'Not only did I fail to persuade her, but I also blew up the house...'

  Eren thought to himself, recalling the conversation with Kadan.

  "She was strong... Must be a country girl... Said she has three brothers..."

  He coughed a few times. The soldiers were ready to draw swords.

  "She jumped that way."

  Eren pointed in the opposite direction of where Ari had fled. Then, he tossed a heavy pouch feebly to the group.

  "Failed, so returning the money."

  Eren smiled bitterly as he dragged his injured leg. The laboratory was a mess due to the commotion caused by Ari's escape and the suppression process.

  He began to clear the debris around him, limping. He intended to organize the research contents she had left behind. Although she had run away, he needed to have some usable research data left to prove why he remained here and to erase the suspicion of those around him. And he had to find any clues she might have left behind.

  His stomach churned from the shock of the explosion, but with support, he could manage to walk. Amidst the scattered piles of paper, he found a note along with her research notebook. It looked like it had been written in a hurry. Only one sentence was written on that note.

  "Do not break it, ever."

  Eren didn't fully understand what it meant. He only knew that it was something Ari strongly desired.

  Director's Office, Royal Research Institute.

  Bartek Zauer Talase was just a simple artifact data researcher three months ago. His position involved researching and investigating artifact-related data in the royal palace. When he went to the famous Onkalo ruins by royal order and discovered the giant stone block, he believed his future would unfold brightly.

  But that was a delusion.

  As soon as the discovery was reported, the King hounded him about it. This continued for months. Talase returned from the palace and trudged to his chair, collapsing into it. Dark circles had formed under his eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep for the past few days because of the King's constant pressure. Especially after Ari, the original discoverer of the artifacts, fled, the King's pressure intensified.

  'I wish I hadn't found it...'

  He regretted it. The King believed in Ari's Electricity theory and wanted to extract light from the jars. He wanted to draw out all the power as soon as possible, even a day sooner. However, even after searching through the undisclosed data in the Royal Archives, there were no clear results.

  Talase sighed and rang the bell. Researchers gathered.

  "Let's start by talking about any progress."

  Talase's voice was exhausted. Silence.

  "Anything found in the documents?"

  Again, only silence wrapped around the table. Bang! Talase hit the desk.

  "Then what are we supposed to do?"

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  His voice cracked. One researcher quietly raised his hand.

  "In the end... there is only one way."

  Talase held his head in his hands. He had the same thought. But he hesitated because he didn't know what was inside.

  "Even if we break that jar... if it's a reaction between substances, we won't be able to figure out anything."

  "But... wouldn't it be better than the current state?"

  As he said this, the researcher glanced at the person to Talase's right. Talase agreed with the sentiment. But the reason he couldn't execute it was due to the opposition of the person sitting in the Vice-Director's seat—a man who couldn't read a single ancient word but was there solely on the merit of being the ruin's excavator.

  "I oppose it."

  Talase was certain that this man was blocking his path. It was clearly a sign of dissatisfaction that he had become Director over the discoverer himself.

  "Vice-Director Eren, what is the reason for your opposition?"

  Talase said angrily. Eren shrugged his shoulders and said.

  "That is Ari's conclusion."

  It was the same answer every time. Talase didn't even have the energy to get angry anymore.

  "I will report this to the King."

  "Ownership still lies with me."

  Eren brought up the cost the King had not yet paid.

  "The King will decide that."

  Talase snarled back.

  After sending all the researchers out, Talase remained alone in the Director's office. Only the cold air and his rough breathing lingered in the empty room. A blank sheet of paper lay on the desk. The fingers holding the pen were trembling so hard that the knuckles turned white.

  'There is no way. At this rate, I will die.'

  The King's patience had already hit bottom. Talase squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. Then, as if possessed by something, he began to move the pen.

  "Bowing my head in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace vast as the sea, I, as the Director of the Royal Research Institute, earnestly report..."

  The first sentence flowed out smoothly, almost servilely. But before the sentences that followed, the pen tip stopped, holding the ink. Talase lifted his head and looked out the window. The moonlight shining through the clouds sharpened the spires of the palace cold as a knife blade.

  'Break the jar... without knowing what might be lurking inside.'

  He knew of Eren's stubborn opposition and the note from the runaway Ari. But that note was all Ari had left. What the problem was, was recorded nowhere. Her note could have been a ploy to prevent others from liberating the light from the jar.

  "I will give you time. But it will not be long."

  The King's low voice lingering in his ears. It wasn't a promise; it was a death sentence. Talase gripped the pen again. This time, there was no hesitation. Ink traversed the paper without stopping.

  "To liberate the true power of the artifact, we have reached a stage where the physical destruction of the outer shell is inevitable. This is the only decision for the academic leap of the Kingdom and the well-being of the destitute subjects."

  It was a blatant deception. But he didn't stop and drove in the final wedge.

  "All researchers at the institute have united in agreement with this."

  Ink was painted over Eren's name. The names of other hesitant researchers were also transformed into 'consenting parties' at Talase's fingertips. As he pressed his own name firmly into the final signature line, he quietly gritted his teeth.

  Two days later, the King's study.

  Kal Batur III scanned down the parchment he received with a satisfied smile.

  "Advancement of academics... and a petition from the subjects."

  He placed the petition on the table and looked at the Lord Chamberlain guarding his side.

  "Talase, this man knows how to read the times better than I thought. He knows how to lighten My burden."

  "Should we prepare a public announcement?"

  At the Chamberlain's question, the King nodded. A different scenery was already forming in his eyes.

  "Proceed with this as an event hosted by the Research Institute. So that if it fails, the Research Director can take the responsibility."

  The King walked to the window and gazed at the northern horizon submerged in darkness. Beyond it, the illusion of the Ice-free Port (Sangsi Port), not yet his, shimmered.

  "If only I can get my hands on the light pouring out from that jar..."

  Strength went into the King's fist.

  "I will be able to use the magical power mentioned in countless ancient ruins and artifacts. I will create many achievements using Electricity."

  He muttered to himself. Red wax stamped with the royal seal dripped onto the parchment. The Chamberlain quietly took the document stamped by the King and left. Then he presented the next document.

  The King looked at it and was very pleased.

  "That sly little thing is cleverer than I thought. Hiding so well in the capital of the Kingdom for months."

  "Since it is a place with many people, it is thought to have been easy to hide her identity," the Chamberlain added to the King.

  "Make that child witness someone else taking her achievement on the day the jar is opened. Then I will pronounce her punishment."

  The King ordered the Chamberlain.