Chapter 272 – Albert #5

The place I arrived at was a room with a large altar installed.
The beast soldiers and my party members were huddled together in the room and chatting.
Rebecca and Kate didn’t say it was a suspicious place for nothing.

A mysterious red stone stained with blood is placed on the altar.
The corpses of monsters were neatly placed around the stones.

Several monsters that you can recognize just by hearing their names, such as Wyvern, Troll, and Drake.
A rotten stench emanated from the corpses as if they had been dead for quite some time.

Red stones and monster corpses.
Was this what Albert was studying in the temple?
I wonder what secrets he’s hiding.
He wouldn’t have been a lunatic whose hobby was collecting corpses.

“What the hell is that bright red stone?”
“Do you know? The magistrate will explain it well. Still, it looks like a fairly expensive artifact.”

Intrigued, the beastman soldiers looked at the red stone with curious eyes. However, none of the soldiers moved hastily.

Because there was someone who arrived before me and controlled the room.

“Stop moving!”

A word containing a stern warning resonates with everyone.

“Don’t go near the altar recklessly. I can feel the creepy magic from those red stones and corpses.”

When I asked who was trying to control it, it was none other than Kate.
She looked serious now, unlike the woman who had always acted like her unbridled colt.

“Soo, Sister? Magyra? You mean you can sense demonic energy from that stone?”
“Eh… I can’t say for sure that it’s the devil’s energy. As a nun of the Gwangmyeongseong Church, I can tell. An unclean energy that goes against Baldur’s will is flowing in the room. Unholy stones and rituals of corpses that blaspheme even God. That it is.”
“What if we get close to that stone?”
“They may be consumed by the unclean energy and go mad. Lord Baldur, please have mercy on these ignorant lambs.”

Do you feel unclean energy from the stone?
I don’t really feel that kind of toxic energy at all.
There’s no sign of black magic, so there won’t be any problems if you get close to it.

‘What bullshit.’

I looked at Kate with a puzzled expression.
It was an agitation that had no magical basis at all, but the beastmen soldiers faithfully followed Kate’s words.
That’s because the soldiers don’t know much about magic, and Kate’s appearance looks plausible.

She is a blonde haired nun with an angelic appearance.
If you look only at her appearance, her face looks pure and innocent.
On top of that, he even has a beautiful voice suitable for reciting prayers.

If a total stranger saw Kate, they would mistake her for a famous nun with magical powers.
Even I, who knew the truth, was confused as to whether Kate’s warning was true or false.

“Leave the task of investigating the altar to our Dream Maiden. If you are a Dream Maiden with exceptional magical powers, you will be able to withstand the demonic energy of the altar.”

Come on, Mongma.
It’s a sortie.

After her warning, Kate turned to me and beckoned me to begin her investigation.
But before we start our investigation, we should ask some questions. What kind of unclean aura did this blonde nun feel at her altar?

Is it an evil energy that only nuns can feel? Something Invisible?

“Kate. What is an unclean energy?”
“Listen to me for a moment. I’ll answer you.”

Kate smiled and reached out her hand, tugged at her ear, and whispered softly.

“… Actually, it’s all gura. I didn’t feel any unclean energy.”

Go away?
Did this low-ranking nun play a grudge against the soldiers of the Principality?

Why!
What are the benefits of lying?

Turning to me with her eyes wide open, Kate told me the reason for her agitation.

“That red stone. Doesn’t it seem like a pretty expensive artifact?
“Eh.”
“It shouldn’t be scratched by someone carelessly touching it. If an artifact gets scratched, you lose money when you sell it. At this point, I understand what you mean.”

The proceeds from the sale of artifacts are N bread!
Kate whispered softly in my ear.

Did that really happen?
It means that he incited the soldiers to swallow the mysterious artifact. They treated it as a cursed item, leading to a situation where the soldiers begged us to take it.

I stuck my tongue out at Kate’s elaborate ruse.
It is astonishing how such a scam can be done with that innocent-looking angel face.

‘Lord Baldur. Is this really your nun?’

Surprised, I finally decided to fit in with Kate’s con.

It’s an opportunity to gulp artifacts that make money.
It’s too late to tell the truth that things like this aren’t actually unclean things.
I’d rather create a perfect lie and complete a world where no one gets hurt.

“Hanging, dreammaid! Do your research diligently.”
“Downpour…”

Encouraged by Kate, I moved closer to her altar. It was the task of interpreting an artifact I had never seen before, but I didn’t feel particularly burdened. Because I had Rumi, a magic book that helps with interpretation.

‘Mimir Artifact’

An artifact from the Age of Mythology that can tell you anything about magical phenomena.
If you use the artifact built into Rumi’s body, you will be able to finish the analysis easily.

In addition, I personally had some guesses about the identity of the red stone.
I put my hands in the pockets of my robe and thought for a moment. We once obtained an artifact that looked similar to this red stone in the Great Forest.

‘Isn’t that what you got from Grendel? Did you say Talisman?’

We once encountered a monster named Grendel in the Great Grove.

