Chapter 238
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reunion
Icicles, forged by reversing the wind's flow with Convection and combining it with the cold water-attribute mana in the atmosphere.
Their hardness was more than enough to pierce the monks' bodies and deliver a fatal blow.
In an instant, the scene devolved into chaos.
“Keeegh!”
“Gah!”
Screams filled the air.
Countless monks, who had been about to pour out of the darkness and into the city, collapsed without ever swinging their maces.
They fell without uttering a single word of their beloved "God's judgment."
Watching this, some of the Orthodox priests sank to their knees.
Their hands came together in prayer automatically.
Though they hadn't shown it, worry had been eating away at their hearts.
It was a time when despair had begun to stretch its limbs within the cradle of hope.
The time for a decisive, life-or-death battle was drawing near.
And at that very moment, a boy had suddenly appeared in the heart of the battlefield, driving back the darkness and demonstrating an omnipotence that swept away the vast horde of evil in a single instant.
If this was not the grace of God, what else could it be?
“Oh, Great Mother Goddess…”
Amidst those calling out to their god.
Hans, an Orthodox priest and a Commander of the Union, offered a small prayer to the heavens before stepping forward.
Following him were the members of the Stability Division.
The knights of the Orthodox Church advanced with resolute steps.
Suddenly, Loan felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t know how you got here, but thank you.”
Hans met his eyes with a smile, then ran past Loan.
Toward the remaining remnants, the main force of Brien that had sent the corrupted monks ahead.
And then.
“Loan, thank you!”
“Loan, let’s talk later!”
“It’s been a while!”
Nikos and Senior Belle, who had cleared Loan’s name during the incident in Xiong, and Oz Engi, whom he hadn't seen since the journey to Barcino, all streaked past him, trailing blue flashes of light.
Since he had already lent his strength, Loan decided to put in a little more effort and steadied his breath.
Just then, a voice seemed to knock on the door of his mind.
*-Still have a knack for surprising people, don’t you?*
He turned to see Archbishop Fabian smiling.
*-Hello, Archbishop. I’m not quite sure how I got here myself.*
*-Where were you?*
*-Ah, I was at the Union just a moment ago, then stopped by Ferrara for a second, and then here…*
*-…*
Archbishop Fabian was so surprised that he staggered back slightly.
Startled by the movement, Aul awoke and, with a frown, tidied its nest.
Archbishop Fabian slowly walked forward, radiating a brilliant light.
*-So you’re saying you teleported?*
*-Mm. I suppose you could put it that way. I came through the Spirit Realm.*
*-The Spirit Realm… The more I hear, the more astonishing this is. To think you came through the Spirit Realm to help us.*
It wasn’t exactly intentional.
But it seemed he wasn't just being dropped randomly somewhere in this wide world.
He had reached those he knew.
Perhaps his subconscious had thought of them?
Or was he naturally guided to those who were on the same path, those he always held in his heart?
To confirm this, all he had to do was think.
He had a feeling that if he thought of someone and looked in their direction, he could reach them again.
“Ah…”
Just as he thought.
Before he was fully prepared, his consciousness scattered once more.
He hadn't even finished the conversation.
The last thing he saw was the startled face of Archbishop Fabian before Loan was sucked back into a single point of void.
For a moment, Fabian blinked with a look of bewilderment.
Aul, looking disappointed, rubbed against his head, gently tapping it.
The creature floated into the air with a soft *poof* and flew toward the spot where Loan had vanished—before leaving footprints in the empty air and fading away.
“Ha, haha…”
Leaving the hollow laughter of the man with the nest-like hair behind, Aul shot forward like a beam of light.
Its master was already far ahead, shortening the space between them.
Contemplating his recent method of travel.
‘If the soul can reach, the body can follow.’
He was beginning to vaguely understand how to travel through the Spirit Realm.
The hint lay in what Aul had said—that it knew where its master was, no matter what.
He just had to think of the person he wanted to meet.
