The Hidden Temple
“Then, have you ever seen the Summoner of Deception?”
Under normal circumstances, I would never have asked such a question. It risked drawing unwanted attention and could easily become dangerous. Yet in that moment, I couldn’t suppress the impulse. Even though he might recognize my face, I looked straight at him. I was curious what answer he would give.
He stared at me in silence. Just as I began to wonder if he had recognized me and started regretting the question, he suddenly shook his head.
“What, are you a fan of the Summoner of Deception too?”
His unexpected reaction left me momentarily flustered. Before I could respond, the young man who had called me over earlier suddenly raised his voice.
“It’s strange not to be interested! How can you be a summoner and have no interest in the Summoner of Deception?”
His face flushed slightly as he spoke.
“No, it’s not that I’m not interested. The Summoner of Deception was indeed at the Livanas Plains, and the summons he brought forth were impressive. But it’s just that…”
The rest of the sentence was something I already knew.
“That was all there was to it, right?”
“Yeah. That’s what I mean.”
I knew it well. During that battle, I had summoned quite a few creatures, but none as formidable as Irshagas, Neapis Naka, or Honus. I had sent ogre units and other lower-tier monsters to blunt the enemy’s charge while using gargoyles and dark elementals to engage the lich forces from the air. It had produced results, of course, but nothing spectacular enough to impress ordinary soldiers.
“But I heard he controlled dozens of summons at once and even contracted with a phoenix and other powerful beings! And that summoning speed of his!”
It had been a long time since I’d seen someone get so worked up over my exploits. Aside from the rumors surrounding Elena and the other versions of Anak, there had only been three people like this since the Great War. This made four.
“No, no, we all know the Summoner of Deception was an extraordinary summoner. He was probably on a completely different level from the likes of us. No one’s arguing that.”
His tone was flat and matter-of-fact, carrying no particular emotion. He was simply stating what he considered an obvious truth.
“Even so, the man has no heroic tales to his name. Honestly, even among the summoners who gathered at the assemblies, most people didn’t know who he was. He fought alongside the Hero and the others until the very end against the Demon King and the evil gods, so he can’t be weak. But to be honest, the Summoner of Deception feels more like a legend than an actual person.”
“……”
A brief silence of agreement settled over the group. The man who had been excited about my story looked ready to argue, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Yes. That was probably how most people felt. Even those who knew of my existence likely thought the same way. They could acknowledge in their heads that I must be strong because I was the Hero’s companion, or that I deserved respect, but it never felt real. It lacked any sense of immediacy.
Especially when compared to the overwhelming exploits and legends of Rowell and the other companions.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
I turned away. I needed to use this awkward silence. I had to go outside and make contact with Granbipra and the others. If Granbipra happened to know the location of Urshus’s temple, that would be enough. Even if he didn’t, we still needed to formulate a concrete plan for what came next.
I left the room. Fortunately, they showed no particular curiosity about my departure. The madman was still in the living room reading his book, but he seemed too absorbed to call me back for another conversation.
I walked naturally toward the door. I made no effort to look around suspiciously or act furtive. In situations like this, simply behaving naturally was enough to avoid suspicion. I had taken only two steps when I heard a door open behind me.
“Hm? Who’s there?”
I was too late. The voice was clearly directed at me.
“Ah, I’m…”
When I turned, I saw a gaunt man standing there, so emaciated he resembled a skeleton. I recognized him. He was the man I had seen standing before Kainaknus in the past through the Puppet Crow.
“Ah, Lord Olsidra. This is a new recruit who arrived a little while ago.”
“Oh, I see. Have you come early for this assembly?”
He approached with unsteady steps, as though he might collapse at any moment.
“Mm.”
He blinked his deeply sunken eyes and stared at my face before voicing his doubt.
“My apologies. I always try to remember the faces of my brethren, but I don’t recall you. Where are you from?”
“B-Borepi region.”
“Ah, yes. Recent, then. So you were one of those standing behind the robed figures at the time?”
“No. I was standing behind someone wearing a robe.”
I gave that answer on the chance he was probing me. In the worst case, there might not have been anyone wearing robes at the assembly at all, but forcing him to think twice was better than immediately swallowing whatever story he offered. If I was lucky, it might make him doubt his own memory.
“Mm, I see. There were quite a few people from the Borepi region, after all.”
