Chapter 551: Mixed Fates (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 551: Mixed Fates (5)
To achieve what you desire, there are times you must break something of your own.
Be it your convictions.
Your preconceptions.
Or even your existing biases.
For the Saintess, this was that moment.
“I see. So this is the aura of Greed…”
As they say, strike while the iron is hot.
After she promised to keep me, now an Apostle of Greed, by her side, the very first thing I did was take out Gula, who was coiled up in my stomach, and show it to her.
“I think I understand now. Why people found it so unsettling.”
The Saintess nodded as she took in my aura.
“It’s too blatant. To put it metaphorically… it feels like confessing a secret you could never tell anyone to the entire world.”
Most desires are like that. They are deeply personal, things you hide in the deepest corners of your heart rather than reveal to others.
The aura of Gluttony, originating from Gula, was similar to human desire.
It contains the raw, naked craving that everyone wants to hide.
That’s why it feels so unsettling. People are afraid their own desires will leak out because of this aura.
And their concerns were valid. When I connected our auras through the domain of Gluttony, I could get a glimpse of a person's desires.
“Honestly, I was surprised.”
“……?”
“Until now, the auras of the Seven Deadly Sins I've felt were far more hideous and foul… like being doused in pitch-black filth. But your aura, Hunter Kim Do-jin, isn't like that.”
So, it's like having your inner thoughts exposed, which is a bit unsettling, but not entirely bad… is that it?
Coming from someone who considers the Seven Deadly Sins her mortal enemies, that was a surprisingly positive review.
“But at the same time, it makes me wary.”
“Wary… you say?”
“Yes. The fact that it isn't ‘bad’ means it leaves room for something else.”
“Hmm.”
Does she mean that because it isn't repulsive, one might let their guard down?
Just what I'd expect from the Saintess. She leaves no openings.
She nodded once and continued.
“I understand the gist of it now. You can withdraw your aura.”
I gathered the aura that had been swimming between us and stored it away.
Then, she spoke.
“For now, it would be best to keep this a secret from everyone.”
“That makes sense.”
An Apostle of the Seven Deadly Sins is an enemy to all of the Guardians.
No matter how much the Saintess vouches for me, it would be hard for them to truly accept it.
Perhaps it might be possible after some more time has passed. Like when their trust in me becomes as solid as their trust in Francis Meyer.
“I'll just make something up about it being a new trait, so for now, I'd like us to get our story straight.”
“Understood.”
If she's willing to do that, I'm more than grateful.
After we finished our discussion, her gaze turned to me once more.
“Hunter Kim Do-jin.”
“……?”
“Let’s do our best.”
It was both a warning and a plea.
A plea for me to stay strong and not become a monster consumed by Greed.
A request to ensure that the blades of the Guardians, herself included, would never have to be pointed at a comrade.
“…Yes.”
I nod, thinking to myself. She's definitely not a woman to be taken lightly.
* * *
Romania.
A nation on the brink of collapse, having lost a third of its territory to monsters that appeared alongside natural disasters.
An anomaly was observed there.
The Blood Sanctuary, the land of the True Ancestor who had been put to sleep ten years ago through the devotion of a raid team led by Francis Meyer.
The Red Barrier surrounding it had vanished without a trace.
As a result, neighboring countries were on high alert.
“The Red Barrier is gone…? What in the world happened?”
“We are currently investigating.”
“Could it be that the True Ancestor has awakened…?”
“…We cannot rule out that possibility.”
“Oh, my God!”
They jumped to a conclusion: that the True Ancestor had awakened from its long slumber and broken through the Red Barrier.
It wasn't an unreasonable assumption, seeing as the impenetrable barrier—one that the World Hunter Association had spent years investigating without finding a way to dispel, let alone pass through—had disappeared overnight.
They immediately began to formulate countermeasures.
“We can't get in contact with Romania.”
“It seems certain that some calamity has occurred.”
“We may need to dispatch troops near the Blood Sanctuary to investigate.”
Opinions were exchanged in hushed, urgent tones.
Communication with Romania was cut off. Just as they were about to risk dispatching troops for an investigation to quell their growing anxiety, a report came in.
“Minister! The Saintess is holding a press conference…!”
“Your Excellency, we've received word that the Saintess has called a press conference regarding Romania.”
News that the Saintess was holding a press conference spread to every nation.
The timing was far too coincidental.
And so, everyone was certain.
“Turn on the TV, now!”
This press conference had to be related to Romania.
And so it began.
[Greetings, everyone.]
[I am Sophia Saintess of the Vatican Orthodox Church.]
The press conference, to which it was no exaggeration to say the eyes of the entire world were fixed.
