Episode 276
“Faction War… So that’s how it turned out.”
In the commander’s office at the Investigation Corps headquarters fortress,
Charlotte let out a deep sigh as she received a report on the occupation battle in the unconquered forbidden zone.
It was because she had been staying in the front-line area, which delayed her accurate assessment.
Now that the world’s timeline had been unified, events between the players were also factors that shifted the flow.
“It seems quite a few Investigation Corps members have joined the war. What are you going to do?”
Ivela said, sitting with her legs crossed in a chair and adjusting the brim of her hat.
While the Investigation Corps members should rightfully devote themselves to finding Erfort, as they are talents produced by the state, they often get entangled in political power struggles.
However, they had never before waged such a large-scale faction war.
“Outside of the occupied territories, the Holy Faction holds the upper hand, right?”
Charlotte asked after a moment of contemplation.
Hanbit nodded, recalling the list of Rankers, and spoke.
“That’s right. It was a victory of strategy, and most of the powerful figures of the Holy Body Faction were away. If we had clashed properly, it would have been difficult to win.”
“…I see.”
She fell into thought again with a complex expression.
The tragedy that had occurred in the Elf village.
Among them, some members whom Charlotte had not summoned were passionately killing Elves.
It was by no means a coincidence that they were all members from the Holy Kingdom.
Although interrogation was impossible because they had died at the hands of Dusk.
“As I said before, it might be better to establish a faction. Even if we don’t belong to it.”
Ivela brought up the topic from the previous meeting again.
Although the Investigation Corps exists as a completely independent organization, the situation has now changed.
“Hmm.”
Charlotte, with her arms crossed, narrowed her brows.
The unprecedented formation of the Investigation Corps into a faction.
The alienation of the Holy Body Faction was that strong.
But a more important issue lay with Hanbit.
“Factions are one thing, but that isn’t the purpose of my visit today.”
“Huh? Not really?”
As he began to speak, Charlotte wore a puzzled expression.
Ibella also tilted her head, expressing her doubts.
“I went to Feria Island. I’ll explain what happened there.”
Hanbit conveyed information regarding the true nature of Feria Island, Princess Elencia of the Livray Kingdom, and the Demon Realm.
Naturally, it was shocking news for the two of them.
“Demons?”
“To think such a thing existed underground…”
The existence of demons destined to bring about the end of the world.
No matter how much one tried to explain their power, it was difficult to easily unravel.
To begin with, Hanbit also lacked sufficient information about the place.
“It is a dangerous place, but there is a high probability that there are clues regarding Erfort. You realized there were limits to what we could do on the surface, didn’t you?”
“…Yeah, since the investigation team was formed, we haven’t obtained a single piece of proper information.” “Honestly,
it was to the point where we even doubted if Erfort actually existed.”
The two nodded in agreement.
The investigation team had been attacking the forbidden zone for a long time.
However, they had never discovered any significant clues.
It was only natural to doubt whether something called Erfort truly existed.
“This is what the note says.”
Hanbit unfolded a small piece of parchment on the table.
It was a transcription of the note obtained on Feria Island.
<A night of chaos where a purple moon rises. A path opens in the sea of reverse currents. Solidify your qualifications anew and face the world’s true darkness.>
“…I’ve never heard of any of this before. Have you ever seen Ivela?”
“Not at all. Though Master might know.”
Ivela shook her head at Charlotte’s question.
Watching her, Hanbit asked a question .
“When do you think it will be possible to see the Sage? If there is a task, I’d like to finish it quickly.”
“I think we’ll have to postpone that a bit. There’s no reply to the message I sent to Master. He must be away.”
Ivela shrugged her shoulders. It seemed
she had many things she wanted to ask him, but it was unavoidable for the time being.
Accepting this, Hanbit changed the subject once again.
“Anyway, if the Demonic Realm opens, the entire world will be in danger. But since we can’t just leave it open, my goal is to prepare well for that.”
“What about the Holy Body Faction? If they are also struggling to find Erfort, wouldn’t they try to attack the Demonic Realm? It seems like they would completely lose the capacity to worry about a war of factions.”
Ivela brought up a thought that naturally followed.
It was certainly true, but the opponents were seeds sown by the Goddess of Turmoil.
Their very existence was a bundle of variables, making it difficult to easily predict or judge them.
“They are only using a fraction of their full power right now. There is no guarantee that they lack information regarding the Demon Realm to begin with, and if so, they might be eliminating their rivals in advance. They wouldn't want the investigation team or other forces to get ahead of them.”
“If the Demons are that strong, even cooperation wouldn't be enough. Eliminating rivals? You are quite arrogant.”
Ivela let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.
However, considering the unsettling nature of the Holy Body Faction’s rankers, especially Sirius, it was difficult to dismiss this as mere baseless confidence.
“You should assume they possess that much power. After all, they are a force that truly moves under the power of the gods. It wouldn't be strange to find someone abnormally strong. I am one of them.”
The detailed account of the two goddesses had also been conveyed to Charlotte.
Although the content was likely quite preposterous, she accepted it more calmly than expected.
In fact, she believed that without that, the questions surrounding the existence of the Black Dragon would never have been resolved.
“You said that Princess Elencia has demon blood flowing through her veins, right? Can you be certain she is an ally?”
