Chapter 68
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Shadows of the Cult
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67 : The White Holy Knight (1)
Serena Etherunt, the Saintess of Abundance.
She spotted the people approaching from the opposite direction while traveling with Lian in search of the Hero.
There was a girl who looked like a noble.
And following behind her was a young man with a simple look about him.
At a glance, they looked like a young lady traveling with her attendant.
Their appearance didn't seem much different from her own as she traveled with Lian.
Serenas eyes, which had been alternating between the girl and the young man, naturally drifted to the girls belongings.
"Instead of complaining, it would be better for your health to walk a little more..."
"Hm...?"
As Serena listened to Lian, a large book entered her field of vision.
It was a luxurious-looking book bound in an antique cover.
Even from the outside, it looked to be quite an expensive item.
In the hand opposite the one clutching the book, the girl held a single gem that was vibrating and emitting a red light.
The sight of the glowing, vibrating gem was strangely familiar to Serena.
A book she had read in the temple flashed through Serena's mind as she stared at the gem.
The Dictionary of Holy Relics.
It was a dictionary written by one of the heroes who had fought in a war long ago.
A treasure of the temple, it recorded the characteristics of the Holy Relics that existed during the war.
"My lady...?"
"That gem, could it be... a Holy Relic...?"
The identity of the gem naturally slipped from Serenas lips as she recalled its name.
The gem before her eyes was undoubtedly a Holy Relic.
And considering the effect of that particular relic, the fact that it was glowing right now was quite a troublesome situation.
Having unintentionally revealed the gems identity, Serena instantly became the focus of everyones attention.
The girl holding the gem heard Serenas words, and a strange light flickered in her eyes.
Lian, who was right beside Serena, exclaimed in a flustered tone.
"Did you say that is a Holy Relic?"
"Yes."
According to Serena's memory, that item was unmistakably a Holy Relic.
Its name was Etalia's Compass.
A Holy Relic called a compass was, fittingly, specialized in finding other Holy Relics.
It had the function of guiding its user to the location of a Holy Relic they had in mind.
Although it had tricky conditions for use, it was a Holy Relic with an equally powerful performance.
"Etalia's Compass. It's a Holy Relic that finds other Holy Relics."
And what was even more important was the fact that the people before them were using Etalia's Compass.
This meant they were using it to search for Holy Relics.
As far as Serena could remember, there had been no report to Crossbridge about Etalia's Compass.
These people were illegally collecting Holy Relics without authorization from Crossbridge, the body that managed them.
"You seem to know a lot about Holy Relics."
The girl facing Serena spoke, lifting the vibrating gem.
Etalia's Compass was emitting a strong light, having detected a Holy Relic nearby.
Serena had brought a Holy Relic for her own safety, just in case.
The gem before her was reacting to the relic Serena possessed, continuously sending out vibrations.
She had been found out for carrying a Holy Relic, and she had already spoken about their relic.
It was impossible to completely deny her knowledge of Holy Relics.
Serena had no choice but to answer the girl's question.
"Well... I've studied a lot."
"Is that so?"
"What about you? Why are you searching for Holy Relics?"
After managing to give an excuse, Serena questioned the girl in return.
At her question, the girl tilted her head.
She looked as though she didn't understand why Serena was asking.
The girl glanced back and forth between the gem in her hand and Serena, then spoke.
"Why are you curious about that?"
"Possession of a Holy Relic without the permission of the six temples is illegal within the Empire."
"You speak as if you work for a temple."
"Ugh..."
Did I sound too stiff?
At the girl's question, which cast doubt on her identity, Serenas expression darkened beneath her hood.
It seemed Serena was not suited for disguises or infiltration.
She had already relied on Lian's help several times to conceal her identity from others.
Even this conversation was giving the girl room for speculation due to Serenas mistake.
As a troubled Serena wondered how to respond, the girl pressed her once more about her identity.
"Was I right, by any chance?"
"I, I'm..."
The girl already seemed convinced that Serena belonged to a temple.
Just as Serena was growing distressed by the girl's gradually increasing pressure...
Lian, who had been watching the two, stepped forward on Serena's behalf.
Flutter.
The hem of Lian's cape billowed as he stepped forward.
He stood between Serena and the girl, pulling a ring engraved with a seal from his pocket.
It was a ring given to Inquisitors dispatched from Crossbridge on external missions.
Lian showed the ring to the girl and interjected into their conversation.
"It seems we need to reveal our identities. We are Inquisitors belonging to Crossbridge."
"Inquisitors?"
"Correct. Within the Empire, by the decree of His Majesty the Emperor, possession of Holy Relics without the approval of the temples is forbidden."
"Is that how it was?"
"If you are using that Holy Relic through the proper procedures, you should present the permit issued by the temple."
The Inquisitor's seal, which he carried just in case, was proving its worth.
