I rode Troy in the form of Black Panther, for two full days. Although I took occasional breaks, we traveled as quickly as we could without wasting any ti.
"Thank you for your hard work, Troy."
"No, Leader. I was just doing what had to be done."
Finally, we arrived at the city of Quieron, near the Herpheon Empire, where the headquarters of the Diego Church is located.
"It's big."
"Well, it is one of the major cities of the Empire."
Quieron was a fairly big city. Its streets were crowded with people, the market was lively, and its buildings were far larger than those in the Holden estate.
"It's been a while since I've been here."
Zain muttered a bit bitterly, unlike , who was busy admiring the place.
Perhaps his visit to Quieron brought back mories of his family. I patted his shoulder and moved on.
"For now, we're in a hurry. So let's keep moving."
"Yes..."
Together with Zain and Troy, I made my way down a deserted road.
Our destination wasn't the city itself but a remote area known as "Mount Quieron".
Though it was close to the city, Mount Quieron wasn't a place people ventured to without reason. At its peak stood a small castle.
"That castle is where the Goblin King, who killed countless people, lives."
Zain explained, pointing to the castle jutting out from the summit.
"The Goblin King..."
Troy, now back in his human form, eyed the castle warily as we walked.
"Strange. Even with such a dangerous monster there, it doesn't seem like the area is being guarded or watched."
Troy noted, sniffing the air around the quiet mountain.
"Yeah, for so reason, the monsters from the goblin castle never leave it," Zain added.
He was right. Monsters didn't leave the goblin castle.
It was because the creatures in the castle belonged to a "hidden dungeon". Since the world's original story functioned as a ga, monsters were programd to stay in specific areas and didn't roam outside without reason.
This setup made it unnecessary to guard the castle since they were bound to the 'dungeon' called the castle. Perhaps, there had never been any particular problems. Or perhaps the guards, confident that nothing would happen anyway, were slacking off sowhere.
This ant there was no danger unless soone entered the dungeon. And with the Diego Church headquarters nearby, any unexpected accidents could be quickly handled.
'Still, so many people had died because not everyone did that.'
We soon reached Mount Quieron. Just as Troy had slled, there was no sign of anyone guarding the area.
In truth, there wasn't much reason to protect the mountain at all. Nor was there a need to do that.
"At least the mountain isn't very tall,"
Zain said with a faint smile of relief. Although it was called a mountain, it was more like a large hill, and it would take us only about 30 minutes to climb it.
-I can't believe such a beautiful place is ho to the Goblin King.
Kyros said, his tone tinged with regret.
Indeed, despite its small size, Mount Quieron was stunning.
Thanks to this, climbing wasn't hard at all. The problem was sothing else entirely.
'...Is it because it's close to the Diego Church headquarters?'
-Child, I sense a strong snake energy.
'Yes, it seems an apostle is close.'
Damn it. What should I do? I hadn't expected to encounter an apostle here.
'We need to kill the Goblin King as soon as possible.'
To create a cure for goblin disease, we had to act quickly. Yet if an apostle was nearby, avoiding conflict might be wiser.
'It could be soone I've never t before, but if it's soone I've encountered before...'
That would be a different story. That could cost us precious ti. If necessary, it might be better to dodge them by avoiding the apostle's energy.
'But why are they here? Even for an apostle, there's no reason to be on Mount Quieron.'
An unsettling feeling gripped . Could it be related to the goblin disease? Were they here to prevent the creation of a cure? I started having these doubts.
'But... Even if the Diego Church knew about the cure, they wouldn't know that the Goblin King's blood was a key ingredient.
The Goblin King's blood was a hidden item. While both types of cures with and without that blood could treat Goblin Disease, only the one using the Goblin King's blood was free of the significant side effects the alternative had.
'That ans...it could simply be that our paths overlap.'
It might be okay if we just stay hidden for a little bit.
"Troy, Zain."
I called softly, gesturing to the two following
up the mountain. I pressed a finger to my lips, and they imdiately froze. We continued onward, keeping our footsteps as silent as possible.
Before long, the goblin castle ca into view. Standing in front of a small wall was a solitary figure.
'...Should I be thankful it's "him"?'
The apostle of the Diego Church, lingering near the goblin castle, was Terdius.
'But why is that guy here?'
It was more plausible for Terdius to be in Quieron than for
to be here. He was, after all, an apostle. But climbing mountains in his spare ti? I couldn't make sense of it. Still, I hid with Troy and Zain in the nearby bushes. Regardless of who the apostle was, I didn't want to waste ti dealing with him.
Then, in a hushed voice, Zain asked
a question.
"Master, isn't that the sa man from back then?"
"Oh...right."
I replied, recalling the encounter at the centipede cave.
"Why is he here? Who exactly is he?"
It was telling that even Zain, an experienced information broker deeply entrenched in the underworld, knew so little about the apostles of the Diego Church. Their secrets were clearly well-guarded.
