Chapter 28
The ship sailed toward the divine order.
All of us lined up and watched the island. Priest Roman wore a broad smile on his face.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I've returned safely."
"May I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
The divine order had established itself in Marks.
If the skill material had been depleted, or the order was already using it, that would be disastrous.
Was the true property of that material really divinity?
"By any chance, does the order use something like a purple crystal?"
"You mean the divine vessel?"
"The divine vessel?"
"The order's divine vessel is indeed a purple crystal."
"What exactly is the divine vessel?"
"A sacred symbol that stands for the god."
"How is the divine vessel used?"
"It's used as an ornament for priests' necklaces and staffs. I don't have one since I'm just a trainee priest, but once I become an official priest, I'll be able to serve it."
"So the divine vessel holds the power of divinity."
"That's right. It grants us divinity."
So that's it.
In other words, the buff material amplifies divine power.
That's why the divine order was established on this island.
It was merely a material with a powerful amplification effect, but when those with divinity used it, it became the divine vessel. People simply believed the priests themselves were that powerful, not knowing the truth.
I couldn't help but sigh.
It probably wasn't depleted, but secretly extracting it from the order would be extremely dangerous, since it was a material revered as the divine vessel.
I could steal it, but if I got caught, I'd become an enemy of the order.
Priests are people even the Emperor hesitates to face—they have that much influence.
If the order wished, our fortress could be destroyed.
"The divine vessel is native to this island, right?"
"That's what I've heard. I know the order controls it strictly, but I have no idea where the divine ore is located."
It seemed that even the priests' access was strictly controlled.
The cave containing the divine ore was located on the northern rocky mountain's middle slope.
Most likely, the entire surrounding area was off-limits.
There was only one way.
To sneak in and mine it myself.
"Landing craft, lower away!"
"Oh, is this the last I'll see of you?"
"If I return again, I'll definitely visit."
"We'll look forward to it."
Urald and Priest Roman shared a light hug. Roman began preparing to disembark immediately.
I spoke to Urald.
"I'll be disembarking too. Please wait just a day."
"Is it really necessary to go all the way onto the island?"
"I need to check a few things. Donnie, please stay and wait as well."
"Understood."
The landing craft, hanging from the pulley, was lowered.
Then Priest Roman climbed down the rope net. After watching him, I said to Urald and Donnie,
"You see that small island to the south?"
"Yes."
"Hide the ship behind that island, and before dawn, use the landing craft to come ashore to this island—under the cliff over there."
"What are you planning?"
"I'll explain later. I might be late, so only wait as long as you safely can."
"All right."
In my room, I packed black clothes, rope, sacks, and the like into my backpack. Just in case, I also grabbed a few potions.
"I'll be back."
"Yes."
Donnie looked at me worriedly, probably wondering what dangerous thing I was planning.
As I descended using the landing craft, priest Roman smiled.
"You don't need to see me off..."
"It's my first time here—I should at least take a look around."
"The island is quite beautiful."
The landing craft sailed toward the island.
Many ships appeared to be anchored nearby, apparently from kingdoms looking to curry favor with the order.
All the shuttling landing crafts were loaded with cargo.
The landing craft dropped us at the pier and returned to the ship.
With so many sailing ships nearby, it would be hard to tell which one we came from.
No one seemed to be paying particular attention.
I walked with Roman.
Except for the occasional priest, it wasn't much different from any other harbor.
The divine order acted as an intermediary for intercontinental trade—it made sense.
We walked a ways past the docks.
Large, ornate statues lined the street.
Golden priest statues.
"They must be former high priests."
"Yes. They were donated by several kingdoms. The Kadena empire started it, but other kingdoms soon competed to outspend each other."
It showed just how much influence the divine order wielded. With their arbitration, wars could even be suppressed.
As we walked, a large bridge appeared.
There were guards stationed there; it seemed to be the order's border checkpoint.
In the distance, I could see a temple atop the rocky mountain.
The cave housing the divine ore was on the mountain's mid-slope. It didn't look like the temple itself.
"I suppose this is where we part ways."
"Aren't you going to tour the temple?"
"No."
"But, um..."
Roman hesitated, then spoke.
"May I stay at your house again, young master?"
"For us, it would be great. When will you be able to return?"
"It may take years. I don't aim to rise as a priest or live only with the order."
"You are welcome anytime. Ah, one request."
"Please say it."
"If you could, please don't mention that you stayed with our house. Also, please don't mention the sanctuary."
"Of course. It's not difficult."
"Then."
We exchanged a nod and parted ways. Roman went straight for the bridge, while I headed into the alleys.
I entered a restaurant in the back streets and gathered some information about the order.
Using the information I gathered, I devised countermeasures for various situations. There was plenty of time till dawn.
/ / /
I crouched on the rocky mountain's mid-slope, able to glimpse the side of the temple.
After dark, I'd donned my black clothes and infiltrated the area.
The temple was erected atop the steep rocky peak.
Order buildings crowded the clifftop beside the temple, and the combination of cliff and high fortress wall made the area look like a coastal fort.
The entrance to the divine ore cave was not inside the order's compound but rather inside a small building beside the cliff.
They'd built a structure at the boundary between mountain slope and cliff, blocking the cave entrance from view.
From the movements of the torches, the guards worked in two-man teams of four.
Their shifts changed every six hours.
Infiltrating the building from within the order would be difficult; the corridors were narrow, plus there were three doors.
On the other hand, my approach to the building, while risky, was not that hard.
By rappelling down the cliff on a rope and using my feet to swing back and forth, I could cross over to the fortress wall.
There was a slightly protruding spot between the fortress wall and the cliff; if I caught hold of that and moved to the right, I'd reach the wall of the building blocking the cave.
I spent hours rehearsing my infiltration plan, waiting for dawn. I needed to steal the divine ore and escape the island immediately afterward.
/ / /
It was close to 4 a.m.
I tied the rope to a tree midway down the mountainside and rappelled. Once at the right level, I grabbed the rope in one hand and ran sideways to the right.
The first attempt failed; the rope was a bit short, so I descended a little further then ran right again.
This time, I caught hold of the protruding section with ease. Letting go of the rope, I began moving right.
Once I'd reached the building's wall, I stopped below the wall—there wasn't enough ledge to climb the wall from the protrusion.
A steep mountain lay beside the cliff, but it was too far to jump. I'd use that route for my escape.
So I wedged a dagger in the gap between cliff and fortress wall for support.
Only then could I use the dagger as a foothold and climb.
I peered over the wall.
It was a rectangular, warehouse-like building.
Two guards stood at the entrance. The only light nearby was from two torches at the doorway.
I quickly vaulted over the wall, crept across the roof, and silenced my footsteps as I moved toward the guards' position.
I waited, sensing their presence. Then, hanging from the roof's edge, I silently lowered myself behind the guards.
No sooner had I landed than I struck both on the nape of the neck with the edge of my hand.
Puh-puk—
I quickly caught both guards' torsos and arms, muffling all noise as they fell. Then I dragged them into a dark corner.
First, I gagged them, then tied their arms and legs behind them, and their legs together.
I immediately tried to open the building door, but found it locked from the inside.
I had anticipated this scenario. Success relied on not arousing suspicion.
Clatter, clatter.
I shook the door quite hard.
"Why are the guards missing?"
A voice soon called from inside.
"Who is it?"
Decisive action.
An arrogant tone was key.
"I asked why there are no guards out here. The auditors were tipped off, and though I doubted it, this is truly shocking."
"An audit? Hey, is anyone outside? ... Strange. The two should never both be gone."
"So you've grown slack because nothing's happened in ages? I need to see the guard captain at once."
I deliberately made footsteps.
"W-wait! Priest!"
I said nothing and pressed against the wall.
I heard the click of a lock being opened.
"Just a moment! Please let me explain what happened! I'm not sure myself—please, just give me a moment..."
Soon, clunk—the door opened.
The moment the guards stepped out—
Puh-buk—
The guards coming out in succession were knocked down with a one-two combo—my right fist followed by my left elbow.
I gagged and bound these guards as well, the same way. Then I took a small vial from my backpack: a sleeping potion.
I dipped a little of the thick liquid on a finger and smeared it under each guard's nose. They'd have the soundest sleep imaginable.
I grabbed their key ring and entered the building.
There was another locked door inside; one of the keys fit. Opening the door, I found a cave.
I rushed inside.
At the entrance were mining marks, but deeper in, countless purple crystals glittered on the walls.
I placed an hourglass from my bag on the ground and immediately began mining.
I used thick leather to muffle the sound as I hammered—thankfully, it wasn't very loud.
/ / /
Had eighty minutes passed?
By the time I filled all my leather sacks and half my backpack—
There was a strange, prison-like area.
A recessed space, iron bars, a heavy padlock. But inside, several chests, and even something resembling a sword of distinction.
It was obvious what this was: the order's, or a few priests', secret cache for illicit funds.
I tried to open the bars with the different keys, but none worked. Apparently, only high-ranking priests had the key.
Still, I couldn't just leave. Nor did I feel guilty—after all, I felt I was robbing scoundrels who abused divine power.
The iron bars were embedded in the entrance wall on all four sides. I began chipping away at the left side, where the bars were lodged.
They were deeply set; it took five minutes to uncover a single bar, even
augmenting my strikes with magic power.
After exposing four bars, I checked the hourglass. Nearly all the sand had run out after around a hundred minutes.
I flipped the hourglass and resumed breaking the wall.
I didn't know the exact time of the guard shift. The earlier shift changed at sunset, then again around midnight.
So the next shift would be at sunrise—about twenty minutes left. But even that wasn't certain.
I was starting to wonder if I was being greedy.
Thud—crack-crash—
The left wall broke open in a huge chunk, exposing all six bars at once.
No need to break more.
I took out a strength potion and drank it. Strange energy quickly spread through my body—the effect would last about thirty seconds.
Gripping the bars with both hands, I pulled with all my might. My strength more than doubled, and the bars began to bend.
Once bent, I reached inside and pushed them out.
Screeeech—
They bent even more, opening a sizeable gap.
I slipped inside.
I started with the smallest chest.
The moment I saw its contents—
It made all my effort worthwhile.
A handful of gems.
Transparent multi-faceted gems.
Diamonds.
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