Chapter 289
Chapter 289
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 289
Chapter Title: Truths Revealed
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Se Woo-jin had achieved what he set out to do.
Unfortunately, he had failed at taking out Yudain and leveling up, but he had succeeded at the biggest goal: stopping the Lenninstang army.
Even so, Se Woo-jin couldn’t immediately return to Massive Guardian.
It was because the Lenninstang army’s supreme commander, who had introduced himself as Bastian, declared that he couldn’t leave until Diarok woke up.
‘If I’d known it would be like this, maybe I should’ve gone easier on him?’
Diarok had been stronger than expected.
That was why he’d had no choice but to use more force than necessary.
Thanks to that, it seemed like it would take quite a while for the guy to regain consciousness.
‘If this drags on, that’ll be a problem…….’
Se Woo-jin couldn’t leave until these guys turned their army around.
The situation had more or less wrapped up, but no one knew what that mad bastard might do once he came to his senses.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if he immediately mobilized his troops to fight Se Woo-jin again the moment he woke up.
In the end, Se Woo-jin had no choice but to stick around until Diarok regained consciousness and the Lenninstang army withdrew beyond Aier’s borders.
“Would you care for some tea?”
Bastian asked cautiously, noticing Se Woo-jin’s poor expression.
“Forget the tea. Got any alcohol?”
He figured it would be better to kill time with a drink than sip something tasteless.
“…I’ll see what I can find.”
There would be some strong whiskey mixed in with the supplies for disinfecting the wounded.
It wasn’t good for enjoying, but it was all they had right now.
Bastian ordered a subordinate to fetch a bottle of whiskey, then sat back down in front of Se Woo-jin.
Since they weren’t the type to chat idly, a heavy silence flowed between them.
Then, out of the blue, Bastian asked,
“Is it true?”
It was a sudden question.
But Se Woo-jin read the implication hidden within.
‘He’s asking if I really came here to catch an Apostle.’
It was a flawless reason.
But the timing was too coincidental.
On top of that, he’d proposed ending the war and going home.
From Bastian’s perspective, it was bound to raise suspicions.
“It’s true.”
Se Woo-jin nodded.
Bastian’s expression grew even heavier as he spoke.
“This isn’t an interrogation. I don’t want any more war either. So tell me the truth. You truly have no connection to Aier, right?”
It was phrased as a question, but he seemed convinced.
“Haa-”
Se Woo-jin let out a sigh.
“Does it change anything if you know?”
What mattered was the result.
Learning the hidden story now wouldn’t change a thing.
And yet, Bastian seemed determined to hear it.
“Fine. To be honest, it’s not that there’s absolutely no connection.”
Se Woo-jin started speaking with an annoyed look.
He explained that everything in the holy decree from the Grand Cathedral was true, and that he’d stepped in personally because he didn’t want the war to spread further.
Of course, he didn’t breathe a word about his deal with Freyja.
“…I see.”
Bastian nodded with a rigidly stiffened face.
‘He gets it.’
Se Woo-jin hadn’t answered honestly without thinking.
It was preparation for any eventualities.
He needed to make sure they understood that Mardetain was truly an Apostle and that the war had broken out because of the Demon King’s followers.
That was the only way to prevent further wars.
‘Of course, if it got out that the Hero got involved, that could cause problems…….’
Bastian didn’t seem the type to blab about it truthfully.
In fact, he intended to keep it secret.
“This can’t leak out.”
If word spread that Se Woo-jin’s goal wasn’t the Apostle but stopping Lenninstang’s advance?
Then Aier would naturally face trouble again.
“So keep your mouth shut.”
“…Why go this far?”
Bastian asked.
From his viewpoint, a Hero was just a weapon to use against the Demon King.
There was no reason for him to get involved in a fight like this.
But Se Woo-jin had one.
“To win the Great War of Descent.”
“…Could you repeat that?”
“I did it to win. You all beating each other up just weakens our side in the end. That’s why the Apostles pulled this off too. So even I have to step in and prevent wasting our forces.”
He didn’t want to lose.
He couldn’t afford to lose.
At Se Woo-jin’s words laced with sincerity, Bastian slowly let out a sigh.
“…You should’ve ended the war sooner and gone back. No, that was the plan.”
When the holy decree came down from the Grand Cathedral.
Bastian had definitely thought any more war was pointless and planned to withdraw the army.
“But Duke Diarok thought differently.”
Se Woo-jin gave a bored look at Bastian’s grumbling.
“Yeah, that guy. He did seem a bit off in the head.”
“Haha!”
Even though Se Woo-jin was badmouthing their own duke, Bastian laughed loudly.
“His temperament is unusually peculiar.”
“Peculiar doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
Remembering his fight with Diarok, Se Woo-jin shuddered.
‘He was the king of blockheads among blockheads.’
What kind of mage grabs someone by the hair and tries to bite their ear off?
If his magic had been weak, it might’ve been different, but Diarok’s flame magic far surpassed ‘Ultra Pyromancer’ Kim Tae-jin.
Kim Tae-jin was an S-rank Hero, even if his level was still low.
But he was no match for Diarok.
