Chapter 213: The Saint (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213: The Saint (2)
There are three clerics who represent the Holy See.
The Pope, God's vicar.
The Saint and the Saintess, chosen by God.
Among them, the Saint holds the authority to command all Holy Knights. In Korean terms, that's like being the Minister of National Defense.
In terms of sheer power, the Saint ranks within the top three of the Holy See.
Moreover, with the reverence of over a billion followers, their social standing is likely within the top five in the entire world.
A few years ago, a new generation's Saint had been chosen.
Ellyn Theresia.
She was a monumental figure, born with immense divine power, who had risen from the slums to proudly claim the title of Saint.
So why on earth was someone like her here?
I don't remember seeing any news about her visiting Korea.
Pretending to sip my tea, I subtly glanced at the Saint.
Her face was hidden by a pure white veil, but the aura she exuded was anything but ordinary.
How should I put it? It was as if I was becoming reverent without even realizing it.
Then again, if word had gotten out that the Saint was coming, it wouldn't be this quiet.
Crowds numbering in the hundreds of millions, no, tens of millions, would have swarmed the church.
She would naturally be treated as a state guest and have to meet with people she had no desire to see.
Thinking about it that way, if I were the Saint, I probably would have entered the country secretly too.
I should just pretend I don't know for now.
What was more surprising, however, was that the Saint was a woman, not a man.
Logically, it made no sense.
The title of "Saint" was one only a man could hold. All previous Saints had been men.
This was a matter established by law, something not even the Pope could change on a whim.
Not my problem, though.
I decided to bury this knowledge deep in my heart.
The person in question was one of the most powerful figures in the world's strongest religious group. Trying to blackmail her for something was out of the question.
If I made a clumsy attempt at extortion, I'd be lucky not to get stabbed in my sleep.
“Are you saying the demon worshipper you met in the gate used Death Energy and controlled hundreds of undead?”
“Yes. At first, I thought it was ordinary death energy, but it was laced with a curse. My hands and feet gradually went numb, so I believe it was a paralysis-type curse.”
My attention naturally shifted to the middle-aged man sitting beside her.
His casual, condescending tone and composed aura.
The fact that he was dispatched from the Holy See with the Saint meant he was no ordinary person.
On the surface, he looked like a Holy Knight who had come along as the Saint's escort.
But a thought kept nagging at me that there was more to him than that.
He seemed full of openings, yet my instincts screamed that if I charged in, I'd be the one to fall.
“The undead weren't particularly strong overall. Most were D-rank, with the occasional C-rank mixed in.”
But their numbers were overwhelming.
If there had been two A-rank hunters there instead of me, fleeing would have been their best option.
After all, a mage's true value shines in battles of attrition, like on a battlefield.
“The party leader's statement says the demon worshipper also controlled a Nighthelm and a Chorus King. Is this true?”
“Yes. Fortunately, once I took care of the caster, the undead naturally disappeared.”
The night before, I had contacted the party leader, Kim Yujun, and we had gotten our stories straight.
As long as I didn't fall for any strange leading questions, I wouldn't get into trouble.
“How did you identify the demon? You don't seem to have ever been baptized.”
“...?”
What was this?
Was he giving me shit for not being baptized?
“...The bastard told me himself.”
A flash of heat went to my head, but I decided to hold back for now.
It wasn't the first time I'd met a cleric who was rude to me right off the bat just because I was irreligious.
“It's also strange that a mere 2nd Circle mage survived against so many undead. What's your magic power level?”
But being disrespected not once, but twice, was something I couldn't tolerate.
If I let this slide too, I'd just be a pushover.
“Well, I don't really make a habit of memorizing such things.”
“What?”
At my sarcastic tone, the man seemed momentarily stunned, but his expression soon twisted into a scowl.
Like I gave a damn.
If you've got a problem, take a swing.
Not only did he speak down to me from the moment we met, but now he was discriminating against and belittling me for such a pathetic reason. I had no intention of showing him any respect.
The consequences?
It was true that the Church's power was immense, but that was mostly true in the West.
It's not like it was the only religion in the world.
China, for instance, didn't have a single church in its vast territory. Japan was another country where the Church's influence was weak.
If anything, it would be stranger for me, the prospective son-in-law of the Seongbuk Choi family, to sit here and take this kind of treatment.
“I was told I was called here to give a statement, so why do I keep getting the feeling this is a suspect interrogation?”
I drew up my magic power.
He was the one who had shown hostility first.
“This is why unbelievers...”
No longer bothering to hide his animosity, he started spouting nonsense in English.
Seriously? A so-called Holy Knight calling someone an unbeliever.
“Well, I think an unbeliever is several times better than a fanatic, don't you?”
I replied in English as well, a smirk playing on my lips.
Ever since I got the dating app, language barriers had all but disappeared for me.
“How dare you...!”
The word "fanatic" seemed to be the trigger. A rough aura surged from the Holy Knight's body.
I didn't want to admit it, but objectively, the man was stronger than me.
At his level, you could easily call him an S-rank Hunter.
As expected, being the Saint's guard wasn't a job for just anyone.
But whether he was stronger than me or not didn't matter.
In this situation, whoever struck first was the one who would lose.
“To hear the word 'unbeliever' from a cleric dispatched by the Holy See... I suppose I'd also believe it if a human rights worker called themselves a speciesist.”
“...Being a mage must have made you lose your sense of fear.”
His voice was calmer than before, but the raw killing intent was enough to make my skin tingle.
