Chapter 510: The Statue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 510: The Statue
“A new race?”
“Well, seems like it. I’d say it’s certain. I should have told you a bit sooner… but Ahyeon wanted to get the situation under control first… Haa… it was really something. In a way, it’s a shame you weren’t there. It was quite a spectacle… really… It felt like watching a zombie movie. The most overwhelming thing I’ve ever seen.”
“…”
“She was jumping on the ones trying to fly into the sky, grabbing them, and dragging them back down to the ground. I felt sorry for them, honestly. You could see the terror written all over their faces… If I were one of those bastards, I would’ve run away too. This temple… fuck, it’s so damn reliable.”
“Hoo… please tell me you didn’t watch the whole thing from start to finish…”
“O-of course not… I was watching, but then… well, anyway, that’s what happened.”
Seeing her hastily change the subject, I started to get a pretty good idea of what had happened. Knowing Choi Seulgi’s personality, she had probably watched every last detail from beginning to end. Maybe it was because it was still early, but she had no awareness that she was pregnant. To be honest, it felt like she wasn’t ready to be a mother.
Considering the first word out of her mouth when she found out she was pregnant was “fuck,” it seemed she had no interest in prenatal care. The only silver lining was that she hadn’t gone out to fight on the front lines herself.
“There weren’t any major incidents, were there?”
“Of course not. The guy who came as their commander seemed a little strong, so Eunju had a bit of a hard time… but the result was an easy win.”
“Hmm… that’s a little surprising.”
“Yeah. Eunju said it could have been dangerous if she’d made one wrong move. You have to figure their skill level isn’t bad.”
Across the entire continent, Choi Eunju’s power was among the top tier. Her teleportation magic was one thing, but her specs as a magician were nothing to scoff at. It was widely accepted that she was at least in the top five. For someone like her to describe an enemy as “not bad” meant their level was quite high.
“Hmm… and considering they were just a simple reconnaissance team…”
“You have to assume they know how to fight. Still, they’re fucking pushovers.”
“Choi Seulgi. Language.”
“Alright, alright. A habit doesn’t change overnight. Don’t look at me like that. You’ll hurt my feelings.”
“Try to consider my position, worrying that our child will learn to say ‘fuck’ before ‘dada.’”
“…”
Left speechless, Choi Seulgi puffed out her cheeks. It was her way of showing displeasure, but if this continued, I felt the baby would learn how to raise its middle finger before it learned how to stand. That was a genuine possibility.
“And if a battle breaks out, you’re to stay out of it, no matter what. You know that, right?”
“What?! Where’s the rule that says that?”
“You’re the one who wanted this pregnancy.”
“Fuck, but still…”
“Language.”
“…”
“Mev did nothing while she was pregnant. Other than lie around playing card games, she did absolutely nothing. I’m not telling you to go that far. Just take this chance to rest a little. And cut back on the swearing…”
“…”
She was definitely sulking. I didn’t want to say these things either, but for the unpredictable Choi Seulgi, this level of restraint was necessary. As I moved a little closer and stroked her back, she looked at me, but her cheeks were still puffed out.
“It’s our child.”
“I know. I get it.”
It seemed she didn’t dislike the attention. I gave her butt a light smack with my tail, and she looked back at me in surprise.
“Let’s go, then.”
“Okay!”
As we left the room and walked through the temple, the devotees waiting here and there bowed their heads. Outside the window was the collapsed statue, a sight that was still hard to get used to. I had never imagined it would be destroyed.
It was, of course, an unfortunate event for them. The collapsed statue was a work that Baek Ahyeon cherished as much as the wooden statue carved from the World Tree. A stone thrown in ignorance had created a massive butterfly effect. The scene Choi Seulgi had described played out vividly in my mind. To think she had leaped from that rooftop to tackle an angel trying to fly away… It must have been a grotesque sight.
“I’m just saying this in case, but don’t be too hard on Ahyeon…”
“Of course not.”
Honestly, I didn’t care if a few statues were destroyed. It seemed to be an important issue for Choi Seulgi, but I was more inclined to praise them for capturing the intruders alive.
Before we even reached the room, the entrance to a massive door began to open. It was the chapel of the grand temple, the place we had arranged to meet today.
“Iron Throne. Iron Throne.”
“I know.”
I found it hard to understand her insistence on bringing out the Iron Throne when there were perfectly good chairs to sit on, but the Iron Throne was indeed a bit more comfortable.
Weapons poured out from my cloak and quickly assembled into a chair, and I plopped myself down onto it. I glanced at Choi Seulgi, who casually took a spot by the armrest. It seemed she had decided to fully embrace the role of a villain’s right-hand woman. It wasn’t a critical meeting, so it didn’t matter either way. No sooner had we settled in than Baek Ahyeon was seen entering the chapel with her devotees.
She wore an expression of profound apology, but seeing her unharmed was a relief.
“O-O, Savior. I have committed a sin… worthy of death…”
“It matters not. Rather, I am glad that you are safe.”
“Ah!”
“A mere statue like that can be made at any time. But my devotee, if I had heard you were injured, I would have been overcome with sorrow.”
“O… O, Savior.”
“We can catch up on what happened later. For now, I wish to see them.”
“Ah! Yes! Understood.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the angels Choi Seulgi had mentioned came into view. As expected, not a single one of them was unscathed. One looked like a completed insect specimen, pinned by hundreds of needles, while another was brought in impaled on a spear shaft. It didn’t look like I’d be able to question that one.
