CHAPTER 145

Meanwhile,

Elric had long since stopped paying attention to Sophia and her group.

『It's the same.』

[Indeed. Anyone would see that this is definitely a place left behind by Otto Han.]

As Elric and Mephistopheles passed through the dungeon corridors, the overwhelming feeling they got was one of 'familiarity.'

And for good reason.

'The structure is identical to the secret hideout I saw in the Ice Mountain King's tomb.'

The layout of the stone chambers along the corridors, the interior design, even the placement of the objects inside—everything was nearly identical, as if it had been copied and pasted.

Of course, given its size, this place was much larger than the hideout.

There were many more rooms here that couldn't be seen in the hideout, and the dungeon guardians were freely roaming the halls.

Still, anyone well-versed in the Melvinger would recognize that the original owner of this dungeon must have been from the Melvinger family.

'Now that I think about it, the doors were left open too.'

After examining the flow of mana and the amount of energy drained from the magic circles in the dungeon, Elric speculated that it hadn't been long since the dungeon was unsealed.

Though he wasn't entirely sure, he guessed that the seal was likely broken around the time he was in the Black Snowfield.

'If I assume that the seal here opened automatically when I acquired the Seal of Winter, then it's been about a week.'

But during that time, treasure hunters had discovered the place and looted it. What a stroke of bad luck, he thought.

Or rather, maybe it was good luck?

Thanks to them, he didn't have to wander through the forest to find the manor.

Not only that, they hadn't even stolen anything, and had even put everything back in place.

'Plus, I'm getting the fragments of the seal and the Necromantic Stone as a bonus.'

Shadow rippled, as if pleased.

Yu's spiritual form was devouring the dungeon guardians as they appeared, finally satisfying its hunger for the first time in a while.

The purity of the demonic energy is really high. This is something rare.

Melvinger... I've heard they were enemies of non-humans, but could they also have mastered the use of such beings?

How unexpected.

This was actually something Elric was keen to learn more about as well.

The Melvinger family had been representatives of humanity, standing in opposition to non-humans.

Yet Otto Han not only used demons to restore Melvinger's lost magic, but he also created new forms of seals, like the Seal of Winter, to preserve the power of 'winter.'

And all the dungeon guardians here were imbued with demonic energy, each possessing fragments of the Seal of Winter.

How could this be explained?

Elric had long held doubts about this, though he had yet to draw any concrete conclusions.

Of course, there were some hints.

「At some point, they became obsessed with the demons in the quest for greater power, caused great harm to the world… but they realized their mistake too late.」

The voice he heard when he first opened the mechanism could be a clue.

'Maybe I can find the answers here.'

He might even learn why the Tiger King remembered him.

In any case.

If he set aside those questions, meeting Sophia's group was all in his favor.

Ultimately, Elric concluded that meeting them was a stroke of good fortune.

"Turn right here, and you'll find the path leading to the inner sanctum…."

On top of that, they were even guiding him through paths that could have confused him. How could it get any better?

Of course, if Elric opened his Mind's Eye and traced the structure, he could have found his way eventually, but avoiding that hassle was a relief.

Kiaaah!

Crash, boom—

After destroying another group of ghosts, Elric finally reached his destination.

'This is it. The central chamber.'

Opening his Mind's Eye slightly, Elric saw that the magic circles and mana flow within the dungeon were all converging in this room.

Keeping his usual cold demeanor, Elric feigned ignorance as he turned to Sophia's group and asked:

"You're saying your companions are trapped beyond this point?"

"Yes. And… there's something terrifying in there. Please be careful."

Fear was clearly etched on the faces of Sophia's group.

It wasn't as if they were pretending to lure Elric into a trap—they were genuinely terrified.

They were even ready to flee at any moment.

Elric, sensing something strange beyond the door, nodded slightly.

"Then I'll open it."

The moment Elric opened the door, a vast cavern far larger than any previous room came into view.

The space was filled with strange glass tubes and flasks, as if it had once been a laboratory.

And along the long walls on either side stood ten ghost knights, exuding a menacing aura from their glowing eyes.

Each ghost knight held a different weapon—bastard swords, poleaxes, morning stars—and their heads all turned toward Elric in unison.

Flash!

Between their hazy, cloth-like faces, ominous light gleamed from their eyes.

"Eeek!"

"T-Ten of them… reacting at once?"

