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“Da…ra?”

Ian’s eyes widened as he decoded the message, then checked the pocket watch again with astonishment.

“This is real?”

‘Dara’ was a renowned clockmaker from the Golden Mage Tower of the El Carda Empire, known for his exceptional craftsmanship. His magically enhanced watches were recognized for their practicality and artistry, holding significant value like fine art. The supply was so limited that even with a premium, acquiring one was extremely difficult.

“Calm down.”

It was already suspicious that a Dark Mage, not even a high-ranking noble, would possess such an item.

“Ah.”

As Ian scrutinized the watch, he noticed something odd. The finish on the pocket watch was notably subpar. Dara was famous for crafting each part of his watches meticulously, ensuring unparalleled quality.

Yet, this one had flaws?

“This can’t be right.”

It was a counterfeit. The excitement of finding something valuable quickly turned into disappointment.

Once he identified one flaw, more signs of fakeness emerged. Ian remembered that Dara’s watches had transparent backplates, revealing the inner workings.

This one had an opaque backplate. Though the inside was visible, it wasn’t well-crafted.

“Ha.”

It made sense now. Ian recalled that Dara’s watches were imbued with special magic.

A counterfeit wouldn’t have such features, but the intricate design on the watch made Ian wonder if it might be something special.

Ian subtly infused a bit of his mana into the watch.

“…It reacts?”

To his surprise, the intricate design on the watch’s lid absorbed the mana and began to emit a faint glow.

Mael and Mari, intrigued by the sight, leaned in curiously.

Ian continued to examine the watch, undeterred.

A blue compass appeared on the watch’s glass, pointing in a specific direction.

“Is that a magical item?”

Mari asked, and Ian nodded.

“It’s Dara’s watch.”

“…?”

Mari looked puzzled, and Mael was the one to clarify.

“Dara is a famous clockmaker, right? They say a watch made by him could buy a luxurious mansion and a carriage. Could this be one of his?”

“I wish it were, but unfortunately, it’s just a well-crafted imitation.”

“…Hmm. Is that so?”

It was hard to believe, but Ian nodded in understanding.

“It’s really well-made. Unless you know how to distinguish them or have an interest in watches, it’s easy to be fooled. Even if you have some knowledge, it would still be convincing. With this magic, it’s hard not to believe it’s genuine. The light, the magic circle—it’s quite mystical for anyone who isn’t familiar.”

“It does look impressive, but what kind of magic does it have?”

“It’s a guide. Dara’s watches are typically imbued with this magic. It points towards a location specified by the owner, no matter where you are. The further away, the shorter the needle becomes; the closer, the longer it gets. If this is working correctly, there should be something within a day or two’s travel from here.”

“Could it be a treasure vault?”

Ian chuckled at the naive thought.

“Much more likely, it’s the residence or stronghold of the Dark Mage we killed.”

“It’s going to be dangerous.”

“Indeed.”

“But we have no choice but to go.”

“Why do you think so?”

Mael slowly began to speak.

“As you said, if it’s related to the Dark Mage, it’s not something we can handle alone. We were fortunate that the Dark Mage’s level was low; otherwise, we would have been in serious trouble. We need to request support.”

“True.”

“But what if there’s nothing there? It would put us in a difficult position.”

“If we end up making a fruitless trip, we’ll be criticized heavily, especially since we’re already short on personnel.”

“…Though we might be forgiven due to our contributions.”

Ian shrugged.

“They might forgive us. The problem is that they might not believe we’ve actually captured the Dark Mage.”

“Because there’s no evidence?”

“Exactly. All we have are a few odds and ends and this counterfeit watch.”

“If we return to the base tomorrow…”

“It’ll likely be a disaster. The bodies will probably be torn apart by the monsters. It’d be a stroke of luck to find the bag of fruit of ruin.”

At that moment, Mari interjected.

“I have it.”

“…?”

Mari tossed a pouch she had been wearing at her waist to Ian.

“When did you…?”

“I grabbed it during the battle, just in case. There isn’t much left, but it should be enough to avoid criticism when requesting support.”

Upon checking the contents, Ian found black powder inside—it was indeed the fruit of ruin.

Ian was impressed that Mari had managed to grab it amidst the chaos.

“Well done. But our task remains the same. We need to find out where the needle of this compass is pointing and what’s there, even if it means taking some risks. Otherwise, we might regret not checking it ourselves.”

Of course, there was another option: to simply return and report that further investigation was necessary. The decision on what to do next would be up to Verdan, but Ian had no intention of doing that.

Ian closed the pocket watch. Despite being a counterfeit, it had an impressive click sound.

“For now, let’s discuss this again in the morning. It’s late, so let’s get some rest.”

* * *

Fortunately, there were no more attacks during the night after the appearance of the monster. It seemed that the creatures had fled in fear.

As a result, the morning was calm. After stretching and having a light meal, Ian gathered the group to assess their condition.

There were no injuries, but the supplies were critically low due to the hasty departure from the base.

“Still, with what we have, we should be able to operate for a week.”

There was enough salt and medicine, though food was extremely scarce. However, there was emergency rations with small volume but unusually high caloric content prepared for such situations.

Ian addressed the Red Spear Knights, who were staring at him intently.

