Chapter 599: The Black Stone (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 599: The Black Stone (2)
Their private dinner began at a small table.
There was a salad of fresh vegetables tossed in a dressing fragrant with all sorts of fruits.
A simple yet rich-tasting mushroom soup.
And a large steak, cooked perfectly to his desired doneness.
The menu was simple, but the taste and quality were superb.
After taking my time to savor the food, I slowly looked around.
The space was modest, quite different from when I first arrived. There was no expensive furniture, no paintings by famous artists. It felt far too humble a place for someone of the Saintess's stature to receive a guest.
But of course.
This place wasn't made for receiving guests.
“So, what do you think of my personal space?”
This was the Saintess's sanctuary. The one place where she could sleep, eat, read… a space where she could focus solely on herself without worrying about others.
My impression of such a place?
“It's comfortable and cozy.”
“Hehe, it is, isn't it?”
That was all there was to it. It felt like visiting a typical Western-style home. There was nothing that befitted her status as the Saintess.
Perhaps this itself was her wish. To cast off the heavy title of Saintess, at least here, and spend her time as an ordinary woman named Sophia.
“How was the meal?”
“It wasn't extravagant, which I liked. And since the taste and quality were excellent, I could just focus on the food. It was perfect.”
“I'm glad it suited your palate.”
The Saintess seemed relieved.
“To express how happy I was to welcome you, I should have filled a much larger table with all sorts of delicacies… but I hate seeing things wasted and thrown away.”
“The thought is more than enough. I may not be on your level, but I also hate wasting food.”
Maybe it's because I grew up poor. I understood how she felt. It's nice to have a variety of dishes, but it's a shame to waste food for the sake of formality. That's why, in the past, I never held banquets or parties unless it was for a truly special occasion. To host guests, you have to prepare far more food than they'll actually eat. I'd rather just rent a place, order as much as we want to eat, and pay the bill.
“I think you and I have quite a lot in common, Do-jin.”
“It seems so.”
She in her own way, and I in mine. Our jobs and positions often required us to be in hectic situations, but I supposed neither of our personalities was suited for it.
“It's nice. I feel like I've made a friend I really connect with.”
“Me too.”
Was it because my intentions were impure? In the past, my time with her was always a series of tense moments, a subtle pressure closing in. I was worried that a single word or an unintentional action would give me away.
But it's different these days. When I talk with her, my mind feels at peace. The uncontroversial topics, the common ground we naturally find one by one, the relaxed atmosphere… These elements, even if only for a moment, cooled my mind, which had been rushed by one thing after another.
If it hadn't been for her, I would have proceeded with the plan to bring her the Black Stone without reconsidering the risks, and I would have faced a huge disaster.
“The sun is starting to set.”
Her gaze turned to the window. Beyond the clear glass, the vast sky was spread out, dyed red by the sunset.
“You said you were going to make a fake Black Stone.”
“Yes.”
“Is that possible?”
“I'm not sure.”
I couldn't be sure either. I hadn't even seen what the Black Stone looked like yet. I could only try.
“I have to do what I can.”
At my answer, her head dropped slightly.
“Things have gotten complicated because of me.”
“That's not it.”
It wasn't her firm refusal that complicated things.
“We've simply switched to a strategy with less risk in case of failure.”
If I brought them the real Black Stone and failed to get it back in time, it would be like handing them a tremendous weapon. But with a fake, at least I didn't have to worry about that. Even if I got caught… well, at worst, our already bad relationship would just get worse.
“If anything, thanks to you, I've become more aware of the reality of the situation. So please don't blame yourself.”
Only after I said that did she smile.
“Really… I don't know why every single thing you say is so pleasant to hear.”
Her words carried a slightly different emotion than before. A strange feeling that tickled my chest.
I wished inwardly. I hoped this atmosphere could last just a little longer. But pleasant dreams always end in an instant.
“When the sun sets… I'll guide you to the secret chamber.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I've told you before, but I'll say it again just to be safe… the existence of that place is an absolute secret.”
“I won't tell a soul, so don't you worry.”
As I said it with confidence, she nodded and replied.
“Yes, I believe you.”
The deep trust in her words warmed my heart.
* * *
A night darker than usual, with even the moon hidden by clouds.
Only then did the two of them leave the room.
In the perfectly silent city, lights flickered from time to time.
“Those are the police on their night patrol. We have to be careful not to be seen.”
In truth, nothing much would happen even if they were caught. With the Saintess present, who could possibly accuse them of any crime? But she didn't want anyone to know where she was going. Because the secret chamber had been guarded so tightly until now.
“This way.”
She led Kim Do-jin with great skill.
It was only natural. The Saintess, like the Pope, was one of the leaders of the Vatican. So she knew exactly when and where the police here patrolled.
Besides, this wasn't her first time. Once a month, on the darkest night, she would visit the secret chamber for an inspection.
“Here, you have to duck your head low… and here, we have to climb the wall. Ah, over there…!”
“……”
That was probably why the woman leading the way looked less like a Saintess and more like a ninja.
They moved for quite a long time. This was because the secret chamber was located in the most secluded part of Vatican City.
The great wall separating Italy and the Vatican.
Standing before it, she turned to Kim Do-jin and spoke.
“We're here.”
