Chapter 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Bipolarity (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Holy Land, Crossbridge.
Having arrived at the Temple of Knowledge, one of the six temples, Hurs Alemier was being treated as a guest of honor.
The appearance of a Hero bearing the mark was a rare event, even for the Holy Land.
Moreover, Hurs came from a prestigious imperial family with a well-established identity.
A mage Hero from a noble house that could serve as a patron was nothing short of a blessing to the Temple of Knowledge.
It was only natural that Hurs received such lavish treatment upon his arrival.
"Sir Hurs, is there anything you find uncomfortable?"
As Hurs was holed up in the temples archives, poring over a grimoire, a priest approached and spoke to him.
He was inquiring about Hurs's comfort.
By now, a pot of freshly brewed tea and snacks had been placed on Hurs's table.
At the priest's solicitous attitude, Hurs couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
As he recalled, the only other time a temple priest had shown such deference was when his family made a sizable donation.
But now that he had come to the temple bearing the Hero's mark, they were treating him with the utmost reverence.
Hurs was once again struck by the power of his new position.
"How long has it been since I entered the archives?"
"It has been five hours since you began reading, Sir Hurs."
"Five hours..."
It seemed five hours had already passed since he'd shut himself away in the archives.
The Temple of Knowledge housed many grimoires.
And most of those countless grimoires were not easily obtainable on the open market.
In effect, the archives were freely open only to Hurs, the chosen Hero of Knowledge.
It was a pleasure to browse through grimoires filled with high-level knowledge in his own private library.
But now that Hurs had been chosen as a Hero, he had other duties besides reading.
He couldn't just stay cooped up in the archives, indulging his thirst for knowledge indefinitely.
"Has my next appointment been scheduled?"
"You will be meeting the Saintess today."
"The Saintess..."
Hearing the priest, Hurs nodded and closed the book he was reading.
The Saintess, chosen by the goddess.
They were, for all intents and purposes, the most important figures in the Holy Land, second only to the Holy Emperor.
Hurs had not yet met the Saintess who served the Goddess of Knowledge.
It was the duty of the temple's Saintess to impart knowledge about the Divine Artifacts and the Hero's role.
For Hurs to truly become a Hero, meeting the Saintess was a necessity.
"Are you thinking of leaving right away?"
"Is there any reason not to? Let us go at once."
The meeting with the Saintess was an event Hurs had been eagerly anticipating.
Scrape.
Hurs rose from his seat and began to follow the priest out of the archives.
Perhaps because he had already spent several days at the Temple of Knowledge...
The temple's layout, which he passed through, was already familiar to him.
The priest guiding Hurs led him down a long corridor and up to the second floor.
"What is the Saintess like?"
"A question about the Saintess? She is an incredibly wise woman."
"And?"
"She also has a warmth that matches her great wisdom."
Wisdom gained through years.
Hearing that word, Hurs couldn't help but pause in thought.
For some reason, the word felt out of place for someone with the title of Saintess.
But seeing the priest stop in his tracks, he quickly dismissed the thought.
Before the halted priest stood an elegantly crafted door.
"Have we arrived?"
"This is the Chamber of Rituals. You will be able to meet the Saintess inside."
"You have done well. I will go in."
"I will wait outside until you emerge, Sir Hurs."
Creeak.
The heavy doors swung open, revealing the room where the Saintess awaited.
A single altar, etched with artistic patterns.
Several magnificent candelabras adorning its surroundings.
And in the center of it all, an old woman.
Hurs, who had been scanning his surroundings as soon as he entered, felt his gaze fix upon the old woman before him.
"You are..."
He had been told he would meet the Saintess, but he had no memory of being told he would be meeting an old woman.
However, the only person remaining in the Chamber of Rituals was the crone before him.
As Hurs's words trailed off, the old woman smiled brightly and answered.
"The Hero of our time has arrived. Welcome. I am Aurora, the Saintess of Knowledge."
"Saintess...?"
"The Goddess of Knowledge is fond of those who have accumulated much wisdom. It is thanks to this that I was blessed with her grace."
The old woman before Hurs was none other than the Saintess chosen by the Goddess of Knowledge.
Faced with the Saintess, Hurs couldn't hide his surprise at her unexpected appearance.
The Saintess he had imagined in his mind had been far younger.
However, considering the nature of the temple, which valued knowledge above all, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
The Saintess before him appeared more dignified and wise than anyone he had ever met.
"The Saintess... I see."
"Are you very surprised?"
"No, not at all. On further reflection, it is a decision that makes perfect sense."
At his heartfelt reply, Aurora nodded with a satisfied smile.
Just because the romantic image in Hurs's mind had been shattered didn't mean his future life in the temple was as well.
Saintess Aurora would be of great help to him during his time here.
Maintaining a respectful distance would be best for both of them.
