C274: Devalk Imperial Castle (1)
The Devalk Castle is a huge silver castle that symbolizes the Exilion Empire itself.
Receiving the blessing of the sun by day, and the grace of the moon and stars by night the fortress, which stood tall as if to announce its presence, was a symbol of history that no one could invade.
It was a place where no one would normally enter but Rudger was following the guide.
'I never thought they would open the door of the imperial castle.'
Rudger looked around the interior of the Imperial Castle.
He wasn't the only one who came. There were other teachers here besides Rudger.
"Wow, it's so beautiful."
Selina said so as she walked through a corridor full of colorful decorations and art.
"Yes."
Rudger also responded moderately and sympathized with the words.
Selina's response is the same as that of the other teachers since the opportunity to end the Imperial Castle is very rare even though they are Theon's teachers.
The place they're walking now is called the Glass Corridor, and the hallway itself was a work of art made up of glass, crystal, and mirrors.
This huge and beautiful work created through glass was called Lindbergh's two major glass artworks along with the Crystal Palace.
"It's better than the Crystal Palace."
Unlike the Crystal Palace, where anyone with a ticket could enter, the Glass Corridor was only for the chosen ones. Given its scarcity, it's safe to say that it's far more valuable.
"I've traveled the continent and seen all sorts of unusual things.'
Rudger traveled with his master, exploring the far reaches of the world. Secret ruins, fiery skies, frozen lands, and natural wonders that defy common sense.
Among them, he saw elemental lords that a normal person would never see in their lifetime.
Rudger was too experienced to be surprised by what he saw.
Compared to the wonders of Mother Nature, the works of art created by mankind are bound to fall short. Or so he thought.
Even Rudger was awed by the Glass Corridor.
Even if it was artificial, there was a calculated beauty in the work of so many artists.
Had he not come to the capital, he would never have seen such a thing.
'Come to think of it, this is the first time I've entered the palace in all my years of wandering.'
That day seven years ago even when he met with First Princess Eileen, Rudger had never entered the palace.
At the time, Princess Eileen lacked power within the palace, and there were too many eyes on her. So the two met in the city's dark back alleys and deserted neighborhoods.
'It's funny to think about now.'
A filthy abandoned house was where the next Emperor and an Academy teacher with the highest stock price in history met.
It's hardly the stuff of jokes. But there was a time when it was.
A time when a woman capable of wielding unstoppable power would duck and cover in an alleyway.
They shine brightly now, but it wasn't always that way.
'Cause not everyone was great from the start.'
"Mr. Rudger?"
"Yes."
The sudden sound of Selina's voice pulled Rudger out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her.
Selina, who had come with him as a tutor, was staring at him with a clear gaze.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was just thinking that it's beautiful inside."
"Oh, I know, me too, because I never thought I'd be in a place like this. In addition, the artworks are beautiful."
"Yes, so I'm going to enjoy it enough now since it's a rare opportunity."
As Rudger said that, he didn't stop scanning the interior of the palace.
It was so large that he hadn't been able to make out the imperial warehouse yet, but he needed to get a sense of the overall structure.
'It's even more spacious than I thought, and we've only been allowed to explore a tiny fraction of the castle.'
The corridors were endless.
At first glance, the palace courtyard beyond the glass windows was as large as the park of the city of Leathervelk.
Rudger couldn't help but wonder if he should have taken a carriage or steam car instead of walking around since the palace was so huge.
'Even if I stole Relic's fragment from a place like this, I might not be able to get away with it.'
There was only one reason Rudger came to the imperial castle in the first place. To obtain a fragment of an ancient artifact, one of the few left.
'This might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I was confident that no place was beyond Hans's reach.'
No matter how secretive a place is, if it's in the hands of humans, it's bound to be found.
Nevertheless, Hans said he could not find it. Rather, it became a clear clue due to the elimination method.
'It has to be here.'
Inside the imperial family, there is a warehouse for valuable items, and if there is one, it's probably here.
But there were other problems.
Even if they knew the location of the warehouse, it would have to be quite large, given the size of the Imperial Palace.
'The fragments resonate with each other when they get close, so if I go in, it won't take long to find it.'
The problem would come after finding it.
'The imperial palace is too large, and once they realize that something has been taken, soldiers will come from all directions to surround it, making escape virtually impossible.'
Rudger weighed his options.
What if I traveled through shadows?
'It's hard enough to travel through space, and there's a high risk of coordinates being distorted by the magic barriers that have been installed throughout the palace.'
Rudger's use of space movement magic so far was because he was clearly aware of coordinates with his eyes and head.
If the coordinates were off by even a fraction of a degree, he'd be plummeting from a great height.
That would rather be a relief but if he gets stuck in a wall or buried under the ground, it would be a real problem.
Only Rudger can use spatial magic, but given the risks, even he wouldn't dare to use it recklessly.
Then he'd have to get out of the castle with his own two legs, not purely by magic but that seemed impossible, too.
First, the castle was too large. The larger it is, the more people there are, and the more soldiers there are.
'Not only are there soldiers, but there are also knights who defend the royal family.'
Even now, as he walked down the hall, he could see the uniformed knights standing guard.
The Knights of the Imperial Guard were different from the Three Knights Orders of the Empire.
They were less skilled compared to the Three Great Knights Orders, who would go out into the wilderness and do the hard work but knights are knights nonetheless.
They're undervalued because they stay in peaceful places or go on patrol, but to the average person, they're superhuman.
'And the biggest problem is the Royal Guard.'
