Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Holy Land (3)
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"Honestly, I can't understand why you felt so powerless in that fight."
It was Bern's words.
Aiden stood still, listening intently.
"I heard from the mage that you've only been wielding a sword for about a year now."
On top of that, he'd heard from Pope Ellaheim as well.
This blond man before him was the most famous person in the world—the direct descendant of the founding emperor.
And that was just the beginning.
Separate from his swordsmanship, he'd awakened aura, and even mastered a fairly impressive skill.
All in just one year.
"Don't you think that's too rushed?"
That was why Bern had no choice but to say it.
He had lived for a long time as a holy knight of the church and, as a seasoned one, had trained many others.
Some had ordinary talents.
Others, though not quite on Aiden's level, possessed brilliantly shining gifts yet grew greedy for more progress.
Bern knew all too well how those people ended up.
'None of them fared well.'
Rapidly growing power.
Becoming immersed in it, convinced they could reach even greater heights.
But reaching the limit of that talent left an unquenchable thirst.
They pushed themselves relentlessly to slake it, no matter how much they drank.
And eventually, they collapsed from exhaustion.
Once they fell like that, they never ran again.
At least, none of the ones Bern had seen ever chose to endure that pain once more.
'He undoubtedly has immense talent.'
This blond youth before him possessed greater talent than anyone Bern had ever witnessed.
With a stable environment and a good teacher, he'd soon surpass Bern himself.
So why was he in such a hurry?
Bern needed to uncover that reason before teaching him.
Aiden closed his eyes briefly at Bern's question.
The prairie wind brushed pleasantly against his cheek.
But Aiden's mind wasn't in this serene grassland.
It was in a dark, damp basement.
One that seemed ready to echo with wails of the damned at any moment.
There, he saw Bern and the apostate monk locked in battle.
In truth, Aiden didn't care how strong they were.
His focus was solely on Jun.
The first person he'd decided to follow since arriving in Blackout.
That man was in danger.
And there was nothing he could do.
The helplessness he'd felt in that moment dredged up a horrific memory for Aiden.
"……."
The scene enveloping him shifted again.
Unlike the dim basement he'd just been in, this was a brilliantly lit corridor.
Turning his gaze, he saw a child leaning against the window frame, peeking out at the scenery.
It was his younger self.
The boy had his ears perked, concentrating on the outside world, afraid of being caught.
The training grounds for knights were visible far below the tall building, tiny in the distance.
"Adrian, sir."
A young woman's voice called out then.
The boy startled violently. He'd been so focused he'd missed the footsteps.
The plain-faced woman with brown hair looked at him pityingly for a moment before hardening her expression.
"Didn't I tell you not to look outside?"
"S-Sorry, nanny……."
He could have hidden it, but that would only prolong her lecture.
Having learned that, young Aiden... Adrian... hung his head low.
Back then, he was afraid of his nanny.
"You are someone who can do nothing."
That was how she'd raised him.
But he realized later.
She was the only one in the imperial family who'd recognized Adrian's talent.
The only one desperate to keep him alive.
Even she was lost when he was exiled.
He'd been powerless.
He hated himself for being able to do nothing.
So he'd run away.
And picked up the sword.
He'd known since childhood that power was needed to protect anything.
Aiden opened his eyes and looked at Bern, who was still waiting for his answer.
"No matter what situation arises..."
"……."
"I don't want to be powerless. I won't let anyone take my rights away."
Adrian Rune Wybone Arshio.
For a discarded crown prince, it was an incredibly dangerous statement.
But Bern didn't flinch or avert his gaze.
"You'll face pain enough to make you wish for death."
"I'd rather die than lose them."
Aiden always showed his bright side around Jun, but that was a misunderstanding.
The blood of the founding emperor—who unified all humanity—ran undeniably through his veins.
Perhaps thicker than in anyone else.
And the founding emperor of history had never given up on anything he'd set out to achieve.
Bern gripped his hammer.
"Then I'll show you what that pain feels like."
Bern swung his hammer.
All Aiden saw was Bern's shoulder move.
Just a single blink.
And Bern's massive battle hammer was already bearing down on him.
Aaaaagh――!!!
Aiden's eyes snapped open at the shrill scream echoing from afar.
"……!!"
Instinctively, his hand went to the scabbard right beside him.
