Chapter 102

‘Is there something there?’

After much thought, that was the only conclusion Shaterian could reach.

Orgon, who somehow ended up with a body prone to possession, asked, 

“So, what’s all that luggage?”

His gaze landed on the backpack on the floor. It looked unmistakably like something a traveler would carry.

Orgon frowned deeply and asked, 

“And your clothes? Where are you going?”

She had decided to go.

Shaterian sighed and shook her head. 

“Where would I go?”

She regretted not leaving immediately the day before. It felt as though the Goddess had toyed with her. All she had gained was false hope and nothing else.

She had thought this might be an opportunity to dispel the unease that had been growing since yesterday, but she was left disappointed.

‘They said only Orgon and Anella can use the teleportation array.’

The conditions to use it were excessively strict. If someone in the Empire with divine power comparable to those two were needed, the only person who came to mind was the Pope.

Though she knew it wouldn’t work, Shaterian couldn’t help but feel regretful. After waiting for Orgon to leave, she headed underground.

However, even after arriving, there was no clear solution. She illuminated the dark underground space with a lantern and carefully inspected it.

Unlike before, the dust had fallen away, and the array on the floor was clearly visible.

“So, this is the teleportation array.”

She tapped the floor with her foot but felt nothing unusual.

It made her appreciate the teleportation arrays developed by the Mage Tower, which were engraved on parchment. Those arrays could be used by anyone, regardless of whether they possessed divine or magical power.

If only this were something like that.

“I can’t exactly tear up the floor…”

Though she knew there was no way, she couldn’t bring herself to leave the underground chamber. She wandered aimlessly, holding on to her lingering hopes.

Just then, a faint breeze blew from somewhere. It was the same kind of wind she had felt the day she first discovered the underground chamber.

Her eyes widened as a green light suddenly appeared before her.

Drawn to it, she reached out, and the light began to circle around her hand.

For such a confined space, the sudden appearance of this light was baffling.

When the light touched the tip of her outstretched finger, it trembled, as if alive.

Fascinated, she poked at it here and there. The light seemed to grow agitated, buzzing and drawing large circles in the air.

The fact that it could express emotions made her certain—it wasn’t just some glowing insect.

In a world where magic existed, anything was possible. As she had suspected, the light was either a fairy or…

“A spirit.”

At her words, the spirit responded with a movement.

“So, it really is a spirit…”

It was her first time seeing one, and she found it fascinating.

“Where did you come from?”

The spirit, which had been circling around her hand, suddenly descended.

It began spinning in the center of the teleportation array, as if calling her to step onto it.

When Shaterian stood on the array, the spirit flitted back and forth between her hand and the floor.

“Are you telling me to touch the floor?”

The spirit vibrated as if to say yes.

Finding it endearing, she obediently crouched down.

She wondered why it wanted her to touch the floor. Then, she realized there was one thing she hadn’t tried yet.

That was to channel divine power into the teleportation array.

She hadn’t attempted it because she didn’t possess divine power on the level of Orgon or Anella. However, when she placed her palm on the floor as the spirit instructed…

It felt as though a violent whirlpool was surging inside her. It was like a dam bursting, releasing a flood all at once.

At the same time, her vision spun. Divine power overflowed within her, so much so that she felt nauseous and began to retch.

She barely managed to suppress it by covering her mouth with her hand.

Once her dizziness subsided and she opened her tightly shut eyes, a forest stretched out before her.

***

Drizzling rain fell in the forest.

Fortunately, Shaterian was standing in the colonnade leading to the temple, protected from the rain.

As expected, the teleportation array in the Imperial Palace was connected to the Temple of the Goddess of Equality within the Astrea Empire’s territory.

She was relieved to be wearing a hooded robe. Otherwise, she would have been wandering in the rain while searching for Eched.

The spirit was still hovering around her.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I made it here.”

On top of that, she had unexpectedly unlocked her divine power.

