Chapter 196

Diotes Island.

The land was barren and rugged, with little arable soil.

Therefore, most of the island’s small population made their living through fishing.

And one more thing.

Lodging.

Normally, there would be no reason for lodging on this unremarkable island.

But it was possible.

Because this island had thousand-year-old ruins.

Two temples built by Saint Lepheria and the Great Sage.

Many dismissed it as a vague legend, as it happened so long ago, but the religious order acknowledged it.

They claimed it was a historical fact, not a legend, and a holy ground related to the Saint.

I also believed the religious order’s claim to be true.

Because the secret archive that sealed the dark magic books was located here.

The burning of heretical dark magic books.

It couldn’t be unrelated to one of Saint Lepheria’s known deeds.

To be precise, they weren’t burned, but sealed in a secret archive so that the world wouldn’t know.

Anyway.

The two temples were located in the north and south of the island.

Since they were temples built by the Saint herself, the religious order referred to them as “Saint’s Temples,” but the islanders simply called them the North Temple and the South Temple.

It was an easy way to distinguish them.

Step by step.

We were currently heading towards the North Temple.

The path was rough.

Many stones made walking uncomfortable, and the thick bushes on both sides of the narrow path had to be pushed aside.

There were also uphill and downhill slopes.

This wasn’t an exploration of ruins, it was more like military training.

“…I don’t understand. Why isn’t this place uninhabited?”

Class President Fabiola grumbled.

It wasn’t a grumble that expected an answer, but someone answered anyway.

“Haha, that’s because the waters around Diotes Island are famous for their abundance of fish. And despite its appearance, there’s groundwater, so there’s no shortage of water.”

The answer came from a kind-looking old professor.

It was Professor Nicolo, a history professor.

He was a typical scholar, and as his appearance suggested, he didn’t have the strength to even kill a chicken.

The fact that he was the supervising professor for the third years might have been the starting point of the situation escalating.

If it had been Professor Karen or Professor Lawrence, the damage would have been much less.

But I understood.

Who would have thought that there would be trouble in the Empire’s territory?

Especially in such peaceful times.

So, appointing Professor Nicolo, a history expert, as the supervising professor was a perfectly natural decision.

“But… even so, isn’t it strange that they built temples on such a rugged island? It’s not like they wanted to make things difficult for visitors.”

Fabiola’s question seemed to be on everyone’s mind.

I was also looking at Professor Nicolo with a puzzled expression.

Professor Nicolo stroked his white beard and chuckled.

“Good question, Fabiola. Indeed, there’s no reason to build temples here geographically or location-wise. Which means, naturally…”

Professor Nicolo’s eyes sparkled.

“There must be another reason, right?”

“What is it, Professor?”

Fabiola asked immediately.

“There are various theories. That the location was chosen through divine revelation, that it was chosen to commemorate the death of a beloved acquaintance, that it was a gesture of gratitude for the Empire’s support, that Diotes Island was the source of a plague and was chosen to be completely purified, that it was chosen for a special ritual because of its abundant holy power, and so on.”

“…So what’s the answer?”

Fabiola asked again, her expression dazed by Professor Nicolo’s long answer.

“The answer is, we don’t know.”

“Ehhh.”

Fabiola drooped her head, disappointed.

The other students had similar expressions.

“Haha, it’s our mission to find out, isn’t it?”

Professor Nicolo smiled kindly.

‘He really doesn’t know, does he?’

I was convinced by his explanation and expression.

If that was an act, he deserved an award.

He didn’t seem like the type to do that.

‘Well, it’s probably a secret known only to a few within the religious order.’

The existence of the secret archive that sealed the dark magic books.

The world would be in chaos if that fact were to be known.

It was understandable that the religious order had kept it a secret for a thousand years.

“Alright, let’s keep moving.”

* * *

The North Temple.

It was old and weathered, showing the passage of time, but it was still relatively well-preserved.

It wouldn’t have been possible without someone regularly maintaining it.

‘Well, it’s a valuable tourist attraction, so it’s only natural.’

There were many followers of the religious order.

A lot.

Those followers would constantly visit the Saint’s Temples, which were holy grounds, for pilgrimage.

They would definitely have to stay on the island, so it would be a decent source of income.

So the islanders would have taken it upon themselves to maintain the temples.

“It’s bigger than I thought.”

Elaine muttered, her eyes wide.

As she said, the North Temple wasn’t a small temple.

It was a two-story temple, about the size of a lecture hall.

It would easily accommodate everyone here.

“Yes, and it’s tall too.”

I added.

Exactly one hundred stone steps.

We had to climb those steps to reach the temple.

“Ugh, I thought we were almost there…”

Allen frowned.

“I’m flying.”

Riviera said bluntly.

“Hey, hey, if you do that, you won’t be allowed in…”

Before I could finish my sentence, Riviera flew off.

She passed the hundred steps in an instant and landed gracefully at the entrance of the temple.

And…

I saw the caretaker in front of the temple frowning and looking stern.

Riviera was turned to stone.

Then, with a dejected expression, she started walking down the steps.

She had been rejected.

“Haha, oh my.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That’s why you should listen to people until the end.”

