Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Song of the Stars
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You... were right.
In the original story, Bennetsa was one of the essential stops for the protagonist.
Even in peacetime, it was a bustling commercial hub where you could snag all sorts of items,
and during the grand auction event, you could get your hands on rare treasures unavailable through normal means.
And among the items up for grabs here, the absolute standout was one in particular.
It was on display at the grand auction house as a non-sale item, but you could acquire it—though "extort" might be more accurate—through a specific event.
This massive greatsword resembled a giant cross,
offering +50 to all stats,
50% resistance to dark magic,
50% boost to holy buffs,
the ability to cast a full-recovery spell called "Black Star" every hour,
and even a wide-area buff named "Song of Sorrow" that raised attack and defense by 30% for nearby allies—an insane set of effects...
It was treated as the ultimate endgame weapon among all the dual-wield swords in the game.
Ebram's Holy Sword.
The moment you obtained it, the game's difficulty shifted dramatically, letting the player character cut through enemies they'd struggled against before like a true one-man army.
One of the reasons I'd bothered sailing all the way here was to claim it for myself.
That said, as a bare-knuckle brawler at heart, it wasn't for me...
This was purely so I could hand it off to one of my sword-wielding subordinates—and more importantly, to keep this key item out of the hands of the "rival" who was gunning for it.
But right now,
I had every reason to hesitate about sticking to that original plan.
Auriel, whom I'd run into by chance.
And... the priest named Juda.
The suspicious reaction from this guy the instant I took Auriel away, combined with his name and that oddly familiar face.
It jogged my memory of one crucial fact.
Archbishop Juda.
One of the bosses from the original game,
who started off as a kindly priest only to backstab the protagonist in the mid-game.
The moment I recalled that, it triggered a quest as if on cue.
And the second I checked its contents...
I was hit with an overwhelming sense of disgust.
As a child, she was an orphan.
A girl wandering the streets alone, clutching her empty stomach, with no parents or siblings.
Then that man reached out to her.
Priest Juda.
With his ever-gentle smile,
he took her in and set her on the path to becoming a choir nun.
He supported her budding musical talent,
and spared no advice or encouragement when she struggled through slumps.
A father figure she could rely on.
A mentor who taught her about the divine.
He was the man she'd spent half her life with,
the one person in the world she trusted more than anyone.
That was what Juda meant to Auriel.
And now...
That Bishop Juda,
her father figure...
was gazing down at her with a smile.
Surrounded by soldiers on all sides,
as she lay collapsed on the ground with a dagger lodged in her ankle...
A smile stained with greed and delight.
"Well now... that was a close one. Who would've thought the one trying to run was you, of all people."
"J-Juda... Bishop..."
Auriel asked again, her voice trembling.
Even after hearing all that, she still couldn't wrap her head around it.
This had to be an illusion, a dream,
some horrific nightmare.
But...
The sharp pain radiating from her leg told her otherwise.
This was no dream...
All of it...
was a brutally clear and cruel reality.
"Wh-why? Why would you do this to me? I've always... thought of you like a father..."
"...Hah..."
The bishop let out a heavy sigh at her words.
Then, with a fleeting look of bitterness, he spoke to her.
"Yes... I've thought the same. I saw you as my own daughter and cherished you for it. You were talented and obedient. But what can be done? This is all the Lord's will."
"The Lord's... will...?"
"Indeed. I don't have time to explain in detail, but... if I must use an analogy, it's like Ebram and Isaac."
"!"
"Just as with the great prophet's deeds, offering up a child as a burnt sacrifice for His exalted will... It pains me, but this is the command given to me by God... and by His proxy, His Holiness the Pope."
A famous tale from scripture.
The story of the ancient prophet who, upon receiving God's revelation, prepared to sacrifice his own child.
Sorrow seemed to cloud the bishop's face as he invoked it.
However...
Through those very words,
Auriel gained certainty.
"...You didn't volunteer for this... yourself?"
"...Heh heh..."
Auriel's question came in a dark tone.
In response, the bishop wiped the sorrow from his face and let out a low chuckle.
The same laugh from moments ago...
Stained with greed and anticipation...
"Then let's get moving. The higher-ups must be waiting impatiently by now."
"Yes, Bishop."
The soldiers dragged her off at their "father's" order to sell out his "daughter."
