Roeide Duchy.
The territory of the Roeide Duchy, where 'adventurers from the stars' will be active in this expansion pack.
Usually, when one thinks of a duke, especially a grand duke, one often imagines a powerful central noble. However, the 'Roeide Duchy', one of the founding families of the Alpharion Empire, was different. They held as their territory the frontier land bordering the barren wilderness of the eastern outskirts of the Alpharion Empire, adjacent to Erins Gorge. In a way, they could be seen as just powerful local nobles.
"Oh."
Still, it is a ducal family after all.
I exclaimed in admiration in front of the huge castle gate.
Although not as grand as the inner castle of the imperial palace in the capital, it's large enough to fully feel the power of the nobles living here.
And indeed, as expected of a knightly family, even the two guards guarding the front of the castle gate looked like they were of knightly stock. The ceremonial armor they wore was very shiny.
Stomp stomp.
I walked towards them with confident steps.
"What is your business here?"
A guard politely asked me as I reached the castle gate.
"Eh."
I scratched my face.
I came without thinking, but I didn't make an appointment or anything.
"Um, I came to see someone I know. Miss Elenoa, that is... what was her title again?"
"...Master Elenoa? Are you a central noble?"
"Noble? I'm not someone like that."
The guards looked puzzled and started talking to each other.
Bang bang bang! Thud thud thud.
Suddenly there was a loud noise from above the castle gate, and a knight who looked like the guard captain came down in a hurry.
"Huff, huff...! The Silver Swordsman...! Perhaps, are you Miss Rain?"
"Yes."
"Ah, welcome! Hey, you guys! What are you doing! Open the castle gate quickly!"
"Yes, sir!"
Rumble rumble.
"Oh."
I looked with wide eyes at the castle gate that opened so easily.
"Present, arms!"
Swish.
Clang clang clang.
Thud, thud!
I gaped.
What's this? A ceremonial salute?
The inner castle of the duchy, the path leading into it.
On that path, knights in armor were standing on both sides.
All of them were presenting their swords, looking straight ahead with stern expressions.
Thud, thud!
The knights holding spears once again hit the ground with their spear shafts.
And at the end of the path formed by knights, Master Elenoa was standing.
She sent an adoring gaze towards me with a bright smile.
"Welcome to the Roeide Duchy."
"...What is all this...?"
"This is the welcoming ceremony for honored guests at the ducal family."
Whisper whisper.
In my ears, I could hear the knights gathered around whispering softly.
"...She's small? She's totally a kid? Isn't she the teacher of Master Elenoa, Marquis Roeide?"
"I guess she must be a master too? You know, the rumor that masters who've reached enlightenment get younger."
"She got a bit too young though?"
I made a tearful face.
"Hello. So, Miss Elenoa's father? Duke Roeide...?"
"Ooh...! Are you truly that person...! That's right. This unworthy one is Duke Roeide. Please speak comfortably."
A man with a good build, a middle-aged noble with graying hair, rose from the chair in the guest room and bowed deeply to me.
I gave him one hand and scratched my face with the other. Then I whispered to Elenoa standing next to me.
"This is too much pressure."
"Is that so? Huhu, I apologize. Still, I hope you understand the meaning of adoration our family shows you."
Duke Roeide, Master Elenoa, and I. The three of us gathered in the guest room and chatted.
"You introduced me as Miss Elenoa's teacher?"
"You said you didn't want to reveal the fact that you were a companion of the Roeide family's ancestors in the past. Still, you remain the teacher who showed me the path I should walk."
"Umm..."
In a way, that's true.
Anyway, I had a different purpose for coming here today.
"...I see. The source of magic in the Celestial Basin, Erins Gorge."
"Yes. If you look at the map..."
The Roeide Ducal Family also had a map of the Erins Gorge area. Although cruder than the map provided to users by the system, they had information accumulated over a thousand years. Even if it's useless land, even if it's land full of monsters, they must have continued to investigate because it's land that should someday be made into actual territory of the Alpharion Empire.
Duke Roeide stroked his chin and said.
"We'll send mages and knights from the Duchy to remove the magic barrier. It will take time, but once the barrier is removed, we can deal with the monster that is the source of magic, or the demon crouching inside."
