Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Trial of Iron (1)
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Malta led Demian toward the workshop located within the main headquarters.
As expected of the Holy Church, renowned for its smithing, the workshop was enormous in scale.
Believers were ceaselessly carrying iron and coal, and the sound of hammering metal echoed from all directions. Flames roared up from the furnaces scattered everywhere.
It was nearly the size of a small city. It was truly fitting for a place that supported a massive organization like the Holy Church.
"Come this way!"
Malta took Demian to a secluded corner of the workshop.
"This is the site for the Trial of Iron!"
Demian looked at Malta with a face that said, What are you talking about?
There was nothing here. Except for one thing: a large iron plate embedded in the floor.
"Hmph, don't judge by appearances."
Malta gripped the sharpening hammer hanging from his waist. It was the kind used for hammering iron.
When Malta lightly struck the iron plate with the sharpening hammer, the center of the plate split open and slowly began to part.
Demian peered down below the iron plate. A vast, enormous cavity came into view.
The cavity was filled to the brim with old, rusted weapons.
"The Trial of Iron is a test devised by the Holy Church's founding ancestors upon their initial devotion."
Malta opened his mouth to explain.
"You've heard the tales that we dwarves can hear the voice of metal, right?"
Dwarves weren't famous for smithing for no reason.
They possessed innate craftsmanship, as well as special abilities that no other race had.
Hearing the voice of metal was one of them.
Of course, it didn't mean direct thoughts were audible.
It meant they could discern the purity, properties, and condition of metal.
"Our ancestors believed that a truly exceptional knight should have the sensibility to select fine metal, even if they couldn't hear its voice like we do."
Other knights would have protested that it was nonsense if they'd heard.
But it wasn't entirely baseless.
In truth, knights with outstanding talent instinctively recognized superior weapons.
It wasn't some special ability. They just went by feel.
The amusing part was how uncannily accurate that feel always proved to be.
"That cavity is piled high with weapons discarded by smiths during practice. They're all essentially scrap…… but there's exactly one weapon made of rare metal."
Demian looked down into the cavity. Everything was covered in red rust. Distinguishing by appearance seemed impossible.
"Once you enter, the internal mechanism will activate and seal the door. To reopen it, find the rare metal weapon and insert it into that groove over there."
Malta pointed to one wall, where a fairly large hole was carved into the surface.
"Then the mechanism will activate again, the door will open, and you'll pass the trial."
Demian gazed quietly at the scrap piled in the cavity and asked.
"Is there a time limit?"
"None. It's unlimited."
"Sounds easy."
"Easy? Kahahaha! That's why you young sprouts are no good."
Malta spoke with a profoundly meaningful smile.
"Over thousands of knights have challenged the Trial of Iron to claim a Hero-grade holy sword. But do you know what happened? They were trapped inside all day and eventually gave up, crawling out begging to be let free!"
Malta seemed utterly convinced that Demian wouldn't pass.
"Oh, and be careful. The bottom is full of rusted blades, so even falling could be dangerous. There was actually a guy who misplaced his foot and got a huge hole pierced through the top of his foot……"
"There it is."
Demian suddenly declared. Malta furrowed his brow.
"What are you saying? What’s where……"
"Isn't that it?"
Demian pointed to a dagger lying in the corner.
It looked just like the others, covered in red rust with a chipped blade.
But Demian could tell. That was the weapon made with the rare metal Malta had mentioned.
"……Huh?"
Malta turned to look at Demian. His large eyes shook as if struck by an earthquake.
"Wh-what……? Wh-wha……?"
A knight with exceptional talent could recognize superior weapons. That applied to Demian as well.
However, even for Demian, spotting a rare metal weapon amid that many was no easy task.
So he used a different ability.
In his previous life, there had been a Master-class fighter among his opponents called the Weapon Master.
True to his title, he wielded a variety of weapons.
The realm the Weapon Master had attained was called 'Love of Ten Thousand Weapons.'
Upon reaching Love of Ten Thousand Weapons, one could communicate with arms. And even amplify their capabilities further.
It was thanks to 'Love of Ten Thousand Weapons' that Demian had spotted the rare metal weapon so quickly.
"Wh-what are you talking about? There's no way it'd be that easy to find. Quit saying nonsense and look more carefully."
Malta spoke while breaking out in a cold sweat.
