A gentle breeze blew by.
Vellandelle sat inside the carriage.
Even from a distance, she could see the massive Iron Gate on the horizon and the faint outline of the giant Mountains behind it.
“Teacher, are you saying this Key was obtained by Vellandelle from beside the Remnants?”
“Yes, just as she said—a black-robed person tossed it to her directly. As far as we know, this Key bears an extremely high resemblance to the door of the Remnants.”
“Yes…”
Veronie held the Key in her hand, the forbidden Calamity Power within it growing stronger in her senses.
“That’s quite a coincidence then.”
Veronie shook her head.
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she decided not to think about it, and handed the Key back to Vivilian.
Her gaze then fell on Vellandelle, who was enjoying the view outside.
Veronie frowned.
Vellandelle, as if sensing her gaze, turned around.
“What?”
She tilted her head, eyes full of clear stupidity.
Seeing Vellandelle’s foolish expression, Veronie almost blurted out, “Idiot.”
“Why are you insulting me!?”
Vellandelle pouted, not understanding why this person suddenly called her names.
“Hmph.”
But Veronie just snorted coldly and ignored her.
Vellandelle couldn’t understand Veronie’s reaction at all.
She could only think, a woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea.
“What’s wrong, are you unhappy?”
After a moment, Vellandelle scooted over.
But all she got was Veronie’s cold face.
She stared at Veronie for a long time, then gave up on communicating with her.
This entire exchange between the two was fully observed by Vivilian.
“These two little ones, honestly…”
Vivilian stifled a laugh from the side.
She said nothing about their interaction.
“Teacher, before we reach our destination, could you tell me about the Remnants we’re heading to?”
“This Remnants?”
“Veronie knows a lot. Why don’t you ask her?”
“Her?”
Vellandelle looked at Veronie after hearing the teacher’s words.
Veronie was calmly gazing out the window, showing no desire to speak.
“Forget it. Someone as noble as the Elven Lady probably doesn’t want to talk to an ordinary student like me.”
“This…”
Vivilian hadn’t expected Vellandelle to say that.
She looked at Veronie.
At that moment, Veronie’s body stiffened, and she clenched her fist upon hearing Vellandelle’s words.
After speaking, Vellandelle felt a bit regretful, but the words had already left her mouth.
Since becoming a girl, she had grown more sensitive and was easily angered by Veronie’s reactions.
She thought, ‘She insulted me for no reason, then didn’t even show me a good face.
Does she really think I won’t get angry?’
“Vellandelle, Veronie didn’t mean it that way.”
“Isn’t that right, Veronie?”
Vivilian said, moving beside Veronie.
She gently nudged Veronie’s arm and spoke softly, “Vellandelle is younger than you. Let her be. Besides, if she gets mad and ignores you in the future, what will you do?”
Vivilian believed Veronie might actually like Vellandelle, so she deliberately said this.
Veronie was silent for a moment, then nodded.
“It’s just because she’s younger than me. Don’t think too much.”
That made Vivilian smile.
“Alright~”
“Vellandelle.”
Then the Elven Lady called out to Vellandelle.
Vellandelle crossed her arms, surprised that Veronie was taking the initiative to talk to her.
Given her personality, was she just looking to scold her again?
“What is it?”
“I just don’t like talking. It’s not that I don’t want to speak to you. Can you understand that?”
When she finished speaking, Vellandelle’s eyes widened in shock.
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Veronie actually lowered her head first?
Was this still the cold Elven princess?
“Alright, fine.”
“You wanted to ask about the Remnants?”
“Yes.”
“Come over, sit next to me. I’ll explain.”
“Oh, okay.”
Without thinking much, Vellandelle sat beside her.
Vivilian smiled with satisfaction at the scene and shifted to give them space.
“That’s better…”
“The conclusion teacher and I came to earlier is that this is a Dungeon.”
“A Dungeon?”
“Yes, and a legendary Dungeon of the Lost at that. Maybe you don’t know about this prison, but you definitely know Holons Bradley.”
Queen of Purity.
Of course, Vellandelle knew his famous name.
This guy was not only renowned in the world’s history but also a major boss in the late stages of the game.
Vellandelle vaguely remembered spending a lot of effort to deal with him.
But at this moment, Vellandelle was stunned.
Wait, what the heck—does this mean I’m going to explore the Queen of Purity’s Dungeon?
