Taken (1)

After solving the boss room puzzle using the corpses of B-tier adventurers, the gate raid proceeded swiftly and smoothly.

The boss lurking behind the massive gate was the Abomination.

It was an undead golem, alchemically created by joining together the bodies of ghouls and gargoyles like patchwork.

Its combat power was almost on par with the peak-stage Experts.

However—

― BOOM!

― CRASH!

― KUWOONG!

The Abomination couldn't withstand even five attacks from Vladiark before its head was smashed, never to rise again.

This was the result of Ian connecting Dark Hook Throw and Vladiark, spinning and throwing them like a chained sickle.

"Y-young master, you're using alien-like techniques again...! How did you do that? Magic? Aura? Ugh, ugh... I really don't understand at all now... Young master, what are you?"

"I'll explain everything slowly later. For now, help me clean up these corpses."

After extracting the gate core from the Abomination's body, they disposed of the Johnson party's corpses by throwing them off a sheer cliff.

"You were absolutely right, young master! Not that I doubted you, but... These guys were total villains! I had a bad feeling from the very first impression!"

Ian thought Sophia might scold him for going too far by killing the whole Johnson party, but thankfully, that was just needless worry.

It seemed that after her experience being kidnapped by bandits, Sophia understood that sometimes killing for one's own safety was the cleanest and surest way.

"These evil bastards! It was outrageous enough they tried to steal my sword, but they even tried to kill the porters! Young master, you carried out justice!"

Most importantly, Johnson's long, drawn-out confession before he died had echoed around the area, and Sophia heard the entire thing, which likely made her more accepting of the killings.

"I'm glad you understand."

"Why are you relieved over something like this! I'm always on your side, young master!"

"Yes, you always have been."

After exchanging these heartwarming words and finishing up the cleanup, they returned to base camp.

"I-I never imagined you'd complete the raid in less than a day..."

The leader of the porters gaped in awe as Ian brought back the gate core in less than a full day, and then hurriedly offered him a business card.

"Sir swordsman! If you ever enter another gate or dungeon in the Serion Kingdom, please contact us at this address! Our porters will serve you better and cheaper than anyone else!"

Once back at camp, they had to wait a bit before leaving the gate.

They needed to give the porters time to gather up the loot from the ruins.

—Move the moss over here!

—Check the size and weight of the gargoyle hide!

Until all the relics from the ruins were gathered, no one asked Ian about the whereabouts of the Johnson party.

Their deaths were merely recorded briefly in the raid report.

Disappeared during the raid. Presumed dead due to traps or monsters. End of report.

No one mourned the Johnson party's death, so no one made an issue of it.

After the raid ended, they immediately got a room at a nearby hotel and washed away all the filth.

"Whooaa! I feel so refreshed! Huh? Young master, you washed up really fast!"

"After a bath, milk is a must. Here, this is for you too."

"Wow! Milk! Haah~ So cool!"

They spent the night there and then returned directly to Hisperion.

They returned with their bags full of the ingredients for the ultra-sensory potion 'Elder Vampiric Sense', which was the main goal of this raid: Blood Demon Jade and Blood Light Mushrooms.

The Blood Demon Jade, especially, extracted from the chest of the Abomination, was an exceptionally large, top-class specimen.

With this, they could surely produce a high-quality 'Elder Vampiric Sense'.

"I've brought the ingredients. Please make one bottle of Elder Vampiric Sense as soon as possible."

As soon as Ian arrived at Hisperion's Heavenly Sword Palace, he headed straight for the alchemy workshop, handing over the ingredients and placing his order for the ultra-sensory potion.

"Oh... Blood Light Mushrooms and Blood Demon Jade. These ingredients are very fresh and of outstanding quality! And you brought so much! With this amount, we can probably make at least three bottles."

"One bottle is enough. You can keep the leftovers. I owe a lot to Hisperion, so I'd like to contribute in some small way."

