#75 Awakening (3)
The trip to Sullis was short and comfortable.
They left at dawn, and with the carriage moving quickly along the well-paved main road, they arrived in Sullis around midday.
In the city center stood one of the most grand and splendid villas of the Grand Duke of Volkov.
The villa, prepared solely for Sasha’s party, already had her assigned room tidied and ready.
Sasha looked around her room.
The spacious bedroom, though not quite as large as her room in Bellicordo Castle, was still luxurious enough to make her eyes widen.
“It feels like a hotel vacation in a five-star suite.”
She was pleased.
Smiling with satisfaction, Sasha approached the trunk holding her belongings.
The official reason for coming to Sullis was rest and leisure, but she had another, far more important goal.
It wasn’t time to relax just yet.
“Where exactly was Tabarishi’s secret vault again?”
It had been a thousand years—she didn’t know if it would still be in place, but she believed it would be where she remembered.
Tabarishi had been not only a brilliant artist but also a truly exceptional mage.
The layers of security magic she had placed on her secret vault were impenetrable, even to those called Archmages.
If that was the case back then, then after a thousand years—when mages had all but vanished—there was no way anyone had found it, let alone plundered it.
‘Good thing it’s nearby. If it had been in the south, the travel time alone would’ve been a problem.’
Relieved, Sasha took out a recently made map from her trunk.
She had expected the terrain to have changed a lot over a millennium, but luckily it hadn’t changed much.
“It was around here.”
She marked the location with a pen where others could easily see, then stood up.
The destination wasn’t too close, but it wasn’t far either.
“Good. We can return today.”
Sasha took the map and went downstairs.
There, the small group who would accompany her to the secret vault was waiting—Pavel, Andrei, and Nikolai.
They had been with her a long time, trustworthy and discreet…
“Is there really a secret ruin here that no one knows about? Amazing. Madam, how did you even know? Anyway, people should appreciate how resourceful you are.”
…Discreet?
She had a moment of doubt, but she knew Nikolai only acted like this normally—in important matters, he was as reliable as anyone. So she smiled and let it pass.
“As you all know, what we’re doing today is a secret.”
Sasha pressed a finger to her lips.
Nikolai grinned.
“How exciting. A secret trip only we know about.”
His red hair fluttered in the wind.
“…”
“…”
“…Alright then. We just need to get to the spot I marked on the map. Can you take us there?”
Andrei answered.
“Yes. We’ll see you there safely.”
“We can be back before dark, right?”
“It’s not far. If we don’t stay long, we can return before sunset.”
“Then let’s get going,” Pavel said, opening the creaky carriage door.
To avoid attention, they had arranged for a shabby carriage instead of a fine one.
“Yes. Are we all ready to leave?”
Pavel and Andrei nodded.
Only Nikolai, who had been ignored in the flow, raised his hand.
“Um, I’m here too…? Mind letting me join?”
“…Sir Nikolai, you’re prepared, right?”
“Of course!”
He showed the sword at his waist and the small pack on his back.
Sasha smiled slightly.
“Well done. Let’s go, then.”
The four boarded the shabby carriage and left the city.
The narrow, rough road made the old carriage rattle violently.
The ride was nothing like in the big, sturdy carriages of the Volkov family.
“Ugh.”
Nikolai’s face twisted every time the carriage jolted, his tailbone aching from the hard driver’s seat.
“This isn’t a pleasant trip—it’s a bone-breaking ordeal.”
He grumbled.
“I mean—am I a knight or a coachman? Really, how secret is this place that we can’t even bring a driver?”
“A true knight serves his lord as a servant if needed.”
“How is that being a true knight? You know you’re weird, right?”
“Be quiet.”
“I can’t even talk while doing coachman duty? Isn’t that too much?”
As their bickering went on, a voice came from inside the carriage.
“Sorry for making you work like this, sirs. But it’s not far, so please bear with it a little longer.”
Nikolai made a sheepish face.
“So she heard everything.”
Before Andrei could frown, Nikolai quickly spoke up.
“Oh no, this is nothing for a true knight.”
His cheeky reply made Sasha chuckle.
Hiding her smile behind her hand, she whispered to Pavel across from her—
“Sir Nikolai and Sir Andrei seem really close.”
“They joined the order at the same time.”
