Chapter 538

The group heading to the Tomb of the Twelve Knights consisted only of me, Lacey, and four Cardinals.

The location of the tomb is a classified secret of the Holy Kingdom, so even bringing escort knights is prohibited.

“If the existence of the Tomb of the Twelve Knights here were known, all sorts of riffraff would swarm in. Grave robbers looking to strike it rich, fraudsters claiming to be descendants of the Twelve Knights demanding relics, or cultists trying to use their remains for evil rituals.”

“Fraudsters and cultists are one thing, but isn’t worrying about grave robbers a bit excessive?”

If someone managed to sneak into the tomb guarded so fiercely by the Elpinel Church Order and attempt to rob it, they’d either be a genius or a madman—or both.

“Well, people blinded by desire often lose the ability to judge themselves objectively. In fact, 400 years ago, the great thief Opfert tried to rob this tomb but was caught and slaughtered.”

…So there’s actually a precedent.

I let out a hollow laugh and shrugged my shoulders.

Seriously, this world has way too many lunatics.

—

And so, we made our way to the Tomb of the Twelve Knights through the underground passage of St. Eluniel Cathedral.

The well-maintained underground passage was even larger and more expansive than the cathedral itself. The underground facilities of the Grimnir Church Order I’d seen in Holon were massive, but they couldn’t even compare to this place.

At this point, it felt like St. Eluniel Cathedral was just a facade, and this underground facility was the true headquarters of the Elpinel Church Order.

The arched corridor, densely packed with bricks, was so cleanly maintained that it was hard to tell it was underground. The oil lamps hanging on the walls were also filled to the brim, as if they were brand new.

Priests of the Elpinel Church Order were moving about the passageways that spread like spiderwebs throughout the Holy City, and some passages were heavily guarded by Elpinel’s paladins.

Overall, it felt less like an underground facility of a cathedral and more like a secret base of an armed organization.

“I had no idea such a facility existed beneath the Holy City…”

Even the Cardinals accompanying us couldn’t hide their astonishment.

It seemed they hadn’t imagined that the Elpinel Church Order had taken control of Alhebron’s underground.

“…Are we really allowed to show this to them? This looks like a top-secret facility to me.”

I whispered cautiously to Lacey.

An underground passageway spanning the entire city? Even to me, it didn’t seem like it was built for peaceful purposes. How would the leaders of other church orders perceive this?

It wouldn’t be surprising if they thought the Elpinel Church Order was preparing to stab them in the back.

“It is a secret. I only learned about this facility after becoming a Cardinal’s deputy. But now, it’s a secret that can be revealed. They’ve already boarded the same ship as us. If anything, it’s a warning. Even if they harbor other intentions now, they’re all in our grasp.”

Lacey smiled brightly as she glanced at the Cardinals surveying the passageway. The elderly men were frowning and clicking their tongues.

In truth, contrary to the Cardinals’ concerns, it’s impossible for the Elpinel Church Order to completely monitor the actions of other church orders.

There are manpower issues, and to prevent other church orders from utilizing underground spaces, the original passageways in those areas were completely destroyed.

However, even with the remaining passageways, it was clear that if a civil war broke out in the Holy City, the Elpinel Church Order would hold an overwhelming advantage.

“Hmm…”

Perhaps having reached the same conclusion, the Cardinals wore slightly uncomfortable expressions, but it was pointless to argue with Lacey now.

This facility seemed to have been maintained for hundreds of years, so if they wanted to blame anyone, it should be the previous Cardinals who established their diocese here and failed to notice the underground facilities.

—

“We’ve arrived. This is the tomb where the remains of the Twelve Knights rest.”

After walking for about forty minutes, we finally arrived at the Tomb of the Twelve Knights. The paladins guarding the entrance saluted us and opened the tomb’s door.

– *Kugugung!*

The massive stone door slid open with a heavy rumble, revealing the interior of the tomb before my eyes.

“This is the Tomb of the Twelve Knights…!”

“It’s cleaner than I expected.”

While the Cardinals looked around the tomb with awe, my reaction was rather underwhelmed. Honestly, I wasn’t particularly impressed.

To be fair, it was grand, but it didn’t feel much different from a typical ruin-style dungeon.

Stone pillars supporting the ceiling. Walls engraved with scenes of war. Massive statues that seemed to depict the Twelve Knights. The Elpinel Church Order’s cross symbol right in front.

Aside from being well-maintained, it was the epitome of a typical tomb. It felt… clichéd.

Even the statues of the Twelve Knights all wore helmets, so their faces were completely hidden.

“Come this way.”

Lacey led me toward one of the twelve statues.

Was this man Hersela’s distant ancestor?

A knight’s statue with Durandal plunged into the ground, hands resting on the hilt. A horn hung at his side, and it seemed he wore nothing beneath his armor.

The word “Rotholandus” was engraved on the front of the stone pedestal supporting the statue. That must be the knight’s name.

Rotholandus, huh? Quite an unusual name.

“So, what am I supposed to do here?”

“Just a moment… Ah, here it is!”

Lacey, who had been examining the area around the statue, pointed to a small structure beside the stone pedestal.

A rectangular stone slab protruding about a hand’s width from the ground. A thin groove was carved into its surface.

Am I supposed to stick Durandal in here? It doesn’t seem like it has any other purpose.

“It’s not certain, but the records say that if you insert the Oath Sword here, the inner part of the tomb will open.”

Even Lacey didn’t seem entirely confident. The records said so, but there had been no actual cases of anyone reaching this point and opening the inner tomb.

“Let’s give it a try.”

I pulled out Durandal, which had been vibrating slightly, and thrust it upside down into the groove.

