At the time when the sun had not risen yet, Adelia and Ivan walked on the long hallway in a white priest robes of Vishna religion. The two soon reached a room.
“The Cardinal is in here; you can go in.”
Eustaf’s aide said in a quiet voice. Adelia nodded and slowly opened the door.
Squeak-
Perhaps because it was too quiet at dawn, the sound of the hinge moving resonated starkly.
As soon as she entered the room, Eustaf, who was praying in a neat posture, greeted the two. He stopped praying and rose.
“You must be tired because it’s early in the morning, but thank you for taking such a precious step.”
“Long time no see, your eminence.”
Adelia smiled and slowly scanned Eustaf. He remained the same. He still had a faithful look on his face. And his eyes were deeply imbued with fear of disaster.
I think he has become a little different than when we first met.
His atmosphere had changed subtly. Obviously, the last time she saw him, he had a finite atmosphere like an ordinary priest, but now it was a little different.
You must have suffered a lot because of the Pope’s absence. He’s been unable to hide his emotions quite a bit.
A bitter smile came to Adelia’s lips. Power changes people so easily. When you have power, you have to protect something.
“I’m worried you have become much thinner than the last time I saw you.”
At Eustaf’s worried voice, Adelia almost burst into laughter for a moment. The skinny one is not her rather than him.
“You look a little tired, too, Cardinal. Are you sleeping well?”
“…of course. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Seeing the hesitation, he didn’t seem to be sleeping well. Adelia clicked her tongue short and began to talk.
“I’m here to hear about holy relics.”
“…Yes. You became the guardian of the torch because of it.”
“Yes, I heard that Duke Valkyr is desperately collecting relics.”
As Adelia continued to speak, Eustaf’s complexion darkened.
“Before I tell you about the relics, I want to show you something.”
He excused himself from Adelia and entered the small side door on one side of the prayer room. He soon reappeared. with a blue white box.
Adelia instinctively noticed what was in that box. A relic, or something related to it.
Eustaf’s delicate touch slowly opened the box. There was only the quiet breath of three people in the room.
Click.
Finally, the lock was unlocked and the contents of the box came out. It has strange and beautiful colors.
“A watch?”
Inside the box was a blue-colored watch with a red cloth.
“All the relics containing Vishna’s blessing are in the form of a clock. And this is a relic that our temple keeps.”
“Is this the only one?”
“Yes, there are a total of five relics. We keep one of them.”
“Then the rest…….”
Eustaf shook his head with a regretful look.
“The records have been lost, and the whereabouts of the rest of the relics are unknown.”
Adelia stared at the pocket watch, so small that it could fit her hands. That’s a holy relic…….
“What is the power of this relic?”
“It’s a barrier. A barrier is formed about a 10-meter radius around the person who has it.”
It was not that bad. Adelia looked back at the congregation clock with astonishing eyes.
“What are the conditions?”
“Anyone who has the relic can use it.”
“……that’s pretty easy.”
“Yeah, you don’t need divine power.”
“Do you know the power of other relics?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know the details. All I know is a relic of defense and a relic of fusion.”
“Fusion…”
“Originally, there was only one holy relic. This relic that we’re looking at right now is a separate form. It’s said that only the relic of fusion can bring the five pieces back together.”
“So, what happens when all the relics are gathered?”
At Adelia’s question, Eustaf’s face was noticeably hardened. He took a large map out of his arms and unfolded it. Adelia and Ivan’s eyes naturally turned to the map he unfolded. Soon Eustaf’s long white fingers slowly scoured the map.
“Starting from here…… From here to here, and including here.”
Adelia didn’t miss the trajectory that Eustaf drew and chased with her eyes.
“A barrier of enormous size will be formed.”
A heavy silence came.
Isn’t this a barrier that covers the entire continent?
It was simply a barrier.
“If this barrier unfolds, can we escape from the disaster?”
“I expect so.”
At Eustaf’s answer, Adelia shut her mouth. Now she can outline what Duke Valkyr is up to. He intends to use this relic to become a hero. Not through Hestine, but by using the holy relics himself.
“We have to complete the relics first.”
