Chapter 58

58

We entered a bright blue room surrounded entirely by water.

I could only see that much.

The feeling of entrusting my life to others was both terrifying and reassuring.

In the end, we safely passed through the second basement floor.

Siren's voice grew louder, but no one was enchanted by it.

Siren, as usual, did not come out to attack.

However, Kaishan, who had been affected, started to struggle more intensely, but fortunately, the paladin holding him used his wits.

He wrapped Kaishan's entire body in a blanket, tightly securing him so that the sirens couldn't see him.

Even after leaving Siren's domain, Kaishan remained in a daze.

He fell into a deep sleep, woke up to eat, and then fell asleep again.

According to Duke Muriel, it was just fatigue-induced drowsiness, and he would be fine soon.

"Was this the fourth time?"

After breaking through the second level, the exploration of the ruins proceeded faster than expected.

The emperor, having grasped the structure of the ruins from the first and second challenges, tackled the next problems without hesitation.

Thanks to the holy relics carried by the paladin, eliminating the monsters guarding the areas was easy.

The emperor, Sharent Clown, and Duke Muriel were the ones who strategized.

Despite being a small and hastily assembled group, they were almost perfect, lacking nothing.

"The purpose of the ruins is clear. It seems to be testing the virtues of a king."

On the fourth basement floor, as we passed through a room with a chessboard structure, the emperor said.

The third floor was a room where we had to solve puzzles using pieces that came from the monsters during battles.

The fourth floor was a giant chessboard, and we had to win at chess.

After the second basement floor, they solved the problems after much deliberation without my intervention.

I just went from one person's arms to another, as Sharent Clown had said.

'Really...?'

Surprisingly, they reached the final floor in just two days, despite carrying two children.

While the number of floors was fewer compared to other ruins, their skills were individually outstanding.

All I did was sleep when I was tired, eat food that appeared from somewhere, and then doze off again. When I woke up, I was usually in the middle of a battle.

Once again, the bodies of some unknown monsters were rolling on the floor.

The stench had become almost familiar.

The emperor occasionally held me, and he seemed to find me quite amusing.

"Sharent!"

Watching the people who maintained their composure throughout the exploration reminded me of my past struggles.

I started to feel like I wanted to go home.

To hurry them up, I called Sharent Clown, and he frowned.

"Rude."

Huh? What's that supposed to mean?

"Uncle."

Sharent Clown said confidently.

No, why is he suddenly calling himself my uncle? When did I ever call him that? No way!

"Paris!"

Forget it, let's just get the relic and leave.

'It's dark, suffocating, and oppressive.'

Who would have thought we'd be trapped in a ruin after leaving the mansion?

I sighed deeply, and he frowned.

"Uncle."

No, do you really want to do this now?

"Then should I be your uncle too? Or being called an uncle is fine."

The emperor took a step toward me and said.

Sharent Clown's frown deepened.

What? Are they all going crazy during the exploration? Did we get poisoned by something we couldn't see while passing through Siren's domain?

"Uh, Shalina?"

I got goosebumps.

Every time the emperor acted familiar, it felt like a snake was coiling around my neck.

Is it an instinctive aversion? Or is he just like that?

I took a slow breath.

"Shancun..."

I mumbled in a small voice, curling up.

Sharent Clown's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

His displeased gaze immediately fell on me.

No, why are you looking at me like that? I was just trying to survive. Even when he smiles, the atmosphere is scary.

The emperor's expression turned mischievous, and he patted Sharent Clown's shoulder.

"Little Duke, try to be a bit more cheerful. It doesn't seem like you have a good relationship with your nephew. Even less than me, who just became your uncle."

"Why are you the emperor's uncle?"

"Or a godfather would be fine too."

Sharent Clown openly clicked his tongue.

The emperor shrugged shamelessly.

"Where else would we have such a special relationship?"

"I'll pass on the terrifying suggestions."

Sharent Clown's voice was sharp. Despite his rude and sharp retort, the emperor didn't seem bothered.

"Right, Sharent."

The emperor repeated my poor pronunciation, causing Sharent Clown's eyes to narrow. The wrinkles on his handsome face didn't look good.

