Chapter 221
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: How About This?
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Unable to adjust to the strangely heavy atmosphere, he scratched his head with his wings for a moment.
Yuna Kyung cautiously asked.
"Um, Team Leader? There's something I don't quite get."
"What is it?"
"The ghost of a saint appearing in the Muse Temple... Is that really such a huge scandal that it would make the church—and even the goddess herself—freak out?"
"You think it's just a scandal? It's the worst disgrace in the history of the Muse Church."
"Just for that?"
Yuna Kyung was baffled.
If it were the old days when she'd freak out over a single ghost, maybe.
But after seeing hordes of ghosts in London, she couldn't understand treating one ghost so seriously.
As if reading her mind, Rimon clicked his tongue and explained.
"What do you think is the biggest reason people believe in gods?"
"Uh... because they're gods?"
"...My mistake."
"Why are you apologizing?!"
Yuna Kyung bristled at Rimon, who was self-reflecting that he'd expected too much from a chicken brain.
Ainsa answered her.
"Salvation and peace."
"Exactly. There are exceptions like the Seven Dragon Society, but the most common purpose of faith is to guarantee spiritual peace after death."
"Ah... yeah, that makes sense."
Perhaps because she was a high priestess of the Holy Alliance.
Yuna Kyung nodded at Ainsa's answer and Rimon's added explanation.
Heaven, paradise, Valhalla, reincarnation, and so on.
Most religions included doctrines about the afterlife.
Rimon suddenly asked Yuna Kyung.
"But what if word got out that a devout priest who believed in the goddess—a saint, no less—died and became a ghost?"
"...It might hurt recruitment?"
"If it were just that, we'd be lucky."
"It's a disaster. In the worst case, the goddess could lose her divinity. For a god, that's as good as half-dying."
Just as witches offer mystery and fate for magic.
Gods, whose very existence is magic, sustain their divinity through believers' faith.
Damage to divinity meant at best half-death, at worst falling to demonhood after losing faith.
Given that context.
It was only natural that the Muse Goddess panicked and erased all records of the saint.
"Besides, it's not like it's a harmless ghost."
Rimon had seen many ghost-like things over his long life, but few were sane.
Whether summoned souls or lingering spirits unable to pass on.
Most harmed the living or wandered meaninglessly, without even memories of life.
The souls called to Avalon, mimicking the underworld, were exceptions.
"And the cause of death was suicide, of all things. Even in the best case, it's a mindless spirit; worst case, a mad怨靈 or evil spirit."
"An evil spirit that was once a saint... That could be more dangerous than a demon if mishandled."
Rimon clicked his tongue.
Then he gazed at the Heartblack Violin from the box on his back and muttered.
"So that ghost is inside this thing?"
It felt like learning a bomb was hidden in an instrument he'd used fine until now.
To Rimon, openly showing his unease, Ainsa said bluntly.
"We can't say for sure. It was hundreds of years ago. It might be gone by now."
"No, it's probably still there."
Rimon stated flatly.
He furrowed his brow and continued.
"Just recently, that old hag Syr confirmed a soul was dwelling in this violin."
A few days ago in London, when appraising the Heartblack Violin and learning the Seven Arks were akin to a seal.
Syr had added that, seal-related or not, some soul was attached inside.
Until then, Rimon had shrugged it off.
A cursed divine artifact already; one more ghost wouldn't change much.
But who knew it was the saint who made the Heartblack Violin.
At this point, was it a violin or a calamity in instrument guise?
As he clicked his tongue at that fact.
Rifling through the scroll from Ainsa, Rimon suddenly paused.
Then he eyed Yuna Kyung suspiciously.
"Team Leader? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Come to think of it, didn't you say you saw a ghost at Leviathan once?"
"...Oh, that? Why bring it up?"
Yuna Kyung rolled her eyes, then nodded after a while.
While Leviathan subsidiaries were under siege by Liberation Brigade wraiths.
While Rimon was away, she'd wandered Leviathan and seen a ghost—remembering it late.
To her, Rimon held out the scroll.
"Just to be sure, did that ghost look like this?"
"Huh?"
At the out-of-nowhere question, Yuna Kyung looked puzzled, then her eyes nearly popped out.
The portrait on the scroll Rimon held matched the ghost she'd seen at Leviathan.
"That was the saint's ghost!?"
"Your reaction says yes."
"No, wait. But that doesn't make sense!"
Yuna Kyung reflexively objected.
Pointing at the portrait of a girl who looked no older than mid-teens with her wing, she demanded.
"How could a young girl like this be a saint, not just any priest?"