If he had to rank the guy, he’d be around SS-rank, like Sung Yu-ra.
His personality issues weren’t even worth considering as flaws for a powerhouse like that.
“Well, if that guy was calling for war, it’d be hard to stop him.”
Se Woo-jin could picture the situation.
Bastian had probably suggested halting the advance here, but it fell on deaf ears with that lunatic.
In this world, rank and power ruled like gangsters.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Perhaps because Se Woo-jin had sympathized, Bastian’s expression brightened a bit.
“Well, just don’t mess with Aier for no reason. They’re actually pretty pitiful when you get to know them.”
The position that should’ve been occupied by the most beloved being was taken by the most hated one.
And because of it, the entire nation had been reduced to ruins, with the people groaning in agony.
Aier had started this incident, but they were also the biggest victims.
“To win the Great War of Descent, we need the power of Aier, once called the Holy Kingdom.”
“…So be it.”
Bastian nodded.
‘This should do it.’
The madman Diarok was still a concern, but at least rational people like Bastian didn’t want war.
No need to stir up rumors either—Se Woo-jin had pretty much achieved everything he wanted.
All that was left was for the Lenninstang army to fully withdraw……
“When the hell is that guy waking up?”
“We’ve thrown everything into treating him, so we should hear something soon…….”
“May I enter?”
Someone’s voice came from outside, cutting off Bastian.
“Looks like the whiskey’s here.”
The alcohol Se Woo-jin had requested seemed to have arrived.
“Come in.”
At Bastian’s permission, the door opened and a soldier entered.
In his hand was a cheap bottle of whiskey, just as expected.
“Leave it here and go.”
But instead of leaving after Bastian spoke, the soldier began his report.
“Duke Diarok has awakened.”
* * *
“…Lupera?”
Freyja tilted her head, looking at Miteon.
It was a name she’d never heard before.
But she could see Miteon’s face twist upon hearing it.
“Do you know her?”
Freyja asked.
For some reason, she felt uneasy knowing Miteon recognized the name of the one who’d stolen Baron’s corpse and fled.
“I do.”
Miteon nodded, his hands even trembling.
“Who is it that gets this kind of reaction?”
She wondered if it was someone close to him.
There was no other reason for such a response.
And Miteon’s answer delivered a shock beyond her expectations.
“She’s a cardinal. One of the closest aides serving the Saint King in the Grand Cathedral.”
“You mad……!”
Freyja’s eyes widened.
“What the hell happened while I was retired that you let those filthy bastards take root in this holy land?!”
They had already suffered irredeemable humiliation from Mardetain being a Demon King follower.
But on top of that, there were more among the cardinals?
Rage boiled up at this grim reality.
But a more pressing issue remained.
“Root them out. If any are left hiding, find them and eradicate every last one!”
The possibility that Demon King followers were still lurking in the Grand Cathedral, concealing their identities.
If even one more was in Aier’s core?
And if they stirred up trouble again from within Aier, which was slowly recovering?
‘It might be irreversible then!’
Freyja and Miteon thought the same thing at once.
“Deploy the entire Holy Knights Order to investigate everyone in the Grand Cathedral! If anything even slightly suspicious turns up, detain them first and I’ll interrogate personally!”
Miteon commanded.
With the Saint King’s seat vacant, he held the strongest authority in the Grand Cathedral right now.
He’d been a bishop at the center of power to begin with.
And now, he was the only one left.
Urea was dead, and Philoyan was missing.
“We obey!”
At Miteon’s fury-filled command, the Holy Knights roared their response and sprang into action.
They were no less enraged than the two, so they didn’t hesitate.
“Whew-”
Once the Holy Knights left, Freyja pressed her temples, frowning at the migraine.
The nonstop events had given her a headache.
‘What nonsense is this in my old age…….’
Normally, she should’ve been preparing for a peaceful death in a quiet rural village.
But she’d broken her seclusion at the kingdom’s plea for help in its crisis, and all she’d done was clean up the mess.
‘Looking at how the country’s being run, maybe dying early would’ve been better.’
Then she wouldn’t have had to witness this.
In the end, Freyja had to circulate her mana to finally shake off the headache.
“At least the war’s over. That’s a relief.”
Trien and Brobaison had ceased hostilities, followed by Lenninstang.
Lenninstang hadn’t fully withdrawn yet, but with Se Woo-jin there, even that madman wouldn’t dare act up.
Now, if they eradicated all the Demon King’s followers and enthroned a worthy Saint King, everything would return to normal.
Of course, healing the existing wounds would take quite some time.
“How’s the search for a new Saint King candidate going?”
Freyja asked, her face drained of energy.
Just yesterday, Miteon had met with the cardinals to discuss it.
It wasn’t a place for a retired Freyja, so she hadn’t attended and hadn’t heard the results.
“There is one suitable candidate.”
Miteon’s words brightened her complexion a little.
“Who is it? Someone I know?”
“You probably do. But there’s a problem.”
“…A problem?”
Tilting her head as if to ask what he meant, Miteon continued with a sigh.
“He’s not in the capital right now. He’s in Zion with the troops he was leading.”