The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 94

#94.

The thirteenth sacred object?

Wasn’t twelve the total number of sacred objects?

My eyes widened at the story I was hearing for the first time. The generally known number of sacred objects was twelve, and the Hebel Treasury already housed ten of them.

To think there was another sacred object was surprising.

― It’s natural you wouldn’t know. The ‘Opal of Nothingness’ is a sacred object the Divine Beast made right before departing. It’s said to have been made for only one Beast.

A sacred object made with a specific individual in mind. Its purpose was different from the other sacred objects made for the balance of the world.

The Divine Beast was said to have left the continent right after the first Saintess fell, so the owner of that sacred object must be the first Saintess.

I tilted my head at the sacred object I was hearing about for the first time. Seeing as it didn’t appear in the original work, it was clear it wasn’t in the Treasury either.

As I expected, Tabi muttered as if troubled.

― The problem is, the other Guardians don’t know where that sacred object is either. It’s an independent one that doesn’t resonate with us at all.

A sacred object that doesn’t resonate with the twelve sacred objects. It was truly as difficult as finding a pearl in the sand.

“Then it’s useless.”

If even the Guardians didn’t know its location, the probability of me finding it seemed extremely low. Even more so since I couldn’t use the original work’s advantage.

At that moment, Tabi swam around me as if to comfort me.

― Let’s look into purifying it for now. And right now, obtaining the Sapphire of Order is more important.

As Tabi said, there was no need to worry about future events from now. First, it was important to find a way to survive before becoming an adult.

I should worry about future matters later and focus on what I can do now, step by step.

Preparing with that mindset, the day of the Saintess test arrived.

“Are you ready?”

Naaman asked politely, dressed in ceremonial robes. I took a light breath and nodded.

The place I was standing now was a river located deep within the Hebel Temple.

This river, called ‘Mishr,’ was where the great Divine Beast first descended to the ground.

The Mishr River, where the Divine Beast’s power remained most abundantly, had a special power.

Within Mishr, any Beast could become invincible. The pheromones were amplified inside.

Moreover, unlike ordinary rivers, you could breathe freely in Mishr.

If the Hebel’s fog made Beasts powerless, the water of Mishr made Beasts free.

It was truly the only space in Hebel that escaped the influence of the fog.

Inside Mishr, there was a separate altar for the Divine Beast.

In the original work, only the Head of Hebel and the Saintess could offer sacrifices to that altar. Even then, the Head of Hebel had greater restrictions than the Saintess.

Because as the space with the strongest Divine Beast’s power, it repelled sacrifices that were not approved by him.

Naturally, the sacrifice offered to the altar was the Beast’s pheromones. The Head of Hebel was the only one who could freely use pheromones even within Hebel, as they could not leave Hebel.

I looked at Naaman as if I didn’t know anything. Naaman explained the rules.

“The method is simple. Go directly into Mishr and pour pheromones onto the altar.”

“Is that all I have to do?”

“Yes. If you are the Saintess, the Divine Beast will receive the pheromones from the altar, and if you are not the Saintess, it will be rejected. Oh, and if the altar refuses the pheromones, you must not try to force the sacrifice.”

“Why?”

“A Beast who tries to offer sacrifices recklessly may incur the wrath of the Divine Beast and have their pheromones taken away.”

Naaman muttered with a seemingly scary face. It was clear that he intended to scare me. For ordinary Beasts, there was nothing as frightening as losing their pheromones.

However, that was exactly what I wanted.

But if I honestly said, ‘That’s even better?’ here, it would seem strange. I deliberately trembled with a frightened face and asked.

“R, really? Do pheromones really disappear?”

Then Naaman said kindly, as if he had never scared me.

“It’s just a legend passed down in Hebel. There has never been such a person, so you can rest assured.”

Too bad…….

“Phew~ That’s a relief.”

While I was acting contrary to my true feelings, Naaman gestured to Ella.

“You will be the guide.”

“Oh, aren’t you going yourself?”

