The Prince from Another World Wants to Save the World

Chapter 14: Chain Reaction (5)

“Whew… I apologize, High Priest.”

As the priests quickly adjusted the intensity of the light, the lich’s body, which had been on the verge of collapsing, began to recover slowly. The creature clicked its tongue and slammed its fist into the ground.

“Damn it! I was so close!”

“You see now, don’t you? We have been sealing this lich here for centuries, ensuring it could never escape.”

Essex spoke with a heavy tone. I, who was giddy with excitement over this new event, forced myself to calm down and cleared my throat.

“Ahem. That’s a scary story. So, these priests have been suppressing the lich’s power every day?”

“Indeed. Thanks to the sacrifice of these ‘Sealing Priests,’ we can all live our daily lives in peace.”

Such dedication… truly a noble sacrifice.

Indeed, when a lich goes on a rampage, even a regular knight order has a hard time stopping it. And even if you manage to destroy its body, it revives somewhere else after a few years, attacking relentlessly.

“So, since the lich is immortal, these priests have dedicated their entire lives to this? What about eating or using the bathroom?”

“There are four Sealing Priests in total. While one takes a break and tends to personal needs, the other three remain here to deal with the lich.”

“What happens when they grow too old to continue?”

“To prepare for that, we train new candidates to succeed them. The priests you see here are the seventh generation of Sealing Priests.”

“Seventh generation?”

“Yes. This lich was sealed here over 200 years ago. The task of a Sealing Priest is so grueling that few can endure it for more than 30 years.”

Hearing this made my head spin. Even though I had lived through nine regressions spanning only 90 years, these priests had been maintaining this seal for over 200 years across generations, all while being stuck in this underground chamber!

“But now their pain and sacrifice will finally end. Once Turn Undead destroys this lich’s body, it will also destroy the phylactery that’s hidden somewhere in the world.”

Of course, I had read about that. But I had to act as though I didn’t know.

“Really? Even if the phylactery is far away?”

“Yes. The lich’s body and its phylactery are bound by invisible chains of the soul. According to the records, Turn Undead’s power travels through those chains and destroys the lich’s essence. As proof, liches destroyed by Turn Undead have never reappeared.”

“Stop the play-acting, Essex! The idea that this brat can use Turn Undead is laughable! A passing dog would find it hilarious! Hahaha!”

The lich burst into laughter. Well, I’d enjoyed this new event long enough. Time to wrap it up.

“Bah! Get lost, brat! Even in this state, I could still kill you with a flick of my finger!”

“Oh yeah? Turn Undead.”

I didn’t really need to say it out loud, but I did anyway, just to be dramatic.

The moment the words left my mouth, the entire room was flooded with light.

I hadn’t realized it when I used the spell outdoors, but the light actually radiated from my body.

The light shot up from me, then arced downward, as if targeting every undead within range.

However, since we were in a small, enclosed underground space, the light simply concentrated into a beam and shot straight at the lich.

“Kyaaah! Kyaaaaaaah!”

The lich writhed and screamed in agony.

As expected of a high-tier undead, it lasted much longer than the other ones I had reduced to ashes in the fortress village.

About five seconds, give or take.

“This… this can’t be happening…!”

Oh, but it is happening. Sorry about that.

I smiled at the pile of ashes left on the floor. At the same time, the three priests who had been standing against the wall suddenly threw themselves onto the ground, prostrating.

Thud!

“Saint!”

“You’re truly the Saint!”

“Oh, spirits of the Five Gods!”

One of the priests even began pounding his head on the floor, shedding tears. Seeing this, Essex, who had been frozen in place, quickly lifted them up and embraced them.

“Yes, indeed. The blessing of the Five Gods is with us. In our generation, the Saint has finally descended.”

“High Priest…”

“At last… sniff…”

“I can’t believe this is real… sob…”

“You must have suffered so much. You all did incredibly well.”

“No, High Priest, it’s you who worked the hardest. You dragged your aging body here, giving us breaks as often as you could, even when you didn’t need to…”

Ah, so that’s why Essex rarely left the temple. He was known as a bit of a homebody.

These priests had dedicated their entire lives, and they were now free from that duty. No wonder they were overjoyed and crying. I could feel a tinge of emotion creeping up on me as well.

But just then, something floated up from the pile of ashes on the floor.

What is that? It looks like a large, glowing crystal, almost like a chunk of salt.

Before I could react, it shot through the air and into my body.

“…Huh?”

I felt light-headed and collapsed onto the floor. Essex immediately rushed over and helped me up, alarmed.

“Your Highness? Are you alright? It seems the strain of casting Turn Undead was too much.”

“No… I’m fine. But just now….”

Wait, should I even mention this? Something strange was going on. That glowing thing that emerged from the lich’s ashes had just entered my body!

“…Didn’t you see something glowing just now? It came out of the lich’s ashes and flew into me.”

“Something glowing? Ah! A glowing crystal, you say? And it was absorbed into Your Highness?”

“…”

“If that’s the case, then another of the lich-related records must be true.”

Essex nodded, as if something had clicked in his memory.

“There’s no need to worry. That was a ‘Mana Crystal.’”

“Mana Crystal?”

“Yes.”

Essex helped me to my feet, dusting off my clothes as he continued.

“There are records of this happening. When someone completely destroys a lich, they absorb a portion of its accumulated mana in the form of a crystal.”

Really? That’s a thing?

Well, of course I wouldn’t know. In none of my previous regressions had I ever destroyed a lich’s phylactery and body.

“But the lich’s mana… isn’t that ominous?”

“This has nothing to do with the evil nature of the lich. It’s simply a pure mana crystal. At least, that’s what the records say. How does it feel?”

