The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

”Do you believe me now?”

We stared at Naneow’s silvery drop of blood as if entranced. It shouldn’t guarantee that she was Naneow Tropin, but both Rena and I found ourselves oddly convinced. Isaac’s words floated back into my mind.

”That brat Naneow kicked the bucket three hundred years ago, so why the hell is T&T still collecting this stuff?”

I mumbled as I gazed at her fingertip.

”Did you replace all your blood with Lurium?”

Naneow nodded. ”That’s right.”

The silvery blood trickling from Naneow’s finger shimmered as if it flowed along the border between reality and dreams. It had an oddly compelling effect that made her words seem all the more credible.

She looked at me and continued, ”The traces of Malphas you left in the dungeons—what happened with those?”

”Well...”

Just as I hesitated, a voice rang out, ”Ah... fuck... even if I scream that I’m offering up my entire soul, I can’t get a damn connection... fucking hell...”

Isaac, who hadn’t spoken a word since then, suddenly cursed through our link.

”What the hell? What were you doing?”

”I’m pissed. Everything failed, so don’t talk to me... I should’ve just tried seducing a dumbass like you instead of summoning a Demon King... goddamn it...”

Apparently, Isaac had been trying something without my knowledge while keeping quiet. Desperately, it seemed. Unfortunately for him, he failed so badly that he had a crash out.

”Hm...?” Naneow tilted her head at me. ”Need help?”

”No, just a moment.”

To be exact, it was Isaac who needed help. And it became increasingly clear that Naneow Tropin wasn’t on Isaac’s side.

Here, the advantage was entirely mine. I decided to talk to him.

”Hey.”

”What now?”

”What’s your deal?”

”I tried to use you.”

”I figured. No need to say it.”

What I was curious about was how he tried to use me.

Almost as if he’d read my thoughts, he continued, ”I etched Malphas’s sigil into your Lurium circuits. It leaves traces whenever you use power.”

I had already suspected that much from the moment Purson’s minions chased me.

”So?”

”You defile their rituals by using power in Purson’s dungeons. I was trying to pit you against the bastards who destroyed my church, train you while we killed them. I didn’t expect them to lay traps this thoroughly!”

”So you weren’t trying to kill me?”

”Do you think that would make sense? If you die, my connection to this world is cut. I’d be buried for good!”

Was he lying again? I pressed further.”Why are you telling me all this now?”

”Don’t rely on Naneow!”

”Do you think she’s untrustworthy?”

”I don’t know what the hell she’s been doing for three hundred years, but... fuck. Why the hell did she suddenly show up now to rescue you? If she was going to help, she should’ve done it earlier. It’s all staged. A performance. They’re in on it together.”

”Hmm...”

As I began to waver slightly, Isaac seized the moment and pushed harder. ”I accessed Lord of Grassmere’s thoughts, remember? The truth is, T&T was founded to serve Purson from the start!”

That’s a lie.

I could say with certainty. I thought back to when Rena and I had melted to death. I thought of Aezar Retric, the Imperial Branch Director, and the T&T executives who surrounded us and tried to sway us.

While they had spoken confidently of their strength and positions, they had also emphasized that they were just one faction within the guild. If what Isaac told me was the truth, it wouldn’t have stopped at just a faction.

Feigning ignorance, I replied, ”Is that so?”

Isaac pressed even harder. ”Exactly! So why would the Founder, Naneow, rescue you? Does that make any sense?!”

”...”

”From now on, just do exactly as I say. This is a critical moment. One wrong step and...!”

”Silence.”I cut Isaac off.

The longer I listened, the more persuasive his words became. If I hadn’t experienced an attempt at conversion by Purson’s followers, I would’ve been swayed. Even now, I had to admit, it was tempting.

If I were to point out a flaw in his argument, he’d just brought up a new one. Instad, I focused solely on the facts before me. The truth was obvious: Isaac had set me up, and Naneow Tropin had saved me. The moment called for simplicity.

Clink.

I handed Naneow the metal medallion engraved with the Grassmere skyline.

”What’s this? A souvenir?” She examined the medal from different angles. ”Well-crafted, I’ll give it that.”

Feigning indifference, I asked her, ”Do you know someone named Isaac?”

Clink...

The metal medallion moved as if it were alive.

Was that Isaac’s desperate struggle?

Though it seemed like he was doing his utmost, the movement was minimal at best. When placed on the floor, it didn’t even have the strength to support its own weight, and simply lay still.

When the name Isaac was mentioned, Naneow flinched and tensed.

”You mean the arch-sorcerer Isaac from three hundred years ago? Of course I know him.”

The medallion trembled more and more. Everyone’s eyes turned toward it. I delivered the final blow.

”He’s sealed inside that.”

I had decided to abandon Isaac.