Kim Do-jin immediately looked around. All he could see were well-tended grasses, flowers, and trees.
“Just a moment. I'll open the door to the secret chamber now.”
She stood in the middle of a patch of grass, gathered her hands, and drew upon the divine power filling her body. The usual light did not leak out. All the divine power that left her body was directed not outward, but down toward her feet.
Fssshhh!
The earth trembled from the overflowing divine power. The life-giving energy touched a specific area, causing the grass and flowers there to grow. The grass and flowers grew, imbued with overwhelming vitality.
As Kim Do-jin watched from a distance, an image formed before his eyes.
The image of a nun praying with her hands clasped.
‘Is that the image of the former Saintess?’
It seemed that picture was the password to the secret chamber.
Once the picture made of grass and flowers was complete, the overgrown patch of grass in its center parted.
Ssssss
A long passage was finally revealed.
“Let's go down.”
The Saintess descended first. As I followed her down, she used her divine power to create a small light source. Relying on that light, we headed down again.
10 meters, 20, 30… roughly 100 meters, or perhaps more.
At the end of the long passage, deep underground, a thick iron door engraved with the image of the praying nun blocked the path forward.
That wasn't all. Looking around, I saw that the walls weren't made of ordinary dirt or stone, but entirely of a gleaming, pure white metal. It was a mixture of several metals, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but its strength was such that it could likely block even high-level magic without issue.
At that level, infiltration through anywhere but the door was out of the question. The only thing left was that door….
“I'll open the door.”
The Saintess placed her hand on the door. The divine power that began to rise from her hand filled the door.
The moment he saw this, Kim Do-jin thought.
‘Infiltration is absolutely impossible.’
She didn't rely on convenient magic, but solely on her own power. Abundant divine power. The door would only open when the engraving of the praying nun was filled with this power. This was impossible, even for someone like Kim Do-jin. He could fill it with mana easily enough, but divine power was an energy beyond his authority.
Of course, it didn't matter whether it was possible or not. There was no reason for Kim Do-jin to ever raid this place. The reason I was so meticulously assessing the possibility of infiltration… was just something like an occupational hazard. A personal procedure of his, checking how well-built and sturdy a place was, wherever he went.
“There.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the iron door, enveloped in a soft light, slowly began to open.
Kugung….
The noise wasn't very loud. It seemed care had been taken with the materials and structure from the design phase to minimize noise.
A wide space was revealed through the gap in the door. Inside, various objects were displayed in transparent glass cases, as if in a museum. Every single one looked either expensive or dangerous.
“These are…?”
“Every one of them is an object that brings harm to humans.”
Swords, spears, bows, axes.
Helms, armor, gauntlets, boots.
Necklaces, rings, earrings, and so on.
I could feel immense mana from all the equipment in the glass cases.
And one more thing.
“…They're all thick with killing intent.”
Equipment is originally meant to protect the wearer from threats. But these were different. They were designed solely to lead their wearers to ruin.
Such items were called…
“Critical Artifacts.”
A name given because they inflict a fatal curse or death upon the wearer.
“The former Saintess collected these items with her own funds to protect people and stored them here. So that mere cursed objects would never harm humans again.”
“……”
I saw a few familiar items. Equipment that had caused trouble back when Kim Do-jin was active as Son Si-woo.
Sensing where his gaze was directed, she added with a small smile.
“Those are the ones I bought.”
She wasn't trying to brag. She just wanted to show him. Though she didn't know why that thought had suddenly occurred to her.
She reached out and gently blocked his view as he stared blankly at the equipment.
“It's fine to keep looking, but… isn't the thing you really want to see in there?”
Where she pointed, there was another door.
Snapping back to his senses, he withdrew his gaze and answered.
“Let's go right away.”
We passed the equipment, from which all sorts of negative emotions mixed with mana were surging, and arrived at another door.
“Only one thing is stored in here.”
“The Black Stone.”
“Yes. Why do you think it was kept separate?”
It wasn't a difficult question, and Kim Do-jin immediately voiced the answer that came to mind.
“It means… it's that much more of a dangerous object.”
“Yes, that's right.”
There was a legend circulating among the public. That if you used the mana contained in the Black Stone to make a bomb, you could wipe a country—no, an entire continent—off the map.
This was half-right and half-wrong.
She pulled the doorknob and opened her mouth to speak.
“What's contained in the Black Stone isn't mana.”
“If it's not mana…?”
“Well…”
With that vague answer, the Saintess pushed the door open.
As the door opened, a much smaller space than the one they were in was revealed. And in its center, a single object rested in a glass case.
A stone, pitch-black and darker still, as if it were absorbing all the light that touched it.
The moment I saw it, I realized.
What her words meant.
Mana I'd never felt before in my life… no, that's not it.
Kim Do-jin had felt this mana before.
Just once, not here, but in the world of his subconscious.
“The former Saintess described the energy within the Black Stone like this.”
The Goddess of Greed, Gula. The energy faintly emanating from her body was similar to that. To be precise, her energy felt incredibly refined, while that thing's energy seemed to be in a pure, unrefined state.
After a brief pause, she continued.
“The power of a demon, Devil Force.”
In the East, it's called Magi. Demonic Energy.
Faced with an endlessly turbid malice, Kim Do-jin's face crumpled.