Chapter 216: The Returned Holy Relics
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 216: The Returned Holy Relics
Information leaked to the Church the moment Zion returned.
Furthermore, news of the holy relics' discovery reached the Church through the priests they had planted in the Underground City. Naturally, the Saintess candidates also caught wind of the information.
I can’t believe the holy relics actually existed.
Irene, a healer known as the Saint of the Frontier in the Kingdom, imagined the moment the holy relics would finally be hers.
To maximize her healing abilities, she would need to obtain the Saintess's Notebook. If she secured the notebook, it was highly likely that the secrets of the Resurrection Spell would come with it.
The Kingdom strictly forbids the Resurrection Spell, but...
She knew the truth. Even within Keislan, the number of people supporting the use of the Resurrection Spell was steadily increasing.
Originally, the Resurrection Spell had been treated as a taboo.
Past nobles, weary of the political conflicts that would arise from indiscriminate resurrections, had banned the spell entirely. They labeled the use of the Resurrection Spell anywhere outside the Labyrinth City as an insult to the Goddess, arbitrarily branding and hunting down those who used it as heretics.
Freya’s own history of hunting heretics was deeply intertwined with this suppression of the Resurrection Spell.
In the past, the Labyrinth City’s branch of the Goddess Church had conspired with the Kingdom and the Empire to ensure they were the only ones who could use the unique Resurrection Spell. They suppressed every Goddess Church cathedral that utilized the spell, and more than a few cathedrals were wiped out after being framed as heretics.
This was part of the reason why Saintess Freya had described her own past as "filthy."
The headquarters of the Goddess Church in the Labyrinth City wanted all external branches suppressed to increase their own power, while the Kingdom and the Empire played them against each other to keep the Church's influence from growing too large.
But now, it’s time for a change.
The members of the Keislan Orthodox Church, to which Irene belonged, had allied themselves with the Princess’s faction.
Their goal was to oust the current King, who was incompetent and tyrannical, crush the prince who was little more than a fool, and install the Princess as the new ruler of the Kingdom.
Once the Princess becomes the next Queen...
The Keislan Orthodox Church, which had dwindled into something no better than a local clinic, would experience a revival. Furthermore, by actively utilizing the Resurrection Spell, they would bolster the Kingdom’s Church to a level of power that could rival the Labyrinth City.
The Labyrinth City had grown too large. Everyone thought it would fall during the Great Cataclysm, but the emergence of a towering figure like Zion had brought about an unprecedented era of prosperity. By conquering the Labyrinth, too much wealth and power had concentrated in a single city.
I’ll vanish once I receive the relic...
All she wanted was the Saintess's Notebook.
The moment she obtained the notebook and the true Resurrection Spell hidden within its pages, the Kingdom would be able to awaken its fallen heroes.
The preparations were already complete. Hylan, an authority on Holy Barriers, would likely try to slip away as soon as she obtained the Saintess's Staff.
Irene’s plan was to direct all the blame toward Hylan and make her own escape first.
Of course, it won't be easy.
Surveillance within the Labyrinth City was strict. Breaking through it would be an immense challenge.
That was why several organizations had already been brought in to cause terror within the city. In fact, people from the Kingdom had been embedded in the Labyrinth City for a long time.
Things became much easier thanks to Leo Lionel establishing his merchant association.
The House of Lionel belonged to the Princess’s faction. From the very beginning, the head of the Lionel family had ordered his eldest son, Leo Lionel, to establish a merchant association in preparation for such an event.
Of course, Leo Lionel had built the association for the prosperity of the Kingdom. He hadn't intended to backstab Zion quite so severely.
It was supposed to be a maneuver to increase the Kingdom’s influence over the Labyrinth City, but things were beginning to move in a direction Leo hadn't anticipated.
*
Zion left the Labyrinth and headed toward the Church.
Leah, who had exited the Labyrinth with him, had leveled up through mana adaptation, and Zion had also leveled up, gaining an even stronger physical vessel.
