Chapter 137
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: The Sacred Relic Arrives
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Coldly assessing her, I had no idea where the limits of her growth might lie, but purely in terms of raw power, she had long surpassed ordinary archangels. Even among elite archangels, she was on a level that was hard to measure.
Her healing abilities only made it more impressive.
But when it came to whether she ranked among the truly transcendent—great archangels—that was a bit ambiguous.
I silently stroked the head of the girl sleeping soundly beside me, and in her drowsiness, she pulled my arm close.
That was when I felt it.
A presence approaching.
Swish.
I rose lightly and snapped my fingers, conjuring a faint orb of light.
As I stepped out of the room, the old butler was waiting for me.
"Young Master Leon, I apologize for disturbing you so late."
"What is it?"
"The Family Head requests your presence urgently."
At this hour? What could he be doing without sleeping?
As my eyes narrowed, he spoke as if he'd anticipated it.
"The Family Head said to inform you that High Priest Nabel is en route here with the sacred relic."
"Got it. I'll head there now."
The building I was staying in wasn't as vast as the main estate, so the distance from my door to the entrance was short.
Creeeak...
"Leon, who's there?"
She approached me sleepily, wrapped in bedsheets, rubbing her eyes, and looked up at me.
I let out a short breath as I met her half-lidded gaze.
"They say we can go retrieve them now."
My parents. And our youngest sibling.
Melissa stared at me intently with an utterly serious expression as she waited in her seat.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Nothing complicated. With the sacred relic, we just go in, check, and come back out."
"Searching underwater is incredibly difficult..."
"It is. If you're relying on the naked eye."
The advantage of the Machine God's Heart was its ability to gather all information within a certain radius.
And with its overwhelming power, nothing could interfere with that collection.
"We take the relic into the forbidden zone, scan it, retrieve what we find, and leave. That's it."
At long last, I could bring my parents' and youngest sibling's remains back to our homeland.
"What's the plan?"
"We'll get help from the mermaids to reach the site. Then use the relic to enter the seafloor."
Melissa closed her eyes at my response.
"Just what kind of place is this forbidden zone that even you say it's impossible right now?"
"No idea."
"Huh? No idea? Then why say it's impossible?"
"Because we don't know. The unknown is more dangerous than any strong enemy. You know what happens when ignorance leads to disaster—Verner, the Academy."
"Ah..."
She nodded in understanding, having heard some details from Professor Rommel.
"There are all sorts of bizarre phenomena reported too. Sticking your head into the unknown without care just leads to headaches."
I couldn't afford to handle this carelessly.
"Family Head, High Priest Nabel sends word that she'll come straight to the estate."
She could've used a teleport gate, but to avoid prying eyes, she was coming by griffon.
"It says she'll arrive at the territory first and visit tomorrow, but neither of us plans to wait that long, right?"
"Exactly."
With the table between us, Luna, Melissa, and I sat across from each other, arms folded, staring one another down.
"You look sleepy. Why not rest more?"
When Luna yawned silently, Melissa lightly tossed her a coffee-flavored cookie. Luna parted her lips just enough to catch it midair and chewed contentedly.
About thirty minutes later,
a gust of wind announced the arrival of a griffon descending toward the estate.
One was a paladin I'd never seen before, the other the familiar saintess, Nadia Ten Lilibel.
The current alias: Nabel.
Wow, Cerberus.
"Wow... Cerberus."
Melissa muttered blankly beside me.
"Siblings think alike."
"Ugh, that's creepy."
Melissa shook her head vigorously and stepped out of the estate.
She offered a deep bow to Nadia, who approached with graceful steps.
Even cloaked, her presence was commanding.
"Welcome, Priest Nabel."
"It's an honor, Count Cascadia. I apologize for visiting so late."
"Not at all. We made the request, so if anything, we're the ones who should apologize."
"I have urgent matters to discuss. May we speak inside?"
"Of course. Please, come in."
She whispered something to the paladin before quietly following us into the estate.
The moment we entered the drawing room, she let out a sigh.
"What on earth is going on that even a high priest like Nabel would come so discreetly?"
I asked as I guided her to a seat.
"To explain that... first..."
She glanced at the paladin trailing behind.
"Sir, could you stand guard outside?"
"As you command."
