from inside the armor.
At first, that feeling had begun as excitement at being able to look directly at Ferda's face.
His eyes, so cold toward anyone who was not Valdrova, also sent a chill through her.
She had expected those two emotions to torment her.
Yet what she felt when they faced each other was different.
'Ferda looks like he is suffering terribly.'
He looked deeply distressed.
Her five senses instinctively gathered every detail about him.
His breathing was rough, and his heartbeat was faster than usual.
Even though they were merely walking, beads of sweat had formed across his skin.
Shouldn't they let him rest, even for a little while?
"Why don't you take a short break?"
As though reading her thoughts, one of the adventurers made the suggestion.
"I am fine. I will not hold anyone back."
Ferda refused firmly.
He brushed it aside as nothing more than temporary discomfort.
But that was not true.
Valdrova could tell.
Whatever was causing his pain was growing worse with every passing moment.
Ferda himself was clearly aware of it.
That meant his desire to find something was powerful enough for him to endure this much suffering.
'What is he trying so desperately to find?'
Was it truly something he had to pursue while wearing such a painful expression?
Valdrova remembered what Ferda had said.
—I'm sorry.
When those masses had looked at Ferda, he had spoken those words.
She could not understand what Ferda had to apologize for.
She wished she had even the slightest clue that might allow her to guess, but she knew nothing.
Valdrova had also looked at one of the Trauma creatures.
However, to her, it had remained nothing more than a mass with an enormous eye.
Even when it stared directly at her, she did not react as the others had.
Her heart had ached faintly, but it had not been painful.
She wanted to do anything she could for him.
But she knew she could do nothing while sealed inside this rigid armor.
That was probably why her chest hurt so much.
'Would he be happy if I... came out?'
Ferda had always wanted to see her.
Should she remove the armor now and tell him that she was here?
Would that make him smile, even a little?
'No. I might only become another burden to him.'
He might become angry.
He might ask why she had come to such a dangerous place.
Rather than comforting his worried heart, she might only cause Ferda even more pain.
Was there anything she could do for him as the armored knight?
Valdrova could not think of an answer.
Meanwhile, Ferda was struggling to conceal his suffering.
'I can still endure it.'
The pain came from being unable to drive those thoughts away.
He could redirect his attention toward his surroundings.
Simply remaining alert in a dangerous situation like this was enough to place a brake on them.
But there was one thing that continued to bother him.
'This armored bastard...'
At first, Ferda had assumed the discomfort came from the lack of distance between them and that it would eventually fade.
It had not.
He kept feeling as though he could see Valdrova within that armor.
That was impossible.
Her build was smaller than his and distinctly feminine.
'No... There was a time when that wasn't true.'
When she had appeared in dragoon armor, she had been considerably taller than Ferda.
How tall had she been?
Perhaps around the same height as this knight.
'They are strangely similar...'
Smack!
"Urgh!"
"What happened?"
The startled adventurers turned toward Ferda.
He had struck himself hard on the head.
"I was losing focus, so I punished myself."
"Oh... I see."
Their expressions clearly accused him of startling people over something ridiculous.
Not long afterward, they reached their destination.
"We're here."
They had returned to the study Ferda had previously entered.
It was the nearest location and contained information suggesting that they could safely obtain a reward there.
"Are you certain there is a magical artifact here?"
One of the adventurers asked Ferda.
"Based on what we were told about Gyeonghuigung Palace, this must be the place."
Gyeonghuigung had been a training institution that cultivated talented individuals through something known as the Dao.
The study they had reached was said to be called the Boyang Chamber.
Literally interpreted, it meant a room for replenishing yang energy.
Its hidden meaning, however, was that yang energy referred to mana.
In other words, it was a chamber for replenishing mana.
It had to be a room where texts concerning mana cultivation were stored.
"Magic towers and academies often place magical tools in cultivation rooms. Judging from experience, there should certainly be some here."
Ferda said "certainly," but even he was not completely sure.
Still, when persuading someone, it was best to make one's claim forcefully.
Although the adventurers did not fully share his confidence, they eventually agreed with him.
"Then let us search the room."
They began looking for whatever rewards they personally desired.
The two adventurers searched the room as a whole, while Ferda concentrated on the bookshelves.
He recalled two characters in his mind.
Erika, who knew a little about Eastern writing, had hurriedly taught them to him.
'Ae and Ron.'
Ae meant love, while Ron indicated a discussion or theory concerning a subject.
'One of the books I selected contained a theory about mana circuits.'
Ferda returned to the shelf from which he had taken that book and searched it thoroughly.
However, the more books he pulled out and examined, the less he understood.
'These do not seem to be books on magical theory...'
