Volume 2 Chapter 99 Quest： Sun Fantasy, Part I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Kian received a distress call from Christy. A rescue request, urgent.
In response, Aliona’s teleportation gate flung him three kilometers (1.86 miles) from the castle.
He wasn’t alone. Alongside him were Natra, Rufna, Serena, and Friedrich—the Guild leader of East End. With them came twenty Guild staff, all trained guards, and Nene, the monastery’s head, who served as Aliona’s lookout. A sizable force, yet an uneasy one.
Friedrich hadn’t planned to come, but when a hasty note was scrawled on the back of the request form— “The Adventurer’s Guild is surrounded by Azraelian forces. Requesting immediate rescue.”—everything changed.
They sent a follow-up message to confirm. No reply.
Had the Guild already fallen?
There was no time to waste. The fortress was hours away by horse, so Friedrich made the call—Aliona would open a teleportation gate. She returned to the monastery first, explained the situation to Nene, then brought her back to the tavern. From there, the rescue party set out.
The Izerland hills stretched before them, endless waves of green under a thick white moon. Not a single monster lurked in sight. Too quiet.
Then, the fortress appeared in the distance.
Dark. Silent. Its outer walls loomed, stripped of light. Even more unsettling, the powerful protective barrier was gone.
Something was very wrong.
”It seems they’ve removed the barrier of the outer wall by moving the ‘Stone of the Steel Dragon.’”
Aliona, in a green dress with a magician’s staff, squinted as she said this.
”‘Stone of the Steel Dragon’?”
”Yes. It’s the thing that serves as the source of the magic barrier on that large castle wall. The barrier inside the main castle is maintained by the head magicians, but the protective barrier of the outer wall is sustained by materials from a ‘Dragon’ that lived in the age of the gods. It’s a powerful magic wall that doesn’t budge even from a strike of the ‘Magic Sword of Sun.’ I’m only allowed to approach the fortress when called by the Danofen family, but what truly keeps me from intruding are the ‘Stone of the Steel Dragon’ and a hundred magic contract scrolls.”
”Being bound by a hundred contract scrolls, what on earth did you do…?”
”Considering it’s for someone who could evaporate half the port of Châtillon, I think the binding is rather lenient.”
”Hehe. Ms. Serena? Are you talking about me?”
”No, I’m sorry.”
”It must be you, Aliona.”
The monastery head boldly pressed into the danger, while Serena quickly turned her face away.
She was a plump woman with the air of a tavern landlady, the only one in the East End monastery who could speak on equal terms with Aliona.
The monastery head seemed to be in her sleepwear, as if she just woke up.
She shot an annoyed glance at Aliona, who had forcibly dragged her from her room, but then noticed Friedrich and the others returning from the fortress, calling out, “Everyone, it seems Friedrich has come back!”
The guild leaders with skeleton-appearance were probing the situation inside the fortress, having gone as far as the drawbridge.
If foreign armed groups were visible from the castle wall, they were supposed to signal them.
But does their returning mean there were regular soldiers at the drawbridge’s lifting mechanism?
”It seems the riot by foreign armed forces has been suppressed.”
Friedrich spoke curtly, his voice steady under the flickering torchlight held by the staff. Shadows danced across his face as he paused before continuing.
”Sir Oswald arrived from Ramsey as reinforcements. He’s hunting down the remaining rebels, repairing damaged buildings, and searching for the missing. They said there were no problems, and I could return.”
”Friedrich, you truly believe that and came back?”
”There’s no way.” His answer was immediate. “I asked the Guild Master of the Izerland fortress to send someone if it was too much, but they claimed they were too busy. They refuse to explain the situation, and they’re clearly hiding something. Something significant must be happening inside the fortress.”
”Something significant?”
Serena pressed, but Friedrich only shook his head. Whatever it was, he couldn’t say. Or perhaps, he dared not say.
”We also haven’t heard back from Archbishop Homolka.”
The monastery head, Nene, swept her gaze across the group before continuing.
”But if the Knights of the Sun say it’s alright to return, we have to believe them. We’re people of East End, and the Izerland fortress is essentially foreign territory to us.”
”Yes. If they told me to return, I have no choice but to go. I wasn’t even allowed to set up camp in the hills, so I’ll have to head back to our East End branch and wait for further news.”
”Don’t the Knights of the Sun have several knights from Sir Renaud and Lady Eleonora stationed there?”
Kian’s voice cut through the night, and Friedrich’s eyes flashed.
”You mean there might be someone inside who can tell us what’s going on? Yes, perhaps we should visit them.”
