The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 139

139.

“This way, please.”

As he was guided inside by the guard, Do-hyun surveyed his surroundings.

The scenery was somewhat drab, but perhaps because it was gently bathed in moonlight, even that felt atmospheric.

The candles placed here and there, and the decorations like swords and daggers, must have also contributed to the ambiance.

‘Wow… Master, it’s really huge.’

‘Lizariza….’

‘Hmm, a magnificent castle indeed. It looks very sturdy.’

‘I know, it’s incredibly big.’

Another notable feature was that it had the largest interior of any building Do-hyun had ever seen.

In terms of size alone, it was much larger than the Lair Temple in Brion.

He felt like he had been walking for at least ten minutes, and the corridor still hadn’t ended.

‘Well, it was visible from the forest, after all.’

Considering that the entire city seemed like the castle’s garden, this grandeur felt natural.

That no user had ever seen this enormous castle before only deepened Do-hyun’s curiosity.

In this truly glorious moment, Do-hyun’s curiosity only grew.

‘Why were they so reluctant to show themselves to users?’

The thing Do-hyun handed to the guard was a handwritten letter from Jin Rudel.

The fact that they let him in immediately after verifying that it was indeed his uncle’s letter suggested that they had been deliberately refusing users’ entry all along.

‘I’ll find out soon enough.’

He would soon know the reason.

How long had he walked like that?

The guard, who had passed through the corridor, stopped in front of the most antique-looking door and bowed deeply.

“The Lord is waiting inside. I’ll be on my way…”

Do-hyun nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Immediately, a voice was heard.

“…Are you the one who brought Jin’s uncle’s letter?”

It was a low, mumbling baritone, but it sounded somewhat weak.

And that was even more evident in his appearance.

Despite the room being larger than most living rooms, with antique interiors and lavish decorations, the young man leaning against the bed looked very sickly.

“The Lord is asking you a question. Answer him.”

The old man wearing a butler’s uniform next to the man urged him to answer.

It was a weighty voice that didn’t seem to come from his slender frame.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Do-hyun answered instinctively, and the young man, the Lord, chuckled and said as if reciting.

“It’s surprising that Jin uncle, who left after causing such a ruckus, sent a letter, but for an Apostle [a player with unique abilities] to bring it… I have many questions in many ways.”

With that, the Lord asked him to come closer.

Do-hyun approached, subtly scanning the Lord.

His face was gaunt, and his limbs were emaciated, like a patient who had been fighting illness for a long time.

Unlike his youthful face, which looked barely over 20, his condition was not good.

The golden hair that should have been shining brightly was dull and dry, and the skin that was exposed in places had turned purple, making it clear that something was wrong.

‘…So that’s why he hasn’t shown himself.’

The master of this enormous castle and the lord of the city.

His young age would already be a disadvantage, but if he looked like he was about to collapse at any moment, it wouldn’t be good for his image.

In severe cases, his authority could crumble, and he might lose control.

‘There’s no way he’d want to reveal it to the gossipy users.’

Even now, the entire community was buzzing, focusing on his every move.

The Lord’s secret! Turns out the Lord is extremely ill!?

If rumors about the Lord spread, it was obvious that such an article would dominate the homepage.

“As you can see, I cannot show myself to people.”

“…Yes.”

That’s why he was even more curious.

Even in this situation, the fact that he had decided to meet an Apostle he had never seen before meant that Jin Rudel’s letter was that important to him.

“Jin uncle is like my brother and father. Along with Beric, the head butler next to me, he was my only ally. After my father died and I took the position of heir, enemies surrounded me on all sides. It was as if they had been waiting for that moment…”

“…Lord.”

The old man called Beric, the head butler, spoke cautiously, and the Lord nodded.

“I’m talking nonsense. My name is Jay Rudel. What is your name?”

“Kaiser.”

“Kaiser… I understand. And the people behind you…”

“They are my Guardians.”

At the word ‘Guardians,’ Rudel didn’t bother to delve any deeper.

He knew that while there weren’t many people here who brought Guardians with them, it was common among Apostles.

