Chapter 310 – Inheritance of the Shrine Maiden

“Right this way. I’ll be right over there, so please call if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

After thanking the soldier, I peered through the iron bars.

“Y-You!? —Ggh, guuuh!”

The moment our eyes met, Volheim tried to leap up from his crude bed as if repelled. But the wounds he received from our fight probably hadn’t healed due to Miasma Erosion. He seemed to be struck by intense pain, clutching his stomach and writhing.

I’d heard Volheim’s injuries were less severe compared to Zadias, which is why I requested this meeting… but how should I put this? If this is how Volheim is, then it’s probably better not to face Zadias after all. Both he and Zadias seem to have developed trauma regarding me, but this reaction makes it difficult to even exchange greetings.

“I heard that unlike Zadias, you’re capable of some conversation.”

“W-What do you want to talk about…! There’s nothing to discuss…!”

Volheim said this while sweating profusely on his forehead and grimacing. He had dark circles under his eyes. Probably couldn’t sleep properly due to the pain.

I heard both Zadias and Volheim have recovered enough to exchange words, but proper interrogation hasn’t been possible yet. Apparently the damage from their injuries was surprisingly severe, and they can’t handle intensive questioning in their weakened state, so they’re waiting for their injuries and Vitality to recover a bit more. Still, since we’re managing to extract some information like this, I can’t complain.

“What do you know about the Ancient Key that Zadias gave to the demons? Is it correct that the key was used in a Trade with Alvelinde and ended up with the demons in Beriondora?”

“Y-You…”

When I directly confronted him with what we already knew, Volheim’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly. …This reaction.

“Seems like you know something about what Zadias was doing too. I think it would be wiser to talk before the interrogation intensifies.”

When I said this, Volheim made a face like he’d bitten into something bitter, but eventually spoke in a weak voice.

“…I don’t know… the key’s purpose. I just heard it was a key that should be under the Royal Family’s management, so perhaps it’s meant for use in Beriondora’s Royal Castle.”

Hmm. Considering the scale of what they’ve done, they’ll probably be given Magic Potions during the Magical Inquisition as standard procedure. He must understand that staying silent is pointless.

“So you handed it over because Alvelinde requested it, even though you didn’t know its purpose.”

“…W-We needed it to formulaize the Flight Technique those demons use. If we could analyze and reproduce it, we could eventually counter it too. W-We should have surpassed them eventually…!”

…So this was the content of their Trade. Volheim’s excuse in response to my criticism sounded like justification after being exposed.

That said, while Zadias and the demons were in a cooperative relationship… they probably planned to betray and eliminate the demons once cooperation was no longer necessary. We also considered developing counter-techniques from Volheim’s research… but I don’t think they’re opponents we could defeat just by sealing one Flight Technique.

That would be like claiming we could defeat demons just because we can fly. As a researcher, the bait dangled before him must have looked delicious, but his outlook was naive.

“And you dared to say that, even though the key might revive the demon lord or lead to even worse situations?”

“The demon… lord?”

Volheim looked puzzled.

“Didn’t you know this? Either way, it seems certain that Alvelinde’s faction has gathered in Beriondora.”

Everything up to this point was just confirming what we’d already figured out from previous information. For me… there’s one more thing I need to ask.

“—There’s one more thing I want to ask.”

“W-What is it?”

Perhaps sensing the slight change in my tone, Volheim answered with a somewhat higher-pitched voice.

“Where did you get information about Mother?”

Zadias ordered Marquis Zilbolt to investigate Gartner County, where Mother had been. That much is fine. But where did Zadias and his group obtain that information in the first place?

And it was quite incomplete information at that. Since Zadias and the others had been searching for Mother’s whereabouts all along, chronologically speaking, they must have recently learned about it and dispatched the sabotage unit… but in that case, the fact that information about me and Father was missing is concerning.

So, where and how did they obtain the original information? If the Black Knights investigated first and only recently obtained information about Mother… they should have known more about her surroundings.

“Th-That is…”

“Let me say this first. I might let other things slide, but if I judge you’re telling worthless lies about this matter, I won’t show mercy even if you’re injured.”

At my words, Volheim’s eyes widened.

“…Th-That demon woman. She approached us with a Trade offer, saying she had her own information network, so I asked if she knew the Sealing Shrine Maiden’s whereabouts… and she said that shrine maiden should already be dead…”

“—That is”

“I-It’s true. She said the timing when the Sealing Shrine Maiden’s contract was broken matched when a demon called the King of Deathly Slumber rampaged in a region of Verdgar… Th-That’s why…!”

…I see.

I don’t know what position the King of Deathly Slumber holds among Beriondora’s demons, or whether they’re directly connected… but something related to the lord’s Seal must have been affected by Mother’s death.

That’s why Alvelinde and the others had means to remotely learn about Mother’s location and the circumstances.

But according to the information the demons had… they only knew about Mother’s title and her approximate location.

