But…
Honestly, if this kind of religion appeared in a human kingdom, the Church of the One God would probably suppress it immediately.
After all… a Supreme Being who actually responds to prayers is far more reliable than some vague “One God.”
“I see~” Ileya smiled apologetically at the Ratman before her. “I’m sorry. If you really can’t say, then let it be~”
This made the Ratman, who already followed his ancestral teachings and had a favorable view of humans, feel a bit embarrassed.
“I should be the one apologizing. A kind and understanding person like you will surely receive the favor of the Benevolent Mentor.”
Clearly, he was quite frustrated that his faith could not be spread.
Since the Benevolent Mentor had helped the tribe so much, how could they not want to repay them?
“By the way, how long have you Ratmen lived in this city?” Ileya asked casually, as if making small talk.
“Um… maybe 100 years? I’m not entirely sure. I’ve lived here since I was born.” The Ratman stroked his whiskers.
“Some elders once said our tribe has lived underground for generations… Some curious Ratmen once left the underground to travel the world, but once they left… they never returned.”
‘Generations… is that so?’
The Lady’s brows twitched slightly at the answer.
‘Had these Ratmen already lived here before the city was abandoned? Those Ratmen earlier said they had a passage connecting to the City Lord’s Mansion’s cellar… Then, before the destruction, perhaps the Ratmen of this city had some connection with the City Lord and the nobles…’
Others might not know, but Ileya was well aware.
Those nobles might look like useless gluttons, but their schemes were deeper than anyone’s.
Much like the powerful figures in her past life, if one wanted to assassinate them… it would take at least several years of preparation and perhaps several more years just to find the right opportunity.
Thinking of this, Ileya glanced at the back of a certain person.
“Huh?” Holly, who was still following behind Reliel and asking what was wrong, felt a chill run down her spine!
The perception she had developed over the past month of training told her… she seemed to be being watched by something terrifying.
*Whoosh!*
The girl suddenly turned around, but behind her… there were only busy Ratmen and the Lady carrying Senior Veil on her back.
The latter seemed to be discussing something with the Ratman beside her.
‘What was that just now? Why did I have such a strange feeling?!’
Blinking blankly, Holly scratched her head in confusion. ‘Was it… because I ate too much and had a hallucination?’
She shook her head slightly and continued following Reliel out of the cave.
Meanwhile, Ileya had obtained the information she wanted. For example… whether there were any special places in the abandoned city above.
The Ratman she questioned was named Taifei, a member of the younger generation in the village.
He called the Ratman who had brought Reliel and the others earlier, Jerry, “Uncle.”
When he was even younger — a pup — he and a few friends had once run out of the cave out of curiosity.
At night… they liked to lie on the roofs of the ruins and gaze at the stars.
Of course, this behavior had been discovered by the adults.
However, they only gave verbal warnings and turned a blind eye.
After all, they had all experienced the same thing when they were young.
Seeing these rascals sneaking out every day… they couldn’t help but remember their younger selves standing under the brilliant starry sky, gazing at the endless gobi.
Back then, out of boredom, Taifei and his friends had explored various abandoned houses in the city.
They discovered a very special large building.
Inside were many decayed and weathered tables and chairs, and they even found several gold coins beneath the yellow sand.
As he spoke, Taifei pulled a pendant from his clothes — or rather, from the rags wrapped around his body.
It was a gold coin with an apple-shaped mark.
A hole had been crudely drilled into the upper part, and it was strung with some tough dried grass.
Ileya might not have known about this coin before, but she was very familiar with it now.
At this moment, her Kingdom of the Dead still held tons of gold coins in this style.
They were the first batch of gold coins minted when the Kingdom was founded, featuring the logo of the Golden Apple Adventure Group — the team that paved the way for humanity.
After that, all coins bore the mark of the royal family flanked by twin swords.
Taifei continued his story. He said the structure of that large house was very sturdy.
Even after being neglected for so long, there were no signs of collapse… and there were many rooms on the second floor with similar furnishings.
‘A sturdy large house, many tables and chairs on the first floor, and many rooms on the second floor.’
The description sounded like a lodge, but Taifei’s next words confirmed Ileya’s suspicion… the place he was describing was the Adventurers Guild of the City of Rand, also known as the Mercenary Guild.
According to Taifei, they had found a collapsed statue in the building’s cellar. A collapsed statue depicting six humans.
“Six…?” Ileya was slightly stunned.
If it were the Guild, it should be a statue of the “Golden Apple.”
But if she remembered correctly, shouldn’t the Golden Apple Adventure Group have seven members? And… why would the statue be placed in the cellar? Shouldn’t it be in the center of the main hall?
“That’s right… there were seven of them, but only six were human,” Taifei said, nodding with a calm tone.
“Then… the seventh, the one who wasn’t human, was…”
“It’s the one we worship, the Red-Hearted Witch~”
In response to Ileya’s question, Taifei turned back with a smile and bowed toward the Giant Tree that was slowly closing, hiding the statue of the young girl within.
Meanwhile, Ileya’s eyes widened. She could not calm down for a long time.
‘Wait… wait a minute!! This…’
She finally understood why Professor Forr had said the truth conveyed by these ruins would cause massive chaos in human society.
The Golden Apple Adventure Group was not an adventure group composed entirely of pure humans!
Although she couldn’t be sure who it was yet, one of them… was actually not human!
Moreover… she was a “Supreme Being.”
This extraordinary existence, this powerful Witch, was still alive in this world today!
She even had countless ties to the “Crystal Giant Tree” that was about to go to war with humanity.
No wonder… no wonder Gilgamesh, as the King of Humans, dared to rise up and swing his sword at the powerful Supreme Being, the Great Rock Dragon Horsirisfa, who governed the mountains and the earth!
Perhaps… it wasn’t the King’s peerless bravery or some absolute protection granted by the One God…
Instead… was there actually a… “him” standing behind him all along?
At this moment, Ileya felt like she… had learned some incredible secret that could easily land her on the royal family’s most-wanted list!
‘No, no, no…’
Once this matter was exposed, not only the royal family but even the Holy See’s reputation would be damaged.
In an instant, Ileya decided that this matter… would have to rot in her stomach. She would not speak of it to anyone.
“Then… what happened after that? Is the statue still there?” Although the Lady was incredibly shocked, she still asked calmly.
“Ah… after the elders found out about it, for some reason… they sent people to destroy the statue.”