By Zephyria 
Looking down at the sleeping child’s face, various thoughts troubled me. This was because I felt that perhaps there was no intention behind Seongsang’s words about divine killing and karma, and his striking Ruben.
If I kill a god, does it mean the god will also harm Ruben?
The stone statue had the face of the God of Memory and the God of the Lake. It seemed as if this statue held the will of the God of the Lake, or perhaps an evil god had orchestrated this to make me uneasy. I felt frustrated, wishing someone would come and tell me the answer, guiding me on what to do.
I watched the two knights rummaging through the statue.
Unlike Samantha, who calmly picked up a piece of stone, infused it with aura, and tossed it aside, Benjamin stomped on the debris with his feet as if he were a mortar pestle.
“What are you doing?”
I knew well that even if I asked in a small voice, there would be no difficulty in communicating with each other. I covered Ruben’s ears with my hands just in case, and looked at Benjamin. He shrugged his shoulders.
“If it’s something imbued with special Divine Power… it wouldn’t break from being stomped on like this, would it? We can break everything and examine what remains intact.”
“…”
Still, it was the central shrine of a nation. Was it okay to commit such rough acts?
However, Samantha Andrei nodded with a serious expression and agreed.
“Then… I’ll take the back. Lord Claudian, you can sweep from here to the front.”
“Yes!”
Soon, the two Sword Masters began to turn the surrounding furnishings into dust.
About two hours passed.
Benjamin neatly organized the broken furniture and chairs against the wall so that no innocent person would be harmed by the debris.
Samantha Andrei reassembled the books she had torn in half and stacked them neatly in a corner.
I continued to wait for Ruben to wake up, observing the items they had brought before me.
Few things survived the ruthless hands. No, only two.
One was a quill pen the statue had used as a weapon, and the other was found inside the pedestal the statue had stood upon…
“…What is this? An ink pot?”
“Judging by its size, isn’t it a set with this quill pen? It looks like it too.”
It was a jar shaped like a pot that a five-year-old child could easily fit into.
The opaque stone jar had a blank label attached to it. As they said, it looked like an ink bottle large enough to sufficiently dip the nib of the quill pen the statue had wielded.
However, unlike a normal quill pen, the one the statue held was too large and heavy for a person to hold in one hand and write with, making it unsuitable for its intended purpose. Didn’t the statue itself use it as a weapon rather than a pen?
I asked in disbelief.
“It’s called a quill pen, but who would see this as a quill pen…?”
“If it were a figure the size of that statue from earlier, it might be usable…”
“This is a divine artifact?”
“Th-that’s not what I meant. But you never know.”
Benjamin stammered. Samantha Andrei, with a serious expression, cut short our absurd conversation.
“It’s suspicious that no one has come out despite all this commotion. I’ll go check if there’s anything else in this shrine.”
“Alone?”
“…”
Samantha’s gaze fell on Ruben. Moving Ruben now would be a bad choice. I, along with Ruben, was effectively tied down.
Benjamin had only recently become a Sword Master, and he was slower than Samantha. If something happened, he would likely be more of a hindrance than a help. While he would be of great assistance in most situations, right now, even I had struggled greatly, so I was not entirely pleased.
After pondering for a moment, I summoned the Spirits in my heart.
All six appeared without hesitation, tearing through the air. This was my first time summoning Spirits without Marianne, but it was surprisingly easy. We all watched them silently laugh and float in the air.
Samantha, who had guessed why I summoned the Spirits, smiled faintly.
“You don’t need to send them all.”
“Yes. The four of you, follow her and help scout the surroundings.”
Leaving Undine and one Sylph behind, I commanded the other four. The chirping Sylphs quickly went and attached themselves to her. They listen so well. Seeing those tiny creatures chirping like birds lightened my heart. I decided I should teach them to speak properly later.
Samantha gave a short bow and strode away.
Other than the couch I had claimed early on, no intact chairs remained. Benjamin glanced around and then, in a relaxed posture, plopped down in front of me.
With only Benjamin and me left, the conversation flowed more freely.
“You seem to have become quite close with Lord Andrei.”
“…Ah, well, she’s nice to me, and…”
“And?”
“Hyoo Senior found it inconvenient to deal with Lord Andrei directly, so he assigned me many errands. By chance, Lord Andrei grew fond of Marianne… and that’s how we became accustomed to each other.”
“Hmm.”
As I listened to his story, I tore a sleeve from my shirt and carefully wiped the blood from Ruben’s face. Undine beside me helped moisten the shirt appropriately, which was very convenient.
Speaking of Marianne, something else suddenly came to mind. I glanced at Benjamin, who remained silent.
“What happened with Marianne?”