Most magical texts followed a similar structure.
They contained magic circles or runes and explained the formulas behind them.
Ferda had studied many books written in that format, so volumes filled entirely with ordinary writing still felt unfamiliar to him.
'There is no other choice.'
He would have to take them to someone capable of translating the script.
Fortunately, Ferda knew a person who could translate the books in their entirety.
'Mori.'
The mysteries of the East lay beyond even the reach of the Library of All Things.
However, if the physical texts existed before her, Mori would surely be able to interpret them.
Ferda decided to take every book containing those characters.
His determination, however, far exceeded his physical ability.
Once he had gathered more than ten volumes, his arms began to tremble.
'This worthless body.'
At that moment, the armored knight silently extended their arms.
Ferda looked at the gesture and asked,
"Are you offering to carry them?"
Nod.
"...Then I will trouble you."
Ferda did not like the armored knight, but it would have been a lie to say their presence was not reassuring.
With the knight's help, he managed to collect more than fifty books that he could never have carried alone.
"Huh?"
One of the adventurers, who had been searching the room with the single-minded goal of finding a magical artifact, suddenly spoke.
His voice rose with excitement.
"There is a gap here!"
Ferda stopped searching the shelves and walked over.
Using their tools, the adventurers carefully pried the opening apart.
A staircase leading underground was revealed.
Smiles blossomed across the faces of the two adventurers who had suffered through those horrifying illusions.
"A place like this must contain something secretly hidden by the palace's master or another important figure!"
"If we can obtain even one magical artifact, all this suffering will have been worth—"
Their excitement lasted only a moment.
The memory of those terrible illusions returned, causing their steps to falter.
What if another one of those creatures was waiting below?
At the end of the silence, as everyone merely exchanged uncertain glances, the clatter of plate armor moved ahead of them.
The armored knight had stepped forward and was now standing before the entrance.
"Do you mean to go in first?"
Nod, nod.
Under normal circumstances, they would have stopped the knight and warned that doing so could make things even more dangerous.
But they already knew the terror created by the illusions of the Trauma creatures.
Of the three people in this group, the armored knight was the only one who had not experienced that terror.
How had the knight escaped from the Trauma?
"Understood."
The adventurers yielded the way.
Ferda stepped forward and followed behind the knight.
"It would still be dangerous to go alone. I will watch your back."
Nod.
Thus paired together, the two descended the staircase.
It went down surprisingly deep.
Yet there was none of the damp, unpleasant atmosphere normally found underground.
There could be no mistake.
Whatever lay below had been maintained just as thoroughly as the palace above.
At the bottom of the stairs, they encountered a stone door.
The armored knight pushed it sideways, and it opened with ease.
Ferda remained outside and quickly inspected the surroundings.
Even after the knight entered, Ferda detected no reaction from the mana.
The armored knight looked around as well, then spread both hands wide in a questioning gesture.
'I don't know what kind of room this is, but it doesn't seem to contain any magical artifacts.'
Ferda could only hope that there were at least some useful books inside.
He followed the armored knight into the room.
Then, as he reached the center, he sensed the flow of mana.
Boom!
At the same moment, the stone door through which they had entered slid shut, trapping them inside.
Ferda hurried back to it.
He tried to slide the door open again, but it would not move at all.
"Damn it... Could you try forcing it open?"
Ferda stepped back, and the armored knight moved forward to open the door.
Crack—!
A splitting sound rang out.
"Stop!"
It had come from the ceiling.
The dust raining down from above did not look harmless.
"...If we try to force it open, it intends to bury us alive."
The trap did not react when only one person entered, but activated when two people were inside.
It was a troublesome mechanism.
Ferda had never imagined a trap designed that way.
—What happened?!
The adventurers waiting outside rushed over and called through the door.
"It appears a trap has been activated."
—Did you touch something?
"No. It seems to activate only when two or more people enter."
—What kind of trap does that?
—Damn it... We should have gone inside and checked first...
"You probably would not have been able to prevent it either."
Even Ferda, who was highly sensitive to traps, had been caught completely unaware.
"Is there no way to open it from outside?"
There were two Gold-ranked adventurers outside.
Ferda was certain they would have an answer.
—From what we can see... there does not appear to be any way to open it from here.
Ferda immediately lost faith in them.
As expected, they were all talk.
—We will bring Captain Erika. Until then, could you avoid touching anything and wait?
"Understood."
He heard their footsteps receding.
Silence descended around Ferda.
The kind of silence that drew unwanted thoughts back to the surface.
Ferda said nothing.
For the moment, he decided to endure it.
—Regent, are you there?
A familiar voice soon came from outside.
Ferda had never imagined he would be so relieved to hear Erika.
