Chapter 375

The Saint’s story continued, unfolding like a classic fantasy epic.

With the Great Sage’s help, they had gathered a force from all over the world to defeat the Dark God. They had fought a desperate battle for the salvation of the world, and in the end, they had triumphed.

Of course, unlike a simple summary, the reality was filled with unimaginable hardship and countless sacrifices.

But if it had ended with a happy ending, it would have been alright.

However, I knew,

That the heroic tale of a thousand years ago was an incomplete happy ending.

“Could I have some water?”

“Ah, yes.”

I handed her a bottle of water from the shelf.

She took a sip.

She seemed to be taking a break before continuing her story.

And I had a feeling that the next part of her story would contain the most important truth.

“We thought it was over. All of us.”

She began to speak again.

“But it wasn’t. The Dark God’s energy hadn’t disappeared. It was weakened, but it still lingered. And that wasn’t the only problem. We all felt it. That the Dark God would definitely revive. Everyone looked at the Great Sage and me with despair in their eyes. They were hoping for a solution, for a glimmer of hope.”

Her words made me realize something.

The Saint and the Great Sage…

They were special, even among the heroes who had saved the world.

They were the only ones people could rely on in their despair.

“So you chose to seal it.”

“Yes. After discussing it with the Great Sage, we decided to create an underground space that no one could access and seal the Dark God there.”

“Was there a specific reason why you chose the Holy City?”

“Because I was there.”

I understood immediately.

They had probably thought that the Holy City, where the Saint resided, would be the safest place if something went wrong.

But that decision had become meaningless.

Because the sealing had failed.

She continued, “And as you know, the plan failed. It was a disastrous failure. It was impossible to seal the Dark God in its entirety. We had to defeat it again after it partially revived.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“And,”

What else was there?

“Being exposed to the Dark God’s energy was more terrifying than we had imagined. We realized it later. The dwarven workers who had built the underground space all went mad.”

“How could that be…?”

My eyes widened in shock.

“It was an energy that even the minds of God’s creations couldn’t withstand. Their minds were corrupted. In the end, the Great Sage and I had to kill them all. It was the only way to give them peace.”

“That’s…”

Now I understood.

Why so few people knew about the underground space, even after a thousand years.

It made sense if they had killed all the workers who had been involved in its construction.

It was a tragic event, even if it had been unavoidable.

Was the Dark God’s energy that terrifying?

Wait!

Then?

A chill ran down my spine as I realized something.

The Dark God’s heart.

The Dark God’s eye.

I had them.

I still had them.

Which meant…

“I know what you’re worried about.”

She said, as if she had read my mind.

“But you don’t seem to be affected at all.”

“A-Are you sure, Saint?”

“Yes. I’ve seen what happens to people who are truly affected. You’re not corrupted.”

“Phew.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

It would be too unfair to end up on a bad ending route without even knowing it.

“Honestly, I was worried too. I even considered taking those things from you.”

“…I see.”

“But you were different. Very different. You weren’t affected at all. In fact, you seemed to be shining even brighter. Maybe that last part was just my imagination.”

She had felt that way about me?

It was unexpected.

“So I decided that it was best to leave them with you. As you can see, I was destined to end up like this, and I couldn’t think of anyone else who could handle those things. And I was right. You’ve kept them safe from Red Rain. I can’t thank you enough.”

“It wasn’t easy. I almost died several times.”

“But you overcame it. My judgment wasn’t wrong.”

“I’m glad it worked out.”

I nodded.

It was my responsibility anyway.

And it had definitely hindered Red Rain’s plans.

And then a question occurred to me.

“If they could steal the sealed fragments of the Dark God, like I did, it would definitely hinder their plans to resurrect it. But they haven’t tried. Which means… there must be a reason.”

There were only two people alive who knew the exact locations of the sealed fragments of the Dark God.

The Saint and the Great Sage.

I had obtained two fragments by sheer luck, but the Great Sage, the Heavenly Lord of Red Rain, would have been able to send his subordinates to retrieve the fragments from their known locations.

But he hadn’t.

And neither had the Saint.

“I could have done it, if I had been younger and stronger.”

She replied.

But that couldn’t be the only reason.

She could have sent others to retrieve the fragments.

“I know what you’re thinking. Why me? I was just about to explain that.”

Her eyes darkened.

