The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 309: Unearth (29)

All the efforts accumulated to this point culminated in an instant. Rubia's Governance Level rose by four stages at once. A status window hovered above her head.

[Current Ruling City – Erast]

[Governance Lv. 6 (New!)]

The inheritance of the Governance Level and her ascension as lord were accepted as natural. With the scenario branching off, I felt as though I was being forced to feel satisfaction at this progression.

"These dreamlike things... all of it is thanks to you, Mr. Skeleton. Truly, thank you. I can only imagine how much you've suffered..."

Her voice trembled slightly, but I froze with wariness.

Witch Trial? Would my existence, or the Krottes' existence, become the excuse to brand Rubia as a heretic?

It wouldn't be the first time. I remembered the capital, where she had once been accused of demon-worship and met a miserable end. Isaac ended her suffering with his own hand.

I could never allow that fate to repeat.

When I warned Rubia, she pursed her lips and her face flushed with determination. "You mean they might brand me as a demon-worshipper?"

I gave the slightest nod, only for her eyes.

"I understand. I'll be careful."

I urged her to employ the Krottes as discreetly as possible while I prowled Erast, hunting for threats.

Days passed with no sign of ghosts. However, that meant little. I knew too well, thanks to a death already paid, that those under Botis' blessing left no trace until they chose to strike. In addition, not all dangers wore ghostly faces. I remembered when an ordinary boy was pushed from a cliff, and my helplessness then. Rumors spread fast. Yet the people of Erast busied themselves with praise for Rubia.

"So this is hibiscus tea? My back pain vanished magically!"

"Ever since our lady took the throne, merchants have brought us all sorts of goods."

"The soil has become so fertile! They say she spread some special fertilizer?"

"She's truly incredible. How prepared she must have been..."

Even the soldiers shared their contentment.

"Another round of joint training... ngh."

"Quitting?"

"Are you mad? With meals this good and pay coming on time? It's just muscle aches..."

I listened in, alert for anything suspicious. I heard nothing. A month had passed, and I still hadn't left Erast.

"Budget report, my lady." The treasurer beamed as he recited numbers and finally concluded, "If this continues... Erast may become an ideal city. We are well provided for."

Rubia gently corrected him. "You realize the merchants are deliberately selling at a loss, right?"

"Yes. They say it is out of respect for your connections."

"Even so, ensure they feel supported in return. Let them believe they are not losing out. Coordinate with the other ministers."

"Understood."

Reports followed on military training, on Krotte cultivation of the land, and on merchants flooding the city with luxuries at near-zero profit. System windows unfurled before me.

[Farmlands are flourishing thanks to soil improvement.]

[Luxury goods have entered circulation.]

[Citizen happiness has increased.]

[Governance experience has greatly increased!]

[...]

[Governance Level has increased!]

[...]

[Governance Lv. 8 (New!)]

Ten was the number for completing the scenario. It went from two to eight in a single month. However, the higher I climbed, the slower progress became. Each level now demanded at least triple the amount of effort. At this rate, even if things went smoothly, completion would take a year. If war came before then, it'd be a failure again.

My anxiety deepened. For all her acclaim, Rubia's place on the throne was not secure. Ghosts lurked. If the crown clashed with the Empire, they would pluck her out as easily as before. The words Witch Trial burned in the back of my mind.

Even if I scoured Erast clean, the capital would only send more, maybe even stronger ones, including the effeminate duke herself. A suffocating weight pressed on me.

If only Isaac were here...

[Unknown Sorcery Doll]

[Immersion Computation in progress...]

[Current: Spirit-Particle Conversion active...]

[Efficiency greatly increased due to Personality Division.]

[Spatial Observation active...]

[Barrier, control, expansion, contraction, observed in detail.]

[Time-sense suppressed. Observer shielded from certain madness.]

[Observation precision increased.]

He's still busy with... whatever that is.

There were new messages in the system.

Is Isaac analyzing the inventory?

I remembered Isaac's words.

