I let the genie out of the bottle

Chapter Twenty: I Smell the Wolf?

Dusk, sunset.

The sun is so red, so very red.

The sound of horses' hooves.

Wolf howls.

The flames roared and ignited the house, then quickly spread to the surrounding area.

And—the wolf worshipped by the people of the grasslands, tearing at its own body.

......

"High Priest, can we go back after checking the seal on the divine sword one last time today?"

Mars, the god of war, has long been a figure of worship for the Romans. The ancient Roman army and warriors, in particular, firmly believed that Mars would consistently bring them victory.

Although faith in gods has gradually weakened in modern society, items related to Mars still retain considerable power.

Among the most outstanding are the temples dedicated to Mars and the swords that people firmly believed Mars used.

The remaining divine power emanating from it caused great concern among the Italian magic societies, who feared that Mars might suddenly descend upon them if they did not follow it.

Ultimately, after extensive discussions among a large number of people in the mystical world, it was decided to use the enemy's own weapon against him, and to enshrine the Sword of Mars in the temple to keep the two in check.

Only in this way could we have remained safe and sound for so many years.

“Yes.” The middle-aged high priest in charge of the temple’s sealing affairs nodded. “Now, let’s go and check on the sealing status of the divine sword.”

Although many gods have female priests, Mars, as the god of war, prefers brave and valiant warriors.

With this in mind, the priest in charge of the sealing here is a middle-aged man who has some knowledge of magic and is also quite skilled in martial arts.

"The High Priest has always been so cautious."

"After all, it concerns a god who does not obey... how could I not be careful?"

"Haha, that's right."

While chatting, the group carefully examined the various spells set up in the temple.

"The eulogy that uses Romulus's name to offer advice... needs to be reinforced again."

"Mars's blessing—"

"Furthermore, the final backup seal is a soothing technique that utilizes the power of Mars' wife, Bellona—"

"Very good, today's inspection is complete, everything is as before." Having completed his daily routine, the High Priest breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing this, the priests following behind him all showed relaxed expressions.

The daily inspections may seem tedious, but they know just how important their work is.

"dad."

A childish voice called out from outside the door, and then a three- or four-year-old toddler toddled into the hall of the temple and happily hugged the middle-aged high priest's leg.

"Phew, that scared me to death, Luo." The high priest stiffly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, squatted down, and picked up his son.

"Luo, don't rush in when I'm inspecting the temple next time. It's dangerous."

“It’s okay.” The child said obediently, his big eyes wide. “I came in after Dad said the check-up was over.”

“Even so—” A helpless yet indulgent smile appeared on the middle-aged high priest’s face.

His wife died unexpectedly during the extermination of the sorcerer, and his only motivation for working diligently every day was his son.

Wait a minute, should we be more careful next time and not bring our son here?

However, while it's one thing for others, as the high priest, he rarely leaves the temple throughout the year.

Wait a minute, he was too flustered and forgot that there were two priests guarding outside the door, so they wouldn't let their son do anything.

If the son wanted to come in before the check-up was completed, they would naturally stop him.

"Daddy, come on, come practice swordsmanship with me—" the child called out in a childish voice, tugging at his sleeve.

"I understand." Amidst the snickering glances of his colleagues, he gave a helpless yet indulgent smile, nodded, and followed his son's lead as he dragged him outside.

"Speaking of which, the sword technique I taught you last time—"

The words stopped abruptly.

"High Priest! Look!" someone cried out in terror from behind.

He has felt it.

In the hall where the divine sword is enshrined, patterns painted with paint, carved with knives, or outlined by molten gemstones light up.

However, the next moment, as if they had exhausted their strength, they dimmed one by one.

The divine sword on the altar emitted a dazzling golden light.

“Luo, get out of here—” He placed his hand on his son’s shoulder, about to say something, but immediately stopped himself.

Because, perhaps it's the same everywhere.

In that case, it might be safer to stay close to home.

"Everyone, reinforce the final soothing spell on Bellona with all your might," he commanded, taking a deep breath.

"Yes!"

but--

Spell: Mars' Oath, Disintegrate.

Spell: Admonition to the Father God, disintegration.

The spell that borrowed the power of Mars also failed to last a second.

......

Finally, the most anticipated soothing spell, which borrowed from Bellona's divine power, also only lasted for a moment before losing its effectiveness.