Still, I took care of him, so there's no reason for him to be treated like this by the emperor.

Most of all, I don't like the emperor imitating my pronunciation.

There. Go and live without being intimidated.

Sharent Clown's lips twitched.

His eyes narrowed. It seems he didn't like it even though I called him.

'Geez, why the frown?'

Sharent Clown silently continued to carry me and started walking again.

After passing through a maze-like corridor, we reached a golden throne.

In the center of a large room, a stone platform was placed, and on it sat a massive golden throne.

On top of the throne was a crown.

A crown that emitted a faint silver light.

The crown, adorned with what looked like sapphires, had not faded over time.

At the center was a large sky-blue gem that still sparkled despite the long years. This crown seemed to be the relic of the ruins.

"Is that the relic?"

"Yes."

"It's simple. It looks like an ordinary crown."

Although it was incredibly intricate and beautiful, it wasn't particularly surprising. It could be made today.

"What exactly is required to become the owner of the relic?"

In response to Duke Muriel's question, the paladin spoke.

"You must be recognized by the relic."

"Recognized?"

"When you pick it up, if the relic accepts you, you become its owner."

The relic tests how well you fit the criteria of the ruins.

The ruins filter out the most suitable person for the relic, and the relic chooses the owner who best meets the criteria.

The relics I obtained were from the 'Tower of Greed' and the 'Season of Death' ruins.

I was the owner of both of these relics.

Another holy relic had no owner and was just stored.

Initially, the entrance condition for that ruin was 'the wise one,' but the actual condition the relic sought was 'the purest one.'

As a result, no owner was found among the explorers.

Usually, the explorers must find the owner of the relic to leave the ruins.

However, sometimes, even without an owner, the exit opens.

"Your Majesty, please try first. The condition here is 'the heaviest one.'"

"It can't be just about weight."

The paladin nodded in response to the emperor's question.

It's not just about weight.

Although it's not certain, on the first floor, the person with the heaviest responsibility and weight as a king was the correct answer.

So, the emperor was the most likely candidate this time.

'The heaviest one.'

Does it mean the one with the highest value as a king?

Anyway, it had nothing to do with me.

'It's not my relic anyway.'

I yawned and plopped down on the floor. Kaishan, now somewhat more alert, also approached and sat next to me, still rubbing his eyes, indicating he was still sleepy.

'He's impressive too.'

Despite the ordeal, he didn't cry and followed the difficult schedule without being carried much.

I had always thought of him as a crybaby, but this changed my perception.

Crack, crack.

As the emperor picked up the crown and tried to lift it, the crown rejected him.

No matter how hard the emperor tried to hold onto the crown, it was useless. The smell of burning flesh filled the air before the emperor finally let go.

"I wish I had a relic too. The rejection was stronger than I expected."

"Relics cannot be forced."

The paladin said.

Relics are ultimately objects and cannot be forced to submit.

It was astonishing that the emperor didn't flinch even as his skin turned red and the smell of burning filled the air.

'I hope his senses aren't numb.'

Anyway, the desire to have a relic suggests that the royal relics either have no owner or belong to someone else.

After the emperor was rejected, each person tried to pick up the crown, but the crown rejected everyone.

After everyone was rejected, the emperor let out a hollow laugh.

"Sir Yuried."

The emperor called him.

The paladin, who had been standing silently at the back, frowned.

He slowly shook his head.

"I will not do it. I cannot touch the relics of monsters under the protection of the gods."

His voice was firm.

Frustrated by his stubborn answer, the emperor frowned.

If the relic rejects everyone, the explorers cannot leave the ruins.

"If there's no owner of the relic, we can't leave. Are you willing to kill me to protect your meager beliefs, Sir Yuried?"

The emperor's words made the paladin's lips stiffen.

He looked at the emperor with a hard expression and then at the relic. After all, he and the temple were under the emperor's protection.

"...I will do it."

The paladin reluctantly agreed.

He must have thought that sacrificing himself was better than causing many deaths.

'He's more upright than I thought.'

The paladin extended his hand and reached for the crown.