## Chapter 1075 – Ancient Beings

I explained to the astonished Lady Isvant what had happened in the waterway.

“A sealed… giant…!”

If I didn’t quickly cut her off, the lord’s castle might collapse.

No, this isn’t the time to worry about the lord’s castle. Even if I am the Heavenly Demon, my eardrums can’t be guaranteed safe if continuously exposed to this level of sonic attack.

“Rest assured, I already killed it!!!”
“That’s a relief!!!”

My eardrums are not relieved!!!

“If you go down to the 16th basement level, you’ll find the evidence! The secret space I found is there! The coffin it was in is still there!!!”
“It seems we need to check that as soon as possible!!!”
“You should. Oh, but the facilities are a bit damaged from the fight.”
“It doesn’t matter…!!! Keugh!!!”

The Lady, listening to the story, clenched her fist and trembled all over.

“I’m starting to wonder what kind of messed up city Isvant even is!!!”

She seemed very upset and angry that something she didn’t know about was happening in her city. Anyone would feel that way.

“Logically, how can something like that even exist!! Since we’ve already solved the demon incident, we should redirect our forces there this time!!! The Barbarian Paladin is truly Isvant’s savior!!!”
“Heh heh heh, you flatter me.”

I continued the story about killing the giant and how his body didn’t remain. I also added that he seemed to be an ancient being.

“Indeed… If it was sealed in such a place, there’s a high probability it was an ancient being. Then the waterway could be called a dungeon!!! Ah, but!!!”
“Yes?”
“How did the Barbarian Paladin find such a secret space? There was definitely nothing like that when we investigated.”
“Ah, that’s…”

It would be okay to tell the Lady.

“This is a trade secret that I haven’t revealed to anyone yet, but I should tell you, Lady. Aren’t we comrades?”
“Ooh!!! What secret is it that requires a secret oath while using words like ‘comrades’!!!”
“Heh heh heh, you’re quick to catch on. Anyway, the way I found it was…”

When I gestured that I would whisper, the Lady lent me her ear.

“I actually have an artifact that detects evil beings. I happened to acquire it while killing all sorts of beings as a Paladin. That’s how I found out.”
“I, I can’t believe it!!!”
“Please keep it a secret.”
“I will!!!”

Good.

“Anyway, you must investigate the basement. The very large coffin that the thing was in is still there. Of course, the body has turned to dust and disappeared, but just seeing the coffin in the secret space will prove it.”
“Good! I’ll take care of this!!!”
“Heh heh heh, I’m glad to hear that.”

Anyway, this is as good as done. All that’s left is for Isvant to be aware of this and be vigilant.

With that, I finished talking to the Lady.

“Then I’ll be going now.”
“No, are you already thinking of leaving!! You’re practically the star of the banquet!!”
“I’m busy. I have a lot to do. In fact, the main reason I attended the banquet today was to inform you of this.”
“Heok!!!!”

The Lady, seemingly shocked, opened her mouth wide.

“As expected of a Paladin, you’re very diligent…!!!”

Then, as if she understood, she nodded her head while trembling her fist.

This Lady’s emotional expressions are really too intense. It’s all because she’s a noble with mana. Nobles with mana, especially those with territories, don’t pretend to be humble. That’s because they can reveal themselves as they are without any problems.

“At the same time, I’m very disappointed! But if it’s something that can’t be helped, there’s no way to stop it! So before you leave, please accept Isvant’s sincerity!”
“Sincerity!!!”

Is she talking about compensation!

The Lady gestured, and a servant nearby came over, listened to her words, and disappeared somewhere. The disappeared servant soon returned, holding a small box in his hand.

“Please accept it!!! Isvant’s sincerity!!”
“Eok!”

It was a box full of gold coins…!
As expected, Isvant is a city with a good sense of what’s what!

“As expected!!! It’s Lady Isvant!!!”
“I’m just giving a well-deserved reward!!! Praise is not necessary, O~hohohohohoht!!!”
“Hehahahahahaha!!!”

Having secured the compensation, I left the banquet hall.

* * *

The work in Isvant is almost finished.