"Well, we're not exactly close either."
I replied, deliberately drawing the line. I didn't feel like delving into the details about Terdius.
"Leader, why are we hiding? Is it because of him?"
Troy asked, his tone tinged with suspicion.
I hesitated to respond. At so point, Terdius, who had been standing in front of the goblin castle, had vanished.
'...What?'
Where had he gone? Suddenly, a familiar voice ca from right behind .
"Why are you hiding here, Leviathan?"
"...!"
I nearly shouted in shock but managed to stay calm. Slowly, I turned my head. Zain and Troy followed suit.
'How long has he known?'
I was definitely carefully suppressing my presence, staying far enough away to avoid being noticed. Yet Terdius was standing there, smiling as though he'd been waiting for .
'Damn it. Why did we have to run into him now of all tis?'
The last ti I encountered Terdius, in front of his house, it had been exhausting.
Terdius undoubtedly knew who I was. Back then, I was Revelof Holden. This ti, I was simply Leviathan of the Kyros Church.
The best course of action?
Pretend last ti never happened.
"It's been a while. I was a bit surprised to see you suddenly appear."
"I could feel eyes watching , sneaking around like a rat. What do you an "suddenly"?"
He knew everything. I kept my expression neutral, trying to act oblivious and offered a smile. Then I asked him back.
"By the way, what brings you here?"
What on earth are you doing here? That's what I ant. When I did, Terdius's gaze grew serious as he answered in a quiet voice.
"I just...had a feeling I'd see you if I ca here."
A premonition? His intuition seed far too sharp. Even so, eting
based on a re hunch? Co on.
'What is this guy's deal...?'
I felt like Terdius was hiding sothing too.
Then, a sudden sniffing sound ca from the side. Troy was glaring at Terdius, his eyes filled with suspicion, as he sniffed the air around him.
Judging by Troy's unimpressed expression, it was clear he didn't like Terdius at all.
"It's nice to see you again,"
Zain greeted Terdius jokingly.
Terdius, however, ignored the greeting entirely. For a mont, Zain's expression faltered, his face betraying mild annoyance. Still, he forced a smile, pretending it didn't bother him.
I broke the awkward silence before it could grow worse.
"By the way, do you have anything to say to ?"
Surely, he wouldn't have co looking for
without a reason. Terdius's lips curved.
"Well, it's not really anything urgent, but there's sothing I'd like to ask---if I may ask it here..."
He glanced briefly at Troy and Zain, leaving his sentence unfinished. If this had been like our past encounters, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea what he intended to say. But now, it was different---I knew exactly what he was going to ask.
"...Let's talk about that later. Right now, I have other matters to handle," I said, maintaining as polite a smile as I could muster.
Terdius simply nodded in agreent.
'I said that, but...'
I had no intention of lingering in Quieron. Once I wrapped up my business, I planned to leave as soon as possible, avoiding any further encounters with Terdius.
"Let's go, Zain, Troy," I said, stepping out from the bushes with them in tow.
Although I'd lost ti dealing with Terdius, I considered myself lucky it hadn't been a different apostle.
'Especially Khalid.'
Khalid had a habit of clinging and throwing out lines like, "You're still so beautiful. I must have you, no matter what." The re thought made
shudder. At least Terdius had been relatively easy to deal with.
As we approached the goblin castle, Terdius followed us and spoke up again.
"Are you planning to kill the Goblin King?"
I nodded curtly. Why else would I have co all the way here?
Terdius stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"In that case, it'll be difficult with just the three of you."
This guy...he knows about the Goblin King's reputation, I thought.
Given the proximity to the Diego Church's headquarters, it made sense for them to have intel on the Goblin King.
Truthfully, while Zain, Troy, and I could handle the Goblin King, it would indeed be a close call.
I had already considered calling reinforcents---either the children or so of the other senior mbers---if things beca too challenging.
"Alright, I'll join you," Terdius suddenly offered.
It was too good of a waste to turn down this near-perfect personnel. Having him on our side would make things much easier.
"...As you please."
It wasn't an ideal arrangent, but I had no valid reason to refuse his help. Turning him down might have created unnecessary resentnt.
With Terdius now part of our group, the four of us---Zain, Troy, Terdius, and I---headed toward the Goblin King's castle.
As I pushed open the heavily fortified gate, the door creaked. A system ssage imdiately appeared before my eyes.
[You have discovered the hidden dungeon: Goblin King's Hidden Castle!]
[Hidden quest: 'Usurpation' triggered!]
[Hidden Quest
Description: The Goblin King, a being with mysterious powers, resides in this hidden castle. He has eaten countless humans. Now, it's ti to take his throne.
Goal: Eliminate the Goblin King.
Upon success: ???
Upon Failure: -
[Do you accept?]
[Yes/No]
Without hesitation, I selected Yes.
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