Episode 403
“Thank you very much, but it is difficult to accept that offer, Your Holiness.”
Philip smiled and politely declined the saint’s offer.
Of course, the world’s divine sword was not lacking in reinforcements.
‘I can hide the sacred auror well.’
It is strange not to know the unique presence of the divine aura, which is different from the simple silver aura. This is no different from the Holy Kingdom openly calling for war with the Empire again.
Of course, for McLane, the best scenario is for the castle and the empire to fight each other fiercely.
But nothing in this world comes without a price.
‘To ask for something.’
Philip, who remembered the truth of the world that he was reminded of again and again as he repeated his journey, rejected the saint’s offer.
Because I had no idea what the price would be for dispatching a new sword.
Simply put, ‘McLane is an ally who helped drive out the black snake from the temple.’ Wouldn’t it be enough to eliminate the empire’s justification for invasion with a simple declaration?
“Hoo? Is this a rejection?”
“As an ally, I don’t think it is right to place an undue burden on the Holy Kingdom.”
What is your intention?
Philip asked politely.
Then, the divine sword, not the saint, reacted first.
“Your Holiness. If that happens, the burden on the home country will be too great. The sacred auror of the minor gods and vice-leaders has unique characteristics that cannot be hidden…” “
Chief Harman. This is a personal opinion as it is a matter related to the oracle. Please refrain from doing so.”
“yes?”
“Let’s talk separately later, just me and you.”
After shutting Harmon’s mouth like that, the saint soon turned her gaze back to Philip.
“What do you think, Master Philip? Even if we insist on bearing that burden, is that a refusal?”
“…Are you saying you won’t ask for anything in return?”
This is nonsense.
But the saint confirmed that nonsense.
“That’s right. Didn’t they help like that in McLane? Seongguk doesn’t ask for conditions when it comes to helping its allies.”
Philip could only open his mouth and be dumbfounded by what he said with a grin.
At this moment, that fake smile didn’t bother me at all.
What kind of rice cake is this?
‘Is this the mercy of the Nine Gods? Oh my god! Your Majesty’s Sosin has hit the jackpot! hurray!’
Philip screamed, punching the air in his mind. Then he quickly realized his situation and hurriedly opened his mouth.
“Then of course…”
You have to accept it.
The moment I expressed my gratitude and was about to accept the offer, an unpleasant memory flashed through my mind.
– …Please ask that. The saint directly told him that if he gave the wrong answer, he would no longer be himself and from then on, he should consider himself an enemy.
– I wanted to stay with the saint and ask her in person, but I had no choice due to the situation. Uncle Philip, no brother. Please, please.
A request from a guy who was rarely treated kindly.
Philip recalled the earnestness reflected in the red and blue eyes and barely closed his mouth, which was about to open reflexively. No matter how much I thought about it, it was incomprehensible nonsense, but the content of it especially bothered me.
‘…Consider them enemies?’
I felt like I needed to check.
“Why are you doing this, Lord Shangdang?”
“Oh, no. This is a very generous offer, but since I do not have full authority, I think I will have to talk to His Majesty first and ask for permission.”
“Even though you said you would help for free?”
At those words, I saw Harmon’s complexion darken again.
Common sense would say that it would be better to confirm the answer first, as the saintess might be persuaded by Harman after this position is abandoned.
‘…If anything goes wrong, it’s all your fault, Victor.’
Because of the discomfort that arose in his heart, Philip had no choice but to act as a completely inflexible man.
“Haha. Isn’t it the natural duty of a subject?”
“Hmm…”
“Why are you doing that?”
When Ilya’s strange eyes turned towards him, his heart pounded, but Philip tried to act calm.
Then the saintess, laughing, shook her head and stood up.
“No, no. Then, please respond after communicating with King Logan. I look forward to your positive response.”
King Logan?
Maybe it was because I felt uncomfortable about it, but every single word bothered me.
‘King Logan.’
This is an expression that can be fully expressed by the head of a holy country.
However, I heard that the saint was originally from McLane and had a special relationship with the lord, so they called him “Your Majesty.”
His mind was confused, but the moment he saw the saint who was really about to leave, Philip didn’t think about it any more and immediately opened his mouth.
Because I wanted to clearly address this discomfort.
“Ah. Before that, I have a request that I would like to make personally, not to the Pope, the head of the Holy Kingdom, but to Saint Ilia.”
“…yes?”
“I suddenly remembered a favor from a friend. I forgot to ask you this small favor first before talking about important matters for the country.”
“…Suddenly now?”
“Ahahaha. This is a request from Sir Victor. I understand that the saint is also your favorite?”
“Ah, Sir Victor. That’s right. I owe him a lot.”
Why does a face that says that seem undesirable?
“But you know that given my current situation, I can’t ask for excessive favors, right?”
“of course.”
When you have doubts, ghosts that weren’t there can also appear, so Philip carefully recalled Victor’s words, setting a boundary to prevent his mind from being recklessly drawn to one side.
“It won’t be about anything that will harm His Holiness’ reputation. It’s just about whether or not His Holiness’s remaining residence in McLane can be converted into an orphanage.”
“…yes?”
“As a result of the war, many orphans are being created, so I would like to contribute…”
A smile appeared on the saintess’s face as she looked at Philip with a strange expression.
That fake smile.
“Oh, I see. As expected, Sir Victor never disappoints me. Of course, I should grant you that kind of favor.”
“…Thank you for your generosity.”
Philip lowered his head with a happy smile, but his feelings were very complicated.
‘That bullshit was real…. What the hell is going on?’
