Chapter 224 : Chapter 224
Chapter : 224
Freya, who had set down her staff and had all her mana drained, stared blankly at the snake.
The snake that had trampled dozens of Heretic Inquisitors as though toying with them had been thoroughly killed in one man’s grasp.
Snakes were vulnerable to divine power, and the Sword of Doctrine he had wielded was a weapon imbued with divine power, just like the Holy Sword.
“Sword of Doctrine Freya, thank you for lending it to me.”
“Ah, yes.”
Freya politely handed the staff to Evan as he approached her.
It was ambiguous to decide who ranked higher between the Sword of Doctrine, the highest-ranking position among the Church’s cardinals, and Count Lisitoel.
After all, if a cardinal was usually treated as roughly equal to a count, the Sword of Doctrine was usually accorded treatment somewhere between a marquis and a duke.
But Evan Lisitoel was no ordinary, average count. No, of course he was not.
“Why are you speaking politely?”
“It slipped out for a moment.”
Since it had come to this, she decided to continue speaking politely.
Moreover, if she ever accidentally provoked Evan Lisitoel later, she could only hope he would remember this moment when she had been reasonably respectful and show mercy with his hands.
Is that so? Evan looked at Freya with indifferent eyes, gave a courteous bow, and immediately walked toward Beatrice.
Freya inwardly felt relieved at Evan’s indifferent attitude. At the same time, a hollow laugh escaped her.
Among the cardinals, there were countless people who disliked Evan Lisitoel.
If one recalled a few famous anecdotes that highlighted his personality, it was understandable that the Church’s layabouts would dislike him.
‘But he is absolutely not someone to antagonize.’
Rather, he was someone they ought to keep close by their side by any means possible. They simply did not want to admit that.
‘Fools blinded by stupidity.’
Because people like that sat at the top as cardinals supposedly leading the Church, the Church was slowly losing its strength.
The long absence of Lucius, the God of Light, was merely an excuse to justify the Church’s natural decline.
Perhaps God had been disappointed in them and had not appeared for so long because of that.
While Freya was evaluating Evan, Evan decided to focus on the most important thing at hand.
“Beatrice.”
“Hm? What is it? Come quickly and check the flow of mana first.”
Beatrice, holding the staff, spoke calmly.
“Beatrice.”
“Why are you calling me again?”
“I will review this incident after everything is over.”
At those words, Beatrice’s body flinched.
Wow, wow, wooow! I really do not want to do that.
The moment Beatrice’s mind drifted elsewhere, Evan quietly said,
“Focus.”
“Ugh, how annoying.”
If you are so great, why do you not do it yourself?
Grumbling, Beatrice spurred on the magic modification.
“The flow at coordinates 215,804,641 is strange.”
“You’re right.”
“It should be resolved if you connect it to 200,108,718.”
Strange numbers that were difficult to understand flowed from Evan’s mouth one after another.
Even though Freya was not ignorant of magic, she could not understand a single thing from their conversation.
“Use the von Ludwig-style magic circle.”
“Ah, that would definitely increase the stability.”
The fourth modification of a grand spell.
Once high-level magic had been modified even once, it became difficult to touch from that point onward.
After all, cutting out a single thread from an extremely intricate weave and replacing it with a new one could hardly be easy.
On top of that, it was a task that could not be seen with the naked eye and had to rely solely on flow. The existence of Inscription was the only reason they could even dare attempt it.
Amid a task that demanded extreme concentration, the two calmly continued their conversation without the slightest disturbance and tore apart the magic to repair it.
Was it because of that strange sight? Or had they naively and too hastily judged that there would no longer be any danger after the snake’s death?
At that moment, an unexpected incident occurred.
From the shadow closest to them, a snake-shaped human sprang out.
Freya hurriedly blocked the snake-human. Though she had let her guard down for a brief moment, her reaction could not have been any faster.
But then the snake-human suddenly vomited blood and died on the spot.
“?!”
The blood scattered by the snake-human slowly gathered and formed the shape of a single sword, then immediately flew toward Beatrice’s arm.
Evan struck the blade aside with the staff and disturbed the trajectory of the attack, but the blood sword that had tried to pierce Beatrice’s arm narrowly grazed past her, leaving a faint wound.
That slight injury was enough to create a crack in the modification of the grand spell, which had been proceeding only barely in balance with the aid of Inscription.
“Kuhak!!!”
Under the influence of the crack, Beatrice vomited blood.
“Iris Viden.”
Evan ground his teeth.
Naturally, the source of all this was Iris Viden.
And the other face that rose in his mind at the same time was, no matter what anyone said—
“Theo.”
His beloved son.
---
The moment I opened my eyes, blood burst from my throat on its own.
“Bleeergh.”
Right, I thought things were ending too cleanly this time without my even throwing up blood.
It was not something that had happened only once or twice, so I was no longer particularly surprised.
Ptooey, ptooey! Only after spitting out the blood pooled in my mouth again and again did I feel my ragged, wheezing breath return.
Somehow, it felt as though Father had called me. Was it just my imagination⋯?
《Theo.》
“I’m fine, so take care of Sunbae first.”
After Sunbae, I had to check on everyone else’s safety too.