If I played my cards right, I might actually get him to hit me.
Of course, in exchange for that punch, I'd be taking at least two mid-to-high-grade artifacts from the Holy See's collection.
And if I didn't get them, that was fine too.
It would just mean that the Holy See would one day burn at my hands.
Of course, even if I did get compensation, my plan to one day plant my fist in that asshole Holy Knight's face remained unchanged.
In the midst of the swelling tension, just as I was timing the use of my barrier...
“Sir Felix.”
A soft voice entered my ears.
It was the Saint, who had been silent until now.
“My apologies.”
The Holy Knight immediately bowed his head to the Saint.
I was dumbfounded by his incredibly swift change in attitude.
To think someone like that could become a Holy Knight. If I'd known, I would've become one myself.
I would have become a Paladin long ago and been living the high life.
The Saint, who had been looking at the Holy Knight, suddenly bowed her head toward me.
“I will apologize on Sir Felix's behalf for his rudeness.”
Her veil slipped, and for a brief moment, our eyes met.
Just as I'd seen on the news, the cross engraved in her golden irises shimmered.
“As this matter involves a demon, it seems Sir Felix grew anxious. I ask for your generous understanding.”
I doubt it. The Holy Knight next to her still didn't seem to know what he'd done wrong.
If anything, his anger toward me for making the Saint bow her head only seemed to be growing.
“Yes, well... I understand.”
“Thank you.”
It was a bit of a shame, but there might be a chance to build a good relationship with the Saint someday.
Thinking of that, it was probably best to let this go for now.
“Sir Felix, could you excuse us for a moment?”
Despite the sudden dismissal, the Holy Knight stood up without a word.
One could say he was good at following orders, but to me, he just looked like a classic case of someone who bullies the weak and fawns over the strong.
Soon, only the Saint and I were left in the reception room.
“Once again, I apologize. He can be a bit rough around the edges, but he is not a man who doesn't know faith.”
“So it seems.”
To me, he was the rudest asshole I'd ever met, but he was impeccably polite to the Saint.
As I glanced at the door the Holy Knight had exited through, I thought I heard a small laugh from somewhere.
Afterward, the Saint asked me various questions. They were mostly formal, so I gave appropriate answers.
By the way, her tone seemed to have become much softer. Was it just my imagination?
“Mr. Hyun-woo, are you aware that the last time a demon officially descended upon the earth was 23 years ago?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. It was in Moscow, wasn't it?”
Twenty-three years ago from now, demon worshippers attempted a demon descent ritual near Moscow.
The demon, summoned at the cost of thousands of lives, slaughtered the residents of a nearby village and advanced toward the city.
Countless hunters and clerics gathered to form a defensive line, but they were no match for the demon.
The blood of the victims stained the white snowfields red as the demon reached Moscow.
But contrary to everyone's fears that a massacre would begin...
“Valentina Sasha Danilova.”
The demon was subjugated by a single mage.
The master of the White Magic Tower, she was a great Russian archmage who had reached a realm even higher than Han Lael.
“It wasn't its true body that descended, but since this is the first time in 23 years, the Holy See will be making a major announcement about this incident.”
“I'd rather not become famous.”
I was already masquerading as a 2nd Circle mage. Drawing any more attention to myself was the last thing I wanted.
“You don't have to worry. We will ensure that part of it is kept strictly confidential.”
A promise from the Saint was more reliable than most contracts.
There was a saying that the higher a cleric's rank, the less capable they were of lying.
Whether that was a myth or not, I didn't know.
“This doesn't mean I'll have to go to the Holy See in person to receive a reward or anything, right?”
“If you wish, we can arrange an award ceremony for you within the Holy See.”
“I'll have to vehemently decline.”
A small laugh came from behind the veil.
“There are numerous restrictions that a demon must follow to descend upon the earth. Demons who are truly concerned for their own well-being are reluctant to take such risks.”
I had read about that in a book I borrowed from the research club.
Something about how if there were no restrictions, the earth would have long been ravaged by demons, and that these restrictions were a grace from God, so humans should always praise Him?
It was a very blatantly religious book.
“That is why demon worshippers attempt descent rituals through human sacrifice. Of course, they are frequently thwarted by the Church's knights.”
With a small laugh at the end of her sentence, the Saint took a sip of her tea.
She looked so peaceful that I found myself letting my guard down.
...So this is the Saint.
The aura she gave off was completely different from that of an ordinary person.
There was a reason she was followed by the epithet "chosen by God.”
“Mr. Hyun-woo, you've noticed that Sir Felix and I are not just simple clerics, haven't you?”
I nodded silently.
Wouldn't it be stranger if I hadn't?
Besides, one was wearing a suspicious veil, and the other was far too strong to be an ordinary Holy Knight.
“Aren't you curious about my identity?”
I already knew.
“Well... they say a mage who kills his curiosity lives a long life.”
But I couldn't say that outright, so I gave a vague answer.
A faint smile appeared from behind the veil, as if she was pleased with my response.
“...Actually, the reason I asked Sir Felix to leave for a moment was because there was something I absolutely had to ask you, Mr. Hyun-woo.”
Rustle.
In that instant, the Saint threw off her veil, her golden, cross-emblazoned eyes fixed on me.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, I was speechless for a moment.
An unknown pressure crushed my entire body, making it hard to breathe.
An irresistible, holy radiance was washing over me.
“Mr. Hyun-woo, are you a demon worshipper?”
What was in this room was neither a Saint nor a Saintess, but divinity itself.