Chapter 85

“What… what have you done!”

…?

I couldn’t help but be perplexed by the sudden anger of Pluto’s priest. Surely, he wasn’t now going to claim that the golem was temple property and demand it back.

“Please calm yourself, Priest. I haven’t done anything.”

I spread my clasped hands wide—a traditional gesture showing I had no weapons. Then, adding a peaceful smile, I cultivated an impression of benevolence.

“As you can see, Priest, I merely felled the intruder.”

“Intruder…?”

Pluto’s priest muttered blankly. I had no idea where this shock was coming from.

Could it be that he’d seen something in my soul as one of the faithful who can peer into souls? Was he shocked because he saw the original novel from Earth and this world?

“Priest, did you perhaps see something?”

“What?”

“What did you see inside my soul?”

The expert was indeed an expert. All these years, despite my efforts, I couldn’t find the origin of my soul, yet he succeeded so easily.

His earlier prickly and aggressive reaction now made sense.

If your fate were entirely prophesied within some internet novel, or as they call it here, an Ether Net novel, wouldn’t you feel despair too?

But no. The original story has already been twisted beyond recognition. It’s more accurate to say the novel is based on this world rather than the other way around.

Based on that, I was preparing words of comfort: “Prophecies don’t decide everything. Our lives are more than mere records.” But then came shocking news.

“No. I wasn’t talking about your soul.”

“…Pardon?”

A dense sense of disappointment overtook me.

The hope that had swelled within me now left behind an equally large void. In its place rose an indescribable bitterness.

Though I thought I had resigned myself to never returning after all these years of wandering, it seems there was still some lingering expectation I hadn’t fully let go of.

I have a warm home, food for today, and enough money to take care of myself right now. And yet, the oppressive feeling that an apocalypse might strike at any moment in this world, along with the weight carried by these cursed eyes, is overwhelming.

I wanted to stretch out on Carisia’s neighboring bed.

I quickly managed my expression. Should I really get angry with my business partner just because my personal matters didn’t work out? That would be unprofessional.

My smile may have disappeared for 2-3 seconds, but I prayed that it wasn’t noticed in the darkness.

“If that’s the case, what did you mean by what you said earlier?”

“Argeyirion has arrived.”

“Excuse me?”

Ah. Could it be because that golem named Adusiam has a silver hue?

When I think of silver now, it reminds me of Argeyirion’s silvery threads. Perhaps I mistook Adusiam for a high-end product of theirs. If I hadn’t dealt with Adusiam quickly enough, could it have sent a distress signal to Argeyirion, revealing the location of the temple?

It was a situation prone to misunderstanding. Why must it be silver? I feel utterly wronged.

Had Adusiam tried to send a signal somewhere, I would have handled it faster. Or maybe I should have used overlaying spells to block it beforehand.

This was quite an awkward misunderstanding. Such things need immediate clarification.

“I don’t know why Argeyirion is here, but it has nothing to do with me—”

“And a wizard from the Ten Towers is here too.”

“What?”

***

“When judged by the size of their energy field, it’s at least an Elder-level presence. Perfect! One of the representatives of the Theistic Order will have to step in if we’re to achieve mutual destruction!”

Kore shouted wildly. With an Elder of the Ten Towers personally present, a retreat without casualties was impossible.

Kore, the only member of the Theistic Order’s temple reclamation team capable of detecting intruders beforehand, and Utes, who had skillfully drawn Kore’s attention and bought time until now—

This was a carefully laid trap. Both Argeyirion and the Ten Towers viewed the Theistic Order as targets for extermination.

If Utes was indeed the person he believed himself to be, this was an exceedingly intricate plan.

Utes’ strategy presented to the Theistic Order was twofold: “Weaken Argeyirion through the Theistic Order,” and “Leave Argeyirion’s handling to the Ten Towers.”

He also promised other factions “relics” he had collected, which seemed to strengthen the Theistic Order at first glance, but the fact that they were relics Utes had gathered was significant.

It meant that the relics obtained by the Theistic Order could be controlled.

However, the recapture of the Pluto Temple must have been unexpected for Utes.

The Theistic Order’s strength far exceeded Utes’ expectations. Therefore, to balance the forces as he anticipated, appropriate pruning was necessary.

By exposing the Theistic Order to a two-front attack from the Ten Towers and Argeyirion, creating a situation where one of the major faction leaders had to sacrifice themselves.

“The Theistic Order’s excessive power will be appropriately curtailed, and the Ten Towers will believe that Argeyirion conspired with heretics. Truly cunning…!”

Kore shouted, mixing intentional provocation with venting frustration.

If sacrifices were to be minimized in this place, it was right for her to die. Though the time she could remain in this world as a spirit was limited, she could delay the outside enemies and inform other members of the truth.

