It just happened to be two million gold coins, as if he had completely figured out Miles's situation—a tempting offer he couldn't refuse.
But then he thought about it.
How did Kaima know he needed two million? Miles remembered that the only people who knew about this matter were Krista and Ren, who had been present at the time.
And because this matter involved the taboo of Human Transmutation, Viel had repeatedly warned him that while he was allowed to gather funds, he must not reveal anything about creating a body.
"Could it be… there's a mole?"
Between Krista and Ren, the only two who would have revealed this to the Seth siblings, Ren—who actually knew Kevin—was the more suspicious one.
Thinking of this, Miles shifted his gaze toward Ren, the suspected mole.
Yet, after boarding the airship, this so-called mole was already busy discussing with Lishia which of the complimentary desserts tasted better.
Noticing Miles sneaking glances at her, Ren—her mouth covered in cream—blushed with embarrassment, then gave Miles a "sweet" smile.
Acting all innocent, as if she weren't the mole.
Could it really not be her?
Then could it be Krista… even less likely.
Krista didn't even know the Seth siblings.
And thinking about it carefully, although these two women occasionally acted strangely, neither seemed like the type who would recklessly reveal a forbidden secret.
He didn't expect such a coincidence to exist in this world.
"Alright then, I'll take this job!"
Whatever the reason, it was a full two million gold coins. No one would turn down money.
Maybe he was the one who didn't understand the market. Hiring a Royal Knight might naturally cost two million.
"The destination is the western region of the kingdom, right? When do we depart?"
"We're already on our way."
"Huh?"
Only now did Miles realize that the Seth family's Blue-Eyes White Dragon Airship carrying everyone wasn't flying toward Fusion Academy at all, but taking a completely unfamiliar route.
It seemed what Kevin and the crew mentioned earlier at takeoff referred to this.
"If you hadn't agreed, once I got off in the western region, I would've sent you all safely back to the academy. But since you've accepted, come with me later to meet up with my sister."
After all, this was also a problem the Seth family had to face. Kevin would certainly go to help Kaima.
And being able to hire a Royal Knight purely with money was already an unexpected bonus.
It seemed Senior Alester had been entirely correct—the information he gave was accurate. Miles really would be short on money during this period.
Although Kevin didn't know what Miles intended to use the money for…
Compared to Miles, money was the easiest thing to obtain for a family like the Seths, whose industries spanned the entire kingdom.
…
"We're going too!"
As expected, when they learned Miles had suddenly decided to divert to the western region to help Kaima suppress the rebellion, these women couldn't sit still.
"If you go, it'll be unpaid work." Kevin implied that he had never invited them; compensation wasn't on the table. Women should avoid getting in the way.
"We never said we were going to help," Irena said with a smile. "We'll just treat it as a trip. As long as I don't have to attend class, I can go anywhere."
Ren added worriedly, "The western region… if I remember correctly, that's Lishia's hometown, right? Lishia, is it really okay for you to go too? What if…"
"My hometown is just a tiny village in the west," Lishia waved her hand. "Ren-senpai, the western region is huge. How could it possibly be my village? That'd be way too coincidental."
The western region of the kingdom, due to geographical limitations, struggled to develop, leaving it economically backward and often plagued by cult activity.
Anyhow, as for its land area, it was anything but small. Nearly one-quarter of Livorden's territory fell within the western region.
"You guys!" Kevin was speechless. "This is a real rebellion. People might get hurt. And you're treating it like a vacation."
Irena countered, "Kevin, your definition of a trip is too narrow. Travel isn't just about having fun. Witnessing suffering, changes in history—that's part of the meaning of travel too."
"..."
Kevin definitely couldn't win a verbal argument against Irena. Even Kaima herself would only fight her to a draw.
Unable to dissuade them, the airship's final destination was set to the western kingdom. They wouldn't even be returning to Fusion Academy.
"Right, I need to contact Vice Principal Raiden and report our delayed return."
Though she usually behaved freely and casually, Irena understood the rules. If she didn't handle this properly, she might be marked as absent and lose credits.
"Kevin, how long will this take? I need to report it accurately."
"How should I know?"
