After capturing the mastermind, we returned the hell hounds to their original location.
We conducted an investigation for a while afterward, then returned to the Satyr village to rest.
It turned out the captured mastermind was not the village chief, but a member of the self-defense force. The other soldiers who attacked us were merely following orders, and some were just villagers hired with money. It seemed they had been bribing the village chief for his tacit approval. It’s believed they resorted to theft due to the high costs of purchasing a large quantity of gems, or rather, magic stones, along with other operational funds.
While we obtained evidence that the Dark Orcs Sharin mentioned were involved in powerful black magic, as originally predicted, they don’t seem willing to help me return to my original world.
Most of the documents we found were letters and financial records from kin living in other regions, as well as books on magic. However, we did discover one letter that gave us pause. It was kept in a locked desk drawer in a small room at the back.
It was a letter with no addressee, or rather, it was more like a memo. The content was as follows:
The Road to Heaven is the Road to Hell
Pass through the gate where the living and the dead meet, traverse the Forest of Suicides, swim the Blood Pond, and receive the judgment of the demonic beast lurking in the depths of darkness.
If repentance and prayer reach the light, the road to heaven will open.
I have no idea what it means. Besides, the Dark Elves were supposed to be trying to open the gates of hell. Perhaps it’s just a meaningless word game.
However, it was signed, “From an envoy from Another World.” The phrase “Another World” caught my attention.
We then proceeded to where the mastermind was imprisoned. Seeing us, he slowly raised his face.
“Fuhahaha… Well, well… What brings the Brave and his party here today?”
I presented the paper with the mysterious text.
“What does this mean?”
The man glanced at it and shrugged.
“I don’t know either. I was asked to find that place, but…”
“Who asked you? What is this ‘envoy from Another World’?”
“Who knows. I met them, but they seemed shady, and I couldn’t tell if they were lying or not. They asked us to find this so-called ‘Road to Heaven’.”
Are they acting under orders from such shady individuals, or are they trying to open the gates of hell for a separate reason?
“Then who did you get that crystal from? I saw one just like it before in the Gelvolk Territory. Were you ordered by that guy from another world?”
“No, no, we’re doing this on our own. We don’t trust those kinds of people. And that was my disciple; I had them experiment to see how much damage it would cause. Unfortunately, you lot stopped them.”
I felt Philiana tense up behind me. It meant our actions had already been under surveillance at that point. I took a breath and continued my questions.
“So, what about that crystal?”
“Ah, let’s see, I bought it from an antique dealer. Hehehe, sorry about that.”
The man shook his head with feigned sincerity. Angered by his flippant attitude, I left the room.
