The Ruined Temple (2)
The Ruined Temple (2)
Even though they were in the Seal Grounds, monsters didn't come rushing at them right from the start.
The forest was quiet.
Although insects were a nuisance and dense vines and trees blocked the path, they weren't enough to slow the group's pace.
Since they were awakened nobles and knights, no one was struggling with the journey yet.
"This place is different from the Seal Grounds I've heard about."
At the Grand Archduchess's casual remark, everyone smiled awkwardly.
Since the journey was easier than expected, everyone let their guard down a little.
I, on the other hand, grew even more tense.
There was no way the Seal Grounds could be this quiet.
Over the course of my many lives, I had spent quite a bit of time in the Seal Grounds.
Whenever it was this quiet, there was always a reason.
A powerful monster might be passing by, causing the others to hold their breath.
Or perhaps other monsters had fled because formidable beasts were fighting each other.
Whatever the case, something was definitely going on.
Tense, I spread my mana in all directions.
It would inevitably wear me out quickly, but at least I could detect any ambush in advance.
But neither my senses nor the mana I had spread revealed the cause.
What gave it away was my nose, sharpened to an incredible degree by mana.
As I walked through the forest, I caught an incredibly strong scent of blood.
I raised my hand to halt the group.
Then, using a prearranged hand signal, I informed them that I would scout ahead.
At the signal, Katrin and the Princess stepped forward while the two knights guarded the rear of the group.
It was the formation we had agreed on.
After confirming the change in formation, I dashed toward the source of the bloody scent.
This time, I didn't climb any trees or try to quiet my footsteps.
Though the scent of blood was overwhelming, I couldn't sense any mana or signs of life coming from that direction.
I ran swiftly and soon reached the source of the bloody smell.
It was a wide clearing, formed by monsters building their nest.
The clearing was filled with monster corpses.
As expected, nothing was alive.
I crossed the clearing, examining the dead monsters.
They were insect-like creatures covered in chitinous shells.
With scythe-like blades attached to both arms, they looked like human-sized praying mantises.
In the middle of the clearing, amid piles of shells, I spotted a different corpse and approached it.
"Gasp! What is all this?"
The Grand Archduchess's startled voice came from behind me.
'Is this the Grand Archduchess's first time seeing a monster?'
Since she had left the Duchy for the academy right after recovering from her illness, she wouldn't have had the chance to see any monsters.
Concerned, I looked over at her. Fortunately, she didn't seem afraid of them.
Even though they were corpses, there were so many of them.
Since she was fine even when faced with such a large number of monsters, she likely wouldn't be a burden in the future.
The group walked toward me, scanning the clearing and the dead monsters.
"They seem to have died not long ago. What kind of monsters could have destroyed this nest?"
At Balea's question, I pointed to the corpse in front of me.
"The one who destroyed the nest wasn't a monster, but a human—a knight."
Everyone looked puzzled by my words, but a moment later, they stood beside me, saw the corpse, and understood what I meant.
A man clad in knight's armor lay there with his hands clasped together.
Judging by the long, deep gash on the man, he had clearly been killed by the mantis-like monsters.
Unless the corpse had moved on its own to assume that pose, he must have had companions who came with him.
I didn't know how many there had been, but considering they had wiped out a nest of this size, their skills must have been formidable.
While I looked around, estimating the strength of the group that had departed, the Princess and the Grand Archduchess checked the crest engraved on the armor.
The two of them recognized the crest immediately.
"Why is the Order here...?"
At their words, I checked the crest as well.
Just as they had said, the plate armor bore the crest of the Order.
'For a Shrine Knight to be here...'
If it was a knight bearing the temple's crest, he could only be a Shrine Knight.
Yet it was hard to understand why a Shrine Knight would be lying dead in a place like this.
If it were an ordinary priest or cleric, they might have come along with adventurers or another expedition team.
But Shrine Knights were individuals who handled only the Temple's affairs. They weren't people you would normally see in the Seal Grounds.
In that case, they must have been here on the Order's business...
What business did the Order have in the Seal Grounds?
Slowly, worry began to creep in.
But in the Seal Grounds, one couldn't afford to worry for long.
Finally, the monsters began to appear.
Screech!
Along with a sound like metal scraping, multiple traces of mana registered on my senses.
They were all mutated mana. Monsters.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! We have monsters!"
Thanks to the sound, everyone quickly fell into formation.
With the Grand Archduchess and Balea in the rear, the knights and the physical enhancement ability users stepped forward.
Everyone stared tensely at the forest beyond the clearing.
The bizarre shrieks drew closer and closer.
Aaah. Aaah.
Eventually, the shrieks sounded right in front of them, and the monsters revealed themselves.
The monsters emerging from the forest resembled praying mantises. They looked just like the corpses scattered on the ground.
They were identical in appearance, but larger. The newly arrived monsters seemed to be the ones that gathered food outside the nest.
Upon seeing us, the monsters let out bizarre shrieks.
"I think they've misunderstood."
It was just as the Grand Archduchess said.
The monsters returning to the nest seemed to think we were the ones who had killed the others.