Me? A high-level mage, facing a legendary boss now?
No way…they wouldn’t unseal him just because we’re here, right?
Veronie didn’t notice the change in Vellandelle’s expression and continued explaining.
“After the Faren King’s prayers to the gods went unanswered, disasters erupted across the Kingdom of Falen. Catastrophes grew, and hostile forces circled, while the royal family and nobles spiraled out of control, oppressing the people.”
“More and more nobles began plundering unchecked. Amidst this chaos, a young man rose from the wilderness, calling himself the Queen of Purity, and launched a campaign of assassinations against corrupt nobles.”
“……”
“In the end, Holons and countless vicious criminals were captured and thrown into this Dungeon, which once served as the Disaster God’s altar.”
“Because of the Queen of Purity’s many followers, countless people tried to rescue him, making this Dungeon the most tightly guarded and cruel prison in history. So many died here that the number of skeletons naturally gave birth to the undead.”
“Then, one day, the Dungeon suddenly vanished. It simply disappeared, leaving no trace, as if erased from the world. Yet, in later times, lost travelers continued to stumble into it, and only a few ever escaped. So, it became known as the Dungeon of the Lost.”
“……”
Veronie gave a comprehensive account of the Dungeon’s history, detailing its dangers and threats.
These insights were the result of Vivilian’s extensive research and discussions with Professors of History, making the summary quite thorough.
Vellandelle still wasn’t sure what other dangers might exist or whether they could affect the Queen of Purity Holons’s seal.
Logically, it shouldn’t happen—since in the original story, Holons broke the seal himself, probably after a set time.
For now, Vellandelle couldn’t warn the teacher based on this alone.
She couldn’t explain why the Queen of Purity was still alive or why he was corrupted by Divine Corruption into a monster.
All she could do was be careful and avoid disturbing the Dungeon too much.
After traveling a while longer, the carriage passed from flat farmland into dense primeval forest, eventually stopping in a clearing surrounded by massive stone walls.
Vellandelle followed Teacher Vivilian and Veronie down from the carriage, raising her eyes to the gigantic Dungeon ahead.
A huge stone gate was embedded in the mountain, towering as if made for giants.
Vines covered its surface, but the intricate carvings were still visible.
On the open ground before the gate, a small group had already gathered.
Besides several scholars in academy mage robes, there were well-equipped knights checking their gear and speaking in low voices.
An elderly scholar with thick glasses saw Vivilian and quickly approached.
“Professor Vivilian, you’ve finally arrived. We reached here at dawn. Preliminary investigations confirm this matches the description of the Dungeon of the Lost.”
His gaze shifted to Vellandelle and Veronie, lingering on Vellandelle with curiosity and scrutiny.
“These are the two student assistants you mentioned?”
“Yes, Professor Derick.”
Vivilian introduced with a smile.
“This is Veronie—she’s knowledgeable about Ancient Falen history. This is Vellandelle—she has strong aptitude… and is sensitive to energy. She also brought the Key.”
Professor Derick nodded, acknowledging the introduction.
Then he frowned, his tone heavy as he pointed to the massive door.
“The situation might be more complicated than we thought. Look there…”
Following his direction, Vellandelle noticed that some of the stones at the base of the gate seemed eroded by a strange Power, filling the air with a disturbing, eerie aura.
“We suspect it’s some kind of Calamity Power corruption.”
Professor Derick continued solemnly.
“From inside out.”
Veronie’s emerald eyes narrowed.
She stepped forward, ignoring the damp earth, her slender fingers brushing the carvings on the door.
“Veronie, is there a problem?”
Seeing her reaction, Vivilian spoke softly, knowing Veronie wouldn’t act without reason.
Veronie withdrew her hand, her expression surprised.
“It’s Divine Corruption. Has the Disaster God’s Power not dissipated? Or is it trying to spread from the Dungeon to the outside world?”
“Divine Corruption?”
Standing nearby, Vellandelle couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows.
Others might not understand, but she knew all too well—it was the Disaster God’s Power.
The memories of all Calamities from Ancient Falen were gone, and even if the Disaster God awakened again, it would be powerless.
But this prison was the only place that still preserved Ancient Falen’s suffering.
The Disaster God’s lingering will continuously corrupted this Dungeon.
That was the true Power that had twisted the Queen of Purity.