‘It’s definitely not something to overlook.’
The content of the letter was unsettling.
A ruin from an ultra-ancient civilization, presumed to possess technology far beyond that of modern humanity, had been discovered in the Demon Realm.
That alone was an astounding revelation—but there was more.
‘The circumstances of its discovery are too bizarre.’
The ruins had been found dozens of meters underground.
However, they had not been uncovered by Ester’s expedition team digging down.
Instead, they were discovered within an artificially excavated hole.
What was additionally found in the hole was an enormous number of monster corpses.
Every single one of them had died while digging at the ground, their hooves worn down and their legs broken.
Hundreds of monsters, previously reported missing in the Demon Realm, had seemingly sacrificed their lives to excavate the ruins—an inexplicable event.
‘This goes beyond the known behavioral patterns of monsters?’
Monsters, once transformed from animals, lose most of their intelligence, exhibiting extremely simplistic behaviors.
They act solely based on hunger—meaning that if they were digging, there should have been food to be found.
Yet, nothing edible had been discovered within the excavation site.
That left only one possibility.
‘Someone controlled the monsters.’
Some entity—or some power—had manipulated the monsters, forcing them to dig up the ruins.
Otherwise, none of this made sense.
But controlling monsters?
Was that even possible?
“Huh? Controlling monsters? That’s impossible… I mean, it is.”
When Julia was asked for her opinion, she immediately denied the possibility.
“At least with known abilities like Spirit Mastery or Necromancy, it’s absolutely impossible. Both spirits and lingering souls exist as condensed forms of mana and are classified as sentient entities, but monsters are not. Think of monsters as… beings that have ‘broken’ due to an excess of mana accumulation. They’re no longer living creatures, nor do they have intelligence, so Spirit Language doesn’t work on them. …Yes.”
“Hmm. Thanks, Julia.”
That meant that Spirit Masters and various tamers could all be ruled out as suspects.
Monsters were akin to zombies—creatures whose brains, aside from a few functions, had been entirely destroyed due to excessive mana accumulation.
Just as Julia said, there was no known ability or magic that allowed for their domestication or control.
“But maybe there’s an unknown ability… Like Aslan’s Black Magic. What if it was an ancient technique that has been forgotten over time?”
“…What?”
“Ah? Uh? Did I say something weird…?”
“No. That was a brilliant idea, Julia.”
An ability that modern humanity did not possess.
But what if it had once existed in the distant past?
Now that ruins of an ultra-ancient civilization had been discovered, this possibility couldn’t be dismissed.
No—given the circumstances, it was the most plausible explanation.
“Sister. We need to go to the Vatican together.”
“Are you getting married at the Vatican?”
“No. I need the archive access pass I gave you.”
“Ah.”
To cross-check the information, I immediately set out for the Vatican with Irene.
The access pass I received from the Vatican should still be valid.
‘If I start with the oldest records, I should find something.’
One of the Vatican Archive’s greatest advantages was its sorting function.
All stored records could be categorized and arranged by language, classification, chronological order, and more.
With this, I might be able to obtain information about the ultra-ancient civilization.
[Page 1]
[Title: The Oldest Folklore]
[Category: Oral Tradition]
[Date of Origin: Unknown. At least 3,000 years old.]
[Credibility: Very Low.]
“…Found it.”
Success.
The oldest folklore.
A tale passed down orally by nomadic tribes, its true origins unknown.
[Once upon a time, when the entire world was covered in ice and only the center of the world, the Manor, remained green, a blacksmith’s son…]
At its core, the story was just another hero’s tale, something that could be found anywhere.
But the key was how the legend described the world.
‘The center of the world… Treacherous mountain ranges surrounding it. Land far removed from the sea. Deep canyons to the west. All the geographic features match only one place—the Demon Realm.’
If this legend were true, then in ancient times, the entire world outside of the Demon Realm was a frozen wasteland.
Green nature and civilization thrived only within the Demon Realm, or as the legend called it, “the Manor.”
Moreover, what the legend described as miracles or divine blessings seemed to be everyday occurrences—suggesting they might have been advanced technologies beyond our current understanding.
“Aslan. I found it. Someone who could control monsters.”
And most crucially—the mention of a figure with the ability to control monsters.
Previously dismissed as mere fantasy due to its absurdity, the legend now carried significant weight.
“Wait. The last part of the story…”
“The great suns that consumed the Manor…”
Irene and I locked eyes as we read the legend’s final passage.
Once, we might have dismissed it as nonsense.
But now—we knew of something that could be described as “great suns”.
“Mana fission…”
“That must be it. Maybe they even reached the stage of mana fusion.”
“Mana fusion? That’s a thing?”
“…Forget I said that.”
The “great suns” mentioned in the legend were almost certainly massive explosions caused by mana fission.
If multiple suns appeared and the world was destroyed, it likely referred to a form of apocalyptic destruction involving mana fission explosions.
In other words, a nuclear war.
