83 – Manifestation of Evil. (6)
Where did it go wrong? From the moment Lina didn’t become a manifestation of evil?
No, was it because of me and Asti that the relationship between Lina and Nea improved?
I shook my head.
No, there’s no need to find reasons elsewhere. Once I got involved in the story, it was bound to happen someday.
But this was truly unexpected. The main weapon of Ruslan, who had to fight against the manifestation of evil with the Valensia family’s candlestick, was taken away.
I had attached various settings to Saint Este before, but I never expected it to explode like this.
The Valensia family’s candlestick does not harm the righteous. That means Este is still considered righteous.
It means that she lost the most important key to gain overwhelming advantage against the manifestation of evil.
Moreover, the fact that Este still has clear reasoning meant that it would be extremely difficult to confront her.
It’s a loss. It was not a situation to build up Ruslan’s experience points. It could be considered the worst situation. I glanced at Ruslan. He was looking at the candlestick in Este’s hand with a miserable expression.
Este was smiling brightly as she saw him.
“Don’t worry too much. The Valensia family’s candlestick cannot harm those with a righteous heart, which means I also cannot wield it against you. Of course, it goes for the boy next to you as well.”
Me?
Suddenly, at Este’s words grabbing me, I blinked.
“I can tell. The nameless boy. You have also wielded this candlestick before, haven’t you? I didn’t know that there would be two people in one generation who could handle the Valensia family’s candlestick. It’s amazing.”
She stared blankly at me and concealed the candlestick in her merchandise.
At that moment, there were questions from the priests directed at Este. Though it was difficult to even speak against her momentum, they had a sense of mission to overcome that pressure.
“What is your purpose? Why did you seize the body of the Saint?”
“The reason for the seizure… Well, there’s nothing I can’t say. I wanted to speak up.”
“You wanted to speak up…?”
Hearing the muttering of the Holy Knight, Este opened her mouth towards them.
“Yes. How meaningless your faith is.”
Meaningless.
A person who is considered a Saint saying that faith towards God is meaningless. The priests were left speechless in a great shock.
They couldn’t accept Este’s words.
“To say that faith is meaningless. What blasphemy!”
Whether the opponent was the greatest Saint in history or not, the priests were outraged by having their faith denied.
“No, is it really true that I am Saint Esther? It could just be a fleeting idea!”
In response to the priest’s exclamation, Esther laughed.
“hehehe. You’re right. The Saint Esther you know is already dead. I cursed the Empire that turned away from salvation.”
Her laughter was filled with intense hatred, not just a mere smile. If even I could sense it, how would the priests and holy knights who faced her directly feel?
Her tone was gentle, but the resentment hidden within was beyond my comprehension.
“Isn’t it strange? Why was the Candle of St. Valensia in the Empire? When I, the former owner of the Candle, couldn’t even be found and only now has the Candle been discovered, why was it in the Empire?”
Upon closer scrutiny, that was strange too. There were records stating that the Saint used the Candle of St. Valensia during her lifetime to vanquish demons. The priests and holy knights began to waver.
According to those records, if the Saint really was the owner of the Candle, why wasn’t the Candle buried with her in the Imperial land, but instead kept in the Empire all along?
“The reason is simple. When I went to the Empire to close the gates of hell, Bishop Kaltert told me. It would be unreasonable to leave the Candle, a divine object directly bestowed upon the Empire, behind, considering the uncertain and fierce battle that was to come.”
Silence filled the air. I couldn’t believe that the Empire’s leadership would make such a decision.
“I, too, thought it was natural at the time. But isn’t it strange? Why did they confiscate her main weapon from the Saint who would be entering the battlefield? After all, a weapon is worthless if it can’t be used, even if it’s a divine object bestowed by the gods. No, in such a situation, it would be even more necessary to use that divine object. It would be the will of the gods to exterminate the demons coming through the gates of hell.”
It was a conclusion. Who in their right mind would take away weapons from warriors heading to the battlefield?
The expressions of the priests and holy knights began to turn peculiar. Bishop Kaltert. When Esther was there, he had helped her spread the bright light in the world and even achieved sainthood.
“In the end, I vanquished all the demons and ended up being crushed under the collapsing gates of hell. How can I not resent the Empire?”
Peace fell upon her words.
“That’s why I have to let them know. The wickedness of the Empire. Even if it means saving the pitiful souls of the Saint and the holy ones. You must also be aware. That the land of ghosts is gradually appearing in the Empire.”
