Chapter 38: The Ruins of Leocren (3)

For three days, there was no significant progress. I thought if the Iron Lion Mercenary Group had joined, we would have found it much earlier.

Since they were not hired, they did not participate in the guarding or labor at all.

I really hoped we could find it as soon as possible today.

Because the Iron Lion Mercenary Group had been openly provoking us.

A large mercenary group and a small mercenary group.

I had heard that such tension was common, but it was a bit excessive. It really got on my nerves.

'They probably don't care since they're going to kill us all anyway.'

I also thought they were a bunch of lowlifes. They didn't even try to hide their true colors before striking.

While I could tolerate it, it was still annoying. However, I could remain calm because I knew the time for revenge would come.

"Ah, that bastard is sneaking over here again."

Following Phiri's calm gaze, I saw Theodor and Bejion.

Seeing Theodor's smiling face made me lose my appetite.

"Let's endure it."

"His eyes have been like shit since the first day. I was thinking of just pulling out my weapon."

I knew Phiri and I wouldn't get into any trouble, but I could empathize with her anger.

A sinister gaze.

Since there was a beauty in our small mercenary group, they clearly wanted to try something.

"Tsk, are they eating stew again?"

Looking at Bejion's face with a pained expression, I felt a surge of disgust.

Phiri, who usually had a good temper, smiled awkwardly.

"Haha..."

"How about coming over and eating with us? I'm planning to grill some meat today."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Don't be shy. Come on. I have something important to discuss. Come on? It would be good to join a large mercenary group, right?"

"No, I have to go on guard duty right away."

Despite the polite refusal, Bejion did not back down.

"Then how about tonight? I'll tell Head."

Bejion's snake-like eyes scanned Phiri. Hmm, he's being particularly annoying today.

Bejion only left after hearing Phiri say she would consider it if Head allowed it.

Watching him leave, Phiri muttered seriously.

"Should I just go in? I could quickly kill that guy and come out to deal with it."

It didn't seem like a joke. I couldn't help but cough.

"I'll take care of it properly."

I was serious.

I don't like that kind of person either. A useless brat causing trouble.

Especially to Phiri, the deputy leader.

Phiri's eyes lit up when she heard me. It was the look she got when her mischievous side kicked in.

"Really? My little brother, you're worried about your big sister?"

"Yes."

Phiri's eyes widened slightly and then formed a crescent. Was it because I treated her like a big sister for the first time?

"Alright. I'll only trust my little brother."

And the time for revenge came sooner than expected.

Two hours and twenty minutes after lunch, the ruins were discovered.

* * *

Thud—

While expanding the tunnel with a pickaxe, I felt a vibration from far away.

It was a different feeling from usual. I was certain the ruins had been found.

"We found it!"

"It's Tunnel 3!"

Sure enough. The workers' shouts echoed through the tunnel. People became busy.

When I ran over, I saw an archaeologist and Bejion standing in front of a stone door about three meters tall.

Unlike Head, who was overseeing the guard duty outside, Bejion had been following the archaeologist all along.

I quickly assessed the situation.

Including me, there were five of us, seven from the Iron Lions, and eleven slaves. The numbers were significantly different.

Nothing would happen immediately. The Iron Lions would probably come down from above.

'Sure enough.'

One of the Iron Lions at the back secretly slipped away.

Our agent didn't move. They were probably being monitored from above.

I turned my gaze to the stone door. Nine circular stone plates, about the size of a fist and button-like, protruded.

They looked like constellations. Thin grooves connected the plates.

But it was a constellation I had never seen before.

"Can we enter?"

Bejion's voice was sharp, but Theodor, with a rapt expression, didn't notice.

"Don't worry. We just needed to find it."

When the archaeologist snapped his fingers, a slave brought a chair used during breaks.

Theodor took a deep breath, climbed onto the chair, and slowly raised his right hand.

"Theodor! Wait, is this safe?"

Bejion, startled, interjected. It was because of the legend that such ruins often had traps.

I was also tense, knowing this.

The archaeologist only sent a confident look and pointed to the plates, then looked at Sedric.

"Sedric, what do you think this is?"

Sedric was silent for a moment, and just as Theodor was about to show disappointment, he quickly spoke.

"Ah! It's the Gemini constellation."

"Yes, that's right. You found the connection well."

"No, I was a bit late. I should have realized it right away."

Gemini constellation?

It was a constellation I had never heard of. I couldn't understand their conversation at all.

Hmm, maybe it's an ancient constellation that no longer exists.

"What do you think we should do to open it?"

Bejion, who was far away, sighed deeply, looking frustrated.

He was probably annoyed that they were playing teacher and student right before the discovery.

To be honest, I felt the same way.

With the tension of the upcoming battle, it seemed unnecessary.

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

To move like the wind, one must remain calm and wait for the right moment.

"According to the ancient text, we start here..."

Sedric pointed to the plates in sequence. Theodor's expression showed it was correct.

"Right. Do you want to try opening it?"

"Is that okay?"

"Of course."

Perhaps feeling generous in front of a great discovery, Theodor lifted Sedric onto the chair.

Then he turned to us.

"I'm going to open the door now. If you're nervous, you can step back a bit."

Everyone took a few steps back, except for Sedric and the child.

I did the same. There was no need to appear overly bold.

"Let me introduce this. This is the ruins of Leocren, a close friend of the founding emperor. Or, more accurately, the ruins that Leocren discovered."

Huh? The ruins that Leocren discovered?

It seemed Sedric had been mistaken. But this moment increased the possibility of a mystery here.

