Hero's Coffin Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Swallowing his curses internally, but thinking they probably showed on his face, he nodded slightly. Refusing would only result in being dragged by the leash, and being uncooperative would only prolong the time he had to be held by Harenir. I’m only complying to finish the job quickly. Brainwashing himself with this thought, he let Harenir hold him.

This time, unlike the previous occasion where he was carried in both arms, he was held completely enveloped in Harenir's embrace. It was almost like a back hug. It was an unavoidable choice since his entire body needed to be wrapped in holy power to move.

He suddenly felt the size difference between him and Harenir more acutely. While Isaph's body was particularly weak, he was almost completely buried in Harenir's robe. From the outside, it probably looked like two faces attached to the outside of a robe.

Sigh...

"How about sighing internally?"

Ah, had he sighed out loud? He thought he had swallowed it, but his breath must have touched Harenir's hand as he held him. He wanted to protest for the freedom to breathe, but he gave up.

Suddenly, he became curious about why Harenir was so good at enduring terrible things. There was no trace of forced effort on his face, and as always, only a beautiful and benevolent smile like a holy painting was present. He wondered if that smile was a mask, but then dismissed the thought. He needed to focus on the task.

Creak...

The space protected by the barrier was clearly different from before. It looked more like a relic storage room accessible only to staff rather than an exhibition hall, and it seemed the most crucial items were stored here, as everything in sight sparkled.

The first national flag used when the empire was founded, the empire's declaration document, the old hat worn by the first emperor, the scabbard used for a long time, all sorts of items used by the imperial family at the time, and so on...

"The empress's crown...?"

Even the crown said to have been used by the first empress was visible. Noi also kept looking around curiously. He was being held in a similar way to him, much shorter than Kalterik, but the gap between the faces sticking out of the robe was a bit wider on their side. Both teams certainly looked ridiculous.

Noi marveled,

"I heard there would be a special exhibition to commemorate the upcoming millennial anniversary of the empire's founding, but it looks like they're really going all out in preparation."

This Holy Empire is a thousand years old? Along with the impression that it was older than he thought, a sudden speculation struck him like lightning.

Perhaps Harenir had made plans to go to the sky island after hearing about the exhibition. His actions of skillfully finding his way here supported this inference. It must have been very easy for someone with the hero's status to find out the location where the exhibition items were gathered.

Just how far ahead had Harenir planned in his mind?

"Do you think it's possible?"

Just then, Harenir asked. As their eyes almost met, he hurriedly turned his head and refocused on the situation. It was somewhat cumbersome as they had to move together, not just him moving alone.

"This way, no, that way—"

"How about thinking while walking?"

Was that a comment that he wasn't thinking right now? It was really unfair, but he couldn't explain. How could he explain that the status window only appeared in front of his eyes when he got close to a relic?

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No soul is imbued in this relic.

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The soul in this relic is too faint to summon.

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Not possible at current level.

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The last status window appeared when he approached the red cloak said to have been worn by the first emperor at his coronation. The content was subtly different from the other status windows. Was it a warning that even Isaph's necromancy couldn't touch the first emperor, or was it because his body was too weak right now?

He fell into deep thought. He needed to approach the relic of someone who knew well about the emperor's tomb. The emperor was impossible, so the empress? Or the second empress who was brought in after the death of the first empress due to the nobles' persistent pleas? The children the emperor was said to have loved?

Just then, Noi shouted,

"Wow, Haren! There's a holy painting here of the first emperor wielding Piarus on the battlefield...!"

"The aide. Yes, I want to see the aide's relic."

It was regrettable to cut off Noi's exclamation, but he bore no ill will towards him. Seeing him had opened up his thinking, and he was only grateful.

Noi was Harenir's aide and had been with him for a long time, even sharing information about 'that person'. Though he didn't know who it was, they were strongly connected by the request of a being who seemed very important to both of them. Similarly, an aide was usually closely connected to their superior and knew a lot of their information.

Noi tilted his head in confusion.

"The aide...?"

"The first emperor was said to be frugal. But he ordered his tomb to be built lavishly, so maybe he anticipated that the tomb would rise after his death. The first emperor and his aide were said to be particularly close, so he might have shared information only with the aide who had to handle the practical matters."

The emperor's relics he had seen here added to his confidence. The emperor was said to use any object until it was worn out, yet he had built his tomb like a huge temple. So the person most likely to know the hidden meaning of the sky island was the aide who conveyed the emperor's will.

Harenir made a "Hmm" sound at his inference. Interest gleamed in the eyes looking down at him. It was also a look that said he didn't know he was interested in history, so he tried to act nonchalant. His cramming had succeeded.

The space occupied by the emperor's aide in the millennial anniversary special exhibition would be small. Perhaps because of this, the items related to the aide, who wasn't even part of the imperial family, were limited to just an old fountain pen, a notebook, and a document for a mansion bestowed by the emperor.

Among these, he picked up the fountain pen that was tucked away in the corner. In front of it, a status window with welcome content finally appeared.

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Grasp the relic.

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As purple energy spread with a whoosh, crack! The tip of the fountain pen broke. Beside him, Noi let out a "Eek!" in surprise, but he pretended to focus only on his ability.

This had nothing to do with him. This was all on the hero's orders.

But this time, a different scene unfolded from when he had used his ability before. The purple energy slowly formed what looked like a magic circle. A pentagram was drawn inside a round circle, and even tiny languages were inscribed, making him marvel at how intricate the technique was, but there was no time to appreciate it for long. As the energy drained out, a terrible dizziness hit him.

An enormous amount of energy was used for the difficult task of summoning a soul contained in an object from about a thousand years ago. His vision flickered and blurred, and nausea welled up again. Harenir supported him from behind, and though it was unwelcome, he ended up leaning on him as he continued to pour out energy. His vision mixed chaotically.

At the end of this time of endurance, finally, a soul leaked out of the fountain pen.

[Who... are you people...]

Unlike the souls or undead he had seen before, this one was quite blurry in form. The only things he could make out were that he had short hair, and he was wearing what appeared to be ancient ceremonial robes. Kalterik, upon seeing him, was shocked.

"W-what. Did you really summon a soul?!"

"To be precise, hah, it's not the real thing. A fragment attached to the fountain pen. A chunk of memory...?"

It's difficult for the soul of someone who died long ago to remain until now. In the case of great figures who achieved enormous feats, the public memory honoring them might lend strength for their souls to continue existing in the present, but most naturally disappear as time passes.

So the soul that appeared before them now was closer to a thought-form containing the memories of the time this fountain pen was used. Just like how a cherished doll hugged for a long time in childhood might hold memories of that time, but if one parted with the doll, it wouldn't have memories of adulthood.

But this fountain pen was an object used by the aide until the very end of his life. He was newly amazed at Isaph's ability, that necromancy could even do this.

At this level, perhaps his otaku-like statement about being overly immersed in necromancy from last night could be understood. Thanks to Isaph, his companions could now directly ask someone involved about how to enter the sky island, which no one had been able to approach until now.

While he was secretly feeling proud, Harenir asked the aide,

"We want to know how to enter the emperor's tomb."

It seemed this abrupt questioning was applied equally not just to him but also to ancient souls. The aide quietly looked at Harenir and then said,

[Grace dwells in your soul... Are you this era's hero?]

"Yes. I'm looking for the holy relic said to have been used by the first hero."

Hmm, perhaps someone of the first emperor's aide's caliber could respond calmly to such matters. He seemed as if he had anticipated being summoned like this someday.