Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ruby
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: If You Wanted to Live Long
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Siforeo.
The grandeur of that metropolis made me feel uplifted.
The massive merchant procession I had seen at the entrance.
The people clad in luxurious garments.
The colossal cathedral of the great order, which had caught my eye from afar.
And… even the towering royal castle, boasting the greatest majesty of Laderun.
The sight was enough to make all the places I had visited so far feel utterly insignificant.
While I was taking in the view of Siforeo, Diaz returned.
“I prepared lodgings for you at the Order.”
“Good, let’s go.”
The title of being a member of the Seven Knights was indeed convenient.
Unlike others, who spent days to gain entry permits to the capital, I passed through the capital walls in the blink of an eye.
And, although by principle only clergy or paladins could enter the archdiocese, they even provided us with accommodations.
When I stepped into the Siforeo Archdiocese, I was greeted with treatment far beyond what I had imagined.
The paladins of the archdiocese lined up on either side.
With their swords planted, they created a path.
Behind them stood monks in clean robes, like a wall.
By now, with such a welcome ceremony, crowds naturally gathered.
The sudden appearance of one of the Seven Knights excited the children.
Those who walked the path of the sword looked on with eyes of admiration.
Respect and awe.
That seemed to be the true majesty of the Seven Knights.
‘There was no need for it to be this grand…’
In any case, I had no intention of staying long here.
Delivering Bishop Haint’s letter and verifying the existence of the Paladin character.
Those two tasks would end quickly.
The only thing that might take time was the matter of the Ring of Black Thunder…
‘Was it in the Forgotten Temple?’
Siforeo was a land where civilization had flourished since ancient times.
Because of that, mysterious ancient relics were often unearthed here.
The Ring of Black Thunder I sought was one of those relics.
Some ancient relics possessed effects rivaling unique skills.
Moreover, when actually obtained, many of them turned out to be far more useful than the mere effects shown in the game.
Though acquiring a unique skill was the main way to upgrade my specs, I thought that if I had the chance, collecting rare items would not be a bad idea.
‘It should still be there. They said no one had touched it.’
If things went smoothly, it would not take long.
While I was lost in such thoughts, I reached the central cathedral of the archdiocese.
“Welcome to the Siforeo Archdiocese, brother of the great order of knights, and sister of the paladin order.”
In front of the cathedral, an elderly man with snow-white hair came to greet me and Diaz.
With the sun behind him and dressed in white robes, he appeared almost radiant.
His neat, antique attire, and the sharp-eyed knights around him suggested he was quite a high-ranking clergyman.
“I am Archbishop Tebenon of the Siforeo Archdiocese.”
Diaz greeted him on my behalf.
“A believer of the paladin order greets the noble protector of the Order, the Shield of the Church.”
“You must have had a long and tiring journey.”
“I am grateful for your praise. This is Sir Rohan, newly appointed as one of the Seven Knights.”
“An honor to meet you.”
I took his outstretched hand in greeting.
Archbishop Tebenon welcomed us with a warm smile.
“Now, let us put aside formalities and come inside. Soup and bread have been prepared. May you rest comfortably and relieve your weariness from the journey.”
Inside the cathedral, high-quality dishes filled the tables.
Gulp.
I quietly swallowed.
Though I was not treated poorly thanks to my title as one of the Seven Knights…
I had never seen food of this caliber.
And even wine shimmering with a jewel-like violet hue…!
The road ahead was still long, but…
‘At least for a day, I should rest.’
A short rest would surely help in the journey ahead.
So, I decided to grant myself a day’s respite.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Before the banquet ended, Archbishop Tebenon excused himself.
He thought his absence would allow us to eat and rest more comfortably.
But, just as he was about to leave the cathedral, he received a letter from Rohan.
The wax seal on the letter bore a familiar crest.
‘Bishop Straun?’
It was clearly Bishop Haint’s seal.
Archbishop Tebenon knew Bishop Haint well.
They were of the same generation.
Though their fields of activity had been different.
Back then, Bishop Haint had been the Church’s greatest sword, an inquisitor devoted solely to the eradication of demons.
If the paladins were the Church’s shield, the inquisitors were its sword.
And Bishop Haint had been the one to rise to the level of legend.
Even before Tebenon had become an archbishop, Haint’s reputation had already spread far and wide, and he had been a figure Tebenon respected.
So Tebenon was very curious about the contents of Bishop Haint’s letter.
He went straight to his office.
And when he opened the letter, he froze.
“…Hah…”
Knock knock.
As he stood dazed, there came a knock, and the vicar general entered.
“Archbishop Tebenon, do you recall what we discussed earlier? About the strange noises underground, there is new… hmm? What is the matter?”
Archbishop Tebenon glanced at him and handed him the letter.
“What is this?”
The vicar general tilted his head as he received it.
But soon, his expression matched Tebenon’s.
“Bishop Haint… was stepping down from his position as inquisitor.”
“That is correct. I felt many emotions at once. He had been the spiritual pillar of the Church.”
