The Prince from Another World Wants to Save the World

Chapter 13: Chain Reaction (4)

This was a hidden space within the Grand Temple, unknown to most people.

Of course, I’d been here three times before, so I knew the layout well. But if I acted too nonchalant, it might raise suspicions. I faked an anxious expression, touching the walls nervously as I moved.

“I had no idea the temple had a place like this. A secret wine cellar, perhaps?”

“Haha. Wine is good, but we store things far more precious and dangerous here.”

Right, I already knew what those were.

Books.

The reason the underground path of the Grand Temple was so important was that it housed books—ancient texts collected and preserved by the priests for over a thousand years.

It was a treasure trove of knowledge, containing information you couldn’t find anywhere else in the world.

Essex stopped walking between the torches lining the narrow corridor, turning to face me.

“This should be a quiet place to talk.”

“Here? You want to talk here?”

If we walked a little further in, we’d reach the entrance to the sealed library, where there were tables to sit at. So why stop here?

“I think it’s best to start by sharing what I know.”

“What is it?”

“I am aware that, over the past few years, His Highness the Regent has been secretly feeding you harmful substances.”

“….”

I bit my lip, feigning shock.

Oh? Does he know about that?

He knew about Jess’ project to poison and ruin Claude? But why hadn’t he mentioned it in previous regressions? Could it be that he only discovered it recently?

No, no. I had to think about this from a different angle.

In the past nine regressions, I thought I’d built a close relationship with the temple at least three times.

But apparently, there was a level of trust even higher than I had imagined!

This time, with Turn Undead and the title of Saint, I had crossed that threshold.

So from here on, it was uncharted territory. Lowering my head and averting my gaze, I gave off the impression of deep anguish, eager to see how much more Essex would reveal.

Alright, let’s see how much more this High Priest is willing to spill.

“Our priests and followers are spread throughout all the lands of the empire. As such, we receive a constant stream of information from many sources.”

“….”

“However, the imperial palace is heavily guarded, making it difficult to verify everything. Still, we suspected that what you were being given was far from a beneficial tonic. You consumed it for over two years while in the palace, and even after moving to your estate, you continued receiving it through Prince Albert.”

“That….”

“We have no intention of cornering you, Your Highness. I’m sure there are reasons that are difficult to explain. But with no ears listening here, I must speak plainly.”

Essex paused, his face troubled, before continuing.

“Your Highness, the reckless and terrible acts you’ve committed over the past few years… was it not all a ruse to protect yourself from the Regent’s grasp?”

…What?

A ruse? Is that how he was interpreting Claude’s behavior? That I’d been pretending to act like a rogue?

“After seeing you in person earlier today, I became certain. You’ve been feigning incompetence, pretending to be a fool. It’s the only way to avoid incurring the Regent’s greater wrath, is it not?”

Well, that much was true. But the previous actions of Claude had been driven by drug-induced madness, not strategy.

Still, if one thing appears positive, people tend to view everything else in a favorable light. Now I understood how Essex saw me.

Even if it wasn’t the truth.

But who cares?

People usually stick to their theories once they’ve deduced something themselves. And when their suspicions are confirmed, they become more convinced than ever.

So it was best to play along. This wouldn’t affect my planned tech tree anyway.

“Brother Jess….”

I sighed deeply, wearing a tormented expression.

“He wanted me to become a fool, hated by everyone. That’s why he gave me the poison. Because we have different mothers… and because, in our childhood, I monopolized our father’s love….”

For dramatic effect, I let my voice trail off there. Essex, now breathing heavily with sympathy, leaned closer to meet my gaze.

“I thought as much. Despite his calm appearance, the Regent is incredibly jealous.”

“….”

“I must apologize. The temple had long suspected this, but we chose to remain silent and did nothing.”

Well, I had no relationship with the temple before now.

But clearly, that was about to change.

“However, Your Highness is now the most important person to our temple. Even more so than me.”

“More important than the High Priest?”

“Indeed. The greatest enemy of our temple is the undead army.”

Of course, I knew that. When I once sided with the undead army and learned necromancy, the priests came after me with a vengeance….

“Through Turn Undead, you’ve already defeated the invading undead army, and you’ve declared your intention to defend this land from future invasions. It is a miracle, and a sign from the gods. At this very moment, you are the living embodiment of the long-cherished dream of our temple, our Saint.”

Hmm… What’s he getting at?

It’s obvious that the temple and the undead army are sworn enemies, but what exactly is he expecting from me?

Is he implying I should march straight to the undead army’s base and take out ‘Krok,’ the Lord of the Undead?

I mean, that’s something I’ll have to do eventually, but it wasn’t part of my immediate tech tree plan. What should I do?

“I see I may have overwhelmed you with too much at once. My apologies if I burdened you,” Essex said, his tone softening as he bowed slightly. I quickly shook my head.

“No, it’s just… I’m not sure what I should be doing next. Should I just continue protecting Elston County as planned?”

“That is important, of course. But if you wish, you may recruit as many of our priests as needed, whether for the defense of Elston or for any other task you see fit.”

Really? For real?

If that’s true, this is an enormous advantage, far beyond what I expected.

If I could mobilize a large number of priests, I’d be able to speed up several of my planned routes by a significant margin!

But before I could ask further, Essex gave me a piercing look, as if there was something else he hadn’t said yet.

