Parallel Memory

[ "Shadow Dance" ]

( As expected! )

I was on the outskirts of the Cathedral and there were lots of guards surveying the area. Most of them seemed to be mind-controlled.

The good thing was that they couldn't utilize their full abilities. Even if the person is Rank-A, he/she can't detect me unless it is really obvious.

If not, with the capabilities of Rank-A and Rank-S Holy Knights, they should have been able to detect the mana when I used Shadow Dance.

But it seems that they are not capable of that since their mind is controlled and could only rely on their eyesight and sound.

Though with me manipulating my mana, even if they were not mind-controlled, they would have a hard time detecting my mana.

Even so, I made sure that I didn't make any mistakes. I made sure to check every place to see whether there was a trap or not.

[ Insight Perception ]

I checked the surroundings, looking for traces of Dark Energy. As I thought, the people who were being controlled had a trace of Dark Energy on their bodies. With that, it was undeniable that Cardinal Hildred used the Nexus Scepter.

"Now that I made sure it is Nexus Scepter, I had to find the artifact."

The most obvious location is the area near where the ceremony took place. To have a better effect, they should have placed the artifact near that area.

Even if they had moved the artifact, there should still have been some traces. Anyway, my best bet was that it is not moved or anything.

[ "Shadow Dance" ]

I silently made my way to the location where I had fought Cardinal Hildred before. To my surprise, there were fewer guards there than I had expected.

( Is it not around here? )

This made me doubt whether the artifact was actually located in that area. I for one thought that the closer I got to the location of the artifact, the more guards I would encounter. I thought for a second whether I should continue or check other places.

( No, let's inspect the place. )

Despite my doubts, I decided to inspect the area thoroughly. It was better to investigate the suspicious location first, as I had no other leads on where the artifact could be hidden.

I approached the task with the utmost caution, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign that could lead me to the artifact. I scoured every nook and cranny, determined not to miss any vital clues.

To avoid detection, I employed my signature technique, the 'Shadow Dance,' which enabled me to move stealthily and evade most of the guards. My conviction grew stronger that the artifact was indeed in this location, although its exact whereabouts still eluded me.

I noticed that the mana levels in this area were remarkably high compared to other places, and I deduced that it was because of Nexus Scepter's usage.

As I had explained to Saintess and Adeline, the Nexus Scepter requires an enormous amount of mana to operate, and its usage often leaves behind a powerful mana aura that is difficult to miss. This was a crucial piece of information that brought me one step closer to locating the artifact.

Though it still confused me why Cardinal Hildred didn't employ more guards in this area. Was it to throw me off? But she shouldn't know that I know about the existence of Nexus Scepter.

Maybe she thought that I wouldn't think that she used the Nexus Scepter. After all, without the knowledge of the novel, it is impossible to come to that conclusion.

Although I was confused about Cardinal Hildred's lack of guard presence in this area, it worked in my favor.

I went to the place where I sensed the most mana. I thoroughly searched for anything suspicious or something that might be an entrance to some hidden location. I still couldn't find the location or anything close to it. However, I was sure that it was somewhere in this area.

Nexus Scepter was still active as it had to still control the minds of everyone that was taken hostage by Cardinal Hildred.

I continued my search, exploring every nook and cranny of the cathedral. Finally, after what seemed like hours of searching, I came across a hidden room that was tucked away in a corner of the cathedral.

"Finally!"

I didn't know where the artifact was located. But it was something that I came across after such a long period of search.

I took a deep breath and began walking forward, my senses on high alert. The room was dimly lit, and I could barely make out the shapes of the objects around me. The sound of my own footsteps echoed through the empty space.

I didn't see any guards but I was sure that if the artifact was here, there would be a lot of guards.

As I walked deeper into the room, I noticed that there were several shelves and cabinets lining the walls. The room was much bigger than I had expected and I had walked quite a bit with no end in sight.

As I cautiously made my way further into the dimly lit room, I suddenly saw a faint glow emanating from a pedestal in the center of the room. My heart began to race with excitement and anticipation.

( Could this be a Nexus Scepter? )

I had never seen the artifact so I can't be 100% sure but looking at the situation, this could be nothing more than an artifact.

I could see that the artifact was wrapped in something. The material surrounding the Scepter was a thick, black substance that seems to be both viscous and solid at the same time. It clings to the Scepter like a second skin, obscuring its mana aura and making it difficult to discern the artifact's true power.

It seems that there was another artifact that was used in order to hide the mana aura emitted by Nexus Scepter. Unfortunately, it couldn't conceal all of the mana aura and I was highly sensitive to mana.

"S-Stop!"

The sound came from behind the Scepter and slowly a figure appeared. I saw Priestess Helena appear, flanked by several guards. Her expression was a mix of surprise and fear.

"I-If you don't want to get hurt, stop where you are!"

Priestess Helena said. However, there was fear in her voice even though she had a guard with her.

I observed the power of the guard and they were at Rank-A. While she was indeed guarded by several Rank-A Holy Knights, there was no Rank-S guard. It seems that the Rank-S Holy Knights who obeyed them are all guarding Cardinal Hildred.

Anyway, Priestess Helena didn't really seem confident by the sound of her voice. It was shaky which is obviously because she is scared of me.

"Give me the Scepter and I will not do anything!"

I said. Anyway, I don't want to bully Priestess Helena when she looks so scared. Enemy or not, I don't have the habit of hurting someone who doesn't have the will to fight.

"I-I can't! You should leave when I ask nicely."

Priestess Helena said. She looked scared, probably because she knew that she was no match for me. Previously when I met her, she looked arrogant with her followers and asked me to join her.

Maybe at the time, she thought that the rumor about me killing Rank-S Devil Contractor was fake. But when I escaped with Saintess Amelia, she should have seen that even two Rank-S Holy Knights couldn't kill me easily.

"Umm… I will take it myself!"