Charlotte brought up the topic of the Princess of Livray once again, who would be the central figure of this matter.
A descendant of a being known as a demon, whose identity was unknown.
It was only natural to feel wary.
“There were no signs of it, but I won’t blindly trust her. It could be a structure where the blood awakens. I will act with full vigilance even after the entrance is opened.”
Hanbit gave an answer close to sound reasoning, but he knew well that there was no such thing as betrayal in Elencia.
The emotions she felt toward her demon father were disillusionment and hatred.
Going a step further, it was doubt regarding demons and their realm.
The image of Elencia fighting alongside Hanbit and meeting her death remained vivid in his mind.
“Yes. I think it’s best to be at least cautious. She is still too much of an unknown entity.”
Charlotte nodded in agreement.
After a moment of contemplation, she turned her gaze and asked,
“Luna, Rafina are going with us, right?”
“Yes.”
“That is correct.”
The two had already become members of the investigation team.
Naturally, Charlotte was fully aware of this.
Nodding, she looked at Hanbit.
“Are you leaving right away?”
“I should. I don’t know how long it will take.”
“Then Ibella, go with us. I’ll investigate the Hylen area again.”
Charlotte gave a brief instruction.
The objective was to find the entrance leading to the Demon Realm.
Her power, possessing vast knowledge and magical abilities, was suitable for that purpose.
“It’s right for me to go, but… it’ll be hard to obtain anything more on the Hylen side.”
“I’m just asking in case. There are some things weighing on my mind.”
“If that’s what you say, then I can’t help it, but take this.”
Ibella reached into the air and pulled out a silver ring.
It was a communication magic tool that Hanbit was also aware of.
“Tell me if something feels off. I have a bad feeling about it.”
“Okay. I understand.”
Charlotte nodded and took the ring.
She seemed to agree with the sentiment that she had a bad feeling.
Putting the ring on her finger, she looked at everyone and said,
“Let’s go.”
***
“Wow…”
“It’s my first time here again.”
The fertile lands of the southern continent.
Standing beside a large waterway, Hanbit and his party gazed at the beautiful kingdom.
Shhh—
the castle walls, built sturdily yet beautifully like intricate sculptures.
Colorful flags fluttered in the wind flowing over them.
This was Livray, the kingdom of art and a massive city-state.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, too. I used to come often.”
Ivela looked at the walls while clutching her hat.
It seemed like a country quite familiar to her.
“Let’s go in.”
Hanbit headed toward the large gate with everyone.
There was no need to show the Investigation Team’s insignia to the gatekeeper.
For some reason, Ivela was quite famous.
“It’s been a long time, Lady Ivela! You may go in!”
“Thank you.”
Ivela waved her hand as she entered.
What on earth had she been doing here?
“I have come to see Princess Elencia. Under the name of the Black Dragon.……”
“Ah!”
Upon hearing the name, the gatekeeper’s eyes widened in surprise.
It seemed he had received the message in advance.
“I was actually waiting for you! I didn’t expect you to come with Lady Ibella.”
The gatekeeper hurriedly went inside and emerged holding a golden letter.
Handing it over, he spoke politely,
“Please show this to the royal guards. Welcome to the Kingdom of Livray, members of the investigation team.”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging greetings, Hanbit entered the castle gate with the two.
The interior was even more spectacular than the outside.
“Wow, it’s definitely different from what I’ve seen in videos.”
“So, this really existed in this other world?”
Inside the kingdom, tall and intricate towers were arranged as if drawing a melody.
Although each one embodied the unique characteristics of its architect, they felt mysteriously harmonious.
Moreover, even on ordinary streets, colorful sculptures and various works of art were placed so as not to obstruct passage.
“It’s not just beautiful; many of them possess magical functions. I spent some time here,”
Ivela continued her explanation, pointing here and there with her finger.
From what she heard, it seemed she had worked as a technical advisor.
‘That didn’t exist in the past, you know.’
Unlike other NPCs, Ivela was a being with self-awareness.
If she had acted differently here, she naturally would not have existed in Hanbit’s experience.
“You’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Really? No wonder it felt new. Ah, this was also an assignment for my master.”
Ivela shrugged her shoulders.
Hearing it was referred to as a "Sage's Task," it felt as though it held some significance.
Tick-tock— as
he walked, Hanbit gazed at the clock installed on the highest tower.
A beautiful structure crafted of blue crystal.
Despite its massive size, not a single detail of intricate precision was overlooked.
"Did you do something over there, too?"
"No, that is a treasure of the kingdom. I heard it was a gift from someone during the founding of the nation?"
Hanbit was already aware of the information contained in Ibella's answer.
After staring at the clock for a moment, he headed straight for the royal palace in the center.
There was no need to hand over the golden letter he had received at the castle gate.
"Thank you for your long journey. I will escort you directly to the Princess."
The butler, who was already standing in front of the palace, led Hanbit's party inside.
The interior boasted an artistic flair through unique decorations and architectural structures rather than mere luxury goods.
"Then I shall take my leave."
Upon arriving at the large reception room on the second floor, the butler withdrew immediately.
Inside the wide-open door, Princess Elencia of Livray was approaching with a smile.
"You have arrived just in time, Lord Black Dragon."
