Chapter 27
Chapter 27
The Emerged Sea Temple (2)
A ten-minute break followed. I wondered if we were resting too much before even entering, but no one raised any objections.
They had done something reckless—dragging a building up from the depths of the sea.
Even for a Quadra-class magician in the top 1.6%, it was an impressive feat. And to settle for just a ten-minute break afterward? That was absurd.
The miracles born from mana never ceased to amaze me.
"Please take care of it."
The Vice-Commander, having recovered her mana, approached. Now it was my turn to step forward.
The Sea Temple wasn't exactly enormous, but it was grand enough. We reached the massive gate.
"Bring forth the one with the greatest faith."
That was what was written in the very center of the giant door. That was why they had insisted on bringing me, the one with the Holy Scripture.
Truthfully, the scripture wasn’t strictly necessary—any priest of bishop rank would have sufficed. Sadly, within this academy, there were only two of us at bishop level or above, including me.
The other was a dispatched bishop responsible for managing the Lofty Cathedral. They never got involved unless it concerned the Lofty Order directly.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
As I approached and reached for the scripture, I sensed something off.
A huge tremor suddenly surged through the ground, and just moments later, the door began to open on its own. Startled, I looked toward the Vice-Commander.
She, too, was visibly shocked, her mouth agape. The other knights wore expressions of disbelief.
To think the exploration that had been delayed for nearly a month would be resolved this easily.
"Uh… well."
A calm silence settled over the group. That only made me feel even more apologetic. The Vice-Commander let out a hollow laugh and began giving orders.
The knights formed lines and advanced in ranks, while I followed in the very back with the Aide.
"Faith, huh... Deep stuff."
I had no response to that. Honestly, I couldn't say with confidence that I possessed such overwhelming faith.
The moment we passed through the gate, a sticky sensation clung to my body. The Aide next to me grimaced in discomfort.
"My body’s not moving very well."
"I'm fine, actually."
The Aide seemed to be struggling with movement. I, however, didn’t feel all that restricted.
The sticky sensation was just unfamiliar, not unpleasant. It likely had something to do with the Duhein blood running through me.
The Duhein name had many nicknames. Among them were "Hunter of the Tides" and "Devil of the Sea."
The Duhein territory was based on the empire’s eastern seas, and those born into it were innately attuned to water mana.
"How do we proceed?"
“Since our goal is exploration, I plan to start with mapping while maintaining formation.”
Not a bad plan. A strategy that took both safety and objectives into account. But I already knew it wouldn’t go that way.
I carefully grabbed the Aide’s sleeve.
“Hmm? Is something w—”
Like a raging torrent, a surge of mana swallowed us whole in an instant. A sudden ambush, with no sign or warning whatsoever.
Before the startled Aide could even react, the sticky mana of the sea reached us.
“What… is this…”
Caught in the current of mana, I shut my eyes tightly—and when I opened them again, the world had changed. Sea lanterns lit the dim interior of a building.
The air was not just damp, but soaked through, and sea mana tugged downward at us. The Aide, being a magician, quickly understood what had just happened.
“Teleportation?”
An ancient magic long thought to be lost. As a magician, he felt wonder—but as a member of the Knight Order, that wonder clashed with rising concern.
He looked at me in confusion. The Knight Order had been scattered without warning. I, too, could do nothing but shrug.
The Sea Temple was an event dungeon, prone to sudden events. One of those was forced teleportation upon entry.
The Knight Order was probably now evenly dispersed across the ten maze entrances. Twenty members of the Imperial Knight Order, and me—twenty-one in total.
The first objective was to navigate through the maze in pairs. It was unclear whether one person would be left alone, or one group would start with three.
“What do you plan to do?”
“…This is troublesome.”
The Aide wore a grave expression. He seemed bothered by how calm I remained, but quickly began planning ahead.
“I’m sorry, but our top priority must be the Vice-Commander’s safety.”
“Hmm.”
I tilted my head slightly. A Quadra-class magician was a powerful asset. I understood why the Knight Order would value her so highly—though it did feel a bit excessive.
Knowing the difficulty of the place, I was certain that the Vice-Commander could handle it on her own. In other words, there was no real danger that required this much worry.
I wanted to tell him not to worry, but I didn’t want to say something that might arouse suspicion.
“I don’t mind.”
“…I’m acting disgracefully. My apologies.”
“I understand. It just means she’s a good person.”
“That’s not the only reason… but yes, you’re right. Few are as kind as the Vice-Commander.”
Besides, I’d be in danger without the Aide, too. While clearing the Sea Temple, we were bound to run into the Vice-Commander eventually.
Might as well use the chance to leave a good impression on the Imperial Knight Order.
“We can’t just sit still.”
The Aide pulled out a compass and spoke gloomily. The compass only spun in a slow circle. He took a small, book-like magic tool from his bag.
“Let’s move forward for now. I’ll start recording our position from here.”
The magic tool he had taken out was simple in function. It recorded our position in real-time—nothing better for drawing a map.
“This place looks like a maze.”
“A maze?”
“Yes. Judging by the paths being recorded, this structure can only be described as a maze.”
It had been thirty minutes since we started walking. The Aide looked troubled. We had only passed through forked paths branching left and right. Yet the path recorded on the magic tool told a different story.
It was so complex, we couldn’t even tell how we’d come this far. Strangely enough, we’d moved without encountering any obstacles, but when we looked at the map, it showed we’d gone down several dead ends.
“The wall patterns, irregular inclines, even the angle of light from the lanterns—each one disrupts human perception. This level of architectural sophistication is incredible.”
At this point, all one could do was marvel. I felt much the same as the Aide. With every word of his explanation, I was struck by how absurd this maze was.
“This is practically the same as implementing barrier-type magic through architecture. It’s really, truly impressive… It’s almost sad, considering we have to escape it.”