"Are you alright, My Lady?"
"I'm fine. No problems here. It's not like I haven't gone through mana adaptation once or twice before. What about you? Did you get a new Ability?"
"No. Unfortunately, I didn't get an Ability."
"That's a shame."
"Still, I'm just glad we made it out alive."
"That's true. Honestly, I was really scared this time."
Leah laughed, playfully nudging Zion. They had managed to survive and escape once again.
If Zion hadn't entered the Necropolis to save her, she would have starved to death while trapped in the sealing ground.
Had she died like that, she might have been left there to vanish, never to be found. Imagining that worst-case scenario gave her slight goosebumps, and she felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Zion for not giving up on her until the very end.
"Thank you. I feel like I'm always the one receiving help."
"Don't mention it. If I don't save you, who will?"
Leah’s mood brightened even more at Zion’s answer.
Her gratitude toward Zion, who always appeared to save her in moments of crisis, grew, and her affection for him deepened as he consistently risked his life for her sake.
"I'll do the same."
"Do what?"
"I'll stand by your side no matter what happens. I'll fight for you."
"Why are you saying that now? You've always fought for me."
"Hey! Just be a bit more happy about it! Do you know how rare it is to hear a noble's oath of loyalty?"
"Right, right. Thank you. I'm truly grateful."
"Tch."
As Zion laughed playfully while accepting her thanks, Leah gripped his hand tightly, pretending to be sulky.
Lately, Zion’s playful side had faded, and he often seemed lost in worry. Perhaps because he was carrying such a heavy burden, the smiles were gradually disappearing from his face.
However, he always smiled in front of Leah. It was the same with Yuria and Rosier. Only in front of them did Zion laugh without a care in the world.
That touched Leah’s heart once more. She loved seeing Zion smile. She wanted to always be on his side and be a sanctuary for him.
"I have some business to take care of at the Church first. My Lady, please head back to the mansion and deliver the news. Everyone must be worried."
"Alright. I'll go ahead and tell them. You have to come back quickly."
"I will."
Leah lingered, fidgeting with Zion’s hand as if reluctant to leave, before finally heading toward the mansion.
Zion watched her back for a moment before moving toward the Church.
He had to deliver the holy relics and find a priest to resurrect Alraune’s body.
He wanted to handle the business quickly and return to the mansion to talk with the people he hadn't seen for three weeks.
He missed Yuria and Rosier terribly and wanted to spend the evening with them.
"You're back! I was worried something had gone wrong."
Raphael greeted Zion as he entered the Church.
Raphael explained that for the past three weeks, they had been so busy stopping the King of the Sewers, who had ascended from the 6th floor, that they hadn't had the chance to look for Zion and his missing party.
"The situation has finally settled down, and we were just about to form a rescue team when you and Leah escaped. To think you got out on your own. Truly impressive."
"It was nothing. You're the one who worked hard fighting the King of the Sewers."
"Hahaha. That's our job."
Having heard beforehand that the Inquisitors had been active on the 5th floor, Zion felt grateful toward Raphael. Since Raphael was always at the front lines fighting evil, he was a reliable ally in Zion's eyes.
"First, Mr. Raphael, could you pass on the word that I've brought back the legacy of the Saintess from two generations ago?"
"What?! Is that true?"
Zion told Raphael about what had happened on the 6th floor.
When he explained that it was actually the former Saintess who had sealed the King of the Sewers and that her relics had been suppressing him, Raphael cried out to the Goddess with tears in his eyes.
"Ah! The Goddess's grace was protecting us all along...!"
"Excuse me. For now, please just... go deliver the news quickly."
"Right, right! I understand! I'll immediately gather the Saintess candidates and the Pope for a meeting!"
Raphael ran off with a look of intense determination. His expression was so full of religious fervor that Zion found it hard to keep up with his energy.
Finally, some peace.
After Raphael left, Zion took a moment to organize his thoughts. He then stopped a nun who was rushing through the Church carrying a stack of documents.
