CHAPTER 83……………………………………………
I arrived at the entrance of the Sanctuary of Healing with Cassius.
The empty sanctuary was dark, as there was no one to light even a single fire. Still, the large moon hung in the sky, and the stars were so numerous that it wasn’t completely pitch black.
I lifted my head and looked at the sanctuary bathed in moonlight.
The columns that had been in disarray were now all upright, and the broken floor tiles had been neatly restored.
“It’s incredibly clean now. It feels like the temple has been rebuilt.”
“It’s old, but its framework is strong. Since that saves time, I paid attention to the exterior as well.”
Indeed, seeing that it hadn’t collapsed even when Jurgen had been smashing through the walls to escape the underground labyrinth, it was clearly sturdy from the start.
Cassius, who had tightly secured the reins, reached into a bag tied to the saddle and pulled something out.
“The underground will be very dark. Take this lamp. It’s heavy.”
I took the object he handed me; it was heavier than a normal lamp. Its shape was slightly different from the glass lamps I was used to.
Curious, I examined it more closely. As I leaned in, he came closer and lit the lamp.
Instantly, the surroundings lit up as if a massive campfire had been set ablaze.
“This is amazing! I can see so far clearly!”
“It’s a specially made lamp used in war. It’s built strong, so it won’t break from most shocks, and the light covers a wide area.”
“……”
“I would’ve liked to give you a fire-element holy stone too, but underground, all divine power is blocked, so it would be useless.”
He had already tidied up the sanctuary and accompanied me here, and even prepared a special lamp for me. Yet, Cassius still looked slightly unsatisfied.
I felt truly lucky. I had met someone who thought of me this much.
“More than anything, Your Grace, your coming along is a great help.”
He slowly relaxed the tight line of his lips, worried though he was.
“If Sonia is okay with it, I would like to accompany you to the entrance of the test site.”
“Were you really going to let me go alone?”
He chuckled softly in response to my playful tone.
“Of course, I intended to escort you properly. May I hold your hand?”
“Sure.”
Just as I reached to take his hand, I hesitated.
Wrapped in black gloves, his hands were large, with protruding knuckles.
I spread my hand and placed it against his palm. My fingers didn’t even reach halfway across.
“Your hands are really big, Your Grace.”
“Do you like them?”
“Yes.”
His fingers intertwined with mine. They held on firmly, as if not wanting to let go, and I raised my head.
It felt as though heat radiated from Cassius’ crimson eyes.
“What else do you like about me?”
“Your voice.”
“……”
“Please call me by my name, Your Grace.”
“Yes, Sonia.”
The low, pleasant tone made my heart flutter.
He looked down at me, smiling with his eyes.
“Your cheeks have turned red.”
Feeling a flush, I probably looked like a bright red from my cheeks to my fingertips. I buried my face into his arm, not wanting to show it.
“Don’t I usually call your name often? You should be used to it by now.”
“This is different. You’ve never called me while looking at me like that.”
“What do you mean by my look?”
“……It’s scary. I feel like you might devour me.”
“That’s strange. I always look at you like this.”
Indeed, his gaze had been intense from the very first meeting.
At first, it was frightening, like a frog before a snake, but now it was frightening in a different way.
“If you keep luring me like this, you never know what might happen to you.”
He chuckled, amused.
“I’m serious.”
Truly!
He bent slightly and kissed the back of my hand.
The heat from him seemed to spread over the back of my hand.
Pulling back his lips from where they had pressed deeply, he whispered:
“Honestly, I’m curious what Sonia will do. I look forward to it.”
Seeing him so composed made me think I really had to surprise him properly.
Before long, we reached the entrance of the final awakening test site.
The cold underground entrance, devoid of human warmth, looked chilling even from a distance.
If I had come alone, I would never have dared to enter. But with Cassius accompanying me, I stepped forward with courage.
As we entered—crackle!
A sharp sound rang out as blue lights flickered violently.
Sensing something unusual, Cassius instinctively moved in front of me.
“Sonia! Behind me.”
There wasn’t just one light orb, yet there was a strangely familiar feeling.
The blue lights, undulating like smoke, began to take human forms.