He was a notorious monster who died and was resurrected during the Great War, but he was a fool who misunderstood me as a compatriot when he saw me, a descendant of the demon king.
He was the one who mistakenly thought he was an ally and confided in secrets that he should have hidden.

How could Grendel be revived then?
It was thanks to an artifact named Talisman.
A red stone that looks like an artifact placed on the altar right now.
They said that only Talisman breathed new life into Grendel.

It was Albert who handed over the Talisman to Grendel.
Wouldn’t it be strange if Albert had another Talisman?
The artifact placed on the altar is probably an extra talisman that Albert had.

‘An artifact that resurrects the dead.’

All I know is that it is an artifact with such fraudulent performance. As for the specific effect, you should ask Rumi from now on to confirm it.

“Rumiya. Do you see a bright red stone here?”
[Yes, I see it.]
“Explain what kind of artifact it is. It’s a Mimir artifact. I think it’s probably the same thing as the Talisman I acquired last time.”
[All right. Activate the Mimir Artifact now.]

After a short boot-up process, Rumi started interpreting with the Mimir Artifact.
After the work was finished, Rumi told me about the identity of the red stone in detail.

[We will report the analysis results. The red stone you requested is Talisman. An artifact with the power to revive dead monsters. It is an ancient relic possessed by the officers of the Demon King’s Army during the Great War in the past.]
“Demon King?”
[Because the Demon King’s army often used tricks to attack the continental people by subjugating the monsters. Among them, it is an item to revive and recycle monsters that have performed outstandingly. Although most of them were lost after the collapse of the Demon King’s Army.]

An artifact that revives dead monsters.
There was a subtle difference from the efficacy of Talisman I was thinking of.

“Are monsters the only things that can be revived? Can’t people be saved?”
[It is impossible to save people. Human souls are made up of a much higher structure than monster souls. Only low-level monsters can enjoy Talisman’s resurrection effect.]

It’s a pity that people can’t live.
When I was in danger of dying, I was expecting to be resurrected with Talisman.
In other words, they were firmly thinking of the same concept as the one-coin addition in the arcade. If it’s something that can only save monsters, it’s just game over.

‘Anyway, what was Albert doing with Talisman?’

I took a closer look around the altar once more.
A single talisman was placed, and I could see the corpses of monsters lying around it. However, even with Talisman nearby, the monsters showed no sign of reviving.

[The talisman currently on the altar is broken. As you can see, the corpses of monsters placed in the same area are not reviving. If you look closely, you’ll see cracks on the artifact’s exterior. Since it is in a damaged state, it cannot contain the power of resurrection that reverses life and death.]

As Rumi said, the altar’s talisman had cracks on its surface. It was far from the neat Talisman figure he learned from Grendel. At this point, I could guess what kind of research Albert was doing.

1. I was researching how to repair the broken talisman.

2. I was researching a way to somehow resurrect a monster with only a broken talisman.

There are two possible possibilities that can be conjectured.
In the end, either way, it could be said that Albert needed Talisman’s power to resurrect monsters.
Except for the one handed over to Grendel, another Talisman was needed.

‘What monster were you trying to resurrect?’

I was curious about Albert’s ultimate purpose, but I couldn’t find any clear clues.
Well, wouldn’t it be obvious if the evil black magician’s dream was to come true?
It’s like a dream where even a giant dragon is resurrected and used as a minion.

‘There are many corpses of dragon monsters in the room.’

Wyvern.
Drake.

There are unusually many corpses with the blood of such dragons around the altar.
The corpses of the dragons are kept clean as if they were enshrined in a shrine.

Wouldn’t this be enough to say that it’s a joke?
What was Albert trying to do by resurrecting the dragon and using it as a minion?

End of certification Q.E.D

I’ve almost seen through the warlock’s wondrous and ambitious goal, but whatever.
Now that Albert had passed away as a cold corpse, the world was still peaceful.

“The analysis has been completed. Everyone can rest assured.”

After completing the investigation, I briefly explained the identity of the red stone to the subjugation team members.

“This red stone is called a talisman. It is an ancient relic used by the Demon King’s army to control monsters in the past. It contains evil energy, so if ordinary people touch it, they will be in trouble.”

Of course, I didn’t say it openly.
In order to gulp Talisman, I decided to hit the construction in moderation. Even a broken talisman would be useful if you handle it well. If you don’t want him to be a spirit, all you have to do is sell him to the Magic Tower or the Nine Guards.

“We will take this item to remove the evil energy contained in the talisman. If we leave it as it is, there is a risk of misleading the prisoners of the Principality.”
“I understand what you mean. Let Master Luke handle the artifact.”

Vice-captain Kart believed what I said without the slightest doubt.
The prisoner soldiers in the room are looking at me with eyes full of respect.

They probably think I’m making a holy sacrifice by taking the cursed artifact.

“You’ve worked hard, Master Luke.”
“Please dispose of the cursed artifact neatly.”

My conscience is pricked a little.

“Nice Madam!!”

Kate, in the corner of her room, raised her thumb at me.
It seems that he is happy to get his hands on an expensive artifact in its entirety.

Thus, the search in the temple ended.
We returned to the Great Forest’s sacred ground with the beastmen soldiers.