Chapter 120
Chapter 120: New Phase (5)
"Your Holiness! What on earth has happened?"
Led by the Pope, the Paladins of the Astia Religious Order arrived at the Papal Palace. The senior clergy protecting the order rushed out barefoot to greet the Pope.
"...Your Holiness?"
At first, joy filled their expressions, but seeing the Pope's hardened face, they clamped their mouths shut. Silence descended. The Archbishop and elders guarding the Papal Palace recalled the events from moments before.
"The Allied Forces plan to wage war against the Papal Palace itself."
"So choose, Pope. Either guide us to Saint Erik's party, or this ends here."
The Allied Forces surrounding the Apostolic Palace had made this demand. Hearing the mention of Erik's connection, the Pope and Riferoze wondered what on earth was happening and headed toward the Demon Realm with them. The Pope, having just returned, would reveal the outcome.
'Surely Saint Erik isn't....'
The Pope, always merciful, bore a hardened expression. From this, the Archbishop and senior clergy of the order understood the gravity of the situation.
'Is he truly a heretic?'
The Allied Forces suddenly invaded and demanded to meet this person. Moreover, Erik's peculiar Divine Power was spreading quietly throughout the order. Finally, the Archbishop took the lead and posed a question to the Pope.
"Your Holiness, is Saint Erik truly similar to a heretic?"
"Heh."
Hearing such a foolish question, the Pope exhaled heavily.
'No wonder they would misunderstand.'
However, the Pope understood their sentiments. Unlike the Paladins who witnessed the complete resurrection of the dead at Erik's Temple, the guardians of the Apostolic Palace had no such experience. The Pope, wanting to resolve this situation immediately, summoned Julius. And asked:
"Holy War Knight Commander Julius. Swear by the Father's name and speak only the truth."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
A solemn question and answer that no believer could answer anything but 100% truthfully. A grave exchange sworn by the Father's name.
"Julius Astia, is Saint Erik a heretic?"
"No, Your Holiness. He is truly the hope of this world."
An immediate answer without a moment's hesitation. The Archbishop and officials of the Apostolic Palace felt bewildered.
'Then why that expression...?'
The Pope's expression remained hardened, and his bearing was that of a grand Paladin. This meant the Pope had made some resolve.
"Saint Erik is by no means a heretic. Never utter such nonsense again."
The Pope spoke words of warning amid the silence. Then he added a few more words.
"Saint Erik is the sole connection to the Father Astia who has departed this world—no, the connection to all three Divine Beings."
His eyes seemed distant. The Pope, having fallen silent in contemplation for a moment, made one decision. Which was:
"Gather all pilgrims of the order."
Excluding Riferoze and Erik, there were three pilgrims in total. They were the supreme warriors of the order who roamed the continent seeking the existence of sacred relics.
'Surely you don't intend such a choice?'
However, the Archbishop found it difficult to understand. He traced a long cross-shaped sign and questioned the Pope about the reason.
"These... how can... Your Holiness, do you truly intend to gather the pilgrims in one place?"
They were figures whose personalities were each so twisted that it was fair to say they had been half-designated as pilgrims and driven outside the Apostolic Palace.
The Pope replied:
"Darkness with resistance to Divine Power is increasing."
Originally, Divine Magic's natural enemy was Divine Power. However, the Pope was saying this balance was breaking down.
"The reason is something you all understand well."
The existence of Possessors had changed Black Mages. It was different from the age of Lucifer in the past.
"The calamity of Black Mages—it is similar to that time. Demons descending from the Possessor world. This weakens the power of Divine Power."
In the current world where hundreds of thousands of Possessors roam, descent of Possessor-type demons had become far too easy.
"The world is changing. The Father said we too must adapt to that change."
On this day, the Pope made a proclamation. And a revelation descended upon all believers.
[All clergy of the order shall return to the Apostolic Palace.]
***
A colossal river that seemed like nature itself. Certainly, it was the Black Mage Group's last desperate move.
"Geez, how easy."
To Erik, who traveled via temples, it was useless. Passing through the dimensional gate beside the fountain before the World Tree, Jang Du-sik cursed the Styx River with vigor.
"Boss, what the hell were those pathetic Black Mages trying to do getting stuck in a labyrinth?"
Hearing the excited Jang Du-sik's words, all the party members passed through the dimensional gate. Just after crossing the portal, Erik spotted a familiar red-haired figure.
'The Prime Minister came to greet us?'
The dimensional gate connected to the Water Resources Management Office in District 1 of the capital.
'Knowing about it doesn't mean I can predict it....'
However, Erik's move to this location was an impromptu choice. Erik had meant to ask about this, but there was no time.
"Ah! Erica!!!"
The reunion of the disappeared daughter and her father took place.
"Father!"
The father and daughter, who usually maintained formal address in public, embraced and savored the joy of reunion.
