Chapter 190
Chapter: 190
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 190
>Chapter Title: The Way of Repentance (2)
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[Repent. Repent.]
Seongjin was tuning his ears to a voice coming from somewhere.
It was the voice of a man humming a melody like a song. Hoarse and cracked terribly, yet that voice still carried a power that delved deep into a person's soul.
Bethelah.
In response to the voice, numerous people echoed it with a short chant.
‘…What the hell is this?’
As soon as Seongjin paid attention, strangely enough, the voice grew gradually closer.
[We are all sinners.]
Bethelah.
[So kneel here and now and repent all your sins.]
Bethelah.
‘Bethelah…’
Seongjin blankly repeated the chant.
It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. Hadn’t he heard those words from someone just recently?
That Rohan bastard, was it?
While Seongjin was lost in such thoughts, the man’s words continued.
[Listen. We tore open our mother’s womb to be born into this world, drank our father’s blood to trample this land. And is that all? To breathe just a few more days, we must mercilessly discard an equal life. Merely existing brings harm to the world—what more heinous sinners could there be!]
Bethelah.
[Every breath we exhale, every word we speak is nothing but filth that pollutes the world. Ah, how can we stand idly by? How can we endure without repenting!]
In agreement, many low voices chanted a quiet melody.
Ah, Lord God. We are all sinners. Punish our sins as we deserve.
[Then, brothers, brothers in repentance! How will you repent your deep sins?]
The people answered the man’s question.
By throwing ourselves into asceticism to punish ourselves.
By ceaselessly confessing our sins amid torment.
By washing away all evil with our blood.
Now Seongjin could see not only the sounds but their forms right before his eyes.
In a vast cavern, hundreds of people knelt on the cold stone floor, offering prayers.
‘…Is this a dream?’
But it was too vivid to dismiss as a mere dream.
They were all emaciated to a pitiful degree, their faces and limbs visible through tattered monastic robes covered in countless scars and wounds.
And in the center they gazed up at, on the platform at the cavern’s heart, stood a man.
He too was gaunt like the followers, his body covered in fresh wounds.
Yet his bearing as he looked down upon them was overwhelmingly imposing and majestic. His thick beard and unkempt, disheveled hair fluttered wildly like a lion’s mane.
[Exactly so! All becomes clear only through our suffering. Only endless asceticism will make us aware of our sins!]
The man’s resounding voice echoed through the cavern, shaking the souls of the faithful.
The people echoed after him as if entranced.
Bethelah.
Only endless asceticism.
[Only utter torment will aid your repentance!]
Bethelah.
Only utter torment.
[Torment, only torment is the true way of repentance.]
Watching the scene, Seongjin thought in disbelief.
Hey, at least promise riches and glory if they believe. Or eternal life in heaven.
‘Even for a cult, how does this deranged preaching actually catch on?’
Fine, let’s concede a hundred times that humans are all sinners.
Then repent in a more productive way.
Drowning yourself in pain does nothing for the world—it’s just self-satisfaction. In the end, you’re just consuming oxygen and spewing carbon dioxide like mad.
‘If you have the stamina to punish yourself, go till a field and contribute to society! If you still can’t forgive yourself, at least don’t bother anyone and sleep in a corner.’
Seongjin snorted inwardly at the thought.
But as if hearing his thoughts, the man on the platform suddenly turned to look at Seongjin.
‘……?!’
The moment their eyes met, shock flashed in the man’s gaze.
[■■■ ■■?!]
‘What?’
[What are you doing there right now…?]
Are you talking to me? What the hell?
What did you just call me?
At that moment, a familiar voice resounded in his mind.
[Return, [Mores].]
…Father?
In an instant, whoosh.
The scene before him receded, and Seongjin’s consciousness shot upward somewhere.
* * *
Clack, clack.
Seongjin felt his body jostling faintly and opened his eyes.
The familiar cushioned feel and vibrations. He was probably lying in a moving carriage.
“Have you regained consciousness, Your Highness?”
“…Marquis Masin?”
Seongjin turned his head toward the voice but couldn’t see him.
“……?”
His vision was strangely dark. Something was wrapped tightly around his eyes.
Puzzled, as he reached to touch it, a hand stopped him.
“Leave it be, Your Highness. You may not remember, but you suffered a severe injury to your eyes.”
“Injury…”
Only then did yesterday’s memories flash quickly through Seongjin’s mind.
The massive demon beast’s appearance, the annihilation of the Milo merchant caravan, the kaleidoscope of colors that unfolded when he borrowed the Demon King’s senses.
And the headache rotting his skull from behind, the eyes burning fiercely.
Throb.
Just thinking about it brought back the pain. Seongjin gave up recalling more and relaxed his body.
“How long do I have to keep this on?”
“Priest Gustav judged it best to avoid light for a while. Sigismund Territory isn’t far, so it’d be wise to have a proper physician check you there before removing it.”
“Hmm.”
He felt around the bandage, but his eyes didn’t hurt.
‘Feels fine…’
Still, Seongjin decided to heed Masin’s words obediently.
He wanted to check his eyesight right away, but following the priest’s advice was safer. No harm in caution.
‘Besides, Marquis Masin’s vibe is off somehow.’
He sensed a precarious tension, as if something was being forcibly suppressed.
This feels ominous?
It was like if Seongjin tried anything rash, the seal would break and a torrent of rebuke would pour out.
“Marquis Masin. How long was I out? What time is it now…?”
