Tears of the Elf Queen
Using our comrades as shields and sacrificing many, we managed to dismantle the city’s magical barriers one by one, finally seizing the chance to defeat the sorcerer. If the princess of execution hadn’t discovered the magic circle related to regeneration and healing, our expedition might have failed once more.
(Excerpt)
…In the end, the most significant findings were in two places. One was a room we entered without much thought, and the other was Mavolo’s laboratory. Surprisingly, the most impressive discovery wasn’t in the lab but in the room we entered absentmindedly.
Some of the equipment there was identified as having been used by heroes of the past. But that wasn’t all. In hindsight, I wonder if the remaining equipment belonged to the ancient inhabitants who came to rescue them… It’s just a cautious guess because…
Excerpt from the Expedition Report on the Ancient Magical City of Magia, Page 17.
“Nothing special here.”
The first room we entered was, quite literally, nothing special. At first glance, it seemed like a lavish guest room, but upon closer inspection, it was just an empty shell. In other words, it was all show and no substance.
But there are still many rooms left. There are seven doors on the fourth floor, so if we check the remaining six, I’m sure we’ll find something worthwhile. With that thought, I closed the door, trying to shake off my disappointment.
Bang. Bang.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a door closing almost simultaneously. Glancing to the side, I saw Ahn Hyun emerging from a room, tilting his head in curiosity. He met my gaze and shrugged his shoulders.
“Five more to go.”
Having each checked a room, we moved on to explore the remaining ones. After about eight steps down the corridor, we found a door painted white. Stopping in front of it, I opened the door with a pounding heart. And then…
Bang! Bang!
“Damn it.”
I muttered a low curse at the overwhelming sight inside the room. Sighing, I closed the door. A sudden thought crossed my mind—what if this was all for nothing? I had read the records and had a rough idea of what equipment might be found, but I still held onto a sliver of hope.
But after finding nothing in the third room, the anxiety that had been creeping in began to accelerate. Eventually, Ahn Hyun and I found ourselves face-to-face in the last remaining room. Judging by the disappointment on his face, he was in the same boat as me.
“After all the effort to get in here, it’s really disheartening.”
“The exploration isn’t over yet. We haven’t opened this one, and there are other floors to check. Let’s finish up here and then head downstairs.”
I tapped on the last door as I spoke, and Ahn Hyun nodded quietly.
“Yeah, but the door looks pretty nice.”
He was right. The living quarters seemed to have been well-maintained, at least enough to feel lived-in. The door in front of us was particularly different from the others, with intricate patterns and a glossy sheen on the frame and hinges.
“Looks like it might have been Mavolo’s personal room. This should be interesting.”
“I’ll open it. Let’s go in, hyung.”
“Alright.”
Ahn Hyun took the lead and opened the door. It was well-maintained, opening smoothly without a creak. The room revealed was quite spacious. The first thing that caught my eye was the bookshelves lining both walls. In the center stood a large desk, positioned with its back to a big, square window.
There were also paintings on the walls and a few pieces of furniture, but this was enough to confirm my suspicions. It wasn’t flashy. In fact, it was rather plain, but the traces of time gave it a vintage feel. In short, it felt like a “wizard’s room.”
As I walked into the room, I slowly surveyed my surroundings. The bookshelf on the left was packed with thick books, while the right wall had hundreds of neatly arranged crystal orbs. I scanned the room but found nothing hidden. Stopping in front of the desk, I picked up a large book lying in the center. I called out to Ahn Hyun, who was still looking around.
“Check out that bookshelf. If you see any books with ancient magic, grab them.”
“Hyung, I can’t read ancient languages…”
”…Then just look around the desk.”
“Got it!”
The book in my hands was impressively thick, suggesting it contained a wealth of information. The cover bore no title. I ran my fingers over the gold-trimmed edges before opening to the first page. There, ancient script filled the page. I couldn’t read it fluently like the inhabitants, but thanks to my first expedition, I could decipher about 70% of it.
