Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

The atmosphere in the drawing room remained tense. Every eye was locked on Olga, save for Dion and Gina, who sat there completely calm and unfazed. Mei stepped forward and sat beside Luna.

”What makes you say you want to destroy the Kingdom of Minatheras, Lady Olga?” Mei asked, getting straight to the point.

Olga went silent, but a faint smile touched her lips as she looked at Luna and Mei. She stood up, walked to a small writing desk in the corner of the room, leaned down to open a drawer, and retrieved two items. Turning back, she carried a book and a scroll to her seat, placing them on the coffee table. Naturally, every gaze shifted toward the items.

”Before I explain, may I ask one thing?” Olga requested.

”Go ahead,” Luna replied.

Olga suddenly pointed straight at Gina. The little dragon flinched in surprise, her paws gripping the arm of Dion, who held her close with a bewildered expression.

”Is she the calamity dragon, Gemmeth?” Olga asked with a smile.

”No, her name is Gina. She’s still a baby,” Dion answered directly, returning the smile.

Olga paused, studying the confused little dragon before shifting her eyes to Dion. She smiled at them both, a mysterious expression that gave them a sudden chill.

”Very well. Whether she is Gemmeth or not does not matter right now, but there is one thing I must explain,” Olga said.

Olga unrolled the scroll onto the table. Sheila and Cleo had to hold down the edges of the ancient paper to keep it flat. Everyone’s eyes widened, the scroll bore a detailed sketch of a massive tower rising infinitely into the sky. Cleo gasped, staring at the illustration in disbelief before looking up at Olga.

”What are you saying? Why do you have a drawing of the Goddess’s Tower, the one sealed and lost thousands of years ago?” Cleo asked, recognizing the structure instantly.

Dion, Gina, Luna, Sheila, Aria, and Mei turned to look at Cleo, who was staring at Olga with a dead serious expression.

”This tower is no fairytale. It exists, and the legends written in the books are completely wrong. This is no tower of the goddess, it is the demon tower,” Olga stated.

”How can you say something like that?” Cleo asked, confused.

”Read this for yourself,” Olga said, handing the book to Cleo.

Cleo took the book, placed it on her lap, and opened it. Aria and Sheila, sitting beside her, leaned in to read along. Their eyes scanned the written words. Sheila looked up at Olga.

”So this book is the result of the magic department’s research in this city,” Sheila noted.

”Precisely. Read further, and you will understand why we must destroy Minatheras,” Olga replied.

Cleo, Aria, and Sheila read intently. As they turned page after page, their expressions slowly darkened. Further in, their jaws dropped. As they read even deeper, their bodies began to tremble, their faces drained of color. Seeing their reaction, Luna and Mei stood up and leaned over their shoulders to read, with Dion leaning in as well.

The book contained translations of underground reliefs uncovered by expanding mining operations. The tale recorded was staggering: an ancient legend of an iron-fisted king who ruled without ever abandoning his people. The king was unnamed, but according to the reliefs, he led a mighty, technologically advanced kingdom that once spanned the Sauriyan region.

Dion, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, Luna, and Mei read on, learning of the king, of Gemmeth fighting alongside him, and of their true enemy: a demon kingdom that built a tower reaching toward the goddess with the sole intent of slaying her, mockingly naming it the Goddess’s Tower. But what made their blood run cold was the tower’s location, the very site where the capital of Minatheras now stood. Furthermore, the demon kingdom that constructed the tower was itself named Minatheras.

All six of them stared at Olga, who sat calmly sipping her tea.

”So... you intend to destroy this kingdom based on these findings?” Luna asked.

”No. Those findings were merely the catalyst for our investigation. As we all know, this kingdom is corrupt from top to bottom, from the king down to the commoners. Dark demon-worshipping cults run rampant, and this land hides far too many of the world’s secrets,” Olga answered.

”And?” Mei pressed, asking for the rest.

”The dark cult operates directly out of the central cathedral in the capital... As we know, the cathedrals and the faith worshipping Goddess Hestalia originated right here on this land. That is the true reason we must destroy Minatheras and purge the cathedrals from the entire world,” Olga revealed.

