Chapter 92
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Saint
The holy relic spoke politely.
[Bless System C113 Alpha. Codename standing by.]
But the holy knights before me showed no reaction.
It seemed I was the only one who could hear the voice.
“Ea?”
[Yes. Ea. Awaiting instructions.]
The holy relic answered.
“Ohh! He's communicating with the holy spirit!”
“O, thirteen gods of heaven, who are ever-present. Thy name is…”
The reactions of the holy knights and apprentice priests were ecstatic.
They gasped in awe, suddenly reciting prayers…
‘This is awkward.’
I had no idea if gods truly existed or if this was really a holy relic of a god, but one thing was certain: what they thought this ‘thing’ was and what it actually was were quite different.
Because…
[Awaiting instructions.]
The Annihilating Angel was the same way. Why are these things so deferential to me?
It's a holy spirit, isn't it? Shouldn't it be looking down on humans, pitying them or something?
Why is it so obedient to me?
That's why this was awkward.
I wanted to ask some direct questions, but there were too many watching eyes…
So, for now, I tried speaking politely.
“O, Holy Spirit. Can you hear my voice?”
Honestly, I thought it would work. The Annihilating Angel had understood me even when I spoke in the language of the Magic Era. But…
[Error. Akashic Record signal not found. Ideation translation function cannot be used. User's language cannot be identified.]
This thing. It couldn't understand me.
And then,
Silence—
A heart-pounding silence. I didn't have to look back to know. Everyone was staring at my back.
They must think I'm communicating with the holy spirit.
Their expectations pricked my back like needles.
Hmm…
I want to show them something cool, too.
Something that would make the holy knights flip out and the apprentice priests faint.
‘But we have to be able to communicate…!’
Just then, a thought occurred to me.
‘Could it be?’
I can understand what it's saying, right?
Even though it's a language I've never heard before, I understand it perfectly… If that's the case?
Ahem.
I cleared my throat,
“Can you understand me if I speak like this?”
I said.
Not in the language of the Magic Era… but in the language the holy relic was speaking. In other words, probably in the language of the gods!
[Yes. I am listening.]
…It actually works.
Just like how I could naturally speak the language here when I first came to the Magic Era, it felt just as natural this time.
Someone gasped in amazement.
“My goodness…!”
The people who had been holding their breath all burst out at once, causing a commotion.
“Speaking in tongues! The gift of tongues…!”
“To think I'd see it with my own eyes…!”
“Such a beautiful language… Could that be the divine tongue?”
In the midst of it all, Sheneril was puffing out her chest, saying, "See! I was right, wasn't I? He's the Saint. I brought him here!"
Hmm, a nice sight.
Right… keep on worshiping. The little kid likes it, so it's all good, I guess.
Anyway, I just had to do my job.
Since the others couldn't possibly understand the divine language I was speaking, I decided to talk more casually now.
“What is the Zero Code?”
I asked the holy relic, , the question I hadn't gotten an answer for from the Annihilating Angel.
I'll get an answer this time, right?
[The Zero Code is… Error. Akashic Record signal not found. Unable to search for the requested information.]
“No, what the hell is this Akashic Record you keep talking about…”
[The Akashic Record is… Error. Akashic Record signal not found. The requested information…]
“Ah, forget it. Is this Zero Code thing related to my bloodline? The flame that ignites in my eyes.”
[Error. Akashic Record signal…]
“Just drop it, you punk.”
It seemed hopeless.
It was frustrating how these god-related beings were always polite to me… yet couldn't give me a straight answer about the reason, the "Zero Code."
I cut off this thing and asked something else.
The most important, practical question in this situation.
“Then what do you know? What can you do?”
An answer flowed out smoothly.
[I can perform wound healing, detoxification of poisonous substances, and suppression or purification of the Infusion phenomenon. Specifically, I can form a 'Healing Field' with a 200-meter radius, construct a 'Sanctuary' with a 2-kilometer radius, and perform communication, scanning, and energy transmission within a 40-kilometer radius.]
"Tell me more. What are the Healing Field's capabilities, and what is this Infusion phenomenon?"
The abilities of Ea I learned about were incredible.
Within the Healing Field, most wounds could be healed, and the Sanctuary could completely block the Infusion phenomenon—the curse—that was currently pouring in from outside.
[The Sanctuary is currently in a simplified activation mode at the request of those with protected designation codes. If a formal activation is requested, its function can be enhanced by up to 20 times its current capacity.]
The request of those with protected designation codes.
It probably referred to the priests who had activated the barrier and died.
But,
20 times the current output?
The current barrier already seems incredibly powerful, and this is 20 times that?
It was a level of power beyond imagination.
“So is there no price I have to pay? I heard the priests all died last time after drawing on its power.”
[Error. Question cannot be understood. Three days ago, at the request of individuals with protected designation codes… Error. The system was in hibernation mode during the corresponding period, analyzed as a malfunction caused by one error.]
A malfunction?
That was not a word to be taken lightly.
‘It was a malfunction?’
I glanced back.
The faces of the clergy were still filled with emotion. These were people who believed their god was infallible and omnipotent.
What kind of expressions would they make if they heard the word 'malfunction'?
I swallowed hard and asked.
“So. If it's not a malfunction, is there no price I have to pay? No danger at all?”
[Question cannot be understood. exists to protect. It does not harm anyone.]
…So, the priests died because they caused the holy relic to malfunction?
But none of the clergy here had said anything like that.
‘These people have a serious misunderstanding about the holy relic…’
My mind was a mess.
I've traveled back and forth to the enigmatic Magic Era several times, yet it feels like the mysteries are only multiplying.
I don't get it.
I'll just keep it in mind for now.
