Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Sacred Relic (1)
‘I knew he wasn’t in his right mind, but hasn’t this crossed the line too much?’
Erik gazed intently at the old longsword.
The crude and worn blade had gray cracks scattered all over it.
Just by its appearance, it was no different from a cheap iron sword that had been stuck in a warehouse for decades.
However,
[Creation (開闢)]
The crude two characters carved into the blade clearly proved the sword’s identity.
‘A Sacred Relic……’
The subspace pouch that his master had given him contained the sacred relic that had disappeared from the religious order.
“Th-that…… End spec……”
In the game, Sacred Relics were items that dropped at random probability from the 50th floor labyrinth boss, called the final graduation gear.
Unlike in the game, descriptions of stats or special effects had disappeared, but the word ‘Sacred Relic’ meaning the highest grade item was clear.
Like the Possessors staring in shock at the name tag floating above the sword, Erik was also startled.
‘Crazy master…… stole this?’
The sacred relic that had currently disappeared from the Astia Religious Order was precisely this sword.
It was a weapon the Pope cherished greatly, and he had declared that if the culprit was caught, they would be publicly made to repent…….
Coincidentally, Erik had figured out who that culprit was and had even found the missing sacred relic.
‘500 million Gold.’
The reward money the impoverished religious order had put up.
Besides that, it was enough of an achievement to be recognized as having Pilgrim status and gain additional authority.
‘Let me check the performance.’
Erik infused the sword with Divinity.
Golden Divine Power flowed along the blade, emitting light in all directions.
“Boss? The sword is sparkling?”
Seeing the brilliant light gave him different thoughts.
Erik’s heart leaned toward the sword that circulated Divine Power like his own body.
‘I can’t give this away for just 500 million.’
Besides, wasn’t this his master’s farewell gift?
Erik organized his complicated thoughts while infusing the sword with Divine Power.
‘If I could just use the system shop, wouldn’t I earn over 1 billion right away?’
Kiiiiing!
The blade flashed as it madly generated Divine Power.
“Wow……”
The Possessors unconsciously approached toward the light of Divinity the sword was emitting.
Toward the Possessors staring at the sword as if bewitched, Erik held out the sword’s handle while gripping the blade.
Then he asked.
“Would you like to hold it once?”
***
Looking at Erik, Possessor Park Chang-ho couldn’t help but be shocked.
When he came to his senses, he saw a [Sacred Relic] grade item before his eyes.
Park Chang-ho grabbed hold of his wits at the chilling sensation.
‘I want to hold it, but……’
A [Sacred Relic] item that he had never even worn in the game was placed before his eyes.
The sword infused with Divinity and emitting platinum light drew Park Chang-ho’s gaze.
However, he couldn’t reach out his hand.
‘If I even brush against it, I’ll burn up completely.’
Park Chang-ho felt an instinctive threat.
That sword was literally an item with Sacred (聖) attached to it, and the man holding it was Erik, so it was only natural.
That sword must be a complete aggregate of Divine Power.
If he touched it, he would be annihilated.
“Woah…… R-really?”
At that moment, Nishida Ryo approached as if bewitched beside Park Chang-ho.
With his mouth hanging wide open and half out of his mind, he seemed captivated by the brilliant platinum light.
Erik turned his head to look at Nishida Ryo.
“Hiiiik-! D-Divinity!”
Only then coming to his senses, Nishida Ryo hurriedly stepped backward.
‘How on earth did he survive?’
Erik stared blankly at that sight.
Among the Possessors, wasn’t Nishida Ryo the most mysterious existence?
Such a foolish guy……
“B-Boss. What on earth did Riferoze give you that’s making the Possessor bastards tremble?”
Jang Du-sik, the only native, couldn’t follow the situation at all.
“What is this, you ask?”
Erik’s face became clear.
His eyes became sharp and his twisted lips spread into a beaming smile.
Then.
“Hahahaha!!!“
Erik suddenly burst into mad laughter.
His booming voice shook the Goblin Forest mercilessly.
“Possessor, what on earth is that?”
When Erik seemed swept up in madness with no sign of answering, Jang Du-sik asked Park Chang-ho.
‘Should I tell him about this?’
Looking at Jang Du-sik tapping his shoulder with a club, Park Chang-ho hesitated.
A Sacred Relic grade item.
Before being captured as a Possessor, Park Chang-ho had accessed quite a lot of information about this world.
Though many things had changed from the game, some things remained unchanged.
A representative example was the value of items.
‘This doesn’t feel good.’
The natives called them sacred relics instead of the [Sacred Relic] grade marking.
But according to Park Chang-ho’s research, even in reality, Sacred Relics were precious objects (貴物) that only the Pope, Archbishops, or Imperial family could touch.