I gently brushed off the dust and began reading the first paragraph slowly.
“Today, finally… executed. Although I used all the city’s residents as… and now I can no longer leave the city… I have no regrets. By now, Lloyd and Margarita should be arriving. Now is the time for…”
“I still can’t forget the faces of the captured two. Margarita, as expected, remained calm and… me. I wonder if this demeanor will continue… Heh heh.”
“Could it be Mavolo’s record? If so…”
As I continued reading, I found details about inviting and kidnapping Lloyd and Margarita. I decided to keep reading and turned another page.
“Today, finally, Margarita’s maiden… Seeing her… for the first time excited me even more. In front of Lloyd, I forcibly… Finally, she showed a different reaction. The room filled with her wailing…”
“Did they finally notice…? Grazia led the punitive force… Of course, the punitive force… In the city, I’m practically a god. I wanted to capture Grazia too, but the surrounding… Eventually, I missed her. She was quite skilled. Especially… But still…”
“My precious Margarita. Did she ever imagine? That the noble elf queen would be surrounded by monsters and forcibly… Every time I drew out a reaction from her, it was so…”
“I had a good idea. To breathe new life into Margarita, who lost the will to live after confirming Lloyd’s death… I pretended to rescue her by transforming into Grazia… I still can’t forget. When I changed back, Margarita’s face went blank. She… screamed. Heh heh heh.”
”…”
I considered closing the book, but having come this far, I decided to endure a little longer. Instead, I skipped ahead, focusing on the later parts. I grabbed a chunk of pages and flipped them over.
“Margarita is pregnant. Her belly grows by the day… Honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention, but… My mind is a mess.”
“In the end, Margarita gave birth to… I wanted to destroy it in front of her, but for now, I… It might be my child, but it’s more likely a monster’s. Although I’ve been with her, for the past year, it’s been more with the monsters… Instead of hatching it immediately, I decided to preserve it. I’ll use it for leverage. Heh heh!”
“Today, strange… entered the city. After capturing and manipulating their minds, I discovered they were ‘users.’ Users? Intriguing. I need to investigate further. Just in time… it worked out well.”
“Today… I decided. To manipulate Margarita’s mind as well. She might lose her true self as a queen, but now I want to see…”
Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip!
“How much time has passed outside? The punitive force no longer comes. Instead, the frequency of ‘users’ entering has increased. At first, I just killed them, but they do spew out some interesting… Since the two of them… I’m thinking of creating… Of course, I’ll manipulate their minds…”
“This is bad. Could it be that it’s not infinite? If Margarita dies. I must save her somehow. Starting today, I plan to research…”
“I’ve tried various approaches, but there’s no progress in the research. In a fit of rage, I killed one of my subordinates, but who knew that would show me the way. There’s always a way. Sacrificing humans. I need more humans. The ones I have now are too… insufficient. I can’t leave the city. So I need subordinates who can bring humans from outside…”
“I’m running out of… Just as I was considering killing all my remaining subordinates, ten fresh humans arrived. … But I can’t kill them right away… I need to somehow lure them into… They say… is… If so, what I need now is…”
“While inspecting the prison, I caught a user trying to secretly communicate. I’m preoccupied with saving Margarita, but who knew they’d have… in their ear. It was an amusing idea, but I tore them in half as an example. I was also running low on… to feed Margarita, so…”
“Today, an additional fourteen… caught in the trap… but still not enough…”
Thud.
“Sigh.”
I closed the book with a heavy sigh, gripping it tightly. The first part was filled with the useless drivel of Margarita’s assistant logs, but the latter sections held some valuable insights for a wizard or alchemist. Especially for Vivian, who lived here; she might find Marvolo’s research notes quite beneficial. Even a single offhand comment from a skilled magician could serve as a stepping stone to improve one’s abilities.
After a moment of hesitation, I relaxed my grip on the book. If there was even a slim chance of it being useful, it was worth taking. With that decision made, I moved to the wall and began scanning the tightly packed books.
