Chapter 641
This is Truly Horrifying. (1)
A massive obelisk stood tall amidst the dense greenery.
Though it had endured a thousand years of time, weathered by wind and rain and covered in moss, its grandeur remained intact.
The patterns and ancient inscriptions carved into its surface were mostly eroded, but the deeper engravings still bore traces of their original form.
“Wow……”
Everyone stared up at the obelisk with their mouths agape. It was an unexpected structure to find hidden within the forest.
“People used to live in a place like this?”
“Maybe it was more habitable back then?”
“Could it have been a civilization built by monsters?”
The soldiers exchanged various speculations, voicing their curiosity.
However, Ghislain and his close aides were unsurprised. They already knew that this place had once been known as the Demonic Abyss, the stronghold of the Salvation Church.
Ghislain surveyed the surroundings. Crumbling stone walls and foundation stones faintly revealed their outlines above the surface.
They were remnants of an ancient village, buried under layers of earth accumulated over time.
Scattered around were fallen tombstones, half-buried and mostly eroded, making it difficult to discern their original form.
However, some sturdier stone monuments still retained faint traces of ancient inscriptions and illustrations, seemingly depicting the rituals of the old Salvation Church followers.
‘A battle must have taken place here.’
What particularly caught his attention were the deep, slashing marks that ran across the tombstones.
Even after a thousand years, the scars remained, proof that a fierce battle had once raged in this very place.
Most of the Salvation Church's relics had long since merged with the earth, disappearing into history. Yet, the sturdy stone structures and architectural remnants still whispered stories of their era.
The placement of buildings around the obelisk, in particular, suggested that this was not merely a village but a sacred religious site.
Most of the mages had gathered near the obelisk, as it contained the most inscriptions and markings.
“Oh, if we decipher this, we might learn what this place really was.”
“We might even gain insights into the daily lives of the ancient empire.”
“It’s heavily weathered, but quite a few letters are still intact.”
The mages, huddled together in excitement, observed with eager eyes. They harbored a deep admiration for ancient civilizations.
Ghislain turned to Jerome, who was examining the obelisk.
“Can you read what it says?”
“Hold on… There’s something unusual. Some of the writing doesn’t follow the usual pattern. It looks like it was added hastily on the side.”
“Really? What does it say?”
Ghislain’s interest was piqued. Could it be a message left behind during the battle?
Among those present, Jerome was the most skilled in deciphering ancient languages. Slowly, he began translating the lone, misaligned text.
“This… this is…”
“What? What does it say?”
Jerome hesitated before reading aloud:
“Kids these days… have no manners.”
“……”
"Ah, so it was just graffiti. I guess people were the same back then too."
Since the Salvation Church followers had lived here, it was understandable. After all, growing old made people all act the same.
Ghislain set up a campsite nearby.
Mages were also highly skilled scholars. They were all familiar with ancient languages, as magic itself had often been passed down through such scripts.
The mages carefully explored the ruins, inspecting them with great caution.
Ghislain also spent a few days studying the ruins. The ancient relics, still holding the mysteries of a thousand years past, left quite an impression on him.
"They deliberately left this out."
The Ducal Family’s records contained no mention of these ruins at all.
And that made perfect sense. From their perspective, anything related to the Salvation Church was something best kept hidden.
While the investigation continued, laborers carefully cleared paths by felling nearby trees, and soldiers spread out to maintain a wider perimeter.
Since the mages were responsible for the investigation, Ghislain had little to do. He simply observed the work being done around him or spent time meditating.
"Wait, now that I think about it..."
A memory suddenly surfaced.
In his past life, he had once stumbled upon ruins in another region.
Like this place, they were remnants of an ancient village eroded by wind and rain, buried beneath layers of earth. And within those ruins, he had discovered a metal box containing half of a grimoire.
Thanks to the box, the book had been completely sealed off from air, and perhaps due to some special treatment with alchemical substances, it remained in relatively good condition.
From that grimoire, Ghislain had drawn inspiration to refine his Mana Refinement Technique.
"I don’t really need to go searching for it this time, but still..."
