Holy Kingdom (7)

After the situation had calmed down, priests from the Holy Kingdom appeared to handle the aftermath.

Amid the priests moving systematically to restore order, one female priest approached us.

Black priest robes with a cross necklace.

White hair flowing out from beneath her veil and narrow eyes that appeared almost closed at first glance.

Unlike the other priests, her appearance in black priest robes stood out as quite distinctive.

"Honored guests, please follow me this way."

Following the priest's guidance, Abel and I were able to enter the interior of the Holy Kingdom.

Once we passed through the pristine white walls, an immaculate white city welcomed us.

Buildings so clean not a speck of dust could be seen, citizens moving between them, and the solemn atmosphere emanating from their midst.

It was unmistakably a place that could be called a religious nation.

'However...'

An undercurrent of unease lingered among the people. Without exception, their faces were filled with worry and concern.

Given how the Descendants of the Magic King had been running rampant recently, their anxiety was understandable.

Just moments ago, there had been someone claiming to be a Descendant of the Magic King causing chaos before the walls. Of course, Ka-il had struck him down in a single blow.

But apparently, that didn't dispel the lingering unease.

'That aside, it's incredibly clean.'

Neatly paved stone paths with embedded rocks and spotless streets without a single piece of litter.

For a city without even a single trash can, the level of sanitation was somewhat surprising. Was it because it was a religious nation that the civic consciousness was so high?

It was a stark contrast to the capital of the Arieh Empire, where all manner of trash littered the streets.

Though, the excessive cleanliness made me wonder if they might have some form of mysophobia.

Moreover, every building within the walls was uniformly white.

Shops, churches, even what appeared to be residential buildings—all were painted in the same white color.

Looking at it all, I began to feel an odd sense of fatigue creeping into my eyes.

"Honored guest, are you well acquainted with the Holy Kingdom?"

"Ah, actually, I don't know much about it."

"Is that so?"

The female priest, her eyes still narrowed, gave a soft smile.

Somehow, her ominous grin made me worry if I had inadvertently touched a nerve.

Abel, who seemed uninterested in such matters from the start, avoided her gaze. When her eyes turned toward me, I awkwardly smiled back.

"Then I shall take this opportunity to explain the Holy Kingdom to you in detail."

As she spoke, the female priest's face bloomed with a radiant smile.

Her cheeks flushed with excitement, as though she was overjoyed to have the chance to explain her nation to an outsider.

Immediately, a rapid-fire explanation began. The moment I heard the first words, I realized:

I had definitely provoked the wrong person.

"Our Holy Kingdom of Numen has endured countless trials since its founding..."

What followed was a historical lecture. Right there on the spot, she launched into a discourse spanning over a thousand years of the Holy Kingdom's history.

Just how much did this woman love her country?

It was the kind of thing you simply couldn't do without genuine affection for your homeland.

Her explanation, delivered in a smooth and unstrained voice, seemed endless.

Silpi, who had been quietly observing, chimed in with a thought.

[You really poked the wrong person, Contractor.]

'Seems like it...'

How could anyone possibly give a history lecture while walking down the street? And it wasn't even a poor explanation at that.

The way her words effortlessly sank into my mind made it clear.

Having experienced just how bad a university professor's lecturing skills could be, I could tell that her historical lecture was of remarkably high quality.

The problem was that listening to it on the street was agonizing.

After what felt like an eternity, the priest finally took a deep breath and exhaled. Just as I thought it was over, the corners of her lips curled into a crescent moon again.

My expression nearly slipped for a moment at the sight of her face, which clearly indicated she wasn't done yet.

[I'm heading out first.]

Having apparently had enough, Silpi retreated back to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spirit realm. Even he seemed unwilling to endure any more of this lecture.

I, too, felt the urge to follow Silpi back to the spirit realm.

The priest lowered her voice slightly, unlike before.

"Ahem, by any chance, are you familiar with the Prophecy of Destruction?"

"The Prophecy of Destruction... you say?"

It was the first time I'd heard of it.

From her impromptu lecture, I had learned that the Holy Kingdom was a nation governed by divine oracles and prophecies delivered by the Goddess.

But suddenly bringing up a Prophecy of Destruction?

Surely the Goddess wouldn't have issued a prophecy foretelling the destruction of the very nation where her followers had gathered.

Why would she? That was the first thought that came to mind.

'Silpi, have you heard of this?'