“Yes. Truly, as long as Bishop Haint held firm, we feared nothing.”
“It is understandable, is it not? He had aged. Look at us—we have grown old as well.”
“Haha. That is true.”
The vicar general read the end of the letter.
“So… he chose Sir Rohan as his successor?”
“Indeed. That surprised me somewhat.”
“There had never been such a case before, had there?”
Archbishop Tebenon nodded.
The Seven Knights and the paladin order had long been like brothers, fighting side by side.
But never in history had a knight of the Seven held a formal rank within the Church.
It was not only that they never desired such positions, but also that there had never been a way.
But if this truly happened?
A true giant might be born.
Someone who spanned both the Arlem Church and the Seven Knights.
And it was Bishop Haint’s recommendation.
Everyone in the Church knew well how high his standards were.
“Bishop Haint must have made a great decision, sending this to us.”
“Of course.”
In the Church, only one inquisitor could be appointed per archdiocese.
If the Siforeo Archdiocese accepted Rohan, no other inquisitor could be appointed.
That meant Bishop Haint was indebting himself to Siforeo.
“Yet, for him to make this decision meant Sir Rohan truly had talent.”
“I agreed. So, will you accept it, Archbishop?”
Naturally, the archdiocese could officially decline.
But Archbishop Tebenon had no such intention.
‘Many wish to gain Bishop Haint’s favor. Even if we decline, someone else will accept. Better to accept now while he looks favorably upon us.’
Moreover, this might be the last chance to form a connection before Rohan became a true giant.
Having reached his decision, Archbishop Tebenon said:
“Vicar General.”
“Yes, Archbishop.”
“Summon all bishops and above within the archdiocese immediately. We shall continue our discussion of the underground noises there as well.”
And so, he prepared a meeting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day.
I woke up refreshed after a rare comfortable sleep.
And I ordered Diaz to prepare for departure.
“I planned to go out for a while. Make ready.”
“Yes.”
Without asking where, Diaz followed me.
We left the walls of Siforeo.
Though Siforeo was a grand city, outside the walls, thick foliage still covered the land.
Step deeper, and the sunlight was blocked, making it feel dark.
I pushed through the brush and moved forward.
The Forgotten Temple was not marked on any map in the original story.
So to find it, I had to rely on landmarks.
‘It had been annoying back then, but now it helped.’
Thanks to that, I found the way smoothly.
Past that rock on the right, around that tree ahead.
Though it was long ago, the memories came back clearly.
And at the end…
“I found it.”
At last, the entrance to the Forgotten Temple revealed itself.
But, true to its name, the entrance was no intact gate.
It was a small hole in the ground.
I approached the hole.
Scraping away some dirt with my foot, I uncovered man-made structures.
That had been the ceiling of a corridor, if I remembered right.
The true entrance must exist elsewhere, but since it was not shown in the original, I had no way of knowing.
But what did it matter?
Finding it was enough.
I gave Diaz a brief warning.
“The drop is deep. Be careful.”
“Yes, understood.”
Then I leapt down first.
A deep pit awaited me.
Shoooom.
Wind rushed past my ears.
Before, I might not have dared leap from such a height.
But now, I had the left arm of the colossus.
I extended my left arm and absorbed the shock.
Boom!
My sturdy arm absorbed all the fall damage.
‘Reliable. Now, let’s take a look arou—’
In that instant—
Clang! Clash! Clang!
From the darkness, blades flew at my throat from all directions.
My colossus arm reacted first.
Almost reflexively, it seized the nearest blade.
Crack!
It snapped.
Then the other blades lunged with real killing intent.
I blocked them with my forearm.
Clang! Clang!
And countered immediately.
Crunch!
I clenched my fist and struck.
Whoosh! Bam! Whoosh! Bam!
“Uagh!”
“Ghk!”
My eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness, but…
My Third Eye activated sharply, letting me sense every movement by sound alone.
From then on, it was over quickly.
With my left hand, I gripped one man’s throat and squeezed.
With my right, I drew my dagger and slashed through another’s neck entirely…
“Please, wait, Sir Rohan!”
Just then, Diaz’s shout rang out.
I froze.
Diaz spoke to the man caught in my left hand.
“Sir Albert… is that you?”
“Dia…z?”
What? An ally?
I slowly released my grip.
The man coughed violently.
“Cough! Cough! Hah…”
“Are you all right?”
“Diaz… what are you doing here? And who is this man…”
“This is Sir Rohan. One of the Seven Knights.”
“The Seven… Knights?”
“Yes.”
I asked Diaz:
“Who is he? Someone you know?”
“Ah, yes. This man is—”
Before Diaz could finish, the man, called Sir Albert, answered himself.
“I am a paladin of the Siforeo Archdiocese. Albert.”
“Albert.”
“Yes, sir?”
Turning toward the temple, I said:
“Next time, identify your opponent before swinging your sword. If you wanted to live long.”
And I walked into the darkness.