After Linel's permission, Prince Tesla ordered Grand Duke Martins to tell the knights of the escort route to the monastery.
The monastery was located near the border between the Lapion Empire and the Kingdom of Shattonil. It was a bit far from the border village of the Kingdom of Shattonil, but fortunately, it was close to where we were now.
Everyone was on alert and headed to the monastery.
However, the visibility was not good due to the increasingly heavy rain.
When the rain started to fall, everyone became silent.
It seemed that only the sounds of nature existed in the forest.
After the uproar caused by Galaco, fear settled in everyone's hearts.
Most of the normally dignified guests cowered.
Even though the knights were stationed in front, behind, on both sides, and in the middle to protect the guests, they were helpless if Galaco came down from the sky and attacked.
Galaco attacks regardless of rank, whether they are nobles, knights, or servants.
To the monster, they are all just food.
You never know when or where Galaco will appear, rip your body off with its sharp claws, and eat you in midair.
The fear and dread were clearly visible on the faces of the nobles.
Fortunately, Galaco was nowhere to be seen on the way to the monastery, perhaps because of the rain.
“There it is!”
Grand Duke Martins shouted, pointing to the monastery spire in the distance.
After walking for about ten minutes, an old monastery covered in vines appeared. The monastery was smaller than I thought, but rather cozy.
“I can’t sleep here,”
Linel said to me, looking at the hideous monastery building.
“The inside might be nice.”
I tried to respond positively, but in fact, I was thinking the same thing.
“I hope so. Since we’ve strayed from the originally planned path, there’s no villa to stay in.”
“Oh, I guess so...”
“We’ll have to continue camping until the Shaborder village, but the problem is that camping will be difficult when the rain pours down like this.”
I nodded to Linel and looked at the main gate leading into the monastery with a worried look.
The main gate leading into the monastery was a large wooden gate.
However, due to being neglected for a long time, the upper and lower parts of the wooden gate were damaged as if they had been ground by something.
The knights went into the monastery first to check, and when they saw that there was no problem, they all quickly got off their horses and carriages and went into the lobby to avoid the rain.
The monastery had a pleasant, musty smell.
Dust rose up every time the guests moved. When the guests sneezed and fanned themselves, it felt like countless spiderwebs were swaying.
“First, let’s light the fire.”
At Linel’s words, the knights brought the remaining oil lamps from the monastery and started lighting them.
However, the flames that were barely lit would sway precariously and often go out again.
So the master of the tower stepped in and rekindled the flames in the oil lamps.
“If Your Majesty, the Empress, could help me just a little, I think the flames would be stronger.”
Magic Tower's Lord came to me and quietly asked for help.
I stared at the oil lamps one by one, feeling as if I was trying to increase the flames.
Then, the flames that had been moving precariously inside the lamps began to bloom in a straight shape.
The monastery was located near the border between the Lapion Empire and the Kingdom of Shattonil. It was a bit far from the border village of the Kingdom of Shattonil, but fortunately, it was close to where we were now.
Everyone was on alert and headed to the monastery.
However, the visibility was not good due to the increasingly heavy rain.
When the rain started to fall, everyone became silent.
It seemed that only the sounds of nature existed in the forest.
After the uproar caused by Galaco, fear settled in everyone's hearts.
Most of the normally dignified guests cowered.
Even though the knights were stationed in front, behind, on both sides, and in the middle to protect the guests, they were helpless if Galaco came down from the sky and attacked.
Galaco attacks regardless of rank, whether they are nobles, knights, or servants.
To the monster, they are all just food.
You never know when or where Galaco will appear, rip your body off with its sharp claws, and eat you in midair.
The fear and dread were clearly visible on the faces of the nobles.
Fortunately, Galaco was nowhere to be seen on the way to the monastery, perhaps because of the rain.
“There it is!”
Grand Duke Martins shouted, pointing to the monastery spire in the distance.
After walking for about ten minutes, an old monastery covered in vines appeared. The monastery was smaller than I thought, but rather cozy.
