◈ Episode 536. The Weight of Each (2)

I felt out of place.

“It was when I returned from the abandoned land.”

China, the Abandoned Lands.

For years, Talim and the paladins of the Goddess Church had been targeting the rift in China. The reason was simple. It was not against the doctrines of the Goddess Church.

But.

“It was a mistake.”

I had overlooked.

The internal affairs of the Holy Land, Muon, have changed. A real saint has returned, a woman whose divine powers surpass even the head of the Paladin Order, a woman who can hear the voice of the goddess.

Kiko’s eyes narrowed.

“You mean, Saintess, Freyja changed her mind……?”

Talim shook his head.

“Well, I suppose you could call it a change of heart.”

Nasrow gave him an incredulous look.

“It’s certainly remorseful, isn’t it? Consider the reason the Goddess Church has been able to survive as long as it has. It’s self-sufficient now, but without Chief Lee’s support in the early days of Muon…….”

“You are not wrong in that.”

Talim nodded.

“St. Freyja certainly recognized that, but she never wavered in her convictions.”

“Unwavering in her convictions? You mean, from the beginning……?”

“That’s because she has unwavering faith.”

A saint’s faith.

Talim revealed the truth of the Goddess Church.

“Senior Mage Nasrow is correct in his suspicions. The Saint, Freyja, has received a revelation from the Goddess to save the Arcana continent from the ‘Infinitely Deep Darkness’.”

“……!!”

Kiko’s pupils fluttered.

Infinitely Deep Darkness.

That was one of Chief Lee’s many tinnitus.

It was so ridiculous now that Kiko couldn’t help but laugh.

“Do you realize, Talim Eber, that you’re insulting our Chief Mage by stepping foot in the Ivory Tower of Truth, a place where those who do not believe in the existence of God gather.”

Talim nodded humbly in response to Nasrow’s words.

“I recognize that. But.”

“But, what else?”

“That’s why I’ve come to the Magic Tower for help.”

“……?”

Wait, Nasrow was furious.

‘You asked for help……? Oh, I see!’

He remembered in hindsight why Talim had come to the Magic Tower in the first place.

Talim had made his purpose clear from the start.

Nasrow asked incredulously.

“Then……. Is that what I think it is?”

“Perhaps.”

“Well, I’ve got a long life ahead of me.”

The chuckle didn’t stop when I reorganized.

“Infighting within the Goddess Church.”

Yes.

The Goddess Church had split in two. The faction that followed Saint Freyja and the faction that followed Paladin Talim. The evidence was clear. Nasrow was a man of many doubts.

“Which makes it all the more unbelievable, Master Talim.”

“I will answer you honestly, to remove your doubts.”

“That’s good to hear. Then let me ask you bluntly: why are you rebelling against the Goddess? If you are a paladin in her service, shouldn’t you obey her will unconditionally?”

Talim gave a small laugh.

‘Rebellion. I used to think so myself.’

Until I met Chief Lee.

-“I don’t believe in God.”

-“Because there is no definitive proof that he exists.”

-“But there is also no definitive proof that he does not exist.”

That cold voice had sounded like that to Talim.

-Your beliefs, not others.

Talim stiffened and spoke.

“Because my Goddess did not say so.”

Thud.

Talim laid a hand on his plate armor breastplate. Of course, the voice of the Goddess, the one that only saints can hear, did not reach him.

But Talim did not waver.

“Even if the Goddess of Saints did say so.”

The Goddess I serve would not say that my paladins’ and my dedication to helping the world’s most marginalized were wrong if she said that the sacrifice was wrong.

She would no longer be the Goddess I serve.

“My pride has not wavered in the slightest.”

“Mmm.”

“That unwavering pride is speaking for itself.”

Talim Eber.

He believes in his faith.

To prove his pride.

For ‘the most marginalized people in the world’ following China.

He came to the Magic Tower.

“To defend the ‘Infinitely Deep Darkness’ from the Goddess Church.”

“……!!”

Nasrow and Kiko.

The two Seniors exchanged glances.

Then Nasrow nodded and spoke.

“The story that follows is not something I can dare to share in my shabby office. Talim Paladin Commander, please follow me and Senior Mage Kiko.”

Gooooo.

A portal appears in the office.

Where is this portal going?

Kiko nudged Talim as he pondered.

“You’ll have to climb the stairs of the Magic Tower endlessly to get to the top floor……! There are many more eyes in the Magic Tower than before, so please understand.”

Suddenly, the top floor.

Why?

Nasrow explains to a puzzled Talim.

“You may rejoice, Paladin Talim. Two senior mages have deemed your claim worthy. By the authority of their seniority, they will escort you to our Tower Master.”

With that shrug.

.

.

.

Marcelo looked at the crimson flower.

To see if it might hold any clues.

Now that he had unleashed his taxidermy magic.

The flower gave off no scent.

“No one knows its name, no one knows its language…….”

Neither the books of the Emerald Hall, nor the adept mage Cleodia, who was supposed to be knowledgeable enough about plants to study herbs, could identify the red flower.

‘But in the eyes of an adventurer.’

Maybe.

He could reveal the identity of this red flower once and for all.

But Marcelo was in no hurry.

The view from the Crystal Hall, from his seat at the top.

‘Sir, the time limit is limited, that fact alone…….’

I followed you wholeheartedly.

The adventurers were greatly shocked.

Only a few days had passed since then.

To simply know the identity of the red flower. When I told my trusted adventurers that Sir had gone missing. I dare not imagine the shock they would receive.

Marcelo looked at his trembling fingers.

“It’s still hard for even me to accept.”

He paused.

But Marcelo would not give up, his fists clenched tightly. There is give and take in everything, and yes, now was the time to repay the favor he had received.

