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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 354: Peace - Aftermath (2)
After giving her warning, Elene left immediately.
Despite being extremely busy with the aftermath in her own kingdom, she had traveled a long way for Ketal.
Ketal expressed his gratitude and saw her off.
Sitting alone, Ketal stared blankly at the quest window.
[Quest #791]
[Respond immediately.]
[Respond. Respond. Respond. Respond.]
[Warning: If you fail to respond, the world you wish for will collapse.]
It had been a long time since a quest appeared.
The content was, as expected, about responding to something—likely related to the Forbidden Lands.
But that was all.
There were no details on what to respond to or where to go.
"What is this?"
Ketal frowned at the unfamiliar quest.
"Am I supposed to figure it out on my own?"
It was highly peculiar.
His gaze fell on the warning in the quest window.
[Warning: If you fail to respond, the world you wish for will collapse.]
A strong warning.
There had been times when quests carried warnings after he had ventured outside.
One such instance was when the Rat emerged into the world.
At that time, the quest had warned that not responding could lead to danger.
But those were speculative and conditional warnings.
This time, however, it was different.
The quest issued a definitive warning.
‘…Does this mean something stronger than the Rat has appeared?’
But as he thought about it, it felt odd.
‘Is there something stronger than the Rat?’
The Rat was an exceptionally powerful creature even within the White Snowfield.
Bear or serpent might be comparable in strength but not superior.
Of course, exceptions existed.
The Three Elders.
They were undoubtedly stronger than the Rat.
But the Elders were perpetually locked in battle with one another, making it unlikely they had emerged into the outside world.
‘…Is it something from another Forbidden Land?’
In this world, the White Snowfield was not the only Forbidden Land.
Just as primates existed in the deep seas or Nano in the forest, Forbidden Lands existed in other locations as well.
Something could have emerged from one of those places.
But all of it remained conjecture.
Ketal clicked his tongue.
"I can’t just sit around doing nothing."
The quest had issued a definitive warning.
If he didn’t act, the fantasy would crumble.
He had to move.
Since the quest provided no information, he had to find it himself.
Ketal sought out Milena.
"Milena, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Can you gather information about the Forbidden Lands?"
"The Forbidden Lands?"
Startled by the unexpected request, Milena nodded without protest.
"Understood. I’ll get on it right away."
"Thank you."
The next day, Milena returned with information about the Forbidden Lands scattered across the world.
"I’ve brought the information on the Forbidden Lands you asked for. There doesn’t seem to be any particular problems."
"No problems?"
Ketal was puzzled.
The seals of the Forbidden Lands were weakening.
Just as primates from the deep seas had begun to emerge, there should have been entities breaking out.
Yet there were no issues?
Milena continued.
"To be precise, there were problems. There were instances where entities from the Forbidden Lands broke out. But all of them were handled without issue."
"Handled? By whom? The Magic Tower Master?"
"No."
Milena shook her head.
"The Empire."
"The Empire?"
"Yes. The Empire has taken care of everything that emerged from the Forbidden Lands."
“…Now that you mention it.”
Ketal recalled hearing something along those lines before.
The Empire, it was said, acted more swiftly than anyone else when it came to matters related to the Forbidden Lands.
It appeared those words were true.
Milena handed him some documents.
"Here. This is the information on that."
As Ketal read through the documents, he confirmed Milena’s claims.
The Abyss that threatened to drag the world into darkness.
From it, horrific monsters not of this world slowly began to emerge.
Even the strongest warriors found them difficult to face.
One by one, these creatures broke free and began to take over their surroundings.
At that moment, the Empire acted swiftly.
They dealt with the creatures and sealed the Abyss.
The Silent Forest, where everything was dyed in a deafening stillness.
The Empire’s special forces entered and captured something that devoured sound itself.
A Deep Pit, where noxious fumes threatened to pollute the world.
The Empire moved quickly, entered the pit, and eliminated the source of the fumes.
Beyond that, the Empire had dealt with several other Forbidden Lands.
Ketal muttered in amazement.
"Did all this really happen?"
Even he hadn’t known.
Not even a quest had appeared.
The Empire had resolved everything before he could even learn about it.
"The Empire has always acted immediately upon receiving information about Forbidden Lands. Thanks to that, the continent hasn’t had to worry about them and could focus on the war against Hell. Perhaps the reason the Empire hasn’t been visible in the war recently is because they’ve been handling matters with the Forbidden Lands behind the scenes?"
Milena wasn’t the only one who thought that.
Many believed that the most powerful force’s absence in the war against Hell must have a significant reason.
And indeed, it was related to the Forbidden Lands—though not in the way most people imagined.
"Hmm."
According to the information, the Forbidden Lands outside the White Snowfield didn’t seem to have any significant issues.
This made things even more challenging.
After some contemplation, Ketal spoke.