In other words.
“I-I don’t really know either……”
It was an item valuable enough to kill witnesses.
“Do you want to die?”
“Th-that is……”
As Park Chang-ho hesitated between Jang Du-sik’s club resting on his shoulder and Erik who had burst into mad laughter.
“Du-sik, this is the sacred relic that disappeared from the Astia Religious Order.”
Erik spoke up.
He stopped laughing with a thud and walked toward Jang Du-sik step by step.
Erik’s massive shadow fell over Jang Du-sik’s head.
“Th-that, what. When Riferoze disappeared……”
Jang Du-sik recalled the sacred relic theft incident at the Astia Religious Order that occurred five years ago.
It was an unprecedented situation where the religious order’s Holy War Knight Order, Inquisition, and Paladin Order were mobilized to ransack the entire continent.
There were rumors that the Pope had collapsed from anger-induced illness.
“Huh, well now. Wh-what, Boss, why is that here?”
“Hmm…… it seems Riferoze gave it to me to use.”
“Then don’t we have to eliminate all witnesses?”
Jang Du-sik asked in surprise with eyes wide as saucers.
Erik gave no answer and silence fell over the labyrinth.
Saaaaa.
Wind wept through the Goblin Forest.
The clearing in the forest shrouded by dense trees created a desolate feeling.
In the center of the clearing stood a crude gray stone monument.
‘Eliminate witnesses?’
‘He-he means kill……’
‘Hiiiik!’
Facing the stone monument leading out of the labyrinth, the three Possessors were terrified.
If you placed your hand on the monument, a portal leading outside would open.
It was definitely an escape route.
‘It looks like a tombstone.’
However, to the Possessors’ eyes, it felt like a place to die.
Then Erik spoke.
“Du-sik, do you remember that? What we did to the Peran mercenaries.”
“What, you mean Restraint Magic?”
“Right. Let’s put that on them and let them live.”
Fortunately, Erik was merciful.
‘I feel like they might be useful somewhere……’
He planned to let the Possessors before him live.
Both Park Chang-ho and Nishida Ryo’s [Sixth Sense] and [Death Sense] were useful traits, and Kang Pung-ho’s [Rapid Growth] was a top-tier trait for a solo dealer.
As Erik stroked his chin looking at the Possessors.
“Boss, what kind of restraint are you thinking of putting on…?”
Jang Du-sik asked while readjusting his grip on the club.
His expression was quite serious.
“I’ll put a restraint on disclosure with the condition that the Divine Power contained within will explode if they reveal anything.”
“Understood.”
Jang Du-sik raised mana in his crude wooden club.
Uuuung!
Blue light rose like a mirage and the club sparkled.
It looked like a mage’s staff.
“……”
“Hands!”
Toward the Possessors who were flinching, Jang Du-sik began carving magic circles.
A round band appeared over their extended backs of hands with messy character strings inside.
Complex patterns and formulas were arranged and the foundation of [Restraint] magic was created.
A blue cube rose above the Possessor’s back of hand.
“Boss, please infuse some Divine Power.”
Erik reached out his hand to the blue cube floating in the air.
As Divine Power was infused into the cube made of blue mana, Jang Du-sik recited an incantation to complete the magic.
“-By the oath of mana made with mutual consent, should Possessor Park Chang-ho reveal what he witnessed today, the Divine Power in his hand will explode and he shall die.”
When no following oath words came, Erik added a word.
“If you don’t agree, you’ll explode and die right here?”
What followed was swift.
Identical magic circles were carved on the backs of the three Possessors’ hands, and Erik’s Divine Power filled the cubes sealed with mana.
“Good. Everyone be careful with your words so you don’t explode.”
When everything was finished, Erik placed his hand on the stone monument leading outside.
Kuuuung!
A strange noise spread and a portal formed in front of the monument.
Looking at the portal with black whirlpools swirling, Erik said.
“Jang Du-sik is a 7th Circle Mage. Unless you’re a direct disciple of a Magic Tower Master, you can’t break the magic circle on your hand, so abandon futile thoughts.”
At those words, the Possessors were shocked.
‘That thug is a 7th Circle Mage?’
‘He memorized those complex formulas?’
‘Hiiiik.’
***
“Huh…… I didn’t expect you to return so soon.”
The labyrinth’s lower floors had a 1:10 time ratio.
The middle floors had a greater time ratio, and going to the deep floors, the difference became vast.
Looking at Erik who had returned to the Possessor Management Bureau in just one day, the Royal Guard made a puzzled expression.
‘With his abilities, he couldn’t have come in just one day.’
Erik was strong.
