Reincarnated in the Same World for the Nth Time - Chapter 10

Once, a hellish blaze covered the land, burning everything to ashes.

A severe drought followed, cracking the ground and drying up every source of water, and even the creatures that barely survived withered away.

Witnessing the unbearable suffering and death ravaging the land, the Sun God Rasphallara couldn’t turn a blind eye.

He severed one of his many arms and offered it to the God of Springs, which then transformed into a chalice.

Bestowing this chalice upon his most cherished follower, the chalice miraculously produced an endless supply of pure spring water, saving those who were dying of thirst.

The water, which never dried up even after all life had drunk from it, soaked the dried land, and eventually, it gathered in one place and formed rivers and oceans.

And so, thanks to the mercy of the Sun God Rasphallara, humans were given a chance to live on this land once again.

This is the tale surrounding the holy relic, the ‘Right Hand of Halo.’

This story, which highlights Raspallara’s extraordinary compassion, is so well-known that no follower of the Sun God could possibly be ignorant of it.

“‘May my branches become dew and soak the weeping…’ Are you referring to that Right Hand of Halo?”

Humbert, the Sun God’s priest, also recognized the holy relic Aquila had mentioned.

However, he continued to speak with a confused expression.

“There is currently no information about where that holy relic is. There are only rumors. But are you saying that that very relic is at the Great Temple of Port Plum?”

In this world where gods exist, the probability of the gifts of a god being delivered to humans was high, but among them, there were many holy relics whose origins were unclear.

The Right Hand of the Halo was one such relic.

If the tales were true, a chalice that perpetually produced clean spring water would undoubtedly stand out. Yet, it had never been discovered anywhere.

As such, some scholars dismissed the Right Hand of the Halo as mere legend. However, Aquila was certain it was located in Port Plum.

Because he had seen it with his own eyes.

“The basement of the Grand Temple in Port Plum. It should still be there, intact.”

A huge basement that ordinary priests could not enter.

In that place where all kinds of holy relics were stored, Aquila had seen a golden chalice that was about the size of an adult’s forearm and was engraved with the symbol of Rasphallara.

Its size was large, but its appearance was closer to a Holy Grail, as it was commonly known, than an ordinary chalice.

‘Of course, unlike the story, water didn’t exactly pour out of it on its own.’

However, even though it was clear that it was old, the water that was pooled in the chalice didn’t rot and rather looked clean.

The one who had guided Aquila to the relic also claimed that the water wasn’t newly added but had been there all along. Thus, the holy relic must be real.

Besides, that place was also strictly managed, so that no one could just enter it.

“How could you possibly… No, are you certain? That the Grand Temple of Port Plum is hiding such a holy relic…”

“I did not bring this matter up to ask you to reveal whether it’s true or not, priest.”

Aquila, who had cut Humbert’s words off with a single stroke, continued with an indifferent voice.

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. You’ll hear the reason anyway since you’ll be going there with us.”

The customs of this continent dictated that one should show basic respect to priests who served the gods. That said, it was no more than a formality.

Since he had seen it directly in a previous timeline, he didn’t have proper evidence, and Aquila, from the beginning, didn’t intend to explain it thoroughly.

‘There’s no point in explaining it in detail to someone who’s not a main character.’

Under his hood, Aquila’s expression was indifferent.

Humbert, who was confused, moved his lips a few times before eventually nodding his head, having no other choice.

After clearing his throat awkwardly, he finally spoke.

“As you may know, any communication conducted via the crystal orb within a temple requires the presence of at least two priests. This is a standard rule across all Sun God temples, and I would like you to abide by it.”

While one person infused divine power into the crystal orb, the other person was in charge of communication and recording.

That was for stable operation, but it was also to prevent any accidents to a certain extent.

That’s why communication between temples could not be done by one priest alone.

Aquila already knew this rule well, so he quietly nodded his head, but Humbert’s words didn’t end there.

” Well, uh… I can understand that you have an urgent matter, given that you’ve come so early in the morning, but to use the crystal orb, you have to wait a little bit.”

Humbert glanced at the newly brightened sky outside the window, his tone troubled.

Shen asked right away.

“Is something wrong?”

“The Subjugation of the Frost Forest at this time of year… Ah, of course, I think you know it well, but… the head priest and other priests have also gone to support the subjugation of the Frost Forest, so there is only a minimal number of people left in the temple right now. I’m the only one here at this time.”

The time between winter and spring.

Every year in March, the Frost Forest becomes saturated due to the swarms of monsters.

Among those monsters, the individuals who fail to find a foothold and overflow out of the Frost Forest begin to come down, and it was the duty that the Reshenhardt had been given since the first generation to hunt those monsters.

The current head of the Reshenhardt family had departed for the frigid north to fulfill this obligation, even as his wife and son remained in precarious conditions. This was why he hadn’t been able to appear, even once.

‘Celcia must have intentionally chosen this time. Even if the method to remove the Curse of Deadly Poison hasn’t been revealed yet, so that she wouldn’t be disturbed before casting the curse.’

The majority of the capable people, with the head of the Reshenhardt family at the center, participated in the hunting every year.

This duty was very honorable for those who were born and raised in Igrail, so everyone was quick to offer their support.

They were all aware that if the monster subjugation was not done properly, it would not only be Igrail that was in danger.

