novelraw Chapter 144
Chapter 144
Chapter 144
A remote place in the southern desert where human footsteps had long since ceased.
Gegegegeuk―!
A loud grinding sound of stone echoed through the area as stone dust scattered wildly. The stone door of the cavern, which had swallowed Hastings and remained completely unmoving for ten full days, finally began to open again.
“Uh… uuh…! It’s opening! It’s opening!”
“Ahh…! At last…!”
As the door opened, the members of the assassination order who had been squatting beside it snapped their eyes wide open and focused their gazes on the stone cavern.
Soon, the shadow of a single figure was cast inside the fully opened doorway. Step by step, the figure walked out from the cavern with measured, disciplined strides.
Thud. Thud.―
The sound of footsteps echoed softly through the deep, massive cavern. Low yet firm, small yet resounding.
Dozens of members of the assassination order swallowed their saliva one after another as they awaited the appearance of the stranger. Then, as the figure completely exited the cavern, his face was revealed beneath the scorching southern sunlight.
“…Ugh.”
The man, seeing sunlight for the first time in a long while, frowned and raised a hand to form a small patch of shade to shield his eyes. The sight was somehow familiar.
The one who had walked out of the cavern was none other than Hastings. Though his appearance was wretched from nearly ten days without properly eating or washing inside the cavern, the one who emerged was clearly Hastings, not Amrum.
“Ah… Leader…!”
Chief Naramshin was the first to recognize Hastings and let out a sigh of relief. Hastings also recognized Naramshin.
“…Chief. You’re still alive.”
“When Amrum abandoned my subordinates and forcibly opened the door to follow you inside, I was so worried I couldn’t rest. Thanks to that, we managed to win the battle outside the door, but my concern was beyond measure… I’m truly relieved that you’re safe.”
“Don’t worry. Isn’t it enough that I’m standing here alive and well? It seems quite some time has passed… Judging by your appearance, you’ve been waiting here the whole time. Even though I never asked you to… you’ve worked hard.”
Hastings had returned after learning a form of martial study completely different from anything he had learned within buildings until now. It was a discipline that Tang Seogyeom had left behind for Reqil, a study of the martial world that was never meant to be permitted in this world.
‘I achieved results, but it’s only the bare basics. I can’t be satisfied with just this. I must become stronger.’
Yurion Aphahiel, the rightful owner of the stolen imperial throne. Hastings chose to become not the sword revealed to the world, but the dagger hidden within Yuwon’s chest.
‘This isn’t enough to handle the dirty and menial work from the lowest places on my lord’s behalf. To become his blade… I need to be stronger. Even more so. That’s precisely why I need them.’
Hastings slowly swept his gaze across the faces of the assassination order members who looked up at him with unreadable, indifferent eyes.
‘I can’t do it alone. No matter how strong I become, one hand cannot cover the sun. Even my teacher never acted alone. Right now, I need them.’
The ten days spent inside the stone cavern shattered Hastings’ stubbornness. The childish obsession that it was enough for only himself to grow strong and succeed broke apart, and at that moment, Hastings truly became not a knight, but an assassin.
An assassin had to be someone who could do anything for the sake of the mission entrusted to them.
Hastings prided himself on being prepared to take on any dirty work or perilous terrain for Yuwon, yet even he had never welcomed the idea of having subordinates beneath him. Remembering that the one who had assassinated the late Emperor Yulaios was a Shadow Raven closest to him made it all the more so.
‘This is a path my teacher painstakingly laid down while looking far into the future. There’s no way he would have wasted time on something meaningless. Perhaps he even foresaw the wings of the raven being broken, just like now.’
When he had first returned to the south, Hastings had been skeptical of the assassination order. But the battle with Amrum, and the grueling ordeal within the stone cavern, finally broke his obstinacy completely.
Hastings stepped closer and spoke to the chief.
“Chief, I’ll need your help.”
“Yes. Please tell me anything.”
“I don’t believe the people standing here are the entirety of the assassination order. There must be those, like Amrum, who are displeased with my appearance.”
“Well, that’s true… but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to help….”
At Chief Naramshin’s cautious question, Hastings once again turned his gaze and slowly scanned the faces of the members. Then, he whispered quietly.
“I hope to become not a stone that rolled in, but the true leader of the order. One who is acknowledged by everyone within the order.”
At Hastings’ unexpected answer, the chief’s wrinkled eyes flew open.
“Wha…! L-Leader…! Have you decided to take us in?”
As far as the chief remembered, Hastings had been skeptical of both the existence of the assassination order and the position of leader he was meant to inherit. Hearing words completely contrary to that now left him no choice but to be shocked.
Hastings quietly nodded in response.
“Assassins are dangerous beings by nature… but if they lose their master, they become even more dangerous. That’s why I can no longer simply abandon a force as significant as the assassination order. I’d rather not meet them as enemies later.”
“I understand your will. Then this old man will step forward and do everything in his power to assist you!”
The reason behind Hastings’ sudden change of heart was unimportant to the chief. To him, who had once owed his life to Marcellus, what mattered more was that his successor had returned to the order in both body and mind.
‘The assassination order cannot be taken by anyone else.’