As they closed in on her...
"I... was wrong..."
Auriel murmured softly, head bowed.
"And... you... were right."
The glowing blue status window hovered before my eyes.
I checked its contents again, and my face twisted in a scowl once more.
Song of the Stars
📍 You have recognized a fragment of the hidden truth.
⏰ Fate's hand reveals everything to you.
🎁 *Ebram's Holy Sword. This mighty weapon regains its full power by defiling a pure and powerful being and feeding on their blood.
📍 Auriel Stardust possesses the qualities of a saintess.
⏰ Bishop Juda seeks to corrupt her for his own advancement, using her as a sacrifice to complete the holy sword.
🎁 In the process, he's arranged for Bennetsa's elite to violate her, raking in extra coin.
📍 Fate grants you the right of choice.
⏰ Objective: Determined by your will.
🎁 Reward: Completed Ebram's Holy Sword. Or something else.
The filthy backstory behind a weapon I'd swung around without a second thought in the original game.
Looking back, skill names like Black Star and Song of Sorrow were all breadcrumbs leading to this.
Recapping this wretched situation that was even worse than I'd imagined,
I let out a deep sigh laced with profound pity.
'What a shame... truly...'
A grand mansion on the outskirts of Bennetsa.
In its secret garden deep within, Bennetsa's most prominent elites had gathered en masse.
Marquis Zuabanni, Marquis Leight, and other high nobles and tycoons whose names alone commanded recognition.
Each one dripping with immense wealth, they savored drinks and delicacies in a space reminiscent of a banquet hall, licking their lips in anticipation.
Eager for the finest dish about to arrive—one that put the exquisite cuisine before them to shame...
"Heh heh... to think we'll soon be enjoying that famous Auriel's body."
"As I said, her virginity is mine. Don't even think about getting greedy."
"Tch... such a pity. If I could've thrown in just a bit more coin..."
"Marquis Zuabanni is the host here, after all. We'll all get our fill through the night till we're spent—no need to lament."
"True, but still..."
"Heh heh... sorry about that. Anyway... Auriel, eh? Her screams in holy ecstasy must be divine."
"Who knows? With that voice so sweet, she might move us all to repentance."
"Keh keh, plenty have fallen for her songs like that. But alas—the god she cries out to demands her death."
"Well... since it's a special decree from His Holiness the Pope, you could see it that way."
"Anyway, let's not worry about that and focus on the fun. Holy relics and such—ain't much skin off our backs, right?"
With that, Marquis Leight glanced at the holy sword placed toward the back.
A massive greatsword shaped like a hefty cross.
Guarded by Bishop Juda's direct subordinates, it appeared at first glance to be just an ordinary blade.
But soon, it would become the supreme sword symbolizing the church's might... and by extension, Bennetsa's power.
Of course, most here couldn't care less about such details.
"Keh keh keh, still, it's not entirely unrelated. This relic gets completed with our seed, after all. In a way, it's like our child, no?"
"Hahaha! Now that you mention it! Then shall we down another mermaid's blood for a sturdy son?"
"Sounds good! To our child, the holy relic!"
"To our child!"
Amid the rowdy, debauched atmosphere, they reveled in their feast and banter when...
"Oh!"
"Finally here!"
A carriage halting cautiously at the rear of the garden.
Spotting it—the one the priest had driven himself—the nobles set down their glasses and plates, crowding toward it.
"Come on in. Is the prepared dish ready?"
"In... the carriage."
The priest murmured softly.
Thrilled, the nobles surged forward.
Leading alone at the front was Marquis Zuabanni, asserting his dominance over the affair.
He approached the carriage carefully and first opened the drawn curtain.
He preferred not to open the door outright—his sexual quirk favored peeling away layers one by one.
Like how slowly stripping from outer garments to underwear beat seeing a naked woman from the start.
Opening the window revealed a figure in a black veil.
As ordered—a bridal veil evoking a nun's—he swallowed hard.
"Heh heh... well then... shall we unveil our noble choir nun's face?"
Grinning with excitement, the marquis slowly reached for the black veil.
Feeling like a groom lifting his bride's veil on their wedding night, he gently pulled the soft fabric back.
What then came into view was
hair gleaming golden
and a golden beard...?
"...Huh?"
"Hey there?"
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