Fortunately, he nodded and smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant sight given his skeletal appearance, but it was a genuine smile without suspicion.
“So you’ve come to attend this assembly as well? If you’re from the Borepi region, it hasn’t even been a month yet. Have you already completed the first task?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The first task was to taint one’s soul to a certain degree and form a contract with a summon from the darkness. I had already heard about it in the cave. The three men earlier had confirmed it as well.
“That’s impressive! At this rate, you might advance to the next stage before next month is over. Keep striving so you can reclaim the title of Dark Priest as soon as possible!”
I didn’t know what the next stage entailed, and I had no attachment to the title of Dark Priest. Still, among everyone present, I was probably the closest to actually being one.
“By the way, Lord Olsidra, where is Lord Alsh Unak…?”
“O great Urshus. Our new brother is still young, yet overflowing with enthusiasm. I understand that feeling. It was precisely that drive to gain power quickly that allowed him to complete the first task in such a short time.”
He looked at me with an expression of pride, as though moved by his own words. His grotesque appearance made it difficult to guess his age, but despite looking at least sixty, his voice suggested he was no older than forty.
‘Well, maybe it’s just his voice that sounds that way.’
“But brother, Lord Alsh Unak is at the temple. He won’t come to us until the assembly in a few days. Then he will bestow upon us the flames of Urshus. Even if you’re impatient, you must wait a little longer.”
So Alsh Unak was the one who granted the flames. However, only the most accomplished Dark Priests or high-ranking demon kin among Urshus’s followers could bestow those flames. Was the title “First Blood of Urshus” meant to indicate he was a demon?
‘But I’ve never heard the name Alsh Unak before…’
As I had thought earlier, the forbidden texts and the books of the Dark Priests recorded the names, ranks, and abilities of Urshus’s followers in great detail. Yet nowhere was the name Alsh Unak mentioned.
Of course, those records were ancient, and given the long lifespans of demons, some changes were possible. Still, a grandiose title like “First Blood” would normally belong to an ancient demon or someone close to Urshus.
“If I may ask, Lord Olsidra, have you ever been to Urshus’s temple?”
“Oh, of course. It was a truly beautiful and sacred place.”
“Do you know where it is located?”
“No one knows the location of the temple. Only Lord Alsh Unak knows. Only those who have truly reclaimed the title of Dark Priest are qualified to enter through the portal he opens. I remain here to assist the other brethren, but the others are at the temple.”
So they used a directly opened portal rather than a teleportation circle. That would explain why even those who had been there wouldn’t know the exact location.
“By the way, where were you headed just now? Didn’t the other brethren tell you which room you’d be staying in?”
“No, I was feeling a bit stifled, so I thought I’d take a walk.”
“Ah, is that so? Then be careful. If you go beyond the totem’s influence, you won’t be able to see the inside from out there, and we won’t be able to see out either, making it difficult to return.”
The totem! That was what the strange pillar outside was called.
“If you go beyond its influence, place your hand on the totem’s head. It will respond to your soul.”
“Understood.”
I gave him a light bow and stepped outside, heading toward the totem.
—Lord Anak?
Once I was some distance from the house, Granbipra’s consciousness reached out to me. Through our connected minds, I conveyed my intention to go beyond the totem. Even though I was already hidden, I needed to examine the totem more closely.
Once we left the totem’s influence, the surrounding scenery blurred. The house vanished, replaced by an ordinary forest landscape.
‘Can you still see inside, Lord Granbipra?’
When I asked through our link, Granbipra replied with evident pride.
—Of course. It’s a fairly sophisticated technique, but something like this has no effect on me.
He truly was an extraordinary being. Helping him hatch through Erill’s mistake had apparently been an enormous stroke of luck. To have such an entity as an ally…
“Then please keep watch over the inside. They say they can’t see out from within, but someone might still come out.”
—Understood.
With those words, Granbipra, Elena, and Geil appeared at a short distance.
“How did it go, Lord Anak? Did you learn anything?”
“Master—did you find out where Master is?”
I felt sorry for Geil, but I could only shake my head.
“Not yet. However, I did learn something about the one who seems to have taken Lord Kainaknus. He’s called Alsh Unak, known as the First Blood of Urshus.”
“Then where is that bastard…!”
“According to them, he’s currently at Urshus’s temple. I’m not certain, but Lord Kainaknus is probably there as well.”