Ivan and Eustaf nodded at the same time at Adelia’s words. Ivan was also apparently aware of what Duke Valkyr was up to. He might have noticed sooner than she did.
“I will do my best to help you.”
“Thank you, but I’m at a loss. I don’t know how to collect the relics..”
Ivan, who had been silent in Adelia’s troubled voice, opened his mouth.
“Maybe it’ll be easier if you track where the first holy relics are.”
“But…”
“No. There is a high probability that false information was leaked. Rare power comes at a price. You need to be more careful.”
Ivan had a point. It makes no sense to lose a relic with such miraculous power in the first place. Rather than being robbed or in conflict, it’s easier to hide the existence of holy relics altogether.
Adelia turned her gaze back to Eustaf. Eustaf, who recognized the question in Adelia’s eyes at once, said with a cautious look.
“Including the Huizeniac Empire, they delivered one to Neuten, the neutral country, Erndek, the loser of the west, Setan in the north, and finally the Kingdom of Sadin.”
“Perhaps the relics are in the royal treasury or in the warehouse of a family loyal to the royal family.”
Adelia’s mouth smiled after hearing Eustaf and Ivan. She thought she could get one easily.
“In the Kingdom of Sadin, the Chihen family holds the real power.”
When Chihen was mentioned, a stir appeared in Eustaf’s eyes.
“Chihen has a holy relic.”
“It’s a big possibility. And we know a man from the Chihen family.”
“Bishop Berg….”
As Eustaf sighed as he spoke the name of Bishop Berg.
“It’s already morning. It’s time for Bishop Berg to wake up, right?”
Adelia smiled brightly at the sunlight coming through the window. At that moment, Eustaf prayed in his heart for Bishop Berg.
Blessed the Bishop Berg
***
“The guardian of the torch wants to see the bishop.”
Bishop Berg, who was enjoying breakfast leisurely, gave up his meal at the news brought by the priest and ran right away.
Shake~
“I heard you urgently called for me! Is there any problem?”
Berg opened the door in a hurry and shouted. There were other unexpected people in the room that he thought only Adelia would be in. When he realized it, Berg’s energetic voice broke down.
“…I don’t think I said it was urgent, but you came in a hurry, so please sit down.”
Adelia offered a seat to the panting Bishop Berg. Bishop Berg sat carefully in front of Adelia, coughing with an awkward face.
“Your Highness and Your Eminence is also present.”
“Yes, they’re related to what I’m going to talk about.”
Adelia looked at Bishop Berg with a gentle smile. At that moment Bishop Berg felt an unknown horror. Even though it’s a smile that’s no different than usual.
“…please tell me.”
Berg tried to calm his anxiety and gave an awkward smile. Adelia read the anxiety drawn on his face and stuck her tongue inside her. He seemed insensitive on the outside, but unlike what he seemed, he was a man with extraordinary senses.
“It’s about the relics.”
“Relics…… As I told you last time……? No way….. Are you going to ask me to steal it?”
Bishop Berg’s eyes shook violently when he said so. Like the twigs of vegetation shaking in the face of a storm.
“It’s similar, but it’s not.”
“It’s similar?”
Adelia nodded determinedly.
“Now that we know that Duke Valkyr is collecting relics, we need to collect them faster than him.”
“…you’re right.”
“If you steal the relics recovered by Duke Valkyr right now, Bishop Berg will be suspected. So, that’s for later.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“First of all, we have to retrieve the relics scattered elsewhere before Duke Valkyr. Fortunately, one of them is in the Kingdom of Sadin.”
“I’ve heard that, but I don’t know where it is now…….”
“I think the relic is in the Chihen family. Can you check it out?”
Adelia asked with a smile. Normally, he would have been happy with that smile, but Berg couldn’t smile face to face. Adelia’s smile wasn’t that scary. No, he got goosebumps because he remembered someone else.
“It would be good if you could find it and retrieve it.”
Berg sighed softly. He remembered the face of his brother, who was firmly guarding the family.
If I steal the heirloom, I’ll turn into a hell watchman.
But what can I do? I can’t refuse the person I have given my loyalty to.
Berg closed his eyes and accepted Adelia’s request.
“…I’ll try.”
Loll he’s a loyal puppy