Chapter 159 – Rolling in By the Vine (6)

– Are you trying to sacrifice yourself to protect it?

Cale stopped outside the library door and could not go in.

'…This isn't supposed to be a dangerous place.'

The library should not be a dangerous place. Ben from the Roan Kingdom's investigation team had no issues investigating here just the other day.

Ben had been teamed up with Cale on the first day.
He was a Dark Elf talented in investigations and had reported that the inside of the library, as well as the path to the secret room's entrance, were all safe.

"Young master-nim?"
"Ah, let's go in."

Cale jumped out of his thoughts at the Dark Elf's calling and walked into the library.

Screeeech.

Choi Han entered at the end and closed the library door.

"Cale-nim, I will be right here."
"Alright."

Choi Han was going to stay in the library just in case something happened.

The high-grade Dark Elf mage gazed toward Choi Han before turning back to look at Cale, who was walking to the innermost area of the library without any caution.
The Dark Elf quickly followed behind him.

'Young master Cale?'

He had asked his leader, Tasha, about Cale Henituse before coming to the Empire. Tasha started to speak with a peculiar expression that he could not tell whether she was laughing or cringing.

'Special. He's a special person.'

It was rare for Tasha to evaluate someone like this.
What could be special about this guy?

The Dark Elf suppressed his curiosity and followed behind Cale. He remembered the crown prince's message as well.

'He told us the location of the entrance, but only he knows the way to go in. Listen to everything he says without question.'

Without question.
It was the first time the crown prince said something like that as well.

The Dark Elf pushed down his resurfacing curiosity and stopped at the corner of the library's section on ancient texts.

Cale looked around the ancient texts section that only had empty bookshelves. He recalled Saint Jack's words.

'The Pope is the one who has always designated the administrator for the Vatican's library. That person regulates who can and cannot go in the ancient texts corner. First head to the ancient texts corner and look at the bookshelves that are against the wall.'

Cale headed toward those specific bookshelves.

'There is a phrase inscribed on the middle shelf of every bookshelf in the Vatican.'

Cale could see the phrase.

< Darkness disappears at morning's arrival and every life opens their eyes. >

This was something that the believers of the Church of the Sun God chanted every morning.

'There is one phrase that is written incorrectly. There are only a few words that are different.'

Cale slowly walked while following the wall.
The Dark Elf watched as Cale looked like he was leisurely strolling around the area that Ben had confirmed yesterday.

Tap. Tap.

His slow footsteps could be heard until…
Tap! He suddenly stopped moving.

Cale reached his hand out.

< Darkness disappears at morning's arrival and every life wakes from their dreams. >

He recalled Jack's information.
The small words on the bookshelf on the farthest corner in this restricted area.

'You just have to press on those words.'

His long fingers touched the words one by one.

Wake from their dreams.

Cale moved his hand away.

Click.

He could hear gears starting to turn.

'The door will soon open after that, young master-nim.'

Shhhh-

A quiet noise similar to leaves rustling in the wind could be heard as the bookshelf slowly descended down. Then a door with a golden sun, the Sun God's crest, appeared.

– Human, I will go in first once you open the door!

Cale listened to Raon's message as he pressed the middle eye of the three-eyed golden sun.

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-

A sharp piercing noise could be heard as the door slowly started to open.

A long white hallway with a glowing orb appeared.

– Weak human, I am going in! Carefully follow behind me!

Cale stepped onto the hallway. He turned his head to look at the Dark Elf.

"Follow me."
"Umm, do I not need to check the area first, young master-nim?"

The Dark Elf could see Cale Henituse smiling as he stood at the secret entrance that had suddenly appeared.

"Just follow behind me."

'A Dragon that is much better than a high-grade mage is guiding me.'

Cale did not share that detail as he turned back around and started to walk.

The Dark Elf watched Cale walk away before quickly following behind him with an Elemental that was tilting its head in confusion. He had heard that Cale only had a shield-type ancient power. He should be in front as he was a high-grade mage.

'Special. He's a special person.'
'Listen to everything he says without question.'

The Dark Elf remembered the order he was given and quietly walked into the white hallway without any other questions. He followed behind the young master who was walking without any concern and finally arrived at the room at the end of the white hallway.

He then flinched in shock.

Cale was the same way. He was so shocked that he could not say anything.

Raon shouted in his mind.

– Human! What is this?

'Right?'

– It's blood!

Dried bloodstains filled the white area. The cupboards and closets in the circular room were all destroyed, while pieces of broken chairs could be seen everywhere.

There were also some black marks visible between them.
Something seemed to have been absorbed by the marble floor and walls.