“Wh-What happened, Team Leader?”

Allen asked with wide, puzzled eyes.

“What do you mean what happened? The Saint kindly built these steps for us to climb, and you dare ignore them and fly to the sacred ground with magic? That’s what happened. What would the followers think?”

I answered with a smirk.

That’s right.

The islanders were also followers of the religious order.

Devout followers at that.

They couldn’t help but be, considering the Saint had graciously bestowed upon them a ‘profitable’ holy ground.

The caretaker, an islander, was also a devout follower.

So, for him, flying over the steps built by the Saint with magic was nothing short of disrespectful and arrogant.

The fact that he immediately rejected her entry was proof enough.

“Wow, that makes sense. I was about to ask for a ride, but I’m glad I didn’t.”

Allen sighed in relief.

Hey, is Riviera a bus?

Just because she gave you a ride a few times in the Tower of Infinity and mock battles, you see her as a bus?

Wait a minute.

She did give us a lot of rides.

…She’s a knight, a knight.

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go up.”

* * *

The North Temple.

It was my first time here.

But it looked familiar.

‘The structure is exactly the same.’

The North Temple and the South Temple.

Both their exterior and interior were like twins.

I had heard that they were called the Twin Temples, and it was true.

‘That means the secret mechanism is the same too.’

I approached a large mural painted on the left wall.

It depicted a scene of angels slaying demons.

‘One, two, three, four… That’s right.’

I counted the number of angels and demons and nodded slightly.

It was the exact same picture.

Then.

‘The fifth angel from the left.’

The right wing of that angel was the secret mechanism.

It could open a hidden door.

And behind that hidden door, there would be half of the key to the secret archive.

“Don’t get too close to the mural, student.”

The caretaker’s voice rang out.

“Ah, I’ll be careful.”

I smiled faintly and stepped back.

I couldn’t activate this mechanism today anyway.

Only one day.

It was a mechanism that could only be activated on a specific day.

Tomorrow.

‘Hmm.’

I pictured it in my mind.

The movements of the dark mages.

They would most likely move in the same way as in the south.

They would split into two groups, one heading to the North Temple to activate the mechanism and obtain half of the key.

And the other group would move to kill the humans in the north.

It was a massacre.

And we were included in the targets of that massacre.

I thought, having grasped the situation,

‘I can’t let them have the key.’

If both keys were obtained and combined, and the door to the secret archive opened, it would definitely trigger a bad ending.

It meant that I had to prevent that at all costs.

Personally.

‘The southern key will most likely be taken.’

The secret mechanism of the temple, half of the key, the secret archive – it was all information that only I knew.

It wasn’t something I could tell anyone.

So the protagonist and the second years would only be able to react to the attackers.

Ideally, the protagonist should protect the key in the South Temple, but I couldn’t expect that much from him.

The current Camian wasn’t me.

But it was okay.

Because I would definitely protect the key in the North Temple.

The problem was.

That I only had one body.

I couldn’t directly help the third years at their lodgings.

But.

‘Help doesn’t always have to be direct.’

I already had a plan.

The best plan I could come up with after repeated reviews.

* * *

The third years’ lodgings.

It was like a pension in the woods.

It would be a perfect place for a vacation, but we only had until today.

Until midnight tonight, to be exact.

After a simple dinner, I moved immediately.

To Elaine.

“Wh-What is it?”

Elaine’s face was slightly flushed when I called her out to meet me alone.

Sorry, it’s not like that.

“I have a favor to ask.”

I said seriously.

“A favor…?”

Elaine’s expression turned serious, sensing that it wasn’t a lighthearted matter from my tone.

“It’s about…”

I slowly began to explain.

And.

“Alarm magic…?”

Elaine blinked in confusion after hearing my explanation.

It was understandable.

Anyone would react that way if I suddenly asked them to set up alarm magic everywhere.

“Just in case.”

I said calmly.

“Just in case what?”

“…Because there’s an enemy targeting me. You know about what happened at Schwarzfeltz, right?”

“O-Of course I do.”

Elaine’s eyes wavered.

I knew my words had gotten through to her.

That bastard Armin was useful sometimes.

“I have a feeling that there might be another enemy this time. Am I just being paranoid?”

“N-No, not at all.”

Elaine hurriedly shook her head.

She was looking at me with a worried expression.

As expected of the sensible heroine.

“That time, it happened outside the academy… It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

It seemed that Elaine’s concern stemmed from that incident.

“Yes, thank you for understanding. Then please do me this favor.”

“Okay, leave it to me.”

Elaine nodded firmly.

This was enough.

There was a world of difference between being suddenly attacked in the middle of the night and being alerted by alarm magic and having time to react.

That difference would bring about a huge change.

And one more thing.

“I’m sorry, but I have one more favor to ask.”

“Sure, anything.”

“If the alarm magic goes off, shout ‘Enemy!’ as loud as you can.”

I initially thought about asking Allen, but it wouldn’t work.

His words didn’t carry enough weight.

Elaine, the top student who was trusted by everyone in the third year.

Even in the midst of chaos, they would instinctively trust her words.

“Okay, I understand.”

A faint smile finally appeared on my lips.

“