Chapter 128: External Excursion (1)

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“Haap!”

A loud shout echoed.

In the training hall of Bayern, at its center, Laysis swung her sword without rest.

She was learning the forms of the Boundless Azure Sword Technique that Carl had taught her, one by one, putting her full strength into each strike to maintain the exact posture.

Meanwhile, Carl, leaning against one side of the training hall, corrected her whenever her stance went wrong.

“You need to widen the angle of your right arm. Make the sword’s trajectory broader.”

“The momentum of your step is lacking. Shift your center of gravity a little more forward.”

Carl kept correcting her.

One had to build the framework first in order for growth to take place within it.

If she developed wrong habits, she would suffer for it later.

It would be difficult to fix, and like twisted branches, it would only lead to faulty results.

“…Huff, huff.”

Laysis’ breathing gradually grew rougher.

Swinging the sword with full strength was hard enough, but keeping her posture precise while also paying attention to Carl’s constant corrections was no easy task.

Her whole body was already drenched in sweat, but Laysis held onto her focus and continued to swing her sword.

Carl, who silently watched the scene, reflected inwardly.

‘The Western Third Commercial District has been fully resolved now.’

The weekend had passed, and the weekdays arrived.

Besha, the leader of the Demon Humans, and Lucas of the Heretic group—

Carl had taken care of both and returned to the daily routine of Bayern.

Dirsen, who had integrated Lahan and the subordinates, would neatly handle the aftermath.

‘It’s a pity I couldn’t finish Lucas completely.’

The puppeteer of the Heretic group—

His identity still held many vague parts.

Which god he served, what his purpose was in appearing before Carl—none of it was known yet.

‘The god itself isn’t important. What matters is that they are a religious group.’

Religion could be seen as a belief system.

Unlike organizations formed by interests, fanatical believers bound together by faith acted unpredictably.

Of course, they weren’t as dangerous as the thralls who had sold their souls to demons.

‘As for the Demon Humans…’

The Thousand-Mile Tracking Fragrance.

The version he had reproduced in Artenia would serve as a signpost.

He had spread it only on the Demon Humans who exuded a strong presence at the scene.

From what Besha had said, they were active not only in the Western Third Commercial District but also elsewhere, so Carl would encounter those marked by the fragrance from time to time.

By tracing them back, he might reach the organization or the root of the Demon Humans.

‘The name NOX has already spread.’

Since he and Lahan had seized control of the Western Third Commercial District, it was natural that their reputation spread.

In any case, having already clashed with the Demon Humans, the demons were surely sharing tales while keeping an eye on him.

Now that they knew the Heavenly Demon Divine Art displayed overwhelming superiority against them, it wasn’t something to worry about.

If he ran into them, he simply needed to take their heads.

But Lucas’ side was different…

‘I wonder if he’ll like the gift.’

Though the consciousness had been driven out, Carl had used that channel to leave a marking.

Somewhere on that body, demonic energy must have burned into his flesh.

Even with holy water or potions, the mark would leave traces.

Even if the wounds were flawlessly healed, it didn’t matter.

As long as it was a marking made with the demonic energy of the Divine Art, if they met again, Carl would recognize it for certain.

‘Whether Demon Humans or Lucas’ group, they’ll approach cautiously from now on.’

What remained was stabilizing the Western Third Commercial District and solidifying NOX from within.

All urgent matters were finished, so for the time being, he had leeway.

He planned to raise each member of White Label to a level where they could eventually become officers.

“Hoo…”

After finishing another repetition of the Boundless Azure Sword Technique, Laysis let out a deep breath and lowered her sword.

Wiping away the sweat that dripped down, she looked at Carl with sparkling eyes.

“How was it?”

“Much better than before. Your skill is improving quickly.”

“Right? I could feel it myself. The swordsmanship you taught me fits my body perfectly. It feels like it was made just for me.”

“Then that’s good.”

Carl gave a faint smile.

Though he had taught her well, Laysis’ martial talent was outstanding in itself.

As he had said before, in terms of talent alone, she was no less than Black Label.

If she continued to smoothly master the Boundless Azure Sword Technique and grew further, she might even aim for the seat of an officer.

She was indeed the talent he had chosen.

“Hoo.”

Laysis tied back her disheveled hair and looked at Carl.

“It’s tomorrow, isn’t it? The external excursion.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Of course, since Carl likes history and ruins.”

Tomorrow, they were scheduled for an external excursion as part of the Empire’s history class.

They were preparing to visit the ancient ruins located in the territory of Tohochu.

‘Though those ruins were fully excavated long ago…’

Still, no one knew what might be left.

There could be devices or mechanisms that reacted only to certain energies.

He couldn’t claim with certainty that the legacy of 《Justice》 left for future generations was the only one.

“I heard the excursion will proceed freely. Do you have companions?”

“No. I plan to quietly look around alone.”

Of course, Maximilian and other cadets had urged him to accompany them.

But Carl, wanting to quietly investigate the ruins, refused all of them and chose to move alone.

It would be difficult to act seriously with others watching.

“Are you planning to seriously investigate?”

“Yes. Even if the ruins were fully excavated, you never know. I might discover something by chance.”

