Chapter 156: The Dream of Ansgar Part 2

When the last piece of Barbason—the rat—died, thick black smoke spread throughout the area. Instinctively, I covered my nose and looked around.

– Ahaha!

– Kyaaha!

– Heines, that side is dangerous!

– Yes, Mother!

Amid the dark smoke, I heard the sounds of someone joyfully running around and the sound of cheerful laughter.

No way…

I pushed through the smoke and approached the source of the sounds. There, I saw a beautiful woman with golden hair and blue eyes, holding a child who looked just like her. The woman gently stroked the child's shimmering hair.

…Is this Heines' memory?

– Heines.

– Yes, Mother.

– "Dihid is a good place, but your true homeland is Ansgar.

– Yes, Mother.

– Always remember that.

– Yes, Mother.

That woman. Was she Heines' mother? The one who planted the dream of reclaiming Ansgar's glory in him before she passed away…

In a voice that sounded like a dream, the woman whispered to the child.

– We will reclaim Ansgar.

– Yes, Mother.

– 'They' will help us.

– Yes, Mother.

I held my breath and quietly listened to the conversation between mother and son. But when I heard the word "they", my shoulders involuntarily twitched in surprise. The woman seemed to look directly at me. No, it must have been an illusion. This was merely a "memory" of Heines, after all.

They?

After Ansgar fell, its forces moved toward the south to establish the new Barak Empire. As a newly founded nation, Barak had many rising nobles but there were also many who retained Ansgar's bloodline. And Heines, the lord of Dihid, was likely one of them.

Could there have been those who weren't satisfied with the Barak Empire and sought to restore Ansgar?

And were there forces that supported such individuals?

Before I could organize my thoughts, another voice came from the other side. A deep, charismatic voice—it was Barbason.

– I am Barbason.

– Barba…son.

– An old friend of your mother.

– Of my mother…

– We will be the key players in the new Ansgar.

– The new Ansgar…!

Rats that had been playing on Barbason's body leaped onto Heines, tearing through his flesh with the sickening sound of skin ripping and flesh being gnawed. A horrifying scene unfolded before me. I gasped in shock, and Barbason turned to look at me. He slowly began to approach with a look of disbelief. As I instinctively backed away, something caught at my feet… it was the corpse of a rat. When I looked up again, Barbason was gone. Instead…

-This, at least, I cannot let 'them' have.

-This is my mother's treasure.

-The day we reclaim Ansgar…

In a small, dimly lit room that was illuminated by a single candle, Heines muttered to himself. He carefully placed a small box adorned with gold, jewels, and intricate carvings, into a worn-out bundle and tied it securely. Then he removed a brick from the wall, hid the bundle inside, and replaced the brick.

…What on earth is he hiding?

It was the seventh from the left, and the fifth from the bottom. I had just memorized the position of the brick when—

-Who's there!!!

Heines shouted in a furious voice. Damn it, this was surely an illusion, so why…?

-Kieeeeek!!!

There was no time to wonder. As Heines whipped his cloak, a swarm of red-eyed rats hidden within surged towards me viciously. There was no time to defend myself. Was this how it would end? Just as I thought that—

-Whoooosh!!!!!!!!

A tremendous blaze of black fire engulfed not only the swarm of rats but also Heines, consuming everything in its path. The fire which was dark and ominous as if it had risen from the depths of hell burned away the rats, Heines, and even the black smoke that had surrounded them.

"Hoo, huff…"

-Chomp.

Legion who had quietly rested on my shoulder until now unleashed its breath until everything before us was reduced to ashes. Then, with a small pop, it closed its mouth and licked my cheek.

"…I told you to stay calm, Legion."

[Theo. Me. Praise.]

"If anyone discovers your true nature… Fine, alright. Praise."

Legion pressed his jelly-like pink tongue against my cheek and begged for praise. I roughly scratched his head and tried to catch my breath.

"Master?!"

"…Theodore."

"Sir Druid?"

Hearing the voices coming from all around me, I finally snapped back to my senses and looked around. El with a startled expression, Lloyd with a frowning face, and several others who appeared shocked, were all surrounding me and watching me intently.

"What in the world…?"

"You killed the lord and then froze in place."

"Me? No, but then the black smoke…"

"There was no black smoke."

If that was the case, then was this a hallucination only I saw? When I looked at Lloyd with a bewildered expression on my face, he tapped what was once Heines—no, what had been Heines—with the end of his sword's sheath. It crumbled instantly and scattered like dust.

