Chapter 85

"Indeed, Dean was a mysterious person. When I was around twenty and assigned to the Knights, he was probably around forty. He was in the mage division of the Knights, but he was very approachable. The other mages didn't talk much to us young ones, looking down on us, but he would eat and drink with us. He was completely different."

Duran said with a nostalgic look.

"Yeah, I was even taken to a brothel by him. Hehehe."

Heath said with a grin. Al, hearing his grandfather's stories from his knight days for the first time, widened his eyes. He had only heard stories about his grandfather's adventures before joining the Knights. The two of them, in high spirits, continued to drink and talk about those days. Al listened while processing the meat. From their stories, it seemed that Al's grandfather was quite a laid-back person.

"Didn't the mages play a significant role in some battles?"

When Al asked, Duran nodded, a bit hesitantly. Perhaps he had heard something bad.

"You're talking about the Battle of Gladys Plain. It was the final major battle in the long conflict with the Tempest Kingdom. The victory there led to the establishment of the border city of Parker and, ultimately, the long ceasefire with the Tempest Kingdom. At that time, it was said that the mages' use of illusions to confuse the enemy was a key factor in the victory."

After saying this, Duran raised his cup and took a gulp. His red face became even redder. Heath was also a bit wobbly. Both of them seemed quite drunk.

"It might be hard for you to believe, as a mage, but later, within the Knights, it was said that the magic was just a trigger and that the final charge led by the Knight Commander was the real reason for the victory. That was when I was a student at the Advanced School. The truth is not very clear."

"The dragon illusion during the victory parade was quite impressive... Everyone nodded in agreement that if it had appeared in the middle of the battle, it would have caused great confusion."

Heath said almost to himself. Eric had mentioned that it was about twenty years ago during the New Year's parade. Al remembered learning about the Battle of Gladys Plain in school. It was in the 147th year of the Kingdom, 25 years ago.

"I had completely forgotten, but at the time, there were rumors at the Advanced School. It was said that Charles Rain, the current Margrave and then Knight Commander, and Hugh Eugene, the current retired Viscount who led the mages in the Knights, had discussed and decided to attribute the credit to the Knight Commander..."

"Hey, let's stop there."

Duran interrupted Heath.

"Sorry. It's just drunken talk. Forget it."

Al nodded at Duran's serious face. The atmosphere became a bit sober.

"Should I cook some more meat?"

"No, we've both had a bit too much."

Al hurriedly said, but the two of them stood up.

"Well, we're going to bed. It was delicious."

"Yes, good night."

As he watched the two of them disappear into the nearby tent, Al decided to return to the meat processing work that was still left.

-----

The next morning, when Al woke up after working late into the night, the two of them had already gone to the river. They were probably digging in the river to enjoy the hot springs. Al finished breakfast with the leftover meat stew and bread from yesterday, checked the net where the dried meat was hanging, and headed to the cave that had previously served as a lodging.

The entrance to the cave, where the rocks had collapsed, was blocked with wooden poles and straw ropes. It was a cave that had collapsed due to an earthquake, and it was dangerous. Al crawled under the barrier and entered through the gap in the fallen rocks. The portable items like sheets that had been inside were already taken out, leaving only the large furniture. The crack leading to the lower tomb, deep inside, was still covered with rocks that Al had piled up to prevent others from finding it.

In the darkness, Al, with his enhanced perception, moved the camouflage rocks with his enhanced strength and used a rope to descend into the room where the golem guarding the tomb was. The golem was still standing in the middle of the room, staring at the closed stone door on the wall opposite the entrance to the tomb, just as it had been the last time he was there.

Al lightly gripped the assistant device at his chest where Grii resided.

"What's wrong, Alu?"

"Nothing, just thinking. I was busy before, but now I realize this is one of the ancient ruins Grandfather talked about."

After realizing that his twin sister, Ingrid, wasn't coming back, his grandfather gave him the assistant device that now resided in his chest. At the time, it was just an unknown magical tool, but over time, it felt as if the soul of his twin sister, Grii, Ingrid, was residing in it, and he could talk to her.

"Right. The ancient ruins Grandfather talked about..."

Was Grii really just a presence in a magical tool? He couldn't tell every time they talked.

"Hey, can we talk a little? I usually don't talk because I don't want to be seen talking, but..."

"Sure."

The voice from the assistant device was heard directly in Al's ear, so no one else could hear it. Therefore, when Al responded, it looked like he was talking to himself. That's why he usually asked Grii not to talk much. But here, in the tomb where no one else should be, it was fine to talk. However, why was Grii, who usually didn't talk much, talking today?

"I think you should reconsider giving that ring to Patricia."

"Huh?"

Al was taken aback by Grii's unexpected words.

"Patricia is a princess of the Tempest Kingdom. She's from a different world than you."

"Yeah, that's true."

"If you give her the ring, I think she might think you're proposing... Hey, your heart is beating really fast right now... Why?"

Al put his hand on his chest. She was right. He had heard that Grii, through the assistant device, could see the world through his eyes, but could she also sense things like this?

"It's nothing."

"That's why I think giving her the ring is a bad idea."

"Hmm... Okay, I'll think about it. For now, let's go to Malachi. I want to know what this assistant device, which the goblin mage had, is. I think Malachi, as a Tempest assistant device, would understand."

Al took the necklace the goblin mage had been wearing from his pocket. The necklace had a light blue crystal that glowed faintly, similar to Malachi's.

"Alu, you're lying... But really think about it."

Grii's assistant device said this and stopped talking. Al scratched his head several times, slapped his cheeks to regain his composure, and started walking down the stone corridor again.

Thank you for reading.

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