Unlike Elric, who calmly ventured deeper into the cavern, Sophia's group, still hovering near the entrance, turned deathly pale.

The last time they came here, they had barely survived after waking a single ghost knight.

When they first reached this place, they had only faced one ghost knight.

And just that one had almost wiped them out.

The thought that ten knights were now reacting at once filled them with dread.

No matter how powerful Elric seemed, they doubted he could handle them all at once.

'What do we do?'

'Should we just run away?'

Sophia's group exchanged glances, trying to decide whether to flee.

But then.

Woo-woo—

Woo-woo-woo—

Suddenly, the ghostly knights gathered around Elric. Instead of attacking, they knelt down on one knee, lowering their heads in a show of deference.

"W-What?"

"What the hell… is going on?"

They looked as if they were greeting a lord with the utmost loyalty.

At that moment, the magical amulet around Elric's neck began to emit a radiant light.

But Sophia's group, unaware of the circumstances, could only stare in shock.

They had no idea what was happening or how to process the scene unfolding before them.

Meanwhile,

Elric, now completely ignoring them, began walking deeper into the cavern.

The ghost knights rose one by one and silently followed him.

Their movements were so dignified and reverent that Sophia's group couldn't help but swallow nervously as they watched.

"W-What should we do?"

One of the men looked anxiously between Elric's retreating figure and the door.

He was torn between wanting to follow Elric deeper into the chamber, where more treasure was sure to be, and wanting to flee.

It was a battle between instincts.

"Let's follow him."

Sophia spoke firmly, making up her mind to press on.

"But what if those things turn on us and attack?"

Another man grabbed her arm, trying to stop her.

"And if we leave now? What about the guardians in the corridors? Think they'll just let us go?"

"T-That's…"

"There are more guardians still alive than the ones the magician defeated. We were lucky to survive before, but now it's different. We've come too far. It's better to see this through."

"R-Right?"

"Y-Yeah, Sophia's right…."

"And besides, whatever that magician did, he's clearly figured out the secret of this dungeon. We can't just let that slide."

The two men exchanged glances, nodding decisively. Greed once again flickered in their eyes, banishing their earlier fear.

After all, it was they who had discovered the dungeon. The thought of letting someone else claim its secrets made their blood boil.

Their plan was simple: let Elric solve the dungeon's mysteries, then swoop in afterward to claim the spoils. Greedy thoughts once again took hold.

Perhaps, depending on the situation, they could even kill the others and take everything for themselves…

With those thoughts, fear no longer held any power over them.

"Alright. Let's go in."

"I'll lead."

"No, I will."

Unlike before, they now scrambled over one another, eager to lead the way.

Watching from behind, Sophia snorted.

She had known for a long time that these men were planning to betray even their own companions.

Though they were all 'companions,' greed always brought out their true, thug-like nature.

Do as you like. In the end, I'll be the one laughing. Sophia briefly flashed a cold smile before hiding it and stepping into the cavern.

Boom!

The door closed behind them automatically.

***

Shaa!

Elric walked slowly toward the innermost part of the chamber.

He wasn't just walking aimlessly.

He was following the guidance of the light emitted by his magical amulet. The light, flowing from the diamond, reached the farthest wall.

Click-click-click—

The ten ghost knights followed Elric quietly, as if escorting him to ensure he wouldn't stray.

'Were these knights once Otto Han's subordinates?'

Elric suspected as much, having experienced something similar in the Ice Mountain King's tomb.

Loyal followers, whose devotion to their master persisted even in death.

Elric briefly wondered if he would ever gather such loyal companions in his own future, as he revived his family's legacy.

They must have been mighty warriors in life. Their individual strength was likely on par with the Ice Mountain King.

Creak, rumble—

When Elric reached the spot where the light touched, the stone wall trembled violently. With a loud grinding noise, it lifted, revealing a hidden inner chamber.

It appeared to be a bedroom, with various famous paintings hung on the walls, along with a bed and desk.

But what caught Elric's attention the most was a rocking chair in the deepest part of the room.

The cold brazier and the neatly laid-out carpets indicated that Otto Han had once rested here.

And indeed, someone was sitting quietly in the rocking chair, their eyes closed in deep sleep.

Elric immediately recognized who it was.

Otto Han.

The ancestor who had once placed the Melvinger family on a firm foundation, now waiting across centuries for his distant descendant.

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