As Hastings steeled his resolve, his eyes shone sharply—sharper than the blade of the raven dagger he carried in his chest.
Five minutes had passed since Yuwon had entered the mouth of the gigantic crocodile monster. At last, he reached the deepest point beneath the river of the Great Jungle.
With its mouth tightly shut, the crocodile let out muffled sounds, signaling that there was nowhere left to descend.
“…So this is it.”
Yuwon already knew the answer. His instincts, now as keen as his natural five senses, were telling him that what he sought was right before him.
“You’re quite excited. I see.”
After resting within the spacious mouth of the crocodile, Yuwon took a deep breath and prepared to head outside.
“Hoo….”
The stench emanating from the crocodile’s mouth was slightly unpleasant, but not enough to matter in such an important situation.
“Still, thanks to you, I avoided drowning. Thank you. Now wait here just a little longer. I think I’ll need your help again when I go back.”
Yuwon lightly tapped the crocodile’s tongue and exited its mouth, entrusting his body once more to the river of the Great Jungle.
‘…Ugh.’
What greeted Yuwon first upon entering the water was the heavy density and pressure of it. Though he had descended so deeply that it far surpassed human limits, even Yuwon felt the immense pressure. He immediately circulated his inner energy throughout his body to reinforce himself.
‘It feels like I’ve become a soaked lump of cotton. If I lose focus for even a moment and something jumps out, I won’t escape death.’
It was the exact same feeling he had experienced when he first revived in Yurion’s body long ago. Standing on the riverbed, Yuwon slowly turned his gaze to survey his surroundings.
Then, something that should not have been on the riverbed came into view. Ruins of a structure.
‘Ah…! That’s it!’
The moment Yuwon confirmed it with his own eyes, his instincts surged so violently that the back of his neck ached, turning suspicion into certainty. Preparing for any potential danger, he sharpened his vision and cautiously approached the ruins.
‘A temple…? A temple at the bottom of a river…?’
It was so thoroughly destroyed and covered in thick algae that it was hard to be certain, but that was the immediate impression.
‘There’s no visible threat for now… If I’m going to enter, I’ll need to clear things up first….’
With that thought, Yuwon placed his hand on the shattered remains.
Woooong―!
The instant his hand touched the ruins, they reacted. No, the entire structure responded, letting out a deep vibrating hum. Soon, a suspicious glow emerged from within the wreckage.
It was an entrance leading into the building. The entrance was shining brightly, as if it had been waiting for Yuwon’s arrival.
Without hesitation, Yuwon followed the glowing light, pushing through the broken debris and entering the building. Whatever magical measures had been applied, thankfully there was no water inside, allowing him to breathe comfortably.
Thud. Thud.―
Neither large nor small, the space felt ambiguous. Yuwon slowly walked through the suspicious interior.
“This feels oddly familiar….”
Though the location had changed, the scenery felt familiar. The flow of events was not much different from when Yuwon had first discovered the underground chambers beneath the Imperial Library.
‘Alright. What are you going to give me?’
Whatever had happened, a structure that belonged on land had been buried deep beneath a river, so it couldn’t have been a trivial matter. Yet unlike the chaotic, collapsed exterior of the temple, the interior was in much better condition.
‘Some kind of protective magic. There’s still mana left.’
Yuwon slowly turned his eyes and examined the interior. A casual glance revealed nothing particularly special. His instincts would not have guided him into such depths of the river without reason.
‘This is definitely the destination my instincts pointed me to. That means there must be something in here… I’m just missing it for now.’
Without rushing, Yuwon inspected the interior more carefully. And then, in the brief moment he looked away—
Piiik―!
At some point, the Hatchling of the Dragon-Scaled Serpent had popped out of his pocket and was excitedly climbing along the wall.
“Hah… I guess I haven’t played with you much lately, so you can’t contain yourself. You shouldn’t be wandering around like that. Who knows what might be here….”
Concerned that the hatchling might encounter danger, Yuwon quickly gathered it up. At that moment, the hatchling was crawling energetically along the ceiling.
“Be careful. If you do this again, you’ll be scolded—.”
Swoosh―
As Yuwon retrieved the hatchling from the ceiling, his hand lightly brushed against it. He hadn’t done anything, but the moment his touch landed, the ceiling trembled violently, as if it were about to collapse, releasing a deafening roar.
“Ugh, why is this suddenly—.”
A sudden change. Preparing for any danger, Yuwon swiftly pulled back from the ceiling while securing the hatchling, which was still crawling around with an innocent expression.
Rumble―!
A thunderous sound echoed as the ceiling went berserk from Yuwon’s light touch, and cracks spread rapidly along the walls. It looked ready to collapse at any moment, prompting Yuwon to take a deep breath and prepare to be thrown back into the water.
“Hup…!”
But things did not unfold as Yuwon feared. Instead of collapsing, the violently shaking ceiling shed a layer, revealing the secret hidden within. A massive mural spanning the entire structure was unveiled above.
Yuwon didn’t even have time to be surprised by the change. The mural itself instantly captured his attention.
“Wait… this is….”
A mural depicting dragons and fairies, humans and monsters. It was a memory etched from a distant age, from a time before humans had become the masters of the continent.