Chapter 430 – Artifacts and Odds

000

Several years ago, there was a time when unknown monsters frequently attacked passers-by in the vicinity of the capital, Asteris, in the Eastern countries.

Those monsters were plant monsters that looked like walking trees, and regenerated no matter how much they were cut or beaten.

They could only be defeated with an attack using fire, but there were many of them, and the more they fought, the more cleverly they grew.

The damage was done not only to the head of the Amryong Sanghoe, who often came and went in and out of the capital, but also to the civilians who came to the capital from the provinces, so the situation could not be summarized by saying that it was serious.

In the end, barracks were placed around Asteris where government troops could live, even temporarily, and shift work was started to protect passers-by, but in the fight against the monsters, which became more and more difficult day by day, not only the soldiers but also the people I was exhausted.

In order to solve the situation, Miyeomgong invited scholars from the academy and asked for help from the kingdom, but in the middle of nowhere.

Rumors spread that a man appeared and made a talisman to send the demons away.

At first, he handed out amulets to people passing by outside of Asteris, but when the story that this really worked spread to the castle, he accepted him inside Asteris and scattered the amulets all over the city to completely kill the monsters. There was even talk of getting rid of it.

Naturally, the news reached the leaders of the Eastern countries, including Mi-Yeom-Gong, and they formally summoned him to the palace to discuss a solution to the situation.

The man put on a dark gray robe, wore a rosary with the pattern of the Holy Order of Protection, carried a staff in one hand and a Bible in the other, and entered the palace where the beauty dyer was waiting for him.

His well-groomed appearance after that seemed to prove his words of starting from the capital and continuing the journey for several days.

“Who are you, and why were you able to defeat those monsters that no one else could defeat?”

To the beauty dyer’s question, he answered.

“I just found a way to return those beings by analyzing the teachings of God more deeply than anyone else.”

From his unsteady voice his, Beauty Painter couldn’t tell whether he was a good man or a bad guy disguised as a good man.

However, as long as the thought was not pure, I could vaguely sense it as a ruler who had lived for a long time.

Next, Beauty Painter asked about the identities of those monsters.

Then, the man answered.

“Those demons appeared because the mana of the land overflowed. The people of this country do not use the mana of the land and the air well, and because they use the mana within their bodies, the mana is accumulated on the ground. To be Precise, they are not monsters, but ‘spirits’. They are the family of beings who were rooted in this world in the very long past.”

His words were full of confidence.

No, now that I think about it, he might have witnessed that existence and felt joy.

His servants his, including Miyeomgong, felt a little uneasy about the man’s behavior his in front of them.

But first, in order to solve the impending problem, I needed the man’s wisdom.

“Then, I guess it’s just a matter of releasing the mana accumulated in the ground?”

“Yes, but… That doesn’t address the root cause.”

He turns around as he says that.

In the direction he was looking, there was a huge palace gate, but the end of his gaze was probably something else beyond that.

“The divine tree at the center of this city. It is the source of magic power circulating in the city’s leylines. The divine tree has such great power that even if it releases magic power, it will try to replenish it again.”

“…”

The beauty dyer kept his mouth shut.

The divine tree had been growing in that land since before the Eastern kingdom existed.

Because of the divine tree, humans could live around here without being afraid of monsters.

That’s why various races were able to come together and create a nation.

“If you don’t cut down the sacred tree now, an even greater calamity will come to this country.”

Naturally, the servants strongly objected.

The Beauty Painter also shook her head at the story.

The beauty dyer thought that the man would insist more strongly on the reason for cutting down the divine tree, but he nodded as if he knew after seeing the reaction of the beautiful dyers.

And, he left only the talisman he had prepared and disappeared.

Using the talisman to buy time, the Beauty Painter was looking for a way to remove the magical powers sleeping in the ground in cooperation with the shrine maidens.

However, this time a bigger surprise occurred.

Some of the shrine maidens and priests belonging to the temple had gone missing.

Among them, there were people with high ranks, and even those who were looking for a way to release the magic of the earth with the palace.

Feeling something strange, Miyeomgong immediately started searching for those who went missing with his servants, and the Dark Ryong Sanghoe also added strength to it.

As a result, what they discovered were priests who were imbued with male ideology and were making an outrageous plan to ‘burn the divine tree’.

As if he had been brainwashed by something, he was wearing a mask that symbolizes being a priestess and a shaman.

In order to protect the man, they had to be forcibly subdued, even with force.

In the fight, there were some soldiers and priests who lost their lives in the end, but Miyeom Gong and his contemporary ‘Great Miko’ were able to drive the men.

“Why did you do this?”

The beauty dyer asked the man.

Then the man smiled and answered while wearing a robe.

“To put the world back on track.”

Convinced that he was a lunatic, the Beauty Painter stepped forward, brandishing his own sword in order to catch him.

But the next moment.

Kwajik, and at the same time as I heard the sound of space breaking, it appeared.

