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EPISODE 146 – ARKEMAN’S TREASURE (2)
“We’re here.”
At the words of Jude who landed silently like the wind, Cordelia opened her closed eyes and looked in front of her.
A pile of rocks that were roughly piled up.
Cordelia couldn’t see anything that resembled an entrance, but she still said with a smile.
“It’s the same as in the game.”
“You’re right and…can you feel it?”
“Yes, it’s weak, but I can feel the flow of mana. It’s quite faint though.”
There was some kind of barrier in the area.
The arrangement of mana in the place was done in a very strange way that a normal wizard wouldn’t be able to sense that something was out of place, but Cordelia was different.
‘Because she is a genius in sensing and manipulating mana.’
A talent that the present Cordelia was born with and had nothing to do with her previous life.
“But Jude, how did you know?”
“Because of my Cheonmujiche…no, when I opened the fifth gate, my senses became sharper.”
“Hmm.”
Cordelia had tried to pull his ear to stop him from bragging about his Cheonmujiche, but withdrew her hand afterwards, so Jude sighed in relief and said.
“Anyway, let’s go in.”
“Yes, put me down.”
“Oh, you’re right. You were so light that I forgot that I was carrying you.”
“Hey, there’s something like a limit to flattery, okay?”
Cordelia reproached him but her face had a smile.
Satisfied with that fact, Jude took the lead as he said.
“Then, I’ll go in first and check if there’s anything dangerous we may not know.”
“What are you talking about? Let’s go together.”
“Well, okay. If you say so.”
In fact, Princess Darianne and her group had already passed through the entrance, and even in the game, there was no such trap in that place.
But there was still a possibility.
The original might have been twisted due to Princess Darianne entering the dungeon.
‘Rocks that are made of <Illusion> magic.’
The pile of rocks could be passed through since it was a fake image created by something similar to a hologram, and that fact alone demonstrated how skilled Arkeman was.
Creating a barrier that lasted for more than a hundred years was not easy.
“In any case, I’ll go in first.”
Jude quickly spoke as he moved and passed his body through the pile of rocks. He sharpened his senses as he looked around.
‘Well, I guess I was worried for nothing.’
The relieved Jude relaxed his posture when he didn’t sense any particular danger, and Cordelia’s voice was heard behind him.
“<Light>.”
A basic level magic that created a light made from magic.
The yellow light from Cordelia’s fingertip drove out the darkness in the dungeon, and Jude and Cordelia unconsciously let out astonished voices.
“Wow, you can tell that someone passed here.”
“Because Sir Cornwell has a cautious personality. He must have acted a little thoroughly because of Princess Darianne.”
They reacted like that because of the sight that spread before their eyes.
Traces of destruction remained all over the straight lined corridor of the dungeon, and traps and what seemed to be traps were also lying broken everywhere.
“We’ve told them about most of the dangerous traps…but this must also be because of Princess Darianne’s power, right?”
“Yes, it’s said in the game that she has a searching ability.”
The superpowers the children of the Sälen royal family were born with.
The game didn’t properly describe it, so it was impossible to guess how good their abilities were, but it seemed to be quite a powerful ability given the sight in front of them.
‘Because they immediately found the trap as they moved.’
Her search range was unknown, but he could at least guess that its duration was superb.
‘More than three hours.’
It took them only three hours to go to the end of the dungeon and return even though they broke the traps one by one.
It would have taken them much longer if she took a break after using her ability.
‘Anyway, it’s much easier now because of them.’
If the princess’ group had destroyed all the traps, all they had to do was to run fast as if they were running on flat ground.
“Wow, that’s quite bold of them. Doesn’t that trap seem to have exploded?”
An explosion in a narrow dungeon.
It was obviously limited to a small scale explosion, but considering the fact that Sir Cornwell was a ‘knight,’ it was quite surprising.
“I’m suddenly beginning to like Sir Cornwell.”
Jude narrowed his eyes at Cordelia’s words, and Cordelia giggled and continued her words.
“After all, when you don’t know what kind of trap it is, you just make it explode, right?”
“No, you demon. That’s not true.”
Having said that, Jude pinched Cordelia’s cheek as he thought that now was his chance to do so.
“Aah?!”
“Wow, it’s so soft.”
“You wanna die?”
Cordelia quickly moved her foot and tried to step on Jude’s foot, but Jude was already one step ahead of her.
He retreated like the wind and then said.
“Let’s hurry up, Milady. We have a long way to go. Shouldn’t we go back before sunrise?”
“I don’t think we’ll be too late even if I step on you a few times.”