“I knew that long ago, Sir.”

You saved me from House Simuard.

You saved me from the curse of the dead.

So Marcelo had no intention of giving up.

‘I’m going to the kingdom of Yusra.’

Yusra, the ancient kingdom.

The land of the knowledge of the ancient Arcana continent.

Perhaps there would be someone who knew about this flower.

Besides, the Kingdom of Yusra is home to the Explorers Federation.

They have information that the rest of the world doesn’t.

Marcelo was about to head straight for the Kingdom of Yusra.

seuseuseug.

The words appeared on the parchment.

Marcelo’s eyes narrowed as he read the words.

“……Paladin of the Goddess Church, Talim Eber.”

*

[Hidden Quest: Festival of the Hell Village]

Now that the living have trodden Hell, the wraiths have celebrated. From small villages to the royal palaces of Hell. All are welcome, living and breathing. Please do not succumb to Hell.

-Survive the Festival in Hell Village. (Ongoing)

●Become a tagger and play tag. (Ongoing)

Hidden Quest.

‘Well, Hell is a very hidden place.’

No wonder it comes to mind.

So it was the other sentence in the quest window that surprised me.

From a small village to the royal palace of Hell……?

‘How many more of these do I have to go through?’

Giggles.

Creepy laughter.

Grotesquely exaggerated dances.

The colorful feasts.

The murderous intent behind it all.

I stared at the wraiths rushing toward me.

If anything, they were different from the ones I’d faced before entering the gate.

At least this one was in human form.

Of course.

‘Though faceless.’

To put it simply, they resemble egg demons.

Except for the mouth that never stops laughing.

It didn’t have any recognizable features.

‘That’s not the point.’

But I actually liked the way they looked.

Dancing, as they say, with a festive air, hiding their murderous intent.

Approaching.

I wonder if it was because of that.

“What are they doing, those things?”

“They’re asking me to dance with them, haha.”

Even Elsidor and Kinver, who should be more sensitive to murderous intentions than anyone else, don’t seem to notice. At this moment, Lorenzik is the only one looking at me.

“Commander-in-Chief, are you all right?”

Knowing what I know about Hell, I can guess.

‘Well, it’s nice of you to ask, but…….’

I couldn’t say yes right away.

He didn’t, either, since it became a joke.

The message was constantly updated.

[Sin weighs down your body].

[Sin weighs down your body].

[Sin weighs down your body]…….

Oh, this is amazing, the Claudi family……!

‘I don’t often get to experience something like this.’

Even the effects of the [First World Tree Blessing] were unable to offset all the status abnormalities. The weight of the Claudi family’s original sin must be enormous.

The good news is.

“You have nothing to fear.”

I’m the only one who knows, so I’m not going to cause any trouble. That’s probably why Elsidor and Kinver don’t notice the killing intent.

‘Hell’s Village is only targeting me and Claudi.’

I checked the quest window again, because that’s what the system message, which never lies, said. I saw my three options.

Become a tagger and play tag. (in progress)

1. Kill all participants (selected)

2. Die (optional)

3. survive and cut off the tail. (Optional)

First, let’s eliminate one.

That goes without saying.

I, Lee Hoyeol, have no intention of dying a violent death in hell.

That naturally narrows the options down to two.

‘…… Honestly.’

All I want to do is take the easier option. But didn’t our Grandfell declare before he opened the gates?

“You who have mouths to speak, you can speak.”

As head of the House of Claudi.

I will not avoid the original sin of the Claudi family, but will face it……! Then killing those wraiths who may know of the family’s original sin is out of the question.

“But there is a procedure for everything.”

I said, resignedly.

“I’ll listen after this festival is over.”

Indeed.

Me and Grandfell’s choice was to “cut off the tail,” of course, but now we’d have to explore what the tail was. Sigh. I raised my ears in warning.

To an ally, not a spirit.

“Keep your distance from me.”

“Why?”

“It’s not for you to get caught up in it.”

Yes, getting caught up in House Claudi’s time of atonement.

I may have a stake in the Claudi family.

Lee Hoyeol alone is enough.

ttogag.

I said that and headed toward the Hell Village.

‘My body is heavy.’

My physical condition was not perfect.

‘……No, it’s close to the worst.’

To put it simply, a human of the Claudi family suffers from debuffs in Hell that even the morale buff of [Blessing of the First World Tree] cannot offset.

But I had magic. I unleashed my magic power and assisted with the movements that were heavy due to sin. I must have gotten as good as I feared. I had no trouble maintaining the manifestation.

The problem was.

……Suddenly.

I knew this was Hell.

It was an unfamiliar swordsmanship.

A swordsmanship I’d never seen before.

It was so sharp that I could feel it had reached its peak.

……

Even if it was in good condition, the sword was so fast that it would have grazed it.

Then it wouldn’t be strange to get cut on the side.

But I wasn’t surprised.

In Hell, there’s time to spare.

Just the first gate.

Even in the backwoods of Hell, there are those with such sword skills.

Even after getting cut in the side by someone like that.

Also.

『Grandfell’s talents were not limited to one thing.

A brilliant mind is one thing.

His magical talent was such that he could mimic most magic just by looking at it. And then there was his physical potential.

There was a good reason why Grandfell was chosen to be the heir to the family at the tender age of seven.』

Grandfell’s talent for recognizing the swordsmanship of others is at its peak with just one look. And his tenacity in structuring and retracing those swordsmanships backward.

It is.

‘I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.’

Life cannot be reversed.

I will overcome the limitations of reversal magic.

So.

“Actions speak louder than words.”

Now, at least this hurt.

“I understand.”

It means that you can “reverse” as much as you want.