Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Holy Nation (9)
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"...What are you saying, O Righteous One? You, of all people, intend to inherit the seal?"
Lua wondered if Yujin had lost his mind.
In truth, Yujin had no real connection to the events unfolding in the Holy Nation. Of course, if the Holy Nation fell, it would affect the Empire too, so some form of intervention was natural. But that didn't mean Yujin had to sacrifice himself.
That wasn't what Lua had hoped for from him, either.
"It would be a meaningless sacrifice."
"No, Your Holiness."
But he shook his head firmly.
"This is not a meaningless sacrifice."
"What do you mean? There's no need for you to inherit the seal, O Righteous One. If anyone must, I will bear the responsibility to the end—or the Saintess of this generation should. For you to—"
"That's not what this is about, Your Holiness."
The moment Yujin laid eyes on the chained Knight of Dominion, he felt it.
For some reason, he knew he could seal it.
'I even think I could go beyond sealing it and absorb it entirely.'
This wasn't arrogance or mere intuition. It was something more instinctive, a pull.
Like finding a missing piece of a puzzle, his soul yearned for the being before him.
That was why.
The immense rank and power held by the Knight of Dominion—he felt he could absorb it all so easily.
And... that wasn't the only reason.
Yujin looked at Lua. The Pope—no, the Saintess—who had sacrificed herself for so many long years.
"You've lived a terribly difficult life, Your Holiness."
Until now, Lua's life hadn't truly been her own.
A life like a cog in a machine, marked only by sacrifice and duty. He had no intention of belittling her sacrifices... but that didn't change how cruel and painful it had been.
"So I want to set you free. That's part of it, too."
"...But that's absurd. What if you fail, O Righteous One? You could even die."
"No. It will succeed."
His instincts were screaming it.
The thing before him was nothing more than a delicious meal.
To reassure Lua, Yujin adopted a slightly lighter tone.
"Besides, doesn't it feel a bit off for a man to refuse to risk his life for a woman?"
"W-What...?"
Lua floundered, as if she'd never expected to hear such words.
Before she knew it, her cheeks flushed red.
In over two hundred years, this was the first time she'd heard anything like it. Everyone had seen her only as proof of faith, a pitiable figure, or a leader to trust and follow.
This was the first emotion she'd ever felt as a 'woman.' And so, she wavered.
Toward the man before her, she harbored a hope different from any she'd known.
"...Can you truly do it, O Righteous One?"
"Yes."
Absolutely.
Even if it was arrogance, he would pay the price for it.
The path of his life was his to choose, and the responsibility his to bear.
And so, it was decided that Yujin would undergo the trial to inherit the seal.
About two days remained.
That was the time until the trial began.
Yujin spent the next two days in a flurry of activity.
First, he sent an urgent message to the Empire, reporting the potential crisis in the Holy Nation.
"Hmmm. If the Marquis's words are true, we must prevent the neighboring kingdoms from moving on the Holy Nation."
The Emperor believed Yujin. He wasn't one to speak nonsense, and preparing couldn't hurt.
Next came preparations within the Holy Nation.
He discussed future plans with Cardinal Heinkel and reviewed every possible scenario.
Whether they struck first against Cardinal Rozan, or she attacked them.
No matter what, they gathered evidence proving Rozan was a heretic and built their justification for victory.
Rozan couldn't be unaware of their movements, and tension mounted in the Papal Court.
And then...
The day of the trial arrived.
"...Are you prepared, O Righteous One?"
"Yes."
Not knowing what to prepare for, he'd prepared everything.
According to Lua, the sealing method had remained the same across generations, but the trials themselves varied for each person.
Some had to live another's life and achieve great deeds; others had to prove their strength.
Or debate the Knight of Dominion.
Truly, they differed wildly from person to person.
So it could take a long time—or end quickly and easily.
"Fortunately, no matter how much time passes in the trial, it flows much less in reality. Roughly a 2:1 ratio. Two days there is one day here."
"I see."
He nodded.
Yujin slowly reached out toward the Knight of Dominion.
Just before his hand touched it, Lua suddenly stopped him.
"...I pray you return safely, O Righteous One."
"Of course."
He smiled at her.
"I'll be back soon, so please take care of yourself while you wait, Your Holiness."
"...I'll be waiting, O Righteous One."
"Yes."
He truly reached out toward the Knight of Dominion. Soon, he was enveloped in light and drawn into the mental realm.
...
Lua was left alone.
She murmured softly to herself.
"...As expected, you are so very kind, O Righteous One."
Kind enough to etch his presence into a heart no one had touched in two hundred years.
It was a warmth she'd never felt before.
She stared at the spot where Yujin had stood, unmoving for a long while.
"Here..."
When he opened his eyes again, an utterly empty space stretched before him.
A gray sky devoid of sun, stars, or anything else loomed above, while the ground was pooled with sticky blood.
