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Chapter 39
Boom! Boom!
“Come on, move quickly!”
“Careful when you carry it. But don’t slow down!”
“Hurry and dig deeper. See what comes out!”
Thud! Thud!
Dozens of people were working tirelessly, day and night, at a construction site.
“Tch.”
There stood a girl who looked completely out of place in such a rough scene—Diana, frowning as she clicked her tongue.
“How much longer is this going to take?”
“They say at least two more days of digging.”
“And Elliot?”
“I’ve heard his entrance excavation is nearly complete. By tomorrow morning, he might be able to enter the vault…”
At Butler Clarke’s report, Diana scowled and muttered coldly.
“Tsk. Not a single good piece of news, huh?”
“……”
“A day, maybe two… Normally, that’s an insurmountable lead.”
She, too, could see the situation with cold, harsh clarity.
“Of all places… why did the entrance have to turn up there?”
Her voice rose in frustration, then sank as she stared at her own construction site with grim eyes.
“Whether it’s luck or a final chance granted by our ancestors… I won’t let it slip away.”
This wasn’t some ordinary dungeon or treasure they were excavating.
It was the vault of the Golden King, Drante.
And inside it lay everything the Fren family’s future depended on.
The family head’s seat.
The merchant guild master’s seat.
Even the wealth and power their father currently held.
“……”
And yet, they could lose it all over the difference of a single day?
“Don’t make me laugh.”
Her voice dripped with venom. Clarke cautiously ventured,
“M-my lady… forgive me for saying so, but… how about you reconsider the suggestion I made earlier? That Watchman fellow could—”
“No. I said no.”
“Eh?”
“What? You think only results matter? Don’t be ridiculous. If that were true, then the fact that I’m even fighting over succession with that idiot Elliot wouldn’t make sense, would it?”
“T-that’s…”
“And what exactly was Father’s proposal again?”
“That whoever uncovers the First Patriarch’s vault first… shall be named heir.”
“Our father may think so, but the merchant guild and the family elders… they’ll think differently.”
Memories flashed in her eyes as she spoke.
“That’s why this time, I need a perfect finish. One so flawless no one dares raise an objection. That’s why I’ll tackle the vault in my own way.”
Her large, gleaming eyes burned with determination, leaving Clarke speechless.
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
“Pardon?”
“By tomorrow afternoon, we must reach the entrance. By any means necessary.”
She brushed her hair behind her ear and murmured,
“What if… we just blow the whole thing up?”
“Eh? You mean the rocks?”
“Why not? Whether we chip away with tools or blast them with magic, what’s the difference?”
“Th-that’s far too dangerous. There could be heavy casualties—”
“Then I’ll be in danger of losing the heir’s seat to Elliot.”
“……!”
At her low, deadly tone, Clarke fell silent.
“Clarke.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“I won’t give up the Fren family headship. Nor the merchant guild mastership. Least of all to that idiotic, useless Elliot.”
“I understand.”
“Then do as I say. Tonight, blast it all. Make sure we’re inside by tomorrow afternoon.”
Her voice was final, a switch flipped beyond persuasion. Clarke knew there was no way to change her mind.
“As you command.”
“Oh, and…”
She raised a finger, as if recalling something.
“Those moles we planted on Elliot’s side—still in place?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Tell them to delay the excavation by any means. No half measures. Make them risk their lives if necessary. Remind them of the money they’ve taken… and that their families’ lives are on the line.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Clarke bowed swiftly. Diana, satisfied, nodded.
“Good. Very good.”
She tied her sleek hair back in one motion and whispered,
“Slowly, one step at a time. Let’s see who wins in the end.”
“W-wait. You’re saying those men were Diana’s spies?”
“Yeah. Thanks to them, all our information kept leaking straight to her.”
“That damned woman…!”
Elliot trembled with rage as he realized his long-time butler had been bought by Diana.
“But Carmon… how did you know? I lived with them for years and had no clue.”
“Well, obviously…”
I let the words trail off, watching his face.
In the original story, Elliot would learn the truth at the very end of the vault arc—betrayed by his own subordinates. Even his most trusted butler would desert him for Diana.
Elliot had raged, devastated, while Diana mocked him, calling it the fitting end of a man who squandered trust and treated people like dirt.
Of course, I couldn’t tell him that.
“I have my own information network.”
“An information network?”
“Yes. Can’t say more, but… think of it like a deal with the underworld.”
