Chapter 140 …
Gamilion had said that the lord of Sargis Castle was probably keeping a Fragment of Fate.
But he never imagined it would be that.
No—why is the fragment that big?
Compared to the previous ones, the size alone was on a completely different level!
Even its location was ridiculously obvious.
It had been left near the very top of the castle, so it looked nothing more than a gigantic bell.
Without the Eye of Truth, could anyone even imagine that was a Fragment of Fate?
“…Apostle? Is something wrong?”
—Master? Why did you suddenly run out?
—My lord!?
Voices came rushing from behind.
In particular, Jay Ruddell was being supported by the head butler while staring from afar with a puzzled expression.
Only then did Dohyun come to his senses and shake his head.
“I apologize. There was something I needed to check.”
“…You mean the Moon Bell?”
“It’s my first time seeing such a mysterious and massive bell. I was curious what it looked like up close. Sorry for worrying you.”
“Hmm…”
The butler and Jay Ruddell looked at him suspiciously, but soon nodded as if letting it slide.
Dohyun wasn’t known for strange outbursts, and from an Apostle’s perspective, it was understandable to be curious.
“…Uncle Jin used to say often that he wanted to sneak a look at the Moon Bell too. It must be fascinating when you first see it. Please, take your time looking.”
“Thank you.”
Perhaps it was thanks to the title of Apostle personally trusted by Jin Ruddell.
After a brief moment of thought, Jay Ruddell readily gave him time to examine the bell.
Seeing that made Dohyun even more certain.
No one knew what the bell really was.
…Right. The lord really is keeping it without realizing.
It was almost funny that Gamilion hadn’t been wrong.
Since it was presumed to have been stored in the castle since ancient times, of course they only thought of it as a bell.
…Wait. Then how am I supposed to take that with me?
Would they really hand over a bell that had been carefully preserved for generations?
Even if they did, it was so huge that transporting it would be a problem.
His head was already starting to ache, but first he needed to absorb the Yin energy.
[Eye of Truth is activated.]
Why is this so late?
Right now, the floating message in front of him was more distracting.
The notification that normally appeared instantly had lagged this time, which was why he only now realized the bell he’d seen since entering was actually a Fragment of Fate.
It was absurd—but he had a guess why.
The red light is much clearer now.
When viewed from outside the castle, it hadn’t emitted even a faint glow.
More precisely, the red light had been so subtle that it simply looked like a red-colored bell.
But now, seeing it up close, the crimson glow was unmistakable.
So much so that he couldn’t even tell where the supposed blue color was.
Looks like the Eye of Truth has a range limit after all.
In the end, it was still fundamentally a detection skill.
It just hadn’t been noticeable before because it had worked flawlessly until now.
Which meant…
I probably get search-range bonuses too.
The reason he could at least perceive it as a red bell earlier was likely due to the increased detection range from titles like Talented Explorer.
Thanks to that, he’d learned something new about the Eye of Truth.
There might be more I don’t know.
Since it was a Unique Trait, there were surely still hidden aspects.
But that was something to discover later. Not now.
He’d found the Fragment of Fate, and the enemy was confirmed.
There was only one thing Dohyun needed to do.
And if he had to do it anyway…
“Lord of the castle.”
“Yes.”
“You’re having trouble because of those ghost soldiers, aren’t you?”
“…”
At Dohyun’s sudden question, the lord froze, then gave a bitter smile.
“It’s embarrassing… but yes. More than trouble. If I could, I’d kill them immediately.”
“…”
“But it’s impossible. There’s no one left willing to fight.”
It wasn’t that they had zero forces left.
Many soldiers had died to those creatures, but Sargis wasn’t so weak as to have lost everything.
“It’s a battle certain to end in death. Who would want to fight it? Even the immortal Apostles avoid them… I have no right to drive my people to their deaths in a fight we cannot win.”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t fight.
No one simply wanted to.
Anyone who fought the outlaws would either become a living corpse or spend the rest of their life crippled.
And if left alone, the enemies didn’t invade.
Why would anyone willingly throw their life away?
“They no longer have any obligation to do so. Especially when their own lord hides like a coward.”
“Lord…”
“If I die, please become the lord, Head Butler. There’s no one else I can trust.”
“Please don’t say such things. I am a butler. In the past, now, and in the future—that will not change.”
“I know my own body. I don’t have much time left.”
Facing death, the lord spoke calmly.
There was no fear. No desperation.
Only bitterness.
That he couldn’t stand before his people as lord.
That he could do nothing but hope the war never resumed.
“If I have one regret… it is that.”
Right then, Dohyun spoke.
“What if there were a way?”
“…Pardon?”
“I think I might have a way to fight them.”
