The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

”Ninety percent of all the Lurium in the Empire is concentrated in the imperial family? Nine times more than everywhere else combined?”

”Of course.”

Isaac, who had somehow snuck up beside me, cut in without warning. ”Hehehe. Acting like she’s giving you some grand revelation when it’s just stating the obvious. Didn’t I tell you? It’s blood Seiron earned when tearing apart the apostles. Of course it’s stored in the imperial tomb.”

Rena shot Isaac a glance. ”But that crow—you said it was a pet, right? It’s not even remotely cute, but it sure flies well.”

”As if a flat-chested brat like you could get into the imperial grounds. It’s not ignorance that keeps people out, it’s lack of power.”

Isaac was reacting with unusual fervor. Was he sulking over being called ugly? That would honestly be terrifying...

Still, he wasn’t wrong. Even the marquis had been killed. Even Rayleigh, a knight with unparalleled tracking and stealth, had been slain like a bug while digging into the mystery of that death. Going there now would be suicide.

I turned to Rena. ”You’re planning to hit the imperial tomb?”

Rena shook her head, lips curled faintly on one side.

”Nope. Twenty-three’s too young for suicide. I’m not that reckless.” Casually pulling something from her coat, she said, ”There’s another way, one that doesn’t involve breaking into the tomb. I’ll tell you the details... if you decide to come with me.”

Fwoosh!

She tossed the item toward me. I instinctively reached out, and the moment I caught it, I recognized it instantly. In my hand was the familiar weight of the long chain.

Ding!

A pleasant chime rang out. A translucent blue window floated in the air, rapidly filling with messages.

[You’ve acquired an inheritance item!]

[Rena’s Pendant]

[An old pendant with a fake gem, given by Rena. It has no value as a product, but it is something she treasures deeply.]

[An emblem of fortune in the Backworld. A crescent-shaped engraving, recognizable only to a select few, decorates it. (new!)]

[As a result of scenario completion, the following abilities were granted:

—Skill proficiency for all Hero-rank and lower skills increases by 15%.

—Once per week, you will make a Correct Decision with high probability.]

[Special Perks Applied (new!)

—Reduces the detection rate of all crime by 70%.

—Adds a 15% chance that the criminal evidence you’ve committed will disappear randomly.]

”...!”

”If you come to the capital, just show this. See you then!” shouted Rena, who then bolted away as if embarrassed.

It was the same pendant she’d once given me after her Affection level rose significantly.

Was this the result of the Affection gained from her dreams?

I hadn’t expected to receive something tied to her past. It wasn’t just symbolic, but also had remarkable properties. If death became truly unavoidable, the pendant would overload and shatter—but up until that point, it could save my life once every seven days.

As I gently held the familiar pendant, I murmured, ”Execute judgment.”

[Current setting: Automatically activates upon death or equivalent crisis.]

[Would you like to change the setting?]

[Unavailable for use again for 7 days once triggered.]

[Ability used: Crisis Evasion (B)]

[A special ability possessed by a woman who’s avoided danger since childhood as naturally as breathing. It fuses animalistic instinct with learned insight and cunning.]

”I won’t use it. Leave it as is.”

[Maintaining default setting.]

Pop.

The status window vanished.

”Mr. Skeleton?”

”Ah. Yeah.”

”You were holding that pendant like it’s something very precious.”

”No, not at all. It seems like it’s just a token or something?”

”A token...”

Rubia’s voice was softer than usual, but her eyes held a chill I’d never seen before. It was a terrifying calmness, as if she had plucked out every last thorn from her words, even the ones still growing.

”She probably gave it to me because it’s meaningless.” I replied casually, feigning indifference.

”I see... That makes sense.”

Her eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. Whether she actually bought it or not, I was too afraid to ask.

”Hey, Isaac.”

I needed a distraction.

”Shut up. I’m thinking.”

”Thinking about what?”