"What on earth happened"
But only for a moment.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
The Prime Minister's red beard trembled. He seemed shocked by the sight of his daughter wearing a semi-transparent priestess robe. The loose chest area made it even more noticeable.
'What on earth happened....'
The Prime Minister's face turned red. Just as he was about to look toward Erik, his face as red as his hair, Erica grabbed her father.
"Father, have you lost your mind?"
"What... what do you—"
"How dare you be rude to the one who resurrected your dead daughter?"
The Prime Minister was at a loss for words.
'Who died and who came back to life?'
A kind of mental shutdown had occurred. To this, Erik smiled deeply.
"Prime Minister, what I mean is that Lady Erica died, and I resurrected her."
"Is everyone's head broken?"
However, the notion that the dead returned to life was simply unbelievable. The Prime Minister blinked his eyes alone like a fool.
"Hahahaha!!!"
At his reaction, Riferoze burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"First, let us organize this."
Erik calmed the surroundings before the situation became more complicated. First, they moved to the audience chamber of the imperial palace.
"Erica, explain the situation to the Prime Minister yourself."
He entrusted the task of explaining to the Prime Minister to his daughter.
"I shall explain as commanded."
Erica bowed respectfully to Erik.
"How can my daughter"
The Prime Minister deteriorated further. Erica led the bewildered Prime Minister away. Now only Erik's complete party remained.
'The entire empire might turn into hell.'
Erik took this matter seriously. So he assigned appropriate tasks to each person.
"Master, meet with the Imperial Archmage."
He gave Riferoze two tasks. One was to confirm how long it would take the Styx River to encircle the empire. Two was to investigate the item known as the "Possessor."
"Disciple, are you going to work me now?"
Of course, it wasn't immediately accepted.
"Only Master and Du-sik are capable of conversing with the Imperial Archmage, and would Du-sik understand such explanations?"
"That's true."
But with a plausible explanation added, Riferoze readily accepted Erik's request.
'Under normal circumstances, there would be no mercy....'
The master remained consistent. Having gone through hell together, he was someone who knew how to be serious when the situation demanded it. The same applied to Ruelle. Azure eyes sparkled beside Erik.
"Erik, what should I do?"
"Ruelle, prepare a dedication prayer meeting at the church."
"Huh? Didn't you say we earned an enormous amount of GP?"
"Master said he would personally implement the resurrection training method......"
"How much GP is left?"
"About 80 million."
"That won't be nearly enough."
The infinite resurrection training method devised by Riferoze. Implementing this would require an enormous amount of GP.
'Possessors are estimated to cost 1 GP per resurrection, but....'
Given the master's nature, he would definitely push much harder.
'I was like that when I was young....'
Young Erik's body burst open in a hundred places every day. It was the same now that he was fifteen.
'Come to think of it, that happened recently too.'
If one had to choose those closest to the master, it would undoubtedly be Erik.
"If I had to name someone with whom I share an intimate bond, it would be only you, Erik."
"But isn't there the Pope, Your Holiness?"
"The Pope? Merely someone whose face I've seen over a hundred years. It is incomparable to a disciple I personally raised."
That was the master's guarantee. If even Erik, who was so close, received such treatment, what need to mention Possessors?
'Back then, I didn't know that 'raising' meant this....'
Thinking of the past, goosebumps rose. However, the humming sound coming from somewhere returned Erik's mind to reality.
"Hum hum."
She seemed excited about the prayer meeting. Ruelle licked her lips with evident enthusiasm. Then she looked at Erik. A seductive figure and a bewitching gaze.
"Are you looking forward to it that much?"
For a moment, Erik's heart skipped. However, he approached Ruelle while feigning indifference.
"Yes. The life of a star, wasn't it?"
"Enjoy it to your heart's content."
Erik smiled softly.
"That's my plan."
Ruelle smiled with her eyes as well. Then she posed a question about the new Possessor.
"For this prayer meeting, can I bring Cha Ye-rin along?"
"Cha Ye-rin?"
Erik tilted his head. With more than one or two Possessors, he momentarily forgot. Ruelle added an explanation for him.
"The name in this world is... um, ah! Marquis Aaron!"
"Ah, that smartphone."
Erik smiled mischievously and explained how to communicate through Cha Ye-rin.
"Ruelle, make full use of the advanced technology from the world I lived in."
"Okay!"
With these words, Ruelle left the audience chamber.
"Janson."
The two who had been erasing their presence throughout now moved at Erik's call.
"Assist well."
"Yes, boss."
"Hey, brother, why didn't you call my name? Wouldn't this Jang Du-sik be perfect? Leave Ruelle noona's safety to me."
Jackson's task was to escort Ruelle. However, Jang Du-sik had to do something else first.
"Du-sik, what did I tell you before?"
