Chapter 45 – The Irian Of The Forgotten Temple (9)

I was about to answer, “Yeah,” but stopped. …Something about that sounded strange.
Beyond our gazes, Diana’s eyes seemed to glow strangely. I swallowed the answer that had been coming out unconsciously and quickly offered a different one.

“I’m always worried and thinking about you, even when you’re not hurt. It hurts my heart when you get hurt, so let’s not get hurt, okay?”
“…Okay.”

Diana, smiling softly, looked the same as usual.
…Just now, what was that look?
Was it because the temple was dark? Was it just the reflection of the holy power glowing like a fire in the dark temple, reflected in her eyes…?

If you think it’s nothing, it’s really a trivial matter. A strange look could just be a feeling, a misinterpretation, or even just the way the light reflected.
But it was strangely… unsettling. That strange look wouldn’t leave my mind.

“Yurian?”
“Ah… yeah. Did you call me?”
“Here. The things I found at the altar.”

The items, soaked with Diana’s blood, were sparkling under the pure white light of holy power. Somehow, they looked familiar… They looked exactly like something a friend had brought to school when I was little.

“…Isn’t that a knuckle?”
“Yes.”

A black knuckle that didn’t suit Diana’s delicate hands. Moreover, it was ridiculously large, like it was for a man, and didn’t fit her at all. It would probably fit that old monster, Sir Jacob, whose finger bones were like a dragon’s.

As I took the loose knuckle from her, the damp blood smeared on my palm. I was licking the blood off my hand without thinking when I noticed Diana was giving me a strange smile.

“What now?”
“Nothing. Hehe.”

I’m not fooled by that silly smile. What kind of sinister thoughts are you having now? Our kind and pure Diana has been acting strange lately. Should I set aside some time to have a serious talk with her?

I examined the knuckle, which felt a little heavy, but there was nothing particularly strange about it. It was just a normal-looking knuckle. Should I check its item information?

【Siege Weapon – Knuckle】

▶ Special Weapon
◉ 300% increased attack power against walls
◉ +3 to Strength stat if below 15

…What is this? I was staring at it blankly, dumbfounded, when a small head slipped in next to me. The hair sticking out on the top of her head was swaying in front of my eyes like an antenna.

Karsilla, who had been hugging my waist, had moved to my chest and was now standing on tiptoes, looking at the knuckle. She was completely engrossed in it.

“Do you want it?”
“Yes!”
“Diana, is it okay to give it to the baby?”
“Of course.”
“…Oh.”

Karsilla’s eyes were sparkling as she politely held out both her hands. The knuckle fit perfectly in her tiny palms, even when put together. Is it a knuckle for both hands?

Karsilla, for her part, was staring intently at the knuckle, which was about the size of her two hands put together, before raising it high into the air and spinning around. What is she doing?

It was funny, but seeing her so happy with the knuckle above her head made me feel good. Why does she like things like that? She’s surprisingly agile for someone with magical aptitude, and her tastes are quite unique.

Since we were in a hurry to find me and Irian, we hadn’t been able to properly investigate, and we had only hastily grabbed the items on the altar. There weren’t many items there.

A longsword. A dagger. A necklace. Two rings.

Hmm. Five items isn’t bad. No, it’s pretty good. As expected of the Saintess’s luck.

“There were five items on the altar? That’s quite a lot.”
“Six, including the knuckle.”
“Ah… the knuckle.”

Maybe we should just throw that away. It’s a good thing our cute Karsilla likes it, or it would be a completely useless piece of junk. I hope it brings Karsilla a lot of joy, you piece of junk.

I checked the item information one by one.

【Consecrated Knight’s Longsword】

▶ Magic Weapon
◉ 120% attack power against ‘Evil’ attribute targets
◉ +2 to Strength stat if below 20
◉ +2 to Agility stat if below 20

【Blazing Frostfire Dagger】

▶ Unique Weapon
◉ Magic damage to target upon attack
(Damage increases based on user’s Intelligence stat, duration increases based on Wisdom stat)
◉ +4 to Strength stat
◉ +4 to Agility stat

【Guardian Knight’s Protective Necklace】

▶ Magic Item
◉ Automatic protection function for wearer
(Protection increases based on user’s Strength stat)
◉ +2 to Strength stat if below 15, +1 if below 20

【Lovebird Rings】

▶ Magic Item
◉ A pair of rings
◉ Wearing one allows you to locate the other wearer

Oh. The items are better than I expected.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected results, I couldn’t help but hug Diana and swing her around.

“You did great! You’re the best, Diana!”
“Kyaa~ Yuriaan~”

After our little moment of laughter, I felt a little awkward. Irian was looking at us with an indifferent expression, seemingly observing the weapons, but he looked uncomfortable. Did he get jealous because I was only playing with Diana?

‘Wait a minute. Who is Irian jealous of in this situation? Is he jealous of me because I’m playing with Diana? Or is he jealous of Diana because I’m playing with her? …What? It’s the same, but also subtly different.’

Hmm. I don’t know. I’ll ask him later.

“…What about me?”
“Of course, we have to do it for Karsilla too. Come here!”

I gave Karsilla, who was looking at me with envious eyes, an airplane ride for the first time in a while, and then explained the items to her.

I know what abilities these items have through the item information window, but of course, Diana and Irian don’t have such convenient abilities. Karsilla included.

People here can only identify items by relying on their own judgment or by trying them out. Well, if an item looks unusual like these, anyone would feel that it’s special, but I’m the one who has to tell them the exact information.

“This longsword is a blessed weapon. It was used by ancient holy knights. It has excellent attack power against evil targets, and it also enhances the strength and agility of those who haven’t reached a certain level.”

