Chapter 100

Thundercloud (3)

Kairus glared at the pitch-black storm clouds for a moment, then dropped Flicker’s output while swinging his sword wide.

The breeze created by Swift Blade scattered the clouds.

“Did it run away?”

Kairus let out a sigh of relief, as if glad for it.

“It still had the strength to run away after taking that?”

Once the situation had settled, Irena looked at Kairus with a dumbfounded expression.

“It’s a Lunaseeker.”

“That’s not some kind of master key. So what, if you’re a Lunaseeker, you can do anything? Like pouring molten lava into a teacup for tea time and drinking it, just because you’re a Lunaseeker?”

At Irena’s absurd words, Kairus clicked his tongue.

“Complaining to me won’t help.”

“I wasn’t complaining. It’s just… it’s ridiculous.”

The deafening roar and fierce flash that spread through the mist had undeniably been lightning. Someone surviving a direct strike and still managing to flee was far outside Irena’s sense of reason.

“Whatever the case.”

That wasn’t the important part. Kairus felt as though the tension in his body was loosening.

He had just overcome the greatest crisis of this task in a way he never could have anticipated.

“Now, let’s go back.”

The entrance had been confirmed. All that was left was to offer the Yucheok Sword to that three-eyed dog statue, and everything would be over.

At last, Kairus had succeeded in securing his promise of life.

“Tell me as we walk. How did you manage that just now?”

While moving, Irena couldn’t hold back her question any longer and asked Kairus.

“Sorry, I don’t know either.”

But there was only one answer Kairus could give. He had no idea how he had succeeded.

Creating clouds itself—he had started to get the hang of that. It was just a matter of making a space hot and humid, then colliding it with extremely cold air.

“Was that really Cloud Seizing Art?”

Kairus’s doubt was simple.

“I feel like Irena could probably do this too.”

Without receiving the procedure of the Featherwing, Cloud Seizing Art couldn’t be used. At least, that was what he knew.

But the artificial mist Kairus had just created could very well be something Irena could make once her mastery of Swift Blade rose high enough.

Which meant the method he had just used to create clouds must be different from Cloud Seizing Art.

“I really don’t know about the lightning. You already know how to make the clouds.”

Irena nodded at Kairus’s answer. She could guess how clouds were formed.

But clouds turning into thunderclouds was an entirely different matter.

Even if he tried the same thing again, Kairus had no confidence he could create another lightning-filled cloud.

“We need to hurry. Get on my back.”

Kairus carried Melvin on his back, and Irena carried Tanya.

From here on, there was no longer any reason to investigate as they went. They only had to carry their burdens, harness the mana of their battle gear, and return to the surface as quickly as possible.

“What if we run into the other remaining team while moving?”

At Irena’s words, Kairus snorted.

“Doesn’t matter. Our investigation is finished. There’s nothing more to see.”

Once they were out of the Dimensional Maze, all they needed to do was flee swiftly, and that would be the end of it.

Finding the path leading into the maze had been difficult, but retracing their steps back along it was not nearly as hard.

After about four days of travel, Kairus’s group finally succeeded in seeing daylight again.

“Khh.”

Kairus squinted against the pouring sunlight, standing still for a moment.

“The weather really is warming up. Coming up from underground makes it even clearer.”

It wasn’t yet warm enough to hope for flowers, but the change in temperature was undeniable.

“Kairus.”

As they surfaced and paused to take in the sun, a man who seemed to be from the Rose Garden approached.

“Scary, really.”

He wasn’t approaching just to exchange greetings.

From his attire alone, it was clear he was no ordinary member of the Rose Garden.

He was a powerhouse, the kind of man Kairus felt certain he would lose against in a fight.

“Did you succeed?”

With the question came the sensation that the very air around them had tightened.

Instead of answering aloud, Kairus held up his notebook.

“I recorded the route to Pontus.”

The man accepted the notebook, skimmed through the contents, nodded, and returned it. The Rose Garden would only recover the notebook once the entrance was opened and the rewards secured.

“You must have gone through much. The Yucheok Sword will be delivered right away, so you may rest until then.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Having received confirmation, Kairus started to move along with his companions.

“Wait.”

But it seemed the man’s business wasn’t over yet.

“Dr. Istovan is to remain. The Representative is waiting for you.”

At those words, Melvin’s body flinched.

“M-me, you mean?”

“Yes, you. You’ll have time for a bath, so come along.”

Since Cecilia herself had asked to meet him, neither Kairus nor Irena could stop it.

“Then, see you later.”

With Kairus’s parting words, Melvin was left behind.

“Follow me.”

Guided by the Rose Garden member’s dry voice, Melvin was taken for a bath, then led to the room where Cecilia awaited.

“Dr. Istovan.”

“Representative.”

Melvin greeted Cecilia in a state of stiff tension. Watching his demeanor, Cecilia burst into laughter.

“You’re far too timid. I had no intention of harming you. But with such an adorable attitude, well… I might just change my mind?”

It was a joke, but one only Cecilia could laugh at. For Melvin, it wasn’t funny at all—an utterly selfish kind of jest.

“What business do you have with me?”

“The Dersos civilization is known to favor fractals. Especially when it comes to architecture, they valued it all the more.”

