Ch.538Sacred Tomb

Only four people headed to the Great Twelve Knights’ mausoleum: myself, Lacy, and four cardinals.

The location of the mausoleum is a state secret, so even bringing escort knights is forbidden.

“If the existence of the Great Twelve Knights’ mausoleum became known, all sorts of riffraff would flock here. Grave robbers looking for a big score, con artists claiming to be descendants of the Twelve Knights demanding heirlooms, or cultists wanting to use their relics for evil rituals.”

“I can understand the concern about con artists and cultists, but aren’t grave robbers an excessive worry?”

If someone could sneak into a mausoleum guarded vigilantly by the Church of Elpinel to attempt grave robbery, they’d have to be either a genius at grave robbing, a madman, or both.

“Well, people blinded by greed often can’t judge themselves objectively. In fact, 400 years ago, the great thief Opert was caught trying to rob this mausoleum and was slaughtered.”

…So there was an actual case.

I let out a hollow laugh and shrugged.

Truly, this world has far too many madmen.

—-

And so we headed toward the Great Twelve Knights’ mausoleum through the underground passage beneath Ellunel Cathedral.

The well-maintained underground passage was wider and more massive than Ellunel Cathedral itself. The underground facility of the Church of Grimnir I’d seen in Holon was enormous too, but it couldn’t even compare to this place.

At this point, one might say Ellunel Cathedral was just a facade, and this underground facility was the true headquarters of the Church of Elpinel.

The arched corridors built with densely packed bricks were as clean as the ground level, suggesting regular maintenance, and the oil lamps hanging on the walls were filled to the brim as if brand new.

Priests of the Church of Elpinel wandered through the spider web of passages extending throughout the holy city, and some passages were heavily guarded by Elpinel’s paladins.

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

“I had no idea such a facility existed beneath the holy city…”

Even the cardinals accompanying us couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

It seemed they too had never imagined that the Church of Elpinel controlled the underground of Alhebron to this extent.

“…Are you sure it’s okay to show them this? This looks like the most classified of classified facilities.”

I whispered carefully to Lacy.

Underground passages spread throughout the entire city. Even to me, it seemed far from peaceful intentions, so how would it look to the leaders of other churches?

The Church of Elpinel would have no excuse if others thought they were preparing to stab them in the back.

“It is classified. Even I only learned about this facility after becoming Acting Cardinal. But now it’s a secret that can be revealed. They’ve already joined my side. If anything, it serves as a warning. Even if they have second thoughts now, they’re all within our grasp.”

Lacy smiled brightly as she glanced at the cardinals looking around the passage—old men frowning and clicking their tongues.

In reality, contrary to the cardinals’ concerns, it’s impossible for the Church of Elpinel to perfectly monitor the other churches’ activities.

There are manpower issues, and they’ve completely destroyed the original passages in areas where other churches might try to utilize underground space.

However, even with just the remaining passages, it was clear that the Church of Elpinel would have an overwhelming advantage if civil war broke out in the holy city.

“Hmm…”

The cardinals seemed to have reached the same conclusion as me and looked uncomfortable, but there was no point in confronting Lacy about it now, so they remained silent.

Since this facility appeared to have been maintained for hundreds of years, if they wanted to blame someone, they should blame their predecessors who established their main diocese here without noticing the underground facility.

—-

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

After walking for about forty minutes, we finally reached the Great Twelve Knights’ mausoleum. The paladins guarding the entrance saluted us and opened the mausoleum doors.

– Kugung!

With a heavy noise, the large stone door pushed inward, revealing the interior of the mausoleum.

“This is the tomb of the Great Twelve Knights…!”

“It’s cleaner than I expected.”

Unlike the cardinals who looked around the mausoleum with impressed faces, my impression was rather poor. Honestly, I wasn’t very moved.

That’s because, while certainly magnificent, it honestly wasn’t much different from a typical ruin-type dungeon.

Stone pillars supporting the ceiling. Walls carved with scenes of war. Massive statues depicting the Twelve Knights. Even the cross symbol of the Church of Elpinel visible straight ahead.

Except for being well-maintained, it was the very image of a typical mausoleum. Cliché, you might say.

Moreover, all the statues of the Twelve Knights wore helmets, so their faces couldn’t even be seen.

“This way, please.”

Lacy led me toward one of the twelve statues.

Is this man Hersella’s distant ancestor?

A statue of a knight who had thrust Durandal into the ground and placed both hands on the pommel. He had a horn hanging at his side, and appeared to wear nothing beneath his armor.

The word ‘Rotholandus’ was engraved on the stone pedestal supporting the statue. That must be this knight’s name.

Rotholandus, what an unusual name.

“So, what am I supposed to do?”

“Just a moment. Let’s see… ah, here it is!”

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

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

Am I supposed to insert Durandal here? Looking at it, it doesn’t seem to have any other purpose.

“I’m not entirely sure, but the records say that if you place the oath-bound sword that has found its master here, the inner mausoleum will open.”

Even Lacy didn’t seem completely confident. The records said so, but apparently no one had actually come this far and opened the inner mausoleum before.

“Well, let’s give it a try.”

I drew Durandal, which had begun to vibrate slightly at some point, and inserted it upside down into the gap.

– Seureuk.

The oath-bound sword slid in smoothly like a key finding the perfect lock and sank into the structure.

The gap was deeper than I expected, and the tip of the sword was only blocked after about half the blade had penetrated inside.

Click. I felt something engage with the tip of the sword through the hilt in my hand.