I continued my explanation, looking around at the group who were listening with serious expressions.

“This dagger was made in a special furnace called ‘Frostfire’ in ancient times. If you’re hit by this dagger, flames will continuously rise and worsen the wound. It also enhances the strength and agility of the wearer. It looks good, doesn’t it?”

Of course, it’s all a lie. Who knows if it was used by an ancient holy knight or a village knight? Who knows if it was made with frostfire or in a local blacksmith’s? I’m just making up a story by combining the item’s name and the place where I looted it. But the explanation of the abilities is accurate. Isn’t that enough?

Irian was completely dumbfounded as he listened to my long explanation. His mouth was hanging open as he looked at the longsword and dagger greedily. It was either very knight-like or he was surprisingly materialistic.

“This necklace is also a magical item made in ancient times. It automatically casts a shield to protect the wearer when they are in danger, and it also enhances the strength of the wearer if they haven’t reached a certain level. Finally, this pair of rings… they only have the ability to let you know each other’s location if you wear one each… Why are you looking at me like that?”

Diana and Irian’s gazes met in the air. But the winner was, of course, the Saintess. Even if they fought without their titles, Irian’s chances of winning were close to zero. The one who likes more is always the guilty one.

“Yurian, the ring is enough for me.”

Huh? Just that?

“Then I’ll take the longsword.”

As expected, Irian took the longsword. That left the dagger and the necklace. I glanced at Karsilla, and she was giving me a sparkling stare.

“…What about our baby?”
“The necklace.”

I put the necklace around Karsilla’s neck, who was still holding onto that knuckle tightly. That left only the dagger. It’s the best one, but our kids are so kind.

“Papa. Papa.”
“Yes?”
“Necklace. Right?”

I put it on her properly? But Karsilla still looked dissatisfied.

“I think she’s asking if your explanation is accurate.”

Karsilla nodded quickly at Diana’s interpretation. Oh, how dare she doubt her father’s words. It’s information I confirmed through the system window. Of course, I can’t talk about the system or the information window, so I rattled off a prepared excuse.

“Karsilla, as you know, your papa is quite knowledgeable. I know so much that things like this are very, very easy for me. Do you understand?”

She stared at me for a while before walking away to Diana. …What was that? Did she understand?

“Diana, you know what I mean, right?”
“Of course.”
“Irian, you know, right?”
“No.”
“…What? Don’t tell me you don’t believe my explanation?”
“I believe you. I believe you, but that’s separate from the fact that you’re knowledgeable…”

I’m speechless.
Is it because I was goofing off, dozing off, and half-listening during theology class? Anyway, I was watching Karsilla, wondering what she was going to do, and she was trying to punch the wall with the knuckle. Is that why she wanted the knuckle?

She clenched her small fist cutely, but the knuckle was too big, making her look ridiculous. But she was trying to punch the wall with a serious expression, so I quickly grabbed her and stopped her, then gave her a piggyback ride.

“Ah! Let me down!”

I let her down because she was struggling. I asked Irian to stop her from punching the wall again, and then I talked to Diana to resolve the questions I couldn’t ask because of the strange atmosphere.

“By the way, Diana, how did you know that this knuckle has the ability to break walls?”
“…Ah. That’s right. Uh, how did I know?”

I stared at her, surprised by her uncharacteristic answer, when Karsilla, who was pouting because Irian had stopped her, came toddling over.

“Huh? Why?”
“Nothing.”

She stood next to me and looked up at Diana, but what was even stranger was Diana’s behavior. Why is she so flustered? Did something happen between them? They looked at each other for a moment, and then Karsilla pulled me away.

“Papa. Piggyback.”
“Piggyback what? You want me to carry you?”
“Yes.”
“You were just struggling and saying you didn’t want it, and now you want it?”
“Yes.”

…She’s cute, so I’ll let it slide.
I knelt down and bent my upper body so Karsilla could get on, and when I stood up, Diana was gone. Where did she go?

She had disappeared so quickly, so I looked around, and she was whispering with Irian. …Well, I guess it’s okay?
Now that it’s come to this, I headed towards the altar that Diana had found. There might be items that Diana had missed in her haste, and I might even find hidden items with my item information window, right?

It was easy to find. Our Saintess had personally cleared the way, so I just had to follow the hole in the wall.

“…Diana, how did you do this?”
“I, I was just thinking about saving Yurian and Irian…”

I guess her physical stats are higher than I thought. I shouldn’t mess with her.
I arrived at the central altar. But why is it so messy? And what are those fist marks on the far corner of the wall?

“Ah, ah!”

I was looking at the large fist marks on the wall, wondering what they were, when Diana quickly blocked me. Then, she pushed me away with an ambiguous smile.

“Yurian~ I’ve gathered everything over there, so let’s go. Come on~”

Why is she reacting like this? It’s like she was the one who punched the wall.
The central altar was a mess, as if a storm had passed through, but I figured it was because the temple was shaking so much.

I looked around, but there didn’t seem to be any useful items other than the ones Diana had brought.

Hmm? A row of ritual tools placed against one wall. They looked to be in good condition, but there was nothing worth taking, so I was just glancing at them as I passed by when a strange information window popped up.

【Diuretic】

▶ Magic Item
◉ A medicine that increases urination and promotes the excretion of unnecessary fluids from the body

What is this? Why is there a diuretic here? It was in a glass bottle that looked like a potion, and the liquid inside was yellow.

It’s not an aphrodisiac or a love potion, so what would I use this for? Why is there a disgusting urine promoter? …But I should take it just in case.

“Yurian, have you looked around everything?”
“Yeah! I have! Shall we go now?”

…What is this? The only item I looted was a diuretic?