Chapter 10
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Saintess Gransesia (2)
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I pored over the synopsis again and again, wrestling with my decision.
How should I prepare for what was to come?
This was undoubtedly one of the biggest turning points in my life.
‘Whether to join the surprise attack or not.’
Naturally, opting out would make survival far easier.
But that choice came with a hefty price.
Our forces would be utterly annihilated, and we would lose the war against the Kainzel Kingdom.
If that happened, all my efforts in this war would go down the drain.
‘The latter is the complete opposite.’
The greater the risk, the greater the rewards.
Duke Gail's trust. My connection with Sir Eaton.
Duke Gail wasn't just the supreme commander of this war—he was also the head of a ducal house with a solid foothold in the Talua Kingdom.
Tedric Eaton, heir to the Eaton Marquis family, might pale in comparison to Duke Gail, but he was still one of the most influential figures around.
If I could win over these two, it would be the most powerful weapon imaginable.
‘It's dangerous. Really dangerous…….’
But overcoming it would give me the perfect opening to revive my fallen family.
“…….”
The deliberation didn't last long.
My choice had been decided from the start.
I was no longer just an ordinary extra.
* * *
Crunch, crunch.
A woman walked across the frozen snowfield.
A woman with long platinum hair disheveled and golden eyes.
Her beauty stirred the hearts of those who saw her, yet at the same time, she exuded an eerie chill that sent shivers down the spine.
‘Don't forget. Don't forget.’
Her pale lips moved ceaselessly in a silent murmur, no sound escaping.
One of her once-brilliantly shining golden eyes had lost its light, while the other barely clung to a fragile thread of humanity, holding onto faint reason.
‘I hate this. I hate it like this.’
She thought.
If it meant death, that would be fine. She had no attachment to life anyway, so she figured such an end wouldn't be so bad.
‘If only I could die as myself…….’
But that was no longer possible.
From the moment the Dragon Transformation Curse took hold, from the moment she accepted death, she had ceased to be human and become a dragon.
“Huh, heuhh.”
Short horns sprouted from her temples, and scales began piercing through her skin bit by bit.
A grotesque smile twisted across the woman's lips at the sight.
Her body no longer obeyed her properly, so even laughter didn't come as she intended.
How ridiculous. So ridiculous.
She had thought ending like this wouldn't be so bad, yet now she craved life.
She just laughed.
Her legs, marching forward beyond her control. Herself, refusing to let go of even the thinnest thread of faint hope.
All that remained for her now was this sobbing laughter.
* * *
“Priestess Michel, are you inside?”
I shook the small bell outside the tent and called out.
A voice responded from within almost immediately.
“Is that you…… Sir Banheart? It's cold out there—come in!”
“Then excuse me.”
Michel herself lifted the tent flap to greet me, and as I stepped inside, the warmth of the tent enveloped me.
She handed me a cup of hot tea with a smile.
“This is something. It was just a bit chilly not long ago, and now it's full-blown winter.”
“The cold winds from the mountains make it feel even worse.”
“It snowed two days ago…… You must be busy preparing for winter encampment.”
“Yes, the war has dragged on longer than expected.”
As we exchanged such idle chatter, Michel eyed me carefully and spoke up.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I have a question for you.”
“A question?”
“Yes. Do you know about the Dragon Transformation Curse?”
My abrupt words made Michel's eyes widen in surprise.
“What brings that up all of a sudden……?”
As expected, I pulled out the line I'd prepared in advance.
“To be honest, I lied to you about one thing, Priestess.”
“Lied?”
“Yes. About the silver pillar of light.”
The first day's search had yielded nothing, but Michel seemed intent on staying put until she found something here.
At first, I thought it best to avoid getting involved, but after a night of thought, I'd changed my mind.
‘I need to use everything I can.’
I organized my words in my head and spoke in a serious tone.
“The truth is, that pillar of light fell right above my head.”
“What? Is that true?!”
I lowered my voice as much as possible, speaking to her stunned expression.
“How could I have beaten Byan Deolic with my own skill? It was all thanks to the grace of God Altair.”
“Hmm.”
Michel seemed a bit skeptical of my words.
As I'd anticipated, I quickly added more.
“And I already knew through a revelation that I would meet you, Priestess.”
“……A revelation? And why me, of all people?”
“Ah, to be precise, it was about the one you're carrying.”
With that, I turned my gaze to a corner of the tent.
An ornate casket placed in the corner of the tent.
I'd realized who lay inside the moment I first saw it.
“Lady Saintess Gransesia.”
“H-How did you……!”
Michel shot up from her seat, her face a mask of shock.
