Near the Mathers domain was a Lost Forest called Cremaldi, and hidden deep within it was the tomb of Echidna, the Witch of Greed.
This place was known as the "Sanctuary."
However, despite possessing such a grand and holy name, all it actually contained was a dilapidated, incredibly poor village tucked away in a forest clearing.
"This is the Sanctuary!?" Carol looked at the muddy paths and rundown wooden huts before her in utter bewilderment.
"It's just a name," Julia explained, stepping down from the lead dragon carriage. "I heard Father say that originally, it was just a shelter built for refuge centuries ago. But because it held a very special meaning for our ancestors, it was later renamed the Sanctuary."
"So that's how it is."
Julia's explanation brought a look of understanding to Carol and the other girls in the convoy. If that was the case, the poor state of the village was understandable. However, they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. When they had heard they were going to a "Sanctuary," they had harbored expectations of grand temples and magical architecture.
Meanwhile, Regulus, who was standing nearby, casually surveyed his surroundings.
Aside from a few impoverished villagers who remained at a distance to watch their massive, luxurious convoy out of curiosity, he quickly spotted a familiar figure standing near the tree line.
It was a petite figure with light pinkish-red hair. She was wearing a black robe that was severely ill-fitting, completely enveloping her small frame.
This was Ryuzu, the guardian of the Sanctuary.
When Regulus looked at Ryuzu, Ryuzu was already looking right back at him. She clearly paused for a moment, processing what she was seeing, before slowly approaching the group.
When she arrived a few paces away, she stopped.
"Lord Regulus?" Ryuzu asked, her voice calm but perplexed.
For her, she had never truly met Regulus in person. All her memories of the white-haired Archbishop were inherited from her original body.
"It's me," Regulus smiled.
"Welcome back."
Ryuzu bowed slightly in greeting. As she moved, Regulus caught a better sight of her appearance. She was an incredibly cute girl. Especially her pair of slightly pointed ears, which immediately captured Regulus's attention. He had a sudden urge to reach out and touch them.
"Ryuzu, you know Regulus?" Julia asked, very surprised.
She knew that Ryuzu, as the guardian of the Sanctuary, had never left this forest. She had been here for centuries. How could she know a man from the Capital?
"Although it's just inherited memories, you could say I know him," Ryuzu replied flatly.
"Inherited memories…" Julia blinked. She didn't know much about the deep lore of the Sanctuary or Ryuzu's true nature, so she couldn't quite grasp the meaning of that statement.
Ryuzu had no intention of explaining the mechanics of cloning to Julia. She looked back at Regulus.
"Lord Regulus, are you going to see Lady Echidna's tomb now?"
"No. Take me to see Ryuzu first."
"Alright. Please follow me." With that, the petite girl turned and prepared to lead the way into the deeper parts of the forest.
Before leaving, Regulus glanced back at his wives.
"You all wait for me here. I'll be back soon."
"We understand, Husband," Lycoris replied obediently.
Regulus and Ryuzu quickly moved away, eventually disappearing down a hidden forest path.
The remaining group became even more confused for a moment.
'Wasn't the girl just now named Ryuzu?' Carol thought, scratching her head. 'Why did Regulus say he still needed to go see someone named Ryuzu? Could they be sisters with the exact same name?'
Just then, some of the surrounding villagers gathered the courage to walk over, diverting the wives' attention.
As the villagers approached, Julia went to the back of the dragon carriage she had driven and opened the cargo compartment. It was filled with all sorts of daily necessities, food, and clothing. Besides leading Regulus here, her secondary objective was delivering essential supplies to the impoverished villagers.
Since it wasn't her first time doing this, her movements were very practiced as she began distributing the goods.
"Miss Julia, do you need our help?" Carol offered.
"No, no, I'll be done quickly. Please just wait a moment."
"Mm."
On the other side of the forest, Regulus had already followed the petite girl into a hidden, underground stone chamber.
What greeted his eyes was a massive magical crystal emitting a faint, ethereal blue glow. And suspended within this crystal was a girl, completely sealed inside.
This naked girl—her appearance, her petite figure, her pink hair—was absolutely identical to the girl standing beside him.
Ryuzu Meyer.
The girl sealed in this crystal was the original body. She was the genetic template for all the active Ryuzu clones currently managing the Sanctuary.
"The original body's current state can be confirmed as deceased," the clone beside him stated mechanically, watching Regulus stare at the crystal.
Regulus turned to look at her, then back to the crystal.
She was indeed correct. The girl in the crystal could, for all intents and purposes, be declared dead. Her soul had been shattered to form the barrier of the Sanctuary.
The next moment, the clone spoke again, her voice betraying a hint of genuine emotion.
"Lord Regulus... can you save her?"
"Yes," Regulus nodded confidently. "But not right now."
"Thank you."
It was a very sincere thank you. Time was not an issue for the clones; they had plenty of it.
Regulus looked closely at the original Ryuzu Meyer sealed in the crystal.
He definitely had to save her eventually. Just below her navel, clearly visible on her pale, naked abdomen through the crystal, was the glowing pink crest of his Authority. He couldn't let a girl who bore his mark remain dead.
But saving her would have to wait until he acquired the ability to travel through time.
The only frustrating thing was that it was completely unknown how long he would have to wait or when he would gain such an Authority. In Regulus's meta-knowledge of this world, the only time-related abilities that appeared were Natsuki Subaru's Return by Death and Aldebaran's localized time regression. Both of those men were transmigrators. As for the ability to freely travel through space-time at will? It had not appeared yet.
'Whatever,' Regulus thought, casting the matter aside. 'What good is overthinking it? I'll just wait patiently. I have plenty of time, and the right Authority is bound to appear one day.'
What Regulus was concerned about now was something else entirely.
The Ryuzu clone who had led him here had just said that all her memories were inherited from the original.
If that was the case... did she inherit the physical mark as well?
"Lift your robe," Regulus commanded suddenly. "Let me see your abdomen."
"My abdomen?"
Ryuzu blinked in confusion. But when she followed his gaze to the original body in the crystal, she immediately understood what he was looking for.
Without hesitation, she obediently grabbed the hem of her oversized black robe and lifted it to her chest.
Regulus paused for a moment. She was wearing absolutely nothing underneath the robe.
'This... this is really saving on fabric,' Regulus thought, amused by the total lack of undergarments.
Aside from that, he inspected her stomach. Her abdomen, as white as jade, was completely blank. It indeed did not have the special magical pattern that was engraved on the original body.
By extension, if she didn't have it, then none of the other Ryuzu clones scattered around the Sanctuary could have it either.
Regulus sighed internally. 'The workload has increased again.'
"Are the other clones all nearby?" Regulus asked, dropping his gaze back to her face.
"Yes. They are all here in the Sanctuary," Ryuzu replied, letting her robe fall back down.
"Then notify them. Have every single one of them gather in this chamber."
"I understand, Lord Regulus."
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