648 – 8. Testament (22)
The cave was pulsating with blood.
I couldn’t figure out the exact coordinates because I moved several times with teleportation magic. I’m just guessing that I’m walking deep underground.
The reason was simple. Because the high expert’s developed intellect was saying that.
No matter how wide the detection range was, there was no sign of life. Perhaps, it may be a place that has been renovated from an ancient cavity where there was nothing.
It was an unknown problem to me. How they discovered these places, and for what purpose they were renovated.
One thing was clear. Whoever built this hiding place is extremely reluctant to reveal its location.
There were dozens of small transfer positions that came into sight right away. It seemed to be used to circulate the atmosphere, which made it very difficult to detect the ‘real’ wind flow.
Because wind in an enclosed space meant ‘exit’.
It was a place where you had to put so much effort into hiding. Didn’t even I stand here with one of the few qualifications on the continent?
In front of my eyes, the devil’s seed was showing off its presence.
‘Relics of the Seven Sins’.
The bloody orb found in the Hastur family’s gold mine had dyed the area its own color before anyone knew it. The magic circuits that stretched out like blood vessels periodically scattered ominous light.
As if the relic located in the center was the heart.
Even with empty words, it was not a pleasant sight. Under the blood-colored sphere, water droplets resembling that vivid color fell down, all the more.
Tap, pop.
The liquid that forms a small puddle, the bright crimson lighting that hurts the eyes, and the oddly sticky atmosphere.
It was unpleasant, to the point of dizziness. Of course, I wasn’t the only one with these sentiments.
“Hmph, no matter how seeds are, monster seeds are different.”
It was a swordsmith’s impression.
It was a cynical tone, but there was a vague wariness in it. Without saying a word, I glanced at the faces of the swordsman and others in the audience.
Today was the day Celine’s visit was predicted.
Perhaps she is aiming for this ‘relic’ with a high probability. Therefore, it was a natural course for the representatives of the countries who agreed to manage the ‘relic’ to hold a meeting.
Somehow, this ‘Seed of the Seven Sins’ had to be taken away.
Thanks to that, there was a face I saw for the first time today. Siene, the representative of the Empire, and Patriarch Aindel, the representative of the Holy Kingdom, were already old friends, but only the copper-skinned young man was new to him.
As soon as the eyes of the swordsman and I met, the young man lowered his head in anger.
“It is an honor to meet the swordsman, the renowned protector of the empire and the best swordsman on the continent. In addition, Sir Lee Ahn, who is the morning star who drives out the darkness and who proved his shining honor in the holy city of Ciendel…….”
“Stop, stop.”
Of course, the long greeting did not end safely.
The swordsman was a person who hated ostentation. Moreover, there was no time left for us to waste, so the southern youth had to shrink his neck with a nervous look on his face.
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing dry saliva clearly revealed his feelings. Even so, the swordsman didn’t seem to care at all.
Only bruises in a crude tone continue.
“That was useless. It seems like it’s the first time we’ve met, so let’s introduce ourselves.”
“No, of course. Combining Swordsman… My name is Hoyan Kushan. He is also one of the five delegates dispatched by the ‘Round Table’ of the Southern Ten Kingdoms.”
It’s called ‘Hoyan Kushan’.
It wasn’t a tone you would hear often. Perhaps the same was true of the swordsman, as soon as he heard Hoyan’s name, he immediately figured out where he was from.
“Hoyan Kushan? You must be from the Daeva Kingdom.”
“Yes, it is…” As you know, there are many countries belonging to the ‘Round Table’ of the Southern Ten Kingdoms.”
The leadership of the Southern Ten Kingdoms, the ‘Round Table’.
There belonged the monarchs of the five kingdoms that ruled the south. It is said that the leaders of each country gather and exercise the right to vote whenever important matters in the southern kingdoms are decided.
It was a council created to deal with vampires in the distant past. It was a disaster that was difficult to deal with with the power of one country, so in front of the supreme task of ‘survival’, it would have had no choice but to unite regardless of interests.
But this too was a story from hundreds of years ago.
