146 episodes
39 Trusts (1)
The Plaza of Light in the heart of the City of Lights.
“ Wow! Are the real buildings all white? How much money did you spend here?”
Rat, the leader of the Rat mercenary corps, murmured in surprise as he looked at the buildings with a reverent atmosphere surrounding them.
It was the first time he had visited the City of Light, and it was the first time he had seen such a sight, so the surprise was inevitable.
“ Don’t look around, shouting so loudly. Everyone around you is looking at you. You look like a peasant, so you’re embarrassed.”
Another member of the mercenary corps, Amber, fell slightly from Rat’s side and noticed people’s attention.
“ Haha, it’s actually the first time I visited, so it’s a bit of a country thing. Let’s go to the church of light in a little while. They say it allows you to tour the inside.”
Even after those words, Rat was still shouting excitedly and looking around.
Seeing him like that, Amber shook her head and asked while looking at Elesis following silently from behind.
“ But, Eli, why did you ask to come to Legero? Isn’t it time to tell you now?”
In fact, the reason they are in the City of Light is because of Elesis.
A few days ago, she said she wanted to go to Legero, and in the end, Lat and Amber came here following Elesis’ words.
Of course, I did not forget to receive a request from here as soon as I arrived and cover the travel expenses.
“ Um… … I’ll tell you a little later.”
To Amber’s question, Elesis answered with a slight muffled expression.
In fact, she also did not know the exact reason why she had to come here, the City of Light.
A few days ago, someone whispered the word ‘Rezero’ in my dream, and I had a strong intuition that I had to go there as soon as I woke up.
So I couldn’t tell my colleagues.
“ I guess I do? Aren’t you going to participate in the saint’s contest this time around?”
At that moment, Rat, who came to the side after watching, smiled and opened his mouth.
“ Hey, how am I supposed to participate there… … .”
Elesis responds by waving her hand.
Needless to say, in order to participate in the contest of saints, he had to be exceptionally talented in handling the divine power.
A level of competition that could not even be dreamed of for a novice priest like her.
“ Why not? I think you have enough potential, Ellie? You’ve improved tremendously since working in Angelosh’s estate. I put a lot of effort into that.”
An image of someone came to mind naturally in Elesis’s head, who smiled as if he was grateful for Amber’s words.
‘ Prince Zion… … .’
Whenever the incident of Angelosh’s estate was mentioned, he was always a figure that came to mind.
In fact, the reason she worked so hard to improve her skills was because of Prince Zion.
In order to pay off the life he owed, he had to be at a level worthy of him.
So, I was working hard, but I was still far away.
‘ How much effort do you have to put in to get there? … .’
There was a bitterness on the corner of Elesis’s lips when he was young.
“… … uh?”
Her eyes fluttered as she discovered something.
A man walking through a crowd of people in the distance.
‘ Zion… … Prince?’
Although he could only see a side profile, the appearance of such a man was very similar to the image of Prince Zion that Elesis had seen before.
Even the hair dyed black.
Tadat!
As soon as she recognized that fact, she was running towards the man without realizing it.
“ Ellie? Where are you going all of a sudden!”
Amber’s call came from behind.
Elesis’ nerves were focused on the man to the extent that even such a call could not be heard.
But when she arrived after running like that,
“ Ah… … .”
The figure of the man who was already there had disappeared.
* * *
The first thing Shion did after entering Rezero was contact with the moon’s eye.
Originally, he had to testify about the raid to the paladins gathered at La Morde station, but he had handed over everything to Olivia and had sneaked out before that.
“ I see you, Sir Zion.”
“ Long time no see.”
Shion grinned as she looked at Narie, an elite intelligence agent in the Moon Eye, who frowned and greeted her.
Even after several months had passed, there was still fear in her eyes.
“ Did you get a promotion in the meantime?”
Shion looked around Narie and asked.
It was clear that the branch manager of Legero was coming, but seeing that she was the only one, it seemed to be true.
“ Yes, after being promoted to branch manager, I was assigned to this place.”
“ Okay. How did you order?”
Shion nodded once in response to that answer and went straight to the point.
“ Are you talking about the main body entrance? We have reserved the highest-class tour ticket under the name of ‘Zion Harness’, so you will be able to easily get inside.”
“ And?”
“ I spoke with a few high-ranking officials within the denomination in advance. If you look around inside, you will be the first to make secret contact with your Highness from there. If you follow them, you will be able to enter the depths.”
Of course, even if he went into such depths, he could not reach the place where the God of Light placed the oracle.
So from there, it depended on what Zion himself did.
‘ You may have to reveal your identity.’
In fact, it would have been much easier than this if you had disclosed your identity from the beginning and officially visited the headquarters, but there was a risk of exposing your location to enemies.
For this reason, Zion was planning to expose his identity to only a few people as much as possible on this journey.
“ If you have any further instructions, please call me at any time. then… … .”
Seeing Shion’s eyes like that, Nari slowly lowered her head.
at that time,
“ I’m going to give you those additional instructions right now.”
After cutting off her words, Shion opened her mouth again.
“ Any further instructions? … .”
“ There is something you should look out for.”
“ Are you talking about the Church of Light?”
Toward Nari who asked that question,
“ No, the other side.”
Shion answered in a cold voice.
* * *
The imperial castle of the Agnes Empire, the center of the empire and the most magnificent building in the world.
When discussing architecture comparable to such an imperial castle, there was always one place that came up.
It is the church of light.
As if it contained the vast holiness and mercy of the God of Light, the size of the main altar was huge enough to be compared to the Imperial Palace, and its appearance was so beautiful that it could be called a work of art.
“ Jeon-sama, please come this way.”