"Th-these precious ingredients! You must've gone through a lot to get them... Th-thank you, sir Ian. Actually, we received an order for Elder Vampiric Sense from the north and didn't have any ingredients, so we were in quite a bind. We'll gratefully use what you gave. I'm sure the head of the Heavenly Sword family will be delighted with your generosity."

After putting in his order at the workshop, Ian immediately headed to the Heavenly Sword Palace medical center.

"Gasp...! You're going to the medical center!? Did you get hurt, young master!? Why didn't you tell me!"

"No, no. I'm not hurt—I'm going for a checkup. After going through a gate, it's good to get looked at once."

Especially if you've gotten smeared with undead blood, a checkup is a must.

Ghoul and gargoyle blood wasn't just stinky—it was basically a mass of bacteria.

Even if you had no symptoms now, after the incubation period you could develop a cold, dermatitis, or, in the worst case, severe pneumonia.

Putting off a checkup out of laziness could just make things much worse later.

It was better in every way to get checked while you still felt fine.

"Aha! So that's it! I thought you were actually hurt... You startled me!"

"By the way, you're coming too. They'll take blood—so prepare yourself."

"B-blood? Hey, I'm not a kid! Blood is no big deal..."

"They need to take it five times."

"Wh-wh-what!"

Yuria was probably still at the medical center.

She was likely still hospitalized from the injuries sustained during her admission test.

She was a strong girl, so her external wounds must have healed long ago, but she was likely still being treated for internal injuries.

Since he was visiting the medical center for a checkup anyway, Ian planned to check on Yuria while he was there.

Chatting with Sophia as they walked, they soon arrived at the medical center.

"Huh?"

"What...?"

But at the main entrance to the medical center, a problem emerged.

The entrance was completely blocked off with "No Entry" signs.

"What is this...?"

There were two Heavenly Sword knights standing guard on either side of the entrance.

It was clear that some kind of incident had occurred inside the medical center.

"Hm..."

A sudden chill of foreboding swept over Ian.

... Could something have happened to Yuria, who was still hospitalized?

"Sir."

Ian approached one of the guards.

"Why is the medical center sealed off?"

"Hm?"

The knight blinked at Ian's sudden approach, then recognized him and saluted.

"Ah! Honor! You must be Sir Ian. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner."

"It's fine."

Suppressing his growing anxiety, Ian asked again.

"What happened inside? Why is the medical center sealed off?"

"Ah, well..."

The knight looked troubled at Ian's question.

As if struggling to find the right words.

"I'm sorry, sir Ian. All matters currently under investigation at the medical center are classified... I'm not authorized to tell you anything. At the very least, however, the medical center won't be available for several days—"

"No. Hold on."

Ian took a deep breath and continued.

"There's only one thing I want to confirm. Yuria should have been inside. Is she safe?"

As long as Yuria was unharmed, Ian didn't care if the medical center was sealed off or even blown up.

It was unfortunate about the checkup, but there were other medical facilities in the main city.

As long as she was safe, Ian planned to head to the main city with Sophia instead.

"Ah, well..."

But the knight didn't answer immediately.

"........."

― Gulp.

Ian's lips went dry.

He swallowed hard.

Why can't he answer right away?

Yuria's safety is something he should be able to confirm regardless of the issue being confidential or not.

― THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The ominous feeling running through his whole body grew stronger and stronger.

Was this what a mother bird felt like upon returning to her nest and finding her eggs are gone?

It felt as if his heart had dropped off a cliff.

"Sir, why can't you answer?"

"I—I'm sorry, but I have no authority—"

"I'm asking if something has happened to Lady Yuria! Sir!!"

Frustrated, Ian unconsciously raised his voice.

"M-my lord! Please, lower your voice!"

The knight, flustered, looked around nervously.

The sealed-off medical center meant there weren't many people nearby, but several maids and servants were still passing by.

If rumors of such a scene spread, it could be a disaster for the Heavenly Sword Knights.

