The Sacred Covenant (3)
Adelia looked around the room with a worried expression.
What should I do...?
Shouts and arguments echoed throughout the council chamber.
With Arwen temporarily absent, the atmosphere was rapidly deteriorating.
The opposition councilors raised their voices, questioning Sir Gaon's qualifications.
"We cannot let it end like this! We need further verification and restrictions!"
"Does it make any sense to recognize a Sword Master in a single day? Well?"
The opposition's arguments were threefold.
First, some of the answers Gaon had given during the sacred trial were far too lacking.
When asked why Elder had chosen him, had he not answered that it was due to his "unrivaled talent in swordsmanship"?
His response was fundamentally different in nature from those given by previous Sword Masters.
"Why are you only raising objections about that now? You didn't utter a single peep when Heukgol was here..."
"Ah, yes! Speaking of Heukgol!"
Second, the trial set by the Black Bone Sword Master had been far too lax.
It was a bizarre test that ended with them simply staring at each other, without their blades ever clashing.
"Councilors, allow me to explain that part."
Sikan Bauer, who had been listening to the arguments, cautiously intervened.
"Sir Gaon and Heukgol are both Sword Masters who have reached the absolute pinnacle. Therefore, they have attained a level where they can determine the outcome of a battle through mental imagery alone—"
"Silence, Sir Bauer! Can you not see that we, the councilors, are speaking?!"
"..."
And third.
The most critical issue was the ambiguity of the sacred covenant Gaon had forged with Elder.
They argued that a vow to save the world was far too abstract, leaving them with absolutely no practical means to restrain him.
"This is dangerous. Is it not a clear problem that we have no way to regulate the power of a Seeker?"
Adelia bit the inside of her lip hard as the objections poured in.
She couldn't understand why they were opposing him so vehemently.
No regulations? What does that even matter...?
If the premise of all his actions was to save the world, why on earth would such constraints be necessary?
Sir Gaon was undoubtedly a true Seeker.
Adelia had witnessed his strength and nobility with her own eyes.
But with these stubborn opposition councilors plugging their ears, she felt utterly lost on how to persuade them.
"W-what do you think you are doing?"
...But this frustrating situation was overturned in an instant.
"Who was the opposition again?"
"..."
"Raise your hands. I seem to have forgotten."
Arwen von Goldheart.
The Chief Paladin of Midtemple and the eldest son of the Goldheart family.
Having stepped out briefly for a breath of fresh air, he had returned and abruptly declared that he would cut down the opposition councilors.
W-what is going on...?
Adelia could not hide her bewilderment.
The moment her brother returned to the chamber, the tense meeting had fizzled out in an instant.
Moreover, the method he used to bring the meeting to a close was utterly mind-boggling.
"From this moment on, anyone who refuses to accept the results of the sacred trial will be treated as a heretic."
The opposition had complaints?
So what? The great ones said it was fine.
From now on, anyone who contradicts me will be treated as a blasphemous heretic. Got it?
...In this manner, Arwen cornered the opposition with an uncharacteristically aggressive logic.
And he did so while casually throwing in the terrifying threat of execution.
"Arwen von Goldheart! How dare you try to gloss over such an important matter in this manner...!"
"Sophistry? No, Councilor. This is not my opinion, but the will of the great ones."
"..."
"The Seeker of the Sword and the great Elder have already forged a covenant. Why are we the ones bickering over it?"
None of the councilors could muster a plausible rebuttal to Arwen's words.
In the end, the meeting concluded just like that.
Everyone had tacitly acknowledged that there were no issues with the sacred trial.
"..."
After the meeting adjourned.
Adelia returned to the Goldheart estate.
Arwen let out a deep sigh and sat down on a chair by the balcony.
He looked at Adelia and gave a bitter smile.
"Adelia."
"Yes, brother?"
"No matter the circumstances, how could you just leave after writing a single note? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"Ah..."
Adelia hung her head low.
She had no excuse.
"...I'm sorry."
Watching her, Arwen let out a soft chuckle.
Shaking his head, he pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket and placed it between his lips.
