The investigation of the underground temple is currently almost exclusively controlled by the Minerva Empire.
According to Rina, other nations are too preoccupied with their own issues, and there’s also the risk of leaking the secret—specifically, that the summoning ritual was successful.
This truth must be kept hidden for now, so only the Minerva Empire and limited support from Savior are involved.
Very few are aware of the secret.
On the Minerva Empire’s side, only the royal family and I know about it.
The sa goes for Savior. Unlike the Minerva Empire, Savior has dispatched only a small group of people, so almost no one knows.
Even those who do understand the gravity of the situation and wouldn’t dare speak carelessly.
Moreover, Rina ntioned that leaders from various factions will gather to hold a eting about this matter, so an official announcent will likely co soon.
“Did you say Lord Luminous requested your presence?” “Yes.”
I found it sowhat surprising that Kate was the one going.
While it was inevitable since Luminous requested it, I couldn’t help but wonder if sothing was happening.
“What exactly did Lord Luminous say?”
“He instructed to escort an honored guest from that location.”
“An honored guest? Did he really say honored guest?”
“Yes.”
I widened my eyes.
If even Luminous referred to them as an honored guest, it must be incredibly important.
What could be happening at the temple that requires Kate to personally escort soone?
I was curious.
Moreover, I could take the opportunity to retrieve my grandfather Clark’s remains, which are likely resting in the temple, so accompanying her didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Could I perhaps join you…?”
“No.”
When I carefully asked, I was t with a sharp refusal—not from Kate but from Adelia, who was standing nearby.
Adelia looked at as if I were a naïve child, her gaze filled with an unyielding determination to say no.
In hindsight, it made sense.
The distance from the dormitory to the underground temple was considerable, and only a small investigation team had been dispatched, leaving them with limited personnel. 𝙧Ά₦Ọ𝔟Ёš
In short, we’d have to travel by carriage, and the likelihood of an attack during such a journey would greatly increase.
Feeling that no argunt would convince them otherwise, I reluctantly nodded.
“All right. Then, Kate, may I ask one favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“If, by any chance, in the temple…”
I began explaining the situation based on the dream I had.
The first thing to check was Clark.
Whether his remains were truly in the underground temple as I dread, and if they could be retrieved.
I had ntioned this to my father beforehand, but he had been both shocked and skeptical, as he’d never heard anything of the sort.
His harsh training of was only ant to ensure I didn’t get myself killed sowhere.
Even I wasn’t entirely confident about the dream, which was why I was entrusting this task to Kate.
“You’re saying Lord Isaac’s grandfather is resting in the temple?”
Kate widened her eyes in surprise at my explanation.
It had been a long ti since I’d seen her look so astonished.
But, as I ntioned earlier, there was no certainty.
For all I knew, it could’ve been nothing more than a fignt of my imagination.
Even if it were, it wouldn’t matter much, as it would provide material for speculation.
Regardless, it needed to be verified.
Why Clark hadn’t told my father the truth, or how he had discovered the existence of the underground temple, was a mystery for now.
But I was confident we’d uncover the answers soon.
When I perford the ritual, Clark had left a ssage saying he would co here himself.
I had no idea what form that would take, but with Ariel’s ability to see spirits, we’d likely get a signal if Clark arrived.
“I’m not entirely sure. It’s just sothing I saw in a dream. So please, could you check it out for this ti?”
“Understood. It could very well be a revelation from the gods.”
“A revelation…”
If I had to guess, it might be related to the situation when I first arrived in this world.
The summoning itself had succeeded, but an entirely unexpected soul had been brought over, observing the events from that state.
I wasn’t sure if it was right to call it a revelation, but as long as it helped uncover Clark’s whereabouts, it didn’t matter much.
“Maybe so. In any case, can you confirm it for ? Just don’t hastily retrieve the remains without verifying the situation first. It could cause unnecessary conflict.”
“Of course. Still, to think Lord Isaac’s grandfather also dealt with demon worshippers. Could it be that Sir Hawk also…”
Kate trailed off in a suggestive tone.
She was probably asking if my father had also undertaken a large-scale campaign against demon worshippers.
It seed she believed that the extermination of demon worshippers had been a long-standing duty of our family, passed down through generations.
Honestly, it wasn’t a far-fetched assumption, considering even I had made significant contributions to dealing with demon worshippers.
But I shook my head firmly, denying her assumption.
“No, my father said he’s never heard of such a thing. If my grandfather really is resting there, then our family’s mission must have ended with his generation.”
“It sounds like a rather complicated story.”
“I’d love to investigate it myself, but the situation makes that difficult. For now, we need to confirm whether my grandfather is truly there.”
Based on what happened in the dream, Clark abandoned his mission as a hero of his own accord.
Whether it was due to imnse pressure or a sense of helplessness, no one knows.
Furthermore, for reasons unknown, Father was never directly hard by devil worshipers, despite his conspicuous red hair that would have made him stand out anywhere.
This peculiarity isn’t just limited to Father—it extends to our entire family.
Our lineage gained glorious honor through fierce battles against savage beastn on the borderlands, enduring physical and ntal suffering.
Unlike Clark, who closed his eyes in solitude, our family had no “mission” passed down from the previous generation.
“I understand. If it turns out to be true, what will you do? Will you make his deeds known to everyone?”
“For now, I’ll write a similar story in a book. Even if I don’t know whether my grandfather truly did it, there are plenty of heroes who have passed unnoticed through history.”
By the sa token, I’ll add plausibility to Zenon’s heroic acts.
It could be described as a will that persists even after death.
However, it’s rely a motif, not a complete retelling of his story—I plan to fictionalize it to so extent.
