334 – The Owner of the Holy Sword -2-

Rowen, who was walking silently through the maze, glanced back at Yuria, who was following with a stiff expression.

‘She seems very nervous.’

It seemed she was openly showing her nervousness. Her walking posture and her expression were both stiff.

Rowen wanted to ease her tension with a small joke, but unfortunately, he wasn’t good with words. He shook his head with a bitter smile.

‘It might scare her instead.’

He thought it was ironic to say this himself, but since he was a famous person known by everyone in the Empire, it was natural for her to be more nervous.

[The Sword of the Empire.]

Except for that suspicious guy Desmond and a few others, everyone feared him.

Nevertheless, considering himself a true adult, Rowen spoke to Yuria with a ‘thud’. After all, he had formed a team, and it would be disappointing to go without saying a word.

“Your name is Yuria, right?”

“Yes…!”

“You’re from the North.”

“That’s right…!”

“You don’t have to speak so stiffly. I’m also a parent with a daughter.”

“Yes!”

Hmm…

To lighten the mood, Rowen asked Yuria a question he had always wanted to ask.

A story that neither his eldest son Malik, nor his second daughter Rosy, nor his youngest daughter Hannah had ever told him.

“How is life at the academy?”

“…The academy?”

“Yes.”

“It’s good.”

“Which part do you like?”

“Well…”

Yuria glanced at Rowen, trying to gauge his reaction. She thought that the Senior Director and the Knight Commander had similar personalities. Of course, they had different nuances… but still, their way of speaking was similar.

“There are many good people, and it’s fun.”

“I see.”

They exchanged a few meaningless words. As the atmosphere relaxed a bit, Rowen casually offered Yuria some comfort.

“Are you nervous?”

“What…?!”

“I asked if you were nervous.”

“Oh…”

Yuria lowered her head, staring at the dusty white wall. She tried not to show it, but she was indeed nervous.

The shock from the cultist attack hadn’t subsided yet, and the ear-piercing screams still echoed vividly in her mind.

It still felt like she could hear the cries of “Save me, save me” ringing in her ears.

What would happen here?

The fear of someone chasing her from behind constantly echoed in Yuria’s heart.

That’s why she was even more nervous, and she felt the reality of the cultists’ abnormal existence.

Knowing Yuria’s feelings, Rowen didn’t rush her and spoke to her with a small smile.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“Yes…”

“No matter what happens, I will protect you, so you just need to gain experience.”

“…Understood.”

“But don’t relax too much.”

“Yes…!”

“Much better.”

Rowen nodded and continued to move forward. They navigated through the complex maze, passing the identical white walls and platinum armor-clad knights holding swords.

After about ten steps.

-Saaa…

Feeling a chilling presence, Rowen stopped at the crossroads and sighed.

“It’s chilly.”

“…”

“It doesn’t seem like the aura of the Holy Sword.”

“…”

Rowen thought.

The strange aura he had felt from the beginning was as irritating as a thorn stuck in his side.

‘Do they have another agenda?’

The aura was too foreign to be from a person, and too corrupted to be from the Holy Sword. It was as if the Holy Sword was there to suppress something.

Whatever it was.

“We should go this way.”

For now, there was no information.

Rowen moved his toes towards the left fork where the ominous aura flowed.

One step.

He frowned as he stepped into the space that unfolded after two steps.

“…Ha.”

Black and white.

Rowen let out a bitter laugh at the stark contrast of colors. He wasn’t sure, but he thought there was a secret hidden here that he didn’t know about.

The pure white temple that failed to maintain its concept. The contrasting blend of black and white.

And then.

“It’s ridiculously vast.”

The space that greeted Rowen was so enormous that it was hard to believe it was carved out of a mountain.

A space divided into black and white halves.

The enormous space had dozens of paths, and a huge mural was engraved on the ceiling.

On the pitch-black wall, a man holding a sword. On the pure white wall, a woman holding a splendid sword was engraved.

Rowen voiced his momentary doubt.

“It’s bizarre.”

“…Indeed.”

“It’s excessively vast and grand.”

Rowen voiced another doubt in the temple of the Holy Sword, which was tightly wrapped like a sacred relic.

“Black doesn’t suit the pure white temple where the Holy Sword is.”

He didn’t know what the person who built this place was thinking when they constructed such a huge temple. The intentions of the ancients are a difficult puzzle for modern people to understand.

What was certain was that the ancient person who built this place had no intention of easily giving up the Holy Sword. Otherwise, there would be no reason to hide the Holy Sword in a huge maze.

Rowen nodded and began to take a step into the vast room.

“The coexistence of black and white.”

“…”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“…”

“It’s like they’re trying to hide something. The holy sword seems like a stake to suppress something.”

“…”

“This unnecessarily huge temple feels like a warehouse to block the leaking energy….”

Yuria, unable to understand Rowen’s words, just mumbled with a frightened expression.

“Don’t chase after clouds. Don’t think too deeply.”

