Chapter 3

When Declan returned to Sara’s side, the farmers asked expectantly,

“So, what will you do now…?”

Sara looked up at Declan. He glanced at the symbol engraved on the chamber door and spoke bluntly.

“First, everyone needs to step back. No one should approach until our investigation is complete.”

“Huh? Then what about the land clearing…?”

“You’ll have to stop. I’ve already spoken to the Lord, so it should be fine.”

“I see. How long will the investigation take?”

“We can’t say yet.”

Declan pointed at the chamber with his chin and added,

“This place is a temple of the dark god, Bertar.”

The moment he finished, the farmers’ faces turned ashen.

“The dark god?”

“Bertar!”

They looked at each other in fear. Bertar was an evil god who, before the founding of the Empire, had led massive wars and enjoyed human sacrifices, plunging the continent into terror until he was sealed by the goddess of love, Matilda.

Sara recognized the symbol too, but hadn’t expected Declan to blurt it out so directly.

‘That’ll just make them more scared…’

She thought it was unnecessary, since Bertar was now a powerless god with no followers… but then steeled herself.

‘Two people died, so this is right.’

Declan, unconcerned with their fear, fiddled with the door. Sara glanced at him, then stepped forward and spoke in a firm, trustworthy voice.

“Leave this to us. You should go about your work. We’ll leave when we’re done, so don’t worry.”

“Yes, yes…”

Even in front of Bertar’s temple, their composure inspired growing respect among the people. The farmers bowed repeatedly as they left. Feeling embarrassed, Sara turned quickly and cast a detection spell to see if there was any magical presence inside the chamber.

“This doesn’t seem like a normal temple.”

Declan, untying the rope from the chamber handle, muttered to himself. Sara withdrew the magic she’d sent through the chamber and replied,

“You’re right. There’s only one room on a single floor.”

Most temples had multiple rooms and at least three floors. Compared to that, this place was very modest.

“So maybe it’s not a temple?”

“Could be. Usually temples have well-paved roads, but this is remote…”

A god’s power usually depends on the number of believers and the value of their offerings. Temples are often in prime city locations so followers can visit frequently.

“Anyway, we’ll know once we go in.”

Declan spoke quietly, then carefully reached for the handle. He glanced sideways at Sara.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Sara gripped her staff tightly. The fist-sized magic stone her brother had worked hard to obtain glowed brightly at the top of the staff. Declan turned back and pulled the door with force.

Rumble, rumble—the heavy stone door slowly opened, sending up clouds of dust. Sara covered her nose with her long sleeve and waved her arm to clear the air. As the view cleared, stairs leading downward appeared. Declan strode inside first. Sara hesitated at the dark stairs, then turned around with a jolt, feeling as if someone was watching her. Chilled to the bone, she hurried down the stairs.

As Sara groped her way forward, Declan’s voice came from ahead.

“You used a detection spell, right? How big is it?”

His voice echoed eerily, like in a cave. Sara swallowed dryly and opened her mouth to reply, when suddenly there was a snap—someone flicked their fingers. At the same time, flames flared from Declan’s hand. It was a holy fire only those with the qualifications of a Holy Knight or priest could produce.

“Wow…”

Sara gasped in awe, and Declan’s lips curled up slightly. He transferred the flame to a thick branch he’d picked up outside. Soon the crackling of burning wood and the stable light illuminated the room.

“It’s not that big inside. About the size of a storage room?”

“Hmm…”

Having descended the stairs, Declan swallowed. Sara, coming down after, brushed dust from her robe and then gasped.

“It’s definitely not a temple.”

Declan lowered his voice and murmured. The place they stood in was a square stone chamber, with blood-red waves painted on all four walls as if a huge amount of blood had once poured from the ceiling. Sara felt as if her throat was tightening and unconsciously moved closer to Declan. She thought she’d be disgusted, but instead, Declan leaned in and whispered in her ear,

“See? There’s something in the center.”

“…You’re right.”

Sara, dazed by Declan’s cool scent, replied a beat late. Forgetting the chamber’s eeriness, she quietly stepped away from him.

“It looks like an altar, doesn’t it?”

Declan, unaware of Sara’s unease, was focused only on the structure in the center. Sara sighed softly and slapped her cheeks with both hands. Get it together—you’re here to work.

“Something’s placed on top. Is it the offering?”

Declan asked, and Sara nodded.

“According to the report, that’s likely. If you touch it, the curse probably activates.”

Sara gave her careful opinion and walked toward the altar. At that moment, Declan’s arm barred her way.

“I’ll go first.”

With the torch held high, shadows fell across his face. Sara stared at his black-and-white features as if entranced. Declan whispered,

“We can’t let anything happen to our precious mage.”

He grinned, pressed the torch into Sara’s hand, and patted her head as if she’d done well. Then he turned and strode to the altar.

Sara stared blankly at his well-built back, then snapped out of it. Now that she thought about it, his hand was warm when he patted her head…

“Declan? You’re wearing light armor?”

Maybe because it was hot in the south, he wore leather gloves with exposed fingers instead of gauntlets. At the altar, Declan studied the object on the flat stone and answered absently.

“In this weather, plate armor feels like you’re boiling alive… And there aren’t any monsters here.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Sara rolled up her robe sleeves to expose her arms and sighed in the heat. It was a bit cooler underground, but still uncomfortably hot. She took off her hood and wiped sweat from her neck, watching Declan examine the altar.

“There’s no summoning circle, no sign of high-level monsters. As long as you don’t touch it, it should be fine.”

Sara felt relieved at his words.

“So we just need to take it and destroy it.”

Thinking the job would end easily, Sara relaxed and approached the altar. Declan, standing right before the offering, seemed lost in thought, just staring at it. Sara tapped his back.

“Declan?”

“Ah!”

Startled by her touch, he turned and stumbled. His sturdy upper body swayed, but he quickly caught himself by grabbing the altar.

“You scared me…”

Declan exhaled. Sara was about to sigh in relief, when suddenly a loud crash sounded from the top of the stairs. The two jumped, but then a red light burst from Declan’s body.

“What—what’s happening!”

“Declan!”

Sara pointed at Declan’s hand. To her shock, his hand was touching the offering!

“!”

They stared at each other in panic. After a moment, Declan whispered in a trembling voice,

“Sara… Am I going to die?”

His voice shook with anxiety. Sara had never seen him this rattled before. She hid her own fear and spoke as firmly as she could.

“Why would you die?”

“But… what’s this red light? When you read the report, you said people died a few hours after this happened.”

“That’s because… I wasn’t there then!”

Sara lifted her chin. She took a deep breath, grabbed Declan’s hand, and quickly chanted a spell. Soon, a soft white light began to radiate from Declan’s body.

‘Release spell!’

It was a high-level spell to break curses. Declan held his breath and looked down at himself. Red and white lights alternately flashed and faded, as if fighting each other.

After some time, the red light seemed to shrink and finally disappeared. Declan sighed deeply as the light faded. Sweat beaded on Sara’s forehead as she let go of Declan’s hand and staggered back. Declan quickly rushed to support her. Even in torchlight, her face was frighteningly pale.

Declan murmured in a tight voice,

“Sara, you did well.”

“…No.”

“Hm? What did you say?”

Sara’s face was stiff as she clenched her fists and muttered,

“…I couldn’t break it.”