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“Ha ha ha! My lord, it seems like they were so scared by us last night that they might have even wet themselves. The sun is already up, but there’s still no sign of them.”

“Bastion, I’ve told you time and time again.”

“Yes, I know, I know. I may look like this, but my head isn’t completely empty. You know, the words you always say to us, I’ve got them engraved right in here.”

He tapped his head.

“And what exactly have you engraved?”

“Oh, you know. When the sun rises…… huh, when the sun rises? The round sun rises, get up? Ah, that’s it! When the sun rises……!”

‘……Idiot.’

I escaped my brief reverie with a bitter smile.

It was as if his voice was still ringing in my ears.

“Do you not feel anything after seeing this?”

At the words of the voice beside me, I looked at the writing more closely.

Soon, I understood what Narakas was trying to convey.

“……It’s written in blood.”

“Yes, it’s written in blood.”

An ordinary person would focus on the tree, but someone who handles information always looks at the forest.

Before collecting the picture in front of him, he first constructs the exhibition hall to display it in his mind.

“Red writing has been a symbol of misfortune since ancient times. Even though it’s just superstition, ‘blood’ gives an eerie feeling even to those who don’t believe in superstitions.”

“……”

“But why would someone honor their respected hero by leaving a message in blood? And on this perilous cliff, no less.”

As he said this, Narakas gently touched the writing with his hand.

“If I were to speculate, being the novelist that I am, the person who left this message must have had a very close relationship with Ancelot Heil Edenberg. In that case, there’s only one situation I can think of.”

“I’m interested to hear your thoughts.”

“The person who left this message was being chased and fell off this cliff. As you might have noticed, this place is not easy to find unless you stick your neck out into the cold winds of the cliff. Anyway, they managed to survive by a stroke of fate and swore a bloody revenge here.”

Given Bastion’s personality, this wasn’t just a far-fetched story.

In fact, it was highly likely to be true.

He was that foolishly loyal and stubborn.

‘That fool.’

If he survived, he should have just looked for a way to live, rather than seeking revenge.”

At the same time, I once again admired Narakas.

Years had passed, but he was still the same.

The insight to deduct information from small clues.

Narakas possessed this ability.

“If we could get inside, we could determine if my theory holds true. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way yet, although ‘When the sun rises’ seems to be some password to open the door.”

“……I see.”

“Actually, a password should have a certain allure to it— something like ‘When the red moon rises, the world will fall.’ What even is this?”

Narakas scratched his head vigorously.

“Treasure is often hidden in plain sight, but the sun rises every day, whether it rains or snows. Even for someone seasoned like me, I have no clue what this means.”

Without a word, I slowly approached the edge of the cliff.

More sensitive to energy than anyone, I could feel it.

The faint flow of mana on the cliff’s surface.

I placed my hand precisely at the center of this flow.

“……Always doubt and remain vigilant.”

Bastion’s last words from my memory escaped my lips.

As Narakas said, the phrase ‘When the sun rises’ itself has no special meaning.

Since the sun rises every day.

In other words, it meant, ‘never let down your guard.’

‘It’s because we didn’t put it into practice that we got betrayed like fools.’

A bitter smile spread across my lips again.

If I could go back to the past, I’d give them new advice.

Not ‘When the sun rises,’ but to always doubt and be vigilant of the ‘sun.’

Rumble! Boom!

“Huh?”

As the ground vibrated slightly and the door began to open, Narakas was startled.

“Let’s go in.”

“……”

As I led the way, Narakas, who had been standing there in a daze, finally came to his senses.

“H-Hey! Wait a minute.”

“We’re both short on time. You can ask how I deciphered the password later……”

“That’s not it!”

“……?”

“Just what are you thinking, to trust me so easily?”

At last, I glanced back at Narakas.

“I’ve been curious. At first, I thought you were just a reckless kid, but…… Watching how you act, it’s as if you know exactly what I’m going to do.”

“……”

“It’s the great hero’s treasure, isn’t it? If you knew the password, wouldn’t it make the most sense to come back later and take it all for yourself?”

A small laugh escaped my lips.

“Would you just watch and let that happen?”

“……!”

Narakas fell silent at my retort.

Of course, I wasn’t entirely dismissing other variables, but Bastion wasn’t the type to leave behind treasures.

‘To him, gold was less valuable than the stones on the road, and weapons were too cumbersome for him to even glance at. So, what treasure?’

In other words, what was inside was likely a message Bastion wanted to convey to me or his comrades.

“This might sound absurd, but…… Are you my lost brother that my mom secretly gave birth to?”

“What?”

“No, of course not. I’m actually quite old, despite my appearance. So what is it?”

Seeing Narakas looking at me in confusion, I couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Let’s go in, brother.”

***

The cave was not very deep.

A space of barely ten pyeong.

The interior was brightly lit by a magical device, and as expected, a spectacle of letters filled the space.

“I don’t see any treasures or secret manuals.”

Ignoring my companion’s disappointment, I began to immerse myself in the spectacle of the letters.

[For well over a hundred days, I have been on the run. In the end, I broke through the encirclement and reached this place. I don’t even know if my other comrades are alive or dead. Despite all my big talk, I turned out to be powerless.]

Before I knew it, Narakas had come up beside me and was reading the letters along with me.

“Is this the hidden truth of history?”

It was none other than the situation of that day.

The truths I had longed for more than any treasure were left here.

[Why did the emperor, that bastard, betray us? We went through hell, swearing our loyalty. We even would’ve licked his feet!]

[Maybe he was afraid of our lord. Cowardly piece of shit. How could such a guy have thought he could be an emperor? I can’t make any sense of it.]

The curses against the emperor continued for quite a while.