The Aide spoke regretfully. As a magician facing such a marvel, he let out a genuine sigh of awe.
“Shall we rest for a bit?”
I simply nodded at his question. With a slightly apologetic look, the Aide asked me to keep watch. I accepted without hesitation.
Leaning against the wall, I felt the cool touch of the stone. The Aide sat with perfect posture, focusing on gathering mana. He was constantly seeking a solution.
In the game, the Sea Temple’s maze changed its layout randomly every time. Memorizing it was impossible, so one had to rely on physical exploration.
There were two main methods of escaping. One, using holy magic to find the path. Or two, hunting monsters within the maze to obtain clues.
Naturally, I chose the latter. I couldn’t use a single holy magic spell. My top priority was encountering monsters. I drank some water and waited for the Aide to recover.
“Let’s move.”
“Yes.”
While the maze was overly complex, there were no deadly traps or overwhelmingly powerful monsters.
“It’s too quiet.”
Perhaps because of that, the Aide seemed uneasy in the stillness. I figured he’d manage on his own, but it looked like the stress was weighing on him.
“I think it’s due to the purpose.”
“The purpose?”
“Yes. From the entrance, the word ‘faith’ has been emphasized. The architectural style is that of an ancient temple. I don’t think this place was built to protect something, but rather to test someone—perhaps in a religious sense.”
“Indeed. That’s a sharp insight.”
The Aide quickly grasped what I meant. Maybe because he shared his thoughts, or maybe because I did, some of the tension in his body eased.
“You’re always impressive, Davide. I can see why the Vice-Commander has taken an interest in you.”
“That’s a generous assessment.”
Only then did the Aide joke lightly, easing the atmosphere. I gave a dry, polite thanks.
To be honest, I’d rather not receive the Vice-Commander’s attention. When it came to the Imperial family, keeping things strictly cooperative was best. No need for our relationship to grow closer—or colder.
“Presence.”
As we walked, chatting quietly, I felt a presence. The Aide, sensing it too, stepped forward and began gathering mana.
I also unfolded my shovel and took a stance. From about ten meters away, we heard the dragging sound of something being pulled.
We silently fixed our eyes in that direction.
“I’ll handle this. You should conserve your mana.”
I stepped forward with confidence. The Aide looked like he was about to stop me but stepped back after hearing the rest.
The sea’s mana had to be filtered through the body to be accepted, which made mana recovery considerably slower.
For the Aide, who kept detection magic active at all times, he couldn’t afford to burn through mana recklessly.
“Disgusting-looking thing.”
As the figure became clearer, it revealed itself to be a red-scaled fish. A strange creature with a face like a moray eel and limbs sprouting from its body.
A deep-sea creature with sharp teeth and claws. A monster called Wolffish.
Despite its vicious appearance, it wasn’t difficult to deal with. This wasn’t the sea, after all.
I rested the shovel in my left hand across my shoulder and charged straight in. When I beat on my chest, lightning never failed to spark and wrap around my body.
The Wolffish, seeing me suddenly charging, opened its mouth wide to intimidate. Dozens of sharp, wolf-like teeth filled its jaws.
“Hm.”
I didn’t even bother summoning Astral’s Claw. I simply drove a lightning-clad punch forward.
Dodging the maw coming to bite me, I struck right at its neck. Even standing near me caused damage thanks to the lightning armor—and now that it touched the monster directly, it began thrashing wildly.
Lightning transferred over as if to burn the Wolffish, and it was fried instantly, unable to resist in the slightest.
“…A natural counter.”
The Aide looked stunned. It was over far too easily. He seemed to have a lot of questions but I had no intention of answering any of them.
Loosening my stance, I examined the Wolffish corpse. I needed to find the key to pass through the maze.
“Davide?”
“Do you see this creature’s body?”
“Uh? Yes.”
“It’s in good condition. Looks like it’s been feeding regularly.”
The Aide, who had come up beside me, awkwardly called out as he saw me examining the body.
There was really nothing in this maze. The only light came from the lanterns faintly glowing overhead. Yet this Wolffish didn’t look starved or underdeveloped.
That meant it had been feeding consistently—meaning it had the ability to roam freely through the maze.
I cut off the Wolffish’s head with the shovel. No blood flowed. The edge of the shovel gleamed sharply.
At this point, the edge was sharp enough to cleanly slice through flesh. It was no longer appropriate to even call it a shovel. I handed the severed head to the Aide.
He accepted it with a face full of revulsion. He understood the necessity, but his disgust was physiological.
“If we’re looking for something to help us navigate, I’d guess there’s something in the eyes or brain.”
A sharp deduction—but not quite correct. From a human perspective, that would be the limit. But this was a deep-sea creature.
“Can you cut the head open?”
“…The head?”
“Yes, split it vertically, please. It’s a bit much to do with a shovel.”
“…I hope this has a point.”
With a grimace, the Aide easily sliced the head in half. As if measured with a ruler, the split was clean—and something dropped out.
“Hold on. I’ll wash it for you.”
It was a soft blue orb, glowing faintly. I was about to pick it up without thinking, but the Aide stopped me.
He stepped in, washed it clean himself, and then handed me the orb.
“The sea’s mana is strongly concentrated in this.”
“There’s no light in the deep sea. Yet those creatures live without any trouble.”
“A new sensory organ… This thing sees mana.”
The method of use was simple. The orb responded to the sea’s mana. While the maze was filled with sea mana, this orb would react to areas with even greater concentrations.
And those would be the exits connected to the sea.
“It’s reacting to something.”
At the Aide’s gesture, I handed the orb over. He used some kind of magic, and mana flared out from the orb.
Mana spiked out like a needle, pointing in a specific direction. A new compass had been born.