# 445
Helmut
Episode 445
The dungeon was dark.
It was the first time since the royal castle of Linosa was built that this dungeon had welcomed a high priest as a guest.
Since ancient times, high priests visiting Rinosa were treated as honored guests.
To recall that, the presence of a high priest in this dark prison, which could have been a prisoner of serious convicts, was unfamiliar.
Even in Rinosa, very few people knew he was here.
If it is revealed that the High Priest is here, Lumen’s followers will try to save him.
The stone floor was cold, with chills rising from below, and there was only a thin cloth spread over it.
The high priest was seated there, motionless, immersed in meditation.
Unpalatable meals and sanitary conditions that are far from clean.
Since the sun is not shining, there is no way to estimate how much time has passed.
Since no books were allowed inside, all he could do was pray.
The High Priest is not a person accustomed to asceticism.
So, it was his innate patience and faith in Lumen that allowed him to endure this unfamiliar hardship.
As the Archduke and his party approached the iron bars, he opened his eyes at the sight of someone.
The archduke’s soft voice rang out.
“High Priest Agato.”
“…I guess I finally have something to do.”
High Priest Agato greeted the Archduke with a detached attitude.
He suffered quite a serious injury while fighting Helmut, but all of his wounds had already healed.
As long as the divine power is restored, repairing the body is simple.
However, immediately after recovering from his wounds, shackles were placed on both of his wrists, limiting his divine power. Because he had lost his strength, he could not resist.
Since his divine power was limited, it was impossible to choose to break through these solid iron bars and escape.
So he just waited. I hope someone comes to me with a choice.
It was a lonely and difficult time.
Grand Duke Rinosa cast a gentle glance at the high priest sitting behind the iron bars.
Helmut wanted to hang him alive on the walls as an example, but he obediently accepted the Archduke’s words to dissuade him.
We must not show the high priest and treat him harshly before the situation arises where such action is necessary.
Unless you want to turn Lumen’s followers into a mob and give an excuse to those with the sprouts of darkness.
Even though temples have recently received a stigma, their influence in the human world is still wide.
And Helmut was still in a position where he had to prove himself endlessly.
After checking the other person, Agato opened his mouth thoughtfully.
“Seeing as the Archduke himself found me, it seems he doesn’t intend to hang my head on the castle wall.”
“He is the Grand Duke of Rinosa. Observe etiquette.”
Charlotte shot back coldly.
However, rather than giving in to him, Agato’s eyes showed anger.
“How can the weightlifters of Lumen, who protected those with the sprouts of darkness, expect courtesy from me!”
Agato was actually yelling.
Either you’re stupid enough to be captured, or your beliefs are so deep that you’d rather die than bend.
Most people were the former, but High Priest Agato surprisingly seemed to be the latter.
A person who is willing to sacrifice his life for Lumen. A high priest among high priests who controls the decisions of the temple.
“Do you think the temple was performing its role well enough to be so powerful?”
The Archduke’s words naturally lowered his tone. Before Agato could even open his mouth, the Archduke suddenly got to the point.
“Then how did the temple plan to attack Rinosa with the collapsing sacred barrier?”
Agato’s body trembled. He widened his eyes in disbelief.
“The sacred barrier is collapsing?”
It was something I didn’t want to hear, even as a joke.
No matter how much he dismissed his opponent as a weightlifter, Agato knew about Grand Duke Rinosa’s temperament.
Grand Duke Rinosa is not the kind of person who would seek out something like this as a joke.
Also, his actions were always clear and well-intentioned, which is not to say that he harbored a dark plan.
“Doesn’t the High Priest have the ability to sense that? “Didn’t even one of the six high priests feel that?”
Charlotte added softly to the Archduke’s criticism.
“This is true. Soon the entire country will learn that the collapse of the sacred barrier is imminent.”
It must be the temple that has to announce it.
Agato’s pupils, which had been trembling wildly, soon stopped. Tens of thousands of thoughts passed through my mind.
It was almost like his calm head was overloaded.
But I was able to accept reality.
“If what you say is true, it would have been your son who caused it. Not long ago, the great wizards showed strange behavior around the barrier. “Isn’t it something to do with them?”
That’s the only external factor that can be suspicious. Why would the sacred barrier, which had been strong for a thousand years, collapse?
“The one that is related is probably the temple that sent my son to the Forest of Pahe.”
The Archduke fought back without hesitation.
Agato’s expression twitched.
It is only natural to send someone with a seed of darkness to the Forest of Pahe.
Isn’t this something that even the Grand Duke approved of in the past?
Although the temple’s evil deeds were numerous, they were never something to be criticized.
The Archduke soon frowned and appeared to soften.
“I’m not trying to judge right or wrong. “The collapse of the sacred barrier means a crisis for humans, so I want to guess how the temple will emerge.”
Because it is not just a crisis for temples.
Because the Grand Duke must protect Rinosa against anyone, even the Demon King.