”Also, I haven’t heard from Ms. Christy, the one who reported to me. If Sir Oswald has successfully defeated the armed forces and peace has returned to the fortress, I should have received a letter from Ms. Christy saying, ‘I’m safe’.”
”Lady Christina might have simply forgotten to contact you. She’s not the type to worry about causing you trouble, is she?”
”No, even Ms. Christy would report back if she’s safe, I think.”
”But she does have her moments of being quite clueless.”
”…Well, I can’t deny that.”
”──So, what are we all planning to do next, then?”
Aliona’s voice cut in, and everyone exchanged uncertain glances.
”I… I’ll trust Sir Oswald and step back for now,” Friedrich said at last. “If I act carelessly and make things worse, and if the situation inside the fortress has calmed down, it could turn into a responsibility issue.”
”I’ll also return with Aliona. If the riot has been quelled, the affairs within the fortress should be left to Lord Oswald’s army. I can’t leave Aliona out here any longer.”
”Hey, Nene. Stop talking about me like I’m a problem child.”
”…Being so unaware is incredibly dangerous, and we’ll take our leave.”
”Kian, what will you do?”
Friedrich turned to him, the torchlight catching the sharpness in his gaze.
The gazes of Serena, Natra, and Rufna all focused on Kian.
’What will you do?’
(Let’s see… First of all, it’s clear that something is off about the fortress. It’s impossible that Christy hasn’t sent any updates. If she’s safe, she would have contacted me, given the good relationship we’ve built. So, as Friedrich said, it’s highly possible that something serious is happening inside the fortress.)
’Hmm. Well, I don’t think you’ll be cursed for just checking if everything is alright. Even if you’re caught trespassing, that blonde shaved head will probably laugh and forgive you.’
Kian looked up and opened his mouth.
”I’m going to infiltrate the fortress. The rescue request from Ms. Christy has not disappeared. The fact that this pattern continues to appear on my arm means she hasn’t discarded the ‘promise’ scroll fragment… It’s likely she’s still inside the fortress, calling for help.”
”Isn’t it a bit insane not to trust what Sir Oswald says and decide to break into the fortress?”
”Just to be sure, Guild Master. I’ll also check on the adventurers’ Guild while I’m at it.”
”I see. If you’ve made that judgment, then I have nothing to say.”
”But how does Kian plan to get inside, I wonder? The drawbridge certainly won’t be lowered for him.”
”I’ll enter through the water moat and then go up into the sewers. If I follow the sewers, I should be able to come out somewhere in the town. Fortunately, the protective barrier of the outer wall is down. With my skills, I’m confident I can enter the castle without being noticed.”
”The sewers are dangerous, and if you get caught by the army inside, it would be a big problem. Is it really necessary to take such risks just to check on that Ms. Christy?”
”────”
Honestly, he thinks it’s crazy to risk breaking into the fortress through the sewers just to check on Christy’s safety.
However, there’s something strange about the fortress.
This is just one possibility, but──.
If Oswald is here, McCutchen and the foreign armed group are probably gone by now.
But he can’t dismiss the possibility that Oswald’s army, having driven out the enemy forces, is now besieging the Main Castle.
In fact, considering that communication with the Izerland fortress’ adventurers’ Guild and Archbishop Homolka has been cut off, and Oswald’s subordinates have locked the 4 gates tightly, it’s quite possible they are attacking the castle in place of McCutchen’s army.
He’s not sure about Nene, the monastery’s leader, but at least Friedrich must have some inkling of this.
Realizing this, it seemed to Kian that he had quietly turned back to protect my position and the lives of my subordinates.
”Yes, it’s there. I think it is.”
”I see…. If Kian has made that judgment, I can’t stop you. The ‘promise’ scroll’s effect is also in play. But please, don’t push yourself.”
”Yes. Thank you.”
”Kian, I’m going too.”
Serena stepped forward.
She continued calmly.
”If you’re going through the sewers, I’ll escort you. Once we reach the underground city streets, I’ll secure a retreat and wait for your return.”
”Wait for me…. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
”You’re just checking on Ms. Christy’s safety, right?”
”That’s right, but… it might not end there.”
”────? I don’t quite understand, but I’ll go with you partway. Kian has given me a lot of money and equipment, so I need to repay the favor.”
Serena’s offer was appreciated, but it felt wrong to make her wait in the sewers until he returned.
Nonetheless, her resolve seemed firm.
If he turned her down, it might cause a rift in our future relationship.
Kian nodded.
”Okay. I’ll be counting on you then.”
”Yeah.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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