Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

On one corner of the chamber, Blake and the others who had regained their consciousness a while earlier than the others, looked at the ensuing confusion. They themselves were perplexed by the sudden turn of events and would have surely behaved just like the other adventurers if not for the fact that they saw the two children who were among the peculiar group of people who followed Her Highness acting as if nothing happened.

Although they did not know the heart of the matter, they could tell that it was related to Her Highness and those people.

After a while, as the confusion died down, Cynthia who was followed by Annette who walked two steps behind her, entered the place.

"Your Highness"

Everyone bowed their heads. These unruly adventurers who hardly learned any manners were as docile as a lamb in front of her.

Cynthia nodded her head to put them at ease before moving her eyes towards the huge ash grey doors in front of them blocking their way in.

"Your Highness, the first prince is beyond this door. Unfortunately, these doors are just too damn sturdy and can't be forced open without a key"

One of the adventurers wanting to impress the two ladies, beat the others to the punch and reported the exact same thing he learned from Theodore.

"I know, I brought the key with me"

Cynthia's tone was unimpressive as she walked past and stood before the door. She took out a weird cylindrical object from her space ring and showed it to the two children standing before the doors "I got the key".

Theodore nodded and pointed at the centre of the door where a small depression that matched the key, could be spotted.

"The key not only unlocks the door, but all the magical traps and arrays that have been set up inside the emergency shelter in case the door was broken through" He explained. As one would expect of a fortress like city, even their emergency shelter was impeccable.

Cynthia was impressed when she heard that. The adventurers, on the other hand, were sweating bullets. Just a little while ago, they were attacking the door with all their strengths and skill, trying to force it open.

However, it was only now that they knew that doing so, would only have made things even more complicated. There were so many more mechanisms installed inside that just listening to it, made their headache.

Cynthia inserted the key and the mechanism inside the doors immediately started whirring and coming to life. With the key as the centre, mana passed through the entire door and even through the ceiling and floor.

The patterns looked very much like the mana lines that form within one's body. A metal that conducted mana so well, everyone watching had no doubt that the metal was none other than Mythril. Novel Fire - novelfire.net

What's more, unlike what they thought, it was not just the doors that were made of Mythril, but the entire emergency shelter. A place as big as the emergency shelter built entirely with mythril.

Just the thought was enough to make every adventurer here gawk in awe. To build this entire place with a metal as precious as Mythril, how rich was the Duke? No, this amount of Mythril was something that no amount of money could buy. One had to get their hands on a large deposit of Mythril to build something like this.

"Even the Main palace doesn't have this much Mythril. Duke Montford, he was truly something" Cynthia marvelled.

After the door was opened and all the mechanisms deactivated, the inside of the emergency shelter finally came into view. This subterranean refuge was surprisingly spacious with high ceilings and well-lit corridors branching out in an organized manner.

As it was designed to accommodate the entire population of the city, and its scale reflected this purpose. The architecture combined functionality with simplicity, creating a layout that allowed for efficient use of space.

If one looked around, one would be able to see that Every corner of the shelter was stocked with provisions, ensuring that the basic needs of the inhabitants could be met. There were rooms filled with neatly arranged beds, providing a place for everyone to rest.

The dining area featured long tables and benches, with shelves stacked full of non perishable food items. Adjacent to this, there was a large kitchen area equipped with tools for cooking, emphasizing self-sufficiency.

To address the essential aspects of daily life, the shelter included well-maintained toilets and bathing facilities. There were systems in place to manage waste and provide clean water for consumption and personal use.

That was not all, Understanding the potential duration of stay of the refugees, the emergency shelter was designed with self-sustainability in mind. In case the entire city's population had to take shelter here for months or even a year, there were empty spaces with soil, designated for gardening, allowing residents to plant and cultivate vegetables.

As Cynthia and her group walked further in through the emergency shelter, they were able to see that The shelter wasn't just built as a place to stay; it was a place to live. As such, it was equipped with tools and supplies that extended beyond mere survival.

There were areas designated for communal activities, workshops, and even storage for emergency medical supplies. No matter who it was, if they saw this emergency shelter that the duke built they would no doubt be left in awe of it.

The place stood as a testament to the forethought and planning that went into ensuring the survival and well-being of the city's inhabitants in times of crisis. It was also a sign of how much the duke cared about his people.

"Even the emergency shelter, built under the royal palace, is no match for the one the duke built" Cynthia spoke her honest thoughts. Honestly, she was quite hesitant to finish off the man given how useful he was.

"I'm sensing the presence of multiple people further down the hall. Your Highness, our target the first prince must be there" Leading the team, Blake stated walking forward.

Cynthia nodded her head and then looked towards Annette who was currently arching her brows. Seeing her make that expression, she couldn't help but question "What's wrong?".

The Valkyrie continued to maintain her silence before replying with a question of her own. Though her question was not directed towards Cynthia but instead at Theodore and Maybell who were carefreely walking beside her.

"Why is that I am sensing such strange spatial fluctuation?"…

"Hm? Ah, it must be because of that spatial formation that was laid out at the end of the shelter" Thedoroe replied putting his hands beside his head.

"A spatial formation was installed here? How could we have missed that?"…

"Don't worry, it's just a faulty spatial formation with an ancient runic system. There is a very low possibility that it will work and even if it does, it is going to need a large amount of energy and isn't going to start anytime soon".

Hearing Theodore's reply, Annette relaxed a little. As the person who was made the leader of the entire mission, it was on her to make sure that everything went according to plan and the wishes of her master.

As such, she wasn't going to let any mistake slide and accomplish her mission seamlessly. Walking a few steps in front of them, Cynthia listened to their conversation.

'Leo is it really like that?' she questioned the guardian spirit residing in her space ring.

'Yeah, it's as the little boy says. The spatial fluctuation is very turbulent and unstable. It is unlikely that it will start. Although I am unsure about the ancient runic system that the little boy talked about. It makes me reversely curious as to who this boy is and how is able to understand the ancient runic system that even I an ancient beast don't'.

Leo the guardian spirit replied. The emergency shelter built by the duke was large but after walking for a while, they could finally see the figure of the prince and his entourage in their line of vision.

At this moment, the prince was frantically ordering and yelling at his people to hurry up and fix the teleportation formation. The sight of them running around and placing mana crystals to charge the formation could be seen even from a distance.

"Dammit, what is taking you guys so long? Hurry up and get the formation ready you numbskulls" Alstin shouted.

"If Castledor falls, I must survive at all costs. I am from the royal lineage, only I can eligible to rule this kingdom, only I can continue it on. I must not fall"…

"Oh? Is that so brother? Do you think you are the only descendant of father or is it that you think only you are worthy of the throne?"

Not expecting to hear a reply, Alstin was quickly taken aback by the voice of the speaker.

"It can't be… you are already here?!! But the duke and the others should have been outside. Not this can't be" Turning around, he was surprised to find that it was none other than Cynthia and her followers.

"Duke Montford died by my hands as for the others, they too have been taken care of by my force. It's all over for you brother; no Alstin. Give it up"

Cynthia spoke looking at her brother who has changed so much in the short amount of time she hadn't seen him. Hair line thinning, dark circles under the eyes, sunken cheeks… he looked the very definition of miserable.

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