Chapter 84

Chapter 84
## Chapter 84

Crash! Smash—clatter!

With a violent explosion of sound, the heavy door was ripped from its frame and sent skidding across the stones.

Luckily, perhaps because they had taken the previous caution to heart, none of the occupants were crushed or wounded by the projectile.

Lucian let out a low grumble as he crossed the threshold of the now-exposed entrance.

“It truly resists the blade, doesn’t it? I held a sliver of hope since this weapon shares its composition, but I suppose it wasn’t enough.”

“….”

The guard captain simply gaped at the discarded door in a trance, payng no mind to Lucian’s internal monologue.

Aside from some deep gouges and a minor warp in the metal, the alloy door remained largely intact. The failure lay in the masonry.

The hinges and heavy bolts keeping the barrier in place were embedded directly into the rock. Regardless of how indestructible the door itself was, if the stone anchors couldn’t contain the energy of the blow, the entire structure was destined to be torn out by the roots.

“Well, the path is clear, so we might as well step inside. There’s no point in lingering out here, is there?”

“Hold—just a moment! Do you realize what you are doing to a site of such historical significance…!”

“It is my residence now, and my private holding. Quit your whining and step aside.”

Whirr.

The knight, attempting one final stand to bar Lucian’s way, recoiled instinctively.

A shimmering, azure aura of mana began to ripple around the frame of the young man, who stood significantly shorter than the warrior. If the boy chose to release it, that energy would tear through human marrow with the same violence that had just uprooted the entrance.

Curse it all.

Visualizing his own frame being pulverized into red mist, the knight tightly shut his eyes and retreated.

With the primary defender yielding, the cluster of soldiers near the doorway also lost their nerve and backed away.

“Why the crowd? Were you lot hoping to pilfer something while I was kept waiting at the gate?”

“N-No, sir, that isn’t the case at all…!”

“Spare me the lies. Vanish. If I catch you loitering in my sight again, I’ll have your heads.”

As that frost-bitten threat hit them, the soldiers turned ghostly pale and bolted.

Once he was certain the irritants had dispersed, Lucian glanced back toward Glen.

“Sir Glen, what’s the delay? You need to come forward and finalize the transfer of the estate.”

“Ah… of course! My humble apologies, Your Highness!”

Glen, who had been standing by in a state of shock, snapped to attention and hurried toward the door at Lucian’s command.

Observing this scene, the retainers of the House of Calix looked on with expressions of pure misery. They were forced to watch the very lands they had occupied for over a decade for their patriarch’s schemes slip effortlessly into the grasp of another.

The moment Glen formally declared the legal transfer of the inheritance, the staff and guards of the House of Calix who had been running the estate began gathering their belongings in a frantic rush.

With Lucian officially claiming the legacy of Grimaldi, their justification for staying had evaporated.

“We shall depart immediately. Since this entire estate is now under Your Grace’s authority, we have no desire to be accused of misconduct by staying a moment longer.”

“A prudent choice. Though your wording is flawed. This was always mine; you were merely squatting here without right. By law, I should see you punished for your trespass, but since you’ve saved me the effort of clearing the place out, I’ll grant you a reprieve.”

“…We are humbled by Your Grace’s leniency.”

One knight ground his teeth and shot a brief, resentful look upward, but he quickly folded under the weight of Lucian’s icy stare.

His gaze drifted to the Adamantium alloy door still resting on the floor nearby. Shuddering, the knight offered a clipped goodbye and hurried out as if the building were on fire.

“Tsk. If you lack the stomach for the fallout, you shouldn’t start the fight.”

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Lucian walked toward the foyer of the Lord’s Manor.

The interior matched the grandeur of the facade and had been kept in such pristine condition that it was ready for immediate habitation.

As Lucian scanned the halls, Glen walked up to him wearing a thin smile.

“You have finally secured what was rightfully yours. My congratulations.”

“I owe it all to the benevolence of His Majesty the Emperor. His kindness is so immense that I have nothing but my total devotion to offer in return.”

