CHAPTER 86: THE GATES OF HERAH.

As planned, Sylus and Sophia decided to head towards Veldenworth to have a look at the sealed cave mentioned in the paper.

Although, Sophia had to split off halfway through to distribute the flyers to the various regions, leaving only Sylus alone for the journey.

It took him quite some time to get to Veldenworth.

Unlike Thronmere, who were busy taking care of the damages caused after the war, Veldenworth didn’t have that problem. In truth, the town was still as clean as it was before.

The former count made sure the upper city was at its best, at least compared to the lower city.

After arriving at the town, Sylus’s carriage stopped at the entrance of an empty land, where a couple of soldiers could be seen patrolling.

As soon as the carriage stopped, every soldier within the vicinity lined up in a straight line, as though they already knew who was coming.

One step at a time, Sylus stepped out of the carriage.

"Good day, your highness! We have been expecting you."

The soldiers voiced out in unison.

Sylus stared at them for a while, then his eyes drifted further away, where he could see mountains that stretched beyond the sky.

While there were trees that blocked the sight, what truly surprised Sylus was how rough and muddy the road was.

No wonder the carriage stopped where it did, no vehicle could pass this terrain without getting damaged.

"Where is Velden?" asked Sylus of the soldiers.

"Lord Velden is in the forest. He asked us to escort you," one of the soldiers responded.

’I see...’

"Alright then, lead the way..."

Quickly, three soldiers began to escort Sylus into the forest.

They positioned themselves strategically, one person stood at the very front, another remained near Sylus, and one more at the back.

’Is there a monster nearby or something? I remember reading that Linye has the highest record of monsters. That must be why Velden gave me guards as an escort.’

Suddenly, Sylus turned his gaze to the side after he sensed something staring at him.

It seemed as though all their attention was fixed on him alone. But at the same time, they didn’t make any move.

Sylus ignored it. If anything, they were probably being cautious of his appearance. There would only be a problem if they chose to act.

Moments passed, and Sylus finally found himself at the given location.

The Gates of Herah, as it was called.

It was huge, surrounded by tall trees and rocks.

The gate was as they described it in the message, the entrance to a huge cave, with a barrier placed on top of it.

Sylus stood there, observing it, and even he was impressed at the sheer size of this place.

It would take months before anyone could think to bring down such a place, if that were even possible.

"My lord, you made it." Velden stood before Sylus, his head bowed.

Velden Otmus, the man who Sylus had made in charge of the Veldenworth territory. Surprisingly enough, he was performing quite well in his role.

A smile hugged Sylus’s lips. "You seem well, Velden. I do hope you are doing well with your assigned duty."

Velden chuckled, "Disappointing you is not on my list of things to do for this city."

’Attaboy...’

Sylus turned his gaze to the cave.

"So, what’s up with that? Are you saying no one has tried to enter all this time?"

"I’m afraid not, my lord," Velden replied. "This mysterious cave appeared out of nowhere a few years back. The former count tried everything he could to enter, and nothing worked. There were even rumors that the cave could repair itself after being destroyed."

With one hand on his jaw, Sylus entered deep thought.

’I mean, if this city truly does have the highest number of monsters, it shouldn’t be a surprise that something like this happened. It’s a given rule.’

True, monsters were born from mana. A place that has a high rate of mana would have mysterious changes to it, such as an unknown cave being born.

’I intended to destroy it from its surroundings, but if it can repair itself, then that could prove to be an issue.’

Sylus looked at Velden.

"I want to get a closer look at the place."

"Why, of course. But please be careful—the ground has not been maintained for a long time and has gotten muddy from the rain."

Peeking at the ground, Sylus could quickly tell Velden was right. The ground was so porous and watered that one might as well use it for a pig farm.

One wrong step, and Sylus knew he would slip and fall.

.

However, that didn’t stop him one bit.

He grabbed his trousers and raised them above his ankles before he began walking over the mud barefoot.

Velden and the soldiers present were all surprised to see the Prince of Verdenez walking barefoot in the mud.

That was not something they expected anyone born of royalty to do, especially the prince.

Somehow, it motivated them.

One by one, they pulled off their shoes and followed behind the young prince.

It didn’t take too long for Sylus to make it to the cave, and there he was, up close to the shimmering barrier.

’So this is it...’

Curious, Sylus pushed his hand closer in an attempt to touch it.

But the moment his skin made contact with it, it sparked—burning Sylus’s finger before jolting it away.

"Oh wow..." Sylus wiggled his hand a bit, a surprised look on his face after seeing the blood dripping from his finger.

"My lord! Your hand—" Velden panicked, unsure of what to do as he kept glancing left and right.

"Yeah, this place is secured, alright. If I had used my whole hand, it would’ve blown it off."

"True..." A pitiful look played on Velden’s face. "Rumors that some people lost their lives did spread some years ago."

Before Sylus could respond to that statement, he suddenly noticed a weird writing on the wall.