”I can’t figure out what the hell she’s planning. The imperial tombs holding apostle blood are sealed on all sides—sky, earth, underground. Nothing is allowed to be removed from there. But she says she can get Lurium without even entering the tomb? I don’t have the faintest clue what she’s up to...” Isaac clicked his beak in frustration. ”And of all people, she just happens to know that brat Naneow? Makes it harder to ignore her completely.”

”What’s she like?”

Finally, Rubia’s attention shifted. I slipped Rena’s pendant out of sight.

”She knows a thing or two about apostle blood. Hmph. You should meet with her eventually. At least hear out her plan.”

”You can’t break into the tomb either?”

”Nope. I can’t,” he answered instantly, without even turning his head.

Such a clean, honest admission. When had Isaac ever confessed to being unable to do something? Was that how ridiculous this whole thing was? Stealing Lurium from the imperial tomb?

”What about spying on it or something? Is there no workaround?”

Isaac shook his head. ”Impossible. Not even I can peek into it. It’s protected by enchantments far beyond ordinary. Even if I regain my full power, I’m not confident I could breach it right away. But...”

He tilted his beak upward, deep in thought, and said, ”Two conditions must be met. First, at least a quarter of the imperial barrier has to collapse. Second, I need to have recovered more than half my original strength. If both are true, I might be able to at least glimpse inside.”

”What if you regained all of your power?”

Isaac craned his long beak even higher. ”Heh. Then it’s more than possible. But... that’s no easy feat.”

It was probably the first time I’d heard him say something wasn’t easy. Mentioning the imperial tomb seemed to bring out a new side of him. Maybe Isaac was the type to admit the truth when it mattered most.

He went on. ”Illien, Yemera, and Virphon each placed a different curse on me. To recover my power, I need to break every one of those curses.”

I had heard those names before.

Rubia gave him a disbelieving look as she asked, ”You mean the Goddess of Light, the Goddess of Atonement, and the Goddess of Flame?”

”That’s right.”

”What the hell did you do in your past life?”

”Nothing much. It’s just that temples are unnecessarily huge. Unlike brothels, which are nice and cozy.”

”So?”

”I mandated that prostitution in my territory be carried out in temples. I think that was Isaac Decree No. 8 or something.”

”Then where did the priests live?”

”Where else? They lived in the temples, of course. They waited on and served the prostitutes. Much more tangible than some invisible goddess, don’t you think? There were a lot of them, too. What’s not to like?”

”...”

”It was efficient. You know the priests of Illien have healing powers, right? They handled venereal disease treatments... And the ones from Virphon had detoxification abilities. We’d down morbid-laced liquor and indulge ourselves until everything got sticky...”

”You can stop. I get why you were cursed now.”

Isaac just shrugged. ”What did I do wrong? If I’ve got divine power, I should use it, shouldn’t I? What’s the point of hoarding it? If anything, they should’ve blessed me for putting it to good use. I’m the one who’s been wronged here...”

”Right. Well, it sounds like recovering your powers is going to take quite a while. Those goddesses didn’t hold back with their curses.”

”Agreed.”

Sealed inside a crow doll as he was, traveling with Isaac could be more dangerous than I’d thought. As if the followers of another Demon King, whom he’d once enslaved to mine the earth wasn’t enough, there were also curses from three goddesses.

Could that really be the full extent of it? Judging by his character, I seriously doubted it. I didn’t even want to imagine the things he’d done while conquering the southern part of the Empire.

”We’re heading to Yemera’s temple now, right?”

Rubia pointed at the map.

”That’s right.”

”Hm... But since Sir Isaac is cursed by Yemera, will it be a problem if we go there?”

A valid concern I hadn’t considered. Rubia had picked up on it immediately.

”Wait, aren’t you going to keep us out?”

Isaac turned his beak to the side. ”Hmph! The problem with that lunatic’s temple is going in, not staying out.”

”What do you mean?”

”The so-called Goddess of Atonement is a load of crap. If you want, I’ll just keep my distance. Go knock on her door and loot the imperial vault or whatever.”

