Chapter 318: The Choice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 318: The Choice
"I'll try..."
Pure white light flowed from Liya’s fingertips, gradually seeping into the bronze gate. Faint patterns emerged on the surface, humming softly in rhythm with her breathing.
"That’s incredible..."
Muen, who had only asked on a whim, couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
"You even know how to crack mechanical locks? As expected of you, Liya."
"No... I just happened to read about it in a book... and I'm only trying. I'm not sure if it will work."
The white light flickered slightly as Liya’s expression turned bashful, but she quickly regained her focus, concentrating on the gate before her.
The array engraved on the door was exceptionally complex. Just as the fragments of text they had translated earlier suggested, the people who left this gate behind did not want the traces of their civilization to be buried forever in the dust.
However, they certainly didn't want their legacy to be trampled upon by just anyone.
Thus, this door was the first trial.
The phrase "crisis and opportunity coexist" was merely a meaningless warning until one possessed the qualification to open this door.
The incompetent would naturally be unable to grasp such a fortune.
But...
As the cracking process progressed, Liya’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Her forehead was already covered in a fine sheen of sweat, but her fingers moved with increasing agility.
The white light sank into the door, spreading along the complex lines bit by bit. The knowledge she had tirelessly accumulated over the years transformed into the most precise guidance; even when she occasionally lost her way, she quickly found the right path again.
It was like solving a series of interlocking puzzles. Every breakthrough and every confirmation filled her heart with a sense of joy.
Finally...
Click.
With the clear sound of a shifting mechanism, dust that had been settled by time billowed up. The bronze gate swung open with a heavy rumble, revealing a deep, pitch-black passage behind it.
"I... I did it."
Liya was stunned for a moment before snapping out of her deep concentration. She reflexively grabbed Muen’s hand and said excitedly, "Muen, look! I... I actually did it!"
"Yeah."
Muen nodded, his smile as bright as the morning sun.
"I saw it all. You worked hard. See? I told you, Liya, you’re amazing."
"I..."
Liya started to say something, but she suddenly realized that taking the initiative to hold Muen’s hand was a bit too intimate. She let go as if she’d been electrocuted, but Muen kept a firm grip on her wrist. A blush expertly climbed up her lovely face as she muttered in a low voice, "Tha... thank you."
Her heart was racing—whether from the joy of surpassing herself or from something else, she didn't know.
"Then, we should head in now, right?"
To dispel the strange emotion, Liya turned her gaze toward the impenetrable darkness behind the bronze gate, changing the subject.
"It feels... so dark."
A peculiar power seemed to drift behind the gate. Neither their senses nor the light emanating from Muen’s palm could penetrate it. It was like the maw of an abyss, inspiring an instinctive dread.
Yet, Liya felt a sense of relief.
The opening of these ruins meant they could finally shake off their pursuers for good.
No matter how terrifying those outlaws were or how miraculous their methods, they couldn't possibly track her and Muen deep into these ruins.
Moreover, ruins like this often had more than one exit. Perhaps they could leave the forest directly through another way out.
As for the "crisis" mentioned in the text... it was common knowledge that ancient ruins were dangerous.
But... as long as she felt the warmth on her wrist, Liya felt, quite miraculously, that the danger wasn't all that frightening.
How strange. This feeling has been appearing more and more frequently lately. What exactly is it?
...Whatever. If I don't understand it, I won't think about it. I'll look into it later.
Liya habitually filed the question away in the "unsolved" section of her mind, planning to study it properly after they safely escaped.
"Muen?"
However, just as Liya steeled her resolve and prepared to step forward, she realized the owner of the hand gripping her wrist remained motionless.
"What’s wrong?"
Liya turned back in confusion.
"Shouldn't we hurry? It’ll be bad if those guys catch up."
"..."
Muen remained silent. The glimmer in his hand flickered, casting shifting shadows across half his face.
He was still deep in thought.
His gaze swept over the darkness behind the door, his brow furrowing and relaxing intermittently. He suddenly looked back at a point behind them, his lips moving soundlessly as if he were calculating something.
After a long while.
Muen finally turned back.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them. It was as if he had made a difficult decision; his deep, lake-blue eyes now held the steadiness of a rock.
"Forget it," he said. "We’re not going in."
"Eh?" Liya froze. "Why?"
"Because going in isn't a good choice."
"Not... a good choice?" Liya was even more bewildered. "But—"
"I know what you're thinking, Liya," Muen interrupted. "Entering this gate would indeed make it very easy to lose our pursuers and escape our predicament. We might even leave the forest through another exit. But there is one problem with all of that."
"Wh... what problem?"
"Time," Muen said gravely. "The ruins are an unknown. We don't know how long it will take to pass through them. Judging by how difficult it was for you to crack that gate just now, it won't be a short amount of time."