So. How much did the demons know? If the Sealing Shrine Maiden was an obstacle for the demons, and if they had targeted Mother from the beginning… then the King of Deathly Slumber showing off and rampaging would only create disadvantages.

The demons must have learned about Mother after that incident six years ago. That encounter was coincidental—or was it?

…Even if it was, they seized the opportunity presented by the incident six years ago to begin their actions.

“Wh-What are you… smiling about?”

“—You people were lucky.”

If you had sold information about Mother to the demons, and that led to what happened, my response to Zadias and Volheim would have been different.

I’ve asked what I needed to ask, learned what I wanted to know. After glancing at the wide-eyed Volheim, I left the dungeon.

“…That Zadias. Truly never does anything worthwhile.”

When I returned to the VIP room and told everyone what I learned from my conversation with Volheim, King Eberhart shook his head.

“The Sealing Shrine Maiden protects the four directions through a ritual… that’s right, isn’t it?”

Rosemary, who had been listening, furrowed her brows as she spoke.

“This protection of the four directions through the ritual—perhaps we should view it as the same as what Alvelinde calls the contract.”

At Claudia’s words, Grace nodded.

“There are four Miasma Orbs too. If we consider there being four Seals as well… it matches.”

Verdgar is like that, but… information has been lost in Beriondora and Silvatoria too due to battles with demons and the passage of time.

The meaning of placing a Sealing Shrine Maiden. If it’s directly connected to the lord’s Seal…

“I think the contract breaking might have released the Miasma Orbs.”

“That would mean… there’s been no change in the situation around the Seal itself.”

“That’s right. Regarding the Seal alone, it hasn’t worsened according to the information we have. We need to investigate the key further though…”

When I answered, Ashley looked up, met my gaze directly, and nodded.

“We might be on the defensive after the Miasma Orbs were released. But if we can create new Seals… that would give it meaning.”

Regarding the Sealing Shrine Maiden, I heard that the daughter of one of the elders would be newly appointed, and the ritual should have been completed on the night of the recent full moon. Since Vinesdora’s safety was confirmed, Old Sigmund and Valentina went to the Sages’ Academy with Ignis and Lavigne. If any problems arose regarding the shrine maiden, they would probably return immediately.

And speaking of which, it seems both of them have returned. A civil official knocked on the door and said.

“Lord Sigmund and Lady Valentina have returned.”

“Hmm. Show them in.”

When King Eberhart prompted, Old Sigmund and Valentina soon arrived in the VIP room. They were accompanied by another girl… who looked somewhat troubled.

“And who is this?”

“Hmm. Let me introduce her. This is Charlotte Orgran, newly chosen as the Sealing Shrine Maiden.”

“I’m honored to be introduced. My name is Charlotte Orgran.”

The girl bowed. Chronologically, she would be a child born after Mother ran away. She didn’t seem to be among them when I released the memories before.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Theodore Gartner.”

First things first, let’s get the introductions done. Everyone introduced themselves to Charlotte in turn. I introduced Marlene too. Marlene quietly bowed, holding the hem of her skirt.

“Charlotte here was born during our house arrest. Perhaps Volheim and the others thought it unwise to let the elder family’s bloodline die out, so they told us the truth about our relationships before we lost our memories. She’s undoubtedly the genuine young lady of the Orgran family.”

I see.

I heard Volheim and the others were teaching magic to the elder family members, especially the children… and Charlotte apparently directly petitioned that “even if we’ve lost our memories, we’re not criminals, so we should be given more freedom,” which made Volheim and the others regard her as a nuisance.

Apparently she’s been participating in research at the Sages’ Academy until now to remove the memory Seal. In other words, Zadias was exploiting family ties, making even the elder’s daughter with potential cooperate… but judging by this appearance, those two must have earned the children’s resentment too.

Anyway, the elders took their time selecting her. There shouldn’t be any mistake in their choice.

“…But, Grandfather Sigmund. I’m sure I don’t have the talent to be a shrine maiden. The ritual on the night of the recent full moon… ended in Failure.”

…So this is why she looks troubled.

“We returned to tell you all about it. We were supposed to gather materials…”

“It might not be a matter of talent.”

At my words, Charlotte looked at me with surprise.

I told her again what we learned from my exchange with Volheim that I’d just shared with everyone.

“—So then… because the Seal was broken, my contract didn’t work properly?”

“That’s how I see it… but even if maintaining the contract is difficult, I don’t think inheriting the Sealing Technique is meaningless when considering the future. Since the Seal was created once, it should be possible to create it again.”

That’s the skill we’ll need then.

“And if the demons try to interfere, we’ll Smash them with force and carve our path.”

Nothing has changed from before. We just have more reasons to fight them.

When I said this definitively, Charlotte seemed momentarily taken aback, but eventually bowed deeply toward me.

“Please… take care of me. I may be inexperienced, but I’ll do my best too.”

“Likewise.”

Saying this, I shook Charlotte’s hand.