“Well, Olivia. I don’t know much about your grandfather either. Your father was away on an expedition at the time, and all we know is what Kyle, your father’s former retainer, reported when he came to Ashtar with a few dozen remnants.”
‘Does that mean there’s no point in asking? Is everything known only what the first Olivia uncovered?’
“Then, you don’t know anything at all?”
‘If that’s all they can tell me, this might be pointless. Should I just head to the tomb?’
“I was young back then. And among the Ashtar forces that fought in that battle, only a handful who stayed in the rear, including Kyle, survived. They’re all dead now. However, I’ve heard there are words left behind by your father.”
‘This isn’t very helpful.’
“What were they?”
“‘The trusted axe struck the foot.’ Kyle reported this to the Ashtar clan back then. That’s all I know.”
‘A trusted axe struck the foot?’
‘That proverb came from the Land of Ruin.’
‘One thing is clear: Eldakrad is deeply connected to the people of the Land of Ruin.’
“What about the saintess? What happened to Veronia?”
“Saintess Veronia died as well. The Ashtar forces that entered the Demon King’s domain numbered 18,000, and only a few dozen remnants survived.”
‘The Empire’s scale is vast, but for a noble family’s forces to suffer such losses, their strength must have been greatly diminished. Now I see why the current family head uses assassins from a guild exclusively.’
“I recall that before Kyle’s death, there was a record stating that he left a book detailing those events in your father’s tomb.”
“Why didn’t he pass it to my father directly?”
‘If he had, I could have seen it. If that record remains, it might reveal details about the Demon King’s army that weren’t documented at the time.’
“At the time, the Ashtar family was in chaos due to succession and territorial disputes, so he likely thought it safer that way.”
“In that case, I suppose I’ll have to visit the tomb?”
“I’m busy, so it’ll have to be you, Olivia. The knights are guarding the tomb. Your grandfather would surely be pleased if his granddaughter came to visit.”
‘I finally have a chance to go to the tomb. This alone is a significant accomplishment.’
“Yes, Father. Then—”
“What is it?”
“I heard that Grandfather used sword magic. How did that come about?”
‘Perhaps I can find out more about it. Eldakrad might even share a bloodline connection with Noah.’
I asked the family head with anticipation.
“Well, I’m not sure. It’s possible your grandfather’s biological mother came from the Land of Ruin. You might not know, but your grandfather was the child of a concubine. He became the head of the family due to the chaos at the time. If it hadn’t been for that period of instability, he would never have ascended.”
“I see.”
‘So, he earned quite a reputation with his sword magic. It seems heading to the tomb is the best course of action.’
***
As I exited the room, Kiriel approached me with a question.
“Miss, did your grandfather truly use sword magic?”
“It seems so.”
“I might have a reason to investigate this myself.”
“Why?”
‘This suspicious woman was showing interest?’
“Oh, I’ve been curious about that area. If Kyle moved records to the tomb during Ashtar’s turmoil, there might also be information about sword magic, right? It’s something you’re interested in, too, isn’t it? This could benefit us both.”
‘She has a point. Ashtar might hesitate to delve into sword magic, but if it’s connected to a mage from the Hero’s party, it could work.’
“Go ahead. I’ve been curious about sword magic myself.”
Suddenly, a question crossed my mind.
‘This woman is knowledgeable, curious as a mage, and well-informed about the Hero’s party. But why is she even part of it? Wouldn’t she thrive in another adventurer’s party?’
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Go on.”
“Why are you in the Hero’s party, Kiriel? You seem to know what kind of person the Hero is.”
Her response was startlingly simple.
“He’s handsome, isn’t he?”
‘Well, his looks are good. Even an incubus targeted him in the bathhouse by pretending to be a noble lady using soap as a ploy. But still…’
“Is that the only reason?”
“Yes. I want to have children someday. If possible, I’d like them to inherit good looks. Isn’t that better?”
‘She’s not wrong. Appearance often takes after the parents. Just by looks, he wouldn’t be a bad husband.’
‘By looks alone.’
“And the Hero’s reputation is a bonus, I suppose.”
“Exactly!”
“But when you consider his personality…”
‘It’s hopeless.’
‘Wouldn’t it be better to find someone handsome and with a good personality?’
‘Someone like Rockton, maybe. Not that I’d ever think of introducing Rockton to her.’
“You’ve read stories, haven’t you? About competent women reforming foolish husbands and turning them into war heroes? Men depend on the women in their lives.”
‘Thinking of Ella and Syria, she’s not entirely wrong. Those two ruined Eugene even further.’
“As long as he’s handsome, it’s fine.”
‘If this woman were my sister, I’d try to talk her out of it. Rehabilitating someone like him is nearly impossible.’
Even the kingdom has lost trust in the Hero, and the Four Heavenly Kings no longer have the sway they once did.
The Hero has neither the trials nor the growth required to mature as a person in his role.
In short, Kiriel is wasting her time.
I didn’t give up on Eugene for no reason.
“Well, you do you.”
‘Not my problem. If she wants to try rehabilitating an irredeemable piece of trash just because he’s handsome, I’ll just watch from afar. It’s her life, not mine.’
Right now, the priority is the tomb.
Debating the husband choices of a suspicious woman I just met is absurd.
***
Eldakrad’s tomb was built in the mountains north of Ashtar territory.
The mountain itself didn’t have a formal name, so it’s simply called the Ashtar Mountain.
