Chapter 113 – At the Celebration.

“Holy sword… A holy sword?”

The confident voice of the man who had been talking about Tiaran as a fake trembled.

‘Of course.’

Lucia scoffed and crossed her arms at his embarrassed appearance. The reason she poured wine on him that he didn’t drink was because she said something disparaging about him while Tiaran was away.

If it was just gossip, I would have ignored it, but there was a reason that couldn’t be overlooked.

“It’s absurd. Why do you let such a fake person call himself a hero?”

During the banquet, the man came up to where Lucia’s companions and ladies were gathered and said such a thing.

“What are you talking about?”

“Since when was a warrior a name like Nimaka that one could call oneself?”

“You…”

When Lucia glared at him, he continued speaking with a wicked smile.

“Isn’t it strange that he couldn’t have known that he was Nima Ka if he was from Sorent?”

“Nimaka… It’s a long time, though.”

“Still, you’re a warrior…”

The young ladies who were listening to the story nearby also whispered hesitantly, as if they were growing suspicious of his unwavering voice.

“How can everyone just watch a commoner who doesn’t even have a simple marker call himself a hero? As a faithful believer of the goddess, I can’t understand.”

‘I’m convinced that this person, Tiaran, is not a hero!’

As soon as Lucia realized it, she picked up the glass containing the wine on the table and threw it at him as an excuse for insulting her colleague.

I thought that only then would it seem like a simple emotional issue, and at the same time, I was vaguely taking my time thinking about what I could do if Tiaran came.

“I understand it well. This is the modern-day holy sword, Moglei.”

‘That’s amazing.’

Lucia was truly impressed by the response he was currently showing. Even though Tiaran could use the holy sword, she was suspected due to the fact that she did not have Maka and that her hair and eye color were different from those of the goddess.

But now the story has changed as Anis reveals his hair and eye color and summons the holy sword and hands it to him. Only saints and warriors can hold the holy sword.

Anise, who had summoned the holy sword, was clearly a saint, and Tiaran, who held the sword, was like a warrior. It was no longer possible to find fault with his hair and eye color.

‘The story I told before was just a starting point.’

The argument that a warrior is not necessarily born with the symbol of a goddess is no longer unreasonable.

“Now, prove to me that I am not a hero.”

“That’s a holy sword…”

“That’s right. I personally saw Hero defeat the monster with that sword!”

“Then why did that person say that here?”

Now that the fact has been proven, the eyes and arrows of suspicion turn to the man who first raised the suspicion. Since this banquet was meant to be a celebration of defeating a monster, there was bound to be dissatisfaction towards the person who ruined the atmosphere.

“Well, that can’t be possible!”

The man seemed to have never expected the situation to turn out like this, but his relaxed attitude began to break out in cold sweat everywhere.

‘It’s strange.’

Lucia became suspicious of his suspiciously confident behavior and the sight of him almost panicking when his expectations were wrong.

‘It’s as if he knew that Tiaran was not a hero…’

She tried to observe him further, but he let out a crooked laugh as if he had suddenly found her way out and shouted.

Haha! That’s stupid! Is there any guarantee that it’s a real holy sword?! On what basis should we believe that it’s a holy sword? Can you prove that it’s a holy sword?”

It seemed like he was trying to avoid the situation by denying the existence of the Holy Sword, but that was truly an act of suicide.

“Oh, there’s a very simple way.”

– Whilick!

Tia Ran grinned and, in a way that made it hard to believe that he was moving a huge sword, he lightly turned the holy sword so that the handle of the holy sword was pointing towards the man.

“Take a look for yourself.”

As he said, it seems like you should catch it yourself.

“W-what…!?”

The man’s complexion literally turned pale.

“Why did you draw it? Didn’t you ask me to prove whether it was a holy sword or not?”

There is no one who does not know what it means for an unauthorized person, such as a warrior or a saint, to touch the holy sword.

‘He’s a foreigner.’

Although Luciana Crusha suffered aftereffects from touching it briefly, she only received a mild warning because her owner gave her permission.

So, what kind of punishment will be imposed if a person holds the property without permission and even insults the owner? You will know that from now on.

“… Where is the guarantee that this is not a magic sword?! What guarantee is there that it is not a magic sword that will kill you if you touch it?!”

In the end, the man who was faced with that situation chose to avoid it, acting unreasonably.

“Hehe, I guess I’ll just catch it coolly.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just have to eat some food.”

“It looks like the hero was jealous.”