“Yes. Mishr is the holiest of holy grounds, so Hebel priests are restricted from entering. The only time I can enter Mishr is when I offer the atonement ceremony.”

“Then Ella is okay?”

“In Ella’s case, she has not made a Hebel contract with the Divine Beast, so she is perfect as a guide.”

“Ah.”

I knew that all the priests of Hebel swore allegiance to the Divine Beast.

Ella, Isaac’s adopted daughter, had not made a contract, so she was free to enter Mishr.

So, Ella was planned to be my guide and stayed by my side.

I wondered why Ella was assigned to me, but now my question was answered.

“Shall we go?”

Then Ella stood by my side and held out her hand. I took Ella’s hand and slowly began to enter Mishr.

As the cold water wrapped around my ankles, I felt a refreshing energy spread throughout my body.

When the water reached my head, I couldn’t help but exclaim.

“I can really breathe underwater!”

It was as if I had become a mermaid. It was a mysterious phenomenon as if I had gills even though I didn’t have any.

As I looked around for a while, Ella asked cautiously.

“Is there anything uncomfortable?”

“No.”

In fact, my condition was at its best in Hebel. Unlike other Beasts, the longer I was exposed to the fog, the more refreshed I felt.

‘There’s no difference from when I’m outside.’

Come to think of it, there were many strange things about my body. Everyone else was dazed by Hebel’s fog, but I was fine.

It wasn’t that I was weak, but the fact that there were no restrictions meant I was different.

Since I’m already different, it would have been perfect if I could digest two pheromones well.

I was very disappointed that I couldn’t do that.

Meanwhile, Ella seemed much freer than when she was outside. Perhaps Beasts who are greatly affected by the fog feel the difference between inside and outside clearly.

On the other hand, there was no difference for me inside or outside Mishr. It was as if I felt like I was inside Mishr even outside Mishr.

Ella said in a slightly excited voice.

“That’s a relief. I was worried that it might be different in Mishr since you said you weren’t affected by the fog.”

“Not at all. It’s the same inside or outside Mishr?”

“That’s really amazing.”

Ella glanced at me and carefully led me to the altar.

The path to the altar was made of gold. At the end of the luxurious path, a huge altar was erected.

The golden statue in the shape of the Divine Beast and the straight golden altar were imposing at a glance.

“Here it is.”

“Oh my god.”

How much is all this?

The golden altar reflected in the water emitted a brilliant light. The sight of the golden statue in the shape of the Divine Beast surrounding the altar was truly spectacular.

Ella pointed to the altar with her hand.

“Put your hand here and release pheromones as usual.”

“Like this?”

It was the moment I placed my hand on the altar according to Ella’s guidance. Suddenly, I was startled by the feeling of the altar heating up and took my hand off.

“Lady Chelsia?”

“I, is it usually this hot?”

Ella tilted her head as I clenched my fist tightly, almost burning my hand. She seemed to be touching the altar with an indifferent face. It didn’t seem hot to her at all.

As I blinked in an unexpected situation, Tabi appeared in the form of a fish.

― Ah, sorry. I guess the altar is rejecting it because of my power.

I glared at her as she wagged her tail.

‘Couldn’t you just cancel that right away?’

I thought my Saintess qualification was being revoked and my heart sank.

I waited quietly for Tabi to hurriedly release her power, and Ella said.

“Maybe it’s because you’ve already made a contract with the Guardian. The altar rejects it if it’s not pure pheromones.”

“You know quite a bit about the Guardian?”

“I’ve heard a lot from Isaac.”

Ella smiled and waited quietly. After a while, I felt Tabi’s power being withdrawn from my body.

The stinging pain I felt at that moment must be because my condition was unstable.

― Let’s finish this quickly. The longer it takes, the more strain it will put on your body.

“Okay.”

I strengthened my resolve and placed my hand on the altar. Unlike before, the altar was not hot.

“Hoo.”

Why am I so nervous about this?

I took several deep breaths and began to release the pheromones in my body to the altar.