Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: EP.159 46-1. What the Sun and Moon Signify.
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Pine and I dug a grave for the lycanthrope.
"..Poor thing."
"What if we'd arrived a little sooner. Licht."
We'd never met, but in the end, it was just another victim sacrificed to the Demon King.
"Magic Hat pulled the strings from the shadows. It wouldn't have made a difference."
I patted Kainel's shoulder as he blamed himself.
He was probably regretting his failure to protect someone as a hero.
"..Demon kings are all the same. Kai."
But demon kings are powerful. The fact that no one died at the academy was a miracle in itself.
'Truth Demon King…. What the hell kind of guy is he.'
Did he know about the administrator and take him out in advance? Normally, he wouldn't have been able to set foot in the temple.
And on top of that, he was obsessively fixated on me, like he was having some kind of breakdown.
How much does this bastard know about the game? The way he recognized me right away was anything but normal.
"Messenger of the God of Will, Tardun."
I planted the sword lying nearby next to the mound of earth. A greatsword adorned with a wolf motif on the hilt.
"A swordsman born as a wolf, died as a wolf. A free spirit racing across the land under the moonlight rests here."
Just like the Nameless Saintess had done when she fought the Demon King.
"..Gray-furred lycanthrope."
I knelt on one knee and began to pray. I had holy knight skills, after all.
"Though I never had the honor of meeting you, may you find peace there."
One more life claimed by the Hero Cult. Magic Hat was slowly rising to the surface.
The fact that he'd started moving again meant he'd recovered from the wounds I'd inflicted.
I bit my lower lip slightly, frustration boiling over at the thought of getting outmaneuvered by him again.
'Wolves' Corridor.'
A term that appeared briefly in the setting book.
The idea that this temple had a hidden room was just a hunch.
There had been a short line describing how only those recognized as Wolfkin could access the corridor.
Just like the Library of Truth existed in the deepest part of Akasha's temple.
And there was that one post on the game forums that was always debated as bait or legit.
No one had ever confirmed its existence, so everyone just treated it as a baseless rumor. But it was real.
Maybe because this is the prequel. This is the past, not the era when I played the game.
As we descended the stairs, swords gleaming with lavish gold plating lined the walls, every one of them.
"Whoa.. Kai.. look at those!!"
"Can I.. take one?"
Rapiers to greatswords—a vast array of weapons in every size and style stretched down the long corridor.
"..This is worse than our imperial vault. Keep that in mind."
"...?"
Pine clicked her tongue, clearly unimpressed by the gaudy arsenal.
"Hehe, Kai.."
"Ariel, careful. You'll trip."
The hero couple bounded around hand in hand like kids at an amusement park. Their relationship had flipped so suddenly it felt awkward.
'..Something feels off.'
Normally, only those with the proper qualifications could enter the temple's depths.
Laplace was a prime example. Wrecking the Library of Truth's eternal lamp was as good as earning his qualification.
Being alive after demolishing a library used by the higher gods? He got off lucky.
I'd earned my qualification by passing the trial.
So how did they get in? Because the administrator was dead? Nah, that didn't track.
"Ta-da, Kai. Check this out! Don't I look like a hero too?!"
Right in front of me, a redheaded mage in twintails was boldly gripping a sword from the corridor wall, striking a heroic pose, while
"Yeah, if there were an elf hero, that's probably what it'd look like."
the blond hero watched and patted her head fondly.
The two who'd confessed and become lovers were definitely closer now. Like the psychological walls between them had crumbled. Kinda jealous.
"..Really?"
"When have you ever seen me lie?"
"No way my boyfriend would!"
Love turns people into fools.
Were they still riding the high from that kiss? They grinned like wind-up dolls with broken springs every time their eyes met.
"..Licht. Something's weird here."
That's when Pine spoke up, her golden eyes gleaming as she scanned our surroundings. Her instincts were sharp, no doubt.
Come to think of it, every race in the game had distinct traits. What was the Wolfkin one?
'Dwarves take pride in their masterpieces, elves love only one person….'
I'd never encountered other Wolfkin while traveling with Pine as the Saintess. Only Lupus, really.
The ancient Wolfkin recognition rite for adulthood.
What was the point of this place? Just handing out weapons without a trial felt too easy….
Ah, no way.
"Pine, check all the swords on the walls."
A hunch. I grabbed one from the wall and slashed at the ground. It whooshed through the air, but
"..Dummy swords. Blades that haven't been sharpened at all."
the floor was unscratched. Even the congratulatory red carpet showed no marks.