[No. I'm not well-versed in recent events.]

The voice transmitted through the Link. If even Silpi didn't know about it, this prophecy must have been delivered fairly recently.

The priest cleared her throat and slowly began to speak.

When the silver star slumbers in the sky and black shadows writhe beneath the earth,

The crimson breath sleeping deep underground shall awaken.

The wrath of the earth will reach the heavens,

And the holy walls of the Holy State Numen shall crumble.

A great evil, forgotten by all for ages untold, shall rise,

Trampling Numen's light, reducing its sacred name to ashes.

Wrath shall become flame, engulfing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the world,

And even the stars in the sky shall cease to shine.

"That... sounds less like a prophecy and more like a curse."

At Abel's words, the priest nodded bitterly.

"Yes. That's why even the prophecy scholars are divided in their opinions."

Prophecy scholars.

I recalled her mentioning that they were scholars who analyzed the oracles and prophecies delivered by the Goddess.

Honestly, if I were a prophecy scholar, I'd be just as confused if something like this came down.

Was this truly an oracle and prophecy from the Goddess? And if so, what possible reason could She have for delivering something so close to a curse?

Amidst this turmoil, the terrorist group calling themselves the Descendants of the Magic King began running rampant. So in a way, it was only natural that the atmosphere within the Holy Kingdom had grown so ominous.

Some even saw their terror attacks as signs of the impending destruction and fell into despair.

"What do you think?"

"Me...?"

At my question, the priest pointed at herself, looking slightly surprised, as if she hadn't expected to be asked.

When I nodded, she crossed her arms, lost in thought for a moment.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"In my humble opinion... I believe it truly is a prophecy delivered by the Goddess Herself."

"Do you have a reason for thinking that?"

"I've been reflecting on all the prophecies the Goddess has delivered so far."

Though they were often tangled in complex forms, at their core, they were always direct and simple in meaning.

There were prophecy scholars, but their role wasn't just to interpret the prophecies.

Their true duty was to study how to apply those prophecies to the Holy Kingdom's actual circumstances.

This prophecy, too, didn't stray far from that pattern.

The priest continued her explanation.

"Honestly, I think people are getting too frightened just by the word 'destruction.'"

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but blurt out in response.

She seemed to realize how her words might sound and quickly shook her head in denial. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"No, no! That's not what I meant. This is still a prophecy warning of the crisis of destruction, right?"

I nodded as she hurriedly clarified.

"That's true, I suppose."

Just the line about "a great evil, forgotten by all for ages untold, shall rise" alone made it clear the Goddess was issuing a warning.

As we exchanged words, a massive church suddenly came into view—its outer walls towering like a fortress. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

A colossal building with a domed roof, encircled by those towering walls.

I was momentarily speechless at its unexpectedly majestic appearance. Abel, already familiar with the sight, simply observed it quietly.

"Ah, we've arrived. This way, please."

Following the priest's guidance, we stepped inside.

The interior was just as grand as the exterior.

Stained glass of every color adorned the walls and ceiling, sunlight filtering through to cast intricate patterns of light.

Exquisitely carved decorations, as if crafted stitch by stitch by master artisans, and meticulously erected pillars.

Despite likely being centuries old, everything still gleamed pristine white.

A sigh of awe escaped me before I could stop it.

I'd never seen one before, but I imagined this was what a Western cathedral might feel like.

After passing through the corridor, another enormous chapel came into view.

The priest stepped aside and whispered to us in a hushed voice.

"From here onward, I cannot accompany you."

"Then who will guide us—"

"I'll take over!"

At the sudden voice, I turned to see Yurp, her eyes sparkling.

She bounded over toward us, and the priest chuckled softly.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Yurp."

"Don't worry, leave it to me, Unnie Byzantine!"

"Haha. I'll trust you, then."

Byzantine, smiling at Yurp, turned back to us and bowed slightly.

"Then I'll take my leave now."

"Ah, yes. Take care."

She responded with a smile and slowly walked away, her footsteps fading into the distance.

I'd thought she was an unusual person, but I hadn't expected her to be this close with Yurp.

Though I didn't say it aloud, I had a feeling we'd meet again.

...Byzantine, was it?

The way she spoke about the Prophecy of Destruction, the overly friendly way she approached us—

Now that I thought about it, there were more than a few suspicious things about her.

She might very well be a person of interest I should keep an eye on.