Utes stroked his jaw thoughtfully.

‘Was my provocation too obvious…?’

During the mythic era, he must have fought countless priests. It was natural that he knew a Pluto priest could leave behind a spirit.

“Hmm. I admit that the circumstances might make me appear to be a Blasphemia spy.”

“What?”

‘To say such a thing at this point?’

Kore was not merely suspecting Utes as a Blasphemia superstition hunter.

Something much larger, almost unspeakable.

A fragment of the ‘Lost Mage.’

Like the discarded husk or fallen fragments of the soul that remained when the Lost Mage ascended…

‘If the Lost Mage’s full power were here, there would be no need for such stratagems.’

“But, Priest, I am someone who would truly be in trouble if exposed by the Ten Towers. Please believe me.”

“What do you mean—”

“As proof of my sincerity, I will reveal my name to the sect members. You mentioned that the more clues there are, the more precise the detection of the soul’s color becomes, correct? My name is Ortes. Please check whether my soul’s color aligns more closely with yours or the Ten Towers.”

Kore reflexively activated her abilities, but the sight remained unchanged.

A blue glow.

‘No. It’s even brighter…?’

She tried to say something, but was pushed back by Ortes’ advancing momentum.

“Oh. Before heading upstairs, please take the artifact in the center of the room. It will be helpful.”

Ortes rapidly continued speaking and turned his back. Having dismembered Adusiam several times and leaving only the core, Ortes swiftly retrieved it and ran off.

‘What is this?’

It was completely incomprehensible. Why would he disappear without neutralizing me?

There was undoubtedly some purpose. A grand plan beyond her current comprehension.

After pondering dozens of possibilities in the blink of an eye, Kore decided to follow Ortes’ instructions. Even though it looked like a trap, she needed to jump in to understand his intentions.

In the deepest darkness of the Pluto Temple lay a shattered blade.

Kore immediately recognized its nature. Though damaged and broken, the divine energy lingering within unmistakably belonged to Pluto.

It was the emblem of the temple, Pluto’s great scythe.

“For what purpose?”

She felt no curse.

The power remaining in the shattered emblem was but a speck compared to its original state, yet it could still connect to the core authority of the temple. Power to change the current situation fell into Kore’s hands.

Beyond merely fleeing from the trackers of the Ten Towers…

Kore suppressed her complicating thoughts. What mattered most right now was the survival of the Theistic Order, wasn’t it?

Even if Ortes had some kind of intention, she had to use this emblem now.

The broken edge of the great scythe. Kore cut her palm with it. The divine energy within the darkened blade resonated with Kore’s own divine power.

All levels of the temple simultaneously appeared before her eyes.

***

The elder of the Silver Iron Tower, Daro, launched his limbs. The 360-degree cameras attached to his limbs transmitted multi-layered detection images, including thermal infrared, directly to Daro’s brain.

The standby enchantment gear floating around him filled the empty slots. These were combat enchantments, different from the reconnaissance ones he had just launched.

Daro reviewed the contents of the urgent communication he received moments ago.

“The legacy of the old king summoned us… hah.”

It was laughable. That artifacts of the Mage King still existed. That those artifacts sought help from the Mage King’s assassins.

“But this is interesting. For the Mage King to leave behind an artifact unrelated to the Ten Sages.”

Daro’s left arm, autonomously exploring the interior of the temple, detected a life form. His arm, transformed into a glove-like shape, stealthily approached and attached itself to an unlucky individual’s hand.

Soon, the liquid elemental-intelligence metal stored within was injected. Rapidly spreading through the veins and covering the entire body, the liquid metal allowed Daro to control the victim’s body.

That’s when Daro sensed the anomaly.

The liquid metal reacted, and the ‘brain’ began to attack.

The cerebral cortex rose like flesh golems, attempting to crush the liquid metal.

But it was futile. Why else would it be called ‘liquid’? Effortlessly evading the brain’s compression attack, the liquid metal sharpened itself into a needle-like shape.

Before the cerebral cortex of the unfortunate victim could react, it was torn apart. Daro couldn’t suppress his laughter.

“Haha! Eroders, are you? This is amusing!”

Humanoid in appearance but clearly beyond human internal structure. The eroders steeped in outer dimensions. Instead of sudden destructive activities, they were quietly excavating ruins?

They were undoubtedly the headache of Blasphemia—Argeyirion.

“That poor bunch has come this far… There’s no spare manpower for trivial relic excavation when Argeyirion is already at a disadvantage. Do they think some secret weapon lies dormant in this ruin that could reverse the tide of battle?”

It was pitiful.

Whatever artifact slumbers in this ruin, it will fall into my hands eventually.