100. A non-living knight carries a heavy burden of sorrow.
100.
The cave road was longer than expected. The cave road, made of stones piled up in the form of bricks, was rough and monotonous. However, the path was grand enough to overwhelm those two characteristics, the extremes of simplicity. Ecilia muttered, raising her head and waist as high as when looking at the pillar.
“The glowing stones up there, are they operated by magical powers?”
Hearing that, Zerpied shook his head.
“Those are just stones with the characteristic of luminescence. It is precious because it emits light in its natural state even if it is not associated with magical power.”
She was about to nod, but Celia felt a strange gaze and stopped her movement. When she turned her head in the direction she felt her gaze, Ferien and Frey Gitte were looking at them with strange expressions as well. The two of them took the words one by one and spoke as if they were singing a roundabout song.
“How come you seem to know more about the places in my hometown than I do… …. It’s the first ore I’ve ever seen…….”
“If this is the case, it wouldn’t have been better to go alone than to have me or Perien guide me…” … ?”
Looking at the two elves talking like a sigh, Zerfied felt embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. In effect, the positions of the guide and the guide were reversed. Before he could open his mouth, a sigh escaped Ferien’s mouth. This time it was not a sigh, but a real sigh.
“Now I am tired of asking questions. Take the lead, knight and priestess. You seem to know better than we do.”
Esilia, who heard that, showed a slightly stiff expression.
“…… Miss Ferien, Mr. Freight. I’m saying this one more time, but just dying…….”
“Ah – ! I can’t hear, I can’t hear!”
Having said that, Ferien plugged her long ears and hopped off on legs as long as her ears. However, due to the nature of her elf, it seemed rather ridiculous that her long ears were not fully covered. To say that it doesn’t sound like that is nonsense.
I told her to lead the way, but seeing that she was the one leading the way, her fiancée, Frigate, giggled and followed her fiancee. Before following her, the frigate muttered as she looked at the saintess and death knight.
“If you want to dry up, you better catch up quickly, right? My fiancee is very stubborn.”
After saying that, he immediately ran forward, teasing his long legs. Zerfied had to sigh. What Frigate said was so easy to infer. She wouldn’t say that a woman who waited for a fiancé for three years without breaking up wasn’t stubborn.
–
Ferien ran out of her tunnel and had to stop her movement and close her eyes tightly. It’s because something she’s hard to see in Lauren is clouding her vision. Frigate, who was about to ask her why she suddenly stopped, also had no choice but to copy her fiancée’s behavior. The two elves, who felt the visual tinnitus for a moment, opened their eyes again at the sound of a clear voice.
“Wowaaaaa!”
The two elves who opened their eyes had to close them slightly again. It was ‘light’ that made it impossible to open my eyes properly. The light that was hard to see in Lauren, the dark confinement, made the two elves feel dazed. It wasn’t just because of the light.
At the end of the cave road was a huge grassy field, and in the middle was a similarly huge quadrangular pyramid-shaped structure. The structure, piled up one by one with dark stones, was huge enough to resemble a mountain. And the light was streaming out of the structure. It was piled up with thick, dark stones, and it was very clear why the light was pouring out.
Golden.
Brilliant gold was plated on the outer surface of some of the stones. The two elves, who had been watching blankly, were finally able to see the entire structure through their eyes adapted to the light. The structure was made in the form of a platform, not simply piled up stones.
In addition, gold was not simply plated. They formed certain patterns against the background of the structure itself. It was the first pattern I had ever seen in my life, so I didn’t know what it meant, but just looking at the patterns engraved against the background of the huge structure was overwhelming. It was not enough to express that he adorned himself with grandeur.
The gaze that followed the light flowing from the patterns reached the structure itself. And could see Stairs constructed in the middle of each of the four sides of a structure.
The structure was also made in a similar form to the stairs, but in the middle, two rows were drawn in a vertical form, not horizontal stones, unlike other parts, perhaps to distinguish it intentionally. Even with all the vertical stones being plated. And between the rows, there were neatly stacked stones that anyone can see can only be defined as stairs.
Only one word came to mind when I saw that.
Altar.
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A shape reminiscent of an altar at a glance, even to two elves who are not priests. The elves eventually had to shut up again. They were busy trying to find words to describe this small mountain-like structure as a single altar.
Isn’t the bondi altar enshrined inside the temple? I feel dizzy.
“Three people! Look at this! This!”
The clear voice saved the spirits of the elves who were drowning in dizziness. Only then did the two elves see the surroundings, not the structure. All around was a half-open meadow. Unlike other places in Lauren, which were filled with dense trees, sunlight slid in sparsely empty areas and drenched the world.
