Chapter 705 – Traitor’s Invitation and Making Memories

000

The basement of the temple where the Exiled Church is hiding.

After passing through the gate and arriving in the bright hallway, Dharma placed the quartz he was holding in his hand on the ground.

At her surprisingly calm and meek reaction, Dharma clicks his tongue as if he is bored.

＂This way… Hey, wait a minute.＂

And then, just as the owl had said, just as he was about to take Quartz to the owl, Quartz walked away without listening to Dharma’s answer.

＂It was here, after all. Yes, if you don’t want to be noticed by people, this is the only place.”

As he walks slowly while muttering something unintelligible, Dharma strides forward and grabs Quartz’s arm as if he is in a fever.

Comparing her slender arms with Dharma’s, who has arms as thick as her torso, it would be natural for Quartz’s arm to break, but Quartz doesn’t show any signs of pain and looks back at Dharma as if asking what’s going on. It will.

“I think my arm will fall off.” “What are you so dissatisfied with?”

＂Why are you acting arbitrarily, old lady? You were kidnapped here!”

When Dharma said that, Quartz responded by raising one of her eyebrows and tilting her head.

“Hijacking…? Ah, I thought you had invited me as a guest again. My arms and legs aren’t tied, and I’m fully conscious.”

＂Oh, this damn…＂

Dharma is starting to lose his patience due to Quartz’s words and actions that have been getting on his nerves since he didn’t understand his topic.

If I mix her words with her any further, it seems like she will attack her because it’s her pledge and everything.

“… This base is large. It’s natural for an old man like you, who works today and tomorrow, to get lost when walking alone.”

Dharma tapped her head with her finger and added, ‘Isn’t she at the age when her memory starts to decline?’

As Quartz looked at this rude person, she smiled as if she was dumbfounded.

“Speaking of age, aren’t you older than me? He looks like he’s in his late 30s, but he’s actually easily over 100, right?”

＂…＂

“Then I guess I’ll have to guide you. I also know somewhat about this place. Even before this place became a base for people like you who had to live out of sight.”

Quartz, who says so, does not wait for Dharma’s guidance again, but takes a step ahead and escapes the inorganic underground space they are in.

Although the first floor of the temple was not very different from the general building style of Eastern countries, the basement had almost no parts made of wood, paper, or stone, as if that appearance was camouflage.

The space made of metal, concrete, and steel continued forever.

Considering that it cannot be built with modern human technology, one could think that this place, like Enma’s retreat, is practicing camouflage by building a temple on top of an ancient relic.

Even so, even the temple above was structured so that ordinary people could not approach it.

“Hey, you damn guy. She is going out on her own as her grandmother is begging her to bring you. Are you okay?”

And, as Quartz slowly walked away, looking around the space as if it were his own front yard, Dharma put his hand to his ear and spoke as if it was an incomprehensible sight.

Of course, the target was Owl Mask, an official of the Exiled Church who had asked to bring Quartz.

He is not in this space, but if you talk to him using the communication, an answer comes back from the other side.

[This is what I expected. You just have to watch to make sure she doesn’t leak somewhere else.]

“What!? Then you should say that from the beginning…!”

If the communication is cut off before Dharma’s next words can be continued, Dharma grabs the communication device he was touching and smashes it.

‘Owl guy… So you’re acquainted with that old man? Anyone who knows about the secrets of the Exiled Church will be killed if they do not cooperate with the Church. That should have been our rule…’

I don’t know why, but is it that she is exempt from being targeted?

If not, what other reasons are there?

No matter which way he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with an answer on his own, so Dharma kept watching him to make sure he didn’t stray to a place other than where the owl was.

However, contrary to his suspicions, Quartz was indeed walking in a straight line towards the room where the owl would be.

And, the quartz stopped in the deepest part of the temple basement.

From the outside, the door, which seemed to be the most important part of the facility, was equipped with a security device that would only open the door with a registered fingerprint.

Because it is made of a material that absorbs magic, it can never be opened by magic, and because it is made physically so strong that it cannot be opened unless hundreds of tons of bombs are used, it can only be considered impregnable to humans of this era.

As Quartz looks up at the door for a moment, Dharma laughs at her with a ‘ha’ and then walks closer to the pad that reads her fingerprints right next to her and starts talking.

“Take a good look, grandma. This door opens like this-“

However, before he can touch his hand, Quartz puts his hand on the door.

[The registered fingerprint has been scanned. Welcome. Quartz Windfinder]

Dharma, who was trying to say that the door would not open no matter how much he touched, looked down at Quartz with a surprised expression on his face as the door opened as if it were so obvious.

And, beyond that, a robed man wearing an owl mask was sitting looking towards Quartz and Dharma.

“Are you here? It’s been a while, Quartz.”

＂That voice… Was it really yours? Carl.”

The next moment, Quartz’s body disappeared before their eyes.

No, more accurately, they thought it had disappeared.

Quartz moved at a speed that was difficult to imagine in his old body, took out a large healing needle hidden in his sleeve, and jumped to a position on the high ceiling, briefly escaping from the sight of Dharma and the Owl Mask.

Then, it kicked the ceiling and, with a movement as light as a cannonball, flew straight towards the owl mask and tried to swing its hand to pierce his neck with a needle.

However, when the owl mask raised its hand and let the magic flow, an invisible hand blocked it and made the quartz fall to the ground.

Thud! When the old man’s body rolled on the ground with a sound, something like a painful scream came out of Quartz’s mouth.