“Ohh, I see.”
He believed me instantly, no suspicion at all.
‘Instead of whining about betrayal, maybe learn how to doubt people once in a while.’
I couldn’t tell if he was naïve or just plain stupid. Reminded me a lot of Bren.
“So, now that the cleaning’s done, we can start excavation, right?”
“Yeah. Let’s go in.”
“Alright, excellent.”
We headed toward the entrance of Drante’s vault.
Grind, grind…
A massive stone gate had been unearthed, and workers hammered at it relentlessly. Strange, indecipherable symbols covered the stone.
‘There’s probably a proper way to open it… but the novel never explained how.’
So, brute force it was.
Rumble! Crack!
Dozens of hired men chipped away at the sealed gate.
“When do you think it’ll open?”
“At this pace, by tomorrow morning.”
“Good.” Elliot nodded, then leaned close to me with a smug grin.
“I hear Diana still hasn’t even found her entrance. Heh, sounds like the match is already over.”
“Don’t relax yet. We haven’t even stepped inside.”
“Of course, of course.”
But judging by the grin plastered on his face, my warning went in one ear and out the other.
‘He’s already celebrating.’
Well, whatever.
‘Once we’re inside tomorrow, I’ll secure the Orb.’
If excavation kept up, Diana could never catch us.
Still, there was one thing to watch out for.
“Elliot. Remember that guy I asked you to look into?”
“Oh, Kyle Perion? Yeah, he’s still at the academy. Why, is there a problem?”
“No. No problem.”
Kyle—the protagonist.
The one wildcard who could overturn everything.
Originally, the Drante’s Vault arc was designed for him and Diana.
During his break, while off training, Kyle would stumble into a cave, get trapped, and meet Diana by chance.
From there, the story was inevitable: Kyle joins Diana against Elliot, and she claims the inheritance.
‘But if I prevent their meeting, none of that happens.’
Sure, it meant twisting the story… but this arc was just a setup for their relationship. Cutting it off wouldn’t break the main plot.
Besides…
‘Diana’s not even a main heroine.’
At best a side character—no, not even that. More like a villainess.
So…
“All I need to do is take what I want.”
Boom! Crash!
Explosions rang out as rubble flew everywhere, like a battlefield.
Inside the command tent…
“What’s the progress?”
“About 97%. We can already see the end of the entrance.”
“See? I knew you could do it.”
Diana smiled sweetly.
But no one else smiled.
Least of all the site manager, whose face had gone pale and sickly dark.
“M-my lady. The work is nearly done.”
“Good job. But I hear the construction was… a little rough?”
“Haha, n-no, nothing like that.”
But it was.
Her reckless orders had left six workers permanently disabled and over twenty gravely injured—just in one night.
Still, the man forced a grin. If he displeased this girl, their suffering would be for nothing.
“Well, you’ve still finished much faster than contract, haven’t you?”
“Y-yes, I suppose so.”
“Well done. Clarke, pay them four times the agreed sum. And if any men were hurt, give them proper compensation and cover their treatment.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“……!”
The manager froze, stunned by her unexpected generosity. Then tears welled as he dropped to his knees.
“Th-thank you, my lady!”
“No need. You worked hard, and you brought results. I always reward competence.”
Her smile shone like an angel’s. The manager pressed his forehead to the floor in gratitude, again and again.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you so much—”
“That’s enough. You may go now.”
“Yes, my lady!”
Once the man left, Diana slipped a pipe between her lips.
“Phew… Clarke. You know what to do?”
“I’ll handle it shortly.”
“Make it look like he tried to run off with the money and got caught. A shameful end.”
“And the payments?”
“Cut them in half. The workers will still be grateful.”
“Understood.”
Nodding, Diana inhaled deeply from her pipe.
“And Elliot’s side?”
Clarke hesitated.
“T-that… our moles were all stripped of position.”
Clatter!
“What?”
Diana shot up, her face twisting in fury.
“What do you mean, stripped of position?”
“I don’t know the details yet, but… it seems Carmon Baird requested it.”
“Carmon Baird?”
Her jaw clenched at the very name.
“And Elliot’s excavation? Has it begun?”
“Yes, most likely, right on schedule.”
Crash!
She kicked the table, her eyes blazing with murderous rage.
“Damn it, damn it all! Why does that bastard Carmon Baird keep meddling?!”
