Chapter 322

Theo was reveling in a strange sensation.

A sense of freedom, as though he were a spirit unbound by buoyancy or water pressure.

In contrast, Terepun seemed to struggle somewhat on the journey back.

"I hope his wounds don't reopen."

Despite regaining his strength and composure, he was still a patient.

“Let me assist you,” Theo offered, draping Terepun’s left arm over his shoulder.

“…My apologies,” Terepun replied, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

Unsurprisingly, his body radiated heat, his muscles stiffened as he trembled.

"The effects of the life water still persist, I see."

Even though the Naga ancestor had not been fully laid to rest within the mystery, the mana coursing through the water remained.

Additionally, Theo, who had absorbed mana into his body, found his total mana capacity gradually increasing—though he had yet to notice this himself.

Soon, the surface came into view, and Theo and Terepun emerged from the pond.

“Hah… Hah…”

Terepun gasped for air, so drained he had to brace himself with his hands on the ground.

Seeing him like this unsettled Theo.

“I’m sorry for putting you through such hardship,” Theo said earnestly.

“No, it was my duty. I feel relieved that it was resolved sooner than later.”

Theo smiled at his words, extending a hand to help Terepun to his feet. Terepun took it, standing with Theo’s support.

They immediately set out for the sanctuary.

Clack, clack, clack, clack!

The sound of restoration work already echoed from the building.

“Father!”

Mailrun, having recently returned from treatment in the Ragnar domain, burst into tears at the sight of Terepun and ran toward him.

“Mailrun…”

Seeing his son’s face, Terepun felt renewed energy course through him and rushed forward to meet him.

The father and son embraced, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

“Father… your arm! I’m so sorry! I should have come sooner!”

“No, you did well—more than enough. Truly, you’ve done so well.”

The emotional reunion drew the attention of the workers, who paused to watch the touching scene.

Some shed tears, but when Theo signaled with a nod, they coughed awkwardly and returned to their tasks.

Leaving the reunited family to their moment, Theo stepped away to survey the surroundings.

"The poison has significantly diminished."

Thanks to Lodbrok’s diligent efforts in purifying the forest, the results were already apparent.

Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed throughout the forest, the sound of traps and magical mechanisms being dismantled as Lodbrok worked to clear the area, just as Theo had instructed.

"I hope no one gets hurt in the process."

The thought crossed his mind briefly before he turned his attention to the Naga clan.

Given how little time had passed since the war’s end, he was concerned about lingering psychological trauma.

However, the Nagas seemed to handle it well. Despite occasionally flinching, they did not stop their work, perhaps because they had been thoroughly briefed beforehand.

"Now then."

Not wanting to intrude on the emotional reunion or disturb the busy workers, Theo decided to head toward the pavilion he had visited earlier.

"Time to figure this out."

He fidgeted with the silver ring.

He hadn’t been able to examine it properly in front of Terepun and was eager to do so now.

Entering the empty pavilion, he ensured no one was around before taking out the ring.

“What exactly is this?”

The silver ring emitted a faint, ethereal glow even in the dim light.

It was as if starlight had been distilled into its form, its beauty so pristine it felt almost sacred.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"There’s no way this is just a simple ornament, given it was created from the body of such a being."

Cautiously, Theo channeled mana into the ring.

"Letters?"

Slowly, characters began to emerge inside the ring, one by one.

Theo’s eyes widened as he increased the amount of mana he injected, revealing more letters until a full sentence was formed.

"I see now why it was handed to me without a trial."

Theo chuckled dryly as he examined the ring with fascination.

The writing was in a language he couldn’t read, likely something ancient left behind by the one who had passed during the Age of the Gods.

"Surely, it’s not completely undecipherable."

Perhaps Lodbrok’s knowledge could help, or it could be the Naga clan’s ancient language.

Deciding to start with the latter, Theo made his way back to Terepun.

Despite his exhaustion, Terepun was still immersed in the reconstruction efforts.

"He should really rest."

Though his fatigue was evident, Terepun stubbornly refused to take a break.

“Terepun.”

“Ah, Gaju-nim. Please speak freely. The Naga clan is now under Ragnar’s banner.”