Before departing, Kaima had assumed it was just an ordinary cult uprising—something that could be handled in three days.
Yet nearly a week had passed. Not only was the rebellion unresolved, but it was escalating.
So even if Kevin was asked for a time estimate, he couldn't give one.
"I see. Then I'll report it truthfully to Vice Principal Raiden."
From Kevin's attitude, Irena seemed to recognize how serious the situation currently was.
And indeed, things were very serious. When the airship flew over the western lands, Miles and the others finally grasped how dire it was.
Because the western region was a Gobi Desert, its settlements were mostly small villages, the buildings made of yellow mud.
Now, one house after another lay toppled and collapsed, no longer resembling a place where people lived.
Aisha said, "This is horrible… what on earth happened?"
"You'll know once we land."
Miles looked toward a structure in the distance that contrasted sharply with the surrounding yellow earth.
That should be the temporary base the Seth family had built to station their forces.
After disembarking, most people in the Seth family's temporary camp recognized their second young master, Kevin.
However, the group following behind him—these people they had rarely seen.
"I heard Young Master Kevin doesn't like women around him. How come he suddenly brought back so many pretty, cute girls?"
"You'd better lower your voice," a seasoned soldier warned. "Didn't you see? Those people all have Spirit Eyes on their arms. They're all Duelists."
"Hiss… you're right. Pretend I never said anything."
Even in an era where Duelists enjoyed an exalted status, those capable of becoming Duelists were extremely rare.
The standing armies of the major families were still composed mostly of ordinary people.
Of course, noble families of ducal rank like the Seths would certainly recruit non-noble Duelists as retainers. At critical moments, like right now, they were invaluable.
"Sister!"
Entering the main tent, Kevin pushed the door open at once.
At the center of the camp, Kaima—her refined brows showing clear exhaustion—was discussing something with a group of people. Upon seeing her brother, her expression softened a bit.
Then, noticing the people who walked in with Kevin, her softened expression turned into surprise.
"Aisha Carlos! Irena, Ren Austin… and someone I don't recognize."
"I'm Aisha-senpai's roommate, Lishia."
"Oh." Kaima didn't care who Lishia was.
"Speaking of roommates, I'm your roommate too," Irena leaned in shamelessly. "So what's going on, my dear roommate? The once unruly Kaima Seth seems to be tangled up in a troublesome mess."
"Did you come all the way here just to mock me?" Kaima gave Irena an irritated look.
"Yes."
Everyone else in the main tent was stunned.
Who would dare speak to the current duke with that kind of attitude?
Even the veteran soldiers who had followed the Seth family for years wouldn't dare openly tease their lord like this.
If this had been during Reigun Seth's era, someone's head would've rolled by now.
"Stop joking around." Kaima's gaze shifted toward her most important target. "Since you came with Kevin, I can assume you accepted the terms, right? Royal Knight, Aisha Carlos."
The moment Kaima said this, everyone in the tent seized up.
The legendary, sole surviving Royal Knight… the hero who saved the Livorden royal capital.
Although they had heard rumors, seeing her in person was entirely different. It was hard not to be shocked that the Royal Duel Knight was just a little girl.
And what on earth had Kaima Seth offered to get a Royal Knight to come here?
"Tell me the situation, Kaima," Miles cut straight to the point.
Before they entered, this group had unquestionably been discussing something.
And since Miles had accepted this two-million-gold-coin job, he wouldn't just muddle through it. He would take it seriously; otherwise, how would that be any different from mooching off someone?
From his tone, Kaima could hear the current soul-swapped Miles. Her expression returned to full seriousness.
"The situation is extremely complicated. At first, we thought it was just an ordinary cult uprising; something we could suppress with force."
"So this rebellion isn't ordinary?" Miles guessed. "Do they also have powerful Duelists?"
"No, it's the opposite." Kaima let out a long sigh. "It's too ordinary. So ordinary that the rebels aren't cultists at all… they're just normal villagers."
"Villagers?"
"These past few days, the Seth forces have been fighting normal villagers. However, these villagers act as if they've been brainwashed—they hum strange songs nonstop, hold crude weapons, and attack anyone they see. And because of their sheer numbers, our forces could only build a temporary defensive line a kilometer away."