All those swords that looked pricey were fakes.
The game sometimes dropped weird swords with 0 attack power. So this was their origin.
"The important thing isn't these swords…."
Misdirection. If you fixated on them and left the temple, you'd walk away empty-handed.
I looked up. At the end of the corridor stood wolf statues in completely opposing poses.
"It's probably something else."
The statues at either end: the gray wolf cradling a sword symbolized Tardun.
This was a temple that tested one's will. No way the rewards were this lame. Even the Library of Truth was tied to intellect.
Engraved at the statues' bases were these words:
-When the wolf closes its blue eyes and opens its orange eyes, seek the wolf's head.
Ragged handwriting, like it'd been gouged out with a sword. Probably left by the administrator.
"..What does this even mean?"
Pine tilted her head at the text. Blue eyes and orange eyes. What could it be?
"...."
For starters, it wasn't the decorative swords on the walls. They wouldn't phrase it as 'eyes' if it was.
The statues had eyes carved into them, but no jewels or gems.
"..Mr. Kainel. Any idea?"
"Dunno, probably a code? Like knock twice…."
But this was a long corridor—a sealed space blocked on both ends.
Even trying the door behind the statues or knocking yielded nothing.
"Some kind of metaphor?"
Ariel clapped her hands, the quick-witted red twintail speaking up.
A metaphor? Where could orange eyes and blue eyes fit metaphorically?
"..Puppy?"
That's not a metaphor, that's literal. Pine.
Pine was petting the wolf statue next to me like it was cute.
Locke Granasia's daughter—a emperor's kid—loving cute stuff? The contrast was too wild to believe.
'Wait, Locke Granasia..?'
Come to think of it, he had a nickname: the wolf that bites the sun and swallows the moon.
"Let's think of the statues' eyes as the sun and moon."
Something I'd overlooked. This place used to host Wolfkin coming-of-age rites.
The wall swords were probably souvenirs you took after completing the rite.
Tardun's symbol was the wolf. A gray wolf. God of swordsmanship and will.
'Also a lesser god handling subcontracts from the gods of light and darkness.'
Sun and moon rise alternately as time passes.
From east to west, traversing space like trains on rails.
"So what do these statues represent?"
Day and night. I'd heard similar stories at that accessory shop before, and plenty of clues lined up.
"..They're definitely movable."
I tugged one lightly, and with a grinding rumble, the statue shifted.
"Meaning.. when the sun sets…."
I maneuvered the wolf statues from either end until they met.
"And the moon rises."
The moment dusk blended light and shadow into deep, painterly hues.
"When day and night meet…. Twilight."
The wolf statues locked together like lovers kissing. Now I saw their tails formed a heart. The hint was right there.
─Clunk.
A hidden door revealed itself on the side, where the red carpet was oddly misaligned.
Man, I hoped this was the key to perfecting Demon King Slayer.
'Intinium didn't feel like cutting a person.'
More like slicing paper.
The Demon King turning into a pile of cards after taking Demon King Slayer was ridiculous.
Even knowing Magic Hat could make card clones, this was a first.
I'd seen the real Truth Demon King act or impersonate others, but
'Turn a living person into a card like that?'
Intinium. A total unknown—ability, and claiming to be Pin's little sister.
A real Demon King like the Head or Magic Hat wouldn't have gone down that easily. Everyone here might've died.
"...."
Anxiety crept in. If I couldn't free Pine from the Demon King's clutches….
"Licht. Let's go in."
That's when Pine took my hand as I stared at the floor. Her glass glove felt cool and smooth, but her warm heart came through.
Right. From here on, no matter how tough it got.
'..I'd face it with Pine.'
I stepped forward and together we shoved open the heavy iron door.
The space we entered was bathed in pure white light pouring down.
Wolf statues wielding swords flanked both sides, leading to a small platform at the end of the chamber.
Atop the platform shimmered a potion.
"Is that.. an elixir..?"
Swordsmanship Elixir. The item I'd gotten from clearing Tardun's Temple originally.
Red, with short-term boosts to the user's sword skills.
I'd figured this would let me perfect Demon King Slayer.
But this one was different in form and hue.
A crimson potion blazing like the sun captured within, and right beside it, its perfect opposite—a deep blue one.
"..Elixirs of the Sun and Moon."
Pine took one look and spoke as if she'd figured it out instantly.