Chapter.6 In the Name of Glory (2)
***
The Church of Light
is a group that any player who plays Gedroitz’s game will inevitably become involved with at least once.
It first appeared in the game around the middle of World 1, and is a religious group that worships Ro-Haram, the god of light, who made the greatest contribution to stopping the advance of the undead in World 2.
These are the kind of people whose power is as great as their long history, and whose power has reached its peak in the March World, where they have a greater influence than most countries.
In fact, an average player should be very familiar with the Light Church.
This is not because I am afraid of the power of the members of the church, but because the closer I am to them, the more helpful it is to play.
When you play World 3, you will deal with Mutes or Warlocks in some way. If you excel in battle with Mutes or kill a Warlock, the Church will record your contribution to the Church based on your performance. By accumulating the contribution points, you can recruit priest NPCs as companions, purchase equipment with holy properties, or purchase useful consumables such as holy water or holy property potions.
From the player’s point of view, I needed a warlock to play the game, so the church members came to me and said I did a good job, giving me items and lending people.
What if I did something bad and am a criminal?
Then, you have to cling to the Gwangmyeong Church more earnestly than the average player.
This is because the Gwangmyeong Church has the right to repentance, which allows the person who committed the crime to forgive the sin if he or she comes to the church on his/her own initiative, completes confession according to the procedures, and then performs a few ‘sacred missions’ given by the church. This is not normal authority. This is because the authority of the temple in which the subject committed a certain crime in a certain country can absolve him of his sins. This can be said to be an example that clearly shows how much power the Gwangmyeong Church has in this era.
Grumps,
the professor came down to the first floor of the inn and said, biting his nails.
“The right of penitence… I can’t go get it, right?”
“well? That’s it… It depends on ‘who’ the denomination is looking for, right?”
The problem is this. Is the church just looking for a ‘fugitive professor’ or is it looking for a ‘Red Mute’ who killed a 6th rank wizard, collapsed the magic tower, and caused chaos throughout the city? This is why I worry because I don’t know which of the two it is. If it’s the former, all you have to do is say ‘I’m sorry’ and do some chores. If it’s the latter…..
‘Evil thing! ‘Be judged by the light!’
‘Burn in eternal pain! Oh oh! Lo-haram! Your servant will skin that evil being!’
‘hmm. It’s obvious even if you don’t look at it. The people of the Gwangmyeong Church are very scary. Even the nun who was laughing and chopping down trees in the garden, the moment she encounters a heretic, rolls her eyes and leaps like a beast, swinging her garden shears. ‘It’s not for nothing that the name has ‘photon’ in it.’
The long history of the Gwangmyeong Church has become a history of heresy and struggle, and deep resentment has accumulated over the years. So, they forgive human sins as much as they want, but they mercilessly punish people who practice black magic, which is a mortal sin against their God, or are related to black magic, or shake hands without knowing that they are black magicians.
The professor asked the Rakshasa, who was sitting across from him, eating soup and enjoying the sight of him in agony.
“What do you think Rakshasha? Still, if you were the one who ran the thieves’ guild, you would know the inside story in more detail than this.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I never get involved in anything related to the church. I don’t know anything other than the fact that my name was suddenly added to the church’s wanted list. “I have a personal opinion, though.”
When the professor, who had his head down on the table, looked up and silently asked about his opinion, the Rakshasha spoke with an even more joyful expression.
“There is no need to take risks in a situation where there is insufficient information, right? If it were discovered that the ‘Professor Escapee’ and the ‘Red Mute’ were the same person, going to the church would be suicidal. “How about you just cross the Great Desert with me and go to Taklan?”
“Taklan? “You mean the desert country of Taklan?”
“Oh, are you just pretending not to know? Or do you really not know? There’s no way someone as quick-witted as you wouldn’t have deduced my identity from the conversation between Isaac and I.”
The professor shook his head as he watched her create a small spider by unraveling the thread from her fingertips and moving it around.
When I talked to Isaac, I expected that he was not just a Thieves Guild Master, but it turned out that he was from Taklan, which owns the largest territory among the eastern desert countries.
‘For some reason, she was extremely pretty.’
In this game, you should be suspicious of any character who is more handsome or pretty than normal. This is because Heroic Points are not just accumulated by the player.
‘When people think of a hero, they always think of a handsome and pretty image.’
For example, something like this: Let’s say that an extremely large and evil-looking person like me does something heroic enough to be rumored. Because of the nature of this place, where the only hobby is sitting in a bar all evening after work for the day and chatting, it doesn’t take long for rumors about the incident to spread.
[The body is as big as a troll! A monster-looking warrior with a thick beard on his face and great strength saved our village with his bare hands!]
This rumor changes as it passes through the bard’s mouth and moves on to the next village.
