Ch. 165
It was especially gray, and so worn at the edges it looked ready to crumble.
“This is a southern regional general map used exactly 8,700 years ago. The publisher was a geographer named Simune from Rekurataka. It was once widely distributed across the continent, but now only a few dozen copies remain—it’s quite rare.”
“I see. Quick question: will that be on the exam?”
I raised my hand to ask, but Lox ignored me and continued his monologue.
“We suspect this is the map that matches our marker. It’s our last hope. If even this one doesn’t line up…”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Our journey will lose its direction. Allow me to show you. Ash?”
Ash, who had been silently standing by, pulled out a long string from his chest.
At a glance, it looked like a necklace, but it clearly had a different purpose.
Lox took the gray string and laid it carefully on the map, manipulating it with practiced precision.
It looked a bit like playing cat’s cradle over paper.
“So that’s the marker.”
“Yes. We’ve been searching for a map that matches this.”
A marker was a tool used alongside ancient maps to indicate specific locations.
Rather than marking directly on the map, ancient people created these special markers—most commonly strings like this one.
Sections of the string were dyed different colors, and when overlaid on a compatible map, overlapping points would reveal the target location.
But this method had both strengths and weaknesses: since the string must be aligned by the corners of the map, using it with an incompatible map pointed to completely wrong locations.
In other words, the marker was as much a tool to guide as it was to hide.
“We found this marker along with a letter that mentions the Cup. So we gathered maps from the same period as the letter, but so far, we’ve had many failed attempts. For instance… if you try it with this northern map, it points to the middle of the ocean.”
“So that one’s out.”
“Exactly. Even allowing for errors in old maps, if it points to somewhere absurd, we eliminate it.”
By design, each marker was meant to be used with a specific map.
But in modern times, it was impossible to know which one. All they could do was keep testing them until something clicked.
“We’re lucky when it’s that easy to eliminate. This continental map from the Kalkrac Kingdom points to the peak of a mountain range… we actually went there, but it was a bust. That kind of thing is what gives us headaches.”
Clearly exhausted, Lox casually tossed the map to the floor.
Treasure hunting had plenty of awful aspects, but the worst was definitely the miserable maps.
Ancient maps varied wildly in accuracy depending on who drew them. It was common to exaggerate their own country’s size or leave out places they hadn’t explored altogether.
No wonder they kept coming up empty-handed.
“But this time, I’ve got a good feeling! We’ve definitely found it! The god of persistence has blessed us!”
“Sounds more like a win by sheer stubbornness.”
“No! It’s divine intervention!”
“…Fine, whatever helps you sleep.”
“The letter says the cup is hidden somewhere near water. And rather than a dungeon, it’s more like a personal treasure vault. Also, the name of the location mentioned in the letter closely resembles the name of the place this newly found map points to.”
As I listened, a few questions came to mind.
“Question. Where’d you get the marker, and what’s this letter? Is it trustworthy?”
Since I was tagging along, I wanted to make sure this wasn’t another wild goose chase like their previous failures.
Chasing bad intel wasn’t my thing.
“You’re surprisingly sharp.”
“Did you just say ‘surprisingly’?”
Say that again and see how long you ‘don’t’ live.
While I clenched my jaw, Lox reluctantly took out a letter with obvious reluctance and a hint of smugness.
“This is a copy, but it’s the starting point of our journey. We found the marker alongside it.”
“Lemme see.”
“It’s written in Ancient Tongue. You won’t understand it.”
“I can read it. Sort of.”
He looked like he wanted to say ‘surprisingly’ again but wisely kept his mouth shut, probably afraid I’d grab him by the collar.
I took the letter and unfolded it. Enk, who stood beside me, offered some helpful context.
“I heard it’s an heirloom passed down in Ash’s family.”
“Ah.”
Well, technically royal property, I guess. Ash ‘was’ a prince, after all.
“Why’s this letter got so many blanks?”
“There was a lot of damage to the original.”
Lox looked skeptical that I could read it.
I could tell by how his eyes narrowed.
I might not be much of a student, but most Spiritology texts were based on Ancient Tongue, so knowing it was mandatory.
“It’s not just a letter. It reads more like a will. A final message sent to a close friend…”
“Oh? You really ‘can’ read it.”
“Impressive, Geenie! Only Ash and Lox could read it before.”
Enk’s genuine praise made my shoulders lift a little.
Ash probably learned it as part of royal education, and Lox had clearly received elite schooling too, so me knowing it wasn’t that surprising.
I looked back at the letter and read the key part aloud:
“Hidden… where there is water, and gold… lies the dominion of life… true? Inhuman power… a force not of man. All of it lies within. In the depths… where light does not reach, it shall be found by fate. The cost of release is the fate of the lake? What does that mean—’the fate of the lake’?”
