Arhen's Treasure (2)
Since departing for the Academy, this was our very first meeting, so I felt a knot of nervous tension in my chest.
To this girl named "Aria," Aselina—the one currently posing as the Pope—was practically a parent.
In my case, having resolved to seek her out and be taken under her wing the moment I arrived in this world, I acted knowing full well who she truly was. But had I known nothing of her real identity, I would have revered her purely as the great benefactor who took me in.
I still considered her my benefactor, of course, but knowing the truth took the edge off that solemn reverence.
Even so, that hardly meant I was unhappy to see her.
"[Your Holiness!]"
I dashed forward with quick, pattering steps and threw myself straight into her—or rather, Grandfather's—arms.
"Oh my, Lady Aria...!"
Disguised in the form of an elderly man, she broke into a benevolent smile, welcoming me warmly as I rushed into his embrace.
Whenever we were alone, he treated me just like an indulgent grandfather, but because we were technically equal leaders of the church, he always adopted formal honorifics whenever there were watching eyes around. According to him, propriety demanded it.
I giggled and nestled my cheek against Grandfather's chest.
How should I put it? She was simply a dragon whose presence brought a profound sense of comfort. Beyond having protected this world for eons as a Guardian Dragon, she possessed a truly good heart, fond enough of humanity to take on the guise of the Pope just to watch over them. That naturally endeared her to me, but being nestled together like a grandfather and his granddaughter made me want to act like a spoiled child all the more. He felt just like a real grandfather.
Though in reality, calling her noona would be far more accurate. Or maybe unnie, given my current body?
Is it really fine for me to harbor such irreverent thoughts in my head, you ask?
It would be more accurate to say it's fine now.
While I couldn't be completely certain, ever since I became the Saintess, even if she attempted to read my surface thoughts, she couldn't perceive them with anywhere near the clarity she once had. On top of that, Divine Eye wasn't something one kept running twenty-four-seven like an innate passive skill, so I could think whatever I liked in my head without fear. Against someone of comparable standing, Divine Eye's clarity grew hazy, and against a superior being, it was rendered practically useless.
"[Ahem... My apologies.]"
After clinging to him for a moment, I sensed the gazes around us and stepped back, offering a bashful smile with an awkward tilt of my head. Not that there were many onlookers besides the holy knights, of course.
Judging from their expressions, they were likely thinking something along the lines of, So even our Saintess has such a child-like side to her.
I had occasionally considered that seeming like an untouchable, flawless saint all the time wasn't ideal... wait, no, who am I kidding? I wasn't scheming that far ahead. I was simply overjoyed to see a grandfather I hadn't met in ages. She was the person—no, the dragon—who had supported me ever since I crossed over into this world. It would have been stranger if I wasn't delighted to see her.
"[There seem to be too many people here for an open discussion. Shall we step into a room?]"
"Indeed, let us take this room..."
Glancing around at my words, Grandfather agreed that conducting our conversation here was ill-advised and led me inside.
Once we entered and sat down, I met Grandfather's eyes. Or rather, since I was blind, saying I met his gaze wasn't quite accurate. Still, natural conversation required facing one another, and with Divine Power Detection giving me a clear sense of his position, turning my head to meet his line of sight was trivial.
As I oriented my gaze toward him, Grandfather smiled and gently stroked my hair.
"Have you faced any hardships during your days at the Academy?"
"[I am doing well. In fact, it is quite enjoyable.]"
To be frank, Academy life hadn't turned out quite as I'd envisioned. I had imagined attending classes alongside regular students and causing all kinds of chaotic mischief, but as the Saintess, stirring up trouble was utterly out of the question. As for my studies, being placed in the Holy Studies Department meant an ascetic curriculum even more grueling than life at the Great Cathedral. Yet if the Saintess went around complaining that her holy calling was tedious and boring, people would look at her like she'd lost her mind. So answering that I was having fun was my only real option.
"Hearing that brings great relief to my heart."
Yet I'd been sensing it for a while now... He looked as though he had a mountain of things he wanted to say.
Well, all kinds of disasters broke out the moment I arrived at the Academy, so it's only natural he'd have plenty to ask...
Right upon enrollment, a High Demon plotting an ambush had sneaked into the grounds, and then the Class Placement Exam had spiraled into a massive catastrophe. Even if he hadn't spoken of it yet, there was no doubt he knew about both the matriculation incident and the exam. Once Arhen found out, there was zero chance this grandfather remained in the dark.
