The old man looked at me calmly, as if evaluating my worth. Then, to my surprise, he smiled.
"Orion... hmmm, a beautiful name. I am High Priest Pylon."
He paused for a moment, then spoke in a quiet, almost friendly tone. "I wished to prepare some tea for you, but I doubt you would have trusted me enough to drink it."
Hmm, how considerate. I couldn't help but smile back. "Thank you very much, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."
A flicker of disappointment crossed the man's face, but his smile remained. "Then I assume you are here to kill me. I won't stop you... Hahaha! Well, it's not that I could stop you anyway. But I am curious—why did you do all of this? What is your goal? Can you satisfy this old man's curiosity before he dies?"
For the first time since entering this Nightmare, I was having something close to a real conversation. For the past few days, killing had been my only preoccupation.
And as he said, he was a dead man—there was no doubt about that. Especially with the feeling of my Echo's footsteps drawing closer and the silence of the Spell in my ear. It meant that the three of us were the only ones left in this cathedral.
Well, more would come soon, but for now, we were alone.
"The key," I answered simply.
The old man stared at me with a vacant expression, repeating my words like an idiot. "The key?"
"Yes. The key around your neck."
For a few moments, total silence filled the room as the High Priest pondered my words. Then, slowly, his expression shifted into something truly strange. He looked at me as if I had two heads.
"Did you want this useless key?"
Now, it was my turn to look at him like an idiot. Did he just say 'useless'?
"What do you mean? Do you not know what this key does?"
"Hmm... no. Is it supposed to do something?"
Good grief. Someone kill me.
"Then why are you wearing it around your neck?"
"Oh, well, I'm not entirely sure. The previous High Priest gave it to me before his death. He wore it too, and it is said that all the High Priests before us wore it around their necks."
For a moment, I didn't know what to do. I mean, what kind of stupid story was this?
And yet, it was clear that whoever made this key didn't want anyone to know about the prison this cathedral represented. Not wanting to prolong the conversation, I told him the truth plainly.
"There is a prisoner beneath the cathedral. This key is meant to open the door to his cell."
For the second or third time, the old man looked at me blankly. "A prisoner beneath the cathedral? What? That's impossible, that—"
[You have slain a dormant human: High Priest Pylon.]
Phew. That was a bothersome headache.
I wiped the blood from my hand as I knelt to pick up the key that had fallen from the corpse of that fool. Seriously, let's just get this over with. My God.
I turned and left the room with calm, relaxed strides, my Echo trailing behind me. I returned to the vastness of the ruined main hall and passed by the statue of the Nameless Goddess as I made my way toward one of the doors leading to the inner sanctum of the temple.
I continued walking through the corridors, passing the chambers of priests and priestesses and the dining halls. The entire place was a chaotic mess, filled with the stench of blood and iron. Corpses were scattered across the floor, most of them cleaved in two. There were elderly priests, young men, old women, and young girls. There were even several corpses of children, some ten years old or even younger.
I didn't care. I wasn't moved.
Everything I did was for the sake of survival. Why should I stop myself for the sake of an illusion? I was simply stronger than them and more lethal, so why should I leave them be when they serve my purpose?
I stopped at the end of the corridor, staring at the wall in front of me. My intuition was telling me: What I want is here.
The Priest of the Nightmare Spell. The one in the North. The Blessing of the Storm God. One of the seven seals of the Demoness of Hope.
Hmm. I raised my head and began to examine the wall. There should be a hidden lever here.
I placed my hand on one of the stones and pressed. Nothing. I moved to the one next to it and repeated the process. Again and again.
After a minute, the stone I pressed slid inward. I stepped back slightly as the wall began to shift around me. Slowly, bit by bit, it opened until a gap appeared where the wall had been just a moment ago.
Behind it was a set of stone stairs leading down. Into the depths of the earth.
The hidden underground passage wound and twisted through the mass of stone. It was located beneath where the statue of the Goddess was supposed to be. The narrow passage opened into a larger chamber. Inside was a deep well leading further down, with a spiral staircase descending into a vast room that seemed carved directly into the rock.
On the other side stood a massive door made of black steel, illuminated by two burning torches. The two strange torches seemed to emit light, but it was faint and ghostly. No heat radiated from them. The shadows cast by the ghostly flames were completely frozen. It was as if the light of the torches had trapped and paralyzed them somehow.
Ah, another test. To hell with this.
I pulled out the [Transparent Rope] Memory and handed it to the Knight as I stepped back.
"Go forward. Throw the rope and knock the torches down."
I commanded him as I retreated out of the torches' range. The magnificent, brave, and sacrificial Knight received the order calmly, stepping forward until he reached a sufficient distance.
He raised the rope in his right hand and spun it rapidly—like a cowboy—before tossing it and knocking down one of the torches.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the frozen shadows began to move slowly. The Knight repeated the action and knocked down the second torch.
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"Hello everyone, how are you all doing? This Nightmare will come to an end within the next 5 chapters. I also wanted to let you know that I've posted a new chapter in the 'Extra Volume' where I gathered all of Weaver's dialogues. It's a great chapter, so make sure to check it out!
Please don't forget to rate the novel; it makes me very happy to see new reviews. Also, I would truly appreciate it if you could support me with some Power Stones if you can.
Goodnight, and I wish you all a wonderful night and a beautiful day ahead!"