Did she even realize how deferential even most high priests were to paladins? It made me question if she was really trying to hide her identity.
Melissa had doubted my account later, but facing her now, it all made sense.
"Truth is, negotiations with the Haell tribe went south. The Holy Kingdom is assembling a subjugation force, while the Haell are rallying their warriors, sharpening weapons, stockpiling supplies, and training."
At this rate, the minority barbarian Haell tribe would go to war with the Holy Kingdom.
One might ask why the Holy Kingdom oppresses other races, but whether in my past life or here, it was much the same.
The Holy Kingdom was no different. In the end, it was all human territory.
And from the looks of it, the Holy Kingdom was deeply divided internally.
"Sounds like things are chaotic in the Holy Kingdom."
"How did you...?"
"Otherwise, Priest Nabel wouldn't risk coming here secretly with the relic."
"That's..."
"Honestly, I figured it'd take months—minimum a year—to even get the relic. Even we outsiders know how much red tape there is for exporting one."
Yet she'd brought it in such record time? Only one explanation.
The Holy Kingdom was too embroiled in internal chaos to handle the Haell situation properly.
She fell silent, at a loss for words.
"Whatever turmoil grips the Holy Kingdom isn't our concern, really. Just one question, Priest Nabel."
She straightened up at my words, her robe straining against her pronounced presence.
"Yes, speak freely."
"Even if we borrow this, there won't be any repercussions?"
They could use it as an excuse to cause trouble later.
She paused before nodding.
"None. I stake my name on it."
She reached into her bosom and produced a small jewelry box.
Inside was a delicate ring.
"Oh... by the gods. Is that even possible?"
Melissa muttered under her breath.
'Is that the real thing?'
I asked the librarian.
[Confirmed. It is definitely a sacred relic.]
Good enough. Luna nodded too, so cross-verification confirmed.
"We've upheld our promise to provide the relic, so if Young Master would..."
"When do you plan to depart for the Haell tribe?"
"Pardon? Oh... Soon. I'll visit to set up the teleport gate, but you'll need materials for that..."
"Finding it will take a day or two at most, and we have the materials. Don't worry—we'll assist as soon as the time comes."
Her eyes widened at my reply.
"Even searching a small lake takes a month. Even with expert mermaids, the ocean floor could take months to years..."
"Normal searches, sure. But don't worry—my 'day or two' includes travel time."
The actual scan wouldn't take long.
I wasn't even expecting bodies.
Corpses in water often left no bones after a month.
So we were just hoping for personal effects they carried—durable items unlikely to vanish easily.
Even those might be gone.
Our chances of recovering anything were slim.
"I can accompany you, but... retrieving anything from the sea is truly daunting."
"We have to try. Even if the odds are zero."
Just grasping at straws.
Crash!!!
A small, frail girl was hurled into the dusty attic like discarded trash.
She looked no older than eleven.
Her gray hair was matted with caked blood and unkempt, frizzy from neglect. Her skin was covered in bruises and scars.
Her sky-blue eyes, dulled and vacant, had lost focus—one completely blind.
Blood trickled from her lips, where several teeth were broken or missing.
It was a horrific sight for any child, let alone an eleven-year-old girl.
"No food or water until tomorrow! Got it?!"
A venomous shout echoed through the space.
"Understood, Young Lady."
"You ungrateful wretch. We saved you from drifting in from the sea, and you can't even do your job? If that mute freak resists again, beat her mercilessly!!"
Bang!!
The door slammed shut, leaving the little girl abandoned in the dark storeroom. With a hollow expression, she struggled to move her lips.
Then, desperately, she crawled to the back room.
Amid the clutter, she wiped her bloodied hands and painstakingly scribbled on a scrap of paper.
Not words—a cute drawing.
With a vacant face, she mechanically repeated the sketch over and over.
She stared blankly at it before collapsing. A rat emerged from the shadows, glowing faintly, sniffing her over before gently taking the paper in its mouth.
Soon, a soft light emanated from the girl too.
The hallmark of a beast tamer—but her innate talent was extraordinary, almost instinctual.
Remarkably, the rat seemed to understand her intent, slipping out through a tiny gap with the note.
Blood-mingled tears fell, one, two drops.
From her unconscious lips came a sleep-talk whisper.
"Big... brother... Sister..."