Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1168: Investigation Date with Niti

A deep, gravelly male voice responded from the shadows of the vault. “Relax, Clara. The Alucard merchants are already waiting at the border trench with the transport wagons. King Luis promised a massive bounty of blood-gems for every ounce of refined silver we smuggle out of the OrionHeart vaults.”

“Just ensure my cut is delivered to the usual hidden cellar,” Clara snapped. “If the royal guards catch us handling enchanted silver weaponry, Virgil will have our heads displayed on the arena spikes.”

Rudy’s dark eyes flashed with an amused, dangerous crimson light. He looked down at Niti, a predatory smirk playing across his lips. The palace is completely rotting from the inside, he thought. They are actively funding the Alucard invasion before it even begins.

“Niti,” Rudy whispered, his voice barely a breath against the stone. “You know every inch of these lower quarters. Where does the secret route to the eastern gate connect?”

Niti’s eyes widened as she processed the sheer scale of the treason happening just a few feet away. She leaned closer to Rudy, her voice trembling but resolute.

“There is an old servant tunnel hidden behind the massive tapestry of the first king in the portrait gallery. It bypasses the primary checkpoints and empties directly into the lower wagon bays near the eastern wall.”

Rudy cracked his knuckles, the small sound completely masked by the clatter of crates inside the vault.

“Lead the way, my favorite maid,” Rudy grinned, gesturing toward the adjacent portrait gallery. “Let’s go intercept some cargo.”

The heavy stone doors slid shut with a grinding screech that echoed through the cavernous space before sealing with a solid, echoing thud. Complete darkness swallowed the royal crypts, wiping away the faint ambient glow of the portrait gallery above.

Niti stiffened, her fingers instantly tightening around the fabric of Rudy’s sleeve. Her breathing hitched, the sound of her rapid, shallow breaths echoing off the unseen stone walls.

She stood frozen, unable to orient herself in the pitch-black void while her eyes strained fruitlessly against the dark.

A sudden warmth wrapped around her hand. Rudy took her fingers in his, his grip firm and steady. The moment his skin touched hers, a strange sensation rippled through her mind.

The overwhelming blindness of the crypts seemed to recede as an unfamiliar, ambient awareness filtered into her consciousness.

She could suddenly perceive the outline of the heavy stone sarcophagi lining the walls and the broad layout of the path ahead, channeled directly into her thoughts through the physical contact.

The sheer warmth of his hand radiated a sense of security, instantly smoothing the sharp edge of her panic.

Rudy tugged gently, guiding her forward through the gloom. He walked with certainty, his steps never faltering on the uneven stone floor.

Niti followed without resistance, her initial terror morphing into a profound, bewildered quietude. Her heart hammered against her ribs, not from the darkness anymore, but from the inexplicable, instinctual urge to simply trust his lead and submit to his direction.

They moved deeper into the subterranean network, navigating the twists and turns of the ancient tombs until a faint, golden light flickered in the distance. The air grew cooler, carrying the scent of damp earth and old wood.

The path sloped upward, leading them toward a wooden hatch that creaked open under Rudy’s quiet pressure.

They emerged into the dim, sprawling expanse of the eastern wagon bays. High, arched ceilings held rows of dormant transport carriages, while crates and barrels stacked in towering rows created a maze of shadows.

The transition back into the light brought Niti back to her senses. She immediately pulled her hand back from his grip, stepping away to create distance between them.

“Who are you?” Niti demanded, her voice a sharp whisper that cut through the silence of the bay. She kept her eyes locked on him, her posture tense and defensive. “You possess strength that defies logic, you navigate the forbidden crypts like you own them, and you somehow know Princess Jane. A human cannot do these things. Tell me your name.”

Rudy offered a relaxed smile, leaning casually against a nearby wooden crate. “Does a name truly matter right now? Let’s just say I am someone who happens to be in the right place at the right time.”

Before Niti could push for a real answer, the heavy thud of boots resonated from the far side of the wagon bay. A group of five men wearing mismatched leather armor and carrying short swords rounded the corner of a large cargo wagon. They spotted the pair immediately.

“Hey! Someone is over here!” the lead smuggler shouted, drawing his blade with a metallic scrape. “The boss said no witnesses. Take them down!”

The mercenaries charged forward, their footsteps loud against the stone floor.

Rudy didn’t seem bothered. He stepped in front of Niti, his movements casual.

As the first smuggler lunged with a downward slash, Rudy ducked underneath the blade, ducking low to plant a heavy punch directly into the man’s midsection. The mercenary gasped, folding over the strike before tumbling hard onto the ground.

Another attacker swung wildly from the left. Rudy caught the man’s wrist, twisting it just enough to force the weapon loose, and threw a quick elbow that connected with the smuggler’s jaw.

The man stumbled backward into a stack of empty barrels, sending them clattering across the floor.

Rudy maintained his slow pace, intentionally making the brawl look like a physical struggle.

He took a superficial graze to his shoulder from the third mercenary’s blade, grunting as he deflected the follow-up thrust with the back of his forearm.

He grabbed the man by his collar, using his momentum to hurl him into the fourth attacker, sending both rolling across the dusty floor.

Niti watched the display from the shadows of the crate, her mind racing as she analyzed his movements.

He fought well, utilizing standard martial techniques, yet the sheer impact of his blows spoke of a physical conditioning that went far beyond normal human limitations.

Every motion seemed calculated, almost performed, as if he were holding back an ocean of force behind a thin dam.

The final mercenary paused, looking at his groaning companions on the floor before backing away toward the exit.

Rudy didn’t pursue him, instead turning back to Niti while wiping a smudge of dust from his sleeve.

“Now,” Rudy said, his tone perfectly conversational as if the brawl had never occurred. “Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?”