“It’s open to interpretation. Maybe it means ‘Lake of Destiny,’ or, since ancient people viewed lakes as spiritual swamps, it could be a metaphor for death.”
“Ugh, damn ancients. Why can’t they just say things plainly instead of using metaphors for everything?”
Hmph. I didn’t like it.
I tossed the letter back at Lox. It was a copy, after all—what was he so jumpy about?
“W-What do you mean ‘damn ancients’?! You can’t speak that way about sacred figures!”
“Whatever. I don’t care about people who died thousands of years ago. Thanks to them, our test syllabus just got longer! And this letter is so damaged I can barely ‘read’ it, let alone ‘interpret’ it!”
“We spent ages restoring those missing parts! Do you know how long it took?!”
“Well, it ‘does’ sound like it’s referring to the Cup of the Golden Star. So can I go to bed now?”
“Please… show some respect. This is a sacred relic left by saints!”
Sure, sure. Just let me sleep.
See that yawn? That’s not fake.
I was already halfway slumped over the table from sleepiness.
Meanwhile, Lox was practically glowing with academic passion. Looked like I’d activated his Ancient Civilization nerd switch.
“How can you not be amazed by this?! We’re on the verge of a monumental discovery! Look—this part here, though slightly erased, mentions burying the treasure under the ‘Tears of Hirike.’ And if you overlay the marker on the map Enk and Gale found, it points to a village in Heidrike called Hirilike! That village has a lake! The letter must be talking about ‘that’ place!”
“Mmhmm… that’s nice…”
Even Enk and Gale slowly started drifting away from the table.
I guarantee Lox was the kind of guy who’d still be studying even when it wasn’t exam season. The type of professor who’d keep lecturing even if all the students were asleep.
“The way the letter’s clues align with the marker—it’s never matched this well before. This time, we might ‘really’ find the Cup of the Golden Star! This could be the discovery of the century! Oh, what a glorious achievement it’ll be…”
Tuning people out was one of my long-held talents.
Blinking sleepily, I scanned the table—and my eyes fell on the marker. It was oddly distracting.
It gave the same vibe as a silent phone blinking with a notification.
It tugged at my attention from the corner of my vision. But since it wasn’t actually glowing, it had to be just a feeling.
I leaned in and closely examined the string portion of the marker, my fingers brushing the small triangle-shaped metal piece attached to it.
Then I understood what had been bothering me.
“This… has magic on it. This little metal piece here.”
“Magic? That part’s enchanted?”
“Lemme see.”
Apparently Enk and Gale didn’t know. They leaned in curiously.
Magic wasn’t common, so people tended to find it fascinating.
“…How did you notice that?!”
Lox, on the other hand, clearly ‘had’ known—and looked surprised that ‘I’ had picked up on it.
“It’s obvious. Just like how swordsmen are sensitive to people’s presence, we’re sensitive to magical ones. It’s called magical signature—something like that.”
“Whoa! This is why you need a magic user in your party!”
“Totally!”
“But I don’t know ‘what’ kind of magic it is. Since it’s on the marker, it’s probably… something that reacts when we get near the location?”
It wasn’t that impressive, but Enk and Gale were thrilled, practically bouncing with excitement.
They were excited like they’d just recruited a rare magic-user. Even though Spirit Mages and Mages were totally different.
“Man, this is huge! Feels like this is it!”
“Right?! I think we’re really gonna find it this time.”
“Once we find it, our struggles are over! Time for happiness! I’ll get my siblings married, buy Mom a new house—Lady Luck finally noticed us!”
“Wait for us, Heidrike!”
Maybe it was the hope that this long journey might finally bear fruit—but Enk and Gale were clearly getting excited.
They were kind of adorable like that… though I couldn’t help but ask:
“So, what are you gonna do once you find the cup?”
“Oh! Planning to offer it to the royal family and try to get a government post.”
“Wow. Very pragmatic.”
“There’s nothing for us to gain by holding onto it. It’d only put our lives in danger. But if we hand it over and cozy up to the royals, we can live easy the rest of our lives.”
“Reasonable, I guess…”
I had a good idea whose idea that was and glanced toward Ash.
So even here, the reflex to hand great finds over to royalty ran strong.
I mean, I agreed that it was the safest option. But if someone really wanted to dive into politics, there were other routes too.
Seeing Ash avoid my gaze, I could tell he felt guilty about this.
Calling them comrades while using them—he probably couldn’t shake that feeling.
But this course had likely been set by the royal family itself, not Ash, so I wasn’t going to blame him.
Didn’t concern me, anyway.
“Sorry to kill the mood, but can I sleep now?”
“Did a restless spirit curse you or something?”
“Don’t you know? Beauty needs her rest.”
“…Go to bed.”