Cale turned his gaze toward the Dark Elf. They both started to speak at the same time.

"…Dead mana."
"It is dead mana residue."

– Human, they must have used the dead mana bomb!

Raon's voice also echoed in his mind at that moment.
Cale looked toward the Dark Elf and started to speak.

"They said that a lot of the leaders died?"
"Yes sir. They said that they died from the terror incident, but it looks like some of them were killed while hiding in here."
"…And the Empire used the dead mana bomb in that situation?"

The Dark Elf frowned and responded to Cale's question.

"I believe that is the- case."

The Dark Elf stopped for a moment as he answered but ended up finishing his sentence. He could see Cale standing there with an odd smile on his face.
Cale was feeling a bit surprised.

'Is my luck really good right now?'

"The evidence is rolling in by the vine."

Cale decided that he would definitely reveal this secret room.

He recalled a part of the rumor he had sent to the Alchemist through Choi Han a few days ago.

"The Empire lost the person who could deliver the word of the lord. An evil power will bring forth the eternal night."

Cale looked around the secret room that showed the remains of that evil power. He asked Kora, the Dark Elf, a question.

"Kora, did the Empire say that they will maintain the Vatican?"
"Yes sir. Regardless of how low it has fallen, they said they would maintain it as it has historical significance."
Cale made up his mind.

'I'll destroy this library as well when I destroy the Alchemists' Bell Tower.'

He needed to make this evil evidence reveal itself to the world.

"Kora, move around without disturbing anything."
"Yes sir."

Cale gave Kora the order before heading to the marble table at the center of the circular room.
The table that remained in place unlike the broken wooden chairs was dyed black in multiple locations and showed scratches from being slashed by a sword.

Cale leaned down in front of the table.
There were many carvings on the circular pillar supporting the table.

'Young master Cale, there should be a total of 24 suns with eyes.'

There were suns on the pillar, similar to the door.

'There are numbers on the suns. Touch the third eye of the sun in order from 1 to 24.'
'Then a phrase will appear.'

Cale slowly touched the eyes in order.
He touched the 24th sun's eye last.

It was at that moment.
A phrase appeared underneath the 24th sun.

< The sun will not disappear even at night and darkness will not disappear even in the morning. >

Cale could also hear a noise.

Click.

The noise continued on.

Click.
Click.
Click.

It finally stopped after the 24th click. Cale started to smile as Kora rushed toward him.

"Young master Cale! Are you okay?"

Cale raised his head and saw Kora's face.

He was slowly going down.
The floor around the table was slowly moving downward. Cale motioned to Kora.

"Come over here."

Kora looked toward Cale, who was moving down with the table, and jumped.

Tap tap.

Kora landed on the table with the Dark Elves' signature nimble movement.

Ruuuuuuuumble-

The ground rumbled as Cale continued to go down.

'The secret table. The, 'real,' treasure appears once you get past that path.'

Boom-

The floor did not go down any farther. Cale stopped crouching down and stood up to see a shabby underground area.

This underground area could be called a shabby cave. The ceiling was so low that Cale's head could almost touch it, and the walls were uneven. Cale's gaze headed toward the items in the cave.

'There are coffins in there.'

He could see ten coffins.

'The true holy beings who were labeled as heretics are buried here.'

For hundreds of years, in order to maintain their power as the kings of the church, the former Popes labeled any and all holy beings as heretics and claimed they were sent to dangerous areas for, 'volunteer work.'

However, the heretics never returned.
They had never been sent to the dangerous areas. They had all been killed.

'The Pope made Hannah and me live in the cave when he first secretly brought us from the orphanage. He told us to listen to him if we did not want to end up like the others.'

The young twins were taught next to these coffins that held corpses that were hundreds of years old.
Listening to that made Cale understand why the sword master Hannah had such a twisted mindset.

"Y, young master-nim, aren't these coffins?"

Cale could hear Kora's nervous voice.

"Yes, they are."

Cale headed toward the tenth coffin.

'There is no corpse in the tenth coffin. The Pope told me that it was mine if I went against him. He told Hannah that her brother would end up in the coffin if she rebelled. What a crazy Pope.'
'Anyways, that is the Vatican's most secret location. That is the important part.'

Yes. That was the important part.

"Young master-nim!"

Kora rushed toward Cale in shock after seeing him open the lid of the tenth coffin. However, Cale had finished opening it before Kora could do anything.

'Young master-nim, the Pope's treasures are in the tenth coffin.'

They were the treasures that he could not reveal to the leaders of the church.

