Chapter 97

Boom.

With a heavy sound, the city gates opened.

The white city revealed amidst the setting sunlight exuded a fresh sense of awe that I had never felt before.

My first impression of Calepha, or rather, the outskirts of Calepha, was that it was extremely exotic.

The landscape of the Astrosa Kingdom was also foreign, but it was mostly a blend of modern and contemporary northern continent architectural styles.

However, this place was different.

"At least it feels like I've gone back 150 years."

Is that why it feels more like an artifact?

But the admiration ends there. After all, it was a place we were supposed to leave today.

"Ms. Daisy Parker and Mr. Garrosh Bucklegrayton."

The guide led us to a small building near the city gates.

"This is the dormitory. Dinner is served at 5 PM. You are prohibited from going out until 5 AM the next morning, so please keep that in mind."

We listened to his words in silence.

"From this moment on, candidates for the examination are completely prohibited from individual activities. For one week, you will stay and eat in this building. After a short training, the second exam will take place. As you both know, the admission examination consists of three stages..."

I listened to the guide's explanation with one ear and let it go out the other, scanning the city's interior thoroughly.

Malikops had advised me:

"...Just because you've arrived at the outskirts of Calepha doesn't mean it's over. The real start is from there. The outskirts are where the guides live, and the sacred area of Calepha is beyond that. But no one knows exactly where it is. It's protected by powerful magic."

When I first heard this, I just felt lost.

But the outskirts of Calepha I arrived at were a bit different.

"...It seems I can enter the sacred area more easily than I thought."

If my assumption is correct, I could move tonight without any trouble.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

No.

Andert and I just stared blankly at the guide.

"Nobody, I see."

When no one spoke, the guide left the dormitory with a somewhat disappointed look.

We entered the rooms assigned to us without exchanging any words.

I thought Andert was unusually quiet, but meeting Lu in the sacred area to see him was more important to me.

Based on the 'assumption' that came to mind, I began to plan my move for tonight.

That night, past midnight.

I slipped out of the window and climbed onto the roof, feeling the cold morning breeze.

The full moon illuminated the outskirts of Calepha, making it a perfect night to infiltrate Lu's bedroom. But why is Andert here?

"...What?"

A dark figure stared at me silently.

There was a moment of silence between us. If no one spoke, it would have been a long, silent night.

Finally, I asked him first.

"Why are you here?"

"You?"

"I asked first."

"Answer my question, and I'll answer yours."

"Answer my question, and I'll answer yours."

Andert glared at me with a look of annoyance and pointed beyond the outskirts.

"Are you going too?"

Thanks to that, I realized immediately.

'This guy. He definitely has business with Lu.'

I don't know how he knows Lu's identity.

But it was clear that there was a connection between them that I didn't know about, given that he had designated Lu as the first-stage examination committee member.

Feeling annoyed, I pointed in the direction Andert had indicated.

"Why are you going there?"

"Why are you going there?"

"You have some unknown business."

"My business is none of your concern."

Calm down. Calm down.

Inner peace. Think of the nagging of Hanejang and Dshero, Daisy.

'I don't really need to pry into his intentions. If our destinations are the same, it might even be helpful.'

Yeah, it might be helpful. Andert's skills are already guaranteed by the Sword Saint. Arguing here would just waste time.

"Follow me quietly. If we get caught, I'll leave you behind."

With that advice, I jumped over to the next roof and leaped onto the wall.

It was the first time I had jumped so high, and my ankles tingled, but there was no choice. Hiding your presence requires ten times more energy than making noise.

First, I looked around the outskirts of Calepha from the top of the wall.

'My assumption was correct.'

The structure inside this massive wall was not unfamiliar to me. Realizing the reason, I let out a small laugh.

Mephisto. You loved this place so much.

The sacred area of Calepha is probably a fair distance to the north of the outskirts.

After climbing down the wall, I ran in the expected direction.

When I finally arrived and looked around.

"Hey."

The bratty younger brother stopped me brattily.

"Call me 'sister.'"

"You seem to know the way well. Have you been here before?"

It was an ambiguous question, so I hesitated to answer. Andert asked again.

"Are you actually from Rogui?"

Sigh. Annoying kid.

"Andert. Have you heard of Mephisto's army?"

"Stop calling me Andert."

Even though he said it with displeasure, the emerald eyes hidden under the mask flickered slightly, a sign of affirmation.

"They had bases all over the empire during the Mage War. We called these bases Mephisto's temples, and their overall appearance matched the architectural style here exactly. Well, since Mephisto's army was made up of Rogui defectors, it's not surprising."

Andert, who had been silent, asked me while avoiding a low-hanging branch.

"You said you died once because of Mephisto."

It was a slightly different topic from our previous conversation.

"Yeah."

"If you died, how are you alive now?"

That's what I want to know.

How are you alive, Andert? How did you end up in the hands of the Sword Saint?

"That's just... an expression from my perspective. I thought you were dead, but in reality, you survived. You were probably rescued or drifted to another island by chance."

"Was I from Queen Island?"

A good guess.

In the archipelago with closely spaced islands, the only place where I had a near-death experience with Mephisto was Queen Island.

When I didn't answer, he nodded briefly.

"You too?"

"Curious?"

"..."

"Curious? I'll reveal it in 60 seconds."

Andert glared at me with a cold, humorless look.

Assassin's humor doesn't work on him. A dry kid.

I pretended nothing happened and continued with the rest of what I was going to say.

"Twelve Mephisto temples were discovered, all with the same internal structure. The structure was so systematic that a team of professional archaeologists was formed to explore them. It wasn't a style seen in the empire."

"..."

"And just now, after circling the outskirts, I was certain. The structure of the Mephisto temples matches the structure of the outskirts of Calepha exactly."

That's why I could move around this area so freely.

The structure here is very familiar to me.

Of course, the Mephisto temples are not comparable to the outskirts of Calepha in terms of scale.

But the central square-like open space, the large wells at the western and eastern ends, and the arrangement of important buildings in a hexagonal pattern—all these suggest that the Mephisto temples are a smaller, underground version of the outskirts of Calepha.

Whether Mephisto left Rogui by choice or was forced out, he clearly couldn't let go of this place.

After walking for about 10 minutes.

Beyond the dark field of vision, a small cliff-like hill appeared.

I felt the damp cliff and the vines surrounding it, and told Andert, who was quietly following behind.

"If my guess is correct, there should be an entrance to a tower beyond these vines."

A sudden gust of wind.

The wall supporting the vines ended at that point. When we removed the vines and entered the empty space...

"You were right? Sister is smart, isn't she?"

An endlessly dark cave entrance greeted us.

Andert, ignoring my words, stepped into the cave. Rude kid.

The path was darker than the deep sea.

We could see nothing, and the only sounds were our breathing and footsteps.

But after turning the Willow Forest Report once, I could walk with ease, not feeling afraid.

Suddenly, moonlight poured in.

We followed the long staircase leading to the sky without stopping. It felt like climbing a tree and running along its branches.

At the end of the staircase, we found.

Under the full moon, a garden enveloped in black flames.