But Aiden quickly had to dismiss the scream from his mind.
"Guh... ack!"
His head felt like it was splitting open.
No, his head had actually exploded.
Brains spilled out, soaking his radiant golden hair in blood.
The excruciating pain left him unable even to scream.
But soon, he sensed something off.
If his skull had shattered and his brain lost form, why was he still alive?
He barely managed to raise his arm and touch his head.
"Aaagh……!!"
Another wave of agony hit.
And he felt the wrongness again.
Through tear-blurred vision from the pain.
Not a single drop of blood stained his hand.
Instead, golden particles enveloped his body.
"Th-This is...?"
"Still out of it, are you?"
As Bern's voice reached him.
Aiden's feet moved on their own.
This time, unlike before, [Beast's Body] had activated to its extreme, sensing killing intent.
"Why so suddenly...?!"
"Didn't you say it yourself? You'd rather die than fail to protect."
No emotion could be read from Bern as he spoke.
Aiden realized he was staring straight at Bern.
He had no time to wonder how he could see with his head pulverized.
Bern's battle hammer moved again.
Immense killing intent washed over him.
Nothing like the crude, unrefined malice from Maya.
A firm conviction to kill.
That resolve was palpable.
His brain, desperate to survive, moved his body automatically.
Whoosh―!
The moment he thought he'd dodged.
The hammer that should have grazed his hair defied inertia, twisting its path.
And once more.
Kwachik―
His head exploded.
Another scream rang out.
Aaaaagh――!!
Listening closely, it was clearly Maya's voice.
What on earth was happening to make her scream like that?
But like before, Aiden couldn't dwell on it.
Whoosh―
The battle hammer charged without giving him time to react to the killing intent.
He braced instinctively for the follow-up.
But.
Kwachik―
Aiden lost his head to Bern's battle hammer.
The same result, but the process differed slightly.
This time, he'd dodged twice before falling to the third strike.
Bern murmured softly.
"Six times, huh..."
Six times.
The number of deaths Aiden had faced.
This was the holy land of the Church of Ariclotos, god of healing.
A place where death did not exist.
Bern saw it as a divine blessing.
Not simple wound healing.
No holy power could reverse death itself.
If Jun understood the principle, he'd call it a 'backup.'
From the moment they entered the holy land, their physical data was saved, then restored via holy power.
"That's no ordinary resilience..."
In other words, Aiden had endured the agony of his head exploding six times.
Anyone else would have died from shock long ago.
Even more astonishing, on his final collapse, he'd dodged five attacks.
"Looks like they're done over there too."
At some point, the screams from Jun and Maya's direction had stopped.
Bern hoisted the unconscious Aiden over his shoulder and headed their way.
Arriving, he saw.
"Guhk."
"......Die!"
Jun collapsing, Maya's sword piercing his throat.
Real combat where you could experience death.
Was there any better place to grow stronger?
Even in the game, it wasn't used often.
Each death carried a risk of mental strength dropping probabilistically.
So Jun always equipped artifacts to boost mental defense when coming here.
'But that was only possible in the late game.'
He'd usually bring characters at level 7 or 8 layers.
By then, he had the leeway for artifacts.
Not this time.
But Jun wasn't worried.
'Their mental strength is high to begin with.'
Both had exceptionally high mental stats.
A few deaths wouldn't cause issues.
Too many might, but not a handful.
What Jun overlooked, however.
"Uh... A-Are you that mad?"
Was that the procedure he was putting Maya through required multiple trials and errors.
"Kyaaaah!"
And it wasn't exactly safe.
The first experiment failed.
As a result, Maya was rampaging now.
'This is gonna...'
Not end easily.
Fortunately, Jun knew how to fix it.
'Gotta die once.'
Hoping the two mental skills would hold.
Jun spoke to the berserk Maya.
"Fine. I had to go through it once anyway... Guhk!"
Maya bypassed the blocking golem with [Soul Sprint] and thrust both swords into Jun's throat.
"......Die!"
Thus, Jun's body was mangled.
The silver lining.
As he'd thought, the two mental skills held strong.
Though it was scant comfort against the horrific pain.
He had to feel it all vividly, fully conscious.
'This is why quack doctors are dangerous.'
With such thoughts, Jun closed his eyes.