"What the hell is that kid?" (3)
Isaac already knew.
He knew that the other candidates had been hiding near the entrance to the Second Hall.
Well, they were saint candidates, after all. They must have survived through all his tricks and managed to follow him somehow.
Besides, every single one of them was a noble, educated through elite programs under the auspices of their families and the Vatican.
Kids who had been learning how to command others since they were young — just how cunning could they be?
Ah, those budding little clergy members, he could just tear them apart.
Anyway, that's why when Isaac got rid of the gatekeeper, he deliberately pretended to use the ring.
Anyone smart enough among them would think:
Ah! That baby was able to avoid all the traps and trials thanks to that ring!
And naturally, since Isaac was the only one allowed to bring in items, it would draw attention.
He used that attention against them.
That's why he made a point of acting as conspicuous as possible even in the First Hall.
Because he knew the Second Hall was filled with traps too much for a baby's body to handle… or so he thought—bullshit! These sly little chicks were actually aiming for the Skeleton King's body?!
'I'll crush you all at once!'
Well, thanks to all the kids setting off the mines everywhere, all the explosive traps in the Second Hall were cleared.
He also expected that only about half of those who followed would survive.
But what he hadn't expected was those looks in their eyes.
Wide and sparkling.
"…"
Entering the Second Hall, Isaac broke out in a sweat.
The back of his head prickled.
Being carried in Shuri's arms, Isaac glanced at the children who were trailing behind him.
'What's with those eyes?'
Trailing behind him was one thing, but why were they looking at him so expectantly and admiringly?
Meanwhile, the kids' eyes were shining brightly as they looked at Isaac.
"He really must have divine powers!"
Divine powers? What, are they a bunch of cultists?
"Maybe it's because he's from a saintly family?"
No, those people only knew how to turn demon kings into minced meat, you know?
But from their perspective, their reaction made sense.
"Even though he gave up the ring, Naizer still got wiped out. He was acting all high and mighty, telling us to follow him because he had a way through."
"I thought the whole ring story sounded fishy from the start. It just looked like some old blessed antique."
"Honestly, I couldn't believe Eshua would ever cheat like that."
"Yeah, Eshua is so honest and upright."
"Then that means this kid actually beat the gatekeeper of the Second Hall? Could a kid like that even use exorcism magic?"
"Of course! It's Eshua's descendant, after all!"
"Right. This child must also be upright, pure, and a devoted servant of God, just like Eshua and the Saintess…!"
While the children gazed at Isaac with admiration, Shuri was at a loss for words.
Well, not that there was any need to correct them, so she just listened.
But seriously?
Upright? Servant of God?
This kid?
'The same kid who snaps the heads off god dolls the moment he sees them?'
Shuri's gaze shifted to Isaac, who was smiling like a perverted little demon.
Whenever the attendants brought god dolls, Isaac would seize up in rage and violently rip their heads off.
–Rrrrriip! (These damn dolls don't even look good!)
Thankfully, she had managed to hide all that behavior.
But anyway, that wasn't the point right now.
A child around six years old approached Isaac.
"If there really is a Saint, I'm sure it would be someone like you."
"!"
The child's clothes were a little unusual, and for a saint candidate, he was looking at a rival way too adoringly.
"Taya (Who the heck is this kid?)"
From Isaac's sour expression, Shuri could tell what he was thinking.
"…He's asking who you are."
"I am the prince of Julius."
At those words, the other candidates murmured in surprise.
"Julius? Isn't that the kingdom to the east of Hella?"
"I heard the prince there is blessed by the gods…"
Isaac let out a dry laugh.
Ah, so this was that idiot from the neighboring country?
"Honestly, I'm confident in my divine power, but I don't think I'm meant to be the Saint. I've come to find the Saint and the Skeleton King's body."
Oh ho, so you're after my body too?
The young prince stared at Isaac's hair almost in awe, his eyes sparkling.