“Hey, did you find anything useful?”
“A few things, but nothing certain. What about you?”
“Nothing. I searched every desk and drawer, but there’s nothing worthwhile.”
“I’ll keep looking. Check out those crystals in the back.”
As I replied while skimming the book titles, Ahn Hyun answered, “Okay, got it,” and walked behind me.
About five minutes passed. I was stacking books that might be helpful for Ha-yeon when a strange moan reached my ears.
(Marvolo de Ailight. I can’t believe you did this. It’s not too late. If you’re truly my ally…)
“Uh, uh.”
“Ahn Hyun? What are you doing over there?”
“Hyung, this, this…”
Ahn Hyun stammered, looking flustered. Curious, I turned to see several crystals neatly arranged, projecting images. The items on the shelf were video playback crystals.
“Did you touch those?”
“Yeah, I saw they were video crystals, so I played a few… and then these weird scenes started…”
(Please, Marvolo! It’s not too late. If you repent and release us…)
(Do you enjoy this vile behavior? I’m disappointed, Marvolo de Ailight. I misjudged you. You’re truly irredeemable. Even if you possess my body, you’ll never have my heart.)
(No, no! I don’t want to be caught by those monsters! Lloyd! Help me, Lloyd!)
(Ahh… Ahhh…)
‘What a fool I was to expect anything different.’
I regretted killing Marvolo de Ailight so easily. Who would have thought he’d record not just notes but videos too? This was madness beyond even Belphegor. Shivering at his obsessive mania, I approached the crystals. Meanwhile, the ones Ahn Hyun had activated continued to play.
(Gracia! You’ve come to save us! Thank you so much… Gracia…? Mar…volo?)
(Lloyyyyyd!)
(Heh… Heh…)
(Ah, ah, ah! Mar, volo, sir! Ahh! Yes! Harder…! Ahh! Ahhh!)
“Hyung, is that the fairy queen you mentioned?”
“Ahn Hyun, step back.”
“Huh?”
“Step back. You’ll get hurt.”
I spoke calmly, positioning myself in the center of the wall. In front of me, a crystal was playing a scene of Margarita clinging to Marvolo, moving fervently. I bent my right knee up to my chest, gathering my magic, and kicked the air with force.
Boom!
I struck out with my foot, causing the air to ripple violently. A powerful shockwave spread across the entire wall.
Crash! Clatter!
The bookshelf attached to the wall shattered into pieces, and the crystals were all destroyed by the impact. The shards flew into the air before raining down.
As the fragments settled on the floor, I handed all the books I was holding to Ahn Hyun.
“Ahn Hyun, put these in the bag.”
“Oh, okay, hyung. But…”
“Hmm?”
“The woman in the crystal… was she really the fairy queen?”
As Ahn Hyun hurriedly stuffed the books into his bag, I was about to nod when—
Thud, thud, thud!
Suddenly, I sensed someone rushing down the hallway outside.
I watched the door, and soon, Lee Yoo-jung burst in, katana in hand, looking ready to fight. Her face was filled with urgency, but seeing Ahn Hyun and me standing there, she looked puzzled.
“Yoo-jung, what’s wrong?”
“Oppa, are you okay? I heard an explosion.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Everything’s fine.”
“Okay…”
Lee Yoo-jung glanced at the crystal shards on the floor, her expression awkward. Then, as if remembering something, she looked up.
“Oh, oppa, did you finish exploring the fourth floor?”
“Almost. What about you?”
“Yeon-joo unnie and I finished. She wants you to come quickly.”
“Really? Did you find something?”
“Yeah, I found one thing, and Yeon-joo unnie found another. But we should check the second floor first.”
Convinced by Lee Yoo-jung’s voice, I decided to wrap up the fourth-floor exploration. I had thought what I was looking for would be here, but it seemed to be on another floor.
Nodding quietly at Lee Yoo-jung’s urging, Ahn Hyun and I followed her out of the room.
