Chapter 518: The Blood Sanctuary (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 518: The Blood Sanctuary (5)
Two types of people were gathered here.
Those who, as members of the Guardians, clearly knew their objective, and those who did not.
After explaining the mission to those who had rushed here without a single question, solely on the request of their comrade, Francis Meyer, the meeting began in earnest.
“As I just mentioned, our destination is Romania. Specifically, the cursed land that has come to be known as the Blood Sanctuary.”
The Blood Sanctuary.
The cursed land.
The name alone was enough to stir a tension that hadn't been there before, and everyone's expression began to harden.
“Our first task is to enter Romania without the enemy discovering our identities…”
Someone raised their hand and asked.
“So we’ll need disguises?”
“That’s right. We will use disguises to hide our identities when we enter Romania.”
Someone else asked.
“Uhm… even if we hide our identities, won’t a large group of people suddenly entering Romania draw the enemy’s attention?”
“A very valid point. That’s why we must enter in a way that doesn’t attract their notice. To do this, we’ve decided to receive help from the Vatican’s Orthodox Church.”
Help from the Vatican.
As soon as I heard that, one idea came to mind.
A way to use their help to enter the country naturally, without attracting the enemy’s attention.
“We’re going to mix in with a volunteer group run by the Orthodox Church to get in, aren’t we?”
Even before I finished speaking, the smile forming on his lips seemed to say, That’s correct.
His gaze left me as he continued.
“Just as Hunter Kim Do-jin said, we will enter the country with the help of an Orthodox Church volunteer group that regularly travels to Romania. After we’ve grasped the local situation and completed our reconnaissance, we will proceed into the Blood Sanctuary.”
Entering with the help of the Orthodox Church volunteer group.
No one voiced any objections.
There was no better way to enter the country while keeping our identities perfectly concealed.
However, a question still remained.
“Hasn’t the Blood Sanctuary been impenetrable to outsiders for the past ten years? How do you plan to get through it…?”
Despite the rather difficult question, he answered without hesitation, holding up his index and middle fingers.
“We will find the spies operating covertly in Romania and seize their information.”
“And if you can’t find them?”
“I have a trump card prepared for that possibility as well. However, it’s a powerful card that gives us an advantage in any situation, so I’d rather not waste it on something as simple as gaining entry.”
A trump card.
He didn’t reveal what it was, but no one questioned him.
That’s how much they trusted him.
The hero before them, Francis Meyer.
I was the same.
If he was speaking with such confidence… he surely had an incredible move prepared.
For the first time, a troubled expression appeared on the face of the man who had so perfectly explained the entry process.
“We estimate there will be no problems up to the point of entry. The problem… is what happens after we get in.”
Right.
The biggest problem with this operation wasn't entering the country or even the sanctuary.
It was what came after.
“As you all said, the Blood Sanctuary has not allowed any outsiders to enter for the past ten years. I don’t know how the Apostle of the Seven Deadly Sins and his subordinates have been getting in and out, but… in other words, it means we have a severe lack of information about that place, while they have plenty.”
The absence of information.
That was the most critical weakness.
I had been thinking about it ever since we left, all the way until now, but I couldn't find an answer.
Why?
Because we didn’t know what the biggest problem would be once we were moving around inside.
However, it wasn’t as if we had no information at all.
“The Blood Sanctuary I experienced ten years ago… yes. First, your feet become heavy. With every step, it becomes difficult to lift your feet, as if a sticky adhesive were glued to the soles.”
A decrease in movement speed.
And a resulting increase in stamina consumption.
“And… wounds sustained there don’t clot easily. A wound that would normally heal without issue takes much longer to stop bleeding there.”
On top of that, a reduced health regeneration effect.
“These are the effects that the raid team, including myself, experienced firsthand at the time. But as you know, this is information from ten years ago. It’s hard to say how much stronger its power has become now that it’s surrounded by a barrier, or what new effects might have been added.”
Ten years was not a short amount of time.
Furthermore, the Apostle of the Seven Deadly Sins was using the place like his own backyard.
There was no telling how those two variables might have changed the Blood Sanctuary.
There were more than enough reasons not to go in.
And ironically, those same reasons were also why we absolutely had to.
“I, more than anyone else gathered here, am reluctant to enter that place.”
Francis Meyer’s words landed with a heavy weight.
“Because I have already experienced it. I know just how terrible that place is.”
Now, ten years later, that desperate battle was described like this:
Francis Meyer and the greatest heroes of the era made sacrifices and devoted themselves to quell the disaster.
To be recorded in history meant their deeds were that extraordinary.
But no one could know from that sentence alone.
The life-or-death struggles they endured to be remembered by that single line, and the immense pain and suffering they gained in the process.
As the only one here who knew, he was surely the most hesitant to enter the Blood Sanctuary.
“That’s all the more reason we must go. The Apostle of the Seven Deadly Sins, who is working to bring about the world’s destruction, is there. In that cursed land that allows no one to enter, they exist, and they alone.”
A cursed land that no one could set foot in, nor wanted to.
