“If the royal family of Alectron got wind of this research—”
“They would embrace this as a holy land even more fervently than they already do. Indeed, it’s already a center of great veneration.”
The royal family of Alectron had designated these ruins as a holy ground. If I recalled correctly, they believed themselves to be the first humans the Goddess of Creation had made. It was this belief that made her the center of their worship.
The Cremoux religion emerged after Heaven—the home of the gods—and the Demon Realm were torn apart. The goddess worship of Alectron was even older than that.
“Interesting.” Sir Osvalt sounded lost in thought. “If that’s true, then…”
“Is something bothering you, Sir Osvalt?” Intrigued, I asked what was troubling him.
“Huh? Well, sort of. The royal family of Alectron pays a clandestine visit to the Sivaltz Ruins once every four years, so I maintain certain diplomatic relations with them.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And they’re due another visit this summer.”
“Is that so?”
Even if it wasn’t an official visit, it would be customary for the royal family to ask Parnacorta’s royal family for permission. After all, the ruins were within their jurisdiction.
“Four years ago, my older brother was the one to deal with them. But this year, I’ve been asked to take on that task.”
“Prince Reichardt has passed the duty on to you?”
“He’s given me permission to act on his authority, in case something happens to him. He wants me to experience different responsibilities to make me more mindful of my role as a member of the royal family.”
I’d heard about this prior to our wedding. Sir Osvalt had been surprised that Prince Reichardt had given him such authority, but he accepted it out of consideration for his brother’s feelings toward their country.
“I’ll help you out, then. Let’s work together.”
“Philia… Your support would be invaluable. But could you let me do this on my own? My brother says he’s counting on me. I have to try to live up to his expectations.”
There was a powerful gleam in his amber eyes. The simultaneous gentleness and intensity of that light told me that his mind was set.
“I understand. Just don’t hesitate to speak up if you find yourself in trouble.”
“Sure. If I’m ever in a tricky spot, you’re the woman I’ll turn to. Thank you.”
Sir Osvalt responded with good grace, but something told me he’d do whatever it took to complete the task by himself. I was stubborn myself, so I could understand that. I knew how powerful human willpower could be when compromise wasn’t an option.
“Prince Osvalt. Lady Philia.” Rick reluctantly raised his hand. “Are you ready to move along, by any chance? Indeed, you’ll have to excuse my insolence—but if we fall behind schedule, we won’t be able to see everything the ruins have to offer.”
“Oh, good point. Take us to the next exhibit, Rick.”
“M-my pleasure. I apologize for hurrying you along.”
We followed the advice of our tour guide and continued to make our way around the ruins.
“You see, the Sivaltz Ruins are revered as the birthplace of the Goddess, but in recent years, they’ve also gained renown as an archeological site.”
“Is it true that divine objects have been unearthed here?”
“Shrewd as ever, Lady Philia. You certainly know your stuff. Indeed.”
Divine objects were thought to be left behind by the gods. The only one I’d personally seen was the Holy Servant’s Staff, during our visit to the Holy Land. It was powerful enough to control Hades himself.
Many divine objects harbored power that far exceeded human capabilities. Every country treated them as national treasures.
“These ruins have their own treasure vault. It’s kept under especially tight supervision, and stealing from it would incur an automatic death sentence.”
“Even fewer people are allowed in there, aren’t they? I hear that only some researchers are permitted to enter, and even then, they’re monitored.”
“Yes, yes. Surveillance is carried out by the most proficient and trusted cavaliers the Knights of Parnacorta have to offer.”
These were national treasures and priceless artifacts. It was only natural that they were kept under such close surveillance.
We were planning to look inside the treasure vault, but I wasn’t the only one who needed permission from the king to do so. Even Prince Osvalt required authorization. Not even princes could enter the vault without prior approval.
“Thank you for requesting His Majesty’s permission to visit the treasure vault, Sir Osvalt.”
“Hey, don’t worry about that,” Sir Osvalt answered with a cheerful smile. “It’s really nothing. Rick will take us there later.”
