Chapter 27: Secret Temple

“Puhak! Keuheup, haa!”

The current didn’t feel particularly strong. 

Yet, being in the upper part of the river, there was nothing I could do while holding the injured Werhe.

I could only drift along with the flow, but even this wouldn’t last long.

“P-prince. I’m fine, so you should swim out on your own.”

“If you have time to say that, focus on pulling yourself together. Just leave it to me for now.”

At my words, Werhe trembled but clung to me even tighter. She must have been anxious too.

Looking at Werhe’s back, the wound didn’t seem shallow.

It wasn’t a fatal injury, but if we stayed in the cold river for too long, who knows what could happen.

With one arm holding her tightly, I flailed the other arm desperately, but getting to shore wasn’t easy.

Whether it was misfortune or luck, the riverbed was filled with gravel instead of rocks, so there was no risk of further injury, but there was also nothing to slow us down.

‘Damn it, at this rate…’

If we could reach the shallower downstream, we might be able to walk to the shore.

But there was no telling when we’d reach the downstream. 

Given her condition, relying on uncertainty wasn’t an option. 

We had to get out of the water somehow.

After drifting for a while, something caught my hand.

A rock? 

No, it felt smoother, more like a sphere. 

Whatever it was, if I could hold onto it, maybe it could slow us down.

With all my strength, I grabbed the structure, and it seemed to come alive, attaching itself to me.

Then, like a boulder, it pulled us both to the shore, allowing us to escape the relentless river.

“Huff, huff.”

I quickly laid Werhe down and checked her wound. 

There was some bleeding, but it didn’t seem serious.

“…Cold.”

The real problem was the cold.

Even though it was summer, the northern region was naturally cold and barren. 

Soaked clothes and the strong wind were stealing her body heat.

Her pale skin and shivering body were clear signs. 

This couldn’t go on. 

If I collapsed from hypothermia or exhaustion too, neither of us would make it.

“Just hold on a little longer.”

First, I took off my outer clothes and then removed hers.

What next? 

Think, think! Right, find shelter, start a fire, and dry our clothes.

But it was overwhelming. 

Where in this desolate place could we find shelter from the wind? 

How would we start a fire?

I had a plan in mind, but no way to execute it.

Time wasn’t on our side. The wind showed no signs of calming, and the cold was clouding my thoughts.

“Kyuu, kyu!”

Just then, the boulder next to us moved, catching my attention.

‘A turtle?’

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a boulder but a large turtle.

With a shell as beautiful as jade, reminiscent of Frennila’s hair color, the turtle made kyu kyu sounds as if talking to me.

I wondered if turtles normally made such sounds, but strangely, I felt like I understood what it was saying.

“Kyuu kyuu.”

“Are you telling us to follow you?”

“Kyu!”

The turtle nodded its head in and out, as if agreeing.

Without hesitation, I picked up Werhe and followed the turtle.

I was worried it might be slow, but fortunately, it moved quickly, leading the way.

After walking for a few minutes, we arrived at a place.

‘A cave? Why is there a cave here?’

The cave didn’t match the surrounding environment at all. 

It felt out of place.

‘An artificial cave?’

It didn’t look naturally formed. Inside, there were torches and statues, clearly man-made.

‘A shrine?’

Entering further, I saw a large bird statue with numerous wings and legs, as if ruling the sky and earth.

Despite the tense situation, the grandeur and sacredness of the statue left me in awe.

There was something strange. 

Outside was a barren wasteland, but the shrine was spotless, with torches burning brightly.

“Excuse me.”

“Kyuu!”

I called out to announce our presence, but there was no human response.

Instead, the turtle seemed to say, ‘Welcome!’

Though unfamiliar with the space, I had no time to look around. 

I laid Werhe down in the center of the cave and checked her condition.

…This was bad. Her condition hadn’t improved; in fact, her hypothermia had worsened.

“…Cold. I miss my mom, sob.”

I quickly gathered torches to start a fire, but there wasn’t enough kindling, and the flames were weak.

Having lost body heat for so long, her breathing became labored, and her heart rate slowed.

This was really bad.

‘I’m sorry, but if we’re both to survive, there’s no other way.’

My body started shivering too, and my skin grew pale.

“…Hold me, I hate the cold.”

“I really have no ulterior motives. I’m sorry, Werhe.”

I gently removed her wet clothes and pressed our bodies together.

Our embrace wasn’t erotic but a desperate struggle for survival.

Gradually, our body heat began to recover, and the shivering subsided.

“…Warm.”

Her words reassured me. 

We seemed to have overcome the crisis.

The gathered torches also provided a faint but precious warmth.

Perhaps due to the relief, my body felt heavy, and my eyelids grew droopy.

“Kyuu, kyugyuu.”

The turtle, now behind me, seemed to say, ‘Good job,’ before I lost consciousness.