They had been discovered as members of a temple, but that fact alone would make it difficult to guess Serena's true identity.
He had avoided the worst and chosen the next best option.
At Lian's confident demeanor as he stepped forward for her, Serena let out a sigh of relief in her heart.
It was thanks to her faith that Lian would handle most situations.
As Lian, introducing himself as an Inquisitor, demanded a permit from the group before them, the girl smiled and clutched the gem.
"If you're Inquisitors, then you serve false gods."
"False... gods...?"
"False gods? Don't tell me you're..."
The completely unexpected words caused Lian and Serena to cry out at the same time.
False gods.
The girl before them was denying the six gods of Crossbridge.
There was only one faction on the continent that would deny the six temples.
The heretical cult that served a wicked, evil god.
Only they were beings who denied the six gods.
Shing.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Lian drew the holy sword from his waist.
"False gods, isn't that right?"
"You... you're a follower of the evil god...!"
"The only one who can be called a true god is the one who is always great."
The group before them had to be followers of the evil god.
She had thought they were mere treasure hunters searching for Holy Relics, but the situation was far more serious.
Lian, facing the girl with the book, ground his teeth.
His faith had been insulted.
And by a wicked group that served an evil god, no less.
A faint light began to emanate from the white holy sword Lian held.
"Followers of a wicked, evil god. This is something I simply cannot overlook."
Serena, behind Lian, also raised her hands and gathered her divine power.
If the opponents they faced were heretics, a confrontation was unavoidable anyway.
She intended to use holy spells to aid Lian once the battle began.
Perhaps because Lian had drawn his sword and was showing signs of agitation...
The girl spoke in a soft voice, stroking her book.
"You seem to be in a bad mood."
"Silence! You heretics!"
"It doesn't seem to be the Holy Relic we were looking for, and wasting any more time would be troublesome."
However, contrary to Lian and Serena's battle-ready stance, what came from the girl's lips was an anticlimactic statement.
She was telling them that she was giving up the fight and leaving.
Serena was taken aback by the girls words.
Lian seemed just as surprised, as he frowned and asked the girl.
"...What did you say?"
"We don't have much time, so we plan to leave for today."
"Are you saying you're going to run away in front of us?"
"I'd love to defeat you all and take the Holy Relic, but I'm quite disappointed myself."
The girl confidently declared her intention to leave.
But there was no way Lian and Serena, who were watching them, would let her go.
Lian shifted his gaze slightly to check on Serena, then blinked.
He pointed his holy sword forward and spoke to the girl.
"Do you think I'll let you go so easily?"
"You'll have to, eventually."
"What nonsense are you spouting..."
"Alpha."
The girl ignored Lian's words and stroked the black dragon on her shoulder.
The moment the black dragon responded to her touch with a soft cry...
The shadow around her began to rise.
Fwoosh!
A jet-black body emerged from the spreading darkness.
A shadowy form, shaped like the maw of a giant beast, blocked the space between the four of them.
The shadow, which had surged up in an instant, swallowed the girl and the young man who had been in front of Serena.
"Wh-what is this...!"
"Didn't I tell you? You won't be able to stop us."
Golden eyes glinted from within the darkness, staring at Serena and Lian.
It was the gaze of a predator watching its prey.
Its size was so immense it was impossible to gauge with the naked eye. Lian quickly pulled Serena into an embrace and retreated.
Of course, even as he did, the shadow beast was slowly closing its maw.
Hidden within the beast of shadow, the girl watched Lian and Serena through its parting jaws.
As the shadows closed in, the girl watching the two spoke in a soft voice.
"I hope we can meet again."
"..."
"Well then."
SLAM!
The moment the beast's mouth shut with a loud noise...
The massive darkness that had swallowed the two was sucked back into the shadows.
The shadow that had consumed the heretics simply vanished into the sunlight.
It was a sight that was hard to believe even after seeing it with one's own eyes.
For people who were standing there perfectly fine to just disappear into the shadows...
It was a mystery that not even the Archmage of the Empire could replicate.
"What in the world..."
At the girl's sudden disappearance, Lian stared blankly at the spot where the two had been.
The spreading shadow was now nowhere to be seen, and only the scorching sun remained.
Was that reality?
Or was it an illusion?
It was a situation he couldn't easily believe, even after seeing it with his own eyes.
Lian, who had been dazedly searching for any trace of the shadow, opened his mouth to speak to Serena.
"Saintess. Are you... alright?"
"Yes..."
"It seems we may need to reconsider our journey ahead."
A wicked sorcerer who wielded shadows.
The minion of the evil god that Serena and Lian had encountered was a far more powerful being than they had anticipated.
They stood there for a long time, watching the spot where the shadow had vanished.
The people who had disappeared like an illusion never reappeared.
"...They seem very dangerous."
"I think so too."
The two, who had been watching for any sign of the girl, only began to move again after Serena, clutching her cloak, complained of hunger.