NOVEL NEXT Chapter 401
“What’s taking so long to fetch the cola?”
“Uh… Catherine? Can you come over here and take a look at this?”
“Hmm?”
After a moment, Catherine entered the room and frowned at Karem, who was wildly waving Skadi’s holy relic around in the air.
“Are you developing a new ritual to make cola or something?”
“No, it’s trying to roll towards the pot.”
“What?”
“Just see for yourself.”
Karem knelt on one knee, a look of certainty on his face, and carefully placed the holy relic down so it wouldn’t roll away.
The moment his hands completely released it, Catherine, with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
Slowly, but surely, the holy relic began to roll.
Just as Karem said.
“See? It behaves like iron being attracted to a magnet, right?”
“Magnet? You mean magnetite? The speed might be slight, but it’s a suitable analogy.”
“Could it be that the office or tower tilts just a tad—”
“If it did, we would have noticed long ago. So.”
Catherine turned back to Karem with a nonchalant expression.
“Did you call me just to show me this?”
“Ah… right? Oh, one more thing.”
Karem pointed to the holy relic, which was rolling slightly faster towards the pot than when he first placed it.
“This, it shouldn’t have any problems when brought to the pot, right?”
“It’s not just a magic tool, but a holy relic and divine object!”
“Is that right? Huh? Magic tool?”
Catherine nodded as Karem tilted his head in confusion.
“Yes, if the properties of the magical tool used as ingredients are radically opposed or possess deadly effects, violent reactions can occur.”
“For example?”
“Like if a magical tool grows using magical stones or other magical tools as sacrifices, or if it’s made of a flammable material, then it could instantly burst into flames upon contact with a flame-enchanted sword.”
“So, in this case, nothing should happen.”
“Right. Though I have heard that if gods have a bad relationship, their holy relics can repel each other.”
Though the Palatino Empire’s downfall had put an end to direct conflicts between gods, it certainly didn’t mean that gods who had been at odds reconciled.
Thus, such gods would cross paths in temples or charitable areas, and if their followers ended up in a quarrel, they would subtly intervene.
“You mentioned that the goddess Eranos, the owner of the pot, has been dead for quite some time. Is there really a possibility that a dead goddess could have any dispute with the winter goddess?”
“Uh… what if the will of the dead goddess still lingers?”
“If that were true, we would have seen a reaction by now.”
Catherine herself was a case in point, having suffered due to her reckless interpretation of Hecate’s divine object.
Although Karem was unaware of why Catherine was so confident, he decided to satisfy his curiosity.
“Um… just a moment.”
But before that, Karem decided to move a bit, just in case.
Specifically, right next to Catherine standing by the bedroom door.
“This should be far enough.”
“…why are you suddenly moving?”
“Well, you never know, an explosion could happen.”
Karem carefully rolled the holy relic towards the pot like a bowling ball, trying to brush off Catherine’s piercing gaze.
Perhaps due to the added acceleration, the relic rolled faster than when he first showed it to Catherine.
Still slow, though.
“And what if nothing happens?”
“Then Skadi’s holy relic must have some ability to track other relics or divine objects. But by the way, was that reaction from the relic there before?”
“Huh? No. If it were, there would have been a reaction around Catherine right away.”
“Huh? Me?” Catherine silently pointed to herself with her index finger.
If her speculation were true, another relic or divine object that should have reacted earlier was sparkling on her ring finger.
“The ring. The ring.”
“Oh, the ring.”
Catherine flipped her hand over and looked at the ring on her ring finger.
“I hadn’t taken it off until now, so I completely forgot about it.”
“You’ve never taken it off?”
“That’s precisely the meaning behind my words.”
Catherine hadn’t removed the ring since Karem had put it on her finger.
“Still, that must’ve been uncomfortable.”
“Not really. It’s more like I don’t even feel it at all, as if it’s become a part of me.”
“Even with all the sharp decorations on the outside?”
“Exactly. A divine object granted directly by a god feels different… Huh? Karem, look over there.”
Catherine suddenly pointed at Eranos’ pot.
“The holy relic has stopped.”
Perhaps it had been stopped for a while, but the relic came to a stop just a few paces away from the pot.
No, it hadn’t completely stopped.
The relic was trembling slightly in place.
For a moment.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, the relic lifted off its spot.
No, it surged toward the pot as if it were being drawn in.
Crossing a short distance that left a fleeting afterimage, the relic collided with the surface of Eranos’ pot.
Clang—
A clear sound resonated softly with a faint wave.
Echoing throughout the bedroom, office, and perhaps the entire tower.
It was short and intense, fading away in an instant, but the change was just beginning.
Like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, the holy relic that had been on Eranos’ pot was now half-melting, delving into the old decorations and grooves on the pot’s surface.
Conversely, the pot swelled red like metal heated in the forge, then began to emit a pale light.
In that moment, the relic vanished as if it were melting in hot water, like ice cream in a pot.
As time passed, both the pale light and the pot’s color returned to normal.
No, it was different.
There were clear changes unlike before.
“What on earth is happening?”
“Did the divine object absorb the holy relic?”
Karem and Catherine exchanged bewildered glances before cautiously approaching the pot, not knowing who would take the first step.
“It’s cleaner than before.”
Catherine gently rubbed the surface of the pot with her finger.
Karem had meticulously maintained Eranos’ pot since it fell from Wales’ head.
