The Pen of God

Although no blood stained the spearhead because it was a skeleton, I habitually flicked the spear once and headed towards the center of the temple.

As befitting the setting of a sacred place where the Pen of God was sealed, the center of the temple was filled with beautiful paintings and sculptures.

I wondered if the sparkling things embedded in the walls were jewels, but the pen was my priority.

Looking around, I discovered something very strange.

There was a door on the floor leading down to the temple’s basement. And for some reason, five corpses, reduced to skeletons, were gripping the door handle in a circle above it.

No, upon closer inspection, they weren’t just holding the handle. It was a sight of five right hands stacked on top of each other with a sword stabbed through them.

As I approached to observe it, I suddenly heard a sound in my ear.

At first, I thought it was an attack and looked around, but there was nothing unusual around except for the corpses.

The closer I got to the corpses, the more I heard someone’s voice, but… it was in an ancient language, so I couldn’t understand its meaning.

Ignoring the voice, I approached the corpses. Thinking that maybe the pen was in the basement, I reached out for the sword blocking the basement door.

At that moment, a vision flashed before my eyes. It didn’t seem like an attempt to attack my mind, so I paused and watched the vision.

The basement door closed, and people I didn’t recognize were panting.

A man in priestly robes used some kind of magic towards the door, and the basement door suddenly started banging and shaking like crazy.

It was as if something inside the basement was trying to break out.

The person who appeared to be a priest shouted something in a hurried voice, and the others began to block the basement door with their bodies.

I couldn’t understand the content because it was in an ancient language, but I could tell that they were desperate.

The priest took out a pen and paper from his pocket. Could that be the Pen of God? I swallowed hard and fixed my gaze on the pen.

As the priest muttered softly, the pen began to move on its own at an incredible speed, writing something on the paper.

Whether the writing was finished or not, the priest placed the paper on a nearby desk and put the pen on top of it.

The priest grabbed the door handle, and another person’s hand overlapped on top of it. Exchanging glances and nodding, the priest gave me a bitter smile.

The thing inside the basement banged on the door as if having a seizure.

Black magic flowed out through the crack in the door. The priest nodded with a determined expression, and the man next to him brought down his sword on the gathered hands.

As the priest endured the pain and muttered something, a huge magic was manifested, and white light burst out from the bodies of the five people.

Someone shouted something, and the others laughed and followed suit.

I couldn’t understand it, but it was a cry that felt familiar.

A flash of light came, and the vision ended like that.

I, who had been reaching for the sword, quickly lowered my hand. Now I understand why they were desperately trying to warn me.

They had imprisoned a demon in the basement. And they kept warning anyone who discovered this temple.

Never pull out this sword.

Unfortunately, the warning was in an ancient language that I didn’t understand.

Fortunately, thanks to the last remaining vision, I was able to understand the warning.

Did they consider the possibility that people wouldn’t understand the language? I was grateful for their consideration.

The purpose of coming to this temple was the Pen of God. There’s no need to risk my life to check the basement.

I moved away from the corpses and checked the desk. As I saw in the vision, the pen and paper were still in place.

A pen with a black base and decorated with platinum. I could tell right away. This is the Pen of God that the Vice-preacher used.

It matched the description in the novel, and the design was the same as I had imagined.

With careful hands, I picked up the pen and paper. A long time had passed, but perhaps due to the special magic cast on them, there was nothing wrong with the paper and pen.

I obtained the Pen of God, but the questions in my head only increased.

Who are these people, why does the lighthouse exist, what is the content of the paper… I was bothered.

I already know how to solve the questions. This paper left just before death. It can be seen as a kind of will.

I put the pen and paper in the space warehouse. Then, I turned around and slightly bowed my head to the nameless warriors who sacrificed their lives.

It wasn’t a meaningful action.

…I just wanted to.

***

As soon as I returned to the lighthouse, I told Delan. I changed the position of the lighthouse’s reflector.

Just by adjusting the position, the path of light soon disappeared, and the temple hid itself in the darkness.

It was necessary to avoid the eyes of others until I found out the secret of the temple.

