Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The One Blessed by God (5)
“Since you’ve wagered your father, I cannot refuse as Pope.”
In the end, Erik’s demand was accepted. It was an unreasonable insistence, but it was possible precisely because it was Erik.
Just as Erik had observed the Pope, the Pope too had observed Erik.
‘With that amount of divine power, he could easily overwhelm any ordinary bishop.’
Divinity contained within a massive body.
The word overwhelming was fitting.
Even the speed at which it surged was ridiculously fast.
That’s fifteen years old?
In any other religious order, the Pope himself would have taken him in and raised him as a successor.
Moreover, Erik even had Pilgrim Riferoze as a reliable guarantor, didn’t he?
‘Retrieving sacred artifacts, indeed.’
The Pope decided to transfer Riferoze’s pilgrim status to Erik.
When Riferoze disappeared five years ago, several of the religious order’s sacred artifacts had gone missing.
If Erik’s words were true, there would be no loss.
“From this moment, Riferoze’s pilgrim status is transferred to you, Erik. I guarantee this in the Pope’s name.”
“I shall accept His Holiness the Pope’s will.”
As Erik bowed his head reverently, the Pope reached through the iron bars and placed his hand on Erik’s head.
With a light touch, the symbol of the Astia Religious Order was inscribed near Erik’s eyes.
‘So this is the pilgrim’s mark.’
Below his right eye, near the cheekbone, appeared an elongated cross wrapped in six wings, asserting its presence.
‘It contains divinity?’
Kuuung.
Divine power began flowing through the Pope’s hand placed on his head.
The religious order’s symbol greedily devoured the Pope’s divine power.
“…Huh.”
The Pope let out a short sigh.
‘Half of it…’
The pilgrim’s mark was structured to reveal the mark of proof with the Pope’s divine power.
But Erik’s mark was different.
‘Is this also the Father’s will?’
Watching Erik’s greedy mark that had devoured as much as half of his divine power, the Pope quietly closed his eyes.
“Ohh… As expected of His Holiness the Pope.”
Erik rejoiced purely.
It wasn’t just a simple mark.
It was essentially a divine power battery containing the Pope’s ultra-high concentration divine power.
‘I’ll need to research separately how to use this.’
It felt different from Erik’s own divine power that he’d bought with money.
The heavy substance wouldn’t move as he intended.
‘Ugh… Does it make sense for divine power to have this kind of weight?’
Watching Erik struggle, the Pope said:
“Come out first.”
Erik channeled his divinity into both hands and bent the prison’s iron bars.
Kiiiiik.
The iron bars made of adamantium bent like metal chopsticks.
Erik shouldered the fallen Jang Du-sik and escaped from the underground dungeon.
“You have an exceptional talent for handling divinity with your body.”
After briefly muttering his admiration, the Pope took the lead and walked.
At the entrance to the underground dungeon, the Holy War Knight Order had come out to greet them.
“Glory to Lord Astia!”
The Holy War Knight Order literally existed for holy war.
They were beings who roamed battlefields carrying only a single sword and massive shield, without even armor.
“Let’s go.”
The meaning of the Pope coming with them was simple.
With the unwavering will to wage war in the name of the sacred God.
“W-why is the Holy War Knight Order taking a criminal…”
In short.
It meant not to block their path.
“E-everyone, step aside!”
“Damn it, Captain of Guards. Should we just watch this?”
“This isn’t something for us to argue about!”
Before the majesty of the Holy War Knight Order fluttering their long white sacred robes, the imperial soldiers had no choice but to clear the way.
At the very center of the Holy War Knight Order were the Pope and Erik.
‘The authority is insane.’
Erik walked with long strides following the Pope with a bitter smile.
Strolling through the heart of the imperial capital, the Pope and Erik even engaged in casual conversation.
“You’ve made your church quite stylish.”
“I pursued my own aesthetic.”
“You’re completely different from Riferoze in that regard. But why is the orphanage bigger than the church?”
“While faith depends on the size of one’s heart, for growing children, living space is more important, isn’t it?”
“Ho, that sounds reasonable.”
It was like watching the conversation of a father and son out for a stroll.
Or like watching a grandfather and grandson talk.
Grind.
“What did His Majesty the Emperor say?”
To the Imperial Guard, their appearance felt like mockery.
“From what I heard from the Prime Minister, violent confrontation is forbidden.”
“Huh… Do we have to just watch that smug face?”
“…Well.”
“Well?”
“Since he has to attend the trial that will open in a few hours anyway, perhaps they’re waiting for that moment.”
“A trial, I must definitely attend as an observer.”
