Clatter.

The carriage that had been running tirelessly for three days came to a stop in front of the collapsed castle.

“Phew, is this the famous Babelin Castle? Kaiyan, is this the place?”

“Yes, this is the place. I used to come here often.”

After three days passed quickly since meeting the knights.

Since the workers from Therion merchant Caravan’s upper echelon didn’t need to be taken to Babelin, they were given two carriages and let them leave after promising to keep the secret.

Of course, it would be very dangerous for a group of non-combatants like them, consisting of ten people, to cross the Louis Plains and the forest, but they didn’t deceive us for the sake of money.

Furthermore, just by sparing their lives when they were almost killed by the knights, Kaiyan had already saved their lives once.

“I don’t regret that decision.”

After they left, the ten mercenaries, including Kaiyan, quickly crossed the Louis Plains using the two carriages. And they succeeded in arriving at Babelin within the promised time of three days with Jansen.

“I used to come here a lot when he was young.”

According to his father, Kaiyan’s hometown was a village created to manage the collapsed fortress as a part of the Iron Kingdom Darian. Of course, that role disappeared several decades ago.

Thanks to that, the uninhabited Babelin Castle became Kaiyan’s playground, and it holds memories of his time with his younger sibling.

“If I say I’m not sad, it would be a lie… But I’m not there yet.”

Clack.

“I will be sad after everything is over.”

Even now, when he closes his eyes before falling asleep, the burning village vividly comes to mind.

The neighbor’s uncle whose lower body is nowhere to be found, only his upper body lying on the ground.

The grocery store auntie lying flat with a tortured expression as if her torso is being crushed by something.

Amidst the collapsed houses, blood, whose origin is unknown, poured out and happily soaked the ground.

“Kaiyan? What are you thinking?”

When he was about to sink into the nightmare-like memories, Bisel shook his shoulder.

“Thank you, Bisel.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing… It’s nothing at all. Rather than that, it seems like they haven’t arrived yet.”

They looked around the vicinity of Babelin Castle, but there was no one except the mercenaries.

“Since they didn’t set a specific time.”

“We might have to wait here for a while.”

“Well, let’s do that. Come on, everyone, rest and have a meal!”

The mercenaries took out eating utensils and various cooking ingredients from the carriage. Kaiyan turned his head to look at Babelin Castle again. They don’t know when they will visit again.

“…Since there’s still time, should I go in now?”

At first, he planned to just pass by because he was afraid that memories would rush in like a strong current, but a strong desire to go into Babelin Castle surged within him.

Above all, he doesn’t know when he will have the chance to visit again. It might be a few years later, or even several decades later.

“Yeah, let’s go in.”

“Banson.”

Kaiyan called Banson, who was preparing the meal.

“Yeah?”

“I will briefly enter Babelin Castle and come back.”

“The castle? Why the collapsed castle?”

“There’s something I need to check.”

“Really? Isn’t it better to have a meal before you go?”

“No, I plan to go and come back quickly since we don’t know when they will arrive. If they arrive while I’m in the castle, just follow what I told you. Be careful not to reveal that I’m not Terrien.”

“Don’t worry! I’ve already told the other mercenaries as well.”

During the three-day journey, Kaiyan explained about Jansen de Carsia to them—what he intended to do and the current situation.

Unless they are idiots, they have no reason to say anything strange to Jansen’s subordinates, who will bring 1,000 gold.

“Then…”

Leaving the mercenaries behind, Kaiyan walked slowly towards the castle, step by step.

Although he didn’t know in the past, Babelin Castle looked new to him now.

Despite having collapsed like a fortress that used to defend against monster waves, it still had an enormous scale.

The castle, which belongs to the same category as the Blatan Territory Castle, built solely for battles, is quite large.

“As usual… Hm? Someone was here before?”

As Kaiyan stood at the entrance of the castle, the interior looked slightly different from what he remembered.

The scattered and collapsed appearance was the same, but the large boulders that used to fill the inside were now pushed to the outer edges. Unless someone intentionally moved them, it would be impossible for such large boulders to naturally end up like that.

“Are there people who come here…?”

Although he had lived in this area for 15 years, he had never seen anyone visit Babelin Castle other than the villagers. It was located at the western edge for a reason, and there was no reason to come to see the collapsed Babelin Castle.

It would have been understandable if it was his disappeared hometown, but occasionally, traders passing through the Louis Plains would mention it.

“Did they send a search team from the Darian Kingdom to the village?”

The only possibility would be that they sent people from Darian to investigate the collapsed village.

“…That’s unlikely.”

Although this place belongs to Darian, it is an embarrassing place to call Darian territory. It would be more accurate to say that it is land they keep because it would be a waste to discard it.

Kaiyan had heard from his father that even Viscount Venice, who was the only noble in the village, came here as if being pushed away after committing a great sin. The importance of our village in Darian is only that much.

But why would the kingdom send a search team? Probably, they would have learned about the collapsed village through traders who occasionally visited our village long after the fact.

“In that case, who on earth…?”

Who would dare to meddle in this place where memories with his younger brother are buried?

Moreover, if they cleared these boulders to this extent, it would definitely not be possible with just one or two people.

“I’ll find out if I go inside.”

Step by step.

“…?”

Contrary to his expectations, he stopped after only a few steps. It was because of a strong sensation that resounded in his head.

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