The Sacred Covenant (4)
I immediately flipped the hourglass.
The time allowed to speak with the Saintess was exactly six minutes.
Any longer, and the visitor would be struck by a severe curse.
In the worst-case scenario, it could lead to instant death.
...Still, a 'possessor'?
That was the title the Saintess had used to address me the moment I stepped into this place.
After a brief hesitation, I tossed out a question.
"Do you know that I'm a possessor?"
"Yes."
The Saintess nodded with a smile.
"Of course I do. We are the ones who summoned you here."
"..."
"We know who you are, and even what you used to do in your past."
I froze.
My past.
The moment those words left her mouth, memories I preferred to keep buried began to creep up.
But I couldn't let myself be shaken.
Forcing down the negative emotions, I stared at the falling grains of sand.
I don't have much time.
Six minutes.
I had to extract as much information as possible within this limited window.
This was my chance to negotiate the power I would receive in exchange for the Sacred Covenant, and to communicate directly with the gods who managed this world.
I had absolutely no intention of wasting this precious opportunity.
"Why did you make me possess this body?"
Hearing my question, the Saintess replied in a calm voice.
"We just made a covenant, didn't we?"
"..."
"To save the world. That is the sole reason you were brought here."
In my heart, I wanted to curse her out right then and there.
I wanted to demand why they had kidnapped a person into a game without their consent.
But I held it in.
I knew that wasting this precious time would only hurt me.
...First, identifying the god in front of me is the top priority.
Knowing who I was dealing with would make it easier to steer the conversation.
It would also give me a much stronger hand when negotiating the rewards of the Sacred Covenant.
The Pantheon.
Befitting its grand name, the number of ancient gods in the Pantheon reached nearly ten thousand.
Yet, only a tiny fraction of them could borrow the Saintess's body to communicate directly.
Only high-ranking deities ranked within the top fifty of the Pantheon possessed the authority to manifest through her.
...So, which one is she?
Her tone of voice alone narrowed the candidates down to five.
I stared intently at the Saintess's face, weighing the possibilities.
...Ugh!
In the very next instant, my vision swam.
It felt as if my eyeballs were sliding out of focus against my will.
My stomach churned violently, and a dry heave escaped my throat as if my organs were being wrung like a wet rag.
"Do not try to look at my face so carelessly, possessor."
"..."
"Even the abilities you possess cannot shield you from the difference in our status."
The Saintess spoke in a tone of mild concern.
Looking directly at the Saintess's veiled face.
That was one of the strictest taboos of the Holy Order.
And I had just broken that taboo.
The violent shaking of my vision and the sudden nausea were all part of the divine retribution for my transgression.
But...
...Thanks to that, I was able to discern her identity.
To think it would end with just this level of punishment.
I had been prepared to lose both eyes for my impious gaze.
A god with a nasty temper would have easily inflicted such a horrific penalty.
I had prioritized identifying her, reasoning that any physical damage could simply be healed by a priest outside.
The high gods of the Pantheon are usually arrogant and overbearing.
In contrast, the punishment I received just now was incredibly mild.
There was only one high deity with such a merciful nature.
The Lord of Life and Earth.
It was definitely her.
Now that the identification was complete, it was time to receive the rewards of the Sacred Covenant.
Suppressing the nausea rising from deep within, I forced the words out.
"...I will take the price of the Sacred Covenant."
She chuckled softly.
The Saintess looked at me with a faint smile.
Rising from her seat, she stepped lightly toward me.
"Do not move. Stay still."
Approaching me, the Saintess slowly reached out her hand.
My eyes closed.
It wasn't of my own volition.
An unknown force had made my eyelids heavy.
I didn't try to resist and quietly submitted to her touch.
"You harbor a grand ambition, possessor."
The tip of her finger tapped my forehead.
I felt her slender finger tracing slow circles on my brow.
As I felt the ticklish sensation, she spoke again.
"Saving the world from ruin is a very heavy karma."
"...It is what you all wanted from me."
"Yes. That is true. As I said earlier, it is the very purpose for which we summoned you all to this world."
The Saintess spoke in a gentle tone.
"But please do not resent us too much. We have no intention of placing such a heavy burden on you and then just watching irresponsibly."
"..."
"Now, I will grant you the power befitting that task."
Flash!
Even with my eyes closed, an incredibly bright shroud of light enveloped my vision.
The blessing in exchange for the Sacred Covenant was beginning to take root.
Had it been any other god, I would have tried to negotiate at this point to wring out even greater power.
But there is no need to do that now.
If it was 'her', who was fairer and more merciful than anyone else in the Pantheon...
She would hand me the best possible reward without me having to ask.
"Now, open your eyes."
I opened my eyes. Resting in my palm was a colorful egg that fit perfectly in one hand.
