WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 78: No One Knows.

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Together with Adil, I began properly exploring Sanctuary.

Just as Adil had said, it was so well maintained that it was hard to believe this place had a history spanning tens of thousands of years.

The interior was exceptionally clean, and judging by the quantities and condition of the emergency food and daily necessities, everything was prepared so Elysium’s citizens could use this place at any time.

But that was not what mattered to me.

The reason I had come here was to see the sacred relics stored in Sanctuary.

Especially relics connected to my power, or ones that might be able to send me back to Earth.

I only thought there was a good chance such things would be here. I could not be certain where they were, or even whether they existed in this place at all.

After looking around Sanctuary for a while, I asked Adil.

“Mr. Adil, is there a place where the sacred relics are kept separately?”

“Hmm... There is such a place.”

According to Adil, the relics gathered there were so valuable that not only outsiders, but even Elysium’s citizens were not allowed to enter freely.

“I’m unsure whether you are permitted to enter, Minjun. Please give me a moment to check.”

Adil took out a notebook that appeared to contain the manual for this place and flipped through it page by page.

I worried that I might not be allowed in, but this was probably the proper course for Adil and Elysium.

They had no choice but to be cautious. After all, they were about to let in someone who had absorbed a sacred relic before.

It had not been intentional, of course, but they could not help being concerned.

There was no guarantee the same thing would not happen again.

I worried that I might leave without accomplishing anything, but fortunately, Adil gave me permission to enter.

“However, you must not touch the relics directly, nor may you approach them closely. Please keep that in mind.”

“Of course.”

“Also, there may be situations where I have no choice but to restrict your actions for reasons other than what I have just explained. Should that happen, you must follow my instructions as well.”

I told him I would follow any rule inside, and Adil led me toward the area where the relics were displayed.

Still.

“The route is a little complicated, isn’t it?”

We repeatedly went up and down, and the path itself twisted and turned.

“As far as I know, it was designed that way intentionally. Important items are kept there, so it was designed to prevent people from entering easily.”

“Even the route from outside into Sanctuary had extremely tight security.”

There were also multiple layers of security barriers along the way.

At this rate, even a thief would get tired and give up before arriving.

Adil nodded in agreement.

“We must minimize the risk of theft. I understand that security became even stricter after Bellium’s Tear was lost several hundred years ago.”

“If you mean Bellium’s Tear that was lost several hundred years ago, then...”

“Yes. It is the one you absorbed, Minjun.”

I had done nothing wrong, but hearing that still made me feel oddly guilty.

Anyway, after passing through the maze-like path and several complicated security spells, I finally arrived at the place where the sacred relics were gathered.

But I could not enter right away.

“Please wait outside for a moment.”

Adil asked for my understanding, saying that he needed to strengthen the barrier magic further to prevent a situation like yesterday from happening again.

Then, after about ten minutes had passed.

“You may enter now.”

The moment I stepped into the room where the sacred relics were stored, the first thing I noticed was the intricate magic circles placed around each individual relic.

There had already been so much security on the way here. Apparently, that alone had not been enough.

“At this level, not even a dragon could steal anything.”

“Whatever else may be true, this place’s security is among the five best on the entire continent.”

That was enough admiration for the security.

Guided by Adil, I began examining the relics displayed here in earnest.

“You may not be able to see clearly from this distance, but that over there is one of the only two remaining Bellium’s Tears in the world.”

It was small, and there were countless magic circles around it. Since I also had to stay far away, Adil handed me binoculars.

As I accepted them, I wondered whether all this was really necessary. Still, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

I used the binoculars to examine Bellium’s Tear.

“I felt this when I saw it before, too, but it really is beautiful.”

I had been in the middle of a battle then, so I had not been able to look at it properly. Now that I could take the time to examine it, it seemed even more beautiful than before.

“And maybe it’s because of the legend you told me earlier, Mr. Adil... but I feel strangely moved, too.”

Perhaps it was only my imagination, but the sensation I had first felt in front of Bellium’s statue seemed slightly stronger than before.

My heart pounded fiercely, yet my mind felt strangely at peace.

I was a little worried that, just like before, I might end up completely absorbing even that Bellium’s Tear. Fortunately, nothing like that happened.

Starting with Bellium’s Tear, Adil explained each sacred relic to me in detail.

“Now, as for the next relic...”

“This is a Dragon Bone Sword personally made by Bellium...”

“This cup may not look like much, but...”

Even as I listened closely to his explanations while looking over all kinds of relics, I carefully checked every single one for changes in the sensation I felt.

Unfortunately, I felt no such change.

Maybe I would only find something after going down to the lowest level, where Bellium’s remains were.

Since I had not achieved anything yet, I found myself growing impatient.

“Having looked around this much, we have seen about half of the collection.”

“...Already?”

Maybe I was anxious because I had not found anything, but time seemed to have passed quickly.

“Yes. But Minjun, I am a little tired. Would it be all right if I had something to drink and rested briefly before continuing to guide you?”

“Yes.”

“I apologize. It would be different elsewhere, but this is a sensitive location... Could you please remain here and wait?”

Even my movements were restricted. Once again, I realized just how airtight this place’s security was.

“Understood.”

After asking for my understanding, Adil had a drink and sat down where he was to catch his breath.

