Chapter 64: Deep Within the Ruins

Originally, Gawain had planned to bring Rebecca along, but she’d been tied up with the construction of “Magic Network One” lately and hadn’t had a proper rest in days. Tonight, since she finally had the chance to sleep early, Gawain decided not to wake her.

Besides, having her there would only add another fireball launcher to the group—hardly more useful than Gawain himself wielding a sword in close combat.

Hedwig hadn’t rested either. She was still in her tent, poring over the regulations and plans Gawain had drafted. When she heard there was trouble at the mountain ruins, she quickly threw on her cloak and hurried over.

Seeing her a bit tense, Gawain reassured her, “Don’t worry. It’s just some unusual noises—probably some ancient mechanisms stirring inside the ruins. If it were a collapse, it wouldn’t be so quiet.”

Hedwig nodded, still concerned.

Sir Byron soon selected a squad of capable soldiers. Led by Gawain, they made their way along the mountain path to the ancient ruins’ main gate.

A makeshift wooden guard post stood there, manned by five soldiers on duty. Torches lit the area around the gate, revealing the scene clearly: aside from a few nervous guards, nothing seemed amiss.

“Sir,” one soldier approached and saluted upon seeing Gawain. “There were two more noises from inside just now.”

“Hmm, I’ll go check it out myself,” Gawain said as he strode toward the gate. “You all stay here. No one enters without my order.”

At the gate, Gawain activated the ancient Gondorian runes with his platinum disk. The heavy purple steel doors shimmered with magical light as usual, and Gawain breathed a little easier—at least the mana channels were intact, meaning nothing major had gone wrong inside.

Hedwig instinctively gripped her staff, sketching the outline of an ice arrow spell, but then dismissed the magic and switched to a support spell instead—missing a shot now would be embarrassing.

The purple steel doors slowly swung open under the magic’s influence. The magic crystals in the hall brightened immediately. Gawain placed his hand on the hilt of the Pathfinder’s Sword, alert, and stepped inside.

The hall appeared normal. The metal ingots, weapons, and armor left behind were still neatly arranged, reflecting the steady glow of the magic crystals. There were no signs of collapse or loosened stones—everything seemed as it should.

But as Gawain scanned the room, he noticed something: several doors at the far end of the hall were wide open.

This ancient ruin wasn’t just the hall before them. Inside the mountain, it extended into a vast complex, as evidenced by the scale of the entrance and glimpses of structures carved into the rock face. So far, Gawain’s team had only used this entrance hall—not because they didn’t want to go deeper, but because the doors leading further in were locked tight.

When the Northern Expedition found this ruin seven centuries ago, those inner doors were sealed with a different kind of magic than the outer gate. The explorers had cracked the outer seal but were powerless against the deeper locks. So they treated the hall as a treasure vault, resealed it, and left. Now, seven hundred years later, Gawain and the Pathfinder team had returned, but still couldn’t open those doors.

Hedwig had spent an entire day studying the seals in the treasure hall but couldn’t break them. The magic was from Gondor’s golden age—far beyond the skill of a third-level mage like her.

Gawain had planned to leave those doors alone for now, dealing with them once the situation stabilized. But unexpectedly, today those doors had opened on their own.

Hedwig noticed too and tugged at Gawain’s sleeve uneasily. “Ancestor, those doors…”

“I see them. No idea how they opened,” Gawain frowned, his mind drifting to the recent outbreak of red spots and the surge of magical energy—could that surge have spread here, loosening the seals? And with Hedwig and Rebecca frequently using the platinum disk to open the outer gate and move things, maybe the repeated opening and closing had inadvertently triggered the inner doors?

Based on Gawain’s knowledge of ancient Gondorian magic, it was quite possible.

He approached the three open doors with a few soldiers, pondering.

If this were a typical story, sneaking into suddenly opened ruins at midnight was basically a death wish. But it depended on the genre—if it were an American show, everyone inside would be dead soon; a Japanese drama might have them encounter a ghost before dying; but if it were a domestic drama… well, Gawain might end up dating a ghost.