"Well, of course. It’s normal for a ruin exploration to take months. But compared to being hunted by those dangerous people, a few months is just—"
Liya’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked at Muen in confusion.
To reject such a good option... could it be... could it be that this guy hates being with me?
At that thought, Liya’s mouth immediately pouted in resentment.
Staying for a few days is fine, but you'd hate it after a few months? If you dare say that, I'll... I'll bite you to death!
"Sigh... a few months isn't the problem, of course."
But Muen didn't say that. He only sighed and looked at Liya with a hint of helplessness.
"But, Student Liya, have you forgotten something?"
"Forgotten what?" Liya tilted her head.
"Forgotten..." Muen paused, looking at her as he enunciated every word: "The—Pay—Homage—to—the—Sage—Ceremony."
"..."
In the heavy silence, Liya felt her heart skip a beat, nearly stopping.
Right.
How could she have forgotten?
The most important goal of her journey. The festival that would determine the next Saintess.
The Pay Homage to the Sage Ceremony.
That was right. If she chose to walk through this gate now, there was a massive possibility... no, it was a near certainty that she would miss the ceremony scheduled for the near future.
She wasn't the only Saintess Candidate, and they wouldn't wait for her.
Therefore, failing to show up... meant failure. Total failure.
Over ten years of tireless effort toward that goal would vanish like a bubble.
But...
But...
Liya looked at the darkness behind the door, then turned to look at the distance behind Muen.
She lowered her head, recalling the previous battle, those terrifying thugs, and the injuries Muen had clearly sustained even though he said nothing.
She thought, and thought, and thought again. Then, her eyes, which had been like a misty morning fog, gradually cleared amidst her wavering.
Finally, she looked up and stared at Muen. Her eyes lacked their usual luster, but her expression was equally firm.
"It... it’s okay."
"As long as it helps us escape safely."
"It’s just a small thing. I don't mind. That’s right, I don't mind. I don't mind at all..."
"...Is that so?"
Muen stared back at Liya, sighing inwardly again.
What do you mean, you don't mind?
If you really didn't mind, why would your body tremble with every word, as if you'd been struck by lightning?
"But I mind."
"Eh?"
"I said... I mind," Muen said with absolute seriousness. "Because I got screwed over by a certain loli old woman, I need to get to the Holy City as fast as possible. I absolutely cannot afford to waste a few months!"
"Is... is that so?"
Liya widened her eyes, trying to find a trace of a lie on Muen’s face.
But with the flickering light and shadows, she couldn't see clearly at all.
"Also, I told you, didn't I?" Muen said suddenly.
"Hm?"
"I will definitely get you to the Holy City safely. If that happens months late, how can I call that a success?"
"B-but..."
"No buts. Besides..." Muen added in a joking tone, "I’ve placed a huge bet on you, Liya. I was thinking that if you turned out to be some hidden Saintess Candidate, I’d hit the jackpot. But if you can't even attend the ceremony, my plan goes up in smoke. A gambler will risk everything for their stake!"
"..."
Liya’s heart trembled again. Through the faint light, she cautiously studied Muen’s expression.
Did he... really discover my identity?
No, her identity was a top secret even within the Church. Even as a Duke’s son, there was no way he could have found out.
Which meant the reason he said that was actually because...
"Idiot," the girl muttered under her breath. "How could someone like me be the Saintess?"
"I think you're a lot like one. You're cute, kind-hearted, and you know so much. If I were the one appointing the Saintess, I’d definitely pick you," Muen laughed.
"..."
A faint Holy Light drifted from the girl whose heart was in turmoil, eventually merging with the light in Muen’s palm. It illuminated the surroundings with exceptional clarity and made the girl’s eyes shine once more.
Brilliantly bright.
Muen glanced at her in confusion but didn't dwell on it. "Alright, let's close the door. Sorry for making you go through the trouble of opening it."
"...Okay."
Liya reached out.
However, just as her fingers were about to touch the gate, she hesitated once more. "Is it really okay? Even setting aside everything else, the items inside an ancient ruin... even if you are a Duke’s son, Muen..."
"True. Even as a Duke’s son, I’d be envious of the things inside an ancient ruin."
After all, these were the treasures left behind by a civilization at its peak. Who could say they wouldn't be tempted?
But...
Muen sighed softly. "Unfortunately, I'm not the protagonist."
"Eh? Protagonist?"
Liya didn't quite understand what Muen meant.
But Muen didn't explain. He simply watched the gate slowly close, looking as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
That’s right. He wasn't the protagonist.
He was just the yellow-haired villain in the story.
So, he should leave these "heaven-sent" opportunities meant for the protagonist to the protagonist.
As for him...
Muen raised the hand that was still holding Liya’s wrist and smiled.
"All I want to do is hold onto what's right in front of me."