…

…

“Kyaaaah!”

“W-what’s happening?”

How many hours had passed? 

I regained consciousness to the sound of a girl’s high-pitched scream.

“W-what kind of situation is this? So embarrassing!”

Werhe’s face was red as she covered it with her hands, her sharp gaze directed at me.

Good, she seemed to have regained her senses.

“Ah, good. Are you okay now?”

“Y-you, what did you do to me while I was unconscious?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Don’t you remember what happened yesterday?”

“W-we’re naked and hugging! With such clear evidence, are you trying to deny it?”

She rambled on, flustered.

Thinking about it now, it was understandable she’d be embarrassed.

I remembered hearing that in such situations, it’s important to clear up any misunderstandings. 

So, I needed to explain clearly.

“R-really, n-nothing h-happened.”

I spoke firmly, emphasizing the necessity of our actions.

Finally, Werhe’s trembling pupils calmed. 

She hung her head low and then started punching my chest.

“Ow! That really hurts.”

“…That reaction is kind of insulting to me as a woman!”

Despite our naked embrace, my insistence that nothing happened made Werhe furious.

She had worked hard to maintain her figure, but was her charm really that lacking?

In truth, the dire situation left no room for such thoughts, but Werhe, having been unconscious, couldn’t know that.

She quickly got up and looked for her clothes.

Fortunately, the clothes left at the cave entrance had dried overnight thanks to the constant wind.

After hurriedly changing, we sat back-to-back, the atmosphere awkward.

“How’s your wound?”

“…It stings a bit, but I’m fine. I’m healthy, after all. By the way, where are we?”

“I’m not sure either. After all that, we ended up here.”

“That statue… it’s Tengri, isn’t it?”

Werhe pointed at the bird statue, calling it Tengri.

Ah, so that bird was Tengri. 

I’d heard the name from Svioha but didn’t know much about the religion.

“Are Tengri shrines common on the plains?”

“What? No way. Unless there’s a special reason, leaving a sacred being unattended is a grave sin.”

Then what was this place?

A well-maintained Tengri shrine in the middle of nowhere. 

It felt too deliberate to be a coincidence.

“Kyugyu!”

“Turtle, you’re back.”

I thought it had disappeared when I woke up, but it must have gone somewhere.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t thanked it yet. 

I approached the turtle and stroked its shell in gratitude.

“Kyugyuk!”

Did the shell have sensory organs? 

The turtle seemed to respond with a cheerful cry.

At first, its large size was a bit intimidating, but after seeing it a few times, it was actually quite cute.

“Isn’t it cute? It’s our lifesaver. It pulled us from the river and led us here. Thank you, turtle.”

“…Hey, do you even know what that turtle is, acting so casual?”

Werhe’s expression turned serious.

What’s with the sudden seriousness? 

I kept stroking the turtle’s shell while looking at her. 

It’s cute, so why is she like this?

“That turtle isn’t just an animal. It’s a spirit beast, you idiot!”

“Kyuk?”

A spirit beast, revered like the guardians of each tribe, following only the direct lineage of the tribe’s leader, like Frennila’s Pipi.

And a turtle, at that.

“…Hey, is one of your parents from the Shield Tribe’s direct line?”

The Shield Tribe? 

Right, I heard my mother was from the Shield Tribe.

“I’m not sure about the direct line, but I heard my mother was from the Shield Tribe.”

“…You, how many character traits do you have? Mixing them all makes the story development so hard!”

I didn’t quite understand, but she seemed really flustered. 

Well, I was pretty shocked when I first heard it too.

“But why is a spirit beast in such a remote place?”

“How should I know?”

Why are you here? Both of us looked at the turtle.

Being a spirit beast, the clever turtle led us behind the Tengri statue with its kyu kyu sounds.

“…What’s here?”

Behind the statue was a protruding rock fragment, like a button.

“Kyugyuk, kyugyugyu!”

“Press this?”

“Kyu!”

Following the turtle’s instructions, I reached out and pressed the button. 

Nothing happened.

Kugugugugugu!

“Whoa, what’s that?”

A loud vibration shook the ground, and mechanical sounds filled the air as the Tengri statue spread its wings.

Bang!

Behind the spread wings, the stone wall revealed…

“A secret space?”

A small space just big enough for a person.

“There’s a necklace?”

In the center was a small necklace. 

A gem in the middle emitted a faint light.

I felt an inexplicable pull, as if my consciousness was being drawn in.

“Prince?”

In a daze, I picked up the necklace, and the world seemed to flip. 

A white light enveloped my vision, and the space shifted.

Beyond the light, I saw a silhouette of a doll I had never seen but felt an intense longing for.

“…Agnes, the second queen?”

She looked at me and smiled warmly, the scent of golden jasmine flowers filling the air.

“Long time no see, my beloved son, Kenneth.”