Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: What I Know
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Eleanor ended up falling into corruption. How did that happen?
Jun didn't know the full details.
Even when he'd checked the strategy guide to obtain [Lament's End], he'd only memorized things like what to do, what to hunt, what to collect.
But amid all that, one thing stuck in his memory.
'There was a rare side quest that even had dubbing.'
The game <Blackout> wasn't particularly kind to players.
One of the few user-friendly features was dubbing and cutscenes.
Dubbing was reserved only for named NPCs.
And cutscenes were almost impossible to see unless they were part of the main story.
That made hearing dubbing from a story NPC in a side quest an incredibly rare event.
'In the process of getting [Lament's End], there was a precious dubbing record.'
The reason even his [Exceptional Memory] couldn't recall it was because he'd skipped it right away back then, annoyed by the noise.
Recalling it now, in this situation, wasn't easy.
'The name of that record was definitely...'
It came to him.
"Elias. Bishop Elias."
"Huh? How do you know that name?"
Bern's eyes widened in surprise as he overheard Jun's mutter.
Eleanor answered for him.
"He's a mage who knows all sorts of weird stuff."
"Hmm. Is that so? Well, he is a mage."
Sometimes, being a mage class came in handy like this.
No matter what he did, the response was just, "Well, he's a mage."
Anyway, Jun sank back into thought.
Then he glanced at Eleanor once more.
'To begin with... I had it all wrong.'
The real issue right now wasn't the corrupted Holy Grail or the bishop's betrayal.
It was Eleanor.
In the late game.
Which was several years from now.
Eleanor would fall into corruption.
Transforming into a level 10 monster and descending upon the world.
This moment was the branching point.
"Then our priorities have shifted. We need to find the Holy Grail first, not the bishop."
The group nodded at Jun's words.
Eleanor spoke up.
"People corrupted by the plague are hard to purify because of the grail, but purifying the grail itself—the source—is possible."
"I'll help with that part. Should be no problem."
Eleanor nodded, understanding Jun's meaning.
During the Forest Guardian raid, Jun had infused [Lament's End] with mana and converted it to holy power. If they did the same here, they could purify the grail without the bishop.
Those unaware of the details just nodded, figuring there must be a way.
"The problem is the grail's location."
The most likely spot was the center of the church's base camp.
Did that mean fighting through all the holy knights to get inside?
As that question arose,
Jun shook his head.
"By now, the grail's probably been handed off to someone else."
"Someone else? Who?"
Jun answered Eleanor's question.
"The Church of the Firmament."
There was a popular saying on the game community forums.
-If something unusual happens during gameplay, suspect the Church of the Firmament first.
It didn't apply to every situation.
But nine times out of ten, it was spot on.
So Jun figured the Church of the Firmament was behind the bishop this time too.
"Hah... haaah...!"
Someone was sprinting through the city of Akseong.
A barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew.
The old man crossing it was hunched over, his wrinkled face reflecting his usual prickly demeanor.
Bishop Elias.
Surprisingly, he was still clinging to his sanity.
In his arms, he cradled the Holy Grail like a precious treasure.
Where was the bishop running to?
"That place... if I get there, there has to be something...!"
Things had gone wrong.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Ninety percent of the plan had worked perfectly. The entire church had lost their minds.
But he couldn't afford to get caught up in it too.
That wasn't part of the plan.
And most crucially, Eleanor.
Now that even she had vanished,
What could he do?
Nothing.
Instead, he had to bide his time.
Head to that place and wait for them... the Church of the Firmament... to bring Eleanor.
If that happened, everything would be resolved.
That's why he'd stubbornly held on even as the plague consumed his body.
Half out of his mind, he raced through the city of Akseong.
And trailing him at a leisurely pace were two pairs of eyes.
One of them spoke.
"Krukruk!"
The laugh was eerie, like a reptile monster mimicking human amusement.
The emotion in it was pure, vulgar delight at another's suffering.
Hearing that voice, the other hulking man gripped his prayer beads tightly and asked,
"What's got you so amused?"
"Things are finally going our way for once. No reason not to be happy. Kirruk!"
It was the voice of an old crone. But the sinister aura it carried made the giant man shake his head.
"Asura Salvartha. I heard the offering was a hassle."
The old woman's face twisted in irritation at once.
Just thinking about it annoyed her to no end.
"The Fallen Fairy Queen. And the Witch's Forest. Failed to get what we wanted there. Gruk."
