Chapter 164

【 Temple of the Evil God 】

I looked at Eisen, breathing heavily.

If he made even the slightest move, I planned to cut down his other leg immediately.

“……”

Eisen said nothing.

So, I spoke again.

“Lord Eisen, may I consider this my victory?”

“…Did I lose? Me?”

“I’ll leave that judgment to you, Lord Eisen.”

“……”

Eisen silently looked down at his own body.

His leg and right arm were deeply slashed.

And at his throat, a blade hovered.

Soon, Eisen nodded and looked back at me.

“I… lost, huh. I really lost to you. Truly… I lost to you.”

He finally seemed to accept reality.

Right after, Eisen collapsed to the ground.

His entire body had lost its strength.

“I lost, Gideon. I really lost.”

“I understand.”

“So, could you stop this rain? It’s cold, being drenched like this.”

“Ah… yes. Understood.”

I withdrew the Power of Peregrie.

At once, the dark clouds hanging over the arena vanished, revealing a clear sky once more.

“Phew…”

I exhaled deeply.

As soon as I withdrew all my strength, my body almost gave out and dropped to the ground.

But somehow, I managed to stay standing.

At least until the match was officially declared over.

‘Still, it’ll end soon.’

As the rain stopped and the clouds cleared away, the spectators who had fled from the rain slowly began to return.

And then, the referee reappeared in the arena.

“Lord Eisen Isrinbloom. Do you wish to continue the match—”

“No, as you can see, I’ve lost. Please proceed according to procedure.”

“Understood. Then… on the final day of the Academy Tournament! The winner of the Representative Finals is Gideon Kyrgram of Lysquare Academy!”

The moment the referee’s voice finished echoing, thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

The announcer shouted my name over and over… and Lisa, with a truly joyful yet relieved expression, clapped for me.

Though I couldn’t see clearly from here, it seemed that even her eyes — usually so calm and reserved — were slightly red.

“Haaah… huuuh…”

I was happy to have won, but I didn’t even have the energy to feel joy.

Honestly, I wanted to strike a triumphant pose I’d imagined beforehand, but I didn’t have the strength left to do even that.

I just wanted to collapse and fall asleep right here and now…

“…Hey, Gideon.”

Amid the cheers and applause, Eisen called out to me.

He gestured for me to come closer.

Remaining cautious, I carefully approached and crouched beside him.

“Granberry Hotel, Room 611. Come there secretly after 7 p.m. I’ll keep the promise I made to you.”

“…Yes, understood.”

“Make sure you come alone. You understand what I mean?”

“I’ll remember.”

“Good. Then… see you then. For now… let’s rest.”

With those words, Eisen lay flat on the arena floor.

I couldn’t hold out any longer either and sat down beside him.

There wasn’t a shred of strength left in my body.

“Haaah… I’m going to get scolded by Brother Rage later. He’ll say I ruined his plan, that I messed everything up.”

“……”

I didn’t know what to say to Eisen’s words.

So I stayed silent, and Eisen let out a dry chuckle.

“Gideon, you can help us, right? I think you’re the only one who can save me… and our family.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to help you.”

After that, silence fell between us.

After a brief pause, Eisen spoke again.

“Between me and Sara… who was harder to fight?”

“…To be honest, both of you were about the same.”

“Hmm… unexpected answer. To think I’m on par with Sara. Has my swordsmanship grown that dull?”

“Perhaps Lady Sara has simply grown stronger without your knowing.”

“…That’s true. Yeah, that sounds right.”

Eisen nodded, and I let out a small laugh in response.

‘Sara’s request… I ended up fulfilling it, after all.’

To finish the fight with the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.

It had been such a tense, razor-thin battle that I’d almost forgotten about her request.

But somehow, without even realizing it, I’d fulfilled it in the end.

“Gideon, make sure to bring our family’s matters to an end. Only then… can I go apologize to Sara.”

“Yes. I definitely will…”

“Gideon!”

Our conversation ended abruptly.

In the distance, Luke, Lisa, and the tournament staff were rushing toward us.

They hurried to check on us, who were lying on the ground.

