Chapter 53
“…So then, what do you intend to do now, Young Master?”
Unlike the upper floors, the corridor was pitch-dark with no torches lit.
From the ceiling above, the reddish glow of flames flickered down, accompanied by the constant squeaking sounds.
Only after some time had passed did Hector fully compose himself, and then, gazing at Eric who was silently waiting, he finally spoke.
“I already told you, didn’t I? We have to capture the culprit behind all this. Ah—of course, we’ll also retrieve the item that Sir Gregorius desires.”
Eric answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, then lifted a torch from the wall and lit it.
Fwoosh—
“To do that, we need to track down the culprit quickly before those flames die out. We’ve been setting fires behind us so the rats can’t chase us, but if the stairs collapse, then even if we catch the culprit, we won’t have any way out later.”
Now that Hector had regained his composure, he could calm the soldiers who kept nervously glancing back at the way out. There was no longer any reason to linger here.
Thanks to the oil-soaked cloth, the flames would not die out so quickly, but… searching through this vast temple would still take time.
“…The way you speak, it sounds as if we’ll have to go down to the lower levels.”
“Did it sound that way to you? Well, at times like these, isn’t it natural to always assume the worst-case scenario? You’ve been a commander long enough, Sir Hector—you know that better than anyone.”
At Hector’s wary tone, Eric only shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
By now, it would be strange if Hector hadn’t noticed. From his reaction back on the hilltop, it was clear he had realized that the one who released the plague inside the citadel was somehow tied to the very item they were after.
And from the way Hector’s eyes lingered on him now, Eric could tell: Hector suspected that Eric, who had acted with suspicious confidence from the beginning—spotting the plague’s mastermind and moving without hesitation—was hiding something.
“Lady Malefica.”
“Yes, Hero.”
Eric, smiling faintly as if amused, turned to Malefica instead of giving any further explanation.
“Do you sense anything unusual? Like you did upstairs?”
There was no need to explain away suspicions point by point. The priority was to eliminate the plague’s culprit—somewhere beneath this temple—and to retrieve the relic Gregorius wanted.
As for Hector’s concerns, removing the source of the plague mattered more than Eric’s secrets. Whatever suspicions he had about Eric wouldn’t matter much, so long as they didn’t threaten him directly.
“Well… I do feel something odd….”
Malefica blinked blankly for a moment at Eric’s question, but quickly caught on to his intent and nodded.
“Yes. From down below, I can sense a strange presence.”
“That’s right! I’ve been feeling strong magical energy rising from below too!”
Lillian, pointing down the stairs with conviction, backed Malefica’s words. Eric then looked at Hector, as if to ask, Well?
“…Mage?”
“I can’t say how strong it is, but… it is similar to the energy I sensed from the familiar earlier. It’s faint, but yes—it’s coming from below.”
Confirming it, Hector turned to the old mage at his side. Seeing him nod as well, Hector closed his eyes firmly.
“…We move out!”
At his command, the panicked soldiers quickly regained their order.
“Priestess, forgive me for asking—but may I ask you to take the lead?”
Looking over the newly organized formation, Hector turned to Malefica, clearly hoping her skills would once again prevent disaster as they had upstairs.
“Mm. I don’t mind….”
Malefica hesitated, then glanced at Eric with a troubled look.
“If it helps keep the soldiers safe, then let her lead,” Eric said calmly.
He had intended for her to take that role anyway. Malefica’s glance was less about seeking permission, and more about reinforcing his standing before the others. There was no reason to refuse.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Hector bowed gratefully, while Eric let Malefica step forward to guide the group, himself taking up position at the rear of the procession as they headed downstairs.
“Sir Gregorius. Earlier, I noticed you seemed quite familiar with the temple’s layout. Do you know of anything else? Any traps, perhaps?”
Watching the soldiers carefully descend with torches, Eric asked the old man beside him.
“…What do you take this temple for? If there had been traps here, I would have told you long ago.”
Gregorius gave him an incredulous look. Even during the Great War, this northern parish represented the Goddess’s faith. How could a sacred temple contain traps?
“Then what about hidden chambers?”
“Hidden chambers? Hm… yes, there were some. But it’s been so long, I hardly remember where.”