The consequences of runaway mana fission explosions would include the excessive release of mana energy.
If high-density mana spread through the land and atmosphere like radioactive fallout, the area would become uninhabitable.
“The Demon Realm, too, is a barren wasteland due to its endless outpouring of mana. If this legend’s apocalypse was caused by mana fission, then it aligns perfectly with science.”
Even if the story seemed fantastical, it perfectly matched reality.
This oral legend had likely been passed down by survivors who witnessed the fall of the ultra-ancient civilization.
It was invaluable information.
“Alright. We need to inform the Northern Archduke and Empress Vanessa immediately. Let’s return to the estate.”
“The estate? Wouldn’t it be better to head straight for the fortress city?”
“There’s a much faster way to deliver this information than us traveling there.”
“Ah…!”
Time was of the essence.
We needed to get this information to the fortress city as soon as possible.
.
.
.
“Hmm…”
“Could it have been built by a past Demon Realm expedition force?”
“No way. Judging by the construction materials and scale, this is beyond our capabilities.”
In the Demon Realm, excavation of the ruins continued in full swing.
The Northern Archduke immediately dismissed his second son’s opinion.
The structure was buried deep beneath layers of sediment, dozens of meters underground.
It was undoubtedly built before the 3,000-year history of the Empire.
Yet, when a bit of dirt was brushed away, the walls beneath gleamed, unmarred by wear, corrosion, or decay.
Gold was the only material that came to mind capable of withstanding thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of years.
But since even an iron shovel couldn’t leave a scratch on it, gold was out of the question.
No material like this had ever been heard of before, not even as a rumor.
“This is a ruin of a civilization with extraordinary technological prowess.”
“Inside, we might find things beyond our imagination.”
“But how did such an advanced civilization disappear without leaving any records behind…?”
“Perhaps those records are inside. This is an opportunity to rewrite history. Dig it up immediately!”
“Yes, sir!”
Excitement grew.
Until now, the Demon Realm had been regarded as nothing more than a forsaken wasteland, abandoned by the gods.
Who could have expected such ruins to emerge from its depths?
How could a civilization capable of constructing such buildings have met its downfall?
Why had the monsters been digging into these ruins?
There were too many unknowns.
But with no clear leads to unravel the mystery, the Archduke resolved to focus all efforts on the excavation.
“Y-Your Grace!”
“What is it? Have you made progress in the excavation?”
“No! Look to the sky! Something is coming!”
“…What?”
At that, everyone working at the dig site turned their gaze to the sky.
And there, plummeting toward them, was a massive object—one that looked oddly familiar.
A great, brownish mass.
With a thunderous BOOM!, the object crashed into the ground, leaving behind a massive crater.
And from within, a short, stubby-limbed figure sprang upright.
Wait… wasn’t that—?
“Is that… Dirt-Dirt?”
[Kyaaaah! Call me ‘Great Spirit,’ you worms!]
“What’s going on? Is Julia also in the Demon Realm?”
[Kyaaah! Julia isn’t here! I came first because this is urgent! Stop the excavation immediately!]
“Stop the excavation? And why would we do that?”
[The ones who built that ruin were dangerous! They perished after slaughtering each other with bombs that harnessed mana fission—such things must never be unearthed!]
“…!?”
A chill ran down the Archduke’s spine.
Mana fission.
It was a topic that had once heated discussions across the Empire.
The ability to generate an enormous amount of energy from a small amount of mana.
‘They used that power… to kill each other? Even knowing it would lead to mutual destruction?’
To think that such technology had been turned into a bomb…
He had never even considered such a possibility.
Even if someone had thought of it, no sane person would dare attempt to create such a catastrophic weapon.
Yet, the ancients who built these ruins had not only created weapons capable of mutual annihilation, but had actually used them, fully aware that it would lead to their own extinction.
They were an unfathomably ruthless and foolish people.
‘The ancients must have been utterly deranged. They must never be awakened.’
What if some of them were still alive within the ruins?
If, by unearthing them, they regained their technological superiority, conquered the Empire, and once again brought the world to ruin?
Aslan Vermont must have sensed this danger—that’s why he had sent Dirt-Dirt immediately.
“Understood. All personnel, halt excavation. We will reconvene with Her Majesty and Count Vermont before proceeding further—”
[Heh. That won’t do.]
“…!?”
A strange, distorted voice—like a damaged phonograph—echoed across the excavation site.
The Archduke and his men whipped around, startled.
There, a raggedly cloaked figure was approaching, stumbling forward.
From beneath the tattered cloth, the silhouette of an emaciated body was barely visible—little more than bones wrapped in thin skin.
“Who are you? Identify yourself.”
[Continue the excavation.]
“I said, identify yourself.”
[Continue digging. Otherwise…]
“…!?”
The figure trailed off ominously.
Behind him, red eyes flickered in the darkness.
One by one, monstrous figures emerged.
The Archduke and his men let out a short chuckle—before swiftly drawing their weapons.
So this is the one controlling the monsters…!
