The Holy City of Midtemple, Part 3

Whoosh!

The moment the Speaker finished speaking, golden flames erupted and enveloped me.

The flames burned in a triangular formation.

It was the Sacred Fire of Aether, which judged the truth and falsehood of the speaker's words.

Since it required decades of accumulated energy for a single use, it was a resource reserved only for the most critical trials.

"I shall ask the first charge."

Soon, the Speaker's voice began to echo through the hall.

"For what reason did you slay the Divine Beast, the Heavenly Dragon Bird?"

I closed my mouth for a moment.

If I spoke a lie here, the Sacred Fire of Aether would judge me instantly.

Therefore, the only thing I could utter now was the absolute truth.

'But...'

That was actually exactly what I wanted.

The reason I had come to Midtemple, even going so far as to claim to be the thirteenth Seeker, was to alert them to the anomalies occurring in this world as quickly as possible.

I spoke the answer I had prepared beforehand.

"The ancient ones have waned."

"What...?"

"H-how dare he utter such blasphemy...!"

Murmurs broke out. Instantly, voices laced with fury erupted from all directions.

It was only natural. 'The ancient ones' was a derogatory term used to mock the ancient god, Elder. In an instant, I had become someone who insulted Elder inside the holy temple.

"Silence."

But the Speaker silenced them all.

Crackle, flare.

The Sacred Fire of Aether did not tolerate a single speck of falsehood. This meant my statement—that Elder had waned—was the truth.

It was the role of the Sacred Fire to determine the outcome of the divine trial. The other councilors did not dare to argue against it.

"...Continue your statement."

As silence returned to the temple, the Speaker resumed the trial. I continued with my prepared words.

"Those who once tuned the world have long been forgotten. The blessings they left upon this land are also gradually fading."

"..."

"The blessing that once covered the entire continent now protects only a fraction of the land under the name of the Silk Road."

"..."

"The lands that once flourished under Elder's protection have now all become the domain of evil gods, save for the areas surrounding the four major cities."

A suffocating silence fell over the temple of Midtemple. Only my low voice echoed through the space.

"In the distant past, humanity roamed the continent freely under Elder's protection, but they have long since lost their territory. They now live calling what was once their own land the Unexplored Territory, and the underground where blessings once flowed, the Abyss."

The councilors of Midtemple all stared at me with their mouths tightly shut.

The fact that Elder's influence was waning ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠day by day.

The fact that the blessing that once filled the continent now remained only in narrow regions.

And even the fact that the once-prosperous lands of the past had become the territory of monsters.

No one sitting in the temple today was ignorant of these truths.

'Everyone knows.'

It was a change that had progressed slowly over hundreds, thousands of years.

This world had already been racing toward its demise since long ago.

'They were simply too afraid to utter the truth aloud.'

Midtemple was turning a blind eye to the reality right in front of them.

After all, they believed the end would not come during their lifetimes.

They were merely passing the responsibility, which had now grown out of control, down to future generations.

'This is why Adelia grew sick of Midtemple and the Holy Families.'

They were aware of the problem, but they had no intention of fixing it.

They feared change and shied away from reform.

They simply prayed that the apocalypse wouldn't begin in their generation, content to rest on a system that had been maintained for ages.

Whoosh!

But I laid bare the problems everyone chose to ignore.

Words that no one else dared to speak poured out in the middle of the temple.

Only the golden flames surrounding me burned quietly, validating every single word I spoke.

"A Divine Beast whose bond with Elder has been severed is no different from a monster. As long as the ancient ones continue to wane uncontrollably, their existence will only return to us as a calamity."

I continued speaking in a calm, flat voice.

"This situation will repeat itself in the future, and the Divine Beasts, who were once the guardians of humanity, will turn into the very symbols of the apocalypse in less than ten years."

Having finished speaking, I slowly raised my head.

Then, I clearly wrapped up my answer to the question the Speaker of Midtemple had posed.

"Therefore, what I killed was not a Divine Beast."

"..."

"I merely executed the first harbinger of the end that would drag this world to ruin."

Frizzle!

As my answer concluded, the flame at one corner lost its strength and vanished.

One of the three questions the council could ask had been consumed.

The moment it was proven that all my statements were the truth, the councilors could no longer say a word.

"Your words... were entirely the truth."

The Speaker spoke in a heavy voice.

In truth, Midtemple must have already gathered all the information.

They knew the Heavenly Dragon Bird had attacked us first, and that it had destroyed the Silk Road while triggering a monster wave.

Yet, the reason they asked such a question was simple.

'...They wanted to gauge my worth.'

They clearly wanted to confirm whether I had killed the Heavenly Dragon Bird simply out of self-defense, or if there was a grander purpose behind it.

"Then, we shall move on to the second charge."

The Speaker spoke again.

"You have called yourself the thirteenth Seeker."

"..."

"Do you have any proof to substantiate this?"

Actually, this charge was very easy to clear.

I didn't even need to list the achievements and feats I had accomplished one by one.

I just had to admit that I was a Sword Master in front of the Sacred Fire of Aether.

If I lied, the Sacred Fire would immediately deliver severe punishment.

'But...'

'...Because I am not a Sword Master.'

Indeed.

I was not a 'true' Seeker of the Sword chosen by Elder.