…A futile end.

If he hadn't been so obsessed with Ansgar, if he hadn't made a pact with the demon, he might have ruled Dihid as a decent lord. At least, that's what I knew. But…

The "they" that Heines' mother mentioned was likely the Crows. The ones who connected Heines with Barbason were probably the Crows as well.

Was it simply to shake up Dihid? Or did they really intend to restore Ansgar?

Ansgar who was now long fallen was a great kingdom that had endured for countless generations since ancient times. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire continent was once theirs. Of course, that's just a past glory now.

There have always been those who have sought this past glory. Even the Barak Empire supported temples to reclaim Ansgar's legacy, purifying the cursed lands in the process. Many were also enchanted by these myths and legends, and sought Ansgar's gold. But most couldn't even get close to the cursed lands or died trying.

Even in the game, only a small portion of the cursed lands was ever revealed. It was just a high-level grinding area. It seemed they saved the real core content for the final stages…

So, I didn't have any "real" knowledge either. All I had were pieced-together memories of fragmentary information that had been disclosed.

What the Crows truly desired was still unknown.

…But that doesn't mean I can just stand by and do nothing.

I had gained an important clue from Heines's memories. In those memories, Heines had hidden something in a secret space at the top of the castle. It was likely information that even the Crows were unaware of.

If I could obtain it first, it would surely be useful in the future.

"Lloyd, please take care of the surroundings and deliver the news that the Lord has died. I have something I need to do, so I'll be away for a while."

"Alright."

"El, you're coming with me."

"Yes, Master!"

I ascended to the top of the castle with El. The narrow and steep staircase, which was filled with dust and cobwebs as if it hadn't been maintained for ages, seemed endless. Like it reached all the way to heaven.

"Master, what exactly happened earlier?"

Just when I started wondering when this cursed staircase would ever end, El asked me.

"You didn't move at all, and I was really worried something had happened…"

"I saw an illusion. It was probably a memory of Heines."

"A memory?"

"Yes, it seems I caught a glimpse of the last fragment of his soul."

"Then, does that mean you know who caused all this…?"

"I couldn't see that much… but I did gather some clues worth considering."

At last, the end of the staircase came into view. At the top, a red worn wooden door appeared. Though the door looked old, the lock was strangely new and sturdy.

"We need a key…"

"Leave this to me."

"Hmm?"

Before I could properly ask, El pushed past me, took a deep breath, and kicked the door with all her might. The old wooden door shattered instantly. It was almost pitiful how only the lock had remained sturdy.

"…Excuse me."

I stepped through the broken door. Unlike the ominous atmosphere of the staircase, the attic at the top of the castle was relatively well-maintained. There was a small desk and chair, with paper, a quill, ink, and a framed picture resting on the desk. The frame held a very delicate drawing and the woman in the picture…

She must be Heines' mother.

In the drawing, Heines' mother was wearing a hat decorated with raven feathers and a black dress. She was pointing to something.

She's pointing at the wall.

I looked at the wall that Heines' mother was pointing to in the picture.

Seventh from the left, fifth from the bottom.

I slowly ran my hand along the wall and found a brick that was unusually polished, as if it had been worn smooth by frequent touch. The brick was firmly set in place, but when I pulled hard, it came loose from the wall. When I reached into the gap left by the brick, I grasped an old bundle, just like I had seen it in Heines' memory.

This is it.

I carefully pulled out the bundle. It was much heavier than I had expected. When I unwrapped it, the "box" from Heines' memory appeared before me.

A red box. Gold and jewels decorated its corners, and beautiful intricate carvings decorated each of its six sides. The carvings were not mere decorations. Thanks to my [Polyglot] trait, I recognized the carvings as ancient Ansgarian script.

-Clatter.

The box had no keyhole. It didn't open easily either. It seemed impervious to simple force or the infusion of magical power. It must require a special method to be unlocked. Figuring out what that was would be the key…

-Flap!

"....!"

The sudden sound of wings startled me, and I quickly stood up. Through the small window above the desk, I saw a crow flying away. I hurriedly grabbed my bow and arrow and shot at the crow, but it had already disappeared as if it had teleported midway.

"Damn it…"

There was nothing I could do. I quickly secured the box and descended the steep stairs with El. In the distance, I thought I could hear the cawing of a crow. I could feel it instinctively.

They want this too.