I realized that she was about to tell me something heavy.

“As I said before, it wasn’t just the Great Sage and I who defeated the Dark God. There were many other heroes who participated in the crusade. Unfortunately, many of them died in the battle. But a few of them survived and shared the glory.”

She continued, “And one of those heroes, one of my comrades, was a man named Armin.”

Armin?

The name struck a chord within me.

I had heard it somewhere before.

I wasn’t mistaken.

I soon realized that it was the same name as my worst nightmare, the junior at the academy.

Armin, the second-in-command of Red Rain.

Was it just a coincidence?

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Please continue, Saint.”

I decided to hear her out first.

I needed more information before I could make a judgment.

“Alright.”

She looked at me for a moment and then continued, “Armin was a just, strong, wise, and courageous man. He wasn’t as strong as the Great Sage or me, but he played a significant role in defeating the Dark God.”

She was praising him?

He must have been an extraordinary person.

One of the greatest heroes who had saved the world.

“He sounds like a great man.”

“Yes, he was. But even he…”

*Squeeze*

She clutched her blackened left eye, as if in pain.

“Was corrupted by evil.”

“That’s…”

“I still can’t forget it. The look in his eyes as he tried to violate me.”

“That’s…”

I blinked in shock.

How powerful was the Dark God’s evil energy?

It had corrupted even a hero who had been praised by the Saint.

Now I understood why she hadn’t taken action.

It would have been even worse if she had sent someone to retrieve the fragments and they had been corrupted by the Dark God’s energy.

“Ah, it was a tragedy. If there had been no witnesses, I would have given him a peaceful death. But there were too many witnesses. So he was branded as a sinner who tried to violate me…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

She seemed overwhelmed with emotion.

I waited patiently for her to compose herself.

After a while, she spoke again.

“…Do you understand now?”

“Yes, I do. But,”

I asked the question that had been on my mind.

“How were you able to seal the Dark God if there was such a problem?”

It wasn’t a perfect seal, of course.

But it had lasted for a thousand years.

“It was the Great Sage’s idea. He thought that if we broke the Dark God’s body into pieces and sealed them separately, its energy would weaken. I agreed. And he was right. The Dark God’s energy definitely weakened after we broke it into countless pieces.”

“So that’s how you were able to seal it.”

I nodded.

“Yes, but we were still worried that its energy might surge again, so we scattered the fragments all over the world. To prevent its energy from merging. We also thought it would minimize the risk if someone accidentally stumbled upon a sealed fragment.”

“And that seal lasted for a thousand years.”

“Yes, but that was its limit. We didn’t know it back then.”

She admitted calmly.

The current situation was proof that the seal’s lifespan was over.

“But that wasn’t the main problem back then. There was a bigger problem.”

“What was it…?”

“The source of the Dark God.”

“The source?”

I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

It was the first time I had heard of it.

“The Seed of Calamity. The source of the power that God had bestowed upon his agent of judgment. There were two of them, embedded in the depths of the Dark God’s body, like twin jewels.”

“There were such things…”

“And they were the reason why we failed to seal the Dark God the first time. They contained an unimaginably destructive power. We couldn’t seal the Dark God unless we dealt with them.”

“Wait.”

A thought flashed through my mind.

I had a hunch.

“Are you saying that those are the last and most important fragments of the Dark God? The ones that are sealed in the academy?”

“Yes. You’re a sharp student.”

My hunch was right.

It wasn’t good news.

Something even more dangerous than I had imagined was sealed in the academy.

“So you broke them…?”

“No. They’re indestructible. No force can damage them.”

“Then how…?”

“I suggested something. But I’ve regretted it countless times. Even though I knew there was no other way…”

She bit her lip.

“What was it?”

“To seal them inside a human body. A body that could withstand their destructive energy.”

What?!

My eyes widened in shock.

I realized what she meant.

My gaze involuntarily shifted to her blackened left face, which was emanating an ominous aura.

“A-Are you saying…”

“Yes. One of the Seeds of Calamity is sealed inside me.”

Her calm tone made my heart pound even harder.

“And the other one is…”

“…Sealed inside the Great Sage, or rather, the Heavenly Lord?”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

“…”

The truth.

I had learned the truth.

A dark and heavy truth.

‘…It wasn’t the academy.’

I clenched my fists.

The last fragment I had to protect…

Was inside the Saint.