As long as he could picture them clearly, physical distance was meaningless in the Spirit Realm.
It was possible because that person was already complete within him.
‘This is somewhat similar to what Pauline told me…’
That if you keep the people who have left in your heart, you are never alone.
It was true.
Distance was no issue at all. He could close it in an instant.
He could be with them whenever he wished. He was not alone.
But this thought inevitably raised a question.
Wasn't this only possible if they were alive?
If not, could he meet the souls of the dead here in the Spirit Realm?
If so, were Pauline and Helen still here?
Could his parents be here too?
The questions shook Loan’s heart to its core.
He was nearing another vanishing point.
*Swoosh-* The long, drawn-out streak of light shrank.
Once again, Loan unintentionally materialized in an unknown place.
What he sensed in that brief moment was that his surroundings were incredibly noisy.
And that his appearance had brought that commotion to a sudden halt.
And then.
“Union?”
“It’s the Union!”
Urgent voices echoed from all sides as soldiers with swords and spears drawn surrounded Loan.
The fact they called him "Union" and took an attack stance was enough to tell him they were enemies.
But he needed to confirm where he was.
Pretending to scan the soldiers, he turned his head toward a very familiar source of mana.
As expected, familiar faces were there.
Two men sat in ornate chairs.
Vice-Commander Oscar and Lucas were staring at Loan, their mouths agape in shared astonishment.
And behind them, on a grand seat atop a flight of stairs, was another familiar face.
Philippa’s father.
Duke Silas, the instigator of the Rhodes civil war and the former chairman of the Rhodes Council, recognized Loan and was horrified.
“You, you bastard!”
He shot up from his seat, the veins in his neck bulging.
He looked even darker than when he had lost his daughter and spewed curses like a demon.
His magical power was also immense, as if he had truly taken a devil into himself.
He shouted.
“You’ve appeared again with your bizarre sorcery. Good. You cursed seed! I’ll tear you to shreds!”
The insult was hard to bear, but feeling a sliver of responsibility for Philippa's death, Loan managed to hold back his anger.
Besides, he couldn't act rashly, considering Oscar and his son were receiving what seemed to be lavish treatment at Duke Silas’s side.
Loan knew from their previous correspondence that Oscar and Lucas had infiltrated Philippa’s faction and secured important positions.
Just then, a woman standing opposite Oscar and his son stepped forward.
“Please wait a moment, Chairman.”
Duke Silas was not the chairman. The official chairman of Rhodes was currently Panis.
But with both sides claiming legitimacy and waging a civil war, such a title was to be expected.
The woman who had restrained Silas spoke with a prim smile.
“It seems you know him, Chairman, but this is a man named Loan. He belongs to the Union’s Faith Division, which typically specializes in assassination and espionage. He likely infiltrated this place to assassinate you and was revealed when he ran into my barrier.”
Loan’s face, which had remained impassive, contorted into a frown.
A barrier?
Could that clumsy thing even be called a barrier?
Loan, who had deemed even the [Mana Storm] staunchly guarding the bridge to Werner von Schwerin’s magic tower as crude.
How could such a thing, which could be erased with a light flow of Convection, be given the undeserving title of ‘barrier’?
The woman, whose pure mana suggested she might be from Le Tell despite her mediocre skills, continued.
“It seems the rumors were exaggerated. So, how about we take this opportunity to properly gauge his skills and verify some internal suspicions at the same time?”
“Internal suspicions? What are you talking about?”
Duke Silas asked.
The woman’s gaze shifted to Oscar and his son.
“I’m not denying the achievements of the Mainas father and son that brought them to this position. However, many still question their origins and skills.”
Oscar, who was using the alias Mainas, narrowed one eye. His displeasure was palpable.
Loan thought it was quite a subtle piece of acting.
But then, Lucas abruptly shot up from his seat.
“Damn it! Saims! What kind of bullshit is that? What about my father and me?”
