Chapter 132

Chapter 132

Riccardo hurried out of the mansion, throwing on his overcoat as he went. Time was running out for him.

Young Master? The gathering is still in full swing, where on earth are you off to?

The old butler, taken aback, rushed over, but Riccardo, without so much as looking back, responded, An urgent matter has come up; I must step away for a while.

But what about the guests youve invited?

Ask my brother Domenico to handle the gathering and wrap things up appropriately!

Flustered, the butler stuttered in response, but Riccardo couldnt afford to delay any longer. He was so rushed that he almost let slip a curse out loud.

Damn Sigurd Sigurdson!

Despite Prince Morress threatening provocation, how could he stir up such a huge mess all of a sudden, leaving him to deal with the aftermath?

He didnt even have time to gather travel expenses. How long would it take for the imperial authority to catch on and reach out here?

First, I need to dash to the carriage and get out of the capital. Then, in the morning, Ill stop by the nearest Hayden Bank to withdraw some money!

Riccardo hastened towards the back gate, where the Scarcepino familys carriage, ready for departure at any moment, awaited him, having been brought from his family home.

Once out of the capital, the imperial surveillance will lax. Should I pass through Asein to Carthago? No, better to head for one of the secluded rural estates in Anatolia

Thats when it happened.

Suddenly, someone from behind grabbed him by the nape of his neck and slammed him forcefully to the ground.

With a whoosh, Riccardo was lifted into the air, then pressed down from above with such force that he fell back-first onto the ground.

Crash!

Ugh!

Riccardo, having fallen squarely without any technique to break his fall, felt a sharp pain as if his spine had shattered. As he swallowed a groan from the tingling agony, he realized someone was grabbing his collar and squinted to see who it was.

The one who had pinned him to the ground was a paladin.

A tall woman dressed in the dark ash-colored uniform of the Holy Order of Saint Terbacchia stood before him. Her pale face was framed by crow-black hair[1] that cascaded down smoothly.

An Inquisitor?

Where did an Inquisitor come from all of a sudden?

As he looked up at her with bewildered eyes, the woman lifted one corner of her mouth in a chilling smile.

Then.

[Speak now.]

A voice that seemed to bore into his head and resonate, gender indeterminate, reached his ears.

[Where has he sent my son?]

You are!

As night fell and darkness enveloped them, a cold silvery light, brighter than the moon in the sky, flickered in the womans eyes.

***

Seongjin was never one to believe in superstitions.

Thats why he used to find it hard to understand when his fellow Hunters would make a fuss about accidentally stepping on a crack before a battle, or predict the success of their mission based on the color of their underwear for the day.

Take, for example, a junior from his university days who was also a Hunter.

That guy had a peculiar habit of needing to stare at the monster with his left eye right before combat, despite the fact that his left eye was relatively weaker than the right!

What a case of irrational and superstitious behavior arising from an inability to shake off such faulty conditioning.

You idiot! How is using an eye that barely sees supposed to help in defeating monsters?

Seongjin never hesitated to smack him on the back of the head whenever he did that.

Looking back, I might have been too narrow-minded

Lying on the damp floor, Seongjin pondered this for a moment.

By now, it wouldnt be unreasonable to believe that he was cursed with bad luck whenever he attended social gatherings.

Yes, The Curse of Social Gatherings sounds like an apt name for this jinx.

[Seongjin, are you alright?]

Yeah.

At the sound of the Demon Kings voice, Seongjin blinked for a moment before getting up. Since he could feel his arms and legs properly, it seemed he hadnt been ejected soul-first like before.

After patting the handle of the nutcracker at his waist, Seongjin slowly looked around.

Where am I?

Seongjin found himself in a dark corridor.

What was that other thing he said?

In this halted world, only you were the unique friend who could understand me.

What did it mean by the world being halted?

As Seongjin pondered this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, noticing something odd.

Huh? Whats this?

[What? Whats going on?]

Narrowing his eyes, Seongjin carefully examined one side of the stone wall. Although it was faint due to the darkness, there appeared to be some sort of rectangular gap in the corridor wall.

Surrounded by a rectangle about the size of a person, the gap looked almost like a door at a glance.

As Seongjin approached to get a better look, he instinctively touched the stone wall. Suddenly, a clear window appeared before his eyes.

The conditions to open this have not been met.

Seongjin stepped back in astonishment.

What is this?

Hey, Demon King, did you see that? What is this? Some kind of text appeared out of thin air?

The Demon King let out a thoughtful hum.

[It seems we are indeed in a realm governed by rules, Seongjin. Such notices are common features in such worlds.]

A notice?

[Yes. Depending on the laws that govern the world, messages like this can appear frequently. In places where the influence is strong, even minor details like an individuals abilities, vitality, fatigue levels, and so on can be displayed numerically.]

Wow

When Seongjin cautiously touched the gap again, the broken text reappeared before his eyes.

The conditions to open this have not been met.

Doesnt this feel somewhat like a game?

While Seongjin was amusingly touching and detaching his hand from the wall surface, the Demon King spoke in a slightly more serious tone.

[This isnt the time to find it amusing. The problem is that this notice is completely broken, Seongjin.]

Huh? Why is that an issue?

[A properly functioning realm governed by rules operates under a set of standardized laws, making it an extremely stable world. Its uncommon for notices like this to be broken.]

The Demon King then continued in a soft voice.

[There are only two explanations for this. One is that this place is a dead world, no longer maintained or cared for. The other is that its surplus space, abandoned and never integrated into any world from the beginning.]

Surplus space?

[Yes. Ive heard rumors about it. Somewhere within the gaps between dimensions, theres a place like a cosmic junkyard, where fragments of old, useless realms governed by rules gather.]

Seongjin slightly furrowed his brows.

A junkyard, huh? That doesnt sound too promising.

[Its a place created by the laws of a realm governed by rules, but since its already broken, its not bound by those laws. Once you enter, its a nightmare from which its nearly impossible to escape under normal circumstances.]

..

[Another term for it is Labyrinth.]

Just then,

Hey, wait a minute!

Seongjin suddenly tensed up, his senses on high alert.

The sound of rapid footsteps approached, signaling the presence of someone unknown moving quickly towards them. It was the same faint presence Seongjin had initially felt.

But as the presence grew closer and became clearer

Huh? This feels strangely familiar?

Swoosh.

As Seongjin reflexively drew his Nutcracker, contemplating this, a figure emerged from the dark corridor. It was a young man with a notably robust physique.

He had his sword pointed in their direction but gradually halted his steps. Upon seeing Seongjin, he startled, then lowered his weapon and said,

Your Highness?

Seongjin blinked in surprise.

Wait a minute, why is Orden here?

Its Sharon[]