The higher-ups had ordered that this incident not be exposed externally, so they had to keep it under wraps no matter what.

"Why can't you just say it?!"

But none of that mattered to Ian.

"I'm asking if something happened to Lady Yuria!"

"Uh, ugh! My lord! Please...!"

As Ian's voice grew louder, the knight broke out in a cold sweat and just waved his hands uselessly.

At that moment—

"What's this commotion?"

A knight in ornate armor appeared from inside the medical center.

"A-ah! Chief of Investigation! Salute!"

"Salute."

The man, called the head of investigations, accepted the guard's salute with a nod and turned to Ian.

"Hm? Ah, you must be Sir Ian. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The knight in ornate armor extended his hand for a handshake.

"I'm Javier Gardner, head of the investigation division of the Heavenly Sword Knights."

"Haa..."

Ian wasn't exactly in the mood for handshakes, but he clasped Javier's hand anyway.

"I'm Ian Greysel, guest of the head of the Heavenly Sword family."

"Yes, nice to meet you. I'm honored, but I must apologize—the situation is unsettled. Please understand if we can't show you proper hospitality at the moment."

"No..."

Ian massaged his throbbing temple.

The moment he met Javier, he was sure—something had happened to Yuria.

The position of division head in the Heavenly Sword Knights was just below deputy-commander—a very high-ranking post.

If someone at that level was handling the matter personally, it could only mean something involving the direct line.

Yuria, who had been hospitalized, must have been involved.

― Swish.

Ian rubbed his face from temple to chin.

The situation was shocking, but there was no time to be lost in despair.

First, he had to accurately assess the circumstances, and, if there was any way he could help, move decisively.

"What happened to Lady Yuria? Was it a kidnapping? Attempted poisoning? Or... don't tell me, was she attacked?"

Or maybe... maybe...

He didn't want to imagine it, but... could she be dead?

If that were the case, Ian wasn't sure he could stay sane.

"Hmm..."

At Ian's question, Javier stroked his chin for a moment.

A boy suddenly shows up asking after the youngest lady of Hisperion with such heat.

His intensity was as if he'd lost his own daughter.

There had been rumors recently that he'd grown close to the head of the Heavenly Sword family.

Was it because of that connection that he was so fervent about the fate of the youngest daughter?

"If you're asking about Lady Yuria..."

By regulations, no matter how much of a guest Ian was to the head of the family, Javier shouldn't divulge information.

His supervisor, the deputy-commander, had specifically ordered that the matter be handled quietly, out of the public eye.

If word got out that security had been breached at the Heavenly Sword Palace, more assassins might think the security was lax and try to invade—that was the deputy-commander's reasoning.

But that was only the deputy's thinking, and Javier was the sort who only obeyed unreasonable orders halfway at best.

When a direct-line member was in trouble, you needed all the help you could get.

Why hide the truth in a crisis?

"It'll be faster for you to see the scene yourself. Will you come with me?"

Javier removed the barricade at the entrance and, with a polite gesture, invited Ian inside.

He'd been frustrated by the lack of reports from his team for almost an hour now anyway.

Perhaps showing the scene to this boy—and seeing if he knew anything—couldn't hurt.

He was still just a fourteen-year-old boy, but he was personally invited by the head of the Heavenly Sword family.

In a world full of special skills and powers, maybe this boy had something unique to offer.

"Thank you. Please show me immediately."

Without hesitation, Ian strode into the medical center.

'Yuria, what on earth happened to you?'

Ian's mind raced with every possible scenario as he headed for the scene.

Was she kidnapped? If so, even if it cost him his hands and feet, he'd search the world to find her.

Was she grievously wounded? Then he'd scour the world for every miracle cure and heal her.

Could she possibly be dead...? If so, he would find the culprit and inflict upon him the most horrific agony and despair in human history, and then, whether by bartering with gods or devils, devote his life to returning to the past at any cost.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Ian loses his cool whenever it concerns Yuria...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】