“I can’t sleep here,”
Linel said to me, looking at the hideous monastery building.
“The inside might be nice.”
I tried to respond positively, but in fact, I was thinking the same thing.
“I hope so. Since we’ve strayed from the originally planned path, there’s no villa to stay in.”
“Oh, I guess so...”
“We’ll have to continue camping until the Shaborder village, but the problem is that camping will be difficult when the rain pours down like this.”
I nodded to Linel and looked at the main gate leading into the monastery with a worried look.
The main gate leading into the monastery was a large wooden gate.
However, due to being neglected for a long time, the upper and lower parts of the wooden gate were damaged as if they had been ground by something.
The knights went into the monastery first to check, and when they saw that there was no problem, they all quickly got off their horses and carriages and went into the lobby to avoid the rain.
The monastery had a pleasant, musty smell.
Dust rose up every time the guests moved. When the guests sneezed and fanned themselves, it felt like countless spiderwebs were swaying.
“First, let’s light the fire.”
At Linel’s words, the knights brought the remaining oil lamps from the monastery and started lighting them.
However, the flames that were barely lit would sway precariously and often go out again.
So the master of the tower stepped in and rekindled the flames in the oil lamps.
“If Your Majesty, the Empress, could help me just a little, I think the flames would be stronger.”
Magic Tower's Lord came to me and quietly asked for help.
I stared at the oil lamps one by one, feeling as if I was trying to increase the flames.
Then, the flames that had been moving precariously inside the lamps began to bloom in a straight shape.
The Magic Tower's Lord made a slightly surprised expression and then smiled at me.
I felt strangely proud, as if Matapju had acknowledged me.
“Shouldn’t we definitely stay here tonight?”
The concubines’ expressions turned sour at the Tower Lord's suggestion.
“I think a ghost will come out, but isn’t there another way?”
Melanie grumbled, covering her mouth with her hand to block the dust.
“It’ll be safer than the forest where Galaco comes out. It might get washed away by the rain before that.”
When I spoke without smiling, Melanie pouted and made a face as if she were about to cry.
“Ah, Prince Tesla. What did Grand Duke Martins say before we left the villa? It seems like there’s a rumor that this monastery is cursed?”
Emperor Adrian, who had his hair cut short, asked Prince Tesla, who was leaning on his cane.
“Ah, the rumor about it being cursed is all just a lie. In fact, there were reports that the last abbot here was abusive to the priests here.”
“What kind of abusive behavior led to the monastery being closed?”
Emperor Adrian asked again.
Everyone was shivering from the long rain, but they seemed to be curious as to why the monastery was closed.
As the curious eyes stared at Prince Tesla, the Prince smiled broadly and opened his mouth.
“According to the testimonies of the people at that time, Owen, the abbot, was a genius and an eccentric. That’s why he set up strange devices and traps all over the monastery.”
Strange devices and traps?
“He’s not a genius, he’s just crazy.”
I whispered to Linel while listening to Prince Tesla’s story.
“What are these strange devices?”
Linel chuckled at my words, then became serious and asked Prince Tesla.
“For example, they say they set up a place called the Secret Chamber and tortured priests there.”
“Furthermore, they say that under the pretext of judging people, they had the priests kidnap criminals and put them in the judgment chamber they set up and punished them.”
The Grand Duke Martins added an explanation.
Everyone’s eyes widened at Grand Duke Martins’s words, and they looked around the lobby.
They seemed worried that there might be some traps that hadn’t been discovered yet.
Hearing that story, the monastery building somehow felt even more eerie..
“What would happen if you escape the trap and the judgment chamber?”
I suddenly had a question and asked Grand Duke Martins.
“There’s a rumor that he called it salvation.”
“He really thought he was a god.”
Grand Duke Martins nodded to me and continued.
“The problem is that he gradually began to treat not only criminals but also innocent people as his entertainment. It’s said that he played games with women, children, and the elderly who visited the monastery.”
