Episode 828
Knot (15)
“That’s an interesting item.”
Lennok, who only then understood Oris’s intentions, laughed.
“Are you saying this is something that will allow me to become a military commander after I die?”
It is a pendant that prevents the extinction of the soul, not the death of the body.
It was amazing that there was an artifact with this ability, and the idea that it was to make Lennok a military commander was even more amazing.
Lastly, I thought I was going to have a private conversation with Lennok, but I guess it was to give him this item as a gift.
However, there was no doubt that this was the greatest kindness the heroic spirit in front of him showed towards Lennok.
“Okay, if you happen to be unlucky enough to get lost somewhere later, come to Yorta after you become a military commander.”
Oris grinned and nodded.
“I see this matter as being particularly gracious to you, so at that time, I will accept you as the Heroic Spirit of Yorta.”
Lennok, who was silent, nodded.
“…okay. Take this. But that won’t happen.”
Lennok, who put the pendant in his arms, stood up on the ferry and said.
“Because there will be no second chances for me. “That is not the opportunity prepared for me.”
“….”
Lennok’s talents are not simply limited to innate intuition, judgment, and self-consciousness.
The body bound by this penalty and the magical power and magic system built up until now.
All of that is the identity and standard that makes up the existence of Lennok.
No one explained it directly, but I knew it instinctively.
“Like you said, so do I, Oris.”
Lennok smiled as he looked at the judge.
“This is the last time. “This moment is everything to us.”
“…you.”
There is no such thing as a good thing for Lennok, such as dying once, becoming a military commander, and looking for another opportunity.
It is a miracle granted only to those who have already succeeded in ascending to heaven and overcome the shackles of the flesh.
Lennok was given only one chance. That too is the ending that comes at the same time as the time of this body comes to an end.
One should not be mistaken in thinking that this is separate from the favor shown by Oris to Lennok.
Living in this world is clearly the responsibility of the living who possesses both spirit and body, and the boundary between life and death is also one of the standards of the world.
Lennok himself cannot allow himself to relax due to his exceptional experience in Yorta.
Was he surprised by Lennok’s soft, non-answering voice?
Oris stared at Lennok’s obsidian mask for a long time, then nodded with an expression of understanding.
“…yes. I said something useless. “Such words should not have any meaning to the living beings living in this world.”
“….”
“Then our story should end here.”
Oris slowly lowered his head on the ferryboat, leaving Lennok on the dock.
“Farewell, troubled living child. Excellent sorcerer. “Great seeker.”
“….”
“I hope there is something you wish for in your future. “I hope you find rest at the end of your journey.”
Oris slowly turned the boat around and smiled at Lennok.
“I will wait for you beyond death and see the moment your journey ends. “Thank you.”
I’m sure Oris knows that Lennok isn’t just a magician.
The skill Lennok showed against the spirits of Requiem. A conversation I had with Kroken alone.
At the end, the brilliance of Ouroboros displayed against the monster of Heaven.
However, he tries to end it by wishing Lennok good luck for the future without asking any more questions.
The utmost respect shown to the seeker seeking the end of an unattainable world that Oris has already been unable to reach.
Therefore, Lennok also lifted his obsidian mask slightly and nodded.
As if that was enough, the figure of Oris disappears across the Hedrain River with a satisfied smile.
A dazzling and beautiful city of ghosts that can never be seen beyond this swamp.
Even if Lennok gets there again someday, it certainly won’t be in the same form as it is now.
But still, this meeting clearly has meaning.
With that thought in mind, Lennok left the ferry boat moving away and immediately turned around.
Managers rushing out from around him and other travelers just lining up to head to Yorta tried to talk to Lennok as if they were waiting.
Before I knew it, Lennok’s new model had disappeared from the swamp.
* * *
Lennok immediately began to retrace his route through the swamps back to Balkan.
In the meantime, I didn’t forget to visit the battlefield where I fought against Kamrodal, who was controlling the crazy apostle.
