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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 156
As Ian walked through the forest, where a cold and eerie atmosphere lingered, he glanced around.
Dozens of people moved in an orderly manner. Although the knights were heavily armored, there was no sound at all.
The only noise was the faint sound of stepping on twigs or brushing through the undergrowth—sounds that were unavoidable.
Ashen knights.
He had known about their existence for some time, but encountering them so close for the first time made them feel more like heavily armed assassins than knights.
“Quite an impressive sight,” Bishop Tarniman said with a sly grin, walking beside Ian.
Ian gave him a brief glance and nodded.
“Secrecy seems quite useful in many ways.”
“I thought so too. Regardless of the opponent, the possibility of a surprise attack being detected is extremely low, which is a great advantage. Perhaps we should have walked the path of assassins instead of knights.”
“Would the Lord have allowed that?”
“Perhaps.”
That was true. Unfortunately, not every lord sought absolute righteousness.
The Silent Lord, Damrak, for example, had the blessing of stealth, making it popular among assassins and thieves who followed him.
Of course, not everyone received this blessing, and only a few out of the many believers, excluding the knights, were known to have received it.
“If you’re interested, you can also turn to Lord Damrak. Then, you’d become like us.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have no intention of becoming a believer.”
“Pity. I’d like to persuade you, but I won’t force it. Faith is free, and coercion is not something our lords allow.”
If it wasn’t a heartfelt prayer, it meant nothing. Tarniman, knowing this, refrained from forcing his views.
After a brief pause, he continued.
“But truly, is everything alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m grateful you accepted the request, but there’s a real risk of death. I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s dangerous.”
“Is there anything in this world that isn’t dangerous? Risks are everywhere. Even if you rise in rank, nothing changes.”
Reaching Level 6 doesn’t make one invincible. It’s the same at Level 7. Does it change at Level 8, or when you reach the top of the heavens? Probably not.
While the world may appear peaceful on the outside, it is under threat from the Outer Gods, and most people are too blind to acknowledge it.
The world is heading toward destruction. How many years, no one knows. But one thing is certain: within ten years, the El-Carda Empire’s absolute defense line will fall.
Even if one runs to the inland like a coward, would anything really change?
‘No.’
It would just delay the inevitable. Eventually, we have to fight.
Tarniman let out a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! That’s right! You’ve got the right mindset! But don’t worry too much. Before we depart, I’ve prepared a countermeasure... Even in the most desperate moment, we may still have hope.”
“A countermeasure? Did you call for a hero?”
At Ian’s question, Tarniman grinned.
“Exactly. Just in case, I made the request. Normally, I wouldn’t, but... Well, after thinking about it, this situation is quite unusual. Do you know what the Gray Temple we’re heading to is?”
“I believe it’s a place where warhorses are stored.”
“Technically, it’s a place to purify uncontrollable warhorses. They’re corrupted, but their ability as relics is quite extraordinary. There are many things that might be useful in the future. That’s why we have to go, even if it takes time.”
Ian had a vague suspicion. After all, the temple wouldn’t be collecting warhorses just because it was dangerous.
“Then, there was no countermeasure prepared for emergencies in the temple?”
“That may be so in other temples, but not in the Gray Temple. At least, to my knowledge, there has never been an issue. As far as I know, nothing happened until I joined the Ashen Knights and became a bishop.”
“You’ve never suspected anything?”
“Well, there is one thing. Recently, a second-class warhorse was transported to the Gray Temple.”
The knight following them suddenly flinched and spoke.
“Bishop, isn’t that confidential?”
“Confidential? What’s confidential in a situation like this? Are you kidding me? Even if the Red Spear Knight Brigade promised to help, they can’t reveal the location, let alone the cause of the problem!”
Tarniman shouted, and the knight flinched and fell silent.
“So, you think this second-class warhorse is the cause?”
“I’m not sure. Jeremi, the sole survivor, has testified that this was the only cause. It’s purely speculative.”
“What type of warhorse was it?”
“A sword. A sword. It’s too big to be called a dagger but too small to be a great sword. It came from the Outer World, and although I don’t know who made it, the material is a luminous blue ore. The blade is so sharp that it can slice through rock. Some knights who were careless were severed in two.”
