The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

”This is the innkeeper.”

”What’s the matter?” I asked.

”Someone from the auction house came by. They asked that you visit them today.”

The innkeeper delivered the message and walked away.

That was fast. Only a few days had passed.

The auction is already over?

I waited quietly until Isaac returned and asked him directly. ”Did we win?”

Isaac snapped, ”Of course we did. Do you think they’d summon you just to say you lost? What would be the point of that? To tease you?”

”So I should head over now?”

”Do you really need to ask about something like that? Try thinking for yourself.”

”...”

”Keh keh. Just kidding. Honestly, with you, who knows what kind of absurd thing you’d do if left on your own? Better to always run it by me. Go to the auction house, but...”

Isaac paused for a moment.

”But?”

”The guy who sold you that intel at such a low price is probably furious right now. Don’t let them rope you into anything dumb. Don’t fall for any sneaky bundle deals.”

”Got it.”

***

I kept Isaac’s warning in mind as I made my way back to the auction house.

The broker handed me a small map. ”Head to the spot marked with a small circle.”

The circle was drawn in the middle of a desert to the northwest. The map showed roads, shops, and landmarks, such as large boulders.

I pointed at three lines drawn inside the circle. ”What’s this symbol here?”

”That’s the Temple of Yemera. You’ll find what you’re looking for there.”

What I’m looking for.

So the Lurium was there. The temple marking made me pause, but I figured it wasn’t a big deal. It was probably just an abandoned ruin in the middle of the desert.

”Alright then...”

I was about to leave with a light heart when the broker stopped me. ”Wait.”

”What now?”

”There’s something interesting going on near that temple. Want to buy that intel too?”

”That part’s not in the auction?”

”This one has a fixed price. If you give me three silver bars, the same size as the one you first used, I’ll sell it.”

”That’s outrageous.”

Three bars of that size amounted to thirty-six seirons. Even with my low-level Accounting skill, I could tell it was a ridiculous sum. That was enough to buy over a thousand decent longswords or nearly thirty wagons, or even build a small temple of my own.

As I hesitated, the broker pressed on. ”It’s danger-related intel. One wrong move and you could die. Still not interested?”

Isaac’s earlier warning echoed in my mind.

Is this what he meant by a bundle deal?

I didn’t want to be reckless, but blindly handing over that much silver didn’t sit right with me either.

”I’ll talk it over first,” I mumbled and slipped out of the auction tent.

Back at the inn, I asked Isaac, ”What now?”

”Exactly what I expected.” Isaac lifted his beak smugly. ”Didn’t I tell you? They’d try to upsell you. No need to fall for that.”

”Still...”

His confidence was starting to make me suspicious.

”Shouldn’t we buy it just in case? If it’s really dangerous...”

”Oh, please. Suddenly, there’s dangerous intel? They didn’t even mention that at first. That’s a scam, pure exploitation of desperate, foolish clients. Disgusting behavior.”

”Sounds like something you would do.”

”What’s going to show up in a desert anyway? If you’re that worried, I’ll deal with it myself.”

”If you say so...”

***

Clop clop! Clop clop!

The two horses we bought in Aman galloped side by side. Only one had a rider. Rubia couldn’t ride, and even if she could, she wouldn’t have been able to keep up with me, so we rode together.

Clop clop! Clop clop!

When we first set off, Rubia had been stiff and silent. Now she was relaxed enough to start a conversation.

Rubia praised my riding skills. ”You never seem to get tired.”

[Skill: Horseriding Lv. 2 activated.]

It was a basic riding skill, but it helped me appreciate the value of the horse.

”Seems like we paid a decent price.”

”We paid two seirons.”

I thought that felt quite expensive.”For one?”

”For the two.”

Now it felt too cheap.

”Heh. Most of that price went into the one you’re riding. The other one...” Isaac flew above us and glanced down at the brown horse trotting alongside us, which had no saddle. ”That thing’ll collapse the moment someone actually tries to ride it.”

”What? Is it like some legendary horse that only accepts certain riders?”

Stories popped into my head of horses throwing off anyone they didn’t acknowledge as their master.

Rubia shook her head. ”Apparently not. It’s not particularly fast or strong either.”

”It just hates hard work. Ever met a horse that’s lazy for no reason? There you go. No legendary anything,” Isaac added.

”Hm. Still, it’s keeping up just fine,” I commented.

”I used a light charm. Making it run isn’t that hard.”

As we rode farther north, the scenery began to change. The trees that had lined the roads grew sparse, and the few that remained had thin, spiky leaves. I could feel grains of sand in the dry wind, like it had staggered in from wandering through the desert.

”Alright. This is good. Stop here.” Isaac stopped us at a fork in the road—one path heading north, the other west. ”Stir, silver thread... reveal yourself and cling to the mirror...”

