Chapter 135, Side Story 11: The Capital and the Mystery

Translator: Barnnn

 

As the silhouette of Speraniessa slowly faded into the distance, Loudipa turned to glance at the man beside him.

Gruash’s face, calm and composed, wore a carefully crafted mask. But Loudipa could tell: his heart had been left behind, full of thoughts of the lover he’d just parted with.

 

“I’m sorry I made you wait four years, Brother,” Loudipa said quietly.

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” replied Gruash. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing. For failing to become the Lord, and for leaving the burden to you.”

“That’s not your fault either. If you start apologizing, I’ll get angry.”

“Then let me say this instead: thank you, for shouldering the responsibility.”

“Heh. You’re welcome.”

 

Loudipa studied the familiar black hair of his brother, and his mind drifted to two others: a couple of Heroes who also bore dark hair, though theirs had a different texture. He’d seen them once without their usual magical Camouflage, and while similar, their hair had a subtle distinction, perhaps a mark of their region, as they’d told him.

 

“By the way…” Loudipa started again, “You mentioned they were from East Asia?”

“Right,” Gruash nodded. “Our bloodline, on the other hand, carries more traits from South Asia.”

“Totally different though, aren’t they? The faces, the skin tone, even their body types. No matter how many times I look at Ize, she doesn’t look a day over fifteen.”

“Well, maybe you should stop trying to propose to her, then,” Gruash said dryly.

Loudipa lifted his shoulders in feigned innocence. “If two black-haired Heroes joined the family, YOUR hair wouldn’t stand out so much anymore, would it? And if I marry Ize, I bet Hal would stick around, too…”

“They keep their hair camouflaged, so it’s not like people would even see it,” Gruash pointed out.

“But if we had children, they might inherit the black hair, right?”

“Think of the children’s feelings, would you?”

“Right, of course,” Loudipa said with a sheepish grin.

 

There was no malice in Loudipa’s musings — just the kind of dreamy talk one used to veil a deeper truth. He did like Ize, surely. But at the center of his world was always his brother, Gruash.

He only wished for the prejudice against black-haired nobility to one day be undone.

 

“With you back in the office, I’ll be glad to stand at your side and support you,” Gruash said.

“Yes, I’ll be counting on you, Brother,” Loudipa replied with a soft laugh.

 

The two siblings shared a smile, their expressions mirroring each other despite their differing hair color. And as their horsebus rumbled on toward the Capital, they steeled themselves for the enemies that no doubt awaited them.

 

◆

 

Speraniessa was among the wealthiest territories in the kingdom of Tajellia.

The reason was clear: it housed a Rank 1 Dungeon within its borders. Dungeons erupted in violent Deluges at set intervals, spewing forth Mystic Beasts and chaos. But once a Deluge passed, a Dungeon became a bottomless treasure chest, a mine of precious resources, or a pantry that never ran dry.

And where there was a Rank 1 Dungeon, there were always Heroes.

If Heroes intervened and resolved the Deluge, the Dungeon became no threat at all to the common folk.

But over the past twenty years, Speraniessa had suffered as never before.

It all began with a declaration from the King of Tajellia himself:

 

“At the next Deluge in Speraniessa, a Hero will not be summoned. You will show your strength by resolving it with your own people.”

 

And with that, the storm descended. No Hero, no divine intervention. Just a command that Speraniessa alone must quell the next Deluge. Not the kingdom, not its armies — just Speraniessa.

It was an impossible burden for a single territory.

Repeated pleas for reinforcements were denied. The King remained unmoved. The territory’s request to call upon adventurers was equally futile; most domestic adventurers were already sequestered in Dungeons across the land, restoring balance to the kingdom’s disrupted Dungeon cycles.

So Speraniessa adapted. Soldiers were trained. Civilians learned to fight. Year after year, strategies were drawn, practiced, and revised. But an unspoken fear haunted them all.

The Lord’s eldest son — Gruash, heir to the title — was born with black hair.

Despite possessing immense abilities, his father had forbidden him from using them.

 

“If you unleash that strength,” the Lord had warned, “the King may see Speraniessa as a threat.”

 

But Gruash refused to sit idle. He took his younger brother with him, slipping into the Dungeon time and again, away from watchful eyes. They descended deeper with the help of adventurers, fighting not only monsters but also strategizing to one day overcome a Deluge on their own.

 

“I’ll become an adventurer to support you,” Gruash had once said. “You’ll be the Lord instead of me.”

“Deal!” Loudipa agreed. “We’ll stop the Deluge, and we’ll do it perfectly! Your black hair doesn’t matter. We’ll prove that we’re more than our bloodline!”

