Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Arhelac!
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She absolutely does not possess divine power.
Those words fell like a death sentence, enveloping the room in an instant hush.
On any other day, Reneah would have panicked at creating such an atmosphere.
But not today.
"I'm sorry, but this is a rather important matter, you see."
It seemed Reneah's seriousness wasn't just due to some interlayer difference.
The Liberation War of the Rajesta Continent.
One of the survivors who drove out the gods.
For her, divine power was evidently a far more sensitive topic than one might imagine.
"Th-then... what exactly did you all see? You said it was divine power!"
The flustered Seo Hajin asked urgently.
Her stock, which she'd believed marked her with special power, was plummeting like a rollercoaster.
"Maria! Tell them! You watched all my stage videos!"
"Y-yes! I did! It was definitely divine power!"
"That was divine power."
Reneah's firm assertion, arms crossed.
What they'd seen on stage was indeed divine power.
But Seo Hajin did not possess divine power.
One hypothesis naturally arose from this contradiction.
"Idols have always meant 'idols' in the literal sense of worshiping icons. How about considering it from that angle?"
The Spectrum members who immediately came to mind—they followed Seo Hajin like fanatics.
At my words, Seo Hajin wore a shocked expression.
"So... the divine power manifested thanks to my fans...?"
"No, that absolutely cannot be."
However, Reneah denied even that.
"It seems the definition of divine power has been slightly misunderstood, so allow me to correct it properly."
She fetched a sheet of A4 paper and drew a crooked circle on it.
"This is a god."
"Draw it properly."
"Don't nitpick over silly things! Next to it! This square is a human!"
Seeing Reneah pout her lips made me feel oddly reassured. This was the 1,902-year-old granny I remembered.
"In the old days, the power bestowed by gods was called 'divine power.'"
A special lecture on history from an elf who had actually lived through that era.
This might turn out to be more valuable than expected.
"It truly was power given by the gods. But don't misunderstand—gods bestowed it simply because they were worshiped. No matter who worshiped them, their power was immortal and mighty."
Thinking about it, that made sense.
If a god's divine power depended on the number of followers, it'd be no different from an idol hustling for promotion.
Reneah swiftly severed the line between the circle and the square.
"But 1,500 years ago, the gods were expelled through the Liberation War, and the connection was severed. The power granted by gods vanished."
Thus, the meaning of divine power had changed in the present day.
"Saints who reach the power of gods. The manifestation of great strides and unyielding conviction."
"......"
"In simple terms, today's divine power is the surest proof that the Rajesta Continent doesn't need gods anymore."
The cathedrals of the Rajesta Continent were different from the churches here.
If anything, they resembled Buddhism from this side.
Humans at the center.
Refining oneself, honing the spirit through training, and attaining enlightenment.
Enlightenment on the Rajesta Continent was divine power, in a sense.
"Now do you understand? Divine power born from someone's worship? That's not divine power at all."
Quite the opposite, in fact.
"Divine power belongs to those who hold convictions unswayed by anyone."
I could understand why Reneah had been so resolute.
It was a warning not to casually tarnish the great path of those who possessed divine power.
Seo Hajin, who had fallen silent, bowed her head.
A woman who had craved something special.
For her, who had hoped for more than just being an idol, the manifestation of divine power must have been a dream come true.
"You still don't know. Not yet."
In the end, Seo Hajin lifted her head.
"You don't know for sure. But it did manifest for real."
"......You're right. I won't deny the divine power in the video."
"Then..."
Seo Hajin took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and made her proposal.
"Come to my final concert and see for yourself. Whether it's real or fake. I can't give up yet."
"......"
"Please."
Seo Hajin bowed deeply.
Reneah looked as if there was no real need, but Maria bowed as well.
"Yes! Please!"
"Hmm, places that are too noisy are tough on me."
She pointed to the headset draped over her shoulder.
"This isn't for listening to music—it's for protecting my ears when it's too loud. So there's no need to—"
"Reneah."
"Hm?"
She seemed oblivious to something, so I whispered into her ear.
"Those tickets cost about 200,000 won each. They're sold out everywhere."
"......"
"Don't you need to keep up with the youth culture?"
Was there any elf easier to persuade than this?
A few days later, early in the morning.
