Chapter 60
Ceres’ eyes narrowed slightly.
“I’m going to find the Three Black Keys and take them.”
“What are those?”
He knew they existed. After all, he could still vividly recall the excited expression on the Sky Leader’s face as he ranted about the keys.
But what did they actually mean?
What happened if all three keys were found?
“If you’re curious, go ask your leader.”
The Three Black Keys weren’t just a symbolic representation of the founding members of Sky.
Sky, being an intelligence organization, had a special storage where it amassed information.
Secrets scattered across the continent.
A vast amount of undisclosed information that had yet to be revealed to the world was gathered in one place.
The only person who could unlock that storage was the leader of Sky.
And to inherit the leadership, they had to make a pact.
A magical oath.
A vow of absolute obedience to the Three Black Keys.
If the leader broke the oath, they would lose their life.
‘Did we really need to make something like that? It’s not like we planned to keep it forever.’
‘You never know what might happen. What if the organization we built turns against us? At the very least, we need to ensure it serves its purpose while we’re alive.’
‘That, I agree with.’
It had been one of the rare moments when Arthia and Kainel shared the same opinion, so even Grace had nodded in agreement.
As a result, every leader of Sky was required to swear a blood oath upon Arthia’s contract.
Anyone who refused was disqualified from becoming the leader.
After all, what kind of intelligence leader couldn’t access their own organization’s storage?
‘Well, I thought the pact would be meaningless after so much time had passed.’
But judging by how terrified the current Sky Leader had been last time—
It seemed the power of the keys was still intact.
Even after all these years, the oath remained valid, allowing the leader to use the storage as they saw fit.
And she understood why.
Back when they managed Sky, the information stored there was invaluable.
It contained enough classified knowledge to pressure royalty.
Not to mention the endless pile of secrets belonging to noble families.
With a storage like that, it wouldn’t be easy to let go, no matter how much time had passed.
In fact, it was likely that the quality and quantity of information had only grown over the years.
“Do you know where all the keys are?”
“Of course.”
Not really.
How was she supposed to know where Arthia’s key was?
‘Though I do know how to find it.’
Contrary to what she had told Ben, she wasn’t actually planning to search for the keys.
They were just a bargaining chip.
‘But getting the key from Kainel would be impossible.’
She was slightly curious about how he’d react if she asked for it in this form.
Would he draw his sword first?
“I’ll say it again—don’t speak about this to anyone.”
At first, Ben had only followed her up to the cave entrance.
But this time, he had deliberately sneaked inside.
She couldn’t ignore it.
If word spread about this place, it would be a problem for her too.
“Fine, whatever.”
Ben nodded more easily than she expected.
His mission wasn’t to report every detail of her actions—
It was to observe and identify her true identity.
And absolutely, absolutely not because he didn’t want anyone to know that she caught him spying!
“Aren’t you going down?”
“I’m going.”
Lost in thought for a moment, Ben quickly snapped out of it at Ceres’ words and started moving.
“While you’re at it, bring that.”
“……?”
Following Ceres’ gaze, Ben frowned.
A large water container was sitting nearby.
It had been prepared for the students.
“…You want me to carry that?”
“Yeah. You.”
With those words, Ceres started descending the mountain.
As he watched her leave, Ben’s frown deepened.
“Damn it…”
Glancing back and forth between Ceres and the water container, he eventually grabbed it.
‘Something’s not right.’
For some reason, he felt like he was being manipulated into doing things.
***
“What? You bastard, what the hell did you just say?”
“What, was I wrong, you son of a—?”
“You crazy bastard! You wanna die?”
Where Your Feet Rest.
Had it been too long since Ceres last showed up?
A fight had broken out again.
“Uh… what do we do?”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
Jay, the maid of the Drow Baron’s Household, couldn’t hide her bewilderment as the fight escalated.
On the other hand, Mark, one of the employees, simply let out a long sigh, familiar with situations like this.