A Hunter might be different, but an ordinary person would naturally be tired after walking this much and talking so much.

I used Adil’s short break to try meditating.

Normally, I did it as training, but my purpose today was a little different.

‘Let’s find out if there is any point where I can sense another aura, even faintly.’

There might be something I had overlooked until now.

The pounding I had felt since before entering did not make this an ideal environment for meditation, but it was still better than doing nothing.

“Mr. Adil, since we’re at it, why don’t you rest a little longer? About twenty minutes?”

“Would that be all right?”

“Yes. I have something to do as well.”

I settled into position as usual and began meditating.

The environment and my condition were completely different from usual, so it did not go as smoothly as I wanted at first. Fortunately, I quickly found my focus.

I concentrated more than ever as I tried to catch the faint auras coming from the relics.

‘...What is this?’

An aura different from the others entered my awareness.

It was difficult to define exactly what it was, but it was clearly different from the sensation I had felt before.

As I focused on it, the sensation gradually grew stronger.

How should I describe this?

After I began concentrating on that sensation, an unfamiliar sensation I had never felt before gradually took over my entire body, like ink dispersing in water.

It was longing, sadness, my heart racing, peace, a feeling of strength welling up inside me, and yet...

...It did not seem easy to define.

It was even more intense than the sensation I had first felt in front of Bellium’s statue. It felt as if dozens, perhaps hundreds, of emotions and sensations had been compressed together at once, and it was overwhelming.

Wanting to investigate further, I hurriedly called to Adil as he rested.

“Mr. Adil. There’s somewhere I need to go for a moment.”

“Where... exactly?”

“Actually, I don’t know. I can sense an aura of unknown origin somewhere, but I don’t know exactly where it is.”

Not only was I unfamiliar with Sanctuary’s layout, but even if I knew it, I would not have been able to say exactly where the aura was coming from.

A third party might not have understood what I was saying, but that was truly all I knew.

Adil seemed unable to understand me as well and asked again, so I could only repeat exactly what I had said.

“I don’t understand. I really don’t, but...”

After trailing off and hesitating for a moment, Adil asked me.

“Please point out which direction you can sense the aura from, at least.”

“That way.”

I did not know how far away it was or what was there, but I could tell the direction.

“I have no idea what is going on, but... let’s go.”

Adil got to his feet with a Hngh.

I slowly began walking, following the aura I had felt during meditation.

Sure enough, the closer we got, the more intense the sensation became.

And finally.

We arrived before a door that looked suspicious at a glance.

I did not know what was inside, but the moment I stood before it, I felt as if that sensation had completely taken over my body.

Because of that, my legs suddenly gave out as soon as I stopped in front of the door.

“Are you all right?”

“Ah... Yes.”

Fortunately, Adil was beside me and immediately caught me before I could fall.

For a moment, I stared blankly at the door in a daze. Then I came to my senses and spoke.

“I think this is the place. The source of the aura I felt.”

“...”

Rather than answer, Adil stared at the door with a complicated expression.

Seeing that reaction, there was definitely something inside.

“Mr. Adil, what exactly is in there?”

“To be honest... I do not know either.”

“What?”

“Not only me. No one knows what lies beyond this door.”

Adil’s answer was shocking.

No, did that even make sense?

Sanctuary had existed for at least tens of thousands of years, and it had been continuously maintained and used ever since.

Yet no one knew what was beyond that door. There had to be a special reason for it.

“People have tried to open that door using all kinds of magic, but no one has succeeded.”

“Can’t you at least use detection magic to find out what is inside?”

“We have tried everything we could, but it was useless.”

Adil shook his head.

“No magic has worked. People have tried to discover what is inside for a very long time, but no one has succeeded.”

Naturally, that made me even more curious.

What could possibly be hidden there?

“If it is all right with you, could I try opening it?”

Adil clasped his hands together and nodded.

“Please, I beg you. If you can open that door, Minjun, you will leave your mark on history. That is not an exaggeration.”

Adil readily stepped aside, and I first grabbed the doorknob and pulled as hard as I could.

As expected, the door did not budge.

Well, if it could be opened like this, someone would have done it long ago.

Then again, what if I used the power contained in the Dragon Bone Sword?

Now that I had thought of it, it seemed worth trying at least once.

I took the Dragon Bone Sword out of my subspace.

When I drew a sword to open a door, Adil looked a little startled.

“Are you... planning to break the door?”

“Not exactly. I was thinking that perhaps I could use the power in this sword somehow. Did I mention that this sword is the Dragon Bone Sword?”

“I have no idea what you intend to do, but... all right. Actually, it may not matter even if the door is broken. As long as we can find out what is inside.”

If that door could be broken, someone else would have destroyed it long ago.

With the sword in one hand, I drew out as much of its power as possible and grabbed the doorknob again.

This alone might not be enough.

So I decided to try Dragon Speech.

The chances of success were slim, but still.

After mentally visualizing it, I directed Dragon Speech at the door.

[Open.]

I pulled the door with all my strength along with the Dragon Speech, but it did not open this time either.

What had Bellium hidden inside that the door would not even budge?

Just as I wondered whether I should take out an artifact from my subspace this time.

A brilliant radiance burst forth.

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