Not only that. Hearing the gurgling sound coming from somewhere, Frigate and Ferien turned their heads there. A small stream flowed gently across the land. It was a stream that was clear enough to look at. In this Laurent, where the only water was a thick-flowing river, a lake, or a musty swamp, the gliding brook was even refreshing.
But it wasn’t just that that made the saintess admire. The saintess stood in front of a large stone statue and couldn’t keep her mouth shut. The stone statue was not one. It was located in several places on the grass.
There were also several stones engraved with unique patterns that we saw earlier. All of them were either broken or tilted at an angle. And most were entangled in vines. The same was true of the stone statue, and the reason why it was recognizable as a stone statue was because it was half destroyed and the rest of it had the characteristics of a stone statue.
Looking more closely, I could see not only stone statues and huge stones, but also traces of collapsed buildings. Unlike the stone statue, even if it was half-destroyed, all the key parts that could infer its role had disappeared, making it difficult to know exactly where it was.
These, too, were entangled in vines, making them even more difficult to recognize. I only found out now, but the huge altar was also entwined with vines. It was just that I couldn’t see it because it was so big.
“Wowaaaaa … !!”
The saintess of innocence jumped up and down in front of the stone statue, admiring her elongation. Even though she was half-destroyed, she seemed to be amazed by the stone statue that was twice her height.
“What kind of statue is this?”
Of course, the two elves could not answer the question while tilting their heads. As it was natural now, they glanced at the Death Knight. The death knight’s low voice flowed from above the saintess.
“Well, it’s hard to recognize exactly because it’s half-destroyed, but judging from the way the lower body is depicted, I guess it’s Lukast, the Demon God of Lightning.”
“A demon of lightning? Did you drink anything like that?”
Freygit, who was staring blankly at the statue, turned his head around at the Death Knight’s words and asked a question. Death Knight shook his head slowly.
“To be precise, ‘it was.’ It is a demon that has now died. That too a long time ago.”
“It’s been a while… Before?”
The saintess lifted her head and, although not as much as her stone statue, she saw the Death Knight far above her. Unfortunately, that was where the tree was located. Exactly what expression Zerfied was making was hidden by the shadows.
“Yes. During the Holy Demon War. A dead demon.”
After those words, the Death Knight slowly moved her steps. Esilia followed the figure with her eyes without realizing it. Suddenly, a memory emerged from the other side of my consciousness.
‘The demon king who directly caused the Holy Demon War, the great devil who fought against the holy knights blessed by the seven holy spirits, the witch who destroyed mountains and caused tidal waves, and the dragon who burned a continent, all life in the world was annihilated. Even the necromancer I tried to order, everyone is afraid of death.’
This is what the knight said in the past at Mount Ethelbeyer. I don’t know why this word came to my mind just now. But one thing was made clear.
‘The Holy Demon War.’
Esilia chewed the word in her mind. The Holy Demon War, it was obviously a great war between the Holy Ghosts and the Demon Gods. As it is a very old story of the , When the gods directly walked the earth with their bodies, there was not much specific content in the book, but I was aware of it to some extent. Most of the gods die starting from the Holy Demon War, and the surviving gods also disappear and retreat to various parts of the world.
The saintess once again thought of her first words spoken by the Death Knight.
‘The demon king who directly caused the Holy Demon War.’
Obviously the driver said so. That would mean that they signed a contract with the demon king and acted together. It was a name that even the demon king and saintess knew. When I was looking for information about the knight, I remembered seeing it in a forbidden book. The leader of the Demon Gods during the Holy Demon War. Even though I couldn’t figure out his name, the word demon king remained in my memory.
The saintess suddenly realized why she had this thought.
It was because they were similar. When I met the rogue boats who were called knights in the Eastern Continent. That day when it rained.
The same sadness as back then lay on the Death Knight’s back.
Another familiarity passed through her mind. An island where Mr. Freight and I stopped by to procure food. Even on that island, the knight had a similar feeling. I didn’t know for sure at the time, but looking back, I knew.
The saintess of innocence licked her lips, then she asked. Really, can I tell you? Am I just a contractor like the others? Even I’m just a saint, not an outstanding person like a demon king, witch, or great devil? Ecilia bit her lip as if it were mashing. She blinked her eyes once.
Death Knight’s back was wide and hard,
It looked heavy.
The saintess who was about to reach out her hand flinched and took it back. Will she be able to handle it? That heavy? I’m just being protected by the knight, can I lighten that heaviness?
Because of that, the saintess had to ask with her eyes.