"Then, apart from the Forbidden Lands, is there anywhere else where something strange or problematic has occurred?"
"I’ll find out immediately."
Sensing the seriousness in Ketal’s expression, Milena acted swiftly.
She mobilized all the information networks of her family to gather details.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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A few hours later, Milena returned, carrying a mountain of documents.
"I’ve brought information on every region of the continent."
"Oh, to think you’d be this fast. Thank you."
"If it’s for you, Ketal, I’ll get it done immediately. But as I checked, there don’t seem to be any significant issues anywhere."
Everyone was busy recovering from the aftermath of the war against hell.
Other than that, there weren’t any notable issues. Except for one place.
“There is one place that seems strange.”
“Where?”
“The underground city. Magnarein. Do you know it?”
“Of course.”
Ketal nodded.
It was a place created by a great hero-class magician.
A city where sunlight never reached.
A paradise for all criminals.
The underground city, Magnarein.
It was a gathering place for every criminal imaginable.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that criminals who deserved the harshest punishments could be found lying about on the streets.
Even Ketal had encountered some of its criminals before.
‘Wasn’t her name Cassandra?’
Ketal recalled the memory as Milena continued speaking.
“Magnarein, being a city of criminals, normally avoided interaction with the surface world. But this time was different.”
Hell was invading the surface, trying to burn everything to ashes.
In such a situation, crimes that would normally warrant immediate execution were reduced to petty offenses in comparison.
Naturally, even Magnarein cooperated with the surface to fight the demons.
Even after the war with hell ended, they maintained some level of exchange and communication.
But that communication had completely ceased three days ago.
“Since it’s a city of criminals to begin with, isn’t it possible they decided to cut ties with the outside world now that the war is over?”
Milena spoke as if it didn’t concern her much.
It was reasonable to think so.
After all, those in Magnarein were criminals who had abandoned the surface world.
Now that the war involving the surface was over, there was no reason to cooperate further.
But Ketal narrowed his eyes.
His instincts—the very ones that had brought him here—were telling him.
There was something there.
“Can you tell me its location?”
“Huh? You’re going there?”
“Yes.”
“Oh… understood. Please wait a moment.”
Milena provided Ketal with the location of Magnarein.
Ketal announced that he would leave briefly.
Serena, who had been lounging around, jumped to her feet in haste.
“Huh? You’re leaving?”
“I have some business to attend to.”
“Can I come along?”
“No.”
Ketal refused.
“Stay here.”
“Huh, what? But…”
“It might be dangerous.”
Serena was strong.
Her strength was worthy of being called hero-class.
But even she couldn’t guarantee safety in this matter.
Seeing Ketal’s serious expression, Serena backed down without further protest.
Ketal immediately headed toward Magnarein’s location.
The distance was considerable, but for him, physical distance posed no issue.
He could reach Magnarein in a matter of minutes.
“This is it.”
Ketal arrived.
A wide, empty plain.
* * *
“On the surface, it’s just a barren field.”
Anyone looking would think it was just an ordinary plain.
But beneath this place lay Magnarein.
“Fascinating.”
Ketal murmured.
If an underground city existed below, it meant the ground here was essentially hollow.
It was an incredibly unstable condition.
Yet, even as he stood on the plain, there was no sign of it.
This was the magic of a hero-class magician capable of reshaping the very fabric of the world.
“Impressive.”
Ketal muttered in admiration as he expanded his senses.
In an instant, he absorbed all the information about the surrounding area.
As a result, Ketal realized it.
The massive space that existed beneath the barren plain.
And the entrance to it.
Ketal walked toward the entrance.
According to Milena’s explanation, a gatekeeper-cum-guide should have been waiting there.
Their role was to admit those with a token and drive away—or kill—those without one.
During his previous dealings with a woman named Cassandra, Ketal had secretly taken a dagger with a skull emblem—a token of entry.
Even if the gatekeeper was present, he could have entered without issue.
But no one was there.
As if he had expected it, Ketal stood before the entrance.
The entrance to Magnarein was protected by a special mechanism.
Without complex technical knowledge, it was impossible to open.
It was also shielded by a barrier created by the hero-class magician, making brute force ineffective.
That was why a gatekeeper was necessary.
“Let’s see.”
Crunch.
Ketal lightly pressed his foot on the entrance.
With the sound of hundreds of mechanisms and magical defenses breaking, the entrance opened.
Ketal stepped into Magnarein.
“So this is Magnarein.”
The underground city where all criminals gathered.
Ketal had always been curious about it since he first heard of it.
What would it be like inside?
How did its people live?
What kind of order existed, and what sort of people were there?
He had even heard that a thieves’ guild operated in Magnarein.
He had connections through the Barkan Estate and was looking forward to meeting Cassandra again.
It was one of the places he had long wanted to visit.
But that anticipation turned into disappointment.
The underground city, Magnarein.
It had become a twisted and broken ruin.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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