“Even with magical protection?”
“Even so, they couldn’t last long. It’s incredibly sharp and, horrifically, durable. It hardly gets scratched.”
“What about its abilities?”
“If we haven’t failed to investigate, that’s all we know. It’s extremely sharp and durable. However, according to Jeremi, there was a powerful magical wave that emanated from the temple’s core. That may be the real cause.”
“So, the warhorse triggered a chain reaction and caused the rampage?”
“Exactly. But what’s strange is how a second-class warhorse could exert such strong influence inside the Gray Temple. That place... it’s under the lord’s protection, and dark magic shouldn’t be able to affect it. It’s a place where even a Level 8 sorcerer has set up wards and sacred artifacts. How could it overcome that?”
Tarniman trailed off. He couldn’t make sense of it no matter how he thought about it.
“Even if another warhorse caused resonance... There must have been some outside intervention. Furthermore, Jeremi mentioned a loud voice echoing in his head, which means it could have caused severe mental corruption in the knights in a short time.”
“So, the solution to this problem is to suppress that cursed sword?”
“First, yes. There’s no way to break it. We might be able to melt it with Berger’s fire, though.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
“If Berger’s head of family can do it, surely you can too.”
Granod Berger.
A Level 8 Paladin and the leader of the most powerful faction in the East, the Black Spear Knight Brigade. And Ian’s father.
It was unreasonable to compare a superhuman who had reached Level 8 with a rookie who hadn’t even reached Level 6.
Ian smiled bitterly and asked again.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. But before that, you’ll have to endure well.”
There was no need to worry about that. Those with spiritual power had a high resistance to mental corruption.
When he killed the Dark Mage Longos, he had witnessed some form of magic or curse that affected him.
The giant sitting on the throne, worshiped by many.
Just by looking at it, negative emotions crashed like a fierce wave, but his spiritual power awakened within his mind, allowing him to endure.
Recalling that, Ian was confident he could withstand the mental corruption caused by a mere warhorse.
Especially since he had even received the ceremonial artifact given to Ashen Knights. There should be no major issues.
“Oh, we’ve arrived.”
Tarniman said as he gazed ahead. Dense foliage filled the space between the trees, making it nearly impossible to even guess where the path was.
The grass and shrubs, growing up to the height of a person's head, gave the impression that no one had passed through here for at least a decade, and the surroundings were submerged in deep silence.
This was a place where even beasts would avoid wandering. However, Ian could sense the flow of unfamiliar magical energy here.
It was a carefully constructed barrier. Could this be a barrier created by an 8th-level sorcerer?
“Get ready.”
The priests who had come with them offered their blessings. The warm divine energy flowed into their bodies, invigorating their physical form and uplifting their spirits.
The paladins checked their gear and drew their swords.
Srrr.
Ian felt embarrassed. No other knight made a sound, but he alone produced a clear ringing noise as though it was meant to be heard by him alone.
But there was nothing he could do about it. The knights paid him no mind, and Bishop Tarniman also seemed indifferent. Instead, he stepped forward calmly.
“Well then. Let’s go. Once we enter, we won’t know what will happen, so brace yourselves. If things go awry, we may not be able to help. We don’t even know what’s happening inside.”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Then, let’s proceed.”
Bishop Tarniman took the lead, stepping into the bushes. The paladins followed without hesitation.
The moment their bodies touched the brush, the air shimmered as if a wave had passed through it, and in an instant, they disappeared.
Ian followed behind them. However, after passing through the barrier, his vision blurred for a moment before returning, and he felt uneasy.
“…Hmm.”
There was no one around. They had entered ahead of him, and there should have been others following, but the surroundings remained eerily silent.
The landscape before him was also strikingly alien. The once dense brush had disappeared, revealing a labyrinthine space.
The air was heavy, to the point where it was hard to breathe, and when he looked up, the inverted image of the temple appeared like a mirror. It was even deformed in a grotesque manner.
A labyrinth.
This was a phenomenon that could sometimes be observed in spaces where outer doors would go out of control, turning into a realm of another dimension.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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