Sasha looked at his indifferent reply and asked,
“Pavel, don’t you want a friend like that?”
“Not really.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I have you.”
Sasha blinked.
Pavel sometimes said these cheesy things as if it were nothing.
Without realizing how it made her feel, Pavel asked—
“So where exactly are we going?”
“Oh.”
Hadn’t she told him?
Tilting her head, Sasha quickly explained.
“It’s a secret vault where a friend from my previous life kept precious items. It’s been a thousand years, so I guess you could call it a ‘ruin.’”
Now that she had told Pavel about her past life, there was no reason to hide this.
“It’s not mine, but I have permission.”
She recalled what Tabarishi had told Hirote—
“You know where my secret vault is, right? Unless someone else finds it, I won’t move it. If you ever need something, just go in and take it.”
She was sinking deeper into her memories when the carriage slowed.
“We’ve arrived, Madam,” Nikolai’s cheerful voice announced as the door opened.
“Please, step down.”
Andrei reached out to escort her, but Pavel took her hand first and stepped in front of him.
“Here.”
Glancing at the pushed-back Andrei, Sasha took Pavel’s hand.
“…Thanks, Pavel.”
Sometimes he acted in ways she couldn’t understand—she wondered why.
‘Really, raising a child is hard.’
What met her eyes after stepping down was an ordinary forest.
“Is this really the place?” Pavel murmured, looking at the dense trees.
There wasn’t a sign of a vault.
If there had been a cave nearby, he might have guessed something was hidden there, but all he saw were trees and a few scattered rocks.
Sasha, scanning the area, replied,
“Yes. This is it.”
Her eyes, filled with nostalgia, took in the place—changed yet familiar.
“Much has changed over time… but it’s still here.”
She smiled softly.
They say even a river changes in ten years—after a thousand, it would be natural to find nothing of the past.
But a place bound with strong magic could withstand the centuries, keeping its form.
She reached toward the spot where she felt the strange flow of air.
Clenching her fist as if grabbing something in the air, she turned her wrist while injecting mana.
Prrrt!
A familiar sound only she could hear.
Whooosh—
The wind blew.
Branches shook, sending piles of snow tumbling down.
Snowflakes scattered and drifted to the ground—
“What is that…?”
Nikolai’s jaw dropped.
Even Andrei couldn’t hide his surprise.
It was a mysterious sight.
“What in the world…!”
The empty air split open, revealing the entrance to the vault.
The gaping space was pitch black, like the mouth of a monster.
It looked so ominous that the three men instinctively drew their swords.
Even Pavel, who had been told somewhat about this place, stood ready.
Only Sasha, who had opened the entrance, was calm.
“It’s not dangerous. You can lower your swords.”
“You know what’s inside?” Nikolai asked.
Sasha nodded.
“This is the real destination.”
So this was why they had kept it secret and even used a shabby carriage.
Nikolai and Andrei stared at the dark opening with wide eyes.
“You two wait here.”
“You’re not taking us in?”
“No. There’s nothing dangerous inside, but you should guard the outside. Someone might come.”
It seemed unlikely anyone would show up in such a remote place, but—
“Understood,” Nikolai said, tapping the scabbard at his waist.
“Just trust us. If anyone suspicious shows up, we’ll scare them off with this.”
Andrei, however, looked serious as he asked,
“Are you sure the two of you will be fine? It would be safer if I led the way.”
“It’s fine, sir.”
Sasha waved it off.
“I know this place well. Someone might have intruded or things might have changed, but in that case…”
She gestured to Pavel.
“We have Pavel, acknowledged by Lord Sergei himself. He can get us out safely if anything happens.”
Suddenly pointed out, Pavel simply nodded without flinching.
With both masters set on it, Andrei had nothing more to say.
“…I’ll obey.”
Sasha estimated the time.
“It could take a while. If night falls and we haven’t returned, then come inside.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, we’ll go in now.”
“Please, be careful.”
Leaving the two knights behind, Sasha entered with Pavel.
Inside, it was narrow and so dark they couldn’t see ahead.
Holding Pavel’s hand, Sasha felt her way forward.
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth walking.
Here and there were traps to keep out intruders—
but Sasha passed them with ease.
There was no way she could trigger them—
she already knew what lay ahead and how to disarm it.
