As the sun gradually rose.
The dark forest began to brighten.
Looking at Arden lying beneath a tree, Berua spoke.
"It seems there is no major problem, thankfully."
"Yes. It truly is a relief."
"...Y-Yes, it is."
Dylan and Kane, who had been keeping watch, answered.
The three had spent several hours trying to remove the fluorescent liquid.
They had poured Divine Power into it and even tried cutting it with a sword....
Even so, there had been no effect, so they had given up.
They watched it with half-resigned expressions for another two hours.
Fortunately, Arden's arm had not melted.
"I never thought that thing would heal him."
Kane muttered as he looked at Arden's arm.
His left arm, which had been blackened, was gradually regaining its color.
Berua nodded as though she agreed.
"What on earth is it...?"
She was curious.
Because of her position, she had seen healing tools several times, but it was her first time seeing something that would not accept even Divine Power.
"Hm."
Treating an injury generally worked on a similar principle.
Divine Power or something like it healed the body.
That was why an item that restored the body should contain bright light.
But this liquid did not.
Not only did it lack bright light, but the very thing that healed the body had expelled Divine Power.
It had gathered the power at Arden's fingertips and released it.
After thinking carefully, Berua asked the two men,
"Do either of you have any idea what it could be?"
"No, I do not know either, Lady Berua."
"...That did not exist a few days ago. Maybe he obtained it recently, Captain."
"Are you seriously saying something so obvious?"
"No, I thought you might not know. Captain, you only have one thing on your mind right now."
"Be quiet."
Berua, who had been listening to their conversation, turned her head.
"What on earth...."
With her brow furrowed, she looked at Arden's arm.
Now that she noticed it, the fluorescent liquid seemed to contain vengeful spirits.
Its distinctive presence stimulated all five senses.
Where could he have obtained it?
The Imperial Storehouse? An experimental product made by the Black Mage?
She thought about it carefully, but could not reach an answer.
It seemed she would have to ask Arden after he woke up.
"Let's wait for now. I do not think we can figure it out ourselves."
"Understood."
"Yes, let's do that...."
Dylan and Kane nodded and gave small yawns.
"......"
Arden, who had recovered to some extent, opened his eyes.
Noticing that, Berua hurriedly asked,
"Are you all right, Arden?"
"......"
At the familiar voice, Arden blinked and turned his head.
Beyond his blurry vision, he saw Berua.
Kane and Dylan were in front of him as well.
It seemed they had heard Derek's story and come quickly.
"Ugh."
Arden carefully raised his upper body and spoke.
"Yes. I'm all right. Probably...."
"Hearing you say that, I believe I should examine you."
Berua shook her head and moved in front of Arden.
His arm was slowly healing, but there could be problems elsewhere.
"Please remain still for a moment."
Berua placed both hands on Arden's shoulders and sent Divine Power through him.
WHOOOOOM!
The Divine Power circulated through his entire body and returned in an instant.
She seemed to think carefully before continuing.
"It is not severe, but you have internal injuries. Your arm is broken too. Who on earth did you fight? You would not be injured this badly by a Black Mage. And what is that attached to your arm?"
"I don't know either."
Arden answered as he raised his left arm slightly.
All he knew was that it healed injured areas.
"And I fought a Minotaur."
"Excuse me?"
"Really? Why was one here?"
"Is that true?"
Berua's eyes widened at Arden's next words.
The other two reacted similarly.
"It wasn't the original body...."
Arden shook his head and rose.
"Let's go to the pit first. The magic circle should still be there."
He thought it would be faster to show them directly than to explain.
"Understood."
After Berua's answer, the four headed toward the pit.
However, it was too quiet while they walked.
Berua silently followed behind Arden, and Dylan only watched her.
Kane sighed inwardly and asked Arden beside him,
"How long has it even been since I saw you? How did you get hurt like that again?"
Arden smirked and answered.
"Yeah. But...."
Arden looked at his left arm for a moment before continuing.
"It was crushed at first. It has healed a lot."
"Crushed?"
"It was crushed?"
"That is impossible. Did that thing heal it that much?"
The three spoke at the same time.
"Yes."
Arden nodded.
Even while talking, they continued moving and arrived before the pit.
Arden looked around, then immediately climbed down.
The other three followed.
"Over there."
Arden pointed to where the magic circle had been.
Since only the ceiling had collapsed, it would likely have remained without much damage.
"All right."
"So we need to dig there."
The two nodded and began digging into the earth.
It was not very deep, so they found it quickly.
"It seems to be here. Is this it?"
Kane pointed to the partially exposed violet line with the tip of his sword.
"Yes. That's it."
"Confirmed."
"I will help over there as well."
Dylan also moved beside Kane and cleared away the dirt that covered it.
Before long, the magic circle was fully exposed.
