Hope (2)
Seeing her unable to hide her joyful heart, I could tell just how much Princess Reciel had missed Princess Canaby. The face of Princess Reciel, who had always tried so hard to appear mature, softened into that of a child the moment she thought of Canaby. As the forced adult demeanor fell away and her natural self emerged, my own heart eased as well.
Children should be allowed to grow up as children.
I hoped Princess Canaby would return soon and become a steadfast support for the girl who had lost her guardian and fallen into melancholy.
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“This item is recorded in the Holy Empire’s official texts. It was said to have vanished without a trace, so I never expected to find it here.”
“Yes, it’s such a famous object that I recognized it the instant I saw it.”
There was good reason for its fame. Tales of this item had been turned into children’s storybooks still widely read today.
It teaches a moral to kids. Do bad things and you’ll be cursed. And even then, the gods grant one final chance.
The item, said to contain an Angel’s Feather as a material, possessed abilities specialized against curses. Nothing could have been more fitting for Princess Canaby, who was afflicted by one.
The reason it was never recognized as a Holy Relic was because its creator was a well-known figure. Holy Relics must contain power specially bestowed by the gods. This had been crafted by a Cardinal of the past, not granted by the divine. Still, without the gods’ permission, such a thing could never have been made, so it might as well be considered one…
But the stubborn old guard refused to acknowledge anything made by human hands as a Holy Relic.
The argument that designating a human-made object as a Holy Relic would diminish the value of the true relics had caused such an uproar that nothing could be done. Since then, even items close to Holy Relic grade had been denied recognition.
Personally, I thought it was a bad custom, but the decision had already been made by our predecessors and passed down, leaving us no choice.
Because it was only Holy Relic-grade and not an actual relic, it was abused quite often.
Holy Relics could not be used for personal gain, but Holy Relic-grade items could be wielded for selfish ends by anyone with sufficient power. Perhaps that was exactly why they were never granted official status.
“What do you think about requesting this as the next support item from the Holy Empire?”
“…I’m not sure.”
I couldn’t readily say the Holy Empire would hand it over. Even if it wasn’t officially a Holy Relic, it was of equivalent grade. Whether they would comply with a request to release it as support material remained uncertain.
It isn’t the kind of item used frequently…
There was at least some justification. Since Prince Loras might have colluded with a demon, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to argue that possessing a Holy Relic-grade item in advance would be prudent.
“They might accept, or they might refuse. Some within the Holy Empire dislike the idea of leaving such an item outside their direct control for too long.”
“That’s why I called only you here in secret. I feel the same. I don’t want to lose the chance to save my sister by relying on something uncertain.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“If my sister awakens safely from the curse, I can return this to the Holy Empire without hesitation. You know I would.”
“……”
If Princess Canaby woke unharmed, Princess Reciel would have no reason to cling to the item.
“Could you turn a blind eye, just for that time?”
“First, thank you for trusting me. You could have hidden this item’s existence from me and used it on Princess Canaby yourself, yet you didn’t. That must have been to honor your trust in me.”
Princess Reciel could certainly have concealed the item from me. I could not betray the trust she had shown.
“Since you are the one who will return something precious to the Holy Empire, there should be appropriate compensation. I doubt the gods would be angered by a brief loan.”
After all, they taught us to cherish and protect the weak.
“Furthermore, once Princess Canaby awakens, she will surely lend her hand in capturing the demon. That would benefit the Holy Empire as well.”
Princess Reciel’s anxious expression gradually relaxed, and soon a bright smile bloomed across her face.
“It must have been a difficult decision, yet you agreed so readily. Thank you.”
“It will clearly benefit the Holy Empire as well.”
If this had been something that would cause great harm to the Holy Empire, I could never have said so easily that she should proceed. But the Holy Empire stood to lose nothing from this matter. On the contrary, the return of Princess Canaby in exchange for a short delay in receiving the item was a tremendous gain.
Prince Loras would not have schemed so many times to kill Princess Canaby without reason. She was simply that much of a threat to him.
“By the way, where did you obtain this?”
My resolve only grew firmer. At the same time, I became curious about the place where such a near-Holy Relic had appeared. While we were secretly searching for Holy Relics, I couldn’t simply overlook the origin of this item.
