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Elvis is more timid than Tania and Orna, and while he worries a lot, he doesn’t usually block the way like this. Even though he’s scared, Elvis is one of the top-tier spirits. Though he maintains his higher form now, as a being just below the king, if he puts his mind to it, he could cause natural disasters.

Moreover, with his sister Tania—who has a fiercer combat strength—standing sturdily by his side, he may be scared of most places, but so far, he’s been following along without saying a word.

‘The fact that Elvis is this hesitant means—’

It’s likely that there’s an enemy that our Special Mission Team and my current strength will find difficult to face.

However, he’s not preventing us from going entirely; he’s just asking cautiously, so it doesn’t seem like it’s an unbeatable foe.

‘Still, I should weigh the situation before deciding.’

I lifted the smaller Elvis back onto my shoulder and shifted my gaze to Shione. Just a while ago, she was waiting with her bright eyes sparkling, but now I could see her lost in thought.

It’s not just Shione; Diolia has that look too. Everyone nearby seems to be like that.

‘Tania must’ve explained things thoroughly.’

Seeing Tania nodding proudly, as if seeking praise like a little child, it seems they’ve all caught wind of the situation without needing further elaboration.

As expected, I didn’t even need to speak first; Diolia spoke up before I could.

“There are two paths ahead. Do we dare risk danger by heading towards the large ruins, or do we ignore it and delve deeper? Deputy Commander, the spirit’s instincts must be reliable, right?”

“There’s probably no other creature on the continent that can sense things as transcendent as spirits.”

“In that case, we can’t just dismiss that spirit friend’s gaze at the traces.”

“I think so too. Moreover, since they said we might get hurt, our Knights’ Order likely isn’t weak enough to lose to it, but it’s probable that the monster that made those traces is nearby.”

Two paths. Do we challenge now, or explore this place another time?

Of course, even though there are two paths, it seems Diolia shares my thoughts. Given her resolute and noble expression, it looks like she was already prepared for battle. I’m no different from her in that regard.

Ultimately, the decision is up to Shione. Consequently, my and Diolia’s silent pressure filled the air as we gazed at her.

“I think we should go towards the ruins. The goal of the Special Mission Team is to find the sleeping city, so if we can gain clues there, we can move in the right direction.”

Exploring signs of civilization is important.

Just like when we found ancient texts at the spot we previously uncovered. We might discover more hints there.

And if we find a path connected to our destination, we can avoid wandering aimlessly through the forest and getting into skirmishes with monsters.

“Moreover, if the monsters here are too scared to approach, then venturing further into an area teeming with worse magic… it’ll end up being a loss rather than a gain.”

At Shione’s words, everyone silently agreed.

The paused march of the Knights’ Order resumed.

*

How long had it been since we set our direction and moved forward?

Elvis flew above, spreading his arms wide and shouted, “We’re almost there!”

“Do you sense anything about that monster you mentioned?”

“Hmm… I felt something near that cliff earlier. It’s like it just vanished, as if it was never there? Even when I keep asking the winds, they say they don’t know either…”

It’s great that we’re close, but a monster disappearing like that…

Not gradually, but suddenly.

I consoled the downcast Elvis as I considered this. For a high-tier spirit to lose its presence in an instant isn’t a common occurrence.

So, as everyone placed their hands on their weapons and stepped forward a bit further.

Finally, the ruins, which had been concealed by the mist and raising our anticipation, came into view.

“I never thought there would be a place like this in the Demonic Realm…”

As Shione exclaimed, the scale of this location was certainly on a different level compared to what we had seen before.

The last time, there had only been a crumbling church building, but now…

Although this place had suffered a lot too, there seemed to be a low castle wall, and despite its collapse, a long stone wall extending from the center and a rather impressive three-story circular building stood tall.

‘Looks similar to a Coliseum.’

I felt like I’d seen it somewhere, and I couldn’t perfectly describe it apart from saying it resembled that ruin.

“I can’t believe a building like this was built hundreds of years ago.”

“I agree. The head of the family would’ve been overjoyed to see this place. It’s such a pity we couldn’t bring an artist.”

Time hadn’t spared it, as one side had completely sunk, and though it looked taller once, what remained now was merely this. But still, the grandeur from the remnants of the civilization that once soared was undoubtedly striking, making our admiration understandable.