His gaze shifted toward Vanessa and Jerome, who were engaged in a serious conversation while examining the ruins.
As he approached, he overheard their discussion.
"Wow, have you been there? That new shop that just opened the one all the nobles are going to. I heard their fruit tarts are amazing. They make them with loads of honey and butter."
"Oh my, really? I’ve been too busy to visit."
"It’s the most popular place in the capital right now. It’s always packed, so I only managed to go once, but it was absolutely delicious."
"Ah, I want to go too."
"......"
Ghislain blinked.
They weren’t talking about magic or ruins.
They were just chatting about everyday things.
Well, that made sense.
Despite searching the ruins for days, they had yet to uncover anything of real significance. There was historical value, but nothing particularly useful.
Besides, after spending months in this forest, it was only natural to long for such things.
Ghislain handed Jerome a piece of paper with the location of the ruins he had seen in his past life.
"Huh? What’s this?"
"There’s a valuable treasure there."
"Treasure? What are you talking about all of a sudden? What kind of treasure?"
"A grimoire."
"Huh? You’re saying there’s a grimoire buried there?"
"If you dig around that area, you should find it. I’ll send some people with you, so head over there once this expedition is over."
"Why... why is a grimoire buried there?"
"Who knows? I just heard about it from someone. Anyway, it’s a good one, so I figured you’d benefit from it."
"Uh… okay. Thanks."
Jerome looked bewildered. It was strange to suddenly receive what was essentially a treasure map(?).
But Ghislain wouldn’t give him something like this without a reason. There had to be something valuable there.
Ghislain believed the grimoire would be beneficial for Jerome. Even though it was only half-intact, it contained advanced concepts.
Even he, someone who didn’t know magic, had been inspired by it enough to refine his Mana Refinement Technique.
Although it didn’t contain any special magic formulas, Jerome, at his level, would surely gain insight from studying it.
* * *
The ruin investigation continued for several more days.
Unfortunately, the ruins were far too old, and there was little of value left to uncover.
The only real takeaway was a glimpse into ancient life.
That was to be expected after all, a thousand years was an unimaginably long time for anything to endure.
The only significant discovery was the text inscribed on the obelisk.
Jerome scratched his cheek and spoke to Ghislain.
"Some parts were missing, but I could infer the meaning from the surrounding text. Honestly, it was easier because Ereneth had already told us about it."
The inscriptions on the obelisk described the same myth that Ereneth had spoken of.
Since it was written from the Salvation Church's perspective, some details were slightly different, but the core remained the same.
[…The goddesses of this world betrayed our god. The goddesses broke their promise and sealed the gate, condemning the people of our god to be trapped in the rift, suffering for eternity. We must never forget that saving them is both our mission and our god’s will…]
"Hmm…"
Ghislain nodded as he reviewed the paper Jerome handed him.
It was no different from the myth that Ereneth had told them.
It seemed that, a thousand years ago, this myth was considered common knowledge.
The Salvation Church must have inscribed the most crucial part of their scriptures onto the obelisk.
They likely did so to ensure that their followers would see it every day and never forget.
* * *
Parniel, however, still refused to acknowledge the myth inscribed on the obelisk.
As soon as she heard the translation, she immediately tried to destroy it, forcing everyone to hold her back.
The mages were the most adamant in stopping her.
"Whoa, whoa! It’s just a local myth!"
"There’s no need to get worked up over something like this!"
"Just think of it as a historical artifact!"
After a long struggle, Parniel finally calmed down. With everyone blocking her and clinging to her arms, she had no choice but to restrain her anger.
Ghislain decided to halt the investigation of the ruins. There didn’t seem to be anything more to gain from them at the moment, and Parniel was clearly upset.
Instead, he planned to preserve the site and leave it to scholars for further study. Even if there were no leads related to the Salvation Church, the ruins still held undeniable historical value.
"It’s time to move out again."
The Northern Army resumed their march.
The deeper they advanced, the fewer monsters appeared but those that did were far stronger.
Because of this, the Transcendents led the charge, engaging in combat, while the soldiers focused on fighting weaker monsters or guarding the laborers.
