Chapter 123: Unknown
Edgar remained completely still, with his eyes never leaving the enormous statue standing in the center of the ruined temple.
The longer he looked, the stranger the feeling in his heart became.
"...Why does this face look so familiar?" He quietly frowned.
The features were impossible to mistake.
It was calm, delicate, and worthy of a goddess’s status.
There was something almost divine about the statue’s expression that Edgar couldn’t fully understand.
Yet, despite never having seen it before, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he already knew this person.
"...Have I seen it somewhere?"
He searched through every memory he possessed.
The murals inside the underground ruins, the games he had played before, or the novels he had read but he couldn’t match it with anything.
Still, the feeling refused to disappear.
It was as though his instincts were trying to remind him of something his mind had forgotten.
"...Weird."
Edgar slowly guided the Headless Soul Knight farther into the ancient shrine.
Broken stone tiles crunched beneath the skeletal horse’s hooves.
As his strange three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision swept across the temple, something else entered his sight.
"...Hm?"
His attention shifted toward the enormous pedestal supporting the statue.
It wasn’t standing alone. Coiled around the entire monument was an equally massive dragon.
The creature’s stone body wrapped around the pedestal several times before rising behind the winged figure.
Its scales had been carved with unbelievable precision, as if the artisan had given everything to create it.
Edgar’s breathing unconsciously slowed.
"...An eastern dragon?"
There was no doubt.
Its long serpentine body looked exactly like the dragons from the paintings and legends back on Earth.
Not the western dragons with massive wings, but a true eastern dragon.
"...What is something like this doing here?"
The dragon wasn’t attacking the horned figure, nor was it worshipping it.
Instead, the two statues had been carved together, almost as though they were inseparable.
"..."
Edgar quietly observed the strange scene for several more moments.
He also couldn’t help but think about what he had heard from Gordon on his trip to the Norwood Mountains.
’...He said he saw a massive head with crimson orb-like eyes...’
Questions continued piling up inside his mind, but unfortunately, he had no answers.
He finally let out a slow breath.
"...Forget it."
There was a reason he had sent the Headless Soul Knight here.
"The flowers come first."
His thoughts immediately entered the Soul Network.
’Search every cliff around this valley.’
The Commander Guardian immediately obeyed.
The skeletal horse quietly left the temple before disappearing deeper into the mountains.
Unlike before, Edgar didn’t disconnect from the Soul Network.
He simply continued watching the darkness gradually spread across the mountains.
But the Norwood Mountains never became completely black.
Countless strange organisms quietly illuminated the forest.
Tiny blue mushrooms glowed beneath old trees.
Pale insects drifted lazily through the air like floating stars.
Strange vines clinging to the cliffs emitted a faint green light.
The entire mountain seemed alive.
"...Beautiful."
Even Edgar couldn’t deny it. Despite how dangerous the Norwood Mountains were, their nights possessed a beauty unlike anywhere else.
Minutes slowly passed in the mountains.
The Headless Soul Knight continued searching one cliff after another.
Edgar silently endured the strange vision.
Eventually, a dull pain slowly spread across his forehead.
"...This is too much for the current me."
He rubbed his temples despite still being connected.
The Headless Guardian’s unnatural perspective had always been mentally exhausting.
But as time passed, the pain only grew worse.
"...That’s enough."
Edgar finally severed the connection, and his vision immediately returned to normal.
"Haa..."
He leaned against the sofa while massaging both temples.
"...I really need to increase my mental endurance."
After resting quietly for several minutes, the headache gradually eased.
Edgar slowly stood up. "I need some fresh air."
...
The cold evening wind brushed against his face the moment he stepped outside.
Darkness had already settled across the Fortress.
Fortunately, the towering Watch Towers continued rotating silently.
Every now and then, a beam of pale light shot into the surrounding forest.
Several distant explosions echoed through the darkness.
BOOM!
Another Nightmare had wandered too close.
"...Still working perfectly."
Edgar nodded with satisfaction.
The defenses remained reliable without needing him to be ever-present.
That alone allowed everyone inside the Fortress to sleep peacefully.
He slowly continued walking through the quiet Fortress.
Eventually, his footsteps came to a stop close to the Unbroken Fire that quietly burned near the center of the Fortress.
Beside it, a woman sat alone, her long black hair reflecting the orange firelight.
’...Semele.’
The mysterious woman slowly looked over her shoulder.
A playful smile immediately appeared. "...Couldn’t sleep?"
Edgar walked closer before stopping opposite her. "...Something like that."
For a brief moment, his eyes unconsciously studied her face.
"..."
The smile, the calmness, and the graceful presence.
Suddenly, the image of the winged statue flashed through his mind.
"..."
Edgar kept staring at her without blinking even once.
’...No.’
They didn’t look completely identical, but there was an undeniable resemblance.
"...Is something wrong?" Semele tilted her head curiously.
Edgar quietly shook his head. "...Nothing."
She smiled like a young maiden charmed by a prince in shining armor. "You’ve been staring at me for quite a while."
"I was thinking," Edgar replied without looking at her.
"About me?" Her smile only grew bigger.
"...No."
She laughed softly. "What a pity."
Semele slowly stood up before taking two small steps closer.
"You know..." She looked directly into his eyes. "I don’t mind if you keep staring."
Edgar remained completely expressionless. "...I’ll pass."
Her smile only widened. "Do you really want to?"
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
The strange similarity he had noticed earlier slowly faded from his thoughts.
’...I’m probably overthinking it.’
A statue several thousand years old and a woman who was perhaps in her late twenties.
The chances of them being related were almost nonexistent.
"...Good night."
Edgar turned around and began walking back toward his house.
Semele simply watched him leave with an unreadable smile.
...
He had barely reached the front door when--
A familiar pull spread through his consciousness.
"...Hm?" Edgar immediately stopped. "The Headless Guardian."
Without hesitation, he reconnected to the Soul Network.
...
Cold mountain winds immediately greeted him once again.
The Headless Soul Knight stood upon the edge of a towering cliff.
Every direction and every angle was filled with light.
Edgar unconsciously widened his eyes.
"...Found them."
Hundreds of pale golden flowers covered the cliffside.
Each blossom emitted a gentle glow that illuminated the surrounding rocks.
They looked almost like countless tiny stars blooming directly from the mountain itself.
"...Sornja Flowers."
A broad smile slowly spread across Edgar’s face. "There are more than enough."
Without hesitation, he gave the order.
’Collect every single one.’
The Headless Soul Knight immediately climbed down the cliff with impossible agility.
Its skeletal hands reached toward the nearest glowing flower.
Just as its fingers closed around the stem--
WHOOSH!!
A projectile burst out from the darkness behind it.