"We'll part ways here!"
After escorting Allen and the others to the next city, Elise was already prepared to bid them farewell.
"Miss Elise, are you leaving so soon?" Allen still tried to persuade her to stay a little longer, but Elise's resolve was firm.
"Yes. You've reached a safe place, and I must now search for what I need. Let us part here."
"In that case, I won't hold you back…"
Though Allen felt regret, he still handed Elise her payment.
In their trade, credibility was everything. Unlike in the so-called "neutral countries" of the real world, here, one breach of contract meant losing all trust forever.
After leaving the caravan, Elise turned her gaze to the distant pyramid. Though it still seemed far away to the naked eye, with her power, reaching it quickly would be no problem at all.
Awwooo!
The desert wolf, usually low in presence, howled once, glanced at Elise, then walked in the direction of the pyramid.
"Sister, it wants us to follow."
Est tugged Elise's hand, also pointing toward the pyramid.
But what was worth noting was that Est's long-unmoving expressionless face now revealed obvious doubt.
"Did something happen, Est?"
Elise cared for Est, of course. After all, they had signed a contract and were now partners. But more often than not, Elise felt like Est's mother.
Even though, in truth, she was younger than Est!
"I don't know. I don't have memories of this part." Est frowned in thought for a long while before giving up.
"But what I can be certain of is that something inside there… I hate it."
"I see…"
Elise didn't quite understand, but she figured it wouldn't be a big deal. No matter the difficulty, she always had her faith power to fall back on.
Still… what could possibly exist there that Est hated?
Awwooo—!
A wolf's howl rang out again. But this time, Elise didn't need Est to translate—she could hear the urgency in its tone herself.
It must be urging us onward.
Thus, the girl and the spirit walked toward the pyramid. The yellow sand swirling around the pyramid was blocked by Elise's Prana barrier before it could touch her, causing no harm.
...
"This is the place you spoke of?"
Elise touched the stone statue before her, as though trying to feel if it concealed some mechanism.
The beast-shaped statue seemed to depict some kind of magical beast. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, but after years of wind and sand erosion, parts of it had already crumbled.
Awwooo—!
"This is the place, but it isn't the statue itself—it's underground."
"Underground?"
Elise could not see with her eyes, so she usually relied on Prana to sense her surroundings. But near this pyramid, some strange force seemed to interfere with her perception.
This forced Elise to use faith power to sense the area.
As expected, with the spread of faith power, Elise could "see" that beneath the statue was a hidden passage leading directly into the pyramid!
A secret passage?
And with the blessing of faith, Elise also sensed a distinct feature on the statue—could that be the switch to open the passage?
Elise pressed it experimentally, but…
Nothing happened!
"Normally, aren't secret passages supposed to open this way? Or did I press it wrong?"
Unconvinced, Elise pressed it several more times. This time, the statue finally reacted.
A tremor rippled through the statue, and then…
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Wait… was that laughter?
"Did this statue just mock me?"
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Keep this up, and I'll get angry, you know?
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Sacred Speech!
"Annihilate!"
Under the sacred saintess' radiant power, the mocking statue finally met its rightful end.
When the statue vanished, the passage beneath was revealed.
"Alright, let's go… huh?"
Elise was about to call Est and the desert wolf to enter with her, but noticed the wolf had stopped completely, making no move to follow.
Awwooo!
"It says it can only escort us this far. It cannot go inside. From here, the rest of the path is up to us."
Est's timely translation spared Elise unnecessary trouble.
"I see… so you'll be leaving us now…" Elise crouched down and gently embraced the wolf. "I wish you all the best on your journey!"
Though their first meeting had not been pleasant, the wolf had told Elise of the Demon King's tomb, which had been a great help.
Awwooo!
Elise remained standing until the wolf fully vanished into the sands before turning and entering the hidden passage.
Unlike the weathered statue above, the secret passage clearly had never been opened before. The wall carvings were still sharp and distinct.
"The Demon King's tomb… what kind of treasures could be buried here?"
If it contained techniques related to Elementalists, that would be perfect. Elise would gain an inheritance outright, and she wouldn't need to keep fumbling forward with Est's usage as she was now.
In the pitch-black passage, Elise's golden radiance illuminated the surroundings.
The passage wasn't very wide, barely allowing three people to walk side by side. There were no forks or side paths to confuse intruders, so Elise advanced with ease.
Est, however, grew more and more unsettled the closer they drew to the pyramid. Elise assumed it was the Demon King's power affecting her and used purification to calm her.
At first narrow, only enough for one to pass… but after several dozen steps, it suddenly opened wide.
That was Elise's situation now. After walking for a while, the passage had clearly broadened.
Ascending a flight of stairs, Elise finally arrived inside the pyramid.
With Sacred Speech, she cast light into the surroundings, revealing everything before them.
"Should I say… as expected of the Demon King Solomon's tomb?"
Elise clicked her tongue at the sight.
The surrounding hall was decorated magnificently, inlaid with countless gems. If all of them were taken out and sold, one might become richer than nations!
Yet surprisingly, aside from the jewels carved into the walls, there was nothing else here.
No gold coins!
No elemental techniques!
No Demon King inheritance!
Only…
A massive boulder at the center of the altar!
And within the boulder… seemed to be the faint outline of a human figure?