Dawn's Sacred Relic

Their magic crossed toward each other, but Pernok was fine while Yein crashed into a pillar.

The weakness of nature-type mages is that their bodies are weak.

But Pernok had enhanced his body with Mana Reinforcement, so he has attribute resistance to most magic.

Yein looked at Pernok brushing off his collar with an expression of disbelief.

‘He just used wind. Why is a nature-type mage fine even after taking my lightning strike?’

The experienced Yein established one hypothesis.

‘Perhaps he’s a Double?’

What if the opponent is skilled in handling both enhancement and nature types?

Yein spread lightning energy throughout his whole body.

It was a pseudo-enhancement type that raises body activation.

‘He’s planning to match my speed.’

He would utilize mobility to dodge Pernok’s magic and continuously land lightning strikes.

It was a simple but troublesome tactic.

Because the lightning energy’s speed truly resembled a flash.

Bang!

He grasped the situation 0.5 seconds before the lightning energy would strike with Observation Eye and dodged.

Simultaneously, arrowhead-shaped lightning energy poured down from the front.

Pernok filled the area before his eyes with storms.

Around when the lightning energy was being swept by the wind, the storm magic extinguished.

Pernok again utilized Acceleration and Shadow Step to raise his instantaneous speed.

Though the familiar speed surged sharply in an instant to aim for a gap in recognition, Yein skillfully dealt with the enhancement chain he had seen once before.

Bang bang!

The sky’s thunderbolts and the lightning energy bursting from his body spread in all directions like nets.

Though Pernok hit the brakes, the lightning energy slightly touched his collar.

In the blink of an eye, the lightning energy rode along the collar and infected his body.

The nature was subtly different from before.

Rather than infiltrating inside the body, it tried to crush the nerves inside the skin.

Thud!

Pernok stomped his toes and shook off the lightning energy clinging to his body.

‘A Magus? No, there’s no sign at all of dominating space.’

Though he uses various means, he can’t erase the thought that he’s being manipulated by Pernok.

It means Pernok is at least one level above himself, but he doesn’t show Magus-class capacity.

‘He’s showing consideration in his moves?’

The answer concluded to one thing, but Yein tousled his hair.

Come to think of it, the high cleriocs aren’t dead but are unconscious.

The other soldiers and priests also merely sat down in surprise.

If he had companions, instead of using them for sacred relic theft, he could’ve unfolded diversionary tactics targeting himself from behind.

But Pernok had merely appropriately exchanged hands with Yein.

“Do you know what the Silver priest did here?”

Pernok, who had shaken off Yein and gripped the spear, wound the thunderbolts pouring from the sky around the spearpoint.

“He was kidnapping children trying to recreate the incident from 30 years ago.”

“……!”

The thunderbolts rode along the spear and seeped into the ground.

Even when Yein consecutively shot thunderbolts from the sky, they merely gathered at the spear and flowed down.

“You felt the darkness that burst from the sacred relic.”

“Where do you try to confuse my ears with such evil words!”

“The darkness bloomed from that eastern altar. I drilled a hole, so you can confirm it.”

“Dawn doesn’t yield to heretics!!”

From Yein, who was showing firm resolve as if reciting the gospel, he didn’t feel like he was involved with the laboratory like the previous three high clerics.

“If you’re hiding while pretending not to know, then you of Dawn are hypocrites, and if you truly don’t know, then that’s also the sin of negligence.”

Pernok, who had confirmed that Marco was distancing himself from the temple, burst the energy gathered in the spear in all directions.

“This……!”

When Over Impact’s brilliance burst out, Yein wrapped lightning energy around both hands and concentrated all his mana. The brilliance was trapped in Yein’s both hands and extinguished.

However, Yein’s hands were charred pitch black, and he, who had vomited all his mana, staggered and stared forward.

“Huff, huff.”

Another incomprehensible power following the enhancement and nature types.

Pernok, who had shot something heterogeneous that was different from magic, withdrew the spear while in fine form.

“Whether who’s the laboratory’s collaborator or who are the truly faithful ones following Dawn will soon be determined. However, if appropriate judgment isn’t carried out in the Holy Kingdom, then I’ll personally come to condemn you.”

When the moonlight covered by clouds draped down, clear light burst from Pernok’s eyes.

[Memorial Lv.3]

Transmits part of one’s memories to the target.

He transmitted the scene he had seen in the laboratory to Yein.

When Yein sat down while holding his head, Pernok suddenly vanished without a trace.

“Uuum……”

Yein sat on that spot without even one ounce of strength to chase Pernok.

“Head Cleric!”

The remaining high priest urgently ran over.

Those who supported the head priest ground their teeth upon seeing the destroyed temple.

“We’ll immediately pursue the intruder!”

“Please permit us to deploy the priests!”

Then, Pernok’s memories stirred inside Yein’s head.

Flasks and mucus.

