NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Boom! Boom!
“Hurry up, move quickly.”
“Carry it carefully, but don’t go too slow!”
“Dig faster. Let’s see what we can find.”
Boom! Boom!
At the construction site, many people were working tirelessly day and night.
“Tsk!”
In stark contrast to the chaotic scene, Diana, a beautiful girl, clicked her tongue in irritation.
“How much longer will this take?”
“They said it will take about two more days of digging.”
“And Elliot?”
“I heard the entrance construction is almost complete. They might be able to enter the vault by tomorrow morning…”
Diana frowned deeply at the butler Clark’s report and muttered briefly.
“Tsk, not a single piece of good news?”
“…”
“Is it at least a day, or maybe two? Normally, that’s an insurmountable difference.”
Diana was assessing the situation more coldly than anyone.
“Why did the entrance have to be there?”
She shouted in frustration, then cast a deeply sinking gaze over the construction site she had chosen.
“Whether it’s luck or the last chance given by my ancestors, I won’t let it slip away.”
This wasn’t just any ordinary dungeon or treasure excavation. It was the excavation of Dranthe’s Secret Vault, the Golden King’s vault. Everything of the Fren family was at stake there: the position of head, the leader of the merchant guild, and all the wealth and power her and Elliot’s father currently held.
“…”
Could she lose everything because of just a single day’s difference?
“Don’t make me laugh.”
At Diana’s words, Clark cautiously spoke up.
“Miss, if I may be so bold, why not follow the suggestion I made earlier? The sentinel also…”
“No, I don’t like it.”
“Pardon?”
“What? Important is the result? What a joke. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be here competing with that idiot Elliot for the heir position, right?”
“Well, that’s…”
“What was the proposal our noble and wise head of the family made this time?”
“He said that whoever first excavates the vault of the first head of the family will be made the heir.”
“Even if our father thinks so, the elders of the guild and family might think differently.”
Memories of the past quickly flashed through Diana’s eyes as she spoke.
“This time, I need a flawless victory that no one can argue against. So, I’ll attack the vault my way.”
With eyes larger than most coins glinting sharply, Diana’s demeanor silenced Clark.
“By tomorrow afternoon.”
“Pardon?”
“Find the entrance by tomorrow afternoon, by any means necessary.”
Muttering as if to herself, she tucked her hair behind her ear and continued.
“Can’t we just blow them all up?”
“Pardon? Blow up the rocks?”
“Whether we excavate with tools or explode them with magic, there’s no big difference, right?”
“That’s too dangerous. We might end up with casualties or severe injuries…”
“Then the chances of me losing the heir position to Elliot increase, don’t they?”
“…!”
At Diana’s low-voiced question, Clark fell silent.
“Clark.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“I don’t want to lose the position of head of the Fren family or the leader of the Fren Merchant Guild. Especially not to that stupid, moronic Elliot.”
“I understand.”
“So, proceed as I say. Blow it all up by today. We must enter by tomorrow afternoon.”
Like a switch being flipped, Diana issued her order firmly. Clark knew better than anyone that no words could persuade her now.
“I will follow your orders.”
He could only bow and comply.
“Oh, and…”
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Diana raised a finger and continued.
“There are people on Elliot’s side who are on our payroll, right?”
“Yes, there are.”
“Tell them to do whatever it takes to slow down the excavation.”
“Understood.”
“Not just half-heartedly, but risking their lives. Threaten them with the money they’ve received so far and their families’ lives if necessary.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Clark quickly bowed and responded. After her brief but intense speech, Diana nodded in satisfaction.
“Phew, good.”
She then tied her hair into a sleek ponytail and spoke again.
“Let’s take it slow and see who really wins.”
* * *
“N-No way. Those guys were working for Diana?”
“Yeah, thanks to that, all our information was leaking out.”
“That bitch, doing something like this…!”
Discovering that his long-serving butler had been bribed by Diana, Elliot trembled with betrayal and muttered.
“But Kamon, how did you know? Even I, who’ve been with them for years, didn’t notice.”
“Well, that’s because…”
I trailed off, looking at Elliot. In the original story, Elliot is betrayed by his subordinates at the final stage of the vault. Especially the butler, who leaves him for Diana, causing Elliot to cry out in despair and rage. Diana, enjoying his misery, tells him it’s his own fault for being a tyrant.
Of course, I couldn’t say that outright.
“I have a separate source for information.”
“An information source?”
Elliot tilted his head and mumbled.
“Did you make a deal with the dark guild?”
“I can’t say in detail. Think of it as something like that.”
“Oh, I see.”
Elliot trusted my words without a hint of doubt, making me sigh inwardly.
‘Before feeling betrayed, try being a little suspicious.’
I wasn’t sure if he was naive or just plain dumb. The more I looked at him, the more he reminded me of Bren.
“So, now that the cleanup is done, can we start the excavation?”
“Yes, let’s go in now.”
“Alright, let’s do it.”