As I read those letters, it felt like Bastion’s voice was directly whispering in my ear.

“……Even someone who didn’t know anything else would be able to tell his grudge against the emperor runs incredibly deep.”

“Wait.”

I covered Narakas’s mouth with my hand and continued reading the letters.

I had finally found the part I was looking for.

[The bastards found out about the mountain I’m hiding in. Damn it! In the end, I couldn’t completely break through the encirclement. I didn’t leave any trace, so how did they find me?]

[The encirclement is closing in. I can’t rule out the possibility that they’ll discover this place. Therefore, in case of an emergency, I will leave the truth of history here. If someone other than my comrades finds this place, know this. I am Bastion Arkets, commander of the 2nd Eastern Army of Swallow. My lord, Ancelot Heil Edenberg, is no traitor. He was more devoted to the country and its people than anyone else, and he is my respected hero!]

From here, the handwriting suddenly became hurried.

As if conveying the urgency of the situation at that time.

The problem was its content.

[Dammit! There was a lingering scent on my neck. They tracked me using this. This tracking technique is a secret known only to us. I hate to believe it, but it seems there was a traitor among us. My foolish self realized this too late.]

[I just encountered the initial pursuit squad. I barely lost them by jumping off a cliff, but this place will soon be discovered, too. Moreover, I finally understood why the lingering scent was left on me.]

My concentration reached its peak.

[Who could have imagined? That traitor bastard is……]

“……”

At that moment, my heart sank.

At the most crucial point, the text abruptly cut off.

“Oh, dear. There’s no continuation. Was he attacked at the decisive moment?”

I lightly shook my head at Narakas’s voice.

“……No. It’s not that there’s nothing there.”

“Huh?”

“It was erased.”

I stared quietly at the wall.

Though they had desperately tried to hide it by scraping the surface and applying magical treatment, my eyes could not be deceived.

This section was distinctly different from the rest.

Hummm!

With a small resonant sound, mana began to concentrate in my eyes.

The eyes are the weakest part of the body.

No reasonable knight would think to surround their eyes with mana.

Even a slight lapse in mana control could cause the fragile eyeballs to burst.

However, if one could manage this, even the dynamic vision, known to be impossible to train separately, could be greatly improved.

“Erased?”

Only then did Narakas quickly run his hand over the surface.

Although he didn’t possess mana control abilities like mine.

“I-Indeed, the texture is different.”

He had the experience of living as an informant.

“No doubt about it. Someone else was here before us.”

I closed my eyes at his voice.

It was the worst-case scenario I had feared.

‘I had some hope, but……’

Bastion was dead.

But, at the same time, I felt a sense of relief.

At least it was proven that he was not the traitor.

In fact, Bastion had been the one comrade I suspected the least among the five.

“Something’s odd, though.”

Narakas, who said this, looked around.

“If they wanted to hide the traitor, they could have just sealed it off cleanly. Why bother erasing only the last part? It feels unnecessarily unsettling.”

“……A trap.”

“That’s what I thought.”

As if he had already expected it, Narakas nodded.

The traitor wanted the other comrades to discover this.

Blinded by rage, they would return to the Empire on their own.

“Then, this Bastion guy wasn’t the last sacrifice. Since the remaining comrades weren’t captured, the traitor must have left this trap.”

As he said, it meant there was a survivor who had completely broken through the encirclement and escaped.

Should I call it a small fortune amidst misfortune?

My heart felt slightly lighter.

“There’s another odd thing.”

“What is it?”

“From the content, it’s clear this wasn’t written in a single sitting, but across multiple days, one entry at a time. He must have used this place as a base, leaving regular records and, in between, climbing the cliff to find a way to break through the encirclement. He would have needed to gather food too. In the midst of that, he was discovered……”

Narakas, continuing his explanation, drew his finger across his neck.

“He was killed. But those guys already knew this place was the base of a dead man. They had that special tracking technique called ‘lingering scent.’”

……It was as he said.

Knowing everything already, they didn’t kill Bastion right away.

Like hunters enjoying their prey’s slow demise, they watched him wither day by day.

They must have mocked him with laughter.

“What a cruel bastard. From a third party’s perspective, that traitor seems more despicable than the Emperor.”

“……Let’s head back. It seems you didn’t find what you were looking for.”

I turned around sharply.

If I stayed here any longer, I wouldn’t be able to control my killing intent.

“……”

After a moment of silence, Narakas spoke.

“Our people will begin a formal investigation here soon. If we find anything else, I’ll let you know.”

“……?”

I looked back at him with a puzzled expression.

Why would he extend such a favor?

“Well, think of it as a whim or an investment. Let’s call the information about this place even for letting me look around inside.”

I stared at him quietly.

Though they say the most frightening thing is a favor without reason.

‘I can trust him for now.’

He must have many questions for me.

If it’s Narakas, he won’t harm me until his curiosity is satisfied.

Having made my decision, I nodded lightly.

“Thank you.”

***

“……”

Nothing happened on the way back to the count’s estate.

However, the real problem arose after we arrived at our destination.

“Sobbbb……”

From the entrance, the faint sound of several people wailing could be heard.

It was as if someone had died.

“……Dead?”

Naturally, my pace quickened.

“B-Boss!”

As I entered, Harun, who spotted me from a distance, ran over.

“What happened?”

“Th-Th-The thing is……”

Harun, who had reached me, hurriedly took a deep breath.

Soon, my suspicions turned into certainty.

“Just now, the youngest of the Arsene family died. That…… that k

id named Hersen.”

“……!”

My eyes widened in shock.

This disaster had finally occurred.

I steeled myself.

There was only one meaning to the current situation.

“……Now, the destruction of one side is inevitable.”