Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Lucky - 2
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After the Demon King appeared, the damage from monsters only increased. As a result, countless people across the continent lost their lives to them, which was tantamount to producing a flood of orphans.
Veronica was one such orphan. She had been born to ordinary parents in an ordinary village.
She should have grown up just as ordinarily as her parents or the villagers.
But the monster attack, bolstered by the Demon King, snatched away her "ordinary" life in an instant.
Countless people were devoured and killed by the monsters.
And the young girl, having lost her ordinary life, ironically became aware of her own specialness precisely because of that loss.
On the day the church sent aid to save the village attacked by monsters, they learned the truth.
A chosen, special child had saved countless people.
With her unique, overwhelming holy power, she had pinned down the monsters, rendering them immobile.
But that child had ultimately been unable to save even her own family.
The child, wrapped in radiant light and shielded by a powerful barrier that saved lives,
Had come to realize her solitude through her specialness.
Afterward, the girl who had lost her ordinary life became a nun in the church and quickly revealed her power.
It strengthened the church's might, but it also made many priests tense and wary.
When Veronica surpassed the holy power of a novice nun, those who had trained for years grew jealous of her.
When she surpassed that of a mid-level nun, those who had honed their skills for decades became guarded.
When she surpassed that of a high-level nun,
The church's upper echelons felt a sense of crisis.
And then,
On the day Veronica came of age,
When she possessed holy power greater than even the Pope's, the cardinals and the Pope began to view her with suspicion.
For Veronica, who had become even more solitary in her specialness after departing from the ordinary, not even the church that had taken her in could offer her peace.
Many worshipped her.
Many revered her.
But she could only stand amid gazes of envy, with nothing but jealousy for her specialness lurking beneath.
Thus, it was perhaps inevitable that Veronica would become an inquisitor, handling external matters outside the church.
That was why Veronica differed from the church's priests in so many ways.
Because she received wariness and worship from those who were supposed to uphold goodness.
Rather than sensing some vague goodness in them, she simply saw them as human.
And she had no choice but to abandon any expectations of them.
That was why she could not help but hold expectations.
Of the being blessed by the gods, fighting the world's evil—the Demon King—to uphold goodness.
Of the hero and the hero's party.
And yet,
Those expectations were utterly shattered, and in an unexpected place,
She encountered a special goodness that even she could not help but revere.
That was how she understood.
Why all those people in the church had looked at her that way.
"That ordinary me."
Drawn to
"That special you."
It was only natural.
Ah, yes. You were even more special amid your specialness.
Who was it that said a lotus blooms in the mud?
The more she saw the ugly underbelly of the hero's party—special enough to receive the gods' blessings—the more beautiful you seemed.
You, who held only the single-minded resolve to slay the Demon King and bring peace to the continent,
Were far more special than someone like me, who merely possessed strong holy power.
That was why she despised the mud clinging to that special, beautiful flower.
Just like the people in the church who had tried to use her.
The hero's party seemed nothing more than those trying to exploit your specialness.
And yet, to slander you, torment you, and not even save you—that was utterly unforgivable.
That was why she sought to save you.
But you did not flee from hardship; you silently walked that thorny path.
In that place where no one could help you,
"......"
Veronica slowly lifted her closed eyelids, emerging from her reverie. Soon, the mud that sought to defile that special one would approach.
She needed to compose herself.
This time, it was about doing what Hyunwoo wanted.
You might think there was no need to accept help from mere mud, but since it was his chosen path, following it was only natural.
Still, the very idea of "those things" approaching Hyunwoo grated on her.
Why you all, of all people?
Claire, who didn't even know the treasure's value and couldn't even manage it properly, becoming the hero?
Leventia and Evangeline, fools trying to wound that treasure, becoming hero's party members?
If it had been me.
If I had been part of the hero's party.
If I, deemed special by so many in the church, had been part of the hero's party.
I would have protected you.
Veronica clenched her fist tightly.
"...You lot. You're lucky."
That was why Veronica could only spit those words at the woman who appeared before her, swallowing her disgust.
Really.
You all are truly lucky.
***
While Evangeline was infiltrating, I couldn't just sit idle.
I left the inn and circled the church's perimeter. How long had I been moving?
As I entered a sparsely populated alley, my thief skill Detection picked up crowds gathering from all around.
At least on par with the knights of a typical knight order.
So they were here after all.
I kept walking, and when I reached an area completely devoid of people, figures in black robes emerged from the alley's crevices.
Just from their appearance, I knew exactly who they were.
Black Rebels assassins.
The moment they saw me, they drew their weapons and unleashed a chilling killing intent. I transformed Moonlight into a sword.
"Before we fight, how about we introduce ourselves?"
Catching these Black Rebels assassins wouldn't reveal the rest of their identities. Still, you never know.
I asked anyway, but as expected, they gave no answer.
No, they probably couldn't.
-Whoooosh!!
A sword gust flew, embedding into one assassin's head. It didn't seem like a critical hit, but the hood flew off completely.
What was revealed was a half-rotted face.
Undead.
Specifically, a higher undead: a ghoul. Green poisonous fumes seeped from the slash on its face caused by the sword gust.
