Chapter 260: The Town of Senf (8)

​The face-to-face meeting with High Priest Humphrey proceeded without further incident. There were several moments where Clyde knit his brows at the High Priest's attitude, but since Riley, the royal, showed no sign of caring and proceeded with the business matter-of-factly, things didn't escalate.

​The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including the temple's operational status, identifying problems, and verifying the contents of the reports submitted by the central authority against the documents kept at the Senf Temple. Basically, Clyde was the one handling it, but Riley seemed to have grasped everything and would occasionally chime in.

​Liliana simply listened to the conversation between Riley, Clyde, and the High Priest in silence. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason for Liliana to be present. In fact, when the discussion began, High Priest Humphrey had cast a suspicious eye toward her. But Riley gave him no opening to object to Liliana’s presence. For Liliana, it was better to be with Riley and the others than to wander around the temple alone.

​She felt that way because of the sense of wrongness she felt from the Senf Temple. Just as Riley had said, she had a strong premonition that it was better not to be alone.

​(I don't see anything strange from a magical perspective either, but...)

​Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was being hidden. The deeper they went into the temple, the stronger the sense of wrongness became. In other places, she could have released a sorcery mouse to gather intel without being noticed, but in the Senf Temple, where traces of magic were everywhere, there was a high probability the mouse would be captured before it could gather any information.

​(What should I do?)

​If it was just unique magic used in the temple, that would be fine, but if by any chance some kind of forbidden art was being used, she would have to investigate. Many forbidden arts had negative effects on their surroundings. Even if there was no damage at this stage, it would be too late to deal with it after problems occurred in the future. But Liliana couldn't judge whether the sense of wrongness she felt was due to a forbidden art or because a unique spell formula of the temple was being employed.

​(I wonder if Lord Ben Draco or Petra would have understood something.)

​She thought with a sigh, but the two weren't here. It wasn't urgent enough to bring them here with teleportation magic.

​Ultimately, Liliana gave up, thinking there were no countermeasures for now.

​"Shall we conclude with this?" High Priest Humphrey summarized the discussion somewhat brusquely. Perhaps having grown somewhat accustomed to it, Clyde didn't rebuke him for his rudeness. Instead, he nodded and said, "Yes." The High Priest instructed the other priest to gather the documents.

​"I have other plans after this, but Your Highnesses may do as you please. If you need a guide, I shall provide a priest."

​"Since we’re here, I’d like to see a few other places. A guide isn't necessary. If you feel it’s required, you may provide one, though."

​Riley answered mildly. High Priest Humphrey raised one eyebrow and glanced at Riley.

​"I see. Then we shall take our leave. If you have any need along the way, please call upon any priest you see. This place is quite large, so you might lose track of the exits."

​"Right."

​From beginning to end, High Priest Humphrey seemed to have no intention of flattering royalty. For someone like Riley, it was probably better than being falsely praised, but Liliana couldn't help but wonder why he was so confident.

​The temple governed the town of Senf, but royal power had been increasing since the reign of the previous King. They could crush a temple of Senf’s size whenever they felt like it.

​Did he not know that, or was he confident despite knowing?

​If it was the former, High Priest Humphrey was simply a foolish man; if it was the latter, the reason for that confidence was a problem. If he was confident he wouldn't be crushed even if he was disrespectful to royalty, it meant nothing other than that he possessed a trump card capable of overthrowing the state.

​After leaving the room and parting with the High Priest and his attendant, the party headed further into the temple. Perhaps having been notified in advance, the priests they passed simply bowed their heads and showed no other reaction.

​"Your Highness. Are you going to look around the interior of the temple?"

​After a while, it was Clyde who spoke. Riley nodded.

​"Yes. I’ve been sensing a strange presence from deeper within for a while now. Since it's difficult to investigate in secret, I thought I’d see how far we could go to take a look."

​"A strange presence?"

​Clyde tilted his head. He looked around to see if anyone else felt the same way as Riley. But no one reacted. Riley turned his gaze to Liliana, who stood beside him.

​"Do you feel it, Sasha?"

​Liliana hesitated for a second but gave a single nod. Clyde knit his brows and looked at his sister. His gaze seemed to ask if it was true. But Riley didn't doubt her. If anything, he seemed certain Liliana wouldn't have failed to notice.

​"Has anyone else noticed?" Riley asked again.

​Then, Olga, who hadn't reacted earlier, took a step forward. Liliana blinked. The guards, excluding a few, cast suspicious eyes toward Olga, but she didn't seem to care. The fact that Olga, who was from a mercenary background, had sensed a presence that only Riley and Liliana had noticed might have wounded their pride.

​However, Riley didn't mind and gave a single nod. "Could you tell me briefly what kind of sense of wrongness you felt?"

​"Eastern magic is being used."

​Olga’s response was concise. Liliana stared at Olga’s face in shock. Riley also seemed struck with admiration at Olga’s definitive statement, murmuring an impressed "Heh."

​"Eastern magic, huh. I didn't think it was possible to distinguish it from Western magic."

​"There isn't much Eastern magic used in this country, and it’s been altered to suit Western magic."

​Finally, Liliana understood. Indeed, the Eastern magic that Petra and Ben Draco were researching was used in combination with Western magic. Petra used the original spell formulas for some Eastern sorcery, but even she seemed unable to handle Eastern magic well unless it was combined with Western sorcery.

​That was why Liliana had never seen an example of pure Eastern magic.

​"Good catch. Is it dangerous to approach?"

​"The magic itself isn't dangerous, I believe."