Lucas’s acting was also quite good. No, maybe it wasn't acting. It didn't seem like it. No, it definitely wasn't.
‘What, he’s just being his usual self.’
Perhaps he had been instructed to act according to his usual personality since he couldn't act.
Lucas was genuinely angry and was lashing out as his personality dictated.
The woman called Saims scoffed. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed they often bickered like this.
“Then isn’t this a good opportunity? They look to be of a similar age. Fight him and kill him. Wouldn't that prove a number of things?”
“What? Prove? Who the hell are you to tell me what to prove?”
Lucas flared up again, looking more likely to charge at Saims than at Loan.
“Enough, Renos. Policy Officer Saims is right. I want you to eliminate that man for me. However, you must not grant him an easy death.”
Grinding his teeth, Silas gave the order to Lucas, whom he called Renos.
At this point, there was no other way.
Loan glanced left and right, slowly taking a step or two back, his body language conveying that he had no escape and was forced to fight.
He was the one who had practically become the main characters while reading aloud, bringing the story to life.
He knew from experience what he needed to do to create the most immersive scene in this situation.
As Loan retreated, the soldiers moved with him, maintaining the distance of their swords and spears.
To signal him not to move further, the soldiers farther away made threatening gestures with their spears.
Loan deliberately pretended to be startled and flinched.
A tense atmosphere naturally formed around him.
As if he had no choice, Lucas drew the sword at his waist and slowly walked toward the center.
Just then, a voice pierced his mind.
*-Loan, it's Oscar. Do not be alarmed. Lucas, for now, do as they wish.*
Oscar’s mental message had been sent to both Loan and Lucas simultaneously.
Loan wasn’t surprised. He maintained the slightly fearful expression he had put on moments ago.
Instead.
*-Vice-Commander, it’s good to see you. Lucas, have you been well?*
Oscar and Lucas were startled by Loan’s mental message.
Both of their eyebrows twitched violently at the same time, but fortunately, no one noticed.
The soldiers had formed a large circle around the central hall, creating a fighting space, and within it, Loan and Lucas were finally in a standoff.
While Loan glared at Lucas with a tense expression, Oscar continued his mental message.
*-You’ve learned mental messaging… In any case, I don't know how you got here, but we were in the final stages of ending the civil war. We had finally gotten close to Silas. The plan was for me to handle Silas and Lucas to take on Saims today.*
From the looks of it, Lucas couldn't use mental messaging yet.
Loan responded to them both.
*-Ah… so what should I do?*
*-The barrier Saims mentioned was a concern. I had considered shattering the stairs with brute force, but since my son and I cannot use our claymores right now, I couldn't be certain.*
If the father and son were to wield their claymores, many more people would suspect their true identities.
The fact that Lucas had drawn an ordinary longsword and pointed it at Loan was proof of that.
He looked quite awkward.
*-I’ll pretend to fight Lucas and then get rid of the barrier.*
*-Good. I will watch for that timing.*
Lucas conveyed his answer through his actions.
He extended his arm and swung the sword in a few wide arcs. As he settled into his stance, the agitated air seemed to instantly calm down.
He exuded an aura of genuine intent, a will to fight with all his might.
He had judged that a half-hearted clash of swords would not fool their audience.
Not to be outdone, Loan instantly levitated Sheville into the air.
*Shink-shink-shunk!*
After reassembling the pieces, he assumed the stance he had been diligently practicing for some time.
A distinct heat haze shimmered over Sheville. Despite it being a simple high stance, a considerable pressure radiated from Loan.
The soldiers forming the circle flinched.
“Ha…”
Lucas let out a soft sigh.
Knowing Loan's skill better than anyone, Lucas immediately recognized how much he had grown in the time they hadn't seen each other.
There was no need to act.
Loan would be fine even if he attacked with all his strength.
Rather, he would treat it as a chance to learn, a chance to test his own power.
“Hyaap!”
Lucas leaped forward.