Ch.164Aftermath (6)

Llewellyn thought he was evaluating himself fairly.

He considered himself a diverse being with infinite potential, despite his modest talents.

Regardless of reality, that’s what the individual tended to think.

But unlike others with similar attitudes who often became arrogant, this individual was inclined to listen to others’ opinions.

He was currently in a private meeting with the woman who had become his Finance Minister.

He had no idea that there were quite a few women just outside the room who were secretly concerned about this private meeting.

“I mentioned that we should hire mercenaries, my lord.”

She was a peculiar woman. Though ranked among the continent’s top swordsmen, she didn’t enjoy wielding a sword.

Of course, having seen her life, Llewellyn understood why. Her swordsmanship wasn’t originally meant for cutting down and killing people, nor was it the purpose that sustained her life.

It was merely a means—a defense mechanism to protect herself and maintain her sanity in emergencies.

Despite his limited knowledge, Llewellyn had guessed this, and perhaps because he had witnessed her entire life, his guess was correct.

That’s why Rie Hezedia, the current Finance Minister of the Temple of All Gods, was focused on counting money, making plans, and bringing about economic prosperity.

“Yes, I did. And I asked if they could be trusted.”

Llewellyn said, thinking she might have forgotten.

In that sense, there was something repetitive about this conversation they’d already had before.

She had said mercenaries were needed, and he could understand the reason—”reinforcement of security personnel”—but…

He had opposed it, arguing that there was no guarantee spies from the Empire, Netel, or the Three Clans wouldn’t be among them, making hiring them worse than not hiring them at all.

Rie Hezedia had retreated, saying she would look for a solution, which led to today’s meeting.

[Play Time: 10,110 hours]

Something resembling a clock appeared in the corner of Llewellyn’s vision.

It indicated that about three days had passed since their last discussion.

This meant she had brought a solution to such a complex problem in just three days. That was impressive, regardless of whether it was right or wrong.

Nevertheless, Llewellyn felt inexplicably annoyed.

‘Well, as a merchant, she must be smart if she’s quick with numbers.’

He secretly swallowed his envy. Well aware of his own deficiencies, Llewellyn recalled a friend at that moment.

Someone with an exceptional memory who remembered their first meeting as if it were yesterday.

He vaguely thought that if someone had to be possessed, it should have been someone like that friend rather than himself—a thought that surfaced because today was not a good day for him.

This was something that Isla, who had already slept and woken up with him, had noticed and spread to the core personnel of the Temple of All Gods.

Rie Hezedia smiled gently at Llewellyn, who appeared to be in a bad mood, as she had been informed.

“If they cannot be trusted, we simply need to make them trustworthy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you say that those with hostile intentions cannot enter this Temple of All Gods? Or more precisely, from the entrance path?”

Llewellyn nodded. He was perceptive but not particularly skilled at thinking and planning, so he didn’t immediately catch what Rie Hezedia was devising.

“I’ve been thinking, we should use that property itself. We send the newly hired mercenaries here to check if they have any hostility.”

He felt a sense of déjà vu from her words.

It was a déjà vu he couldn’t quite place. The one who was once Yoon Se-jin didn’t have much experience or abundant knowledge.

Nevertheless, he felt familiar enough with this practice.

“I noticed when I walked through it myself—it starts from the brick-paved path, right? By having them walk from there to the Temple of All Gods, to its largest pillar, we can determine which mercenaries are trustworthy.”

Rie Hezedia smiled and rested her chin on her hand. Her expression suggested she found it refreshing to think about something other than commerce for once.

“We’ll need to consider what to call this practice and how to explain it to them, but we can assign the trustworthy mercenaries to guard the temple, while those who fail can be dismissed or assigned to external security—”

“Pilgrimage…”

And then Llewellyn realized the source of his déjà vu.

It was similar to the pilgrimages he had heard about on Earth.

A journey typically undertaken for religious reasons, traveling toward a religious site.

Llewellyn thought the method he just heard was very similar to that.

“Pilgrimage? That’s a good name. Shall we go with that?”

Rie Hezedia nodded, unusually, after hearing those words.

She liked the name, though she wasn’t sure why.

A name that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.

It was as if she heard something click into place somewhere beyond her knowledge.

“Pilgrimage, pilgrimage. I like it. I wonder why?”

There was a sense of dissonance. But with others present, there was no opportunity to dwell on it.

Rie Hezedia noticed Llewellyn’s obvious attempt to change the subject.

“Anyway, it seems the mercenary problem is solved… but how do we actually hire these mercenaries?”

The question implied that all this discussion would be meaningless without mercenaries. Rie Hezedia smiled again.

It was almost a habit of hers. A faint smile, one that seemed to hide ulterior motives.

It was both a façade showing she wasn’t to be taken lightly and a way to buy time to think and come up with better strategies.

After all, when someone suddenly smiles, one tends to wait and listen to what they have to say.

Llewellyn knew this well, having seen her life, so he quietly watched her.

