## Chapter 997 – Unknown Power

“Ooh…!!!”

I felt like a Grey being captured by Americans. Why haven’t aliens appeared since optical equipment became advanced? There used to be so many UFO photos, but lately, they’ve completely disappeared.

“Quiet.”

Cardia placed her finger on my lips, and with that, the ritual began.

ㅡWhoosh.

Sacred flames blazed from bizarre, brass-plated relics. I was already lying on the altar, surrounded by cardinals. With their eyes closed, they held symbols of the Verdian god in their hands, murmuring prayers as they placed their hands on my chest.

ㅡWHOOSH!!

An even brighter light emanated from the relics behind them. The prayers the cardinals were chanting were like a kind of flute sound. The kind that charms cobras.

As if controlled, the sacred power’s flames that blazed and soared from the relics began to gather in the cardinals’ grasp.

As if spreading strawberry jam on bread, the cardinals spread the sacred power gathered in their hands over my upper body and face. The applied sacred power didn’t scatter but remained on my skin, emitting light.

I was now enveloped in a sacred light.

Even while undergoing this ritual, I carefully sensed my body.

ㅡ…

Silence.

There was no change.

I was just lying there peacefully, enveloped in this warm light. My mind, mana, and body didn’t create any waves; they were just calm.

That’s when it happened.

ㅡCreep.

With my eyes open, I slightly raised my head and looked at my chest. The sacred power covering my upper body was clearly gathering towards my solar plexus.

So, this is being injected.
I’ve already heard the explanation.

The gathered sacred power condensed into a sphere the size of a quail egg and slowly began to enter my solar plexus, as if diving into my body.

ㅡTingle.

“…!”

The sensation I felt at that moment was strange.

ㅡFlash!

At the same time, the sphere of sacred power that was trying to dive into my body through my solar plexus bounced out, emitted light, and then scattered and disappeared.

“What…!”
“It was rejected!”
“It bounced out…!”

The startled cardinals gaped.

“Calm down and analyze the situation.”

Cardia skillfully restrained them as she spoke.

Apparently, according to the explanation, if a different kind of sacred power was already present, this injection ritual would not only fail but also be rejected. That was exactly what had just happened.

I turned my head and looked at the Pope.

“…”

He, too, was staring at me with a surprised expression, touching his chin. Confirming that, I didn’t say anything and endured the cardinals trying to analyze my body using various sacred spells.

“It’s unusual.”

A cardinal who looked to be in his 40s opened his mouth.

“The fact that the injected sacred power bounced out means that a power belonging to divinity is residing within the Holy Maiden’s Paladin. But… I don’t feel any divinity. I’ve been concentrating continuously, but I couldn’t feel anything.”
“I agree. There was no backlash against the sacred spells, but the injection failed. It’s certain that divinity resides within.”

The other cardinals shared their opinions at those words.

“Nevertheless, I didn’t feel anything. It’s very unusual. This is a first for me.”

It was that unusual.

More than anything, there was no way the cardinals could have felt something that even Cardia hadn’t felt. The divinity was probably too small and deep, so they couldn’t feel it.

The divinity was now trapped within me.

Just like the Simma had been hiding deep within my heart, in a place where it wouldn’t appear easily and couldn’t be found.

“In any case, it seems certain that a sacred power resides within. Otherwise, the sacred power injection wouldn’t have been rejected.”

Soon, they came to a conclusion.

Then, the Pope approached.

“But even I, as the Pope, don’t feel anything particularly noticeable. What on earth is going on?”
“That’s… it’s hard to say for sure…”

I raised my upper body.

“Perhaps it’s because it’s extremely subtle.”
“Subtle?”
“I, too, have examined this power within me through meditation and mental cultivation. It was very small. It was in a very deep place, so much so that you couldn’t find it unless you tried to examine it properly.”

I briefly explained what I had reported to Cardia: that I had absorbed the fragment of power left behind when the Valkyrie died and that my arm had been healed.

The cardinals nodded at those words.

“The Holy Maiden’s Paladin is right, Your Holiness. I believe that’s correct.”
“I agree.”

Cardia also nodded at those words.

“Hmm…”

The Pope looked bewildered, just like Cardia had at first.

“Cardinal, did you feel or sense the energy of another god?”
“No, I didn’t. If there had been something like that, I would have felt it immediately.”

The cardinal continued.

“As the Holy Maiden’s Paladin said, it may be that we can’t feel it because it’s too subtle. And perhaps… because it’s the sacred power of an ancient god that has already disappeared, we can’t know it with our current abilities. Nothing is certain.”

I really felt the lack of information.

“I heard that the dungeon on the side of the Mercurdia Kingdom, where the Valkyrie was discovered, is currently being investigated. If there are any results, we have agreed to share the information, so I believe we will be able to find out more details then.”

If we examine the dungeon’s style, something might come out.

But it takes too long.

“To possess the sacred power of a vanished ancient god…”

The Pope muttered, stroking his chin.

“Paladin, as I stated at the beginning, I didn’t particularly welcome you.”

Then, he looked at me and said.

“But the achievements you have made so far are absolutely undeniable and worthy of praise. I don’t believe that a wrong power has taken root in the Paladin who has done such things.”

Is this a compliment?
It feels somewhat like it.