"Yes, I am here."
—How is it inside? Are you having difficulty breathing?
Ferda recited the information he had gathered while struggling to maintain his composure.
"There does not appear to be any problem of that sort. The room is well ventilated."
—Then it probably was not designed to kill its occupants through suffocation. Are there any buttons or switches inside? An isolated room like this would ordinarily have some kind of emergency mechanism.
Ferda looked around again.
There was a bed, several books, and the armored knight.
"There are no visible devices."
—That should not be possible... Search again for now. We will investigate the secret of the room from outside. Understood?
"Understood."
In the end, Erika had no immediate solution either.
They had no choice but to remain inside until one was found.
Ferda sat down on the edge of the bed.
The armored knight stood awkwardly in front of him.
Every part of the knight's posture said that they had no idea what to do in this situation.
"You should sit as well."
The knight moved as though uncertain whether that was permitted.
"They said we might be buried alive if we waste our strength trying to break out. When there is even a small chance of rescue, we should wait."
Nod.
The armored knight lowered themself to the floor and sat.
The room was oppressively quiet.
Even the clatter of the armor faded, and Ferda's hearing began to amplify his other senses.
"Damn it."
The Shadow Circle turned.
That pitch-black thing positioned beneath Ferda's Circles continued to tempt him without the slightest sign of fatigue.
He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself.
Red hair.
Two pairs of horns.
A beautiful face appeared clearly once again.
Then it twisted.
She held out her heart to him.
'I'm going mad.'
He was still trapped by the illusion the Trauma had shown him.
Even though he knew the magic was no longer present, his heart refused to obey reason.
It was like thirst or hunger.
No matter how long one endured it, there would eventually come a moment when restraint failed.
Ferda already knew what form that failure would take.
—It's all right.
At last, the voice that tormented him began to speak.
'What exactly is all right?'
—You're only thinking about the person who loves you.
The voice that filled Ferda with regret whispered seductively.
—Let that feeling grow and make you stronger.
—Like a forge.
—Heat it, hammer it, temper it, and grind it down.
—That is how a blade is made.
—A blade meant to protect her.
—Kill and keep killing.
—In the end, all of her enemies will be gone, and you will create a paradise for her.
—Conquest is the truest form of security.
"Shut up."
Hearing those words allowed Ferda to regain a little of his senses.
Killing and killing until no enemies remained was something he had done only when he had lost his mind in the past.
—It only requires a small sacrifice.
—No, perhaps a little more than that.
—She may even come to hate you.
—But don't you want to lessen the suffering of the person you love?
—Wasn't that why you made that choice before?
'Go away.'
—No.
As it spoke, it thrust its fingers into Ferda's chest without permission.
—I told you. I will always remain by your side.
Then it toyed with Ferda slowly, like a sugar cube dissolving in tea.
—Now is the time for you to become strong.
He saw the shadows moving on their own.
The Circle battered Ferda's body like a river swollen by monsoon rains.
The shadows were forcing the Shadow Circle to move, attempting to reach a new realm without his consent.
—Follow your destiny.
—Recover the power you once possessed.
—Let us go together again.
He could not resist.
Cold sweat poured from his body, and his consciousness drifted farther away.
"Haa... Haa..."
But he could not allow himself to lose consciousness.
Those shadows were targeting Ferda's body.
He had no idea what would happen.
Nor did he want to know.
Ferda wondered how he could escape from this agonizing regret.
'I must not listen to what this thing says.'
To do that, he needed to redirect his mind elsewhere.
Not merely distract himself, but deliberately turn his thoughts toward something that opposed the creature's intentions.
'Lightening the burden on my heart.'
How could he do that?
Ferda suddenly remembered the confessions practiced by the Alte faith.
A believer confessed their sins to a priest, and the priest helped lessen the burden of those sins.
Ferda had always disliked the practice.
To commit a sin and then seek salvation from a god rather than from the person who had suffered because of it—it had seemed absurd.
He had not understood then.
Now he did.
Without something like that, a person could go mad.
Human beings were that fragile.
Just like Ferda was now.
As he suffered in silence, something soft touched him.
The sensation startled him.
'Valdrova.'
Was she touching his cheek?
No.
The armored knight was wiping the sweat from Ferda's face.
Ferda did not lash out or shout.
Instead, he took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat himself.
The armored knight carefully returned to their place.
Ferda watched the knight in silence.
The man's actions were clumsy, yet there was a quiet dignity to them.
He felt as dependable as a fortress that would not yield under any circumstances.
And because Ferda was on the verge of collapsing, he needed that steadiness.
"You..."
Ferda forced the words out with difficulty.
"Are you good at keeping secrets?"
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