The priests managing that place.

The secret laboratory.

The fragmentary memories were scattered like puzzle pieces.

“The east……”

He must fit these puzzle-like pieces together before Pernok does.

“……First examine below the altar.”

“But!”

“Hurry!”

When the unfamiliar memories stirred, his heart became anxious for no reason.

‘What on earth is this?’

The sacred relic was stolen, the high clerics fell, and facilities he doesn’t know about exist under the temple.

All these moments felt like he was having a nightmare.

* * *

Pernok wiped the blood flowing from his lips.

‘Did I push a bit too hard?’

Handling the Eight Directions Formation, the head priest, and even the soldiers consecutively had made his insides churn slightly.

Pernok removed the cloth covering his lips and returned to his original appearance.

Passing the soldiers who were busily moving through the streets, he descended into the alley to Marco’s hideout.

Following the underground passage to the deep place, Marco was waiting.

“Thanks to you, we succeeded.”

Marco showed him the blue sword, the Dawn Temple’s sacred relic.

Even when examining it with Observation Eye, there was nothing particularly special about it.

“This is the key?”

“I saw the Silver priest open the capital’s secret door with this. I heard that the secret laboratory was originally the Dawn Temple’s old stronghold.”

“That temple now isn’t the main temple?”

“To first create the Holy Kingdom, the three orders united and gathered in the capital. They each seized districts and made temples. But it seems there was a problem the year the Pope was selected. Ultimately, each one moved their temples to different regions.”

“Then does that mean where the Silver priest is is the real Dawn God’s temple?”

“It’s an old matter. They said those who know about it are few too. Then the Silver priest said that the most secret place there must be opened with this sacred relic. Other places can just be entered once they’re opened, but only that place requires using the sacred relic.”

“But when the sacred relic came out from the temple, didn’t anyone raise issues?”

“Because I made a fake and enshrined it in the center.”

“Don’t tell me……”

“Don’t worry, this is the real one. The Silver priest made a fake sacred relic identical to the real sacred relic so he could open the temple door. So he brought the real one back here.”

“Why didn’t you talk about this before?”

“Because the fact that we must bring it doesn’t change. I didn’t really think it was important talk.”

“But why are you specifically talking about it now?”

“To follow your words firmly.”

Marco offered the fake sacred relic to Pernok.

“I feel like I can rescue Boss if I just trust you.”

Pernok put the sacred relic in his bosom.

“This time will pass because the result doesn’t change, but if you leak even one trivial piece of information afterward, I’ll kill you first and move separately.”

“Hehe, that won’t happen. My only backing now is you.”

From his impudently laughing appearance, the Lord of Despair’s appearance momentarily overlapped.

Why does he feel that this lively boy resembles that loyal retainer?

Pernok shook his head and spoke.

“The search will intensify. Let’s escape from this place quickly.”

“There’s an emergency passage leading outside deep inside! Let’s go!”

Pernok escaped the long darkness side by side with Marco.

* * *

An abandoned house mid-mountain near Maeita.

When Pernok and Marco entered, the Origin that had been draped at the door completely vanished.

The children exhaled sighs of relief upon seeing the two safe people.

“Are you alright!”

When Armin ran over, Marco headed toward the children.

Pernok brought Armin outside the abandoned house.

“Thanks to you, it ended smoothly.”

“That’s fortunate. Everyone was worrying because you were later than promised.”

“It seems you got close with the kids?”

Armin smiled awkwardly.

“They spoke to me first. They said we can run away if we’re scared, just please don’t interfere with them.”

“Have you decided?”

“Seeing that I came this far, the answer’s already out.”

When Armin asked back, Pernok chuckled.

“How was it seeing the truth? Did the Dawn Temple look noble to you?”

“My faith in the temple doesn’t change. Even if it’s a god walking a path different from Benevolence, the people living in the Holy Kingdom all live with faithfulness. But someone’s needed to tell them that what’s wrong is wrong.”

Solemnity swirled in Armin’s voice.

“As a record cleric, I’ll write down everything that happens from now on without omitting anything and send it to our temple.”

“Can you be certain that no one sharing intentions with the Silver priest exists in the Benevolence Temple? Benevolence is neutral, after all.”

When he asked as if suspecting it might pass easily, Armin readily nodded.

“It might be so. Then I’ll write about it while lumping even that together. If the Holy Kingdom won’t do it, then I must inform even those outside.”

Let there be not one unjust believer.

That is Benevolence’s ideology.

“Don’t think all clerics are like that. Dawn, Light, and Benevolence all originated from one thing initially, divided according to each ideology, and still practice that faith now. So may I ask just one thing?”

“What?”

“Please don’t do meaningless killing.”

Pernok nodded.

“I won’t easily touch what’s not distinguished. I’m only handling certain things, so it won’t conflict with your ideology.”

“Thank you.”

“Then the problem is from now on.”

