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Kyle dashed off.
I gestured to Rene, indicating we should follow him.
She nodded and fell into step behind me.
‘Why didn’t he say anything if he found something? And why is he so fast?’
I couldn’t help but be surprised by Kyle’s sudden burst of speed, something he’d never shown before.
If only he were this quick all the time… maybe then he wouldn’t be stuck dealing with the Bares family’s mess.
…Then again, I was in the same boat.
I asked as Kyle abruptly stopped.
He stood amidst a pile of rubble, the remnants of some destroyed structure.
What could possibly be here? I couldn’t see anything remarkable.
As I frowned, Kyle spoke.
“Don’t focus on the trees. Look at the forest.”
“What trees? There aren’t any trees here.”
“……You know it’s not meant literally, right?”
I sighed at Kyle’s exasperated tone.
“Of course I know that. My point is, what are we supposed to base our deductions on?”
All we could see were ruins.
What had made Kyle so sure there was a clue nearby?
He let out a put-upon sigh as I continued to look around, perplexed.
‘This jerk… Could he at least explain properly?’
“Is there anything here that resembles a building?”
“Well, it seems you’ve figured out what I’m looking for.”
“That I have. But are you certain?”
“Yes, this is it.”
His words made me narrow my eyes.
Based on my deductions, the thing Kyle had found was the ‘temple’ where the residents of the Land of the Undead, using the power of the Full Moon Spirit and the Fang of Darkness, had performed their rituals.
In the Demon Realm, aside from the Seven Demon Gods, countless folk beliefs and lesser deities were worshipped.
It stood to reason that the people of the Land of the Undead would have built a temple to honor whatever god they followed.
And that temple was our ultimate destination.
However…
“You said there wasn’t a hidden entrance underground, which means it has to be above ground. But there’s nothing here,” I pointed out.
The temple was nowhere to be seen.
If it were underground like the Temple of Gluttony, it would be hidden.
But if it were above ground, wouldn’t it be obvious?
There wasn’t even a single intact tent, let alone a temple.
Kyle ran his hand over the remains of a nearby building.
“What is the symbol of Bares?”
“The Black Dragon, of course. The Arrogant Dragon.”
That was the emblem that represented Bares.
But what did it have to do with our current situation?
I pondered for a moment before it clicked.
“You’re saying you found a ‘symbol’ representing the Land of the Undead here.”
“Bingo.”
Just as I’d guessed, scattered around Kyle were ‘cross’ symbols that seemed to mark the territory.
We had to excavate the area where the cross symbols were engraved to uncover the entrance to the underground passage.
It was clear that the cross was the symbol of this land.
However, that didn’t answer all my questions.
“But that’s strange. There’s nothing here that resembles a temple or any religious artifacts.”
“Of course not,” Kyle replied matter-of-factly.
He gestured around us as if urging me to think.
“This place was trampled upon by humans a long time ago. I’m sure you understand what that implies.”
“Ah, I see.”
It dawned on me.
During the Human-Demon War, the Land of the Undead had been brutally ravaged by humans, leaving behind nothing but uninhabited ruins.
If that was the case, there was no way the temple, the most important symbol of the land, would have survived.
Wait a minute…
“Does that mean the hidden entrance leading to the temple was also destroyed?”
“……That’s right.”
Damn it.
The gravity of the situation finally hit me.
To reach the temple, we had to go through some sort of hidden entrance.
But both the entrance and the temple itself had been destroyed by humans, leaving us with… this.
So our journey here had been completely in vain?
I couldn’t hold back a sigh of disappointment.
Just as I was wallowing in my frustration…
“……But it’s not like we’ve gained absolutely nothing,” Kyle said hesitantly.
“Is that true?”
“Honestly, there might not be anything. But… it’s worth a shot, right? Better than going back empty-handed.”
What was he planning?
I had to hear him out, if only because I’d be frustrated if our trip here was a complete waste of time.