During his life, Eldakrad left a will asking for his tomb to be built there, believing that the Demon King would rise in the distant future.
Even in death, he vowed to protect Ashtar from the Demon King’s domain in the Demon Realm.
That inscription was written on a stone monument near the entrance to the tomb.
‘Did they deify him a little?’
“Who goes there?”
The knights guarding the tomb looked at us cautiously.
Their presence showed that the Ashtar family still cared about this place.
I took out the pendant engraved with the crest of Ashtar from my pocket and held it up.
“I am Olivia of the Ashtar family. I’ve come to see my grandfather.”
The soldiers, upon confirming the Ashtar family crest on the pendant, immediately adjusted their demeanor to show proper respect to a bloodline member of Ashtar.
“This is… the seal of the Ashtar family? My apologies, Lady Olivia. Please, go ahead. But who is this accompanying you?”
“She is my escort, a mage from the Hero’s party.”
“Understood. Please, proceed.”
The entrance to the tomb was a stone door engraved with the Ashtar crest.
From the outside, it didn’t even look like a door.
In the center of the crest was a groove meant for mana infusion.
“So, this is the entrance.”
It was a mechanism that required mana to authenticate.
“A mana-based authentication system. With this, the tomb could secure itself even without knights guarding it.”
“That seems to be the case.”
Only the bloodline of Ashtar could open the tomb.
If, in the future, Ashtar lacked an heir and adopted an outsider, no one would be able to enter Eldakrad’s tomb.
“But are you sure this is okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard your right arm isn’t in good condition.”
‘It wasn’t, but would there really be a fight inside the tomb? At most, I’d just need to find my grandfather’s records carefully.’
“Why would there be a fight in the tomb?”
“Aren’t places like this usually crawling with skeletons or undead?”
“Why are you treating my grandfather’s tomb like a dungeon?”
Of course, such dungeons do exist.
Ancient tombs of rulers, for instance, often turned into dungeons.
But those cases evolved into dungeons from the start.
Eldakrad’s tomb, however, was managed by soldiers and accessible only to Ashtar’s bloodline.
It seemed unlikely to turn into a dungeon.
I couldn’t imagine there would be any need to fight.
Besides, for anything significant to occur here, one of the Four Heavenly Kings capable of spatial teleportation would need to show up.
And honestly, why would the Four Heavenly Kings come looking for Eldakrad’s tomb?
“Well, I suppose you’re right.”
***
Entering the tomb, a long marble hallway stretched before us.
Lit torches lined the walls on both sides.
It seemed they were treated with magic stones to keep them eternally alight—a sign of considerable expense.
“Oh, eternal flames! As expected of the Empire’s greatest family. It seems they spared no expense, even for the tomb.”
“It’s just eternal flames.”
These weren’t uncommon; many temples also had them.
“Looks like they’re powered continuously by mana stones.”
“Seems so.”
The first floor didn’t have much of interest.
There were simply murals and records of Eldakrad’s achievements on the walls.
But that was all.
The records I sought weren’t here.
What I found was an account of Eldakrad’s rise to become the head of the family, the retainers who served him, and how he overcame the threats Ashtar faced at the time.
In short, everything visible on the first floor was just superficial.
The tomb was said to have three underground levels.
“There’s nothing related to sword magic here.”
“Then we should head to the second floor.”
Mana was infused into the door leading to the second floor.
At that moment, a wave of thick, dark energy seeped out through the cracks.
A strong presence of demonic energy filled the air.
The tomb of Eldakrad, which should have been solemn, now emanated an ominous aura.
Kiriel frowned as if she sensed something too.
Descending to the second floor with caution, the intensity of the energy was overwhelming.
‘Students from Atlerina would probably die from magic poisoning if they were exposed to this level of demonic energy.’
“Um, are you sure this is a tomb?”
“What about it?”
“Am I the only one sensing the demonic energy?”
“Hmm, I sense it too.”
Kiriel seemed perceptive.
At first, I thought my senses might be off, but the presence of demonic energy was undeniable.
‘If such energy existed in the tomb, the conclusion was almost predictable.’
‘Undead.’
‘The demonic energy in the tomb likely signified undead creatures.’
“This isn’t a natural occurrence. This is far more concentrated.”
“Agreed.”
‘So, undead it is. Should we retreat now?’
‘In the worst-case scenario, Eldakrad himself could have become undead.’
‘If he died with lingering resentment and the tomb’s environment harbored this level of demonic energy, it wasn’t impossible.’
‘Still, considering the precautions taken during the tomb’s construction, they should have prevented such a possibility.’
‘If this was happening, even the knights buried alongside him might have turned undead.’
In other words:
‘We’re doomed.’
‘I didn’t overestimate myself. I, Olivia, lacked significant combat experience. The recent battle at Pector was heavily reliant on luck. My right arm was undeniably impaired. If Eldakrad himself had become undead, he would be an exceptionally dangerous opponent.’
In life, he used sword magic, led the territorial army to march into the Demon King’s domain without central Imperial forces, and was a legendary hero.
I couldn’t confidently say I’d win in a fight against him.
‘Could Kiriel?’
Her capabilities were still uncertain.
Retreating and bringing reinforcements would be wiser.
“It might be better to leave for now.”
“But isn’t it dangerous for us to turn back now?”
Kiriel, who had been glancing behind us, suddenly nudged me.
“What is it?”
“Look behind you.”
The statues of Eldakrad and his knights had started to move.
‘What the… That’s terrifying.’
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.