Ch 73: The Solitary Temple

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'My parents were the only ones who were miraculously saved. Out of nowhere one day, they both vomited a green liquid and, after that, they slowly started to recover. The conclusion we drew was that they were saved because of their origins, since they both come from a very special kind of people..." Bernard said.'

'There are all kinds of monsters in the world, and many of them leave parts of their body as loot, whether it be their blood, heart, or anything else. Certain people perform rituals with those spoils, and that people were one of them.'

'These were people who practiced unorthodox customs. Drinking blood from monsters, eating raw animal hearts, things like that. His parents originally escaped from the village to give Bernard a better life, but it turned out that those customs were what saved them.'

'That's why, after they recovered, they went back to that village.'

'"Haa... Let's change the subject! Now it's time to celebrate, not to remember bad things."'

'With Richard's words, everyone agreed and talked about something else.''

'Of course, the beer started to affect them and their topics were very random.'

'For my part, I drank slowly. As long as I do so, I won't get drunk, so I can still think straight... Um, the last time I said that I was already the curious clone… I should be careful.'

'"Oh, that reminds me. Once, Alessia's mother came to visit my house and, at that time, she was still healthy... Or maybe I don't remember too well. The thing is… she was an incredibly cold woman who exuded an aura of nobility. I was very young at the time and I remember that I was so scared to see her that I locked myself in my room… And I didn't come out until she left the house. My parents were the ones who talked to her. But I don't know about what they talked… '' said Fernando as he wobbled sideways in the seat.'

'"I think she also went to my house…I don't remember well" Said Richard, very drunk.'

'"You must be getting confused. I also saw a similar woman and… that woman you described can't be Alessia's mother. Also, remember what Alessia's mother was like when we went to visit her" Bernard said.'

'"She was very kind..." Damien almost fell asleep and bumped into the table.'

'"Overprotective..." Cael dropped the glass. Luckily it was empty.'

'"Very beautiful..." Fernando had to catch the glass before it fell down.'

'Emir: "..."'

'I feel strange being the only one sitting up straight while everyone else is about to fall sleep on the table. Did [Survivor] go up a level?'

'No, it didn't.'

'Well, it's time to call my meeting with the in-laws to a close.'

'"This is... That's it! A good hotel! You can stay over here for sure..."' 

'Somehow, I managed to convince them to leave the tavern and, when I asked them for a place to stay, they all agreed to guide me to a hotel. Of course, I did not agree, but they did not listen to me.'

'Because of this, the walk that can be done in 10 minutes took 40 minutes.'

'"Next time, I'll come with Alessia. Bye Bye, in-laws!"'

'"In-laws? Ahahaha!"'

'"Ahahaha"'

'"Cof Cof!!!"'

'"Ahahaha"'

'"Hahaha"'

'Someone coughed up blood in between the laughter, but I overlooked it. Since, even though I can think straight, I realized that I can't walk in a straight line... Apparently, I'm drunk too.''

'But not as drunk as them!'

'After all, I don’t have the [Drunk] status…' 

'oh, shit…' 

'***'

'Ah, I feel uncomfortable when I don't wake up with a morning fellatio. It is something that is extremely fundamental and that suddenly disappeared from my life. Ahhh, I feel lonely.'

'After overcoming this existential crisis, I managed to get out of bed.'

'"Goodbye, have a nice day."'

'"The same for you"'

'I said goodbye to the receptionist and walked out of the hotel.'

'Looking at my map, I discovered how 5 custom markers are in different locations with their blue dot appearing. They are my in-laws, and it all hints that they won't wake up until noon.'

'Of course, I'm sure they'll be suffering from hangovers.'

… 

'"What can I do for you?"'

'"I was attacked by thieves and I managed to defeat them along with my companions..." I explained the situation in detail while avoiding anything that might play against me.'

'"I understand. First of all, I must corroborate your identity."'

'Since in the capital, Altamira, the knight order is not safe, I took advantage of the fact that the branch in Denir city is still marked in blue and collected the bounties for the thieves.'

'"Here you have."'

'"Thank you."'

'The result is 23 gold coins as a reward. With this, I recovered the money I gave to my in-laws.'

