A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

65 – Acquisition of the Legendary Item

The Royal Palace was in an uproar.

“Is it true that the underground labyrinth hiding the Holy Sword has been discovered?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Immediately send an exploration team! Go and retrieve the Holy Sword!”

“Of course.”

An exploration team was promptly assembled. Kaldran and Selené participated as advisors, with Karia and the elementalists and giants of the Iron Blood Legion leading the way. Some knights who had trained with swords all their lives also joined. The team was composed of such luxurious members that it was far beyond just an ordinary adventure party.

“Among the information my grandfather collected about the labyrinth, there was also this. The trials inside the labyrinth consist of three main types. They are maintained by very powerful ancient magic. The first is the Trial of Combat. My grandfather believed this trial was guarded by ancient golems.”

“We can just smash them. Don’t worry.”

Karia casually reassured, checking her sword. Kaldran, after silently observing her for a moment, seemed to think that with her and the giants’ combat abilities, there might be no need for a solution and nodded before moving on.

“The second is the Trial of Wisdom. You must enter a room sealed with ancient magic and unlock it to proceed. If you fail to unlock the magic within the specified time, the ceiling with thorns slowly descends…”

“Compared to modern standards, ancient magic was quite rudimentary. Summon a few magicians from the Matop Tower, and they’ll decipher it quickly. Let’s move on.”

Kaldran hesitated briefly before mentioning the final trial.

“The last is the Trial of Truth. There is no specific information about what this trial entails. It simply states that only those with a true heart will pass…”

To that, I replied.

“There will be no one more dedicated to saving the Empire truthfully than me.”

Otherwise, it’s a grim, miserable ending.

There is no more serious enemy in my life than that.

“A miserable end can go to hell.”

The ending I desire is to marry Karia, have around seven rabbit-like children, and live happily in old age.

Kaldran nodded at my words.

“I think this should be sufficient. Let’s go in.”

“Open it.”

At Karia’s command, five Woongin stepped forward to start pushing the massive iron gate. With a creaking sound, the iron gate that had been slumbering underground in the Royal Palace for thousands of years began to slowly open.

A thick, cold air rushed out, but Karia and the leaders of the Iron Blood Legion showed no signs of surprise or flinching.

“Let’s go in. For the Empire.”

Karia drew her sword, and Kal Hansen and Selené, along with Kaldran, cautiously followed her inside.

After descending a long staircase for quite a while, a spacious courtyard welcomed us.

“The Trial of Combat!”

Dozens of golems were arranged in the courtyard. Clad in sturdy armor, the golems noticed us and rose from their positions with fiery eyes.

And a booming voice began to echo through the courtyard.

“Descendants who have entered the labyrinth. Welcome. If you seek the Holy Sword, I shall ascertain if you are worthy to wield it. First, subdue the golems before you. Only then will the next door open…”

Before the words even finished.

“Machine gun.”

“Yes, Commander.”

The Woongin tribe released the lightweight magic on the modified water-cooled submachine guns to enable portability.

“Celene unnie. Kaldoran. Landor. Plug your ears. Cast acceleration magic and fire away.”

“Commence firing!!”

As soon as we plugged our ears, the mage beside us cast acceleration magic on the gun barrels. And the submachine guns started spewing fire.

“Is that John Basilone?”

The physical strength of the Woongin tribe surpassed imagination. They effortlessly lifted and fired those heavy submachine guns as if they were mere toys. Five submachine guns started spitting fire, turning the golem knights into beehives before they could charge.

They seemed to have equipped themselves with the toughest armor and defensive magic at the time, but it seemed they couldn’t withstand the brute piercing power of the guns.

After about 20 seconds of continuous shooting, there were no more golem knights standing on the ground.

[…Permission to pass.]

With a somewhat perplexing voice, the door to the next trial opened.

Confidently, we proceeded to the next trial.

“This is the Trial of Wisdom! Be careful, as soon as you step in, the ceiling will start coming down…”

“I’ll take care of this. I’ll cast anti-gravity magic on the ceiling, and mages, follow me in.”

This time, Celene took charge.

[Welcome to the second trial, descendants. Here, your wisdom will be tested. You must solve the puzzle on one side of the wall in order to proceed to the next…]

“Defining transformation magic and elemental magic. Well, if it’s from thousands of years ago, this must have been the latest discovery back then. Nowadays, they teach you this stuff right from the basics.”

In the blink of an eye, Celene solved the puzzle.

So… to put it in my perspective, it felt like if Pythagoras had confidently put up the Pythagorean theorem on the wall as a quiz, and the best scientist of that era just solved it like something they learned in middle school.

[…Permission to pass.]

With an even more bewildering voice echoing, the gateway to the next trial opened.

From now on, everyone started to feel a bit tense.

The Trial of the True Self.

From Noble mtl dot com

The nature of the trial that even Kaldoran couldn’t discern.

What kind of trial was this, really?

But in order to gain the upper hand in the war against dragons.

To save the empire, we had no choice but to move forward.