“How could that…!”
I didn’t expect the theme of Chapter 2 to come from Esther’s mouth.
I sighed.
“Why are ghosts appearing in that sacred place? We couldn’t find a reason. hahahaha.”
Esther laughed cheerfully.
“….”
“There was no way to find out. Because those ghosts were the sacrificed souls of the Saint and the holy ones!”
Boom!
Her anger destroyed the surrounding land. The shockwave pushed everything away. I was barely able to resist, but some of the priests and holy knights were already pinned to the tree trunks.
“So step aside. I don’t want to see unnecessary bloodshed. If I kill all the leaders of the Empire, not only will Chapter 2 be ruined, but the flow of Chapter 3 in the future will also be destroyed.”
However, I stood in her way and asked. Since Rusan had taken the Candle, his power had significantly depleted.
Of course, his strength didn’t solely come from the power of the Candle. It could still be a considerable help, but ultimately that was all.
‘I’ had to stop Esther. If all the Empire’s leaders were to be killed now, not only would Chapter 2 be ruined, but the existence of the Empire was necessary for Rusan to become stronger. It wasn’t just a matter of Rusan becoming stronger.
If the spirits of the imperial dynasty are purified like this, even the path leading to the sword of the oppressor I am aiming for will disappear.
So, I had to stop Estelle no matter what. I also had to save Adrian.
“What crime does the current generation of the empire have? I am genuinely curious and asking.”
“What crime do they have? They still use the saints as their tools without seeking to repay the sins of the previous dynasty. That alone is overflowing with guilt.”
“…Is that so.”
“Do you intend to stop me?”
“Yes, I do. If you touch the empire, innocent people will be sacrificed because of it.”
“hahahaha. Yes, that’s right. Innocent people will indeed be sacrificed. But in order to bring out the buried truth to the world, sacrifices are necessary. I hope that the saints and the holy ones will no longer suffer.”
“Did the present-day saint, who you have devoured, not feel that suffering?”
“This pitiful child probably doesn’t know. She is still young and has not witnessed the cruelty of the empire. So I will let her know. How dirty and vile the empire really is.”
“That is unknown. Maybe. Is it different from when you were alive, just like the current pontiff and other high-ranking priests?”
“Of course, it must be different. Each person has their own ways. There must also be good people. But does that have any meaning?”
She looked at me with sharp eyes.
“We have already become rotten specters haunting the imperial city. Why did I hold hands with the devil and become like this? It’s for revenge. The target of revenge has become rotten, right? Then we must bring out their souls and make them face their sins.”
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Madness and resentment started to fill Estelle’s eyes.
“If there is someone who tries to stop that, there’s nothing we can do. I don’t want to shed unnecessary blood, but if I have to protect those who sacrificed numerous saints and holy ones with good intentions, then I will have to kill them all.”
“Then we will stop you.”
I held up my sword. Now I had only one thing to do.
It was to break the foul aura surrounding Estelle as if it were armor. If I broke that aura, Adrian’s consciousness would probably rise to the surface.
I had to seize that opportunity.
It would probably be a tough fight. I couldn’t win easily, and Ruslan, who was the most important weapon, had lost his main weapon.
However. Breaking that foul aura would be enough help.
“Ruslan! Raise your sword!”
I called Ruslan. Ruslan, who was stuck to a tree, groaned and stood up. He’s certainly strong, enduring such pain.
“Ugh…”
I couldn’t rely on the priests and paladins for help. Their attacks wouldn’t be effective against Estelle. Estelle was the price of divine magic. The title of the strongest saint in history was well-deserved. She would render priests unable to even attempt something.
And their attacks wouldn’t work either since the corrupted aura was being controlled by a mage of saint-level divine power.
So, for now, I had no choice but to resort to direct combat. The power of the sword and magic.
I only had my skills, which I had trained to the point of death, and Ruslan’s abilities to rely on.
…Of course, if things got really desperate, I would have to use Asty’s power, but that was a method I would only use as a last resort.
In the end, there was only one reason why the original form of the incarnation of evil, the final boss of Chapter 1, was created.
Experience.
Nara and Ruslan had to become stronger by facing him. If they relied on Asti’s power to easily resolve the situation, they would struggle in the future fight against a formidable opponent due to a lack of experience.
The incarnation of evil had various means of attack, so it would be helpful to learn how to respond to them later.
So, borrowing Asti’s power would be for later.
For now, Nara and Ruslan had to overcome it with their own strength.