...An Easter Egg.
As I repeated the item's name in my mind, she spoke.
"It is a reward I chose with great care. I believe it will pair well with that cute divine artifact you currently possess."
"..."
"Since you are wise, you surely know what to do with such an excellent reward, right?"
The Saintess continued her explanation with a smile.
"Therefore, I will not provide any further clues."
Indeed.
Just as she said, the Easter Egg was an outstanding reward.
It was no exaggeration to say it was the most fitting item for someone who had sworn to save the world.
But...
For some reason, a lingering sense of dissatisfaction remained.
...Isn't this a bit lacking on its own?
While it was a great reward, it felt insufficient compared to the heavy weight of a covenant to save the world.
It would be more accurate to say the transaction felt slightly unbalanced.
Had the deity been anyone else, I would have just accepted it.
But considering this was a reward from the Lord of Life and Earth, receiving only the Easter Egg felt rather strange.
"Do not think it strange."
Just then, the Saintess spoke as if she had read my mind.
"I have granted you two abilities."
"...?"
"It is just that you cannot perceive the second one right now."
I looked at her, puzzled.
Two abilities?
Then when would the second ability, which I couldn't perceive, unlock?
"Who knows?"
Once again, before I could even voice my question, she tilted her head and preempted me.
"But you do not need to worry. You will naturally come to learn of the second ability soon enough."
"..."
"I assure you, there is no better ability when it comes to saving the world..."
Rumble!
At that exact moment, the entire cavern shook with an ominous tremor.
Simultaneously, the flow of the surrounding air began to shift into something chilling.
"...They are already here."
I quickly checked the hourglass.
Almost all the sand had already fallen to the bottom.
"Go back. Quickly."
The golden light shining behind the Saintess's veil flickered uneasily.
I hurried my steps toward the exit.
*Drip.*
Suddenly, I felt a warm liquid trickling down my nose.
The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. My vision blurred, and a splitting headache began to tear through my skull.
"Be careful, possessor."
The Saintess's final warning echoed in my ears.
"Though you are the only one right now, in the future, the number of □???■?????th????□???se will gradually increase..."
*Flash!*
It was the moment I took my first step out of the cavern.
Instantly, the Saintess's voice whispering in my ear vanished.
"...Sir! Seeker!"
Almond's urgent cries, waiting for me at the exit, reached my ears faintly.
But I could no longer withstand my fading consciousness and the rapidly darkening vision.
My body went limp.
Unable to bear the pain, I collapsed forward and blacked out.
[Hidden Message: ]
[Hidden Message: ????!????$????$????*?????????abi 【?????Co???■???$????*?????□??????muni????? ■?????#????!????$????@????$????*?????ty????】??????has been acquired.]
...
[Hidden Message: The forgotten Arbitrators are watching your steps.]
"So..."
*Clack.*
In a cabin perched atop a mountain peak, two Sword Masters sat by a window where the moonlight filtered in.
The flame sword Pokyeomdo leaned against the wall, while a massive, blood-red Zweihander rested on one side of the table.
Pokryong slowly set down his cup and continued speaking.
"...So the opponent Midtemple spoke of for the trial was 'that bastard'?"
"Yeah."
Hearing Heukgol's reply, Pokryong fell into thought.
—The Seeker of ■??????■?????■????? who has newly set foot in this world... is now heading to the depths of Labyrinth Village.
That was a few weeks ago.
It was a revelation Pokryong had received from the Great Ones.
And just last night, the thirteenth star of Midtemple had risen.
Recalling the bastard he had encountered in the depths of Labyrinth Village, Pokryong questioned Heukgol.
"Did you say his name was Gaon? How was he?"
"Well."
Heukgol scratched his skull.
"I don't know. My first impression was that he just seemed like an ordinary mercenary you could find anywhere."
"...?"
"Just like you said, I couldn't feel any special energy from him at all."
Pokryong frowned, asking back in disbelief.
"What? An ordinary mercenary...?"
Something was off.
Indeed, the guy he had run into in Labyrinth Village was so frail that it wouldn't have been surprising if he collapsed on the spot.
Not only did he lack the muscle a swordsman should have, but he was also skin and bones.
Yet, in Heukgol's eyes, such a guy looked like an ordinary mercenary.
—Then... when will your body recover?
—I will let you know as soon as the restriction is lifted.
...Could the 'restriction' have been partially lifted over the past few weeks?
As Pokryong was lost in these thoughts.
"Oh, right."
At that moment, Heukgol threw out a completely unexpected question.
"But why didn't you tell me?"
"...?"
"That he's of the same race as you. Why didn't you mention it?"
Pokryong froze for a moment.
Soon, his expression contorted fiercely.
"...What kind of bullshit is that?"