Episode 642: Identity revealed (2)
“Zero Order, no, Surna, what is your purpose?”
Now that the sealing technique has been restored and the heavenly gate has been closed…
Ludger has lost the omnipotence he once displayed…
The disappearance of the exhilarating feeling of flying freely in the sky brought with it a tremendous feeling of emptiness, but Ludger suppressed it with desperate patience.
That wasn’t what mattered now…
“The fact that you’ve come this far means that you also want something from me… so tell me… what your purpose is…”
“What can I hide? Of course, the reason I came here was because I had something to do with you.”
Surna said so and looked at Grander, who was lying comfortably on the bed of shadows even in this mess.
“And I heard that someone I’ve known for a long time was leaving, so I tried to see him off on the way. Of course, I don’t think it was necessary, but…”
“You said that in the distant past, you fought with Saint Archenis in this place on this earth…”
“okay·”
Surna muttered in a bitter voice as she looked at the crater, which now had no trace of its former self.
The aftermath of the fight between Ludger and the subjugation army was huge…
Starting with the crater, all the mountains and forests around it were blown away.
If we were to make a mistake beyond the point where a new map had to be drawn, a tectonic shift could have occurred.
The fact that it did not happen was purely thanks to the Elemental Lord of the Earth pouring out his power to prevent the ground from collapsing…
The Elemental Lord of the Earth seemed to have retreated after completing his work…
“In history, it is said that the great devil Surna was defeated in a fight with Saint Arkenis here and disappeared… Of course, the saint also said that she changed her name in the aftermath of that fight…”
“That is the history known to the world. To be exact, it is a fake manipulated by the Holy Kingdom of Bretus at will…”
Surna waved the sword in his hand.
“As you may have seen, the power I possess as an apostle is not capable of creating a land of death like this… That goes for Saint Archenis as well… But even after hundreds of years, there is still no life in this crater…”
“It’s because of the power of something other than a devil or a saint.”
“That is the power of God…”
Surna recalled the events of that day and spoke…
“As always, the fight between me and the saint did not result in a proper match…Arcenis was too strong for me to kill, and on the other hand, Arkenis had no intention of killing me…”
“what?”
As Ludger looked at him in surprise, Surna smiled bitterly.
“Yes… It’s surprising… The world’s greatest devil, Surna, was actually surviving because the saint looked after her… It’s surprising, but it’s true… Arkenis was a saint of the church, but contrary to the will of the church, everything was judged and purified. “I did not try to solve it. Rather, I tried to embrace it with love and warmth as befits the name of a saint.”
Surna’s voice was steeped in nostalgia for the past…
“Because she loved all life…”
“Was it Lumensis who got involved in that fight?”
Surna nodded·
“He must have received the right amount of heat… The saint who was supposed to carry out his orders as the top priority had no intention of killing the devil… So that day, Lumensis committed one act…”
“What did you do?”
“It’s nothing… I just stuck my finger in the cage…”
That was the way it was expressed, and in reality, Lumensis’ action was only the use of a finger…
The aftermath was by no means small…
To punish the saint who does not listen to his words and to eliminate the apostles who are the remnants of the fallen god…
Lumensis directly interfered with this underworld…
He tore apart the dimension and directly exercised his power through the open crack.
“That’s how this crater was created… It wouldn’t have been as simple as just taking a finger and slamming it down…”
Even though it was only that much, this land was covered with death…
For nearly a thousand years, it has become a place where no living thing can live or survive.
“I see… This isn’t the aftermath of a fight…”
“It’s a sign of judgment…”
Surna let out a low laugh…
“However, as a result of his intervention in the underworld that day, Lumensis will never be able to exercise power over the underworld again… It means that ignoring the rules and committing a foul will only be tolerated once… Because that rule was not created by Rumensis alone. Because it was…”
“That’s why you became anxious… Because you realized the possibility that the people you believed were your limbs could betray you…”
Saint Archenis abandoned her given duty.
Subjugation of the devil·
The saint, who should have served her whole life with that as her purpose in life, did not kill the devil.
Enraged, Lumensis personally punished the saint and even tried to kill Surna.
But Surna did not die…
Instead, traces were left on this land.