​Olga answered Riley’s question quietly. Her phrasing was subtle, but Riley immediately grasped her true meaning.

​"I see."

​However, the subsequent monologue—"So there's a possibility they don't want us to notice"—was at a volume only Liliana could hear. After a bit of thought, it seemed Riley decided not to push any further. They didn't go too far in, wandering just enough not to be suspicious and ending without approaching the source of the strange presence.

​But the moment they stepped out of the temple gates—a chill ran down Liliana’s spine, and she stopped for a split second. Riley stopped at the same time. Both turned around, but there was only the temple towering there, looking no different from when they had first seen it.

​◇　◇　◇　◇

​The day after visiting the Senf Temple, Liliana and the others were heading toward their original destination, the Navy Baron’s territory. Naturally, they couldn't go on foot like they had when visiting the Senf Temple. It was a journey by carriage, accompanied by guards.

​Liliana climbed into the same carriage as Riley and gazed out the window. Riley was looking over a report summarizing the discussion held at the temple. Apparently, he needed to check the draft Clyde had made last night.

​After a while, Riley, having finished his work, gathered the documents and put them in his bag. He then looked out the window just as Liliana was.

​"The atmosphere changes quite a bit once we leave the town of Senf."

​"The forest is deep, isn't it?"

​Liliana agreed with Riley’s observation. As Riley said, the town of Senf and its vicinity were open, but as they got further away, the scenery of fields and orchards vanished, and a lush forest began to cover their view.

​Riley smoothly pulled out a map and checked their approximate current location. It would still be a while before they reached the Navy territory. Liliana watched Riley out of the corner of her eye. Riley, having closed the map, turned his face to Liliana. Their gazes locked in the air.

​"Sasha, do you still have the bracelet I gave you before we entered the temple?"

​"Yes."

​"Here," Liliana said, showing the bracelet on her wrist. Riley let out a happy smile and asked if he could see it. Of course, there was no reason to refuse. Liliana took the bracelet off her wrist and handed it to Riley.

​Riley, having received the bracelet, placed it on his palm and stared at it intently. He pulled the matching bracelet from his pocket and held them as if overlapping them. When he murmured a short incantation under his breath, the two overlapping bracelets emitted a faint light.

​Liliana couldn't help but wide her eyes. Riley was apparently analyzing the bracelets.

​In the otome game as well, Riley was not a mage. While he had the aptitude as a royal, perhaps his ability wasn't necessary since Belasta was there. And now, for the first time, Liliana was witnessing Riley use magic that actually looked like magic. He had cast defensive barriers in front of Liliana numerous times, but he rarely used any other spells. If she had to say, she’d seen him fight with physical enhancement.

​"—Will?"

​Liliana tilted her head, wondering why he was analyzing the bracelet. Last night, after leaving the temple and returning to her room, Liliana had checked the condition of the bracelet. The result was that she’d concluded there was nothing wrong. In other words, the sense of wrongness she’d felt immediately after leaving the temple hadn't been something that caused her actual harm, and there were no traces of a spell being placed on her inside the temple.

​However, the analysis Riley was performing before Liliana’s eyes was shocking to her.

​—Within the faint light, a portion was a different color.

​Riley, having finished the incantation, cast a glance toward Liliana. He accurately understood the shock she’d received. With a faint smile, he offered the two bracelets, still overlapped, to Liliana.

​Liliana, having received the bracelets in a bit of a daze, stared at the differently colored portion. Everything else was the same, but only that part of the magical formula was different. The formula, which wouldn't have felt wrong on its own, was obvious when the two were aligned.

​"The bracelet on your right, Sasha, is the one you were wearing yesterday. The other is the third bracelet that was kept at the inn yesterday."

​"And then, this," Riley said, pulling another bracelet from his pocket. It was undoubtedly the bracelet Riley had been wearing yesterday. Receiving the bracelet offered to her, Liliana checked the formula. Then, a portion of the formulas for the bracelets Liliana and Riley had been wearing had been rewritten in a way that wouldn't look unnatural.

​"—It’s no wonder I didn't notice it when analyzing it on its own."

​"Yes, it’s quite clever."

​Riley shrugged, saying he was glad he’d brought a spare just in case.

​The rewritten formula was one for pinpointing a location. Normally, as written in the third bracelet, the only people who could pinpoint the location were Riley and Liliana. And even then, it was under the condition that danger was approaching the owner.

​But the rewritten formula allowed a third party to pinpoint the location in addition to Liliana and Riley. Furthermore, the condition that danger was approaching the owner had been removed. However, the rewriting was so clever that, again, one wouldn't notice just by checking it on its own.

​Letting out a long breath, Liliana returned the bracelets to Riley. Riley took the three bracelets and casually nullified their magical formulas. He then put them in a separate bag so they could be discarded. Since he couldn't be certain that no other spells had been placed on them, even wearing the bracelets themselves was dangerous.

​"And then, this."

​"—You had another one prepared?"

​What Riley pulled from his bag was a bracelet with yet another design. Almost certainly, it was also a magic tool. Likely, the contents of the formula were the same as the bracelet Liliana had first received.

​With a wry smile, Liliana nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes. I’m not as worried about the Navy territory or the monastery as I was about the Senf Temple, but just in case."

​"I understand."

​Liliana nodded quietly and put the bracelet on her wrist. He could have made it the exact same design as the first bracelet, yet the color and the types of stones used were different. Liliana sighed inwardly, thinking that Riley might have more of a sense of style than she did.

—-

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