“Do you know what’s written in the letter?”

After the introductions were over, Jay Rudel’s expression became infinitely serious.

When Do-hyun shook his head, Jay Rudel continued.

“It contains a lot of information about the corruption of those who are after me. And the backpack contained evidence of their crimes. Without even a simple greeting… Well, that’s just like Jin uncle.”

As he smiled slightly, he seemed to be missing Jin Rudel.

That must be why.

“…Jin uncle is dead?”

When he opened his heavy mouth and told him about Jin Rudel’s situation, his face hardened.

Do-hyun didn’t bother to answer.

The death of someone he had relied on since childhood would be a huge shock.

“Ah….”

But that was enough of an answer, and Jay Rudel soon ran his dry face with his hand.

“He left to live freely… Why did he come back…? Because of me, precious people are sacrificed every time. What am I…”

“Lord, please calm down. I’m worried about your health.”

“Why can’t those damn outlaws leave our bloodline alone? One is cursed and slowly dying, and the other is doomed to wander without even being able to find peace…”

“A curse?”

Do-hyun was so surprised that he couldn’t help but ask, and their eyes met.

After hesitating for a moment, they nodded.

“You said you’re the only one who can communicate with Jin uncle. If you’re an Apostle that uncle trusted and entrusted… it would be right to tell you.”

“I think so too, Lord.”

[You have cleared the quest ‘Uncle’s Belongings’.]

[The effect of the title ‘Favorability Max From the Start?’ is activated. Favorability increases even more.]

[The favorability of ‘Jay Rudel,’ the Lord of Sargis, has greatly increased.]

[You have leveled up!]

[The linked quest The Truth of the Castle is in progress.]

Do-hyun was startled by the messages that appeared after he finished speaking.

‘I leveled up? Already?’

With this, Do-hyun’s level was 44.

He had just become level 43 after leaving the King’s Tomb, but leveling up after clearing only two quests was a huge deal.

From Sargis onwards, it was incredibly difficult to level up.

“It happened three years ago…”

Do-hyun regained his senses and focused on Jay Rudel’s voice, which was uttered calmly.

To summarize the story that followed:

Three years ago, when Ian Rudel, the previous Lord and Jay Rudel’s father, died, there was a commotion over the position of Lord.

“On the night of the full moon, they descended in the moonlight.”

Spirits whose existence in this world was questionable.

The outlaws who suddenly appeared led an army and threatened the castle.

In this situation, he couldn’t leave the position of Lord vacant, so Jay Rudel, the rightful heir, became the Lord as promised.

Thus, Jay Rudel led the Knights and forces and confronted them.

“Many soldiers and knights were sacrificed. But there was a chance of winning. It seemed like we could stop them if we continued like this.”

“……”

“Until they took out ‘that’.”

A chillingly cold energy.

After taking out something of unknown origin, the outlaws began to emit the energy of the underworld, which they couldn’t exert in this world.

They couldn’t exert their full power, but that was enough.

“Those who touched it all froze in a terrible chill and died feeling the pain of burning as if they were poisoned. A terrible energy that doesn’t even allow approach…”

Thanks to that, the odds were definitely reversed.

They didn’t continue to emit the energy of the underworld all the time, but the moment they activated it, they had no choice but to turn around and run away.

“I was the last one to be hit. But I survived. Shamelessly, at the cost of the life of the Knight Commander of Sargis Castle.”

“Don’t say that, Lord. Sir Pagis simply fulfilled his duty admirably. Such words would rather diminish his sacrifice.”

“Ha. That’s the problem, Head Butler. I lost the strongest force for nothing to save me. I wonder if Sir Pagis would shed tears if he saw me just waiting for the outlaws to come in.”

“……”

The atmosphere became heated for a moment, and the conversation was cut off, but there was no need to hear more now.

‘Wow… Master, it’s more serious than I thought?’

‘As he said, it was right before he fell into the clutches of evil.’

‘Lizariza.’

As the guys said, it was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange if they were captured by the outlaws at any moment.