The ghouls, shrieking some incomprehensible sound instead of feeling pain, charged at me all at once.
"Light!! Bind these unclean ones here!!"
I raised the Divine Mark. It was the priest skill Holy Spirit's Rope, which dealt massive damage to undead.
Light ropes appeared, binding five undead, but two resisted successfully, dispelling the ropes and attacking me. Sharp claws aimed at my head and chest, dripping rotten blood—clearly poisonous if it hit.
In other words, I had to dodge.
"Hup!"
I lightly stepped back and rolled on the ground. No fancy techniques needed—just one roll. Covered in dirt, I easily evaded their attacks and swung my sword, decapitating one ghoul.
Green poisonous fumes rose again, and my health dropped.
"Fire Bolt!!"
I used the low-level spell to keep another at bay. Then, with one strike, I sliced through the ghoul's body and retreated.
"Haha! See ya!"
Catching all these ghouls here wouldn't end it. The real one was the necromancer controlling them.
This city housed the church's headquarters. Not even undead, let alone a necromancer, could enter.
But how had this guy slipped in?
The answer was simple.
As Tau from the church's upper ranks had said, the Pope and a few cardinals had allied with the Black Rebels.
Evangeline better handle it well...
-Grrr!!
Beast-like growls echoed from the alley, drawing my eyes there.
What stood there was a pack of large dogs with black fur and flames flickering at their maws.
Hellhounds, the wicked monsters called.
Whoa, didn't expect them to send those too. Unlike ghouls, they openly exuded evil energy—surely the church would notice?
-Grrr!!
With a fierce roar, one hellhound lunged at me, jaws wide, its flame-forged fangs aimed at my throat.
-Boom!!
"Huh? Not a hellhound? Wait, why's that here?"
"Yeah, right? Hey, aren't you... the Sage?"
They shot shadows to blast the hellhound away, and stepping from the darkness were faces I recognized.
Baltin, the S-Rank adventurer lion beastkin with a magnificent mane.
His wife, Lukendi.
And...
"Ugh."
"Whoa?! Sage. What's with that reaction the second you see me?"
"Sigh. Hey, Sairon... please wear some clothes. Seriously."
"Haha! What's wrong with this?!"
"If you've got exhibitionism, at least wear bikini armor!"
"Bikini armor is for weaklings—kids and old hags!!"
She had short, deep sea-blue hair and was adorned with jewelry everywhere, but nothing that actually covered anything.
It was Sairon, the dark elf shaman with a toned, elastic body.
Among the exhibitionists I knew, she had the worst case, brazenly thrusting out her chest—covered only by two nipple-patch-like gems over her nipples—and laughing heartily.
Her confidence was admirable, but I wished she'd tone it down a bit.
"Human males go wild at the sight of me. Tsk tsk. Sage, so full of shame."
"...Sigh. Fine. Hey, your bottom jewel slipped."
"Whoops."
She deftly adjusted the barely-there gem cover over her privates.
Every time, it's fascinating. How does she even manage that?
-Grrr...
-Crack!!
As the hellhound staggered from Sairon's shadow mana bullet, I shattered its head with Moonlight. That's when the ghouls chasing me appeared. Seeing them, Baltin, Lukendi, and Sairon grew even more puzzled.
"Undead... here?"
"Why?"
"How?"
Fair question. But now wasn't the time.
"You guys! Take care of those."
"Sure."
Curious as they were, undead were enemies of the living. It was only natural for these living folk to fight them.
While they handled the ghouls and hellhounds, I used Detection and sensed something fleeing across the rooftops.
"Hah!"
I kicked off the wall and leaped up. A black-robed necromancer bolted away. But...
"Too late, punk!"
I transformed Moonlight into a bow and fired a mana arrow. The beam pierced his leg in one shot.
"Argh!!"
I grabbed him immediately. Good. Additional intel acquired.
By the time I dragged him down, the situation was cleared. Expected, really.
Baltin, Lukendi—sure—but even this severe exhibitionist elf was an S-Rank adventurer.
A few ghouls and hellhounds were no trouble.
"What's that?"
Sairon approached without a hint of shame and asked. I pulled off the hood and checked the face.
Hmm...
New face.
"Huh? You...?"
"You know him?"
"Yeah."
Lucky—Baltin recognized him. As I looked, he shrugged lightly.
"He's the Pope's messenger, right?"
"...Oh ho."
Tau wasn't bluffing.
I eyed the man's distressed expression, then knocked him out with a punch.
Now, just wait for Evangeline. Time-wise, she should be here soon...
"...Hyunwoo. Here. I-I found what you asked for..."
Then, Evangeline stepped out of empty air. In her hand was a small ledger, which I confirmed was exactly what I wanted.
She did well.
"...Evangeline? Why are you here?"
"...Sairon."
As I checked the ledger, Sairon tilted her head, then called out. Evangeline, not expecting her, inhaled sharply, and silence settled over the alley.
Evangeline and Sairon.
The one to break the silence was the exhibitionist dark elf.
"You beat me in the competition to join the hero's party, yet you look even worse off."
Author's Note
Hello! It's Malmulmalmul ㅎ
Hope you enjoyed today's chapter~
Have a good night~