Chapter 132 – Part 4 Interlude

000

“High-ranking priest, Escatology. She recognizes you as a saint of the highest order according to the doctrine of the Order of Protection of the Saint. This is the existence that will succeed me and lead the future of the Church.”

The center of a huge temple filled with pure white color all around. In the sky, three circles slowly rotated, floating patterns symbolizing the hero, the holy sword, and the saint, respectively.

On the ground, hundreds of priests are offering prayers, wearing white robes and masks with three circles on their faces that look like patterns floating in the sky.

Among them, the only ones who are allowed to raise their heads are Pope Emeleus III of the Order of Protection of the Holy Spirit and the woman who is bestowed with the holy veil by him.

Even though her age her has already passed 30, her appearance her has not changed at all from her mid-teens to a state where aging has stopped, and she still looks beautiful and young.

Light blue hair close to silver. It descends long enough to touch the ground, but it is in a state of slightly floating on the ground without being pulled by divine power.

The open eyes of her are reddish brown. It was a plain color compared to the color of her hair, but it was also the only part of her majesty created by the divine power that covered her whole body her, where she showed the same human qualities as them.

Escatology. Originally a nun in a small church in the countryside, she is sent on a journey to find the holy sword ‘Kaladbolg’ by the oracle of the Holy Sword.

She is with the hero ‘Lesia’ who will later save the kingdom from the Empire.

Living miracle. Angel of hope. Queen of the kingdom.

She was called by various titles and nicknames, but from the beginning, if she was good at divine magic, it wasn’t.

As for her obvious religiousness of her, she was not far behind her other priests, but she always had a personality that seemed to have a screw missing somewhere.

She likes people, and she often gets help from her colleagues when she was almost fooled by this or that.

As much as that part of her resembled Lesia, during her travels her, Sophia and Tal Chek were often upset.

She was like that, but now, about 20 years have passed since the fall of the empire.

As far as her appearance remained unchanged, she exuded a divine aura that could only be admired even compared to her high-ranking priests of her.

She always has her benevolent smile on her face her, instilling her hope her in the people of her Order her.

To protect the people who were in despair due to her misfortune her, the way she worked tirelessly day and night was no shortcoming to be called a ‘saint’.

Although, her colleague her, the brave Lesia, had gone missing for some reason.

1 year thereafter. She has risen to the position of ‘supreme saint’, next to the pope in the church.

Evidence of that, as she smiles at the members of the Order who offer her prayers of her, with one of the ancient relics, her sacred veil of her, placed on her head of her.

Talcheq and Sophia are a little far away. He was staring at the entrance of the hall of this sacred church with a slightly worried face.

“Hey Sophia. That guy…”

“It’s just as you think… It’s changed. I’ve felt that way since the beginning. No way, that’s it.”

At Talchek’s point, Sofia nodded and clicked her tongue.

“… What are you going to do?”

“What are you going to do? I can’t do anything. She is now the second-in-command of the most powerful force on this continent. Even if we were colleagues of the same hero, I am a wizard. You are a knight of the intelligence agency. If you can, I will have no choice but to watch her.”

While Sophia said that, she spoke further to Talchek.

“Ah. And Talchek recently had a family.”

“…Sheesh.”

Sophia patted Talchek on the shoulder, seemingly disgruntled, then placed her hand on her chin as if pondering for a moment.

“Her purpose her is the same as ours. In the end, she is to find `Lecia’. For him, she will surely do anything.”

“…Anything. Is it? After all, they are the same people.”

Talchek said that while firmly gripping his sword.

The red brightness vibrated low in response to the owner’s anger or determination.

“… This must be a curse. We put it on us.”

“Khehehe… I don’t think so.”

Sophia looked at Esca, who was still smiling with Talcheck.

She was the first female pope for whom she would later be referred to as ‘Our Lady’.

Escatlodge and Sophia, Talcheck.

It was the last moment when the three colleagues of the hero who threw themselves into the fight against the empire in the past gathered in one place.

001

“Is she the subject of this experiment?”

A man clad in a white coat looks down at a short girl who is trapped inside the barrier that spreads out in front of him.

Red-haired, brown-skinned, she was a member of a few strong-bodied tribes in the west of the kingdom.

Although it was a savage tribe that worshiped the god of the natural world, Vulcan, the god of blazing war and volcanic forges.

Those who were extremely exclusive and unable to control their anger were always in constant conflict with neighboring countries and villages.

In addition, for some reason, the Vulcan tribe had a custom where only women were born, and they kidnapped men from outside to make children.

It was a race that received great resentment even from the victims who had their sons, husbands, and brothers taken away.

However, they also shunned the struggle and regarded all the outside races as cowards who tried to maintain peace.

It was the last emperor of the empire who took notes of their personalities.

The wicked man of the century who later causes a war that engulfs the entire continent and takes on the title of ‘Devil King’. He was the Demon Sword Emperor.

Vulcan’s tribe accepted the offer of the Demon Sword Emperor, and the then tribal chief and the Demon Sword Emperor made a marriage contract for the purpose of goodwill, and became one of his many wives and entered the Empire’s command.

Like a truly blazing flame, they fought at the forefront of the imperial army, fighting a battle combining powerful magic and spears, and threw themselves into countless battles as they desired in their lives.

Thanks to this, their hatred for them deepened to the point where rumors spread that they, like the dark demon clan, are descended from the devil.

And. The day the empire meets its ruin. They, too, were doomed.

All but one member of Vulkan’s tribe was executed.

Unlike the Warlock clan, some of whom survived and fled, Vulkan’s tribe never fled.

Also, it was because he had a lot of notoriety before entering the Empire.