"Platinum hair is the symbol of Hella's founders, right? The first Emperor and the first Pope! I heard even the papal family hasn't seen hair like that for thousands of years! If someone has the founders' color, then isn't it obvious they're the Saint? It's direct proof of divine blessing!"
At those words, the other children paled. They turned white as sheets and glanced around, as if checking whether Kina or Berit were nearby.
It was a face as if they had just heard something forbidden.
It was at that moment.
Boom!
Just as they were about to reach the door leading to the 3rd Hall, doll-like gatekeepers appeared alongside a pillar of light.
[Welcome. The 3rd Hall is the Hall of Reflection.]
The children cheered.
They knew if Kina or Berit showed up and caused trouble, it would only hurt them.
"Alright! We can move on to the next hall!"
"Good thing we followed that kid instead of Niger!"
"The Skeleton King's body will be ours!"
Isaac's face turned red with anger.
Seriously, would they just leave the Skeleton King's body alone?
But then, the porcelain dolls shaped like angels struck the ground with their spears.
Boom!
[To proceed to the 3rd Hall, all you have to do is smash us.]
[Show us your courage and determination!]
"Yeah! That doesn't sound hard!"
It seemed likely that the 3rd Hall was a trial of bravery.
Everyone prepared to use their combat techniques confidently.
But then it happened.
"Ttya! (Stop!)"
"!!"
At Isaac's shout, the children flinched.
This was the kid who had avoided all traps from the 1st Hall onward. They had no choice but to focus on his every move.
"What is it? Did he figure something out again?"
"Be careful. It might be a trap."
Hearing the reaction, Shuri narrowed her eyes at the angel statues.
'Yeah. It's a trap.'
Shuri had secretly learned about the structure of the Treasury from her father.
Although those angel dolls looked like gatekeepers of the 3rd Hall, well…
'It's a lie.'
If the 1st Hall was the Hall of Choice and the 2nd Hall was the Hall of Calm, then the 3rd Hall was the 'Hall of Reflection.'
The word 'reflection' that they mentioned shouldn't be taken lightly.
The hint was in how they emphasized the need to reflect before even leaving the 2nd Hall.
It meant to recall what had happened in the 1st and 2nd Halls.
'In other words, don't judge by appearances.'
For adults, it's a virtue not to be deceived by appearances or sweet words, but to doubt and scrutinize everything.
In short, even though those dolls told them to destroy them, they must not touch them at all.
They just had to walk past.
It was the same principle as with the gatekeeper of the 2nd Hall.
'Or maybe… that's why the 2nd Hall's gatekeeper was a demon.'
Because demons lie.
Meaning, everything in the Treasury served as a hint for the next Hall.
Sure enough, Isaac, sucking on his pacifier, gestured enthusiastically.
"Ttya, ayaya. Ayayayaya."
Judging by his hand gestures, he seemed to be telling them to gather on one side.
The children were deeply moved.
"Could it be… he's showing us the way?"
"Is he telling us to go this way?"
Even Shuri was quite surprised.
The direction Isaac pointed to was unmistakably the correct answer.
'Why is he showing the right path so openly?'
Still, maybe it's because he's the Saint's child?
Though Shuri often opposed the Saint within the family, she couldn't deny the Saint's character.
Saints were always benevolent and self-sacrificing.
And they guided others down the right path…
"Ttya!"
Crash!!
Guiding down the right path…
[You have chosen incorrectly.]
"AAAAHH!!"
Damn it, you crazy little brat!!
Isaac unleashed a sacred technique, mercilessly smashing the angels' heads.
[Stellar Light (3rd Level)]
The dolls, seemingly made of porcelain, shattered into powder under Isaac's divine power.
At that moment, the shattered dolls transformed.
[Hehe. Saints shouldn't believe others' words so easily.]
The new forms revealed themselves—demons wielding swords and spears.
Shuri froze.
This was definitely the final trap of the 2nd Hall.
Sure enough, the demon dolls, weapons in hand, began to chase the candidates.
The children panicked and screamed.
"Ugh! What the heck is this!"
