"I grew up in the temple."
"But you said it was an abandoned and hidden monastery."
To find a passage through a rocky mountain that appeared blocked, after crossing through what they didn't even know was a path—a bear habitat—this easily? Without getting lost at all?
"I studied hard."
'I don't think that's information you can learn just by studying hard.'
I looked at Samuel with suspicious eyes, but his face remained completely composed.
For a brief moment, suspicion bubbled up again that perhaps the temple had set a trap, but I soon shook my head.
It wasn't like my visit to Ridle was planned, nor did I think they would open up a hidden monastery just to catch me.
Besides, the path we were passing through now was clearly overgrown with weeds, obviously unused for a long time.
Yet what was this unnatural feeling?
[Captain.]
Nadav, who had been silently carrying me, suddenly spoke up. Nadav, with his head raised high, gazed toward the end of the passage.
"Why?"
[That place....]
"...Do you remember something?"
[I feel a familiar sensation from there.]
Familiar? I'm desperately arguing that you all aren't criminals, and what do you mean familiar?
[The others will feel it too.]
Nadav named Palides, Jigor, and Ganik one by one, whom I had stored in subspace for travel convenience, then called out to Tristan, who had been clinging to his mane.
[Right, Tristan?]
[Huuup... Yes. Everyone will be happy to see it, Captain.]
"...Tristan, are you crying?"
[I've been crying since earlier. Sob...]
Oh my, since he transformed into a hornet, I couldn't tell he was crying at all.
I looked down awkwardly at the black hornet buried in the black mane, barely visible, then turned my gaze forward.
Seeing them react like this, it seems they really are the Twelve Sinners.
What should I do?
"We've arrived."
Samuel, who had reached the end of the passage first, looked back at us. Behind him, a brightly lit outdoor scene was visible. As we approached, a dense forest revealed itself.
"This is Febrin Monastery."
Between the dense trees, there was a small brick building covered in grass and moss. The sunlight streaming through the leaves and the singing of mountain birds made it feel peaceful, as if we had come to another world.
[Waaaah!]
Of course, it didn't seem peaceful for everyone.
[What a disgrace, Tristan.]
[But these are emotions I can't control! What am I supposed to do when tears come!]
[Sigh...]
I felt relieved all over again after a long time.
Thank goodness only I can hear their conversation.
* * *
Cutting off heads, or having one's head cut off.
Samuel's nightmare, which had only these two options, began to change little by little after he reunited with Aneli in Climb.
He thought there might be some connection, but he hadn't expected such immediate change, so he was flustered at first.
However, Samuel quickly regained his composure. Though he still couldn't discern the clear meaning of the dream, it had been proven that this was connected to the resurrected ones.
That was why he had to accompany Aneli. Not just because he was the captain of the search party.
As the journey continued, several scenes and figures were added to the nightmare that had left only a vague sensation. The scenery of Febrin Monastery was one of those scenes left by the nightmare.
As he gazed at the weathered and faded mural that had endured storms, an indifferent muttering reached his ears from beside him. It was Aneli, who had entered the monastery entrance a bit late while examining the front yard.
"For an abandoned place, it's remarkably well-preserved."
"Any place that serves the gods receives blessings. Unless it's a massive artificial attack, it won't collapse."
"Ah, divine blessings."
Aneli nodded vaguely with a face full of disbelief, then turned saying she would look around inside. The Dullahans she led also followed closely behind her.
"It really does seem abandoned."
Xenon, who had released his wolf to search the surroundings thoroughly because he couldn't trust Samuel's words, also entered the monastery.
As if he didn't expect Samuel's guidance at all, he led with his wolf and strode inside the building.
After confirming the scattered companions, Samuel also began to walk silently.
Febrin was a place he was visiting for the first time. A monastery that was completely unfamiliar, with only letters he had glimpsed while reading books.
Yet he walked as if it were a familiar place.
There were many prayer rooms within the monastery. But Samuel's destination was set. For the past several days, he had repeatedly dreamed only of heading to a specific prayer room in this monastery.
If there was something slightly unusual, it was that someone welcomed him as he finished praying and came out?
He was curious about the face, but every time, the dream would end just as he barely saw the person's feet.
But this time, having arrived at this place, perhaps something might change.
'If my guess is correct, that someone is probably...'
Samuel, who had descended to the lower floor in two or three steps at once, stood before the door of an old prayer room deep in the corridor.
