Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 66
>Chapter Title: Saint Yansk University and the Secret Chamber (9)
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*
After a while of bustling around the reliefs and stone pillars, scribbling notes, Elfihera returned with a triumphant look on her face.
“I’ve checked everything I can read! This is definitely a victory monument!”
“Commemorating a victory by whom, and against what?”
“Well… um. That part is written a bit ambiguously.”
At Ivan’s stare, Elfihera scowled and cried out.
“Don’t look at me like that! Church folk, past and present, have always slathered their writing in so many metaphors it’s like a Zen koan. It’s normal not to get the meaning right unless you’ve majored in biblical exegesis!”
*So we should have brought a priest in the first place.*
Elfihera pouted and grumbled.
“Just explain the parts you did interpret.”
“As you can tell from the language, this is a remnant of the Old Church. Not from the Age of Myths, but from ancient times… around when the Eastern Delen Empire existed. I’d say it’s about two thousand years old.”
“War was common back then. What reason would the church have to erect a victory monument?”
“Actually, they had many. That was an era when the church actively practiced *damnatio memoriae*. This ruin seems to be a trace of that. Roughly speaking, it says the Holy Army of that time fought against ‘Happiness.’”
“…Happiness?”
That seemed a rather odd concept for priests to declare war on.
As Ivan frowned, Elfihera shrugged.
“Pillar number five over there says, ‘Verily, the darkest evil is that which whispers ‘blessed’ into the ear of the believer. The world’s bliss stems only from the Lord’s embrace, and outside the peace of God, there is no gospel.’ Hmm… and then there’s a long list of predictable Bible verses. But to sum it up, yes. It seems there was a cult here.”
“…A cult.”
“A heresy. Yes, something like that. They must have had a sizable following. The style of these pillars isn’t of the church.”
Ivan looked around with new eyes. So, this place had been the sanctuary of some cult.
And after winning the war against them, the church itself had carved new reliefs, turning the site into a victory monument before burying it under the earth…
Isn’t that strange?
“But why?”
“Hmm?”
“If they annihilated a heretical sect after their victory, was there any reason to bury it under the earth? Destroying the entire building would have been overwhelmingly easier, and even if burying it held some religious significance, there would have been no need to create such complex spells and reliefs.”
“Umm… The church rituals of that era are really not a wizard’s domain. You’d be better off finding a priest who specializes in deciphering ancient texts or church history records. In any case, that’s all there is. And we can’t be sure they buried it themselves, can we?”
“Hmm?”
“No, I mean, a building can naturally get swept under the ground over two thousand years. That could have happened.”
“Impossible.”
Ivan shook his head.
He raised a hand and pointed to the massive ceiling supported by the stone pillars.
“If it had been buried by the passage of time, this ruin should have been unearthed from the soil as a pile of rubble. This place is too intact. And in that case, the large-scale protection spell to guard these ruins would have been unnecessary.”
It was clear from how the protection spell on the ruins had activated the moment the dwarves’ excavation artifact accidentally damaged the vicinity.
These ruins were sealed with clear intent.
Sealed. Sealed, indeed.
Ivan chewed on the unpleasant word as he slowly stepped forward.
“Can you use the protection spell again?”
“Wh-why?! What are you planning to break now?!”
“It’s not like that. I’m saying it could be dangerous. If it’s too difficult, wait back here.”
“What? Dangerous? This is just an old ruin…”
“It can’t be.”
Ivan said, drawing his axe and pistol to arm himself.
“It’s highly probable that something the church of that era dared not destroy and had to seal within the earth lies dormant inside.”
This was a bit beyond the scope of the academy’s common sense.
But based on the circumstances, it was practically ‘fantasy’ common sense. The dark fantasy kind, mainly.
It was highly likely that a situation requiring magical analysis lay ahead, but it wasn't worth exposing the scion of a Hero’s Party member to unprecedented danger.
Reaching these ruins had been within the realm of expectation, and if his ‘common sense’ had been correct, this place should have been nothing more than an ordinary treasure vault. Protecting one person would have been no trouble at all.
But the situation was different now. If some ancient demon, sealed away by the Holy Army itself, was slumbering here, he couldn't guarantee the kid’s safety.
“Wait here. Can you use a levitation spell, by any chance?”
“What do you take me for! That’s a basic spell.”
“Good. If it seems dangerous, get out of these ruins and fly to the aqueduct with the levitation spell. If you get lost on the way, just stay put and wait.”
The Frichenskaya Aqueduct would be crawling with Elizaveta’s agents by now. After a certain amount of time passed since he left on his mission, a rescue team would surely be dispatched.
It was better to send her with them. Ivan turned and walked forward.
“Wait, what about you?”
“I have a job to do.”
“What? No, I mean, if it seems dangerous, it’s better to just pull back and wait for support…!”
“This is directly beneath Saint Yansk University.”
Ivan continued walking without turning his head.
“A crack has appeared because of a dwarven artifact, and an ancient ruin that no one had noticed for ages has suddenly appeared. Is there any guarantee it will remain safe as time passes?”
He had no intention of explaining further, nor was there any reason to.
This was Ivan’s ‘common sense.’ A seal, once discovered, is always broken in the near future.
It was tantamount to fantasy quantum mechanics. You could say the state is determined the moment it’s observed. An encounter had been triggered.
Since there was no way to explain it all, Ivan simply headed toward the deeper parts of the ruins.