The last surviving girl was secretly transported to a laboratory somewhere within her, where she was subjected to experiments that inflicted tearing pain on her body her every day.

Sometimes she fights monsters with her bare hands.

Sometimes, an experiment in which the powerful magic of gravity unfolds and the bones of the body scream while moving to the destination.

An experiment in which blood is sometimes extracted to the point of disorientation, and the blood reacts with other reagents.

I’d rather kill The same thought popped into my head over and over again.

But unfortunately, all of Vulkan’s blessings are concentrated on her, the only remaining follower of her.

Her death meant Vulkan’s extinction. Her her Vulcan her was protecting her her, pouring all of her her own power her into her her in order to somehow bring her back to life.

“What about that pagan girl?”

“In almost all of her experiments her, her her figures are remarkable. There are about three people including her who have similar figures to her … In the end, they are-“

The person who seems to be a researcher talks like that to an elderly man. The man wrinkles his forehead and scolds the researcher.

“Don’t say too many things with your mouth. There are beings called spirits everywhere in this world. Even in places where there are no mice or birds, always be aware of their presence.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll report back in writing later.”

The man nodded as if satisfied with the researcher’s answer, looked at the red-haired girl for a moment, then turned around.

The red-haired girl could see in the man’s eyes her that there was nothing but ‘contempt’in his feelings her toward her.

“Hey Mister. Who is that old man?”

“Kuh, how rude! He just… You don’t need to know! Hurry up and start preparing for the experiment!”

“Sheesh… It’s okay if I tell you. So? What’s today’s experiment?”

When her girl says so, her researcher operates a lever to open the door on the other side of the room she entered.

Then, the one who appeared from inside seemed to be the same age as that girl.

Black hair, black eyes. And she was a girl with fair skin.

“We will test the strength of your bodies. From now on, fight with the intention of killing each other.”

“Haha…? It’s not fun to fight a weak-looking guy like this. Just like last time, bring a Minotaur.”

“…Me. I’m not weak. You. You look weaker.”

“…What is this guy…!? Good. I’ll beat you right away. What’s your name?”

“Lilim.”

“I am Ishtal! Come on!”

002

“Wait…! Please wait! Why…! You said you loved me!”

A woman with disheveled emerald hair catches a blonde man leaving her.

The man looks at the woman who caught him with mixed feelings and talks.

“I’m really sorry, but… Nobles have things to do. It’s true that I love you, but… I’m sorry.”

As if she was somehow trying to kill her sadness, she spoke calmly, but that alone was not enough for the woman to understand.

“It’s a lie…! If you really love me, wouldn’t you be able to abandon the duties of a nobleman like that?”

“That’s impossible. If even that is thrown away, for me…”

The man clenched his fists and then turned his back on the woman.

“My older brother made a contribution in the previous war and became the most executive of this country in name and reality. It is my duty to assist him by his side.”

“Are you saying it’s impossible for me to be next to him?”

“It’s too much for a commoner. Enduring the life of an aristocrat. You… Go back to your hometown and live a normal life. Being my wife is just as risky.”

“…”

The woman drops her hand that was holding her man to the ground with her face on her face shocked her. Did she take that as a renunciation? The male clenched her fists so that she would no longer look behind her.

“Goodbye.”

Just like that, he left the place of love where he had spent her short but sweet time with her, leaving behind a word of greeting from her.

The woman sat down on her cold floor, clutching her stomach and muttering something possessed about her.

“Why… There’s even your child in here…”

Then, he laughed maniacally as he tousled her hair.

Her psyche collapsed in denial of an unacceptable reality.

Then she, a week later. She loaded her body into a carriage that left the capital without telling anyone.

Heading towards the sacred tree village where her sister her will be waiting.

003

“…Cleon…Cleon.”

Cleon slowly opened his eyes at the hand that shook him and the quiet voice of her.

Inside the wagon that was still running, the women who had been chatting with each other had fallen asleep one by one, exhausted from the long journey.

It was Galatea who took human form who woke him up.

“… What kind of dream did you have? I can feel my soul shaking.”

At Galatea’s question, Cleon tries to recall the dreams he had just a moment ago, but the images do not come to mind clearly, as if hidden in a fog.

That’s why I just shook my head and held Galatea’s hand as if it was okay.

Galatea took Cleon’s hand her and leaned against him.

Although her body was cold, the closer she was to her presence, the more Cleon felt her reassurance of her.

“I don’t know about you. When I was living in the village of Dragon’s Valley, I used to sing you lullabies when you couldn’t sleep because you were scared.”

“…I see. That’s… I didn’t know.”

“Whoops. That’s right. I didn’t think it worked as a lullaby either.”

Cleon once again felt the drowsiness creeping in.

However, he was certain that this time he wouldn’t be dreaming.

If you fall asleep connected to Galatea, Galatea will block all the nightmare visions that try to devour him.

“Galatea…”

In a voice that was getting weaker, Cleon called her her lover, friend, mentor, family member, and half of her soul her.

“Yes?”

Galatea replies to Cleon in a sweet voice she only sees when she is alone with him.

“…Thank you…”

“…Nothing. Now, there’s still a little bit left until the capital. Like the other children, you’ll be there when you wake up.”

As Galatea said that and stroked Cleon’s hair, Cleon quietly fell asleep again.

She looked at the young man as if she had gone back to her boyhood, then looked out of her window.

The carriage was moving without stopping, and the scenery outside was flowing.

Endless plains, green meadows, and blue skies.

Up there-

Burning earth, brimstone smoke. And the illusion of the red sky overlaps.

Galatea watches the scene for a moment, then quietly closes her eyes and clenches her fist.

“This time. It’s different.”