Chapter 80: Grave

“I-I, Ian. Ian—Iaan!”  

Noah had been arrogant, claiming she could do anything since she was in debt, but she hadn’t expected Ian to make her do this. Now, she was both flustered and embarrassed.  

“I want you to meet His Majesty the Emperor—!”  

“Well… First, a tunnel that seems to have been dug by demons was found here, right? We need to inform the Empire so they can follow up.”  

“But—it’s too much, too much! How can I meet His Majesty the Emperor?!”  

“It’s fine. I received a gift last time, so if I bring it, I can meet him right away.”  

“That’s not the problem!”  

In this era, the emperor’s dignity, as perceived by Noah—a commoner—was no different from the three leaders revered by the people of the north.  

Of course, unlike a government that ruled through brainwashing, intimidation, and fear, this one commanded genuine respect. But that didn’t make it any less intimidating.  

“Hey, what if I get beheaded for being rude? Huh? What will you do then?!”  

“Why are you so scared? You’ve met him before.”  

“Because I wasn’t alone back then! … Ian, can’t we just pretend this never happened? Huh? Or, if that’s not possible, come with me!”  

“Sorry, I don’t think that’s an option.”  

“Why?!”  

“I have something to investigate.”  

As Ian spoke, he pointed to the partially collapsed tunnel. How far did it stretch, and what lay at its end?  

A surprise attack was necessary before the enemy even realized their secret had been exposed.  

“…it wouldn’t hurt to be a little late.”  

“I prefer certainty.”  

“If you come with me—”  

“That’s not an option.”  

Ian shook his head at her suggestion.  

Noah was the protagonist of this world. If she died, the world as it was might cease to exist.  

At the very least, if she had been a 5-star summon with nuclear-level power, perhaps he wouldn’t be as concerned. But she wasn’t.  

“I deal with dangerous things. Noah, you need to inform the imperial family about this immediately.”  

“… Ian, are you sure you’ll be okay?”  

“Hm?”  

“You’re risking your life so easily. Is that really okay?”  

Hearing the slight tremble in her voice, Ian chuckled. He crouched slightly to meet her eyes, then cupped her cheeks with both hands.  

“It’s okay.”  

“But… isn’t it scary?”  

“It is.”  

Death was always frightening. The only reason he faced it head-on was to avoid an even worse fate.  

“Don’t worry about me, Noah. Just focus on helping.”  

“… Alright. But I’ll be back soon, so you’d better not die. Understand? Hm?”  

“Don’t worry.”  

There was only one summoner on the continent stronger than Ian right now—the Emperor, a 5-star Summoner.  

Beyond that, if someone asked whether this mission was too dangerous for him, Ian would have to shake his head.  

‘If they had sent beings that strong into human territory, they would have been exposed immediately.’  

For demons, strength and pride were one and the same. Once they reached the level of an upper-rank demon, their arrogance became boundless.  

Would demons like that really hide underground and ambush people? Most wouldn’t.  

If they had abandoned their usual methods, it only meant one thing—the situation was more dire than expected.  

“Then, Noah, I’ll leave this to you.”  

“… Alright.”  

With that, Ian watched as Noah took off. She climbed onto the shoulder of a Colossus in the distance, running with all her might. Once she disappeared from sight, Ian turned his back.  

“What are you hiding?”  

Muttering to himself, he stepped into the tunnel behind him. It was a question no one in this world could understand.  

***

[Ian’s POV]]

Inside the Tunnel

Not even an inch of visibility. Lighting a fire was out of the question.  

Subterranean caves were often filled with gas or dust—one spark could trigger a deadly explosion.  

“Oh, God.”  

That was why the light of a paladin was such a valuable source of illumination. It required no fuel or energy, yet it provided a clear view of the surroundings.  

Anna’s prayer conjured a divine glow that spread throughout the cave. Since the tunnel had been dug by a land worm, there was little else inside.  

‘It looks like the ground was excavated by a machine…’  

“Um, Summoner?”  

“What is it?”  

“This place feels dangerous.”  

“… Why?”  

“I’ve been sending signals down the tunnel, and…”  

A special technique allowed them to determine the tunnel’s length by firing a beam invisible to the human eye.  

Laser distance measurement was a highly effective method when no obstacles blocked the way.  

And the results were—  

“This tunnel extends at least seven kilometers ahead.”  

“Didn’t I already figure that out?”  

“… That’s why knights can be so frustrating.”  

“What? Frustrating?”  