At Cecilia’s words, Melvin swallowed.

“That’s correct. They symbolized the completeness of the whole through its parts.”

And in practice, applying fractals to large-scale architecture had proven to be extremely stable.

Once the topic turned to his area of expertise, Melvin managed to keep speaking even through his tension. Cecilia did not cut him off.

She listened with a smile, showing genuine interest in his words, and occasionally shared rumors she had heard, asking Melvin to confirm them.

“You’re more eloquent than I expected.”

And so their conversation continued for about two hours. Cecilia poured a fifth infusion into Melvin’s teacup.

“…It seems there must be a reason why someone like you, Representative, would devote so much time to me.”

Melvin, though a bit clumsy, was not so much of a fool that he would miss something this obvious. Cecilia clearly wanted something from him.

“For someone as learned as you, Dr. Melvin, I imagine you could determine the overall structure of the sewer system from just a portion of it.”

Indeed, Melvin had once drawn up blueprints of the sewer system and used them while exploring underground with Kairus.

And now, Cecilia required those blueprints.

“I never imagined you would know this much about the Dersos civilization.”

“For a gang boss, you mean?”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

Flustered, Melvin quickly denied it. Cecilia raised her index finger with a slight motion as she answered.

“Knowing much is a good thing. It’s like saving money.”

One might not know when or how it would be used, but the act of collecting it with the certainty that it would be useful someday.

“To rise above the fools buried in custom, convention, and stale experience, knowledge is necessary. Now, shall we return to the sewers?”

Still smiling, Cecilia brushed her index finger across the table once.

“The sewers of Bennett City were built long ago. Over time, new passages were dug and old ones collapsed, until it became something no different from an immense labyrinth.”

What Cecilia murmured softly was a common truth, something most people in the city already knew.

“But now, look here.”

Cecilia pointed her teaspoon at Melvin.

“Knowledge revealed through research and investigation says otherwise, doesn’t it?”

The architecture of the Dersos civilization was built on fractal structures. Investigating only a part could uncover the pattern, and from that, the whole could be understood.

“At best, what we see now is only the sewers’ original form.”

“The other fools can’t even begin to imagine something like a blueprint of the sewers.”

Even the Areumdri Pawnshop, which called itself king of the underground, had never thought of such a thing.

Cecilia tapped her index finger against her temple.

“Because they don’t know anything.”

The Rose Garden would obtain what it wanted through Melvin’s help.

“In exchange for receiving the blueprints, what would you like us to do for you, Dr. Istovan?”

At Cecilia’s words, Melvin swallowed. The teaspoon scraped against the teacup with a sharp sound.

“For reference, I’m using the most gentlemanly method right now, you know?”

There were plenty of ways besides negotiation to make Melvin cough up the blueprints.

“If you get greedy, I won’t like it. I’ll use another method.”

It was a warning: don’t ask for too much in return.

Within that warning, Melvin wrestled with his thoughts. Cecilia, for her part, did not rush him, as though she could wait as long as needed.

“I’d like to be provided with a place to stay in this city.”

At Melvin’s answer, Cecilia nodded.

“That will be arranged.”

About ten minutes later, a man entered after a knock and handed Melvin some documents.

“…What is this?”

“A transfer contract. 15-3 Janet 3rd Street. A three-story building with a basement. The third floor is currently being used as a darkroom for photo development.”

Cecilia kindly explained for him.

“A darkroom?”

“If you’re going to live here, it’s best if you can also enjoy your hobbies, don’t you think?”

Melvin Istovan’s hobby was photography.

“Once you sign, it’s immediately yours. I guarantee there will be no problems or defects in the transfer process.”

The price for handing over the blueprints of the city’s underground was a three-story building.

“The café on the first floor is run by the organization managing Janet 3rd Street. You’ll receive 3,000 Pyint in monthly rent.”

And it wasn’t just any café—it was one the managing organization operated with particular purpose.

That meant as long as the organization stood, rent would never be missed.

On top of that, with the café run by the organization, Melvin would hardly need to worry about petty crimes like robbery or theft. Even security, to a degree, was guaranteed.

“It isn’t easy to find a property like this in the city. Even if you did find one, actually acquiring it would be… impossible. Normally, at least.”

Finishing her explanation, Cecilia propped her chin on her hand and looked at Melvin.

“Since your request was so modest, I took the liberty of showing off a little. With this, I think we can wrap up the deal with smiles on both sides.”

“Thank you.”

Bowing his head, Melvin signed the documents. Cecilia quietly watched him.

In truth, Cecilia had not expected him to ask for lodging.

“An archaeologist, of all people.”

A man who had devoted his life to academia, who, even after seeing the reality of this city, was not running away—he actually wished to stay.

“What’s your reason for wanting to remain in this city?”

“Eh? Ah.”

Hearing Cecilia’s question, Melvin scratched his head with a smile.

“Bennett City has an archaeological value beyond words. I’d like to live here, conduct my research, and do my part in managing what deserves to be preserved.”

It wasn’t a strange answer. It was one Cecilia could accept.

“Your passion is admirable. I hope you achieve what you seek.”

Satisfied with his intent, Cecilia left him with those simple parting words and rose from her seat.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.