Chapter 14: Origin of a Guardian [Part 5]

While Rass continues on her rant which doesn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon, in front of the dungeon gate, the group of five men encountered a woman with dark blue silky hair hidden under a black pointy head, dark blue jacket with long sleeves creating wavy motion as she move, black long cape behind her and wearing a  dark bloody red short skirt. In her left hand, she was holding a metal case.

There was subtle ominous aura emitted by the woman as soon as her two golden eyes and the three humans’ eyes met.

Sulivan coughed for twice to gain the woman attention. In short moment, she changes her expression from menacing glare to serene, calm and collected as soon as she realized she was in the presence of the future ruler of the Asmodios. She kneels immediately and give her respect by hitting her left shoulder using right hand as the gesture of the respect to both Sulvian and Van, but not to any of the humans.

Without beating around the bush, she introduced herself as the dungeon gates guardian, also...

「I am the 3rd guardian of the Asmodios.」

For someone who doesn’t know who she is, was to be expected to be shocked.

It was a bizarre situation for even the resident of the kingdom themselves to stun from the news, apparently, they didn't know.

Which mean, the woman is from the older generation past the few thousands of years.

「The 3rd guardian?! 」

Romeo was surprised and asked purely out of curiosity while he was mesmerized by the woman’s beautiful appearance. However, this was unfortunately replied with the threatening blade pointed to his throat yet it was no more than a second as the blade was answered by Van’s counteract. The sudden attack made Romeo sweat and looked and his face became pale, luckily his life was saved by the effort of Van’s.

The humans sighed in relief only for short moment before Sulvian warned them through telepathy.

“From now and on, if any of you wish for uncertain death you are free to talk. If it was otherwise, please avoid the needless speaking.

Assuming you got something to ask, please wait until we finish our business here.”

It was unnecessary for the first sentence of the talks but it shows how unpredictable this woman is and how dangerous she was.

Without further question, the humans agreed simultaneously and the woman asks to be addressed by her codename, Mourn.

In the human's mind, the thoughts are “The gates guardian… which mean she has the key to open the gate or something similar that will open the gate.” “As the dungeon guardian, she holds important roles which explain her attitude toward us”.

On the contrary of what they thought, she hold nothing.

From her whole existence is inside her metal case, she hold nothing.

While the humans were busy with their wild guesses, the prince inquires the dungeon report from Mourn.

「My deepest apologizes Prince Sulvian and Van-sam. For only the guardian can access entry into the dungeon as it was the rule as well as the test from the origin.

Only because I am also an entity which has the title kingdom guardian that I was able to enter the dungeon but I will not able to give the path to anyone to enter it.」

「Is that so, even though our kingdom already fall into ruin so we hope to assist this one candidate as she is the sole hope we have for the kingdom revival, you still wouldn’t let us in, is that right?. Although it is unofficial, the majority of the kingdom folks including you have come to an agreement on me as the rightful sole candidate for the future king, you will not concede, would you? 」

「... Precisely.」

Anyone could tell from her face and tone that she is unshakeable, resolute and determined - even if death was only an inch away from her, she wouldn't be fazed. Needless to say, she is, after all, a guardian of the kingdom, one that has vowed to protect the kingdom the moment she was chosen by the citizen, acknowledge by the nobles and in olden days had she already become an official guardian recognized by the first guardian.

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Sulvian sighed as though he was terribly exhausted and disappointed. He exchanged glance with Van and they come to an agreement, which made him ‘request’ Mourn ‘earnestly’ though his firm and stern voice and his royal aura.  Both him and Van sat on the dusty ground as firm as a mountain with no intention to leave until Mourn changes her mind.

「Very well, it is understandable as it is your duty to move accordingly the first guardian’s will but we would only leave the place at once when we have seized what we want. 」

Their attitude... one would not guess that they are the supreme of a kingdom as they act totally like a child asking for his toys with *humphing* attitude. Like cat caught her tongue, Mourn had no idea how to deal with this people. The aura was needless as it doesn't effect Mourn even a bit. It seems as time goes by the simpleton characteristic of pureblood got strengthen as well as their shamelessness. At this point, it can even be said to be ironic that they are called pureblood with the way they act.