[I stand here today because there is something I must tell you all.]
She was as noble as she was revered by all, but today was different.
Over her lofty and elegant demeanor, something else was layered. It was none other than solemn gravity.
[You have all seen it. The Red Barrier that was eating away at Romania has disappeared.]
[But the Red Barrier is not the only thing that has vanished.]
Everyone was puzzled. Not just the barrier? Then what else could have possibly disappeared?
It was at that moment.
[The EX-rank monster that drove Romania to the brink of ruin ten years ago, the True Ancestor.]
[It, too, has been annihilated.]
“W-What did she say…!?”
“The True Ancestor… annihilated?”
“What is this nonsense!”
The world was turned upside down by the shocking announcement.
People had never experienced it for themselves—the power of the True Ancestor, the king of vampires who had plunged Romania into a crucible of fear upon its appearance and earned the EX-rank designation, a rank given only to unconquerable monsters.
But even without direct experience, they could guess.
A monster that humanity's greatest hero, Francis Meyer, and the best Hunters of his time had managed only to put to sleep, despite giving it their all.
That was why it was so hard to accept.
“Who on earth…?”
Who could have possibly annihilated a monster that not even Francis Meyer could defeat?
On the podium on the TV screen, the Saintess answered their question.
[Susan.]
“……?”
A completely unknown name.
But it didn't end there.
[Leonardo.]
[Lucas.]
[Irina.]
As the names—some unfamiliar, others familiar—were called out one by one, everyone realized.
That all of them were the heroes who had led the charge in annihilating the True Ancestor.
And.
[…Klain, Redin, Ramus.]
That some of them had not made it back alive.
Her recitation continued.
[Elena Mikhailova Dobreva.]
A foreigner's name, but one that was surprisingly familiar in South Korea.
It didn't stop there.
[Shin Yu-jeong.]
[Han Ju-yeon.]
One by one. The guild, the party, currently enjoying the most explosive popularity in South Korea.
[Son Seo-yeon.]
The moment that name was called, the top of the Magic Tower trembled.
And.
[Kim Do-jin.]
South Korea erupted.
And finally.
[…Francis Meyer.]
The world shook.
* * *
The Blood Sanctuary. And the dispelling of the Red Barrier that surrounded it.
Because it was such a massive and easily observable anomaly, we couldn't keep everything a secret.
So we announced it. That the anomaly in Romania was the result of the True Ancestor's death. And we announced the names of those who had delivered that death.
“It's just right.”
The world's attention is focused. And beneath that attention, we hid several secrets that must never be revealed.
Information that could bring about a massive upheaval in the world, like the existence of the Seven Deadly Sins and Francis Meyer's critical condition.
“It's a truth that will have to be revealed someday, but…”
The Seven Deadly Sins are lurking in the shadows, biding their time to threaten the world.
In such a situation, what would happen if their identities were revealed to all?
They would sink into even deeper darkness. Until the attention on them faded.
The news of Francis Meyer's critical condition is the same.
He is nothing less than a symbol of humanity's peace.
Among the countless villains scattered across the world, there are droves of them who stay in hiding simply because they fear him.
But what would happen if news suddenly broke that he was in critical condition?
“They'd all come crawling out of the woodwork, thinking this was their chance.”
If that happened, it could usher in the most chaotic era since the dawn of Hunter society.
So we have to hide it. Until Francis Meyer gets back on his feet.
“The problem is how to heal him…”
I have one method in mind.
Even the Saintess's divine power was unable to heal the very source of his life.
If she, an unparalleled existence when it comes to healing, couldn't do it, then one had to assume no one in the world could.
But that's only the story of one person.
If divine power and the Saintess alone aren't enough, why not add something—or someone—else?
And the most suitable candidate for that is, of course.
“…No matter how I think about it, it has to be me.”
I think Gula and I would be the best fit.
To be precise, the aura of Greed that Gula holds.
As I demonstrated earlier, Greed functions in two ways.
Devouring human greed to fill its own belly, and guiding that desire toward a set destination.
The function we'd use here is the latter.
“If I can just guide the Saintess's divine power—which is possessed by the desire to heal Francis—with Greed…”
Perhaps it could allow her power to reach the source of life, a place it couldn't touch before.
“It seems worth a try…”
The problem is whether the Saintess would accept it.
“…Should I casually bring it up?”
Yeah. What's so hard about saying a few words?
I immediately got up and went to her. She was by Francis's side again today, pondering what to do. I explained the idea of healing through a combination of Greed and divine power.
After hearing me out, she smiled and asked,
“Are you hoping to be sent to the execution block for blasphemy?”
“…Ah, no.”
It seems the timing isn't quite right.