“…That’s impossible! The cold they emit freezes you to the bone the moment it touches you and burns every nerve! Can’t you see my condition!? Even if Apostles are immortal, I cannot send the man who brought news of Uncle Jin to his death!”
Jay Ruddell shouted in alarm at Dohyun’s confident words.
But Dohyun remained unmoved. Instead, he asked coldly,
“Jin Ruddell is buying time right now. But it’s already been three years. Are you content with him continuing like that even in death?”
“…”
“He’s at his limit. When that time comes, they’ll invade. Ah—and if he’s captured before then, his soul will probably be torn apart.”
Not a single word was wrong.
When Jin Ruddell was mentioned, Jay Ruddell gritted his teeth.
Crunch.
“Then… what… what should we do?”
“I’ll step forward.”
“…I don’t understand. I don’t know how you plan to counter that cold, but even if you could—why would you risk yourself?”
“The world doesn’t always run on calculation. It’s simply something I have to do.”
“What do you—”
Jay Ruddell stared blankly into Dohyun’s eyes.
They did not waver.
Perhaps because of that…
After hesitating, Jay Ruddell squeezed his eyes shut and spoke while suppressing his emotions.
“…I am a very shameless man. I thought I had given up on everything, but now that even the slightest hope has appeared… I want to cling to it without shame.”
“…”
“May I… may I dare to ask this of you?”
Ding—
[Special conditions have been met.]
[Chain Quest ‘Ruddell’s Savior’ has been generated.]
[Ruddell’s Savior]
Grade: Hero+
Description:
One day, outlaws appeared.
Everyone who opposed them either fell to a terrible illness or died miserably.
Now no one is willing to fight them. The lord’s condition cannot be revealed, making it difficult to request aid.
You are the only hope.
Drive away the outlaws attempting to conquer Sargis Castle and become the savior of Sargis and the Ruddell family.
If you succeed, the Ruddells will never forget your grace.
Success Reward: Advanced Skill Draw Ticket, Absolute support and favor of the Ruddell family, Ruddell’s Conviction
Failure Penalty: A massacre may occur in Sargis Castle.
Seeing the quest appear as Jay Ruddell finished speaking, Dohyun clenched his fist.
Got it.
Chain quests in God Ose didn’t always generate automatically.
Because the AI was advanced enough to be indistinguishable from real people, quests could appear—or disappear—depending on an NPC’s heart.
And Jay Ruddell had been in a state of despair.
To obtain the quest, Dohyun had needed to change his mind.
If I have to take them down anyway, might as well get the rewards too.
Gain Yin energy.
Gain the Fragment of Fate.
Gain the quest rewards.
And incidentally become their savior.
They get their headache removed, and he gets well-paid.
A perfect win-win.
…Master, that’s very calculating. You were just saying the world doesn’t run on calculation.
Now now. This isn’t calculation—it’s wisdom.
This lowly sword knows, my lord. You truly wished to help him.
Liza!
Charlie, I always wondered—do you perhaps see the world through rose-colored glasses…?
Ignoring their chatter, Dohyun gave a short reply.
“Of course. It’s my responsibility.”
“…Please, I beg of you, Apostle.”
And with that answer, Dohyun left the castle.
“Kaiser! Kaiser came out!”
“Gasp! Everyone—”
“Shhh!! Keep your voice down. Didn’t you see the community posts? If you mess with him, you’ll get shredded without a chance.”
The waiting players’ gazes all locked onto Dohyun.
It seemed they had been waiting ever since he entered the castle; their numbers hadn’t decreased at all.
Feels like there are even more now.
Word must have spread.
After all, the first player to enter the castle in a year and a half had appeared.
And it was Kaiser—the hottest name lately.
Of course they were dying of curiosity.
Hehe.
It seems they all admire you, my lord… though a few jealous eyes are quite irritating. Give the order and this lowly sword will deal with them.
Liza-liza!
Just as Charlie said, some hostile looks were mixed in—
but most were simply curious.
Pure fandom. Curiosity. Anticipation.
All kinds of reactions poured toward Dohyun.
“…What quest did he get?”
“That castle is huge—must be insane inside. What’s in there? I heard rumors of tons of treasure.”
“No, actually the lord is a dragon. It’s a dragon lair, that’s why no one can enter.”
“Whatever it is, since he’s the first, it’ll be huge. I’m so hyped.”
“Please upload another NewTube video…”
The murmuring swelled to a peak—
And then, the motionless Dohyun finally moved.
He slowly raised his hand into the air.
“…Huh?”
“Eh?”
And then—
He disappeared.
Kaiser—and even those following him—vanished without a trace.
Blinking in confusion, the players soon realized.
“…Did he log out again?”
“The push-and-pull genius, King-God Kaiser.”
“As expected…”
“Forbes’ No.1 man with the most perfect logout timing.”
Kaiser had coolly logged out once more.
