At that location, three others had already arrived, all with their faces concealed.
Two of them stood together, clearly companions.
The third was a hunched old man standing alone by the manhole.
When he saw Audrey arrive, he spoke first,
"I'm certain there's a decent ruin down here. There should be quite a lot of valuable items inside. You all know my reputation."
"As for what kind of ruin it is, I'm not entirely sure. I can only judge from what I've dug up. It should be something from the Cromwell era."
At the mention of "Cromwell," all three people, including Audrey, felt a stir in their hearts.
Ruins from the Cromwell era usually meant opportunity.
As long as their luck wasn't terrible, they could find plenty of valuable items.
Back then, after Duke Cromwell launched the Fog Capital Incident and dispersed Parliament, he began suppressing nobles across the land, confiscating their wealth and territories.
To avoid losing everything, many nobles chose to hide their family treasures, hoping to retrieve them someday.
Unfortunately, a large portion of those nobles were later sent to the guillotine by Duke Cromwell.
Their hidden treasures were never recovered.
As a result, ruins from that era often contained immense wealth.
If one was lucky enough, they might even find complete advancement potions prepared by noble families.
The moment the old man finished speaking, he knew they were tempted.
That meant they would not hold back later.
Thinking of this, the corners of his lips curled upward beneath his mask.
He continued,
"In that case, we proceed as agreed. I'll lead you to the passage I uncovered. After that, we explore together, and whatever we find will be split evenly. Agreed?"
This had already been discussed beforehand, so the others all nodded.
Then, under the old man's lead, the group entered the abandoned sewer.
Meanwhile, Mozo had already arrived at the library early and begun his self-study for the day.
He had already completed all his coursework and credits.
All that remained was to graduate and use the joint recommendation from the university and his professors to apply to major companies.
But that didn't mean he could relax.
He was a powerless commoner.
In a world dominated by nobles and exploitation, he had to constantly improve himself.
So even with graduation secured, he still came to the library to study.
After all, in an era where the illiteracy rate exceeded eighty percent, knowledge was real, tangible gold.
Just as Mozo settled on what to study, a small commotion broke out nearby.
He immediately rubbed his forehead and sighed.
The library was sacred. It demanded silence.
Under normal circumstances, even instructors and professors would remain quiet here.
But there were exceptions.
The great nobles.
They were the empire's true powerholders. Even a sacred place like the university had to make way for them.
As expected, a noble young master soon entered the library, surrounded by attendants.
Beside him was a beautiful woman, intimately holding his arm.
The Rose of the Flower Faculty.
Anna.
One of the top beauties of Cromwell University, on par with Audrey.
But unlike Audrey, who was a commoner, Anna was a noble.
Though only the daughter of a baron, that was more than enough to create a gap between her and ordinary people.
Because of that, she was far more likely to appear beside powerful nobles.
Mozo recalled hearing that Anna had never been particularly close to any single noble before, though she had kept several admirers at a distance.
Yet now, she was walking so intimately with this noble young master.
Had her family finally chosen which house to align with?
Or had something else happened?
The thought passed quickly, and Mozo stopped caring.
Instead, he watched them head up to the second floor with a hint of envy.
That floor contained knowledge known only to nobles.
Although Cromwell University allowed commoners, many restrictions still existed.
For example, the library.
Commoners were only permitted to study and borrow books on the first floor.
The second floor belonged to nobles.
Above that was the third floor.
Even ordinary nobles were not allowed there.
It was said to be reserved for high-ranking nobles and senior officials.
Each level was guarded by armed personnel.
Though the weapons looked like old-fashioned muskets to Mozo, they were more than capable of taking lives.
This was one of the most secure places in the entire university.
Soon after, another wave of whispers spread.
Anna, the Rose of the Flower Faculty, had accompanied the noble young master directly to the third floor.
A place rarely accessed by anyone.
Mozo felt even more envious.
Nobles really did have it easy.
If he ever had the chance, he would definitely climb into the noble class.
Deep within the sewer ruins, Audrey's mask had long been lost.
Her fitted knight outfit, once perfect for movement, was now torn in multiple places.
Combined with her frantic footsteps, it was clear she was in serious trouble.
Within the maze-like ruins, Audrey kept looking back in terror, checking whether the guardian monster was still chasing her.
Regret filled her heart.
This was not a ruin from the Cromwell era.
It was something far older.
An ancient elven ruin.
And worst of all,
there was still an active guardian inside.
Suddenly, the wall in front of her exploded.
A massive steel arm burst through, blocking her path with a deafening crash.
At the same time, another iron arm smashed through behind her, sealing off her escape.
The next moment, a gigantic and grotesque steel golem forced its way through the wall.
Its crimson eyes locked onto Audrey.
Her pupils shrank.
She reached for her waist.
Then her face turned pale.
Her runes were gone.
All of them.
It was over.
She had no means left to escape.
Her legs trembled as she backed against the wall, her beautiful face drained of all color as she stared at the guardian in despair.
Then, a voice echoed in her ears.
It was a strange language, long and difficult, yet oddly pleasant.
And familiar.
"Intruder. Die in fear and repentance."
Ancient Elvish.
With a crisp metallic sound, a rune-inscribed greatsword extended from the steel arm.
Slowly, it pointed toward her swan-like neck.
With no escape left, Audrey collapsed, curling in on herself as she cried out desperately.
She prayed to every god she knew, begging for salvation.
But it was useless.
The gods did not hear her.
And even if they did, they would not answer a prayer without sacrifice or ritual.
Just as the blade lightly cut into her delicate neck,
a thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
The strange phrase Mozo had spoken.
Without thinking, she shouted it aloud.
"King of Radiance, more exalted than the sun!"
Ancient Elvish.
And in that instant,
a miracle occurred.
The steel golem froze.
Then, in shock, it spoke again,
"You know the King's honorific title?"
（Ancient Elvish.）
"Are you… a slave?"