Chapter 69: The Saintess Who Grips the Sword
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: The Saintess Who Grips the Sword
Having shed her armor and returned to her original role as a priest, the Inquisitor knelt before a massive cross.
Her left hand tightly gripped a silver crucifix as she murmured.
“Quaeso, fidem meam ex hoc aspero examine eripe.”
[I beseech You, save my faith from this harsh trial.]
In that moment, the boy realized something.
It was a language he didn't know at all, yet he understood every word.
“Veni.”
[Come.]
“M-Master…”
“Veni.”
[Come.]
The boy hesitated.
He felt as if he were about to face a regret so profound he would chew on it for the rest of his life, unable to turn back.
But he could not ignore the sorrow etched upon his master’s beautiful face.
As if possessed, the boy approached the Inquisitor with hesitant steps.
“Per totam vitam verum dominum huius sacri quaesivi, per campos culpae sine meta errans.”
[All my life, I have searched for the true master of this holy relic, wandering aimlessly through the fields of sin.]
“Master, no. You can’t. Please…!”
The boy refused, weeping, but his master forcibly took his slender hand and placed it upon the holy relic—the book.
At that instant, a blinding light erupted from the relic, and the massive cross resonated.
A colossal presence descended from the heavens.
Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the earth shook, bringing forth a chaos that felt like the brink of the apocalypse.
“Noli timere. Angelus iudicii tantum te contemplatur.”
[Fear not. The Angel of Judgment merely descends to observe you.]
The massive presence gradually dissipated, and finally, the Angel of Judgment took the form of a human priest with a gentle impression, appearing to be in his mid-fifties.
He was a benevolent Father dressed in a black cassock, looking like someone who had spent his entire life devoutly reading scripture.
The silver-haired Inquisitor and the priest who descended from heaven began to converse.
Because there were no subtitles, Daniel Choe couldn't understand a word they were saying.
However, that intentional silence made the desperate frustration and sorrow Lee Yu-jin displayed feel even more dramatic.
It allowed him to feel the emotions flowing between them, even without knowing the words.
“Obsecro, ne etiam mea peccata huic puero imponas.”
[I beg of You, do not impose my sins upon this child as well.]
“Etiam si iudicium tibi gravius fiet?”
[Even if the judgment upon you becomes heavier?]
“Omnia ipse feram.”
[I shall bear it all myself.]
“Idem es—sicut magister tuus.”
[You are the same—just like your master…]
The black-clad priest opened the holy book with a gentle expression.
The moment he closed his eyes and recited a prayer like an incantation, the boy was overcome by a maddening sense of anxiety.
“No! Stop!”
But the light rejected the boy. It pushed him away.
The nameless silver-haired Inquisitor, who had punished countless sinners with her mace, was fading.
A stream of blue light being pulled from her chest was being sucked into the holy book.
“Ugh! Master! No! Don’t go!”
The boy, who had just awakened to love, mourned a future that had withered before it could even sprout, not even realizing that what he felt was love.
The silver-haired master managed a pained smile.
“Etsi conscientia mea penitus dispergitur, anima mea in hoc sacro, ut nutrimentum virtutis divinae, tecum semper erit.”
[Though my consciousness shall be utterly scattered, my soul shall always be with you as nourishment for the divine power within this relic.]
Her soul was completely absorbed into the relic.
Her body turned into particles of light, crumbling into the air without leaving even a trace of ash.
The boy buried his face in the blood-stained priestly robes his master had left behind, sobbing as if his entire body were breaking.
The Angel of Judgment, in the form of the human priest, watched silently until the boy stopped crying, and finally handed him the holy relic.
“Quod nomen tibi est?”
[What is your name?]
He wasn't truly asking for a name.
He was demanding a resolution—what name he would live by from now on.
The boy wiped his tears and answered.
“Ignifer. Pro magistro meo dilecto, ut omnia peccata mundi comburam et discindam.”
[Ignifer. In place of my beloved master, it is the name that shall burn and tear apart all the sins of the world.]
*
In an instant, the first episode was over.
The Choe brothers, who had been watching as if entranced, jumped up, grabbed their heads, and screamed.
“Agh! Dammit! Now even the American writers and directors are killing off our Baby Elf?!”
“Is she really dead? No, right? Right? She was absorbed into the relic, so that’s foreshadowing that she’ll appear again later, right?”
“It’s a hint that she’ll keep appearing as a spirit or something, right? They can film that in Korea too.”
“Exactly, exactly. She was absorbed into the relic, not killed.”