“Do you remember when I mentioned there was another city nearby recently?”

He had a vague recollection. Llewellyn rolled his eyes and nodded.

“Southwest of here, I heard there’s a city inhabited by mercenaries, defeated soldiers, and deserters. I also heard it’s a city where drug dealers and slave traders run rampant.”

Rie Hezedia leaned slightly forward to look at Llewellyn and said:

“How about you go there and recruit some people, my lord?”

*

The conversation was over. Llewellyn was recalling what he had heard last before leaving.

It could be described as Rie Hezedia’s ambition and the Temple of All Gods’ long-term plan.

‘Those who prove themselves will work inside, those who don’t will work on the outskirts, and centered around them, we’ll develop cities, villages, and mountains to create a place to live.’

A vast foundation in the New Continent, connecting cities, villages, the Temple of All Gods, and the cradle of the Black Knights.

Rie Hezedia’s brown eyes were burning with ambition. They were eyes that defied description.

And at the same time, it was quite a decent ambition to hear.

It could solve the problem of available military forces while simultaneously addressing several other issues.

But on the other hand, there was something uncomfortable about it.

The status that the Temple of All Gods, that Llewellyn, would hold in that city.

Though he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Llewellyn could guess from the divinity he had acquired.

That he and the Temple of All Gods would become a kind of religion.

It was an unwelcome thought. Yoon Se-jin had long desired people’s attention, cheers, and love.

But at the same time, he also felt burdened by such attention.

Expectations and worries came flooding in like a tide. It was only natural that he sighed.

Llewellyn walked through the Temple of All Gods.

He ascended to the transfer room and asked the mixed-blood vampires for guidance.

And then he encountered a familiar face.

Someone with the appearance of a small girl, who was using some unfamiliar magic condensing device to gather floating magic and engrave it into something like a bracelet.

A necromancer and half-dragon, created by the Empress, treated as neither a necromancer nor a shapeshifter.

Someone who had proven her worth to everyone else through her abilities alone.

Ortemilia.

Sensing Llewellyn’s presence, she twitched her pointed ears beneath horns resembling those of a sheep or goat.

“Hmm?”

Vertical slits set in bright golden irises. Such vertical pupils made it difficult to read emotional fluctuations, but her gaze remained intense.

“Oh, what brings you here? You should have sent word ahead, though I have nothing to offer you.”

Upon seeing Llewellyn, Ortemilia greeted him with those emotionally neutral eyes full of delight and jumped down from her somewhat high chair.

“Yes, I was thinking of bringing you another egg. Sit there for a moment…”

“Ortemilia, I think you need to come out with me for a while.”

Rte froze as she was busily searching for the eggs she had laid.

Her eyes slowly turned toward Llewellyn, who said with a stern face:

“You haven’t left the Temple since you came here, have you?”

Ortemilia didn’t answer. But sometimes silence itself is as good as an answer.

Ortemilia pulled up her white robe that was slipping down and finally replied.

“…I’m the type who is more helpful staying inside…”

“I heard you don’t even go out for walks, just stay cooped up inside.”

That’s what the mixed-blood vampires had told him. They had said it out of concern, since Ortemilia wasn’t even a vampire like them yet behaved that way.

Ortemilia felt a sense of betrayal inside. Her bright yellow pupils disappeared briefly under her eyelids before reappearing.

“I am physically weak and lack combat ability, so I cannot withstand potential attacks. That’s why I must hide myself… Haa.”

Rte stopped mid-sentence, sighed, and then closed her mouth firmly.

Various emotions flashed across her downcast eyes.

Realizing she had been completely exposed, she let out a hollow laugh and turned around.

Their eyes finally met. Llewellyn and Ortemilia were looking at each other.

Ortemilia, pretending to be relaxed with her arms spread as if saying “tell me,” and Llewellyn facing her.

Llewellyn exhaled deeply as he realized the possibility he had suspected was now confirmed before his eyes.

Could it be that Ortemilia…

“You’re a shut-in recluse.”

“Couldn’t you call me a hermit?”

“To think my mother is a shut-in recluse who locks herself away and disconnects from society.”

“Didn’t I come out for your birthday celebration recently…?”

“You talked to Melody and went straight back.”

Ortemilia, at a loss for words, pouted her lips in frustration, but Llewellyn didn’t mind.

“Anyway, this is good timing. You need to meet people, have conversations, and experience society.”

“Isn’t that a strange way of putting it?”

“I needed you for this anyway.”

As Ortemilia tilted her head in question, Llewellyn became certain.

It was the same with the underground city where the mixed-blood vampires were discovered.

Ortemilia’s influence was there—more precisely, the influence of the drugs she created and distributed.

Her share in the drugs sold in this New Continent must be significant.

“The city southwest of here.”

Ortemilia realized and opened her eyes wide as Llewellyn concluded:

“You distributed drugs there, didn’t you?”

It was more of a guess, but the reaction was definitive. As Ortemilia remained silent, Llewellyn smiled slightly.

“I need you to come with me there this time.”