[It is said that a warrior with a good physique and a masculine face with the power to tear down a mountain saved the village of Daman without much help!]
And by the time he finally arrived in the capital and became the subject of gossip, [the strong and tall warrior] He shouted at the evil enemies and swung his great sword, splitting mountains and rivers and instantly enlightening the evil enemies. It is said that the sight of him returning home after tying up evil enemies with his imposing physique shook the village women off guard so much that they fainted.
Since each NPC is an independent system administrator with small authority over the game, once the perception of a person is fixed, the character is bound to follow that image. It’s not a joke, but if I accumulate a lot of heroic points in the latter part of the game, my ugly character will slowly change into a manly face, right? That’s why even a talkative character who specializes in diplomacy can easily deal with ordinary knights.
Anyway, that’s the point.
——-
As heroic points accumulate, your appearance will be adjusted to look more ‘heroic’ than people think.
Anyone can see that Rakshasha is pretty enough to be the main character of any epic.
Therefore, Rakshasha is a hero unit with heroic points.
——-
A simple but quite believable hypothesis.
‘The reason she is not known to the system is probably because her name is not Rakshasa.’
The identity of the hero unit is revealed when the target reveals its name and becomes the player’s ally.
However, even though Rakshasha had done quite a few things with me so far and showed a very close relationship with me as before, there was not even a message saying that he had been recruited as a colleague, let alone a hero unit.
‘Identity of a spy sent from another kingdom. It’s difficult to be a player’s ally. Maybe even the friendly side he showed so far was all an act.’
In some ways, it’s a bit disappointing, but looking at the information gathering, stealth assassination, and combat skills she’s shown, it’s understandable that she can’t easily become a colleague. Even if you can’t do it, it’s an A- level. It’s been about a month since I’ve been in the middle of a long time, so I’m going to have to complete the related quests to become a friend or not.
Perhaps mistaking the professor’s pensive appearance for concern, the Rakshasha whispered with a serious expression.
“As you expected, I am an agent sent by Taklan to collect information for the central government? Yesterday, I sent information to your home country about the Mute that attacked the center while you were sleeping, and I just received a reply this morning. “It seemed like the home country was aware of the seriousness of the issue and was trying to come up with countermeasures by bringing in agents dispatched from outside the country.”
The Rakshasha gently took the professor’s hand, made eye contact with him, and spoke.
“professor? Would you like to come with me to Taklan? “I will take responsibility for your safety and guarantee it.”
Seeing her serious appearance, I put aside any doubts that this might all be an act. They even revealed my identity as a spy who should not be revealed and tried to take me back to their home country. I don’t know how sincere he was, but at least it means that his crush on me wasn’t completely false.
So it was even more disappointing. I have no choice but to reject her offer.
As I let go of her hand with a bitter expression, a look of regret appeared on her small face.
“Why…? If you don’t like Taklan, I hope you think again. The eastern desert country is as underdeveloped as the people in the central region say…”
“I know that. What a prosperous country Taklan is. “What a powerful force.”
Taklan is famous for its uniquely strong warriors, but the land magic using ‘desert blood’ is truly amazing. They say they extract oil and use magic. The power of Oil Magic is still alive and well in GG.
“Then why-”
“Shouldn’t we stop it? You also saw Rakshasa. A monster that infiltrated the body of a person close to the head of a magic tower and controlled him. “These guys have the power to take down three cities in an instant, but they use such insidious tricks.”
If we follow the Rakshasha to Taklan now, it should be convenient. In a desert country where status is guaranteed and, unlike central countries, meritocracy is paramount, you will be able to use your appearance and abilities to your heart’s content in the sun.
But if I go, what about Roderick, who can’t come to his senses even after blowing up three cities? If Rodrik falls, who will stop the mutes who will attack the central continent, sacrificing countless citizens? Eastern desert country? Southern Great Forest? If the center passes, it will not be able to last even half a year and will be torn apart by Mute. This means that as long as we know that this world is racing toward destruction with all our might, there is no place where we can turn our backs on reality and escape.
“We have to stop it… Is that… revenge? “For those who made you like that?”
“It’s even a desire for revenge. “It was the Magic Tower that made me like this, not the Mutes, right?”
“Then why are you trying to stop them? I know you have great power, but… you’re only an individual. No matter how hard you try, you can’t go out into the sun and receive praise from others.”
To be honest, I couldn’t give a reason to answer Rakshasha’s question by saying, “This is it.”
“well. There is no particular reason. I know that if I just leave it like this, it will fail, so I want to stop it. “That’s it.”
It’s not like I’m a player. Now, if you have a lot of money and can actually solve the Hyde problem, there is no need to play this crappy game. But the NPCs here aren’t just pieces of a program. They are all cloned souls who think for themselves, have emotions, feel pain, get married, have children, and feel all kinds of joys and sorrows. I can’t turn away, knowing that these people will all die. Because this place is no different from the real world.