Meanwhile, Isaac laughed gleefully from Shuri's arms.
'What do you think it is? It's a mass-murder puppet.'
Didn't he already hint at it when they saw the golem in the 2nd Hall?
He said it was one of his subordinate's abilities.
That's why Isaac immediately recognized the dolls the moment he saw them.
Ah, they're another puppet of that subordinate.
And since they were his subordinate's puppets, he knew their abilities well.
They were called 'Lying Puppets'—if you believed their words, they would transform into killer dolls and chase you down.
"Ttya (By the way, they usually target the biggest group first.)"
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Waaah! Save me!"
Isaac screamed while watching the Saint candidates using their holy spells, laughing "puhehe" as he did.
"Ddyuyayayaya (That's why you shouldn't let your guard down, little chicks)!"
The Saint candidates cast defensive holy spells while searching for Isaac.
They believed this was simply part of their trial.
So, they thought, they only needed to chase after Isaac.
'The escape route is…!'
However—
"What the heck, where did they go!"
Isaac and Shuri had vanished. No matter how much they looked around, they couldn't find them.
"Find where they are— Agh!"
Isaac, who was right next to them, giggled quietly.
I'm right next to you, you fools.
Isaac had used a blessing placed on his body.
— Isaac, your uncle will place the blessing that will help you the most.
Apparently, Lila, feeling uneasy about relying solely on the ring, had secretly cast a holy spell on Isaac's body as well.
Of course, unlike the other kids, she didn't grant him abilities specialized for treasure hunting, like strength enhancement, movement speed boost, or the Eye of Discernment.
Instead, she gave him a blessing that would best protect a child.
[Invisibility (6th Rank)]
So much fuss about fetching the Holy Sword, and yet—
Truly fitting for a saint's family: a blessing free of greed.
Or maybe, in a way, it was a clever blessing?
And Isaac wasn't the only one affected by the invisibility.
"..."
Invisibility also applied to those Isaac touched.
The scowling Shuri, who was carrying Isaac in her arms…
And—
"Oh my goodness…!"
The prince.
Isaac was clutching the prince's collar. While Isaac and Shuri remained unscathed, the prince was visibly shocked by the situation.
"Did you cast the invisibility spell on me too? You saved me!"
It was unmistakable.
Shuri, raising an eyebrow, looked down at Isaac, who was smiling innocently.
And that wasn't all.
"Ddyaya (Here, I'll lend you this)."
Isaac offered the prince the ring he had recovered from Nyzer.
The prince, seeing the ring, became even more deeply moved.
There was no way a mere child would have brought a ring purely for decoration.
It surely held a special blessing.
"Thank you. I'm inexperienced in fighting demons, and yet you…!"
Shuri glanced at Isaac in slight astonishment.
This baby is smart.
Could it be that, by instinct, he's thinking about fostering ties with the royal family?
It might just be a coincidence, but this prince was from a kingdom not far from the Duchy of Eshua.
Scoring points here would be beneficial no matter how you looked at it.
"Thank you. I will never forget this grace! I will be sure to convey it to the king as well—huff!"
As soon as the prince received the ring, he collapsed with a thud.
He had fallen because his holy power was instantly drained.
And there was no way Shuri didn't know that the ring had a holy power absorption ability.
Come to think of it, there were about twenty Saint candidates inside this second chamber.
Just enough for the ring's activation to meet its minimum requirement.
Plus, since everyone was gathering their holy power to use spells, it was the perfect situation for absorption…
Meanwhile, Isaac giggled as he looked at the fallen prince.
"Ddyuyadyuyayayaya (You had the most holy power out of everyone here)!!"
[Kyakkyakkyakkyak, Master. That prince sure had a ton of holy power for a royal!]
Whisper laughed along with his master.
Having witnessed everything, Shuri turned pale as she stared down at the child in her arms.
Uncle.
What in the world did you bring back?
Is this really the bloodline of Eshua?
SUPPORT ME HERE : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920