A man in a robe wearing an owl mask.

He opened the dimensional door as easily as flipping his hand, and grabbed the lunatic’s shoulder.

And, I’m talking to the beauty dyer.

“Beauty Painter, your choice will bring ‘imbalance’ to the continent.”

The Beauty Painter still couldn’t grasp the meaning of those words, but first of all, it was clear that the man was dangerous.

The moment the sword is about to reach the man.

Again, the dimensional door opened and the man disappeared with the madman.

At the same time as expressing condolences to those who lost their lives in this incident, Beauty Painter felt anger at the fact that ‘tree-like monsters’ did not appear after the madman disappeared.

In other words, from the appearance of monsters to the talisman, it was a play planned by that madman.

However, as if part of what he said was true, the great priestess foresaw that the amount of magical energy accumulated in the land of the east was too great, and that if this was not resolved, another disaster would strike.

First of all, after entrusting matters related to magical power to the temple, the Beauty Painter told the kingdom about the madman and the man in the owl mask he had seen.

In the alliance of neighboring countries centered on the kingdom, the kingdom was the leader.

It was because the danger that hit them was also likely to be directed to other countries.

However, even after hearing the story of the eastern kingdom, the kingdom only reacted with displeasure.

Perhaps, the church rebelled against the story that the madman was using the church’s mark.

In the midst of the failure of a proper investigation, even the beautiful flamesmith was gnawing at his headache.

The only one who listened to their story was Cassius, who was still studying under Sophia at the time.

He said that the masked man was a member of a secret organization, which had manipulated the continent’s history behind the scenes.

After hearing what Cassius had to say, the beautiful flameman asked why he didn’t investigate anything about the organization in the kingdom.

Cassius replied that even the capital of the kingdom is because the influence of the organization extends.

From then on, Cassius and Beauty Painter began investigating the organization.

And, it was right after that that they learned that they were an organization that served the “Father of all things” Called the Exiled Church.

001

After the story of the beautiful dyer, Cleon felt something familiar about what he said.

In particular, it’s about that maniac man who utters deceptive words.

“Uh, by any chance… Can I hear the name of the member of the church who wore the amulet?”

When Quon, who could be said to be a member of the cult, asked such a question, the Mi Flame Gong nodded and replied.

“I was able to find out his name later through a separate investigation. He was called ‘Maxwell’ and held a fairly high position in the church.”

“Maxwell…!”

As expected, thought Cleon, clenching his fist.

A few months ago, it was the name of the regressor who joined hands with Wood Nocker and Talcheck to summon the Beast of Elysia.

He is a lunatic who made a ridiculous claim to summon the beast and examine the traces of the past.

Quon, too, seemed a little surprised by Cleon’s story, but nodded his head as if that was the case.

“Looks like Prince Cleon knows him.”

“Yes. He… Died. In Elesia.”

“Is it…”

The Beauty Painter nodded at Cleon’s words, and looked as if he knew the details without asking.

Besides, that owl mask…

‘…A member of the Exiled Church who appears here and there… He is, perhaps, the highest-ranking member of the church…?’

In the past, it was the Exile Church wearing that mask that threw Lecia into the gap in the other dimension.

He must have a bond with him, Cleon thought.

“Wait a minute, but Maxwell’s lunatic bastard is a ‘returner’? Why is the Church of Exile saving him?”

At that time, Layla speaks as if something is strange.

“Yeah, we’re on the same side… Isn’t it?”

When Sasha shares such a simple idea, Cleon and Lyla shut her mouth.

“…Same side? Regressors and Exiled Churches?”

“——That’s right.”

When Cleon repeats Sasha’s words, Beauty Painter receives the story and responds.

When everyone’s eyes turn to the hairdresser, he strokes his beard and says it as if it’s a really painful fact.

“I found out while investigating with His Highness Cassius. The Regressors are a sub-organization of the Exiled Church, and were created to gather artifacts for the Father of All.”

“…Really, all the bad things on this continent are involved. Those guys…!”

Lila raised her voice as she clenched her fists against her palms in her fever.

“…The darkness of the Exiled Church is that deep.”

Amelia, too, shook her head.

“Unlike the Kingdom, this Eastern country has many relics that have not yet been excavated. It is the policy of this country to preserve traditions while leaving things in the past as things of the past. Complaints about thievery and grave robbery are rampant in Asteris.”

“Why is Adam so obsessed with relics and relics…”

If the regressor is under Adam’s command, collecting ruins and relics will also be his will.

When Cleon muttered that, Layla seemed to think for a moment, and then came up with her own answer to the question.

“…Adam’s superiority over others is because he has the technological power of the ‘primitive world’. And on top of that, it’s thanks to his dominance over the humans he regenerated and his descendants. In a way, that’s it. , You could say it’s part of the technology of the primal world.”

Yes. Cleon and his party already knew, based on what Mercury showed them at the Trismegistos laboratory, that Adam’s identity was an artificial spirit dwelling in a ‘machine that could create humans’ that Tris had built in the past.

