What Happened To Them

April 23.

Viscount Rubingston hurried into the office, his urgent footsteps clearly visible. Seeing him like that, Ian asked with a joking tone, as if wondering what could possibly be so pressing.

“Viscount, what’s got you in such a rush? Don’t tell me the Doicheun Empire has already suffered defeat?”

“That is not the case, Your Majesty. Two agents and that man, Camyu, have returned to the Kingdom.”

“What? What do you mean, returned?”

“We received a telephone call from a provincial port city, and since they knew the cipher, we are certain it was them.”

“But how did they manage to come back?”

Not only the fact that they had survived, but also how they had escaped from the grasp of the Magnia Empire, could only be a mystery. There was no way the Magnia Empire would have let them go willingly.

“What was said about their condition?”

“They are reportedly fine for now. They have been sent to a secret safehouse and are currently resting.”

“Have them moved to the capital in secrecy.”

“Yes, sir. It would be best to hear the details directly from them.”

“In any case, it’s a relief that they came back.”

A heavy weight that had been pressing on his mind finally seemed to lift, and Ian felt reassured. At the same time, he thought that he should properly reward them. From their perspective, they had been sent into a situation where they could have been unjustly sacrificed, yet they returned safely. To deny them compensation would only be unfair.

“What about the Magnia Empire’s movements? Do they seem to be searching for anything in particular?”

“Based on our observations so far, the atmosphere within the imperial palace does not seem particularly tense. From that, it appears they have indeed secured the treasure.”

“So they obtained it.”

“That is our assumption. In any case, there are no visible signs of them searching for something else. It may be that Camyu and the agents escaped secretly.”

“How would that even be possible?”

“There was an unexpected variable at the ruins, and it is likely they managed to slip away through that process.”

“I see, that is possible. In any case, once I meet them in person, I will hear the full story then.”

“I will arrange to have them transferred as soon as possible.”

“No need to rush it. Let them rest for now. They must have endured quite an ordeal.”

“Understood. I will bring them after they have had more rest.”

Despite Rubingston answering in agreement and being told to take it slow, Ian could not help but think that he wanted to see them as soon as possible. He was extremely curious about their story.

April 26, around 8:30 p.m.

Hiss—

Steam billowed as the train came to a stop, and passengers began to disembark from the connected carriages. Since it was evening, there were not that many people. Among them, a group of five slowly made their way out of the station.

After leaving the station, they split into two waiting vehicles and departed immediately. Vroom— The two cars drove off along the clean, asphalt-paved roads.

“We’re finally back home.”

Having returned to the capital after being away for several months, the two agents felt an instinctive sense of relief. The city night was brightly lit by streetlamps and the glow spilling out from buildings.

As the two took in these familiar sights they had longed to see again, they soon glanced at the man called Camyu, who sat quietly between them, and whispered softly.

“Even now, thinking back on it, we were really lucky, weren’t we?”

“Yeah. If this man hadn’t created that opening for us, we wouldn’t have been able to escape. We probably wouldn’t even be seeing a scene like this now.”

“Exactly…”

After speaking in voices steeped in emotion, the two agents fell silent. Before they knew it, the vehicle they were riding in was weaving through the city, following a deliberately convoluted route. It was a precaution, meant to prevent any possible surveillance.

Only after thirty minutes had passed were they able to enter the royal palace. Entering under the utmost secrecy, they moved straight through corridors where no attendants or maids were present. The corridors had been deliberately cleared to ensure there would be no witnesses.

Before long, they arrived in front of the King’s office. Gulp—without realizing it, the two agents swallowed hard, and as the doors opened, they stepped inside. What they saw at that moment was the King, whom they had only ever seen in photographs and videos until now.

They immediately dropped to one knee, saluted, and cried out.

“We greet the Ruler of the Great Ocean!”

“We greet the Ruler of the Great Ocean!”

“Welcome back. I welcome your return. You have worked hard.”

Hearing those words, the tension that had been built up inside them finally seemed to melt away. To have their efforts acknowledged directly by their own King—there was no greater honor. They felt as though they could die without regret.

In a way, after enduring so much hardship, the two agents had reached the limit of their emotional restraint and had become overly sentimental. It was possible that neither of them would ever be able to serve as field agents again. Most likely, they would be assigned to internal duties from now on.

“Now then, don’t just stand there. Let’s sit down.”

At Ian’s prompting, they finally moved and sat on the sofas. As they sat facing each other, only Camyu remained standing quietly. Seeing this, the two agents awkwardly began to rise again. Ian spoke as if to reassure them.

“You two may remain seated.”

“But how could we sit while—”

“That’s right. With Lord Camyu still standing, it feels improper…”

“If that burdens you, then have him sit as well. You, sit there.”

At Ian’s words, Camyu moved to the opposite side and sat down. Only then did the two agents sit back down. Watching them, Ian finally spoke, as if ready to hear their report.

“How did you manage to return?”

“We were truly fortunate. We were able to board one of the ships belonging to an expedition sent to search for the ruins, and by requesting their help, we made our way back to the Kingdom.”

“That is indeed fortunate. Avoiding the Magnia Empire’s attention could not have been easy.”

“Fortunately, they likely believe we are dead.”

“Yes. If they had known we were alive, they would have pursued us to the very end.”

“Is that so? Then tell me properly. What kind of place was it, and what exactly happened there?”

“Yes. I will explain from the beginning.”

After a short, deep breath, one of the agents began his detailed account. Naturally, he started with their arrival at the destination, Jaide Island, aboard a Magnia Empire airship.

They said that upon arrival, they were able to reach the entrance of the excavated ruins immediately. Unlike the ruins they had seen in the Marin Archipelago, this entrance was on an entirely different level—a fully formed, imposing structure.

