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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 188: Treasure Hunt (3)
A cave where pure white light clusters drift around.
I squinted as I looked at a translucent light cluster shaped like a girl, who introduced herself as "Grace."
“I thought Grace had died a long time ago.”
[You’re right. So to be precise, I’m just a fragment of Grace’s soul... a remnant soul.]
A remnant soul of Grace, huh.
“Why has Grace’s remnant soul come looking for me?”
[Because I sensed the aura of the 'Seven Eyes' from you.]
The aura of the Seven Eyes.
That was probably thanks to the blessing Iris bestowed upon me before entering the ruins.
'But...'
I squinted slightly and shook my head.
“That can’t be the only reason, can it?”
[...]
The first time I saw this white light cluster was last night while walking with Yurina.
At the time, it didn’t speak to me, but it hovered around as if observing me before disappearing.
'And if it were only the aura of the Seven Eyes, it should have gone to Iris, not me.'
Iris was in the ruins with me right now.
If it had come to me instead of Iris, there must have been another reason.
[You’re right.]
Grace nodded meekly.
She slowly raised her hand and pointed at my chest as she continued.
[The reason I approached you is because you have the 'power to extinguish flames' within you.]
“The power... to extinguish flames?”
Suddenly, a memory of something Professor Elisha said came to mind.
— There are two, not just one.
The unknown powers said to reside within me.
The force that suppressed the Primordial Flame.
“What exactly is this power to extinguish flames?”
[I don’t know.]
Grace shook her head faintly.
“…You don’t know?”
[Like I said, I’m not Grace. I’m just a remnant of her soul. I don’t know the true nature of the power within you.]
However...
[There is one thing I do remember. Someone with that power must exist for me to fulfill my 'mission.']
“...What’s your mission?”
[To extinguish the 'ember' beneath this tomb... no, beneath these ruins.]
“…Ember?”
[The Primordial Ember. It’s imbued with a fragment of the Demon God’s power. My mission is to protect this place until that ember is extinguished.]
“...”
A long-standing question among heroes flashed through my mind.
‘Why did Grace choose such a bleak ruin as her burial place?’
Grace wasn’t born or raised in the Thermal region.
Yet, despite opposition, she built her tomb here.
‘Was it to seal something beneath these ruins?’
Just as she had once offered a holy relic bestowed by the gods to save a single child,
Even in death—or rather, after death—she had dedicated her soul to keeping the Primordial Ember at bay.
For 500 long years.
Alone, in this dark, vast, desolate cave.
[...What are you doing? Why are you suddenly bowing your head?]
“It’s my way of paying respect to a great hero.”
[Hah.]
Grace crossed her arms and let out a scoffing laugh.
[Forget it. I’m not even the real Grace.]
“No.”
Even if she was just a fragment of a soul,
Even if she had been worn down, eroded, and diminished...
“No matter what anyone says, you’re still Grace, the Light of Life, one of the five great heroes.”
[...]
The pure white light forming Grace’s body rippled slightly.
She looked at me with a vacant expression, then a faint smile crossed her lips.
[Thank you.]
Grace floated in the air like she was dancing.
“So... you want me to extinguish the Primordial Ember beneath here?”
[That’s right.]
“Hmm.”
The Primordial Ember.
‘I didn’t even know such a thing existed.’
Currently, the Primordial Flame—specifically, the Primordial Flame within me—did not exist in the post-regression world.
‘Because the Primordial Flame was created when the Demon God revived.’
If it had existed as scattered embers before its revival...
‘Would extinguishing all the embers stop the Demon God’s resurrection?’
The Primordial Flame was the foundation of the Demon God’s power.
Just as there would be no Primordial Flame without the Demon God, the reverse must also be true.
But...
‘No, it’s too early to be sure.’
I didn’t even know how many Primordial Embers existed or how powerful they were.
I could decide after seeing the ember for myself.
“All right. Lead me to where the Primordial Ember is.”
[...Are you sure you want to decide so easily?]
Grace looked at me with a surprised expression, as if she hadn’t expected me to agree so readily.
“Wasn’t it you, Grace, who asked me to extinguish the ember?”
[That’s true, but...]
A look of hesitation crossed Grace’s face.
After a moment of contemplation, she slowly opened her mouth.
[You might not realize it, but even as an 'ember,' it holds immense power.]
Grace’s voice became firm.
[With just a fraction of its power, it heated this entire land to the point of turning it into a volcanic zone.]
“Hmm?”
Her words reminded me of something.
“Don’t tell me... is the reason the Thermal region is famous for hot springs because of the Primordial Ember?”
[That’s right.]
“Wow.”
So the abundance of hot springs in the Thermal region wasn’t due to volcanic activity but the influence of the Primordial Ember.
“If that’s the case, then other hot spring regions across the three nations...”