You've lived through everything you just told me. Think for yourself. Your answer will be better than mine.

I needed to trust my own reasoning, not a revelation or a prophecy. So I thought it through, step by step. The immediate threat was the ghosts already inside Erast. Even if I miraculously rooted them all out, it'd amount to nothing. The capital would send more. In the end, the only path was to strike the source directly.

I had two options. The first was to force the effeminate duke into such danger that she would summon every ghost back to her side, or annihilate their base. According to Rena's reports, Marquis Leandro had rampaged through the capital, but he strangely never touched the ghosts. He seemed focused on Necron and Biblio instead.

Perhaps that's his priority.

However, the one who killed him twice was not Biblio. It was the commander of the ghosts, the effeminate duke herself.

If he knew that truth... could he be turned? Could this hound be unleashed, not only on Biblio, but on the ghosts as well?

I had lingered long enough in Erast. There was little more I could do here. I needed to move to the capital, to Rena, to learn what she knew, and perhaps to forestall Gith-Za-Rai's grim assassination.

***

I gave Rubia a short farewell before leaving Erast. She smiled with lingering regret, repeating over and over how deeply grateful she was that I had stayed by her side for an entire month.

"I'll protect this place. You will come back, won't you?"

I didn't answer her.

Thud!

Her last words lingered in my mind as I pushed my pace. Even after leaving Erast, her Affection toward me continued to rise, most likely due to the scenario's branching. Perhaps it was just numbers manipulated by the system. Still, I had no desire to wound her heart.

Though I had lingered a month, the instant I set foot on the road, urgency gripped me. I abandoned the neat highway for the harsher way, vaulting over mountains and valleys in straight lines. If I wished to keep Rubia's efforts from crumbling, I had to move swiftly.

Flap!

A hawk beat its wings above, with a bamboo tube tied to its yellow leg. It was heading straight to Erast. Instinctively, I struck my Fear skill at it.

Fear.

Flutter...

The hawk spasmed midair and plummeted. I caught it lightly and tore the tube from its leg.

Flap! Flap!

It snapped its beak toward my face in panic, then blinked in confusion when nothing struck home. I ignored it and unfurled the note. It was a simple message.

Send the one to the capital. Emergency request.

I recognized the handwriting immediately. Rena. The letter had been sent to Rubia, but it was meant for me. It had no formal greeting or schedule, only a single line of urgency.

Something had happened, and I had wasted a month guarding Erast. My grip on the parchment tightened. Conveniently, the capital was already my destination.

I tore the letter, scattering it into the abyss below, leaving the hawk staring after it with wide eyes. Then I ran even faster than before.

***

"Do you carry an invitation?"

At the gates of T&T headquarters in the capital, I presented Rena's pendant.

"Here."

Perhaps because of the purge of Necron infiltrators, the faces manning the shops nearby were entirely different.

"You are the reserved guest. This way, please."

Creak.

A door opened, leading into the hidden corridor that connected to the Path of Freedom. Step by step, I descended until I found her. Rena sat at a table, bent over documents. When she rose at my approach, her head tilted ever so slightly in surprise.

"You came... very quickly."

"You said it was an emergency."

She laced her fingers together, suppressing a small laugh. "Thank you for taking it seriously. So, if I write emergency, you'll always come running at once?"

She lifted a cold cup of tea that had been untouched for hours.

"That pleases me. I might abuse the privilege."

"Was there an incident?"

Rena's eyes narrowed, a faint crease forming between her brows. She set the cup down without finishing it.

"Our hound chased Necron into its den. And now, the mastermind has spoken. Biblio has issued a final ultimatum."

An ultimatum meant to comply, or face annihilation.

"To the marquis? Or... to T&T?"

"Neither. To Lawrence Tartier."

The name left me blank. "Who?"

"The effeminate duke."

"..."

"Unless Lawrence casts Leandro out of the capital, Biblio threatens to strip her and her ghosts of Botis' blessing."