 

Before that promise could be fulfilled, their father fell gravely ill and passed away.

The heir was a mere young man in his twenties with forbidden hair; he and his still-adolescent brother were left to face a panicking city. People began fleeing, soldiers defecting.

The brothers knew something wasn’t right. The collapse was too sudden, the issues cropping up in too many places at once.

Gruash immediately stepped aside and named his younger brother Lord. Then he threw himself into the role of adventurer. The power he had long hidden was finally unleashed. He gathered comrade after comrade, pushing the Dungeon’s conquest forward with terrifying speed.

And he let his black hair grow as a declaration to the world: the blood of a Hero ran in his veins.

Drawn to his strength, adventurers flocked to Speraniessa.

The younger brother, for his part, used his brilliant mind to restore order to the territory. He used Dungeon resources to hire soldiers, recruited young adventurers, secured supply lines, and trained the citizens in emergency drills. Slowly but surely, Speraniessa stood again, proud under its new leadership.

But their trials were far from over.

During one of their Dungeon expeditions, a party member betrayed them. Loudipa was stung and poisoned by a Manticore. The supposed Detoxifier he was given was a fake.

Though they survived the Deluge, the venom lingered in his body, draining his strength day by day.

 

“You need to rest,” Gruash told his brother one evening, seeing the toll the venom had taken.

“If I stop now, they win,” Loudipa hissed through gritted teeth. “But now… now I know who our enemies are.”

 

Gone was the ever-smiling younger brother. In his place stood a fierce, feral grin. His cheeks were gaunt, his brow slick with sweat. Wet strands of hair clung to his face, but his eyes burned through the shadows.

The enemy was close: nobles who had long coveted Speraniessa’s wealth and power, licking their lips at its riches. They paraded their pride in fine clothes, scattered gold without care, and decorated their salads with Mandragora every evening.

And behind them lurked another enemy… still hidden in the dark.

The younger brother laughed, low and sharp.

 

“Just a little longer, Brother. Soon… I’ll drag them all to hell.”

 

Gruash knew then: the venom would eventually take his brother’s life. It was eating away at him, slowly but surely. And when the next Deluge came, when he rose to lead once more as lord of Speraniessa, that would be the day Loudipa’s life was spent.

 

◆

 

“I honestly didn’t think we’d make it to this gathering on time,” Gruash said as he surveyed the glittering ballroom.

“I just want to get this over with, so you and Sister-In-Law can finally start your happily-ever-after,” Loudipa replied with a teasing grin.

“Happily-ever…?” Gruash gave him a sidelong glance. “I wouldn’t take that as a given yet. I mean, Rossa tried to step away years ago…”

“But she stayed when you asked her to look after me, didn’t she? You’ve kept a lady waiting this long; you’d better take responsibility.”

“This isn’t about responsibility,” Gruash replied firmly. “I WANT to be with her. It’s my own will.”

Loudipa smirked. “Exactly what I thought you’d say.”

 

The two stood near the edge of the lavish ballroom, filled with the assembled nobles and their glittering attire.

Loudipa watched them with amused fascination in his eyes… then, suddenly, he burst into soft laughter.

 

“What is it?” Gruash asked.

“Look at the marchioness. Her dress…”

Gruash followed his gaze. “…Ah, I see.”

“Fire Dragon scales,” Loudipa whispered. “Crushed and sewn in by the dozens. What a ridiculous display of luxury. Look there: she used the largest scale for her tiara. Doesn’t it look like it could rival the royal crown?”

“The shine is totally different when it’s fresh. The way it catches the light… almost ethereal. The noblewomen are going to lose their minds.”

“Hehehe… the power balance among the ladies is about to shift.”

 

The brothers exchanged a look, their lips curving into identical smirks.

Whether admirable or appalling, the nobles of this kingdom were always faithful to their desires. A new treasure introduced into the room could upend the entire court in a single night.

 

“I thought my heart would stop when Ize and Sato were playing with those scale fragments,” Loudipa said with a shudder.

“At least we got them for next to nothing,” Gruash replied.

“Next to nothing?” Loudipa chuckled. “More like LESS than nothing. I mean, all they asked was for some Silk Toad skewers to be set aside for them. What even IS that?”

 

A softer smile crossed Loudipa’s face, and his gaze drifted. He could still see the two otherworlders dancing, skewers in both hands, spinning around with their joyous, chaotic energy. Even the Sugar Mandragora at their feet had lifted its arms, mimicking their movements.

