Chapter 273
Chapter 273
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 273
Chapter Title: Doubts About the Holy King
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Honestly, Seo Woo-jin had always been weak to his elders.
It wasn't solely because he hailed from the Confucian kingdom of Korea.
Having lost his parents at a young age and been raised by his grandparents played a big part in it.
As such, Seo Woo-jin found himself unable to refuse Freya's "request" that wasn't quite a request.
"Heh heh—thank you for humoring this old woman."
In the end, Seo Woo-jin had no choice but to hit the road with Freya.
"No, no. We're headed the same way anyway, so traveling together beats going alone and getting bored."
Freya nodded as he gave an awkward smile in response.
"You're right. There's a certain charm to these spur-of-the-moment traveling companions."
She kept smiling, clearly delighted by something.
*Hmm, this is tricky.*
Seo Woo-jin had planned to reach the Central Cathedral as quickly as possible.
He had to return to Massive Guardian within the week he'd promised Van Slane.
At this pace, though, it would take more than a week just to get there.
And that was only half the problem.
He had only one goal in heading there.
To sever the Holy King's head.
Yet Freya was the former captain of the Divine Knights who had broken her seclusion to aid Aier.
There was no way she'd stand by idly while he carried out his plan.
*She'll try to stop me somehow.*
He wasn't afraid.
Sure, she had reached a higher realm than him at present, but that didn't guarantee victory.
Her stamina, strength, and endurance—all except her mana—were inferior to his.
Dealing with Freya wouldn't be too difficult...
*But getting close to her like this is the real issue.*
If they grew familiar and their bond deepened along the way, could Seo Woo-jin really draw his sword against her without mercy?
If a fight was unavoidable, he'd have no choice...
*It'd be tough.*
Truth be told, he didn't want to harm Freya.
*I need to find another way.*
He couldn't come all the way to Aier and return empty-handed.
"What are you thinking so deeply about?"
Freya asked when she noticed Seo Woo-jin lost in thought, his lips pressed tight.
"Oh, nothing."
He shook his head, brushing it off.
But with all the years she'd lived, she saw right through the lie.
"Nothing? It's written all over your face that you're troubled. Speak up. This old woman's wisdom might help."
He could hardly admit he was thinking her company was a hassle.
So Seo Woo-jin decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"I've been wondering why the Holy King would start a war like this."
"...His Holiness the Holy King?"
Freya's brow furrowed.
Even she had no answer to that.
How could she possibly suspect that the Holy King was a Demon King's follower—an Apostle, no less?
"I wouldn't know."
Truth be told, Freya was more curious about it than anyone.
She couldn't comprehend what had happened while she'd retired to the countryside.
"His Holiness was the wisest and most compassionate of men. How could he...?"
The Mardetain in Freya's memory was the perfect fit for the throne of Holy King.
He was no fool to make such a blunder.
"So you're heading to the Central Cathedral for that reason?"
This time, Seo Woo-jin turned the question on her.
Why had someone who could barely walk properly reentered the world?
He wondered if her reemergence was to visit the Central Cathedral and meet the Holy King.
"I came out at first because I was asked for help."
Freya knew nothing of Aier's current state.
She'd been in such a remote village that even rumors hadn't reached her.
She had simply broken her seclusion in her final years, determined to save her homeland in its hour of need.
But upon venturing out, she found the situation bizarre.
The war was clearly Aier's fault, by all accounts.
By the time she realized something was amiss, she met Ian and heard his story.
And she became convinced.
The Holy King now was not the man he once was.
"That's why I decided to confirm it myself. I have to see him with my own eyes and ask."
Why he had done such a thing.
Seo Woo-jin felt a twinge of unease at Freya's words.
*He wasn't like this before?*
Did that mean the Holy King had been acting all that time?
*No, that's impossible.*
The Holy King was an Apostle.
That meant he had attained the transcendent realm.
He must possess demonic energy beyond imagination.
*He could fool ordinary people. The gap is too vast. But...*
Hiding it from Freya was impossible.
She had reached the same transcendent realm; she couldn't fail to sense his demonic energy.
Even if he hid it deeply, it would be the same.
*Then what? Did he become an Apostle later?*
Freya's words nagged at Seo Woo-jin.
*Maybe he was impersonated.*
A common trope in games, novels, and movies.
A villain kills someone and takes their place.
*I need to check it out myself.*
He didn't know the truth yet.
The Holy King might have used some method to conceal his demonic energy and kept up the act.