Jang Du-sik blinked his eyes. Not understanding, he tapped his head repeatedly. To this, Erik sighed and spoke:
"When the Emperor returns, we need to set the wedding date first, so shouldn't we check on your wife first?"
"Oh! I forgot! That's right, brother!"
Jang Du-sik hurriedly rushed out of the audience chamber. The remaining Jackson stared blankly ahead.
"Jackson, no matter what happens, save Ruelle first."
"Yes, boss."
Erik took out a long ticket from his inventory and handed it to Janson.
[Guild Home Transfer Ticket]
If anything happened, while Janson held the line, Ruelle could escape.
"Janson, you may die. No matter what, I will resurrect you."
"Yes, boss. I have faith."
However, since it was uncertain whether Ruelle would be a resurrection target, he was making full preparations.
'Ruelle doesn't have the kind of fanatic devotion that Erica has.'
From the start, the relationship between Ruelle and Erik was not that of god and believer. It was natural.
"Boss, I will fulfill my duty."
Watching Jackson leave, Erik closed his eyes.
'A few Black Mages appeared at the last prayer meeting too.'
The darkness numbers of those creatures still spread throughout the world. Since they operated like a company, there was a high probability that branches or subsidiaries existed.
'The Black Mage Group's headquarters is only in the Demon Realm.'
He couldn't immediately invade the labyrinth, so what could be done was simple.
'Earn money and build strength.'
***
"Saint Erik, or rather, I should call you a true god—"
"Prime Minister, as I said before, please speak comfortably."
Erik corrected the address again for the Prime Minister.
'I'm not some gangster.'
Just because he became stronger didn't mean he wanted to disregard status and age, speaking informally. There were exceptions, but he had no intention of doing so with the Prime Minister whom he'd known since childhood. It seemed the remnants of Park Ji-hun's Confucian tendencies still lingered.
"Erik, I am truly grateful for saving my daughter's life. Therefore, I have requested compensation from the imperial family."
"Has the Emperor come?"
"That couldn't be. If he had, he would have brought vast wealth. The Imperial Prince very much disapproved."
Was it a joke? For a moment, Erik felt that emotion, but—
"Bring it."
Seeing the Prime Minister's subsequent action, he hastily softened his expression. At the Prime Minister's gesture, servants began carrying a massive treasure chest into the imperial palace. The amount was staggering.
"One billion gold."
Erik smiled contentedly and thanked the Prime Minister for accepting the payment.
'In the empire, have I received about three billion so far?'
Park Ji-hun, the third son of the top-ranked financial group. Recalling his experience, he considered the risk of such money disappearing.
'There should be no problem whatsoever.'
Three billion, roughly 300 trillion won. In terms of world scale, the value of currency would differ somewhat... Regardless, there was no issue. Erik was confident.
'The empire's wealth is the imperial family's wealth.'
Wealth passed down for over a thousand years. It was impossible for a great empire to face problems over just a few trillion won.
'Thinking about Earth, that's how it is.'
How much money disappeared and couldn't be tallied? Just the hidden funds of illegal cartels were tens of trillions, and attempting to siphon using coins was impossible to even estimate.
'Even Korea alone, the ones running illegal gambling sites were moving money in the trillions—'
Yet the world spun on. So the empire should be the same. With these thoughts concluded, Erik posed a question to the Prime Minister.
"Is that all?"
To an unknowing person, it would seem like mad talk...
"It couldn't be."
What wouldn't they give to someone who resurrected their dead daughter? The Prime Minister intended to reveal one of the empire's state secrets to Erik.
"Erik, there's the Fragment of the Moon, right?"
"Wasn't that a symbol of something like irresponsible authority?"
"Such a symbol exists, but the essence of the intelligence bureau is the power of the Moon itself."
The Prime Minister revealed the true nature of the imperial intelligence bureau. While there are intelligence agents who confirm details, it is the power of the Moon that actually reads the flow of the world.
"During the day—"
"Heh! Moonlight shines on the world even during day. It's only that the sun's heat obscures its light."
Moonlight illuminating the world. Being able to use that power was a tremendous opportunity.
"But can I use that?"
"Not as well as imperial blood can. However, at my level as Prime Minister, it can be used."
In other words, direct communion with the moon was impossible. But through something related to this, he could utilize the intelligence bureau's informants. And that something was the Fragment of the Moon itself.
'Infuse power into the fragment?'
Erik took out the ivory-colored Fragment of the Moon. Looking at the hexagonal, well-carved tablet, Erik summoned his Divine Power.
Sssssaaaaah!
Where moonlight met gold, it sparkled like the night sky.
"Heh, you achieved resonance immediately?"
The Prime Minister momentarily held his amazement at the saint's dexterity of accomplishing it on the first try. But that amazement soon transformed into shock.
Uuuwoong!
The moonlight began to resonate,
'Surely'