Chapter 221: Buried Alive (1)

"I won’t tell you."

"What?"

The way he paused at first had made me uneasy. Who would’ve thought he’d actually say no?

"Why won’t you tell me?"

"You just ask questions and never share anything important yourself. What’s with your lack of social skills?"

"..."

My mind went blank. Isaac just called

me

out for poor social skills. Honestly? He wasn’t wrong. I’d been asking whatever I wanted without offering anything in return, and not once did I feel bad about it.

Maybe I was starting to resemble him after all this time. Was I okay with that? My self-doubt started creeping in.

"Now say, Master, please enlighten me. I’m a dimwit who knows nothing. Go on."

While I wanted to know what Lindbrum was, I didn’t want it

that

badly. Besides, Gith-Za-Rai would probably explain it herself when I saw her. I was about to drop the subject.

Rubia, who had been quietly observing, suddenly cut in. "It’s a dragon."

"

Hmph

! What an insolent being."

I ignored Isaac’s sulking tone. "A dragon?"

Rubia nodded and explained, "Yes. Those who soar above the skies above the skies, the mightiest of all dragonkin, are called Lindbrum in the ancient tongue."

"And how do you know that?" Isaac grumbled.

Rubia smiled faintly and replied softly, "I’ve always loved stories about dragons. Giartia, Katiakhan, Chijok, Herenzeji, I even know the names of the different kinds. They fly with wings that can blot out the sky and cast omnipotent magic. How do they see us humans, I wonder?"

"Dragons, my ass. All of that’s just fiction. Not a single one existed even four hundred years ago. Lindbrum?

Bah

. That’s why I never bothered mentioning it."

The strongest species of dragon? Even knowing what a Lindbrum was, I only felt more confused. What exactly was Gith-Za-Rai’s connection to one? I recalled what she had said back then.

"Tell me not to give up just because I couldn’t find it. Tell me to dream parallel to the Sun of Lindbrum."

Clatter.

I shook my head. That wasn’t it. No, I needed to remember the lines she sang... that time when I’d confessed about the repeating time loops.

She’d danced and sung joyfully, calling me a crazy skeleton. Yes. I remembered it now.

"I'm a necromancer! I wake the quiet dead and make them noisy! I came here looking for dragon bones! ♪"

Back then, hadn’t she said she hadn’t found anything even close? Still, her words about the dream and Lindbrum’s sun made sense now. She’d wanted to remind herself: To find the bones of the strongest dragonkin. Hence why she crossed the sea to the western continent.

A shiver ran through me. The puzzle had clicked into place. Figuring something out on my own always felt special, like the thrill after barely managing to slay a tough opponent. This was far more satisfying than slaughtering weaklings. Maybe I should try to think and decide things for myself more often.

Thunk, thunk.

Isaac jabbed me with his beak. "Hey, you’re thinking weird stuff again. Your posture’s suspicious."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"You really are sensitive, aren’t you, Sir Isaac? You must constantly stare at his side."

"Don’t go plotting something strange. If there’s more you want to know, ask. I’ll tell you anything that matters."

So I described the knight in ash-gray armor. The knight’s shape, the etched geometric circuits that glowed across his armor, and the massive jet-black greatsword he used to smash Gith-Za-Rai repeatedly.

Isaac tilted his head. "

Hmm...

It reminds me of the titans. But I’m not sure. I don’t think there are any that small."

"You mean the iron men from the Confederation?"

"Yeah. Most of them are built larger or heavier for higher impact. But armor-shaped ones? That’s weird."

If even Isaac didn’t know, then I had no leads. Maybe if I had drawn the circuit patterns in detail, he’d recognize them, but I hadn’t paid that close attention.

I had no choice but to shelve it for now. If I ever see that guy again, I’d memorize the patterns and ask Isaac then.

***

The Desert Adaptation skill, ironically, made it very easy to leave the desert. The transition from desert to plains wasn’t gradual. One moment, we were surrounded by dense sand, then suddenly, a grassland appeared like a shoreline.

It seemed like the Desert Coast. We crossed the boundary and followed the road toward the capital. Now that we had gathered three or four surviving camels along the way, we looked quite an impressive group.

Though the path was well-maintained, there weren’t many travelers. It had taken Rena and me two days to reach this point before, but now we were taking a leisurely three-day trek. By the time the third sunset was approaching, I could see a familiar canyon in the distance.

Flap!

Isaac, flying high above, descended to land on one of the camels.

"Once we cross that, we’ll be right at the capital." Rubia muttered, checking the map and the path ahead.

She poured cool water over her crown and shook her head twice. Strands of brown hair clung to her sun-kissed white skin. Less than a month had passed since we fled from Erast, but she appeared quite different now. Not just her skin tone, she’d adapted well to traveling.

"From here, we go on foot."

I released the horses and the camels into the plains. There was no need to rush now. We walked slowly into the deep canyon. This was where the followers of the Demon King Purson had once surrounded me.

This time, there was nothing. No hostile life signs, just small animals and birds. Of course, it made sense. I hadn’t disrupted any of Purson’s shrines in this life, so there was no reason for a manhunt.