Inside, they were in danger, but at the same time, they would be free.
There was no one to watch what they were doing, no one to stop them.
“There, those bastards can dream of anything. They can prepare and build up anything they need for the world’s destruction. Before it grows any larger.”
We couldn't know.
Perhaps they were stockpiling a powerful weapon there, one that could sweep the world into ruin.
Or maybe they were secretly conducting research to create a terrible virus or disease.
Since we knew nothing…
“We must put an end to them.”
This established the necessity of entering the Blood Sanctuary, despite the risks, to bring them to justice.
Having convinced everyone, he spoke.
“Ten days from now, the Orthodox Church’s volunteer group will arrive here. Thorough preparation is the only way to increase our survival rate, so I want you all to do everything you can until then. Also, if you suddenly think of a good strategy or plan, you’re always welcome to come find me, so don’t hesitate.”
A heavy silence descended.
Amidst it, Francis spoke his final words.
“Of course, anyone who wants to have a drink is also welcome to come find me anytime.”
Hahahaha!
The atmosphere lightened a little.
* * *
Kim Do-jin spent a day resting to recover from the long flight and adjust to the time difference.
Waking up the next morning in peak condition, he immediately left the hotel.
“Where did she say it was again?”
He walked slowly, retracing his memories from the night before.
Soon, his enhanced hearing began to pick up the sound he was looking for.
Clang…!
Clang!
The sound of a heavy hammer striking heated steel with force.
His destination was a blacksmith’s forge on the outskirts of Sophia.
It was now being used as Angela’s personal workshop.
Minerals were piled high throughout the fairly spacious area.
And at the center of the space, where gusts of hot air constantly swirled, was Angela.
Clang!
Clang!
It’s often said that people, man or woman, look most attractive when they are completely focused on their work.
Perhaps that was why.
The sight of her bringing her hammer down with all her might on the red-hot steel atop the anvil looked incredibly beautiful.
So much so that every drop of sweat that trickled down her body felt like holy water.
I took a step toward her, mesmerized, but then stopped.
‘I shouldn’t disturb her.’
Approaching a blacksmith in the middle of their work and breaking their concentration was the ultimate taboo.
So, I decided to wait.
Until she was finished.
It didn’t take as long as I expected.
About two hours.
“Hmm… if I sharpen the edge a bit more… no. Considering the overall balance, this is right.”
Angela inspected the freshly made sword, swinging it this way and that.
Then, she suddenly felt a gaze from behind her.
“Huh? Who… oh, you!”
When she turned around, she was completely surprised.
It was only natural, seeing Kim Do-jin standing at the entrance, staring intently at her.
Pleased to see him, Angela approached with quick steps.
She was about to throw herself into his broad chest when Kim Do-jin, startled, held out his hands.
“W-Wait! Put down the sword first.”
“Ah!”
Only then did she realize she was holding a sword, and she let out a bashful laugh.
After carefully setting the sword aside, she leaped into his arms with all her strength.
“What’s up? Huh? You came because you missed me, right? Right?”
A barrage of questions.
Her purring made her seem like a wild beast enjoying a human’s touch.
Kim Do-jin replied.
“Well… I missed you, and I also had some business to take care of. A bit of both?”
Angela’s lips jutted out in a slight pout.
“I would’ve preferred if it was just because you missed me.”
“Then let’s just say that was the bigger reason.”
“Tch… you’re all talk. So.”
After savoring his embrace for a moment, she pulled away and asked.
“What’s this business? Is there something you want me to make?”
“That’s right.”
Curiosity filled her eyes at Kim Do-jin’s affirmation.
He, who had stubbornly refused to ask for anything for himself even when she said she’d make him whatever he wanted, now had something he wanted made.
“Hmph… what is it? Just tell me what you want. I’ll make it all for you. Of course.”
She glided forward with light steps and whispered into Kim Do-jin’s ear.
“If you propose, I can even make you a baby…♥”
A tempting, yet terrifying, offer delivered with a hot breath.
Kim Do-jin smiled wryly and shook his head.
“I’m fine on that for now. I came because I want to have a sword made.”
“Hmm… a sword?”
“Yes. It won’t be an ordinary sword.”
“If it’s not ordinary…”
Most blacksmiths share a similar disposition.
They go crazy for things that are special and unique, things that make their creative desires surge, rather than churning out conventional items.
The weapon Kim Do-jin wanted to make was a sword.
It was the most common of weapons, but if you looked closer, it was anything but.
“A sword suitable for a magic swordsman who wields both magic and a blade simultaneously.”
A sword suited only for Kim Do-jin.
To take it a step further, a very special sword that no one besides him and perhaps Son Seo-yeon could properly wield.
“What do you think? Isn’t that tempting?”
An invitation into an unknown territory no one had ever attempted before.
Receiving that invitation, a rough smile, full of challenge and desire, bloomed on Angela’s lips.
“That sounds… incredibly exciting?!”
A genius blacksmith.
The spirit of a master artisan, fully deserving of the title, began to stir.