Odey slowly stood up and approached the door leading to the corridor. His calm, cold face betrayed no emotion. Pausing for a fraction of a second, he sighed, pulled the door open, and stepped out into the gloomy hallway. The only sound around them was the echoing of footsteps.
— What do you think, Slor? Where will they send us this time? I bet we'll either be standing guard at Crimson East again or heading out on a hunt.
— No, we just went to Crimson East last time, so the chances of going back there are slim. Maybe we'll get lucky and end up at the Great Castle. I heard they're hosting a banquet there soon.
— Maybe.
Their voices faded as they strained their ears, paying close attention to the footsteps. The faint but audible pacing coming from outside finally stopped. Captain Odey had met with the messenger.
'I wonder, will they bring the messenger in here, or will they come and explain things themselves?'
'What does it matter? Neither outcome does you any good anyway.'
'Ugh, what would you know? This is my very first mission. Through this, I'll become a Reader soon. To be honest, I don't care where we end up, as long as I come back as a Reader.'
Even though Unwan was speaking internally, there was a distinct sense of emotion in the exchange. It felt less like talking to himself and more like conversing with another living creature residing in his mind.
'We'll see.'
The moment those words echoed in Unwan's head, something burst violently through the door and slammed into him with terrifying speed. Unwan went crashing backward, taking his desk down with him. A sharp, whooshing sound lingered in the air at the point of impact. Everyone in the waiting hall froze, utterly paralyzed by shock.
Unwan struggled to process what was happening. As his senses returned, he realized Odey was pinning him down, his hand clamped tightly around Unwan's throat. It wasn't enough to choke him to death, but the sheer force of the act was terrifying.
Odey himself looked absolutely horrified. His eyes were narrowed, and his breathing was jagged and some erratic. There was not a single trace left of his usual cold, collected demeanor. The scars etched across his face only made him look even more unhinged. He spat his words out in a frantic rush.
— What have you done, boy?!
— What did I do?
— What did you do? Do you really not know what you've done? You've handed your own life straight into the jaws of death, you filthy bastard!
Odey's extreme reaction terrified everyone else in the room. Harde asked in a low, cautious tone, "Captain... what happened to you?"
— I wasn't talking to you. Shut your mouths.
Truly, what could possibly shock a man like Odey to this extent? After all, he was a Genius-rank Owner, just like Nort, a level of power a few ever achieved. What on earth could rattle monsters of that caliber?
Unwan lay pinned to the floor in fearful silence. Just then, someone came jogging down the corridor. He wore royal attire, armed with nothing but a sword strapped to his belt, and held a letter with a broken seal in his hand. He looked relatively composed, showing no signs of fear. From the looks of it, only Odey had read the contents of the letter so far.
The messenger looked down with concern.
— Captain Odey. Are you alright? Please, let the boy... um... let him go. Hey, someone fetch your captain some water.
A few minutes later, the tension in the room had eased slightly. Odey had released Unwan and was now sitting heavily on the sofa, gulping down ice-cold water. All eyes were glued to him, even the quiet girl was staring. Yet, no one dared to take the liberty of reading the letter themselves.
After some time passed, someone finally asked,
— What happened, Captain?
— Ugh, Unwan... why did you do it? Why did you let yourself fall onto the bad side of such upper class people?
Unwan wanted to raise an eyebrow in confusion, but the dreadful pit in his stomach told him something terrible was about to drop.
— What did I do?
— What did you do? There. It's all written on that parchment. Mr. Messenger, please read the letter aloud for everyone. Then they'll understand. They'll understand exactly what is happening.
— Very well.
The messenger unrolled the parchment and cleared his throat.
— "Respected Mr. Odey, Captain of the Shadow Cohort. As I announce your cohort's mission for this month, I wish you luck, as always. Your cohort has an important task this time: we expect you to provide security at the upcoming banquet in the Great Castle, and to attend as our esteemed guests. We trust you will not put our lives at risk in the Night Curse Realm."
Slor felt a brief surge of excitement. But then it dawned on him. The message wasn't over. Good news of this magnitude wouldn't have terrified their captain like that. By now, even the messenger's face had begun to pale. He swallowed hard and continued reading.
— "Unfortunately, a petition has reached us regarding a boy who joined your cohort this summer. Accused of using magic in front of the public marketplace, humiliating the victim, beating him to a pulp, and knocking him out cold as if dead, the Royal Court had initially sentenced him to death. However, our Supreme Ruler is merciful and has decreed that we grant Mr. Unwanted a second chance. Despite his use of magic against Mr. Polgar, one of our finest merchants, the King wishes to offer Mr. Unwanted an opportunity to survive."
The messenger's voice began to tremble and stutter. It was as if he recognized the horrific reality of the decree but couldn't stop reading.
— "They have ordered us to send Mr. Un-Un-Unwanted to 'The Un-Un-Unknown.' We wish them luck and are pleased to provide an avenue for them to atone for their crimes. Yours respectfully, Prime Minister Crelin Roger."
A cold sweat washed over everyone in the room. Almost the entire cohort began to tremble, slowly, but noticeably. Everyone except Unwan.
— The Unknown? What is that? Or rather, where is it? What kind of place strikes this level of panic into a Genius-rank like Odey?
Finally, breaking her silence for the first time, the quiet girl spoke.
— What the hell did this filthy boy do? Are you tired of living? Or did someone force you to do this, you absolute fool?
— What? Honestly, I don't even know what you're all talking about! True, I used my spell on a man named Polgar, but he started it! He sent me flying into the air. What was I supposed to do? And besides, what or where even is the Unknown?
The whole room stared at him in utter disbelief.
— Do you really not know about the Unknown?
— Yeah, I don't know.
Odey took another harsh gulp of cold water and turned his piercing gaze to Unwan.
— The Unknown is the only territory not found on any map within the Night Curse. Not only that, but attempts to conquer it have been ongoing since the era of the First King. For five hundred years. Only recently did the kingdom finally abandon all efforts to claim it. What lies there, what doesn't, no one knows. And knowing nothing is the worst part. You cannot fight an opponent when you don't know what they are. The Unknown is exactly that kind of place.
Odey tried to take a steadying breath before continuing.
— No one has ever conquered it. No one. Whether you are a Genius rank or a Philosopher rank, it makes no difference. No one has ever returned from there. Ever. That is exactly why there is zero information about it. And it is because of that very fact that even Genius-rank Owners fall into absolute despair at the thought of it.
He let out a bitter, hollow chuckle, glaring at Unwan with a mix of pity and simmering anger.
— And they want to send you there. To that damned 'survival' ground. Why don't they just execute you? Because this is a fate worse than death. No one will ever know where your corpse rots, or even if you're dead or alive. The Kingdom calls it a 'land of opportunity' for criminals just to rid themselves of an extra headache without the guilt of an execution. Do you understand now what kind of place this is?
The horrific reality finally crashed down on Unwan, leaving him consumed by terror. In the silence of his mind, the mocking voice of that wretched entity echoed once more.
'Weren't you saying earlier that it didn't matter where the mission was?'