Feeling the overflowing divine energy coursing through her body, she clenched and unclenched her fists. Though it felt unfamiliar, it wasn’t unpleasant.

In fact, she felt more energized than she had in a long time, as if she could leap around with joy.

She picked up her bag, which had fallen to the ground, and tucked it under her robe before slinging it over her back.

She also checked the dagger strapped to her leg to ensure it was secure.

Good. This was enough to handle any wild animals she might encounter in the forest.

The spirit, meanwhile, continued to hover near her, showing no signs of leaving.

“Are you planning to stay with me? Do you know where Eched is?”

The spirit vibrated again, as if affirming her question.

“Can you take me to him?”

The spirit quickly flew ahead, as if urging her to follow. Its reliable demeanor made her smile as she followed its lead.

The forest, drenched in rain, was eerily quiet.

There were no sounds of birds or insects. The silence was unnervingly heavy, like the calm before a storm.

And soon, that sense of foreboding became reality.

The spirit, which had been leading the way, suddenly darted back to her side.

Ahead, the sound of something moving through the grass reached her ears.

‘A person? No, this sound…’

The heavy footsteps reverberating through the ground were unmistakably those of an animal.

She drew her dagger just as an eerie cry, part animal and part bird, echoed through the forest.

The source of the cry soon revealed itself—a creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle.

It was a monster known as a griffin.

There was no time to be startled by its sudden appearance.

Screech—!

The griffin charged at her the moment it spotted her.

She quickly dodged to the side and swung her dagger. After a few attacks, the griffin collapsed to the ground.

Breathing heavily, she could finally relax after confirming the griffin was dead.

“Why is there a monster here…”

This was undoubtedly within the Astrea Empire’s territory.

Could it be that I had accidentally teleported to the Haltonea Forest?

But that seemed unlikely.

There was no way a temple would exist within the monster-infested Haltonea Forest, and the broken columns she had seen earlier matched the ones she had seen before.

So why was a monster here…

“A monster overflow…”

The horrifying reality dawned on her, and she bit her lip.

Just like two years ago, monsters had once again begun spilling out of the Haltonea Forest.

For now, it seemed the monsters hadn’t reached this far, but as time passed, their numbers would undoubtedly grow.

Two years ago, the monster incident hadn’t significantly impacted the Empire’s territory.

The monsters had been exterminated near the Haltonea Forest before they could cause substantial harm to the Empire.

But now, there were no settlements left.

If the monsters spilled out of the forest again, they would quickly reach the Astrea Empire’s territory.

Though the Kulnensi Marquisate was closer, its fortified walls and strengthened military offered some reassurance.

Shaterian hesitated, torn between searching for Eched and rushing to the Empire to warn them of the impending danger.

The Empire was quite far from here, even on horseback. Walking there would take much longer.

Still, the Empire had to come first.

Gripping her dagger tightly, she oriented herself toward the temple.

“The temple is east of the Empire… So, this way.”

There was no time to waste.

Just as she was about to move, the spirit blocked her path.

“This isn’t the right way?”

The spirit guided her in the direction the monster had come from.

“Right now, the Empire is more important than Eched…”

The spirit moved vehemently, as if protesting. It seemed to be urging her to follow.

“Why…”

Though she didn’t understand, she trusted the spirit might know something she didn’t and reluctantly followed its lead.

The deeper they went into the forest, the farther she got from the Empire.

Not long after, the sound of a commotion reached her ears.

The source of the noise was a person fighting monsters.

With a sharp swing of their sword, the monsters fell with agonized cries.

Eched skillfully and effortlessly dispatched the monsters.

Once he had slain them all, he flicked the blood off his sword.

Only then did Shaterian find the courage to approach him.

Splash.

The sound of her stepping into a puddle echoed.

“Eched…”

The moment their eyes met, filled with a deadly glint, Eched swiftly closed the distance and pressed his sword against her neck.