Now, all that’s left is to check out the Necropolis and the Kobold Dungeon. Once I do that, I think it’ll be okay to return to the capital, but that Lich bastard is still a problem.

I faced him directly in the last incident.

That bastard is very dangerous.

He possesses ancient knowledge, the drive and power to seek it, and strength. I estimate that this Lich has power on a different level from the ancient beings I’ve faced so far.

Isn’t that so?

Most of the guys I’ve slaughtered were just newly unsealed bastards. On the other hand, if the Lich is an ancient being, then he either broke free from the seal a long time ago, or he was never sealed in the first place.

Such beings tend to be incredibly strong.

Right now, he’s not showing himself and is acting by moving the heretics, but his true form is still a mystery… What is his purpose?

Anyway.

“Risha. How is it going?”
“Ah, you came to see.”

The state of the basement was, to put it nicely, a mess.

The jewel skull was hanging in the middle of all sorts of magical chains extending from all directions, its brain extracted, with strange tools and tubes haphazardly embedded between the brain wrinkles.

Even the magic circles drawn around it felt very bizarre.

“As you can see, it’s going very smoothly. If it continues like this, I think I’ll be able to find out about his identity.”

Risha, with a refreshing smile, came up to me and pressed her breasts against my chest. It was a smile that made it impossible to imagine that she was the woman who created this insane scene.

“What, are you extracting information directly from the brain?”

I asked, stroking the back of her neck.

“You could say that. Certainly, it seems to be deactivated. But once it’s in my hands, I’ll be able to pull it out somehow. Above all, isn’t it an ancient being with a tenacious life force? It’s enduring the surgery very well.”
“Perfect!!!”

As expected of Risha!

“Now do you understand! There’s nothing I can’t do!”
“I’ve known that from the start!!!”

Anyway, I’m glad it’s going smoothly.

While observing the experiment and listening to Risha’s detailed explanations, I went back up to the first floor. After announcing my departure, I went outside.

I don’t really have anything to do, but I was planning to continuously visit the church and check the surrounding trends. What I’m currently looking for is news about the heretics.

The Lich definitely saw me.

And he realized that I was interfering.

There’s only one thing such a guy would do.

ㅡAn attack on me.

The Lich will try to eliminate me.

Look at what happened right away. I swallowed the soul of the Archdemon, the machine was destroyed, the Titan Prince turned to dust, and the jewel skull is undergoing brain surgery in our basement. Besides that, I’ve done several other things.

I’m destroying everything the Lich wanted, so even I would be fully aroused and have no choice but to take some action.

And if he does such a thing, there will be some signs. The main sign is that the heretics will show movement.

Anyway, that’s what I’m thinking about right now.

I was on my way to the church.

“Hmm.”

In the middle, I saw the Adventurer’s Guild, and thinking about who might be there, I went inside.

“…”

I saw Lina.

“Oh! Aren’t you Lina!”
“Ah…?”

When I called out, Lina cautiously turned around, recognized me, and bowed.

“It’s Oppa. Hello.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s been a while.”
“Yes. It’s been some time since then.”

I saw her when I first arrived in Isvant.

I said I’d buy her a meal, but it took a while.

But seeing Lina reminds me of the place where I dug up the jewel skull. When you think about it, Lina’s grandmother may have also been sacrificed to excavate that jewel skull.

It was a really unfortunate thing.

I should buy her a meal.
I promised to buy her one last time.

“Well, have you eaten? If you haven’t, I’ll buy you a meal.”
“Thank you!!!”

Lina, smiling brightly at the words that I would buy her a meal, bowed again at a 90-degree angle. So I went to eat with Lina.

Of course, to a nice place.

“I, is it okay for me to come to a place like this…?”

Lina blinked her eyes in great surprise, as if she had never been to such a nice restaurant before.

“It doesn’t matter since I’m going to eat too. You can’t eat much anyway. Order whatever you want.”
“Yes… Yes. You’ve really made it big…”
“I’ve made it really big.”

I immediately ordered various menu items. I told Lina to order as well, but she didn’t seem used to it, and she was horrified by the prices on the menu and said she would eat something cheap.