We hurried down the stairs to the second floor, where Go Yeon-joo was waiting with her arms crossed. Sensing our approach, she turned and waved.
“You’re here. Did you find anything on the fourth floor?”
“Not much, but a few things to keep an eye on. What about you? What’s on the second floor?”
“Hoho, you’re in such a rush. Come inside and see for yourself. You’ll be surprised.”
Sensing the urgency in my voice and steps, Go Yeon-joo replied with a gentle smile. As I approached her, I peered into the room.
The room was spotless, as if it had been deliberately cleaned. The difference in floor color inside and outside the doorframe was noticeable. But that wasn’t the important part. With my third eye activated, I looked up, sensing the others peeking over my shoulder.
『Caligo Abraxas』
『Paradisus Plate Mail』
『Orthros Long Boots』
『Radiant Flash: Laura Phylis』
『Clothes Made from Yggdrasil Leaves』
『Rhiza Boots』
『Headband of Innocence』
『Torn Wings of the Fairy Queen (12 pairs)』
『Magician of the Blue Moon (Book, Secret Class)』
『Gladiator of the Dawn (Sword, Rare Class)』
『Seombaek』
『TyrFingr』
As I scanned the room, messages filled with information appeared in the air. Stunned, I stared at them, and Go Yeon-joo’s languid voice echoed beside me.
“Amazing, right? You can feel the extraordinary energy. It seems…”
“This is…”
“Congratulations, Su-hyeon. You insisted on coming inside, and this expedition is a huge success.”
Hearing Go Yeon-joo’s words, I realized I had indeed found something significant.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
Phew. I was going to end the chapter when they looked into the room, but I thought readers might be upset… OTL. Last chapter might have seemed dull, but it was necessary (or so I believe). It wasn’t just a breather or pacing adjustment. :) As you keep reading, you’ll have an “Ah” moment. Haha. Also, forgive me for not posting consecutively. Instead, I packed today’s chapter with content. ^_ㅠ Oh, and we’ll return to the city in 2-3 chapters.
『 Reader Comments 』
Myth Reenactor: Oh, I expected to see Miwolya and Hanbang Mode, but it’s a surprise. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in first place. Haha. Congratulations on first place! :) Enjoy this chapter.
Diban: After we return to the city. Hehe.
Flute: I’m working on getting better at editing. Haha. And if I have any appointments in the morning or afternoon, it’s really tough. ㅜ.ㅠ
24Novel: I’ve reduced it a bit. About 600 chapters? Even if it goes long, it should wrap up within 700 chapters. I’ve moved the ending forward quite a bit.
Human Life: How did things get so tangled…? Pat, pat. Hang in there. ㅜ.ㅠ
Fallen Wings: I’ll just show what was found, and explain more after returning to the city. Haha. In the next chapter, you might see the party leaving the canyon.
Broken Fan: A baby Chaos Mimic is set to appear in the next chapter! :)
LOVEautumn: No one has managed to gather a million GP yet. It’s incredibly difficult to achieve before the Atlanta campaign. (Not that it gets much easier afterward, either.) Haha.
FeelingGood: Thank you for the coupon. (__) I’ll strive to repay you with even more entertaining content in the future.
Yurikenne: Wow! That’s amazing. I’m curious to know who your acquaintance is. How about trying Do Young-rok (the burly man with the golden lion mane) + Park Dong-geol (the rotund man of rites of passage)? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this combo! (Thud thud!)
HongSseba: 1. It’s because stamina isn’t Su-hyun’s specialized stat. 2. Su-hyun’s potential has already been fully developed. (He loaded his body from the first round, which is why he still has scars. Outwardly, he seems like a first-year, but he’s practically a ten-year veteran.)
Sensitive: Look two years ahead from now. :) Unfortunately, it can’t be considered an achievement because it didn’t have a direct impact on the overall flow. Haha.
Thank you all for reading. Your recommendations and comments are a great source of strength.
I hope you always read with a relaxed mind.
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