“Well….”

I closed my eyes and focused, trying to sense the new power that had entered my body.

A mana crystal, huh?

It felt pure, devoid of any impurities, like distilled water.

But since mana is just a manifestation of the brain’s processing power and mental concentration, I tried to analyze the mana crystal that had entered me.

Aha, so this is…

It’s like an additional processor for the brain.

Saying I had “another brain” might sound odd, but it felt like I now had a device solely for calculating and managing magic inside my head.

In short, it was an incredible gain.

If I were to quantify it in terms of mana… this single crystal seemed to increase my mana capacity by at least 30%.

“…It doesn’t feel bad at all.”

Who would’ve thought there were still hidden treasures like this in the world? The fact that I could power up in this way… maybe I’ll need to tweak my early-game strategy a bit.

—

As we climbed back up the stairs, Essex brought up the Sealing Priests who had already returned.

“The Sealing Priests would like to serve you, Your Highness.”

“Why?”

Essex turned to me with a smile.

“That’s how it’s meant to be.”

“The rules for Sealing Priests say that?”

“It’s more of an unspoken tradition. The end of the Sealing Priests’ duties means the Saint has returned. After that, it’s only natural for them to become the Saint’s personal attendants.”

Personal attendants? So, they’d be like bodyguard priests?

“They may not be as physically strong as knights, but all of them are capable of becoming Archpriests within the next ten years.”

It made sense. How many priests could control such high-level holy magic like Anti-Evil for prolonged periods, and at such a delicate intensity?

That alone made me happier than even the mana crystal.

I never knew these powerful priests existed, and now I could use all four of them! This was an incredible opportunity.

But I couldn’t show my excitement too openly. I kept my face neutral and asked casually.

“I don’t mind, but isn’t it unfair to make them start a new duty right after being freed? Shouldn’t they get some rest?”

“They would never see it that way.”

Essex shook his head emphatically.

“Serving the Saint has always been the ultimate goal and joy of the Sealing Priests. I know this because I was once a Sealing Priest myself.”

“You were?”

“I retired about 20 years ago due to declining health. But don’t worry, I won’t send them to you immediately. They’ll take a day to prepare, and then I’ll send all four to your estate.”

“One day? Isn’t that a bit harsh? Why not give them a few months off? Maybe let them go to the sea and relax for a while.”

“The sea, you say

? Hmm, that’s an interesting thought. They’ve never seen the sea before in their lives. You truly are a kind-hearted person, Your Highness.”

Essex smiled warmly, nodding. As we reached the end of the stairs, the familiar underground passage of the temple came into view.

“Ah, this place…”

Since we were here, there was something I wanted to confirm. I turned my head and pointed to the far end of the corridor.

“What’s down that way? Is that where the Sealing Priests rest?”

“No. That leads to the library.”

“The library?”

“It contains many of the records I mentioned earlier. Would you like to take a look?”

“Really? Sure, why not.”

I answered casually, but inside, I was shocked.

Was he seriously going to let me into the library so easily?

Normally, you had to complete several missions and make hefty donations to build a top-tier relationship with the temple.

Then, after undergoing thorough body searches, you’d only be allowed ten minutes inside, with strict instructions to read just one book.

That’s how exclusive the Grand Temple’s secret library was.

“Here we are. It’s open now.”

Essex personally activated the complicated mechanism to unlock the library door.

“Please, come inside.”

“Wow, this place is huge!”

I was getting better at faking surprise. Essex, holding no torch or lantern, used holy light from his hand to illuminate the vast, dim interior of the library.

“This library holds a thousand years of the temple’s history. No outsiders are ever allowed in. If anyone tries to force their way in, a fire will break out, and the ceiling will collapse, ensuring nothing survives.”

Yeah, I know that very well.

During my third regression, I once tried to break in and ended up burning and collapsing the entire thing. The panic I felt back then was… indescribable.

“Why install such a trap? Isn’t it dangerous if all the temple’s history burns up?”

“It would be far more dangerous if the knowledge stored here fell into the hands of evildoers. Let’s see…”

Essex pulled a black-bound book from the ninth shelf near the entrance.

“This contains several records about liches and saints. It was written 350 years ago by High Priest Kribewuler, who was the Saint of his time.”

“That’s ancient. So the title of Saint has always gone to someone who could use Turn Undead?”

“Usually, a miracle accompanies it. But yes, the ability to wield such extreme holly magic is indeed the standard for the title of Saint.”

“I see. So the Saint was also the High Priest back then?”

“They are usually elevated to that position. If you weren’t royalty, Your Highness, we would have done everything in our power to bring you to the temple and offer you my position.”

As Essex flipped through the pages of the book, he suddenly stopped and looked at me.

“There’s a passage here that I love. May I read it to you?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you. Then… ‘As long as humans possess desires, the lich will be reborn. But to those who serve the Five Gods, do not despair or lose hope. Even when my time comes to an end, a Saint blessed by the gods will once again appear to vanquish our enemies—the enemies of the world.’”

“So… that’s supposed to be me?”

“Exactly. You are the very Saint we have been waiting for.”

Essex smiled as he closed the book. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I turned my head and began fiddling with the books on the tenth shelf behind me.

“I’m just… I couldn’t stand by and let people get torn apart by monsters.”

“Your pure heart reached the sanctuary of the Five Gods, and that’s what brought about the miracle. Now, it’s quite late, so why don’t you return to your estate? You’re welcome to come back here whenever you wish to read.”

Essex placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, gently urging me to leave. I picked out a book from the shelf, glanced through it, and then put it back, nodding.

“Yeah, I’ll come by often. There seem to be a lot of interesting books here.”

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