“Your Highness, may I speak freely?”
“Go ahead.”
I opened my mouth but my words had to be cautious. This place was the tombs of emperors.
Suggesting we look for a secret area could be taken as wanting to desecrate the tombs like grave robbers.
“I sense there is a hidden space here.”
“A hidden space?”
“Yes. It’s directly behind the founding emperor’s statue. Since no one else has probably touched it, it may be something the founding emperor left for his descendants long ago.”
I was able to bring this up because of the empire’s customs. Emperors leave this world with nothing when they die.
It’s to follow the founding emperor’s intent to return as bare spirits after living glorious lives.
Therefore, nothing is buried alongside them in Tenorio. It shows it’s not desecration.Erendil nodded, also knowing this.
“That makes sense.”
Luckily Erendil looked curious rather than displeased. After the boring life at the palace, she seemed interested in something exciting.
Of course, I felt the same. I would never easily find something like this again. And it belonged to the founding emperor no less?
“I can sense the space is there but I don’t know how to enter it. Shall we look for clues together?”
Due to the Great Magic, I couldn’t extend Winds beyond it despite sensing the space.
It meant I had to find a way to open the door directly.
“Let’s do it.”
Erendil nodded and looked around the interior, pondering what action she should take.
“Have you had experiences like this before?”
“Not often but I do have some experience.”
“How did you typically find clues to open doors?”
“It depends on the situation. Sometimes there’s a button hidden somewhere, other times meeting certain conditions or performing actions is necessary.”
Erendil smiled.
“What kinds of conditions or actions?”
“For example, since this is Tenorio, only those of imperial blood can open the door, or touching items that seem irrelevant from the outside.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Erendil spoke resolutely. She seemed confident she would find it soon.
In truth, things didn’t flow so smoothly. Even knowing something was there, being unable to open it was useless.
“Since many have visited before us, it likely won’t be easy.”
“I see. We felt it directly but others who wondered if something was here weren’t lacking either.”
“Perhaps someone has already taken it.”
“Hmm. I didn’t hear about that learning history but it’s possible. Anyway, let’s look.”
Erendil immediately walked toward the statue. She wanted to find clues up close since it was behind it.
When I observed the room earlier with winds, I didn’t sense any odd structures. It meant we had to examine it with our eyes.
I went in the opposite direction, toward the entrance.
I planned to scan the entire room from there to avoid confusion later.
Like that, after searching the room briefly I couldn’t find anything in particular. Just the golden path and statues.
Erendil had flailed about in vain as well. It wouldn’t be opened by smashing behind the statue.
“Your Highness, have you perhaps heard any unofficial histories or legends about Tenorio?”
“Well.”
Erendil pondered briefly then shook her head.
“I don’t recall hearing anything like that.”
Hmm. I wracked my brain. There might be clues in the past history.
The statues of the founding emperor and his comrades.
Could it be touching them in the order the founding emperor met them?
“Your Highness, what if you touch the statues in the order I describe?”
Erendil touched the statues in order but there was no change. Hmm. This is frustrating.
How do you open it?
Wait. Could it be because I’m here? The founding emperor drove the devils from this continent.
And I’m not of imperial blood, and have Devil’s Blood. It was a real possibility.
“Your Highness, could it be because I’m here?”
“You?”
“I don’t have imperial blood.”
But there was still no change after I left the building. It didn’t seem to be touching the statues.
I re-entered and examined the interior again.
All that was there was the golden path and statues. With no clues in the historical records about this secret space either.
Erendil was also frowning in deep thought.
Suddenly the statue’s form entered my eyes. The founding emperor was thrusting a spear forward.
I knew because I had seen it in the palace. It was the pose of piercing the great devil.
‘Could it be smearing blood on the spear tip?’
It would be cliche if so. I had seen that scene countless times playing various games.
Smearing Erendil’s blood on it could potentially open it.
But I wondered if no one had done that in all those years.
I couldn’t be certain. I shouldn’t assume no one tried just because I hadn’t thought of it.
“Your Highness, could it be smearing blood on the spear tip?”
“Blood?”
“Only imperial blood may be able to enter this place. A descendant’s blood could be the key.”
“I see.”
However, it involved wounding Erendil’s body so there was cause for concern. It was sacrilegious.
“Would that be alright?”
“Let’s try it.”
Erendil held out her palm. I was the only one holding a sword after all. Strictly speaking, it was an action I couldn’t take as a bodyguard, but I had no choice.
It was better for me to do it than give Erendil the sword. I had to minimize the wound.
“Please forgive my rudeness.”
“It’s fine.”
I lightly cut Erendil’s palm. Warmth spread over the tiny slit wound, and a few drops of blood seeped out.
Erendil narrowed her brows.
“Will this be enough? Cut a little deeper.”
“This should be sufficient.”
“It’s better than failing because of insufficient quantity.”
As I cut a little deeper, Erendil didn’t so much as blink once. Quite a bit of blood flowed.
Erendil went up to the statue and smeared blood on the spear tip.
However, there was no change. After silently watching for about 30 seconds, it was the same when I left the building.
I felt apologetic toward Erendil.
“How unfortunate.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you just gave your opinion. I’m the one who accepted it.”
“May I see your hand?”
Erendil held her hand out to me. The fair, delicate hand was dirty from touching the spear.
