Salvation Through Delusion C69

Chapter 69

“You asked that just a minute ago, hyung.”

“So you’re saying you still haven’t found him?”

Haas lifted his hollow eyes with effort. In just a single day, his face had grown gaunt, and in one trembling hand, he still clutched the half-finished vial of stimulant he had been forced to take just to stay conscious. The one who had shoved it into his hand was his devil-like cousin. The man had been hounding him relentlessly.

“…Yeah. No matter how many times I try tracking magic, it’s impossible unless His Grace infuses the tracing gem attached to the sword with power.”

“Try again anyway.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds! I’ve already drained all my mana—my life force is starting to burn out now.”

“Quit the excuses. Do it.”

Haas pressed his lips shut, swallowing down the curse that nearly slipped out. With weary resignation, he began to move his hand again.

“I already told you—there wasn’t any reaction a minute ag—huh?!”

Before he could finish, a startled cry escaped him. Tiny dots of light suddenly rose from his palm, scattering upward until they shaped themselves into a glowing map suspended in the air.

“It worked? Did it lock onto him?!”

“Wait—just wait a second!”

Haas shouted even louder, pouring what little strength he had left into the spell. But, regrettably, the light began to fade away almost as quickly as it had appeared.

“Hey! Do it again!”

“……”

“Haas! What are you doing? I said do it again!”

Rick’s shout rang out, but Haas only stood there, dazed, staring into the air. Losing patience, Rick grabbed his cousin’s shoulders and shook him hard.

“Snap out of it!”

“W-Wait—! I’m trying again, but it’s not working. I think His Grace infused power into the sword for just a moment, then cut it off right away.”

“Why?”

“How would I know? Maybe… maybe he didn’t want to reveal his location…”

As Haas trailed off, Rick shook his head sharply.

“No. If that were true, he wouldn’t have powered the sword at all. More likely, he’s too injured to maintain it.”

“Damn it…”

That, too, was the worst possibility. As despair clouded Rick’s face, Haas swallowed nervously and spoke again.

“But, hyung… that location that flickered just now…”

“Where?”

“B-Borhumi Castle.”

“……”

“Looks like it was underground—beneath the main keep.”

“…Borhumi?”

Haas nodded emphatically, his head bobbing like a puppet’s. He then tugged on Rick’s limp arm.

“What do we do? I think His Grace deliberately revealed his location for us to find him.”

“Then we go get him.”

“Are you saying we should break into Borhumi Castle?”

Rick couldn’t answer. He clutched his head in both hands. Should he send someone to infiltrate secretly? Who could he even pick?

But Borhumi Castle’s elite already knew every move of Tyroc’s troops. Whether they could even get a man inside was uncertain. While Rick’s mind spun through possibilities, a sharp knock, knock broke the silence.

One of his subordinates entered, holding a sealed letter.

“Lieutenant Rick, another letter came through the portal—from Adeye.”

“Adeye?!”

Rick practically shouted as he snatched the letter away. He wasn’t the only one desperate to find the missing man.

Adeye Lantua had been tearing through the entire Tuvine region for a full day, searching for her brother. There was nowhere in the world Adeye couldn’t reach.

If they were to slip in alongside the Adeye envoys, perhaps infiltration would be possible. But acting on that plan so hastily wasn’t easy.

Adeye.

They were the people Rick’s side had despised for generations. Even considering cooperation made his chest tighten. Haas, noticing his cousin’s conflicted face, asked warily,

“Hyung, you’re not seriously thinking of telling Adeye about this, are you? They’re our enemies.”

But Rick’s eyes hardened with resolve. He clenched his fist.

“Enemy or not—if it’s to save His Grace, we’ll join hands with anyone.”

“So, that’s it? You’re saying our location was clearly transmitted?”

I stared at Tyroc, suspicion dripping from every syllable. I had waited a full day—because he said he needed to ‘train’—only for the sword to flicker faintly and then die out.

Tyroc chuckled, answering in that maddeningly slow, low tone of his.

“No, it didn’t work. You’ll need to train for… maybe another year.”