“What a crazy old man. How did the abbot come up with such a thing?”
Linel snorted.
“There’s a blueprint he drew up for the interior of this place just before he was executed, and a journal of his activities up until then.”
This time, Prince Tesla spoke, examining the curious expressions of each of the guests.
“Is the journal a kind of statement?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s right. I guess so.”
“What does it say? Doesn’t it seem like he reflected on it?”
“Yes. According to the statement, he wrote that he did it because the devil told him to.”
“He never reflected on it. Judging from the nonsense he kept saying.”
When Rosie suddenly interrupted, Melanie, who was next to her, snorted and added,
“That’s right. That’s a ridiculous excuse. The devil? Is that something an abbot would say?”
“Did Prince Tesla see the devices inside the monastery that were written with the statement? If you did, you might have a rough idea of where the traps are set up here, right?”
I didn’t want to even look at Prince Tesla about Bonis, but I asked him.
Then the Prince said, “Ah,” and looked troubled.
I knew the expression on his face whenever he had something in mind, even if others didn’t, so I looked at him closely.
“Unfortunately, I was young at the time, so I didn’t see the statement or the blueprints.”
That was a lie.
There was no way the evil man didn’t see it. He might not have seen it then, but he probably would have seen it after he grew up.
I turned my gaze to Grand Duke Martins.
The Grand Duke was staring at Prince Tesla, and it seemed like he was thinking the same thing as I.
“Let’s check out the rooms that the priests used.”
“Your Majesty, I think you will enjoy a warm meal for dinner.”
Sharon said excitedly, examining the fireplace and brazier.
“Huh? What is this door?”
I heard Princess Resilia’s voice behind me.
Why did she follow me?
Princess Resilia seemed to have followed Pecilini instead of Princess Jasper.
In any case, everyone looked at where Princess Lesilia was standing at the sound of her voice.
“Aha, it’s probably the passage to the wine cellar,”
Rosie said, pointing to the oak barrel standing in front of the wooden door.
“I’ve heard of it too. Monasteries usually have a passage leading to the wine cellar in the kitchen.”
Sharon agreed with Rosie.
“Wine? That’s great! Wine gets better the longer it ages, so even if it’s old, if it’s been well-kept, you can still drink it, right? I want a glass right now!”
Melanie said, swallowing hard.
Everyone was already soaking wet from the rain, so it seemed like drinking wine would warm them up a bit.
“Let’s go in.”
Empress Elan said, taking the lead.
“It might be a little dangerous, so how about we all go together?”
Princess Resilia said, taking the initiative for some reason.
Did she think she would share the wine without me?
Everyone nodded to the Princess’s suggestion and stepped inside the wooden door.
Everyone walked carefully through the passage, relying on the light of the oil lamp that Sharon and Rosie’s attendant Misha had brought from the lobby.
The inside of the monastery walls was covered in moss, reminding us once again that this place had been untouched for a very long time.
“This is it.”
When Empress Elan pushed the wooden door aside, numerous oak barrels were piled up inside the wine cellar.
“Oh my? What is this on the floor?”
Princess Resilia asked curiously, jumping up and stepping on something with her tiptoe.
I looked down at the floor carefully.
There was a star-shaped drawing in the center of the wine cellar floor, and a hexagonal shape was drawn around the outside, surrounding the star shape.
Why would there be such a fancy drawing on the floor of the wine cellar?
Could it be one of the strange devices or traps that Prince Tesla and Grand Duke Martins had mentioned?
“Everyone, it would be better not to step on the drawing on the floor.”
Before I could finish my words,
“Oh my! I already stepped on it. Why is that, Your Majesty?”
Princess Resilia stood on one of the corners of the cube, right in front of the storage door as if she had been waiting.
It seemed as if she was deliberately provoking me, perhaps because my words felt like an order, and she was annoyed.
“Huh? The star-shaped thing lights up? I guess the light comes on when I step on it.”