Rowen let out a hollow laugh and moved towards the wide space. If the path they had walked so far was like a corridor, this place felt like an auditorium. Yes, if compared to a sewer, it was like the space where all the water gathers.

“Complicated.”

“…”

Rowen clicked his tongue and then slowly began to move forward.

And then.

-Tok.

He held his breath at the sound of approaching footsteps.

An intruder.

No, it would be more accurate to say that someone with the same purpose as us had crossed paths.

-Tok.

-Tok.

-Tok.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Yuria swallowed her saliva and began to gather divine power in her fist. Rowen also drew his sword from his waist and began to sound the alarm.

Rowen spoke to the frozen Yuria.

“Don’t be nervous. The person next to you is the strongest in the empire.”

“…”

“Judging by the energy I feel, it doesn’t seem to be Ricardo.”

“…”

“In that case… an apostle.”

Rowen slowly began to imbue his sword with aura. The golden aura symbolizing the ‘Sword of the Empire’ slowly enveloped the blade.

Tyrannical.

Intense.

“They must be our enemy.”

The sound of footsteps echoed from the opposite exit as the figure’s face emerged from the darkness into Rowen’s view.

Wearing a thick robe on their head.

Emitting a ferocious magical aura without hesitation, the figure approached Rowen and Yuria without any reservation.

Rowen pushed Yuria behind him and spoke.

“…Stay alert.”

“Yes.”

“If another apostle arrives, we plan to escape, so be ready to retrace our steps.”

-Nod.

Rowen’s eyebrows twitched as he saw the approaching figure’s face.

Though the darkness obscured the face, he couldn’t help but be surprised by the features of the woman before him.

“An elf…?”

“…!”

“…Why is an elf here?”

“That person earlier…!”

“Shh. I heard from Ricardo.”

It was an elf.

“…”

The elf who had used a massive spell on the academy party was slowly walking towards Rowen.

Rowen spoke coldly to Yuria.

“Get out of the way.”

Before Rowen’s words could even finish, countless black spears began to rain down from above the apostle of compassion’s head.

At a rapid speed.

And with great force.

They were falling towards Rowen and Yuria.

“…”

Rowen, who had deployed a barrier of swords, exhaled calmly and asked the apostle of compassion.

“What is your name?”

“Apostle of Compassion.”

“What is your real name?”

“…”

“Not in the mood to talk, I see.”

Rowen spoke the information he remembered to the Apostle of Compassion.

“Why are the elves attacking humans?”

“…”

“In the secret meeting 30 years ago, humans and elves must have made a peace agreement.”

“…”

“…A reticent elf.”

The Apostle of Compassion’s cold green eyes glared at Rowen as he spoke.

“Filthy sword of the empire.”

“Do you know my alias?”

“Filthy hypocrite.”

“I never thought I’d hear such words from an elf.”

“…”

“I don’t recall harboring any ill feelings towards elves, so why such negative words?”

The Apostle of Compassion created a bow in his hand.

“Humans are the worst.”

“Elves don’t seem to be such a great race either.”

“Shut up.”

“…”

Rowen lightly kicked the ground and unleashed a sword strike.

And at that moment.

The bowstring released from the Apostle of Compassion’s hand began to stretch far, cutting through the wind.

The sword strike and the arrow collided.

-Kiiiiiiiiii!!!

As the explosive storm raged, Yuria frowned to the point where she couldn’t see ahead, and the robe worn by the elf began to flutter.

-Kiiiiiiiiii… Kiiik…!

Ricardo’s Tyrfing was a special sword that nullified magic, but Rowen’s sword was not.

– Screeeeeech!!!

The aftermath was inevitable.

The elf’s robe began to flutter and dance in the wind created by the violent impact. At the same time, the elf’s pupils started to tremble.

“Don’t show it…”

It was a fleeting moment, but Rowen could see it.

“If you show it…”

The elf in front of him was scared.

Rowen didn’t give the Apostle of Compassion a chance to stop the robe from being stripped off, and he rushed in with his sword.

He didn’t know why she was trembling, but there was no room for consideration in the battlefield in front of a strong opponent.

“Gasp…!”

– Slaaash!!!

The Apostle of Compassion also let go of the robe she was holding and began to respond.

And at that moment.

– Flutter.

As the robe was stripped off, Rowen and Yuria’s eyes began to widen greatly.

“You…”

Rowen spoke with trembling eyes.

“Were you a slave?”

The face that the Apostle of Compassion had been hiding bore a huge burn scar.

A burn scar so large it couldn’t be hidden covered her left eye. And on her collarbone was a mark symbolizing her past as a slave.

The Apostle of Compassion’s pupils began to tremble at Rowen’s words.

“Don’t look…”

“…”

“Don’t look at me…”

Madness begins to seep in.

Madness born from humans.

Madness that cannot be forgotten even if one wants to.

“Those eyes…”

She began to rush in.

“I’ll gouge them out.”