Cordelia laughed ‘hohoho’ and clenched her fists, and Jude turned around while snickering as he hurriedly walked as if he was running away.
‘Cordelia is actually a bit correct though.’
If you didn’t know what kind of trap it is, you could just make it explode.
That was actually the best option if one was pressed for time. In fact, there had been many times when Jude had made a similar choice.
“Hey! Once I catch you, I’ll…”
“This way!”
Jude quickly shouted at the crossroads as he dashed towards the right path, and Cordelia ran after Jude in a hurry.
There were several forked roads, various traps and even hidden paths that deceived the eyes of visitors.
Even Jude thought that the whole terrain of Arkeman’s Dungeon could not be properly explored in one day.
However, all they had to do was run since Princess Darianne’s group had already destroyed all the traps, so they reached their destination in not just an hour but almost half an hour later.
“We’ve arrived quickly.”
Jude comfortably said after having arrived first, and Cordelia who was a step behind him gasped and slapped Jude on the back several times.
“Haa…haa… I’m exhausted.”
“But we arrived early, right?”
“So exhausting.”
Cordelia slapped Jude’s back again before she raised her upper body and looked around the last room, where the chimera had resided.
“It’s the same as the game.”
“Yeah, and the ceiling hole is over there.”
It was the passage the chimera went through to absorb the sun’s heat.
The special passage could only be used by the chimera because it was a place with a short distance space leap magic circle.
“It’s somehow scary when there’s such a big hole in the ceiling of a cave.”
Cordelia’s voice faltered as if she was afraid and she forcefully turned away from the black hole and looked in front of her.
Beyond the chimera’s seat, she saw the plot of land where the Seven-Colored Herb was grown.
“There are really only sprouts here.”
“It takes a long time for it to grow up. And…this arrangement makes it easy for others to think that the treasure of the dungeon that is guarded by the chimera is the Seven-Colored Herb.”
The medicinal efficacy of the Seven-Colored Herb was quite good.
If counted as an item, it was a medicinal herb that was around A-rank.
‘The problem is that I’ve already eaten a lot of S-rank stuff.’
From the Sunflower and the Essence of the Blue Moon to the Sphere of Life.
So for the present Jude, the Seven-Colored Herb didn’t really mean much to him.
Just as defeating low-level monsters when one’s level was already high would hardly increase one’s experience points, the efficacy of the medicine would be weak for the current Jude if it was not at least S-rank.
“Anyway, let’s move. First, let’s take the hidden treasure chests.”
“Okay, I’ll take the left one.”
“Then I’m right.”
There were hidden treasure chests at both corners of the altar where the chimera usually lied down.
“Just as I thought, we can take it because this is reality.”
In the game, it was treated as a background item so they couldn’t take it.
Cordelia broadly smiled as she packed magic orbs that were some kind of mana battery, and Jude also packed jewelry with a happy expression.
“Now, next is the real thing.”
Cordelia finished filling up the bags they had prepared and ran before stopping as she stood in front of a wall.
A complex pattern similar to a magic circle was drawn with blue paint, and that pattern could be said to be the real treasure that the chimera guarded.
“Cryptogram.”
It was some kind of guideline left behind by Arkeman which explained the way on how to get his treasure.
But neither Jude nor Cordelia had any intention of cracking the code of the pattern. Because they already knew the correct answer.
“This unexpected thing made me not like his personality.”
“You’re right.”
In order to get Arkeman’s treasure, one had to find and decrypt seven cryptograms like the pattern in front of them, and after deciphering it all, the following answer would come out.
‘Go back to the first dungeon.’
The treasure was hidden behind the wall where the first pattern was drawn.
How does it feel to run around in excitement without knowing that the treasure was right in front of you? – Those words was how the chain quest showed well on what kind of person Arkeman was.
“In the game, we had to go to many places even though we already knew the answer…”
But this was reality now.
They could break the wall in front of them without even using the trigger to open it.
“Should I blow it up then?”
“Do you want to destroy the cave? Stand back. I’ll take care of this.”
“Yes, Milord.”
Cordelia stepped back as she gave the opportunity to Jude, squatted on the floor, and became spectator A. Jude then once again used the Power of the Sun.
‘It won’t be just a single blow. The impact should be widely spread in order to destroy the wall.’
He spent only 3 minutes in gathering the energy.
Jude judged that he had gathered enough energy, so he stretched out his palm instead of his fist.
Black Dragon’s Ascent.
As the energy of the black dragon was released straight to the wall, hundreds of cracks appeared on the wall.
And a few seconds later.