He sounded a bit sour. Maybe the more sensitive he was about his own emotions, the less he cared about anyone else’s.

”What do you think, Rubia?”

”I think we should at least check out Yemera’s temple. Even if we’re planning to go to the capital, let’s gather what we can first.”

***

It was just a finger’s length away on the map, but actually getting to the Lurium’s location was another story entirely.

Pababat!

Ten scorpions burst out from beneath the sand and charged at me all at once.

Of course, I’d already detected them from far away before they even moved.

Swoosh!

With a wide, sweeping slash, I cut horizontally with my longsword, its blade sheathed in aura. The massive tails, over a meter long, and their sharp pincers burst apart in blue flashes of energy.

These red desert scorpions had poison-blackened claws and stingers, their tips dyed pitch black. Severed venom sacs flew through the air, scattering across the sand. The moment they made contact, the deadly neurotoxin grillin spread. It was a poison that paralyzes motor functions and amplifies sensation.

I couldn’t afford to miss a single one. The scorpions, each over two meters long, died before they even realized they were within my range.

[Experience increased by 138.]

...

[Experience increased by...]

The terrain was tricky, even including areas of quicksand. Even if someone was capable of defeating the scorpions, if they got caught in quicksand and stung, that would be the end. Several corpses nearby were proof of that.

”Don’t come this way! I’ll circle around.”

The poison had just been released, so it was safer to take a detour.

[Servant System]

[Guiding the master along a safe route.]

[Terrain Difficulty: Moderate–High]

[Pathfinder title has been enhanced.]

[Vision range increased by 15% when traveling with the master. (new!)]

[Chance of detecting danger increased by 10%. (new!)]

”...”

It felt like I was cheating. The Lv. 5 Desert Adaptation skill I absorbed from the Desert God was absurdly powerful. I glanced at the dead scorpions. Maybe I was more attuned to the desert than those creatures.

This was already the third encounter with desert scorpions. I’d thought about absorbing their poison, but the power gap was so overwhelming that I’d only gained a small amount of experience. I’d probably have to take down a Scorpion King for anything worthwhile. Not that I was hoping for that encounter.

I returned to where Rubia and Isaac were waiting.

”It feels like we’re traveling through the desert really comfortably.”

”Really?”

”Yes. The books say deserts are extremely harsh, but we’ve never even gotten lost. We just go straight from one oasis to the next. Did you use magic, Mr. Skeleton?!”

Still damp from the oasis, Rubia had wrapped a white cloth around her face and was shading herself with large palm leaves in both hands.

”Hmm... not really.”

I got back on the horse and helped her mount behind me. The camels followed. We’d had no trouble finding the ones abandoned by the fleeing merchants. Their packs were still heavy with food and water.

”Hey, Isaac.”

”What is it, oh Desert Guide? Kukuku.”

I probably did such a good job navigating that he’d decided to call me that.

”Why are there so many of them?”

As the one handling everything ahead—detecting and neutralizing threats—I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

”It’s not too much for you, though, right?”

”If you know something, just tell me.”

This was already the third time we’d run into a swarm of scorpions. Counting the desert monkeys and the viper packs, that made five serious encounters. And we weren’t even looking for a fight.

”At this rate, human forces should’ve cleaned this place out long ago.”

”It’s nothing special. Someone just scattered a bunch of bait.”

”Bait? Don’t tell me you mean us.”

”No. It’s a magical trap that forcibly draws out hidden monsters. Someone set them all over the place. Real messy job.”

Rena’s information flashed through my mind. Cardinal Greysium handed out a flute to a band of thieves before vanishing, agitating every possible monster into surfacing, using their emergence as a pretext to mobilize the army. Clearly, this was part of the Empire’s plan.

”You could’ve told me that earlier.”

”No need to worry too much. The ones getting pulled out by those traps are all weaklings. Just keep an eye out for the one waiting near the temple.”

Paduduk!

Isaac suddenly soared high into the air and peered beyond a massive dune.

”There it is~. Let the quiz show begin.”