Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Revenge is a Hundredfold (5)
By nature, people do not easily believe others' words until they see them with their own eyes. Especially when it came to calling injured farmers Possessors.
"Wait a moment!"
Elise blocked Erik. Among the Astia Religious Order apprentice priests, she was counted as one of the best.
'Won't you catch me?'
The fact that Erik hadn't caught the stumbling Elise also served as evidence of his distrust.
Elise boldly spread her arms in front of the injured, blocking Erik's approach.
"Why do you say they are Possessors?"
Erik tilted his head to the side. Just as he was about to bestow a blessing and conduct a verification procedure, she said such a thing.
'Is she an accomplice?'
Could there possibly be a Black Mage or Possessor organization's lackey within the Order?
Baseless suspicions bloomed.
"Why, why are you looking at me like that"
Upon apostates, the calamity of God follows. The Astia God strips the Divine Power from the apostate and brands their body with a stigma.
In other words, the betrayal of a cleric can be judged by the presence or absence of Divine Power.
'There is Divine Power there, so it cannot be.'
Erik quickly dismissed his suspicion. Instead, he showed the junior priest Elise reality.
"They are all Possessors."
Rather than explain in long-winded detail, showing would be more effective.
"Heal"
At Erik's casually muttered prayer, the shelter tent was engulfed in Healing Miracles.
"H, Healing Miracles!"
As Elise marveled at the power of the Divine Power.
"Aaaaaah!"
"S, Save us!!!"
The injured began burning in the Divine Healing.
At the horrific sight, Elise stumbled backward.
'They truly are Possessors…….'
Were these not the very ones she had been holding and comforting just moments ago?
A chill ran down her spine.
"Is further explanation necessary?"
The massive man who had so casually incinerated the Possessors. His appearance was still like the incarnation of God.
'He said he was a Pilgrim…….'
The gap she felt was vast. Junior priest Elise had not met even a few ordinary Paladins, much less a Pilgrim. Her experience was shallow.
Just as one ignorant of nobility does not find nobility impressive upon seeing it. That had been Elise's case at first.
What of now?
"Aaaaaah!!"
Possessors disappearing in flames from Healing Miracles. Amid the hazy smoke, Elise squeezed her eyes shut.
'The world I live in is different.'
Pilgrim, Archbishop, Paladin. Whatever those names are, they are accompanied by power befitting them.
She had seen, felt, and understood. Thus she lowered her head.
"I apologize."
"Henceforth, when receiving the injured, try touching them with Divine Power concentrated in your hands."
Erik imparted instruction to the young priest. Then he strode away beyond the tent.
'Surely not all these injured are Possessors?'
A calamity occurring in the heart of a domain with a lord's castle. The number of victims would be tremendous.
The tents established by the Order were countless.
"Wretched creatures."
Erik examined every single tent. He was well-versed in all manner of deeds the Possessors might commit.
It was as expected.
"Is he, is he truly a Possessor?"
"Astia, Oh Astia, why do you subject me to such trial……."
From the tents he entered, screams constantly leaked out. In response, the junior priests and combat priests squeezed their eyes shut as if disbelieving, calling out to God.
"Ah!. A severed arm is growing back. What miracle is this bestowed upon me……."
Rarely, ordinary citizens were mixed among them. With tears streaming down their faces, they recited prayers of gratitude.
To their gratitude, Erik replied:
"Deliver all the healed to the Inquisition."
Silence fell.
'The person you just healed…….'
Where were you taking them?
Whether junior priest or combat priest, all fell silent.
However,
"Are you breaking the Order's principles?"
With a Pilgrim's Mark held aloft as he issued the command, there was no way not to obey. There was the Order's iron law of absolute obedience.
Watching the priests head toward the Inquisition, Erik sank into contemplation.
'There must surely be collaborators as well.'
Society. The Black Magic group still remained.
They were vicious. Practical operatives took the lead under titles like Chairman and President, but the true owners were mysterious beings called Shareholders.
'That one was ultimately just a puppet president too.'
The worst Possessor on the continent, whom he had killed alongside his master. That madman who had sacrificed 660,000 humans and called himself "Lucifer."
'The combination of Possessor and Black Mage is dangerous.'
It was then.
Golden lightning struck down upon the contemplative Erik.
Bang!
Dust erupted before Erik, and from within it a man appeared. Middle-aged in appearance, rough features, and in one hand an extraordinarily large spear.
The spear aside. With a long sword at his waist and a shield on his back, he cut the figure of a Paladin unmistakably.
'He's still incredibly tall.'