“But, but you’re going alone?”
“I’m used to it.”
Although he usually operated in small strike teams, the Annihilation Squad was fundamentally a special operations unit specializing in infiltration and reconnaissance. Naturally, he had undertaken plenty of solo missions within certain areas.
And, in another sense, he was ‘used to it.’
What is a scout?
A scout is an agent dispatched to assess potential threats along a path before the main force advances into uncharted territory.
Thus, to have served as a scout unit, especially for the Hero’s Party, meant only one thing.
To be able to return alive from any situation.
To be able to respond to any situation encountered.
Fundamentally, Ivan had only ever undertaken missions that presumed he would be facing unknown enemies. All the way until he reached the Demon King’s castle.
So, in every sense, this was a familiar situation. Not a pleasant one, but if it had to be done, it had to be done.
“Hmph!!”
*Patter, patter.* He heard the sound of running footsteps.
Elfihera came to a stop, sticking close to Ivan’s back, and let out a heavy sigh.
“In the first place, it is the duty of elves to look after the lesser races, and the duty of nobles to protect commoners!”
“That’s a little different from the elven duty I know.”
“Do you know elves better than I do?!”
“Not really.”
“Then from today on, you’ll know it this way. I really don’t understand why there are so many racists among humans. Is it because of your barbaric social culture?”
*Isn’t that statement itself racist?*
Ivan thought for a moment, but seeing Elfihera’s frightened face as she trotted behind him, he let out a smirk.
He had thought it would be enough if she was half as good as Veolgrin.
Her personality was a slight improvement over Veolgrin’s.
“Time really flies. You’ve grown up well.”
“Excuse me…? Do you know me?”
“Of course. How could I forget?”
Ivan chuckled, recalling the Elfihera of that time.
Anxiety piled up on Elfihera’s face.
“When…? When did we meet?”
“Twelve years ago. The first time was when Veolgrin came to our encampment. Didn’t you tell me to bring you ‘the elf’s master’? You said he needed to be served a proper meal, not fodder.”
“Uh… uh-uh…!!”
“Do you remember?”
“Unlike humans!! We have… good memories.”
Elfihera’s face turned as red as if it would burst.
“You’ve… uh. Changed a lot from how I remember… differently… very differently…?”
“It’s been a long time.”
“…Right. Humans age quickly. Right…”
She mumbled as if she had more to say, then quickly turned her head away.
*
As they passed the stone pillars and headed deeper into the ruins, Elfihera remained silent.
She only occasionally glanced at Ivan’s face, quietly following behind him.
After a long walk, they finally reached the end of the massive temple. Ivan stopped.
A large, undeniably suspicious door stood before them.
“Do you feel anything?”
“No. The magic is actually… fainter than at the entrance.”
“Hmm.”
Ivan cautiously raised his axe and gave the door a gentle push.
He had expected some kind of seal or resistance, but contrary to his expectations, the door swung open as smoothly as if its hinges were greased.
*Whoosh.*
A wave of warm air washed over his face.
Ivan shielded his eyes with one hand and held his breath. A sweet scent filled the air.
*Poison?*
Ivan, about to hastily warn Elfihera, froze at the sight that unfolded before him.
“…What is this.”
Beyond the door was a vast space where something small, smaller than the palm of a hand, was piled up like a mountain.
Shimmering and sparkling in the light that poured down from somewhere on the ceiling.
Piled high like treasure from a story…
“Combs…?”
Ivan narrowed his eyes and peered ahead. Nothing else was visible.
Combs of various kinds, decorated with mother-of-pearl, gold, sterling silver, and all sorts of precious metals and gems… were piled up indiscriminately, glittering.
No, on closer inspection, they looked a little different from ordinary combs.
They were a handspan smaller than typical combs. A type that would only be used for a very limited purpose…
‘Beard… combs…?’
Ivan staggered backward. Why on earth would beard combs suddenly appear in a place like this? In this clearly suspicious situation, Ivan raised his axe and looked for Elfihera.
Elfihera, who had been standing right behind him, was muttering blankly with a dazed expression.
“Gold… spell scrolls… My goodness, is that a Lorraine…?! Why is such a precious thing here…? That… that could extend one’s life by ten years…”
She seemed to be mixing Elvish into her speech, as she muttered other unintelligible words.
At that point, Ivan nodded.
‘So that’s what ‘happiness’ meant.’
The victory monument’s relief had said, ‘The darkest evil is that which whispers ‘blessed’ into the ear of the believer.’
And the fragment of the past he had briefly seen upon entering this space. A memory with the late king.
What Elfihera had said when he woke her from her faint. ‘It was a really good dream.’
It wasn't a temptation meant to show regret or lingering attachment. It was merely an illusion that recreated the moment a person most desired.
The North Wind and the Sun.
Indeed, the most difficult adversary to resist is one’s own happiness.
Ivan nodded. In that respect, he was fortunate.
In this barbaric, pre-modern world, he desired nothing but beard combs.
Everything else he wanted existed only on Earth.
His family, whose faces were now faint; his friends, whose names he couldn't remember; the food from his hometown that he could eat whenever he wanted; television and smartphones. Whatever it might be.
*So that’s why it looks like this.*
Ivan smirked at the cascade of brilliantly colored beard combs pouring down before him.
And without a moment’s hesitation, he slapped Elfihera’s cheek.
*