When Jude withdrew his palm, it was like a signal for the wall to collapse with cracking sounds. The wall was destroyed, and a big hole was created.
“Oh, that’s amazing.”
The wall itself was in good condition, but a hole with a diameter of 2 meters had been created as if it had been cut out.
That was much more difficult than simply breaking down the entire wall.
Cordelia clapped her hands and Jude bowed like a magician on stage before he pointed to the inside of the hole.
“Please take it.”
“Yes, Milord.”
Cordelia stood up from her seat and illuminated the hole with her <Light> magic, and the two smiled in delight at the sight they saw.
“Arkeman’s treasure.”
“Among them, it’s number five.”
“Amplification Earrings.”
The artifact had a simple name and effect, but it was also a powerful artifact.
‘Because the simpler the item description, the stronger the item is.’
The effect of the Amplification Earrings was simple.
It amplified the magic’s effects of its wearer.
It could be used to amplify any kind of magic.
However, the mana consumption was also terribly amplified. Though it was quite a good thing if one could use a strong attack in the middle of a battle.
Especially for battle enthusiasts like Cordelia.
“Ah, I love it. I might go crazy from loving it.”
Cordelia said as her eyes sparkled when she quickly ran in front of the small platform where the earrings were placed.
“Haa, it’s pretty. It’s good performance is also nice.”
In addition, the fact that it was earrings was important.
Since Cordelia was already wearing multiple bracelets, rings, and necklaces, she would have to give up wearing one of those if it was an accessory that was not earrings because it would overlap with the others.
‘It’s not something burdensome to wear like a tiara.’
The smiling Jude approached Cordelia who had already equipped the Amplification Earrings, and she widely smiled and turned to Jude.
“How is it? Does it suit me?”
She asked him shyly just like the time when she wore a tiara, and Jude promptly nodded.
“It looks great on you. As I thought, you’re an angel.”
“Hmph, stop flattering me.”
Cordelia snorted but she seemed to be pleased given the smile on her face.
“Ah, I’m excited. If I use this to amplify my magic together with Spell’s Echo and even Double Casting…”
A really big explosion.
A flashy, spectacular, and powerful big explosion that she hadn’t dare to make until now would become possible!
“Just imagining it gets me excited.”
Cordelia’s ecstatic expression was really beautiful to see, but her words were a problem.
A big explosion that was incomparable to the past.
At that moment, the appearance of the royal capital and the collapse of Endymion overlapped in Jude’s mind, and he quickly shook his head.
‘No way, no way.’
That can’t happen.
“Jude?”
“No, it really suits you.”
“Hehehe.”
Cordelia giggled again before she slightly bit her lips and immediately drew closer to Jude and said.
“By the way, Jude. No, my dear Sir.”
Jude felt himself blushing at that moment at her cutesy voice, but soon came to his senses.
Because her actions were really suspicious.
“What?”
He deliberately spoke a little bluntly, but Cordelia continued to act cute.
“Cordelia has something she wants.”
“What? Is it a bomb?”
“No, no. It’s not a bomb…”
Cordelia’s words trailed off at the end as she pointed to her waist, and Jude was only able to understand it then.
Cordelia had nearly used up the detonating cord he had given her last time.
“Will you make it again? Please?”
She was cute. She was so cute that he seriously wanted to say yes.
But Jude didn’t forget something important.
“Hey, Milady. The detonating cord is also a kind of bomb, okay?”
“Don’t be so mean. Please?”
“I’ll consider it after seeing how you act.”
He had actually made a few more sets already, but it was better to seize opportunities like this when it came.
“Shall we go back and talk about it? Perhaps they’ve noticed that we’re gone.”
“Yes, Milord.”
Cordelia beautifully answered for the sake of the detonating cord, and immediately put herself on Jude’s back.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if I can hear you speaking nicely like this all the time?”
“This is how I normally speak though? I mean, I’ve always spoken like this, right?”
“Yes, yes. If you insist.”
Jude giggled and fixed Cordelia’s position on his back before he used Twenty-Four Gale Steps.
***
“Unnie! Orabeoni!”
At the first floor of the inn in the village.
Even though it was late at night, Princess Darianne and all the knights were on the first floor.
They seemed to have somehow noticed Jude and Cordelia’s disappearance.
“At first, I thought you were out for a night walk, but I was worried since you didn’t return no matter how long I waited.”
They couldn’t have left first given that their luggage was still in their room, but they hadn’t returned even after some time.
“But I’m glad that you two are back.”
Princess Darianne smiled as she was satisfied with the fact that the two returned safely, but not for Sir Cornwell. He asked while looking at Jude and Cordelia with a somewhat questioning look.