「...」

「...」

If the woman wouldn’t back down, neither would Sulvian and the others.

The silence remains in the air for more than an hour and gradually turns into a staring competition between Mourn and the rest.

「We will not disturb the test that will be destined the guardian for the kingdom but at the very least, allow us to do something before the whole kingdom falls into ruin that could never be revived even after the world itself fully destroyed.

...Mourn!」

This time, they are more resolute than the woman and has turned the table to their side as Mourn start to waver the moment she saw the changes in their eyes. Even though she is resolute and stubborn the love for her kingdom still exist within her. As long as it was others intruder other than the prince and the important man of the kingdom, she would kill them without hesitation but in front of her is the prince, nonetheless the future king himself. She has unforeseen this to happen even once in her entire life and doesn't has the knack to solve this problem herself. In other words, she was completely speechless!

A being different from those purebloods but existence that was made to serve them, the undeads. Mourn is one of the undead, unlike the simpleton purebloods, undeads follow one rule that their master has put on them the moment they were created on this world until death and will do anything to accomplish its duty. Mourn would already have killed the people including the prince in such a manner if she a level F or D undeads.

Having said that, she is the only level S undead race in the whole history. She has emotion similar to those intelligent being, loyalty to the royalty and of course, “manner” which made her waver whether to follow the rule “to never allow anything to enter or to exit the dungeon in illegal way” or “her emotion, loyalty, and manner”.

In the end, she decided to persuade.

「Prince Sulvian, Van-sama… please return to the surface as I don’t have the ability to provide you anything. Please...」

Sulvian abruptly stops her by showing his palm right to her face, while saying with determination.

「Speak no more as, even if the death god himself come to retrieve me to hell, I will fight till I exist none in both world and the afterlife for my own kingdom. As there are still exist many things to be protected here.」

With such an uncompromising determination, there was something that lit insides both Mourn’s and Van’s heart. The two came up with the same thought.

(A king… no! The sole rightful ruler that deserved to be acknowledged by the whole kingdom, an Absolute Sovereign. One who will sacrifice everything for his kingdom.)

…

In the end, by being moved by the future king’s words, Mourn surrenders and give them everything accordingly what they request to her. Fully satisfied with what they have, Sulvian and the others return to the surface and meet up with the horses.

The humans, to confirm that they are already at the surface, they look up to the sky. In unison, the three sigh in relief and also weakening altogether. Van noticed but didn’t say anything and ride onto the horse. Meanwhile, the prince handed them several things before departed together with Van back to the palace.

Simon stares their back for a moment and returns his stares to the item in his hand.

It has a total of one thousand black gemstones inside a bag with a crown symbol on it. It was not any common gemstone as it is the only gemstone available nowhere except in this kingdom and even one which around a size of a pebble is valued extremely high among the other's kingdom. The one inside the bag, not only that each one was at the least a size of a fist, there is a total of one thousand of them.

But it was not for them, at least not all of them as it was the deposit to lure the humans for assistances. Simon and Romeo have been asked to convey a message to the only trustworthy human’s king to request for assistance to help on the Asmodios revival. Whether they succeed or not, the gemstones will be theirs.

They just have to persuade the king to meet the top-notch of Asmodios, doesn’t matter where or when and the king, including them, will be given some consolation prize that not any worse than the item in Simon’s hand.

To Sulvian, it was all a gamble to gain trust from the humans.

If worse was to come, his has a few other plans behind his back which is equally important as the gamble for the humans' trust and he has yet used his ace card to make things indubitably happen for his kingdom revival. The purebloods might be a simpleton but it was their simple minded that made the others feared them as who they were.

As they are reckless.

For they recklessness... There was nothing that could be compared to.