Knights whose sole purpose is to protect the bloodline of the imperial family.
The Royal Guard is a title given to the strongest of the knights. They are few in number, but their individual power far exceeds that of the average knight.
From what he heard, Trina Ryanhowl could have been a Royal Guard, but she decided that she wasn't up to the task.
'Not all of them are masters, but at least they're close.'
He had to escape the overwhelming number of Knights and Royal Guards and get out of the vast Imperial Palace.
'I don't see how that's possible.'
Rudger thought for a moment, if only he could use the power of the gods, but then shook his head.
Collecting Relic fragments was a very stealthy thing to do but with the power of the gods, there would be no hiding it.
Not only would his cover be blown, but the citizens of the capital would witness an unbelievable sight.
'I wouldn't be able to make a modest show of force against imperial power, and I might have to give up a lot of things to deal with that kind of power.'
Rudger ran a simulation through his mind and shook his head.
'I can't change the map to steal a small piece.'
Above all, the imperial family doesn't only have knights and Royal Guards. There were also wizards in the imperial service, and there were certainly powers yet to be revealed.
'Like the shadow dagger.'
In the past, the shadow dagger of Eileen, the First Princess, was a term referring to "Jack the Ripper," one of Rudger's identities. But Jack the Ripper has mysteriously disappeared since solving the case seven years ago.
Nevertheless, the story of the Empress's dagger echoed among the nobles.
There was no way she could have kept the illusion alive for seven years, so it was likely she had someone new in his place.
'In this case, we'll have to rethink fundamentally tearing up the warehouse of the imperial family.'
If Hans had heard him, he would have said "Did you really mean to rob them?" with a straight face.
To Hans's surprise, Rudger did indeed intend to rob the imperial warehouse. Just not now.
Rudger was suddenly curious.
'I wonder how Hans and Sedina are doing.'
* * *
Sedina Rosen is now blocked by a big wall.
'Why with this person?'
Sedina's eyes turned to her mentor, Casey Selmore.
Casey Selmore was also conscious of Rudger's assistant, Sedina.
Originally, Sedina intended to gather information around her through paper magic while pretending to follow the mentor.
Hans, her senior, had offered to help, but she couldn't just sit back and do nothing. However, her mentor was not to be outdone.
Her opponent is the person who tracked down Rudger Chelici. She was called the detective of the century, so Sedina could be found out if she used her magic improperly.
'My magic is particularly stealthy, but that's no guarantee that I won't be detected by someone of her caliber.'
And the fact that Casey was also aware of Sedina was a big problem.
'To what end?'
Casey Selmore thought as Sedina pondered.
'If I get to know this kid, his assistant, won't I get to know him better?'
Casey applied as a mentor to increase her contact with Rudger because Rudger's past, she peeped in, was nothing like public knowledge.
Even if Rudger had meant well, if this whole thing had been a misunderstanding, she had to make amends once she learned the truth. But even Casey, who normally would have spoken up, found herself at a loss for words as she stood before Rudger.
I've seen your past.
I learned the truth about that day.
The words didn't come out of her mouth easily, and there was nothing she could do but shove the mentor application in his face.
Eventually, Casey decided to change her approach. She'd start by getting to know Rudger's inner circle.
Not knowing that, Sedina couldn't help but wonder if she'd been discovered.
'What should I do?'
Moreover, the problem was that there was one more person in the same group who was uncomfortable with Sedina.
An intense gaze was staring at her from the side.
Sedina had to try desperately not to look back.
Julia Plumhart joined her group and was staring at Sedina from the side.
She also seemed to have no intention of turning her eyes away, perhaps because she was upset when Sedina did not respond.
'I can't do this.'
Sedina felt uncomfortable with Julia looking at her like this. It wasn't that she didn't feel sorry for her.
As children, Sedina and Julia had been best friends.
It was the first time Julia had ever opened up to anyone, and it was the same for Sedina but the moment Sedina decided to join the Black Dawn Society, the relationship between the two fell apart.
'Although I'm on Rudger's side now, not the Black Dawn Society, nothing changes.'
Sedina was no longer an ordinary student and her world was different from Julia's.
For Julia's sake, Sedina should not be involved with her.
Her gaze at Sedina is a mixture of anger, betrayal, and weak goodwill. Sedina felt sorry for her, but deliberately ignored Julia's gaze but no matter how much she tried to ignore her, Julia seemed unwilling to give up.
Amid such strange tension, Sedina shed tears inside.
'Please somebody help me.'
* * *
"No, what the hell is she doing, I haven't heard back from her."
Hans, waiting in the camouflage house, crossed his arms and shook his legs in frustration at the lack of news from Sedina.
'She can't help it, there are knights everywhere.'
Hans was well aware of Sedina's respect for Rudger. The fact that he hadn't heard from her yet meant that things were not going her way.
'In that case, I guess I'll just have to do what you've told me to do, even if it's on my own.'
For now, he took the advice of Grander, who's still lying on the couch, and decided to focus on the underground sewers although he was skeptical that it would yield the information they were looking for.
'But rather than being pointed out for not listening, it's right to try it.'
At the time when Hans was agonizing inside, one of the mice he sent returned.
"Hey, you're back. Did you check it out already?"
[Squeak! Squeak!]
"Underground? Did you check the inside of the sewer?"
[Squeak! Squeak!!]
"What?"
Hans could not help but be puzzled by what the rat had told him.
"You can't go any further down into the sewers?"
Hans's question made the rat's whiskers stand up and he nodded.