Episode 433
“If we save the saint safely, wouldn’t we be able to receive full support from the Holy Kingdom? Noviens has also been attacked, so perhaps direct troop support…”
Victoria with a haggard complexion. Her voice got quieter as she went back.
You probably know that this is nonsense.
“The Holy Kingdom, by its nature, cannot conduct a war of conquest for reasons other than religion. Defending after being attacked and invading first have completely different characteristics.”
“There would still be resentment against the empire… No, I’m sorry. That was unreasonable.”
Victoria, unable to let go of her regrets, tried to force herself to continue speaking but soon gave up. However, it seemed like he had not given up on defending Victor.
“But my brother must have thought differently. Since he didn’t hear about the conquest, he may have thought that if only the saint was saved, the post-war settlement would be much easier with the support of the castle.”
okay. It could have been so.
However, it would be a different story if we were to consider whether it was worth the risk of becoming a public official for the Holy Kingdom.
“It’s a knight’s duty to save those who can.”
Eilen sighed as she said that, and soon the couple who made eye contact just smiled bitterly and shook their heads.
Victoria, who was looking at that figure with a dark complexion, carefully moved her magic.
Sure.
Eight golems appeared in an instant, reaching the height of an adult’s waist and having extremely wide shoulders.
The golems, which were sculpted in a way that did not harm the structure of the office as much as possible, supported the saint and Victor with smooth movements, contrary to their rugged appearance.
Logan’s eyes lit up at the sight, which clearly showed that Victoria’s golem magic had reached a different level than before.
‘Hoo?’
However, perhaps not seeing that expression, Victoria lowered her head with an unimpressed expression on her face.
“…First of all, we will make a ‘life support belt’ for the saint to serve her in this form.”
The life support belt refers to the artifact that Victoria created by fully demonstrating her genius for her fallen teacher.
Of course, neither Logan nor Victoria expected that they would be making such things in succession, but at least in the current situation, it was the most appropriate course of action.
“Yes. The ‘gwan’… no, ugh. You’re making a mistake, Lia.”
Victoria’s complexion darkens even more at the words she inadvertently said.
Logan hurriedly waved his hand and changed his words.
“Anyway, just wait a little longer. I think I might have some luck.”
“…yes?”
Victoria asked back with a puzzled look on her face.
Now she too understood the reason why her teacher fell. The reason I was able to raise my level to the level of a master of the 6th circle was because I felt a little bit of the power of my soul in the process.
However, the enthusiasm that came with the rise in rank quickly faded due to the despairing facts that came to light through it.
I realized that the loss of the soul, that fatal wound, can never be recovered.
But her king said otherwise.
“…You know that the Sword Duke made a recovery, right? The reason he fell was the same as that of Lord Clayton and the current saint.”
Of course, the level of severity is different…
“Yes!?”
Logan’s next words were drowned out by Victoria’s reaction.
“Is it really possible to revive Master!?”
“…It’s difficult right now. There’s no guarantee that it will happen. But there’s a good chance.”
“ah…!”
If it had come from someone else’s mouth, they would have been outraged and said it was nonsense, but if it was Logan who said it, it was a different story.
Victoria’s face, which had been dark all along, began to glow again.
The reaction was so immediate that Logan was embarrassed.
‘I meant to cheer you up, but…’
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you so, so much.”
Tears flowing down again.
Logan felt embarrassed by the sight of Victoria, who seemed to have already taken her teacher’s recovery as a foregone conclusion.
In this situation, how can we say that the probability is low?
“…I’ll try my best, so don’t worry too much.”
These are not empty words. In any case, raising one’s level will be the shortcut to making her wish come true.
‘I do it somehow.’
Logan strengthened his resolve as he looked at the crying young mage.
* * * It was that evening when Victor woke up.
And what he did as soon as he woke up was to check the saint’s condition.
“…It was made to fill the nutrients necessary for survival based on that principle. As long as you change the magicite periodically, it functions semi-permanently.”
A tightly guarded stone chamber in the heart of Kyle Castle, where security is strictly maintained.
Victoria, who caught a glimpse of the teacher and the saint lying in a transparent coffin(?) filled with blue energy, calmly finished her explanation and looked back at Victor.
“Thank goodness, I’m glad. Really…”
However, he answered helplessly in a voice that made me wonder if he understood the explanation, and was only looking at one place.
Victoria sighed a little at that sight.
“Your condition won’t get any worse while you’re here. And His Majesty said he will somehow revive you.”
“Yes, I’m glad…”
“Oh really!! Are you listening to me correctly!?”
As she screamed in anger, Victor turned around and hugged her.
“Why is this happening all of a sudden!?
” Thank you, Lia. Thank you so much.”
“Why do you keep saying I’m so thankful… why on earth do you do that?”
“I’m just… thankful.”
“No, that’s not it!! A little!!”
The scene full of friendship only lasted for a moment.
Victoria, who nervously pushed her brother away, sighed again and looked at him.
“Do you know that bringing the saint here was a really dangerous thing?”
“.. .You know.”
“But why did you bring me here?”
“It’s just… I couldn’t think of any other options.”
Victoria, who was momentarily dazed by that seemingly stupid answer, immediately shouted with a red-faced face.