Surrounded by those attending to us, I had no choice but to postpone my conversation with Eisen.

Everything after that passed quickly and without incident.

Once the match ended, I completely collapsed.

It took about an hour before I could finally get back up.

‘And right after that, they held the Representative Awards Ceremony.’

Just like the other categories, medals were awarded to the first, second, and third places.

Since I’d won first place, I had to attend — and Eisen, who took second, was there too.

But at that time… there was a large bruise on Eisen’s face.

It looked as though someone had hit him hard.

I didn’t ask what had happened.

In truth, it wasn’t just me.

Probably no one else dared to ask Eisen what had happened either.

Anyway, after the awards ceremony for the Representative Match ended—

“Phew…”

I lay sprawled on my dorm bed.

‘Tomorrow marks the end of the tournament.’

The closing ceremony of the long and grueling Academy Tournament was set for tomorrow.

They’d announce the final rankings of each academy and give out additional awards to students who showed exceptional performances in each category — things like that.

‘It’s practically certain that Lysquare Academy won.’

With my victory over Eisen in the Representative Finals, we’d gained a massive lead in points.

Thanks to that, Lysquare Academy’s overall victory was practically guaranteed — and it was all because of me.

‘Still feel a bit bad about missing the party, though.’

Right after the awards ceremony ended earlier—

Luke suggested we hold a small party with the Lysquare Academy students.

He added carefully that, though I must be tired, it would be nice if the hero of the victory could at least show up for a bit.

But I declined.

I told him I was too exhausted and needed to rest.

‘Well, since I said that, the party was postponed to tomorrow… but I don’t even know if I’ll be able to attend tomorrow either.’

I glanced at the clock.

The time to meet Eisen was drawing near.

‘Hmm, at least Lisa seems to be doing fine.’

Until a little while ago, I had been spending time with Lisa.

Thanks to her hugging me and keeping me company, I’d recovered some of my energy.

Anyway, thanks to Lisa, both my body and mind were refreshed — which meant it was time to move.

With that thought…

“Hey, Siri. You’re back, right?”

“Woof!”

Siri suddenly jumped out from my shadow.

“Did you check the surroundings properly? Was there anyone around?”

“Woof! Woof-woof!”

“So, there was one person over there… and another one over there?”

“Woof!”

It seemed that, now that the Tournament was over, the Hawkbat Family had assigned people to watch me.

The doubts I’d been harboring for a while — and the massive storm I’d summoned earlier today — must have been more than enough to draw Andrew’s attention.

‘And I’m sure there are people from the Hawkbat Family stationed near Eisen’s lodging too.’

Right now, Andrew was likely focusing all his attention on the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.

If I were caught secretly meeting with Eisen during all this, Andrew would no doubt come after me without hesitation this time.

So, I had to go to Eisen in secret.

And there was a way to do that.

“Siri.”

“Woof?”

“Remember when you transported me through the shadows before? Could you do that again?”

“Whoa?! Ugh, ack, ah?! Oww.”

“Woof-woof!”

“Y-Yeah, good job, Siri.”

Because I’d been tossed out of the shadow, I rolled across the floor once before managing to land properly.

Siri soon followed me out of the shadow, wagging her tail brightly.

“Anyway, this place is…”

“Didn’t expect you to just pop out of a shadow like that.”

“Ah, Lord Eisen. Then this is Room 611… right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You found it well.”

Eisen, who sat on the bed, wore his usual blank expression.

But judging by his eyes, he seemed quite surprised.

“You startled me. When you didn’t show up on time, I thought you might teleport here or something. But… is that a Hellhound?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“…You’ve made a contract with it, haven’t you?”

“That’s correct.”

Siri wagged her tail and circled around me.

“I’ve never seen such a tame Hellhound before. The ones living in Muktaba all try to kill people on sight.”

Eisen looked Siri over with curiosity before gesturing for her to leave.

When I motioned to Siri, she immediately slipped back into my shadow.

“There are a lot of people from the Hawkbat Family surrounding my lodging. You know that, right?”

“Yes, that’s why I came this way.”

“Good. The moment Andrew finds out I’ve been in contact with you… things could get really messy.”