Watching the retreating figures of the Astia Religious Order leaving the imperial palace, the empire’s officials steeled their resolve.
An atrocity committed in the Emperor’s land.
That’s what they thought.
Erik’s expression was just that smug.
***
“The Pope of the Astia Religious Order personally brought the Holy War Knight Order…”
The solemn Imperial Palace.
Not merely in an expressive sense, but the Emperor’s actual personality was like that.
“The one who burned the Third Prince to death, what?”
A large man sitting on the neat throne erected in the center of the great hall scowled deeply.
“What exactly is that bastard that the Pope personally came to get him?”
Emperor Esperoja Rofen Rupel Arman of the empire, impressive with his well-groomed brilliant silver hair and bright red eyes.
The Emperor, between middle age and old age, possessed a robust body that didn’t match his years.
His rough hands, forged by the sword, tapped the armrests of the throne.
Tap-tap!
“He claims to be a pilgrim of the Astia Religious Order.”
The red-haired Prime Minister answered carefully, bowing his head.
Sweat dripping down his cheeks showed clear signs of tension.
Thunk.
“A pilgrim?”
The finger that had been constantly tapping the throne stopped, and silence descended on the great hall.
“Your Majesty… Please calm-“
“Calm? Are you telling me to believe that a mere fifteen-year-old is a pilgrim?”
No one had been able to stop Erik who voluntarily left the dungeon.
Because the Pope of the Astia Religious Order had personally mobilized the Holy War Knight Order to take him away.
“Even if he were a pilgrim, how should I accept the fact that my army just watched him leave, and that you, Prime Minister, ordered them to do so?”
The Emperor was extremely angry upon hearing this news. He even considered punishing the duke and then driving the Astia Religious Order from imperial territory.
But then.
“Your Majesty, you must endure. That ‘Erik‘ is the pilgrim I just mentioned.”
At the Prime Minister’s words, the Emperor’s anger subsided somewhat.
“Erik?”
It was a familiar name.
A name the Prime Minister had mentioned frequently in private settings for several years.
He remembered there was some nickname about an injector.
“My daughter and…”
“Ah, you mean that kid who goes around killing black mages. You’re saying that bastard is already fifteen?”
“Yes…”
The solemn Emperor was someone who prioritized the empire above all else.
This Erik fellow had been showing promise as talent for years.
“Even if the Third Prince was a possessor, he disposed of a royal body as he pleased. How can I tolerate this?”
“I have a separate promise with Pilgrim Riferoze.”
The Prime Minister’s loyal advice was that this Erik fellow should be tied to the empire.
“Riferoze is his master. Is there any guarantee that the bastard will listen to his master?”
“Both Riferoze and that Erik fellow treat promises as heavy as gold. Moreover, everything Erik has is within this empire.”
Riferoze Astia, the religious order’s pilgrim, had made one promise with the Prime Minister, who was the empire’s duke.
If they provided convenience and various support for Erik, Erik would work for the empire’s benefit in the future.
“Even the promise is vague. What exactly does working for the empire mean?”
Even with the Prime Minister’s explanation, the Emperor couldn’t easily accept it.
“Perhaps it’s about possessors, or the coming disaster…”
At the word possessor, the Emperor’s brow furrowed.
The words ‘Great Cataclysm Patch‘ that possessors consistently claimed came to mind.
“Since hundreds of possessors have made the same claim, it probably isn’t false.”
“You mean the story about this continent being swept by war and the labyrinth being the culprit?”
“Yes.”
“Haven’t we prepared sufficiently?”
The Emperor had known about the existence of possessors for quite some time.
He had made considerable external preparations too.
However, the problem was internal.
“Who would have thought my own son was a possessor. What kind of scoundrel possessed him that no one noticed the person had changed…”
The Emperor was also in a difficult position.
It was the Emperor himself who had decreed that possessors should be killed.
His dignity was in shambles.
‘That trash of a son, no, that possessor bastard.’
Though his own blood had flowed through that flesh.
‘Good that he died.’
There was some inner relief as well.
“Rather than keeping a body with a rotten soul, holding onto a promising paladin would be the path for the empire.”
“That’s right.”
The Emperor naturally valued Erik highly.
‘Did he inject etiquette into the duke’s daughter?’
Thinking about it, he remembered the fellow’s nickname too.
‘Etiquette Injector Erik, wasn’t it.’
Erik was the child who had beaten up the empire’s notable talents before he was even ten years old.
“Is he really at paladin level?”
“The Imperial Guard Captain vouched for him.”
Fifteen years old and paladin-level.
“And he’s been recognized with pilgrim status.”