He glanced at the armored, staff-wielding group around him. Judging by their vibe, this was definitely an American-style scenario.

Not going in meant certain death—and no ghost sightings before that.

Just as he decided to order the doors closed and wait for better conditions to explore, Hedwig muttered, “There seems to be a magical presence… deep inside.”

Gawain raised an eyebrow. “Magical presence? Deep?”

“From beyond this door,” Hedwig pointed to the middle one. “Before, the door blocked the flow of magic, so I couldn’t sense it. Now that it’s open, I can faintly feel something… maybe an active magic circle. But it’s very weak and fading fast. It could disappear at any moment.”

Gawain was speechless.

He forced himself to resist the urge to turn and leave, sighing inwardly: humans really are creatures who can’t help but get themselves into trouble.

Whatever’s inside, they had to take a look.

Gripping the Pathfinder’s Sword, Gawain silently cast several layers of protective knightly spells on himself, then took the lead.

There was no light deep inside the ruins. As they passed through the gate and into the corridor, darkness thickened. Hedwig raised her staff and whispered a few syllables. A glowing orb of magical light appeared, floating above the staff tip, illuminating their path.

A real mage who can cast light spells.

Byron couldn’t help but marvel at the widening corridor and the tall, spacious chambers on either side. “No wonder this was built by the mighty Gondorian Empire… how big could this place be?”

“Who knows? The gate’s design is from the Starfire Era, when they built massive fortresses. They might have hollowed out an entire mountain,” Gawain said with a smirk. “I wish Amber were here—maybe she ran off with the funds, but if she were here, I’d have less stress.”

“Such specialized ancient ruins aren’t easy for even the best stealth experts,” Hedwig said, glancing at Gawain. “Usually, it’s the mages’ domain to crack places like this…”

“No, if Amber were here, I’d just send her ahead to scout. I’d feel less pressure,” Gawain said casually. “She’s great at escaping, too—if she runs off, she can come back and I can send her again…”

Hedwig was stunned. What was she supposed to do when her ancestor suddenly made such a shameless joke?

Gawain caught her expression and laughed. “I’m kidding. Mainly, Amber has a special shadow-walking ability. In a place full of shadows like this, she can find hidden paths better than we can.”

Hedwig relaxed, and Byron nodded quickly. “I knew it—you’re the model knight. You’d never do that to a lady.”

Gawain’s mouth twitched. Amber? If it weren’t for her chest and face, who’d even think of her as a lady? And honestly, those features didn’t exactly scream ‘lady’ either…

Their light banter eased the tension a bit, but everyone remained on high alert. Under Hedwig’s glowing orb, Gawain scrutinized every detail, wary of traps and ancient inscriptions on the walls.

The writing was the common script of the ancient Gondorian Empire. The four kingdoms’ current scripts evolved from it, but over a millennium, the characters had changed somewhat. Plus, the Starfire Era was a time of great upheaval, so only Gawain could fully understand the inscriptions.

Hedwig only half understood them.

The ruins were vast—so vast that even Gawain was surprised.

As they followed the central corridor, the group encountered multiple forks, bends, and stairways. The passage trended deeper and downward into the mountain. Hedwig detected airflow several times, confirming a network of ventilation shafts hidden from view—proof of the ancient empire’s advanced architecture.

Along the way, they found several rooms and halls.

Though these chambers looked like stone, Hedwig’s analysis revealed they were made of an artificial material even more durable than rock. Each room was empty except for a few rotting shelves and some rusted metal tools. Valuable relics were nowhere to be found—clearly, the empire’s occupants had left in an orderly fashion, with plenty of time.

This matched Gawain’s understanding of the Starfire Era.

Still, Hedwig was a bit disappointed. She’d hoped to find some antiques—useless or not, anything from the Starfire Era would be a prized treasure.

They didn’t have time to explore every side passage or room, so Gawain ordered markers left at unexplored forks for future expeditions. Guided by Hedwig’s magical senses, the group pressed straight toward the source of the faint magical presence.

(End of chapter)