– *Srrrk.*

The Oath Sword slid in smoothly, like a key finding its lock, and sank deep into the structure.

The groove was deeper than I thought, and the blade was blocked by something after about half of it had entered.

*Clunk.* A sensation of the blade’s tip locking into something traveled through the hilt.

And then.

– *Uuuuuung!*

Like the sigh of a stone giant, the entire tomb began to tremble slightly, emitting a heavy resonance.

“Hmm…”

The Cardinals looked up at the ceiling with expressions of concern, and I couldn’t help but glance upward as well.

An underground facility. And one that’s been around for hundreds of years. When something like that starts shaking, anyone would worry it might collapse.

Fortunately, the Twelve Knights’ resting place didn’t turn into the Cardinals’ resting place.

– *Kugugugugung!*

The statue of Rotholandus, which stood over 4 meters tall, began to vibrate heavily and slowly slide to the side. Fine stone dust scattered like mist.

Is it some kind of mechanical automatic door? I didn’t sense any magical energy, so it must be a product of technology, like the dwarves’ machinery.

– *Kugugugu…*

The underground passageway, previously hidden behind the statue’s pedestal, gradually came into view.

…But if it’s like this, wouldn’t anyone be able to enter just by smashing the statue? Why wait for a successor?

—

Soon, the noise and vibrations subsided completely, leaving only the wide-open entrance.

“This is amazing…!”

Lacey looked down at the open entrance with a face full of wonder and excitement.

A square hole leading deeper underground. Inside was pitch black, with no light, and the air was thick with the smell of old dust and earth.

Am I supposed to go in there? Thankfully, I didn’t sense any Magi, but it didn’t seem like a pleasant tomb experience.

Moreover,

“If I pull the sword out, won’t it close again?”

I only brought Durandal with me, so if it closed, I’d have to explore whatever ruins lay inside with just a dagger.

Even if it did close, a mere stone statue wouldn’t be enough to trap me, but I’d have to shatter the historically invaluable statue to get out.

“Um… There’s probably an opening mechanism inside too, right? The Twelve Knights wouldn’t have intended to entomb their successors inside.”

…That makes sense.

Just in case, I left Durandal in place and examined the entrance to the tomb’s interior. Soon, I found an opening mechanism identical to the one outside.

That’s a relief. If I can open it from the inside, I won’t have to destroy the statue even if the door closes after pulling out Durandal.

“Then I’ll be back. I’m not sure how long it’ll take.”

“It shouldn’t take too long. If it required days of exploration, there would’ve been a warning in the records. Still, please be careful.”

With Lacey’s farewell, I pulled Durandal out of the entrance, and as the tomb began to rumble shut again, I leaped inside.

– *Kuuung!*

Not long after I entered, the ceiling sealed completely, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness.

Good thing I brought a lantern.

Holding the lit lantern in my left hand, I began descending the stairs, relying on its light. It was time to explore my ancestors’ tomb.

Though, technically, they weren’t my ancestors.

—

======[ Alvheim ]======

The rumors of the Empire’s Greatest Sword, who split the heavens, spread beyond the borders of the Holy Kingdom and across the world.

The speed was as fast as if it had wings. Though most dismissed it as an exaggerated tale unless they had witnessed it themselves, it was still an intriguing rumor.

“He split the heavens, you say…?”

But for the fairies, it wasn’t an interesting story.

Unlike humans, who dismissed it as mere exaggeration, the fairies, who live for hundreds of years, found the news shockingly vivid, as if it had happened just yesterday.

Especially for the elders, who had lived longer than the Empire’s history.

“This can’t be. Has someone like Carolus been reborn in this era?”

The fairy elders were horrified upon hearing the news.

Heaven-Splitting Slash.

That was the swordsmanship Carolus had wielded against them in his prime.

Of course, Ha-shal-leur’s Heaven-Splitting Slash and Carolus’s were fundamentally different techniques, but the fairies, having not witnessed it themselves, couldn’t discern the difference.

All they knew was one thing: a descendant of the cursed Twelve Knights, who had once stood with Carolus, had performed the same feat.

That alone was enough to make their hearts drop and call for an emergency meeting.

The fairy elders gathered in one place.

—

“We must kill Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur! Before she becomes the reincarnation of Carolus!”

“The southern front is already at a stalemate due to the dwarves’ resistance, and now you want to wage war against the humans too? Where do we have the strength for that?”

“Wasn’t it you who suggested war with the dwarves in the first place?”

The elders gathered in the meeting room argued as they discussed countermeasures.

As is typical of such debates filled with stubbornness, it quickly devolved into a chaotic mess of blaming each other.

The more level-headed elders quietly continued their discussions among themselves.

“If an all-out war is impossible, we could at least attempt an assassination. Send the Guardians in secret…”

“Pulling Guardian-level forces from the southern front would mean certain defeat. We’re barely holding the line with their strength as it is.”

When they first invaded Himell, the fairies had expected an easy victory, but the situation grew complicated once the dwarves began using their ancestors’ relics.

The dwarves’ war machines, which the fairies thought had been completely destroyed by humans, suddenly appeared in large numbers.

Since then, it had been a relentless back-and-forth of attrition.

“There are only two Guardians left in the capital… Even if only half the rumors about Ai-shan Gi-or are true, two Guardians might not be enough to defeat her.”

“What should we do about this…?”

The fairies’ worries deepened.

To kill Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur, they would have to abandon the southern front. But even if they sought a truce, the dwarves would never agree to peace negotiations with the fairies.

Yet, leaving her alone was equally unbearable, as the fear of her repeating the past humiliation grew stronger.

They were truly caught between a rock and a hard place.