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Volume 8 Chapter 6 Part 6

Translator: Kell

“We can be certain that he got caught on purpose,” I said. “Stealing the nail alone is pretty much saying he wants us to catch him.”

“That makes sense… Did you get rid of the others because you knew about this?”

“No, I wasn’t expecting this guy to turn into a monster. I just thought there was a good chance that there was some kind of trap.”

The reason I came to interrogate him was to see if the enemy had set a trap, and if they did, who it was for. If I simply wanted to get information out of him, I would’ve just left it to the professionals.

That’s all well and good…

“By the way, you ordered them to charge in, didn’t you? Why are you the one personally giving orders?”

The voice ordering to charge in earlier clearly belonged to the king. He didn’t enter himself, but he showed up too quickly afterwards. It’s not like I informed them that the battle would end soon, which meant that the king had been waiting in the immediate vicinity of the battlefield all this time.

“Why, of course I would. Since I, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, am present, it’s only natural that I give the orders.”

“You should stay somewhere safe. What were you gonna do if I lost?”

“If even you can’t win, this kingdom is finished anyway. It wouldn’t make much difference if I lived, would it?”

Hmm. I’ve taught the Royal Army the basics of Skill-based combat, but there seems to be a problem with their risk management system. It’s not my area of expertise. Maybe someone else can do something about it?

Let’s set that aside for now. The king seems to at least understand that a nation that solely relies on me is not good. It may not be solved anytime soon, but the Royal Army is steadily getting stronger.

For now, let’s talk about the information we’ve obtained first. We didn’t get anything out of the intruder. Or since he came here to be caught on purpose, he was never given any information to begin with. But it’s pretty good information that the enemy—probably the Empire or the Garden of Despair—is using Corrupted Fusion to target me specifically.

Their desire to kill me suggests the Empire knows the importance of the Enchant Shaft. Moreover, the person with the Corrupted Fusion activated the trap once he confirmed that I was in front of him.

The Garden of Despair would not take this measure just because something seems important. To begin with, this operation is only possible if I interrogated the intruder. Not only am I not an interrogator, I’m not even a worker in the palace. They must be aware of my involvement in the king’s investigation of the Enchant Shaft.

If that’s the case, the enemy should already know that I’m headed for the ruins in the Empire. There’s no point in hiding my destination now. I’ll have to be prepared to fight them at the ruins, or on the way there.

“Judging from the steps the enemy has taken, they know I’m going to the ruins,” I said. “I want to get things done as soon as possible, before they could get ready to intercept.”

“Wait a minute. After all this, do you still have to step into the middle of enemy territory?”

The king looked surprised. Come to think of it, I haven’t told him that the Enchant Shaft needs enchantments. We received the report of the intruder right as I was just about to tell him about it.

Nevertheless, I would like to keep the information about the Enchant Shaft secret from everyone but the king, just in case. I looked around.

The king seemed to have guessed my intention. “Everyone, except for Eld, please leave for now.”

The soldiers went outside. And when everyone else was gone, I spoke.

“I told you that I need the nail to make myself stronger, right?”

“You’ve told me that much, yes. It must be a very powerful item, since you’re so hung-up on it.”

“It is. There are a lot of conditions, but essentially, it’s an item that boosts Skills. And in order to actually use this Enchant Shaft, it must be given the enchantments at a special place.”

Now that I know our enemies are aware of it, I no longer need to keep the name of the item secret. We can’t just keep calling it a nail forever.

“Enchant Shaft,” the king muttered. “Never heard of the name before. Is the ‘special place’ you mentioned the ruins in the Empire?”

“It’s highly likely. Or to be more precise, it’s in the vicinity of where the nail was found.”

“The place where the nail was found… I see. That’s why you wanted to know where it was obtained from.” The king was silent for a while. He seemed to be pondering what to do next. “I understand that you need to go to the ruins to use the Enchant Shaft. But it’s dangerous, as I’m sure you know.”

“Of course. There’s no doubt about that. But not going is just as dangerous. If the enemy attacks while we lack power, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I think you might be able to handle a slight difference in power.”

“A slight difference, sure. But there’s always a limit. That’s why I want to get this thing in working order before the enemy is ready to intercept.”

After thinking it over, the king nodded. I managed to convince him.

“If that’s what you think, then it’s probably the best move. So, what do I need to do?”

“For now, get ready to smuggle me into the Empire. I don’t want to be immediately hounded by the enemy from the border.”

“We’ll prepare fake IDs and a secret route into the empire. Do you need assistance?”

“I’d like some, preferably. I can’t keep a constant lookout on my own. But I need someone who can keep up with me. Otherwise, they would only slow me down.”

“Okay. I will select possible candidates. When do you need them?”

“As soon as possible.”

Thus, I was headed for the ruins located in the middle of enemy territory, the very place they are most likely guarding. I just hope I make it to the Altar of Bestowal.