A very rare occurrence happened. The man's eye level was higher than Erik's.
"Erik, it's been a long time. Or should I now call you Pilgrim Erik?"
"Holy War Knight Commander, I greet you, Julius."
True to one who oversees the Holy War. a fierce Divine Power radiated from his entire body.
'Why did he bring a spear?'
Erik's gaze turned to the weapon Julius held.
Noticing that gaze, Julius laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! It's a pity I can't do a spear throw in the Holy War, so I'm just carrying it."
"……If you were to throw the spear, the map would change, so please refrain."
It was unlikely in a place mixed with ordinary civilians. Yet truthfully, he was uneasy.
'He took out the spear?'
A characteristic of the Holy War Knight Order. They mark coordinates and hurl spears at that very spot. That spear being.
[Legendary - Sacred Spear]
A legendary-tier weapon, an item one stage below a Sacred Relic. The reason no epithet is attached to the name tag is because it is artificially crafted "Legendary" tier equipment. In other words, mass-produced equipment.
"Has the consecration of the spear already been completed?"
The Sacred Spear was an item that had undergone long-term consecration in the Sanctuary established by the papal palace.
"The Consecration finished some time ago."
"How many are there?"
The number of Sacred Spears was originally classified information for the Holy War Knight Order.
"You've properly received the Pilgrim status from Riferoze."
That statement was merely a drawn-out way of saying he would permit it. His speech was lengthy, befitting his age.
Erik slightly raised his head to gaze at Julius. Brushing back his long white hair, Julius laughed roughly.
"Krhhat! There are five thousand completed Sacred Spears, and another five thousand nearly ready."
Erik's mouth hung agape, utterly forgetting to respond.
Ten thousand Sacred Spears? It was a scale that could erase an entire kingdom from the map.
"Thinking back to the Lucifer incident, ten thousand is insufficient."
Julius furrowed his nose deeply.
***
The cleanup proceeded smoothly.
The Emperor's army, which had surrounded the Labyrinth Plaza, arrested the adventurers who had attempted to flee.
Because it was the Reappearance of a Black Mage, the Adventurer's Guild couldn't protest.
"They're neither Possessors nor Black Mages, yet there are so many collaborators!"
Upon hearing the interrogation results, the Adventurer's Guild locked its doors. For low-tier adventurers cooperating with the Black Mage had been discovered.
Most were those who valued livelihood over adventure. Some had been threatened with their families' lives, or had fallen victim to cruel Black Magic that demanded lives in exchange.
Or so one hoped.
"Money? Items?"
Contrary to expectations, the reasons were simple. With no special convictions, they must have been low-tier adventurers.
"My wife…… said she could restore the soul!"
The case of the border count of the Garcian Kingdom was somewhat different. Unlike the wealthy imperial capital, the poor borders of a small kingdom had few who would succumb to money and items.
Instead, they had had their families' lives held hostage.
"An oracle came down instructing us to be given a chance for repentance."
The Pope showed mercy to such people.
Thus, the situation was resolved.
[Imperial Daily News - Director of Possessor Management Bureau Erik Thwarts the Calamity of the Black Mage.]
[Imperial Daily News – The Emperor's Foresight, Praise to His Imperial Majesty for Foreseeing This Crisis!]
[Imperial Daily News – Garcian Kingdom Laid to Waste by Holy War Declaration. The Ruin of a Nation That Failed to Fulfill its Duty to the Labyrinth!]
As a result, Erik's standing grew beyond measure. Like a war hero.
The Empire's sole newspaper, the Imperial Daily News, ceaselessly called out to Erik.
"Brother. Why isn't the word 'Paladin' mentioned even once in the Imperial Daily News?"
Jang Du-sik asked at Jean's Magical Tool Shop.
"It means His Majesty considers me that important."
"That would certainly be the case. The newspaper says His Majesty has moved up the dinner with you, but what does that mean?"
[His Majesty the Emperor, Deciding to Move Up the Scheduled Dinner with Director Erik!]
Erik's brow furrowed.
An Imperial dinner was, in a sense, a verification. A banquet began beside a gleaming guillotine, with all manner of delicacies spread out.
At its end came death or glory.
'Is it predetermined glory?'
Of course, in Erik's case, the outcome was already determined. He had killed the Third Prince, and in exchange for verifying his abilities, he had received the position of Director of Possessor Management Bureau.
What were the results of that?
"You defeated the Black Mage and prevented a distant nation's calamity, yet why do you wear such a look of death?"
Erik stared at Du-sik with a thoroughly creased face.
And he spoke:
"Du-sik, I hear His Holiness the Pope will bestow a baptism upon me."