And then.

– Wooooong!

Like the sigh from a stone giant’s mouth, the entire mausoleum began to shake subtly, emitting a heavy resonance.

“Hmm…”

The cardinals looked up at the ceiling with faces that seemed to ask if this was really okay, and I too couldn’t help but glance up.

An underground facility—and one that’s hundreds of years old at that—was vibrating. Anyone would worry about it collapsing.

Fortunately, the cardinals’ burial places didn’t replace those of the Twelve Knights.

– Kugugugugung!

Rotholandus’s statue, which must have been over 4 meters tall, began to slowly slide sideways with heavy vibrations. Fine stone dust scattered like mist.

So it’s like a mechanical automatic door. I didn’t sense any magical energy, so it must be a technological product like the dwarves’ machines.

– Kugugu…

The underground passage that had been hidden by the statue’s pedestal gradually revealed itself.

…But at this rate, couldn’t anyone enter just by smashing the statue, without needing a successor to come?

—-

Before long, the noise and vibrations that had been shaking the mausoleum completely subsided, leaving only the wide-open entrance.

“Amazing…!”

Lacy looked down at the open underground entrance with a face full of surprise and excitement.

A square hole leading to an even deeper underground. The inside was dark without a single light, and stale air mixed with old dust and soil had settled there.

Do I have to go in there? Fortunately, I didn’t sense any dark mana, but it didn’t look like it would be a pleasant tomb-visiting experience.

Moreover,

“Won’t this close again if I pull out the sword?”

I only brought one longsword, Durandal, and in this situation, I’d have to enter the ruin with only a dagger, not knowing what might be inside.

Even if it closed again as expected, a mere stone statue couldn’t trap me, but to get out, I’d have to shatter a statue of immense historical value.

“Um… there should be an opening mechanism inside too, right? The Great Twelve Knights wouldn’t have wanted to entomb their descendants alive inside the mausoleum.”

…That makes sense.

I decided to leave Durandal in place and examine the inside of the entrance to the mausoleum interior. Before long, I discovered an opening mechanism with the same structure as the outside.

That’s a relief. If it can be opened from the inside, even if Durandal is removed and the door closes, there’s no need to destroy the statue.

“I’ll be back then. Not sure how long it will take.”

“It shouldn’t take too long. If it required days of exploration, there would have been warnings about that in the records. Still, please be careful just in case.”

With Lacy’s farewell behind me, I pulled Durandal out from where I had inserted it at the entrance and jumped into the inner mausoleum as it began to rumble closed again.

– Kuwoong!

Shortly after I entered, the ceiling closed completely, and my surroundings became pitch black.

Good thing I brought a lantern.

I held a lit oil lamp in my left hand and began to descend the stairs by its light. It was time to explore my ancestor’s tomb.

Though strictly speaking, he wasn’t my ancestor.

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

Rumors about the Empire’s First Sword who cut the sky spread beyond the borders of the Holy State and throughout the entire world.

They spread with lightning speed. Because the story was so fantastical, few believed it unless they had witnessed it firsthand, but it was nonetheless a fascinating rumor.

“He… cut the sky…?”

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

Unlike humans who dismissed it as a false rumor or exaggeration, for elves who lived hundreds of years, it was shocking news that brought back old memories as vividly as if they had happened yesterday.

Especially for the elders who had lived longer than the history of the Empire.

“Impossible. Could it be that someone like Carlos the Great has been born again? In this era?”

The elven elders who received this information couldn’t hide their shock.

Sky-cutting.

It was the swordsmanship that Carlos the Great had wielded against them in his prime.

Of course, the sky-cutting performed by Haschal and that performed by Carlos the Great were fundamentally different techniques, but elves who hadn’t witnessed it firsthand couldn’t know the difference.

They knew only one thing: a descendant of the cursed Great Twelve Knights who had fought alongside Carlos the Great had performed the same feat as Carlos.

That alone was shocking enough to make their hearts drop and sufficient to convene an emergency meeting.

The elven elders gathered in one place.

—-

“We must kill Aishan-Gioro Haschal! Before that human becomes the second coming of Carlos!”

“The southern front is already at a stalemate, pushed back by the dwarves’ resistance. Are you suggesting we wage war against humans too in this situation? Where would we find the resources?”

“Weren’t you the one who suggested going to war with the dwarves in the first place?”

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

As is typical in debates among stubborn individuals, before long it devolved into a chaotic mess of mutual blame.

The more open-minded among them avoided participating in the argument and continued their quiet discussion.

“If all-out war is impossible, we could at least send assassins. If we secretly dispatch Guardians…”

“Removing Guardian-level forces from the southern front would ensure defeat. They’re barely maintaining the front line with their power.”

When they first invaded Himmel, the elves had expected an easy victory, but the situation became complicated once the dwarves brought out their ancestral legacy.

The dwarven war machines, which they thought humans had completely destroyed, suddenly appeared in droves.

Since then, it had been an endless war of attrition with advances and retreats.

“There are only two Guardians remaining in the capital… Even if only half the rumors about Aishan-Gioro are true, two Guardians might not be enough—they could be defeated instead.”

“What should we do about this…”

The elves’ concerns deepened.

To kill Aishan-Gioro Haschal, they would have to abandon the southern front. Even if they wanted a ceasefire, the dwarves would never agree to peace negotiations with the elves.

But if they left him alone, they were terribly anxious that their old humiliation might be repeated at the hands of an even more powerful Aishan-Gioro Haschal.

It was truly a dilemma.