“I, I can’t eat it… Something so expensive…”
“Just eat it, you idiot. I’m buying.”
“I, then the cheapest one…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. No. I’ll just order.”

I took the menu and ordered things that Lina could eat.

“Oh my… To think I’d get to eat something like this.”
“It’s not a big deal. Anyway, I said I’d buy you a meal last time, but I ended up dragging it out a lot. I was busy.”
“Ah, no. I’m always grateful. And yes. I heard that the demon incident was resolved.”
“Then you’ll be able to relax a bit now?”
“Yes. It’ll be less dangerous.”

Lina was living diligently.

Soon the food started coming out, and we devoured it.

“Sniff… It’s so delicious…”

Lina was almost crying the whole time she was tearing into the meat.

“Why are you crying when you’re eating something good?”
“It’s so delicious… I’ve never eaten anything like this before…”
“Cherish today’s memories and live your whole life.”
“Yes! I will!”

Still, I feel good seeing her eat well.

“But did anything special happen? Did you see anything strange? Is anyone bothering you?”

While eating, I asked her about this and that.

“There are quite a few people who bother me. Because I’m young and have black hair… But I’m dealing with it well. By running away or something.”
“You’re doing well. No one’s being too harsh? I’ll kill about half of them.”
“No! It’s okay! You don’t have to do that!”
“Is that so?”

Lina seemed to be living well.

I heard about it roughly last time, but I’m hearing about it in detail now. Listening to the story, it’s almost like seeing my adventurer days, taking care of my own life and living well in a small way.

“What are you going to do in the future?”
“I’m planning to be an adventurer until my body is fully grown. By then, I’ll have gained experience and saved some money, so I’ll start thinking about other paths from then on.”

She’s living with very productive thoughts.

Yeah. You have to earn money when you’re young so that you can jump in when you want to do something later. Those who have nothing can’t even challenge. You have to create your own foundation. This world is such a place.

This kind of experience is what makes Lina a capable adult.

“How old are you now?”
“Fifteen.”
“Hmm? Was that so?”

She looks younger than fifteen because she hasn’t been eating well… Whatever, Lina is also someone who can die. So, like I gave Copson a sword, I should give her something as a gift.

In that way, I finished eating while talking about trivial things with Lina. Lina couldn’t eat as much as I thought. People who don’t usually eat a lot can’t eat a lot even if they go to a buffet.

“Follow me.”
“Yes? Is there somewhere to go?”
“I’ll buy you a gift.”
“A gift!!!”
“It’s not like we don’t have a connection. I’m going to give you some useful things as a gift because I’m afraid you’ll die. When you think about it, we ran away from the giant in that basement a long time ago. It’s a gift for a comrade.”
“Thank you!!!”

I gave Lina several gifts, including clothes, weapons, and good shoes.

These basic equipment costs a lot for those adventurers. Just the shoes alone need to be replaced quickly, so if you buy one of these good shoes, you can live without worrying about shoes for a long time.

That eventually leads to economic abundance. In any world, it’s easier to start with a beginner’s set than to headbutt the ground.

Anyway, it wasn’t a big deal for me because it was nothing to me.

“I, I don’t know if I can receive all of this…”

Lina, who was dressed in new equipment, blushed, not knowing what to do.

“Are you saying that with all that stuff on your body?”
“I’m sorry!”
“No. It’s okay.”

I succeeded, so it’s a gift to show off to my comrade.

I don’t know when I’ll see you again.

“Don’t go wild just because you have good equipment, and take care of yourself more. And when you wear new clothes, always cover them with rags to hide them. Dirty the shoes on purpose too. You know?”
“Yes. I know it well. It’s difficult if I become a target.”

Lina nodded as if she knew everything I said.

She knows the common sense of adventurers very well.

“Looking at the way you talk, you can live a long life. Then live well. I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”
“I think it would be good if we met again…”

Lina made a regretful voice when it was time to say goodbye.

I’m also sad.

“That’s right. Then I’m busy, so I’ll be going now. Live well.”
“Yes…! Oppa! Thank you!”

As expected, Lina, who is polite, bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“Okay.”

I turned around and waved my hand at Lina.

I parted ways with Lina and headed to the church.