When he turned the handle covered in rust and settled white dust, the wooden door creaked open. On the empty wall in front, only traces where a religious statue had hung remained.
It was a narrow underground prayer room without a single window. A place that felt stifling and cramped, both in the dream and now.
'I don't feel anything.'
Samuel, standing blankly in the center of the prayer room, sighed inwardly. Nothing particularly came to mind, and no special energy was felt. He thought God had guided him here.
Just in case, he tried manifesting divine power, but nothing changed. Samuel, who knelt on one knee, examined the floor.
In the dream, he seemed to have knelt like this and devoted himself to prayer for hours.
But even trying to act similarly while recalling memories, he didn't feel much.
'I thought I could find a clue.'
Should he wait until night? If he slept here, perhaps the nightmare might show him a new path.
Eventually, having risen with only disappointment, he quietly turned. The moment he pushed the wooden door and stepped outside, elegant black shoes came into his lowered gaze.
"Trying to prove you're a clergyman, I see."
It was Aneli standing with an indifferent expression.
"Prayer is fine, but please explain the interior first."
With her arms crossed, she grumbled as she glanced at the other prayer rooms beyond the long corridor.
"It doesn't seem big, but the paths are too complicated. I can't find the chapel."
Aneli, who had been looking around, looked puzzled at Samuel's lack of response.
"Sir?"
"How did you know I was here?"
"I was wandering around and happened to come down to the basement, and you came out just then."
"Don't you know the internal structure of the monastery?"
"Of course. Didn't you hear me just now? I'm asking you to explain it to me."
But if she didn't know, then why.
Samuel, looking at Aneli with a rigid gaze, tightly closed his lips. Again. This strange feeling that had been troubling him lately surged up suddenly again.
Samuel, grinding his teeth to suppress his emotions, slowly opened his lips.
"...I don't know exactly either. But if you look around the entrance, there might be signs for visitors."
"I see."
At her appearance of turning without hesitation as if she was done, Samuel reflexively spoke out.
"I'll go with you."
The Dullahans who seemed unwilling to leave her side were nowhere to be seen. Aneli was standing alone. So he felt uneasy letting her go alone.
"You need to pray."
"If you wander alone, you'll get lost."
"I'm not stupid enough to not understand signs."
She smiled as if she'd heard something ridiculous. Her eyes, curved thinly, instantly caught his attention.
Her twinkling purple eyes held Samuel. At her gaze looking straight at him, Samuel unconsciously averted his eyes.
Samuel, who passed by her expressionlessly, walked ahead and answered quickly.
"Generally, monastery structures are similar. Once you grasp the location through signs, guiding is easy after that."
"Is that so."
"Yes, so..."
Samuel, who had been striding toward the stairs going up, suddenly realized something and stopped abruptly.
Aneli had changed her appearance as soon as her magical tool function returned to normal.
Samuel, who had been silent, slowly turned around. The silver-haired Aneli, who had been smiling at him as if melting just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.
"...What is this."
All that appeared behind him was the silent and dark underground corridor.
* * *
I don't trust Samuel's fanatical statement that places serving gods are blessed.
But one thing was certain—this building was sturdy. After knocking on several walls, I crossed my arms with inner relief.
'Well, it won't collapse at least.'
[Certain, this is a place where our memories are rooted!]
Tristan, flying around faster than ever, shouted with a voice full of emotion. He had barely stopped crying, and now he seemed overcome with sentiment.
It was so much that even the usually emotional Palides shuddered and declared he wouldn't associate with him.
Ganik, who glanced at Palides walking ahead with Jigor, calmed Tristan with a dignified voice.
[Tristan, stop crying.]
[Kyu!]
The baby Lizardman who had gotten close to them while in the subspace nodded vigorously in agreement.
I looked at the baby Lizardman blankly for a moment before slowly lowering my gaze. The baby Lizardman was preciously hugging a black sea turtle with both arms. So, um, that was the transformed Ganik.
The round and hard shell was just the right size to fit perfectly in the baby Lizardman's arms, very stable.
How should I put it, it could be called a baby's attachment doll without shame.
"Is he heavy? Want me to carry him?"
[Kyu kyu kyu!]
Even though they couldn't communicate, the baby Lizardman seemed to somehow understand that I was trying to take Ganik away, and shook his head fiercely. Ganik laughed gently from within the little one's embrace.
[It's fine. Though young, Lizardmen are originally monsters with considerable strength. And at this age, they naturally need an attachment object.]