Not A Regressor-Chapter 330: Treasure Hunt (9)

[Analyzing unique mana patterns. Please wait a moment.]

Inside the Golden Castle, the entrance to the legendary Golden Vault containing all of Deimos’s wealth over the years was sealed tight behind a massive iron door.

To reach the vault, one had to pass through three doors, each protected by dozens of layers of magical barriers. Deimos’s knights also guarded them around the clock. Not even a mouse could sneak past undetected. The Golden Vault was that impenetrable.

A demonkin stood watch in front of the first gate that only guards could access.

[Identity confirmed: Orcal Del, Golden Knight Guard.]

“Glory to the Golden.” The demonkin named Orcal crisply saluted toward the iron door with military precision.

Creak.

The iron door swung open, and the two guards inside saluted him as he stepped through.

“Ah, Deputy Commander Orcal! Welcome!”

“Glory to the Golden”

Orcal nodded lightly. “Apologies for being late.”

“The captain is waiting for you inside.”

“Alright.” Orcal turned and entered the guard captain’s office.

Inside, a man with a gentle expression and a fine mustache sat waiting. “You’re ten minutes late for the shift change.”

“My apologies.” Orcal stood straight and saluted the guard captain respectfully.

The captain turned to Orcal. “I’m not trying to scold you for being late. I’m just curious why since you’re normally here at least twenty minutes early.”

“Well...” Orcal’s voice trembled slightly.

The captain faintly sighed. “Was it because of Jakal?”

Orcal silently averted his gaze.

“I heard the Old Demon took him out,” said the captain.

“Yes...”

“I’d advise against it if you’re thinking of going after that guy.” The captain stood from his chair and walked over to Orcal, who remained still and silent. “Our duty is to guard Lord Deimos’s vault. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I understand.”

“Good.” The captain sighed in relief.

He wasn’t concerned about Orcal but worried that any trouble would come back to haunt him later.

The guard captain put on his cloak and headed out. “Let me know if anything comes up.”

“Glory to the Golden!” Orcal saluted sharply at the captain’s retreating back.

Then, he sat in the office chair and removed the sword from his hip. Skimming through the reports with heavy eyes, Orcal soon stood up again and strapped his sword back to his waist. Seeing it written out wasn’t enough. He needed to confirm things with his own eyes.

When he exited the office, two guards followed behind him.

“Anything unusual to report?”

“No, sir! Nothing at all!”

With a heavy nod, Orcal pulled out a Starstone etched with complex sigils from inside his coat.

“I’ll be making rounds. Come with me.”

“Glory to the Golden!”

He held the Starstone up to the massive second gate.

Rumble!

The Starstone resonated with the door, and the second gate to the vault creaked open.

Orcal stepped inside and looked toward the tightly locked third door, which required the guard captain’s Starstone to open. Orcal’s authority only granted him access up to the second gate.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

Of course, opening the third door wasn’t necessary for a patrol. With the two guards, Orval walked down the long corridor and checked for anything out of place.

Halfway down, Orcal suddenly came to a halt. “Hmmm?”

One of the guards cocked his head in confusion. “Is something wrong, sir?”

Without answering, Orcal crouched and ran his hand along the floor and wall. “It’s damp.”

Faint moisture lingered at his fingertips.

Deimos’s underground territory, especially the area around the gold refinery, was always humid despite being underground. However, the Golden Vault was an exception. It was always supposed to be kept perfectly dry.

“Damp, sir?”

“Look here.”

The guard, who touched the wall and felt the dampness, turned visibly pale. “Ah...”

In a vault storing countless treasures, even a hint of moisture was no different from poison.

“There must be a problem with the humidity control system,” Orcal said.

“I-I’ll contact the captain right away!” One of the guards dashed out in a panic.

“We’ll need to call the facility manager,” Orcal muttered and frowned as he headed back to the office.

He tried to contact the manager at the castle using a communication Astral Relic. For some reason, no response came.

“Hmm. The facility manager isn’t answering.”

“I’ll go find him in person!”

“No.”

The guards had to protect the Golden Vault and also ensure that all the treasures inside were preserved in optimal condition. The facility had to be brought back to normal as quickly as possible.

“Who among the executives is skilled at configuring Astral Relics?” Orcal asked.

“I’ve heard Lord Arktur is quite proficient.”

“Arktur...”

“He’s the one managing the gold refinery.”

Orcal nodded, recalling the name. Arktur was also the one who had designed the factory.

“I’ll contact him directly,” Orcal said.

Executives often carried themselves with arrogance. It would be difficult to get their attention without a fellow executive reaching out personally.

“Glory to the Golden. This is Orcal, deputy commander of the guards,” Orcal said through the communication Astral Relic.

—Ah, y-yes! G-Glory to the Golden!

Arktur’s voice came through the Astral Relic.

Huh?

Hearing the fear in Arktur’s tone, Orcal narrowed his eyes. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but didn’t currently have time for that.

“There’s been a malfunction in the vault’s maintenance system. Could you come take a look yourself?”

—Alright.

Arktur accepted the request surprisingly easily without even asking why he was being called instead of the actual facility manager. The ease of his acceptance caught Orcal off guard for a moment.

“Really? Just like that?”

—Yes. I’ll head there immediately.

“Alright. Thank you.”

Orcal couldn’t exactly question why someone wanted to help so eagerly when he was the one asking for a favor. Just as he finished the call and set down the Astral Relic, the door to the office opened.

The guard captain stepped inside. “The humidity system is broken?”

“Yes. I discovered it while making rounds.”

“W-When I checked it myself, there was nothing wrong...” the captain trailed off and bit his lip nervously.

