Chapter 38: Grandma Ail

Ayime also let out murmurs of amazement beside Talice. As a temple knight, Talice's extensive knowledge and keen insight were essential qualities. The archives of Celeste were comprehensive, so she recognized most of these specimens and souvenirs.

Not only that, she seemed to perceive the extraordinary value in these small items better than Asa. The collections in Celeste were of the highest quality, accompanied by detailed explanations from seasoned scholars, which allowed her to discern many details that even Asa was unaware of.

"This Medusa hair has red scales, meaning it must have come from a tribal chieftain... This should be a wyvern's claw... These are incredibly rare items. An adventurer with such a collection? I doubt even the royal collection hall in Alrasia has anything like this."

"Hey, come take a look at this," Talice called Asa over, holding two items in her hands. Her tone had shifted from amazement to calmness—a calmness that only came when astonishment reached a certain threshold, turning into shock and caution.

"This is the eye of a swamp lizard's bull. You know about these, right?" Talice held a fist-sized eyeball in her left hand. Preserved through special treatment, it looked like a strange toy, its large pupil reflecting their figures with an oily black sheen.

"Yes, and it's from an elderly bull," Asa nodded. Only the pupils of elderly bulls gradually turned black.

"Not just elderly, but the strongest of the elderly bulls—likely the king of the bulls. Look, the pupil is completely black, and there's a faint magical aura emanating from it. It's said that the king of the bulls can emit effects similar to necromancy through its gaze... Their eyeballs are also essential for creating high-level necromantic scrolls. These bull kings are extremely difficult to capture. I believe even Celeste only has one in its collection."

Asa frowned. He recognized this eyeball as the one that had been casually displayed here for over a decade. It seemed like any passing villager could have sneaked in and taken it when the owner was away. It was hard to believe that this was a rare magical item that even the church possessed only one of. But with his current perception, he could indeed sense the faint magical aura emanating from the eyeball.

"Preserving such an eyeball isn't just about preventing decay. It requires periodic infusions of magical energy to maintain the necromantic power within... and the energy infused must also be necromantic..."

Asa's eye twitched. He could tell that this wasn't nonsense. Talice had no reason to make this up.

"And this thing. I'm certain an adventurer shouldn't have this," Talice's voice grew colder. In her right hand was half of a cane.

"Well, this... seems like just an ordinary half of a cane," Asa replied. It truly was just half a cane. Although the wood was of excellent quality and the craftsmanship was fine, there was no magical aura or any strange energy emanating from it. As a child, he had played with it countless times, using it to scratch his back, poke bird nests... It was as familiar to him as anything could be.

"Let me tell you, in Celeste's exhibition hall, the upper half of this cane is displayed on the highest altar. This is the cane used by the previous pope, His Holiness Decken," Talice's voice trembled slightly.

Both Asa and Ayime were completely stunned.

"Could you be mistaken, sister?" Ayime asked. It was hard for her to believe that the cane of a former pope could be found in an unlocked cottage in a small village.

"The wood is from the heart of a thousand-year-old spirit tree, and the patterns and breakage lines perfectly match the upper half of the cane in Celeste. I couldn't possibly be wrong, because His Holiness Magnus used this to tap my forehead when he bestowed upon me the title of Temple Knight."

Asa forced a smile. "Oh, I never thought the thing I used to scratch my back as a child would have such a history... Grandma's collection is really something..."

"Do you know why I remember this thing so clearly?" Talice interrupted Asa, her face cold as ice, each word spoken with precision.

"Every temple knight's greatest ambition is to capture the assassin who killed the previous pope, His Holiness Decken."

The forced smile on Asa's face completely faded. He knew it was unlikely that anyone would bother to forge such an item. And now he understood why he had felt something strange upon returning here.

Nothing here had changed. What had changed was his own perspective. Before, even after spending over a decade in this cottage, he had never noticed the extraordinary nature of this seemingly ordinary little house. Or rather, back then, he hadn't had the ability or insight to see it.

The position of the bed, the size of the room, the direction of the door, the distance between the two cabinets, their placement... Everything in this cottage was arranged in the most reasonable, most cautious manner, allowing the occupant to react swiftly from any position under any circumstances. This likely wasn't deliberate—after all, this was just an unguarded little cottage. It was more likely that the owner had arranged it out of a habit formed over many years, like a predator that never lets its guard down, even while eating or sleeping.

If Asa were to arrange his own cottage now, it would probably look very similar to this one.

"But I heard that the previous pope, His Holiness Decken, passed away from illness twenty years ago?" Ayime asked.

"He didn't die of illness. The night before his sudden death, His Holiness Decken personally killed three assassins without using any magic. Even without considering his magical abilities, his combat skills alone placed him among the top ten on the continent at the time. However, he was assassinated on his way to the Einfast Empire. But this fact couldn't be revealed to the public, so it was announced that His Holiness Decken had died suddenly from an illness."

"Although this happened twenty years ago, it remains the greatest unsolved case in the history of the church. I've only heard about these things. But ever since, His Holiness Magnus has used this half of the cane as a symbol when conferring the title of temple knight. I believe that every temple knight, including my teacher, who was bestowed the title by this cane, has made solving this case their ultimate goal. This must also be His Holiness Magnus's intention."

Talice's hand holding the cane trembled slightly. The weight of this object was too heavy for her, or any temple knight, to bear.

"But I can assure you, if you report seeing this here to Magnus, the first thing he'll do is to kill you himself."

These words weren't spoken by Asa, nor by Ayime. They came from a slim, clean, elderly woman with long brown hair, standing by the door, smiling at the three uninvited guests in her cottage. She held a bag of bread in her arms.

No one, including Asa, had noticed her arrival.

"I knew you'd probably come around this time, but I didn't expect you to bring two such beautiful girls," the old woman said, her eyes glancing at Talice and Ayime. "One is a talented water mage, and the other is actually a temple knight."

The old woman walked over and patted Asa on the back. "Little Asa, you've grown up."

"Grandma, you're back," Asa smiled and nodded.

Talice didn't draw her sword or make any defensive moves, but her aura was tightly coiled, ready to spring. Although the old woman before her seemed like an ordinary, harmless elderly lady, Talice knew she was facing an enemy she couldn't handle.

Even as she focused all her attention and perception on the old woman, she found it impossible to lock onto her presence. It was as if the old woman was a phantom, an illusion that could vanish into thin air at any moment—or reappear from anywhere to deliver a fatal strike.

"Relax, young lady. Would a temple knight draw her sword against an old woman who can't even lift a chicken?" Grandma Ail placed the bag on the table, taking out bread and some daily necessities. Her expression was calm and serene, just like an ordinary old woman returning from shopping.

"I have reason to believe you're far from being unable to lift a chicken, but I also don't dare to draw my sword against you..." Talice spoke honestly. Even at such close range, with the old woman seemingly defenseless, she knew any strike she made would miss. The seemingly ordinary old woman before her felt like a phantom, an entity existing in a separate space, capable of disappearing into the void at any moment—or reappearing to deliver a deadly counterattack.

"However, I hope you can tell me who you really are. Why do you have this half of His Holiness Decken's cane? And... what did you mean by what you just said?"

Asa hesitated but remained silent. These were things he wanted to know as well, and he knew Talice was no longer the reckless, impulsive person she once was.

"Who I am is none of your concern. That thing is just a memento from my last commission. And I can tell you that Magnus knows I have this half of the cane. I also believe he would never allow any temple knight to learn the truth of this matter, so it's best you don't pry further," Grandma Ail said with a faint smile, then turned to Asa. "So, didn't you come here for something important?"