Volume 8 Chapter 8 Tomb Exploration Part Ii
After defeating the zombie, Al crouched in the dark to stay hidden. After a moment, he stood up and moved his left arm, which felt numb from the ghost's touch. Luckily, the numbness was only temporary, and he sighed in relief. He realized it was the ghost's technique called 'Chill Touch' that he had heard about. Al wondered what would have happened if he let that cold feeling take over his mind. Shaking off the fear, he stretched and took a deep breath to clear his thoughts.
He checked his backpack for holy water and saw that he still had plenty left. Using one 'Spray' hadn't used much, similar to drawing with ink. Carefully, he walked toward the zombie's body.
'Ally, aren't you going back?'
He heard Glee's voice near his ear.
"Well, now that I know how to defeat them, I won't get another chance to explore the ruins made by the ancient people. I need to check it out for the future if I can."
'I see...'
Glee's voice sounded a bit worried. However, Al pushed the zombie's corpse to the side of the path, placed his hand on his chest to pray for their peace, and then returned to his exploration.
Beyond the hall, the area became a complex maze within the mountain, filled with traps like spears and pitfall holes. If he hadn't heard the correct way beforehand, it would have taken a long time to find his way.
There were bodies of grave robbers scattered around. Each time he found one, he used the 'Spray' spell to draw the symbol of the goddess of fate, Ruud, on their forehead with holy water, praying for their peace. He had faced zombies and ghosts before, but now that he knew how to deal with them, he managed to handle them easily.
Al had been moving through the maze for about an hour when he spotted a flickering light ahead, resembling a lamp. He remembered that this area was not supposed to have an exit yet, so the light likely indicated the presence of grave robbers.
Quickly, he crouched down and cast the 'Floating Eye' spell. It had been a while since he last used it, and he felt a bit nervous, but thankfully, he didn't feel dizzy like before. He prepared to escape if needed, hoping there were no magicians among the robbers, and carefully moved the transparent eye closer to the light.
As he approached, he saw many lights from lamps. The passage led to a large room, about 30 meters (� 98 feet) on each side, similar to where he first saw zombies and ghosts. Inside, there were 5 big tents, resembling a campsite. He couldn't see inside the tents, but he sensed nearly 50 people outside. They didn't seem like bandits; they looked more like a knight order or guard team.
Nearby, there were several flags with different emblems. Most were unfamiliar to him, but he recognized two: one was a four-color flag of the Tempest Kingdom, and the other had a green square with a yellow circle, representing the Sun God Pyros.
This indicated that the group was connected to the knights of the Tempest Kingdom and the temple of the Sun God. This situation was more serious than simple grave robbing. Why were a kingdom and a temple involved with one tomb? Did they know this was the grave of Tempest, the ancestor magician? Perhaps undead creatures were emerging from the tomb, prompting their presence, or there might be another reason altogether.
Al wanted to learn more, but the 'Floating Eye' spell didn't allow him to hear conversations. If the group was made up of knights, there was a high chance a magician was with them, making it risky to get too close. Al decided it was too dangerous to investigate further and thought it would be better to talk to Malachi first. After ending the 'Floating Eye' spell, Al quickly returned the way he came
* * *
"...That's how it is."
Breathless, Al entered the tomb chamber and quickly touched Malachi's assistant device, sharing everything he had seen so far. Malachi was shocked and deeply disappointed.
'To think that a descendant of the Tempest Kingdom would desecrate Sir Tempest's grave...'
"What should we do? I hope they give up in the maze part."
Inside the maze, there were also fake tombs set up. They might find those and decide to stop exploring. There's also a guardian golem as a final defense, so they might be able to drive them back there.
Malachi thought for a while about what to do. But in the end, he said this:
'If they are from the Tempest Kingdom, I don't want to fight. Besides, even if we resist, it would only buy us time. Al, even though this is a tomb created by Sir Tempest, I want to move. There was a spell you used before to carry your friend's body. Can you use that to carry Sir Tempest's remains? Also, do you know any place where we can avoid being seen?'
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