Chapter 30: Beneath the Capital

Morning came to Deindax, hazy and pale beneath the twin moons.
The streets were quiet as we gathered by the edge of the western district—where the sewers turned into ancient ruins.

Rio wasn’t with us.
He’d left before sunrise to meet his grandfather somewhere beyond the city walls.
That left me, Haqua, Schwartz, Erika, Envy… and Jeanne.

The woman who had once been all smiles and charm last night now stood before us in a gleaming silver armor, her long blonde hair tied into a soldier’s braid.
Her voice was sharp, commanding.

“Are you all ready?”

There was no trace of playfulness left in her tone.
Only the aura of a leader who’d marched through blood and fire before.

I nodded.

“Lead the way, Jeanne.”

The entrance was hidden behind a crumbled wall at the city’s edge—
a stairway spiraling downward into darkness.

Each step echoed, wet stone creaking underfoot.
We lit our torches, and soon the air thickened with the smell of mold and metal.

“It’s strange,” I muttered.
“These tunnels run right beneath the capital, yet no guards?”

“Because it’s cursed,” Jeanne replied simply.
“And because the dead don’t like to share their secrets.”

Her silver armor shimmered dimly in the flickering torchlight.

Behind us, Haqua shivered and clung to her stuffed bear.

“It’s too quiet…”

Erika nodded grimly.

“Dungeons are always quiet before something screams.”

Far above ground, Nagisa stomped through the market, clutching her cloak in frustration.

“Mou~ Kanata! You could’ve at least waited for me!”

Aine sighed, adjusting her hood.

“Focus, Nagisa. They’ve entered the tunnels already. If we hurry, we can catch up.”

They followed the faint magical trace left by Kanata’s dragon aura, heading into the same labyrinth—
two trails destined to collide beneath the capital.

Deep below, we reached the first chamber.
The air turned foul—reeking of decay and rot.

Then came the shriek.

SREEEEEEEK!

Green-skinned shapes burst from the shadows—goblins, dozens of them, waving crude weapons and snarling.

Jeanne didn’t flinch.
Her sword flashed once, twice, cutting through them with surgical precision.

“Stay behind me! I’ll handle the front!”

I stepped beside her.

“Don’t underestimate me.”

A goblin lunged—its dagger catching fire as I caught it mid-swing.

My bandaged hand clenched.
Flames burst between my fingers.

“<Fire Breath>!”

A stream of fire erupted from my mouth, scorching the corridor.
The goblins screamed, their bodies turning to ash.

Haqua’s tail bristled behind me.

“That was too close! Don’t roast me with them, idiot brother!”

“Then stay behind me next time!”

“Hmph! I can fight too!”

The victory was short-lived.
The walls around us began to melt—
oozing masses of translucent blue slime poured from cracks in the stone.

“Ah—gross, gross, gross!” Haqua yelped.

“Focus!” Erika barked.
“They corrode metal—don’t let them touch your weapons!”

I raised my hand again, but Jeanne stepped forward.

“Let me handle this.”

Her sword glowed faintly, holy runes spiraling along its edge.

“<Purity Edge>.”

She swung once—
and the air itself split with white light.
The slimes hissed, evaporating like water on fire.

Schwartz let out a low whistle.

“Not bad, lady knight.”

“I told you,” Jeanne replied coolly, sheathing her blade.
“I’m not here to play hero. I’m here to survive.”

We pressed deeper until the air grew colder—
the tunnels narrowing into an ancient catacomb lined with broken pillars.

Then came the sound.

Clatter… Clatter…

Dozens—no, hundreds—of ghouls and undead soldiers emerged from the dark, their hollow eyes glowing blue.

“Damn it—they’re endless!” Schwartz gritted his teeth.

Haqua looked terrified… but then something changed in her eyes.

She dropped her bear to the ground.

“Kuma-Kuma-San…”
“Protect everyone!”

The air warped.
The little bear pulsed—glowing—
and suddenly a massive black bear, wreathed in purple aura, roared into being.

“ROAAAAAR!!!”

It smashed through the undead ranks, ripping them apart like paper.
Kanata could only stare in disbelief.

“Haqua… when did you—?”

“You think you’re the only one who trained, Big Brother?” she said proudly, eyes shining.

For a brief moment, amidst the chaos and fire, Kanata smiled.
Even in this nightmare, his sister had found her strength.

After what felt like hours of battle, we finally reached a wide junction—two paths leading deeper underground.

“Left leads to the treasure vault,” Jeanne said, wiping sweat from her brow.
“Right should take you to the old library.”

She looked at me, expression unreadable.

“Choose quickly. Monsters don’t wait for speeches.”

Schwartz looked between the paths.

“We split up then?”

“Yeah,” I said.
“You go with Jeanne. We’ll take the library route.”

Jeanne nodded once and turned left with Schwartz.
Her silver armor disappeared into the shadows.

I led the others right—toward a crumbling stone arch that pulsed with faint blue light.

At last, we stood before it.

The Old Library of Deindax—its gates half-buried in dust, symbols glowing faintly across its surface.
Broken pillars rose like the ribs of some ancient beast.

“So this is it,” Erika whispered.
“The place that holds the Book of Destiny.”

I stepped closer, running my hand along the cold metal door.
Something inside it… responded.

A faint hum echoed through my right arm—the dragon mark beneath the bandages burned.
Images flickered in my head: fire, blood, and a golden light.

Envy’s expression darkened.

“That presence… it’s her.”

“Her?”

“The Golden One. Envy’s rival… the False God they called Salvation.”

The air trembled.
The door creaked open on its own, a blinding light spilling through the gap.

“Everyone, get ready—”

Then came the scream.

A voice—ancient, broken, and unmistakably human—echoed from the darkness.

“So… you’ve finally returned, son of Obsidian.”

The torches went out.
The floor beneath us split open.

We fell into darkness.

Far behind, Nagisa and Aine reached the same junction.
They found nothing but burned goblins and melted slime.
Nagisa picked up a charred scale from the ground—
still warm.

“He was here…” she whispered.
Her voice trembled between relief and fear.

Aine looked toward the right passage, where faint light flickered and then vanished.

“If we hurry, we might still catch them.”

Nagisa nodded, clutching the scale close to her chest.

“Wait for me, Kanata… this time, I’ll protect you.”