I thought of the many different races that had once made up his army. Where were they hiding now? There had been plenty who couldn’t shapeshift like Sharunian could. Then again, maybe they were in places hidden by wards, like the Sanctuary of Leraie.

Eventually, we reached the exact spot where I’d once been attacked for being Isaac’s heir. He had wanted to kill me to release his own seal. The memory made my blood boil again. Of course, Isaac remembered none of it, while I reminded myself to never forget. Isaac could stab me in the back at any moment.

We passed the spot where I’d once faced the orc chieftain, and arrived at the place I’d met Naneow. It’d probably been easier to use the secret underground route, but just knowing its location didn’t mean I could reach it, because I’d have to break the barrier. While I could ask Isaac to help me find it, if I entered through a path Naneow didn’t know I knew, I could unnecessarily provoke her. I decided to go the straightforward route instead.

About an hour after leaving the canyon, the capital’s outskirts finally came into view. Tall, spiked towers jutted into the sky. Beneath them, layered maze-like walls were riddled with narrow slits for crossbows. It wasn’t just double or triple-layered; the place was a death trap, masterfully engineered to prevent breach.

"How would you even go about sieging a fortress like that?"

Was Rubia always someone who thought about things like that? Maybe she had truly changed...

"If you’re up against humans, cut off the supply lines and starve them out from inside. It’d take a long time, though. But a city that old probably has spiderwebs of tunnels underneath. Won’t be easy."

Isaac was right, knowingly or not. I already knew of the massive underground system. The mention of attacking the fortress brought an old memory to mind.

"Can’t you just break it down?"

"You’re going to break down all this?"

"Not me... but someone as strong as a swordmaster could probably smash the gates and collapse the walls by themselves."

Even the maze-like network of guards wouldn’t stop someone like Marquis Leandro. Steel and stone couldn’t stand in his way.

"Why would they even bother breaking down the wall? Those strong enough to do that live inside. That’s why the wall exists, to keep others out."

His point was clear. Anyone strong enough to destroy the walls was welcomed inside. If they weren’t, they’d be recruited already.

"You want to live in there? Honestly, they might even try to recruit you."

"Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not even human."

"

Heh

. That doesn’t really matter. What does is whether you’re helping to uphold that wall or trying to break it. If it’s the latter, they’ll slaughter even their own kin without hesitation."

"So if he helped uphold it, even Mr. Skeleton would be accepted?"

"Yeah. Even the Demon Kings would be welcomed if they played nice."

As we spoke, we arrived at the gate. Thick walls flanked the recessed gate, and dozens of crossbows pointed toward the entrance. If an actual siege began, I was sure all sorts of horrifying weapons would emerge.

We waited at the end of a long line. I hadn’t seen many travelers on the way here, but it seemed the bottleneck formed from everyone funneling through a few narrow gates. Inspections were thorough, whether merchants, travelers, or locals returning, everyone had their baggage checked. A tired-looking mage stood beside the gate, holding a staff with a large crystal orb.

"What’s that?"

"It’s detection magic. Things that aren’t visible to the naked eye become visible when near the orb."

BEEP! BEEP!

The orb let out a shrill alarm. Guards instantly pointed their weapons at a traveler trying to pass through.

The mage muttered in exhaustion, "A mask,

huh

."

"What? What are you talking about?!"

RIP!

The traveler’s face was ripped off by a guard.

"

Urgh

!"

He tried to run, but the black-armored guards quickly subdued him. He was a wanted criminal who tried to sneak in.

"

Welp

, they’re gonna be strict now."

"They usually let stuff slide, but..."

A few merchants behind us dropped something subtly to the ground.

"Are we... gonna get in?"

"

Hehehe...

" Isaac chuckled softly.

I wasn’t particularly worried either. Worst case, I’d just kill a few guards and escape. Not to mention, I’d even get bonus points for my side quest if I did so.

"Next..."

It was our turn.

Isaac didn’t even look at the guards. He whispered toward the orb and the mage, "With what power do you dare block the deception of the one who deceives all?"

Just like when he put Wadluth to sleep, he didn’t chant. A puff of black smoke simply drifted from Isaac’s form. And the orb clouded over in an instant. The guards and the mage all nodded blankly and waved us through.

We passed the dazed guards, through the inspection station, into the tunnel behind the gates.

"That’s it? Not bad."

"Don’t get impressed by stuff like this. You’re wearing me out."

Suddenly, a messy red-haired boy in a goofy fur jacket walked beside us. "Wow! What a cool crow!"

Had he been in the line? Maybe he was far behind us. He seemed vaguely familiar, but that wasn’t what mattered. I hadn’t even noticed him until he was right next to me. A chill ran down my spine. What was his goal? I stared at the boy. He seemed about in his mid-teens.

"Who are you?"

He didn’t answer. Just blinked his large eyes, raised his right hand, and folded down one thumb.

"Four?"

"Yup." Then, he pointed at Isaac and said firmly, "I’ll give you four roti! Sell it to me!"