"W, What. Isn't that a good thing?"
"It is."
Erik's face twisted further.
"But it's on the same day as His Majesty's dinner."
"Heuh……."
Du-sik was flustered.
"Is there no miracle that divides a body into two?"
Watching Du-sik blink earnestly and ask seriously, Erik burst into laughter.
"Krhrhr."
The laughter felt like weeping. No, in fact, Erik's head was throbbing with splitting pain.
'A mad Emperor, a mad Pope indeed.'
The Pope, who had secured the baptism one step ahead of the dinner schedule. And the Emperor, who had moved up his dinner to match that baptism.
It was absolutely no coincidence.
'Both factions are competing to have me.'
Good fortune, yet the choice carried grave responsibility.
If he stood up the Emperor? The Emperor would finish his meal alone before an empty guillotine. And he would have to face the consequences afterward.
If he stood up the Pope? A solemn baptism before tens of thousands of believers. The Pope would stand alone awkwardly in a baptism ceremony without its subject.
"What about using a Teleportation Miracle? Hey, didn't you say brother even created a hidden passage in the Papal palace?"
At that moment, Du-sik offered a brilliant answer.
In places like the Papal palace or the Imperial Palace, barriers were constructed to prevent phenomena like [Miracle of Teleportation] or Teleportation.
But thanks to his master, Erik had created one hidden passage in the Papal palace.
"I had forgotten about that."
Countermeasures were prepared.
The banquet and baptism were on Sunday, with approximately one day remaining.
"After running around for a whole week straight, wouldn't it be good to rest?"
"Du-sik, rest is sufficient even after death."
Well. Once you die, you'll rest for eternity.
As Du-sik accepted this roughly, Erik produced a large box.
"Heuh. Isn't that a special-tier reward?"
A reward Erik had obtained from defeating the Black Mage in his childhood.
"How many Black Mages did you kill exactly that you got three boxes of these?"
And this box had been the catalyst for Erik confirming Du-sik's mystical nature.
"Brother why do you treasure a box that only yields so much trash?"
"Why don't you try opening it?"
From the box Erik opened came a [Crude Iron Sword], but from the box Du-sik opened came.
A broken game item called [Sacred Relic - Fragment of Faith 1/10].
"So far, I've collected eight fragments total."
He had defeated a total of ten thousand Black Mages thus far. In addition, through various special rewards, he had obtained [Special-Tier Rewards] several more times.
As a result, Erik had so far collected a total of eight Fragments of Faith.
"Du-sik, if we open all of these, we'll have ten."
Unexpectedly, he had gathered ten.
'Is my luck incredibly good?'
Revenge tenfold. He had faced the Black Mage, and in exchange, he had destroyed their headquarters.
He had simply acted as usual, yet obtained three special-tier rewards.
"May the grace of God be with you."
Erik placed his hand on Du-sik's half-shaved head.
Du-sik, glowing, blinked his eyes wide and opened the massive box.
Whoosh.
[Campfire]
The item that emerged first appeared as a campfire without kindling.
However.
"Insane."
Erik's mouth fell agape.
[Sacred Relic - Campfire]
The name was simple, but the grade was resplendent.
Without detailed explanation, its purpose was unknown.
'Perhaps similar to a torch's function.'
Similar to the Labyrinth's "Torches," surely. Inference was possible.
Watching Erik rejoice, Du-sik worked up his momentum.
"Du-sik, opening boxes or checking item rewards depends on momentum!"
Seven parts luck, three parts skill. The reason good items hadn't come out was due to insufficient momentum, he claimed.
Du-sik confidently opened the remaining two boxes.
"That's right! Du-sik!"
Erik let out a refreshing exclamation.
Du-sik slightly opened his tightly closed eyes and gazed at the boxes.
[Fragment of Faith]
The item name tag was not visible to him, but it resembled the glass-like shards he had seen in the past.
"You're not even a brat, and you're grinning over glass fragments?"
At that time, he didn't know. Now that he knew Erik was a Possessor, things were different.
As Du-sik sank into thought
Click.
Erik completed the Fragment of Faith.
A round circular ring sparkled.
[Sacred Relic: Ring of Faith - Binds Upon Acquisition]
The name and description of the completed item appeared.
And then
Ting!
With a resonance of Divine Power, the ring floated up and up.
It appeared
"W, What. Brother, there's a ring sparkling above your head……."
It appeared above Erik's head.
'A halo.'
It evoked the image of an angel's ring.
The ring's equip effect was simple:
[Build faith and achieve miracles.]