＂Ugh…＂

＂He has aged just as much as his appearance, and has become weak. If it had been you before, you would have moved a little faster and at least reached the surface of my body.”

An owl mask that talks about Quartz pitifully.

“What? Look carefully. Because it touched the surface.”

However, when Quartz responded like that, the owl mask raised his hand in surprise and covered the mask he was wearing.

The part of the mask that went from the cheek to the mouth had clearly been damaged and broken.

However, even if that were the case, only part of the bare face would have been visible.

The owl mask called Carol then said nothing for a moment, then looked at Dharma and spoke.

＂Redeem her.＂

Then, Dharma looked surprised, but she soon approached the fallen Quartz and lifted her up and restrained her.

For some reason, I felt a little offended because I was following orders.

“The first conversation with an old colleague I haven’t seen in a long time is such an attack.”

And when the owl mask says that, Quartz raises his head with an angry face and answers him.

＂The traitor… Is he still calling me a comrade?＂

“I still think of you as colleagues. My mission is to make people happy. That thought has not changed in the past or even now. However, I just changed the means and the partner I was with.”

Quartz didn’t respond to Carol’s words, but then quietly opened his mouth.

“I see. I wonder if I can say the same thing to Agate and Jasper, who are waiting in the underworld. Carl Sedoni.”

＂…＂

When the name of the owl mask is revealed, Dharma is silent for a moment and then looks back at the owl mask.

＂Carl Sedoni…? Clearly, the dragon who opposed my father in the past…”

When he tries to tell Dharma about his identity, recalling that his name was also known to him, the owl mask cuts him off.

＂… For my father, I once again─＂

001

When you are led by Clay Quon’s hand into her room, the inside is neatly organized even compared to other people’s rooms.

Even compared to Lila’s room that I recently visited or my own room, it felt like it was being properly managed because people were living there.

Anyway, what I want to say is that she is much better than Lila, who specializes in making a mess, and Cleon, who barely has any of her belongings lying around.

Of course, it was almost impossible to show someone else’s room exactly as it was prepared.

While Cleon was feeling such sentiments, she spoke while watching Cuon, who had entered the room ahead of her, look a little nervous.

＂Kuon, are you okay?＂

“Huh? Ugh, yeah. Are you okay? Wait a minute…?”

She was embarrassed by Cleon’s question, but nodded her head and looked around awkwardly even though it was her own room.

Was there a need to be so nervous in her own room?

As Cleon thinks so, Cuon quietly sets something for her, then she turns to Cleon and swallows her saliva while blushing.

Then, she sat down on her bed and patted the empty spot next to her with her hand.

＂Woman, let’s sit here and talk…＂

＂… Okay.＂

Then, Cleon sat down next to her and looked at her.

When he is close to her and makes eye contact with her, while receiving Cleon’s gaze, Kuon looks at that expression-that face in silence as if he is trying to recall it within himself, and then he speaks to him with a small sigh.

“Well… Actually, Cleon. I heard something from Tokoyo about a way to strengthen the power of my magic.”

It may be a bit of a strange story, but within her magic that fluctuates with her emotions – when she uses her most powerful magic and magic, it is when she remembers Cleon deep in her heart.

So – in theory, if Cleon is always by his side, Kuon will be able to use powerful spells with peace of mind.

Unfortunately, and realistically, Cleon had a tendency to run around and solve problems, so it was honestly a bit difficult to be with the group for 24 hours.

Therefore. She decided to take a slightly different approach.

When it comes to happy memories with Cleon, there were so many that I couldn’t pick just one.

A variety of unforgettable memories, such as the first time we celebrated each other’s birthday, our first date after many events, and our first experiences.

However, what exists within her is that the relationship between herself and Cleon is different from that of a typical lover.

What Kuon still can’t forget is her memories and guilt about when she kicked him out of the party.

It was the starting point where their relationship was once broken and then rebuilt, and it was the starting point of everything that made them what they are now.

The relationship between Cleon and Cuon cannot be explained unless it includes not only the happy memories, but also the dark memories that tormented him.

So – the memories with Cleon that will be driven into you as a wedge, the memories that will become the trigger for a powerful spell – are different from the existing memories that are simply sweet.

It needs to be someone with a bitter taste that fits the history of the two people so far.

Only then would it be possible to truly capture the two people’s sincerity – and the resolution needed for Kuon to feel Cleon would also increase.

When Kuon thinks about all of this on her own and comes to a conclusion, Cleon quietly nods at her thoughts.

＂… So, Cleon…＂

Then – she takes a deep breath before taking something from her dresser next to her own bed.

It was obvious that she was nervous, to the point that the person watching became even more nervous.

“… Wouldn’t you like to use this… To create ‘new memories’…?”

And, what she took out was-

It was a ‘rope’ that could be commonly found not only in this eastern country but also throughout the continent.

＂…＂

Excited, Excited.

As the sound of a loud heartbeat was heard in Kuon’s direction, she, her face turning bright red, placed her hands on top of the ordinary rope-

Cleon, driven by the dark impulse of desire that was secretly showing his face within her, slowly took it in her own hands.

＂… Are you really okay…?＂

Cleon took a deep breath, just like she did just before.

I knew that such an act existed, but it was my first time actually doing it.

＂… Yes. ＂

And when Kuon, who seemed to have made up his mind, nodded her head, Cleon grabbed the rope that was completely turned over and approached Kuon, who stood up.