I pondered over the conditions God mentioned. What exactly was meant by the power of a wizard? Wasn’t divine power and the spirit power enough?

“Ha… I need to resolve this quickly and return.”

I was feeling impatient as the problem seemed not as easily solvable as anticipated. If I had known, I would have left after he woke up.

Why was I in such a rush to leave the injured child behind?

It was a belated regret.

At that time, the thought of eliminating Cassandra first had filled my mind completely, making me unable to see anything else.

“Where can I find a wizard?”

I wondered, pondering how to acquire the necessary magic. It’s so easy to just speak and vanish. Was that God deities always were? The talk about the Saint’s soul doesn’t bring back memories of the once devout faith. If I were to voice my current thoughts, Paul might be disappointed.

“What do you mean by returning to my place?”

The one thing for sure was that even if I rooted myself here, it wouldn’t be a problem. Also, the issue with Cassandra has been resolved. If that was the case, I only needed to address the final mission, the barrier.

“Hoo…”

I contemplated at a distance from the Saint. No matter how she didn’t look like a corpse, she was unmistakably still a corpse. The Saint’s body lay on the platform. There wasn’t a separate coffin, yet the platform itself seemed to serve that purpose.

In the end, as I couldn’t come up with any particular plan on my own, I asked Paul, who had been watching me intently with a concerned gaze since earlier.

“The power of the wizard was included in the original seal, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And the power of the spirit?”

“Yes. However, at that time, neither of them came.”

Paul’s next words piqued my curiosity.

One of the stories God had been repeating was about ‘if only the spirit power had been there.’ So, that meant the summoner couldn’t make it, and based on what Paul was saying now, did it imply that the wizard also didn’t make it?

“Who’s that?”

I asked, causing Paul’s complexion to darken for a moment before he responded in a calm voice.

“…It was Spencer de Leonis and Enzo de Leon.”

“Leon?”

“…Yes, Enzo de Leon was the greatest wizard at the time, but he didn’t arrive on time. He’s certainly not someone who wouldn’t come… He wouldn’t have broken the promise with the Saint—”

Paul’s voice gradually became more dampened.

Even though his expression seemed composed at first glance, there were hidden emotions within. Someone who had long neglected their sadness was often unaware of how sad they truly were. It was a consequence of turning away because it was unbearable.

I knew this well because I had done the same.

Paul seemed to have been immersed in sorrow for longer than it appeared. To intentionally change the atmosphere, I brought up another topic.

“Is everyone not feeling hungry? I’m quite famished. Should we fill our stomachs before resolving the issue?”

“Great, Master!”

The one who responded the quickest to my words was none other than Oscar. Indeed, when it came to food, Oscar was always the fastest. Damian simply nodded as if in agreement.

After considering both their opinions, I turned to Paul.

“Paul, could you prepare some food this time, too?”

“…Of course.”

Paul certainly seemed to enjoy cooking. His face seemed slightly less melancholic, which was somewhat reassuring.

The next moment, we moved away from the Saint’s body and moved to the far corner. Even though I was starving, it felt a little off to eat with a dead person next to me even if that body was my past self.

“Wait, there are ingredients in this subspace bag.”

I pulled out a black subspace pouch from inside my robe. When I handed it to Paul, he furrowed his brow slightly.

“Why?”

“…We can’t use subspace in the temple.”

“Really? So, you can’t take out the ingredients from here? If I had known that, I would have brought them from outside.”

Although I suggested we eat to change the subject, I was actually quite hungry. Having only filled my stomach with soup since last night, it was only natural.

With my words, Damian stepped forward.

“Then, I will go outside and bring the ingredients separately.”

It was a kind offer, but wouldn’t it be too much trouble? While pondering whether it would be better to just go hungry, Paul approached me.

“…There is not absolutely no way. Can you please wait a moment?”

“Sure.”

As I held out the pouch I was holding in my hand, Paul received the pouch and began gathering divine power in his hand.

A bright white light pooled in his palm.