"Excuse me, Sister."
"Yes? Brother?"
"I'd like to have a private word regarding the Resurrection Spell. Is the Old Man in today?"
"Ah, yes. He should be in the basement. Do you know where that is?"
"Yes, I know the way. Thank you."
"You're welcome. May the Goddess's grace be with you."
Since he had to bring Alraune’s body back to life, he couldn't just drop off the corpse; he needed to have a more confidential discussion.
That was why Zion needed to meet a priest he was familiar with.
The man who will save anyone as long as you pay him...
Priests generally disliked resurrecting those who had fallen under the Curse of Transformation.
However, this man, known as the "Old Man," would resurrect anything for the right price. He was a veteran in the field, which was why he earned his nickname.
"Old Man, are you in?"
"Hmm? What brings you all the way down here in person?"
"Well, you see..."
Back when Zion was active as a porter, he had visited frequently, but at some point, he had started handing off corpses to others and stopped coming down here himself.
It had been quite a while since they had seen each other.
"I'd like you to bring this back to life."
"This... isn't this just a straight-up monster corpse?"
"Yes. But the thing is..."
As Zion explained the situation regarding Ulysses and asked if the Alraune’s body could be resurrected, the old priest scratched his head.
"Resurrecting a monster corpse officially is, honestly, a bit difficult. It's not even the Curse of Transformation; it's just a raw monster."
"So it's impossible?"
"No, well, technically it can be done. It's just that resurrecting a monster within the Church could cause some problems, you see."
"Then it's a no..."
"No, no. I can do it. I'm thinking we can package it as someone under the Curse of Transformation, resurrect it in the middle of the night, and get it out of the Church quickly."
The old priest reached out his hand, suggesting they could sneak it out after the resurrection to avoid being caught.
"I think I'll be needing a bit of a down payment, though."
As expected, he was a priest who would do anything for money.
Zion felt relieved that the old priest was so consistent. Whether in the past or now, as long as there was money, he would get the job done.
"Will this be enough?"
"Oh! This is more than enough. I'll even have it delivered to your mansion."
Relieved by the news that Ulysses could be resurrected within the day, Zion felt at ease. It would be best to bring him back and put him to work as soon as possible.
After Zion bound Ulysses's soul to the corpse and returned to the first floor, the Archbishop called for him, saying a meeting had been hastily arranged.
Just how much of a fuss had Raphael made for a meeting to be organized at this hour? Zion inwardly felt glad that things were moving quickly.
"Welcome back. I am glad you returned safely once again. Hohoho."
The Pope was present, as if it were only natural, and Irene, the Saint of the Frontier, and Hylan, the Saintess of the Empire, were also seated.
"Rosier!"
"I am so glad you are safe."
Rosier had been waiting for Zion at the entrance, and the moment he drew near, she pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Please, take a seat. We must discuss how to distribute the holy relics."
At the Pope's words, Zion and Rosier sat down.
Zion placed the holy relics he had brought on the round table, and the Pope let out a sharp intake of breath upon seeing them.
"They are genuine. My."
Even he was seeing them for the first time.
True holy relics contained incredible power, and anyone who believed in the Goddess couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence the moment they laid eyes on them.
"Now, we must distribute these relics to the Saintess candidates."
"First, I must inform you that those who receive a Saintess's relic are obligated to participate in the Labyrinth conquest. It is unacceptable to simply take a holy relic and return to your homeland."
Irene and Hylan nodded at the Pope's stern declaration.
Rosier had no intention of leaving the Labyrinth City anyway, and as long as Zion continued the conquest, she would follow him down. However, Irene and Hylan were different.
Irene, from the Kingdom, and Hylan, from the Empire, could return to their homelands at any time. If these two women fled, it would result in the loss of both the holy relics and the Saintesses.
"I swear upon the Goddess's name that such a thing will not happen."
"I don't have much intention of returning to the Empire myself."
They said the right words, but there was no telling what would actually happen when the time came.