“There is none.”
The place where the body of the priestess Seina was hidden was no longer left.
The box where her body was stored also disappeared. Only traces of the ground being dug up at the location where Lennok was hidden remain.
But what really surprised Lennok wasn’t the fact that Seina’s body was gone.
It was clear that the church would go to great lengths to retrieve Seina’s body anyway.
However, if there is one obsession that feels especially terrible among the church’s work –
“To retrieve even Jinwa’s every word and erase all traces…”
The fundamental reason why Lennok was unable to take Seina’s body to Yorta was because of her. Because of Jinwa’s words given to his body.
The energy was so strong that just by hiding it here, it would permeate the swamp and contaminate it.
Jinwa’s energy itself has disappeared as if it has been washed away around here.
If a stranger visited this place, they would have no idea what was here.
Evidence that even the words of Jinwa that polluted the land were neatly recovered and all traces were erased.
Dabi also popped his head out of Lennok’s embrace and looked around.
[It’s surprising that it wouldn’t have been able to be erased by penetrating into the ground beneath the ground.]
“At least the traces would have been erased through human sacrifice. “It’s obvious.”
I have no intention of denying the fact that I was impressed by Seina’s sacrifice and determination.
The fact that the denomination’s methods are base and unsympathetic does not disappear.
Regardless of what choices the cult leader made to get to this point, it is also obvious that Lennok does not like the behavior of the cult he currently leads.
Therefore, instead of moving to chase after the corpse of the priestess who had already disappeared, Lennog gave up and walked towards Balkan.
Since the priestly authority had already been transferred to Seina, there was no reason to search for her body.
However, there is one problem: whether this authority will remain with Lennok even after the next priestess is confirmed.
Perhaps we may encounter a situation where the next priestess and Lennok are connected through the priest’s authority.
Lennok was troubled as he looked down at the form of the stigma that Seina had engraved on his wrist.
‘If you want to erase it, you can erase it at any time…’
Through the target-specific resistance ability, the external force engraved on Lennok’s body can be thrown away at any time.
However, considering that there is a high possibility that the priest’s authority will be useful in matters related to the religious denomination in the future, it is true that it would be a waste to erase it right away.
In the end, Lennok, unable to make an immediate decision, crossed the swamp, returned to the train he had taken, and arrived at a satellite city near the Balkans.
In the process, they buried several outlaws who now felt familiar and tried to kill a wizard wearing suspicious robes, and boarded an airship heading to Balkan.
Buuuuung!!
“….”
In the sky above a huge city, hundreds of airships that have never been seen before fly over the city sky, drawing a skyway.
A scene where an airship connecting a satellite city and a large city travels around the outskirts of the city, and people get on and off the airship at a station built on the roof of a high-rise building.
Every time I leave and return to the Balkans, I feel like new facilities and systems that I have never seen before are being built and expanded.
The speed at which this city accepted and adapted to change was overwhelmingly faster and more flexible than any other city Lennok had passed through.
thud!!
As soon as I got off at the undeveloped area in the outermost part of the Balkans, I took out my bike.
As I was heading to the old cathedral in District 21 where Hilea was staying, my cell phone rang like crazy in my arms.
As soon as you enter the large city’s communication network, your cell phone, which had not been working for some time, is connected.
The accumulated messages and contacts were constantly triggering notifications on my phone.
Lennok, who turned his bike and got off near the cathedral, adjusted his obsidian mask and said.
“Dabi. “Please select only the important contacts and summarize them briefly.”
[yes. Let’s see…]
Dabi said with an expression of bewilderment as he observed the cell phone’s communication network while writhing in his arms.
[They say the Machine City was attacked by an apostle and destroyed?]
“What?”
Good!!
Lennok suddenly hit the brakes and stopped.
* * *
Jump up!!
An old cathedral located in District 21.
Hilea, who was sitting in front of the chapel’s organ, glanced back and immediately looked surprised.