"Still, you came back quickly. Your note made it sound like you wouldn't return for years."
"That's..."
"It was because of Sir Gaon, wasn't it? You were worried about whether he would be recognized as the Seeker of the Sword by the council."
"...Yes."
Adelia nodded weakly.
Just as her brother said, she had followed him out of concern for Sir Gaon's safety.
Had it not been for him, she certainly wouldn't have returned to Midtemple for several years.
"But, brother."
"Yeah?"
"Was it really okay to end the meeting like that?"
Accusing the opposition of blasphemy was one thing, but ending the meeting by throwing in death threats was another.
Of course, the opposition councilors had been incredibly frustrating, but Arwen's response was far too extreme.
By Adelia's standards, she couldn't understand her brother at all.
After all, Arwen usually resolved conflicts as rationally and politely as possible.
"Ending the meeting like this... the backlash from the council won't be minor..."
"Hmm."
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Arwen wore a thoughtful expression for a moment.
Then, turning back to Adelia, he began to explain.
"My dear sister."
"?"
"The real target of this meeting wasn't Gaon. It was you."
"...What?"
As Adelia blinked in confusion, Arwen continued.
"The opposition simply wanted to drag this situation out as long as possible. Since they couldn't invalidate a sacred covenant already recognized by Elder, they wanted to at least delay Gaon's official recognition as a Sword Master."
"...Delay it? Why?"
"Because you left the family without a word. During your absence, the traditionalists have been trying to use that as an excuse to excommunicate you from the family."
In an instant, Adelia's face turned pale.
The Goldhearts were not the only Holy Family.
Even now, multiple families were constantly vying for influence.
Whenever one family's position faltered, the others would eagerly seize the opportunity to expand their own power.
While they acted refined on the surface, a fierce political war raged beneath the waters.
"However, if it is officially recognized that you have become the disciple of a Sword Master, their plans will turn to dust. After all, a member of a Holy Family receiving the teachings of the Seeker of the Sword is a great honor."
"..."
"That's why they wanted to delay the official process of recognizing Gaon as the Seeker of the Sword for as long as possible. To rush your excommunication in the meantime."
"Ah..."
Adelia let out an involuntary sigh.
Only now did the entire situation make sense.
Why the opposition had rejected Sir Gaon for such absurd reasons.
Why her brother had resorted to such extreme measures to bring the matter to a swift end.
"..."
Adelia recalled the scene from a few hours ago.
Thinking back, the councilors who had stubbornly opposed the motion were all from families hostile to the Goldhearts.
And those in favor were all factions that supported the Goldheart family.
"This is politics, sister," Arwen said with a bitter smile.
"Those high-and-mighty gentlemen aren't acting frustratingly because they're stupid. On the contrary, they are cunning. They wouldn't hesitate to play the fool if it meant securing their own interests."
Adelia pressed her lips together.
This was precisely why she detested Midtemple, the Holy City.
Even as the world teetered on the brink of ruin, they ignored the crisis right in front of them, busy scrambling for personal gain.
It was also the reason she had broken out of her cage to see the wider world.
She wanted to shatter the walls blocking her path, increase her own influence, and overturn this rotten system.
She had wanted to travel the vast world to find even a single person who shared her resolve.
And...
Like a miracle sent from the heavens, Adelia had met a true Seeker.
A being who genuinely wished to save this world.
A man willing to stake everything to prove his conviction.
"Don't worry," Arwen said.
"Sir Gaon will be recognized as a Sword Master by everyone."
"..."
"Frankly speaking, who would deny a Seeker who swears to save the world? Right?"
After a moment's thought, Adelia nodded.
"...You're right."
Hearing her brother's words brought a sense of relief.
"By the way, where is the youngest?"
At Adelia's question, Arwen scratched his cheek and replied.
"He's a bit busy right now."
"?"
"He's scheduled to enter the Sanctuary of the Holy Maiden with Sir Gaon tomorrow at dawn."
After Adelia returned to her bedroom.
Left alone on the terrace, Arwen stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and fell into deep thought.