“I was going to suggest we visit that location anyway. This was found in a space filled with corpses.”
“Corpses? There are corpses here?”
“More precisely, coffins. A mass grave would be the simplest way to describe it.”
A mass grave inside the Labyrinth? I couldn’t picture it.
“Could we check it right away?”
“Of course. You may look as much as you like.”
Once our business with Princess Reciel was finished, I called for Melody and headed toward the place where the corpses were said to be.
“The fact that the bodies are still preserved is strange enough, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
I had already told Melody about the perfectly preserved corpses and suggested we go see them. When I mentioned they might be connected to a Holy Relic, she had followed without a word of complaint.
“This is it.”
The entrance itself felt ominous. The passage leading underground was filled from the start with a chilling cold that made the body shiver. Though torches had been lit to brighten the dark entrance, their warmth seemed powerless against the cold.
“You’ve arrived.”
“You’re working hard. Are you stationed here the whole time?”
“Yes. Since what’s inside are corpses, I was told something bad might suddenly appear.”
With an atmosphere like this from the very entrance, it wouldn’t have been strange for an undead to burst out. Thinking the leader’s foresight was remarkable, I stepped inside.
Beyond the entrance, a staircase descending underground came into view. After descending some distance, another entrance appeared.
“It’s getting eerie the farther we go.”
It seemed the divine power of the temple didn’t reach this far. A pity. If this truly was a mass grave, the influence of divine power would have been a great help. At the very least, those buried here might have rested in peace.
“They really are coffins.”
Upon reaching the bottom, what met our eyes were countless coffins. Three hundred years ago, countless heroes had died to seal the Labyrinth. Until now, we had only known of their sacrifice; we had no idea what kind of funeral rites had been performed afterward. It was only a guess, but perhaps this place was a tomb meant to honor their deaths.
“How could anyone simply call this place a forward base? That conclusion feels far too simplistic.”
The mass grave, arranged with reverence and sanctity, was an overwhelming sight that took one’s breath away just to behold. Melody drew a holy sign before speaking.
“We cannot leave them inside the Labyrinth. They must be brought outside and given proper funeral rites.”
“Of course. How lonely and bitter they must have felt. Unable to return to their homelands, left behind in the Labyrinth—they must have been terribly lonely.”
The world still did not feel the crisis even after the Labyrinth had opened. At least the Holy Empire, having once received a divine oracle commanding them to block the Labyrinth, seemed not to have completely neglected the matter. Other nations, however, tended to view the Labyrinth merely as a source of profit.
This could not continue. The atmosphere had to change.
“Until now, people have seen the Labyrinth only as a way to make money, not as a threat to the world that must be conquered. If this continues, I can already imagine people saying it would be absurd to seal the Labyrinth just because it makes money.”
Even our own team members thought only of earning money inside the Labyrinth; none of them considered sacrificing themselves to save the world.
“I’m sorry to the deceased, but I can’t help hoping their presence might instill a sense of crisis in the world.”
Would anyone truly remain unmoved after seeing this sight? I suspected that even those who had come and gone from this place in the past had never felt at ease.
“And I think a Requiem Service will be necessary.”
“A Requiem Service?”
Three hundred years had passed, so the mass grave itself probably wouldn’t exert any negative influence on people. But whether it did or not wasn’t the point. What mattered was soothing their souls, offering comfort for their long hardships, and sending them back to the homelands they had longed for.
“I don’t know if my meager abilities will be enough to comfort those resting here. Still, they deserve to be treated properly before they depart.”
I should have discovered this place first. The fact that an item from here had already been taken meant someone else had reached it before us. Since the space had been left untouched for so long, it probably wouldn’t cause major harm. So whoever touched it first wouldn’t be cursed immediately. But after today’s events, something unfortunate might still happen—if we failed to soothe their souls.
“Did those who slept here truly rest in peace?”
Melody shook her head. Trapped inside the Labyrinth instead of their homelands, how deep must their resentment run? If they had wandered the mortal realm all this time, unable to return to the gods’ embrace, then a Requiem Service was the first thing that came to mind.
“We must hold the Requiem Service before we can move them.”