A dull vibration pulsed from the spot where the tracker had been attached to me. I felt something tug loose, something deep near my tailbone. Isaac grabbed the thin, needle-like tracker with his beak and attached it to the rump of the second horse. There was no stabbing motion—it just clicked into place like it was made to stick there.

”Go north!” Isaac commanded.

He gave the horse a peck, and it bolted northward. It was completely in the wrong direction from the Lurium’s location on the map.

”We’re going west now.”

”I’m still curious. What do you think is in Yemera’s temple?”

”Nothing. By the way, do you know why the western region turned into a desert in the first place?”

”No idea.”

Maybe because I’d spent too much time with him, but I could feel Isaac subtly changing the subject.

Is there danger ahead, and he just didn’t want to tell me? Should we have bought the intel after all?

Maybe I’d put too much trust in him. The doubt slowly crept in.

Isaac, unfazed by my silence, continued explaining without a care in the world. ”This place used to be the most bustling and advanced region on the continent. It was crowded enough for people to bump shoulders as they walked.”

”I’ve... never heard that before.”

However, the further west we rode, the more Isaac’s words seemed like a fantasy. Dry, stinging winds scraped against my armor. The coarse sand pelted us. At least Rubia was riding behind me. That was something.

”Of course you wouldn’t know. Even for me, it’s ancient history. Besides, the priests of Yemera probably classified everything about it as forbidden texts.”

”So this desert... has something to do with Yemera?” I responded offhandedly while checking the map.

The circled area wasn’t far now. At this pace, we’d reach the temple by midday.

”Yeah. That shining civilization... that debauchery... Yemera forcibly purged it all. She gathered sunlight and burned it to ash. That’s why it’s still this hot today.”

”Where do you even hear these stories?”

”Trade secret.”

”...”

”Once I regain my power, I’ll tell you the details. Until then, do as I say and keep working.”

I ignored his nonsense. Rubia, though, seemed to be thinking it over seriously.

”To burn an entire region using sunlight... you’d need an enormous lens. I wonder how much glass it would take to make something like that.”

I lifted my gaze. The blazing sun scorched the cliffs above.

”Even without collecting anything... this heat is more than enough already.”

Like a cursed spell, a wave of superheated wind swept across the road again. One hill flattened as two smaller ones took its place. A dust devil spun across the road ahead.

Thankfully, it didn’t come too close. Even from a distance, it stirred up a thick haze.

When the dust finally settled, Issac pointed out, ”Humans.”

Just as Isaac said, I spotted a group of people riding up from the southern path. There were a bit more than twenty in total. They were all cloaked in heavy desert wraps and rode camels instead of horses. They looked like proper desert travelers. The camels carried gear in a well-organized fashion, and their clothes were practical. These people were definitely not bandits.

”They’re heading in the same direction we are. Might as well follow them,” Issac remarked.

”We don’t have to...” I trailed off.

”If a sandstorm kicks up, they’ll make good meat shields. No reason not to follow them.”

”...”

That was when it happened.

Fweeeeet!

A sharp whistle came from the caravan.

A man with a winding beard waved toward us. ”Travel with us!”

I hesitated, but since we were headed the same way, there wasn’t much reason to refuse.

”Would you like some water?” the man asked.

I refused. ”I’m fine...”

The man offered a leather pouch that felt cool against my heated gauntlets.

I passed it to Rubia before it could warm up, and she hastily drank it. Her eyes brightened as she wiped her lips, color returning to her face.

”What about payment?” I asked.

The man scoffed. ”Ha! No need for that.”

”A merchant giving away water in the desert? Yeah right. Something’s fishy.”

Is it suspicious?

”Just follow them. What’ve you got to lose?”

We took our position near the back of the caravan. They really did seem like experienced desert travelers. The camels were loaded with everything they’d need to last for days out here.

The man who called us over seemed to be the caravan leader. Up close, I could see his thick brows and sharp, charismatic eyes. He looked like someone people might call handsome.

”Crossing the desert without a guide or camels... where are you headed?” the man asked.

I was about to shut him down with a vague answer, but Rubia replied first. ”The Temple of Yemera. We’re on a pilgrimage.”

”Ah! Pilgrims! And this man here must be your escort?”

I gave a short answer. ”Something like that.”

I checked Rubia’s condition. Thankfully, the water had been clean.

Seeing my wariness, Isaac burst into a cackling laugh. ”Keh keh. You fool. You think they’d know you’re strong just by looking at you? If they meant to rob you, they would’ve tried already. You’re always so careless except when you suddenly start suspecting everything.”

”...”

The bearded caravan leader smiled warmly. ”We’re headed that way anyway. You’re welcome to travel with us.”

We rode at the rear of the group, keeping pace behind them. With the others breaking the wind ahead, the air felt less punishing. Maybe I’d just never noticed it before, but I thought this might be what people call human kindness.