Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 760: Returning [1]

"Let's get the blacksmith and leave while we're at it."

I came to an immediate decision after assessing the situation. Just the fact that I had the ring with me meant that I was a target at the moment. I knew that they knew about my identity and who I was.

"...If my guess is correct, they'll soon be blocking people from leaving the Empire. We have no choice but to leave quickly."

"Wait, but-"

**Trrr!**

Leon paused, pulling out his communication device. As he did, his brows furrowed tightly and his expression turned grim.

I didn't even need to ask to know what had happened.

'His parents most likely told him that the Empire refused their offer. Not only that, but looking at his face, the situation looks even more serious.'

I could tell it all from his face.

I looked at Linus, who struggled to understand what was happening.

"What? Did something happen...?"

"Yes, something did happen."

I looked at the ring on my finger.

"We're prime targets for the Empire now. Not only that, but they also have justification for it."

...Given that they were most likely aware of my identity through the ring, and given what had happened just a few moments prior with Caius, they had the perfect justification to stop us.

"We have to leave immediately."

I was still not sure what the goal of the Empire was in collecting all of the artifacts, but I was certain that it wasn't going to be good.

Without a second thought, I began to rush towards the place where the blacksmith was.

The others followed behind.

But-

"Shit."

The moment we got there, the place was surrounded by people.

"What's going on...?"

"Why are you in this place?"

"This is different from usual. They usually come and leave, but this looks very serious."

The crowd's reaction alone told me everything I needed to know. I grimaced as my eyes fell on the building. Several figures stood beside it, clad in heavy armor, and among them were others draped in dark robes.

As if sensing something, one of the robed figures turned their attention in my direction.

"....!?"

I didn't waste a second and maximized the veil and covered our entire bodies.

My body tensed in that split second as their eyes continued to be fixed in our general direction.

Thankfully, their gaze didn't linger for long.

Not long after, several figures walked out of the building.

I recognized some of them. There were all the blacksmiths working in the building.

But-

'He's not there.'

The blacksmith that they were looking for didn't seem to be present.

I raised a brow, especially when I noticed the dark-robed figures speaking with the guards, looking just as surprised themselves. I then watched as they turned to the other blacksmiths, trying to pry information out of them.

That was when I realized that the blacksmith had left before they could get to him.

'But that makes things difficult for me too. I can't tell whe-'

"....!?"

A hand suddenly grasped my shoulder, and my head flicked in surprise.

What? When-!?

The moment I turned, I caught sight of a familiar figure. He pressed a finger to his lips, silently telling me to be quiet.

I closed my mouth shortly after as I looked at Leon.

Unlike me, he appeared to have sensed the old man.

Without saying anything, the blacksmith nudged me with his chin towards a different direction, his gaze seemingly saying, 'Let's go to a different place.'

I gave a small nod and followed, with Leon and Linus doing the same. Together we made our way deeper into the heart of the city, stopping before a particular building marked by a small green door and matching shutters along its exterior.

**Clank!**

A certain tension lingered in the air as we moved in.

With a flick of his finger, a small flame appeared before the blacksmith as he moved along the insides of the house.

As he did, he finally began speaking, "You guys did something, didn't you?"

He sounded neither angry nor annoyed.

I didn't hide anything from him and revealed everything that had happened.

"One of the people who was previously harassing you was someone that we knew. We went to investigate the situation and alerted them as a result. This is probably happening because of what we did, and they're also most likely targeting us."

"Mhm."

The man nodded in understanding, stopping before another door and opening it, revealing a small apartment.

I looked around the place.

It wasn't a unique place. It was also relatively small, with the kitchen and living room attached together. As I looked around, I realized something.

'This place is full of dust.'

...It looked like nobody had lived here for quite some time.

My eyes narrowed as I looked around.

And then-

# Creeeeaak!

The old man stopped before the small sofa in the living room, shoving it to the side and revealing a

trapdoor.

He reached down to pull it open.

"I had long expected that I'd have to be forced out of this place one of these days. Thankfully, I've made preparations. If we leave this place, we'll be able to leave the city and find ourselves below."

A long flight of stairs appeared the moment the trapdoor opened.