With just a few sentences, Miles already understood how troublesome Kaima's situation was.
The rebels weren't deranged cultists—they were ordinary villagers.
And from Kaima's words, it sounded like they were being controlled by something.
If they didn't uncover the truth, Kaima would never slaughter innocent villagers indiscriminately.
Thus, facing villagers who charged in like mindless puppets, the Seth troops were struggling to minimize casualties.
Only in such a situation would Kaima be delayed for so long.
If the enemy had been actual cultists who needed to be eliminated, it would've been much easier.
Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and a few Burst Stream of Destruction blasts would've solved the problem.
"This really sounds like a deadlock," Miles murmured as he stroked Aisha's smooth chin, falling into deep thought.
Right now, the problem wasn't simply a lack of combat power. Even if Kaima spent a fortune to bring him here, without knowing who was behind this, Miles couldn't simply attack.
Whether he came or not made no difference.
"Any leads, Kaima? You were discussing something before I came in."
"Yes… a little."
With her brows tightly drawn, Kaima activated the Recorder Bug on the table, projecting a shaky, blurry image onto the white wall.
"This is footage the soldiers risked their lives to record on the battlefield."
In the video, countless villagers of the western region—holding sharp, makeshift weapons—were grappling with Seth soldiers.
Trained warriors were, of course, far superior to ordinary civilians in a fight.
Despite that, there were too many villagers, and they fought without fear of death. Meanwhile, the Seth soldiers were holding back as much as possible to avoid killing civilians.
"How horrible!" Ren couldn't help but cry out.
Due to harsh living conditions, most villagers in the west were already malnourished and thin.
And yet they were being turned into puppets of war, staining their hands with blood they should never have had to shed. Anyone who saw this would feel shaken.
"Who could have done something so cruel?!"
Kaima said helplessly, "If we knew, we wouldn't be agonizing here."
The footage continued to play on the wall, but Miles couldn't see any clues Kaima spoke of.
"Kaima…"
"Shhh. Listen carefully."
The room fell silent the moment Kaima spoke.
"Singing?"
Once it was quiet, Miles finally heard it—hidden beneath the chaos of battle.
Just as Kaima described, the brainwashed villagers were all humming a strange song as they attacked.
"For now, that song is the only clue we can capture."
Why were the brainwashed villagers all singing the same song? Such an eerie phenomenon was far from normal.
"Mr. Miles."
"Hm?"
At that moment, Aisha's voice suddenly echoed from within the Millennium Puzzle's Soul Room.
"Don't you feel like this melody sounds familiar?"
"Familiar…"
With Aisha's reminder, Miles realized he had heard a similar tune somewhere before.
Vaguely… during a day of unusually thick fog, a girl's voice had hummed a nursery rhyme.
"That time!" With the melody awakening their memories, Miles and Aisha spoke almost in unison.
Back when the Livorden royal capital had been shrouded in heavy fog, Luca Slint had appeared faintly—and she had been humming a mysterious nursery rhyme. Its melody and lyrics were exactly the same as what the villagers were humming now.
Only, the villagers were unconsciously chanting it in a brainwashed state; compared to Luca's clear, enchanting voice, the difference was massive. No wonder neither Miles nor Aisha recognized it immediately.
Kaima continued, "After recording the footage, the Seth family immediately contacted experts from the music world, and even other professions to analyze this chant."
Ordinary people wouldn't understand, because the lyrics weren't in any modern language used on the Spirit Continent. That was why professionals were needed.
"Just now, the analysis results were delivered."
Kaima looked toward the documents still lying on the table. Without a doubt, this was their only breakthrough.
"This chant is sung in Ancient Continental Script—a language lost for over a thousand years."
"Ancient Continental Script?" Irena was shocked. "Kaima, are you saying this song comes from a prehistoric civilization?"
"That's the only explanation."
"Um, senpai…" Lishia timidly raised her hand. "What's a prehistoric civilization?"
Irena summarized, "Like mythology. One of the legends passed around."
