With this near-invisibility, they crept toward the Holy Knights' campsite.
As they approached, Hoff began murmuring incantations, pulling out strange powder and scattering it into the air. His legs trembled under the strain, but he kept at it until he finally shouted the spell's trigger word:
The powder shimmered, glowing faintly as it dispersed across the campsite. The knights, previously standing watch around the campfires with bored expressions, began collapsing one by one, falling into a deep sleep where they stood.
A hush fell over the camp, broken only by the crackling of the fires.
Hoff exhaled deeply, surveying the scene with satisfaction. His spell had worked. Finally, he could relax without fear of Miaomiao's constant berating.
Miaomiao, still perched on Hoff's shoulder, yanked his beard again.
[You fool! Don't relax now! This isn't over! Find the relic and destroy it!]
With a resigned sigh, Hoff began picking his way through the camp, careful not to step on the slumbering knights. The flickering campfires provided just enough light to guide his steps.
[Hurry up, Hoff! We don't have much time!] Miaomiao urged.
"Lady Miaomiao—uh, Lady Nephertari—perhaps if you were quieter, I could work faster," Hoff grumbled.
[Who are you calling Miaomiao?! I'm Nephertari, you fool! Wait, what?!]
Miaomiao fell silent, seemingly confused by its own identity crisis.
At last, they reached the largest tent in the camp—the commander's. If the relic was anywhere, it would be here.
Quietly, they entered the tent. On the cot lay a middle-aged knight with graying hair, deep in slumber.
Miaomiao tapped Hoff's shoulder with her paw.
[Alright, search that big, fluffy lump. He must have it on him.]
"Did you have to phrase it like that? Couldn't you just say 'conduct a search' or something?"
[Stop complaining! I don't want to touch that furball myself!]
Sighing, Hoff trudged forward. Fortunately, the knight wasn't wearing his armor—it seemed even knights didn't sleep in such discomfort.
Carefully, Hoff searched the knight's clothing. After a moment, he felt something odd in one of the chest pockets. Reaching in deeper, he pulled out a small leather pouch.
"There's something here," Hoff whispered.
Inside, he found an ancient compass-like object, engraved with intricate runes. The needle glowed faintly, pointing directly at the location where Michael was hiding.
[That's the relic! Be careful not to touch it with your bare hands.]
"So, we destroy it, right?" Hoff asked. "We should make sure there's no trace left—no evidence pointing to us."
[That's the tricky part,] Miaomiao admitted. [Let's regroup with Michael and figure it out together. Three heads are better than one!]
"If only Alfred were here," Hoff muttered as he carefully placed the relic in his robe's inner pocket, using gloved hands to avoid direct contact. He even slipped a small pebble into the commander's pouch where the relic had been, ensuring nothing seemed amiss.
[Exactly! Where has that man gone, leaving me to babysit humans? It's an outrage! A Sphinx should live a life of leisure and dignity, not chaos and chores!] Miaomiao retorted, licking its paw in a show of indignation.
Rejoining Michael, who had been waiting in the thicket, the group made their way out of the forest as quickly as possible. The sleeping knights would wake soon, and there was no time to waste.
Back at the camp, the trio gathered in Hoff's tent. With Michael's squires present in his own, Hoff's was the safest choice for their discussion.
[Now, we need to destroy this thing!] Miaomiao declared, pointing at the relic.
"Why don't you return to your true form, Lady Nephertari? Wouldn't that make it easier?" Hoff suggested.
[Nephertari. Not "Lady Miaomiao." Ugh, whatever.] The cat sighed in frustration. [If I use my true form, the Holy Knights will sense the power surge immediately and come straight here. Use your brain, old man!]
"Then why didn't we destroy it on the spot?" Hoff grumbled.
[Because the knights would've woken up and attacked us, you fool! Honestly, you're hopeless!] Miaomiao batted Hoff with her paw in mock frustration.
As the cat chastised the old man, Michael extended his hand toward the relic.
[Wait! Don't touch it with your bare hands! It'll—wait, what?]
The relic, once solid and foreboding, crumbled to dust the moment Michael touched it.
[Activation conditions met. Absorbing magical energy. Absorption complete. Insufficient conditions to use abilities. Shutting down function.]
A warm energy flowed into Michael, filling him with a sense of calm. As I thought, he mused, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Penelope, how many times can I use abilities with the energy absorbed from this?" he asked inwardly.
[With this amount of energy, you can use abilities seven times.]
Seven?! Michael could barely contain his excitement. It was like absorbing the power of a thousand mana stones in one go. He suppressed an urge to raid every temple for their relics. Knowing the mechanism now, he planned to target high-quality remains to absorb in the future.
The problem was finding someone truly powerful among the condemned. Given the randomness of absorption, even executing a skilled individual might result in useless abilities. Michael decided to simply absorb the condemned as he encountered them, leaving the selection to chance—or perhaps research the graves of previously executed figures.
Lost in thought, Michael was interrupted by Hoff's frantic voice.
"Michael, did you... did you just accept the power of the Outer God? This is terrible! Absolutely catastrophic!"
Hoff paced the tent nervously, his hands tugging at his beard. Miaomiao rolled its eyes and tried to calm him.
[It's fine. Even trash can be useful in the right circumstances. Besides, Alfred is already looking for a way to seal the Outer God tied to Michael.]
Hoff's frantic movements slowed as he absorbed Miaomiao's words.
"What does it mean to accept the power of the Outer God?" Michael asked, turning to the cat.
[Outer Gods tempt their believers by granting power. The type of power depends on the god. Usually, it's an ability that elevates their divine status.]
"How does that power manifest?" Michael pressed.
[It varies. Some humans claim to have been seduced by a divine beauty, while others say a god descended directly.]