Chapter 373: A Worrisome Event(3)
Chapter 373: A Worrisome Event(3)
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*
I delegated the issue regarding the innocent victims to Kate; all that remained was the recently discovered underground temple.
The statue in the temple reportedly bore a striking resemblance to Diabolus—the fake final boss and archdevil whose soul was contained within a vessel. It featured an octopus head, as if borrowing from the Cthulhu Mythos, and was crafted with such exquisite detail that it looked ready to spring to life at any moment.
Furthermore, the underground temple itself was riddled with traps to ward off intruders and even contained monsters that had never been seen before.
All of this came from the testimony of a 'survivor.' A team of five had pursued a fleeing demon worshipper, only for this to be the result.
The location was, unsurprisingly, the Minerva Empire, where demon worshippers were most prevalent. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Empire had formed an investigation team with the help of neighboring countries.
In truth, this wasn't the first time an underground temple had been discovered. Back when the "Why Is This Real?" phenomenon first exploded, they had even found an altar presumed to be for demon-summoning rituals.
Information linking demon worshippers to a specific religion had long since spread far and wide. Most people assumed that the object of their worship was a demon.
However, I knew that the entity they served was the 'Father of All Things.' When I was nearly targeted by a terrorist attack, a demon worshipper had screamed that name, making it impossible to forget.
‘Then is an External God trying to swallow this world?’
It was a fairly persuasive theory, but I couldn't understand why a demon worshipper would call such a being the Father of All Things. If the goal was simply to seize control of the world, they would have used a different title.
While the incident was becoming increasingly cryptic, the fact that another "Why Is This Real?" moment had occurred was more important to me.
Was it a stroke of luck that this happened just before the book was published? It was a slightly different pattern from Kate’s spoiler incident. If I changed the description now and feigned ignorance...
[Xenon even predicted the vessel that would hold the soul. There’s no escaping it now.]
[Then who created the vessel? And is that statue truly a vessel in the first place?]
[Evidence of sacrifices being offered to summon demons has been found frequently in the past. Why, then, have no demons been summoned yet?]
...Never mind, I should just give up. They were already talking amongst themselves; no matter what I said, it would fall on deaf ears.
I watched the flood of news from the sidelines, letting out a hollow, helpless laugh.
As if the headache from the innocent victims wasn't enough, this "Why Is This Real?" situation was enough to make me lose my mind. I wanted to find the survivor myself and hear a detailed explanation, but I couldn't do that.
In Kate’s case, there was a high probability that the demon worshippers had simply messed up, so I could trust her to handle it. This, however, was a bit different. I planned to ask Lina later, but until then, I was at a loss as to what to do.
‘By the way, I really am curious. Why has every demon summoning failed? You’d think they’d succeed at least once.’
As mentioned, summoning circles and altars had been discovered frequently, even recently. With the massive subjugation campaign triggered by the event, demon worshipper hideouts were being found one after another, revealing hidden altars.
The state of these altars was horrific beyond words. Human skulls were scattered about, and there were clear signs of human sacrifice. To make matters worse, public opinion was reaching a boiling point because demon worshippers had even used necromancy to reanimate the dead.
‘Let’s put the "Why Is This Real?" stuff aside for now... I need to check on the innocent victims first.’
I tried my best to untangle my complicated thoughts. One way or another, only time would tell. I intended to stick with the vessel's appearance as described in the Xenon Biography. Since my book came out first, I could just claim they took the idea from me.
‘I should visit the laboratory once Kate returns.’
Professor Elena would likely know the most about the "Why Is This Real?" aspect. She wasn't just a scholar; she was an archaeologist who had explored every corner of the world. Perhaps she already knew something about the temple. It wouldn't hurt to pay her a visit.
They surely had their own work to do, so I felt bad about calling them to the dormitory—and more importantly, Ariel was here. Still, if I went there and ended up in danger like last time, it would be a problem. For now, it was best to be as cautious as possible.
‘It is a bit stifling, though.’
