Overpowered Reincarnation Perks! - Chapter 17.1
The reception room was unexpectedly modest.
To be precise, it wasn’t that the space was cramped, but there was only a sofa and a table in the center, while the surroundings were completely empty.
They could have decorated it a bit by placing a cabinet or hanging some frames.
“Shall we sit and talk, Commander?”
“That was my intention, but this is not the place to sit.”
“Pardon?”
As Dienes walked briskly and touched the wall, the floor of the empty space made a rumbling sound and sank, revealing stairs leading downward.
Come to think of it, this castle had a rather peculiar structure, with walls that open and hidden spaces inside.
If there are so many hidden spaces, someone like me who doesn’t know the structure might easily become lost if trapped somewhere.
“We’ll talk down below.”
“Down… below?”
“That’s right. Go down, intruder.”
Dienes gestured towards the stairs while looking at me. Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this.
‘I hope I’m not really going to be killed today?’
***
The soldiers took Callion and Arvan to the waiting room at the end of the corridor. Although they called it a waiting room, unlike the reception room, this place had no windows.
“Stay put there until we call for you again!”
With that curt instruction, the heavy door closed with a thud.
Callion glanced at the closed door once, then at the room surrounded by walls on all sides, and showed a slightly perplexed expression.
“They’re not watching us.”
“There are no windows, and it’s walled on all sides, so they probably figured we can’t get out if they just lock the door. It’s better this way. We won’t have to face those guys uncomfortably.”
“But this way, we have no means to rescue the Master if something happens to her.”
“If there isn’t a way, we make one.”
Arvan stood up from his seat and walked straight to a moldy corner, pushing on a brick that had turned green. With a rumbling sound, the wall opened, revealing a passage dimly lit. Callion asked in surprise.
“There was an exit in such a place?”
“They don’t know about it. That’s why they didn’t even tie us up and just left.”
Ignoring Callion’s gaze that seemed to ask how he knew about a secret passage unknown even to the soldiers, Arvan shrugged.
“We only destroyed the warehouse, right? If we leave the laboratory alone, who knows when they’ll make another ore that attracts monsters.”
“Have you found the location of the laboratory?”
“I’m about to look for it now. Want to come along, silver-haired brother?”
“We don’t know when the Master will return.”
“She’s meeting with the Commander. It’ll take a while.”
“Still, I must wait. I promised the Master I would wait.”
“Right, you did. Then you stay here and wait.”
Arvan nodded and stepped into the passage.
Callion stood still in the empty room, shifting his gaze. Everywhere he looked, there were only tightly sealed walls. The heavy door showed no signs of opening. Judging by the lax mental state of this castle’s soldiers, it didn’t seem likely they would come back to check on them.
After a brief contemplation, Callion strode forward.
“I thought you said you’d wait?”
Arvan turned to look at Callion, following him and grinned.
“The Master is in the middle of important negotiations with the Commander. I judged that I need to monitor you in case you accidentally ruin things and put the Master in a difficult situation.”
“So you’re doing the surveillance that even this castle’s soldiers aren’t doing? Haha.”
Callion didn’t respond. The passage was rather narrow, but there were lamps with luminous stones embedded here and there, making it possible to see ahead without difficulty.
“I wonder if the Master is safe.”
“Brother, raise your hand there.”
At Arvan’s instruction, Callion touched the wall. Then, beneath his palm, he felt a slight vibration along with a sound. It was the sound of the soldiers who had left them confined talking.
“You can hear the sound resonating through the wall, right? We can’t detect quiet whispers, but loud voices reach here. If the Master calls, we can go anytime.”
“……”
It’s fortunate if we can detect any danger to the Master. But how does this man know such information? Callion still thought Arvan was suspicious.
Ju-in seemed to view Arvan favorably, charmed by his fine appearance, but Callion somehow felt uncomfortable facing him.
“I don’t trust you.”
“Seems like you really don’t like me.”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger to like you?”
“I don’t want to share Ju-in ‘s heart with another man. But I dislike seeing her hurt even more.”
Callion hesitated.
” Ju-in said both you and I are dear to her. If the men she’s given her heart to growl at each other, it’ll only trouble her.”
“……”
“Though it would be to my advantage if you keep troubling the Ju-in and end up being discarded.”
Callion’s eyes sharpened. The deep wrinkle between his brows revealed undisguised displeasure.
Arvan quietly smiled. Though he pretended to be calm and sneered, he wasn’t serious. Arvan knew better than anyone that there was no way the Ju-in would discard Callion.
She is kind and soft-hearted, unable to easily push away a man who clings to her. He had heard that the time Ju-in actually spent with Callion was even less than what she spent with Arvan, but the length of time spent together isn’t always proportional to the depth of feelings.
Remembering how Ju-in tried to hold Callion’s hand while feeling apologetic towards Arvan, he felt a bit bitter.
In fact, it was Arvan who had almost been discarded.
‘I thought she would just leave with that guy.’
Ju-in came back. She apologized to Arvan. She told him that he was as precious as Callion.
She said there was no order, but Arvan knew his position was second. That was enough. Rather than losing Ju-in completely, it was better to accept the love given as if it were charity.
If you get greedy trying to monopolize what you want, you might lose everything in an instant. Arvan knew all too well how terrible the consequences of excessive greed could be.
“So I’m trying to get along with you. I want to do anything Ju-in wants.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean he’ll be satisfied with second place forever.
Swallowing the last words, Arvan skillfully navigated through the narrow passage. Callion, who followed, replied with a slightly strained voice.
“As long as Ju-in doesn’t abandon me, that’s enough. I won’t ask for more than that.”
“Haha. We agree on this at least. That’s good.”
Arvan smiled amiably and reached the end of the passage, pushing out two bricks at his eye level. The wall split in half and slid open, revealing a long, cylindrical space.
Callion knew where this place was. It was the central tower, the core of the central palace.
***
I stood in front of Dienes and descended the stairs. The stairs continued quite far down.
Fortunately, there were wall lamps here and there, and light was seeping from below, so the atmosphere wasn’t too eerie.
If only it weren’t for the blonde commander following behind me with an expressionless face.
“How far down are we going?”
“To the end of the path. We’ll soon reach a door.”
As Dienes said, after descending the last step, an arched door appeared.
Fortunately, it was a wooden door, so if necessary, I could probably break it down with a body slam.
As I stood in front of the door, fidgeting with my fingers, Dienes nonchalantly opened it for me. Although I had expected light to seep through, the inside was brighter than I thought. Moreover, I could hear the sound of water from somewhere.
‘A fountain?’
