Chapter 139 …
“Please come this way.”
As he followed the guard’s lead, Dohyun looked around.
The scenery was somewhat gloomy, but perhaps because the moonlight gently wrapped around everything, even that felt atmospheric. The candles placed here and there, along with decorative swords and daggers, also played a part.
‘Wow… Master, it’s seriously huge.’
‘Rizari….’
‘Hmm, an excellent castle. It looks extremely sturdy.’
‘Yeah. It’s massive.’
Another notable feature was that this was the largest interior space Dohyun had seen so far.
In terms of sheer size, it was far bigger than Brion’s Lyre Grand Temple.
They had already been walking for about ten minutes, yet the corridor still hadn’t ended.
‘Well, it was visible even from the forest.’
Considering the entire city had looked like the castle’s garden, this level of grandeur made sense.
And yet, not a single player had seen this enormous castle.
It truly was a moment of honor, and Dohyun’s curiosity only grew.
‘Why were they so reluctant to let players in?’
What Dohyun had handed to the guard was a handwritten letter from Jin Ruddel.
The fact that they let him in immediately after verifying the letter meant they had deliberately been rejecting players until now.
‘Guess I’ll find out soon.’
He would learn the reason shortly.
After walking for a while longer, the guard stopped in front of the most antique-looking door Dohyun had seen so far and bowed.
“The Lord is waiting inside. I shall take my leave….”
Dohyun nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
A voice immediately rang out.
“…Are you the one who brought Uncle Jin’s letter?”
It was a low, muttering voice, but it sounded strangely weak.
And that weakness was even more evident from his appearance.
Despite the large room—bigger than most living rooms—the antique interior and luxurious decorations were overshadowed by the young man reclining against the bed, looking extremely frail.
“The Lord has asked you a question. Answer him.”
The elderly man in butler attire standing beside him urged him to respond. His voice was heavy—far too weighty for his slender frame.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
As Dohyun answered instinctively, the young lord let out a faint chuckle and spoke.
“It’s surprising enough that Uncle Jin, who caused such a scene when he left, sent a letter… but that an Apostle delivered it… I have many questions.”
He gestured for Dohyun to come closer.
As Dohyun approached, he subtly examined the lord.
A face drained of vitality like someone who had battled illness for years. Emaciated limbs. Despite his youthful face—barely over twenty—his condition was clearly poor.
His blond hair, which should have shone brightly, was dry and dull, and patches of exposed skin had turned purple, looking ominous at a glance.
‘…So that’s why he never showed himself.’
The master of this massive castle and the ruler of the city.
His young age was already a weakness—if he also appeared ready to collapse at any moment, it would damage his authority.
In the worst case, control could crumble.
‘No way they’d reveal this to loose-lipped players.’
Even now, the entire community was buzzing over Dohyun’s every move.
Lord’s Secret! The Lord Is Actually Critically Ill!?
If rumors about the lord spread, headlines like that would surely dominate the homepage.
“As you can see, I cannot reveal myself to the public.”
“…I understand.”
That only made Dohyun more curious.
For the lord to decide to meet an unfamiliar Apostle in this condition meant Jin Ruddel’s letter was extremely important to him.
“Uncle Jin is like both my brother and my father. Along with Butler Beric here, he was my only ally. After my father died and I took the successor’s seat, enemies surrounded me—as if they had been waiting for that moment….”
“…My lord.”
The old man called Butler Beric spoke carefully, and the lord nodded.
“I spoke unnecessarily. My name is Jay Ruddel. What is your name?”
“Kaiser.”
“Kaiser… understood. And those behind you…?”
“They’re my Guardians.”
At the word Guardians, Ruddel didn’t probe further. While few people here traveled with Guardians, it was common among Apostles.
“Do you know what was written in the letter?”
After introductions, Jay Ruddel’s expression became extremely serious.
Dohyun shook his head, and Jay continued.
“It contained a great deal of corruption data about those targeting me. There was also evidence against them in the bag. Not even a simple greeting… really. That’s just like Uncle Jin.”
He smiled faintly, looking as though he missed Jin Ruddel.
Perhaps that was why—
“…Uncle Jin is dead?”
When Dohyun finally revealed Jin’s fate, Jay Ruddel’s face hardened.
Dohyun didn’t bother answering.
The death of someone he had relied on since childhood would be a tremendous shock.
“Ah…”
That was answer enough. Jay slowly wiped his dry face.
“He said he’d live freely… so why come back… Because of me, precious people keep getting sacrificed. Who do I think I am…?”
“My lord, please calm yourself. We are concerned for your health.”
“Why won’t those damned outlaws leave our bloodline alone? One of us is cursed and slowly dying, and another can’t even pass on and is left wandering….”
“…A curse?”
Startled, Dohyun asked without thinking. The two men met his eyes.
After a brief hesitation, they nodded.
“You said you’re the only one who can communicate with Uncle Jin. If you’re the Apostle he trusted… it’s only right we tell you.”
“I agree, my lord.”
[Quest ‘Uncle’s Belongings’ has been cleared.]
[Title ‘Max Affinity from the Start?’ effect activates. Affinity greatly increases.]
[Affinity with Jay Ruddel, Lord of Sargis, greatly increased.]
[Level Up!]
[Linked Quest ‘The Truth of the Castle’ begins.]
Dohyun was startled by the messages.
‘My level went up? Already?’
His level was now 44.
He had just reached level 43 after leaving the King’s Tomb, so leveling up from clearing only two quests was huge.