“Although you have come to possess the power of another god… you are still our Holy Maiden’s Paladin.”
“Thank you for your words.”
“Rewards for defeating the Valkyrie will be coming soon. I hope you will continue to do as you have done so far.”
“Of course.”

The Pope, who was saying that, still seemed bewildered. After all, even as the Pope, he probably hadn’t seen anything like this before. He probably had a lot to think about personally.

He had seen it with his own two eyes.

“Summarize and report. I’ll go up first.”
“Let’s go together.”

The Pope instructed the remaining cardinals and left the room first with the cardinal who seemed to have the highest rank.

Only we were left at the scene.

“Well, this seems like a not-so-satisfying ending.”

I said, looking at Cardia. As Cardia had explained at the beginning, it was a ritual that could only confirm things. There was almost no information about this kind of thing.

“Still, wasn’t it clearly proven? The Paladin has officially become someone who possesses divinity.”

Officially.

“We can add something like ‘official priest’ next to the title of Holy Maiden’s Paladin.”
“It would be a bit funny to say ‘ancient god’s acolyte.'”
“Haha, I suppose so. Still, you’ll be treated as a ‘formal religious person.’ Until now, the title of Holy Maiden’s Paladin was a bit ambiguous.”
“Hehe, that’s true.”

Judging from the nuance of her words, it seemed that I was officially recognized as a human with divinity. But everyone didn’t seem to think that I possessed the power of a demigod. They probably thought that I had acquired sacred power like them.

“But we can’t confirm that you’re a demigod yet… If anything, it might be more reasonable to say that you’ve become the last holy knight or priest of an ancient god.”
“No, I’m sure because I’m feeling it.”

Cardia was still skeptical about the demigod thing.

“So, I’ll think according to my judgment.”

Well, in the end, if I don’t nurture this divinity, I won’t know anything.

“Alright. The Paladin is that kind of man. Anyway, try to grow the power. Then you’ll be able to find out.”
“Since I’ve already obtained the power, I was planning to nurture it anyway to use it. Don’t worry.”

I underwent a few more experiments and rituals like that.

Conclusion.

It was certain that I possessed an unknown divinity. That was guaranteed by the clergy. As a result of examining it through other unconventional sacred power injection experiments, it didn’t seem to be the power of an evil god or anything like that. And now I’m treated as a formal religious person, but honestly, that’s not a big deal.

“There are privileges for formal religious people.”
“What are they?”
“Even if you’re an ordinary person, if you’re guaranteed to be a formal religious person with divinity, you can cross borders without major problems. I don’t know if you’ll ever have to go to another country, but if you do, you’ll be easily granted entry.”

It’s like a kind of passport.

After hearing about that, I left the Great Temple.

* * *

I returned home and told the girls about my condition.

“I know you have the power of divinity, but I still can’t feel it. Still, I got recognized as a formal religious person.”
“Formal religious person?”

Claudia asked back.

Me, a demigod, being treated as a religious person.
It’s a bit funny.

“Anyway, it seems that I have a power similar to divinity in my body, so I’m no different from a formal religious person. It seems like just such a custom.”
“Hmm… In any case, is it beneficial to Katt?”
“It is.”
“Then it’s a good thing.”

Claudia smiled.

Anyway, I immediately threw off my clothes, put on only shorts, and went into an empty room. Risha was currently using the basement. I needed a quiet place, so I asked them not to come in.

After being alone, I placed the Vugal I had drawn on my thigh and focused on meditation.

“…”

Sinking mind.

I didn’t feel any divinity at all, but at some point.

ㅡTsupat.

A light as brilliant as the sun began to be felt.

The pure white power seemed to be sacred power to me. Well, I’ve felt both the sacred power of the Brass Celestial Angel and the Light Cross Society. Although the two are similar, they are clearly different, and this divinity that I possess is also similar but different from them.

“It’s also different from the Valkyrie’s.”

I reach out my hand.

ㅡTsuzzut.

However, there was no interaction. Just like you can’t grab the light coming from a light bulb with your hand, it just passed through my hand.

How on earth should I draw this out?

I have a feeling that it will be more difficult than when I first obtained mana. What should I do to nurture this and make it truly mine?

There is definitely power in this divinity.

Power like the healing that religious people use, or power that strengthens the body. If I could use that, I could become even stronger from now on. No, it’s truly demigod-like and transcendent. The sacred power that religious people use is ultimately the authority that the gods have bestowed in part. I have come to possess the original of that, so it’s 100% stronger.

“Vugal.”

I called my friend from the materialized inner self.

The interaction between Vugal and divinity… Thinking about that, I tried to combine the power of Vugal and the divinity that were deeply engraved in my heart.

ㅡ…

There was no interaction.

In that state, I summoned the powers of the deities, just like when I overcame the Simma state. Starting with the Wright brothers, Buddha. King David. And Hwanung. In that overlapping transcendent and divine mental state, I constantly thought to grasp a clue.

Still, nothing happened.

Was it because I defeated the Simma last time?
There were none of those things that shouted to abandon Vugal.

“…”

…Perhaps a trigger is needed.

The enemies of the gods are evil gods and evil demonic beings. If I kill beings like demons, will this divinity be unleashed?

Well, how can I immediately nurture the power I’ve obtained?

Since I don’t know its identity, I’m just doing what I can and making efforts in various ways now.