'Before leaving the branch, I approached one of its walls. Specifically speaking to the one with a large map hanging on it. As I looked at it closely, a message popped up on my user interface.'

'[Map Updated]'

'All parts of the map that were in transparent immediately changed. Showing reliefs, objects, and lines. Not only the inside of the city but part of the outside as well.'

'Well, with this all the preparations are now ready.'

'Looking to the east of the city I say "Now... It's time to climb a mountain!"'

'The Denir city lies to the west of the capital, Altamira. Between the two cities there are a lot of mountains blocking the free pass from city to city. By carriage, people must make a great turn to get to the other city. This journey can take up to a week.'

'Although [Travelers] can transport goods through the illusory gate, one must remember that their mana will be drained and MP potions are not cheap. So, merchants are divided between those who use travelers, and those who do it by carriage.'

'After leaving the city, I followed the map and arrived at the base of the mountain. In front of me is a large staircase that seems to reach the heavens. Unexpectedly, only by climbing this staircase will I be able to reach the top of the mountain...'

'How naive I was.'

'I reached the end of the staircase and the top of the mountain is still not visible.'

'I've long since reached the edge of the map and everything in front of me is marked in transparent. In other words, I will only be able to climb this mountain with my instinct.'

'I regret not hiring a guide.'

'***'

'In Alessia's story, it took about 28 hours to approach the Solitary temple. It is true that the way uphill was difficult where the paths sometimes disappeared or became dead ends.'

'But even I, a novice mountain climber, needed about 8 hours to reach the Solitary temple. It seems that it is as rumors say, religious people are physically weak. Since it is very likely that the Saint was the one who delayed them to the point of taking 28 hours.'

In front of me is the solitary temple, the same one to which the Saint must have arrived to fulfill her pilgrimage. It is made of wood and is in a deteriorated condition, with some holes here and there.'

'Yet, the strangest thing of all is that the floor at the entrance and inside is unexpectedly clean. Some religious person must be living here. They are known to be very devout and capable of performing tasks that for anyone else would be tormenting.'

'Well, it's time to step back and hire a guide.'

'"Hello! Is anyone here? I need help!"'

'Seconds passed and only the sound of crickets was heard.'

'There's no one at home.'

'I zoomed the map to full screen and looked for some blue dot nearby. While everything in front of me is transparent, the red and blue dots are visible no matter what the situation. So, as long as they appear on the map, I'll be able to get to them!'

'Let's see... Here it is.'

'There is a blue dot surrounded by 3 red dots. From their movements, I can deduce that they are fighting. The size of their dots is very different. The blue one is big, while the red ones are small. This hints that the person's strength is greater than the enemies.'

'"Haa... If I suddenly arrive while he is fighting he may think that I will attack him from behind. Haa..."'

'Sighing, I turned around and continued up the mountain.'

'As I move forward, the map autocompletes itself by registering all the way around me. I constantly watch it to check, whether I am moving forward or backward, because the path is not always steep. Sometimes it goes up, and sometimes it goes down. If I am not careful, I can unknowingly start to go down the mountain.'

'"Here is a dirt road with no plants."'

'If it has no plants, it must have been trodden before. So, there is a high probability that it is the right path. I walked across it but...'

'"Mn, it is the base of a cliff."'

'Looking up, I can see how a wall of earth and rock rises through the heavens with no apparent end. Climbers would love this place, as it is not smooth in texture and they could easily find places to assert themselves to climb.'

'"It's a dead-end. Haa... I'll have to turn back."'

'With the map, everything is easier I simply followed the recorded path and arrived at the starting place. In other words, to the Solitary temple.'

'"Hello! Is anyone at home?"'

'After a resounding silence, I checked the map and rechecked the situation... The blue dot is still fighting with the red dots. This is strange. Normally, someone with such a difference of power should have beaten them by now.'

'I'm going to see what's going on. Maybe he needs my help. And if I help him, he will most likely help me climb the mountain as a way to show his appreciation.'

'After walking a few minutes, I arrived in front of the battle.'

'"Become my dinner!" She swung the club.'

'A- A fox girl!'