Or he might truly have been replaced by another.
Or, though unlikely, he might have become a Demon King's follower after Freya retired.
But regardless of which was true, one thing remained unchanged.
*One thing's certain: I have to kill him.*
Wise in the past?
Compassionate before?
Those words meant nothing now.
The current Holy King was an Apostle, the one who'd started this war to win the Descent War.
"Suppose—just suppose."
Seo Woo-jin began cautiously.
"Go on."
Freya nodded, so he pondered for a moment.
*Should I really say it?*
It was just the two of them here.
Cardinal Ian had returned to Andor, so no one else would overhear.
Seo Woo-jin hesitated before continuing carefully.
"What if the Holy King is an entirely different being from the man he was?"
"A different being?"
Freya tilted her head, as if not understanding.
"If he's strayed from the path, then I must set him right. That's the duty of a servant."
"No, I didn't mean he's just made a mistake."
Since he'd come this far, Seo Woo-jin decided to probe her intentions.
"I mean literally a different being. Say, a follower of the Demon King or..."
Whoooosh—!
Before he could finish, a massive holy power erupted like an explosion.
"How dare you insult His Holiness?"
The kindly old neighbor vibe was gone.
In its place stood the main god's sharpest sword and sturdiest shield.
*Tch.*
He'd expected as much, but her reaction was fiercer than anticipated.
*That shows just how vital the Holy King is to Aier.*
Seo Woo-jin clicked his tongue inwardly and summoned his chaos energy.
Her holy power was so overwhelming he couldn't even speak without it.
Woooong—
His chaos energy began pushing back hers.
It was a slight strain, but he easily regained control of the area.
"...Please calm down."
He urged Freya in a heavy tone.
But to her, the name Holy King seemed like a reverse scale.
"Calm down? You dare sully his name in this land and tell *me* to calm down?!"
Freya was poised to draw her sword any second.
But Seo Woo-jin's words came a beat faster.
"I heard it directly."
Kuuuung—!!!
Her holy power began crushing everything around them.
The pressure was so immense that the ground beneath Seo Woo-jin's feet cratered.
*Ugh—*
He stifled a groan.
Her power was terrifying, perhaps from her long life.
*Still...*
He could hold out.
His own realm wasn't much lower than hers.
"Explain in detail—who told you what. If I deem it a lie, I'll cut you down here."
Her eyes gleamed with killing intent; she meant it.
*She might collapse at this rate.*
Her power surpassed his, but she was clearly overexerting herself.
Worried she'd clutch her neck and faint, he spoke up quickly.
"There's a man named Benoin. One of the Apostles. Do you know him?"
Seo Woo-jin played his trump card.
*How will she react?*
Would she rage and dismiss it as nonsense?
Or lend an ear?
He focused on Freya's expression.
Her eyebrows twitched.
But she didn't explode in anger.
*Good.*
Benoin wasn't a famous Apostle.
But someone of Freya's stature couldn't not know of him.
Hearing such a specific name from Seo Woo-jin made her decide to hear him out.
"I've encountered him. And I heard it straight from him."
Seo Woo-jin spoke without a hint of deception.
But it still wasn't enough to convince her.
"Benoin is an Apostle infamous for deceit and cunning. You've merely been toyed with by his silver tongue."
Freya rejected his words.
"Is that so? But the Holy King's actions right now don't seem all that off from that."
She didn't counter this time.
No—couldn't was more accurate.
"There's a knight named Oyen in the Divine Knights. He's known as Aier's most devout knight right now. And he's convinced the Holy King is an Apostle."
"...Oyen?"
Surprisingly, Freya seemed to know Oyen.
*That makes this easier.*
Seo Woo-jin sighed inwardly in relief and continued.
"He had a subordinate knight named Aeron watch the Holy King. And he witnessed something astonishing."
Their meeting with the lion.
"I can't believe it."
"If you want, I can arrange for you to meet them yourself."
Of course, it'd mean going all the way to Massive Guardian, so it'd take time.
Seo Woo-jin slowly continued toward Freya, who was just glaring silently.
"I feel the same as you. The Holy King, who should be at the forefront fighting the Demon King more than anyone—being his follower? Of course I don't want to believe it."
"...What are you getting at?"
Freya spat the words like they tasted foul.
"There's no need to decide right now. But if it turns out at the Central Cathedral that the Holy King really is an Apostle..."
Seo Woo-jin met her murderous gaze head-on.
"What will you do then?"