The moment the Princess stepped onto the corner, the star-shaped thing inside the cube began to blink.
“It doesn’t seem dangerous. It’s dark, so that’s good.”
Catherine watched Princess Resilia standing on the corner for a moment before stepping onto the corner herself and saying.
Seeing that, the other concubines all stepped on the corners of the cube one by one, looking at the star-shaped thing inside the circle with a golden light shining in wonder.
Some of them even went inside the star-shaped thing and enjoyed watching the golden light coming from right under their feet whenever they stepped on the corner.
Before I knew it, I was being pulled by the hand of one of the concubines and ended up standing on the corner closest to where I was standing.
So right in front of the door, Princess Resilia, Catherine, and Melanie were on the vertices on either side of her, Empress Elan and Rosie below them, and I stood in front of the vertices opposite Princess Resilia, facing her.
And the four people who entered the star-shaped picture without thinking were Pesilini, Sharon, Rosie’s attendant Misha, and Melanie’s attendant Hedon.
As we all stepped on the vertices of the cube, the star shape suddenly began to rotate slowly.
“Oh my, why is the circle rotating?”
Melanie exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone tilted their heads and watched the star shape inside the rotating circle, and then,
boom!
The star shape suddenly sank downward.
“Whoa!”
At that, everyone inside the star shape screamed.
I reached out to Sharon, who was in front of me, but the star shape sank down to the same height as her, so I couldn’t grab it.
“What the heck is this?!”
I stepped back, and when the star shape seemed to move again, I instinctively stepped on the vertices again.
“I think I’ve fallen into a trap!”
Empress Elan said seriously, looking at the star shape that had descended.
“Your Majesty, isn’t this drawing on the ground a trap that the abbot made?”
Rosie said with a trembling voice.
Then Princess Resilia and the other concubines tried to step off the top.
I knew intuitively that if I took my foot off, the star shape would turn and sink back down.
Damn it!
I shouted to those standing on top.
“Everyone, stay in your seats!”
I felt strangely proud, as if Matapju had acknowledged me.
“Shouldn’t we definitely stay here tonight?”
The concubines’ expressions turned sour at the Tower Lord's suggestion.
“I think a ghost will come out, but isn’t there another way?”
Melanie grumbled, covering her mouth with her hand to block the dust.
“It’ll be safer than the forest where Galaco comes out. It might get washed away by the rain before that.”
When I spoke without smiling, Melanie pouted and made a face as if she were about to cry.
“Ah, Prince Tesla. What did Grand Duke Martins say before we left the villa? It seems like there’s a rumor that this monastery is cursed?”
Emperor Adrian, who had his hair cut short, asked Prince Tesla, who was leaning on his cane.
“Ah, the rumor about it being cursed is all just a lie. In fact, there were reports that the last abbot here was abusive to the priests here.”
“What kind of abusive behavior led to the monastery being closed?”
Emperor Adrian asked again.
Everyone was shivering from the long rain, but they seemed to be curious as to why the monastery was closed.
As the curious eyes stared at Prince Tesla, the Prince smiled broadly and opened his mouth.
“According to the testimonies of the people at that time, Owen, the abbot, was a genius and an eccentric. That’s why he set up strange devices and traps all over the monastery.”
Strange devices and traps?
“He’s not a genius, he’s just crazy.”
I whispered to Linel while listening to Prince Tesla’s story.
“What are these strange devices?”
Linel chuckled at my words, then became serious and asked Prince Tesla.
“For example, they say they set up a place called the Secret Chamber and tortured priests there.”
“Furthermore, they say that under the pretext of judging people, they had the priests kidnap criminals and put them in the judgment chamber they set up and punished them.”
The Grand Duke Martins added an explanation.
Everyone’s eyes widened at Grand Duke Martins’s words, and they looked around the lobby.
They seemed worried that there might be some traps that hadn’t been discovered yet.
Hearing that story, the monastery building somehow felt even more eerie..