As I raised an eyebrow at him, he continued.
“There’s only one reason why I was searching the ground. I was looking for the remains of the priests. Their flesh would have rotted away, but their bones should still be here… But that’s the strange part.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“There are no bones here.”
Kyle’s words sent a jolt through me.
The absence of the priests’ remains suggested two possibilities.
First, the humans might have disposed of them.
But that was unlikely.
‘I doubt the humans would have had the time for that.’
The Land of the Undead was located right next to Bares territory.
The humans wouldn’t have lingered here.
Which left only one explanation.
“The priests didn’t die here.”
“……Not bad. I thought it would take you a bit longer to figure that out.”
“Heh, so you’ve finally recognized my talent?”
“Don’t get cocky just because I complimented you once.”
Kyle retorted though he seemed pleased that he wouldn’t have to spell everything out for me.
“Well, that saves us time and effort. But it doesn’t solve everything.”
“Indeed.”
We were both thinking the same thing.
This was the crux of our current predicament.
“……We need to find out where the priests fled to escape the humans.”
“That’s the million-gold question. But I don’t think it will take us too long.”
There was a confident, almost leisurely tone in Kyle’s voice.
It was strange, considering we had barely any leads.
“What makes you so sure?” I asked.
“It’s simple. Think about it. If the priests managed to escape, they would have sought refuge in a nearby territory or, most likely, with the Bares family. But as far as I know, that never happened.”
Kyle glanced at Rene.
She flinched slightly at his gaze.
“……I wouldn’t know,” she mumbled.
It was understandable.
Rene wasn’t exactly known for her interest in others. I
hadn’t expected her to know anything about this.
And Crete would definitely know if Rene and I had visited the Land of the Undead.
The fact that he hadn’t mentioned anything about the priests meant they had likely met their end somewhere near the territory.
‘…How unfortunate.’
As I offered a silent prayer for the deceased priests..
*Clap, clap.*
Kyle clapped his hands, bringing me back to the present.
“Right, that settles it. Let’s split up and look for the hidden entrance.”
“……Didn’t you say the hidden entrance wasn’t underground?”
“The main entrance might not be, but there has to be a secret passage somewhere. Who would build a hidden passage out in the open?”
“Well, you have a point.”
Indeed, building a secret passage in plain sight would be ridiculous.
“Rene and I will search together. You take that side,” I suggested.
“Sounds good. I prefer working alone anyway.”
Kyle said with a cheerful grin.
It seemed being stuck with Rene was a rather unpleasant experience for him.
I couldn’t blame him.
“Come on, My Lady.”
“Okay.”
And so, we set off in search of the secret passage.
But…
“……”
There was a shadow hanging over Rene’s face.
“Are you alright, My Lady? You look troubled.”
“……I’m fine.”
Then why did she look so troubled?
She wasn’t sweating or panting, so it didn’t seem like she was unwell.
As I puzzled over her strange behavior, she spoke again.
“Adel, what… what would you do…”
“Hey, get over here!”
Kyle’s booming voice interrupted her.
Had he found the passage already?
I was about to head towards him, but then I decided to hear Rene out first.
She seemed to be on the verge of saying something important.
“Please, go on.”
“……Okay.”
“If… if someone precious to you… died… would you… take revenge?”
Her words, fragmented and hesitant, seemed to hang in the air between us. It was clear what she was asking.
‘If someone you loved was killed, would you seek revenge?’
Her question made me pause.
Revenge.
Whether it was right or wrong, I didn’t know.
But one thing was certain.
Revenge was like fire, and I was like a fuse.
The more that endless hatred burned, the more I would suffer as well.
But…
“……It’s not my place to interfere. And I can’t stop you if you’re set on revenge.”
“I know.”
Rene nodded silently.
I don’t know why she asked me such a question, but for some reason, Rene’s eyes looked empty.
……It must be my imagination.
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