With a soft sigh, Empress began to explain.  

If the tunnel extended straight for seven kilometers, that meant it only started curving after that point.  

If this cave continues at this angle, the tunnel’s expected length must be at least tens of thousands of kilometers.  

“…That’s…”  

“It’s more than enough to cover most of humanity’s realm.”  

If these tunnels were indeed connected, as the Empress had guessed, it meant that most of the human realm had already been invaded by demons.  

No wonder.  

I had always wondered how it was possible for someone to sneak into the academy near the imperial capital. If there was a tunnel like this, then infiltration would have been inevitable.  

At the same time, another question arose—how had a tunnel of this size remained undiscovered until now?  

“…It doesn’t make sense.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“How could a tunnel like this have gone unnoticed for so long?”  

It wasn’t as if it had never been used. It had been used multiple times, yet no one had noticed. There had to be a reason.  

No way… The underworld belonged to Pluto, the god of the underworld, and since Pluto was also the god of demons, was that the reason?  

“Well… Now that I think about it, that is strange,” someone muttered.  

“There’s no way something this vast could have been built overnight.”  

As I stared at the tunnel in doubt, the Empress suddenly spoke.  

“Is it really reasonable for us to walk all this way?”  

“Of course not. Even if I ran all day, I doubt I could cover much distance.”  

“Right? Then let’s just do it my way.”  

“What?”  

As soon as she finished speaking, the Empress lifted our entire group into the air. A round barrier formed around us, and before I could react, we were floating.  

“Why walk when we can fly, right?” she said with a grin.  

“No, wait—what is this—?”  

“Hold on! It might make you dizzy!”  

The Empress swung her staff, and in an instant, the barrier shot forward at an alarming speed.  

Thud!  

Naturally, I had no choice but to roll around inside like crazy.  

“Master!”  

“Host!”  

If Anna and Theresia hadn’t grabbed me from both sides, I would have slammed into something and died.  

Sandwiched between the two of them, I barely managed to survive. I waved my arms weakly to signal that I was okay.  

“…I almost died.”  

“Oh, please. Do you really think I’d let my summoner die?”  

“Uh… I think you might.”  

“Then you must have misunderstood me.”  

In the end, the Empress’s decision was the right one. No matter how superhuman they were, Anna and Theresia were still limited by the constraints of the human body. Running across tens of kilometers would have been impossible. This sphere, however, was flying at an insane speed.  

Faster than a high-speed train, the sphere began rolling along the walls of the tunnel, covering immense distances in moments.  

Anna and Theresia, unfamiliar with such speed, grew visibly anxious. People from the Middle Ages had never experienced anything like this.  

“…Empress, wouldn’t we die if we crashed into something at this speed?”  

“Hey, what do you think we’re going to hit down here? If anything, I’m more worried about the barrier stopping too suddenly.”  

BANG!  

No sooner had she spoken than the sphere crashed into something, sending us bouncing uncontrollably.  

Anna and Theresia tightened their grip around me, and I was nearly suffocated between them, struggling to breathe as the impact sent my body shaking.  

When we finally came to a stop, the Empress scratched the back of her head, looking embarrassed.  

“…I swear, that wasn’t supposed to happen.”  

“It’s too late, you idiot.”  

As soon as the barrier dispersed and we stepped onto solid ground, we saw the source of the chaos.  

“…A stick?”  

I tried to pull it out, but Theresia pushed me aside and effortlessly yanked it free with one hand.  

She frowned, seemingly recognizing it.  

“The Starlight Knights’ Star Iron Sword…”  

“You know it?”  

“Of course. Though I’ve never fought against its wielder, I know this sword well. It’s incredibly painful to be struck by it.”  

“…Painful, huh?”  

Judging by her tone, she had personally encountered the master of this sword before. The sheer age of the weapon, which seemed to have existed for hundreds of years, made its presence here all the more perplexing.  

“…No way. Is this a relic?”  

It was a weapon left behind by a hero from centuries past. Relics like this were supposed to ascend to the heavens upon their wielder’s death.  

Yet, here it was.  

“…This is a grave.”  

Only then did I realize the true nature of this place.  

A tomb of weapons.  

A coffin for ceremonial arms that had been unable to follow their masters in death.  

“Why is this here…?”  

“…Empress?”  

The Great Witch who had led us here murmured softly. She stumbled toward a staff embedded in the ground, stopping before it.  

In front of the staff lay a crown, and as she looked down at it, sorrow filled her eyes.

---

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