The minister accepted the hand that the Archduke first extended.
“You can’t sense what’s going on in this situation. However, at that time, the barrier shook for a moment, and High Priest Levina used her strength to restore it. “At the time, there seemed to be no problem.”
For Agato, protecting the sacred barrier was the most important task.
But that’s not happening?
I felt like I wanted to take off my shackles right away and go to the temple to find out what was going on.
Soon, Agato readily admitted.
“…It’s a shameful thing, but it’s something that the temple could not have predicted at all.”
It is natural that the words of the Archduke cannot be entirely trusted.
But it was an issue that could not be overlooked. We have no choice but to assume that it is true.
The doubts slowly disappeared from Agato’s eyes.
Charlotte asked.
“If the temple knew about this, what would happen if they came out?”
“We will immediately begin investigating the barrier, seek cooperation from each country, and prepare for the temple. “It will definitely happen.”
The thoughts of High Priest Agato and Levina are similar.
Since they have actually decided the temple’s actions, we can speak of the temple’s judgment through Agato’s judgment.
It was painful to know that people who should have been fighting a holy war were lost by putting them into the war against Rinosa.
Even if it is a temple, restoration will take some time.
First of all, aren’t there two vacant positions for high priests?
Paul is definitely dead. Injuries can be healed, but it is impossible to revive someone whose head has been cut off.
The Archduke opened his mouth again.
“Originally, it is right to treat the high priest as a prisoner. I was planning to announce your survival and put pressure on the temple or collect compensation for it. “But it’s not the time to take stock.”
You can only make a transaction if you have enough money.
There was no time to argue over compensation as a huge danger was approaching both the temple and Rinosa.
I’m not saying I’m going to release it with my bare mouth.
“I hope the temple moves as you say. “I think they found out about this too.”
After speaking, the Archduke gestured towards the knight.
The iron cage door opened and the high priest stood up with the support of the knight.
For the first time since coming here, Agato was able to take a step outside the prison.
It may be said that one ordeal has ended, but the reason is that an even more ordeal has come.
Agato’s expression didn’t seem to improve.
“We should go to the empire together. They say the temple is also coming to the empire.”
“I won’t take off that bracelet yet. “Please cooperate calmly.”
Charlotte spoke in a cold tone.
High Priest Agato nodded slowly.
The reason he is still alive after being pierced by Helmut’s sword is probably because Lumen meant that there was still work to be done.
“let’s go.”
His survival was a fact that would provide a ray of hope for the temple.
From Rinosa’s perspective, it was also a chance to gain powerful power that would allow her to risk her life to fight against monsters.
Everything will be decided in the empire.
* * *
[Xian! How did this happen? Are you an earth spirit?]
Xian, who returned to Latona, checked the crystal ball. A call was coming from Terra.
Terra could not have known that the power of the Earth Spirit had been drained from her.
If succession has occurred, it is clear who will receive the power.
Sian or his younger brothers.
Since it was not the latter, the focus returned to Sian.
“braided!”
Xian showed his palm towards the crystal ball.
A magic circle formed in his palm, and the power granted by the Earth Spirit was revealed as a subtle glow.
“I guess the Earth Spirit likes me more than my mother. After all, it has eyes!”
If we exclude the earth spirit, Xian was a better spirit mage than Terra. I knew it without having to compare it.
[Is it too early? Never before in history has the earth spirit been inherited so quickly.]
Terra narrowed her eyes. The power was gone, but its traces still remained with her.
A remnant of affinity and strength. As a spirit mage, she is quite strong.
“Well, didn’t the Earth Spirit recognize my abilities? Even after all this, I am the vice president of Greta Academy.”
Sian never forgot how his parents pecked at him while performing the senior batting exercise.
I pretended to be calm, but I was also sad on the inside because I had consistently taken second place from the time I entered school until the time I graduated.
[Oh, yes. You were good. Well done, Sian!]
After finally getting the praise out of Terra’s mouth, Sian’s expression brightened.
However, the worry on Terra’s face did not go away.
[Isn’t something going on? The spirit’s movements were unusual.]
“That’s actually…”
Xian briefly explained what had happened so far.
Terra’s face became serious. Sian grinned at her.
“So now I have to fight against the Demon King as a new Earth Spiritist.”
That was his mission. It is also a life-threatening mission. As soon as he was hit by a huge force, he was driven to his death.
Terra reacted in confusion and uncertainty.
[…Yeah, you’re better than me. That cian. I have a bit of a headache. Can you think about it and contact me later?]
“Yes, I also have to decide what to do right now.”
[Cheer up.]
With those last words, the light disappeared from the crystal ball.
Xian stared at the crystal ball and then lowered his gaze. Somehow I felt heavy.
Is it because he was suddenly given a fountain of power?
How did my friends live until now, burdened with the duties that come with power?
Now I feel like I have some idea of its weight.