The most overwhelming sight was the bronze bull being brought in with Saintess Jane.
Moooooooooo!!!
“…”
There was still someone inside it.
“I wish to speak with them.”
“Ah… Yes! Right away.”
When Jane opened the bull’s door, something that no longer resembled a human spilled out with a wet splat. If I hadn’t looked closely, I would have mistaken it for a lump of flesh.
‘…’
“Ah… ugh… ah…”
And it was still alive.
As Baek Ahyeon cast a radiant holy light, the lump of flesh slowly began to regain its former shape. It was clear it had no intention of resisting.
“Kill… me…”
“This is the wicked one who dared to destroy our Savior’s statue. They are the cursed ones, impossible to reform even with the rite of purification.”
“What is her name?”
“I was told it is Nazareth.”
At a slight raise of my hand, Baek Ahyeon poured holy power into Nazareth once more. She was trying to get her into a state where she could at least speak. The same went for the others who had been brought in; since I had expressed a desire to talk, they were trying to make them capable of conversation.
“Name.”
“Y-You… you are their… their S-Savior. Kill… kill me. Please… P-Please… I have committed a foolish act. Please… please…”
“Name.”
“I-It is Nazareth.”
“Hmm… Who is the leader here?”
Before I even finished my sentence, I saw Nazareth’s head turn. My eyes fell upon a man restrained in a bizarrely shaped chair. Unlike the others, who looked anxious, the man before me had a somewhat serious look in his eyes.
“Name.”
“Michael.”
I liked that he answered immediately.
“So you are the savior. And… you are not human.”
But I did not like that he was asking me questions. Annoyed that he had dared to question me, Baek Ahyeon shifted as if to rise, but I shook my head.
Since I had many things to ask, I figured this much was acceptable.
“The one they believe in is…”
It seemed he had never imagined that the being they fanatically served was a real person.
“You did not expect this.”
“I did not.”
“Frankly, I feel like applauding you. I never expected you to come to us first. Thank you for coming. A bit late, but welcome to the temple.”
“…”
“I want to hear your purpose for coming here, and where you came from. There’s no need to be coy and keep your mouth shut. After all, even if you don’t talk, there are plenty of others who will.”
I glanced over at Nazareth and saw her hastily trying to open her mouth. She understood what I meant. Keeping silent would gain her nothing. Among them, the only one whose spirit wasn’t broken was Michael, right in front of me.
The others looked ready to offer up their own gallbladders if I just promised them a painless death. The female angel who had likely endured the most difficult time was no exception.
“Our purpose for coming here is…”
“Your purpose?”
“For salvation.”
“Pfft. So it’s your way to seek out a temple first. Is that right?”
“I will not deny it.”
“When we fought the war against the undead in the Northern Continent, I happened to pick up and read an interesting journal. I feel it’s still too early to make a final judgment, but it seems you are the ones written about in that journal.”
There was no reply. A perfect bullseye. They definitely remembered the fallen prince from the past. My decision to have his writings reviewed again before coming here had paid off. The salvation they spoke of was most likely death.
“In truth, it matters little to me whether you are truly messengers of God sent from the heavens or simply a new race living on this continent. However, it is only right that you take responsibility for treading on my land and destroying what is mine.”
The victor’s seat is always a comfortable one.
As I leaned back, Choi Seulgi subtly snuggled up against me. Normally, this was the moment when a beautiful woman devoted to the demon lord would embrace him, but seeing Choi Seulgi so immersed in her acting made me chuckle despite myself. For some reason, I was starting to worry about tonight as well.
“I will ask again. Where did you come from?”
“Before that…”
“Speak.”
“I have a proposal.”
“…”
I didn’t answer, curious to hear what he would say.
“How about we form an alliance? I would like to speak with you further.”
“…”
“You do not need to decide now. However, I would like to formally request treatment as a prisoner of war. This will not be a bad deal for you either.”
“Puhahahahahahat.”
It was an absurd remark.
“How amusing. You. Look around you.”
“…”
“Did you really think we could talk after what you’ve done?”
“You are different from them, are you not?”
“They are the ones I cherish. Among them is even one who could be called my woman. I will ask you again, slowly.”
“…”
“Did you think I was the type of person you could reason with?”
I slowly roused the powers within me. A colossal aura began to fill the hall. Nothing but killing intent for him came to mind. He might even find it hard to breathe.
At the aura so potent it made the very air tremble, Nazareth and the other angels began to shake uncontrollably. The other devotees, except for Baek Ahyeon, bowed their heads and knelt.
It was simple intimidation. But I believed the man who took the full force of my emotion would understand what I was saying.
“Be grateful you can even sit here and face me, you nauseating fools. To me, you look like insects. Insects that I can crush under my heel. Is there any other fool who would discuss alliances or prisoners with an insect? I thought you were somewhat intelligent, but it turns out you were even more stupid. If you had just begged me to kill you, I would have sent you off without pain. What do you think I’m going to do to you?”
No answer came. But I saw Nazareth slowly open her mouth.
“I-I apologize for not knowing… my place. Sob… sob, sob. O, Savior. P-Please… that foolish Michael has made a grave, grave m-mistake. For the Savior! Hic! For the Savior!”
I could roughly understand. This was a proud and noble race. I didn’t know if they truly believed the salvation they offered was real, but they felt pride in their race itself.
That was why the reaction from the woman named Nazareth was so bewildering.
It made me see Baek Ahyeon, who had reduced this woman to such a state, in a new, more impressive light.
“…”