# Enhanced Translation
For a while, Elfihera had been busily moving around the reliefs and stone pillars, taking notes. Soon, she returned with a triumphant expression.
"I've confirmed everything I could read! This is definitely a victory monument!"
"Who built it, and what war does it commemorate?"
"Well... hmm. That part is written rather ambiguously."
When Ivan narrowed his eyes at her, Elfihera frowned and shouted.
"Don't look at me like that! Whether ancient or modern, church people consistently plaster everything with metaphors like they're giving Zen riddles! It's normal not to fully understand the meaning unless you've majored in biblical studies!"
So we should have brought a priest in the first place.
Elfihera pouted and grumbled.
"Just explain the parts you could interpret."
"From the language alone, it's clear these are remnants of an ancient church. Not from the mythological era, but ancient... from the time of the Eastern Delen Empire. It seems to be about 2,000 years old."
"Even if wars were common in that era, why would a church build a victory monument?"
"There were plenty of reasons back then. That was when the church effectively carried out record erasure sentences. This site appears to be evidence of that. From what I can tell, the crusaders of that time fought against 'happiness.'"
"...Happiness?"
That seems like an odd concept for priests to wage war against.
As Ivan frowned, Elfihera shrugged her shoulders.
"According to the fifth pillar, 'It is said that the darkest evil is the one who whispers blessedness into the believer's ear. True bliss in this world comes only from the Lord's embrace, and there is no gospel outside the peace of the Heavenly Lord.' Hmm... and then there's a series of predictable biblical verses. To summarize, this place seems to have housed a cult."
"...A cult."
"Heretics. Yes, something like that. Their influence must have been quite substantial? This pillar style itself isn't from the church."
Ivan looked around with fresh eyes. So this place was once the headquarters of some cult.
And after defeating them, the church directly carved new reliefs into this site as a victory monument and buried it under soil and sand...
Isn't that strange?
"Why bother?"
"Pardon?"
"After achieving victory and annihilating a heretical sect, why bury it under soil? Destroying a building is overwhelmingly easier than burying it, and even if there was religious significance to burial, there's no reason to create such complex spells and reliefs."
"Hmm... church rituals from that era aren't really in a magician's domain. You'd be better off consulting a priest specializing in ancient document interpretation or biblical historical records. Anyway, that's all I know. And we can't be certain they deliberately buried it, right?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, you know. After 2,000 years, a building could naturally sink below ground level with time."
"That's impossible."
Ivan shook his head.
He raised his hand to point at the massive ceiling supported by the stone pillars.
"If this site had been buried naturally over time, it should have been excavated as ruins within the sand. This place is too intact. And in such a case, the large-scale protective spells for this site wouldn't have been necessary."
Considering how the protective spells activated immediately when the dwarven excavation artifacts accidentally damaged the area nearby, it was clear.
This site was deliberately sealed with intent.
Sealed. A seal.
Ivan mulled over this uncomfortable word as he slowly stepped forward.
"Can you reactivate the protective spells?"
"What? Why?! Are you planning to destroy something else?!"
"That's not it. I'm saying this because it might be dangerous. If it's difficult, wait behind."
"What? Dangerous? This is just an ancient relic..."
"Unlikely."
Ivan said as he armed himself with an axe and pistol.
"There's a high probability that something the church of that era dared not destroy, but had to seal underground, lies dormant in here."
That's not exactly common knowledge at the Academy.
But judging from the circumstances, it's practically common sense in "fantasy" terms. Particularly in the dark fantasy genre.
There will likely be situations ahead requiring magical interpretation. But that's not something worth exposing the Hero Party's ward to unprecedented danger.
Until reaching this site, everything had been within the range of expectations, and if his "common sense" had been correct, this should have been nothing more than an ordinary treasure vault. Naturally, guarding one person would have been no challenge.
Now the situation is different. If some ancient demon sealed by the ancient church's crusaders lies dormant here, he cannot guarantee this kid's safety.
"Wait here. Can you use a levitation spell?"
"What do you take me for! That's a basic spell!"
"Good then. If it seems dangerous, escape from this site and fly to the waterway using the levitation spell. If you get lost on the way, stay put and wait."
There should be Elizabeta's agents stationed in the Pritzenkaya underground waterway. If time passes after he leaves on his mission, a rescue team will certainly be dispatched.
It's better to send her there. Ivan turned and walked forward.
"Wait, what about you?"
"I have to do what needs to be done."
"What? No, if it seems dangerous, wouldn't it be better to retreat and wait for support...!"
"This is directly beneath St. Yansk University."
Ivan continued walking without turning his head.
"With the dwarf artifact causing a fracture, an ancient relic that no one had noticed for centuries has suddenly appeared. Can you guarantee it will remain safe as time passes?"
There was no need or reason to explain further.
This is Ivan's "common sense." Once a seal is discovered, it will inevitably be broken soon.
It's almost like fantasy-quantum mechanics. You could say the state is determined at the moment of observation. It's essentially an encounter situation.
