novelraw Chapter 68 : Bulgarutu (3)
Chapter 68 : Bulgarutu (3)
Chapter 68: Bulgarutu (3)
After a month-long journey, I finally arrived at the Ancient Temple.
“This is……”
The Ancient Temple of Bulgarutu.
Despite being called a temple, Bulgarutu took the form of a city.
“There are a lot of people.”
“Of course. Bulgarutu is vast—almost comparable to the Imperial Capital. According to records, even in the past, it served more as a city than a temple.”
Frey replied to my muttering. His eyes gleamed like those of an excited child.
“I’ve always wanted to visit this place. Even the pebbles scattered along the road hold traces of history. I’ll probably be too busy exploring the city for a while.”
He chuckled softly and walked ahead.
Watching his back, I turned to Garan.
“What will we do now?”
“We’ll need to find work. Since Bulgarutu lies between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, many people pass through here. There’ll be no shortage of jobs.”
“Do we just walk around asking people if they need mercenaries?”
“Hm? Ah, right, you wouldn’t know how mercenaries find work.”
Garan gestured for me to follow.
“I’ll teach you how to live as a mercenary from now on. It’ll come in handy someday, so watch and learn.”
He led the way to the Mercenary Guild—a place I had heard of before.
A place that arranged jobs for mercenaries.
“So we find work here?” I asked.
“Also serves as an inn, in a way. Kazan and I will check for jobs, so you two ask if they have any vacant rooms.”
“And if we still have time afterward?”
“It’s our first day in Bulgarutu. Do whatever you like—drink, explore, I don’t care. Just don’t go to the brothels, all right? Wouldn’t do for noble blood to spill around in random places.”
My face stiffened. Ever since he’d learned about the Grand Warrior, Garan wouldn’t miss a chance to tease me like that.
Did an adult really find such childish teasing that entertaining?
He chuckled at my expression, and I could only shake my head helplessly.
Anyway, I followed his instructions—asked the receptionist about vacant rooms and spent the remaining time resting.
The journey had been long, and my body needed to unwind properly before moving on.
Not that I was physically tired. My thoroughly trained body allowed not a trace of fatigue.
If anything, the exhaustion was mental.
‘Maybe I’ll do some sightseeing.’
People had always traveled to ease their minds.
And here I was, in a place full of history. Plenty to see.
‘The chapel should be my first stop.’
Despite resembling a city, Bulgarutu was still a temple at its core. There was a proper place for prayer.
A perfect spot for a little sightseeing.
When I arrived at the chapel, Frey greeted me.
“Brother Leon. What brings you to the chapel?”
“Priest.”
“Perfect timing. There’s something I wanted to show you. Please, come with me.”
Frey led me up to the altar platform.
“This place has already become a tourist site. No one comes here to pray anymore, so you needn’t feel pressured. Would you like to look around the chapel?”
I followed his suggestion. I had come to the chapel for sightseeing anyway. It wasn’t an experience I wanted to miss.
“This is……”
I murmured as I stood upon the platform, surprise written across my face.
“Do you see it?” Frey asked, excitement making his breath quick and uneven.
“Brother Leon, this chapel is not merely a place of worship. It is a living relic.”
A chapel was meant for prayer, yet what caught my eye first were the sword marks carved into the floor.
“A thousand years ago, the Evil God Jeozudin was resurrected here in Bulgarutu. Many holy knights perished right on this very spot.”
Frey’s voice carried sorrow as he ran his hand along the altar.
“Can you feel it? The last moments of those who fell here. Their desperate struggle until their final breath.”
A vision flashed in my mind—
A chapel engulfed in flames. Holy knights charging toward the Evil God, only to be hurled away like falling leaves.
I looked around once more. The walls bore dark scorch marks as though burned by fire.
‘They rose again and again… Even with broken legs, they fought on, using their swords as canes if they had to.’
The sword marks on the floor testified to that.
‘And they were struck down, again and again.’
The crumbled remains of the chapel bore witness.
In my mind, the battle unfolded—holy knights fighting in despair, defying fate itself.
‘This is… truly history.’
I could understand now why Frey was so excited.
It was just a chapel—just a place meant for prayer—
And yet, I could feel so much more.
A living relic, he had called it. No other words seemed more fitting.
Then it happened.
Saaah—!!
A chilling presence brushed against my senses.
‘This…?!’
It wasn’t something as simple as “cold” or “eerie.”
Just breathing made my insides twist.
There was no mistaking it—a Demon Beast was nearby.
I dashed outside immediately. The city was full of people. If I didn’t act fast, there would be countless casualties.
‘At the very least, I must buy time until Captain Garan arrives!’
I heightened all my senses, sharpening them to their limits, scanning the surroundings.
‘Did I lose it?’
I couldn’t pinpoint the Demon Beast’s location.
“Brother Leon, what’s the matter?”
Frey caught up, looking alarmed.
“Please call Captain Garan immediately. I’ve detected a Demon Beast’s presence.”
“What are you saying?”
His face hardened. A Demon Beast was no small matter—he couldn’t help but be cautious.
“It’s not that I doubt you, brother, but calm yourself first. Excitement clouds judgment.”
“I’m perfectly rational.”
“Is that so? Then please, wait just a moment.”
Frey gently closed his eyes. At the same time, I felt an unfamiliar energy radiate from his body.
A warm force… Divine Power.
Even without seeing it, I could feel it—Frey’s divine power was spreading through the surroundings, scanning the area.