I looked around the spacious dormitory. It had everything I needed, and since books and newspapers were delivered from outside, I wasn't bored. But the feeling of being trapped in a birdcage was stifling nonetheless. Until the demon worshippers were completely eradicated, I would have to live under constant threat every day.
This applied to everyone, not just me. Luminous and Mora had said such things wouldn't happen for a while, but I was still uneasy.
Poke. Poke.
"Hm?"
"Daddy. Are you feeling stifled?"
As I stared blankly out the window, Ariel tugged on my arm. Whether she had read my mind or not, her sparkling golden eyes were filled with worry. I had thought reading thoughts and reading emotions were two different things, but perhaps I was wrong.
Looking at her face, which seemed to wash away my frustrations just by being there, I let out a small chuckle.
"No, I'm not. Seeing our Ariel makes all those feelings disappear."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Hehe."
Ariel gave me a bright smile and spread her arms wide. It was a sign that she wanted to be held. I picked her up as requested, and we looked at each other. She seemed happy just looking at my face, her expression blooming into a silly grin.
So this is why fathers lose their minds over their kids. I’m sure I would have been happy with a son, but having such a cute daughter seemed to double that feeling.
"Ariel."
"Mm?"
"What kind of person will Ariel be when she grows up?"
I was genuinely curious. Ariel was an angel in name, but she was essentially a 'demi-god' carrying Hirt’s blood. I wondered what kind of impact she would have on the world as she grew. I intended to raise her like a normal child, but no one knows how the world will turn out.
Moreover, like a needle in a pouch, her true value would eventually reveal itself no matter how much I tried to hide it.
As if to meet my expectations, Ariel blinked at the question before answering brightly.
"An adult!"
"..."
"Ariel is going to be an adult!"
"Right. You will be an adult."
I stroked her head, laughing at her innocent logic. Despite the "Why Is This Real?" phenomenon and the looming crisis, it was a peaceful moment.
*
Since the announcement of Isaac’s event, the busiest organizations were the adventurers and mercenaries. Most of them had read the Xenon Biography, and some had even dreamed of a life of adventure because of it.
While this had led to various accidents and incidents, the situation had stabilized to some extent by now. Furthermore, as the supply of labor surged, the quality naturally improved, and their influence had grown so strong that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this their golden age.
But if the adventurers were the ones who benefited the most, the Minerva Empire was the one that took the hardest hit. Since the event began, most incidents related to demon worshippers had occurred within the Empire.
Despite having the largest territory, there were far more undeveloped areas than developed ones, making it easy for demon worshippers to operate. The situation was so dire that the Empire was on the verge of being stigmatized as a 'haven for demon worshippers.'
Fortunately, they possessed enough military power to cover the vast territory and manage incidents as they arose; otherwise, their international reputation would have hit rock bottom.
"Sigh... I shouldn't have criticized the Kingdom of Ters. At least I'm glad we found out now."
"You look very tired, Brother."
"I don't think you're one to talk."
The Crown Prince, Leort, let out a dry laugh at Lina, who was sitting across from him and expressing her concern. His current state could not be described as good by any stretch of the imagination; despite his high-status care, he looked like a walking corpse.
It had been the same before the event, but since it started, the exploding workload had forced him to work overtime almost every day. If he tried to close his eyes for a moment, an attendant would immediately appear to report an incident, and if he tried to take a break, another crisis would break out.
Because of this, Duke Rekilis was also suffering as he moved back and forth from the imperial palace, and Lina was in the same boat.
"How many nobles have been confirmed to be in league with the demon worshippers?"
"Five so far. We're investigating Count Kerison's family as well, but nothing has been confirmed yet."
"The Empire's finances essentially flow through the Kerison family. Could they really be involved?"
"Who knows? The Count's family is quite frustrated as well. It's nearly impossible to manage that massive flow of money alone. We're investigating for now."