Anyone could tell that that was the end, so some people had already started talking and reaching for the food in the banquet hall as if wondering what had happened.

“I guarantee that that sword is a holy sword.”

Again and again, the sound of a woman’s voice approaching, sounding like her shoes, filled the silence again.

“Why are you here so late?”

“Ugh, I have some circumstances.”

She tangled her hair and made an embarrassed expression when asked by Tiaran.

“No way, you.”

“Commander of the Kingdom’s Knights?!”

“Why in such a remote area?”

The woman who immediately regained her expressionless face at the shock heard around her was Benia, Anis’ teacher and Tiaran’s former colleague, and the leader of the kingdom’s knights.

It was natural for the people in the banquet hall to be surprised. She is definitely Queen Midias’ closest confidant. This is because a person with a status that is far from even that of an ordinary nobleman suddenly appears in a remote area with no connection.

“Because I was his colleague. I have seen him handle the holy sword from the side.”

The fact that she vouched for her holy sword on this occasion has even more special meaning.

“””…”””

People’s attention was also focused on the man with the handle in front of him.

“Hmm.”

Among them was Sizak, the host of this banquet.

“Now, are you saying it’s not a holy sword? If you want to deny it, just pull it out.”

As Tiaran urged calmly, the man’s face turned an earthy color. He, too, realized his destiny. Since he holds the position of leader of the kingdom’s knights, there are only two options left for him.

‘He grabbed the holy sword and received heavenly punishment. You can either ask for forgiveness without catching them, but…’

At the point when it was already recognized that Tiaran was a warrior, it became inevitable that no matter what choice he made, he would be socially buried.

“Tap! Tap, tap, tap!”

Eventually, the sound of teeth chattering comes from him as he places the handle in front of him. He looked clearly terrified.

“If you’re scared, just apologize briefly and I’ll forgive you. If you catch me unreasonably and get punished, wouldn’t it be only you who loses?”

“Ah! Why? That guy called Tiaran a fake and cursed so hard!”

Tiaran showed mercy to him. Crusha shouted disapprovingly, but Lucia thought his actions were right.

‘If you push too hard, it will backfire.’

Rather, it cannot be said that there are no people who will sympathize with the other party. I thought the man would have reflected by this point.

“I-I-I-IK!!! Are you coming? I’ll prove it to you! You fake bastard!”

-Tup!

Isn’t the man so angry at Tiaran’s mercy that his face turns red, and he grabs the handle of the holy sword?

“What, what?”

The moment the man grabbed the handle, he realized that he was inside a pure white temple, to the extent that he mistakenly thought it was an empty white space rather than a banquet hall.

Why did you think this was a temple? This was because I literally felt an overwhelming sense of divinity here. Even the architectural style whose borders seem blurry.

‘That’s right. This is definitely the method used when building a temple.’

He was actually a believer in the Goddess religion, so not knowing was even stranger.

‘But why am I here?’

But he must have been in the banquet hall just a moment ago. Why am I suddenly in a place that looks like a temple? Just when I was wondering.

“In the end, I crossed the line.”

“What…?”

It was only then, when he heard a voice from above, that he realized that there was a tall throne in front of him. When he raised his head with the thought that this could not be possible, he fell to his knees.

Pure white silver hair, golden eyes. At first glance, it looked similar to Anise, but it was a dress that was somewhat revealing but still elegant. As soon as he recognized her existence, he realized the thrill and divinity he felt.

“Ah, ahh! Goddess!”

That she truly is the goddess she serves. That’s why even at her age, he cried and cried out for her like a lost child.

“Why did a child who knew that well denies my heroism?”

“!!!”

Returning back is like a death sentence for a believer. He felt the color drain from his face and, trembling, he forced his frozen body to raise his head.

“Now, I was wrong! Please! Please forgive me!”

Eventually, the moment he encountered the frozen divinity that was colder than the 10,000 years of snow, he immediately hit his head on the floor and begged for forgiveness.

“There is no need to ask for forgiveness.”

“Well, that means…!”

A blush appeared on his face. Although it was only for a short time.

“Still don’t know why you’re here?”

“… Huh?”

He then realized that he had no limbs. Even the fact that everything he did thinking he had a body was a mistake.

“Why should I forgive this guy who not only insulted my hero but also showed mercy to me?”

The golden light curved mercilessly, drawing a cold smile. That was his last memory.

“Oh, he died standing up! His determination is worthy of recognition!”

”””No, it’s not like that.”””

Everyone in the banquet hall inwardly tackled Tiaran, who was admiring the man who had died standing up.