Chapter 168

“Our dear sister here,” Torquel began, drawing Kisar and Ansio’s attention to him.

“It seems you hold Theo Ragnar in unusually high regard.”

The atmosphere was delicate.

His words hinted at the possibility that Regé might have already formed an alliance with Theo.

But Regé, completely unfazed, crossed her arms and smirked openly.

“Well, like it or not, he did beat me once. Denying it would just make me look ridiculous, wouldn’t it? Honestly, I’d praise anyone like that. A kid like him is someone I’d gladly bring into my fold when I take the throne.”

“Of course. That does make sense from your perspective,” Torquel replied.

Everyone seated at the table carried themselves with the unshakable belief that they were destined to claim the throne.

Torquel clicked his tongue lightly.

“In any case, I had hoped to use this gathering to discuss Naban’s situation and perhaps smooth over relations with the White Steel Vanguard. But it seems we’ll have to do without him.”

His gaze lingered on the empty seat he had prepared for Theo across the table.

His expression, as always, was unreadable.

***

"I don’t like it."

The gathering of the four candidates ended earlier than expected.

Regé had left first, claiming she was bored without Theo. Torquel followed soon after, saying he was feeling the effects of the alcohol.

That left Kisar and Ansio to stew in their dissatisfaction, wondering why they had even attended in the first place.

“What don’t you like?”

“Doesn’t it bother you? Regé and Torquel wasted the entire time talking about that bastard. Not a single meaningful discussion came out of it.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that,” Ansio replied with a shrug. “But what can we do? There wasn’t much else to discuss at that point.”

The original purpose of the meeting had been to strategize about the war with Troivan and discuss how to handle the emergence of any new candidates.

But in the end, they had failed to agree on a single cohesive plan.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: allowing someone like him to stand shoulder to shoulder with us was a mistake from the start. If he showed even the slightest promise, he should’ve been crushed before he could grow. Instead, you all let him lift his head high. If I hadn’t been away handling your missions…”

Ansio didn’t respond to her brother’s rant.

Even though they shared the same blood, their views on lineage and superiority couldn’t have been more different.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

“I’ll make him understand,” Kisar said, his eyes gleaming with deadly intent.

“I’ll make sure he knows he has no right to share our table.”

“Do whatever you want.”

Ansio shrugged again. She didn’t care what happened to Theo.

If Theo failed, it saved her the trouble of worrying about him. If Kisar failed, it eliminated a rival for her.

As always, she sought to maximize value with minimal investment.

Kisar, however, took her indifference as tacit support.

To him, his beloved younger sister was always on his side.

He was utterly mistaken, of course.

“Go ahead and try your best, brother,” Ansio thought with an amused smile.

***

After the Welcome Party

Theo left the main tent alongside Rey and the Holcus siblings.

But suddenly—

“Rey Ragnar! I challenge you to a duel!”

“...?”

Holcus stepped in front of Rey, drawing his sword.

At over two meters tall, Holcus towered menacingly over Rey, whose slim figure appeared almost fragile in comparison. Yet Rey showed no sign of fear. He tilted his head slightly, his expression one of mild confusion, as if wondering why Holcus was acting this way.

Rey’s gaze naturally shifted to Erica.

His silent glance seemed to ask, Do you know what’s going on?

But Erica only shrugged, looking just as uninterested as Rey felt.

Rey then turned to Theo, who awkwardly scratched his cheek before asking Holcus directly.

“Holcus, why are you challenging Rey to a duel out of the blue?”

“Because I’m his senior!”

“Uh… what?”

“As his senior, it’s my duty to teach this rookie—who doesn’t know the ways of the world yet—a lesson in the greatness of his seniors! It’s an obligation!”

“...?”

“...??”

“That idiot,” Erica muttered, covering her face with her hand in exasperation.

Despite her irritation, Holcus’s eyes gleamed with sincerity.

Now that Rey had formally been recognized as a recruit of the White Steel Vanguard, even if he hadn’t bonded with a partner yet, he was still an official candidate.

That alone made Holcus feel threatened.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Once Theo becomes a squad leader, there’ll be an open spot in his squad. To be chosen, I have to prove my worth.’

Without a word, Rey drew his sword.

And then—

Clang!

The two clashed in an instant.

Rey had the upper hand, but Holcus wasn’t as easy to overwhelm as before. Pouring every ounce of focus into his movements, he fought with all his strength.

“Let’s just leave that idiot to his own devices,” Erica said, tugging at Theo’s arm as he hesitated, unsure whether to intervene.

“Shouldn’t we stay and make sure?”

“Why bother? The outcome is as clear as day. What really matters is what Holcus takes away from this, not what we do. We can just check the result later. Besides, didn’t you have something to do?”

“How did you—”

“How did I know?” Erica interrupted with a grin. “You’ve been fidgeting in your seat all night, ready to bolt. Pretty sure everyone noticed. So? Where are we going? I’ll guide you. You don’t know the area, do you?”

Theo let out a small, sheepish laugh. It seemed his eagerness to tackle the quest had been far too obvious.

The party had been a gesture of welcome, and he felt a twinge of guilt for his impatience.

‘I’ll have to apologize to the Commander properly later.’

Deciding there was no point in keeping his plans secret, Theo relented.

“I want to head to the ruins.”

