CH 67

The next morning.

After breakfast, Set and Satis headed for the cave temple.

When they reached a point where they could see it from afar, Satis squinted her eyes as she fixed the position of her glasses with her middle finger.

[Hmm, I see. I imagined something different since this place is related to the Wendigos, but… it’s that type of temple, huh.] (Satis)

Satis seemed to have an idea what that place was.

In this sort of situation, Seto could always count on her intelligence.

He quickly led the way into the temple, where he was greeted by Jake and the others.

Everyone was here today, and the kids who had not met Seto yet gulped when they saw him.

Jake immediately thought of recruiting Seto again, but…

[You must be the children Seto told me about. Nice to meet you all, my name is Satis. I’m sorry to ask, but will you let us investigate the interior of your lair?] (Satis)

[Eh!? O-Of course. Please feel free to… Yes.] (Jake)

Jake blushed and froze up as Satis smiled at him.

Satis immediately looked around the interior, finding areas that picked her interest and examining them.

Seto was about to follow her when…

[Wait wait wait! Seto, come here for a bit. Seriously. We need to talk.] (Jake)

[Eh? What do you want, Jake? Hey!] (Seto)

While Satis was a short distance away, Jake and the kids gathered around Seto.

All of them were looking fidgety and restless, with their faces bright red.

[What’s your relationship with that Satis woman?] (Jake)

[Where did that come from? She’s the most important person to me. I mentioned her yesterday, remember?] (Seto)

[But I don’t remember you saying anything about how beautiful she is!] (Jake)

[…Because I didn’t.] (Seto)

[Don’t give me that. And you get to travel with a beauty like her all the time?] (Jake)

[Yeah. We’re hoping to find a place where we can both settle down someday. But it’s getting a little difficult for now, so we’re working to fix that.] Seto responded to Jake and his group, who came at him blushing, with a troubled look on their faces and their arms crossed.

Satis’ presence was too arousing for those children.

Seeing Jake and the others completely mesmerized and flustered by Satis’ beauty, excellent proportions, and glamorous outfit that beautifully complemented her features, gave Seto a feeling of déjà vu.

He remembered how he was like this himself when he started traveling with Satis and became aware of her charms.

Now that they had more skinship between them, he had gotten used to it, but there were still times when he almost succumbed to Satis’ charms.

[…No fair.] (Jake)

[‘No fair’? Look now…] (Seto)

Everyone was looking at Seto with a mixture of jealousy and envy.

When he was at a loss for what to do, Satis came to his rescue from afar.

[Seto, what’s keeping you? Hurry up and come over here, please! …Also, Jake-kun. Please come with us for a bit too. I’ll need you to show me around the interior.] (Satis)

Satis was waiting at the end of the altar, near the passage leading to the back.

She called for Jake because she thought he would be familiar with the layout of this temple.

It was such an old building that it could collapse if they proceeded too recklessly.

Satis called for him because he had been here for a long time, and even occupied the position of leader, so he would be able to tell to some extent which way was dangerous or safe.

The jealousy and envy he had been directing at Seto just a few minutes ago disappeared when he was called by Satis.

Jake made a gesture to straighten his clothes, and was about to head towards her with his chest puffed up.

[No fair, Leader!] (Kid A)

[Yeah! Why is it only you…!?] (Kid B)

[Guys, this is not a game. As the leader, I have the duty to protect Seto and Satis-san. You guys continue to keep watch as you always have. Okay? Now come on, Seto!] (Jake)

[R-Right…] (Seto)

Seto commented in his mind how Jake seemed somewhat cheerful now.

He was actually worried whether a guy like him could serve as the leader of a revolutionary army.