I woke up, rubbed the sleep from my eyes, grabbed a cigarette, and headed outside.
Cigarettes have gotten way too expensive.
On the way to the smoking area with a cigarette in my mouth.
This had become a kind of morning routine lately.
I really should quit smoking.
The company was finally easing up financially. This was the time to tighten my belt and save.
But whenever things didn't go smoothly, my hand naturally reached for a smoke.
After lighting up in the outdoor smoking area, I checked my stocks right away.
But there was a KakaoTalk notification.
"Ah, she sent them again."
For some reason, Ryu Seram had been sending these weird messages like this since last time.
She definitely seemed upset about something.
But she never said what.
As I smoked in the building's outdoor smoking area, two women in workout clothes jogged toward the building for their morning run.
"One! Two! One! Two!"
"One! Two! One! Two!"
Reneah and Sister Maria.
Ever since hearing on NewTube that jogging prevents aging, Reneah had been jogging every day.
Maria was crashing at Reneah's place since there was nowhere for her to stay on the 3rd Floor.
"Whew."
I exhaled a long plume of smoke, and the two spotted me.
"Ah! Boss! You're up! Truth be told, I've been so excited since yesterday that I couldn't sleep!"
"She kept waking me up too, saying she couldn't sleep!"
Today was Prism's "Goodbye Concert."
Since it was Saturday, Meracle was closed too.
A luxurious weekend after so long.
"You still haven't given up?"
There was one reason Reneah was looking forward to it.
"Mm! Give up? How could I! There's a solid chance the people there will scout the adorable me!"
"......"
Ever since that night—after the discussion ended and I'd watched Seo Hajin's rank assessment from the sidelines—she'd been like this.
"Becoming an idol would skyrocket me straight to S-rank... Hehehe!"
She didn't seem to know idols can't date, so I just let it slide.
As long as she didn't hurt her joints.
"Sure, whatever. We'll head out in an hour, so get ready. We need to link up with Kim Yang too."
"Yesss! Boss!"
"Yes, got it!"
I finished my cigarette watching their scampering figures head inside.
Divine power will probably manifest again today, huh?
Over the past few days, I'd gone through Seo Hajin's concert videos with Reneah.
Surprisingly, divine power was unmistakably present in every one.
What on earth is it?
I wondered if we'd uncover its true nature today.
I let a mix of anticipation and worry drift away on the cigarette smoke.
Silos Grand Cathedral.
After Sister Maria left a letter saying, "I've found a divine power bearer—I'll bring them!"
The archbishop was cleaning the underground seal chamber in her stead, as she had been on duty.
It wasn't because he held a high position and thus took on the lowly tasks.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The seal's vibrations grew fiercer with each passing day.
He simply feared the backlash if the other sisters found out.
"......"
The bishop gazed up at the massive seal sphere.
The golden orb, once shrouded in smoke, was gradually clarifying inside.
Arhelac's crimson eyes stared straight at him.
The bishop's wrinkled brow furrowed deeper, his body trembling.
"Human."
"It... it speaks...!"
The voice was grotesque, like molten iron. A scorching fury and thirst for destruction, like lava.
Arhelac opened its mouth, compressing something profound within.
"The day I break free from this place, you will witness me devouring your sons and daughters alive."
"......!"
"My teeth, splintered into thousands, will gnaw you apart. Lodged between my molars, your undying body will turn this land into a sea of fire."
Human.
"Flee. Flee far away. And one day, when you dare look back..."
BOOM!!
The massive seal sphere shook violently from a powerful kick.
"I will stand there, having burned every path you have walked."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"I never forget those who bring me shame—!"
BOOMMMM!!
"Valkar!"
BOOMMMM!!
"Lumiel!"
BOOOOMMMM!!
"Dukarion—!"
Spear, shield, and sword.
The names of the relic owners placed before each seal.
"I will drag you from your graves! Haul you to the abyss and resurrect you! That shall be your hell! Dance as my clowns! Forever upon those spears with your pierced feet—!"
Terrified, the bishop forgot to even breathe as he fled outside.
The thumping noises from behind sounded like the footsteps of a pursuing giant.
"C-contact—! Call the other bishops for backup—!"
The panicked bishop shouted desperately.