“…Victor? “When did you come back?”
“Something happened.”
Lennok gestured, sitting down on an old wooden chair and looking crookedly at Hilea.
“We are planning to leave the Balkans immediately. “I want to ask you something before I leave, so if you have anything to do, get it done quickly.”
“…I was just preparing for a convocation in the mock consciousness space.”
Hilea turned around with a look of shock and answered.
“It will take some time for the meeting to end. “Can you wait until then?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard about the commotion they caused in Yorta. “I heard there wasn’t an uproar because the memorial tower was torn down.”
“….”
“It was so violent that the air pressure near the military town completely changed. “The communication network is very buzzing with news related to that.”
Hilea shook her head as if looking at Lennok, who was silent.
“There are more than one organization that has launched an investigation because it even affects the weather near the central front. “There are many people who are openly looking for the culprit of the situation.”
“well.”
Lennok sits with his arms crossed, leaning on a chair in the chapel, and tilts his head back in frustration.
“I don’t know what kind of crazy person would do such a reckless thing.”
“…really? “Are you going to pretend not to know at this point?”
Lennok neatly ignored Hilea’s question, which he asked back with an absurd expression.
“You turned Kabahim upside down to get your guide’s ring. Now what excuse can you make-”
“What are you talking about? “Please refrain from making inferences that may be misleading.”
“….”
Lennok, who wiped his mouth and lost his cool, spoke confidently.
“I visited the military command city, but there weren’t as many violent clashes as you might think.”
“I’m not saying it wasn’t there at all.”
Hilea sighed and held out the tablet she was holding to Lennok.
“Okay, so stop talking nonsense and check this.”
“what?”
“Image transmitted via Deadrise military line. “I was lucky enough to get it and was about to try it out in the ritual space.”
The image that appeared on the tablet was a black human image drawn by someone in an elegant drawing style.
A figure standing with a black mask draped all over his body in a dull shadow robe and holding a bomb in both hands.
Since no photos were taken, was this scene actually depicted in a painting?
“Like you said, I really have no idea who he is. it is not so?”
Hilea laughed at Lennok, who was speechless.
“Deadrise has released information about the culprit who toppled the memorial tower. “It looks like they were stationed near Yorta and gathered information.”
“….”
In response to Song Ha being captured alive and threatened, did they also respond by disclosing information?
“In a few hours, the embargo will be lifted and the name of the terrorist who brought down the tower will be revealed.”
Hilea asked with a smile.
“How does it feel to be a violent criminal who shakes up the entire continent?”
“…did you say you were preparing for a meeting earlier?”
Lennok stood up and turned off the tablet.
“Get ready. “I will go in with you.”
“what?”
“Damus. “It’s there, right?”
If Lieutenant General Damus, commander of the Deadrise 7th Corps, is planning to attend this meeting, we will be able to talk about this incident.
Lennok left Hilea in a panic and immediately forcibly accessed the simulated consciousness space she was preparing.
As I have been there once before, it is not difficult to connect and maintain consciousness.
It felt as if Lennok’s consciousness was floating and suddenly landed in the middle of the consciousness space.
Whoop!!
A dark, endless cavity filled with several chairs.
Lennok, who found Damus among the Pandemonium members who arrived first, opened his mouth.
“Damus. “There is something I want to ask.”
“…Yeah, I thought maybe there would be contact.”
However, Damus’ expression, who was sitting in the chair, had turned into one of considerable embarrassment.
“But I didn’t expect you to come like that.”
“what?”
At that moment, Lennok realized that his image did not exist in human form in the simulated consciousness space.
A huge void that fills the entire cavity and seems to be overflowing.
It was standing there with one member pressed down under its feet in a distorted, grotesque form, like a jet-black monster.
“Ugh…”
A gigantic void figure trampled upon Vernon, who was heavily drunk, with darkness distorted like a shadow.
Damus asked, looking at the sight with disgust.
“What on earth happened in Yorta?”