Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: Freyja's Promise
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Unfortunately, the pursuit of Lupera had ended in complete failure.
Even after dispatching most of the Holy Knights remaining at Aier's Grand Cathedral to scour the surroundings, they hadn't found so much as a trace.
Seo Woo-jin had no choice but to turn his steps back toward the Grand Cathedral.
He couldn't wait indefinitely without any end in sight.
Though Baron weighed on his mind, with no immediate way to deal with him, it was better to handle the postponed matters first.
"Been a while here, too."
Upon arriving at the Grand Cathedral, Diarok muttered gruffly from beside him.
"You've been here before?"
"Of course."
*'Not for anything good,'* came the unspoken follow-up, but he ignored it.
Aier and Leninstang had never gotten along from the start, so he figured Diarok was just picking a fight.
When Seo Woo-jin didn't engage, Diarok grumbled and followed behind.
"Halt. Please state your identity."
A soldier blocked their path at the gateway into the Grand Cathedral.
With the tense atmosphere lately, they seemed to be conducting thorough inspections.
Seo Woo-jin pondered how to respond when he spotted someone running toward them from afar.
"Mr. Seo Woo-jin!"
It was a Holy Knight.
"Know him?"
Diarok asked, but Seo Woo-jin shook his head.
It was a face he'd never seen before.
Wondering who it was, he stood blankly and waited.
The Holy Knight reached the gate quickly, nodded to the saluting soldier, then looked at Seo Woo-jin.
"We've been waiting for you."
His attitude was impeccably polite.
"The moment you arrived at the Grand Cathedral, we were ordered to escort you immediately."
From that, Seo Woo-jin realized this Holy Knight had been waiting on orders from Freyja or Miteon.
"Is that so?"
"I'll guide you."
It was a completely different vibe from the group with Sairon he'd met recently.
They had been polite too, but they couldn't fully hide their hostility toward him.
Yet this Holy Knight showed no enmity—quite the opposite, he seemed full of goodwill.
*'They must have briefed him on the situation?'*
Frankly, Seo Woo-jin wasn't in a position to be snubbed by Aier.
He was the one who had saved a kingdom on the brink of destruction.
Even if they couldn't publicly proclaim his name as a saint due to internal circumstances...
In any case, this Holy Knight seemed well aware of the grace Seo Woo-jin had bestowed upon Aier.
*'Well, that's good.'*
Even for Seo Woo-jin, it wasn't pleasant facing people who looked at him with hostility.
It left him feeling slighted and annoyed.
But this kind of treatment eased his mind a bit.
"This way, please."
Without even questioning Diarok's identity, the Holy Knight led them both to the Holy Palace.
Along the way, the Holy Knights and soldiers they passed bowed their heads toward Seo Woo-jin.
Every one of them brimmed with goodwill.
*'What's this?'*
It hadn't been like this when he left the Grand Cathedral.
With a puzzled expression, he entered the Holy Palace.
"I've been waiting."
The first to greet Seo Woo-jin was Freyja.
"...What happened?"
She looked even more aged in just a few days.
Her already frail body now seemed to have reached its limit.
*'Her mana is unstable too.'*
It wasn't just her body that had changed.
The vast mana that had sustained her was leaking out steadily.
As if her very life force were draining away.
"Heh heh, no need to worry. I just overdid it after so long and got a bit tired."
Freyja bared her few remaining teeth and smiled as if it were nothing.
But anyone could see her condition was poor.
"Not much time left, huh."
Diarok blurted it out from the side.
*'This lunatic?'*
Seo Woo-jin shot him a startled glare.
Was that something to say in front of her?
"Long time no see, you crazy brat."
But Freyja greeted Diarok casually, unperturbed.
"Hmph, I thought you'd croaked already, but you’ve hung on surprisingly well."
Shockingly, he used semiformal speech toward her.
His tone was as rude as ever, but the scene felt utterly foreign to Seo Woo-jin.
*'I figured he'd spit informal barbs even at his own kingdom's king.'*
It might mean he respected her that much.
"You two know each other?"
Seo Woo-jin asked.
Freyja chuckled and nodded.
"We've crossed paths a few times. When that mad genius from Leninstang showed up stirring trouble, I gave his backside a few whacks."
"Enough old tales. I'm nothing like I was back then."
*'...So it really happened.'*
He wasn't denying it, so Freyja must have actually spanked him.
Hmm, hard to picture.
"So, what brings Leninstang's brat all the way here?"
What she had asked of Seo Woo-jin was to stop Diarok and get Leninstang's forces to withdraw.
She surely hadn't anticipated this lunatic showing up at the Grand Cathedral.