However, whether it was the remnants of thousands of years or the backlash from a god’s death, Eranos’ pot was unimpressive even for a divine object.
Now it was entirely clean.
Although it didn’t feel particularly sacred, it had barely escaped being labeled simply a relic.
“True, it’s not exactly brand new… but considering it was used for quite a while, has it been well taken care of?”
“Hmm… the surface decorations are still worn. And I don’t feel any pull from the relic on my finger.”
“Perhaps Skadi’s relic just lacked power? More importantly, I’m quite concerned that the holy relic was completely absorbed by the divine object.”
“If I had to make a guess…”
As Catherine lifted her hand from the pot, she flicked her finger, pointing at Karem.
“Unlike other relics that take on the form of tools, the relic you held is more akin to a chunk of divine power that has collected into a distinct shape.”
“Ah… I see.”
Thinking back to when an unnamed traveler had been knocked on the head by something flying in from outside, it seemed less like a guess and more like a fact.
Karem decided to keep his mouth shut.
For Skadi’s honor.
“Huh? Why do you have that expression?”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, you said it’s a chunk of power, right?”
“Yes. Just like how a magic tool consumes magical stones, if a divine object consumed its chunk of divine power, then…”
“That sounds about right.”
However, one question still remained.
“Yet, it’s a bit strange that this happened all of a sudden.”
“Well, you’re the only suspect left.”
“Me?”
“Yep.”
Catherine pointed to the kettle on the table beside the pot with her chin.
“The only person who can make cola with that is you. If the divine power you injected exceeded a certain threshold, then perhaps its self-recovery function was activated?”
“Considering the visible changes, that could very well be true.”
After all, even the dust and shabby state that hadn’t budged despite Mary scrubbing it was now gone to a point where it felt lived-in.
If Mary had seen it, her pride would have taken quite a hit, but as always, Karem couldn’t care less.
“Um. Wait. Divine power. Chunk of power. Holy relic…”
Catherine stilled her chatter and rubbed her chin with her finger, deep in thought.
“Is something coming to mind?”
“Shhh, quiet. Though they are a divine object and a holy relic, the reaction occurring right in front of us is quite similar to a magic tool using magical stones as its sacrifice or power source. Magical stones are a crystallization of power, elemental energy, and magical energy… if that’s the case…”
As Catherine lost herself momentarily in her world, she suddenly snapped her fingers.
“One more thing.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“You clearly mentioned before, didn’t you?”
That you could clearly feel divine power from the Giant’s Heart.
If others had witnessed it, they might have gasped in shock at the idea of using such a treasure, but Karem was already too curious.
Most importantly, since they’d absorbed something equivalent to Skadi’s holy relic, there was no hesitation in action.
The result was exactly as Catherine had thought.
As Karem brought the Giant’s Heart, which had been writhing in place due to its size and weight, to Eranos’ pot—
Bang!
It flew straight in as if drawn by a magnet.
And just like when the holy relic was absorbed, the pot glowed.
However, unlike Skadi’s holy relic, it didn’t melt without a trace.
Swoosh—thud.
When the faint glow fading from the once-throbbing Giant’s Heart fell to the ground, it was as if someone had spat out gum after sucking the sweetness dry.
“Well… I didn’t expect this result.”
“Neither did I. I thought it would disappear. So, is it just the shell left now?”
Karem bent down to pick up the dimmed Giant’s Heart.
Though the faint inner glow no longer pulsed, it still looked clear and beautiful, resembling a gigantic gemstone.
More than anything, there was a significant difference now.
“It seems like the pot just thoroughly drained the divine power from it.”
“Just the divine power?”
“Yes. Just the divine power.”
Just to be sure, he tried sensing it again, but still, no divine power was felt.
Rather, the divine power they had felt from the Giant’s Heart was now being sensed from the pot that belonged to Skadi’s relic.
“It seems the pot ate both the relic and the divine object.”
“Feel free to call it recharging. By the way, it’s a good thing there’s no divine power left.”
“Huh?”
“That divine power was the cause of all this trouble.”
Nod. At Catherine’s gesture, Karem received the Giant’s Heart and examined it closely, nodding slightly.
“With this, I could make your gift a bit easier.”
“Was the divine power the reason for your troubles?”
“Well, that is an old story. Now, about the appearance change of Eranos’ pot worries me.”
“Should we test it right away?”
“Right now?”
“Uh… should we do it later?”
“No. Do it right now.”
“What about the Giant’s Heart?”
“This? You’re supposed to take your time to make it later, so don’t think about it now.”
Catherine tossed the Giant’s Heart onto the bed.
Her focus had shifted entirely to Eranos’ pot.
After all, it was a divine object powerful enough to turn a massive fortress’s well into holy water and command an entire region of undead.
Surely, it could do something.
Catherine urged Karem to hurry up and test it.
So, Karem placed his hand on the pot.
Swish—!
In an instant, the pot shrunk down to the size of a small gem.
“Whoa, did it have a size adjustment ability like a divine object? At this size… I could carry it attached to a necklace or ring. No need to keep putting it in and out of the space-expanding pouch—”
“Uh… wait a minute.”
“Huh? Why the sudden pause?”
As soon as Karem placed his hand on it, he felt a sudden influx of knowledge flood his mind.
“In the future, I might be able to create something more…?”