Moreover, he was a cleric who handled Divine Power. He was talent optimized for labyrinth conquest and monster hunting.
‘Could it be……’
The Royal Guard looked at the Possessors standing behind Erik.
His eyes were quite serious.
“By any chance, were the Possessors useless?”
At those words, the Possessors’ bodies trembled.
Parrr.
Erik quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.
“The Possessors were more useful than expected. However, there’s a matter I need to urgently report to His Imperial Majesty, so I came out this quickly.”
The Royal Guard nodded.
It seems he discovered some kind of anomaly.
That was his thought.
“I will connect magical communication to His Majesty.”
The Royal Guard moved to the office to serve Director Erik.
His attitude was very respectful.
Erik waved his hand -whee whee- toward the Possessors following blankly.
Jang Du-sik tactfully led the Possessors and changed direction.
“B-Boss. I’ll be watching the Possessor bastards.”
Jang Du-sik guided the Possessors into the detention camp along with the Imperial Army.
‘What on earth is he trying to do……’
He was anxious about what crazy things Erik might say in front of the Emperor.
With Jang Du-sik departing behind him, Erik followed the Royal Guard.
“Glory to the Empire!”
When the Royal Guard shouted looking at the wall.
Kililik.
Complex magic circles operated and the door located in the deepest part of the detention camp opened.
As the solid Adamantium wall disappeared through the wall like a sliding door.
[Director’s Office (局長室)]
A gleaming signboard was revealed.
Erik spread his Divinity to grasp the space.
‘This is insane.’
He realized this room was one defense system.
As much as the Emperor had decided to use Possessors, countermeasures were also certain.
The director’s office was the only safe place in the detention camp where great magics were planted that could make the entire building disappear.
‘The Emperor values me highly.’
It was good news.
“This is the direct crystal orb connected to His Imperial Majesty!”
The Royal Guard brought Erik to a massive crystal orb.
A silver moon meaning the Imperial family sparkled above the gleaming crystal orb.
Tuung. Tuung. Tuung.
While listening to the repeating mechanical sounds, Erik organized the things he wanted to say.
Tuk.
The sound stopped and the magnificent audience hall scenery appeared in the crystal orb.
In the symmetrically structured audience hall’s left and right, massive pillars were positioned, and between the pillars, nobles with bowed heads were lined up.
A red carpet was laid on the central path, and at its end, stairs leading upward were visible.
The magnificent throne placed at the top of the stairs brilliantly welcomed Erik.
“Glory to the Empire! I greet His Imperial Majesty.”
Erik bowed his head looking at the crystal orb.
***
‘He’s already left the labyrinth.’
The Emperor was puzzled.
The Royal Guard judged that Erik was strong.
Yet the fact that he had already left the labyrinth meant there was definitely some problem.
Looking at the massive crystal orb placed in the center of the audience hall, the Emperor spoke.
“Speak.”
The short three-character words settled heavily.
There was no answer and silence continued.
Tuk, tuk!
The Emperor touched the throne’s armrest and furrowed his brow.
The ministers lined up below saw the Emperor’s behavior when frustrated and felt needless tension.
Gulp.
When someone had swallowed about three times, Erik spoke.
-Your Majesty, if you could accommodate 300 million Gold, I could put the Almanism Church in great debt.
The words Erik uttered while bowing his massive body with his head lowered through the crystal orb……
Were too out of nowhere.
‘Huh.’
The Prime Minister, who bowed his head closest to the throne, inwardly let out a sigh.
Considering the Emperor’s personality of disliking flowery rhetoric and going straight to the main point……
‘Still the same.’
He recalled the moment when a seven-year-old kid had threatened him to entrust his daughter’s education to him.
That boldness and confident behavior were truly consistent.
It would be the same toward the Emperor.
‘Fortunately.’
A smile formed on the Prime Minister’s lips.
The Prime Minister felt rewarded for betting his life on Erik.
‘His Majesty will find this interesting.’
As expected, the Emperor’s reaction was pleased.
“The Almanism Church, they’ve been noisy lately.”
Emperor Esperoja Rofen Arman thought.
Though many parts were omitted, he roughly understood the situation.
The 2nd Empress had been noisy due to the Third Prince’s death. When he ignored it, the Empress began causing trouble by bringing up the Almanism Church, her family home.
‘It must be the sacred relic.’
With the amount of 300 million Gold and the two words Almanism Church, the Emperor grasped the essence of Erik’s words.
The Emperor preferred to summarize and abbreviate.
Figuring out the omitted parts was one pleasure.
And.
“Bring the sacred relic. If you succeed, I shall personally invite you to dine.”
The Emperor gives trials to those who provided such pleasure.
Glory for success.
Death for failure.
“Prepare a feast.”
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