"If you mean the Sacred Relic of Power... Didn’t you say the High Priest already used it?"

From what Zahid had uncovered during his infiltrations, Aietar had used the Sacred Relic of Power over a hundred years ago.

The "Sacred Relic of Power" was a relic that could steal divine power—the power of healing—and transform it into another type of power. However, it required an enormous amount of divine power to activate.

Aietar had used his own body as a test subject, stolen the power of the four Divine Beasts, and activated the "Sacred Relic of Power."

Because without tremendous divine power, the relic couldn’t be used.

He desired longevity, and the "Sacred Relic of Power" created a rule of "pursuer and successor" that allowed him to extend his life without rejection, using the divine power of his successors.

"It seems like there’s no limit on the number of times it can be used. The relic is said to exist beyond space and time..."

Zahid spoke with a devastated look on his face.

"I’m certain the Sacred Relic of Power was there when I first arrived at the Temple. But if Aietar took it with him when he left..."

Yuta pressed his forehead in despair.

So now... now Aietar would become even stronger.

"The Sacred Relic of Time is still here, but only the Sacred Relic of Power is missing, which makes it all the more suspicious."

At Zahid’s words, Yuta let out a heavy sigh.

It had always been said that the Sacred Relic of Time required even more divine power than the Sacred Relic of Power. So Aietar must have judged that he didn’t need the Sacred Relic of Time and left it behind.

"The reason Aietar stole the power of the four Divine Beasts after his experiments in the first place must have been because he couldn’t steal divine power from anyone other than his successors."

Zahid continued, furrowing his brow.

"Otherwise, wouldn’t he have stolen your divine power first, Yuta?"

"...That’s true."

"Then, if he has to steal divine power from something that isn’t human to activate the Sacred Relic of Power again, and the Divine Beasts are already too weak to be of use, that leaves only..."

Yuta was genuinely surprised at how much Zahid had figured out in such a short time. But he decided not to praise him.

"...The Holy Land, Arhad. A land soaked in divine power."

Yuta let out a low groan.

He wanted to grab Julian by the shoulders and shake him—before he lost his memory—and demand to know what kind of land that was, what he had discovered to make him sneak in there.

"I’ll go myself."

Zahid said quietly.

"With Fire, I can move faster than anyone, and it seems to be connected to my parents’ map. I want to track it down myself."

It was just like Zahid, who always stood at the front lines to bring down the High Priest.

Yuta stared at Zahid for a moment. Then he asked in a low voice.

"It’ll be dangerous, Zahid. Maybe even more than it was during Entoho."

"I’ve never once been afraid of that."

"...Impressive."

Yuta gave a cryptic smile, then slowly nodded.

"I’ll contact His Majesty right away. Fortunately, Aietar is away, so I can process your release quickly as his proxy."

"Thank you."

"Arhad is heavily guarded by priests, but there’s a secret passage. I’ll give you the details once you’re released. Isn’t that idiot Julian in his current state because he snuck in there without knowing about it?"

As Yuta spoke rapidly, his eyes scanned Zahid.

Fresh from wandering the Temple’s passages, Zahid looked terrible.

No matter how carefully his meals were prepared, it was still prison food. Nothing that would suit the palate of a duke like Zahid.

He was treading the dirt paths of the Temple’s deepest, most loathed places, risking his life every day...

And all of it, Yuta knew, was for Rosie.

It left him with a strange feeling.

Back in the Academy, he couldn’t even stand seeing Zahid sticking close to Rosie all the time, and he went out of his way to deduct points just to get rid of him...

Maybe he still felt just a tiny bit guilty about that?

Yuta spoke impulsively.

"Oh, Rosie said she’s meeting Linna Idra next Thursday."

Zahid’s expression didn’t change at all when he heard the name "Linna Idra."

"You’re not surprised? Did she give you a heads-up already?"

"Well..."

Zahid stroked Fire and said,

"She told me she wants to become the master of the four Divine Beasts."

"Hmm. You don’t seem too thrilled about that, Zahid?"

"Apparently, she wants to bring down Aietar herself, just like the prophecy said. But how could I be happy about the woman I love putting herself in danger?"

Zahid’s voice sank low.

"Of course, if that’s what she wants, I can’t stop her—but I still want to take care of all the dangerous stuff myself."

"Hmm..."

"And she doesn’t even know how to become the master yet..."

At that, Yuta whispered with a slight smile.

"Well, actually, I think I know how. From what I’ve heard, I have a pretty good guess."

"What? Then you should tell Rosie right away—"

"But I didn’t tell her on purpose. In fact, I made it more confusing for her."

Yuta continued with a bright smile that made him look like the most pleasant person in the world.

"For some reason, I feel like Rosie shouldn’t know until the very end. Once she becomes aware, it might actually be worse for her."

Looking at Zahid’s puzzled face, Yuta grinned.

"One thing’s for sure—the current High Priest will never become the master of the four Divine Beasts. So... I was feeling a bit relieved, but now he’s out there looking for new power again. That old man is insatiable."

Zahid’s face darkened again.

He had finally thought he’d weakened Aietar, even a little—but the thought of Aietar growing stronger weighed heavily on him.

Yuta blinked at that somber face. Then he said slowly,

"It’s at the ‘Otaz Hotel’ in Reta Village."

"...What?"

"That’s where Rosie’s meeting Linna Idra next Thursday."

"Ah..."

"It’s close to the path to Arhad, isn’t it? Maybe you could at least see her for a moment."

Excitement clearly flickered across Zahid’s face. The air around him seemed to change in an instant.

"Anyway, I’m heading to the Imperial Palace right now. You’ll be released as quickly as possible, but not today. For now, get some rest."

Yuta gave a light wave of his hand and turned away. But his face was dark.

This frequent absence... maybe it wasn’t such a good sign after all...

Yuta tried to suppress his unease.

‘I shouldn’t tell Rosie that Zahid might come to see her. If the timing doesn’t work out and she ends up waiting for nothing, it could ruin everything.’

As he hurried to request Zahid’s early release, Yuta’s steps quickened.

‘As long as she’s not with another guy, it’ll be fine. But Rosie’s ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) not the type to do that anyway.’

* * *

A few days later.

Zahid Dyfenril was released.

It was by Imperial decree from the Emperor.

Since High Priest Aietar was away, Yuta had signed off as proxy.

In any case, Zahid Dyfenril was freed long before the originally planned one-month term.

"Hey, rookie!"

Right in front of the Inner Temple, Julian was waiting.

"What the hell? You look way more haggard. Look at those eyes, they’re even sharper now—your face looks meaner."

Julian clapped Zahid’s shoulder and quickly opened the door to the carriage waiting nearby.

"First, we’ve got to head to the palace. You need to thank His Majesty."

Since the Emperor had kept sending decrees to the Temple, it was only right to go see him first.

Even if it was just for show, there were too many eyes watching—they had to go through the motions.

"You lose your pipe? Shulva said to make sure you had it."

Julian quickly shoved the decoy pipe into Zahid’s hand.

Once they got into the carriage, hidden from view, Julian’s face turned serious.

There had to be a reason Zahid got out earlier than expected.

"We’ll talk in detail after we see His Majesty."

Julian lowered his voice.

"I filled the office with soundproof magic stones."

Zahid nodded, his face hard.

And the two of them headed straight for the Imperial Palace.