Isaac Bel’Homec. I no longer trusted myself to filter through the truth and lies in everything he said. Maybe if I were alone, I’d have handled it differently. However, Rena was with me, and I couldn’t forgive Isaac for putting us in danger.

The black-haired man tilted his head slightly and asked, ”What do you mean by that?”

I glanced at the man, the mage, and Naneow, then said, ”I didn’t mention the grave I visited to find my true name...”

I summarized everything that had happened with Isaac from the castle onward. I also included the Lurium circuit engraved in me. Mixing in just a little bit of falsehood among the facts. Apparently, the story was convincing enough.

”Ooh...!”

They all exclaimed in awe.

These people seem easily impressed...

The most surprised was Naneow Tropin.

”Dear gods. That Isaac... to think he’s now reduced to being sealed inside a little trinket like this... may I check it?”

That caught me by surprise.

Can she verify the seal?

Then again, if sealing a soul was possible, it made sense that confirming it would be too. Magic wasn’t just about burning or freezing things.

”If that’s something you can do.”

Naneow nodded.

”Of course. Lunea?”

”Yes, Founder.”

The mage with black dots near her eyes and mouth stepped forward two paces.

”Hoo...”

She took a deep breath, focused her gaze on the medallion, and muttered quietly, ”Seal Appraisal.”

Shhhrrrk.

A white aura flowed from her staff, scanning the medallion thoroughly. The scent of magic filled the air. It felt as though each tiny vent in the cold metal was opening up. The white energy gently swept across every secret crevice.

So that’s magic...

I stared blankly, mesmerized. After about ten minutes, the white aura began to fade. Had the result come in?

”Ah...”

Lunea’s mouth, slightly open, widened further. She looked so shocked that she forgot how to breathe.

”What is it?”

”The seal is at least Demon King level! Just by looking at the seal, there’s no way to even begin undoing it!”

”Hoo...”

The black-haired man beside her sighed quietly and unfolded his arms.

”A seal even the chief mage of Serenity Tower can’t touch...”

”Pershan, stop nitpicking. It’d be more suspicious if Isaac were trapped in some cheap little seal. This one’s legit—no way he’s escaping with just illusions or suggestions.”

Naneow Tropin looked intrigued and asked, ”Just from the seal alone?”

”Yes, just the seal... But...” Lunea hesitated, then continued. ”If the cause of the seal were destroyed, there might be a way to break it.”

”The cause...?”

”The being who created it, or one of the linked components—if those were completely destroyed...”

Rena interjected, ”So that’s why he lured my master into a trap.”

Isaac, you bastard...

”This seal... it’s fascinating. May I research it? I doubt I could actually break it, but experimenting with it would be quite the thrill.”

”Ugh... what cruel things are you going to do to that poor soul...”

The black-haired man shivered as he looked at the mage’s innocent expression. Oblivious, the mage beamed brightly.

”You’ll let me have a shot, right?”

She was genuinely intrigued by the medallion containing Isaac.

Should I just give it to her?

She was the one who healed Rena and someone capable of assessing the seal’s level.

As I hesitated, Rena cautiously chimed in. ”Um, you’ll treat it carefully, right? That’s the Candlestick of Yemera...”

The mage smiled kindly as if she understood perfectly. ”Ah! I’ve worked with consecrated objects before. The pain the spirit feels is a key part of the experiment. I’ll make sure to address that too.”

”Lunea, let’s save that talk for later.” Naneow cut her off and turned to me. ”The seal’s confirmed. Now, may I take a look at your circuit?”

I nodded.

”Sure. Is the mage doing that too?”

Naneow shook her head, her silvery hair rippling softly with purple at the tips.

She looked directly at me with her turquoise eyes and said, ”I’ll do it myself.”

Tap.

Naneow’s warm hand touched my forehead. The Lurium inside me responded. I twitched involuntarily and had to tense up to stay still.

”Relax.”

Wuuuuuung...

The three liters of fluid flowing through me began to vibrate and emit heat.

Resonance. It was an astonishing experience. After scanning me, Naneow stepped back and spoke, ”As I thought—Isaac’s work. No one else could’ve designed such a precise circuit.”

But what amazed me even more was her ability.

”How can you do that with just a touch...?”

Instead of Naneow, the black-haired man responded. ”The Founder spent three hundred years researching nothing but Lurium. She replaced all the blood in her body with it. You think she couldn’t do something like this?”

”Huh...”

Then, during the brief silence that followed, Rena spoke up. ”Um... why did you save us? It felt like you’d been waiting for or tracking us for a while.”

She boldly asked a question to the Founder of the very T&T she now belonged to—someone who had lived three hundred years ago. But none of the three scolded her for her tone.

”Well... the thing is...” Naneow scratched her head and looked at Rena with a faint smile. ”I’m recruiting allies.”