“Let’s go.”

This time, I took the lead.

The Trial of the True Self. The truest self here is probably me.

Slowly advancing, not long after, the room for the final third trial appeared before my eyes.

I took a deep breath, calming my nerves for a moment, before entering the room to face the ultimate trial.

The last trial.

The Trial of the True Self was nothing extraordinary.

“A skull?”

There was nothing in the room.

Just a single skull sitting solemnly on a chair made of stone.

As we cautiously approached the skull, suddenly, a golden light began to emanate from it.

“It’s divine magic!”

At Celene’s words, Karia hurriedly approached me.

“Randor! Be careful!”

“Thank you, Lady Karia.”

After a fierce golden wave passed through us, sudden light started emanating from the empty eye sockets of the skull.

We all flinched.

The skull began to move and speak. More accurately, it felt like the voice was resonating directly in our minds.

“It’s been long.”

How long had it been under here?

“It was too long until new descendants came to find me. They must have arrived here due to their intense desire and eagerness towards the Holy Sword. Will that intense desire be driven by selfishness? Or is it truly to save humanity? I will observe and judge.”

Karia and I were at the forefront with the skull. It reached out towards both of us. Everyone could instinctively sense it.

The clothes worn by the skull.

High-level magic that directly conveyed will into our minds.

The skull in front of us was once called a legendary hero when alive.

“I am the first Dragonslayer, the continent’s protector, and the owner of the Holy Sword. You who seek to become the new owner of the Holy Sword, step forward.”

I swallowed nervously, took Karia’s hand, and moved forward. Karia approached the skull with a sword in hand.

“Take my hand.”

The skull extended a bony hand.

Both of us stared at the hand for a moment, then boldly grabbed it simultaneously.

And then.

“Gasp!”

“Huh?”

A strange energy penetrated our minds, causing both of us to utter a strange groan simultaneously.

“Is it so… Is it so. Were you two like this?”

The skull peered into our minds.

It felt like our memories were being read by him. It was eerie, and even though it was hard to put into words, I managed to endure it.

I earnestly showed the skull my memories and my desperate feelings.

The skull meticulously sifted through those memories.

“You are earnest. Very earnest. You may not seem like someone who wants to die, but… you make many people happy. I’ve seen your sincerity.”

The skull said to me in that manner. Then, the skull turned its gaze towards Karia.

“You… are twisted. You had an unhappy childhood and were saved by a man. You and… Randor, do you want to have s*x? Do you want to have s*x? Do you want to have children? Do you want to get pregnant?”

The skull’s voice became astonished, like someone who had peeked into something they shouldn’t have.

“s*x… No. There’s nothing in your mind except s*x with Randor, right?”

“Hey, shut up! Skull!”

Karia shouted urgently, but it was too late. Everyone present had already heard her true feelings.

There was no shame like this shame.

Blushing, I had to bow my head deeply, and the skull, with a look that seemed like he might get hurt if he looked any further, quickly stopped peering into Karia’s mind.

“I’ve seen your sincerity well.”

“Ugh…”

Karia seemed extremely embarrassed, her face burning as she bowed her head.

Looking somewhat embarrassed himself, the skull coughed a few times and fell silent for a moment.

He seemed to be contemplating.

“Is that so. Have the dragons attacked once again?”

I replied, “Yes.”

“They must have come this far to threaten them with the Holy Sword, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“It will be difficult to defeat them. They are strong, ruthless, and selfish.”

“I agree. But there is a way. Once we have the Holy Sword in hand, we can find a way to sit them at the negotiation table.”

“I glimpsed into your mind and saw what that method is. It was a brilliant plan. Crafty yet wise.”

The skull let out a chuckle.

Then, as if exhausted, he sank back into the chair.

“I thought… that if it were you, it would be fine to pass on my Holy Sword.”

With a creaking sound, something began to rise from the floor.

It was the shining golden Holy Sword, placed on a rectangular-shaped polished rock.

“I have a favor to ask. Owner of the Holy Sword.”

“Please, speak.”

“Cast my bones into the sea. I wish to roam the world after death… riding the waves and winds.”

I nodded silently.

It was only natural to grant such a request to the hero who had once saved humanity.

“Of course. Sir Knight.”

“Protect. With that power… protect humanity.”

With those words, the skull bowed its head for the last time.

As the magic that enveloped his body dissipated, it seemed as if thousands of years had suddenly caught up with the skull.

With a crumbling sound, the skull turned to dust in an instant.

We all took a moment of silence.

It was the least we could do in homage to the mightiest hero and savior of humanity of an era.

And then.

I cautiously raised the Holy Sword.

Despite the passing of thousands of years, the Holy Sword still exuded a menacing aura.

“Finally. It’s in my hands.”

With an elated expression, I raised the Holy Sword towards everyone.

“The Holy Sword!! It’s in our hands!!!!”

The first weapon to stand against the dragon.

The first weapon to be stained with the blood of a dragon.

It was the moment the legendary weapon returned to the hands of the empire.