Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Honest Thoughts on Manual Labor
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To give an honest assessment of simple manual labor.
Drip, crackle.
It was refreshing.
It felt as meaningful as the days when he used to swing his fists without a thought in the world.
Sweat trickling down steadily.
"Thank you!"
"No problem."
Go Yohan threw himself into the work so completely that he even forgot the sticky discomfort of his sweat-soaked clothes.
Even though it was just erecting the pillars that would form the foundation, there was an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
'Ah.'
Why was that?
'Goddess.'
Wasn't this too a blessing from her?
"Work's done!"
Cheol Jung-bae shouted.
"Huff, huff...!"
"Oof, I'm dying."
"W-water!"
The zealots who had volunteered as laborers collapsed on the spot and started yelling.
Go Yohan set down the piece he had been carrying on his shoulder and stared at them with a blank expression.
"Puha!"
Laughter burst out of him naturally.
He had known it.
That they had followed his lead, carrying the pillars with raw muscle alone, without using any mana.
And if that wasn't enough, they had used only the bare minimum mana to lift the pillars.
"Haha, good work, everyone."
Those who had carried the pillars alongside him said that to Go Yohan.
It felt like they had grown a little closer.
Of course.
"Here, have some."
Rather than saying their wary attitude toward Go Yohan had changed, it was more like he had seen a bit more of their true selves.
"How was it?"
Cheol Jung-bae approached and asked.
"It was good."
"Sometimes, working without thinking is the best."
Cheol Jung-bae nodded as if it were the most obvious thing.
"I'll teach you blacksmithing later if you need it."
"Please do."
"Who would've thought the day would come when I'd sweat alongside the Captain."
Emotion swelled on Cheol Jung-bae's face.
In Travania, no one had dared treat Go Yohan lightly.
Even the Dwarf Great King had shrunk back from facing him, and that haughty World Tree of the elves had carefully proposed marriage to him—only to be rejected.
To sweat alongside such a being.
'This alone is enough.'
Cheol Jung-bae felt like he had accomplished something as important as a master's masterpiece.
It was then.
"But what's that?"
At the very front of the temple under construction stood the massive structure that Go Yohan and the zealots had taken the most care to transport.
It seemed larger than a temple entrance, with some defined shape to it.
Heh.
In response to Go Yohan's question, Cheol Jung-bae flashed a deep smile.
"It's a statue."
"......?"
"You don't need to know yet. It'll be the masterpiece of my life, so look forward to it."
"...."
A creeping sense of unease.
"No way, right?"
"...."
"No way, right?"
Even as Go Yohan asked again.
"Hey! If we're short on pillars, the work will drag! Hurry up!"
Cheol Jung-bae shouted as he hurried off with quick steps.
"No way, right?"
"I-I've got a lot of work to do!"
Cheol Jung-bae vanished in a flash.
Go Yohan, who had paused for a moment, gazed back at the massive thing.
'No way.'
It couldn't be.
"No way...."
Go Yohan walked off, towel draped around his neck.
It wasn't just his imagination that the resting zealots flinched behind him.
*
*
*
The day he helped with the temple construction alongside Cheol Jung-bae and the zealots.
"...."
Go Yohan sat up in the church dorm, staring blankly.
It was a strange feeling.
"....Why did I sleep so well?"
It wasn't a lie—for over twenty years, he could count on one hand the times he'd slept this deeply.
And one of those had been last night.
Over six hours, without a single nightmare or tossing and turning. Deep sleep.
He was so surprised that a hollow laugh escaped him.
'Sometimes.'
Helping with the temple construction wasn't so bad.
Just then, Go Yohan's eyes caught a note.
-Rest today as well. Your dedicated bodyguard, Lee Jae-kyung.
It was a note from Lee Jae-kyung.
Perhaps thanks to sleeping so deeply last night.
With his anxiety somewhat eased, Go Yohan nodded.
"Captain...."
The place Go Yohan headed to was Gluttony's lab.
He greeted Gluttony, who was researching new items and elixirs with the Dwarven folk, with his haggard face.
"Still not sleeping?"
"....I don't need to."
"You should join the temple construction too. Might do you good."
"....?"
Gluttony shuddered ominously.
"...An order?"
"No, not like that."
"...Then... I won't."
Gluttony scratched his itchy head and said.
"Need any help?"
"....I'm fine."
"Still."
In the end, Go Yohan helped test elixirs and new items.
"....Isn't this poison?"
What was supposed to be an elixir didn't boost stats at all—instead, it suppressed mana and weakened muscles.