“The Astia Religious Order has never granted such status without any proof – this is unprecedented.”
Erik had gained recognition for such tremendous status from the religious order.
“A talent of unprecedented rarity.”
The Emperor had even considered using possessors due to the lack of talent.
‘He uses divine power, and he’s a fanatic who shows no mercy to possessors.’
The Emperor had a good idea.
“Bring him to me. I’ll speak with him personally and then decide.”
“Coincidentally, I had him waiting before the trial.”
The astute Prime Minister had grasped the Emperor’s intention and prepared in advance.
Right after Erik left the dungeon, he had contacted the Pope and personally brought Erik to the great hall’s waiting room.
***
‘I tried to keep a low profile as much as possible…’
In the Imperial Palace great hall’s waiting room, Erik was waiting for his trial.
‘Unlucky that I got involved with that prince bastard.’
The upcoming main story was titled ‘Great Cataclysm Patch.’
As a fact verified by numerous possessors, Erik had no intention of appearing on the front lines until at least the Great Cataclysm Patch…
All his plans had been ruined by the Third Prince who appeared so unexpectedly.
Nothing in the world goes according to one’s will.
‘Still, meeting the Pope and Emperor first is a bit…’
Getting involved with the worldview’s strongest beings from the very start was a slightly different story.
‘Isn’t this a bit excessive?’
Beyond things not going as planned, it was practically no different from a disaster.
“His Majesty the Emperor has granted an audience.”
“…What’s this?”
Right then, a palace servant came to guide Erik’s entry.
Erik looked questioningly at the object the servant handed him.
“I merely follow orders. Please confirm the reason directly.”
What the servant handed over was a long sword.
‘Why a sword?’
It was strange.
Logically, when meeting the Emperor…
‘Normally, wouldn’t they confiscate any existing weapons?’
To suddenly give him a sword…
‘Are they asking me to perform a sword dance or something?’
Erik was perplexed.
“Pilgrim Erik of the Astia Religious Order is entering!”
Without time to organize his thoughts, the servant immediately announced Erik’s entrance.
Drrrrrrrrrr.
The great hall’s massive doors opened.
The huge doors opening to both sides were carved with silver moons representing the empire, and between them was laid a deep red velvet carpet.
Erik bowed his head and stepped onto the red carpet.
‘The Emperor…’
As Erik swallowed and took a step forward.
Shing.
He felt an ominous presence.
‘An ambush?’
His senses, honed through various real battles, rang alarm bells.
Erik reacted instinctively.
‘A strong opponent.’
He grabbed the longsword from the long case and quickly raised the blade diagonally.
Clang-ting!
As soon as Erik entered the great hall, a huge sword came down toward him, and Erik blocked it.
His heart pounded thump-thump, and divine power reinforced his body accordingly.
‘What bastard is this?’
Erik pressed down on the blocked sword with his weight.
“Kuh.”
As divinity was added to his monster-like body, the attacker was pushed back slightly.
He too was about to respond by wrapping himself in aura when.
“Stop.”
A solemn and dignified voice was heard.
His instincts, sharpened by divinity, told him:
‘The Emperor.’
Erik lowered his sword.
The attacker did the same.
‘Royal Guard?’
Only then did Erik recognize the attacker’s identity.
Above the Imperial Guard that protects the imperial palace were the Royal Guards who protect the Emperor.
They were part of the empire’s pinnacle, beings with overwhelming martial prowess and even more unwavering loyalty.
Such a Royal Guard bowed toward the throne and spoke:
“Your Majesty, he is genuine.”
Erik was puzzled by the situation that had suddenly unfolded.
‘What’s genuine?’
While Erik stood there bewildered, the Emperor and Royal Guard conversed.
“What level is he?”
“Divine power and aura are different forces, but… if he were to attack with his life on the line, he would certainly give even a Royal Guard considerable trouble.”
Erik was the owner of divine power as magnificent as his massive body.
On top of that, he possessed swordsmanship acknowledged by a Royal Guard.
The Emperor was quite satisfied.
“Instead of punishing you, I want to entrust you with a task.”
Until now, Erik had thought a trial or interrogation regarding harming a royal would take place.
‘Wasn’t there supposed to be a trial?’
That made sense, hadn’t he burned a royal’s body?
He had even received some tips from the Pope on avoiding the death penalty, but somehow it didn’t seem like a trial would be held at all.
“Pilgrim Erik, instead of pardoning your crime of regicide, I shall give you the position of Director of the Possessor Management Bureau.”
Contrary to his thoughts, this Emperor fellow seemed quite magnanimous.
“Lead the possessors and investigate the labyrinth.”
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