The entrance had already been breached and broken open. It seemed explosives had been used previously to blast it open. Entering through that opening, they soon found themselves inside. What greeted them was a vast chamber, and blocking the way ahead stood a massive door.

The door was at least ten meters tall, and unlike the entrance, it was made of metal. It was covered in scorch marks, suggesting that attempts had already been made to open it with explosives, all of which had failed.

They had apparently even fired artillery at it, judging by the cannons abandoned off to one side. Despite the countless marks, the door had not budged at all. It was there that they encountered six people waiting.

All of them were mana users. Among them was a man named Lacen, who radiated an overwhelming presence. At that name, Ian could not help but react.

“Lacen?”

“You know him, Your Majesty?”

“I have encountered him before. He has served as Prince Jedic’s bodyguard since the days when Jedic was still an imperial prince. I saw him when he visited this palace.”

“I see. In any case, from the moment we first met him, his aura was no joke. He stared very intensely at Lord Camyu.”

“Did the two of them clash?”

“No. Lord Camyu did not even acknowledge him.”

At this explanation, Ian nodded. From the outset, Camyu had been conditioned not to retaliate unless directly attacked with killing intent. Listening to this, it became clear that the entrance required mana users to proceed.

The explanation continued, and soon they heard the account of those who had deciphered the ancient language there. Following that, seven mana users each began pouring their mana into the wall.

Only then did the immovable door react, radiant patterns lighting up across its surface. The door slowly opened, revealing a spiral staircase leading downward.

With the discovery of that staircase, the Magnia Empire expedition began its full-scale exploration.

They said a total of one thousand people were mobilized. A massive force moved all at once to explore the ruins. Carrying enormous amounts of equipment and supplies, they descended, and just reaching the bottom took a full hour. It was hard to imagine just how deep it must have been.

What awaited them below was an entirely different world. As if designed to prevent intruders from ever reaching the end, a labyrinth sprawled out before them. The maze was so tangled, deep, and vast that it took an entire month just to find a proper exit.

The reason it took so long was not merely the maze itself, but also the countless traps and monsters scattered throughout. Hundreds died as a result. Even so, with constant reinforcements, they managed to maintain a force of roughly a thousand.

“It sounds like a dungeon.”

“Indeed. Like a wizard’s dungeon said to have been created in a bygone age.”

“Yes. They called it a dungeon as well. All kinds of monsters appeared. Firearms and machine guns handled many of them, but the traps were the real problem. Countless people died after triggering them.”

“A truly dangerous place. It’s on an entirely different level from the ruins we explored.”

The place where Ian had obtained the White Crystal had not been anywhere near that large. That meant there could be treasures there beyond comparison. He nearly asked immediately, but decided it would be better to hear the full account first, signaling them to continue.

“Eventually, we found an exit from the maze and established a route that allowed many people to move at once using the ropes we had set up. But we never imagined it would lead to a disastrous situation.”

“Disastrous? What happened?”

“They arrived.”

“They? You mean the unidentified secret organization? They really entered the island?”

“Yes. Not only did they enter the island, they broke through those guarding the ruins’ entrance and forced their way inside. Then they followed the ropes and passed through the maze with ease.”

The ropes painstakingly set up through sacrifice had ended up providing the enemy with an effortless path. More than that, the fact that they had infiltrated in secret suggested, as expected, that they possessed submarines capable of slipping past fleets.

Ian briefly glanced at Viscount Rubingston, who nodded in response. Possessing submarines meant that if they traced how those submarines had been acquired, they could locate the organization itself.

“That was when we clashed. To be precise, we collided right at the entrance to where the treasure lay.”

“How ironic.”

“Yes. The timing was uncanny. We ran into each other just before securing the treasure, each side trying to claim it.”

“The Empire’s side must have had the advantage.”

“They did. Not only did we have far more people, but we also had him.”

“Lacen?”

“Yes. He was extraordinary. Wielding a sword that emitted light infused with aura, he cut down enemies as if it were a massacre.”

From the description, he seemed far stronger than when Ian had encountered him before. Ian glanced at Camyu, who sat silently, once again wearing the white mask he had recovered. Given that he had saved the two agents, it seemed he must have played a role as well.

“How did you escape? No, before that—what was the outcome?”

“In the end, the Empire prevailed.”

“Did they not have any mana users?”

“Not a single one. It seems they intentionally excluded them.”

“So they sent them knowing they would fail, minimizing the loss of important personnel.”

“Yes, that appears to be the case.”

The two agents nodded in agreement, and then came the concluding part of their report.

“After eliminating the enemies, we were finally able to enter the chamber where the treasure lay. And there, we saw the objects known as White Crystals.”

“Objects?”

“Yes. There were two, not one.”

“Two? Is that why the scale was so large?”

Realizing that they could not claim them both felt truly regrettable. This meant the Magnia Empire would now possess three in total, including the one they already had.

“However, Your Majesty…”

“What is it?”

“There is one fortunate thing. We were able to safely recover one of them.”

“Is that… is that true!?”

Ian sprang to his feet. The thought of obtaining it again filled him with joy. At the same time, greed stirred within him. If he were to absorb it once more, he might undergo another awakening.

“Where is it? Is it being kept safely?”

“Yes, it is being kept safe…”

As he said that, the agent’s expression grew awkward, and his gaze shifted toward Camyu. Seeing this, Ian looked at Camyu with a puzzled expression. The agent then pointed precisely at Camyu’s abdomen and said,

“Lord Camyu swallowed it whole.”

At the word “swallowed,” shock spread across the faces of everyone present except the agents, who already knew.