The Sword on the Altar
The Sword on the Altar
A powerful light infused with mana swept through the underground plaza.
Ugh!
The mana storm was so violent that it was difficult to withstand, even by force. I, too, was swept up in it and blown backward.
Had I flown more than ten meters?
Just before I slammed into the wall, I barely managed to drive my sword into the ground and bring myself to a stop.
Ugh.
My body trembled uncontrollably.
It felt as though I'd been pummeled from head to toe.
If the mana I'd felt on the surface was like a gentle shower, moistening my body, the mana I'd just experienced was like a raging torrent blasting from a firefighter's hose.
After moving my aching body this way and that, I was finally able to sigh with relief.
There didn't seem to be anything wrong with my body.
The sword in my hand seemed a little strange, though. The Knight's Sword was exuding a peculiar aura.
'Surely, the sword isn't broken, is it...?'
I'd better return it as soon as possible.
The altar had been completely ruined, too.
I dragged my aching body toward the shattered altar.
Among its fragments, I saw a sword broken into two pieces. Its black blade had been cleanly severed.
Just in case, I examined the Knight's Sword. Fortunately, the sword in my hand was perfectly fine. There wasn't a nick or scratch on it, and the blade was clean.
The sword used by the Hero was definitely different.
To think its edge hadn't even been damaged after cutting through a relic sword overflowing with mana.
It wasn't called a treasure of the Kingdom for nothing.
I climbed over the altar, now nothing more than a pile of stones, and picked up the broken sword.
Aside from the sword split into two pieces, I couldn't see any other fragments.
When I fitted the cut ends together, they matched perfectly. These two pieces were all that remained.
Ruined like this, it would no longer have any value as a relic.
"Unless, of course, the Grand Archduchess is here."
Since the Grand Archduchess was here, there was no need to be disappointed just because it was broken.
"But can she really fix a broken sword, too?"
She'd restored a warped sword with her ability, so I couldn't help hoping she could fix this one as well.
I placed the broken sword in my relic pouch.
After stowing it, I stepped down from the altar and headed toward the stairs.
Before climbing back up, I took one last look behind me.
With the light gone, the underground plaza appeared only in black and white, even to my mana-infused eyes.
The sight of the plaza in black and white was disastrous.
It wasn't just the altar that had been destroyed. The entire underground plaza looked as though it had been swept by a hurricane.
If I hadn't unleashed mana from the Knight's Sword to deploy a shield the moment I was blown away, I might have been injured, too.
Come to think of it, the Knight's Sword, which had been giving off that strange feeling, had returned to normal.
What a relief. If something had gone wrong, returning it would have been troublesome.
Not many people would notice, but the Knight Commander might.
Now that it was perfectly fine, it was highly likely that the immense mana clash had caused a temporary anomaly.
It was fine for now, but in any case, I had to return it as soon as possible.
"Come to think of it, doesn't this sword have any special abilities?"
Even the 'Divine Sword of Pisen,' which wasn't a Hero's sword, had a defense-ignoring ability. But this sword had nothing special about it besides being the First King's weapon and a royal treasure.
A sword was just a sword. Even the training sword had an amazing function that let me fight Carlos in the mental world, but this one was merely incredibly sturdy.
"Is there some function I just don't know how to use?"
It wasn't mentioned in the First King's records, and the other kings had only used it for ceremonial purposes, so there was no way to know.
At any rate, I had a sturdy sword of my own, too. If the opportunity arose, I wanted to try clashing the two weapons against each other.
As my thoughts went that far, I shook my head to clear away the useless distractions.
It seemed like a fun idea, but now wasn't the time to think about it.
I put the dagger back in my relic pouch and climbed the stairs.
After passing the broken devices and reaching the top of the stairs, I found someone waiting for me at the entrance.
I looked up.
It was the Knight Commander.
"I didn't think you'd manage it, but here you are."
I'd spoken to the young priest, but honestly, I hadn't expected much.
Still, he seemed to have worked much harder than I'd anticipated.
It was puzzling, though, that the Knight Commander was waiting here.
I'd thought that, being the Knight Commander, he wouldn't be able to contain himself and would come down.
Had he only just arrived?
"It seems things went well. I wanted to go down, too, but it was far too narrow..."
Looking at the stairs and then at the Knight Commander's massive build, I understood what he meant.
It seemed he would barely fit inside, even if he bent his upper body.
The passage was so narrow that it looked difficult even to swing a sword.
It was only natural that he couldn't come down.
"Is everyone all right?"
"See for yourself."
The Knight Commander stepped aside.
I stepped all the way outside and looked around.
Priests and clergymen sat on the floor, treating themselves.
Those who had recovered were helping the others.
Although it was fascinating to watch them heal themselves with their abilities, they all seemed fine.
It was a scene that looked peaceful enough, yet absurd at the same time.
I sighed.
"What on earth happened...? Do you happen to know anything?"
At my question, the Knight Commander opened his mouth.
"Well..."
The Knight Commander furrowed his brow, about to say something, but then snapped instead.
"Seriously, what a pathetic contract. I'm sorry, but I don't know much either. And I can't tell you even if I did."
Had he signed a confidentiality agreement? If so, there had to be something to this.
Since I couldn't get an answer from the Knight Commander, I'd have to hear it from the young priest who'd promised to explain.
As if summoned by my thoughts, the young priest approached.
"You've worked hard."
Seeing that mana was no longer emanating from the altar, he seemed to realize I'd taken care of the matter.
"By any chance, what happened to the altar below?"