Saint Ilia’s residence during the time of Bishop McLane was already being operated as an orphanage.
And that’s since eight years ago, when she first took office at McLane.
You don’t know what you have planned and executed yourself?
How did this happen?
– He said he would no longer be himself…
– He told me to regard him as an enemy…
Viktor’s nonsense sounded more and more persuasive.
So why did the saint make such an unconventional statement that she would dispatch a divine sword?
‘If the saint is truly an enemy, what will the dispatched divine sword do…’
At that moment, Philip felt goosebumps all over his body as he imagined the divine sword pointing its sword at the master’s back.
“Philip Sang-ju? Is there anything else you want to say?”
“Oh no. Thank you for your time, Your Holiness.”
Philip, who desperately managed his expression, left the reception room with his head down.
His true feelings were bound to be noticeably different from 10 minutes ago.
‘How can I say no?’
However, Logan’s reaction that night on the battlefield, when communication was difficult to connect, was completely different from his thoughts.
[That something like that happened? Does that make sense?]
“At first, I thought it was nonsense and turned it away. But the fact that the saintess doesn’t know that fact makes even more sense.”
[That’s right. I have to ask Viktor directly what he is hiding.]
“Yes. I think it would be better to ask Sir Viktor for a detailed reason first.”
[Yes, I should do that. But before that, accept the saint’s offer.]
“Yes?”
[Accept it. If you can use a divine sword as a sword, you have to take some risks.]
“Your Majesty!? And if the worst happens…”
Philip protested, but Logan cut him off resolutely.
[Rather, I don’t know what the strange saint will do if I don’t accept it.]
“But it’s still too dangerous!”
[To put it to the extreme, Shingeom could decide to hide his identity and come after me as an assassin. Then there would be no difference from accepting the offer.]
“Shingeom is not a professional assassin, but a paladin. You can deal with him with your troops.”
Neither of them assumed that a world-renowned divine sword would not commit assassination.
History has proven that those who can do anything in the name of God are fanatics.
In that sense, Philip’s concerns were valid, but Logan’s overflowing confidence prevented his opposition.
[Hahaha. Aren’t you worrying too much, Philip? There’s no need to be overprotective of me. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t know. As long as I am aware, the divine sword won’t be able to attack me.]
This is the king who defeated that sword spirit.
Philip could not hastily refute the well-reasoned argument and only laughed.
Was that expression noticeable?
Logan, laughing, pointed out the fact that Philip had overlooked.
[More than anything, wouldn’t it be strange to anyone if I turned down that generous offer? If the saint is really an enemy, have you ever thought about what would happen to you there?]
“Ah…!?”
[Tsk. You didn’t think about your own safety at all. I really don’t know if I should be thankful for this… Anyway, tell the saint that I will accept it.]
“Ah. Anyway…”
Philip tried to refute it again out of conscience, but Logan’s words kept getting stuck in his mind and he could not continue speaking.
Philip considers his own safety as much as his loyalty. In the end, what he could say was limited.
“…Please be careful.”
I couldn’t shake off the feeling of discomfort as I spoke, but the person receiving it only smiled brightly.
[Hahaha, of course. This is a new sword. I have obtained an unexpectedly powerful sword.]
* * *
– An oracle has come down.
The blue light that shot up into the sky from the Pope’s prayer room was the hottest issue within the central temple.
News of war in the far east, which has already become a foreign matter, is good enough.
However, most of the priests had doubts about the words that came out of the mouth of the Pope, who summoned all the priests to deliver the oracle.
– Eliminate the black snakes that defy God’s will and exterminate the descendants of the magic saint!
Words that are too specific and full of life to be called oracles.
However, the person who delivered those words was a saint and pope, Ilia Gabon, who was named an enemy of the church after the impeachment of the previous pope, and eventually became pope and even fought a war against the empire.
A flower of God that bloomed in difficult times. That was the image of Ilya in the temple.
There was no other pope in the history of the religious order who had experienced greater ups and downs in a short period of time, and the history of his suffering soon became persuasive to the priests.
Eventually, practical steps began to be taken immediately.
“Create an organization to track down and eradicate the black snake!”
“We order an active search of temples across the continent and request cooperation from each country.”
“Priests and paladins of the temple must carry out the orders of the oracle with the highest priority!”
Numerous orders spread to temples across the continent.
next day.
Godsword Harmon Killerbrew was kneeling on one knee in front of Illia.
“If you do that, really…”
“Logan McLane is the one destined to be the incarnation of Gibrick Cassel. It is your mission to kill him.”
Ilia, no, Harman’s eyes were trembling slightly as he looked at her outstretched hand. The shocking command was an order, but even the object in that hand was unusual.
“Maintain the Great Heavenly Barrier, Your Holiness. “How can I get one of the holy relics…”
But Illya seemed not to care about the trembling and handed him a necklace that glowed with auspicious light with a calm face.
“It means that your mission is so important.”
“Your Holiness… .”
“Hurry and take it. This is Licentia, a holy relic of Arya, the god of sky and freedom. I hope that Director Harmon will complete his mission. “For our God.”
The firm tone forced Harman to accept the necklace.
“…For our God.”
Licentia’s auspicious brilliance vibrated Harman’s divine power and touched his heart.
That’s why. .
“First of all, help him so as not to raise suspicion, but at the critical moment… you understand, right?” At
that moment, the instructions that followed felt less uncomfortable than before.
“… Yes, Your Holiness.”
Yes, because it is a mission given by God.
“Sacred relics and Take time for daily prayer while you are together. Then Aria will show you the ‘true path.’”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The true path. Harman did not see Ilia’s strange expression when she said that.