Both brothers desperately ignored the line that had driven the final nail in the coffin: ‘Though my consciousness shall be utterly scattered.’
“Whew, okay. It airs twice a week and there are nine episodes left, so let’s wait and see. There’s no way they’d kill her off right in the first episode.”
“Yeah, those Hollywood guys can’t be that clueless.”
To regain their composure, the two brothers logged onto Lee Yu-jin’s fan cafe.
It was in an absolute uproar.
[Subject: I told you guys the Baby Elf was definitely appearing in Game of Scenes]
-To be honest, even I didn't believe it;;; I really respect the people who believed this;;;
└ I was only pretending to believe, I never imagined she’d actually show up;;;
└ No, but when did she even film this? Did anyone see our Baby Elf leave the country?
└ If she showed up at Incheon Airport, we would’ve known immediately. Did she maybe take a US military transport from Osan Air Base and go to Hollywood in secret?
└ Honestly, that’s the only thing that makes sense.
[Subject: Now it can be told: The suspiciously fast construction of that massive medieval set]
-The fact is, only the Baby Elf’s parts were filmed in Korea;; Those crazy Hollywood bastards replicated the exact same set;; And JJH actually pulled it off within the deadline;;;
└ You’re falling for it again, you idiots!
└ But it was a pleasant deception. I was so happy to see the silver-haired Baby Elf.
└ But they killed her off as soon as they showed her, didn't they?
└ ???: You should be satisfied with the eye candy. Expecting more is just greed.
└ (Picks up a shotgun) Shall we have a "close conversation" between the viewers and the producers?
*
Game of Scenes was already halfway through.
Since it aired twice a week, time flew by.
But I was steadfastly not watching it.
I usually don't watch the works I appear in. It’s embarrassing to see my own face on TV.
‘I still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, go to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and get startled wondering who that is.’
After the first episode aired and my appearance was revealed to the world, I received a ton of congratulations.
But every single person was curious about how much my appearance fee was. Of course, I kept my mouth shut.
Since I wasn't watching the drama at all, I didn't know how the story was progressing, but I heard the gist was that I rescued some orphan boy and took him around like a squire.
‘Wow, I filmed my parts alone. How did they stitch it together so naturally?’
I didn't even know what the boy who played my squire looked like yet. I intentionally didn't look it up on the internet.
“Yu-jin, Yu-jin, the fans are making a fuss asking when you’re coming back. Are you really not coming back as a spirit?”
“You were with me the whole time I was filming, and you’re asking me that?”
“I’m just… disappointed, that’s all.”
“Once you’re absorbed into the relic, it’s over. The end. You turn into nutrients for divine power, and your ego scatters without a trace.”
“Ignifer doesn't know that and is going around purifying all the sins in the world just to get his beloved master back. How tragic. It’s so sad.”
“Jang Ji-hye, are you actually sad?”
“Huh? Why? Do my tears not look pure?”
“It’s just that you keep smirking while looking at the fan cafe reactions.”
“Being sad is one thing, but watching the fans tear their hair out is fun.”
Jang Ji-hye was PD Jang Hyun-soo’s daughter. She was a clone who had inherited his blood very strongly…
“Yu-jin, by the way, what are you going to wear to the LoL World Championship finals? An evening dress?”
“I haven't gone crazy yet. I’m just going to wear what I usually do. Why?”
“A full Hermès look? Not bad, but isn't it too gender-neutral? Since you’re going, you should dress up in a prettier, more feminine style…”
“No, I like the gender-neutral look.”
I heard Game of Scenes was a massive hit. They’d already recouped the production costs, and the ad revenue per second was nearing 200 million won.
“I guess that’s why they can just drop 13 billion won on someone like me who only appears in the first episode. Hollywood is truly amazing.”
“But you’re still not going to move there?”
“How can I go when I’m scared of guns? Does it make sense that there’s a country where 100 million automatic assault rifles are out in the civilian population?”
“Noona, I don't think it’s quite that many?”
Suddenly, Jang Ji-hye cried out in shock.
“Yu-jin, Yu-jin! Chris has been shot!”
“What? Is he okay? Did the bulletproof vest do its job?”
My younger brother also quickly searched the internet and gave us the news.
“He was hit by a semi-automatic assault rifle, but he’s alive!”
“He was hit by an assault rifle? How?”
Has bulletproof shirt technology advanced that much? Or was he wearing thick ballistic plates?
“He bought a new bulletproof car. He was inside it, so he’s fine even though it was an assault rifle.”