“I’m sure there’s something wrong with my brother . Do you know how hard I tried to defend myself in front of your majesty that I would have an idea?! But what? Just?!”
“…Because I had to save her.”
“That’s what I’m saying now…!”
“Otherwise, I felt like I was going to die too.”
“…What?”
Victoria’s expression changed again at the sound of her brother’s soft voice. He became dazed.
Victor, who smiled wryly at that, continued as if making excuses with a gloomy face.
“I just… had to save my life somehow.” All I could think about was whether His Majesty would find a way.”
“Brother, no way right now…”
Victoria’s face stiffened for a moment as she noticed something, but Victor quickly turned around without giving his younger brother a chance to speak.
” Anyway, thank you. I’ll come see your Majesty.”
“Hey…!!”
Boom.
Ignoring his brother’s voice disappearing through the closing door of the stone chamber, Victor took a deep breath and took a step forward.
A moment later.
“I almost put the kingdom in danger with my personal greed. I committed a sin. Please punish me.”
Boom.
Logan tilted his head as he looked at Viktor kneeling in front of him and bowing his head.
“…So you’re saying it wasn’t a calculated action? You?”
“…I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
Viktor didn’t make any excuses.
Logan, who was quietly looking down at him, soon shook his head with a small sigh.
“First, report on how the affairs of the Seongguk progressed. .”
“…Yes.”
Was he trying to bury it, or was he just putting it off for a while?
Either way, Viktor was just sorry.
With a heavier heart, he slowly began to unravel what happened in the central temple. .
“Lord Harman said that the Apostle was about to raise up a temple. If we say it’s about the outcasts, His Majesty will understand…”
The long story ended with Harmon’s request.
Logan sighed again and washed his face dry.
“…I see. He would do that.”
Having heard that the gods were against him, I was no longer surprised that they were now talking about a holy war and such.
I am just glad that such an atrocity was prevented in advance.
“.. .Lord Harman?”
“He left, saying he would collect all the holy relics scattered throughout the world and dispose of them in order to prevent the coming of another apostle.”
“Dispose of the holy relics? Is that possible?”
Logan had also heard the story about the Holy Relic of the Nine Great Gods.
It is an object that represents the power of God and cannot be destroyed even by Aurors.
“I only heard that it will be sealed.”
“It’s a seal…. ”
This is not a story about trying to do something to the holy relics of the Nine Great Gods with magic.
Perhaps it’s about physically sealing them in a location known only to Harman.
‘I can trust Lord Harman…’
Just hearing the plan. It felt like the threat from the gods that I had faced had come to an end. I didn’t even want to know the details of the seal.
As for the rest of my interest now…
“Let’s take a look at the stigma that the apostle left behind.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Viktor approached without hesitation and held out the back of his left hand.
Haeresis.
The moment he saw the ancient language engraved on it, Logan frowned. He could feel extreme malice in the vivid blue letters.
It was not simply a wound carved into the skin.
“Heresy. It left a mark on my soul. These things called gods are really disgusting.”
Now, it was just ridiculous to keep faith in the Nine Great Gods, so the verbal abuse directed at the gods flowed out without hesitation.
“Victor, you must always wear gloves from now on.”
“…I will do that. .”
“What did Lord Harman say?”
“He said that the divine power would work in the opposite direction and that I would no longer be able to receive treatment from the priest.”
“Hmm?”
Logan tilted his head at those words.
Why did he ask about Harman’s reaction? It wasn’t to hear this answer.
I was curious about how a paladin who had lived his whole life serving the gods reacted when he saw their true colors, but somehow an unexpected answer came back.
“Divine power works in the opposite way? Just that one trace?”
To his senses, it was just a small trace engraved on the spirit body. The evil intent within it was clearly conveyed, but no particular power was felt.
However, Harman did not even reach the level of a master because his soul was eroded. It wouldn’t have been possible, so what was the basis for that judgment?
‘Does it feel different for those with divine power? How?’
The moment that thought came to mind, Logan’s eyes became brighter and his spiritual eyes opened for an instant. Instead of just taking a quick look, he wanted to mobilize all his power to look at the changes that had occurred in Viktor’s soul.
Wow.
Let’s raise the force. Force cores that were not completely healed complained of pain, but Logan frowned but did not lose focus, because he could not ignore the inspiration that came to him in an instant.
And his uplifted soul soon found the answer.
Viktor’s The word heresy engraved in my soul. A foreign yet familiar power felt in that word.
‘Divine power? No, this is… the power of desire?!’
It was discovered that the power contained in the strong ‘thought’ was slowly deteriorating Victor’s soul.
‘Degenerate the soul with an intention? Is this possible? No, no. When I think about it, the power of my desire is ultimately the result of the power of the soul…’
The prejudice that divine power is a sacred power given by God has long since disappeared. The moment I removed the veil called faith, its essence came into view.
Whether it is the power of the soul or divine power, it is ultimately based on the power of desire to impose one’s will on the world.
So, is the power of the Nine Great Gods, who were once transcendental people who reached the level of deities, also based on the power of wish?
“Hey…Your Majesty?”
Quiet office.
Suddenly, Viktor’s shaky voice rang out as one of his hands was grabbed, but Logan’s motionless gaze deepened.
