DBOFS 30

Chapter 30

“…Jade.”

A low murmur. There was no response.

Harris knew it too. He was alone. Isolated.

The cause was quickly deduced.

‘The scream from the entrance of the dungeon.’

He hadn’t reacted. Jade had responded immediately.

‘And the rest of the lesser things reacted too.’

Whether it was the dungeon’s classification method or not, he and Jade had been separated.

“…”

And what Harris now faced was a world of black and white. Or rather, the sky was so dark it made the world seem devoid of color.

Black clouds blanketed the moon and stars, and blinding white lightning struck down. The place it hit was a castle shrouded in darkness.

Strangely, everything was frozen in place.

The lightning, the clouds, the crumbling fragments of the castle struck by the bolt—none moved. Even the gatekeeper at the castle’s entrance and the soldiers atop the walls were motionless like dolls.

[A new quest has been generated: <Free the ‘Castle Where Time Has Stopped’>.]

“…A quest.”

Harris silently read the glowing letters.

He knew what this was.

During his time in the dungeon beneath the ancient castle, the servants—afraid he might go mad and lash out at random—had bundled books from the castle library and sent them down to him.

And after discovering he was the abandoned child…

<The Power of the Awakened, Saving the Princess!>

They started sending him daily newspapers to mock him. Especially articles praising the Awakened.

In the past, a young Harris had no idea what the strange power dwelling inside him was.

People called him a monster, a beast, something less than human. They scorned and hated him.

But after Harris had been locked away in the castle dungeon, people born with similar powers began to appear openly in public, gradually gaining recognition as “Awakened.”

As dungeons appeared more frequently, they could no longer be handled by the power of existing forces alone.

The first known Awakened was a mercenary with flame abilities—Alucas.

Famous for his flamboyant beauty in illustrations, he was hailed across the empire for saving the princess.

Of course, Alucas didn’t reveal himself just for the praise.

He intended to form a faction of Awakened and didn’t hide that goal. He made it very public.

Revealing dungeon information was part of that plan.

[Dungeons are rifts—gateways to entirely different worlds. They clearly present their goals and demand fulfillment.]

The words, read dozens or even hundreds of times, vividly surfaced in his mind.

Yet strangely, he felt nothing.

His mind was occupied by just one thing.

“…Jade.”

He had been separated from her. She was gone.

Out of his reach—beyond his sight and touch.

And in a dangerous place like a dungeon!

His hands began to tremble. His breath grew rough. Anxiety and fear crept in, clouding his thoughts.

Jade claimed she was a seer from another world—and until now, she had never been wrong.

‘She was so insistent on entering the dungeon. Surely she’s prepared for something like this.’

He knew that. Rationally, he understood. But still…

“What if she’s hurt?”

What if a small wound led to something worse? What if it was poisoned? What if that meant… they never saw each other again?

“…”

Just imagining it made it hard to breathe. He panted, teeth clenched, and suddenly froze.

He was scared. Because of Jade. Because she wasn’t there.

He was…

‘…dependent on her.’

Like an addict, he had fallen for her.

Even though they hadn’t known each other long. Even though he still didn’t fully trust her.

His obsession was completely abnormal.

‘…Because she’s my Guide.’

The doubt was quickly rationalized.

Yes, Jade was his fated Guide.

To officially become one’s fated Guide, there needed to be an “imprint.”

And though he still didn’t understand what the imprint was or what being a fated pair entailed…

‘…Still, we’re practically bound already.’

They had made a contract.

He had agreed to fulfill her wish, and in return, she promised to stay by his side.

As his one and only fated Guide.

Having been separated from Jade, his reaction—like a madman—was only natural.

To regain his sanity, he needed to find Jade first—screw the dungeon.

It was a twisted logic, but Harris, with bloodshot eyes, declared coldly:

“Give me back my Guide.”

But the divine message only shimmered in the air. It merely highlighted the “reward.”