[Sorry, Satis. I was held up.] (Seto)

[You don’t say. What were you boys talking about?] (Satis)

[…Nothing, just trivial stuff.] (Seto)

[Yes, just trivial stuff.] (Jake)

[Hmm… Is that so? Well then, Jake-kun. I would like to see the back of this temple, so could you show us the way?] (Satis)

[Consider it done. Now let’s go, Seto!] (Jake)

[Eh? Ah, sure.] (Seto)

Jake lit a torch and walked down the passageway ahead of Seto and Satis.

The latter whispered to the former, who could not hide his confusion and bewilderment at seeing Jake, whose mood had changed drastically compared to the day before.

[He’s rather cheerful and full of spirit for someone who called himself the leader of a revolutionary army.] (Satis)

[Yeah, I know. He was also full of spirit yesterday, but… Today, it’s different.] (Seto)

[Is that so? Well I guess he’s just happy that you came back, Seto.] (Satis)

[I don’t think that’s the only reason…] (Seto)

[Fufufu! Maybe so.] (Satis)

Satis was aware of the glances Jake and the kids were giving her.

She was used to turning men’s heads and did not seem particularly bothered by it, but she realized that she should’ve been a bit more mindful of her overly stimulating appearance, and was reflecting on it.

[There is a large hall in the back. The gang and I all went in there once, and it was a very beautiful place. …Look, we can see it!] (Jake)

As Jake happily explained its existence to Satis, he announced their arrival at the hall in the back.

Satis immediately cast a spell and summoned a light to illuminate the entire room.

Both she and Seto gasped at the sight they were presented with.

Divinely magnificent statues and murals that laid dormant in this room, built a long time ago.

The passion of their creators has transcended time, and was plain for Seto and the others to see.

Even if the boys were not history experts like Satis, they did not need to be to voice how wonderful these pieces of art were.

From each one of them, they could feel the breath of life and its grandeur.

From the roars of the beasts, to the sound of trees swaying in the wind, to the cries of a baby being held by its mother, the works of art, which should have been silent, quietly told their own story.

In this beautifully shaped room, they once again felt the weight of the history of life directly on their skin.

As they looked around at the elaborate religious artworks, Satis and Set could sense the awe and respect for nature that humans must have felt in the past.

Such sensitivity made it impossible for them to translate their thoughts into speech.

Words could not begin to describe such beauty.

The instincts of those three told them so.

After basking in that atmosphere for a while, Satis and Seto had some doubts.

No matter how they looked at it, it did not look like a room that would be dedicated to the Wendigos.

There were far too many man-made objects for this place to be dedicated to the Wendigos.

Satis looked around for a while to figure this mystery out.

[Well, Satis, have you figured out anything about this place?] (Seto)

[Yes, I have.] (Satis)

[A-Already!?] (Jake)

Satis turned to Seto and the astonished Jake, and explained each detail one by one.

[You see, this place is a temple dedicated to the “Holy Mother Çatalhöyük”. She was known to be a kind of earth goddess who gave birth to numerous lives and promised fertility to the earth, and was considered the same as or a counterpart of Ahas Patel, the Wendigo of Death. Unfortunately, she’s a very ancient deity, so her religion and folklore have practically died out, and there isn’t much information on her either.] (Satis)

[I see. So she’s a deity related to Ahas Patel, then. But is this place really where the trial is meant to happen? It doesn’t seem like it by any stretch of the imagination…] (Seto)

Seto moved to the center of the hall while looking over the statues and murals.

Aside from the numerous artworks, nothing seemed to particularly stand out.

Satis appeared to have nothing to say on that point either.

Just when they thought they had reached a dead end, Jake, who had been unable to join their conversation, began to tell Seto and Satis what he knew, as if he had just remembered something.

[Erm… I’m not sure what you guys are looking for, but I think… That thing might just be it. Can I ask you to go check it out?] (Jake)

Having said that, Jake walked to the center of the hall where Seto was standing, and from there, he walked in the 2 o’clock direction.

[Here, it’s down there.] (Jake)

Jake pointed to a staircase leading to the basement.

It was not that deep, but there seemed to be something beyond it.