New Field (2)
I gazed at the tree covered in grass and felt a wave of pure wonder wash over me.
“Haha, our priest is completely enchanted.”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Of course it is. The scenery is lovely, and the air feels so easy to breathe. It’s wonderful.”
It had been a long time since we’d seen such warm weather. They say the sun is what makes a traveler shed his coat. As the surrounding temperature rose rapidly, we all began peeling off the outer layers we’d been wearing. Naturally, both our bodies and minds felt lighter for it.
“Flowers!”
I crouched down, charmed by their beauty, and proudly showed one particularly lovely bloom to Sister Melody.
“There may be poison in it. You should be careful.”
“Ah!”
And just like that, Sister Melody doused my romantic mood with the driest possible remark. Honestly… what else could you expect from a heretic inquisitor? Her sense of sentiment had dried up so completely that not a single trace remained.
“Come on, that’s too harsh. What if our priest wanted to pick a flower and give it to someone as a gift?”
“To me? No matter the reason, anything potentially dangerous should be avoided. Besides, I have no need for flowers.”
“It’s not about needing them… Ha~ how do I even explain this?”
One of the team members trailed off, clearly frustrated.
“I simply wanted to show you because it was pretty. If there’s any risk, then caution is the right approach.”
Even though Sister Melody had briefly soured the mood, looking around at our surroundings still filled me with joy. It was astonishing how many colors existed in the world. After spending so long surrounded by pure white snow, I’d apparently forgotten just how varied and vibrant the world could be. The return of all these colors lifted my heart.
“It really is nice to see all these fresh greens. I don’t know how long it will last, though.”
No matter how beautiful it looked, this was still unmistakably inside the Labyrinth. Remembering how we’d all exclaimed over the beauty of the Ice Castle when we first saw it, I realized these feelings might be equally fleeting.
“Will you be going in?”
While we stayed near the boundary between the previous field and the next one, it was probably safer to remain here for the time being. If we pushed deeper, we might encounter the worst possible climate—hot, humid, and oppressive. After discussing it, the leader and the imperial princess reached a decision. There was no need to invite unnecessary hardship.
“We’ll set up camp nearby and search the surrounding area.”
“The conclusion was that rushing forward without any information or preparation for the next field would be unwise.”
The leader relayed the princess’s words to the rest of the team.
“A very wise decision.”
Everyone agreed it was a reasonable choice. However, the search was unavoidable. The Labyrinth was kind enough to let people out when the time came, but it certainly didn’t provide helpful signposts pointing to the exit. Although we were keeping track of the days, without smartphones in this world, the margin of error was inevitably large. That meant we had to conduct regular searches and wait until the path home appeared.
“How are you feeling?”
While the rest of the party scattered to pitch tents, Sister Melody approached me cautiously.
“Pardon?”
“You know… that thing.”
“Ah! Yes, it’s about time we checked on it, isn’t it?”
So many things had happened between leaving the Ice Castle and settling here that the days had blurred together. No matter how busy we were, certain tasks simply had to be done. There was one essential procedure we needed to carry out while hiding it from the others’ eyes. Although it hadn’t even been three full days since we sealed it, we needed to verify whether the three-day sealing cycle was still effective.
“I’ll take it out.”
After setting up the tent, I set down my luggage and pulled out the box.
“Oh.”
I had wrapped the box in cloth, and thankfully it remained perfectly intact. No ominous energy was leaking out, either.
“Will you open the box?”
“It looks fine from the outside, so I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“True. It hasn’t been that long, so there’s no need to disturb it again. I’ll keep a close watch.”
I still clearly remembered the power of that corrupted Holy Relic that had given the entire party nightmares. Because it was a force we had to guard against, I planned to check it at least once a day. We’d been too distracted until now to do it properly, but since we finally had a stable place to stay, creating secret moments like this wouldn’t be difficult.
“I’ll also stay alert. I’ll make sure no one around us is being affected by it.”
“Yes. That part is definitely necessary. We’ve already made one mistake.”
We had agreed that if anything strange happened to the team members, Sister Melody would come straight to me so we could reseal this troublesome Holy Relic. Of course, we would continue checking it regularly, and if anything seemed off we would seal it again immediately. The chance of a major incident was low, but we couldn’t be too careful. I tied the cloth around the box once more, securing it tightly.