That lazy grin accompanying his words made it even more unbearable. I’d learned by now that with this man, his words meant the opposite of what they sounded like—but that only made my irritation worse.

Go on, train for a year, why don’t you, I thought sourly. And just then, something caught my eye—a glimmering tail moving near me.

[Training approved.]

What is it with this divine beast and its obsession with training?

“What did it say?”

Tyroc, now well-accustomed to my glances at my wrist, asked immediately.

“It said it approves of the training. Seems like the great beast rather enjoys seeing me suffer.”

Tyroc’s golden eyes fixed quietly on my wrist. Though he hadn’t yet fully opened his heart to the Borhumi divine beast, sometimes—just sometimes—there was a strange connection between them, as if their minds brushed. Then, his gaze lifted, turning detached once more.

“Where’s its main body?”

Ah, that. During his so-called training, I’d gone around with the divine beast trying to locate where his true form lay sealed. But there was a problem.

According to the beast, its main body was directly beneath the central plaza. But no entrance leading down could be found. Which meant—there was a hidden passage somewhere. Yet searching for it was a nightmare; the plaza was enormous.

“It’s down below. But there’s no visible entrance.”

I pointed toward the plaza’s center, already preparing my excuses—The place was too large, I checked every stone, nothing showed, and so on.

But before I could even start, Tyroc turned and strode away.

Tak, tak.

His boots struck the stone floor as he walked toward the center, then lifted a hand.

“Wait here.”

What now? Did he actually have a way to find the entrance—

BOOM!

He rammed his greatsword straight into the ground. The blade sank halfway in, the flagstones cracking apart like brittle plaster.

…Good god, his strength is ridiculous.

I stood frozen, watching in disbelief as he yanked the sword free and struck again—once, twice more. Effortless. The ground trembled each time. I opened my mouth to tell him that if nothing lay beneath, all this was just senseless destruction—

Rumble!

The earth quaked. A tremendous sound split the air, and the ground around him collapsed, the cracks spreading outward.

“Ah—watch out—!”

I tried to warn him, but he’d already leapt lightly backward, landing with perfect balance. Stones crashed down, dust billowed thick and choking, and then—silence.

When the air finally cleared, there it was: a gaping hole in the floor.

So there was something below. I leaned closer; though the darkness obscured the details, I could faintly see jagged rock walls. A cave? I took a step forward for a better look—but Tyroc silently raised his hand.

“Why?”

I hesitated. He didn’t even look my way when he replied, his tone absolute.

“Take my hand.”

Why couldn’t he ever explain anything first? I muttered inwardly but assumed he needed help. So I stepped up beside him—and the moment our hands met, he yanked me forward, an arm looping around my waist.

Before I could protest, he leapt. Straight down.

Couldn’t he at least say something before jumping?!

Wait—why is it so deep—?

The fall lasted longer than I expected until—

Thud!

The impact rattled through me, then stopped. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust. It took me a second to realize he’d already set me down gently on solid ground.

The sight before me stole my words.

A vast cavern stretched out beneath what had already been an underground tomb. Natural, yes—but not entirely untouched by human hands. Here and there, faintly glowing minerals studded the stone walls, bathing the air in soft light.

“Luminous stones,” Tyroc murmured, noticing where I looked.

Ah, so they were indeed stones.

“They’re beautiful,” I said.

“Never seen them before,” he admitted.

Then they must be rare. To think the entire cavern glittered with such stones! As I lingered in awe, Tyroc had already started walking. If the tomb above was a great circular plaza, this one below was a smaller reflection of it—another round chamber, but lined with occasional stone pillars.

We had landed at the far edge. Beyond the pillars, something lay hidden in the center, unseen. I started to move, but his voice stopped me again.

“Stay here.”

“Why?”

He paused mid-stride, half-turned, and gave me a sidelong look. For a brief second, disbelief flickered in his eyes—as though he couldn’t quite fathom someone talking back to him. But instead of getting angry, his lips curved in amusement.

“If a monster shows up, I’ll offer you as bait and run for my life.”