Episode 60 – The Priest’s Prayer

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Jennifer’s voice, the owner and cause of this terrible, pain-filled space, was incredibly calm, and even sounded somewhat sorrowful.

Edward slowly turned to face his aunt, looking at her.

Like her voice, her face wore a bitter expression full of regret.

From Jennifer’s wavering eyes, Edward could tell that she truly didn’t want to harm him or Tess.

However, it was also obvious that she didn’t want the secret room hidden within the magically-operated bookshelf to be revealed.

Especially if that secret room was filled with horrifying corpses, an uncontrollable madness, all sorts of taboos and blasphemies, and insults to God and humanity.

Edward tried to say something to Jennifer, but he closed his mouth and began to choose the most polite words and mild sentences in his head.

He himself was very surprised and excited by this sight, and if he were to say something that would stimulate her with such emotions, the magic of the Archmage who would kill me to shut me up might fly in.

How about appearing harmless and innocent, and at the same time, ignorant as if he knew nothing?

If he acted as if he didn’t know this place was related to Jennifer, wouldn’t she let her half-brother go without killing him?

Edward, who was rolling such thoughts in his head, swallowed hard and said to her with a smile as much as possible.

“Imo-nim, I got lost and accidentally fell into this unknown space. I was so scared. I’m so glad to see Imo-nim like this.”

“…”

Jennifer’s eyes widened at Edward’s words, and she looked surprised, then looked at Edward with a bitter smile.

Edward instinctively realized that his shallow trick had not worked at all.

“You’re smart, Edward. Too smart.”

“… Imo-nim…”

“You already know everything, don’t you? That this is my laboratory and testing ground, and that I am the one who created this hellish sight.”

“… Ugh,”

Despite Jennifer’s gentle and soft tone, Edward sensed that the light of hope was fading in his head.

The warning sound ringing in his brain rang so loudly that his bones were chilled, goosebumps rose on his spine in response to the sound, and his heart pounded and fluttered.

Edward distorted his mouth as if he were barely squeezing it out of his throat and asked in a small voice.

“Why are you doing this?”

“… What do you think I’ve done?”

“…”

Edward moved only his eyes and carefully scanned his surroundings.

It was not easy to figure out Jennifer’s purpose with only the corpses tied to torture devices.

Edward answered honestly.

“…I have no idea. I have no knowledge of magic or sorcery.”

“I see. But, you know about taboos, don’t you? The things the Goddess Church prohibits.”

Oh my god,

As soon as Jennifer finished speaking, Edward realized what she was doing.

“… Could it be that you are researching how to revive the dead?”

“…”

Jennifer closed her eyes and nodded.

Edward recalled that Jennifer had not been seen at the mansion since the incident when Daniel was resurrected as an undead and attacked Dena and the Baron.

Of course, the terrible sight in this room could not have been created in just a few days, so Jennifer’s impious research must have started at least immediately after Daniel and Rose’s funeral, but it was certain that she had been accelerating her research in recent days.

He shuddered and asked Jennifer.

“I won’t bother asking stupid questions like, ‘The Goddess will be angry,’ or, ‘How could you do such a thing?'”

“Yes, I think it would hurt my heart if I were criticized by you, who is a proper priest even if you are an apprentice. Thank you.”

“Is it because of Daniel?”

“… Yes,”

“It looks like you failed?”

Edward asked, looking at the corpses.

He didn’t know how, but if she had succeeded, they probably wouldn’t be corpses, so Edward’s guess was valid.

Jennifer slowly opened her mouth.

“My first idea was to turn humans into undead, and then turn the undead back into humans. And as you can see, that experiment failed.”

“…”

“Corpses were not enough to create undead with intact reason and memory; I had to capture living people and turn them into undead.”

“… Could it be that all those victims are…”

“… Yes, they became undead alive.”

“Oh my god… Imo-nim…”

Edward was shocked with his mouth wide open.

It was common sense that one had to be exposed to magical energy for a long time to become undead.

Artificially creating undead would be a terrible act that could not be forgiven even if corpses were used, but she tied perfectly living people to those torture devices and turned them into undead!

Jennifer nodded as if she knew the weight of her actions and continued.

“But turning the undead back into humans is never possible. It might be different with divine power, but it was impossible at least in the world of magic, magical energy, and sorcery… But even if that were possible, I would never have been able to revive my dead son. As I said, I need to make undead with intact reason and memory from living people first.”

Edward was speechless as he looked at Jennifer, who was speaking calmly with a mournful expression.

As a priest who vowed to do good and help people, he could not fail to understand how painful it must be for a parent who has lost a child.

It is said that parents can do anything for their children.

Edward wiped away the cold sweat that kept flowing and nodded.

“… Yes, that is a rule and law given by God that cannot be overcome by human skill. You can’t go against it. I fully understand how difficult a time Imo-nim has had. But stop this madness research…!”

“But I succeeded with another method.”

“… What did you say?”

“My experiment was a success.”

Exactly, from there.

Jennifer’s expression changed in an instant to the extent that Edward could tell.

No more warning sounds were heard in his head.

It’s too late, his instincts realized that the opportunity to escape was already over.

Daniel asked in a trembling voice, crushed by fear.

It wasn’t out of curiosity, but to delay the death that would come to him even a little.

“Did you… succeed in resurrecting Daniel?”

“No, until now it was just an experiment. But since I finally got meaningful results, I’ll be able to see Daniel again soon.”

Jennifer spoke as she slowly approached her young half-brother in a still soft voice.

“It will be difficult for you to understand what method it is, so I won’t explain it. But I can tell you this one thing.”

