#82
“It might be more dangerous to leave the demon in that temple than for us to bring it with us and risk danger.”
I couldn’t know the exact circumstances of why Ramtel had done such a thing, but there was no time to figure out each reason.
“Wait, wait. Ana, how did you even know Professor Ramtel was there? You haven’t been inside the temple.”
“For reasons I don’t understand, I was able to briefly share his vision through this sword.”
“What? Ana, do you know what you’re saying? That’s…”
“Rikin Parten.”
Just as Rikin was about to say more, Persis, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.
“I said I would help the Duke. It’s already decided, and I have no intention of going back on my word.”
Persis spoke to Rikin with the face of a prince who held power. His expression made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate any further discussion on the matter.
Rikin was both Persis’s close friend and a knight who served him. With Persis taking such a stance, there was no way he could refute further. Eventually, Rikin nodded and closed his mouth. Though he still looked concerned, he didn’t say anything more.
“I also agree that we should bring the demon back as quickly as possible. However, even if we enter the temple, we can’t just take the demon as we please. Even for the Duke, that would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s impossible.”
“So you’re not asking about a way to enter directly from the front.”
Saying that, Persis smiled with a composed face.
“A secret passage known only to some members of the imperial family. That’s what you want to know, right?”
Rikin’s face, which had been calm after Persis’s restraint, once again filled with shock. I could understand why Rikin was reacting that way. What Persis was talking about now was a passage that should only be known to the imperial family and should never be used unless in an urgent situation.
For Rikin, who must have grown up hearing about the safety of this country to the point that his ears were calloused, this was like a bolt from the blue.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have the authority to know about the secret passage. I haven’t attained that level of power.”
At those words, Rikin’s face returned to normal, visibly relieved.
If Persis didn’t know that information, the method to secretly enter the temple would be as good as gone. However, the Duke remained calm and quietly looked at Persis. It was as if he had already figured out what Persis was hiding.
“I just know a path I frequently used as a child.”
Regardless of whether Rikin was shocked or not, Persis didn’t stop once he had started speaking.
“I believe that path connects to the temple’s underground. It would be difficult to enter right now because of the guards, so let’s aim for when they change shifts. Rikin, you know those times, don’t you?”
“Wait a moment.”
Rikin stopped Persis once more. Even for Persis, it seemed that this statement couldn’t just be overlooked. Until now, he had backed down as someone who served Persis, but revealing a secret passage known only to the imperial family was a statement that could endanger the country itself.
The Duke, having discovered the secret passage, could potentially enter the Emperor’s bedroom and carry out an assassination.
“Sharing the secret passage with others is not acceptable. This could potentially endanger the country itself.”
“Yes, that’s why I’d like Iria to stay out of this. After all, I can’t reveal this to royalty from a neighboring country.”
“I understand that much.”
Iria, who had been quiet, readily accepted Persis’s words and nodded. It seemed she hadn’t been aware that revealing a secret passage to someone outside the imperial family was an issue in the first place.
“It’s not just Princess Iria who’s the problem right now! What guarantee do we have that the Duke won’t use the secret passage for his own selfish purposes!”
Despite being accused of potentially becoming a traitor to his face, the Duke didn’t refute Rikin’s words and remained silent. It seemed he was watching to see how Persis would respond.
Not only had the Duke, known for defeating a demon, said he wanted to retrieve the demon again, but his son also possessed the sword used by the demon. It was understandable why Rikin was cautious. Even I was in a situation where I wondered if the Duke could be completely trusted.
“No.”
However, I opened my mouth before Persis could answer.
“The Duke will not do that.”
I never expected that I, of all people, would defend the Duke. I was the first to be surprised by my own statement.
“Ana, that’s because you’re from the Duke’s household…”
“Then I’ll vouch for him too.”
It was none other than Persis who cut off Rikin’s anxious words. At his unwavering voice, Rikin stopped speaking and looked at him. It was a different face from when he had stopped Rikin earlier. If he had stopped Rikin then as his lord, this time it was with the face of the Persis we knew normally.
With a small smile, Persis spoke to Rikin with conviction.
“I trust the Duke.”
With those final words, Rikin ultimately closed his mouth. Unlike before, when he had simply followed his lord’s wishes despite not wanting to, his face now looked more at ease. It was just a statement of trust, but if Persis said so, that seemed to be enough.
“I didn’t expect Your Highness to trust me like this.”
“Well, we’re in the same boat, aren’t we?”
“That would be after this matter concludes well.”
“I think it’s the same thing.”
With a more relaxed face, Persis exchanged words with the Duke, going back and forth. Once the ice was broken, finding a way to enter the temple wasn’t difficult. Rikin knew the guard shift times well, and the palace’s internal affairs were like the palm of their hands for Persis and the Duke.
“Even if I teach you, it will be difficult to navigate inside the secret passage. So I’ll take charge of guiding the way.”
“Persis!”
I called out Persis’s name in surprise. Sometimes he seemed to think too little about his own position.
Persis smiled at me as if everything was fine.
“It’s okay. It’s a path no one knows about, and even if someone discovers us, Rikin will be by my side. If all else fails, there are other ways to escape.”
Persis comforted my anxious heart by mentioning various methods. Certainly, I wasn’t as anxious as when I tried to enter the temple with Kuatrin. The ominous feeling that had been stabbing at my head hadn’t completely disappeared, but it wasn’t as sharp as before.
In the end, Persis took on the role of guiding us to the temple. It didn’t seem like Persis would listen to me any further.
Since Persis was going, Rikin naturally had to follow, and Kara decided to go along instead of the Duke, who would find it difficult to leave his position. First, we needed to find out what situation the demon was in, as a kind of inspection. It would be great if we could bring him back right after entering, but there would certainly be several people guarding the demon.
We discussed the structure of the temple and speculated where the demon might be. In this way, we made plans for when we entered the temple, exchanging opinions with each other. The biggest problem was that we didn’t know exactly where in the temple the demon currently was.
It was impossible to know if he was still in the coffin like before, or if he had been moved elsewhere. If we were discovered by priests or soldiers in the temple while searching for the demon, all our efforts would be in vain.
“We need to move as quickly as possible.”
“I know how to use tracking magic. That should work.”
Saying that, Kara added a few other types of magic she could use.
Kara was one of the most skilled in magic within the Duke’s household. She might even be considered the second most skilled after the Duke himself. So tracking magic was easy for her. However, there was a method that could find the demon more quickly and accurately than Kara’s magic.
“Take the sword with you.”
When I touched the sword, I could feel the demon’s aura more strongly than others. The thin line that was still connected told me that the demon was inside there.
“The demon’s aura still remains in the sword. If you trace this aura, you’ll be able to find where the demon is.”
“Really? That would be much easier.”
Just as Rikin reached out to take the sword from me, the Duke intercepted and took it.
“The sword won’t do.”
“What? Why not?”
“This is a demon sword. Are you saying you want to enter the temple carrying a demon sword? The priests will notice immediately and come running.”
Did the priests have the ability to sense mana? I had never heard that before. I had heard that demons looked similar to humans, and even priests couldn’t recognize them unless they directly revealed their power. But was all that information wrong?
“Duke, what are you saying? Priests don’t have abilities like detecting mana. The only way to confirm that is through the reaction of Clum…”
Rikin trailed off at that point. As if someone had tightly gripped his throat, Rikin didn’t say another word.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