Come to think of it, he didn’t take out separate arrows when he was shooting the bow earlier. Could that have also been made with divine power? Even though I also possessed divine power, I seemed unable to handle it as freely as Paul. While I gathered it with my breath, he seemed to be the type to gather it in his fingertips or palms.

As I absentmindedly watched him, Paul broke out in a slight sweat.

“…Did the one who made this.”

Paul, who had been muttering to himself, clenched his mouth and pulled in the divine power to the fullest. The bright white light, clearly visible in my eyes, expanded as if it would engulf Paul’s hand and the subspace pouch, and with a bang, the mass of light spread in all directions.

“Ack!”

I sat down as a hard object flew and struck my forehead, causing a sharp pain. My vision flickered as if I had been hit by an actual stone. It wasn’t just because of the flashing light but because of the overwhelming pain of crossing a threshold.

“Master, are you okay?”

Damian hurried over.

I always said I was okay when he asked like this, but this time, no words came out as if nothing was okay. Clutching my forehead with both hands, I heard Paul call me in a flustered voice.

“…Are, are you okay—Aahh, the Saint…this pouch right now…”

Being surprised didn’t make him talk any faster. He seemed to be trembling with surprise, but his speech was calm, giving a rather strange impression.

As I sat with my eyes closed, wiping a few trickling tears, I forced myself to stand up as if nothing was wrong. If I didn’t, Paul’s mood would likely plummet again. However, facing the scene when I opened my eyes, I couldn’t pretend everything was okay.

Paul approached me with his head hung low.

“…I knew it was something Enzo had made, though I didn’t realize there was another device inside… I apologize.”

“Enzo? The wizard you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes, it was undoubtedly Enzo’s subspace pouch. He invented it for the soldiers back then, and that’s why I have one, too.”

Saying so, Paul pulled out a leather pouch as if retrieving something precious. Despite its worn appearance, I could sense the magic accumulated within it.

“Well, he’s Lucian’s ancestor.”

Originally, it was the Duchess’ subspace pouch. Considering it was used by the Duchess, it must have been an heirloom with a significant history.

No, wait, Amber.

She didn’t intentionally put ingredients in the subspace pouch? She gave it to me to come back… right? If she was sullen because I left her behind, saying that agility was crucial, I’d tell her that it worked out.

I looked past Paul’s puzzled expression at the scattered food ingredients and the jewels entwined with them around us.

My eyebrows twitched.

I didn’t expect it to cause such a big incident, even if it wasn’t intentional. Despite the fact that it definitely wasn’t intended, it felt like I was facing a loophole hidden behind Paul’s slow movements. It felt foolish that just a while ago, we were having a serious discussion about the barrier.

As I chuckled in frustration, in the distance, Elliot, who had been sitting down, burst into loud laughter.

Ah, how ridiculous.

“Hoo…”

A deep sigh rose from my chest and flowed out naturally, and Damian wiped my forehead with his trembling hand.

“Aah, Master’s forehead…”

Following his words, I gently brushed my forehead with my fingertips, feeling a slight bump.

“Umm…”

With two people who seemed like they would cry right in front of my face if I said it hurt, I just quietly rolled my lower lip and asked,

At that moment, Oscar pointed at me with a mischievous smile.

“Kuhahah, Master! Your forehead has doubled!”

“…I don’t think it’s that big, though.”

“No! Do you realize how funny Master’s face is right now?”

Yes. I know, so shut up.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it, and as I tried to avert my gaze, I noticed a piece of jewelry that seemed to be responsible for the bump on my forehead.

Not far from my toes, the necklace, compared to the other pieces of jewelry, had a very simple design. The pendant hanging from the silver chain was hexagonal, like a gemstone, but its color was a deep navy blue, unlike any ordinary gem.

Although it wasn’t anything special, it strangely caught my attention. Not because it hit my forehead, though because it felt like I should keep it, just like how I kept Elliot alive.

When I cautiously picked up the necklace, it felt warm in my hand.

As it came into my hand, the brilliant gold inside the dark blue gem began to gather. Somehow, the golden light reminded me of Lucian’s eyes, making me feel nostalgic.

Very much so.

__