Ah, this is dangerous. For a moment, the sight before my eyes twisted.
Fortunately, the skill sealing Iris’s magic seemed to have continued even after I lost consciousness.
Since Lilia Sunbae’s and Mordin’s mana were also beginning to bottom out, my own mana had begun being used for the skill as well.
In the middle of that, I had even tried to make use of a demon’s magic, which consumed a significant amount of mana, so it was only natural my body could not endure it.
Thanks to that, though, Sunbae’s condition had become visibly stable.
《The curse has been considerably neutralized by magic.》
“That means⋯.”
《It means the curse may relapse at any time. If there is any small mercy, it is that the nature of the curse makes it unlikely to be discovered.》
So that meant we only had to keep around nine people quiet.
I was deeply worried whether Hartain would let it slide, but at times like this, we should make active use of Fel.
Given Hartain’s personality, if Fel said to let it slide, he would definitely do so without question.
“For now, leave Sunbae here.”
I wanted to use a protective magic, but I did not have enough mana.
After steadying my breathing for a moment, I checked Iris’s side.
---
“I know.”
Those words became a signal flare.
The moment she heard his answer, Iris lightly gestured with her hand.
With nothing more than the wind pressure from a single gesture, Lilia nearly went flying for an instant, and Laurel barely caught her by the nape of her neck.
“What kind of pressure is—”
So overwhelming?
Her confusion was quickly resolved. Scales grew on Iris’s body, which could clearly have been called human, then melted away as though she were shedding.
“?!”
Now, she was in the form of a snake that anyone could see was no longer human.
Lilia, Laurel, and Cecilia, who had once faced a basilisk before, naturally recalled the King of Snakes and soon felt a suffocating pressure.
‘That’ was dangerous.
If one was a life rooted in this world, it stirred an instinctive rejection, fear, and pressure engraved upon the soul.
It was the death cry of a world that had once been swallowed by ‘that.’
It was an existence that anyone belonging to this world could not help but fear.
And that existence stood before their eyes.
“Ah.”
We will be eaten. That thing will eat us.
Hartain felt, in that instant, that his legs would not move.
No strength entered the hand gripping his greatsword.
“Haha, fXck.”
So she was suppressing Ouroboros even while fighting us?
The moment he realized that, he lost all will to fight.
But it was all right. Lucian was here precisely for moments like this.
Lucian gripped his sword tightly.
“My vow has not yet been fulfilled.”
The First Hero and the first Emperor who founded the Empire.
It was said that he had possessed a special ability.
It was said that with that special ability, the Hero protected all the companions who stood with him and willingly promised victory.
It was also a power countless people had forgotten over the course of a thousand years.
But one single being had not forgotten that power.
『That power may be called the skill that serves as the starting point for properly drawing out the essence of the Holy Sword.』
Scrio had said so.
『All you need to do is make a strong resolve. Resolve that you will promise them victory.』
For me to promise victory? That is absurd.
Listening to Scrio, Lucian had thought so.
If there truly was someone who could promise victory, he thought it would be Theo, not him.
The guy who somehow seized victory no matter the situation.
But the sacrifice that guy promised inevitably included Theo’s own sacrifice.
“Theo.”
He knew Theo would not hear him.
Theo Lisitoel was once again pushing himself too far to save someone.
With calm eyes, Lucian faced the beast before him that had once swallowed the world.
“You said it, didn’t you?”
The Hero remembered his friend’s voice clearly.
Along with that memory, another person came to mind.
The First Hero, his predecessor, and the great king who had founded this vast Empire.
Countless people whispered to Lucian that he should walk the exact same path the Hero had walked.
The path of a great Hero.
And the path of a hero stained with blood.
‘Did you have friends too?’
Surely he must have had many.
Ouroboros looked down upon them all.
His body tingled painfully, and his breath caught.
Those who had dropped their weapons could no longer stand and sank to the ground, barely withstanding the pressure.
The only one still standing was Lucian, using the Holy Sword as a cane to support himself.
Lucian recalled Theo’s words without much difficulty.
The words that had filled him with nothing but pure joy the moment he heard them.
「I hope you do not become a hero.」
But surely the First Hero had no friend who said such words to him.
So I suppose I am blessed.
Because when I am buried in darkness and cannot find my way, I have a friend who will willingly come to find me with a lantern in hand.
“I feel the same.”
The path you are trying to walk is also the path of a hero.
The path of a hero is surely stained with blood.
And that blood will surely be your own.
Because you are the kind of person who would willingly sacrifice yourself for our victory.
“I will declare and promise the same to you.”
Lucian, standing upright, drew his sword.
The point of the sword aimed directly at Ouroboros.
“I hope you do not become a ‘hero’ either.”
This story was not some grand ‘heroic epic,’ but a small, light story where friends played pranks on one another, made a fuss, and brawled together.
For that sake, Lucian willingly made his resolve.
“I will promise everyone’s victory.”
That was Hero Lucian’s first Extraordinary Feat, and the resolve of Lucian the human.
A firm resolve that would never waver, no matter what happened.
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<Main Quest>
■■■ the hero ■■■ to ■■■.
Only then can ■■ ■■■ from a ■■■ that cannot ■■■.
-Reward: ■
-Failure: Destruction
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