“So, it seems that you will have to wait for at least an hour for the other priest to come…”

Humbert, who had trailed off his words, apologized and bowed his head.

As a priest of the Sun God, he couldn’t break the rules of the temple.

Aquila, who had once been a priest himself, understood Humbert’s discomfort. However, even so, he wasn’t planning to wait for an hour.

“Can only priests of the temple use the crystal orb?”

“Normally, yes. We rarely use the crystal orb for urgent communications between temples. It’s not widely known to non-priests either.”

Yuzelia immediately answered at Aquila’s question.

“Unless you have as much knowledge as the young master, of course.”

She added with a sarcastic remark.

Yuzelia’s face wasn’t only filled with admiration, which was because she had also heard for the first time yesterday about the fact that the Right Hand of the Halo was in the basement of the Great Temple of Port Plum.

Of course, it wasn’t an accurate explanation.

Aquila had only said that there was a ‘chalice’ in the basement of the Great Temple, and Yuzelia had merely bitten at the bait that Aquila had thrown when she said that it was the ‘Right Hand of the Halo.’

‘It’s better to change the setting a little. Like I was able to recall the dragon’s prophecy in my sleep.’

She stared at Aquila, who was acting as if he didn’t know anything, and then turned her head as if she realized something.

“Oh, I am Yuzelia, a priestess from the Great Temple of Port Plum.”

Yuzelia took off the brooch that was attached to the left side of her robe’s chest.

Translator’s Note: The Priestess’s Brooch (브로치 / Beurochi): The priest’s brooch is a symbol of their temple affiliation and a means of identification, imbued with their own divine power, and often decorated with symbols of their respective god. It serves as both a mark of authority and a functional item that helps in confirming their status as a priest in this world.

The circular shape in the center represented the sun, surrounded by six sharp semicircles resembling petals. The upper half of the circle was adorned with numerous sharp blades, symbolizing the sun and also representing Rasphallara’s arms and his association with war.

She turned the brooch to show Humbert the back, where her name and ‘Port Plum’ were engraved.

This brooch could only be received by the priests who belonged to the temple, and it also served as a kind of identification as it contained the priest’s own divine power.

If it was the priest’s own brooch, it would give off a subtle yellow light.

Just like how it was shining in Yuzelia’s hand right now.

After checking that, Humbert also hastily took off his own brooch and showed it to them.

“I am Humbert, a priest of Igrail. I didn’t know you were a priestess from Port Plum.”

It seemed that he had thought that it was Yuzelia who had said that the Right Hand of the Halo was there.

“If no one else is coming, may I join you in the crystal orb room?”

“Pardon? You, priestess?”

“I’ve never seen a rule against priests of other temples joining. Is there such a rule in Igrail?”

“No, I’ve never seen such a rule either…”

“Then I’ll do it. I can’t wait for an hour.”

As she spoke, Yuzelia glanced at Aquila.

As if telling him who the person was that could not wait.

Aquila, while receiving her gaze, made a slightly displeased face under his hood.

“……I understand. Since you belong to the Great Temple of Port Plum, whom you’re trying to contact, I guess it will be okay.”

Humbert looked somewhat uncertain but thought it wouldn’t be much of a problem, so he guided them.

Yuzelia glanced back with an expression that was saying ‘I did well, right?’.

Aquila, who saw that, eventually nodded honestly.

***

What Aquila was going to say to the crystal orb was this.

“I heard that drinking the water contained in Rasparala’s holy relic can cure any curse.

This is something a great being told me, so it must be true.

Therefore, I wish to borrow the relic before it’s too late. Please know this that I will head straight to Fort Plum after preparing.”

It was a message more like a notification than a request.

In any case, whether the curse would truly be lifted here or not wasn’t an important issue.

The most important thing was what would happen right after the message was sent.

‘If the temple becomes busy, those guys will move. Because those guys are also inside the Sun God’s Temple.’

A group that committed all kinds of corrupt acts, the dark guild.

They existed everywhere where people lived, and they were very cautious when it came to crimes.

The evil priest who had requested the Curse of Deadly Poison was involved with the Dark Guild, so if there was a way to lift the curse, they would surely make a move.

Aquila’s goal was simple: to eliminate them as part of the main scenario.

So, he was going to use the Sun God’s Temple to see the movements of the dark guild.

‘If I mention the Dark Guild casually and offer the method to lift the Curse of Deadly Poison as trade, the Sun God’s Temple will surely bite.’

That was how he thought of it.

Of course, to offer it as a trade, he needed to meet someone.

Aquila was planning to visit Great Temple of Port Plum and summon that person.

It was because that person was completely shrouded in mystery during this time period.

That was why he didn’t mention it to Yuzelia either.

— “Ah. Everything was told to you by the great dragon, Yggdraine? How interesting. It’s never been known how the Reshenhardt family communicates with dragons…”

A gentle voice echoed from the crystal orb.

Although only the voice could be heard and the face was not visible, Aquila could clearly picture the person in his mind.

Water-colored hair that gave off a clean impression.

A gentle-looking man.

–“Will you tell me more about it when you come here? The Great Temple of Port Plum will welcome you.”

Aquila couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

‘To think he showed his face. This saves me the trouble of searching for him.’

Among all the beings Aquila had met, aside from spirits, this person was one of the most unpredictable humans.

Saint Ianfel.