The problem was next…
“Lumensis has come to realize that even the most faithful saint has betrayed her will, so how can other humans be so appalled? “You can tell just by looking at how the castle is going right now…”
The Holy Kingdom of Bretus spread its power across the continent, but it was not a glory that lasted forever.
Isn’t the current power ultimately nothing more than borrowed power?
Moreover, as a result of exercising power over the underworld, Lumensis was no longer able to control that power.
“Starting from that day, the power of the paladins and priests was greatly reduced… The supply routes for divine power were drastically reduced…”
Reduced divine power, reduced power, reduced power,
What sprouted at the end was human desire based on survival instinct.
Seongguk became greedy…
God exists, but he cannot influence the underworld.
Then, haven’t they, who have taken the position of representatives of God, actually become the most noble beings on this continent?
“If there are no tigers on the mountain, the fox will become king.”
“That’s a very cunning fox…”
The Holy Kingdom of Bretus interpreted the doctrine as it pleased and acted to satisfy its desires.
It was natural for a corrupt religion to quickly decline.
Although their power decreased, the sacred power they wielded was real, so it did not reach the point of downfall.
But what was it like from the perspective of Lumensis watching the scene?
Lumensis, who cannot trust humans, would have wanted to destroy the Holy Kingdom that did not move according to his will.
But I also knew that even if I kicked them out and put others in their empty seats, the result wouldn’t change anyway…
So Lumensys thought…
Let’s create a vessel that can contain our own power even though we are humans…
Let’s use that vessel as a puppet and rule it ourselves…
“The identity of that vessel is Heathcliff Van Bretus, the illegitimate son of the royal family and the most talented man of all time. The man standing before me right now…”
“Was that really the case… But Seonghwang wasn’t stupid either… He and his children knew that I would be a threat to their position… Beyond that, there was even the will of Lumensis…”
“Because I knew that, I tried to get rid of it. I pretended not to know and pretended that this was for God.”
From the perspective of Lumensis, the Holy Kingdom of Bretus was like a dog biting its master.
However, in a situation where Ludgar disappeared from the Holy Kingdom and no trace of him could be found, Rumensis had to maintain his position as agent even if he did not like it.
But that too is over now…
Ludger, who has been hiding well until now, has finally revealed his identity…
“It must have been really frustrating for Lumensis, because the Holy Grail that they had been searching for so long and thought had died suddenly appeared like this…”
“Did you know that and were trying to take advantage of me?”
“I didn’t know from the beginning that it was me… I was just at the stage of doubt… It was something that happened in the capital of the empire that made me confident…”
“···Basara·”
The devil who was sealed at the base of the world tree that died as a result of Surna’s trick.
The apostle who was resurrected like that but was completely destroyed by Ludger’s hands…
“What is your purpose? “Is this revenge against Lumensis?”
“Isn’t that obvious? That’s why I came all the way here… because I’m the devil…”
“You had plenty of opportunities to do that before… so why didn’t you?”
Right now 500 years ago…
Before the empire was created, the kingdom of the past joined hands with the elves and sought a way to oppose the Holy Kingdom of Bretus.
They collected relics, grew a new world tree, and prepared an experiment.
The one who interfered with that was Basara, or more precisely, Surna, who controlled him from behind.
“That was a failure… If I hadn’t interfered then, we would never have been able to defeat Lumensis again… The opportunity itself would have been completely closed…”
“Is it different now?”
“So I’m not helping you?”
Surna said to Ludger…
“Heathcliff, I know that you have something in store for the Kingdom of Bretus. You must have been laying the groundwork for a very long time behind the scenes in the Kingdom.”
“····”
“Of course, that’s the same for me… I’ve also been preparing for a long time… Just like water seeping drop by drop into the cracks of the rock without them noticing…”
“So what do you want?”
“I can’t tell you what I want yet, because you still have a few more things to do right now, right? Mr. Ludger Cellissi…”
“····”
“If you throw off all those shackles and come to Bretus, then I will tell you my true purpose.”
“Is this something I should do…?”
“In order to achieve what you want, you must not leave any room until the end.”
You must not leave any room…
Surna’s words weighed heavily on Ludger…
“Right now, you still have hesitation. If you can’t cut it all off, it will hold you back at a critical moment.”