“I’d rather not. It doesn’t feel natural to me. Treat it as nothing out of the ordinary,” Theo said with a smile.

“Then as you wish. What brings you here?”

“I’d like to learn about the Naga clan’s ancient language. Do you have any materials or knowledge on the subject?”

Terepun tilted his head at the unexpected question.

“Or perhaps a language passed down exclusively to the clan’s leaders?”

“The Naga clan’s knowledge has always been shared and preserved in the library. Fortunately, the library wasn’t burned, so the records should be intact.”

It was a relief to hear.

Relying solely on Lodbrok wasn’t a sustainable solution, and he didn’t want to interrupt Lodbrok, who was deeply engaged in purifying the forest.

“Can you tell me where the library is?”

At Theo’s request, Terepun called for Mailrun, who quickly arrived.

“Show him to the library.”

Mailrun bowed respectfully.

“Please follow me.”

Following Mailrun’s lead, Theo was soon greeted by a low building not far from the pavilion.

“This is it. Do you need anything else?”

“No, this is fine.”

“Understood.”

Mailrun returned to the worksite, and Theo entered the library.

“Wow.”

A quiet exclamation escaped him.

Though modest from the outside, the library was imbued with magical enhancements, housing countless towering shelves that extended skyward like a lofty spire.

“Impressive.”

It explained why the building seemed so small; the interior spatial manipulation made storage far more efficient.

“How am I going to get through all this?”

The sheer volume of information was daunting, but since he had no set deadline, Theo calmly began searching through the shelves.

Time passed as he diligently gathered materials. Eventually, he had amassed a substantial collection.

From here on, it was a battle of patience.

Pouring mana into the ring and sifting through ancient texts, Theo worked tirelessly.

Books piled up beside him as he turned page after page, each one yielding little progress.

As the day gave way to night, Theo finally showed signs of a breakthrough.

"I’ve used up quite a bit of mana."

Although the mana required per attempt was minimal, the prolonged effort left him fatigued.

Still, he smiled, satisfied with the results.

Creak.

“You’re a glutton for punishment,” Lodbrok quipped as he entered, chuckling.

“You heard?” Theo asked sheepishly, handing Lodbrok the ring.

Inspecting the ring, Lodbrok began to read the inscription aloud.

“In the early dawn, under the full moon, receive the light of the red star.”

Lodbrok studied the silver ring with intrigue.

“It’s written in the Naga’s ancient tongue, used during the Age of the Gods. Quite the tempting artifact… I doubt even my collection surpasses this one.”

“That it was forged from a body makes it all the more unbelievable,” Theo replied with a wry smile.

“I’ll gift it to you someday.”

“Very well, I’ll wait patiently,” Lodbrok said with a smirk, flicking the ring back to Theo.

“How’s the purification coming along?”

“Given the area’s size, it’s taken time, but it’s proceeding well. The Naga’s forest won’t become a cursed wasteland,” Lodbrok said with a faint smile.

Theo, looking a bit tired, gazed out the window at the serene night sky, which resembled a painting.

Taking a moment to relax, he eventually stood up.

“Take some rest. You’ve done enough for today.”

“You too. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

With that, Theo left the library and found a quiet spot to lie down, mindful not to disturb anyone.

That night, the entire camp rested, fatigued from the day’s efforts.

Theo entered a light sleep, keeping his senses alert.

When dawn broke, he awoke naturally.

"Full moon, red star’s light…"

Thankfully, the phrase wasn’t cryptic. Theo stood under the moonlight, raised the ring, and infused it with mana.

As the inscription lit up, the ring began to resonate.

Wooong.

A sudden pain made Theo grimace.

The mysterious marking previously engraved on him throbbed sharply.

Flash!

A holographic display resembling a status window emerged from the ring.

"A map?"

On it appeared a map shrouded in mist. As the fog gradually cleared, Theo focused on the revealed section.

"Where is this?"

After a moment’s observation, he realized the map depicted a specific location.

"The capital."

It was the imperial capital, home to the palace.

The ring pointed directly to that location.

Ding!

[Activate the Mystery at the designated location.]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: Death]

A storm of thoughts swirled in Theo’s mind.

If the next mystery lay in the capital, his next adversary could very well be the imperial family itself.