Seeing him sweating and avoiding eye contact, he obviously hadn’t actually conducted the patrol properly.

“It looks like the system broke not too long ago.”

“R-Right?”

“Yes.”

“Haha! See? Nothing was wrong when I checked earlier!” The captain patted Orcal on the shoulder with a relieved expression. “So, have you contacted the facility manager yet?”

“I couldn’t reach them, so I contacted another executive skilled with Astral Relics.”

“Another executive?” Orcal nodded and told him about Arktur.

“Hmm. Arktur, huh. You think he can actually fix it?”

“I heard he personally built the refinery, so I believe he can fix this.”

If Arktur had designed the gold refinery’s complex systems, he could certainly handle a basic Astral Relic that controlled the humidity.

“And even if something does go wrong...”

The blame could easily be shifted onto the facility manager who didn’t respond, or onto Arktur himself.

“A-Ahem. Right, then.” The captain nodded and turned away.

“Sir! He’s here!”

As if Arktur had been waiting for the call, he arrived at the vault incredibly quickly.

“G-Glory to the Golden.” Arktur saluted, looking extremely nervous.

The Captain walked over to him with his usual warm smile. “Thank you for coming. I heard you guaranteed that you can definitely fix it, so we trust you.”

“I-I didn’t say that...”

“Haha! No need to be so humble. I’m sure you’ll do great!” The captain gently patted Arktur’s back, subtly dumping the responsibility onto him. “The Astral Relic controlling the humidity is inside the vault. I can unlock the door for you, but a guard will have to accompany you inside for security reasons.”

“W-What? With a guard?” Arktur’s face twisted in panic, and he shook his head. “I-It’s not a complicated task. I can go in alone and fix it quickly.”

“Hmm. I’m afraid that won’t do. Is there any particular reason you need to go in alone?”

“N-No, not really...” Sweat began to bead on Arktur’s forehead. “I understand. I’ll go in with a guard.”

“Haha, thanks for understanding.”

The guard captain led Arktur to the third vault door. He took out an Astral Relic from his coat and brought it close to the door.

Just then, Orcal shouted urgently through the corridor, “Wait a moment!”

“What’s the matter?” the captain asked.

An ominous chill ran down Orcal’s spine. His instinct was warning him that this man couldn’t be allowed inside.

Orcal glared at the Arktur, who was trembling in fear. “His arm...”

“Arm?”

Approaching Arktur with suspicion in his eyes, Orcal suddenly grabbed his forearm roughly.

“Aaagh!” Arktur screamed in pain.

“What are you doing?!” the captain shouted.

“I can tell it was hastily treated, but this arm is clearly broken.”

“What?”

Orcal ripped off Arktur’s sleeve and exposed his arm. It looked abnormally swollen, classic signs of a recent fracture that had only just begun to heal.

“How did this happen?” Orcal asked.

“T-That’s...” Arktur stammered, his face drained of color as he took a step back under Orcal’s sharp interrogation. “T-There was an accident...”

“An accident?” Orcal asked, but soon smirked. “You were attacked, weren’t you?”

An executive-ranking demonkin like Arktur wouldn’t just break an arm from some simple accident.

“An attack?” the captain asked.

“Captain, Jakal’s squad was recently wiped out.”

“Are you saying the Old Demon broke in here?”

“It’s likely that the Old Demon isn't alone.”

Knowing how unstable the Old Demon was, he couldn’t have planned something this cunning alone.

“In that case...”

“Yes, some rats have snuck into Lord Deimos’s territory for his treasures.”

The captain’s gaze turned icy. He turned to one of the guards standing nearby. “Contact management immediately. Confirm whether today’s shipment of gold has been delivered.”

“Yes, sir!”

The guard rushed off and returned within five minutes.

“The shipment scheduled for today hasn’t arrived yet!”

“I see.” The captain’s lips curled into a twisted grin.

The gold shipment for the day never arrived, which meant only one thing.

“The rats have taken over the refinery.” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Arktur flinched. “N-No, that’s not—”

“Quiet.” A crushing force of mana erupted from the captain as he clamped a hand over Arktur’s mouth. “I’m not foolish enough to fall for your lousy acting.”

“Mmph! Mmmp!”

The captain’s hand began to burn hot over Arktur’s mouth.

Sizzle!

“Now, are you going to show me where those rats are hiding?”

“M-Mmff. Mmm!” Terrified, Arktur rolled his eyes and frantically nodded.

“Good.” The captain handed his Astral Relic to Orcal. “I’ll handle the rats. You check the vault and make sure none of the goods have been damaged.”

“But I should come with you—”

“Deputy Commander Orcal, were my directions hard to understand?” The captain glared at him, eyes gleaming with greed.

He clearly wanted all the glory of capturing the intruders for himself.

“I understand...”

“Haha. Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to tell Lord Deimos that your part in this was valuable.” With a warm smile, the captain rallied all the guards. “We’re off to catch some rats!”

“Yes, sir!”

The guards charged off toward the refinery.

“Ha...” Now alone, Orcal heavily sighed and brought his Astral Relic to the third vault door.

Rumble!

With a deep mechanical sound, the last door creaked open and revealed an endless array of glittering treasures.

Orcal stepped into the Golden Vault and sealed the door shut behind him. Then, with grotesque snapping sounds, Orcal’s face began to warp like soft clay, twisting and folding in on itself.

Crack! Crunch!

Moments later, it reshaped into the face of a young man.

“Do you know when people are easiest to fool?” Kwon Oh-Jin grinned, his eyes gleaming as he surveyed the vast riches piled before him. “It’s when they think they’re too smart to be fooled.”

A low, gleeful chuckle echoed throughout the Golden Vault.