Since I didn’t know when something might happen, I carried a small amount of hemostatic and bandages.
After wiping Erendil’s hand with a cloth, I immediately applied medicine and wrapped it.
Luckily the wound wasn’t deep since I had cut neatly.
“You’re skilled.”
“I’ve had to do this frequently.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything you couldn’t do. I don’t know a spy’s life but it must have been difficult for you too.”
In Erendil’s eyes, I saw empathy. At first, I didn’t understand.
But Erendil must have had a rough childhood, so that’s why she was like that. Lacking a suitable response, I just smiled.
‘Wait.’
Suddenly something flashed through my mind. The founding emperor’s statue was in the pose of piercing the great devil.
Could it be not imperial blood but Devil’s Blood that we should smear?
The founding emperor had killed the devil on this continent. If he wanted to leave something for his descendants…
It would be for descendants capable of obtaining that power.
It was just conjecture so I couldn’t be certain. But there was no time for hesitation. It was my blood anyway.
I cut my left palm with the sword. Warmth spread over my palm.
“Wha, what are you doing?”
I couldn’t directly state the reason. Since I hadn’t thought that far, I hastily continued.
“In case my blood doesn’t work…”
I couldn’t lie either, so it was a clumsy response but not that important.
I grasped the spear tip.
Thud-
And at that moment, the statue reacted. It rose about 10cm and the wall behind it opened up.
“Th, this is…”
Erendil’s mouth fell open. My hunch had been right. Separate from that, I was also dumbfounded.
That damn founding emperor… Profanity naturally slipped out.
‘How do you open this?’
I could grasp the founding emperor’s intent. It must have been a legacy left for descendants who killed the devil.
But that was practically impossible. Because the founding emperor had driven the devils from this continent.
It reacted because of the Devil’s Blood flowing in my body. Otherwise, no one else could have opened it.
Moreover, even realizing Devil’s Blood was needed would have been difficult.
Even if they killed a devil, could they have thought to bring that blood to their ancestors’ tomb?
I may have opened it but I couldn’t understand the rationale behind creating it this way.
“Please enter.”
“What is this?”
“I tried just in case… I also didn’t expect it would really open.”
“Since there’s two of us, it requires both our blood?”
Muttering to herself, Erendil let out a hollow laugh. In the end, she was full of satisfaction.
The revealed space wasn’t very big.
The immaculate, tidy white room of about 20 square meters had nothing in it.
Except for the white spear in the center of the room.
“Could that be…”
“Yes. It looks like Teme’s Spear.”
The white shaft and gem-like spearhead.
It was the fabled spear said to have pierced the great devil’s chest when the founding emperor drove it off long ago.
The indestructible, unbreakable spear still gleamed despite the passage of an immense span of time.
Its form was different. It looked more noble than any weapon I had seen and I felt a singular power from it.
‘So it really existed.’
Teme’s Spear’s whereabouts were obscure after the founding emperor’s death. There were no records about it either.
Personally, I thought it was probably a fictional weapon from the heroic mythology of being born from an egg. I wouldn’t have imagined it was here.
It was an unbelievable discovery. I didn’t know if the spear would help against devils as in legend but…
This brought me at least a few steps closer to making Erendil emperor, not just one.
It was the founding emperor’s weapon. And not just any weapon but the spear that pierced the great devil.
Just having this spear would make many want to serve Erendil as emperor. Erendil walked forward as if entranced.
“May I hold it?”
“It’s yours, Your Highness.”
As Erendil reached out, the spear started glowing. The small room lit up brightly.
And at the end of that light, the spear had transformed into a bracelet.
“Is this also Great Magic?”
“It seems so.”
I didn’t know the exact reason either. Whether it was an innate function or magic.
In an instant, the bracelet in Erendil’s hand changed back into a spear.
“Did you know how to handle it?”
“Yes, I understood immediately in my mind.”
“You wear it on your arm normally. It’s too conspicuous.”
“Is there a need? There are many benefits to showing it.”
I shook my head.
“Revealing your hand to the opponent first is not good. It invites criticism and gossip. It would be better to show it at the right time.”
Even if it was genuine, it came from Tenorio. There would be attacks calling it grave robbing or a fake spear.
It had to be used at pivotal moments.
“I’ll do that. Following your advice has never led me astray.”
“Thank you.”
After changing the spear back into a bracelet, Erendil looked at me. She had quite an excited face.
I could see a smile seeping out even as she tried to control her expression.
“I found this spear also thanks to you. Amazing. How do you keep astonishing me?”
Pleased by the praise, I simply smiled.
The entire way down the mountain, Erendil kept fiddling with the bracelet. She seemed pleasantly surprised yet incredulous.
I felt the same.
I wouldn’t have imagined obtaining Teme’s Spear.
Frankly, when playing the game I didn’t even know if it existed. I only learned about it after coming here and reading the records.
I even thought it was fictional. It was unimaginable.
At the foot of the mountain, Faorn was waiting for us. He immediately looked at the bracelet.
“…That bracelet is new. And you’re injured.”
Faorn’s tone was heavy as he said this. His expression was the same.
It was seriousness I hadn’t seen earlier. His slightly furrowed brow appeared quite grave.
Could he know what that bracelet was? That we shouldn’t have taken it out?
“Did you perhaps find something inside Tenorio?”
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