* * *
Hwoooooo……
A cold wind slithered through the trees, carrying a haunting sound.
As they progressed, the atmosphere steadily darkened.
Ghislain muttered to himself.
"We’re almost there."
There were no immediate signs, but he could tell they were closing in on the core of the forest.
As they neared the center, the atmosphere of the forest grew even more ominous.
The tree branches twisted unnaturally, as if trying to reach out and grab something.
Each step they took crushed decaying leaves underfoot, the sound thick and sticky.
Even the air had changed.
Every breath felt heavy and cold, as if something was seeping deep into their lungs.
A faint mist slithered across the ground, curling around their ankles, while the thick canopy above completely blocked out the sky making it feel as if they were walking through an endless twilight.
The marching soldiers could sense the shift in atmosphere.
The forest had already been unsettling before, but now it felt as if they had entered an entirely different world.
"I keep getting chills…"
"The smell is getting worse too."
"What the hell is inside?"
The soldiers glanced around, their expressions uneasy.
They trusted Ghislain, so they weren’t panicked but the growing sense of unease in their chests refused to fade.
* * *
Hwooooooo……
The forest had never been filled with bird calls or insect chatter to begin with, but now, there was absolute silence.
Only the sound of human footsteps and the eerie creaking of wind-blown branches filled the oppressive void.
The moss-covered trees had turned a sickly blackish-green, like rotting corpses.
From the cracks in their bark, a thick, dark red sap oozed down like blood.
Even the faint light filtering through the twisted branches above felt unnaturally pale and lifeless.
Hwooooooooo……
Everything was twisted and diseased.
It was as if something lurking within had drained the very life from the forest itself.
With each step forward, a chilling sensation crawled up their spines, warning them that this place no longer belonged to the living.
And soon, the soldiers began to show signs of distress.
"Ugh! I feel like I’m going to vomit."
"I’m getting dizzy…"
"There’s… a strange smell…"
A faint stench began to waft through the air. Ghislain raised his hand, signaling the army to halt, then immediately turned and spoke.
"We’ve come too close. We have our direction, fall back immediately."
At his command, the soldiers began to retreat. Only after they had moved a significant distance did Ghislain speak again.
"Set up camp here and maintain a perimeter. Only a select few will proceed to the center."
The core of the forest was not a place just anyone could enter.
The most powerful entity in this forest resided there.
Even now, the symptoms the soldiers were experiencing were a direct result of its presence.
Since the situation was unpredictable, not all of the Transcendents could go.
* * *
"Tennant and Kaor, you two will guard the camp."
Kaor pouted.
He suddenly recalled that the last time they had ventured into this forest to rescue Gordon, he had been left behind as well.
He was about to protest, but Ghislain’s expression was far too serious.
Annoying him at a time like this would only earn a scolding, so Kaor grumbled under his breath and quietly backed down.
With that settled, Ghislain, Julien, Parniel, Belinda, Jerome, Vanessa, Gillian, and Piote proceeded toward the forest’s core.
* * *
Squish. Squish.
With every step, the rotting leaves and decaying moss squelched beneath their feet.
The nauseating stench grew even stronger.
A thick mist, tinged with purple and black, shrouded the surroundings. Even the occasional rays of sunlight filtering through appeared sickly and yellowed.
Ancient trees, hundreds of years old, stood in a state of advanced decay, their bark peeling off like rotting flesh.
"Ugh… this is seriously disgusting. How did it all end up like this?"
Jerome grimaced in disgust. He had never seen such a grotesque and revolting forest before.
Between the gnarled roots, sinister purple mushrooms pulsed with an eerie glow, releasing a constant stream of spores into the air.
Squish. Squish. Squish.
Blackened puddles of thick, oozing liquid dotted the landscape.
Scattered throughout were the decomposed bones of monsters, half-buried in the filth.
As they advanced, the corruption worsened.
Then, a faint sound reached their ears.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The intermittent thudding grew steadily closer.
Everyone froze in place, holding their breath.
Then, in the darkness ahead, five glowing red eyes slowly emerged.