After a moment, he silently picked up paper and a pen, preparing to write down the names of those involved in today’s brawl.
“You crazy bastard!”
Whoosh!
As the fight reached its peak, a mercenary picked up a chair.
“What are you planning to do with that? Throw it?”
“……!”
A calm voice cut through the chaos.
As if the uproar had never even happened, the tavern fell silent.
“T-That is…”
Still holding the chair, the mercenary hesitantly turned his eyes and found Ceres standing there, arms crossed, watching him intently.
Meanwhile, his opponent, who had been fighting just moments ago, was already back in his seat, pretending as if nothing had happened, his face buried in his stew.
‘That bastard…!’
A bead of sweat rolled down the mercenary’s forehead as he realized that his companion had abandoned him to save himself.
“H-Haha… No, uh, the chair was creaking a little, so I just thought I’d… fix it.”
“Is that so?”
Ceres turned her head and gestured toward Jay.
“Bring some nails and a hammer.”
“Yes!”
Jay quickly fetched a toolbox and handed it to the mercenary.
“Here you go.”
A bright smile lit up her face, as if all her previous unease had vanished.
She found it surprising how much Ceres’ presence alone could ease her mind.
“Nothing else happened?”
“No.”
Well, there was, but now it’s gone.
At Ceres’ casual inquiry, Mark also let out a faint smile.
It had been a while since he’d seen her, but she was the same as ever—
Her calm demeanor, no matter the situation, had a way of reassuring those around her.
“But where did you go? And why the scarf?”
The weather had just started turning into autumn, bringing a slight chill in the mornings and evenings—
But it wasn’t cold enough to need a scarf yet.
So it was only natural for Jay and Mark to glance at Ceres’ scarf with curiosity.
“Are you feeling sick, my lady?”
“Oh, no. I just forgot to take it off.”
She had come straight from the magic training grounds and forgotten to adjust her attire.
No wonder she had been feeling warm.
She was still wearing the scarf.
‘You’re surprisingly absentminded.’
‘Shut up.’
For some reason, she could practically hear Enoch’s voice nagging in her head, so she roughly pulled off the scarf.
Jingle.
Just then, the door swung open.
A stillness, different from before, instantly spread through the tavern.
Sensing the familiar atmosphere, Ceres slowly turned her head—
And found herself locking eyes with Kainel.
“I-I’m done eating!”
“Me too!”
“Here! I’ll pay!”
“Keep the change!”
As usual, the mercenaries hurriedly tossed their money and vanished.
Seriously? Shouldn’t they be used to it by now?
Why do they always react like this?
Did he look like he was going to eat them alive or something?
Step.
‘And you— Didn’t I tell you to come early in the morning or late at night?’
Why was he here at such an awkward time again?
“Do you want food?”
Ceres asked casually, as always, looking at Kainel, who stood there staring at her.
“I’m not here to eat.”
“Then why are you here? It’s a restaurant.”
Watching her puzzled expression, Kainel took a seat.
“I’m here to collect a debt.”
“Debt?”
Debt? What debt?
Did the previous owner of this body take out a loan all the way from the Duchy of Persia or something?
That was ridiculous—
Whoosh!
With a wave of Kainel’s hand, another person who had been waiting outside cautiously stepped into the tavern.
It was a familiar face—
Kainel’s aide, Del.
Upon seeing Ceres, he offered a polite smile and bowed respectfully.
Slide.
As he approached, Del placed a thick stack of documents on the table in front of Kainel.
What was all that?
Was he planning to work here or something?
“Debt records.”
“Debt records? All of that? Wait… are you telling me you are in debt?”
How?
What had he done to burn through all that wealth?
“It’s not mine. It’s yours.”
“…Mine?”
“Yeah. Yours.”
“…….”
A chilling feeling crept up Ceres’ spine.
She instinctively picked up the topmost document from the pile.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment