Chapter 119 : Chapter 119
Chapter 119. The Secret of the Black Key
Finally, the awaited weekend arrived.
Radel used the Marcellent outing pass and came outside.
It was something he received from Professor Marianne as a reward for successfully finishing the exchange meeting.
‘To think she would give me two outing passes.’
When Professor Marianne handed him one more outing pass saying he did better than expected, he doubted his eyes for a moment, but he secured it well just in case her mind changed.
For Radel, who had much to do outside, the more outing passes, the better.
Radel first stopped by the ingredient shop alley in Marcellent, checking market prices as he went around.
He also disposed of herbs or materials he had collected in the meantime.
And he bought the materials written on the magical tool blueprint received from the Principal.
Today, he intended to stop by the Secret School and try making the Necklace of Joy.
The Secret School had classrooms divided like a real school, and among them, there was a practice room where one could create magical tools as well as alchemy.
Just as Radel was about to enter there, he heard a familiar notification sound.
Ding.
[Conditions have been met.]
[Condition: Key of Seal]
[Hidden space opens.]
[You can enter the sealed room.]
Along with the system’s guidance, the door of one of the locked classrooms opened.
“Sealed room?”
The door, which was closed until just a while ago, was emitting faint light from the inside.
He couldn’t not go in like this.
When Radel opened the door where light was leaking out, a small study appeared.
It was a place decorated with an antique feel.
Seven frames hung on the wall, depicting human-like figures.
The paintings were old, so they didn’t look clear.
Some had horns, and some had wings.
“Seven devils, is it.”
Radel muttered and looked around the room more.
A book was placed on the desk.
As expected, familiar initials were visible on the cover.
- H.L.K
“Hayden Reinhard Cretian…….”
It was the ancestor’s name.
A name he had become familiar with while discovering records left by him until now.
Radel picked up the half-torn map placed with the book.
It was the remaining part of the Academy Dungeon map he already had.
“Finally got my hands on it.”
In the previous map, there were only red, blue, and black, but in this map, Dungeons were marked with new colors like purple and green.
Hayden’s Academy research journal he found in the Academy’s secret passage a long time ago came to mind.
At that time, the ancestor was researching the Dungeons that appeared at the Academy.
This map seemed to be the result Hayden left while researching Dungeons at that time.
After securing the map, Radel turned the cover of the book where nothing was written this time.
Imperial Year XXX, November 08
The Empire became chaotic again.
There is still much left to research at the Academy.
If they interfere with my research, I won’t leave them be.
Imperial Year XXX, November 15
I think I know the reason Dungeons were created.
Evidence to prove? None.
Still, my hunch is accurate.
Imperial Year XXX, December 05
I saw something called a devil for the first time.
What kind of magic do they use?
No, is it even magic?
Still, I am not worried. Because I am stronger.
Imperial Year XXX, December 21
I found out how to seal devils.
If I don’t catch those things, it is obvious it will become tiresome in the future.
I should catch the most arrogant guy first.
Imperial Year XXX, December 29
I sealed the devil.
Devils do not die. They just return to the Demon World.
Even if those guys go to the Demon World, they will probably return again.
I thought this was better than that.
I intend not to leave records as much as possible.
There is nothing good about finding out about devils.
Radel’s gaze, which was reading down Hayden’s journal, stopped.
“Sealed the devil?”
The dark age when Archdevils descended to the world plunging living beings into pain, and devil worshipers ran rampant.
It was a single human who ended that dark age.
According to records, a Great Sage appeared, sealed the devils, and saved humanity.
However, no one knew who he was or where he came from.
He appeared suddenly and disappeared suddenly.
There were strangely few materials related to the Great Sage, so almost nothing remained now.
“To think the Great Sage was surely the ancestor…….”
He knew Hayden was an Archmage, but he never imagined he would be the Great Sage.
Radel continued reading down the journal.
On the last page, it was written as follows.
To the descendant who will discover this space someday.
Seeing that you entered this room, you must have obtained the key.
I think you must have known that secret now.
To you who came this far, there is a qualification to see this journal.
Perhaps there might already be a devil whose seal has been broken.
I hope not, but even if so, there is no need to worry.
I leave the magic I used to seal the devil.
May luck be with you.
P.S. Do not believe the words of devils.
- Archmage Hayden Reinhard Cretian
It seemed the door of this room, which had been locked, only opened upon obtaining the key.
Looking at the journal, the person who hid the key in the Dungeon was the ancestor.
The reason the colors of the Dungeons marked on the Academy map were different was that the types of hidden keys were different.
In the case of the black Dungeon, one could obtain the black key where Belphegor was sealed.
He also learned that if one gathered six keys of the same color, the condition to break the seal would be met.
There was also content that keys were divided and hidden in Dungeons outside as well as Academy Dungeons.
He recalled the Helsington professor coveting Radel’s key while talking about master’s resurrection or something.
It seemed he knew the fact that one must gather keys to break the devil’s seal.
Clink.
Radel took out the black key from his bosom.
“Then I absolutely must not hand it over to the Black Order.”
Radel muttered and placed the black key on the table.
There were a total of six keys.
“What do I do with this…….”
Radel looked at the keys for a moment.
He swore he had no intention of gathering all the black keys.
He just tried to save a person.
And everything was because of that incident that happened on the night of the exchange meeting.
* * *
“Keuph! Our grand plan, master’s resurrection, do you think we will give up like this! Cough, because of just one of you!”
When Obsidian was excited while vomiting blood from his throat.
Radel was inwardly surprised at Obsidian’s action of suddenly stabbing his own chest with a dagger.
Even if it’s the Black Order, self-harm?
Is there a rule that one must die if their identity is revealed?
“Keuaak!”
If he was going to suffer like that, why did he choose pain.
Obsidian screamed and twisted his body, then soon collapsed on the floor.
Thud!
“Professor?”
Blood flowed from the collapsed Obsidian’s chest and soaked the floor.
It was a situation where he might die if left like this.
“Oh dear, Professor!”
Radel took out a health recovery potion from his bosom and approached Obsidian.
Even if it was the Black Order, he thought he should prevent a person from dying.
It was the moment Radel urgently opened Obsidian’s clothes.
Clatter.
Something flowed out from the inner pocket.
It was a small bundle.
Radel, who had no time to care in a life-or-death situation, picked up the bundle and shoved it into his pocket for now.
And poured the potion onto Obsidian’s wound.
“Uh?”
But far from the wound healing, the flowed-out blood gathered and clumped together.
It was natural for Radel, who didn’t know well about forbidden magic, to hesitate.
Furthermore, when the clumped blood moved and drew a magic circle, he had no choice but to be flustered.
“Prince!”
At that time, Gusto ran over calling Radel from afar.
Like that, the two dealt with the summoning magic circle Obsidian called out until the Inquisitors came.
Radel completely forgot the fact that he had secured Obsidian’s bundle in that process.
“At first, I wondered where I got this.”
Radel returned to the dormitory and discovered the keys belatedly.
He wondered why an unfamiliar bundle came out of his pocket, but looking back, it was Obsidian’s item.
Inside the bundle were five black keys.
Originally, if one picked up an item, one should return it to the owner but…….
He couldn’t return it to the guys dreaming of a devil’s resurrection.
In the first place, he didn’t know where Obsidian, who was taken by the Inquisitors, was now either.
“Though I think he’s probably at the Marcellent temple.”
Since the Inquisitors took him, the probability was high that he was confined in the underground prison in the Marcellent Supreme Deity Order temple.
Just in time, he was scheduled to go to the Supreme Deity Order temple in the afternoon.
He had made an appointment after receiving a telegram from the Bishop asking if he could stop by on the weekend.
It seemed he should go to the temple and check how much Obsidian knew about the keys.
“I should also hear exactly the reason they are trying to eliminate me.”
If the Black Order was targeting him, there was a need to dig up information.
“Not much time left.”
Actually, the newly obtained magical tool blueprint was more urgent than the keys or the devil’s seal.
Radel left the sealed classroom and headed to the next room.
Until going to the temple, he intended to try making at least one Necklace of Joy with the blueprint received from the Principal.
* * *
“You have come, Prince.”
Gusto was waiting for Radel in front of the Marcellent Supreme Deity Order temple.
Radel asked gladly.
“How did this happen? There was no mention of going to the temple.”
“There was a summons from the Bishop this morning. The Academy gave permission.”
Perhaps some kind of talk went back and forth between the Academy and the temple.
He suspected they might want to give a reward from the temple to Gusto, who belonged to the Supreme Deity Order, just as he received a reward from the Principal.
“Maybe they intend to give some prize.”
“If it is about the exchange meeting matter, that cannot be.”
Gusto shook his head.
“Because the Prince fell into danger even though I, an apprentice holy knight, was by your side. Probably they intend to reprimand me for that matter.”
“Hmm, that won’t be it.”
Even to Radel who didn’t know well about the temple, it didn’t seem like that.
It was when the two were about to go up the temple stairs.
Supreme Deity Order believers who came to see the service on the weekend discovered Radel.
“8th Prince?”
“It’s the 8th Prince!”
Radel was surrounded by believers in an instant.
Although there was a time he received the believers’ gazes when he went to the temple in the capital before, the feeling was different this time.
If people wanted to approach from afar back then, now there was no hesitation in approaching.
“They say the 8th Prince is over there!”
“What? Is that true?”
Furthermore, conveying the words that the 8th Prince came to each other, the crowd surrounding Radel was gradually increasing.
This hospitality was something unexpected.
“Prince! I went to that House of the Undead!”
“I’m going again this week!”
Before he knew it, along with Radel, the ‘House of the Undead’ seemed to have become famous among the Supreme Deity Order believers.
“I enjoyed riding ‘With the Supreme Deity’ at the Academy festival!”
“The cotton candy was delicious too!”
There were also believers who experienced the Supreme Deity 3-piece set at the Academy festival.
Although Radel didn’t name it after the Supreme Deity to benefit from the Supreme Deity Order, it left a stronger impression on the believers than expected.
Radel had become the most familiar royal in the Supreme Deity Order without himself knowing.