"Who?" Kalan asked, confused.

Although the names sounded familiar, he had no idea who she was referring to.

"Arthum! Helo!" Ann screamed.

As excited as she was, it completely slipped her mind that Kalan might not be familiar with those particular names.

"I meant..." Ann pulled Kalan by the arm to the graves.

The grave on the left had a moon engraved on the stone, in front of it stood the stone platform from which Ann had pulled out the black longsword and, the grave on the right had an engraved sun.

Ann placed the longsword on top of the grave with the moon engraving and declared,

"We found Emperor Arthur and the Hero of Orion!"

Emperor Arthur Caiden Orion, the strongest emperor in history, established the empire of Orion after conquering the war against the great evil. He was aided by his most loyal comrades the Great Sage Arthmus Stein and the Hero of Orion, whose name was forgotten by time.

Emperor Arthur and his compatriots fought together in the battle against the great evil, during which the Hero of Orion sacrificed his life, thus winning the war.

After the victory, Emperor Arthur laid down the foundation of the empire, striving for the welfare of people for nearly ten years before passing down the throne to his younger brother Emperor Philip.

During his reign Emperor Arthur constructed a number of temples across the empire with the Temple of Eir to the north of Orion's capital Volos, being the first. It was built in memory of the Fallen Hero.

After the inauguration, Emperor Arthur started on a pilgrimage throughout the continent to destroy the remnants of evil, subsequently vanishing from the face of history.

Any mention of Emperor Arthur from then stopped at that point.

For nearly five centuries historians and experts across the continent have speculated about his whereabouts.

Multiple expeditions were funded by the imperial family to find the truth. Though none of the excavations have been fruitful in centuries.

Conspiracy theorists have debated that Emperor Arthur was buried in the place where his dear friend was resting.

Some say they were in love, whereas others say they were just friends.

"Emperor Arthur was never found" Ann explained to Kalan.

The farfetched theory was the only plausible scenario for the given situation. There was no better place than Eldom for Emperor Arthur to retire to and spend the last of his days with a loved one.

After he passed away, he must have been laid to rest next to his lover so that they could reunite in the afterlife under the blessings of the Goddess Eir. It might even be the Great Sage that helped build the tomb.

"Of course he isn't alive since it's been over five hundred years. But no one knew where or what happened to him" Ann panted, out of breath from.

She couldn't contain her smile. It was every reader's dream to see their two ideal figures in real life. For her to be the first person to discover the holy shrine was in itself a blessing.

While Ann was busy in her own world, drowning in bliss, Kalan was more focused on her hand tightening clenching onto his arm.

Seeing the twinkle in her eyes, Kalan couldn't help but chuckle. Ann was behaving like an excited child who was handed her favorite toy.

"Are you certain it is emperor Arthur and the Hero of Orion?"

Kalan's calm voice brought Ann out of her trance.

"Oh! Yeah"

Realizing that she was holding Kalan's arm, Ann let go in a fluster and coughed to hide her embarrassment as she spoke,

"I have been reading the 'He and his other half' series wearing a magnifying glass. There is no way I would miss a detail"

Ann stared into Kalan's eyes and asked,

"Or you don't trust me?"

"I trust you" Kalan answered with unwavering eyes.

The two of them stood in silence looking into each other's eyes for a while until Ann eventually broke contact and stepped into the space between the graves.

"The books were right"

She placed her hands on top of either of the graves and closed her eyes. She could imagine the longing they had for each other having separated before they could live.

Ann may not have fallen in love in both her lifetimes. But that doesn't mean she couldn't understand the pain that Arthur felt.

It was cruel of the Goddess for breaking them apart before they even had a chance at life.

"They were in love"

Ann opened her moist eyes and confessed to the person in front of her,

"They were in love with each other"

"..."

Kalan opened and closed his mouth, unable to string the words he wanted to say.

Feeling the tension in the air, Ann laughed awkwardly.

"Hahaha... You don't have look so serious"

Then, she snapped her fingers as if she just remembered something important,

"Oh! But here's the twist" Ann sprinted over to the mural and proudly stood with her hands on her hips.

"The Hero of Orion... is not a man"

She tapped on the inscriptions that were barely visible between the ant tunnels and smiled widely,

"He's a woman"

Satisfied by the intrigued look on Kalan's face Ann continued,

"At first I couldn't understand what it meant by leaving footprints on the sand of time and blah blah blah..."

"But look at this specific phrase. If you translate to the common language it goes like... 'I will travel through the cycle of life to leave my footprints aside her one last time'... Don't you see, Kalan?"

Ann turned back towards Kalan.

"He's talking about a woman"

The Hero of Orion was the most featured famous figure in books and plays, that even children played games impersonating his character. The story of the Emperor, the Hero, and the great evil was a well-known fairy tale popular among neighboring continents.

Contrary to the legend that has been passed down through generations, Ann had discovered that the famous figure was not a man. But a woman.

The reason for the inaccuracy was unknown. It might have been intentional or simply a misunderstanding along the passage of time.

