I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The heavy oak door at the back of the history building was slowly pushed open.

A mixture of coke, sulfur, and a nauseatingly sweet, rotten smell instantly dispelled the musty, dusty odor emanating from the underground ruins.

As soon as Rhodes stepped out the door, before his boots had even touched the stone pavement, a series of synchronized metallic scraping sounds rang out in his ears.

"Stop! Don't move!"

"Hands up! Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!"

Dozens of heavy military crossbows were raised in the darkness, their cold arrows gleaming in the torchlight, locked onto the three people at the door.

The once spacious backyard of the history department building is now completely surrounded by fully armed military police.

These soldiers wore the Iron Duke's signature black plate armor, but unlike usual, they all wore gas masks soaked in medicine, revealing only their fearful and nervous eyes.

Meanwhile, a pale green magical barrier was flashing on the outside, completely isolating the area where the History Department building was located.

Professor Isaac was so startled by the sudden commotion that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground. The windproof lamp in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, and the glass cover shattered.

Rhodes immediately raised his hands to indicate that he posed no threat, while subtly shifting his body to the side, silently blocking the professor's path.

His gaze swept quickly over the soldiers, but the [Ironbeak Raven] perception in his mind did not convey a strong killing intent towards any individual; instead, it was a panic-based defensive mechanism targeting the group.

"Don't misunderstand, we are..." Rod was about to explain.

"Shut up! Go back!"

A man resembling a military police captain peeked out from behind a shield. His voice, muffled and booming through the mask, said, "According to His Excellency the Duke's wartime regulations, anyone leaving the sealed-off area, regardless of their status, is considered a potential source of infection and must be quarantined or executed on the spot!"

"Prepare to fire!" The captain raised his right hand, clearly not wanting to hear any more nonsense.

Just then, Sig, who had been standing almost imperceptibly in the shadows behind Rhodes, moved.

The royal assassin leader did not make any attacking stance. He simply took a step forward, moved into the firelight, and slowly raised his right hand, revealing a pure gold token engraved with a wreath of thorns.

"It's a royal matter."

Sig didn't speak; it was Rhodes who said those four words for him, neither too loud nor too soft, but clearly heard by everyone present.

The military police captain's hand froze in mid-air.

He made out the token by the firelight, and his pupils contracted sharply.

It was the highest-ranking token representing the king's presence; in the Plantagenet dynasty, seeing this token was like seeing the monarch.

"This is... Lord Sig?"

The captain's voice trembled slightly, but he did not immediately put down his hand. Instead, he hesitated, glancing at the surrounding green mist and then at Rhodes and the other two.

"My lord, it's not that I'm unwilling to let them pass. The current situation... that madman Mortimer has spread necromancy spores throughout the city. The Duke has ordered that, in order to prevent the spread of the plague, even..."

He gritted his teeth, seemingly weighing the pros and cons: "Even members of the royal family cannot pass through this line of defense without undergoing quarantine."

Rhodes felt a chill run down his spine.

Corpse spores.

He had seen the term in the restricted section of the library.

This is the most notorious biological weapon of the Necromancers, capable of turning living people into flesh-and-blood bombs filled with poison gas in a very short time.

It seems Mortimer has really gone mad.

"Captain, use your brain."

Rhodes lowered his hand and pointed to the door behind him leading underground: "We've been in this enclosed underground environment for a long time. It has a separate air circulation system and is completely isolated from the surface. If a plague breaks out outside, we'll be the cleanest people there."

He took a step forward, staring intently at the captain: "On the contrary, standing in this toxic air, who can guarantee your masks won't leak? If you force us back now, or shoot us, causing His Majesty's important mission to fail, do you think the Iron Duke would turn against His Majesty for a mere captain like you?"

The military police captain remained silent.

The underground area is indeed sealed off, and theoretically there should be no source of infection.

Furthermore, Sig's identity is too sensitive. If a conflict really breaks out here, no matter the outcome, he, as the squad leader, is doomed.

"...Put down your weapons."

The captain finally made a decision. He waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to clear a path.

"But I must report to my superiors. Also, you can only go to the palace through specific purification passages; you cannot linger in the city."

"That's enough."

Rhodes nodded and turned to help Professor Isaac, who was still trembling, to his feet.

Sig put away the token and followed behind the two without expression.

The three of them walked through the layers of shields and out of the courtyard of the history department building.

……

The Black Iron Army Camp Command Post in the western district of the capital.

Iron Duke Balthazar stood before the massive tactical map, his eyes bloodshot, his face, as hard as rock, now etched with rage and exhaustion.

"Report the casualty figures."

Colonel Vance stood to the side, holding a newly compiled list in his hand, his hands trembling slightly.

"My lord... as of ten minutes ago, the confirmed number of infected people within the military camp was 1,200. Of them, 800 have already... have already exploded. The remaining 400 are concentrated in the training ground, where the priests are attempting to purify them, but Mortimer has modified the spores, so... the effect is minimal."

"What about the working-class area?"

"It's impossible to count." Vance lowered his head. "The drainage system in the lower city is the hardest hit area; the population density there is too high. Preliminary estimates suggest at least five thousand people are infected. Moreover... the debris from the explosions will release secondary spores, and the wind is blowing the toxic gas towards the upper city."

"Bang!"

The Iron Duke slammed his fist on the table, and the sturdy oak table shattered into pieces instantly.

"Mortimer... I'll tear you to pieces!"

He had never fought such a frustrating battle.

The enemy is not soldiers wielding swords, but tiny, invisible spores.

His heavy cavalry were utterly useless against the green mist, forced to watch helplessly as their comrades turned into swollen monsters and then exploded into a pool of pus and blood.

"My lord, there is one more piece of news."

Vance hesitated for a moment, then said, "I just received a report from the blockade. That history teaching assistant named Rhodes, along with Professor Isaac and... that Silent One, came out of the basement of the history building."

The Iron Duke paused for a moment.

He turned his head abruptly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Sig? The King's shadow?"

The Duke squinted, his mind racing.

That greedy brat Rhodes actually got involved with the royal family? And it seems they've been underground for quite some time.

Could the rumor about the underground ruins be true?

"Where are they?" the Duke asked.

"They've crossed the cordon and are moving towards the palace. They claim the underground area is sealed off and there are no infections."

"Let them go."

The Duke sneered and looked at the map again: "Since Sieg is here, it means this is the King's will. Now is not the time to turn against the royal family. Besides... if that kid really did dig something up underground, perhaps it will change the current situation."

He pointed to the black dot on the map that represented the Necropolis.

"Pass on my order: the magic cannon regiment, keep firing! Since Mortimer wants to turn the capital into hell, I'll send him to meet his maker first!"