“Okay, I get it for now. Continue your explanation. I roughly understand communication and scanning, but what is 'energy transmission'?”
[Energy transmission is… Error. Akashic Record signal cannot be read. Energy transmission is energy transmission.]
But, you know.
I've been feeling this for a while,
‘This thing… doesn't it sound a little stupid?’
It felt like talking to a brick wall.
The Annihilating Angel's tone was a bit stiff, but the conversation itself flowed smoothly… This thing, though, it's like it can't even talk without this Akashic Record or whatever.
It was so frustrating I wanted to smack it.
However,
‘I can't let that show.’
Anyway, I've roughly figured out what I can do with this holy relic.
Now it was time to use it as efficiently as possible.
In that case, it would be better to control my mindset from now on, to treat the holy relic with reverence and respect rather than contempt.
Because… that would be cooler!
In war, army morale is crucial.
And right now, I held a truly game-breaking card in my hand, one that could instantly boost the morale of people who had been broken time and time again.
In that case, I will gladly!
I must show them.
The very image they want to see!
I was confident.
This kind of thing was practically my specialty.
***
Sheneril gazed fondly at the Saint's back.
Her surroundings were buzzing like a pot of boiling water.
It was so amazing that all of this had started from her prayer.
The gods really answered my prayer.
And I didn't even have to offer my most precious sacrifice!
Sheneril resolved to pray even harder and be a good girl from now on.
Because this whole moment already felt like a miracle.
Those who had lost hope were rising to their feet,
those who were exhausted were cheering wildly,
a bubbling, simmering emotion
bubble
bu…?
“Saint?”
Before she knew it, her surroundings had grown quiet.
It was because the Saint, who had been communing with the holy spirit in the beautiful divine tongue, had suddenly fallen silent.
His broad back was silent, unmoving.
“Saint…?”
Sheneril called out to the Saint once more.
But no answer came.
A sudden anxiety washed over her.
Such was the psychology of someone who had been steeped in fear and despair.
When something went differently than expected, an unbearable anxiety would set in.
Why was the Saint saying nothing?
Why didn't he answer when called?
Why was this hope, which had miraculously appeared at the end of despair, now silent?
Did something go wrong?!
“Saint!!!”
The adults endured their fear and waited, but young Sheneril could not bear the fright.
She shouted for her Saint with all her might,
and finally, there was a response.
“Fear not.”
A voice, as if flowing from a deep cave, low yet comforting, caressed every small shadow in the temple.
Ah,
Sheneril let out a gasp.
‘Fear not.’ There was a passage in the holy scriptures that began with those very words.
An incredibly famous passage that even she, a mere seven-year-old, knew.
“For I shall protect you.”
The Saint raised one hand.
Fwoooosh-!
At the same time, the holy relic unleashed a tremendous holy radiance. A five-colored, brilliant light shot up into the sky, soaring past the temple to completely cover the area.
“Ah!”
Sheneril felt it immediately. She knew what had just happened.
‘It's gotten quiet!’
The ringing that had been tickling her ears was gone. The creeping itch had vanished. The flashing glare was gone too.
The world became serene.
The endlessly seeping curse had been completely extinguished.
“Aaaah…”
The others who felt it also burst out in awe.
The aurora that had been illuminating the world in a kaleidoscope of colors was no more.
The barrier that gently enveloped the night sky had completely devoured even the dazzling moonlight of the Psychedelic Moon, silencing the entire world.
In that quiet, emotional moment, the Saint raised his other hand.
“I shall heal you.”
“…heal you.”
This time, people began to quietly recite the passage along with him.
Once again, a brilliant radiance swept over them.
“Aaaaaah-!”
Cries of overwhelming emotion suddenly erupted.
Sheneril turned around.
Her small, cute eyes widened into circles.
“They're healing…!”
The patients were recovering.
New flesh grew over the knight's wound, which hadn't stopped bleeding.
Broken bones mended on their own.
Even,
“It's, it's coming back! My hand is coming back!”
Even those whose hands had been severed or legs torn off began to heal.
The brilliant, auspicious light filled the places where the hand and leg had been, crafting new, flawless hands and legs without a single scar.
Sheneril felt it too.
Her body, which had been aching from days of tension without proper rest, felt refreshed.
Sheneril quickly turned her gaze back to the Saint.
Everyone did.
In the brilliant light, the Saint now slowly raised his head to look up at the sky.
‘…Ah!’
Now, everyone knew.
The next line.
Even Sheneril, the youngest among them, knew.
Together, they recited the next line.
“I.”
“I…!”
“Shall make them.”
“Shall make them…!”
“Afraid.”
The Saint slowly, very slowly, drew his sword.
At that,
Shiiing-!
The holy knights,
the knights who had already recovered from their injuries and stood up,
the soldiers, and even the village men,
all raised their weapons in unison.
To the Saint's prayer, everyone responded with one heart, one mind, and one voice.
“May it all be done according to God's will!”
Before they knew it, the Saint had turned his back to the holy relic and was looking down at them all.
A blue flame burned in his dark eyes. Its dark blue light seemed to pierce through everyone's souls.
“Prepare for battle. Gather all who can fight to the temple. We will heal them and pass judgment on the wicked cult.”
“Yes, Your Holiness!”
The authority of a Saint was equal to that of the Pope.
The holy knights and knights accepted the Saint's command with the utmost respect.
‘Aah…’
At that moment, for the first time, Sheneril truly felt it.
‘He is here… Right here. With us now…’
The existence of God, which she had only vaguely considered.
Seven-year-old Sheneril felt it now with her entire being.
In the dark blue glimmer of the Saint's hair and eyes.
It was the moment a dream, one that would never be erased, began to sprout in her young heart.