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Chapter 99
At that moment, inside the temple.
Even at this late hour, under the candlelight brightening the dark chamber, three figures gathered.
The High Priest, the Deputy Priest, and the attendant priest who had investigated Eligia.
“High Priest.”
In the heavy atmosphere, the attendant priest spoke first.
“What exactly is Eligia Semperion?”
“…That is the question.”
The High Priest answered in a dry voice. The attendant priest, wearing an expression of disbelief, looked down at the holy staff artifact glowing brightly. It was now pointing toward the direction of the Magic Tower where Eligia had gone.
“I still can’t understand. No matter how I checked, she has no holy relic, and yet it keeps indicating that she does…”
“Perhaps because not everything we see with our eyes is all there is.”
The High Priest cut him off with an unreadable smile. Then, in a firm tone, he added:
“Do not dare doubt the holy relic. The relic is not wrong. We are the ones who are mistaken. It may very well be right before our eyes, but we simply cannot ‘recognize’ it.”
The High Priest recalled the temple intruder from before—completely invisible to the naked eye, right in front of them, yet no one could recognize it.
“Or perhaps…”
The Deputy Priest, who had been quietly listening at the side, cautiously spoke up.
“Could it be possible… that she is a living relic?”
“…It is possible.”
The High Priest lowered his voice, recalling that red-haired woman who was constantly a thorn in his side.
“It isn’t out of the question that she is indeed a living holy relic.”
Relics held the power to transcend dimensions.
And Eligia Semperion, too, possessed a power that was foreign to this dimension. Whether one could call that “holy,” however, was another matter.
“But if that were true, it should have been discovered much earlier. Whether magical or divine power, they usually manifest in childhood. Rarely are they discovered after one has grown… Ah!”
The attendant priest, recalling something, spoke.
“Now that I think of it, wasn’t Lady Semperion only recently recognized as a mage?”
Eligia, who had suddenly been acknowledged as a mage.
“And she’s suddenly become skilled at swordsmanship as well… Don’t you think it’s strange?”
The attendant priest added quickly.
“It’s almost as if she became a different person.”
“That is true.”
The Deputy Priest nodded, then turned toward the High Priest as though seeking his judgment.
“What do you think, High Priest? Do you believe Eligia Semperion is still the same? Or has something drastically changed in her being?”
After a long silence, the High Priest finally replied.
“…Who knows.”
Resting his chin in his hand, he muttered:
“Perhaps… she has simply lost the will to keep hiding her powers.”
Eligia mulled over the information Pin had given her once more.
Returning to Earth meant crossing dimensions.
And holy relics had the power to transcend dimensions.
Following that line of thought, Eligia wondered:
“Then… couldn’t I use a relic properly and return home?”
Perhaps if she gathered all the relics in this country, she could return, or maybe there was one specific relic that served as the key to dimensional travel!
If only the Administrator were here, she could have asked directly. But of all times, he had to be absent now. Regret tugged at her. Pin, noticing her serious expression, asked:
“Have you taken an interest, by any chance?”
“…Maybe a little?”
Eligia quickly added an excuse to avoid sounding suspicious.
“After all, it was because of a relic that I ended up here. Naturally, I can’t help but be curious.”
She was allowed to stay in the Magic Tower because the holy light had pointed toward her when searching for relics—and she herself was suspected of being a living relic.
“I’m also worried, you know. What if I suddenly poof! vanish due to dimensional transfer without even realizing it?”
“Well, I suppose that could happen.”
Pin nodded, then spoke as though something had come to mind.
“As I mentioned before, the Magic Tower also has one relic. You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
The Tower kept one in storage, and as a certified mage, she had the qualifications to view it. She nodded, and after a pause, Pin added:
“That relic… happens to be related to ‘movement.’”
“What?”
Eligia’s eyes widened in shock.
“I’ve never heard that before.”
Though she had gathered much information from her viewers about relics, none had ever mentioned that the Tower’s relic was connected to movement. She thought it had something to do with defense. Had the information been wrong? Anxiously, she asked:
“Uh—what kind of movement? Where does it send you?”
Could it possibly be a relic for dimensional transfer to Earth?
If so, then all she had to do was use it and she could return home!
She tried not to get her hopes up, but excitement bubbled within her nonetheless. As her eyes trembled, Pin explained further:
“It’s only rumored to be a relic for travel. In truth, no one has been able to use it. It seems you need to meet certain conditions before it works, but those conditions remain unknown.”
“….”
A relic of travel that required special conditions—and likely tied to dimensional movement.
Eligia fought to keep her face neutral as the implications sank in.
“What if the condition is… being someone from another world?”
A transmigrator, a reincarnator! What if only such people could use it?
“Then maybe I really can use it!”
“…Are you interested?”
“Yes!”
Eligia answered Pin’s question a little too quickly, then immediately covered her mouth.
“Ah… that was too eager…”
She already had the re-examination scheduled for tomorrow. Wouldn’t it be too much to squeeze in viewing the relic on top of her tight schedule? She was healthy and energetic enough, but still, she worried about troubling Pin.
Sensing her hesitation, Pin reassured her casually:
“It won’t take long. It’s within this very building.”
“Then…”
Maybe she could just take a quick look?
Seeing her wavering expression, Pin nodded.
“You’ve come all this way. Might as well see it for yourself.”
“W-would that be alright?”
“Of course. This way.”
Before Eligia could hesitate any further, Pin strode off, and she followed with a racing heart.
“Since you’ve been granted researcher status, you should have clearance to enter.”
They rode the lift down to the underground levels of the Tower. As expected of a place that stored precious items, the deeper they went, the fewer mages were around.
“Good thing no research teams are scheduled for this time slot. You can go in alone and take a look.”
“….”
They arrived before a massive door. Instead of guards, only a magical identity recognition device stood there.
“There’s no security personnel?”
“It’s guarded by a state-of-the-art magical system. Even if someone tried to steal it, they’d be caught anyway.”
Judging by his confident tone, the Tower’s magic must indeed be formidable. No wonder nothing had ever been stolen here. In truth, stealing from the Tower would be harder than stealing from the royal palace or the temple.
“Just place your hand on the crystal. Since you’re certified as a research mage, it will automatically register you as authorized.”
“Ah… okay.”
When Eligia placed her hand—
Beep.
Identity confirmed: Eligia Semperion, Research Mage.
No current reservations.
Would you like to view the ‘holy relic’ now?
“…Yes!”
With her response, the great doors slid open.
Eligia stepped forward, dazed. She hadn’t expected to encounter another relic so easily after the pendant. In fact, even the pendant had practically fallen into her hands without effort.
Inside the dim chamber, only a single spotlight shone—like a stage highlighting its star. The light illuminated…
Item:
(Holy Relic) Bracelet of Phrynis (1/2)
Special — Rare
One of the relics of Phrynis.
■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■■■ can be done.
However, effects may be limited depending on the user.
“The description… isn’t visible?”
A relic whose effects couldn’t even be identified by the system? Staring in disbelief, Eligia gazed at the silver bracelet suspended in midair, its delicate patterns gleaming.
“Even if it looks unguarded, it’s covered with layers of defensive magic. Don’t try touching or moving it—it’s impossible.”
Pin explained while she approached the relic.
But Eligia’s focus was on the item window’s name.
“Bracelet of Phrynis (1/2).”
Half? Then where was the other half?
This alone already looked complete.
As she stared intently at the bracelet, a status window popped up before her eyes.
Ding!
Condition fulfilled.
Attempt dimensional transfer?
-
Yes
-
No
“…!”