‘Ah, right, this is the haunted house!’
I knew there were ghosts, but there were far more than I expected.
I grabbed Cassius’ cloak and observed them.
The ghosts, dressed in priest robes, glared at Cassius and wagged their fingers.
─You think we wouldn’t recognize you in disguise!
─I’ve warned you countless times, yet you still don’t learn. Get out of here at once!
─The sanctuary is no place for you to step foot in.
Cassius, having let his guard down, sighed deeply, clearly annoyed.
“Ghosts, huh.”
He seemed familiar with the situation, as if he had faced this several times before.
Stepping forward, Cassius spoke in a cold, warning voice.
“You are priests, so you should know. As servants of God, when life ends, all attachment to the mortal world must be severed.”
Cassius stated the basic principle for priests.
‘Indeed!’
Unlike me, nodding in agreement, the ghosts became angry.
─We’re not here because we want to stay! Who’s fault is this!
Although they were unfamiliar faces, they wore priest robes, so I could guess their identity.
Yet, I didn’t understand why these priests, who had died, harbored hostility toward Cassius.
I couldn’t just glare at the ghosts endlessly.
“Where is His Grace Lucius? I’ve come to take the test in the sanctuary at his request.”
─Are you a healing priest?
“Yes, that’s correct.”
─His Grace is in the test site. You may enter alone.
I held Cassius’ arm tightly.
“I’m going with you to the entrance of the test site.”
─Only the healing priest may enter.
“They don’t understand words. Bring His Grace Lucius. I need to speak with him.”
─Even if you bring him, it’s the same.
It was a futile stalemate. Cassius placed his hand on my shoulder.
“It’s fine. A little troublesome, but it’s not impossible to purify them.”
At the same time, several droplets appeared. The ghosts hesitated, seeming unsure.
─Hmph, not even divine healing, yet you hold purification power to this extent.
─All brute strength, no subtlety!
“Step back while you still can, if you’ve understood.”
His voice grew colder, as if delivering a final warning.
At that moment, something appeared rapidly between Cassius and the ghosts.
─Stop. Allow them to enter.
It was Ash, one of the cardinals accompanying Lucius.
─Your Excellency! Are you allowing entry to the cursed bloodline!?
Cursed bloodline.
That was what Lucius and the cardinals with him had said. When I asked for an explanation, they seemed as if they might turn into demons.
They seemed to hate someone, but Lucius’ diary never mentioned it.
‘Could it be from the missing later pages of the diary?’
Seeing so many priests as ghosts, the diary probably contained some explanation.
I had no way of knowing the diary’s source, so I had to ask directly.
The number of gathered priest ghosts was considerable.
At least one of them might explain calmly.
“Who do you mean by ‘cursed bloodline’?”
Unexpectedly, Cassius answered from beside me.
“Me.”
“Your Grace?”
“They even acted like this when I came to maintain the sanctuary. Apparently, one of my ancestors did something in the past.”
Still, calling Cassius part of a cursed bloodline seemed strange.
His family name was Magnus, named after a god. For priests to hate someone from the Magnus family was akin to hating a god.
I approached Ash to clarify.
“Aren’t all of you priests of the Magnus God?”
─Correct.
“His Grace is from the Magnus family, descendants of the God. Isn’t it odd for priests who serve the Magnus God to hate the God’s descendant?”
─Well… hmm?
Ash, who had begun speaking, paused.
The other ghost priests listening nearby murmured among themselves.
─He’s of the God’s bloodline?
─…Now that you mention it, I think I heard something like that.
─I’ve never heard this before. They wouldn’t forget such an important matter.
─No, it’s true.
─But why do we hate Magnus’ bloodline?
I whispered to Cassius beside me.
“They all say different things. Maybe their memories have faded over time?”
“……There’s one suspicious symptom. People manipulated by a psychic ability often babble like this.”
“……”
“I suspect it happened before they died. Can you help me?”
The only way to counter a psychic ability was with another psychic ability.
I had an idea of what he would do.
“You plan to use your ability on ghosts?”
“If I trace back their memories far enough, I can find what was before they were manipulated. I don’t know if it will work on ghosts, but it’s worth a try.”