“Why? Did something else happen?”

“Won’t the Dawn Temple’s incident flow to the capital Armosa? The Silver priest will hear about it too. He’ll definitely think he’s being targeted. The inspections will become thorough from the start.”

The Dawn Temple’s sacred relic was stolen.

For this major incident, the inspections in other regions will intensify.

And the capital Armosa will prohibit outsiders’ entry and exit entirely until the incident is resolved.

Armin, who had been pondering deeply, proposed an opinion.

“There’s one method.”

“……?”

“Disguise yourselves as the Benevolence Temple’s apprentice clerics.”

“Where will you obtain the status and cleric robes?”

Cleric robes are noble garments granted to those who became apprentice clerics.

They aren’t taken outside, and if someone steals and wears them or imitates the same symbol, they’re subject to severe punishment reaching the maximum death penalty.

Therefore, non-clerics in the Holy Kingdom can neither obtain nor wear cleric robes.

“If you’re wearing them only when passing the inspection, there’s a method.”

When Pernok tilted his head, Armin smiled sinisterly.

“Hehehe, just trust me!”

* * *

Armin, who had shouted confidently, brought the answer from the next region.

“First, what the kids will wear.”

He laid out six child-sized cleric robes.

“Now, this is yours.”

He handed worn, shabby cleric robes to Pernok.

As each one received cleric robes, they sent puzzled gazes.

“Ah, kids sometimes leave the temple because the cleric training is harsh. Then, the returned cleric robes are recycled after just removing the names and distributed to the newly entering kids.”

“Weren’t cleric robes supposed to be one per person?”

“Sigh. Kids grow differently every day. They’re considered like students who can’t even join the apprentice cleric ranks, so the ones for kids are handed down. When they become official apprentice clerics, the cleric robes they receive then are the real ones.”

“What about this one?”

“Yours is a deceased cleric’s robes.”

“Don’t tell me you even dug up a grave?”

“Hahaha. The Benevolence God’s clerics burn the bodies. Then we dress them in white clothes instead of cleric robes. And the deceased cleric’s robes are delivered to the bereaved family. It means to honor that intention.”

“Then did this cleric robe’s owner have no bereaved family?”

Armin nodded.

“Record clerics sometimes also take charge of writing about what work other clerics did. I also wrote for the clerics who passed away in this area.”

“So that means I must use a dead person’s status.”

“It hasn’t been long since he passed, so it’s probably not yet known in the capital. They won’t pay much attention to the kids either. Anyway, we’ll briefly stay in the capital and then leave. Let’s just focus on passing through.”

Armin urged the people to move quickly.

They hurried their steps before the dead person’s name rings in the capital.

Around when a week had passed, magnificent castle gates unfolded before their eyes.

Perhaps because word had spread that the Dawn Temple’s sacred relic was stolen, the area in front of the castle gate bustled only with people living in the capital and clerics.

Pernok’s group pulled their cleric robes down to their heads and entered before the inspection post.

“I haven’t seen your face before?”

Armin spoke as the representative.

“I’m Armin, serving the God of Benevolence. This person is Cleric Altio, and these children are walking austerity with me.”

“What is your cleric name?”

“The children are still apprentices, so they haven’t even raised their names yet. Cleric Altio is called Ren, and I’m called Yaru.”

“But why does Cleric Altio cover his face?”

“He has a skin disease…… actually, we came to the capital to receive treatment for that.”

“Hmm, for a moment, the bandage……”

“Don’t touch it! It transfers immediately to your hands!”

The inspection chief’s hand hesitated. Then he slowly examined only Pernok’s face.

After confirming the eye wrinkles and hair color, he turned his body.

“Wait for a moment.”

The inspection chief had a soldier take the investigated matters inside.

Shortly after, the soldier came out holding documents stamped with the Benevolence Temple’s seal.

“Mm, it’s correct. You may enter.”

Altio had actually suffered from a skin disease from 10 years ago.

The capital has records about the skin disease fact.

But the matter of his recent death hasn’t arrived yet.

The children weren’t greatly suspected for not being given cleric names, and the group passed the inspection with Armin’s wisdom.

“Now, enter.”

When Armin walked while leading, Marco and the children followed.

Then Pernok stepped his foot through the castle gate.

* * *

A pure white woman wearing the Light God’s high cleric robes with long blonde hair stopped in the corridor.

“……?”

The woman turned her head somewhere.

Thanks to the veil hanging down to her nose, one couldn’t know what she was thinking.

“Why is that, High Priest?”

The Holy Kingdom’s High Priest, who is praised as one of the S3’s Magi alongside the Rakis Empire’s duke, shifted her gaze to the old priest.

“Head Cleric.”

“Yes.”

“Will you send me the list of those who entered the capital today?”

“Why do you suddenly need that?”

The High Priest smiled gently as if holding a grass leaf and spoke.

“I saw something strange.”