“The ruins? At this hour?”

“Yes, because it’s this hour.”

“...?”

Erica tilted her head, puzzled by his cryptic response. But then her eyes widened in realization.

“You’re not saying…!”

“Shh. Nothing’s confirmed yet. The goal is to get in and out without the Black Iron Brigade noticing.”

Erica blinked at him in astonishment before nodding slowly.

Then her expression shifted as she recalled Theo’s success with the Mystery of the Floating Isles. Her curiosity and excitement flared.

“If he pulls it off again, we’ll land a blow right on the smug faces of the Black Iron Brigade.”

The thought filled her with glee.

***

The White Tower was easily recognizable, even from a distance, due to its distinctive appearance.

The 11-story tower, carved from white marble, leaned at an angle of over ten degrees, as though it could topple at any moment.

It resembled the Leaning Tower of Pisa that Theo had seen in his first life, though it looked far more ancient and worn.

“Stop! Entry to the vicinity of the tower is strictly prohibited after 10 PM. State your affiliation and withdraw. Resistance will result in immediate execution.”

Guarding the tower were knights clad in crimson plate armor, their faces hidden beneath deeply set helmets.

These were the Red Blade Knights—an elite force known for their unwavering loyalty to Lord Kael. After the White Tower’s immense value was discovered, they hadn’t left the area for even a moment, always prepared for an attempted takeover by Troivan.

‘What now? I didn’t account for this.’

Theo frowned as he stared at the glowing blue light emanating from the tower, marking it as the quest location.

He had planned to retrieve the Mystery before the Black Iron Brigade or Torquel could act.

But with these knights stationed here, it seemed he might need to secure official permission to proceed the next day.

Then—

“This is Erika Ranke, a combat inspector of the White Steel Vanguard, accompanied by Theo Ragnar,” Erika said, presenting her ID and spinning a seamless lie. “We’ve come to the White Tower on orders from Commander Julius Ragnar to conduct an investigation.”

The Red Blade Knight furrowed his brow.

“White Steel Vanguard? We received no notice of dragon knights visiting at this hour.”

“Ah, I figured as much. The orders came through quite recently. We’re here as part of Theo Ragnar’s promotion exam preparations. You know who he is, don’t you?”

The knight’s expression grew troubled.

Who in Ragnar didn’t know Theo’s face? Rumors of his upcoming Senior Inspector exam had already spread widely.

“Until we receive confirmation, you’ll have to wait here…”

“Come on,” Erika interrupted with a grin. “We’re all family here. We just need to scout the vicinity of the tower. Nothing invasive.”

The knight hesitated but eventually nodded.

Unlike the Black Iron Brigade, the White Steel Vanguard had a reasonably good relationship with the Red Blade Knights, and Theo was a widely acknowledged heir candidate. There was no need to cause unnecessary friction.

Besides, the knight had secretly been paid off by the Black Iron Brigade to report any suspicious activity from the Vanguard. Letting them scout briefly wouldn’t jeopardize his post, and he could inform Pataya soon enough.

“Very well. But until official documentation arrives, you may only inspect the outer perimeter. Entry is strictly prohibited until further notice.”

“See? This is why the Red Blade Knights are so much more reasonable than those petty dirt-dwellers.”

“Hmph! I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Despite his gruff words, the knight seemed pleased by the compliment and opened the barricade.

Erika winked at Theo, as if asking, How was that?

Theo let out a small chuckle and followed her toward the White Tower.

『So, you’ve found another artifact already? I could feel something familiar about this place.』

The voice of Lodbrok, his bonded dragon spirit, echoed in Theo’s mind.

‘Do you know what this tower’s function is?’

『Not exactly. But I do know it serves as a kind of “gate.”』

‘A gate?’

Theo frowned. That didn’t align with the information he had, but he decided he’d find out soon enough. Taking out the [Blue Key], he smiled.

“A key?” Erika asked, curiosity flickering across her face.

Theo grinned. “Want to see something interesting?”

“What?”

“That tower over there—it’s just a decoy.”

“A decoy?”

“Yep. The real treasure…” Theo pointed to the ground beneath their feet, “…is hidden below us.”

Erika’s gaze followed his, but only Theo could see the faint blue glow swirling around his feet.

“It’s down here,” he said, plunging the key into the ground and turning it.

Clunk!

Suddenly, the sound of a lock disengaging echoed, followed by a deep rumble.

Rumble!

“...!?” Erika’s eyes widened in shock.

The ground beneath them trembled and began to shift, forming strange patterns. A mysterious circle rotated rapidly, creating the illusion of a gate opening.

At the same time, a brilliant light illuminated the first floor of the leaning White Tower, as though welcoming an incoming visitor.

“What—what is happening?!”

The Red Blade Knight ran over, panic etched on his face.

He had planned to wait until someone from the Black Iron Brigade arrived, but this sudden event made it clear something had gone awry.

“When the Black Iron Brigade shows up,” Theo said with a smirk, “please let them know: the Mystery of the White Tower is now property of the White Steel Vanguard.”

“Wh-what?! You can’t just—”

Ignoring the knight’s stammering protests, Theo stepped into the glowing light that enveloped him completely.

Whoosh!

[The quest has begun.]

The notification rang sharply in his ears as the world around him was consumed by dazzling brilliance.