Chapter 121

“Is it safe to say that everything we had to do is finished now?”

“Perhaps so.”

Stella responded to Uriel’s question.

It felt like we had been here for quite a long time, but in reality, it hadn’t been that long since we arrived at the beach. Regardless, we had come straight to the Trial Dungeon right after arriving at the beach, so in that sense, it was practically like we had just arrived.

Having spent a long two weeks in the Trial Dungeon, it felt long from our perspective, but for those two, it was probably just a situation where they walked into the building of the Trial Dungeon, fell below, and then woke up to find the trial completed.

Anyway… we resolved the trial, and we’ve almost finished everything we needed to do here, so all that remains is to have a lot of fun and then return to the Academy.

Wait… is there still something left?

‘Come to think of it, I forgot to collect the holy relic.’

There was still a holy relic remaining.

Now that the trial was over, the only thing left to do was find the holy relic that was probably hidden somewhere here.

Like other holy relics, the Water Relic was usually located in a position that an ordinary person would never find even if they searched for their whole life.

So, one might say that even for adventurers, it was a tough spot to locate; it’s hidden so well that, unless luck shines on you or you’re naturally guided, finding it is nearly impossible.

Naturally, even as a Saint, it wouldn’t be possible for the goddess to directly reveal the location of the relic.

Of course, the goddess would want to share the location since she needed to vanquish the Demon King, but due to certain restrictions, her interference beyond a certain level wasn’t possible… Well, game mechanics tend to be like that, but the people of this world wouldn’t know any better, would they?

‘Such things mean nothing to someone like me, who knows all the hidden pieces.’

If someone were to ask how I knew, I could simply say that the goddess guided me, and that would be that.

As I said before, when the Saint claims they were informed by the goddess herself, what could anyone do if they didn’t believe it?

The goddess would surely wish for this.

Anyway, a hidden piece…

It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve heard that word.

Regardless, it’s a treasure that, while it would be good to have, wouldn’t be necessary to defeat the Demon King; however, the situation is a bit different in reality.

This is all just a story within a game, after all.

Now that this place has become a reality, finding a relic was practically essential to efficiently vanquish the Demon King while minimizing damage.

There were bizarre individuals who played solely for concept play, and others who didn’t do that but still faced the Demon King with a minimum cut.

There are even crazies who, regardless of the damages they sustained, would relentlessly beat the Demon King for dozens of hours until they downed it at level one.

Those guys are for real.

Anyway, since everyone did their best in the trial, we should just grab the relic and head back to the Academy.

Since we’re bound to encounter another incident the moment we return to the Academy, it would be best to rest well beforehand.

When we go back this time, the last and biggest incident of our first year is bound to occur.

.

.

.

In truth, earlier, Evan seemed a bit uneasy due to the long passage of time and came to check what day it was. However, after confirming that no time had passed since the trial began, he seemed much more relaxed.

I took this opportunity to explain to Stella and Uriel what had transpired during the trial, as they were curious about it.

“Hmm… it’s complicated…”

“To be honest, I’m starting to doubt whether I’m explaining this well…”

Back then, I had the memories provided directly by the trial’s dungeon, so there was no disruption in my daily life, but now that we’re outside the trial, those memories no longer needed to remain.

What I understood as common knowledge was now only left in memory, making it quite challenging for Evan to figure out how to explain it.

Still, I seemed to successfully explain everything.

“Thinking back, it’s absurd… We lived and acted like ordinary residents in a world completely different from this one…”

Stella had an expression of wonderment, curious about what kind of mechanisms that ancient dungeon contained, while Uriel, unaware of what had happened, was just smiling blissfully, recalling happy memories.

Certainly, up until we entered the Trial Dungeon, Uriel had shown some effort to maintain her authority as a princess, but now she seemed completely relaxed.

Perhaps it was because we had grown close like friends while experiencing something akin to a dream there.

I wasn’t quite sure.

“[Excuse me, everyone… If it’s not too much trouble, could I go somewhere with you for a bit?]”

“Where to?”

Deciding it would be better to get the relic quickly rather than dilly-dally, I made up my mind.

Whether we go now or later doesn’t quite matter, but since we had already rested well, it felt like the right time to take care of what needed to be done immediately.

It would be easier that way, and even if issues arose while retrieving the relic, I could manage it in time and come back.

So, it would be best to set off and retrieve it as quickly as possible.

I worried whether they might suggest going later, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Instead…

“I’ll go.”

Evan said with a very serious tone.

The intensity of his resolve was such that it felt like he would grant any request of mine as long as it was honest and straightforward.

It’s a bit embarrassing to say this, but every time Evan showed such determination, it only reminded me of the events that occurred in the trial, causing flushed feelings to rise.

I sincerely hoped he would treat me normally, like before we entered the trial.

“[I-I’ll go…]”

Of course, Evan’s behavior would likely persist for some time…

Probably…

*

It wasn’t as far away as I had expected.

Well… considering it was a place from where one could both go to the Trial Dungeon and retrieve a holy relic, it makes sense that it wouldn’t be too far.

Though these creatures could be quite malevolent at times, they would not be malicious in this regard.

Of course, finding the relic’s exact location from the outset was tough enough to be practically impossible unless one already knew where it was.

The only reason anyone knew the location was due to someone having invested a long time in the game to find it.

I couldn’t just uncover everything by myself, no matter how knowledgeable I was.

If someone dedicated more to the game than me had entered this world, it would have been them instead of me, but regardless, I had to rely on the help of others to get through it.

At least it was good that we avoided wasting time traveling to a different region.

If I had tried to find it without knowing the location, I would have never located it.

“This place…”

The pathway was once again underwater, but it was somewhat different this time.

A path leading inward was hidden between the rocks, allowing access to the ocean.

This path was fundamentally obstructed, and even if it didn’t differ much from other rocks in composition, it was so camouflaged that unless you knew precisely where to go, it would be nearly impossible to wander around and find it.

In most such cases, one would think it was futile to search by sight, and thus, whoever tried to find it with their naked eyes probably had quite a difficult time.

“A shiny place indeed… It’s so amazing… How do you find a place like this?”

“It’s mystical… I’ve never been to a place like this in my life!”

Stella exclaimed with disbelief, while Uriel was in awe, saying she’d never been to a place like this before.

As they mentioned, since it was a location where the Water Relic existed, the landscape must have transformed over time due to the divine power flowing from the relic.

I didn’t know exactly, but…

“Is this possibly… the goddess’s revelation?”

In response to Evan’s question, I nodded and answered.

Well, there was no other choice but to believe it.

Finding this location without receiving a revelation was nearly impossible. Of course, if someone were to cause destruction in the area, it could be found, but unless the mightiest beings of the world were to fight or a war erupted nearby, how could such a thing happen?

It was practically impossible to find.

So…

“[… I found it.]”

I spotted a hairpin, gently radiating divine power as it rested on the pedestal before me, and a triumphant smile spread across my face.

I found it.