The old man walked in right after.

I didn't follow him immediately. Instead, Linus's hand reached for my shoulder as he stopped him.

"Julien..."

I turned my attention to him.

"That's... are you sure we can trust him? What if this is a trap?"

I didn't answer him.

Instead, I turned my attention towards Leon.

I had considered this option from the moment that I followed him from behind. However, it was also true that the blacksmith's situation was not good. He also didn't know that we had been planning on going to the Empire. For that reason, there was no real need to suspect a thing.

Nonetheless, I still knew that there was a chance that this could've been a trap, and hence why I looked at

Leon.

"What are your instincts saying?"

"...Nothing."

Leon replied while staring at the open trapdoor.

"While the skill doesn't always activate on command and isn't always reliable, the stronger I get, the more accurate it becomes. I've also learned to control it better, and right now, it isn't warning me of anything. It

should be safe."

"I see."

I turned to Linus.

"Is this enough of an answer to you?"

"...It's not."

Linus answered without hesitation. But then, his face turned slightly bitter.

"But it's not like we have much of a choice, do we?"

I smiled then.

"You're right." Although I didn't show it, I still clung to the hope that the blacksmith would help me. Leon, on the other

hand, was still desperately hoping the blacksmith kept his end of the deal with the sword.

This was a risk that both of us were willing to take in order to fulfill our goals.

And as such-

"Let's go in. Stay alert at all times. If you notice anything weird, tell me immediately."

"Yes."

"...Yes."

With Leon and Linus both on board, I didn't hesitate any longer and walked down the flight of stairs of the trapdoor. Looking ahead, I found myself in a tunnel that seemed crudely built, hastily put together.

'This was probably built in a matter of a couple of days. Seeing how crude everything is, it's most likely

he used earth magic to do this.'

[Fire] and [Earth]...

This blacksmith appeared to be a dual-element [Elemental] mage.

"You're finally here."

The blacksmith waited for us at the end of the stairs, a faint red magic circle hovering above his open

hand.

"Are you done talking? Did you figure out if you can trust me or not?"

"...More or less."

This perceptive bastard...

"Mhm."

With a grunt, the blacksmith turned around and walked into the darkness. Walking down the tunnel, I was

able to confirm my previous thoughts. This was indeed a tunnel built by the blacksmith in haste in order to

escape.

This set me a little bit at ease.

At the very least, it looked less likely like a trap.

Of course, I didn't let my guard down because of this, as I remained cautious the entire time, following the blacksmith from behind while my body remained tense.

We walked in silence for the next hour.

Neither of us said a word as we walked with our own thoughts, taking careful consideration of our

surroundings.

But then-

"We're here."

The blacksmith stopped before a certain area. Looking around, he pressed his hand against the wall, a

brown magic circle forming shortly after.

He closed his eyes as a pulse of mana swept past him.

My brow raised in surprise.

'He's pretty strong.'

He looked stronger than I previously anticipated. Still, it wasn't anything that made me cautious.

**Rumble! Rumble!**

His actions were quickly followed by a deep rumble as the ground trembled. The wall split apart, and light

poured through the widening gap, revealing a stretch of trees before our eyes.

The blacksmith was the first to step out as he looked around.

"We're out. I don't detect anyone present."

I didn't trust him and used [Mana Sense]. At the same time, I also used the fifth level of emotive magic

and tried to sense for anyone who was using emotions. Given what had happened in the Rite, I no longer

trusted my senses.

It was only when I was certain that there was no one that I finally stepped out.

"There's really no one."

As I stepped out, I looked at Leon.

He also shook his head.

"Nothing? Really...?"

"Yes."

I frowned even harder upon hearing his words.

This felt a little bit too easy.

I had an uneasy feeling about the situation, but seeing how I couldn't detect anyone, and Leon's instincts

weren't screaming at him, all signs pointed to the fact that we could return to the Empire without any

problems.

But was it really so easy...?

Pursing my lips, I looked around. In the end, once again making sure that there was no one around, I

could only shake my head.

"Let's head back. It really looks like there's no one.

And so...

We all made our way back to the Empire.

And yet-

The sense of unease never vanished.

It only grew stronger. (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)