And...
'...That's the Knight of Dominion.'
A man with angelic wings and golden eyes.
That was the Knight of Dominion.
[Trial: Claim Victory Over the Knight of Dominion]
Fight the Knight of Dominion and seize victory. Death here is not true death, and time flows eternally.
Failure Penalty: Cannot escape the trial.
Success Reward: Inherit seal, or fully absorb the Knight of Dominion.
'...Ha.'
In other words, failure meant being trapped here forever.
Soon, the Knight of Dominion spoke.
"Are you the new challenger?"
"Challenger?"
"Indeed."
"You look familiar."
The Knight of Dominion seemed accustomed to this.
Of course—with the seal lasting centuries, how many Saintesses had he faced?
In that sense, Yujin, as an outsider, might be a first for the Knight.
"That hardly matters."
"Then what does?"
"Whether you overcome the trial or not."
If he failed, he'd be trapped here eternally.
The seal would weaken over time, and the Solar Goddess's deferred purification—annihilation—would resume.
"Can a mere beast like you hope to stop me?"
"I can."
"Insolent fool. Then prove it with your body."
The Knight of Dominion mocked Yujin as if he were vermin.
Stung, Yujin drew his sword—
"...No mana?"
Not just mana—his physical abilities were gone entirely.
The moment he realized it, the Knight closed in.
Slash—
His head was severed, his first death.
[Death Count: 1]
...
"...Ha."
So that's how it was.
He touched his neck. It was intact, as if never severed.
"The trial lives up to its name for a reason."
But it was worth trying.
His honed swordsmanship hadn't vanished, and he'd survived hellish battlefields.
In the trial, undeterred by death, he gradually closed in on the Knight of Dominion.
[Death Count: 30]
With only ordinary human strength and a single sword, he edged toward the absolute being.
But the Knight didn't notice. It merely peered into his memories and mocked him.
"Hm? You're no native of this world. A half-breed soul."
Sometimes it took the form of his biological parents and slit his throat; other times, fallen comrades to pour out resentment.
But—
No mockery fazed him.
Sensing faint impatience, the Knight shifted to the forms of the women he loved.
"Why won't you give up, Yujin?"
It wore Irene's face.
"Giving up is so much easier. Just close your eyes here."
Now Lucia's.
But he never stopped swinging his sword. Soon, Lucia's illusion shattered under the blade.
Slash—
"......"
"Hmmm."
When those failed, it became Jane—his reverse scale, the red-haired woman.
A ripple of agitation spread through him then. It disrupted his swings.
Clang—
The Knight seized the opening and struck.
As Jane.
"You're just an outsider. A flawed product with a foreign soul. You can never truly belong. Even if you're happy now, you'll end up lonely again—like when your fiancée abandoned you."
Better to stay here then—
"Shut up."
"Why get angry?"
He bit his lip.
The Knight, as Jane, laughed as if it had finally scored a hit.
"I see. You're afraid of losing it all. Afraid everything you've built will crumble."
You're a coward. A coward in the guise of the strong—
...
He lowered his sword and stopped.
"Hm? Giving up? Good. Just stay there. I'm tired of this—"
"No. I'm not giving up."
Not giving up. Realizing.
'...I'll admit it. A sliver of anxiety lingered.'
The engagement dissolution on the battlefield in his youth. The moment he became utterly alone.
A faint fear it might return.
Like a brand.
That's why the Knight's words shook him briefly. Allowed an opening.
But...
'No reason for that now.'
He had Lucia and Irene. An Emperor like a father. People who believed in him—no need to fear abandonment anymore.
His mind calmed like a still lake.
And as his heart reflected on the world, stillness deepened.
"......?"
The Knight sensed something amiss.
Wasn't his mind shaking moments ago? Why this sudden serenity, like enlightenment?
"...The heart is the sword."
"...What nonsense?"
"And the sword is the heart."
"What are you babbling, beast?"
Project the heart, the intent, onto the sword.
No mana or magic needed.
Only the will to cleave it and claim its power.
The world resonated with his will.
Rumble rumble rumble—
"W-What is this..."
The Knight realized the beast before it had advanced further. And its own existence was being drawn into Yujin.
"You...!!"
Only then did it grasp Yujin's intent to absorb it.
"How can a lowly beast like you...!"
Cold sweat beaded as it tried to act. But...
"Become my sustenance, Knight of Dominion."
"A pathetic beast dares...!"
Yujin's action was faster.
Slash—
He swung with pure will.
Crack crack crack—
The world fractured, the trial crumbling.
And the Knight of Dominion...
"Kaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!"
Vanished utterly, absorbed by the very 'beast' it had scorned—Yujin.
Having more easily absorbed the Knight of Dominion beyond mere sealing, Yujin returned to reality.
And...
"...Status window?"
"???????"