“But before that, may I complete the true verification we couldn’t perform earlier today in the palace?”

“You mean Turn Undead? But that requires undead nearby….”

“There are undead here.”

With that shocking declaration, Essex reached out and grasped the torch on the wall next to him.

Clunk.

The torch shifted up and down, and once again, the wall opened to reveal yet another staircase descending into the depths.

Wait, what?

Wasn’t this supposed to be the end of the underground route? Is there something else hidden down here?

—

“Fewer than ten people in the world know of this place,” Essex said as he descended the staircase, carrying the torch. I followed him, my heart racing with excitement.

“These stairs are steep. How far down do they go?”

“Not much farther. The contents of this place are so dangerous that we had no choice but to store them this deep.”

Dangerous contents? What could they be?

I was already thrilled. How deep had they dug to hide something this massive?

But when we reached the bottom, it wasn’t what I had expected. Instead of a vast chamber, we arrived at a small room, no bigger than five pyeong.

In the center of the room sat a huddled skeleton, draped in a tattered cloak, with three priests standing around it, their hands emitting a faint, transparent light.

“Anti-Evil?”

This was a holy spell called Anti-Evil, a form of exorcism magic.

To put it simply… it was a weaker version of Turn Undead.

Low-level undead like zombies could be destroyed with this alone, and against stronger ones, it could at least immobilize and suppress their power.

Even though it was considered a relatively high-level holy spell, these three priests were using it simultaneously on a single skeleton.

“Kyaak!”

Suddenly, the skeleton raised its head.

“Essex? How long has it been? I’ve been bored, seeing the same faces over and over. Why don’t you visit more often?”

A talking skeleton? And one with intelligence?

This must be a lich.

Among the undead, only the liches ranked just below the Lord of the Undead in power.

They were nearly impossible to kill, making them one of the most troublesome enemies.

But why was such a dangerous creature being kept here, in the depths of the Grand Temple?

“….”

Essex ignored the lich’s taunts and looked to the priests around him. The three priests, who looked to be in their thirties, exchanged puzzled glances.

“High Priest, what brings you here at this hour?”

“Is something wrong with the body of Roys, who is resting?”

“And who is this young man with you? He seems quite young….”

“….”

Essex remained silent in response to the priests’ questions. Then, without warning, he grabbed my hand and spoke.

“This man is the Saint.”

“Huh?”

“I haven’t told you yet, but a miracle occurred just a few days ago.”

“A miracle…?”

“The very miracle we have been waiting for over centuries. And now, here, we will witness that miracle once again.”

The

priests, still in shock, all turned to stare at me. I awkwardly raised a hand in a small wave and introduced myself.

“Uh, yeah. The name’s Claude.”

“Claude?”

“Claude… as in the rogue Prince Claude?”

“Huh? Who’s that? A prince?”

“No, I heard about him when I had a day off and went outside for a bit….”

Even now, the priests were whispering among themselves about my infamous reputation.

Sigh… It was irritating, but I held back. This was just the price of fame.

More importantly, how had they not yet heard about my victory against the undead army? It had been days since then.

“Quiet, all of you!”

Essex waved his hand in the air, silencing the room.

“Hold your faith firmly and remain reverent. We are about to perform the proof of the Saint.”

“Kekeke… Hahaha!”

Suddenly, the skeleton burst into laughter.

“Haha! Haha, hoo… Hahahaha! This is hilarious. If you’re going to put on a show, do it right! Who’s going to believe that this little brat is a Saint?”

“Your belief is irrelevant to this matter, Rablitz.”

Essex dryly called the lich by its name. The lich, displaying an oddly expressive face for a skeleton, smirked mockingly.

“Ha, you’re funny. A Saint? At least bring someone as old as you if you want me to pretend to believe it. You’re trying to scare me into giving up information, but it’s pointless.”

The skeleton cackled, its empty eye sockets locking onto me.

And in that moment, I couldn’t contain my glee and burst into laughter.

What was this?

A lich imprisoned in the depths of the temple, with priests actively sealing it? This was a completely new development!

It was such a fresh experience that I was almost moved. I never imagined there’d be a hidden event like this in the temple route, and with a lich no less!

“Hmm? What’s wrong with this guy? Did he lose his mind?”

The lich rattled its jaw as it turned to Essex. Essex, too, tightened his grip on my hand, his face filled with concern.

“Your Highness? Is something wrong?”

“Huh? No, it’s just… it’s funny to see a skeleton clattering away, talking like that. So what’s the deal?”

“It is a lich. The most powerful undead sorcerer and the greatest enemy of mankind.”

“A lich, huh…? I think I read about them in the imperial library. But why is this lich here, in the depths of the temple?”

“A lich’s body is immortal. Unless its phylactery is destroyed, it will revive somewhere else no matter how many times you shatter it.”

Essex sighed as he explained. Meanwhile, the lich opened its jaws wide, thrashing against the light that bound it.

“So these bastards can’t kill me or let me live, and they’ve been torturing me for centuries! Just wait! One of you will slip up eventually, and I’ll kill you all and escape from here!”

“We will never let our guard down!”

The three priests shouted in unison, intensifying the light they were pouring onto the lich. The lich began to writhe in pain, white smoke rising from its bones.

“Kyaaa! Kyaaaaak!”

“Calm yourselves, all of you! Don’t let this creature’s taunts provoke you!”

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