Chapter 53: Unknown Creatures.

"Father, you mean that old story is true?" I ask in shock as I only thought that it was just one of the church propaganda to strengthen their influence over the people of this land but I never expected it to be based on a real story.

"Of course that story really happen in the past, although most people doesn't know it as they thought it was just a rumor from the church, since they only became active after the fall of the kingdom of Aqua and only a few people have witnessed that unknown creature including a few people from the 3 empires." Explain by father as he carries the big shield towards the broken glass tank.

"So, even this shield have that kind of power? enough to destroy a huge monster and yet it's only enough to broke one side of this glass." I said absentmindedly as I stare on it.

"It's because the power of this shield can also be controlled by it's wearer." Father said suddenly as he arm himself with the sacred treasure of the church.

"Woah!" I said in amazement.

"Incredible it is indeed the shield of obedience." Hugo said while mesmerized by the scene in front of us.

"Master Hubert's body is glowing and transforming." Michael said with delight.

As father equip himself with the shield of obedience a soft hazy glow of golden bright light suddenly appears that cover the entire shield.

That hazy glow of golden light have also spread rapidly throughout my father's body and even his armor which is black in color have quickly change it's color and it become white with golden stripes.

The effect of this shield doesn't end there, as even a golden halo of light could be seen emminating on my father's head.

At the same time, the appearance of the shield have also change from black metal to a golden shield with blue glowing lines carved on its body.

"Father You look like a holy knight." I said in awe.

My father's former black armor that cover up his entire body have now change into something we couldn't even recognized as it now excludes the brilliance of holy light.

From my father's outfit to his armor and shield together with the golden halo on his head, and if you partner it with his silver hair and red eyes it makes him look like an angel of heaven that descended on this mortal plane.

"Lord Hubert I almost couldn't recognized you." said by sir Kiel in awe.

"The shield of obedience is a powerful treasure that even a supreme being covet just to have it in their hands. So although we have this in our hands we can't really show or used it even once, as it would bring us a huge calamity instead." Hugo explain as he also look at the shield with envy.

"You're right about that but I just want to confirm a legend that only few people knows." Father said as he looked at us with a serious gaze.

"All of you kneel down." Father said in a low voice but for us it's like a powerful giant have directly speak beside our ears as it directly excludes a powerful pressure making me kneel down all of a sudden.

"What?" said by them as we are all forced to kneel down

"Did I just do it unconsciously? No it feels like something controls me to do this." sir Anton said as he tried to get up but ultimately failed.

"It feels like something heavy have suddenly pressed down on my body." Sir Hugo said in shock as he tried to remove his feet that have sunk on the rooms floor.

A huge crack could also be seen on everyone's feet who tried to resist that order but even by using all their strength they still failed to resist it.

"Father what is that?" I ask with difficulty as even breathing is hard under the immense pressure that's pressing on my body.

"Lord Hubert what did you do?" Kiel said in alarm as he panickly tried to stand up.

"Is this the power of that shield?" Sir Anton said with amazement.

"Is this the reason on why it was called the shield of obedience since it's capable of commanding anyone?" said by sir Hugo after father have stop using the power of the shield.

"Yes it is, but I just confirmed it now as it's only a rumor before and only a few people talk about it but it's effect is not just for anyone Hugo, it's for everyone." solemnly said by my father as he  drop the shield Infront of the broken glass tank.

When father stopped using the power of the shield all the special effects on his body have also banished except for the color of his armor as it permanently stays in white with golden stripes.

"It seems like I can no longer use this armor in public." father said with regret as he stares up his white armor that now excludes a holy light since it was blessed by the power of the shield.

"So those rumors are real." Hugo whispered while lost in thought.

"I can feel something flowing in my veins as my aura feels like it have expanded by a hundred times, as if I could do anything using that shield." Father said to Hugo as he narrates his own experience of using it.

"But I know that kind of power didn't come for free." father said calmly as he slide his fingers behind the back of the shield.

And a small circular thing from the center of the shield  have suddenly ejected itself away from the shield.

"What is this?" I said as I picked it up.

"That's a high grade mana stone." Father said calmly.

