Chapter 62

The lab was supposed to be a research facility, but in reality, it was more like a storeroom piled high with materials from beyond the Gate.

Sure, they were probably storing them for research, but some of those materials were even alive.

So when you looked at it from a cellular perspective, it made sense. I heard that a certain hospital in the U.S. was cultivating cancer cells removed from a patient without permission for research. In that sense, there were quite a few cultures here. Some of them might even be bacteria.

Now I understood why this place was so far from the city center and why the surroundings were under such tight security, almost like a military base.

“However, it’s a bit awkward to store holy artifacts here,” I casually mentioned to the professor.

“Because the cells from demon creatures could vanish the moment they come into contact with Saint Power.”

“Of course.”

The professor nodded with a smile at my words.

“But the lab is spacious. Plus, there are various ways to simply block the ‘light.’ The Saint Candidate herself brought a handkerchief to cover the light.”

Hmm… “Sister Anna” has somehow become a “Saint Candidate.”

Well, I probably looked like a real Saint to the professor. After all, no one was going to try and take the holy artifacts in the church. Most people would just be turned away even if they wanted to go in and have a light look around.

From the church’s perspective, trying to unravel the sanctity with science would seem blasphemous.

But even so, a phenomenon is a phenomenon. If it were just a story passed down through tradition, scientists wouldn’t be interested, but since it had the power to heal people and dispel magic, it couldn’t be helped that they were eager to research it.

“…Please keep the holy artifacts as quiet as possible. Especially don’t let it be known outside.”

I said that just in case.

“Of course.”

The professor’s expression hardened for a moment.

“I don’t want these things taken away by the church either.”

The holy artifacts themselves aren’t that rare. A Saint Candidate might not be able to create one herself, but she could certainly make something of comparable quality, like blessed weapons or armor. Just by looking at the holy water, you can see it’s pretty close to being a holy artifact.

But even so, what the church thinks is different. Saint Power is holy because it’s Saint Power. If they think a holy artifact made with that power has slipped from their control, they’d probably get furious.

I’m not sure how they’d react if they found out I was the one who did that.

“So, what I’m saying is, could I possibly see how you store that holy artifact? I’m a bit worried about it.”

“Uh, is that so…?”

The professor tilted his head at that.

It’s natural, but neither Ria nor I mentioned to this person that we were planning to blow this place wide open.

Even in a religious world, it’s rare to find someone claiming they’ve seen a “prophecy.”

Moreover, unlike Saint Power, which “can’t be captured in digital images but practically functions,” prophecies are… how should I say it, unprovable.

Even if it turns out to be true later, how would I know if it was coincidence or not? Unless someone truly believes in a god deep down, they’d probably never be able to accept it.

I’m the same way.

A prophecy? In this world? If someone who could use Saint Power much more sharply than me appeared right in front of me and said that while having a halo behind their head, I’d have no hesitation in not believing them even a little.

….Well, how I’m acting right now could be interpreted as following a predetermined future, but… that feels a bit different.

Surely, it is different, right?

I mean, if I don’t tell anyone, no one will know anyway.

“I understand. Indeed, you wouldn’t feel reassured unless you see the facilities in person. Most importantly, the famous items in this facility are already widely known among people.”

At those words, I clenched my fist lightly.

Then I turned to Ria.

Ria, who had been closely observing her surroundings as per my request, shook her head in disbelief when our eyes met.

No, she believed it.

…

Ria believes me. I still don’t know the basis of that trust. I don’t think it’s just simple faith…

So, deceiving her by talking about prophecies or whatever feels a bit unfair.

“By the way, Sister Candidate, I saw you again.”

“Yeah?”

I quickly turned back to the professor and asked.

“Usually, those with deep faith are the ones who seldom contact us first about wanting to research Saint Power.”

“There are some who promised cooperation, but… usually, they change their minds halfway. Perhaps they were pressured from higher-ups. So I’m actually grateful that you, Sister Candidate, took the initiative to talk to us first.”

“….”

This… is making me feel guilty in a different way.

Of course, that’s an excuse.

Not everyone with Saint Power is a priest, but the ones who have enough power to be worth researching are mostly priests.

Even if they aren’t priests, there aren’t many who would voluntarily volunteer themselves as test subjects.

I’m the same. I never had any intention of becoming a test subject myself.

The artifact I brought wasn’t for research anyway.

By the way, when I mentioned that this came from a higher being’s revelation, the church immediately allowed it. They didn’t even report it to anyone else.

…It’s all a lie.

I wonder if I’ll get punished for it later.

As I contemplated that alone, my vision brightened a bit.

I waved my hand lightly to disperse the Saint Power.

When the professor turned his head back after tilting it in curiosity, it seemed he hadn’t noticed anything particularly special since I had already dispersed it.

“….”

However, Ria walking beside me saw it.

*

The deepest part of the research facility was far cleaner than I expected.

Well, it did have more of a museum-like impression than a storeroom, just as it said in the novel.

Every item stored inside was placed in large glass containers. I couldn’t tell what they were made for, but each glass case was big enough for a person to stand inside.

The cases themselves seemed to be uniformly manufactured, so the sizes of the items inside varied from huge to tiny.

Some were small stones; others looked like animal fangs. There were scales from reptiles that shone with beautiful opalescent colors, skulls from creatures with only one eye socket, and even a preserved head from some creature that could have been a dinosaur or just a massive lizard.

However, even without such a special classification, there was particularly eye-catching item within the storage.

I hadn’t seen it myself. In web novels, each item doesn’t come with an illustration.

But even from just faintly recallable descriptions, there was one object that caught my eye instantly.

I headed straight over there.

“Oh, I see. You have a discerning eye. If you were to choose the most valuable item stored here, everyone in this lab would pick this. Perhaps it’s even more important than all the others… well, excluding the holy artifact that you, Sister Candidate, provided!”

Not that I needed to worry about it being taken from me.

“What is this? I don’t think there was a separate story about it outside.”

When I asked with a clueless expression, the professor quickly gathered himself and cleared his throat.

“This is… an item that a Hunter brought back with their life from a closed Gate beyond. We can’t even guess the amount of condensed magic power in this one.”

That was a lie.

Ah, of course, the explanation about the condensed magic power being unquantifiable was true.

If the thick glass weren’t there, it would have affected us to some extent.

But the part saying it was brought back by a Hunter from a closed Gate was incorrect.

This was a masterpiece created by gnome civilization. And it was also something the dwarves claimed was “theirs.”

A crystal of magic stone processing.

I guess the ones who stole it wanted to get their hands on the magic power inside.

I turned to Ria.

Ria, who met my gaze, nodded.

I couldn’t know how they managed to get this, but at the very least, Ria and I believed that fact.

I planned to inform the government about the prophecy, but I wasn’t sure how they’d respond.

In my opinion, it seemed that we would have to take action ourselves in the end.

After all, isn’t that the destiny of the conduit?

The professor put the holy artifact I created into one of the empty glass cases.

The case closed, but it didn’t seem to have a separate password, so it must have been an automatic locking mechanism.

I glanced at Ria again. Ria was nodding seriously, unlike usual.