“Still… it’s a Holy Relic. I’m not sure if treating it like this is appropriate. I wonder if we should even be taking something like this back to the Holy Empire.”
Considering the hostile energy it emitted and the things it had done, it felt far too antagonistic toward humans to be called a holy object. Even if we purified it, could it truly return to its former state and function as a Holy Relic again?
“Even if it can no longer function as a Holy Relic, it would be dangerous to leave an object like this out in the open. At the very least, we should take it to the Holy Empire and let them decide how to handle it.”
“After all the effort we put into preserving it, I hope it can regain its original form.”
“We can only hope.”
Yet the relic had absorbed such a dreadful aura for so long that it was hard to believe it had ever been a sacred object at all.
“How did you know this object was a Holy Relic? It doesn’t seem easy to identify.”
“There is an ancient tome that contains information on stolen Holy Relics. Inside it are drawings of their appearances.”
“I see. So such a thing existed.”
“Originally, they were supposed to exist as a pair. I heard the other one was destroyed during the war. There is also a set of armor that goes with this arm piece. It is part of the armor that a Saint once wore into the holy war.”
“!!”
A Saint—a being called the son of God.
“Could it be the person I’m thinking of?”
“Since you have not neglected your studies, I believe the person you are imagining is correct.”
In truth, one name had immediately come to mind when I heard about the Saint and the holy war. The great hero, Pheliance. In an age of chaos when the followers of the Evil God ran rampant, committing every immoral act imaginable to devour the world, he had brought that era to an end. He was the one who drove the heretics from the world and accomplished legendary feats. To think this Holy Relic was part of the equipment he had worn into battle. Its historical value alone was staggering.
“We absolutely must take it back.”
“We should show it to experts once we return, but—”
“I will do my best to ensure it doesn’t break.”
What had I been thinking of doing to it? Now that I understood the situation, I realized just how enormous Sister Melody’s consideration had been when she suggested reporting that it was already cracked. Until now I had simply thought of it as a Holy Relic that needed to be protected and delivered safely. I hadn’t realized the scale of what this truly was.
Thinking about it again, couldn’t we have just detached the arm for a while and reattached it later? If that’s the case, this relic might be slightly more valuable than an arm.
If I had known its true identity from the beginning, would I have been able to decide so easily to save Sister Melody’s arm? I would never let any of these thoughts show on my face.
It’s a good thing I didn’t know. If I had shown even the slightest hesitation, she would never have cooperated with the treatment.
I packed the box into my luggage with even greater care than usual, hiding it deep inside.
“A thief broke in? Wait, how could anyone get past our perimeter? That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
It was late at night. After several days of leisurely rest at our base camp, we were jolted awake in the early hours of the morning. The commotion had started because a thief had infiltrated the camp. We had suspected that carrying so much luggage might make us a target, but when it actually happened, we were thrown into confusion.
“You should check whether your own luggage is intact, Priest.”
“Did they come to my tent too?”
“They’re currently chasing the one who ran away. We’ll only know for sure once we catch the culprit.”
“Good heavens, you haven’t caught them yet?”
I couldn’t hide my disbelief at the team member’s words as I stepped back into my tent. Soon afterward, Sister Melody came running and entered as well.
“Are there any traces?”
“No. Nothing. The box is also perfectly fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
“There wouldn’t really be any reason for them to touch my luggage anyway. There are so many other things around here that would be easier to take.”
“Thieves don’t just steal randomly. Since there’s a limit to how much they can carry, they spend a long time identifying the most valuable items.”
What we alone knew was that the most valuable thing in this entire camp was the box inside this very tent. Of course, that was only if the contents had been properly purified and if the person understood the true worth of the object.
“We’ll need to be more cautious from now on.”
“I’ll go outside and check on the situation. Could you guard this place?”
Since a thief had broken in, it didn’t seem wise to leave the location of such an important item unattended.
“Yes. I’ll stay here.”
I didn’t think I would be much help even if I went outside, so I decided to wait quietly. After Sister Melody left the tent, some time passed.
Swish—!
“Shh!”
“!!!!”
“It would be better if you stayed quiet. My hands are quite fast, you know. I could slit a person’s throat before they even had time to blink.”
There had been no presence at all, yet suddenly a person appeared out of thin air. The small figure dressed in black clothing was unmistakably the thief the rest of the team was chasing.