We headed towards the entrance of Dranthe’s Secret Vault, where the legacy of the Golden King was hidden.
Creeeak, creeeak!
At the location where the entrance made of giant stones was discovered, workers known as excavation specialists were busily trying to break through the stones. The enormous stone gate was covered with bizarre, incomprehensible patterns.
‘There seems to be a special way to open that…’
However, that part wasn’t mentioned in the novel, so I had no idea how to proceed. Thus,
Creeeak! Creeeak!
The numerous workers hired by Elliot were gathered in front of the closed entrance, forcibly trying to break it open.
“So, when can we open the entrance?”
“At the current pace, it should be broken through by tomorrow morning.”
Nodding lightly at the construction manager’s response, Elliot came up to me and murmured.
“I heard Diana’s side still hasn’t even found a proper entrance. Heh, at this rate, it’s almost decided in our favor, isn’t it?”
“We haven’t entered yet, so don’t get too relaxed, Elliot.”
“Of course, I won’t.”
Though Elliot nodded vigorously at my words, judging by the wide smile on his face,
‘He’s already excited.’
I had a feeling that my warning wouldn’t be taken seriously. Well, it didn’t matter.
‘As long as we can enter the vault tomorrow, I’ll definitely be able to find the ‘Orb’.’
If the excavation proceeds in earnest, as Elliot said, Diana wouldn’t be able to catch up to us. However, there was one thing we had to be vigilant about.
“Elliot, have you found out about the whereabouts of that guy I asked you to look into?”
“Oh, Kyle Perrion? He’s still at the academy. Why, is there a problem?”
“No, no problem.”
Yes, the protagonist of the original story, Kyle. He was the only variable that could overturn everything.
‘It’s all over.’
The Dranthe’s Vault episode was originally a story prepared for Kyle Perrion and Diana Fren. During the vacation, Kyle, who intended to leave the academy for training, accidentally (?) entered a cave and got caught in a trap, encountering Diana, who was excavating Dranthe’s Vault.
The rest of the story was, of course, obvious. Although they met unexpectedly, Kyle joined Diana in the fight against Elliot, allowing her to easily claim the inheritance.
‘But if I eliminate the meeting itself, nothing will happen.’
Twisting the original story was risky, but this episode was only meant to start their relationship, not to cause significant changes to the main plot.
Besides,
‘Diana isn’t even the main heroine.’
Not even a sub-heroine. She’s more of a villain.
So,
“I just need to get what I want with peace of mind.”
* * *
Boom! Boom!
The sound of explosions echoed as debris and stones scattered everywhere, making it look like a war zone. Inside the office,
“What’s the current progress?”
“We’re about 97% complete. We’ve visually confirmed the end of the entrance.”
“See, I told you it’s possible.”
Diana smiled contentedly. However, the expressions of everyone else were stiff. The construction manager, in particular, looked pale and sickly.
“Miss, the construction will be completed soon.”
“Good work. But there were some issues during the construction, right?”
“Haha, no, not at all.”
No issues? They had forced the impossible construction, resulting in many casualties. Although there were no fatalities, six workers had suffered permanent disabilities, and more than twenty were seriously injured—all within one night.
“Haha.”
Yet, he tried to smile. If he upset the girl in front of him, their sacrifices would be in vain.
“You’ve completed it much faster than originally planned.”
“Yes, in terms of the deadline, it’s done.”
“Well done. Clark, pay these people four times the original contract amount, and if there are any issues, make sure to provide ample compensation and medical expenses.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“…!”
The construction manager, taken aback by Diana’s unexpected generosity, fell to his knees.
“Th-Thank you, Miss!”
“It’s nothing. You worked hard and brought great results. I reward people who do their jobs well.”
Diana’s gentle smile made the manager repeatedly bow his head until it seemed it might break.
“Thank you, thank you so much…”
“Enough, you may leave.”
“Yes, Miss!”
As soon as the construction manager left, Diana immediately lit her pipe.
“Phew, Clark, you know what to do?”
“I will handle it promptly.”
“Make it look like the manager, blinded by greed, ran off with the money and was caught and ended his life?”
“What about the payment?”
“Reduce it by half. The workers will still be grateful for that.”
Nodding, Diana took a deep drag on her pipe and asked,
“Phew, what about Elliot’s side?”
Clark hesitated slightly before responding ambiguously.
“Well, that’s…”
“What’s with that reaction? Is there a problem?”
“All those connected to our side have been removed from their positions.”
Creeeak!
“What?”
Diana abruptly stood up, her face contorting in anger.
“What do you mean, removed from their positions?”
“I’m not sure of the details, but I heard it was done at Kamon Vade’s request.”
“Kamon Vade?”
Grit!
Just hearing the name of that infuriating individual made Diana grit her teeth as she asked sharply,
“So, has Elliot started the excavation?”
“Yes, they probably started as planned.”
Bam!
Diana kicked the table, her eyes flashing with fury.
“Damn it, fuck! Why does Kamon Vade keep interfering?!”