Since there was no way to explain all this, Ivan headed deeper into the site.
"But, but all by yourself?"
"I'm used to it."
Though he mainly operated in small strike teams, the Annihilation Squad fundamentally specialized in infiltration and reconnaissance. Naturally, he had performed plenty of solo missions within certain areas.
And in another sense, he was "used to it."
What is reconnaissance?
Reconnaissance refers to agents dispatched to identify threat factors in advance when allies are heading into unexplored territory.
So having served in a reconnaissance unit, especially for the Hero Party, means only one thing.
To survive in any situation.
To respond to any situation encountered.
Basically, Ivan had only been assigned missions assuming encounters with unknown enemies. Until they reached the very doorstep of the Demon King's castle.
So, in every sense, this is a familiar situation. Not welcome, but if it must be done, it must be done.
"Eek!!"
He heard the sound of hurried footsteps.
Elfihera stood close behind Ivan's back and heaved a deep sigh.
"Taking care of lower races is an elf's duty, and protecting commoners is a noble's duty!"
"That's somewhat different from the elven duties I know."
"Do you know elves better than I do?!"
"Not really."
"Then from today, remember this. I really don't understand why there are so many racists among humans. Is it because of your underdeveloped social culture?"
Isn't that statement racist itself?
Ivan briefly thought so, but seeing Elfihera following him nervously with clicking footsteps, he smiled.
He had thought resembling Beolgrin halfway would be enough.
Her personality is slightly better than Beolgrin's.
"Time really makes itself felt. You've grown well."
"What...? Do you know me?"
"Of course. How could I forget?"
Ivan chuckled as he recalled Elfihera from those days.
Anxiety layered Elfihera's face.
"When...? When did we meet?"
"Twelve years ago. When Beolgrin came to our camp. Didn't you ask me to bring the 'elf master'? Saying we should serve a meal, not fodder."
"Uh... uhh...!!"
"Remember?"
"Unlike humans!! Our memory is... good."
Elfihera's face turned bright red.
"You... uh. You've changed... changed... very differently from my memory?"
"Time is time."
"...Right. Humans age quickly. That's right...."
She seemed to have something to say as she mumbled, but soon turned her head away.
Even as they passed the stone pillars and headed deeper into the ruins, Elfihera remained silent.
Occasionally glancing at Ivan's face, she quietly followed behind him.
After a long while, when they finally reached the end of this massive temple, Ivan stopped.
A huge, obviously suspicious door stood before their eyes.
"Do you sense anything?"
"No. The magical energy is actually... fainter than at the entrance."
"Hmm."
Ivan carefully lifted his axe and pushed the door.
Though he expected some kind of seal or resistance, contrary to his expectations, the door opened smoothly as if its hinges had been oiled.
-Whoosh.
Warm air washed over his face.
Ivan covered his eyes with one hand and held his breath. A sweet smell permeated the air.
Poison?
As he hurriedly tried to warn Elfihera, Ivan froze at the sight before him.
"...What is this."
Beyond the door was a vast space filled with mountains of tiny objects, smaller than a palm.
Sparkling in the light shining from somewhere in the ceiling.
Piled high like treasures from a story....
"Combs...?"
Ivan narrowed his eyes and looked ahead. Nothing else was visible.
Combs of various kinds, decorated with mother-of-pearl, gold, silver, and all sorts of precious metals and jewels... were piled up endlessly, glittering.
No, upon careful observation, they were slightly different from ordinary combs.
About a span smaller than regular combs. The kind that would only be used for a very limited purpose....
'Beard... combs...?'
Ivan stepped back cautiously. Why would beard combs suddenly appear in a place like this? In this clearly suspicious situation, Ivan raised his axe and looked for Elfihera.
Elfihera, who had been standing right behind him, was muttering in a dazed expression.
"Gold... spell scrolls... my goodness, is that Loraine...?! Why is something so precious here...? That... that could extend life by at least 10 years...."
She seemed to be rambling in a mix of languages, including Elvish, judging by the incomprehensible words she was muttering.
At that point, Ivan nodded.
'So that's what happiness meant.'
The victory monument in the relief stated, 'The darkest evil is the one who whispers blessedness into the believer's ear.'
And the fragment of the past Ivan briefly saw when entering this space. Memories with the late king.
What he said when waking the unconscious Elfihera. 'It was such a good dream.'
It wasn't an illusion showing regret or lingering attachment. It was merely a fantasy recreating the moment that person desired most.
The north wind and the sun.
Indeed, the most difficult opponent to resist is one's own happiness.
Ivan nodded. In that sense, it was fortunate.
Because in this primitive pre-modern world, he desired nothing except a beard comb.
What he now desired existed only on Earth.
Family whose faces were fading, friends whose names he couldn't remember, hometown food he could eat whenever he wanted, TV and smartphones. Whatever it might be.
So that's why it looks like this.
Ivan smiled wryly as he looked at the colorful cascade of beard combs pouring down before his eyes.
And immediately, he slapped Elfihera's cheek.