I was merely posing as one for 0.01 seconds at a time by borrowing the power of the Soul of the Sword Master.

What if I affirmed that I was a Sword Master?

The Sacred Fire would immediately see through the lie and judge me.

Therefore...

"I slew the corrupted Heavenly Dragon Bird. In less than a week, I raised Adelia von Goldheart into a swordswoman recognized by Pokryong. And I obtained the Earth Dragon's heart from the depths of Labyrinth Village."

"..."

"The very next day, I rooted out the corruption of the Eastern Merchant Coalition of Vertas. I killed the immortal Camilo von Taribas, one of the Five Nightmares who was hiding in Mary Rose, and then I cut down the newly appeared immortal in Vertas with a single strike."

I wouldn't lie, but I would only reveal the truths that favored me.

"All of this happened in a mere fortnight."

Instead of directly stating that I was a Sword Master, I would guide them to accept it on their own.

"Unless one is a Sword Master, could they possibly achieve such things?"

No.

It was impossible.

Not a single one of the twelve Sword Masters in this world could achieve such feats in just two weeks.

And the moment I finished speaking, the second Sacred Fire of Aether went out.

Whoosh!

Once again, my statement was proven to be the truth.

"M-my goodness."

"It was true that he defeated Camilo..."

"By the way, what did he just say? He raised Adelia von Goldheart into a swordswoman recognized by Pokryong?"

"And what is this about defeating a newly appeared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠immortal? Have you heard anything about that?"

The temple began to buzz with noise once again.

"Silence."

Having quieted them down, the Speaker continued in a much calmer voice.

"Your words were entirely the truth."

"..."

"Then, we shall proceed to the third and final question."

The wording ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had changed from 'charge' to 'question.'

Though still unofficial, it meant they were recognizing me as a Sword Master.

The divine trial was gradually drawing to a close.

Only the last question remained.

Of course, I knew what it would be, and how I should answer it.

"What is the reason the great Elder chose you as the thirteenth Seeker, and what is his plan?"

All Seekers of the Sword are chosen for Elder's purpose.

The twelve Sword Masters learn of their roles through their 'first revelation.'

It was the reason for a Seeker's existence, a divine oracle that determined the destiny they had to fulfill.

'Of course, there's no way I have anything like that.'

As I said before, I was never chosen by Elder.

'But...'

"A peerless talent for swordsmanship."

Whoosh!

With my brief reply, the final Sacred Fire went out.

At the same time, commotion broke out among the councilors once more.

"W-what...?"

"The reason he was chosen as a Seeker of the Sword is simply because of a peerless talent for swordsmanship?"

"What kind of..."

Murmurs filled the room.

It was an incredibly short and simple answer.

Furthermore, my response had absolutely nothing to do with the greater good of the world.

Yet, the Sacred Fire of Aether proved it to be the truth.

Hearing this truth, the councilors fell into even greater confusion.

'With this, the divine trial is over.'

Of course, not everything was resolved yet.

I hadn't revealed my justification as a Seeker, nor had I disclosed any sort of mission during this trial.

But that was fine.

I could sufficiently make up for that in the next stage.

'Therefore, what I need to focus on right now is...'

I looked toward the level window visible beyond the thick mist.

It was something that had captured my attention from the very moment ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I set foot in this place.

'...Dealing with that guy.'

The translucent window was heavily distorted with static.

Just like with Camilo von Taribas, it was impossible to discern the exact level due to 'Censorship.'

It was only natural.

He was also one of the immortals who had overcome death through a foul contract.

"Well, that ended quicker than I thought."

Just then, his voice drifted from beyond the mist.

He sounded incredibly thrilled, his voice thick with excitement.

"So, now that the trial is over, is it time for the test?"

The silhouette beyond the mist began to draw closer.

I could see the seated crowd hurriedly parting to make way.

Along with the clinking of metallic accessories, his figure grew nearer.

"Hahahahat!"

And the moment his body slipped through the thick mist...

...Once again, hidden messages began to flood my vision.

"Hey there, friend!"

A knight in black armor wearing a skull helm faced me.

In his hands, he held a massive sword as tall as he was.

"I heard you've already killed two immortals?"

The Death Knight.

The Black Bone Sword Master, Heukgol.

He raised his massive sword. The red glow within his helm flared even brighter.

The air in the hall froze. The councilors watched our confrontation with bated breath. No one dared to speak.

"..."

The second step.

Passing the 'test' administered by an existing Sword Master.

This was a trial that had to be passed to be recognized as a Seeker of the Sword.

"You know what? I had to suffer for seven years because of a test some idiot gave me before I was finally recognized as a Seeker."

"..."

"But don't worry! I'm not that cruel!"

The Death Knight took a step closer, resting his massive sword on his shoulder.

As the distance closed, the blood-red light inside his helm flickered wildly.

"I'll give you a very simple test."

The massive two-handed sword resting on his shoulder sliced through the air and struck the ground.

Sparks flew from the marble floor of the temple. A chilling metallic screech filled the hall.

Screeech!

The black knight's crimson eyes flared fiercely.

The playful atmosphere vanished instantly.

The overbearing voice of an immortal who had lived for hundreds of years echoed through the temple.

"Prove to me, right here, that you can kill me."