Leveling had become notoriously difficult since arriving in Sargis.
“This happened three years ago…”
Jay Ruddel’s calm voice brought Dohyun back to focus.
In summary, the story was this:
Three years ago, when the previous lord—Jay’s father, Ian Ruddel—died and the succession became chaotic—
“On the night of the full moon, they descended along the moonlight.”
Ghost-like beings whose existence in the mortal realm was doubtful.
The suddenly appearing outlaws led a legion and threatened the castle.
Since the lord’s seat could not be left vacant in such a crisis, the legitimate heir, Jay Ruddel, became lord as promised.
He then led the knights and soldiers to confront them.
“Many soldiers and knights were sacrificed. But we had a chance. At that rate, we could have held them off.”
“……”
“That was… until they brought out that thing.”
An unbearably cold energy.
After revealing an unknown object, the outlaws began emitting the power of the underworld—something they shouldn’t have been able to use in the living world.
It wasn’t their full strength, but it was enough.
“Anyone touched by it froze in terrible cold and died in agony as if poisoned by a deadly toxin. A horrifying aura that allowed no approach….”
The tide of battle flipped completely.
They couldn’t maintain the underworld energy continuously, but whenever it activated, retreat was the only option.
“In the end, I was struck. But I survived—shamelessly, at the cost of the Sargis Knights Commander’s life.”
“Please don’t say that, my lord. Sir Pagis simply fulfilled his duty. Words like that only dishonor his sacrifice.”
“Ha. That’s the problem, Butler. We lost our greatest force trying to save me. When I sit here helpless, I wonder if he wouldn’t be in tears.”
Silence fell briefly.
But Dohyun had already heard enough.
‘Wow… Master, this is worse than I thought.’
‘As he said, they were on the brink of falling into evil’s grasp.’
‘Rizari.’
As they said, it wouldn’t be strange if the outlaws conquered them at any moment.
The lord was dying, and their strongest force was gone.
If the citizens knew, the city might have collapsed in a coup even before an invasion.
“I always wondered. From their perspective, we were fish already caught. So why did they suddenly stop and spend years searching for something?”
“……”
“But thanks to Uncle Jin, I finally understand. The man who shouted about freedom… is protecting us even in death….”
Jin Ruddel had gathered corruption data and evidence against the forces obstructing Jay.
Stopping by Sargis, he met a futile death.
Using the thing he was best at—
Even in death, he was protecting his precious nephew and the city from the outlaws.
‘That’s touching, Master… Who knew that loud old man had such a secret.’
‘Rizari.’
‘Indeed! One worthy of recognizing my lord’s greatness. A commendable sense of duty.’
‘…He does seem different now.’
Dohyun’s mental image of Jin shifted—from “Little Zrinna” and “Zrinna No. 2” to a responsible master thief.
Ding—
[Quest ‘The Truth of the Castle’ cleared.]
[You have learned the truth of Sargis Castle.]
[Recorded in the Adventure Log.]
After hearing everything, Dohyun’s face was serious.
‘The thing the outlaws obtained… it’s definitely yin energy.’
Just as the Destroyer Gaimon maintained human reason thanks to the Hourglass of Faith—
The outlaws were surely using yin energy to wield some of the underworld’s power.
‘They said fragments don’t matter much unless destiny is complete. If this is just “some influence,” isn’t that way too much?’
Dohyun let out a hollow laugh, recalling the Dark King’s casual tone.
An entire city had nearly fallen—if that was only “some influence,” then true influence would destroy nations.
And this wasn’t even a fragment, but half of a key.
‘…Or maybe not?’
If the yin energy hadn’t fallen into the outlaws’ hands, it might not have been this threatening.
The Hourglass of Faith was only problematic because an Abyss contractor held it—otherwise it might have been just a holy artifact.
‘Well, that’s not what matters right now.’
What mattered was that it was now almost certain the outlaws possessed yin energy.
Which meant Dohyun had no choice but to hunt them down.
Just as he steeled his resolve—
Daaang— Daaang—
A massive bell rang from outside the castle.
It was the bell that rang whenever the full moon rose.
“That’s unusual. The bell is ringing at this hour.”
“It occasionally rings on its own.”
“…On its own?”
Jay Ruddel answered casually.
“It’s a bell that reacts to lunar energy. When the moon rises, it sounds by itself. Sometimes this happens after the full moon appears.”
“We believe it’s because it absorbs too much lunar energy.”
“Since the outlaws appeared, it’s started to feel like a warning bell for their arrival… It’s quite a mysterious bell. I wonder what kind of master craftsman made it.”
At Jay’s murmur, the butler smiled fondly and spoke with nostalgic eyes.
“The former lord also loved that bell very much. He said its blue color resembled the moon and calmed his heart. I still remember.”
“Father too… He must have regretted not knowing the maker of such an ancient bell.”
“Indeed. He said that every night.”
It was then that Dohyun suddenly cut in.
“…Blue? Not red?”
“Pardon?”
At Dohyun’s shocked question, the two tilted their heads.
“Of course it’s blue. It has such a chilling hue.”
And it wasn’t just them.
‘Huh? Master, what are you talking about? Anyone can see it’s blue.’
‘Rizari.’
‘…It looks blue to me as well, my lord.’
To Jihad, Eliza, and Charlie, the bell also appeared blue.
Dohyun was the only one who knew it as red.
The implication was simple.
“…Huh?”
The massive bell that signaled the night—
It was the third Fragment of Destiny in Sargis.