”Wait a moment... Are you saying... the high religious leaders at the central cathedral, the supposed birthplace of the Hestalia faith... are cult leaders?” Luna asked, stunned.

”Exactly. As you can see, there is not a single cathedral in this city, and we consistently turn away emissaries from the capital,” Olga replied.

”So... closing the gates of Mageford and raising the city barrier... wasn’t because of what happened in the capital two days ago?” Sheila asked.

”No... while we heard of those events, we have operated this way for a long time,” Olga answered.

”Hold on... when we landed in Sauriyan and entered the city on dragonback... there wasn’t a barrier. Right?” Aria recalled.

”That is because your arrival was foreseen by the city’s oracle. Furthermore, you emerged through the underground pyramid... Johan performed his duties admirably,” Olga explained.

”Wait a minute... something isn’t adding up. Two days ago? Didn’t we just land here and enter the city... today?” Dion asked, turning to the group.

”When you were injured, you were unconscious for two days. The incident at the palace happened two days ago,” Luna clarified.

”Oh... is that so?” Dion asked, looking down at Gina in his lap.

”Kyuuu,” Gina nodded in affirmation.

”So... I was out cold for two days, and while I was knocked out... I met a goddess? This is... completely insane. I don’t get this at all,” Dion thought to himself.

”Wait... so everything that happened today... was guided by you?” Cleo asked Olga.

”Correct. I instructed Johan to keep watch at the graveyard since he resides there, and to lead you into the labyrinth beneath the city. You then successfully emerged alongside the crystal pyramid, which means the secret seal below the city has finally been broken,” Olga explained.

”W-what?” Cleo gasped, utterly shocked.

”So... every cathedral in the world belongs to demons? But what about the goddess’s blessing that determines class and rank?” Aria asked, thoroughly confused.

”The blessing from the goddess is real. Read the next section, and you will understand,” Olga instructed.

They turned back to the book. As they read further, everything clicked into place: why modern-looking city ruins existed deep underground, why the crystal pyramid was built, and why the reliefs were carved. The records stated that the surviving remnants of a grand, advanced civilization retreated underground to live with their high technology because the surface had been overrun by demons. That was until the goddess bestowed her blessing upon ten heroes—who became the first SS-rank classes and defeated the demon forces.

From then on, the blessing ritual was conducted for twelve-year-old children, as only at that age could a human body receive the goddess’s grace. The ritual persisted into the present era. However, the surviving demons feigned repentance and established cathedrals dedicated to Goddess Hestalia, their sworn enemy.

That was the version recorded in popular legend. In reality, the demons aimed to manipulate and control potential SS-rank reincarnations through religious indoctrination, corrupting their souls, morals, and character from an early age. That was why they targeted twelve-year-olds, to easily brainwash any children who received an SS-rank class through the academy system. The records ended there.

Dion, Cleo, Luna, Mei, Sheila, and Aria fell silent. Olga’s request was on a staggering scale, an ancient, forgotten war brought back to life, bound to repeat itself unless stopped beforehand.

Olga added, ”In every royal family, a prophecy exists: if the seal on Gemmeth is broken and she travels east to unseal what lies there, darkness will consume the world... All of that is a lie, a prophecy tampered with by the cathedral. The true prophecy has been passed down through my family for generations: [When darkness returns, the seal on Gemmeth shall break, and she shall travel east to retrieve the guardian of the world who dwells there. Then, the Kingdom of Xandor shall rise to oppose the darkness and eradicate it, after which the fate of the world shall rest in the hands of the world’s guardian.] Now you understand why we must destroy Minatheras root and branch.”

Silence descended upon the drawing room once more. Those who heard the prophecy trembled, chills running down their spines. But past the shock, Cleo, Luna, Aria, Sheila, and Mei all whipped their heads around to stare directly at Dion.

Dion flinched, pulling Gina close to his chest.

”What? Don’t look at me like that,” Dion blurted out.