“Well, if it’s Carl, I suppose you could. Like with that sword…”

The Divine Sword Cheonroe.

The legacy of 《Justice》 that had slumbered in the Imperial Palace.

Since Carl had proudly seized it after overcoming the trial left by the hero, perhaps he could discover something else too.

“Can I help you?”

“…Miss Laysis?”

“Yes, I won’t get in your way. Even if we discover something, I won’t ask for shares or rewards. I’m just curious. About what else might be lying dormant.”

The ruins in Tohochu territory had already been investigated to the bones.

But she hoped that, together with Carl, they might discover something.

“Since I know Carl’s true face, I don’t have anything to hesitate over, do I?”

His true face.

Carl gave a bitter smile.

What Laysis knew was only a part.

Of course, when considering all of Bayern, she could be said to be the cadet who was closest to touching his true nature.

‘Her skills are quite excellent too.’

Since he planned to scout her into NOX in the future, raising her favor in this way wasn’t a bad idea.

And if there was some kind of trap, he could always frame it as training.

“I understand. Then I’ll be in your care tomorrow.”

Carl nodded with a faint smile.

Tohochu.

It was a tourist territory famous for its mountain valleys, ruins, and gorges.

As the pleasant spring days continued, Tohochu was full of visitors.

Not only from Bayern, but cadets from other academies also roamed the streets in various uniforms, since their external excursions were underway as well.

Clatter.

The excursion was scheduled to begin in the afternoon, after lunch.

Carl, who had come to Tohochu early, was enjoying tea in a quiet, privately rented café while watching the streets.

“Master.”

A middle-aged person came up the stairs and bowed politely to Carl.

It was Ninth Lord, disguised as a tourist who had come to Tohochu for convalescence.

“How is the Capital?”

“No major issues. Dirsen smoothly integrated Lahan and officially inherited the boss’s position.”

Carl gave a short nod.

Originally, Lahan’s boss, his father, had been bedridden and unable to act properly.

Since the rival, Turgar, had been eliminated, it was only natural for him to ascend to the boss’s seat.

“You must be busy tidying things up in the Capital, yet I’ve troubled you with this matter here.”

“Not at all. I am only glad to be of service to Master.”

Ninth Lord shook her head with a smile.

As she oversaw NOX’s intelligence organization, her role was of great importance.

At present, she had begun laying roots throughout the shadows of the Capital, starting from within Bayern.

As time went on, she would dig deeper into hidden and darker places, becoming the essential foundation that sustained NOX.

“Sit for now.”

“Yes.”

Ninth Lord sat down and placed a document she took from her robes onto the table.

“These are the materials on the ruins you mentioned. I selected three sites that seemed most likely.”

“Hm.”

Carl picked up the document and checked its contents.

Even for him, it was impossible to visit every ruin in Tohochu territory in one day.

So NOX had been mobilized to investigate the most promising places where undiscovered ruins might remain.

“The first is the Gargoyle Spire?”

“Yes, it’s a ruin located midway up a mountain called Rehulam in the back area. Since the spire stands alone in the middle of nowhere, I selected it as the most likely site.”

“So even the Empire couldn’t find anything there.”

“Yes. Which means it’s likely hidden very thoroughly.”

The Empire’s ruin exploration teams were among the best on the continent.

The ruins in Tohochu territory had been excavated decades ago.

The fact that nothing had been found around the Gargoyle Spire meant—

“It either truly doesn’t exist, or it’s concealed by a special method.”

“That is correct.”

The second was the Temple of Wiblem.

Located in the center of Tohochu territory, it boasted immense size.

Not only above ground but also underground, tunnels like an anthill spread everywhere, leaving many hidden spaces.

The third was another temple, and though its potential seemed somewhat less than the first two, it was still a worthy choice.

“The Wiblem side seems like it could hold something as well.”

“That place was even used as a refuge during the war. According to old records, many claimed to have discovered hidden treasures or secret chambers there.”

“Hm.”

Carl looked down at the document.

Even visiting all three sites would be tight on time, so it seemed best to settle for the Gargoyle Spire and the Temple of Wiblem.

‘After all, I only came here under the guise of an excursion.’

If something turned up, it would be good.

If not, he could simply consider it study material.

The more knowledge and research he had on ruins, the more it would help him in the future.

“We’ll go with these two.”

“We’ll conduct further investigation on the remaining site ourselves.”

Carl nodded and stood up.

“Leaving already?”

“It’s almost time to meet Laysis.”

“Ah.”

Ninth Lord gave a bitter smile.

If Queen had been present, she would surely have shown a disappointed expression.

She might even have insisted on tagging along herself to investigate together.

“I’ll station our people nearby. Call on them whenever you need.”

“Understood.”

After parting with Ninth Lord, Carl immediately left the café and headed to the meeting place.

Even though some time remained, Laysis was already there.

Since the excursion was free, they didn’t have to wear the Bayern uniform.

The moment Carl saw Laysis’ outfit, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘She really came prepared.’

A light jacket, reinforced greaves, tough-looking leather pants, solid boots, and even tools strapped to her waist.

It was an outfit more fitting for a tomb robber than for a ruin exploration.

“Ah, Carl!”

Whether she knew what he was thinking or not, Laysis spotted him and waved brightly with a smile.

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