When the Duke crushed the amulet, the people inside the hidden realm saw a brilliant light appear. They gave a slightly disappointed sigh as the trip was over, nonetheless, no one was too upset about it, as they were able to gain a lot during the trip.
They let the bright light encompass them before they feel themselves being sent outside the hidden realm.
However, when they opened their eyes, instead of seeing the Duke, they spotted the people that encompassed the higher-ups of the Kilrun Duchy, all looking at them with fear and worry.
The Duke himself flew towards Hylla before moving her like a doll, examining her before letting out a sigh of relief. If that was not a big enough of a hint, the next action showed their relationship is something more than a servant and her master.
"I'm so glad you are safe," he hugged the girl, who seemed flustered by the attention.
"Un- My Lord, we have company!" she whispered harshly into his ears, making him realize what his action would be thought of as.
"Give me a report about what happened inside the hidden realm tonight," regaining his posture, the Duke ordered the young captain, who nodded before walking away.
During that moment, Hylla realized they were missing someone,
"Where is Ryker?"
-x-
Ryker saw the light heading towards him. He let out a disappointed sigh. He has been greedy, trying to comprehend all three Paths at once instead of trying to comprehend one, maybe two if he was lucky.
Now, because of his greed, none of it reached the Elementary Understanding realm. "At least I was able to get some treasures related to the three Paths," he consoled himself, watching as the light descended towards him.
It was too bad that he was not able to find the treasure the Duke sought. If he did, he would be able to exchange it for other resources he needs in the near future.
He stopped his musing, ready to be sent outside the hidden realm when he felt shaking, the light suddenly disappeared. Not knowing what just happened, he hoped he would obtain some way to know what happened.
"Oh my," there seemed to be some higher being that heard his plea, as the memory of the previous king appeared, giving him an apologetic smile.
"There seems to be something attacking the hidden realm," he wanted to ask who would have the audacity to do such a thing before remembering one group that would definitely do such a thing.
"Fortunately, the hidden realm is sturdy. Anyone who is not a Spirit Grand realm expert and above couldn't help to cause serious damage to it. Unfortunately, they can cause some damage, just small ones though it is possible to cause something to malfunction if the threat damages a certain part enough.
The part they damaged is the one connecting the hidden realm to the outside world, so it would be impossible for you to get out now," Ryker paled, the prospect of being stuck here with only a memory terrified him.
"The damage also forced this memory to disappear, less the hidden realm would be damaged even further to sustain my presence," now the terrifying part was replaced with dread, being forced to be alone inside a hidden realm with no contacts would cause some people to go mad from loneliness.
"However, I will tell you of the possible ways to escape this place," thank you for the convenient information!
"First of all, you have to wait until the hidden realm is repaired. The Duke is enough for this task, but with a high possibility of chaos happening outside, that is unlikely to happen as the Duke will likely have too much on his plate," yeah, Ryker had thought the same way too, as the Duke would not spend too much effort in helping him get out.
"Secondly, you have to tear a part of space. This will result in a spatial rift, giving you the chance to escape. However, this requires you to either possess the strength of a Spirit Noble or have a high comprehension of Law of Space, so this option seemed to be a no-go.
Lastly, you need to claim the greatest treasure I put inside the hidden realm," Ryker gave the memory a perplexed look, one the memory could see and react to by rolling its eyes.
"When you claimed the treasure, it would affect the hidden realm greatly as the hidden realm is connected to the treasures and the energy vein of the capital. While the latter is usually enough to sustain the hidden realm, with the Duke using the alternative methods and the hidden realm being affected by the attack, this will cause the hidden realm to use the treasure more to sustain its existence.
When you claim it, there will be spatial rifts formed, giving you a chance to escape without needing the ability to tear through spatial rifts itself. But this method required a high comprehension of the Law of Space, as you need to have the ability to navigate through the in-between space, or most people call it, the Void.
If you can't, then you will be lost forever. Having a high comprehension, at least in the Elementary Understanding, is necessary unless you want to be stuck in the Void for eternity," he gulped at the prospect, being stuck inside the Void seemed like the worst way to die.
"These are all of your options. But if you want to be quick, then it's likely the last one is your best bet. To make things easier for you, I will make sure the treasures shine brightly, enough to allow you to follow and find the trace of light," if the memory is a living person, he would give it a hug.
The memory snapped his finger, causing a brilliant light to escape from a place far away from his current spot. The memory then looked at him with a serious expression, "Before I disappear, I want to remind you there will be obstacles that will prevent you from achieving your goal.
If you don't practice caution, death will be the most likely outcome, so be careful," he stressed the careful part, before finally disappearing.
Ryker let out another sigh before looking at the source of light, weariness replaced with determination.
As he walked towards the light, he wondered what the others were doing.
-x-
"My Lord, we have to do something!" Hylla yelled at the Duke. If they were in front of others, she wouldn't do such a thing but in her room, she could do it as it wouldn't compromise their relationship.
The Duke let out a sigh. This had been going on for several hours now. He had sent several guards to the family of the young man, as well as giving them some compensation. He hoped it was enough though he knew it would not even be close to closing the pain they felt.
He then looked at the servant, wondering what caused him to take her in.
-x-
Maybe nothing special.