But the end result remained the same. The reason Emperor Arthur left the throne was because, he was a heartbroken man in love with a woman who had sacrificed herself for the sake of the world.

"Haah..." Ann took a seat next to the waterfall and heaved a sigh.

An hour has passed since they had discovered the truth that was capable enough to change the foundation of the history this country was based on.

One fact remained stable. Regardless of the truth, once news gets out about the tomb, people will flock towards Eldom seeking answers.

Ann didn't want that.

Whoever it was that built the tomb chose Eldom owing to its inaccessibility and discreet nature. Not to mention, Eldom was infested with monsters crawling on every inch.

Although she felt the need to tell the world the truth.

She was in a dilemma.

This is the most valuable archeological discovery in this world.

'I don't want to invade their privacy much more than I already have. Gaah! This is too complicated for a simpleton like me'

While Ann was contemplating on what to do, Kalan examined the inscriptions on the walls. The mural next to the Hero's was covered with veins from the plants that extended from the fountain.

Peeking between the gaps was the face of a man, clad in armor similar to that of the imperial knights holding a golden sword.

Instead of exploring it further, Kalan chose to turn around and walk towards Ann, who was massaging her throbbing head.

"Are you alright, miss?"

"I'm fine. Just hungry" Ann said, tapping the space next to her.

"Sit down"

Just as Kalan sat next to her, Ann asked,

"Didn't you say you checked around for exits? Were you able to find any?"

"No"

Kalan shook his head.

"The tunnels extend for more than a mile. I returned in case you regained consciousness"

The complex tunnel system might have been constructed as a way to keep out grave robbers and monsters alike.

But, if there was a way in, there should be a way out. Considering that they were inside an ancient tomb crafted by expert mages, there should at least be a teleportation portal or swift exit hatch.

"I guess we're stuck?" Ann threw her hands in the air, exasperated.

"I'm sooo hungry"

Even before being chased by ogres, she was feeling hungry from not having eaten all day. Now she was stuck inside a place with nothing to eat.

"Hey! You talking sword!" Ann called out to the sword placed on the grave.

"Where can we get food in this place?"

"Do I look like I need sustenance?" Questioned the sword.

"So you're useless" Ann clicked her tongue.

"Same as you" The sword shot back in return annoyed by her attitude.

As Ann leaned back, droplets of water from the fountain sprinkled on her eyelids. The hair on her shoulders slid down and grazed over the water surface.

"Oh!" Ann exclaimed as if she remembered something.

She reached for her boots and pulled out a small pouch.

"Thank god!" Ann closed her eyes and held the pouch to her chest.

Inside the pouch was the sour candy Melina had made for her before she left the village. It was the perfect thing to snack on to soothe her hunger until they figured out a way to get out of the tomb.

Ann opened the pouch, revealing the animal-shaped delicacies, and popped a wolf-shaped candy in her mouth.

"Hmmm..." Ann moaned as the candy melted inside her mouth.

Remembering that she was not alone, Ann coughed and offered him one.

'Usually, I won't share my candy with anyone. But I don't want to get a stomach ache having you see me eat'

Now that hunger trouble was settled, the reality set in. They were still inside the tomb without a way out.

"Maybe I can help with that?" Kalan pointed at Ann's hair.

"Ah..."

Ann recalled that her hair had come undone when she fell down during the ogre chase. The tips were soaked in water when she leaned over the pond.

"Sure. Why not?" Ann shrugged and turned her back to Kalan.

'Anything to kill time'

Usually, it was either Noah or Oliver that helped with her hairdo. Since she was terrible when it comes to hairdo other than a simple bun and ponytail, there was no way she would reject it, when a trusty person like Kalan offered to help.

"Excuse me" Kalan apologized, and gently lifted her hair in his hands.

Ann felt cold air inside the tomb graze over her exposed neck as the water from the pond beneath the fountain reflected her face like a mirror.

At that moment, Ann noticed that Kalan's hands had stopped moving.

"Is there a problem?" Ann enquired over her shoulder.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Kalan's hand suspended in the air.

"No"

With a single word, Kalan's hands started moving again. In a matter of minutes, he had braided her hair into a beautiful fishtail braid headband.

"Woww..." Ann's eyes grew wide.

She wondered how much patience and practice it took to make a flawless braid as he did without the use of any accessories. Then again, he could have gained experience by helping his wife with her hair.

'Here I thought Noah was the best'

She admired her reflection in the water.

"Hmm?"

Ann observed something shine on the water reflection. Holding her hair together was a hair ornament she had never seen before. It had a jewel at the center that matched the color of her eyes.

"Is this... yours?" Ann stared at Kalan.

'Where did he even get this? And why did he put it on me?'

"It is a thank you for the candy"

Kalan brushed it off as if it doesn't matter.

"But..." Ann felt burdened.

They may have known each other over the journey, but it was uncomfortable to receive something from him that clearly screamed 'expensive'.

Just as she was about to argue back and return the ornament, Ann saw a stone plate behind Kalan.

Ann's eyes wandered across the writing on the stone plate.

"!"

Her eyes widened yet again from the shocking discovery.

"We're saved" Ann cried out.