[No. As far as I know, only the Thermal region has become a hot spring area due to the Primordial Ember.]
“Really?”
Tsk.
I thought I’d found a clue to locate other embers, but it seemed I was mistaken.
[Don’t underestimate it just because it’s an ember. Think about how vast the Thermal region is. With just a fraction of its power, it turned this entire area into a volcanic zone.]
Grace spoke with a deliberately heavy tone, as if to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
[Even if you’re imbued with the power to extinguish fire… you might still end up burning to death.]
“Hmm. Is that so?”
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[This isn’t a joke.]
Did she think I wasn’t taking her seriously?
Grace pressed on, warning me further about the dangers of the Primordial Ember.
‘It seems she doesn’t know that I have the Blessing of Revival.’
Suppressing a faint chuckle internally, I nodded.
“I understand. But if the ember remains, won’t you be stuck here forever?”
[You…]
Grace frowned, her expression incredulous.
[Are you fearless? Or just stupid?]
“Well, that’s not something you should say to the person you called here to extinguish the ember.”
[That’s… true, but…]
Grace trailed off, unable to hide her worried expression.
Watching her, I swallowed a bitter smile.
‘Even in this situation, she’s putting others first.’
It seems the legends about Grace that have been passed down in the Holy Kingdom aren’t entirely false.
“You don’t need to worry about me. As you said, I have the power to control fire.”
Saying that, I ignited a gray flame in one hand.
Whoosh!
Grace’s eyes widened as she saw the ash-colored flame burning in my palm.
[Th-That’s… the Primordial Ember? H-How can you…?]
Technically, it wasn’t just an ember—it was the Primordial Flame itself.
But there was no need to explain that in detail right now.
“What do you think? Can you trust me now?”
[…]
Grace remained silent, staring at the flame in my hand with a solemn expression before finally nodding.
[Fine. I’ll guide you to where the ember is.]
Floating into the air, Grace moved toward a statue.
The white glow surrounding the statue—its hands clasped in prayer—grew brighter, and soon, a gate identical to the one I’d used to arrive here appeared.
[Follow me.]
Grace’s lingering soul passed through the gate.
I followed her, stepping into the light.
A floating sensation enveloped my body.
Whoosh!
“Ugh…”
A wave of heat washed over my skin.
“…Is this it?”
I felt the heat, but there was no sign of the ember itself.
[No, we need to go farther down the path.]
Grace floated down the straight corridor at a leisurely pace.
I walked behind her.
[Before we reach the ember, there’s something I want to ask you.]
“What is it?”
[The child who bestowed upon you the Blessing of the Seven Eyes… the current ‘Saint’… Is she doing well?]
“If you mean Iris, she’s doing just fine. No need to worry about her.”
[Is that so? That’s a relief.]
Grace smiled faintly at my response.
“Are you concerned about her?”
[Of course.]
Grace touched her eyes gently as she spoke.
[We may not be connected by blood, but the blessing of the divine ties us. In a way, it’s like being her parent.]
“…”
If that’s the case, Grace is like my mother-in-law, isn’t she?
‘Thinking about it that way, I kind of regret speaking to her so casually.’
Her youthful appearance had made me unconsciously treat her informally.
I hadn’t anticipated this situation.
‘But it’d be awkward to suddenly switch to formal speech now.’
While I was deliberating how to address her…
[You. What’s your relationship with my child?]
“…What?”
[Calling the Saint by her name, Iris, so casually… And the deep emotions I sense in the ‘blessing’ you carry… You’re not just acquaintances, are you?]
“…”
Should I tell her?
Or should I keep quiet?
After a moment of hesitation, I spoke softly.
“Iris and I… are lovers.”
[L-Lovers?!]
Grace’s eyes widened in surprise at my answer.
[Oh, I see… Well, there’s no doctrine saying a Saint can’t love.]
Grace sighed in relief, a tender smile gracing her lips.
[…That’s a relief, truly.]
Was she happy to know that the person she thought of as a child had someone to love?
Grace smiled radiantly, as if she couldn’t be more content.
[Ah, but now that I think of it, talking about lovers reminds me of that awful Reynald. Do you know what he was like?]
Suddenly reminiscing, Grace scowled.
[He used to go on about how he couldn’t hurt the women who loved him, but then he’d have two, three girlfriends at once. Wasn’t that insane?]
“…”
[Don’t you think so?]
“Well…”
Feeling like my throat had dried up, I forced a strained smile in front of Grace—the mother-in-law figure.
“Y-Yes, of course…”
[Hah, men… Still, you seem different, which is reassuring.]
Grace looked at me with a bright smile.
[I feel like I can trust my child to you.]
“…”
One thing was certain.
‘If I slip up, I’m doomed.’
Feeling cold sweat trickling down my back, I turned my steps toward the place where the Primordial Ember awaited.
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