Eisen walked toward the curtained window.

After making sure the curtains were fully closed, he turned back toward me.

When I got a good look at his face, however…

“Your injuries look worse than before…”

“Yeah. My lips are a bit swollen now, right? Probably more bruises around my eyes too.”

“Was it Lord Rage?”

“…My brother’s a perfectionist. He can’t stand it when plans go off track.”

Eisen let out a faint, bitter laugh.

“But for someone who’s a perfectionist, his plans are always a bit sloppy. He’s got great execution, but he always needs someone to patch up the holes. Anyway, let’s stop talking about him. I didn’t call you here for small talk.”

Eisen paused for a moment and took a deep breath — as if he were gathering his resolve.

“Gideon. I don’t know how much you already know, but the curse that god laid upon us… it’s strange. If I even try to speak the secret aloud to someone, my body is consumed by unbearable pain. And if I actually speak it… my skin tears apart and my body begins to collapse from within.”

“Yes, I know. I saw it fairly recently… with my own eyes.”

“…You’ve seen it? That’s surprising. I thought this curse only afflicted our family.”

Eisen sighed, forcing a weak laugh.

Then, in a slightly trembling voice, he continued.

“Gideon, the moment I reveal the secret to you, my body will be drenched in blood. And when Brother Rage sees me in that state, he’ll immediately realize what happened — that I told someone the secret. And chances are, he’ll know that someone was you.”

“Can the wounds not be healed? If I bring an Elixir—”

“An Elixir won’t help. Even the best healer in the Empire couldn’t save me. This curse… well, let’s just say it’s divine. It’s not something human magic or potions can overcome.”

I had expected as much.

Sakiel hadn’t been easily healed either, back then.

If even the Elves’ mystic arts couldn’t help, then human power certainly couldn’t.

“Once the curse takes hold, I won’t be able to step outside this room. And if I don’t show myself by tomorrow afternoon, my brother Rage will come to check on me.”

“So you’re saying… I need to move before tomorrow noon?”

“That’s right. Take the people you trust and… leave tonight if you can. If you wait until morning, it’ll be too late.”

“Understood.”

“Good. Now listen carefully.”

Eisen took another deep breath.

Though his face remained expressionless, his whole body trembled violently.

Fear was clear in his eyes.

Still, steeling his heart, he finally opened his mouth.

“Northeast of Muktaba. Semeru—ghhk?!”

Eisen suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth.

It looked like he was trying desperately to suppress a scream from the sheer agony.

“Huff… huff… hah… aaahh… ugh…”

“…Lord Eisen.”

“If I scream, the Hawkbat men outside might hear. Maybe even Brother Rage. So… I have to endure this.”

Eisen’s tears began to fall from the pain.

The face that had always been calm and expressionless was now twisted with terror and agony.

But even so, he continued speaking.

“Mid-slope of the Semeru Volcano to the northeast. Beneath it… there’s a temple—kuaaah! Mmmph! Ghhhk!”

With just that one sentence, Eisen’s skin began to tear open.

Blood seeped through the ruptures in his flesh, and soon he was coughing up blood — a frightening amount of it.

“L-Lord Eisen, this won’t do! I’ll call someone right away—”

“Don’t… ughhh… don’t say that. Don’t… waste… my effort…”

Still sitting on the floor, Eisen continued to bleed.

Deep gashes opened across his body as if slashed by invisible blades.

And as he vomited more blood, the image of Sakiel’s torment flashed in my mind.

“Ahhh… ugh… n-no… I have to endure it. Endure it, Eisen. Hold on… for everyone…”

Muttering faintly to himself, Eisen barely suppressed his screams.

Then, drenched in blood, he looked up at me.

“You… heard what I said, right?”

“…Yes, I did.”

“Then… guhkk… go. Hurry. Go there… and… save our family… somehow.”

With those words, Eisen sank down against the wall.

He looked dangerously frail.

I watched him with deep concern, but he shook his head at me.

“Go. Before Brother Rage notices. Go.”

“…Thank you, Lord Eisen.”

I bowed my head deeply to express my sincere gratitude.

Then I summoned Siri again — and stepped into the shadow.

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