"Once the sword broke, everything shattered. The altar was destroyed, and the underground plaza became a total mess."
The priest's expression darkened.
"Was the array drawn on the ceiling ruined, too?"
I searched my memory for a moment.
I remembered. The magic-circle-like thing on the ceiling had been completely ruined, too.
"Yes."
At my words, the young priest sighed.
It was a mysterious pattern that absorbed and transmitted mana.
It must have been more important than I'd thought.
Then, as if in passing, the priest asked:
"If everything is ruined, that's a major problem. Is the broken sword still down there?"
At last, the crucial question had come.
"It was shattered into tiny pieces and scattered in all directions by the mana storm. I couldn't find any of the remains."
It was a story with a bit of exaggeration. Would he buy it?
"Ah, you used the Knight's Sword. That is indeed possible."
It worked.
I had the Knight's Sword to thank for that.
"It will take a lot of effort to restore it to its original state."
What exactly was that 'original state' supposed to achieve? I grew increasingly curious.
"Ah, that's right. I promised to explain what happened, didn't I? Please follow me."
Oh, was I finally going to hear it?
I nodded and followed him, but the Knight Commander walking alongside us didn't look very pleased.
I couldn't understand why he'd been acting that way all along.
As I followed the young priest, I spoke up.
"May I ask your name...?"
"Ah, I haven't even told you my name yet."
I, too, had thought of him as just a passing acquaintance, so I hadn't asked until now.
But after what had happened today, it didn't seem likely this would be our only encounter.
"I am Benedicto."
I repeated his name in my mind.
Priest Benedicto led me to a secluded room.
At the door, the priest spoke to the Knight Commander following us.
"Commander, please wait outside."
"...Very well."
The Knight Commander obeyed with a resigned look.
I let my gaze roam.
The atmosphere was distinctly strange.
I placed a hand on my sword and subtly released a little mana.
One, two.
Two people were waiting inside the room.
Judging by how clearly my mana sensed them, they were highly skilled individuals.
Puzzled, I looked at the Commander, but he merely gestured for me to go on in.
It didn't seem dangerous, but I couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.
Even so, it would have been awkward to back out now. In the end, I followed the priest into the room.
As soon as I stepped inside, I frowned.
A wooden table stood in the center of the empty room.
Two chairs were placed on either side of it.
Two priests with swords at their waists also guarded either side of the door I'd just entered.
Despite the medieval furniture and the priests guarding the door, no matter how I looked at it, this was an interrogation room from my past life.
My hand tightened around the hilt of my sword.
This was my first time seeing Shrine Knights.
Shrine Knights were physical awakeners who became priests to handle the temple's martial affairs.
Because they gave up their noble status to become priests, many people praised them.
But it wasn't common for someone who could succeed as a noble to become a priest, and the two Shrine Knights guarding the door didn't seem particularly strong, either.
The tension I'd wound up tightly began to ease a little.
But I still couldn't help feeling displeased.
"The room is a bit intimidating, isn't it? I apologize. This is a matter that must not be leaked to the outside... We had no choice but to find a soundproof room."
In this situation, whatever he said would only make me more suspicious.
Even so, I calmly sat down in the chair.
"It is indeed awkward to treat someone who has been of great help to the order like this... but it is the rule. I apologize."
He apologized to me once again. He seemed to be someone who apologized easily.
Afterward, the priest slid a piece of paper that had been lying nearby in front of me.
It was a document I'd seen a few times before. A contract.
"This is a contract promising not to speak to anyone else about what happened here or what I'm about to tell you."
Looking at its contents, I could understand even without an explanation. It was almost impressive how quickly they'd prepared such a thing.
"If this is leaked to the outside, it will cause great harm to the order, the Kingdom, and, furthermore, this world. I ask that you please sign this contract."
Even if the order was one thing, to say this would harm the Kingdom and the world... His exaggeration was no joke.
The contract itself didn't seem to have any issues.
It was simply a contract that would let the order know if I disclosed the secret to others.
Still, I didn't like being forced to sign a contract like this.
I decided to probe a little.
"I have no intention of telling anyone else. But I don't understand why I'm being forced to sign this kind of contract."
At my words, the priest looked troubled.
"...Come to think of it, you haven't graduated from the Academy yet, have you? This is troublesome..."
Was there something else once you graduated?
This wasn't some Matryoshka doll with another doll inside every doll, so just how many more secrets I didn't know about were going to come out...?
At this point, it was simply absurd.
"I am sorry, but... if you do not sign, you could face excommunication. And if you happen to speak of it to someone by mistake, the Purge Squad might be dispatched. I do not wish for you to face such dangers."
He spoke as if he were concerned for me, but the underlying message was close to a threat.
And the threat was quite terrifying.
The order's Purge Squad was a terrifying group, most often invoked as a bogeyman when scolding young children.
The Purge Squad was based at the main headquarters in the imperial capital, and I'd heard there was nothing they couldn't resolve once they went into action.
There were even rumors that a wicked grand lord and his territorial army, who had slaughtered all the temples, priests, and clergymen in their domain, had been completely annihilated by this Purge Squad.
There was also a rumor that a king who attempted apostasy had been surrounded by the Purge Squad and forced to hand over his throne to his son.
Right now, I couldn't afford to fight such a Purge Squad, and I also wanted to hear the explanation of what had happened.
Although I didn't like it, I signed the contract.
At that moment, the sword at my waist vibrated.
[The Knight's Sword defends its master from a mental attack. The contract has been nullified.]
At the same time, another voice echoed in my head.