After brushing the dirt from his greatsword, Dylan spoke.
"Come and confirm it, Lady Berua."
"All right."
Berua nodded and approached the magic circle with Arden.
Looking at the violet-glowing magic circle, she slowly opened her mouth.
"...It is certainly not the original body. Judging by the state of the magic circle, it is an inferior version. The two of you probably do not know this. It is not a fact that has been properly made public."
Berua bent down and traced the magic circle with her finger.
"It seems that someone was helping him."
"The Black Mage the temple was pursuing?"
"Yes. The magic circle capable of summoning a Minotaur is kept classified by the temple."
"Then that means...."
"Sir Dylan, you are probably thinking correctly."
"Hm."
Dylan let out a low groan.
It meant there was a traitor inside the Arcane Temple.
After thinking for a long time, Dylan spoke.
"Is there anything you failed to retrieve?"
"No. We retrieved the Black Magic completely. But...."
Berua trailed off.
Her expression showed that she did not even want to make the assumption.
"They have vanished, so it is probably an unnecessary concern."
"Understood, Lady Berua. ...I hope so too."
Berua nodded as though she agreed and asked Arden,
"Could you explain in detail what happened here?"
"Yes. First...."
Arden began explaining what had happened in the forest.
***
The story did not end until after breakfast time.
Because there might be more things left behind by the Black Mage, Berua suggested that they keep digging through the pit. The other three agreed.
"Arden, can you move?"
"Yes. This much is fine. It doesn't hurt very much anymore."
"...Understood. But if anything hurts, rest immediately."
"All right."
Arden's left arm had not healed completely, but it did not cause much inconvenience when moving, so he joined them.
"There's a pile of documents here."
"This looks like coins. I've never seen them before."
Oddly, Kane was good at finding the Black Mage's belongings.
Even when they dug through the same areas, something always appeared wherever Kane went.
While they all found it curious, a familiar man appeared.
It was Derek.
After climbing down into the pit, he approached Arden.
His expression was rather complicated.
"Um... I heard that you're a Holy Knight."
"Please speak comfortably. You look too uncomfortable."
"Haha... Right, I should. Speaking formally to someone I spent a whole day talking with is certainly strange."
"That is much better. But why did you come again?"
At Arden's question, Derek shrugged.
"I do not know. Maybe it is because, while I was with you, I was treated like a person for the first time in a long while."
In truth, even Derek had not yet found an answer.
"Is that so? Anyway, thank you for coming."
"Why say that over something like this? I have not been any help."
"Then, would you dig with us?"
Arden pointed to an empty spot.
He remembered that there had been ancient books there as well.
"Of course. But I do not know whether it is all right for me to do this. Is this not work for Holy Knights?"
"It's all right. They'll be happy to have another pair of hands."
"Hm."
"See? They are not saying anything even now."
"It seems so."
"If you find anything, please tell us immediately."
"Do not worry. You have given me a job that suits me perfectly. Hunters are good at this. I will find it quickly."
Derek rolled up his sleeves and took a small shovel from a pocket near his calf.
He seemed to carry it at all times for his work.
THUD!
SCRAPE!
Derek went to the spot Arden had indicated and began digging.
Arden, watching him, began moving as well.
Since five people were working together, they quickly found things.
"I will examine these books. It seems more was removed than I expected."
"Understood, Lady Berua. Then I will handle the documents over there."
"Yes, thank you."
Berua analyzed the ancient books, while Dylan read through the dirt-covered documents.
"......"
Arden looked at the two and fell into thought.
He had an uneasy feeling.
After considering it for a long time, Arden spoke to Kane, who stood beside him.
He did not want to disturb the other two.
"The Black Mage came out from behind me."
"Yeah."
"But if he had come through the passage I used, there is no way I would not have noticed."
"Right. It makes no sense for you to miss something like that. There must be another passage."
"Yes. I think so too."
"All right. Let's find it. We will leave the reading to the two of them."
"All right."
Just as Arden nodded—
"Wait a moment. A passage... Do you mean this?"
Derek, who had continued digging, spoke.
He pointed somewhere with his small shovel.
It was to the left of the entrance Arden had used.
A small rectangular iron door was attached there.
A black pentagram was drawn above it, but its fading color suggested that it could no longer be maintained after the Black Mage's death.
"That must be why I did not notice it."
"Yeah. He must have hidden it deliberately. Do you know what Circle he was?"
"Fifth Circle. He sometimes said something about Sixth Circle, but he was Fifth Circle for now."
"...He is dead, right?"
"Yes. He died with the Minotaur."
"Then that is fine. Let us forget it."
"All right."
"Come on. We need to check."
Arden nodded and walked toward the door.
"I am glad that I seem to have been helpful."
Derek brushed the dirt from his pants and grinned.
Kane patted his shoulder and spoke.