Lucian adopted an expression of deep gratitude, masking his complete lack of genuine emotion.

Having already obtained Asagrim from the monarch, this estate was little more than a secondary perk.

This location was always valued more for its status than its utility. Now that I possess Asagrim, which far surpasses any symbolic value this place holds, the manor itself is somewhat redundant.

He would establish his ownership clearly to prevent any pretenders from utilizing it, but that was the extent of his interest. Unless a specific need arose, he intended to leave it largely dormant, much as it had been.

However, since I’m already on the grounds, perhaps a bit of scavenging is in order?

The estate possessed a massive lineage, and it was the primary residence of Lucian’s grandfather on his mother’s side. Who could say what forgotten riches might be unearthed with a little digging?

“First, conduct a thorough search of every room and corridor. If you stumble upon anything out of the ordinary, bring it to me. If you suspect a hidden compartment, you have my permission to tear things apart. I want every inch scrutinized.”

“I beg your pardon!?”

The assistants stared at Lucian in disbelief.

Were there not chambers intended only for the Lord’s eyes? And he was inviting them to enter every restricted area? He was even authorizing the destruction of a landmark manor?

While the rest were frozen in silence, Raymond grabbed Lucian’s arm with a look of sheer panic.

“My Lord, what do you mean by ‘tear things apart’?! Consider the centuries of history within these walls!”

“I am well aware. But you also recognize the worth of Asagrim.”

“How are the two related?”

“Their significance is redundant. Tell me truly, do you believe I’ll have any reason to return to this place once I’ve established myself in Asagrim?”

“….”

Raymond went quiet, unable to argue with the blunt logic. Lucian might drop by for a visit, but it would likely be a brief inspection at most.

“Since I don’t plan on making this my home, it’s far more productive to strip it for secrets than to worship it like a museum piece. As you mentioned, its history is long. Who knows what treasures are buried here?”

“Mmm, I suppose that makes sense, but still…”

“What does symbolism matter a millennium from now if the contents are lost? Let’s be thorough while we are here. We have Asagrim as our seat of power now, so there’s no reason to feel sentimental.”

Faced with such pragmatic reasoning, Raymond eventually gave a nod. He felt he realized what Lucian was truly hunting for.

“Are you looking for traces of magic?”

“You’re sharp today. Precisely.”

This residence was constructed long before the era of the Mages’ Rebellion. If they looked hard enough, they might discover relics of the arcane, similar to the enchanted items concealed by the Crown.

It’s a long shot, but not impossible. In a manor this grand and ancient, a concealed door or a private chronicle is bound to exist somewhere.

Grasping his master’s logic, Raymond nodded and moved to organize the search. If they managed to find an enchanted relic, it would be a triumph; even if they didn’t, the chance of finding something hidden was high.

While his men fanned out to comb the estate, Lucian decided to inspect the main study. Historical files left by previous lords were typically stored in the office or the archives.

“Waste of time.”

Thud.

Lucian dropped a volume onto the desk, unable to hide his irritation.

The study was packed with nothing but dry bureaucratic logs, account books, or trivial items like collections of verse and fiction. No matter where he turned, there were no intimate records, journals, or personal accounts.

Did the House of Calix plunder the archives? Perhaps they uncovered something sensitive while they were squatting here…

“My Lord! We’ve come across something bizarre down here!”

Just as his distrust of the House of Calix was reaching a boiling point, Hugo’s shout echoed from the hallway.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed, and he sprinted toward the spot where his retainers had congregated.

“What have you found?”

“We located a passage to the lower levels, but someone has gone to great lengths to seal it. Take a look.”

Hugo gestured toward the cellar door.

Heavy iron bars and thick chains were wrapped multiple times around the frame, ensuring the way was barred to any casual entry.

Lucian leaned in to inspect the restraints.

The door itself shows its age, but these locks and chains are recent additions.

Based on the lack of corrosion on the metal, they had been installed within the last few years at most.

Lucian reached for his blade but hesitated. If he used overwhelming force, he risked bringing the entire ceiling down on the entrance.

