Chapter 247: Cult Of Templars

Aelric’s emerald eyes gleamed with a strange light as he continued speaking.

"You see, after being entrusted with the Keys, those subordinates went on to establish a convocation of their own—a group known as the Cult of Templars. Although the name might sound rather shady and somewhat nefarious, their cause was genuinely for the greater good. After all, at the time, anyone who managed to gather all thirteen Keys would possess something capable of determining the prosperity or destruction of Aetherium itself."

The gravity in Aelric’s voice caused the others to become increasingly attentive.

"As a matter of fact, because of how critical and consequential the Keys were, the Cult divided itself into thirteen separate factions and scattered throughout the Nether Lands, deliberately concealing themselves from the outside world. Their operations were so clandestine that their names, activities, and even their very existence remained unknown to almost everyone beyond the borders of the Nether Lands."

Aelric’s explanation opened an entirely new world of possibilities for the group.

Furthermore, it also helped them piece together fragments of the mysterious history they had encountered since entering the Nether Lands—fragments that had previously seemed impossible to reconcile because they lacked the necessary information.

When they had first discovered the ruined temple and the beheaded Knight, they had attributed both structures to some ancient religious order.

As it turned out, their conjecture had been correct and the subsequent discovery of this crypt had only strengthened that assumption.

Who would have thought that although they hadn’t been entirely correct in their interpretation, they had at least been directionally accurate? Cult or not, the people who had constructed these structures were clearly associated with a religious tradition of extraordinary importance.

"So, you mean to say that this crypt isn’t merely a resting place for the priests of the Cult, but also a repository for the Keys?"

Kaeloris asked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Exactly." Aelric nodded. He then placed a hand upon the sarcophagus and gently patted its ancient stone surface. "As a matter of fact, this coffin is the true safe where the Key was traditionally buried alongside the Grand Priest."

The instant Aelric said this, Valmyr asked a question that seemed to arise from sheer incredulity.

"Aelric, are you certain about what you’re saying?" He stared at the green-eyed youth with noticeable doubt and skepticism in his eyes.

Aelric lifted a brow. "And why do you say that?"

Valmyr’s gaze shifted toward the coffin before returning to Aelric.

"Well, it’s just that we’ve actually opened that coffin before, and trust me when I say you really don’t want to find out what’s inside."

He gestured toward the other two sarcophagi.

"Moreover, it wasn’t just that coffin we opened. We opened all three. Aside from some sort of rosary and a statue, there was nothing else inside them."

His words had barely settled when Sylveris nodded in affirmation.

"Valmyr is right."

A mischievous glimmer appeared within her narrowed silver eyes as she continued, her voice carrying an unmistakably playful and impish undertone.

"You see, back then, in a desperate bid to secure some treasures for himself, Valmyr practically forced everyone to open the coffins one after another. He was convinced we were going to find something valuable inside them."

She paused, deliberately allowing the embarrassment to settle.

"But no matter how eagerly he searched, all we found were antiques and junk."

The moment Valmyr heard the mocking cadence with which Sylveris described his actions, his eyes widened.

He stared at the young girl as though she had just betrayed him before an entire courtroom.

"Sylveris..." He called out with the exasperation of an elder watching a cheeky child.

The fourteen-year-old merely stuck out her tongue and gave him a playful raspberry, evidently far too pleased with herself.

Valmyr’s expression became one of profound betrayal but he knew better than to quibble with her, after all, he wasn’t about to lose the dignity left over after she just casted him out without mercy.

In the meantime, Veyrath turned toward Aelric and spoke. "Aelric, I know you’re certain about what you’re saying, but I want you to understand that opening that sarcophagus will reveal nothing except a dried-up skeleton and a stone statue."

The moment he mentioned the words dried-up skeleton, an undertone of disgust and revulsion entered his voice.

Veyrath was unwillingly reminded of the day he, Vaelorin, and Valmyr had been forced to carry that desiccated corpse.

Simply recalling the morbid experience caused a dreadful shiver to crawl through him, while his mind instinctively developed an irrepressible aversion toward the very thought of touching another corpse.

"No," Veyrath muttered, shaking his head. "Once was enough."

Despite the collective skepticism surrounding him, Aelric remained completely unfazed.

After all, if there was one person who knew how ancient ruins like this operated, it was him.

So there was therefore no reason for him to second-guess his conclusions simply because the others had encountered something different.

Aelric knew the group wasn’t lying about what they had discovered inside the coffins; he simply didn’t doubt his own knowledge enough to allow their words of contradiction to dissuade him.

Therefore, in his usual composed manner, the green-eyed youth addressed their concerns.

"Now, I understand that you all think the coffin has already been thoroughly investigated, and while you’re correct about that, I want you to understand something."

He gestured toward the sarcophagus.

"You don’t actually know everything there is to know about this crypt."

The group exchanged uncertain glances.

"Remember how I said those Keys were buried alongside the Grand Priest?" Aelric tapped the coffin once more. "That wasn’t something I simply invented; rather, it is something that I’ve seen with my own eyes several times."

His emerald eyes narrowed with quiet confidence.

"And because I’ve encountered similar arrangements repeatedly, I’m able to determine that the same principle applies here."

Kaeloris frowned.

"You’re saying you’ve seen something like this before? Scratch that... You are saying that you’ve been to crypts like this before?"

"Several times." Aelric nodded smilingly. "How else do you think is aquired all these knowledge if I don’t even know what these ruins are about. You see, those rosaries and statues you see are nothing more than decoys placed there to deceive you guys and if you aren’t someone like me, then you would have thought that whatever is inside this sarcophagus is useless."

Aelric then turned towards the sarcophagus once more and tapped it’s surfaces. "You know what, come, let me prove my words to you..."

The others exchanged glances before reluctantly following him closer.

There was something almost infuriating about Aelric’s confidence.

He spoke as though he had already opened this exact coffin a hundred times. And judging by what they had witnessed so far, the more alarming possibility was that he might actually be right.

Aelric placed his hand upon the sarcophagus once again.

"Now, let’s see if the coffin is willing to give me what I’m looking for.

His smile then widened as he added.

"Because if I’m correct..." He paused, his emerald eyes gleaming with anticipation. "...then what lies within this coffin is considerably more valuable than anything you found the first time..."