Right now, rumors spread that the sense of solidarity between the ten southern kingdoms had faded considerably. Maybe it’s because the era of peace lasted too long.
The only consolation was the fact that the ‘Great Witch’, who could be called the pivot, was alive. As long as there are Masters in the Empire and Holy Kingdom, the Southern Ten Kingdoms will not be able to give up on the Archwitch.
My impression was that it was over.
The swordsman also didn’t seem to have a different opinion from me, but unlike us, the rulers seemed to still have questions.
“Why did you come alone?”
“Yes?”
Senior Siene’s point, which is straight ahead.
Hoyan, who was stiff in the middle of it, did not understand the intention for a moment. As the young man’s head tilted, Siene-senpai’s questioning became even more fierce.
“You said there are five representatives of the Southern Ten Kingdoms. But on such an important day as today, only one representative came out?”
“Well, that… ….”
Then, the young man’s gaze slightly turned to the side.
Anyone could see that he was reluctant to answer. However, behind Shiene-senpai was me and the swordsman, and Hoyan was not bold enough to ignore the authority of the two of us.
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In the end, a voice mixed with a sigh escaped from the young man’s lips.
“Actually, communication with the rest of the representatives was not going well. It’s unclear what each of them is thinking. I’m going around and guarding this place…….”
“It is not your job to protect the artifact.”
Hoyan couldn’t answer Siene’s sharp question. He just scratched his head and gave him a puzzled look.
It was clearly a look of bewilderment. Could it be because the tone of interrogating him was sharper than expected?
For me, I could understand Siene-senpai’s position. It is not possible to know just how far the Dark Church has penetrated. The representatives of the coalition, which could not even properly unify their opinions, could not help but be suspicious.
Because there might be a traitor among those five.
Of course, Hoyan wasn’t blind enough to not know this. The bronzed young man’s eyes, which had been smiling awkwardly for a while, soon hardened. As if the weak writer he had shown before was a lie.
The young man’s voice that followed was as flawless as his gaze.
“You are right. However, are we not entrusted with a sacred duty to our respective lords? I don’t think it’s a sin to do your best to do your job. The five of us are the most trusted subjects of the monarchs of each kingdom, so we just want to repay that expectation.”
It was a lengthy explanation, but what I wanted to say was only one sentence.
‘Don’t doubt us.’
This meant that further questioning could be a diplomatic rudeness. It was tantamount to questioning the authority of the monarchs of the Southern Ten Kingdoms.
However, Siene-senpai was not an easy opponent that could be defeated with a single boast. Or rather, after half his face was burned, the senior’s nerves were getting sharper day by day.
“Indeed, that is correct. However, I wonder why those who valued his duty so much were absent today…… !”
“Calm down, sister.”
Crying, another objection flows out and then stops.
The person who dissuaded Siene senior was Patriarch Eindel. The old priest, who uttered a particularly calm tone, even drew the sign of the cross on his chest.
It was the appearance of a benevolent priest who would soothe the child without fail.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to deal with minor issues after today? If I had to come and argue now, it would be a waste of time… Rather, there are other questions this old man wants to ask.”
Soon, the old man’s blue eyes turned to me.
It was right after that that Siene-senpai shut her mouth tightly. As the attention of her audience turned to me, the woman sent her questioning, young eyes to me instead of objecting.
Doubts they may have, well.
Actually, it was obvious.
“Brother, are you all right?”
It was a voice brimming with deep suspicion.
In fact, the swordsmith and the Eindel Patriarch deserved it. Because they both knew my body better than rags. However, among the gazes directed at me now, there were those of Shiene-senpai and Hoyan Kushan.
In other words, I am such a mess that even those who don’t know anything worry about my condition.
I let out a light sigh and recalled the mirror I had faced in the morning. The image formed there is a deformed man with a pale face and tired eyes.
It was so shabby that it was hard to believe that it was one of the few articles on the continent.
But I also had something to say.
“It’s okay. A short-term battle is possible.”
“A kid.”
“Believe me.”
Whoops.
The swordsman tightly closed his eyes at my repeated assertions. Even so, on the way to this place, I had been persuading myself for a long time.