It was a huge misunderstanding, but it didn't matter. I channeled mana into my sword.
"Even if they hadn't misunderstood, the outcome would be the same."
They were opponents we had to fight anyway.
Knight Axel had plenty to complain about when it came to the task he'd been assigned this time.
He had almost cursed when he first heard that he was to escort the Princess and the Grand Archduchess.
On top of that, being told he had to wander around the Seal Grounds separately from the other students had made him throw up his hands in defeat.
If he were the academy president or some other high-ranking official, he would never have agreed to such a thing.
Although the highly skilled Professor Katrin was going with them, and the student Alex—whom he had admired after seeing him last year—was also on the team, that wasn't enough.
Except for Alex, they were all worrisome students.
Princess Aisha was far too young. Even though she belonged to the Knight Faculty, she was barely eleven years old.
Her height didn't even reach his chest.
He had been impressed last year when he saw her defeat monsters despite her small stature, but that wasn't enough to justify her wandering around separately like this.
He also couldn't comprehend what the Grand Archduchess was thinking by coming to the Seal Grounds.
Hearing that her ability was merely analyzing artifacts had left him dumbfounded.
It wasn't an offensive ability, nor was it one that could protect her own body.
Yet she had actually thought of coming to the Seal Grounds. He thought she must have a death wish.
As for the remaining pretty female student, although he had seen her fight well last year, there was no telling how much help she would actually be.
And now, with the monsters swarming in, he could only stare blankly at the students.
As the monsters rushed forward, the first to move was the Grand Archduchess.
As she stretched out her hand, a translucent barrier unfolded around the group.
It wasn't just a single layer.
Two, then three layers of mana walls unfolded, blocking the charging monsters.
Thud, thud.
The monsters that crashed against the mana walls and tumbled to the ground couldn't get back up.
That was because the corpses lying on the ground moved on their own, wrapping around and pinning down the fallen monsters.
Before anyone knew it, Balea had activated her ability.
It seemed even monsters could feel fear. Enveloped by the corpses, they shrieked and writhed.
As they rolled on the ground, the Princess stepped forward and stabbed them with her sword.
Even as blood splattered and the monsters struggled, the Princess's expression didn't even flicker.
Katrin also assisted the Princess, and the knights, who had been staring blankly at the students, joined in to help clear out the monsters.
Although Knight Miro suffered a wound from a blade swung by one of the monsters, it wasn't a serious injury.
While all the monsters that appeared in the clearing were being struck down, Alex was nowhere to be seen.
The moment the battle began, after checking on the group, he had leapt into the forest.
And after slaying the last monster, Alex returned.
He was holding a sword drenched in monster blood.
When I returned after wiping out all the monsters in the forest, the vanguard of monsters had all become corpses.
I had figured they would easily hold their own, but looking at the aftermath of the battle, everyone had grown stronger than I expected.
It seemed Balea was now capable of using her Domain even while on the move.
If she could do this much without staying in one place for long, I couldn't even fathom what she could achieve if she actually took her time.
The Princess, too, was now pulling her weight as a proper knight.
She was truly growing stronger at a rapid pace.
If she were to properly utilize her hidden 'Mana Resonance,' it seemed there would be no one in the Knight Faculty who could defeat her, except for me.
Lastly, the artifacts possessed by the Grand Archduchess were practically cheat items.
They made my ring, which I had bought for a hefty sum, look like an ordinary trinket.
After defeating the monsters, the knights' attitude changed.
Until then, the knights had been following behind with gloomy expressions, but after the battle, their faces brightened, and they moved proactively.
Perhaps because of that, the group was able to make their way through the forest without much difficulty.
It was actually because I was leading them along the borders of the monsters' territories, but I had no intention of showing off.
That evening, after discovering a small cave beneath a hill, we decided to stay there for the night.
As lodging supplies and food poured out of my backpack, the knights stared at my bag with dumbfounded expressions.
It seemed a far greater quantity had emerged than they had ever imagined.
That night, everyone was able to rest comfortably.
It was thanks to a delicious meal and comfortable sleeping arrangements that hardly seemed suited to the Seal Grounds.
The alarm artifact set up by the Grand Archduchess also remained quiet throughout the night.
The next day, we woke up refreshed and set off once again.
And before the sun set, we were able to reach our destination.
A valley filled with trees.
In its center, a half-ruined building awaited us.
It was a structure built during the era of the Old Empire.
"Is it a temple?"
I could tell at a glance.
Although many parts had collapsed, you could tell what the building was just by looking at what remained.
"The shape is different, though?"
When I said that, the Princess tilted her head.
It was understandable that she would find it strange.
This ruin did not resemble the temples in the capital.
In fact, it didn't resemble any temple on the continent.
But I could recognize it.
From the ruins, I could sense the temples, churches, cathedrals, and shrines I had seen in my past life.
From the architectural style and the broken fragments to the scattered murals.
Every single bit of it was praising a god.
Though it wasn't a temple of the Order, this building was indeed a temple dedicated to serving a god.
To verify, I pulled my sword out of my backpack.
There was no need to even flip the switch.
Hum.
Looking at the building, the sword hummed.