“Noona, the video is up.”
Jang Ji-hye and I leaned in to watch the video my brother found.
[Man subdued immediately after emptying a semi-automatic assault rifle into a bulletproof car]
[Chris shouting as he steps confidently out of the car door: “It’s bulletproof, buddy! Hahahaha!”]
“…”
I didn't think Chris was like that at all, but his craziness is off the charts. He’s out of his mind.
“Oh, Yu-jin! The Netscreen CEO commented on Chris being shot, and he’s furious!”
“I think I know why. He’s saying an assault rifle is going too far, right? Since he was hit by a shotgun, he must have some special feelings toward Chris.”
“It’s special feelings, alright, but… ugh, you should just see it for yourself.”
As soon as I saw the video, I felt the energy drain out of me.
[Netscreen CEO: “The Texas rancher didn't respect me. Why did he use a shotgun and not an assault rifle that day?”]
[Texas Rancher: “Hey, buddy! If I shot you with an assault rifle, you’d be dead even with a bulletproof shirt!”]
[Netscreen CEO: “My car was bulletproof from the start. I didn't scramble to get one like that Chris guy. I bought a bulletproof car from the beginning—one that was much more expensive and better—so why does that Chris guy get to…!”]
“…I’m going to stop watching. I feel like I’m being swallowed by the abyss.”
To purify my dizzy mind, I entered the Rift.
My pro-player friends welcomed me more intensely and warmly than usual.
“Looks like the games haven't been going well today. I guess things don't work out when I’m not around, huh?”
-Yes, yes, Rocktten Jupiter Bell! Without you, the games are no fun and nothing goes right. Anyway, welcome back!
*
Game of Scenes was a work that was sufficiently thrilling, interesting, and worthy of being a massive hit.
Ignifer, who turned the loss and longing for his beloved master into rage and a sense of justice, continued to grow through his adventures.
He defeated evil, burned away sin, saved the righteous, and befriended dragons.
The drama used brilliant visuals to show the mystery and fantasy that made people’s hearts race.
However, the viewers couldn't escape the hollow feeling that had persisted since the first episode.
In the season finale, Ignifer finally succeeded in communicating with the holy relic.
And then the drama ended.
The long journey had finally reached its destination.
Watching the ending credits, Daniel Choe let out a heavy sigh.
“I held onto hope, but… they’re merciless.”
“What did you expect? They made it crystal clear when the Baby Elf died.”
“I just felt like I couldn't endure it without at least some hope.”
“Well, the drama was fun. I’ll probably watch Season 2 when it comes out.”
“I’m not going to. I’ll just keep thinking of Lee Yu-jin, so I can’t watch it. I’m just going to give up ho—”
Boom! Boom-boom!
Suddenly, the ending credits cut off, and the screen went pitch black.
Rustle, rustle. The sound of fabric brushing against fabric filled the air as light slowly began to filter in.
The back of a woman dressed in a pure white nun’s habit came into view.
Her black hair, flowing down to her waist, shimmered as if radiating the sorrow she held within.
The two brothers were holding their breath, their eyes glued to the screen.
The woman in the nun’s habit kept her back turned as she offered a prayer before a cross.
Just as the sunlight streaming through the window grew bright enough to clearly identify objects…
The Saintess finished her prayer and turned around. At the sight of her eyes, overflowing with a sense of loss, the two brothers took a sharp breath.
It was the dead Inquisitor—no, a woman who looked exactly like her. Her shimmering, pitch-black hair argued powerfully that she was not the same person.
“Soror mea, ignosce mihi.”
[My sister, forgive me.]
The black-haired Saintess ripped the white nun’s habit right off her shoulders.
The black plate armor she wore underneath revealed its dull texture.
“Etiam tuam lapsum amare possum; sed extinctionem numquam.”
[I can love even your fall; but your extinction, never.]
After tearing the nun’s habit to shreds, the Saintess raised a long, thick bastard sword high.
Her glowing blue eyes stared at the viewers as if glaring at a mortal enemy.
“Te ex illo carcere educam, etiamsi omnia mea offerenda sint.”
[I will bring you out of that prison, even if I must offer my everything.]
Whoosh!
Black flames erupted from the blade, flickering wildly, and the screen snapped to black.
Clang, clang…
The sound of plate boots walking on a hard stone floor faded into the distance.
[Game of Scenes, Season 2!]
[Elf is coming.]
“Sword Master Lee Yu-jin!”
“This is it! This is what I’m talking about!”