“An unnoticed hero… I’m sure it will turn out just as you hope, Isaac,”
Kate said, smiling warmly before closing her eyes and making the sign of the cross.
The sheer reverence she exuded from this small gesture made smirk wryly, as I could sowhat guess what she was thinking.
No matter what I said, Kate would attach layers of aning to it, so there was no point in trying to explain myself.
“Can the communication orb reach that area?”
“No, it won’t. The entrance to the underground temple is deep within the mountains, so most forms of communication won’t work.”
“Not even teleportation?”
“Not unless it’s an official visit. Permission won’t be granted. We’ll likely have to rely on ssenger birds.”
“ssenger birds?”
Hearing this, I made a puzzled expression.
As everyone knows, ssenger birds use a pigeon’s homing instinct for communication.
However, they are costly and ti-consuming, and even catching the birds is a hassle.
The military is one of the few entities that still uses them occasionally.
Nowadays, even the military uses teleportation for crucial matters—it’s faster, more secure, and has an overwhelming range advantage.
Naturally, ssenger birds have largely fallen out of use.
“Yes. The church trains ssenger birds as a contingency. While it’s a last-resort asure, teleportation is unreliable for the underground temple.”
“I see. Who typically receives the letters?”
“Normally, I would, but since I’ll no longer be available, the church will handle it. I’d like to send them to your dormitory, Isaac, but devil worshipers might exploit the system.”
Impressive.
I nodded in agreent with Kate’s explanation.
I hadn’t considered ssenger birds, but they might co in handy later.
“Can I see one? I’ve never used a ssenger bird before.”
“Of course. Please wait a mont.”
Kate briefly left to retrieve it.
Since the bird was in her room, it wouldn’t take long.
Soon, she returned, holding a pure white pigeon with golden eyes that glead like sothing out of a legend.
“Wow, it’s beautiful. Is this really a pigeon?”
“Yes, it was raised with the church’s holy power.”
As soon as Kate finished speaking, the pigeon flapped its wings energetically.
Startled by its sudden movent, I flinched, but the pigeon simply perched gently on my shoulder.
Then, as if showing affection, it pecked my cheek a few tis and rubbed its head against .
“Coo!”
“Uh…”
“Coo! Coo!”
Could this be because of the pure blessing I received from Hirt?
That seed likely, as the pigeon was unusually affectionate for eting for the first ti.
Pure blessings, akin to divine authority, attract animals and plants—excluding monsters.
Watching the pigeon, I gently stroked its head with my fingers. It moved closer to , cooing softly.
“Coo!”
“It’s adorable. Does it have a na?”
“… …”
Despite my question, Kate said nothing.
She simply stared at the bird with an unusual expression, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Her rare lack of emotion gave chills until she muttered quietly:
“…I’m jealous.”
“Huh? Kate?”
“I wish I could… be like that soday…”
How much pent-up longing does it take to envy an animal?
★★★★★
anwhile, at the chaotic underground temple:
[Listen, I haven’t hard you, right? Sure, I may look like this, but I’m still in my right mind. I’m here with Hirt’s permission, not as the Father of All Things, okay?]
“Grr…”
[I get it. You’re scared, but what can I do? My son wants to bury my remains. This is the only way.]
The situation at the temple had cald down sowhat.
The dispatched investigation team was composed of elite mbers who were indeed strong. However, Clark was stronger.
In life, he had slaughtered the highest-ranking devil worshipers and disrupted their summoning rituals—a figure whose might rivaled or even surpassed that of the elven warlord.
It was no surprise the investigation team was helpless against him.
[Hey, is it hard?]
Clark tapped the knight he was using as a makeshift chair.
Humiliated, the knight remained silent, though the sound of his gritted teeth could be heard intermittently.
Clark clicked his tongue at the knight’s stubbornness.
[Knights never change, huh? All pride, no flexibility.]
“Your confidence… won’t last forever…”
[Yeah, yeah. Believe what you want. Doesn’t matter to .]
Around them lay unconscious investigators, all subdued by Clark’s overwhelming power.
Despite the devastation, not a single person had died—he had knocked each of them out without killing.
The knight beneath him had caught Clark’s eye for enduring the longest, though it was little consolation.
“Grr… Huff…”
[Quit whining. I’m just bones now—I should be light.]
That’s not true. You’re unbelievably heavy.
The knight’s thoughts were filled with despair.
Despite being a skeleton, Clark’s bones alone were unnaturally dense, not to ntion the armor he wore in life.
Unaware of this, Clark leisurely enjoyed his “victory.”
He wanted to leave, but doing so could lead to being mistaken for a monster—or worse, drawing the empire’s military.
For now, he had no choice but to wait for soone reasonable to arrive.
Fidgeting, Clark checked his pockets out of habit.
Finding nothing in his tattered pants, he sighed and looked at the knight.
[Hey, do you—actually, never mind.]
Shaking his head, he scanned his surroundings.
[Hey, you over there.]
“… …”
[I know you’re awake. Answer .]
“Y-yes!”
Startled, a man among the group raised his head.
He was one of the archaeologists who had been studying Clark’s remains before the incident.
Though he had planned to feign unconsciousness until the ordeal ended, Clark had sohow noticed he was awake.
Clark spoke in a serious tone:
[Got any cigarettes?]
“C-cigarettes?”
[Yeah. Cigarettes.]
Caught off guard by the odd request, the archaeologist hesitated as Clark sighed wistfully.
[I missed out on smoking before I died. Such a sha.]
“… …”
[Should I ask my grandson to include it in the book? A final puff before death—it’d be so cool, right?]
What an oddly whimsical skeleton, the archaeologist thought.
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