After One Battle
After that single battle, the three who pressed onward encountered no further fights. But the traps they kept running into at every turn gave them no end of headaches.
Just a few minutes ago, Professor Nah had nearly faced disaster. Unable to curb her curiosity, she'd touched one of the decorative ornaments—only for sharp spears and swords to come raining down from the ceiling.
"Danger!"
With Nadan's shout, Professor Nah wrapped herself in divine power and swiftly dodged away. Had she been even a fraction weaker, or a split second slower to muster her power, she'd have ended up skewered like a kebab.
That was the first time Ludenberg Lavante had seen Nadan in a state of outright panic. From then on, the usually flippant Nadan scowled as he walked, warning Professor Nah and Ludenberg whenever he sensed something off.
"Ash heap. Don't step there. Trap."
"...Got it."
Ludenberg witnessed such scenes often enough to realize Nadan possessed some strange ability. He seemed able to glimpse the future.
It was just a hunch, but given how openly Nadan stated it, it was safe to assume it wasn't mere speculation—it was certainty.
Professor Rohan did say that saint laws for seeing the future are far too dangerous, extinct in the modern era. So does that make Nadan a key figure in the Setra Church, by status?
Like a saint, perhaps.
Once Ludenberg considered that Nadan might be the Setra Church's saint, the pieces of his lingering doubts about the man fell into place. From casually suggesting he could grant permission for Ludenberg's ruins request due to his position, to his precognitive ability and combat prowess beyond imagination.
And hadn't Professor Nah vaguely let slip that foreseeing the future was forbidden? That her own skills were too meager to peer ahead. Even archbishops couldn't read the future nowadays.
A feat impossible for bishops and archbishops alike. Yet one being could do it.
A saint. Chosen directly by Setra, their divine power transcending ordinary humans, their mental fortitude leaping far beyond mortal limits. It was said saints were born with power rivaling archbishops, their minds surpassing human cognition.
The thought struck Ludenberg as quite plausible. Of course, even if Nadan were the Setra saint, it wouldn't change how Ludenberg treated him. What did he care about saints or whatever? Nadan hadn't openly revealed his status, and Ludenberg wasn't even part of the Setra Church.
Besides, if Nadan ever disclosed it later, there'd be no issue. He'd been the one tossing around nicknames like "ash heap" from the start, and he clearly didn't expect any formal deference from Ludenberg.
Ludenberg simply imprinted one fact in his mind.
Nadan can foresee the future. That's all I need to know.
Others might call it fanciful exaggeration, but Ludenberg had heard Nadan's words firsthand and seen his actions. And after all the absurd events crashing into his own life lately, he'd learned "common sense" could shatter anytime.
Thus, in this trap-riddled corridor, Ludenberg judged it best to quietly follow Nadan's directions without fuss. Especially since even Professor Nah was complying.
One odd thing nagged at him, though. Why were these two so desperate to hide sensitive matters from him, of all people? They'd built zero trust between them.
Did they foresee something about me? No, no. No need for complicated thoughts. My goal is solely clues on the Starting Knight.
It was a near-correct inference, but Ludenberg shook his head and brushed it aside. Whatever they'd seen or not, his immediate priority wasn't Nadan's identity or their intentions.
What mattered now were clues on his evil fate, the Starting Knight, and all the irrational nonsense barreling toward him. Nothing else.
It had been about an hour trudging through the passage. The trio walked an endless corridor.
Countless traps lay in wait, but thanks to Nadan's timely warnings at the slightest hint of trouble, they passed unscathed.
Then, past a certain point, the sporadic decorations and motifs vanished entirely. A stark, barren white passage stretched ahead.
"What now, I wonder..."
Professor Nah muttered with a sour face. Nadan and Ludenberg's expressions weren't much better.
"Where the hell does this thing go?"
"We've started, so we keep going. No choice now."
"Tch. Fine. Onward."
And so the three advanced without incident.
"No end in sight. Just how far does it go? Nadan, how long have we been walking?"
Another hour of endless steps. Professor Nah grumbled, irritation bubbling up.
"Roughly an hour, I'd say."
"Any traps?"
"None now. Looks safe enough."
"After all that grief earlier, now nothing? Something feels off..."
"Gonna keep jinxing it? If you're that worried, turn back and call in church backup."
"And if the barrier doesn't reopen? We don't even know why it did. This is our best shot—gotta use the chance wisely."
"Fair point."
As Nadan and Professor Nah griped while walking, Ludenberg trudged silently.
Suddenly, far ahead in his vision appeared a figure. A knight in tattered ash-gray armor and helm, standing utterly still.
Ludenberg scrutinized it. The knight held something black—like a sword hilt, but with no blade.
Who is that?
He checked Nadan and Professor Nah's reactions. If they saw it too, it wasn't an illusion unique to him.
But they showed nothing, just kept walking.
"Hold up."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Something's ahead."
"What?"
Professor Nah peered forward, seeing only empty passage. Ludenberg's sudden words made her intuit he was seeing another hallucination.
"Can you describe it? Nothing's visible to us."
"A knight in worn armor."
"What’s he doing now?"
"Just standing there. Wait... he's approaching."
As Ludenberg described the knight to Professor Nah and Nadan, the motionless figure began closing in on him.
"What?"
True to Ludenberg's words, it advanced.
Tension coiling, Ludenberg drew his sword from his waist and assumed a stance, eyes locked on the approaching knight.
Without a word, the knight thudded right up to him.
No overt hostility emanated from it, yet Ludenberg kept his guard up.
Ignoring his wariness, the knight halted before him and extended a hand, offering the hilt-like object.
Take it.
"What... is this?"
Ludenberg took the hilt in one hand and spoke.
Key.
"A key? To where?"
Go forward. Then you will know.
With that, the knight dissolved into mist and scattered.
"What happened? The knight vision gone?"
Professor Nah, grasping at straws, asked Ludenberg.
"Yes. It vanished after handing me something... Can you see this in my hand now?"
"...I can."
Nadan and Professor Nah couldn't hide their shock. Just as Ludenberg said, his hand now held something that hadn't been there before.
A black sword hilt.
Professor Nah turned to Nadan.
"Nadan. Any idea what this is?"
"Looks like... a sword hilt? Definitely. Blade's separate, I guess."
Nadan eyed the object in Ludenberg's grip.
"A hilt... Ludenberg, did the knight say anything when he gave it to you?"
"Key. He called it a key."
"And then?"
"Said I'd know if I went forward. Guess we keep moving."
"A key. Means there's a door, then?"
"Likely."
"No choice but to press on, then. Ludenberg, any other visions?"
"No. Nothing."
The three resumed their trek through the monotonous white passage.
Then, ahead of Ludenberg appeared a black door.
Wondering if it was another illusion, he asked Professor Nah.
"Professor. Door ahead. Visible to you?"
"No. Not to us."
"Another vision?"
"Seems so. What now, Professor?"
She pondered briefly before speaking her mind.
"We'll approach the door first. If it exists but we just can't see it, we might pass through too."
"Understood."
Professor Nah and Nadan slowly advanced to where Ludenberg saw the black door.
"How much farther?"
"Right ahead."
"Good. Keep going."
Two more steps, and Ludenberg watched them pass straight through the black door.
"Hm... Doesn't feel like anything's there."
"You've already passed it."
"I see. So the door you see won't open for us. Your turn, Ludenberg."
"Got it."
Ludenberg stepped toward the black door.
Thud—
The door boomed open wide as he neared.
Ludenberg crossed the threshold.
And vanished from the passage.