"It's said that thousands or nearly ten thousand years before our current human civilization, an even more advanced prehistoric civilization existed on the Spirit Continent."
"Eh? Something like that existed? And where did this highly advanced civilization go?"
"Destroyed. The end of all rapid development is destruction. I always thought the legends of a prehistoric civilization were just stories made up by the older generation to warn later generations to develop steadily."
Kaima said, "It really existed. This falls under national secrets—so it's normal that you don't know, Irena."
After all, Irena wasn't from a noble family. No matter how knowledgeable she was, some state-restricted information could only be accessed by key members of major families.
"Tch." Irena clicked her tongue unhappily.
"The Seth family specifically contacted experts in Ancient Continental Script to translate this chant. The result is this."
Kaima switched the projection mode, enlarging the translated ancient lyrics on the wall.
"Destroyed, destroyed. In the war against the gods, all was destroyed.
"Arrived, arrived. Humanity finally reached the ultimate domain.
"Angered, angered. The gods felt displeasure toward all of this.
"Resist, resist. Faced with the gods' threat, humanity reached the domain they sought.
|Mock, mock. To rebel against the gods, they created the ultimate weapon bearing the gods' name.
"Cry out, cry out. Just as its name—'Heaven's Court'—it burned the skies, shattered the stars, and slew the gods.
"Rejoice, rejoice. Humanity on the brink of extinction finally gained the power to resist fate.
"Lament, lament. The spear of god-slaying fell together with the gods.
"Destroyed, destroyed. In the war against the gods, all was destroyed.
"Remember, remember. The gods and the god-slaying weapon slumber forever within the obelisk."
"That's all of it," Kevin said in a low voice, allowing Miles and the others to read.
After reading it many times, Miles felt that the lyrics recorded the final destruction of an entire civilization.
Yet such a tragic tale had been passed down as a nursery rhyme with a lively, cheerful melody.
In the end, the war between humans and gods destroyed both sides. Even though humanity created a weapon capable of killing gods, the prehistoric civilization still fell.
"If it's you, you should be able to see something in it," Kaima said, looking at the pensive Miles.
Miles had indeed noticed two things.
First—the god-slaying weapon created by humans, named after the gods as "Heaven's Court," must be the legendary Heavenly Thunder-Class Zeus.
Second—the final line carried the most crucial information: the gods and the god-slaying weapon were all sealed inside the obelisk.
"The obelisk mentioned in the lyrics should be the same obelisk we know, right?"
Among everyone present, the one most familiar with obelisks—because of her Tower Warden duties—was Lishia.
"Lishia!"
Miles waved a hand in front of Lishia's dazed eyes.
"Ah—sorry!" Lishia snapped out of it, her voice filled with wonder. "The lyrics are just so interesting… I got a little lost in them."
"This is… interesting to you?"
"Of course!" Lishia nodded vigorously. "Tragic lyrics paired with a cheerful melody… it feels like the war between humans and gods from thousands of years ago is playing out before my eyes!"
Miles could see the tragedy in the lyrics, and he heard the cheerful melody—but he certainly didn't see any war scenes.
Lishia was clearly a country girl, yet suddenly she was pretending to have artistic sensibilities.
"Then you must've noticed the last line, right? About the gods and the god-slaying weapon sleeping inside the obelisk. What do you think?"
"Hm?" Lishia tilted her head. "What do I think? I don't know."
"Aren't you… what's it called… a Tower Warden?"
"Senpai, Tower Wardens only clean the outside of the obelisk at scheduled times. We're not allowed to access the inside."
Looks like Lishia, outside of her Saint Vessel state, really didn't know anything. They wouldn't be getting useful information from her.
"In any case, the translated lyrics are the only clue we have for now. Rather than hesitate here, we should follow where they point."
Kaima spread out the strategic map of the Western Kingdom on the table.
"Let's head to the obelisk and search for answers. Royal Knight, you're coming with me."
"Of course. As long as you remember the payment."
Since he had accepted the task, Miles would give it his all—even if it was for the two million gold coins needed to create a body.
Not to mention, the words slumbering gods and god-slaying weapon together were enough to multiply the allure for any card lover by several orders of magnitude.
...
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