Originally, the Fallen Fairy Queen shouldn't have been exposed to the world like that.
They needed to harvest her 'corruption' into a vessel before drawing attention.
That had failed.
And the Witch's Forest?
It hid a rare recipe.
One even the old woman coveted.
But more than the recipe, they needed the witch's magic power.
To cleanse the vessel thoroughly.
Both had ended in failure.
Now their workload had piled up like a mountain. Their goal felt even farther away.
But.
"The most important thing is securing the vessel, no matter what."
If they got the vessel for their purpose, the rest could be handled somehow.
Even if the process dragged on tediously.
The old woman had the ability to see it through.
"I hope it all goes smoothly."
"Can't feel a shred of sincerity in your voice, monk."
"Asura Salvartha. All shall unfold according to the Outer God's will."
"Hmph! Sounds just like any run-of-the-mill zealot."
"I'll take issue with that. I'm no empty-word-spouting worm like those."
"Then do your job and protect me properly. Not that many could approach me anyway."
"Asura Salvartha."
The sun was setting, and a blood-red moon rising opposite.
In a world gradually staining crimson, the two figures pursued the bishop.
"The Church of the Firmament...?"
Eleanor tilted her head.
She'd never heard the name.
It was only natural.
At this point in time, the Church of the Firmament hadn't yet spread its infamy far and wide.
'Just what do you know?'
Sensing Eleanor's gaze, Jun continued his explanation.
He had only fragments of game knowledge, but it gave him a rough idea of what had gone down in Akseong.
"What they want is a descent ritual. Putting a god's spirit into a human body—a mad endeavor."
"Is that... even possible?"
Even Eleanor, a cleric, doubted it for a moment.
But then she remembered: this was Blackout. Common sense didn't apply.
"And there's an altar here in Akseong for performing the descent."
Now Jun's eyes fixed on Bern, as if saying, You must know something.
And his expectation was met.
Bern's usually jovial face had rarely looked so grim.
Reading Jun's gaze, Eleanor turned to Bern too.
"Uncle?"
"You..."
Even as Eleanor called to him, Bern kept his eyes on Jun.
As if asking how much he knew.
Of course, Jun knew next to nothing.
His knowledge of Eleanor's story was extremely limited.
Just that some incident had happened here in the past between the Ariclothos Church and the Church of the Firmament.
And now, that the Church of the Firmament was scheming something against Eleanor.
He had no details on methods or timing. That's why Bern's reaction intrigued him.
'I just poked because he's an upper holy knight who fusses over Eleanor unusually...'
The response was better than expected.
Seizing the momentum, Jun pressed on.
"Sir Holy Knight. People have a common misconception about mages. Know what it is?"
"..."
"They think mages love using their brains."
The opposite was true.
Someone who used their head all day didn't want to during downtime.
So.
"No need to hide intentions. Let's lay all our cards on the table, no holding back. What do you say?"
"Heh heh..."
Bern stroked his beard.
Demands to spill everything, wrapped in such complicated words.
And he claimed not to like thinking.
"I've already shown all my cards, at least."
Church of the Firmament.
They were definitely up to something here.
That was the only thing Jun knew—and the most crucial piece.
Bern closed his eyes briefly, then glanced at Eleanor.
"Then what they want is probably Eleanor. This child."
"Me? Why would those ragtag losers want me? Some kind of perverts?"
As the group's eyes suddenly turned to her, Eleanor spoke in disbelief.
"So that's how it is... Yes, Bishop Elias. Is that what you wanted? You couldn't let go of past delusions."
Bern muttered cryptically.
He pondered whether to reveal the secret he'd guarded for over twenty years, right here and now.
But there was no other choice.
The situation was that desperate.
Even a cat's paw would do at this point—and to borrow its strength, he had to bare the truth.
Pointing to Eleanor's bandaged eyes,
He said,
"Eleanor. It's been twenty years since His Holiness found you."
"Uh, y-yeah?"
Why the sudden atmosphere like he was about to reveal her birth secret?
Eleanor gripped her staff tightly for no reason.
It had been with her since her earliest memories.
Bern looked at her pityingly, then carefully spoke.
About fifty years ago.
Under imperial orders, the Ariclothos Church took full responsibility for purging Akseong and began investigating its history in earnest.
The work wasn't easy, but after persistent effort, the church grasped Akseong's history after about twenty-five years.
And that marked the beginning of the tragedy.