As he cautiously spoke, the carriage jolted to a halt with a thud.
“Your Highness slept through the morning. It’s nearly time for lunch.”
Masin rose from his seat, speaking in a flat tone.
“Then, having confirmed you’ve awakened safely, I’ll take my leave. Your attendant maid will come to serve your meal, so please eat without skipping it, Your Highness.”
With that, Masin opened the carriage door and vanished outside.
Not giving a moment to ask about yesterday or the demon beast.
‘Wait a second!’
At least he wanted to know how he’d survived falling from that height after slicing the growth core!
Seongjin lay there dazed, then shook his head and addressed the Demon King.
‘Wow, Marquis Masin seems really pissed.’
[…….]
‘…Demon King?’
But there was no reply.
He could vividly feel it hunkered in a corner of his mind?
‘Hey, what’s with you? Why aren’t you talking? Something wrong?’
Then a faint wriggle came from his head.
[Sniffle…….].
Huh?
You crying, you punk? Why?
[…Who’s crying? I’m just tired and need rest, so don’t talk to me for a while!]
The Demon King snapped back and then fell silent.
‘…Uh? What’s up with everyone?’
So baffled, Seongjin sat there blankly, mouth agape, until Edis arrived with his meal.
Meanwhile, Bruno, sensing the prince stirring, asked Marquis Masin as he emerged from the carriage.
“Marquis Masin. Has His Highness awakened safely?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief.”
Bruno exhaled in relief.
There had been a moment of real worry, but thankfully everything had resolved smoothly.
Last night.
The sudden holy aura that descended upon the group had instantly blown away the demonic energy surrounding Prince Mores and cleanly purified even the demon beast’s remains.
Then the prince’s body was enveloped in sacred white light. The bleeding from his eyes stopped at once, and all minor scratches on his body healed perfectly.
It was a miracle in the truest sense.
-God above!
Peeking under the prince’s eyelids to confirm his eyes were fine, Marquis Masin collapsed on the spot, looking a decade older.
The miracle didn’t end there. Even some knights showing signs of corrosion were fully healed.
Even Masin himself, whose severe corrosion had caused black spots across his body, was left without a trace.
That silenced the Wolf Knights who’d been whispering about the demonic energy around the prince.
The holy aura vanished soon after, but the group, led by Priest Gustav, spent some time spontaneously offering thanks to God.
-Perhaps His Majesty’s soul descended upon us.
Sharon had explained later once he recovered.
Indeed, the Holy Emperor Bruno knew could perform such a miracle with ease.
It was just that he’d never shown such a feat with his soul alone, leaving Bruno still a bit stunned.
“Then I’ll be off on some business.”
Masin spoke in a subdued voice, gripping his sword tightly as he headed toward the fields, apparently to train during the brief rest.
‘He shouldn’t rush… He needs more leisure…’
Watching the knight’s anxious back, Bruno stroked his mustache.
He knew Masin had redoubled his training lately.
Especially today, his eyes half-rolled back as he swung his sword relentlessly since dawn.
Bruno understood the profound helplessness Masin must have felt last night.
But now was the time for him to aim for the 10th layer of aura. Not blind training, but a relaxed introspection of his inner self.
“Captain Bruno!”
Then an exorcist came running, calling him.
She’d collapsed from overload during last night’s channeling but now seemed fully recovered.
“Ah, Lady Sharon. Feeling better?”
“Fine… No, that’s not important now!”
Answering Bruno’s question, she replied gravely.
“Something’s wrong. The channel is still closed! So tell me more details about what happened yesterday!”
“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden?”
As Bruno blinked in confusion, Lady Sharon rarely shouted in agitation.
“I mean His Majesty’s channel! No response no matter how I call!”
* * *
Nate was currently in a sort of Rift in soul form.
Someone had used their authority to summon his soul here directly.
Of course, this wasn’t like the unstable Rifts the otherworldly lords forcibly ripped open to invade.
This was a properly owned space, relatively stable in its spacetime structure. It was the place where the Council of Six, guardians of dimensions, sometimes convened.
‘The morning council will probably be handled well by Tatiana, and Katrina will cover for my absence. I still have time.’
Vast space where frozen timelines gleamed in faded gray, scattered everywhere.
As Nate floated in the center, worrying over various things, irritation soon crept in.
‘I’d love to just slice my way out right now…’
Breaking out by force was trivial, but the aftermath would be troublesome in many ways.
That’s why he was scraping together his meager patience, waiting for the space’s owner.
[How long do you plan to make me wait? Can’t you hurry up with a meeting or an inquiry or whatever?]
Finally losing patience, Nate spoke.
His voice spread as gentle vibrations, causing the frozen spaces to rumble and grind.
[Or is this some protest? Don’t waste my time if you’re not even going to help. As you know, I’m a very busy man.]
Just as Nate seriously considered drawing the Peerless Sword at his waist and cleaving through.
[…No meeting will be held.]
A heavy, familiar voice reached him.
An elderly man of tall stature had appeared behind Nate, gazing at him quietly. He wore a plain gray robe.
His face was strikingly sharp and defined; in youth, he’d have seemed quite prickly.
But ages had softened the contours slightly, blending with his piercing gaze to evoke a subtle majesty.
[I convinced them well. How’s that? Cooled your head a bit?]
The old man’s golden eyes fixed on Nate, the pupils narrowing into thin vertical slits.
[…Elder.]
Nate removed his hand from his waist and let out a small sigh.