The Lord was dying, and the strongest force had disappeared.

If the people of the city knew about this situation, it wouldn’t be strange if they were destroyed by a coup d’état before the outlaws even attacked.

“I’ve always wondered. From their point of view, we’re all fish in a barrel. Why did they suddenly stop moving and look for something for years?”

“……”

“But it was thanks to Jin uncle. The person who shouted for freedom is actually protecting us even in death…”

Jin Rudel, who collected information and evidence of the corruption of the forces that were interfering for Jay Rudel and visited Sargis, met a futile death.

He was protecting his precious nephew and the city from the outlaws with the thievery he was best at, even in death.

‘It’s touching, Master… I didn’t know that talkative guy had such a secret.’

‘Lizariza.’

‘Hmm! As expected of someone who recognized the greatness of the Lord. A great sense of responsibility.’

‘…He does look a bit different.’

Is this why you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance?

In Do-hyun’s mind, his image, which had been recognized as ‘Little Zrinna’ or ‘Zrinna No. 2,’ changed to a responsible master thief.

Ting-

[You clear the quest The Truth of the Castle.]

[You have learned the truth of Sargis Castle.]

[It is recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

Do-hyun’s face was serious after hearing all the truth.

‘The ‘that’ that the outlaws obtained must be the energy of Yin [dark energy].’

Just as the Destroyer Gaiman was able to maintain his human reason from the Abyss thanks to the Hourglass of Faith.

The outlaws must have been using some of the power of the underworld through the energy of Yin.

‘You said that even if you have a fragment, it doesn’t mean much if you can’t complete your destiny, and it only has some influence. Isn’t that influence too great?’

Do-hyun chuckled at the thought of the Dark King, who had said it as if it were no big deal.

One city was turned upside down, and one city was almost destroyed, but if this is some influence, then a great influence would destroy the whole country.

Even considering that this time it was not a fragment but a half-key, it was just absurd.

‘…Or is it?’

If the outlaws hadn’t had the energy of Yin, it might not have been so threatening.

The Hourglass of Faith was also a problem because the contractor of the Abyss happened to have it, but if that wasn’t the case, it would have simply been an hourglass containing divine power.

‘Well, that’s not what’s important now.’

What’s important is that it has become clear that the outlaws have the energy of Yin.

With this, Do-hyun had no choice but to catch the outlaws.

He was about to steel his heart.

Deng- Daeng-

A huge bell ringing from outside the castle.

It was the bell that rang when it was a full moon.

“That’s unusual. For the bell to ring at this hour.”

“It sometimes rings on its own.”

“……Hmm? On its own?”

Jay Rudel answered Do-hyun’s question as if it were nothing.

“A bell that reacts to the energy of the moon. It makes a sound on its own when the moon rises, and sometimes this happens after a full moon.”

“We think it’s probably because it contains a lot of the moon’s energy.”

“After the outlaws appeared, it felt like it had been reduced to a bell that tells us when they appear… It’s a very mysterious bell. I wonder who made it.”

The head butler smiled contentedly at Jay Rudel’s muttering.

Then, with eyes filled with emotion as if reminiscing about the past, he opened his mouth.

“The previous Lord also liked that bell very much. He said that the blue color resembled the moon and made him feel comfortable. I still remember that.”

“Father also… It’s a pity that we can’t know the maker because it’s been a bell that’s been around for too long.”

“That’s right. He used to say that every night.”

It was then that Do-hyun, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, suddenly interjected.

“…Blue? Not red?”

“Yes?”

The two tilted their heads at Do-hyun’s surprised appearance, asking with wide eyes.

“Of course, it’s blue, isn’t it? It has such a chilling color.”

It wasn’t just the two of them.

‘Huh? Master, what are you talking about? It’s obviously blue.’

‘Lizariza.’

‘……It looks blue to me too, Lord.’

It looked blue to Jihad, Eliza, and Charlie as well.

Do-hyun was the only one here who knew the bell was red.

What this meant was simple.

“……Huh?”

The huge bell that announces the night.

That was the third fragment of destiny in Sargis.