The Hero Who Wasn't:Lord of Kingdoms

A Needle on the Map… Toward the Cursed Mine

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The next day, Arion stepped out of his house. Finn, his ever-loyal student, was still guarding the gate. The moment he saw him, Finn snapped to attention. "Master! Have… have your preparations been completed?"

"Yes." Arion answered with a single word.

He headed straight to the guild. Valerius was waiting for him in his office, visibly impatient.

"Lord Arion," said Valerius, "it's been nearly a week. Have you found anything?"

Arion didn't reply. Instead, he spread a map of the region on Valerius's desk. Then he pulled a small sewing needle from his pocket and placed it in the center of the map.

Valerius stared at him in confusion.

Arion closed his eyes for a moment and reactivated both skills.

Bzzz…

The needle began to tremble on the map. Slowly, precisely, it rotated and came to rest, pointing at the same blank spot as before.

Valerius's old eyes widened. "What… what is this?"

He had just witnessed a man, after a week of isolation and study, use nothing but a map and a needle to pinpoint the source of a complex disturbance. No chanting, no flashy magic—just a calm, precise demonstration of astounding deduction.

"So… the source is there," Valerius whispered, pointing to the spot where the needle had settled. "That's… an abandoned dwarf mine. No one's been there for centuries. Legends say it's cursed."

Arion nodded, even though he had no idea it was a mine. For him, it was just a dot on a piece of paper.

Valerius rose, looking at Arion with a new mix of awe and respect. He had thought him strong—then wise. Now, he believed he was dealing with someone with truly exceptional insight.

"If it's as I fear," Valerius said quietly, "this crisis is far bigger than a stray beast. My lord… what is your next step?"

Arion looked at the map, then at Valerius—and all he could think was:

"Damn it. Now I really have to go there, don't I?"

---

Arion stood in Valerius's office, feeling like the map and the needle on the table were his own signed confession. He had succeeded in his "research" so perfectly that he'd left himself no escape.

Valerius looked from the map to Arion, his old eyes shining with a mix of worry and lazy genius. "If the source of these tremors is the cursed dwarf mine… then we're not dealing with just a monster, but something deeper. Older. Something that might threaten the entire region."

"Wonderful," Arion thought bitterly. "I just upgraded the problem from 'stray monster' to 'ancient world-threatening menace.'"

"Lord Arion," Valerius continued seriously, "what is your next step?"

Arion's throat went dry. What could he say? "My next step is to go home and pretend I never heard this"? That wouldn't work. He had to keep up the facade of the wise hero.

With forced calm, he said, "Field observation… is necessary."

Valerius's face lit up. "Of course! Such wisdom! You won't rush blindly in—you'll go yourself to assess the nature of the threat before devising a strategy! Brilliant! A true leader!"

Then Valerius rubbed his chin with a sly grin. "But such a cursed place is far too dangerous even for a hero like you to enter alone. The guild cannot allow that. It is my duty to ensure your safety."

A flicker of hope sparked in Arion's chest. "Is… is he going to cancel the mission?"

"Therefore," Valerius declared loudly, "Lord Arion will lead an expedition to the mines! I shall personally select a team of Arcadia's finest A-rank adventurers… to support you!"

Arion's world collapsed. He hadn't escaped the mission—he'd just been promoted to commander of a team of real heroes who would follow him into a cursed mine. This was worse than going alone. If he'd gone alone, he could have run away. Now, if he ran, they'd all die with him.