– Oh.

Raon let out a gasp as Kora responded in shock.

"…My goodness."

He could see five items wrapped up in either paper or sealed in a glass box.
All of them looked precious and beautiful. The Dark Elf who knew the identity of one of those items commented in shock.

"My goodness, the Sun's Tear is here!"

This was a diamond the size of a human fist that had appeared in the Caro Kingdom's secret auction fifty years ago. It was called the Sun's Tear because it glowed gold even though it was a diamond.
Although they didn't know who had won the auction, it had sold for over ten billion gallons.
That Sun's Tear was in this coffin.

"Young master-nim, this alone will be amazing! I believe that the other items will be similar in value if we look into it!"

Kora could not hide his excitement.

He would not be like this if the items were just gold or jewels. However, the fact that there were only five items made them seem special.

'There are ten coffins like this!'

Kora asked Cale with excitement.

"Young master-nim, should we open the other coffins as well?"
"That does not seem to be a good idea."
"Excuse me?"
"The other coffins all have corpses."

"Gasp."

Kora gasped and stopped walking toward the other coffins.
He then quietly started to speak while looking at the other nine coffins.

"Mm, then I guess these five items must be the treasures."

'Not entirely.'

Cale nodded his head in agreement with Kora's statement, but he knew that these coffins were important keys as well.

"Then what should we do about these coffins?"
"The Saint-nim said that these were the true holy beings who were against the church's wrongdoings."
"Ah, then!"

Kora did not think he needed to hear anything else after seeing Cale's bitter expression.

"…Some very wonderful people lie here."
"Indeed. Let's quietly return as we cannot move them right now."
"Yes sir."

Kora looked toward the coffins and started to frown. He did not feel good about leaving these coffins in this small and shabby cave.
At that moment, there was a hand patting his shoulder.

It was Cale.

"Kora, I feel the same way, but there will be a day that they will be celebrated. Wouldn't the opportunity arise if we reveal the truth about the Empire? We need to focus on our tasks until then."
"…Yes sir! I understand."

Kora took Cale's words to heart as he put the jewels in the magic bag.

'He really is not an average person.'

Kora recalled Cale's gaze that was full of certainty as he consoled him. Cale seemed certain that the day would come.
Of course, those were Kora's own thoughts.

Cale watched Kora pack the treasures away and started to think of a scene that would happen in the future.

In the near future.
The people in these coffins will become known as the true holy beings in the newly developed Church of the Sun God.

– Human, let's make sure to save those coffins! A cave is a difficult place to be!

Cale did not respond to Raon's statement.
That was his plan anyway.

* * *

"Oh, Young master Cale, how amazing!"
"Haha, thank you very much. You truly are today's star, your highness."

Alberu laughed at Cale's response and gave him a thumbs up.

"You are also a star today! Very wonderful!"

Cale started to laugh as well.

– … The human and the crown prince are both being weird.

The invisible Raon mumbled to himself.

Even the Dark Elf Ben and Vice Captain Hilsman who came to guard the two were looking at them with awkward expressions.
However, Alberu and Cale did not care.

The two of them were chatting through their gazes.

'We'll make billions if we sell it all. Arm and the Empire will be sick if they find out.'
'I agree. Isn't it great?'

They had earned over ten billion gallons so easily.

The treasures were currently next to Choi Han in Cale's room.

The crown prince said that they should leave the treasures to the sword master Choi Han. It would be bad for them to have it on them while they participated in the celebration.

Cale agreed with Alberu. He recalled what Eruhaben had said while yawning.

'The tail has disappeared as well.'

The Roan Kingdom's envoy would leave tomorrow morning after a short official ceremony. That was why the assassin hiding in Cale's bedroom had left.

'They might be around the Vatican's tower since they are responsible for doing stealthy things.'

They might have been called to investigate the dead mana that Cale had Choi Han spread in the rear garden. However, Cale pushed all of these thoughts away.

"Young master Cale, let's go."
"Yes, your highness."

Alberu took the lead and Cale followed him with a thick smile on his face. He seemed even more excited than when he was laughing with the crown prince.

Shaaaaaaaa-

Alberu turned his head after feeling a gust of wind coming from behind him.

"Mm? Is the window open? Ben, take a look."
"Yes, your highness. I will close the window right away."

Ben closed the two open windows and started to guide them once again. Cale followed behind them as Raon started to speak in his mind.

– Human, didn't you cause that wind just now?

The wind that was blowing behind Alberu was caused by Cale's Sound of the Wind.

The Sound of the Wind and Cale were both excited about finding the divine item.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]