Chapter 55

55

He pressed his forehead as if he had a headache.

"Exactly, what was that just now?"

"I don't know. Suddenly, something like a wind grabbed Shalina."

Kaishan explained what I wanted to say.

Right, well done.

'Yeah, Shalient Clown! This time it's not my fault...'

What's that look? What is it? It looks like you think I did it again?

I felt wronged by Shalient Clown's gaze.

I shook my head repeatedly.

I am innocent. I was just standing there, and yet someone is framing me like this.

"I don't know either!"

I don't know! I don't know! I feel wronged!

"You should go out. Aren't you going to go out too?"

There was a hint of concern in Shalient Clown's voice.

'I would if I could.'

I also reached out towards the entrance of the ruins. Just like before, sparks flew, and the ruins refused to let me out.

'It's the condition of wearing a crown... I didn't know it applied to a child's body like this.'

Actually, I'm an adult soul, but I really didn't think Kaishan could come in.

'Is it about bloodline?'

It makes sense that the name 'Clown' isn't given for nothing.

He may look stupid like a child, but he has the will to hold a sword and face forward when needed. That makes him better than an ordinary person.

"Since we can't go out and the ruins have acknowledged us, there's no other choice."

The Emperor muttered in a perplexed voice, as if he hadn't expected this.

"I will take care of Lady Shalina."

In response to the Emperor's words, the Holy Knight stepped forward silently.

In the darkness, his eyes seemed to shine even more brightly.

If I had to choose, a Holy Knight who can protect me is better than Shalient Clown, who would run to Kaishan if something happened.

'Sister Lanian seems to have a good impression of me.'

According to rumors, her husband would do anything for Sister Lanian.

'So, I would protect her desperately too?'

Using dark magic on a Holy Knight wouldn't cause much harm.

Since we'll only be together for about a week, it should be fine. Kid, I agree.

"Uriad von Gracel."

Shalient Clown called his name in a displeased voice.

For a simple Holy Knight, his name is quite... flashy? It's unsettling.

"I didn't expect the Captain of the Holy Knights to come himself."

The bomb was quickly dropped.

Damn, he's the Captain of the Holy Knights?

"There were no suitable candidates for entering the ruins in the temple."

The calm answer was a surprisingly cold evaluation.

He stood stiffly, looking like a needle wouldn't even draw blood from him.

Shalient Clown clicked his tongue.

"Let's stop the power struggle here. I said, entering the ruins means you meet the conditions. The ruins won't let you out until the exploration is complete."

The Emperor lightly restrained the two.

The Captain of the Holy Knights approached me and knelt on one knee. Even though he lowered his body, his gaze was still high due to his size.

He bowed even lower.

"Please come this way."

Seeing him use such polite language even to a child, I spread my arms.

'Now I understand why Sister Lanian likes him.'

He's the type who would never do something against his beliefs, even if it meant death.

Such a person is definitely trustworthy. But if he becomes an enemy, he's a dangerous opponent who won't be swayed by any persuasion.

"It's dangerous, so don't leave my side, Shalina."

"Uh-huh..."

I nodded to answer his worried words.

'Ah, I want to live with Sister Lanian too.'

I can't describe how beautiful he looked, stained with blood.

I could vividly see him standing tall in battle, crushing those who mocked her.

Frankly, I admired him even though he was an enemy.

The Captain of the Holy Knights held me in his arms. Despite it being his first time holding a child, he gave a very secure feeling.

I thought being held by a Holy Knight would be uncomfortable, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

'In the past, I hated people with holy power.'

Because I was too deeply involved in dark magic, even being near them made me uncomfortable.

It was an instinctive aversion. But now, I'm in a situation where I have to rely on him. The situation is quite ironic.

"Let's go."

The start of the ruins exploration was unexpected.

* * *

"The ruins are fascinating. It's your first time too, isn't it, Duke Muriel?"

"Yes, it's my first time. I'll make sure not to be a hindrance."

Duke Muriel smiled faintly.

The man, who seemed quiet, had a faint presence. It was surprising how he managed to enter here.

His light brown hair slightly swayed.

"Those who have explored the ruins before are... the Young Duke and Sir Uriad?"