And, in order to rebuild civilization, he would have had information about various technologies of the primordial world entered.

In the name of the father of all things, there was ‘knowledge’at the source of his dominance, which spread knowledge and made him worship.

“From Adam’s point of view, the technologies currently possessed by the Succession World may be uncivilized. But- In this world, except for Adam, there are many relics passed over from the original world. Every time something is discovered, the technology of the continent and mankind advances to the point of skipping a few steps.”

“…Ah! Got it! So, Adam, you don’t like people getting their hands on technology that only he knows!”

When Sasha says that, Layla nods her head.

“…Sacred swords and demonic swords are the same. Powerful weapons from the primordial world. But, if Adam had completely controlled them, they wouldn’t have been with us like Galatea and Caliburn. Adam’s abilities also have limitations, Adam is fear of mankind getting their hands on the artifact.”

When Lila finished talking, Miyeom-gong nodded as if she understood.

“That’s the most plausible.”

For a moment, the group shut their mouths and think about something.

And soon, as if Layla had made up her mind, she was talking to the beauty dyer.

“…Beauty Painter. I have a suggestion.”

Even as she stood up from her seat her, the beautiful flame-worker silently watched her as she spoke with her eyes full of determination.

“Tell me, Miss Layla.”

“Please allow me to investigate and excavate the artifacts remaining in this Eastern country. And please allow me to study them so that I can prepare for the showdown with Adam. …I really regret it. Some of the artifacts are It may be lost during research.”

Hearing Laila’s words, the hairdresser closed his mouth for a moment and stroked his beard.

In other words, Lila’s words are like this.

If you know that the regressors are aiming for the relics of this country anyway, this side should excavate them first and use them.

As I said before, the Eastern country is basically a country whose policy is not to touch such relics.

Layla’s proposal her was to reverse the course and use the heritage of the forefathers for war.

“Okay.”

That’s why, Layla was also prepared to be rejected, but the beauty dyer answered with a single sword.

“If that’s the way to stop Adam and protect this continent from the ‘ghosts of the past’, then that’s the right thing to do.”

“…Thank you! Beauty Painter!”

After breathing a sigh of relief, Cleondo and Kuondo talk to Cleon.

“The search for artifacts is basically the responsibility of the Amryong Firm. They have dispatched expeditions to various places in the East to develop resources, and in the process they are repeatedly clashing with regressors. If you do, Miss Hertie will surely be delighted.”

“Sure. At least you’ll be able to pay your rent.”

When Cleon said that, the beauty dyer burst into laughter.

002

After the story, Cleon and his party were able to get out of the palace.

The time is approaching noon, but a cool shadow descends on the road as the sun hides through the clouds.

Suddenly, Cleon’s gaze shifted naturally to the giant tree that had been mentioned in the story earlier – the ‘Divine Tree’.

Come to think of it, I was asked by the ‘shaman’ yesterday to bring me a Quon.

“Quon. Would you like to go to the temple with me for a while?”

“Huh? Now?”

When Quon said that, his face became a little surprised.

Layla also looks at Cleon with an expression like ‘What’s wrong?’

“Do you have anything else to do?”

“Eh? Ehh. No, it’s not like that. It seems like it’s been a while since Cleon asked to go out first…”

At her words her, Cleon nodded her head with an ah…

“Well, it’s because I’ve finally been able to calm down a little bit. I don’t have to do that anymore, as I used to patrol all night every day in the capital.”

Layla was telling her to put her mind at ease, but when she heard that, Amelia, who was standing next to her, shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no~! It’s not that Amelia is bad!”

When Lila, feeling sorry for herself, tries to appease Amelia by waving her arms her as if to make an excuse, Sasha looks at Lila and talks.

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen Ms. Layla apologize in embarrassment.”

“Quiet Sasha!”

“Ahaha-“

Kuondo, when she smiles at her colleagues like that, Cleon quietly looks at her smile at her.

“—Yeah. Then, let’s go. Cleon.”

While saying that, a gentle hand reached out.

Cleon naturally takes her hand and turns her head slightly to look at Lila.

Then, Lila waved her hand with her wry smile.

I’ll make the preparations here, so I’m sure you’ll have a good trip.

“Let’s go.”

Then, the young woman takes her girl’s hand and proceeds down the kosher path to her street her.

Amelia suddenly looked at the backs of the two, and carefully held her hand her.

“—Outing with Cleon…”

Somewhere, it’s a heart-pounding story.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to allow that to myself.

If it is possible –

“Then. Shall we go back to the inn? Since we have to finish the workshop preparations, Sasha. Can you help us?”

“Of course! Mr. Layla, doing it alone would be too messy!”

And, when the people left behind head toward the inn-

Maybe it’s because I started to see ‘what to do’.

Just as the fog in my heart was clearing, the clouds in the sky were also clearing.