The sword, radiating golden divine power, broke free from all restraints and slowly rose from the altar.

"God—" Although they had almost given up hope, the high priest still led the priests to kneel down, kowtowing and praying, "Please calm the wrath of the thunder!"

Seemingly hesitating for a moment, the divine sword circled the group once before finally making its decision and flying towards the high priest.

Then, in a moment of astonishment, the high priest found himself reaching out uncontrollably and slowly grasping the hilt of the Sword of Mars.

His eyes were instantly covered by golden divine power.

"I--"

The High Priest, sword in one hand, stood up, his face dignified.

His voice was filled with arrogance and anger.

"I can smell the wolf."

"Dad." The boy sensed his father's unusual behavior, carefully grabbed the hem of his clothes, and gently shook it.

A true warrior will not attack someone who is incapable of fighting.

Even if the body has become a non-compliant one, even if the mind has descended into madness, this point remains unchanged.

and......

"Your name is 'Luo'? That's a very nice name."

The high priest lowered his head and looked at the child.

Then, he reached out, grabbed his collar, and lifted him up.

Immediately afterwards, a gentle force threw the child far away.

"The wolf's scent is coming."

The High Priest's face regained its majesty.

Under divine power, his appearance began to slowly change.

His bones made cracking sounds, and his height increased by more than 20 centimeters out of nowhere.

His face became increasingly handsome and divine.

"Over there, those hateful Hunnic wolves that tear at my country and devour my body!"

P.S.: Still asking for votes~

Chapter Twenty-One: Silly child, run!

“Temple of Mars—” Lu Ye raised his head and looked at the ancient building in front of him.

Although it has become quite dilapidated due to the passage of time, one can still imagine the grandeur and magnificence of the building in its heyday.

"Is there any detection spell or similar device at the entrance? Or is there a defensive measure that will immediately launch a powerful attack if a stranger approaches?"

Although he had arrived at the temple, Lu Ye did not go in directly. Instead, he stood on the road some distance away from the temple and carefully asked the little devil in his mind.

"There are no automatic counterattack mechanisms at the entrance, probably to prevent pedestrians from being attacked if they accidentally enter. However, there are still detection spells; any stranger who enters will be immediately detected."

The little devil spoke softly, his voice sounding slightly low.

Unfortunately, Lu Ye was unaware of this.

"Then, can you find the flaws in this technique and discover a path that won't be detected by the technique's master in a short time?" Lu Ye asked.

After all, it's better to take things secretly than to attack directly.

Therefore, to minimize the risk of accidents, sneaking in is the best option.

This is Rome, after all, someone else's stronghold.

If you get bogged down by others, the outcome might not be so pleasant once enemy reinforcements arrive.

Therefore, if you want to steal the divine artifact, the later it is discovered, the better.

"Aren't you worried that I'll point you down the wrong path and get you discovered right away?" The little devil's expression was slightly stiff as he said in a strange tone, "I had no idea you would trust me like this."

“You don’t need to do this, do you?” Lu Ye said without hesitation.

He had actually considered this before making the request.

"Even if you point me to the wrong path and I get spotted by the defenders here, as long as I retreat as soon as I notice anything unusual, there shouldn't be any problems. The only loss would be a divine artifact."

"However, the fragile trust that we have worked so hard to build could be destroyed."

"Even if you point me in the wrong direction, the chances of me getting into trouble and having to ask you for help are very small."

“If you are absolutely certain, then let’s not discuss it. But it’s not worth jeopardizing our already fragile trust for this possibility.”

“So—” Lu Ye raised the bottle in his hand, staring directly at it, as if he could see the little devil inside through the bottle wall—in fact, the little devil’s influence did appear in his sight.

"You won't lie to me about this, right?"

He said.

Before saying that, he really didn't know what the little devil would do.

That's why he wanted to tell her these things.

"I understand." The little devil paused for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.

"I will not lie to you about this matter."

"That's good." Lu Ye smiled. "Show me the way in."

“This detection spell itself is flawless,” the little devil said, looking at the temple's main gate. “However—I can teach you how to interfere with it.”

"Infuse magic according to my mark."

"The loli demon said softly."

……

After breaking the spell at the entrance under the guidance of the loli demon, Lu Ye did not make any rash moves.

He stood there patiently for a few minutes, and only after confirming that there was nothing unusual inside the temple did he cautiously walk in.