"None of your business. I have something to discuss with this guy, so butt out."
Rude, so rude.
Seo Woo-jin debated smacking the back of Diarok's head.
But Freyja spoke first.
"Then step outside and wait a bit. I have important matters to discuss with this child."
Her words were like any neighborhood grandma's, but her tone was firm.
"...Hmph!"
Diarok seemed to sense it too.
With a snort, he turned and headed out.
"He's grown a bit, learning to show consideration for this old woman."
"...That was consideration?"
Seo Woo-jin tilted his head, unable to see where "consideration" came in.
He decided to focus on something else for now.
"I heard Baron's corpse disappeared."
"No excuse from me."
Freyja's expression darkened.
"Yeah, what happened?"
He'd heard a rough account from Sairon, but asked again.
"That damned wench Lupera killed the children guarding the body and fled."
They'd had tight security, but it was all for naught.
"She seemed trained for ambushes and stealth."
Otherwise, she couldn't have pulled it off without a trace.
*'Should've anticipated that too.'*
What good was grilling her now?
Seeing Freyja's weary face, Seo Woo-jin sighed and nodded.
"It's a shame. Still, we're continuing the search, so we'll find her soon."
Honestly, even if they did, there'd be no real way to deal with her.
Aier had no means to handle Baron right now.
"If we find Baron, would you help?"
Freyja asked cautiously.
Having witnessed their battle firsthand, she knew best how daunting it was.
But Seo Woo-jin nodded readily.
"Of course. It's something I'd ask of you anyway."
Dealing with Baron was crucial for him too.
A transcendent powerhouse harboring a grudge could strike from behind anytime.
The mere thought sent chills down his spine.
If it happened at a bad time, in a bad place.
If Baron appeared?
Unthinkable consequences could follow.
*'Better handle it before then.'*
If he couldn't kill him, he had to seal him so he could never revive.
So knowing Baron's whereabouts mattered more to Seo Woo-jin than to Freyja.
"Thank you."
Freyja bowed with an apologetic look.
"I'm always burdening you with the tough requests."
Seo Woo-jin shrugged, subtly bringing up their deal.
"Well, I'm getting paid for it."
Aier's treasury.
The promise that he could take anything he wanted from it.
"Heh heh—"
Freyja burst into laughter.
"Right, I did promise compensation."
Seeing her like that, Seo Woo-jin felt relieved inwardly.
*'Looks like it worked out?'*
He'd thought the vacant Holy King's seat would make it hard to decide quickly.
"Fortunately, the council approved it. Go to the treasury tomorrow and pick what you want."
A smile formed.
He'd even considered stealing and running if needed, but it had gone better than expected.
"Thank you."
Seo Woo-jin bowed sincerely.
She shook her head.
"That's my line. Thank you for saving Aier."
Without him, Aier would surely have walked the path to ruin.
Not only that, it might have inflicted massive damage on the continent, covered in all sorts of humiliations.
What he'd done had prevented all that.
Not just Freyja—all of Aier owed him a bow.
"Anything else you want? If it's within my power, I'll grant it."
Beyond the grand reward of the treasury's treasures, she wanted to give more.
"Hmm...."
Seo Woo-jin pondered.
Nothing specific came to mind.
What he needed was just leveling up, something neither Freyja nor Aier could provide.
Then something occurred to him.
Not needed right now.
But essential in the near future.
Scratching his head, he spoke.
"When the Descent War breaks out, promise you'll support us with all of Aier's might."
Freyja fell silent for a moment.
Aier stepping up against the Demon King was a given.
Failing to stop him meant the world's end.
Yet Seo Woo-jin had asked for it.
It could even be taken as him wanting nothing at all.
Freyja looked at him and nodded.
"As you say. Aier and I promise to throw everything into the Descent War."
"That'll do."
Seo Woo-jin smiled and shrugged.
Winning the Descent War and returning home.
That was his greatest wish.
"This is...."
"The place where Aier's most precious treasures are gathered."
Miteon whispered softly as he followed behind Seo Woo-jin.
"Impressive."
It wasn't as large as he'd imagined.
But the items inside were far from ordinary.
"What's this?"
Seo Woo-jin pointed to a sword nearby.
"Ah, that's the sword 'Wilderness.' One of the Holy Swords used by the Three Holy Kings."
Miteon explained its history in detail.
But that wasn't what interested Seo Woo-jin.
"What are its abilities?"
He liked this sword.
Not enough to replace 'Ka Raniell.'
But more than sufficient—overflowing, even—as a gift.
And this place was filled with such items.
*'They'll all love them.'*
Seo Woo-jin smiled in satisfaction as he listened to Miteon's explanation.