“…”
…It seems he couldn’t even bring it up. After spending so much time together. I clicked my tongue involuntarily and averted my gaze as he glared at me with narrowed eyes.
Still, it seemed the Medical Artifact was working properly. After thoroughly wiping the blood from Ruben’s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, his complexion wasn’t bad. I let out a sigh of pity.
As I paused with the shirt scraps, Undine, who had been hovering nearby, instantly swept away the stains on the cloth. It could do all sorts of things. Filled with joy, I praised it in a quiet but affectionate tone.
“Pretty thing.”
[Peep.]
“Yes, you’re good and pretty.”
I scratched Undine’s crown with my index finger like petting an animal. Undine shook its head happily. I used the cloth, which it had cleaned again, to finish wiping Ruben’s neck and hands.
Perhaps bored of sitting still, Benjamin began to examine the items Ruben had been shown, turning them over and over. The one remaining Sylph, seeming bored, flew around chirping and then stuck close to Benjamin, looking at the items together.
I watched, wondering if they would cause an accident, when something white caught my eye.
…What is it?
“Benjamin. That… ink pot? Could you tilt it for a moment?”
“Like this?”
“…Again, to the other side.”
That piece was made of the same white, opaque stone as Seongsang and all the weapons he wielded. Yet, something inside seemed to slosh and move… a blue shimmer appeared.
Was it transparent? I blinked, and it looked like a silent stone again, just as before.
“Do you feel something shaking?”
“Not at all. It feels like shaking a solid stone.”
“What you see.”
Benjamin shook his head wordlessly. Then, was this something I could see now that I had reached a new realm? Or was it because I was an outsider…?
As I leaned forward to get a closer look, it happened.
“…Mmm.”
“Are you regaining consciousness?”
Ruben woke up, letting out a sweet sigh.
Our eyes met. Ruben’s brow, which had been contorted in pain, straightened. The child blinked his eyes slowly a couple of times. I wiped the corners of his eyes again with the clean cloth.
Ruben softly murmured my name.
“…Mika?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
“…How many hours has it been?”
“It’s been two hours, and not yet three.”
A smile touched the corners of the child’s lips. Why was he smiling? I felt a pang of annoyance. The child tilted his head back. Was it still difficult to hold his neck up?
While I was dying of heartache, Ruben’s voice, as he surveyed his surroundings, was casual.
“Where did Lord Andrei go?”
“She said she was going to scout the surroundings for a bit, so I let her go. I sent a few Sylphs with her, so we’ll know immediately if anything happens.”
“…Right…. Help me sit up.”
“Yes.”
I supported Ruben’s neck like one would a child and slowly helped him sit up. I placed him across my thighs and helped him rest his arm around my shoulder.
Ruben’s forehead touched my temple. Every time the child breathed in and out, my chest tickled.
Swallowing his groans, the child looked around and asked.
“…Is this, the next room?”
“Huh? No. We haven’t moved from the original spot at all.”
“…Huh?”
Ruben blinked his eyes several times again.
His gaze, not easily shifting, landed on the books stacked horizontally. Was that what he found strange? Benjamin could lift a bookshelf with one hand. Stacking bookshelves sideways was no effort. I also looked there, puzzled.
Just then, Samantha Andrei returned through the door she had left. Mud stained the floor with every strong step she took. I hadn’t realized the carpet had been removed somewhere. I had been too preoccupied to notice.
She stood before Ruben, hands clasped behind her back, and reported formally.
“I scouted the surroundings but found nothing special. The fog is still thick, and all the places that seem to be Cleric quarters are locked. I asked the Sylphs to check for people, but they seem to have found neither humans nor beasts.”
“…”
Ruben gazed at her for a moment, then leaned his head against my collarbone. Was he that weak? I stroked him sympathetically, and he mumbled softly.
“…I believed you…”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing… So… did you find anything?”
“Yes. The books weren’t particularly special, and only the quill pen the statue used as a weapon and this jar from under the pedestal remained intact. The lid wouldn’t open, and it didn’t break even when struck with a sword.”
“Did it not seem special to you, Mika?”
“Inside that jar… there’s something like a Divine Power, a light, shimmering. Since the lid wouldn’t open, I couldn’t confirm it, though.”
“…I see.”
Ruben looked around again with a troubled expression.
…Was breaking everything too much? Samantha and Benjamin exchanged awkward glances. Ruben didn’t dwell on it further and spoke in a gentle voice.
“It’s no use. We’ll deal with this later… For now, let’s go back.”
“Yes.”
The Sylphs giggled and hid among my hair. I let them, then stood up, holding Ruben. Ruben’s gaze lingered on the couch where we had been sitting, and I was briefly puzzled but soon forgot about it.