“But where did the two of you go?”
He had asked that without much thought at first, but Sir Cornwell’s eyes turned sharp in an instant.
Because he saw the earrings on Cordelia’s ears.
She wasn’t wearing that during the day.
So where did that come from?
And what were the two doing at night that they had to go away for a few hours?
It wasn’t unusual for Cordelia to have recovered her eyesight. In the first place, it was a temporary disability due to her excessive magic usage, and a few hours had already passed since they fought the chimera, so it would have been cured if she had been given some recovery measures such as medicine or magic.
But even if that was so, a disability was still a disability.
Yet these two dared to go on a night walk and not rest?
Was there any reason on why they did that?
In fact, he didn’t throw that question because he specifically doubted them.
It was kind of an occupational disease of his, and as the knight in charge of the safety of Duke Spencer, he developed a habit of looking at everything with suspicion.
But at Sir Cornwell’s rather sharp question, Cordelia instantly flinched, and Princess Darianne and the knights were surprised at her embarrassment.
Why did she do that?
Why was Lady Cordelia embarrassed by the question of where they had been?
And it was at that moment.
“For some time…we wanted to have some time alone. For only us two.”
At Jude’s words, Princess Darianne and the knights blinked their eyes, and soon had an understanding expression.
“O-oh my goodness.”
Princess Darianne exclaimed as her imagination run wild and she blushed and squirmed her body.
“Ahem, ahem, it’s possible because they’re two people in their prime.”
Hunt tactlessly said, and the other knights coughed and nodded.
‘W-what’s wrong with them? What are they imagining?’
At Cordelia’s question with her eyes, Jude looked at Sir Cornwell instead of answering her. Because Sir Cornwell was still looking at her earrings.
“And…I confessed to her again.”
“Co-confessed?”
Princess Darianne’s eyes sparkled as she asked, and Jude nodded his head. Cordelia quickly lowered her head to hide her expression that seemed to ask what nonsense he was talking about, but the others only saw her actions as that of embarrassment.
“Yes, I confessed. I declared my love to Lady Cordelia again…and gifted her with earrings as a token of my love.”
At Jude’s brilliant acting, Princess Darianne exclaimed in admiration as she stared at Cordelia’s earrings, and so did the knights.
Her beautiful golden earrings with small red gemstones shined and glittered.
“Oh my goodness, that’s so lovely.”
Although they were already engaged, they confessed their love to each other again and even gave a present as a token of love.
It was a scene that could only be seen in love stories.
Princess Darianne exclaimed in admiration and she soon had a gentle and warm expression. The knights also smiled as if they saw something that was so cute.
Sir Cornwell did too.
‘Hmm, that’s good. Problem solved.’
Jude sent a wink to Cordelia and Princess Darianne opened her mouth before Cordelia could respond to Jude.
“Then, unnie. What about you? How did unnie respond?”
Her answer to Jude’s confession.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Cordelia again, and in the eyes of others, she replied with a face that seemed like she would die from embarrassment.
“O-of course, I accepted it.”
“Aww, I feel so envious.”
Princess Darianne trembled as she covered her cheeks, and the knights all had a warm smile.
They didn’t say anything, but they all looked like they wanted to wish the two happiness.
“Ahem, ahem. Then, can we go up now?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. You can go up.”
“Then…”
Jude turned to Cordelia who reflexively stretched out her hand to Jude.
She had gotten used to Jude escorting her now.
“We’ll go up first. Good night, everyone.”
“Good night, Your Highness.”
After Cordelia curtsied, they began to climb the stairs, and Princess Darianne and all the knights watched the two with happy and unexplainably warm expressions as if they were seeing off a newlywed couple on their honeymoon.
Without being able to imagine what kind of conversation the two had with their eyes.
***
The next morning.
Jude and Cordelia left the village with Princess Darianne’s group as they headed to the royal capital, or to Duke Spencer to be exact.
They were already near the capital and the knights were also with them, so it was unlikely that the Devil’s Hand would attack them on the way.
‘Perhaps the fight will begin once we get to the royal capital.’
The Devil’s Hand was the mastermind behind the royal capital incident after all.
It was now the turn of the Devil’s Hand after the Devil’s Eye.
‘The royal capital.’
They were heading to the royal capital in order to save Princess Daphne, Prince Dion, and the other royal family members.
As he was seated in the rattling carriage, Jude looked at Cordelia and Princess Darianne sitting opposite him before he turned his gaze to the window.
The faint sunlight shined down as the cold winter wind blew.