Shion was on a tour of the inside of the main shrine under the guidance of Rubetto, a priest personally attached to him.
“ In this ‘Corridor of Light’, there are paintings that represent myths, the history of the Church of Light, and the origins of the Church.”
With those words, Rubetto begins to explain the hundreds of paintings on the walls of the corridor one by one.
His words were interesting and not boring, like the guide of the top-class tour, but Shion blew that explanation out of one ear and looked around.
Because I wasn’t really interested in the history of the Church of Light, and I didn’t come here to take a tour in the first place.
‘ When will the people Narie talked about coming?’
In fact, there was enough time to look around the main hall, but Shion wanted to do this as soon as possible.
The raid on the solar train before coming to Legero.
And even the monsters of Rezero who are related to him.
I didn’t feel very good.
As if something was about to happen.
If what Zion himself thought really happened, the city and the church would be thrown into chaos, and it could have been much more difficult to get to the oracle.
‘ So it’s better to deal with it before then.’
Of course, it was unclear whether the God of Light would grant the oracle even if he went to the oracle, but Zion thought that in all likelihood he would.
The contents of the oracle I heard from the former first prince Rubrios.
I thought it was strange at the time because it was only my name, but now I guessed the meaning to some extent.
‘ It was calling me.’
A name, not a simple name.
It was only when I thought about it that I could understand the contents of the oracle.
The god of light was waiting for him to come.
at that time,
“ You must have liked this painting.”
Rubetto approached Shion and opened his mouth, perhaps mistaken when he saw him standing still in front of a painting.
“ This painting represents the origins of the city of light, Legero.”
An explanation that comes naturally with him.
“ A long time ago, when even records were not handed down, one of the angels serving the Light rebelled, and the Light sent other angels to punish the angel and seal it to the earth. After countless hours passed, the Light, fearing that the seal would weaken, gave an oracle to those who believed in him and built the city on the seal of an angel. That city is… … .”
“ Is this place called Legero?”
“ Oh, you know!”
I had to know well.
Because this was also written in the Chronicle of Flosimar.
“ Of course, the origins are not very precise, as they are very old and cannot be proven at this time. It’s just one of many theories.”
Rubetto said so, but Zion also knew that this origin was true.
In fact, a fallen angel was sleeping beneath this, and the entire city of light was acting as a restrainer that sealed the angel.
In the chronicle, it goes right up to the moment when the seal of such an angel is released by the demon, but it is eventually stopped by the warriors.
‘ If it had been released as it is, the empire might have been destroyed before the war with the devil.’
An angel big enough to raise the flag of rebellion against a god must have had power and power beyond imagination.
‘ And maybe this time… … .’
With that thought, it was time to think of the additional instructions that Shion had given to Nari a while ago.
“ Wow! Zion! That’s right, Zion!”
A loud voice came from the side.
Shion’s eyes turned to the side where the voice had come from, and a woman approached at high speed in this direction.
A beauty with platinum blonde hair and cool features.
It was Olivia.
“ Where the hell did you suddenly disappear and were you here?”
As she asked Zion like that, her face looked very tired, unlike her loud voice.
Probably because he had just been released from testifying about the attack of the solar train in the reception room inside the church.
“ Is the testimony over?”
“ No. There’s still a lot left, and now I’m out to take a break in the middle.”
Olivia let out a deep sigh as she looked like she was going to die in response to Shion’s question.
The case was so serious that, of course, the testimony had to be lengthy.
Because it was related to the biggest event, the competition for saints, and the main body of the attack was a magician.
What’s more, Olivia was the only survivor of the raid, so her role was important.
“ The whole church was shocked. Paladins and Battle Priests, as well as Heretic Inquisitors, will move on a large scale.”
One of the most hated groups in the Empire was the Church of Light.
However, since it was revealed that such monsters were moving, such a response could be said to be natural in a way.
“ But… … I’m dying to testify, but you’re taking a leisurely tour of the church here?”
Olivia’s eyes widened when she recognized that Rubetto, who was standing next to him, was the priest in charge of the field trip.
Of course, it was just a joke, and there was no such thing as really blaming Shion for her.
Because he was a lifesaver who saved her life.
Even when Zion suddenly disappeared a while ago, there was nothing else to do except because he had not done a case yet.
‘ In fact, even if I am angry, I will be relieved right away when I see that face… … .’
Again, Olivia had a terrible face.
“ But did you really come here to take a tour?”
“ No.”
Shion shook her head at her question and spoke slowly.
“I have a question for you.”
“ Are you going to ask?”
It was the moment when Olivia asked him with questionable eyes.
“ You are here!”
Once again, a loud voice echoed in the corridor.
A group of priests appeared with him.
In front of those priests, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a high-ranking bishop was looking at him with a strangely passionate expression on his face.
‘ Are you here to see me?’
Seeing the priests approaching like that, Olivia thought.
Her family was a holy family that had a huge influence on the Church of Light.
Therefore, it was not surprising that Olivia realized that she was inside the church and came to say hello.
‘ Still, it’s the first time I’ve seen a bishop come to say hello.’
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Meanwhile, the bishop and other priests approached right in front and bowed their heads.
and at that moment,
“I ’m here to meet you! Designator of Light.”
Olivia could see that she had been mistaken.
Because she wasn’t the one where the priests bowed their heads.
They were bowing their heads toward Zion, who was right next to them.
‘ Damn, you… … .’
Along with Olivia’s swaying eyes, the eyes of the people around her naturally turned towards her.
‘ I don’t think it’s very secretive.’
Shion, who struggled to get over those gazes, thought so as she remembered what Nari had said a while ago.