"And we'll need to purify the magic. To prevent more monsters influenced by magic from being born in there."
"Purification work?"
"Father, that."
"Hmm."
At Elenoa's words, Duke Roeide took out an object from his chest and placed it on the desk.
"...!"
I know this.
A metal emblem about the size of a palm.
A sacred object passed down only to high priests of the Divine Church and above.
"Divine Mark."
"Indeed, you know it."
"Because you're the hero from a thousand years ago. It's been passed down that you were with the saint, the symbol of the Divine Church."
"..."
It was as they said.
I was with Saintess Elena in the past.
But shouldn't the Divine Church's lineage be cut off now?
"Even though the power of the divine no longer reaches this land, the sacred objects left by the priests of that time still exert a faint power. Isn't this proof that the goddess hasn't abandoned this land yet?"
"Is that so."
I couldn't tell them the truth.
The fact that the goddess of this world has disappeared.
"The Divine Churches in other countries including the Alpharion Empire are just barely continuing in name only. But the movement in the Betarion Empire seems different."
"They have many sacred objects there. Right, Father?"
"Yes. Even if there aren't priests who actually perform miracles, believers gather at churches for worship and continue the lineage."
"In the Betarion Empire?"
"I don't know the details since it's a foreign country, but they call this continent a world abandoned by the goddess, and they're gathering sacred objects to summon the god to this land again or something."
It doesn't feel good.
After dealing with the eastern Army Commander, I felt the need to investigate this group called the Divine Church of the Betarion Empire.
"There's something I want to show you."
After reporting the discovery of the newly found elite dungeon, 'Celestial Basin', and entrusting the barrier removal to the ducal family, I was being guided by Elenoa towards a tower standing within the vast grounds of the ducal inner castle.
I get a feeling right away.
The 'Training Tower' in Silva Plains.
The 'Ice Spire Tower' in the Par Snowy Region area.
And, the third solo dungeon.
"This place."
Appropriate height and scale. A tower with architecture from a thousand years ago. It feels slightly out of place compared to other buildings within the ducal inner castle grounds. But it doesn't show much trace of time. Is it magic after all?
"Actually, even before the empire was founded, this land belonged to the Roeide family. And it's also the reason why the Roeide Ducal Family settled here after the empire was established."
"So the reason this became the Roeide Duchy wasn't just to defend against threats from the eastern empire."
"Huhu, that's right. More than a thousand years ago, before the Alpharion Empire was established, this land was our family's territory."
Elenoa looked up at the tower with a face full of emotion.
"And this tower was built by Master Melissa together with the family's mages at that time."
"What!?"
I was surprised.
This is a story I never heard even while staying with Melissa.
Well, maybe she didn't tell me because it was a family matter. Melissa hardly ever talked about her family.
The land of the Roeide family.
A tower with a thousand years of history.
And the Roeide Ducal Family that still hasn't left this place even after a thousand years.
"Has this tower been closed until now?"
Elenoa nodded.
"Yes. The key needed to open the tower was indeed the 'name'."
In this world, names hold powerful force. It makes sense that the great malice first erased the names of the old heroes. It prevented the heroes' power from being passed down to their descendants.
The name that the Roeide family had lost.
The family's old hero, 'Master Melissa'.
"The tower built by our ancestor before leaving the family. Before opening this tower, we couldn't claim the name of a heroic family."
"So it's only opened now?"
"After a thousand years. Because you came."
Elenoa smiled brightly.
"In this tower, you'll fight illusions close to reality. After you returned the old hero's name, all the knights of our family have been challenging this tower. And although it's embarrassing, I succeeded in reaching the top floor."
"Oh, congratulations."
"But I still couldn't beat the illusion of myself. The power is similar, but the level of swordsmanship is different. It's probably an illusion with Hero Melissa's swordsmanship. Phew, even knowing it's an illusion, I lose consciousness when my head falls off. The shock is considerable."
Elenoa stiffened her body for a moment while touching her neck.
I laughed inwardly.
It felt like I had gained successors.
It's not actually dying, but it's still not easy, right?
I quietly looked up at that tower for a moment.
Before Celestial Basin, it starts here.
The tower built by Sister Melissa.
What I have to face at its end is.
[Entry Level 53]
[Tomb of Swords]
[Solo Dungeon]