"Ah.... That's a failed one...."
Gluttony glared at the Dwarven folk as he said it.
"S-sorry."
The Dwarven folk were gifted in crafting weapons and armor or construction work, but they showed no talent in alchemy like elixirs.
That made sense, since their ancestors, the dwarves, were a race with low mana sensitivity.
Instead, they excelled at imbuing external mana into materials.
"This sword's pretty good."
As expected, they were making great progress in weapon crafting.
"...We're making items that can kill demons... The previous ones couldn't even destroy them completely."
Even in Travania, that task had ended in failure after much effort.
If it had succeeded, the war would have been won.
"Think you can do it?"
At Go Yohan's worried question.
"We believe it's possible."
One of the Dwarven folk said politely to Go Yohan.
"....Sin. The beings of Travania couldn't wield it, but we can now."
He also heard about the Demon God Armor undergoing purification and improvements.
"....Thanks, Captain."
Gluttony expressed his gratitude to Go Yohan.
"Thanks to you, the time to get results... seems shortened."
Go Yohan didn't know what had helped, but Gluttony said it anyway.
After that, Go Yohan stood in a certain room.
"...."
As he gazed at the room with a heavy expression.
-Captain.
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed in Go Yohan's mind.
-Don't worry about me.
It was a voice that was both youthful and mature.
But what they had in common was a strangely alluring, captivating tone.
-It feels like it won't be much longer. Soon....
He could also sense a burning ambition.
-I think I can leave this room.
"Yeah."
He was relieved.
"I'll be waiting whenever you're ready, Lust."
Locked in the room was Gluttony's twin, Lust.
Before Joo In-kyung, the most powerful and dangerous force was Lust, but she couldn't even control it.
Afraid that mishandling it could destroy everything, she had locked the door herself and sealed away.
She would emerge once she could wield that power.
-Captain.
The voice that even drew in Go Yohan said.
-See you soon.
*
*
*
After that, Go Yohan went to find Greed, but.
"How's the loss on that side?"
"...."
"That level of loss is nothing. But mishandling the church's... no, the Captain's assets comes at a great price."
In the tense atmosphere, Greed's command continued.
"Leaving the head is enough, right?"
"....We'll accept it."
"No. You're still useful, so I'll let it slide with a finger. But never make this mistake again. Remember that."
"....Thank you."
It had to be a joke.
"Captain, you're here?"
Greed welcomed Go Yohan.
"Want anything?"
"...."
Go Yohan looked at Greed for a moment, then smiled.
"I came to see if you needed help...."
But as he said it.
"Seems like there's nothing I can help with."
What Greed was doing looked highly specialized at a glance.
The flurry of changing numbers and the riot of red and blue made Go Yohan tired just watching.
He could have tried helping for Greed's sake, but he was sure it would only burden her.
"Take it easy."
Go Yohan stroked Greed's head.
"...This alone is plenty of help."
Greed smiled in satisfaction, popped a candy in her mouth, and returned to her seat.
Go Yohan left without disturbing her further.
Everyone was diligently at their posts.
'Still.'
If it was given rest time, shouldn't he look after the ones still here too?
The place Go Yohan headed to next was.
"Ah... Pa! Daddy!"
Where Joo In-kyung was.
"Not daddy, oppa. Or Captain."
"....Captain!"
The girl now looked about seven or eight.
But the immense power dwelling within her meant Go Yohan always had to suppress her consciousness as he picked her up.
"Us."
Go Yohan said to Joo In-kyung.
"Shall we go out?"
"Yes!"
*
*
*
Compared to Lust, who was confined entirely to her room, Joo In-kyung might have had quite a bit more freedom.
But considering Lust's room was wider and freer than expected.
"Wow. Clouds, people."
In the church, the least free might have been the youngest girl, Joo In-kyung.
"You like it that much?"
The zealots had offered to come along, but Go Yohan refused and drove himself.
"Yes! Sky. People. Buildings!"
She was too dangerous, but with Go Yohan there, it would be fine.
Vrrr.
Joo In-kyung stuck her head out the lowered window and looked up at the sky.
And when she swung her hand as if to grab something.
Boom!
A massive roar echoed from the sky.
"Cloud! Cloud!"
A huge hole had punched through one of the giant clouds painting the sky—it was definitely no illusion.
"In-kyung, no."
"Why no?"
"No."
"Why no!"
Joo In-kyung pouted but soon closed the window and sat back.
By then, Go Yohan and Joo In-kyung had arrived at their destination.
It was where another apostle they needed to meet was.