The conversation he had with Gaon a few hours ago suddenly crossed his mind.
"Haha..."
Arwen let out a dry laugh and shook his head in spite of himself.
The reason he had sought out Gaon during the meeting was simple.
I needed confirmation.
Yes.
He wanted Gaon's firm confirmation that he would accept Adelia as his disciple.
Only then would he have the leverage to aggressively push back against the opposition's claims.
But...
"So stop worrying about useless things, and go wrap up the meeting."
...How did that man see through my intentions in an instant?
With just a single meeting, Gaon had read his inner thoughts perfectly.
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
The chilling insight hidden behind that expressionless face was nothing short of astonishing.
Just how much of this situation had Gaon seen through?
Had he already mapped out the complex political landscape of Midtemple?
He is definitely different.
He could finally understand why Adelia and Sikan Bauer trusted Gaon so implicitly.
If it is a Sword Master like him...
A faint trail of cigarette smoke drifted upward.
...He might truly be able to change this world.
Knock, knock.
A knock on the door woke me from my slumber.
The clock already pointed to 4:00 AM.
Checking the time, I sat up in bed and adjusted my clothes.
...I guess the meeting ended well.
The fact that the meeting with the Holy Maiden was proceeding as scheduled meant that I had been officially recognized as a Sword Master by the council.
It seemed Arwen had done his part well. If the opposition had gained the upper hand, the meeting with the Holy Maiden would have been canceled altogether.
Creak—
When I opened the door, a young boy was standing there.
He looked to be in his early teens, a cute boy who bore a striking resemblance to Arwen.
Holding a lantern in one hand, the boy bowed politely.
"Greetings, Seeker."
"..."
"I am Almond von Goldheart, an apprentice priest."
Almond.
That was the name of this blunt boy.
He was named because a white almond tree had appeared in his mother's conception dream.
As the youngest son of the Goldheart family, Almond was a genius who possessed immense potential as a healer.
On top of that, he was one of the few individuals in Midtemple who held the authority to enter the Sanctuary of the Holy Maiden.
"I will guide you safely to the Sanctuary of the Holy Maiden."
"...Lead the way."
I followed behind Almond.
Almond listed the precautions for the Sanctuary of the Holy Maiden in a somewhat flat voice.
The conversation must not exceed six minutes, I must not attempt to look at her face behind the veil, and so on.
I listened carefully to the rules as we walked down the long corridors and stairs.
Although I already knew all of this from playing the game, I still focused on Almond's explanation just in case.
"Ah, and you must absolutely never try to fight the Holy Maiden."
"..."
"According to the records, a previous Seeker once suddenly picked a fight to see how strong the Holy Maiden was... and apparently, something 'terrible' happened."
For the record, the culprit behind that crazy stunt was Pokryong.
The moment he saw the Holy Maiden, he had lunged at her, and she had met a gruesome death without being able to offer any resistance.
In the first place, the Holy Maiden's physical vessel was just a normal human. She had no special abilities other than delivering the will of the gods.
"You don't need to worry about such useless things. I have absolutely no intention of fighting the Holy Maiden."
"Understood."
We descended deeper and deeper.
The corridor, once crafted from pure white marble, gradually transitioned into a cavern.
Wherever the lantern light cast its glow, the cavern walls shimmered faintly.
"Take this with you."
Upon reaching the entrance of the underground temple, Almond handed me an hourglass.
"Please remember. Six minutes. You must come out before the sand completely runs out."
"...Alright."
Almond stopped in his tracks, holding the lantern.
"Then I will wait here."
After taking the hourglass from Almond, I walked deeper into the darkness alone.
Step, step.
The sound of my footsteps echoed through the cavern.
A soft blue light seeped out from the depths of the darkness.
As I walked further into the temple, the runes carved into the walls began to glow one by one.
"Hello."
Before long, the Holy Maiden's voice reached my ears.
I saw a girl whose face was concealed by a pure white veil.
She offered a greeting with a faint smile playing on her lips.
"It's my first time seeing you in person, possessor."