 

“They said they’d stock up on them in their Magic Bag before winter,” Gruash said.

“Did they?” Loudipa raised a brow. “But hey, they ARE working towards their dream. Haven’t you heard?”

“Their… dream?”

“Yup. They want to find their perfect place in this world. Somewhere they can live life their way, with good food, beautiful scenery, and the sea close by. A place they can always come back to. They’d still travel and go on adventures, but at the end of the day, that place would serve as their home.”

Gruash blinked, taken aback. “That’s… surprisingly humble.”

“You think?” Loudipa looked thoughtful. “I get it, though. Many Heroes of old probably wanted the same thing.”

 

The records of their house spoke of many Heroes, each one summoned from another world, each forced into the role of savior. And without fail, each had, at least once, whispered the same words: “I want to go home.”

Summoned to a foreign land. Burdened with impossible power. Left to live their remaining days as Sages. Their dreams were always so small, so painfully human. Just to return to the world where they were born.

The brothers stood in silence, hearts heavy with that tragic hope.

 

“…It’s time,” Gruash said at last.

“Finally,” Loudipa agreed. “I’ve had enough of this farce. It’s time we see the villain’s final scene.”

 

They turned their attention to the stage at the far end of the ballroom. There stood a man dressed in an absurd number of frills, clinging close to the aging King. At the edge of the royal family, he was a flickering shadow next to the brilliant flame of Crown Prince Alexander, who was positively resplendent in Fire Dragon regalia. Not a single scale adorned the man’s costume. It was opulent in form, but as far as fashion trends were concerned, he was outdated.

 

“Pfft,” Loudipa scoffed. “That face says it all — he’s having a bad day.”

“He’s the only one not wearing a single scale,” Gruash muttered. “All the other princes must have used their offerings.”

 

The man’s lips were white from being bitten too hard, his fists trembling at his sides.

With a quiet chuckle, Gruash swirled the contents of his glass, eyes full of mirth.

Then came the king’s voice, rasping and frail.

 

“I have a joyous announcement to share with you today,” he said from the stage. The strength that once rejected the Heroes so vehemently was now nowhere to be found. “I have decided to abdicate the throne of Tajellia. At the Founding Festival this coming spring, the crown shall officially pass to my firstborn son, Prince Alexander.”

 

There were no gasps of shock. The announcement had been anticipated by most of the gathered nobility. Their faces brightened with shallow joy.

But from one corner of the hall came an uneasy murmuring — something closer to grief.

 

Loudipa chuckled. “They’re panicking.”

“I see the pig,” Gruash said, nodding toward one red-faced Lord.

“Don’t insult pigs. We ought to call him an Orc.”

“You’re right. An Orc… just meat waiting to be hunted.”

“Exactly. A creature trapped in a box. Forever powerless against humanity.”

 

The brothers tapped their glasses together and drained the contents.

 

◆

 

That night, as they sat together drinking in their private lounge, a holographic window blinked into existence in front of them.

They had half-expected this; before they had left, Ize had explained her power, saying if something unexpected happened at the manor, it would activate and show a map of the grounds. Though she wasn’t sure how far it could reach — maybe not all the way to the Capital.

 

“Wow,” Loudipa whispered, peering at the window. “She managed to make it reach this far after all… Heroes really are something else.”

 

Gruash stared in silence, his pulse quickening. Something unexpected, Ize had said. And now those words circled through Gruash’s mind like a storm.

 

Loudipa’s voice broke the tension. “Wait… are those enemies? They’re all clumped in one place?”

 

Gruash’s gaze sharpened, focused on the Map. Nearly twenty red lights were gathered in a single location near the manor’s training yard.

 

“Hahaha! They caught all the attackers ALIVE! Oh my Goddess, they are SO amazing!”

 

Gruash wasn’t laughing; his eyes were fixed on a different spot on the map.

 

“…Rossa. Rossa?” he whispered.

 

She wasn’t supposed to be in her usual quarters tonight. She’d said she was heading to the wing assigned to the otherworlders — to have a “girls’ night” with Ize.

Gruash remembered what Ize had said: “If you think strongly of someone, and you know their magical energy signature, you might be able to see their location.”

He focused on the pair of blue lights shown on the Map, narrowing his thoughts to just one name.

 

“Rossa!”

 

At once, one of the blue lights shimmered and changed. It wasn’t red; not hostile. Nor was it the calm blue of an ally. It softened, glowing with a gentle pink.

Gruash reached out and traced his fingers over the spot where her light shone, his vision blurring with heat.

And then he smiled.