“····”
“It’s your job, so you know it better than anyone else. I’ll go first. I look forward to the day when we meet again in the Holy Kingdom of Bretus when all this is over.”
Surna said that and left as if he had disappeared from his place.
It’s the end of everything…
Ludger, who was left behind, stood still for a while, pondering what Surna said as he left.
* * *
When Ludger returned to Ledervelk, the atmosphere in the city was much quieter than before.
The fact that the city, which was in chaos due to the incident caused by Nirva, has become quiet means that the citizens have regained stability, but…
Ludger felt that this strange silence was somewhat disturbing…
It’s like watching the calm before the storm…
Ludger laid Grander, the goddess of worship, on the bed in her room.
Grander, who was out of breath and struggling to breathe, was currently in the process of recovering his damaged soul.
It is said that it will recover on its own if left alone, but Ludger could not just leave it alone, so he left a few words to the people of Royal Street.
Upon hearing the news that Ludger had returned, the Owens members gathered together…
“owner·”
Violetta was internally relieved that Ludger had returned safely, but showed signs of anxiety over the recent disturbing news.
“Recently, the city…”
“I know. There’s no need to explain.”
“···Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Ludger did not answer…
He prepared to head to Seorn before even finishing his preparations.
“Brother, are you really going to Seorn?”
“okay·”
“It’s a problem to go back suddenly, but to go in the current situation…”
“I have work to finish… I really can’t put it off anymore… So I have one last thing to say to you…”
Any last words?
The Owens members felt a strange sense of discomfort at those words.
“As the founder and leader of Owens, I will disband [U·N·Owen] at this moment.”
“what? lily! What are you talking about!”
Sheridan asked back in surprise…
“Your talents have already fully blossomed. Now, instead of following me into dangerous work, each of you can walk the path you want.”
“that····”
“It might be embarrassing to suddenly say this… But know this one thing clearly… Being with me is no different from risking your life… In fact, even 10 lives would be insufficient… Even if you die, a lifelong stigma will be engraved on your name… Are you still okay?”
“····”
“There is no honor or glory in this death. It is nothing more than a dog’s death. Instead of a tombstone, the body will end up in the mud.”
Member Owens knew that Ludger had made a serious proposal and kept his mouth shut.
No matter what I said here, there was no way that the words uttered without proper reflection would have any weight.
Ludger knew that too, so he gave him enough time to think about it and come up with an answer.
“I respect whatever choice you make.”
Even if it means running away…
Ludger left without saying anything.
None of the Owens members could catch Ludger until he was completely gone.
The only person who followed Ludger out was Sedina Roshen.
She was feeling quite anxious about not being able to help Ludger during the time he was gone.
Ludger did not bother to block Sedina…
When I finally returned to Seorn…
Students and other teachers passing by one by one were startled when they spotted Ludger.
Where did you go and what did you do? Are you okay?
People who wanted to ask such a question were left dumbfounded the moment they saw Ludger’s natural expression, as if he had been here from the beginning.
Just like that, Ludger returned to his teacher’s office without anyone interrupting him or asking any bothersome questions.
Even though quite some time had passed since you left the place, the inside was clean without a single speck of dust.
Sedina came here every day and cleaned it consistently.
Ludger sat down in his office…
As if trying to reminisce about the day before…
Sedina stayed away to be considerate of Ludger.
‘It was an unintentional start to teaching, but it wasn’t without reward.’
Ludger slowly got up from his seat and stood by the window.
How many minutes have passed?
A noise began to dispel the silence from beyond the door…
-Now wait a minute! Who on earth are you…!
As soon as Sedina’s voice stopped, the door to the teacher’s office slammed open.
And what came in were knights in black uniforms…
It was the Nightcrawler Knights of the Imperial Security Service.
The silver-haired woman at the head stood in front of Ludger with the sound of footsteps clattering.
“Ludger Chelsea…”
Patriot Terrina Ryan Howl·
She glared at Ludger with a cold gaze.
“You are under arrest for impersonating a teacher and murdering a cardinal from the Holy Kingdom of Bretus.”
Oh…My…God…🥶 Thank you for this chapter!,Excited for the next chapter! 😊