Chapter 73

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: The Temple of the Black Wolf
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He seemed to be contemplating something, and Lucy was just beginning to wonder if she had done something wrong.

“Well, I'm not sure how best to explain it… It might be better for you to see it for yourself, but…”

The elder, who had been anxiously stroking the fur under his chin, finally let out a long sigh and took hold of Lucy's sleeve.

“Would you come with me for a moment?”

Walter, about to intervene, caught Lucy's glance that said it was fine and quietly held his tongue.

Lucy obediently followed the elder as he led the way. Watching him constantly glance around, it seemed he was guiding her to a place that others shouldn't know about.

*How far are we going?*

After passing through the village and circling behind the elder's house, they reached the edge of the forest, where a small, vine-covered cave came into view.

Lucy gave the elder a questioning look at the tiny entrance, which one could barely squeeze through even by bending over. But the elder simply picked up a lamp near the entrance and strode into the cave as if it were nothing.

“It will widen up shortly, so please bear with the inconvenience.”

Just as he said, not long after passing the entrance, a large cavern appeared.

The echoing sound of their voices was fascinating, yet it also felt somewhat unsettling. She thought this might be their destination, but the elder didn't stop, continuing deeper into the cave.

After navigating a rough, rocky area, the path became considerably smoother. They walked along the path for a while, and just as the dim walls began to feel strangely brighter, a set of neatly carved stairs, seemingly man-made, appeared.

“It's just a little further.”

The elder spoke to the hesitant Lucy in a low, reassuring tone before descending the stairs first.

*What on earth is he trying to show me?*

Half-believing, half-doubting, Lucy followed him down the stairs. The moment she stepped off the last one, a circular hall surrounded by white marble appeared.

“This place is…”

Beyond the thick pillars, the white marble walls were densely covered with embossed characters she had never seen before.

When she scuffed away the layer of fine dust on the floor with her foot, she saw that the floor, too, had unfamiliar characters sparsely engraved on it.

Lucy, who had been looking down at the floor, lifted her eyes to look straight ahead.

In the center of the hall stood a high altar, and upon it rested a large statue.

The statue, with every scale and every whisker delicately rendered, resembled the august creature that had become the symbol of Dopein, the last of its kind on the continent.

“A dragon?”

The dragon statue, gazing up at the ceiling, dominated the atmosphere with a lifelike quality, as if it might ascend to the heavens at any moment.

Lucy climbed onto the altar and stared at the statue, mesmerized.

“Some children discovered this place by chance about thirty years ago. We kept its existence a secret, fearing there might be tomb raiders… but I suppose it's all right to show it to Your Majesty.”

The elder began to speak in a solemn tone, as if he had made a great resolution.

“In my youth, I tested how far the full moon's influence extended from the village. I mentioned earlier that it doesn't reach the area around the lake, correct?”

“Yes.”

“The center of that influence is here. Not the village.”

Lucy and Walter turned their heads simultaneously, exchanging a look. Walter was the first to speak.

“Are you saying this place is related to the full moon?”

“From what I have gathered, yes.”

“What kind of place is this, then?”

The elder slowly raised his head to look at the dragon. A faint sunset glow, filtering through a crack in the ceiling, cast a yellow light upon the statue.

The dragon's form, asserting its presence with a soft gleam, and the somewhat sacred air of the hall combined to create a surreal atmosphere. The elder stroked his chin area and continued with an ambiguous expression, somewhere between a smile and not.

“This is a temple. It is said to be the place where the god of the Black Wolves once resided and bestowed blessings.”

“Black Wolves?”

“Yes. It is a term that refers to us.”

Lucy turned and gazed across the hall. Then she looked back at the dragon adorning the center.

*I had my doubts, but…*

*This makes no sense at all.*

“Are you saying… this is a Lycan temple?”

Her soft, echoing voice was filled with disbelief.

The race that even the gods forsook.

A phrase that never failed to appear whenever Lycans were disparaged.

There were countless atheists in the world, but all of them combined could not match the impiety of a single Lycan.

The saying that they were not a race forsaken by the gods, but a race that forsook the gods themselves, was a testament to the pragmatic nature of the Lycans.

For Lycans, who lived lives of constant persecution without even the leisure to pray, religion was considered a luxury they could not afford, like a beautifully crafted jewel.

As a result, the majority of Lycans naturally became atheists who would sooner trust their own tongues than believe in a god.