“…Hah, fine.”

Harris twisted his lips.

As his feet moved toward the castle, the air rippled like a heat haze, and color began to return to the black-and-white world.

Dark green grass, gray castle walls, and the muddy swamp below.

[…An intruder!]

The once-frozen gatekeeper regained his color and swung a spear, while red-flamed arrows were nocked atop the castle wall.

A giant dragon—its appearance unnoticed until now—roared from the castle roof.

[KRRRAAAHH—!!]

To eliminate the one who dared to restart the time they had frozen.

“Freedom, huh.”

Harris’s lips curled, though his eyes remained cold. Dark energy swirled around his hand.

Yes. He would grant this “castle where time stopped” its freedom.

The freedom called death.

* * *

“…Ahem.”

The former Duke instinctively looked down through the window, as if waiting for news.

When his eyes met those of his aide, he gave a deliberate cough, pretending it hadn’t happened.

“It’s almost been a week,” said Count Ledyan, his ever-smiling aide.

“Since Lord Harris entered the dungeon.”

The former Duke remained expressionless.

But Count Ledyan, who had long served the Godwin household and was the second-in-command of the old Godwin faction, could tell.

‘He’s worried.’

No matter what, Harris was his grandson. And that girl—Jade, the Guide—was quite a charming one.

Even the Iron Duke, as he was once called, wasn’t immune to the absence of a presence once it was gone.

Still, Count Ledyan maintained a professional tone.

“Though Lord Harris was born with an extraordinary ability, he has never trained properly like other Awakened, due to his years of confinement.”

That “confinement” referred to Harris’s imprisonment in the castle dungeon.

“Of course, being your grandson, he’ll do well. But to ensure everything goes smoothly…”

Originally, the former Duke had planned to hire the mercenary king Alucas to deal with this dungeon.

However—

“Are you saying a boy who is my grandson can’t even handle this?” the Duke snapped.

“If he wants to be acknowledged as my heir, then failing here would be completely unacceptable!”

Count Ledyan hid a bitter smile.

‘You care so much. Why pretend otherwise?’

Traditionally, the heir to a noble house was the legitimate son of the current head.

But the current Duke, Norman, had unilaterally stripped his son of his inheritance and locked him away.

However, as Norman only had control over the new Godwin faction, he couldn’t pull it off alone.

He had to negotiate with the old Godwin faction—led by the former Duke.

In exchange, Norman had to give up various powers, including the right to name his successor.

This event proved that though the former Duke had been forced to retire under imperial pressure, he wasn’t out of the picture yet.

“You think I’ll hand over such a prize for nothing? I won’t go back on my word.”

The former Duke’s voice was cold.

Whenever he thought of Harris, he felt uneasy.

Because it inevitably reminded him of Harris’s parents.

‘Norman…’

That damn son hadn’t always been so disobedient.

As a child, Norman had been clever and gentle, ready to sacrifice for the family—a submissive second son.

But everything changed when he went to the Imperial Capital in place of the heir.

‘To be exact—when he met Princess Eleas.’

It was as if he’d been shot in the head. Norman changed.

He betrayed his sister, rebelled against the family, and stole the title from his father.

All to become worthy of marrying the princess.

The epic romance born of betrayal and downfall ended with the tragedy of the princess’s death.

‘No, it continued with Norman rejecting his own son.’

Naturally, the former Duke had never liked Princess Eleas.

Not just because she was the catalyst for everything.

The late Princess Eleas was famous for three reasons:

First, she was the only daughter of the Marchioness Floella of House Rayelga, and the beloved treasure of the Emperor.

Second, she was considered the most beautiful woman in the empire.

‘And third… she was rumored to be a prophet.’

The former Duke never believed such nonsense.

He assumed the rumor was either a publicity stunt by the Emperor or exaggerated flattery by high society.

So he didn’t even attend the wedding.

But when he met the princess for the first time, he couldn’t help but be surprised.