Since it had been a while, exchanging mundane pleasantries wouldn't be bad. But casual small talk could happen anytime. Time to cut to the chase.
"[So... what business brings you here today?]"
"Mmm... This promises to be a lengthy tale, so we had best get straight to the point."
Hearing him say it would be a long story confirmed my suspicions. He had likely come to discuss what lay ahead. And there was only one thing he might truly lack information on.
"I have come to speak about that necklace."
The Red Stone of the Bright Sun. The very necklace hanging at my chest.
The Genesis of this world.
A Goddess named Rumania, the creator of all things and the progenitor of light, brought radiance to the void and breathed life into creation. Having brought forth living beings, the Goddess divided her divine essence into three streams and bestowed them upon the world so that her creations could thrive upon the land.
Solaris, the God of the Sun, who held dominion over purification among all the divine power in existence.
Naias, the God of Water, who held dominion over the power of healing.
And finally, Umdio, the God of Earth, who held dominion over barriers and warding.
The three divine siblings descended into the mortal world to usher in a new age, yet malevolent forces sought to invade this blooming realm and claim it for themselves. That was the Evil God Ellahan, who commanded his subordinate, the Demon King, to conquer the world cultivated by Rumania and her triad. The demons were the primordial adversaries woven into the story's very fabric.
Because direct divine intervention in mortal affairs was strictly forbidden by cosmic order, Rumania had laid careful contingencies across the world.
The first contingency was the dragons—led by the Guardian Dragon Aselina Sunlight—who covertly maintained global peace from behind the veil.
The second contingency was the Holy Sword Estelle and the chosen Hero destined to wield her.
And the final contingency was none other than...
"That necklace currently in your possession... That is the very embodiment of divine providence, a 'Holy Relic.' What is more, it is the 'Red Stone of the Bright Sun,' the sacred relic of Lord Solaris, the God of the Sun and Purification."
"..."
I already knew, of course. It was an established piece of lore from the game.
Fingering the necklace with tentative touches, I pitched my telepathic voice in a slightly somber register.
"[I take it this is not something I ought to keep in my possession. I had anticipated as much to some degree.]"
Even as I said it, I was chuckling behind my breath. As if! Certainly, if an ordinary person possessed a Holy Relic, the followers of Rumania would swiftly move to reclaim it, but this situation was quite different. For starters...
"Nothing of the sort. You may continue to keep it."
"[Pardon? But...]"
"Rather, I ought to thank you for recovering it. The 'Red Stone of the Bright Sun' was one of the sacred relics our church lost long ago... Aria, had it not been for you, we likely would never have found it in our lifetimes."
He was entirely right. I only managed to track it down because I had played the game countless times and memorized its exact coordinates. For an ordinary person, it had been abandoned in a place unimaginably difficult to reach. Whenever a Holy Relic is cast adrift in the mortal realm, causality itself distorts to tuck it away into the most secluded corners. It was an inevitable consequence born of the divine energy imbued within the relic, coupled with the faint ego residing inside the sacred artifact itself.
Well... not that it matters, since I plan on hunting down every last Holy Relic one by one anyway.
Now that I had secured Solaris's relic, the Red Stone of the Bright Sun, all that remained was to track down the relics of Naias and Umdio. And I already knew the locations of both. The only question was...
"[Then, what you wished to ask of me is...]"
"First, there is something I must ask. How, exactly, did you come to discover that Holy Relic?"
"[The answer is not a difficult one.]"
I had already prepared an explanation, absurd as it was.
"[While journeying through the Demonic Realm to bestow blessings upon those in need, I happened to slip and tumble down a sheer precipice.]"
"A—A cliff...?!"
Panicking at the revelation that I had plummeted down a cliff, Grandfather erupted into frantic concern, babbling about whether I was hurt while fussing over me and inspecting every inch of my body. Seriously, that happened so long ago—what good is checking me over now? I suppressed a chuckle and pressed on with my solemn narrative.
"[Having fallen to the foot of the cliff... I felt what could only be described as the pull of destiny.]"
I explained how I walked along the path destiny indicated until I discovered the necklace resting upon an altar.
"That is..."
"[And there... I met people I had never seen before.]"
The beastfolk of the northern minority tribe. Both Grandfather and I knew exactly who they were, though naturally, I had to act as though I hadn't the faintest clue. Just as I remembered, and...
"[They spoke to me... saying the time had come for the sun to rise and bring an end to the eternal, bitter frost.]"
I quoted the exact words they had spoken to Grandfather.
Upon hearing my explanation, Grandfather's expression hardened into stony gravity.