Soon, he opened his eyes.
“It’s safe. I don’t sense any trace of a Demon Beast nearby.”
“Are you certain?”
“Certain. Divine power and the aura of Demon Beasts are opposites. If one were nearby, it would’ve reacted to my power.”
I let out a quiet sigh. It wasn’t that I doubted Frey.
And that was precisely why the shock hit me harder.
‘I can still clearly feel the Demon Beast’s presence.’
Even so, I couldn’t determine where it was hiding.
Frustrating. There was definitely a Demon Beast somewhere nearby. My instincts told me so.
I had no thought that I might be mistaken. I had faced many Demon Beasts before—those among the Seven Apostles of the Demon King, even.
There was no way I could ever forget that bone-chilling sensation when facing one.
‘I must stay calm. If I can’t locate it, then the Demon Beast must still be within the city. Since I can’t deal with it immediately, I should report to the Captain first.’
The more dangerous the situation, the calmer one must be. Losing my head would do no good.
“I’ll head back.”
“I’ll come with you,” Frey said. “You once received the World Tree’s blessing. Your senses must have become extraordinary. You may have felt something I couldn’t.”
Was that faith in me genuine? I didn’t know. But I nodded.
The truth didn’t matter. What mattered was that there might truly be a Demon Beast.
When it came to Demon Beasts, even the smallest possibility couldn’t be ignored.
I returned straight to the Mercenary Guild.
“Is that true?”
Garan’s face hardened at my report.
“Leon, can you take responsibility for your words?”
“Of course. What I sensed was unmistakably a Demon Beast’s aura.”
“……”
Garan’s eyes lowered. He didn’t think I was lying.
But he couldn’t move the entire corps based on one person’s word alone.
“If what you say is true,” he said, “then this is serious. Priest Frey, did you sense anything?”
“Nothing,” Frey replied. “However, Brother Leon’s case is unique. It’s possible he felt something I couldn’t.”
“Hmm.”
Then—
“Hey.”
Rhuin raised his hand.
“Leon, are you sure what you felt was a Demon Beast’s aura?”
“I wouldn’t lie.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. I just wonder if you might’ve mistaken it for something else.”
At that, a black flame flickered from Rhuin’s hand—dark and sinister, just like the Black Flame wielded by Ira, one of the Seven Apostles.
“This is…” I murmured, startled.
“The aura feels almost identical. What’s going on?”
“I was once a Flower. I accepted a fragment of Jeozudin’s power.”
It was a reasonable explanation. The aura of Demon Beasts was, after all, the lingering will of Jeozudin. Since the Flowers served him, it wasn’t strange that they wielded a similar energy.
‘Even Elbin had accepted Jeozudin’s power to become a Flower’s spy.’
This might have been a similar case.
But I shook my head.
“No. It’s very similar, but fundamentally different.”
“Fundamentally?”
“The power that Flowers wield from Jeozudin is ominous—repulsive, even. But the aura of a Demon Beast is beyond that. Their energy is terrifying—something that strikes the instincts themselves.”
“Terrifying, huh…”
“That’s exactly what I felt this time.”
Rhuin frowned, his eyes full of curiosity.
“Leon, I’ve sensed Demon Beasts before too. But I didn’t feel what you’re describing. Sure, they’re scary, but… not to the point of instinctive terror. I fought one not long ago, remember?”
I listened carefully. He didn’t sound as if he doubted me.
There was only honest curiosity in his gaze.
“Maybe it’s because you once absorbed the World Tree’s power,” he said. “Or maybe it’s because you’re a descendant of that Grand Warrior. Either way, it seems you perceive a Demon Beast’s aura differently from others.”
It was a reasonable deduction, like everything he’d said so far. My senses could indeed be unique.
In many ways, I was something of a mutant among men.
Clap!
Garan clapped his hands together.
“In any case, we can’t dismiss the possibility of a Demon Beast. Leon’s not one to lie, and his senses are sharp. Something’s definitely out there. Still, we can’t just scour this massive city every day.”
“You mean to stand by and watch?” I asked.
“Are you crazy?” Garan shot back, calm but firm.
“First, we’ll alert the city guards. The Guildmaster’s already been wary of Demon Beasts recently. The guards should take our report seriously. Meanwhile, we’ve been assigned to guard the entrance of the labyrinth.”
“Labyrinth entrance? What do you mean?”
“Apparently, a statue of the Supreme God collapsed recently. They found a hidden entrance beneath it. From what I hear, there’s a massive labyrinth underground—about the size of the city itself. We’re to guard that entrance. We can’t come all this way and not take a job, right?”
“And what does that have to do with the Demon Beast? Wait—don’t tell me…”
“The labyrinth discovered beneath Solar’s statue, and the Demon Beast’s aura you sensed. Don’t you think the timing’s too coincidental?”
“You’re saying the creatures might have come because they know of the labyrinth?”
“It’s only a possibility. But remember—back in Aurel, they targeted the Prison Forest Ground. So it’s not impossible.”
Garan’s bald head gleamed faintly under the light.
“In any case, we’ll stay in Bulgarutu for the time being. We can take shifts guarding the labyrinth entrance. If we have time, we might even track down what you sensed. If my guess is right, the enemy will come to us.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Then let’s call it a day. We’re all worn from travel—get some proper rest tonight. Don’t oversleep, though. We leave before afternoon tomorrow. Anyone late will spar with me.”