‘I didn’t want to play this game because of this.’
The more GG does it, the more it changes people. The more you learn about the game, the more human it becomes or the more it makes you abandon your humanity. It’s not something that someone forces you to do, it’s just that you change by making those choices over and over again.
[You’re talking nonsense again, giving useless reasons. [You forgot the most important reason, right?]
While I was deep in thought, Hyde, who had been quiet, suddenly came out and got on my nerves.
‘…Do you want to touch my sensitive part unnecessarily?’
[It’s helping. When things get really difficult, you wonder, ‘Why am I doing this?’ So that you don’t have to think about it. So I give up so you don’t regret it.]
A scene appeared in Hyde’s mind with a giggling whisper. A small, ordinary tree house. The house where a couple lives who grow a small field in the yard, have a stream flowing beyond the fence, and can serve warm food to strangers.
[If you leave this world alone… you know?]
Giggling.
‘….unlucky guy.’
Being forced to be honest by someone is a very… uncomfortable and shameful feeling. okay. I can’t let them die. Even if Eddie and Martha were cloned souls, they would never allow their lives to be consumed by war again.
“I want to protect the world.”
Thanks to him forcibly removing the pretense from his mind, what came out of his mouth was raw, embarrassing truth.
At the moment, the professor’s face turned red with embarrassment even after he had said those words, and
the Rakshasha’s face, which had been colored with disappointment and regret, was seen gradually turning into embarrassment, surprise, and complex emotions that were difficult to recognize.
“found.”
The Rakshasha, whose eyes had become moist before he knew it, muttered something unintelligible and opened his mouth, withdrawing his outstretched hand as if to accept the professor’s wishes.
“You… are a much more special person than I thought?”
The Rakshasha, who was catching his breath by holding his forefinger for a moment as if he was making a promise to endure something, suddenly stood up and said.
“Professor, I understand your noble meaning well. It’s the first time I’ve been rejected so firmly by a man, and the first time I haven’t felt bad about it. I can’t believe I took the first experience of a woman of my age like this. “He wasn’t an ordinary man after all?”
“Oh no, what is that-”
The professor could not continue. Because the Rakshasha gently approached him, grabbed his face, and kissed him intensely.
After a passionate kiss that seemed to envelop the soul, the Rakshasha, with a disheveled and flushed expression instead of her usual gentle expression, pushed back her flowing hair and put her hand into the professor’s arms.
“Now wait a minute! Here, it’s like that- Ugh!”
At that moment, the area touched by the Rakshasha’s finger felt as if it were on fire, and a red spot appeared near the collarbone and quickly disappeared into the skin. A knot made of small thread was tied where the owner disappeared.
“Oh my, what were you thinking? you?”
“Oh no, I….”
“Oh really. “It’s so intense and yet so cute.”
Anaya flicked the bridge of the professor’s nose with her finger, then bent down and whispered into the professor’s ear.
“This time, I’ll just be patient. The woman of Taklan is very patient. But will you get angry if I make you wait too long?”
“What do you mean by making me wait-”
“Try to find the church. If they really suspected you, they would have surrounded Tobrunn and burned the city instead of posting a wanted notice. They’re probably looking for a ‘fugitive professor.’ Go and do what you want. And finally, one day, before your star sets, if the end of that brilliant task approaches…”
As he trailed off, the Rakshasha’s long, thin fingers stroked the professor’s face. As if handling the most delicate and precious treasure.
“Walk due east from here between the stars of Cyan and Doppelon, and show me my mark at the third well you come across.”
As she spoke, the owner imprinted on her collarbone glowed slightly red.
“Then the man who crossed the desert and wandered through the stars in search of his lover and the woman who dreamed of you as if counting grains of sand scattered by the wind will meet. Anaya, the woman of the desert, will find her mate after a long wait.”
Anaya spoke as she looked at the man who would become her most precious treasure, her black, violet eyes now filled with unconcealed affection.
“I will wait for you. May you be blessed until the day you find me. “My dear.”
Sararak.
With the sound of the wind blowing away, the Rakshasha who had gently stroked his face disappeared without a trace.
Tiring-
[Information Update: Hero Unit – Friendly relationship has been established with Anaya Tam Shandea (Rakshasha). / ‘Ah, the prophecy was not wrong. After a long, long wait in the midst of a group of people like grains of sand in the desert, my lover has finally come.’ / Current Relationship: Lover]
“Rakshasa? “Ana? That Jeongin?”
All that was left in front of the dazed professor was a flashing system notification, a chat window running wild in one corner, and the host radiating a faint warmth.
***