Demian sneered inwardly. He'd confirmed it with Love of Ten Thousand Weapons—there was no mistake.
"I'll go get it then."
"W-wait! Hold on! Hey!"
Demian threw himself down into the cavity. He dodged the blades and landed safely.
"Damn it! This is cheating! Cheating, I say!"
Malta bellowed from above. Demian lightly ignored the shout.
As soon as Demian dropped down, the entire cavity began to move.
The hole he'd fallen through was sealed as if covered by a hemisphere.
Pitch darkness descended. Then, a light source appeared from the ceiling, illuminating the cavity.
-Hey! How about we negotiate again right now? I'll give you the absolute best mid-grade holy sword!
Malta's frantic cry came from outside.
-If mid-grade doesn't suit you, advanced! I'll give you an advanced holy sword! So please just give up……
Demian ignored Malta's pleas and headed toward the dagger.
He gripped the dagger and approached the groove in the wall.
"Is this really the right spot to insert it?"
The dagger seemed far too small for the groove, but after a moment's hesitation, Demian placed it in.
Click.
With a meshing sound, the mechanism began to operate.
"With this, the Hero-grade holy sword is mine."
Even Demian couldn't help but covet a treasure on the level of a Hero-grade holy sword. He wore a satisfied expression, congratulating himself.
It was then.
His wrist holding the dagger grew hot, as if burned by fire.
Demian startled and looked at his wrist. The tattoo-turned Erebos was emitting black darkness.
"What the……"
Suddenly, the entire cavity shook. A harsh noise rang out, and the walls began to rotate.
"Is this part of the Trial of Iron too?"
It was possible, but his instincts shook their head no.
If it were the Trial of Iron, Erebos wouldn't have reacted.
Above all, Malta's voice from outside confirmed Demian's suspicions.
-Wh-what is this! The mechanism is malfunctioning! I've never heard of a feature like this!
Something clearly wrong was happening.
Demian immediately heightened his senses. He sharpened his five senses to prepare for any unforeseen incident.
The vibrations gradually stopped. Then, the wall directly opposite swung wide open.
There was another space inside the wall. Demian headed toward it.
As he entered, stone walls and floor came into view.
The entire space was inscribed with intricate magic circles. Demian shifted his gaze, examining them.
"Why is a place like this under the main headquarters?"
The magic circles on the walls were designed to seal and conceal whatever was inside.
They were incredibly complex and precise, as if sealing away something of utmost importance.
Suddenly, Demian's gaze halted. In a corner sat a corpse.
"That's……"
It was so ancient that the corpse had mummified. The skin and flesh were discolored, and the lips had shriveled, exposing all the teeth.
But the true reason for Demian's shock wasn't the mummy.
It was the iron shard embedded in the mummy's chest.
The shard was quite large. It even had edges on both sides, like the broken tip of a greatsword.
Seeing it, Demian murmured blankly.
"Erebos……"
A fragment of the demonic sword Erebos lay before his eyes.
* * *
Erebos.
A demonic sword of mysterious origins, its true nature unknown.
The Holy Church assigned it the highest danger rating, issuing orders to seal any fragments discovered.
In his previous life, Dorgo had spared no time or resources to restore Erebos.
He reclaimed all fragments sealed by the Holy Church and hunted down those hidden across the continent.
Even so, he had only managed to restore 70% of it.
"To think a fragment was hidden in a place like this……"
And the fragment before him was one Dorgo, to Demian's knowledge, had never found.
He was certain. After Demian had breached the headquarters, Dorgo recovered two fragments. None resembled this one.
"What in the world happened? A fragment of Erebos hidden beneath the workshop?"
Judging by Malta's reaction, the artisans on the surface probably had no idea what it was.
"……No matter how I think about it, I can't figure it out."
It was a puzzle that yielded no answers no matter how he pondered.
Demian first approached the mummy to retrieve the fragment.
Suddenly, a violent wave emanated from the fragment.
Stone shards and dust on the floor disintegrated upon contact with the wave.
It was corrosion, one of Erebos's powers.
A normal person would have lost their life just from touching the wave.
But Demian was acknowledged by Erebos itself. He was unaffected by the fragment's corrosion.
Demian reached out as he drew near the mummy and grasped the fragment embedded in its chest.
At that instant, the mummy seized Demian's wrist.