‘What happened, knight, why are you carrying such a heavy sorrow?’
Something happened before you met me, no.
‘When he was alive, something happened.’
– Again…….
The sound of the flowing stream seems to be cold. Maybe it’s because this place, unlike other places, is about half open, so the stuffy feeling is gone.
The saintess, who had been buried with her eyes for a long time, had to run hastily at the sound of Ferien and Frigitt calling.
The sound of footsteps gently echoed in my ears. Excluding the Death Knight, the three walked to the huge altar and looked around.
“What can I say… ….”
“This place is like… ….”
“…… It looks like a city.”
It was an impression that the three people gave in turn. To be precise, it looked like a ruin in the form of a city. It’s because the altar was surprisingly intact, but most of the structures were decorated with vines or half-destroyed. At least those with original shape were completely engulfed by vines.
The three of them were able to look around at their leisure. The distance to the altar was quite long. It was just that it was hard to sense because of the size of the altar. The closer they got, the more overwhelmed the two elves hung out their tongues. Most of the top of the altar was entwined with vines extending from the bottom. I thought I could see why the top of such a huge structure couldn’t be seen properly.
The two did not know whether to admire the plant’s wondrous life or the altar that continued to consolidate its grandeur. Ferien, who had been staring at her top, questioned her saintess, who was looking at her surroundings as blankly as herself.
“…… Gemini, aren’t you a priest?”
“Huh? Yes? Uh yes Is that right?”
“Then why do you act like you are seeing it for the first time? It won’t be the first time you’ve seen the temple. Ah, is it because it is a temple of demons?”
“Ah, that’s true, but something like this… I saw the temple for the first time…. A temple in the form of an altar, nothing else…. The cathedral, which is a chronic warfare, was not created like this. The altar is not very distinctive, but rather, the prayer room was made to scale.”
The questions of the three were immediately resolved.
“Because that is also the temple of the Demon God. Remember when I said that what I drink takes more than the Holy Ghost and gives more?”
The voice of the Death Knight who was walking in front of her flowed in a low voice. The three nodded their heads eagerly.
“Due to the nature of taking a lot, most of the demon shrines place special emphasis on the altar. Besides, there is nothing to say here since it is Manmajeon. That is why the shape of the temple is like an altar. It’s also actually an altar.”
As I listened to the explanation, they arrived in front of the main building of Manmajeon before I knew it. A shadow unique to a gigantic structure is cast low over the heads of the four people. Tension flickered across the faces of the two elves, who didn’t know where they were until then. I was intoxicated by the strange sights and the silence, but this was a full battle.
The Death Knight stared at them quietly. I didn’t ask any more. However, the meaning was clearly revealed in the gaze. If you want to go back, it means to go back now. The two elves laughed and shook their heads. With a sigh, the Death Knight moved her steps again.
Not long after, the two elves were overcome by a powerful urge to return.
“Fuck, it’s so damn high.”
“Hey, Freight! There’s even a clerical lady!”
“Ahaha… …. I’m OK… ….”
However, Ecilia’s expression did not look very comfortable when she said that. The same was true of Ferien, and in particular, Frigate had an expression on the verge of dying. The entrance to Manmajeon was located in the middle of the structure. That meant they had to climb steep stairs.
Although Esilia was able to endure it because she had lived in a place like Mount Ethelvire, this similar act of rock climbing brought considerable pain to the two elves who did not have such a life.
“Wow, wow… ! Damn…… Barely… It’s all up… !!”
Gearko Perien’s mouth also fell out of moderation. As the Death Knight supported Esilia, who was breathing heavily, she looked at the two and shook her head slightly.
The main entrance of Manmajeon was covered with gold. The dazzling sight made Frigate somewhat forget the pain of having his leg snatched. He gasped and approached the entrance. Perien also moved to her fiancé’s side at a sight that was hard to see.
“Wow… ….”
And the two elves and the saint had to exclaim at the same time. The entrance was all made of gold, even to the inside. Although, only the front part of the interior was plated, and the rest was made of dark stone, there was a golden part in the middle that gave it a sparkling shine. The gold seemed to play the role of the glowstone seen at the beginning. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut at the shocking sight.
Then the Death Knight opened her mouth.
“Be careful. I don’t know what might be inside.”
Frigitt nodded his head. He slowly and carefully stroked a piece of gold that acted as a glowstone.
“Don’t worry. ‘Cause I know where I am Anyway, is this really gold? That’s amazing…….”
It was then.
-Rumble!
The gold that Frigit was stroking went inside, making a strange sound.
“… ….”
“… ….”
“… ….”
“No, that’s too much, fuck.”