Having finished enough observations of the exterior, we finally began searching through the ruins.

Being away from Shione, who dispels magic, isn’t a smart idea. So, we moved around her, performing a roundabout search of the building, and managed to find something that looked like the original entrance on the outer wall.

“There are three claw marks here as well. Moreover, they spread as if slashing, and the damage to the building is significant, suggesting that a battle occurred here involving that monster.”

“A monster fought here… With claw marks like this, it indicates a fierce battle. If we consider how massive that monster must have been to not cause more destruction than this, it feels a bit… concerning.”

“…I suppose it is indeed strange when viewed that way.”

“Let’s focus on this part first. There’s surely more to salvage than before.”

“I’ll follow.”

Considering it was an old building, it could collapse at any moment, so we cast protection spells from the wizards firmly. After confirming with my spirits that no monsters lurked within, we decided to hold any suspicions and entered the building.

The musty interior occasionally revealed murals along the corridors. It seemed they were attempting to express some form of sanctity. But we, hardened from fighting rather than exploring as archaeologists, strolled through the circular corridors, merely noting the features instead of delving deeply.

Eventually, beneath the open sky that illuminated the place with sunlight, we found a central space about half a floor below the ground. After the stairs leading down, we discovered a colossal structure standing tall in the center.

The problem was—

『Xz˚, ¸¿ˇ＼！∥』

‘…Why is this happening all of a sudden?’

As I looked at the ancient statue, whose one arm had fallen off and head cracked, my status window started acting weird again.

I followed behind Shione and Diolia as they descended the stairs, deep in thought.

‘Whenever the status window glows like this, it’s usually for a reason.’

It happened when the World Tree interfered or when the demon of deception tried something against me.

At least it means that something capable of that—at the very least, a god or a demon of that caliber—was triggered by this singular statue.

‘There’s definitely something hidden in that statue.’

It’s as if the reason for this building’s existence revolves solely around that statue.

Worn down and broken by the ravages of time, that object still bore a gravity that transcended ages, making it clear that it was anything but ordinary.

Reflecting on this, as I stood in front of the statue, I found a small stone tablet standing before it.

“This is the ancient kingdom language we saw before. Shione, can you read it?”

“I can read a little if it’s something familiar… just a moment—”

Shione squinted her eyes and focused on the tablet.

Straining her brain and summoning all her knowledge, she worked hard,

And perhaps it was something of a new habit for her—she puffed her cheeks a little and let the air out repeatedly. Instead of appearing as someone concentrating, she just looked cute.

After a while of intense focus, Shione proudly declared, like a child boasting about acing a dictation.

“I’m not sure about the others, but… I can definitely tell this and this. This one means ‘creation’ or ‘genesis’… and this next one is… a term for ‘god’ or ‘transcendence.’”

I know the current name for the god revered by the dominant religion on the continent is Mercy and Judgment.

I wondered if they had worshipped a separate god. But considering they honored it like this, I was curious why it had been forgotten over time.

“Oh, and one more thing. The word in the middle is ‘fate,’ if my memory serves me right.”

Suddenly, a phrase flickered through my mind.

─A weak and small god that governed the continent’s fate.

Isn’t the god that the World Tree, Eriantina, had shaped my status window referred to as the god of fate?

If it’s a god associated with fate, that’s all I know about. And if it’s a weak god, it makes sense that its following would be faint. There shouldn’t be a massive statue like this remaining. Without any thought, as I looked up at the statue,

“……!”

An unexplainable formidable pressure suddenly bore down on my body.

Simultaneously, a status window appeared.

「You’ve begun to approach the dormant small legacy.」

「An urgent quest has been triggered!」

「Eliminate the Guardian.」

It’s a sanctuary that lost its divine power. The status window referring to the wandering Guardian is bewildering.

“Dad, something suddenly…!”

───!!!

As Elvis mentioned, with that suddenly surging sense of immense presence, it felt as though it had noticed our existence.

From the monster’s roar that sounded as if the sky was tearing, a profound hostility aimed at us was palpable.

“Damn it, Knights’ Order, prepare for battle! Don’t relax your guard!”

“Ray! Stop zoning out and come here!”

I immediately drew an arrow, considering the one responsible for this situation.

“No, son of a…!”

This bastard might turn out to be an evil god.

 

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