His smile was reassuring. His warmth could put anyone at ease.
“I’m no exception to the rules,” said Rick. “This will only be the third time I’ve had the privilege to enter the treasure vault. Indeed, it’s the first time I’ve gone inside for any reason besides research. Having said that, let’s begin by taking a look at the excavation sites.”
Rick guided us to the spots where the archeological digs had taken place. Even these areas had limited access, so excavation had taken years.
After all, preserving the site was the top priority. The pace of progress was secondary.
That was a testament to the king’s grandfather’s commitment to archeology. His Majesty had followed his forebear’s example.
Thanks to this continued passion for preservation, the stone paving and columns built by the ancients remained beautifully intact. The extraordinary space felt frozen in time.
“This is where the Sage’s Gold, which has been designated as a national treasure, was found. Indeed.”
“The Sage’s Gold was discovered here? How fascinating.”
The Sage’s Gold was one of the national treasures of Parnacorta. A mysterious vessel no larger than a cube of sugar, it produced a sample of pure gold each day. It was revered as a divine object, and how it continued to generate gold remained a mystery.
“May I take a closer look?”
“Oh, most certainly. You’re very welcome to look, Lady Philia. But do be careful where you step. Indeed.”
Unable to contain my curiosity, I ventured closer to the dig site.
When I peered down into the deep hole, so deep that I couldn’t see the bottom, I understood exactly what Rick meant. If I slipped and fell, I could severely injure myself.
“This is where the Sage’s Gold was dug up, huh?” said Sir Osvalt. “I remember the stir that caused. The lead researcher was the eldest son of an untitled noble, and he was named a baron for his discovery.”
“You must mean Baron Olfmeil,” I said.
“You’ve heard of him? I should have known.” Sir Osvalt added, “Rick was one of his students.”
Rick bowed his head, looking embarrassed. “I-indeed I was. H-how very kind of you to mention it. Yes.”
I’d known about Baron Olfmeil since my time in Girtonia, and had even read several of his books. Having the title of baron bestowed upon him reflected the greatness of his achievements—and it showed how important archeology was to Parnacorta.
“Still, Baron Olfmeil has retired now, and uhh, excavation has been halted for the past six months due to budget constraints—”
“Sorry?”
Rick appeared somewhat preoccupied, but my voice brought a look of panic to his face. “Oh, ignore me. It was nothing. Indeed.”
I was fairly sure I’d just heard him say that work had halted due to funding…
“S-sorry. I’ll, uh, refrain from making any more flippant comments. Indeed.”
“Your budget wasn’t cut so that I could be brought to this country, was it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Rick shook his head, refuting my suspicions. “If it weren’t for you, not only these ruins, but our whole country would’ve been destroyed! The cuts had nothing to do with you! Indeed!”
“I see…”
Still, there must have been some connection. I’d heard that Parnacorta gave a national budget’s worth of wealth and resources to Girtonia in exchange for me. It didn’t take a genius to work out that this would lead to cuts in domestic research.
“Philia,” Sir Osvalt cut in, “it was our decision to purchase a saint. Above all, we needed you. And you’ve achieved far more than anyone expected. You have nothing to worry about.”
Parnacorta had been in a truly dire situation. After Elizabeth passed away, the Knights of Parnacorta struggled to protect the country on their own.
Despite his misgivings, Sir Osvalt ultimately accepted his family’s decision to purchase a saint from another country. The crisis must have been serious indeed.
“It’s all right, Sir Osvalt. I’m not trying to blame myself. There’s another matter that concerns me.”
“Oh? What’s troubling you?”
What I had noticed didn’t make sense, given what we’d just learned. If my suspicions were right, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to the matter.
“Sir Osvalt, look over there. Those are human footprints.”
“What?” Sir Osvalt inspected the area I’d pointed out, then responded with a nod. “Hmm. Now that you mention it, they do look like footprints.”
“It rained three days ago, so they must have been made in the past two days.”