“What would happen if you escape the trap and the judgment chamber?”
I suddenly had a question and asked Grand Duke Martins.
“There’s a rumor that he called it salvation.”
“He really thought he was a god.”
Grand Duke Martins nodded to me and continued.
“The problem is that he gradually began to treat not only criminals but also innocent people as his entertainment. It’s said that he played games with women, children, and the elderly who visited the monastery.”
“What a crazy old man. How did the abbot come up with such a thing?”
Linel snorted.
“There’s a blueprint he drew up for the interior of this place just before he was executed, and a journal of his activities up until then.”
This time, Prince Tesla spoke, examining the curious expressions of each of the guests.
“Is the journal a kind of statement?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s right. I guess so.”
“What does it say? Doesn’t it seem like he reflected on it?”
“Yes. According to the statement, he wrote that he did it because the devil told him to.”
“He never reflected on it. Judging from the nonsense he kept saying.”
When Rosie suddenly interrupted, Melanie, who was next to her, snorted and added,
“That’s right. That’s a ridiculous excuse. The devil? Is that something an abbot would say?”
“Did Prince Tesla see the devices inside the monastery that were written with the statement? If you did, you might have a rough idea of where the traps are set up here, right?”
I didn’t want to even look at Prince Tesla about Bonis, but I asked him.
Then the Prince said, “Ah,” and looked troubled.
I knew the expression on his face whenever he had something in mind, even if others didn’t, so I looked at him closely.
“Unfortunately, I was young at the time, so I didn’t see the statement or the blueprints.”
That was a lie.
There was no way the evil man didn’t see it. He might not have seen it then, but he probably would have seen it after he grew up.
I turned my gaze to Grand Duke Martins.
The Grand Duke was staring at Prince Tesla, and it seemed like he was thinking the same thing as I.
“Let’s check out the rooms that the priests used.”
Not only the knights but also some of the guests joined Linel’s words and decided to move in groups.
“It would be better for the ladies to stay here. It would be bad if they fainted even after seeing a ghost.”
Emperor Katria drew her sword and winked at her concubines as if she were not a woman.
The concubines’ expressions were mostly sullen, but none of them wanted to follow her.
I decided to stay in the lobby with the concubines at Linel’s insistence.
While the men went to look around the inside of the monastery, the concubine’s servants found the kitchen.
It wasn’t too far from where we were, and the kitchen was connected to the dining hall at a glance.
“Let’s go and take a look.”
Melanie made her move first.
Since it was boring to just stand there and wait, the concubines, including me, started to look around the kitchen after passing through the dining hall.
The monastery’s kitchen was quite large.
There was also a countertop where a large group of people could cook at the same time, if they were willing to make a fire.
“It would be better for the ladies to stay here. It would be bad if they fainted even after seeing a ghost.”
Emperor Katria drew her sword and winked at her concubines as if she were not a woman.
The concubines’ expressions were mostly sullen, but none of them wanted to follow her.
I decided to stay in the lobby with the concubines at Linel’s insistence.
***
While the men went to look around the inside of the monastery, the concubine’s servants found the kitchen.
It wasn’t too far from where we were, and the kitchen was connected to the dining hall at a glance.
“Let’s go and take a look.”
Melanie made her move first.
Since it was boring to just stand there and wait, the concubines, including me, started to look around the kitchen after passing through the dining hall.
The monastery’s kitchen was quite large.
There was also a countertop where a large group of people could cook at the same time, if they were willing to make a fire.
“Your Majesty, I think you will enjoy a warm meal for dinner.”
Sharon said excitedly, examining the fireplace and brazier.
“Huh? What is this door?”
I heard Princess Resilia’s voice behind me.
Why did she follow me?
Princess Resilia seemed to have followed Pecilini instead of Princess Jasper.
In any case, everyone looked at where Princess Lesilia was standing at the sound of her voice.
“Aha, it’s probably the passage to the wine cellar,”
Rosie said, pointing to the oak barrel standing in front of the wooden door.