"Two knights from the Simula Order also entered during a previous exploration."

Shalient Clown answered.

Kaishan walked beside Shalient, looking quite composed. Despite walking for a while, he didn't seem tired, indicating he had good stamina.

'Really impressive.'

Am I the only one with poor stamina? This small kid is walking well on the bumpy cave path.

Turning my head slightly, I could see the end of the cave path.

The structure of the ruins was simple. Usually, a long path leads to a wide, open space at the end.

The subtle magic power at the end of the path made me frown.

It seemed only I noticed. Everyone else continued walking.

If someone gets hurt or something goes wrong, I won't be able to sleep well.

I reached out and tugged at the Captain of the Holy Knights' clothes.

Hey, I'm uncomfortable, look at me!

The Captain of the Holy Knights slowly lowered his gaze to look at me.

"What is it?"

"Stop!"

I pointed straight ahead with my index finger. When the Captain of the Holy Knights stopped, the others did too.

"Is there a problem?"

"Indeed, stop here. Something's not right."

"Looks like the child is scared of the darkness. Perhaps it's better if the Young Duke carries him, isn't it?"

The Emperor's voice, tinged with amusement, reached my ears. He seemed to think I was just being fussy.

'No, that's not it! There's something ahead, you idiots!'

Feeling my words were being treated as lighter than a feather, I wriggled and struggled.

Of course, the moment the Captain of the Holy Knights moved his hand to hold me again, my resistance ended.

"Wait a moment."

Only the Captain of the Holy Knights listened to me and turned to look where I was pointing.

He stared at the faint light that seemed to be the exit of the cave, then frowned.

"There seems to be a monster ahead."

The Captain of the Holy Knights said this and then put me down.

He drew his sword from his waist.

Light emitted from the sword, bright enough to be blinding in the dim cave.

The sword, which emitted a gentle light, was inscribed with ancient language, and blue letters shimmered on the blade.

Anyone could tell it was a relic.

'The owner of the temple's relic... was him.'

It seemed to be one of the three relics in the Heyren Empire.

I knew one relic was in the temple. The other two were in the Clown Duke's family and the capital.

I didn't expect the owner of the temple's relic to be him.

'I thought it was the High Priest.'

I didn't expect the owner to be right next to me.

'Anyway, a holy relic in a dark relic...'

Monsters are weak against holy relics. The exploration might end faster than expected.

Where there are monsters, there are dark relics. Conversely, where there are holy relics, there are no monsters, but rather mysteries or mental trials.

Monsters and monsters are different.

Monsters are more corrupt than ordinary monsters, with bizarre appearances.

While ordinary monsters have proper forms, monsters do not.

They emit a terrible stench, and their black blood pollutes the surroundings even after death.

"I'll go check."

The Captain of the Holy Knights took the lead.

Anyone could see he was a righteous man.

I thought he couldn't handle it alone, but no one stopped him.

"The child seems to have a mysterious power, Young Duke."

"It's just that his intuition is a bit better."

"To find something no one else could detect."

Shalient Clown didn't respond to the Emperor's words.

Since Shalient Clown didn't engage, the Emperor approached me, intrigued, and started to fuss.

Fortunately, the Captain of the Holy Knights returned in less than thirty minutes.

Thanks to him, I was able to escape the Emperor's excessive attention.

Anyway, this Holy Knight...

'He's a cheat character.'

Even considering the holy relic, it was surprisingly quick for him to finish.

However, even an hour after we killed the monster, we couldn't move to the next level.

"There's nothing over there."

"There's nothing here either."

"Does the lack of an exit mean this is the final level?"

The Emperor said, sounding bewildered.

Shalient Clown and the Captain of the Holy Knights shook their heads simultaneously.

I nodded in agreement from the side.

"No."

"The space with a relic is more magnificent or serene. It's clear enough to know it's the final level."

The Emperor crossed his arms in response to the Captain of the Holy Knights' denial and Shalient Clown's explanation.

It seems this type of ruin is new to everyone. If there's no exit, we just need to find where the exit is.

The Captain of the Holy Knights, realizing this, was calmly touching the walls of the spacious area.

However, even after walking around the entire area, we couldn't find anything unusual.