To think such Lycans had a god.

The idea of a deer declaring it would eat meat felt more plausible. As she stared blankly at the elder, he let out a hollow laugh.

“You must find it hard to believe. I know. But that is what is written on the walls.”

“Are you saying you know what language is written on these walls?”

“Yes. It is an ancient language used in the Eastern Continent during the time of the Great Empire. It is almost a dead language now, so very few people can read it.”

Lucy, who considered herself quite knowledgeable in languages, had never heard of an ancient Eastern tongue. When she tilted her head at the unfamiliar term, the elder gave a wry smile as if he understood.

“I didn't learn it formally either; all my knowledge comes from my predecessors, so I cannot interpret it fluently. Still, I tried my best to unravel the mystery of the full moon, but due to the passage of time, a significant portion of the walls has been damaged… It's a pity that not all of it can be deciphered.”

Listening to his story and examining the walls more closely, she could see that many parts had indeed worn away with time.

Lucy furrowed her brow, tracing the engraved letters on the wall with her finger.

“What parts can you interpret?”

“It is not very long. From here…”

The elder raised the lamp, approached one of the walls, and continued in a low voice.

“A light that split the heavens divided into three and brought forth life. Where the sunset ends in the west, the Black Wolf appeared and raced across the continent…”

He added that this part was erased and couldn't be interpreted, then pointed to the side.

“…The incarnation of the Black Wolf appeared here and bestowed great fortune. The radiance is brilliant, but chaos hides beyond the shadows. Where the incarnation departed, moonlight casts down, blocking the path to harmony.”

Her expression twisted at the cryptic words. Then, she let out a soft gasp and lifted her head.

“‘Moonlight casts down, blocking the path to harmony.’ This… somehow.”

“Because of the full moon, we cannot mingle with other races… I believe it refers to the curse of the full moon.”

Walter answered in her stead, and Lucy, mouth agape, nodded her head rapidly. The elder's eyes crinkled as he formed a benevolent expression.

“That is correct. According to this legend, I surmise the curse began because the incarnation of the Black Wolf departed—that is, because the Lycan god disappeared.”

Instead of refuting it as nonsense, Lucy turned back to the wall with a look of astonishment.

She couldn't simply dismiss the elder's words as a joke. The uniqueness of this village and the atmosphere of the temple aligned too perfectly for it to be mere nonsense.

“This is what it says up to this point. The middle section is mixed with pictographs, making it difficult to understand… Personally, I believe this last part here is even more important.”

The elder walked around the hall and stopped in front of a section of the wall where the marble had fallen away, pointing to the letters.

“It's this part here. The end will slowly cover the land when no one is watching. The divine beasts, united, will suppress the primordial conflagration.”

*The end? Primordial conflagration?*

“The subject changes abruptly. What is this 'end,' and what is this 'conflagration'?”

When Lucy asked, the elder wrinkled his nose, his expression turning fierce. It wasn't anger, but a look of deep contemplation.

“To be honest… I do not know either. It's the most crucial part, but without the middle section, I cannot infer the context.”

*Phew.* With a deep sigh, the elder rubbed his wrinkled nose. At his sheepish demeanor, Lucy offered a wry smile, telling him it was all right.

She folded her arms and slowly circled the hall, scanning the letters engraved on the walls. The sound of her boots echoed softly on the dusty marble.

A complex tapestry of thoughts surfaced in her golden eyes as she stared at the wall.

“The end…”

*Frankly, I don't care about the end or whatever…*

She had hoped to find a clever way to free the Lycans from their curse, but learning that the most important part was indecipherable was deflating.

*Pictographs…*

*There's an ancient language, and traces of a northern tongue, too.*

*It's like a cipher made by combining several languages. If I could decipher it, could I find a clue to the curse?*

“I don't know what the writings on the wall mean, but somehow… here. ‘The divine beasts, united, will suppress the primordial conflagration.’ I am certain this final passage is a great clue that will change the future.”

The elder spoke in a solemn tone, stepping in front of Lucy.

When Lucy glanced up to meet his eyes, the elder's expression grew desperate.

“I assure you, if we investigate the literature and ruins more thoroughly, we can learn about the myth in greater detail. It is a stroke of heavenly luck to have met Your Majesty like this, but if you would lend your aid…!”

“Are you saying that if I help you interpret the ruins, we can break the Lycans' curse?”

Lucy asked, looking at the elder with a mixture of hope and doubt.