“I’ve heard of it too. Monasteries usually have a passage leading to the wine cellar in the kitchen.”
Sharon agreed with Rosie.
“Wine? That’s great! Wine gets better the longer it ages, so even if it’s old, if it’s been well-kept, you can still drink it, right? I want a glass right now!”
Melanie said, swallowing hard.
Everyone was already soaking wet from the rain, so it seemed like drinking wine would warm them up a bit.
“Let’s go in.”
Empress Elan said, taking the lead.
“It might be a little dangerous, so how about we all go together?”
Princess Resilia said, taking the initiative for some reason.
Did she think she would share the wine without me?
Everyone nodded to the Princess’s suggestion and stepped inside the wooden door.
Everyone walked carefully through the passage, relying on the light of the oil lamp that Sharon and Rosie’s attendant Misha had brought from the lobby.
The inside of the monastery walls was covered in moss, reminding us once again that this place had been untouched for a very long time.
“This is it.”
When Empress Elan pushed the wooden door aside, numerous oak barrels were piled up inside the wine cellar.
“Oh my? What is this on the floor?”
Princess Resilia asked curiously, jumping up and stepping on something with her tiptoe.
I looked down at the floor carefully.
There was a star-shaped drawing in the center of the wine cellar floor, and a hexagonal shape was drawn around the outside, surrounding the star shape.
Why would there be such a fancy drawing on the floor of the wine cellar?
Could it be one of the strange devices or traps that Prince Tesla and Grand Duke Martins had mentioned?
“Everyone, it would be better not to step on the drawing on the floor.”
Before I could finish my words,
“Oh my! I already stepped on it. Why is that, Your Majesty?”
Princess Resilia stood on one of the corners of the cube, right in front of the storage door as if she had been waiting.
It seemed as if she was deliberately provoking me, perhaps because my words felt like an order, and she was annoyed.
“Huh? The star-shaped thing lights up? I guess the light comes on when I step on it.”
The moment the Princess stepped onto the corner, the star-shaped thing inside the cube began to blink.
“It doesn’t seem dangerous. It’s dark, so that’s good.”
Catherine watched Princess Resilia standing on the corner for a moment before stepping onto the corner herself and saying.
Seeing that, the other concubines all stepped on the corners of the cube one by one, looking at the star-shaped thing inside the circle with a golden light shining in wonder.
Some of them even went inside the star-shaped thing and enjoyed watching the golden light coming from right under their feet whenever they stepped on the corner.
Before I knew it, I was being pulled by the hand of one of the concubines and ended up standing on the corner closest to where I was standing.
So right in front of the door, Princess Resilia, Catherine, and Melanie were on the vertices on either side of her, Empress Elan and Rosie below them, and I stood in front of the vertices opposite Princess Resilia, facing her.
And the four people who entered the star-shaped picture without thinking were Pesilini, Sharon, Rosie’s attendant Misha, and Melanie’s attendant Hedon.
As we all stepped on the vertices of the cube, the star shape suddenly began to rotate slowly.
“Oh my, why is the circle rotating?”
Melanie exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone tilted their heads and watched the star shape inside the rotating circle, and then,
boom!
The star shape suddenly sank downward.
“Whoa!”
At that, everyone inside the star shape screamed.
I reached out to Sharon, who was in front of me, but the star shape sank down to the same height as her, so I couldn’t grab it.
“What the heck is this?!”
I stepped back, and when the star shape seemed to move again, I instinctively stepped on the vertices again.
“I think I’ve fallen into a trap!”
Empress Elan said seriously, looking at the star shape that had descended.
“Your Majesty, isn’t this drawing on the ground a trap that the abbot made?”
Rosie said with a trembling voice.
Then Princess Resilia and the other concubines tried to step off the top.
I knew intuitively that if I took my foot off, the star shape would turn and sink back down.
Damn it!
I shouted to those standing on top.
“Everyone, stay in your seats!”
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