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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“By the way, it’s amazing that such a huge temple is located so deep underground.”
As they continued their descent into the dungeon’s depths, Eilly suddenly stopped and looked around, her index finger tapping her chin thoughtfully, her clear eyes sparkling with curiosity in the darkness.
The massive stone pillars, stretching upwards as if supporting the sky, and the faded murals on the walls, though worn with age, still exuded an air of majesty.
“It’s certainly… an ancient temple. It’s amazing that they could build such a huge structure underground so long ago.”
Varis also looked around, his eyes narrowed in wonder.
“…….”
Their reactions were understandable. The Shrine of the Depths, even in the darkness of the abyss, was a place of overwhelming grandeur and a strange, almost mystical, atmosphere.
Once a sacred place of worship, it was now a place of corruption and darkness.
The massive chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling had long since lost their light, their broken glass shards littering the floor.
The once-golden altar was now scorched black.
“And this… is it blood?”
Eilly pointed at the floor, and everyone’s gaze followed. The floor was stained with a dark, reddish-brown liquid, a wet squelching sound echoing with each step.
A musty, metallic smell filled the air. Although it looked old, it strangely didn’t seem to have dried yet.
“It’s like a maze…”
Elisha also muttered, her voice filled with a hint of suspicion.
The interior was a labyrinth of massive pillars, creating a disorienting sensation, like walking through an endless forest. The temple’s complex structure made it easy to get lost.
The flags and tapestries hanging from the pillars were stained with mold and darkness, their original colors faded.
And in the gaps between the pillars stood strange, grotesque statues, their eyes closed, some with their hands clasped in prayer, others holding swords and looking down at the floor.
“By the way, aren’t these statues a little creepy?”
“They’re not going to suddenly move, are they?”
Melina also looked at the statues, her gaze drawn to the more eerie ones.
They seemed to be mourning someone, yet they also exuded a strange, menacing aura, as if they could come to life at any moment, their silent forms seeming to hold their breath in the darkness.
“The statues, and this gloomy underground structure… I wonder what the ancient people were thinking when they built this.”
Just as she was grumbling, her voice filled with a mix of unease and displeasure—
“Although it may look like this now, it was once a beautiful place.”
—Lucy, who had been silent, finally spoke, her gaze distant, as if looking into the past.
“Huh?”
“What do you mean?”
As everyone looked at her with a puzzled expression, she continued, seemingly oblivious to their reactions,
“In ancient times, it was the age of the gods. A time when the gods walked among mortals.”
Lucy gently touched the ancient stone wall, dust coating her fingertips, her expression a mix of nostalgia and reverence.
“And this great temple was built by the followers of those gods.”
Her voice was low but firm.
“Although it has been worn down by time and corrupted by darkness… it had its own glorious era.”
A brief silence followed, a strange feeling washing over them as they imagined the temple in its former glory, a place of light and worship, now a desolate ruin.
“The spirits that linger here… were once devout followers…”
Lucy paused, closing her eyes. And then she added quietly,
“But I believe… they will all be saved someday.”
Her voice was low and quiet, but it held a strange conviction.
“You may not believe it, but it’s true. Although it’s treated as a dungeon now, it was once a shrine, a place of faith and solace for all.”
Her gaze swept over the tattered flags and banners, their colors faded, their fabric torn.
The faint traces of past glory, the shattered relics on the ruined altar… It was difficult to imagine this place as a holy sanctuary.
“The spirits here… were once followers who served the gods… and I believe they will be saved again someday.”
She closed her eyes, her expression a mix of longing and reverence, as if reminiscing about a bygone era, her demeanor almost mystical, yet tinged with a strange sadness.
But just then, Eilly, who had been quietly observing the surroundings, asked a sharp question.
“By the way, Lucy?”
At her question, everyone’s gaze turned towards Lucy.
“How do you know all of this in such detail? You speak as if you’ve experienced it yourself.”
There was no malice in her question. But that only made it sharper.
Anyone would have found Lucy’s demeanor suspicious, as she spoke not with the detachment of a historian, but with the familiarity of an eyewitness.
“Uh…?”
Lucy froze, as if struck by a sudden blow. It was a rare reaction from the usually composed and collected Lucy.
She stammered, trying to speak, but her words caught in her throat, her lips trembling.
The sudden shift in her demeanor was so obvious that everyone fell silent, waiting for her to speak.
“W-Well, you see…! I… I just… know a lot about ancient history!”
Lucy waved her hands dismissively, her denial forced and unnatural, only highlighting her flustered state.
“And I’ve been here a few times before, you know?!”
“Of course, I’ve also done a lot of research on this dungeon. I learned about it through my historical studies!”
A brief silence followed as everyone tried to process her words. They seemed to accept her explanation, but a flicker of suspicion remained in their eyes.
“I see… so it used to be a great temple.”
Melina muttered, looking up at the ceiling. The massive dome was now cracked and crumbling, but it might have once held a sacred power. But now, it was a place of darkness and corruption, the only traces of its past glory the grotesque statues and decaying relics.
“It’s hard to imagine… that this place was once filled with life and vitality.”
Eilly walked among the statues, her fingertips tracing the rough texture of the pillars. The cold stone against her skin made it hard to believe that this place was once a vibrant sanctuary.
“I wonder what kind of people worshipped here.”
She muttered, her fingers tracing the faded patterns on the pillars.
“…….”
Suddenly, Lucy’s expression darkened slightly, her gaze distant, her silence speaking volumes. A strange tension filled the air, but it was quickly broken by Varis’s voice.
“Hey…! Isn’t that… a treasure chest?”
Everyone’s gaze followed his pointing finger.
“It really is.”
Melina’s face lit up, and she clasped her hands together. On top of the massive altar, among the old decorations, sat a worn-out chest, its golden ornaments faded, its surface covered in a thick layer of dust.
“There might be some good loot inside.”
Varis, eager for a reward after their long and tense exploration, hurried towards the chest, as if it were a welcome sight in a barren wasteland.
“Alright, what do we have here~”
He touched the chest with an expectant look, his fingers tracing the wooden grain, and was about to lift the lid when—
“Wait a minute…”
—Elisha suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on something, her voice filled with a strange mix of curiosity and unease.
“Hmm?”
Her gaze was directed at the statue on top of the chest.
A statue of a woman, its form so lifelike that it seemed to be a real person turned to stone.
“That statue… something’s…”
At Elisha’s words, the others also turned to look, and their expressions hardened.
“What is that…”
A hush fell over the group, their gazes fixed on the statue.
A woman’s face, carved from cold stone. Soft yet sharp features, long, flowing hair… The exquisite carving was strangely familiar.
“…No way.”
Melina gasped.
The statue’s face was…
“Isn’t that… Lucy…?”
—identical to Lucy’s.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