"Good. The temple will reward you too. Now let us go over there."
"Understood. No, all right, Sir Holy Knight."
"Enough. Speak comfortably to me too."
"I was waiting for you to say that. I am an uncouth man, so this is far more comfortable."
"...Hm. Yeah. That is better."
Kane nodded with a somewhat awkward expression.
"Now—"
CRRRUNCH!
"I'll go in now."
Arden tore off the tightly locked iron door and spoke.
Derek widened his eyes for a moment, then looked at Kane beside him.
Kane, apparently used to this, said nothing and immediately followed Arden inside.
"Ah, of course."
Derek seemed to understand at last and hurriedly went inside as well.
"It is wider than I expected."
Since the door was small, Arden had expected the passage to be narrow as well, but it was wider than he had thought.
Even after standing fully upright, there was more than a hand's breadth of space above him.
But the width of the passage was not important.
What lay at the end was what mattered.
Arden nodded and walked a little faster.
It seemed to be a passage that had been used often, because there were no traps.
Thanks to that, they soon reached the end.
"Hm."
At the end of the passage was an ordinary wooden door.
However, this door also bore a pattern of two snakes entwined with each other.
As Arden thought carefully, Kane spoke.
"I know that symbol."
"I have seen it too."
"How do you know it?"
"If you live as a hunter, you are bound to see all kinds of things. If my memory is right, it was the symbol of Demon Worshippers. But did they not fall forty years ago? I heard the temple wiped them out completely."
"That is right. It took five years to kill nearly all of them."
The war had begun forty-five years ago with the death of a single Demon Worshipper, and it had taken five years to end.
Kane nodded.
"But why are they back...."
"That is as far as I can speak. I cannot tell you anything more."
"Ah, I have heard of that too. Is it not forbidden to tell outsiders?"
"Yeah. They even make you sign a contract."
Of course, there was one more condition.
You could hear it only after shedding the apprentice title.
One had to fully devote oneself to the temple to qualify.
"Then that is fine. I do not have any particular desire to know deeply."
As though he wanted to live an ordinary life, Derek stepped back.
Kane watched him briefly before shifting his gaze to Arden.
"Arden, want me to explain?"
"No. I remember now. And I do not want to make a contract."
The conversation between the two had made him remember clearly.
He had seen it in a book the orphanage director had intended to throw away.
"Really? Well, that is better. Anyway, it seems that Black Mage is connected to the Demon Worshippers."
"Then will we need more support?"
"Probably."
As Arden and Kane spoke, Dylan pointed at the door and asked,
"Should we end the conversation here and go inside first?"
"That is true."
Arden nodded and opened the door.
CREAAAAK—!
The sound of old hinges struck their eardrums.
The three frowned for a moment and looked at the wide room behind the door.
There was only a bed and a desk, but a small notebook rested on the desk.
Arden immediately walked inside and checked the notebook.
It was a diary.
Arden began reading slowly from the first page.
"Hm...."
Today, a strange man visited my laboratory.
He wore a blood-red robe pulled deeply over his head, and his voice had no rise or fall.
He looked dangerous, so I drove him away.
The creature I saw then came again.
When I tried to drive him away once more, he said that they supported Black Mages.
Demon Worshippers.
It seems to be them.
But did they not all die long ago?
No matter the reason, I could not help but nod at the tempting offer.
The research began.
The materials they gave me were, frustratingly, superior to what I had researched.
A Healing Artifact made by grinding up hundreds of people....
I decided to make that first.
Even if only to keep my pathetic body alive.
Over a long period, I acquired hundreds of slaves and tore them all apart.
After putting them in a large vat with dozens of ingredients they gave me and boiling it for nearly a month, it took on a fluorescent color.
Success.
Now, the vengeful spirits of hundreds of people will be consumed one by one to heal injuries.
Today, I drew a line beneath one of the research materials.
This time, I intend to summon a Minotaur.
The slaves are ready as well.
It is regrettable that it is an inferior version, but I have realized something myself.
Surely, with only a few adjustments, I will be able to summon it completely.
My instincts tell me so.
THUD.
After checking the final page, Arden closed the notebook.
Between the way the Black Mage had called them "those bastards" during the battle and the appearance of Demon Worshippers in the diary, it was now certain that they had returned.
"......"
Arden's thoughts became complicated.
Of course, it was not only because of the Demon Worshippers.
He had learned the true nature of the fluorescent liquid attached to his arm.
Arden let out a sigh and looked at his left arm.
The vengeful spirits of hundreds of people....
His feelings were complicated.
The two people who saw him asked,
"What was there?"
"What was it?"
"Take a look."
Since it was not long, Arden handed them the notebook.
"Let's read it together."
"Of course."
The moment the two opened the book—
RUMMMMMBLE!
The cave shook violently.