As I came down from the lighthouse with Delan, Navier, who was sitting in a chair in a proper posture, asked bluntly.

,”Explain it to me now. Was there a treasure in there or something?”

It seemed that she was disappointed that I didn’t take her with me. I shook my head at Navier, who was pouting her lips, and asked with a serious face.

,”By any chance, can you interpret ancient languages?”

It was a question out of the blue, but Navier shook her head, her eyes shining with interest. Just in case, I looked at Delan, and he also shook his head slightly.

I briefly explained what happened there. That it was a temple where a demon had been sealed in the basement a long time ago.

Of course, I left out the story about the pen I got. There was no need to explain it.

,”So this lighthouse… was built to guide the way to the temple.”

Delan smiled as if he was happy to know the secret, but I inadvertently let out a bitter smile.

,”That’s not certain yet. I have the will they left behind. If I interpret it, all the questions will be answered.”

At my words, Delan lowered his head just a little. He looked a little empty for some reason.

,”Even if we go back to our family, it will be difficult to interpret ancient languages. There are hardly any people with such specialized knowledge staying in the North… It’s impossible here.”

I slowly nodded at Navier’s words. Then there’s no choice. Even if it takes time, I can go back to the academy and ask the professor in charge of ancient languages.

While I was thinking that, Navier suddenly made a confession out of the blue with a sigh.

,”…I hope you’re not surprised to hear this.”

Is she thinking of revealing the secret she’s been hiding all this time now? If that’s the case, I welcome it anytime. I have a bit of a shady taste.

,”Yeah, I’ll prepare myself.”

Looking into Navier’s brown eyes, I said that. Navier, who swallowed hard, lowered her gaze slightly and said.

,”I’m actually quite, selfish.”

,”…”

I waited silently, thinking there would be more to say. But Navier just glanced at me as if that was the end, and then avoided my gaze as if she was embarrassed.

I sincerely asked at Navier’s absurd confession.

,”…Which part am I supposed to be surprised at?”

Ttirrit- With a murderous look in her eyes, I averted my gaze, thinking, so this is it. What do you want me to do….

,”Actually, it’s not that there’s no way to interpret it. It’s just that I have to get help from the Prax family instead of our family, so I lied. I was selfish without realizing it, thinking that maybe the place where a huge treasure is hidden is written on that paper… I’m sorry.”

It was a candid confession. It wasn’t a big problem, and it’s a good habit to apologize for your mistakes right away.

Like saying that if you pick up food that has fallen on the ground within 3 seconds, it’s invalid. A quick apology doesn’t give you time to get angry.

And I understood Navier’s selfish behavior.

The Prax family is the family of Grand Duchess Ilia of the North. It is a family with stronger influence than anyone else in the North.

It’s understandable that the successor of the Perkus family feels inferior.

Inferiority is nothing to be proud of, but I’m an expert in this area. There’s nothing I can’t understand.

,”It’s okay. People who call themselves selfish for just that are actually not selfish.”

Navier stared at me blankly.

Was it because the reaction was good? I added with a playful smile.

,”You’re just shy.”

I expected a reaction of anger or a frown, but Navier just pouted her lips without saying a word. For some reason, her cheeks seemed to be a little flushed.

While I was scratching my head in embarrassment, Delan quietly approached and whispered with a smile.

,”You seem to have a lot of experience with women. Your way with words is very fancy.”

I think I heard something absurd. There was no reason to clear up the misunderstanding, so I left the lighthouse with Navier, telling Delan that I would come back again when I solved the secret.

Whether more time had passed than I thought, it was starting to get dark outside. Bidding farewell to Delan, we walked towards the barrier. By the time we arrived home by carriage, it would be pitch black.

,”Still, it was a better date than I thought. I also discovered a new side of you. Yeah, I’m satisfied with this much.”

,”…Thank you.”

I would be grateful if you thought so. Even if I don’t get a perfect score of 10, if you’re satisfied, I must have gotten at least a 7.

I, who had climbed onto the barrier, suddenly turned around and looked at the lighthouse in the distance.

As always, the lighthouse was the only light shining in the darkness.