"I see. Our new Hero. You must have many questions for me, including those about the Divine Artifact bestowed upon you."
"Of course."
"First, shall we discuss the matter you specifically requested of the priests?"
At Aurora's words, Hurs's ears perked up.
The topic she brought up was one Hurs had been eagerly awaiting.
The matter he had specifically requested of the priests.
It was about his brother, who was serving in the Holy Land.
Several days had already passed since his arrival.
In all that time, Hurs had not once been able to meet his brother, Evan.
"Evan Alemier. You were looking for the Holy Knight who works in the Temple of Honor, is that correct?"
"That is correct. He is my older brother."
Especially now that he himself had been chosen by a goddess.
He had a mountain of things he wanted to talk to Evan about.
More than anything, Hurs was curious to see Evan's reaction to him becoming a Hero.
As Hurs awaited news of Evan, Aurora picked up a nearby piece of paper.
The paper Aurora held up was a personal file on Evan, compiled by the priests who had searched the Holy Land.
"According to the information gathered by the priests, Inquisitor Evan Alemier, who serves the Goddess of Honor, is..."
"My brother is...?"
"He applied for leave some time ago and has yet to return to the Holy Land."
"What?"
Thud.
Hurs reached for a nearby candelabra to steady himself, but ended up toppling over with it.
Was it because of the eye he had lost long ago?
Or was it the shock of the news about his brother?
Either way, the current situation was difficult for Hurs to accept.
The Sentiereus region, located on the outskirts of the Empire.
There, a carriage traveling along a secluded road came to a halt.
The owner of the carriage was Shuron, the head of a moderately sized merchant company.
Shuron glared ahead, his eyes filled with irritation.
For some unknown reason, the carriage could not move forward.
"Hey! Why have you stopped the carriage!"
Shuron, his voice strained, pressed the driver.
The horses, which had been heading toward the city, stood still before a certain point.
From Shuron's perspective in the back, the situation was incomprehensible.
In response, the driver answered him.
"It-It seems something is blocking the way."
"What? Is there a rock on the road or something?"
"It's not that..."
"If not that, then what is it!"
As far as Shuron could see, there was nothing that could be an obstacle.
Yet the horses remained stubbornly still, refusing to move.
What in the world was blocking the road?
Unable to grasp the situation, Shuron got out of the carriage and approached the driver's seat.
He intended to see for himself what was wrong with the horses.
"I don't know the reason either."
"It had better not be for some trivial reason! I'll cut your next wages, I swear it!"
The driver had already gotten down and checked the horses once.
Even so, Shuron, not trusting the driver, approached the horses himself to assess the situation.
His gaze swept over the legs of the stationary horses.
There were no signs of anything caught or amiss.
The only peculiar thing was that both were pressing their heads against the empty air, snorting.
Step. Step.
Shuron moved a little further forward and reached out his hand to the spot where the horses had stopped.
Thump.
His hand, extended into the empty air, was stopped by some invisible wall.
"Wh-What is this...?"
Shuron's fingers traced the unseen barrier.
Before his eyes, a transparent wall had been erected by some unknown power.
Come to think of it, he remembered the carriage shaking quite violently when the horses had stopped.
If an invisible barrier was blocking their path, it made sense that the horses had stopped by pressing their foreheads against it.
Startled by the transparent barrier blocking the road, Shuron shouted at the driver.
"The road is blocked! Turn the carriage around!"
"Sir, to turn the carriage around..."
"I said the way forward is blocked! We have to get back somehow!"
An unknown power was obstructing the path.
Shuron guessed it was undoubtedly a magical phenomenon.
They wouldn't be able to use this road until a mage of sufficient skill dispelled the magic.
Delaying the trade was unfortunate, but the best course of action was to make a quick decision and save as much time as possible.
As Shuron, having made his decision, was giving orders to the driver, a person emerged from the nearby forest.
"The barrier created by the Apostle is certainly effective."
The one who appeared from the woods was a middle-aged man dressed in a tunic.
The man who appeared before them smiled amicably as he looked at Shuron.
The man had clearly said, "the barrier created by the Apostle."
He was obviously involved in this incident.
Hearing words he couldn't ignore, Shuron had no choice but to ask his identity.
"A barrier...? Who in the world are you!"
"Me? I am Archbishop Loan Hebriss. A faithful servant of the Great One."
"Archbishop? What is that supposed to..."
An archbishop is a religious title for one who oversees a diocese.
Shuron was already familiar with the nearby temples.
But this man named Loan was a name unknown to him.
He was, by all accounts, a suspicious individual.
As Shuron watched Loan with wary eyes, Loan slowly stepped toward him.
Then, with a dignified demeanor, he extended a hand and spoke.
"I would like to invite you to our cult. If it is not too much trouble, would you accept our invitation?"