The Minerva Empire, especially the nobility, was undergoing a massive investigation. Anyone found to have even the slightest connection to demon worshippers was immediately ousted. The atrocities committed by the worshippers were beyond forgiveness—they were malicious enough to brainwash entire villages—so absolute elimination was the only answer.
The Empire, in particular, had no choice but to impose severe punishments. Having almost been branded a haven for demon worshippers, they had to take a hardline stance. They were already receiving all sorts of criticism from neighboring countries; if they tried to protect their own, it would lead to a massive diplomatic loss.
The only silver lining was that their archrival, the Kingdom of Ters, was also busy dealing with its own internal affairs.
The Empire had gained much thanks to Isaac, but now that blade was pointed at their own throats.
"We can take this opportunity to clean out the corrupt nobles. Time will solve the rest. The problem is that underground temple discovered a few days ago."
"Was anything found there?"
Lina showed interest when Leort mentioned the 'underground temple.' He rarely called for her, but today he had summoned her to his office. It was clearly information that only the imperial family or high-ranking officials of similar status should know.
Seeing Lina's interest, Leort took a small orb from his pocket and placed it on the desk. It was a magic item to prevent eavesdropping. With this, any potential eavesdropping magic would be blocked.
"It's less about what was found and more about the circumstances. That temple wasn't just a temple. It was an altar for a summoning ritual."
"An altar? Then..."
"There is a very high probability that the statue was a vessel, just like in the Xenon Biography. It's only a theory, though."
"..."
Lina’s brow furrowed at Leort’s explanation. It was another moment where Isaac’s prophecy (?) had come true. Though he would vehemently deny it, Lina already considered him someone akin to a prophet. In fact, it felt stranger to deny it. For now, she was simply not showing it in order to stay close to him.
Gaining future knowledge by becoming close to Isaac would be an unparalleled achievement. One didn't have to look far—the magic engine was proof enough.
However, the recently discovered temple was the priority. Lina asked in a cautious voice.
"...Surely you don't mean that a soul is contained in that vessel or anything like that?"
"No. Aside from the human remains and various ritual items around the temple, there's nothing. Furthermore, there were rusted weapons, as if a battle had occurred right before the summoning."
"So there was a person or a group who knew about the demon worshippers even before the Xenon Biography was released?"
"It would seem so. But that's not the important part."
Leort let out a long breath and spoke shocking words in a heavy voice.
"The summoning was a success."
"...What?"
"After the mages reviewed it, they concluded that the summoning itself succeeded. It was distorted by someone's intrusion, but that was a belated interference; the summoning circle itself was activated."
"N-no way..."
Lina’s face turned pale. If those words were true, it was obvious that a crisis was coming to this world. Of course, if it were a living disaster like Diabolus from the Xenon Biography, chaos would have already erupted.
The fact that there had been no signs until now suggested otherwise. But that was a problem in its own right.
"Yes. Just as you're thinking, the summoning was executed, but we can't even guess what was summoned. However, demons are beings that live in a completely different dimension from this one. Since it was enough to connect dimensions, something from another world must have been summoned."
"S-shouldn't we inform the Order immediately? If we're the only ones who know..."
"What if we find out that a mere frog from another dimension was summoned? Compared to the chaos that would ensue, wouldn't that be too anticlimactic?"
"..."
Lina fell silent. He had a point. Unless it was truly an evil entity on par with a demon, the revelation would only drain everyone's energy. Moreover, the mere fact that a summoning ritual had succeeded would throw the Minerva Empire—no, the entire world—into chaos.
It would be best to bury it, but she wondered if such a fact could truly be kept hidden.
"...Then what should we do? This doesn't seem like something we can discuss just amongst ourselves."
"Let's watch the situation for now. The mages are double-checking, thinking they might have investigated incorrectly. We might even find out what that entity is."
"I understand."
"Right. But I think it would be good to tell Isaac. A man like him might know something."
Yes. He did know.
"Ugh... why are my ears so itchy?"
"Daddy. Want me to clean your ears?"
"No, it's okay."
The problem was that he knew all too well.