It was top secret that the casket actually contained the saintess's body, so her reaction was understandable.
The Saintess Pilgrimage was quite famous—anyone in the kingdom knew of it—but I'd never heard any rumors about the saintess's casket among the related information.
==
[Gransesia Atel]
Age: 73 (at death)
Gender: Female
Role in Story: Extra, Legendary Figure
Abilities: Divine Blood, God's Blessing, ……, ……, Divine Magic
Notes: Saintess of the Supreme God Altair. A legendary figure who has already passed away.
==
‘She lives up to the name of saintess. Even as an extra, she's on another level.’
She had a whopping twelve abilities.
More dazzling than anyone I'd seen so far.
No narrative weight, so treated as an extra, but it fit her status as a legendary figure.
And what I was after now was just one of those abilities.
‘Divine Blood!’
Divine Blood was practically the saintess Gransesia's signature ability.
According to the legends passed down, a single drop of the saintess's blood could cure any disease or poison.
‘The Dragon Calamity was triggered by the Dragon Transformation Curse afflicting the princess.’
The Dragon Transformation Curse was a rare disease that only struck the imperial family of the Asktalin Empire.
Legends said the Asktalin imperial bloodline carried dragon blood, and true to that, children born to emperors occasionally resembled dragons.
Of course, if that were all, it wouldn't have been much of an issue.
The problem was that as these children grew, they gradually lost their reason and fully transformed into dragons.
Thus, the Asktalin Empire exiled those afflicted with the curse to remote lands.
Since they were doomed to a short life anyway, they didn't outright kill them.
Riya Asktalin must have been exiled from the empire as well.
But she survived without dying.
‘The catch is, the Dragon Transformation Curse usually manifests at birth.’
I'd once been invited to the Asktalin Empire's New Year's Festival.
I remembered seeing Riya Asktalin from afar then, and there was no way she resembled a dragon.
In other words, at that time, she hadn't been afflicted with the curse yet.
The discrepancy with what I knew left lingering questions.
‘Anyway, if the Dragon Transformation Curse is a disease, Divine Blood should cure it.’
Moreover, Divine Blood wasn't just for the upcoming incident—it was something I absolutely needed for myself going forward.
With it, I'd essentially be immune to all poisons and diseases.
“You don't mean…….”
Michel's face mixed doubt, shock, and a hint of expectation.
“Let me ask again. Priestess Michel, do you know about the Dragon Transformation Curse?”
“……I do. It's a disease that occasionally afflicts the Asktalin Empire's imperial family. But why bring it up now…….”
“It's because of the revelation I received. The gods said a child of the dragon, cloaked in the fate of disaster, would soon pass through here.”
“A child of the dragon cloaked in the fate of disaster?”
I nodded solemnly.
“It is said a great calamity will befall this world later. The child of the dragon must be one of those calamities.”
“I-Is that true?”
“Yes, it's certain. But don't worry. The child of the dragon hasn't fully awakened as a calamity. The gods command you—Saintess Gransesia and her descendant, Michel—to use your power to stop it before it becomes a full calamity.”
“That can't be…….”
“I know it's hard to believe right away.”
I met Michel's confused gaze calmly and rose from my seat.
“Watch and see if my words are false or true.”
I had no intention of convincing her in one day.
For 'plausibility,' I needed to visit here at least every day for ten days minimum.
“I'll see you again tomorrow.”
Leaving Michel speechless behind me, I stepped outside.
The chilly air brushed against my warmed cheeks.
I looked up at the blue sky and opened the 'Setting Addition' menu.
‘The timing is going to be tight…….’
==
[Divine Blood]
Required Plausibility
1. Pray 100 hours at the remains of Divine Blood's owner, Saintess Gransesia
2. Acquire Saintess Gransesia's relic, 'Eye of Simosa'
3. One act of self-sacrifice for another
==
The plausibility requirements for acquiring Divine Blood were far more vague than for the Silver Star Sword.
‘Self-sacrifice for another, huh.’
Simple words, yet profoundly difficult.
If it were that easy, it wouldn't be the condition for mastering something like 'Divine Blood.'
The second one was problematic too.
Acquiring the saintess's relic, the Eye of Simosa.
‘The good news is I know where the relic is…….’
It was said the saintess's casket contained both her remains and her relic. That relic was likely the Eye of Simosa.
‘The issue is that it means opening that casket eventually.’
But it wasn't time to bring that up yet. I could suggest it to Michel after establishing myself as a credible 'revelation bearer.'
Two weeks remained until the operation began.
I'd have to move even more busily.