"No way."
"Entirely possible."
Yuna Kyung froze at the unexpected immediate reply.
Ainsa said expressionlessly.
"A soul's appearance doesn't always match the age at death. Plus, exceptional witches and priests often look eternally young."
"Well, true, but..."
Yuna Kyung grudgingly agreed.
Great Witch Syr or High Priestess Lakt of Muse.
Their youthful beauty, defying age, had certainly tempted her to learn magic.
"Besides, mid-teens hundreds of years ago was already adulthood. Magic talent doesn't care about age anyway."
"...I hope Muse's saint was just incredibly youthful-looking."
Yuna Kyung muttered gloomily.
Thinking of this girl despairing and suiciding young didn't sit right.
"Hmm. If the saint's ghost roamed Leviathan freely, it means it's not actually sealed."
Unlike Yuna Kyung, Rimon calmly pondered.
Not heartless.
Just accustomed from long life.
Similarly adept at emotions, Ainsa impassively opined.
"Less forced seal, more voluntarily cloaked. Ghosts often haunt cherished objects from life."
"But it was awfully quiet for that."
"Strange. Records say it haunted the temple daily."
"Hm. So it was more active originally... Why's it playing dead now?"
As Rimon and Ainsa puzzled together.
Yuna Kyung, shaking off gloom, recalled her temple visit and spoke.
"What if it's scared of you, Team Leader, and won't come out?"
"...Indeed."
"...Makes sense."
A sharp observation.
Fighting evil gods, casually carving grand canyons; toppling corrupt churches with temples intact.
Not Seven Dragon Society level, but Holy Alliance had suffered from Rimon too.
Especially a saint from centuries ago, when Rimon was absolute—hiding from him in the violin fit.
"Hm. So how to summon this ghost?"
"Summon? Why?"
"Why do you think?"
Rimon clicked his tongue.
Pointing at the violin on the box.
"Think. Per temple records, the saint's ghost entered when this violin was made."
"Right."
"Meaning it's witnessed everything with this violin for centuries."
Unsure how that related to summoning, she tilted her head briefly.
Then Yuna Kyung's eyes widened.
"Ah, then...!"
"Yes."
Rimon nodded.
Gazing deeply at the Heartblack Violin, he continued lowly.
"This saint's ghost knows the Seven Arks' truth—or at least holds clues."
"...I see why we must summon it."
"Problem is, no way to force it out."
Even legendary Syr couldn't extract it, only vaguely sense a soul.
No one could force a ghost out.
So make it appear willingly...
No reaction at temple or grave—her cherished sites.
As Rimon clicked in frustration at the dead end.
Yuna Kyung suddenly spoke.
"Hey, then how about this?"
"A heavy blow..."
In a room shrouded in thick darkness.
A freak assembling a cube snorted at the words.
"Overreacting much? Kaiser was a useless show-off anyway."
Scoffing that a doomed comrade's death was no loss.
The reply came from one of the 12 seats at the table.
Excluding 4 empty and 4 with only flipped cards, one of the remaining 4.
"Kaiser's death doesn't matter, but losing another Seven Arks is the real issue."
"Ah, yeah, that stings."
The freak agreed this time.
Seven Arks were goals Liberation Brigade wraiths couldn't miss.
"Magic Lord too."
"That geezer? Useful, sure, but too picky—doubt he'd make a good comrade."
"No. If we'd secured London's Seven Arks smoothly, he'd have star's blessing and been a fine comrade."
"...True, at least fill rank 3 vacancy."
The freak conceded.
Even for them—transcending level 100 via Constellation Descent—the ten monarchs were special.
From Iron Age start, Karl was primed for star's grace; his death a true loss.
"Don't despair. I'll fill the spots."
"Labyrinth, you? How?"
Blatant doubt, almost interrogation.
But Labyrinth ignored, grinning.
"My pet project's nearing completion."
"A mere toy to replace that berserker or Magic Lord...?"
Eugene: genius combat instinct, transcendent unique Avatar of Wrath, stable erosion—surpassing monarchs in battle.
Karl: with star's grace, could fill rank 3, maybe eye rank 2.
Fill their gaps?
No boast even for Liberation Brigade's rank 4 wraith.
"Sure, my toy alone won't cut it."
Labyrinth admitted readily.
With one condition.
"Not without this."
Thud.
As he placed an item on the table.
The dark room bathed in bloody light.
From a murky yet beautiful 20-sided gemstone polyhedron.
Its glow reddening everything.
"...From London?"
"Yep. The only legacy from our useless Kaiser who died like a chump."