It meant that both Leocren, who possessed the healing mystery, and Sedric had entered these ruins.

However, the possibility of taking the mystery was low.

'Mysteries seep into people, not through objects.'

There was little known about mysteries, but this was certain.

If anything, the ruins had chosen Sedric.

I didn't have much greed. I had never seen anyone with two mysteries in the game.

In contrast, Bejion's face was twisted. It was probably because of what Theodor had said.

Already discovered ruins.

For Bejion, who had been targeting the ruins, it was the same as saying the contents had been looted.

Not just Bejion, but most people, including our agent, looked disappointed.

The tense atmosphere slightly relaxed.

"Judging by everyone's faces, you're quite disappointed."

Among them, only Theodor was smiling.

"But don't worry. According to Leocren's diary, he filled the place with treasures as a reward."

The tension rose again. Theodor smiled and clapped his hands.

"Alright. Open it now."

"Yes."

Nodding, Sedric placed his hand on the plates, slightly tense.

Click, click...

When Sedric pressed the eleventh plate, a massive rumble echoed.

I could feel an alien energy in the air. Sedric squinted one eye.

Could the mystery have been transferred just now?

Before I could think, the stone door began to open.

* * *

When the stone door opened underground, a member of the Iron Lions fell, spraying blood.

After sending a message to the other Iron Lions and firing a signal arrow to the comrades outside, he did this.

The Iron Lions' scouts were not far away. They would arrive soon, all on horseback.

Phiri, who had casually swung her sword, looked at the agents.

Nine of us, excluding the five who had gone underground.

Normally, we would be scattered around the camp for guard duty, but we had agreed in advance, so we could join immediately.

A signal arrow was fired again from a distance.

It was a signal from the Iron Lions' scouts to the main force. Phiri knew the time had come.

"First team, hide and wait for the explosion. Second team, enter."

"Yes."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the tunnel where the stone door had opened, everyone was visibly confused.

Inside the stone chamber, about 20 square meters in size, was only a wooden box in front of a stone statue.

The walls, covered with unknown patterns, were intriguing, but that was all.

"What... is this..."

Even Theodor couldn't continue, surprised by the unexpected situation.

He stood still for about ten seconds before quickly regaining his composure and rushing to the wooden box.

"Phew."

Theodor sighed in relief. Fortunately, the wooden box was filled with gold and jewels.

His expression brightened a bit.

But it was far from what he had hoped for and expected.

Leocren, a close friend of the founding emperor, had said he had filled it with treasures.

Theodor had imagined a room filled with gold coins.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Theodor noticed a piece of parchment sticking out between the gold coins.

The visible part was clearly in an ancient language.

Pretending to rummage through the gold, Theodor quickly slipped the parchment into his sleeve.

No one saw, as he had his back to them, but Kallin had sensed the situation through the wind.

Kallin moved closer to Sedric, ready to protect him if anything happened.

The child had been standing there, dazed, since the door opened.

"Why are you like that?"

"Eh, what?"

"I was just wondering why you were standing still."

"Just... surprised."

Kallin didn't pretend to know about the mystery. It was better to gain trust by helping without knowing.

There was no need to reveal it.

"Theodor, is this all?"

Bejion checked his pocket watch, calculating the arrival of reinforcements.

Theodor, now noticing the cold tone, raised his head sharply.

"There might be a secret room. We should look for it."

"Right. With Leocren's name, it would be disappointing if this is all there is. Though it's not a small amount."

"Haha... There must be more."

As Theodor stuttered, Bejion smirked.

"Why do you keep raising expectations?"

Bejion was conflicted.

He was relieved to have something, but also disappointed because he had briefly hoped for more.

Theodor, sensing the cold atmosphere, subtly leaned back.

"Bejion-sama! We're here!"

At that moment, the Iron Lions rushed in from behind. They had been waiting above.

Kallin had anticipated this.

"Why did you come down?"

"I was curious when I heard the ruins were found. Hehe."

Everyone could sense the sinister tone in their conversation.

The Iron Lions blocked the tunnel in front of the stone chamber, as if surrounding us.

Bejion snapped his fingers condescendingly.

"Theodor, what's wrong? Look for more. There might be something else."

"Ah, right, I will."

Theodor nodded and sent a pleading look to our agents.

He was asking for help.

Our mercenaries just pretended to be tense, watching the situation.

"Come over here."

Theodor called the slaves to check things out, clearly stalling for time.

Bejion checked the time again and shrugged.

"Well, they should be here by now."

"Yes. It's enough. They should be on their way through the tunnel."

Theodor, touching the wall aimlessly, swallowed hard. Bejion yawned, looking bored.

"Nothing else, huh?"

"It seems this is it."

"But why are you stalling, it's annoying."

Kallin placed her left hand on her dagger and gripped the pickaxe tightly in her right.

She couldn't bring a sword underground. The other agents were the same.

Kallin whispered to Sedric.

"When I shout, hide behind the workers."

Using the wind, no one else could hear.

Kallin confirmed that Sedric nodded slightly.

The atmosphere was cold and tense.

Then, Kallin sensed the footsteps of the Haisen agents through the wind.

Kallin calmly calculated the distance.

27 seconds until arrival.

"Now. Everyone, it's over. We know each other. The Iron Lion Mercenary Group... if you stay still, I'll spare your lives. How about it?"

Everyone knew they were going to be killed. Kallin grinned at Bejion's brazen face.

15 seconds until arrival.

"Now!"

Kallin pulled out her dagger with her left hand and threw the pickaxe.