The canyon continued inward.

Ronald groped his way forward through the upper reaches of the ruins.

After dealing with several similar animal encounters along the way, the situation before the support team finally changed.

At a considerably deep part of the canyon,

a temple built from countless square stone bricks stood.

Although the temple's size did not compare to a mountain, its two sides were fully connected to the cliff. It loomed like a divine weapon that had descended from the sky, bisecting the canyon and blocking any possibility of passage beyond.

If they wanted to continue forward,

they would either have to climb over the entire temple, sweeping over it like a bird,

or enter it and pass through the obstructive temple from within.

The expressions of several team members, particularly those knowledgeable about the arcane, grew solemn. They, who could sense magical fluctuations, felt a noticeably strong Magic Fluctuation emanating from the building ahead.

Was this the ultimate danger hidden within the ruins?

Or was there some extremely unique presence inside?

"…"

In silence, everyone faced the structure blocking their way.

A few seconds passed, and the adventurer Seriel stepped forward to inspect the area. He quickly found a mark and spoke up,

"We've got something. It seems like Daune and the others didn't go in but tried to climb over the temple instead."

Megan's attitude was more cautious,

"Can we be sure of the accuracy of this information?"

"If we've made a mistake about the situation, we're definitely in for some trouble."

"I've worked with Daune before," Seriel said, aware of the circumstances, and explained earnestly, "Years ago, we agreed on a rule—if we encountered dangers we couldn't be sure of, we'd prioritize our own safety first."

Megan nodded in understanding,

"So they went around the temple now?"

Seriel continued,

"That's right."

"On the way here, I found some other marks. Based on what I know about Daune and Clara, as long as they themselves haven't run into trouble, the information they've left is undoubtedly reliable."

"…"

Through the conversation, the status of the team ahead was confirmed.

The others in the group then turned their questioning gazes to Costate.

Although the maid had not volunteered any opinion on the matter, after experiencing Costate's formidable power firsthand, they understood who really needed to make the decision.

Even if someone now wanted to take command of the team,

the practical possibility of that was almost nonexistent.

"…"

Faced with everyone's looks, Costate's response was much more straightforward.

She turned and scanned the surroundings; after her gaze swept over the broken ruins above, her final decision on the matter came forth,

"We won't enter the temple just yet."

"In a situation fraught with danger, ensuring the safety of our companions is the top priority."

Ina's expression was quite subtle upon hearing Costate's decision.

Danger?

The word felt odd to Ina coming from the mouth of the maid before her.

But the situation was stronger than the individual.

Considering how Costate had dealt with the animals encountered along the way, Ina, just like the others in the team, obediently kept her mouth shut and silently followed Costate's suggestion.

Thus, the party began to climb over the structure in front of them.

Despite the temple's massive size, there were still plenty of places to climb; even without the aid of others, they could scale the obstacle at a normal pace.

Snap—

Not much time had passed.

Ronald once again jumped down from the cliff.

The decision that Costate had just made, of course, was the result of his motioning from above.

Although he was confident in his own strength, there were still too many ordinary people in the team without the ability to cast spells. Should they enter this temple to investigate, Ronald still didn't want these people to face danger.

He instructed Costate to lead the people away.

It would be the best solution for him to enter alone and take a look.

"…"

"If this were not a site of archaeological value, it would have been much easier…"

Looking at the temple in front of him, where even the stone bricks were tinged with the green of vegetation, Ronald briefly expressed his reluctance to turn into a demolition machine, and then walked into it with an open stride.

The interior structure of the temple was straightforward.

Passing the partition at the entrance porch, there was a corridor that led directly to the main hall, while paths to other functional rooms of the temple were located on both sides.

Ronald's vision was excellent since it had been enhanced.

Therefore, he didn't even need to venture further in.

Standing quietly at the entrance of the temple's corridor, he could clearly see inside the main hall.

In the centermost part of the temple, on the seat of worship, there sat a man.

He had a resolute face, and his hair and beard interspersed with white didn't show signs of aging but rather exuded the resilience and stability that came with the years.

"…"

Looking at the man's appearance, Ronald frowned.

Because as the man opened his eyes, Ronald saw a familiar tinge of white.

Just like the animals that Costate had dealt with earlier, this man in front of him was likely the outcome of an infection by a eukaryote.

So, was the problem with this relic of the type involving a biohazard crisis?

While Ronald was pondering the question, the man sitting in the main hall began to stand on his own.

He seemed to have misunderstood the reason for Ronald standing still, and as he walked towards Ronald, he spoke:

"Human Caster, I am very glad to meet you here… Hm?"

Before the man could finish speaking, an irresistible force pulled him off the ground. In just the blink of an eye, he found himself dragged from the main hall's stairway to the entrance of the corridor.

And Ronald, who stood his ground without moving an inch,

Now held the man by the neck with one hand, lifting him into the air like a small chick.

"Mm-ah—"

The man tried to struggle.

But although he was far stronger than a normal human, it was still far from enough in front of Ronald.

He struggled with all his might.

Apart from flailing in place, he accomplished nothing of note.

"Tch—"

"Keep it down, stop messing around."

At this moment, Ronald applied a slight warning force in his hand, then scrutinized the man with a frown.

Just like Ina, who was of mixed heritage before,

He couldn't sense any emotional changes in the man before him with the power of "Fury."

In other words—this was not a human at all.

Instead, it was a monster wearing human skin, or to say, it had occupied a human body!

"…"

"Volume eleven, page two hundred and sixty, item six."

Ronald figured this guy wouldn't know how to guard against the probing of a "Lie Detector" either.

Having simply activated this infrequently used spell,

He then asked:

"Hey, talk about who you are."

"What exactly went wrong with the sacrifices of the Nigar people that they ended up creating you bizarre beings?"

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