"What? A high grade mana crystal." sir Anton ask in shock.

A high grade Mana crystal is something that people would die to have, as it's not only expensive but also very rare.

And most of the magic technology left by the Gregorian empire was powered up by this specific mana crystal.

But there's only a few reserves of this mana crystal in the Vreachland continent and each one of this crystal is treated by utmost care by the 3 biggest empire as they are also the one who holds the most number of the Gregorian magic technology.

"But I didn't even feel any mana coming from this." I said to my Father as I gave him the small murky white crystal beads.

"It's because it's in it's crystal form. Mana would hardly flow outside of this crystal as all of the mana is enclosed by its shell, only a special means used in this shield can extract it." Father said solemnly as he put it back towards the shield.

"or a powerful wizard with a strength of a supreme being can also do the job." Added by sir Hugo.

"I've been to many place and I have seen a lot of things. The might of a supreme being is something that your father and I can't win." Hugo said solemnly.

"But a high grade mana crystal such as this is worth more than a hundred thousands of gold coins or even millions." said by Hugo.

"That's true, but we can't even sell it so we can only used it to power up this shield at the same time look at this." Father suddenly said as he activate the shield once again and a beam of light was suddenly released from it destroying the other side of the glass tank.

That light alone have easily broke the glass of this tank but a full blow attack from sir hugo would only create a crack at most. This shield have a crazy attack power.

"That should be the reason why they were able to destroy this glass tank." Father said as he looked at the dead templar knight before confirming the damage to the tank.

"Father, how did you even know all the capability of this shield?" I ask in confusion.

Father looked at me in the eye before saying "The shield of obedience have directly taught me all the knowledge I need to know when I activated it's power for the first time." He said in a calm manner.

"But of course that attack have taken 3% of the remaining power from the mana crystal. My own energy reserve would not even be enough to completely power up this shield." He added before he press something behind that shield that makes it smaller.

"Wait, how is that possible?" Kiel ask in shock.

"It shrink..... the shield have shrink." Anton said in astonishment.

"It becomes a small shield. Thats good then, you can now pin it on your clothes." Hugo said in approval.

"I have so many questions but what just happen to it?" I ask in bewilderment.

I guess this is my first time seeing an actual magical artifact in this world.

This shield is almost as tall as me and I'm sure that it's heavy too but even that have become nothing as it ignore all the laws of physics and becomes a small pin.

"I guess this is your first time seeing it master Lucas, but during my travel all over the continent. I found out that a high grade magic artifact like this is capable of shrinking their size. That's one of the redeeming qualities of artifact from the great Gregorian empire." Hugo said proudly as he narrates to us his past adventure.

"Only high quality magic artifact from the same era of the great Gregorian empire, like this shield can do it, but there's only a few of them now, as a long time have passed since that era and many have been lost or broke." Father said solemnly as he stares at the broken glass tank.

"But what I'm worried about is the creature they set free. Even with the used of the shield of obedience all of them still died from it." Father said gravely as he roam his eyes in the entire room.

"And if that creature is still alive after spending unknown  years inside of this glass tank, then I'm sure that it is also the same case for the other remaining creatures in this room." Father added as he take a glance at the remaining creatures trapped inside the glass cylinder.

After finishing everything we started to collect the harvest we got from the dead body of templar knights.

Although we haven't got any clues on what's the church is doing inside of this place but at least we now have a clue on how they all died.

The only thing that we needed to do is to look for that unknown creature that killed them but we don't even know where to start.

"Lets just wish that none of them could escape this place or else were all doom." Hugo said one last time before we exited the room leaving behind the corpses of the people from the church.

Father have decided to keep this place as a restricted area for the mean time and no one is allowed to explore this cave without any permission from him.

They also covered the entrance of this cave with rocks and trees to hide it from the plain sight, and to avoid anything that might disturb the creatures trap inside the glass tank.

3rd Person's POV.

But what they didn't know is that when Hubert and the other exited the room.

All of the creature trapped inside the glass tank have suddenly open their eyes as they crazily bang the glass wall but it was futile so they all have no choice but to went back to their slumber.