“Felicia, do you think you can sever this?”

“I will attempt it.”

Felicia unsheathed her sword and settled into a focused stance for a precise vertical strike.

Instantly, her mana began to manifest as gossamer-thin strands, weaving themselves around the steel. It looked as though a spectral spider was wrapping the blade in a web as the mana threads layered over the sword.

Snap.

With a sound no louder than a blade through parchment, the steel bit through the iron.

Immediately, the heavy chains and the latch fell away, split perfectly along the line of the strike.

Lucian ran a finger along the mirror-smooth edge of the cut and gave a satisfied nod.

“Flawless. Just what I’d expect from the future Sword Saint.”

“You are too kind, My Lord.”

With her cheeks reddening slightly at the compliment, Felicia offered a modest bow.

Lucian and his team cleared the metallic debris and descended into the dark basement.

“Good heavens…!”

The retainers let out collective gasps as they took in the sight.

Calling it a ‘basement’ was a massive understatement; a vast, cavernous hall—larger in scale than the manor sitting above it—stretched out into the darkness.

As Lucian and his men stood stunned by the sheer scale of the void, they noticed small, indented niches carved at intervals along the walls.

“What was the purpose of these indentations?”

“They seem designed to hold a specific object.”

“A slot for a mechanism? A key?”

“If it were for keys, there wouldn’t be hundreds of them. Perhaps they were mounts for torches or decorative lamps?”

At the suggestion of lighting, Lucian examined the niches again. Upon closer look, there were clear marks where the contents had been roughly pried out recently.

Not only did they barricade the door, but they also stripped the light sources?

No wonder their handheld torches felt useless in such a massive space. It seemed someone had gone out of their way to plunge this level into darkness to hide its secrets.

As Lucian’s party moved further down into the heart of the great hall and finally stood upon the floor…

Grind.

“Whoa!”

“What happened?”

“The—the floor just shifted!”

Hugo jumped back, frantically waving his torch at the ground by his boots.

When the group leaned in to check, they saw that one of the stone floor tiles had indeed slid out of place. Looking more closely, the tiles covering the expanse were each etched with slightly different geometric designs.

A mechanism?

No matter how he analyzed it, the tile hadn’t moved because of age; it was clearly engineered to slide as part of a larger design.

While Hugo poked at the displaced stone, Raymond used his torch to sweep the surrounding area and spoke up.

“My Lord, it appears to me that this entire subterranean level is one massive, interconnected puzzle.”

“I think you’re right. Now I understand why they removed the wall lights.”

It was a tactic to ensure no one could perceive the patterns on the ground. If the entire floor functioned as a single puzzle, one would need a massive amount of light to see the complete layout.

Lucian let out a dry, frustrated laugh in the shadows of the vault.

Look at these cowards. Because they couldn’t figure it out themselves, they made sure no one else could even try?

Judging by the age of the chains and the fresh damage to the walls, this sabotage likely happened just before Lucian arrived in the North. Since the House of Calix lacked the intellect to solve the riddle, they had intentionally crippled the mechanism so no successor could claim the prize.

As the legitimate heir to the estate, Lucian found the pettiness staggering.

I suppose this is the true ‘legacy’ of the House of Calix.

“How should we proceed? Should we bring in a crew to install permanent lights?”

At Raymond’s query, Lucian shook his head.

“No, don’t bother. Think of the time that would waste. Besides, there’s no promise that a treasure is waiting at the end of this. It might have been nothing more than an architect’s vanity project. Let’s leave it for now and head for Asagrim.”

“I suppose that’s wise… If the House of Calix failed to crack it over several years, we aren’t likely to solve it in an afternoon. And we have the royal inspector, Sir Glen, to consider.”

“Exactly. Though, I have to admit, it’s a marvel. How did they manage to engineer a chamber of this magnitude?”

Driven by a sudden itch of curiosity, Lucian knelt down and ran his hand across the surface of a patterned floor tile.

Flash!

“….!?”

The instant Lucian’s palm made contact with the stone, a searing column of light exploded upward from the depths of the earth.