The message was the same as he had given Mael and Mari the previous night.

The difference was that he offered them the option to return. If even one person chose to return, either Mael or Mari would take command.

It was fine if all the Red Spear Knights decided to return. Since the primary objective was reconnaissance and exploration, one person could handle it.

“There will be no negative consequences. I promise.”

But everyone remained silent.

“It’s going to be tough.”

They wouldn’t have been so careless as to register their base or residence directly on the pocket watch.

Ian wasn’t surprised. While he hadn’t mentioned it, he had vaguely anticipated this outcome.

The group had endured a rough journey. They had struggled through dense undergrowth, steep hills, and frequent encounters with monsters attracted by the fruit of ruin. Though they had managed to avoid the more dangerous creatures, fatigue from the repeated battles was starting to set in.

The situation was a far cry from the pre-regression days when the environment was heavily polluted by the sea invasions and the mere act of walking would sap one’s strength. Back then, even facing a small number of monsters could be a dire challenge. Compared to that, the monsters faced now were merely numerous but not particularly threatening.

The Red Spear Knights had persisted through the hardship, driven by their will to support Ian, but now faced with disappointment, their spirits were understandably low.

Ian looked around. There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary, and no traces of hidden magical auras. He had hoped that maybe there was some concealed location or clue, but everything seemed normal.

“Let’s not lose hope just yet,” Ian said, trying to lift the group’s spirits. “It’s possible that the location we’re looking for is hidden in some way. Perhaps it’s protected by powerful concealment magic.”

He was trying to be optimistic, but he knew that the likelihood of this being a trap or a diversion was high. The Dark Mage would have anticipated that someone might come looking for them and could have set up various ways to mislead or deceive.

“We’ll search the area thoroughly,” Ian continued. “There might be clues or traces that aren’t immediately visible. Keep your eyes open and stay alert.”

The Red Spear Knights, although weary, nodded in agreement. They were committed to the mission and understood the importance of finding any potential leads.

Ian took out the pocket watch once more, focusing on the magical compass. It continued to point in the same direction, suggesting that they were indeed close to their destination. He hoped that with a more careful search, they might find something they had missed.

“Let’s split up and search the area,” Ian suggested. “We’ll cover more ground that way. Remember, we’re looking for anything out of the ordinary—hidden passages, unusual magical residues, anything that could give us a clue.”

The knights scattered to search the area. Ian took a deep breath and started examining the surroundings more closely. He knew that finding something in this vast and potentially empty area would be challenging, but giving up now would be worse. The chance that the Dark Mage’s hideout was somewhere close kept him motivated.

As they searched, Ian couldn’t shake the feeling that they were on the brink of discovering something crucial, or perhaps stumbling into another trap.

And there was no reason for them to have registered this location.

‘It’s probably nearby.’

It’s clear that they must have registered a location familiar with the geography to avoid getting lost in the maze-like forest.

Ian left Mael and Mari in charge of the Red Spear Knights and set out alone for the search. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack—far from easy.

But Ian wasn’t worried. The time had come to use the skills he had learned as a treasure hunter.

He gathered and spread his magical energy widely. This dispersed magic then relayed information about the surroundings.

It filtered out what was unnecessary. What he needed to find were artificial magical flows or signs of life.

‘…Found it.’

Ian immediately headed towards the source.

As expected, he discovered a path carved into stone.

It had long been abandoned and was covered with plants and dirt. Following the broken path led him to an underground entrance.

The entrance was partially collapsed, and with roots from bushes and trees growing over it, it could easily be mistaken for a hill.

However, on closer inspection, it was clear that it was a structure, not a hill.

‘An ancient site? Was there an undiscovered ancient site here?’

Ian searched his memory but had no clues. He hadn’t heard of any ancient sites in this area.

He scanned the surroundings with a cautious gaze. There were no visible guards, but two stone bear statues were cleverly hidden.

‘What’s that?’

The stone statues reminded him of something.

In the past, a civilization that worshiped bears existed in this land. They placed bear statues as guardians at the entrances of major buildings.

This could be their ruins. It was highly likely that it was a temple dedicated to deities.

Although it could be dangerous, he moved closer. He felt a faint, mysterious power rather than dark magic coming from inside the entrance.

‘…It’s a temple. And it’s still functioning.’

Ian’s eyes widened. If that’s the case, finding something valuable here was not out of the question.

He felt a twinge of greed. Ian stared intently at the bear statues.

‘They won’t move, will they?’

Statues at the entrance of ancient sites always required caution.

However, the statues here, weathered by time and cleverly hidden, were covered in moss—one had an arm missing, and the other had half a head missing—so he didn’t think they would pose a threat.

Just in case, he picked up a stone and threw it.

Thud!

It lodged in place. The statues seemed harmless.

But he still hadn’t confirmed whether there were any Dark Mages present.

After observing the area for about an hour, he saw no signs of people or even animals.

‘Should I enter? No, it’s too risky alone.’

Ian briefly considered it and thought of the Red Spear Knights. Although they were still inexperienced, they were knights.

They possessed a strength far beyond that of ordinary soldiers. They would be helpful.

‘It’s better to go with them, just in case.’

He cautiously returned to where the knights were and said to them:

“There’s an ancient site.”

———-