“… What, what is it…?”

“This method I found requires a body of the same gender as the person you want to resurrect, and of the same bloodline.”

“…!”

“Do you know why I’m telling you all this now?”

His legs were frozen and did not move as if they were stuck to the floor.

Run, he has to run.

Where to? He should have run away earlier. Now?

He’s going to die.

This doesn’t just end with me dying.

If I die, Robin, who has little interest in curing Tess, will surely neglect her.

Then Tess will continue to weaken as she is now and will die at an early age,

And if Jennifer Imo kills me, will my mother, Mela, be able to know that fact?

No, neither Robin nor Jennifer would tell my mother the truth.

No, absolutely not.

Move.

Damn legs, please move

Move!

Goddess, please!

“Aaaaaaah!”

As Jennifer, who had already come close to him, raised her hand, Edward screamed and jumped as if he were being shot from the ground.

“Mother! Mother! Tess!”

Edward, who was screaming at the top of his lungs and running backwards along the path he had come, stopped again as if his feet were stuck to the ground.

He looked at his feet, resentful of his body that did not listen to him despite his urgent heart, and saw that red vines sprouting from the ground were wriggling like the legs of a living octopus, tangled all over his feet and legs.

Edward was startled and looked back.

The tip of the magic wand held in Jennifer’s hand was sparkling towards Edward’s feet.

“…No,”

“I’m sorry, Edward. I’m really sorry.”

“No, no, Imo-nim!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. You’ll just fall asleep for a while. And Daniel will use that body preciously,”

Edward recalled the conversation he had with his father, Robin, a few days ago and babbled incoherently.

“I, I am the last son left in this house! If something happens to me, this, this family will!”

“That’s a problem for Daniel, the eldest son of this house, to worry about. Isn’t that right?”

“… Ugh,”

Edward trembled with fear as he looked at Jennifer slowly approaching and the tip of the wand emitting a strange light.

Ed gritted his teeth and endured the pain of the cloth and skin of his pants being torn off and blood splattering as he forcibly pulled out his feet.

Ed, who was grabbing his legs and struggling to pull his feet out of the vines that were painfully constricting his legs, did not miss the fact that the vines became a little slippery thanks to the blood flowing from his torn leg skin, and laboriously pulled out his legs.

As the tightly held legs were pulled out, Edward fell from the reaction, gritted his teeth and got up again, running even in the terrible pain of the almost peeled leg skin scraping against the rough brick floor.

However, Jennifer, the Archmage who was one of the pillars of the Demon King subjugation, could not miss Edward, who was limping and running due to the much sharper pain than he had expected.

As Jennifer’s short spell ended, the brick walls on both sides of the passage Edward was running through began to make a rattling sound and gradually narrowed.

Edward hurried his steps to escape between the narrowing walls, but the walls, which were gradually narrowing, soon left only a thin gap that even a mouse could not pass through.

Edward, who was slightly stuck in the gap between the narrowing walls, sensed the end.

Jennifer slowly approached and waved her wand once more.

The wall behind Edward remained narrowed, and only the gap where Edward was stuck widened back to its original size.

Jennifer said to Edward.

“Now, Edward. Please. Help me so I don’t hurt you,”

“… Hooo.”

“Thank you, Edward.”

“I believe that all things in the world originate from you, Goddess.”

“… Edward?”

Edward knelt down in front of Jennifer and prayed with both hands gathered in front of his chest.

It was the Lord’s Prayer of the Goddess Church, which was famous enough for Jennifer to know.

Jennifer nodded briefly.

Even though she was trying to save her son, she was reluctant to harm this child whom she loved like a nephew, so she could give him time to offer his last prayer.

“I believe that you will illuminate everyone in the world with light.

Goddess, who is the source, hope, and salvation,

Forgive us,

And care for us with mercy and love,

Give us the courage to overcome the crisis,

The mercy to forgive mistakes,

The will to keep the faith,

The opportunity to help our neighbors,

We accept that will,

And pledge to stay away from temptation and corruption and do good.

We swear in the name of the Goddess to save everyone from evil,

Save us from evil.”

Edward, who had finished his prayer, slowly opened his eyes and got up from his seat.

Even if he died here, the Goddess would punish him.

So Edward, who thought that he didn’t even need to defile his mouth with words of curse, looked straight at Jennifer’s face with his mouth firmly shut.

Jennifer, too, felt ashamed of her corrupted appearance despite being a hero when she saw Edward, who had finished his preparations by reciting a devout prayer, but since she could not turn back anyway, she pointed her wand at Edward.

“May the Goddess take you, Edward.”

“…”

Jennifer’s wand sparkled and shot out magic.

Edward closed his eyes.

Even if he saw it, he wouldn’t even know what kind of magic it was.

Edward’s mother and two younger sisters flashed through his mind.

Dark vision with eyes closed.

Even after waiting for a long time, he didn’t feel like anything was wrong with him.

What is it?

Is my sense, which has become extremely sensitive at the last moment, thinking so quickly that it even feels like time is slowing down in order to give me enough time to recall the highlights of my life?

Or am I already dead without even knowing it?

Edward slowly opened his eyes.

Jennifer in front of him was looking at Edward with a very embarrassed expression.

“…!”

A translucent wall emitting blue light stood between Edward and Jennifer.

Edward also opened his eyes wide and looked at the sacred blue light.

“This is…”

Although it was not the power he so desired,

The miracle of the blue shield, known to mainly manifest in priests with a strong will to protect precious people,

“…Divine power of protection.”

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