Rummaging through hazy memories, Gregorius admitted he recalled one or two at best. Back then, he had only been a bishop, not yet a cardinal overseeing an entire parish.
“That’s good enough. If you happen to remember later, let me know. It’s possible the culprit might be hiding in one of those chambers.”
Eric nodded in satisfaction. He already knew the locations of the hidden rooms in this abandoned parish, but mentioning it now would make it less suspicious when he later “found” one.
“Hidden chambers? Oh! That sounds just like exploring ancient ruins! Exciting!”
“Heh. Ancient ruins… I suppose, looking at this place now, that description isn’t so far off.”
Lillian’s sparkling eyes at the mention of hidden rooms drew a faint smile from Gregorius, who glanced around at the torch-lit stairway below.
Bones of animals gnawed down to nothing.
Sticky, unknown mucus clinging to walls and floors.
Rot stench rising from mold spreading in corners.
It was hard to believe this ruin had once bustled with priests.
“…Wait.”
“Everyone, halt!”
After some cautious progress, they reached the end of a corridor and entered a wide sanctuary. Malefica suddenly stopped them, staring at something on the doorway.
“These marks on the door… I’ve seen something like them before….”
She tilted her head, studying the blackened stains on the wood—like soot. But then, her expression shifted.
“…Be on guard!”
SCREEEEECH!
Her urgent cry was immediately drowned by a horrific shriek that shook the sanctuary.
“Argh! My… my head!”
“Ughhh…!”
The sound pierced like needles stabbing their brains.
Rumble—
Squeak! Squeak-squeak!
Even Hector and the knights clutched their heads in agony, while outside, swarms of rats began pouring in with the noise.
“…Tch….”
<Banshee (Priestess)>
Level: 20
Strength [1]
Agility [5]
Vitality [1]
Magic [70]
Trait: <Ghost>
Through gritted teeth, Eric spotted the faint, floating form in the air.
A Banshee—the resentful spirit of a woman who had died unjustly, her grudge amplified into a monster.
“Cure!”
At Gregorius’s command, a warm light enveloped them, easing the crushing pain in an instant.
“Haah… haah….”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes… my head’s still ringing a little, but I’ll manage.”
The sacred power cloaking Eric’s body would protect him from the banshee for now, but outside, the rats were closing in fast.
“…How did they all end up like this…?”
SHAAA—!
While Eric rushed to bar the sanctuary doors, Gregorius gazed at the banshee with a sorrowful voice.
Slash!
“Sir Gregorius!” Eric shouted, slashing rats aside while the mage prepared fire magic. He had noticed the old man’s hesitation toward the banshee.
“For their sake… please let them rest.”
Eric understood his reluctance—clearly, he recognized who this banshee once was. But they could not leave her to linger. Her curse was already eroding his holy power.
“…Forgive me. I’m sorry. I promise… your grievance will be avenged.”
At last, Gregorius pressed his palms together in prayer. Brilliant light radiated from his hands, and the banshee dissolved like snow.
“Hector.”
“Ah, Young Master.”
Not long after, Eric closed the sanctuary doors with the old mage’s help. Hector, having finished off the last of the rats that slipped inside, turned to him.
“How’s the situation?”
“A few wounded, but thanks to the Priestess’s swift cures, nothing too serious. And also…”
Hector trailed off, glancing toward Leona.
While everyone else was writhing from the banshee’s wail, she had gritted her teeth till her lips bled, staying conscious and cutting down rats by the dozen. Without her, the casualties could have been horrific.
“Sir Gregorius. About what we spoke of earlier…?”
As the soldiers rested with weary faces, Eric approached Gregorius, who was staring up at the statue of the Goddess.
“…Hm? Earlier? Ah! Yes, that.”
The old man’s eyes lit with recollection. He rose and shuffled toward the altar.
“Let me see… if I recall, there should be a passage to the underground around here….”
Climbing up the platform, he pressed around the Goddess’s statue.
“Yes, if you just turn this slightly…”
Clank—click—
The statue shifted, gears locking in place.
Rumble—
With a deep grinding sound, a staircase revealed itself beneath the statue.
“…So it’s here, after all.”
Eric peered down into the pitch-dark stairway, the torchlight barely illuminating the eerie descent.
“Yes. This must be the way.”
