Ch.317317. Prayer

The day after spending time with Aria Rius.

It might sound ridiculous, but I visited the chapel where Lucia was.

When I entered, the believers and nuns there hurriedly greeted me.

They were visibly flustered since I had come without any prior notice.

[Why are you here?]

The Dark Spiritmaster, openly showing her displeasure.

[It makes me feel at peace.]

Stella, openly showing her delight.

The two showed completely different reactions, but today I didn’t need either of them separately.

“Deus?”

Lucia came running with a surprised expression, probably having heard that I had arrived.

She wasn’t wearing her Saintess attire but rather comfortable clothes and even glasses—was she writing something?

“Were you writing something?”

When I asked directly, Lucia nervously looked around, her shoulders twitching. The nuns nearby tilted their heads, wondering if she had been writing some kind of letter.

“Be, be quiet!”

Lucia whispered as she approached me. Her flushed face revealed her embarrassment.

“It doesn’t seem like you need to be embarrassed. Being a bestselling author shouldn’t be a flaw.”

“It is a flaw! If people found out that a Saintess writes romance novels, imagine how much gossip there would be!”

This Saintess seems quite liberal when it comes to romance.

Probably because she’s retired.

…Including being dead.

[Lucia?]

Stella, who was beside me, stepped forward slightly. The smile on her face was quite eerie.

[Keep your distance.]

“Ah, yes!”

Since Lucia could see the dead, she could naturally converse with Stella.

Amusingly, Lucia, disciplined by her senior, stood at attention like a soldier.

Since those around her found this behavior strange, I gestured for them to step back.

[I said it was fine for me, but not for a Saintess.]

Stella grumbled, tugging at her collar, though she had a point.

We had only been talking, after all.

[Stella is a bit sensitive about this.]

Thanks to the Dark Spiritmaster’s interjection, Stella showed a displeased expression, but there was no time to react to such things now.

“Ahem, what brings you here?”

Lucia asked, taking a step back to maintain distance. I saw Stella smiling brightly beside me, but I ignored her and said:

“Is there a prayer room I can use privately?”

“…You want to pray?”

[Are you crazy?]

[Are you serious?]

Various responses emerged, but they all essentially conveyed the same reaction.

“Yes, in the literal sense of the word, I suppose I am praying.”

I subtly clarified that the recipient wasn’t God, and while the three looked puzzled, they didn’t press me for details.

“It’s impolite to question someone who’s praying. This way, please.”

The place Lucia led me to was the highest point in the chapel.

In the dark attic, there were no religious artifacts—just a single candle sitting alone.

“This prayer room doesn’t have any religious items. Not everyone worships the same deity. I can remove the candle too if you don’t need it.”

“It’s fine.”

A prayer room without religious items.

I thought it was quite flexible for a temple.

[You still maintain this place?]

“It was Saintess Stella’s instruction.”

So Stella created it.

[Even those who don’t believe in God can come here to pray. Everyone, at some point in life, wants to pour out their wishes to an absolute being.]

Her gentle smile was completely different from the jealous woman from earlier.

If I had to pray to a deity unconditionally, I would bow my head to Stella, who had become a demigod.

“You don’t need to wait. It will take a while.”

Lucia left, saying she understood, leaving only the Dark Spiritmaster and Stella standing there.

“That goes for you two as well.”

[I’m bound to the staff, so I can’t go anywhere.]

[I’ll pray for you outside.]

The Dark Spiritmaster pointed to Lemegeton’s staff in my hand, while Stella answered with her hands clasped together.

“In that case.”

Their answers were opposite, but ultimately meant the same thing.

“No matter what happens inside, you must never enter.”

After giving this stern warning, I entered the prayer room.

Creak.

Thud.

The door closed.

A serene darkness naturally settled in. It would take time for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but without hesitation, I removed my coat, placed it aside, and knelt down.

Setting the staff beside me, I placed my hand on my heart.

Blue mana rose solemnly in the dark room.

And then.

[Yaaawn!]

[What! What! What!]

[What is it now?]

[Why are you disturbing our sleep?]

[Enough already.]

[Oh, it’s been a while, Spiritmaster!]

Various voices echoed.

The Dark Spiritmaster and Stella outside must have been startled, but they wouldn’t dare enter.

And now they would realize.

To whom I had come to pray.

I awakened the souls sleeping within me.

Not all of them woke, but those who emerged one by one soon illuminated the prayer room.

“I need your help.”

With just that one statement, all the souls fell silent at once.

That was my authority as their tombstone, and their consideration.

“Danger has once again come to the continent.”

Everyone seemed to want to say something, but they waited for me to finish speaking.

So I took a deep breath and calmly recited my prayer.

“Regrettably, the danger will stem from my existence. The will of the continent—or what the gods call fate—has decreed it so.”

Most of the wavering souls were agitated.

“I do not know how it will manifest.”

Prayer is ultimately about honesty.

According to the original story, starting with Orpheus Luden Griffin being attacked by Griffin’s demon, Aria would face a crisis.

But now?

I had already destroyed Griffin’s demon, and Orpheus was on friendly terms with me.

However, fate persists.

Just as I had twisted the story, the final narrative might also be twisted in ways I couldn’t predict.

But.

“That’s why I need all of you.”

While prediction is impossible, preparation is not.

“I intend to guide what they call fate, the will of the continent.”

If I don’t know how fate will manifest…

Then conversely, I can create the flow that fate desires.

It would be much easier to deal with than something unpredictable, and if done well, everything would flow according to my plan.

“I want to save the continent. However, to overcome this final obstacle, I need your help.”

There were two predetermined endings.

One was to become the enemy of all nations and oppose them.

The other was to commit suicide and save the world.

I’m sorry, but I had absolutely no desire to die.

“To save this land.”

Slowly.

Very slowly.

Toward them.

Toward those I had comforted.

I bowed my head and prayed.

“Will you become the enemy of the world with me?”

* * *

“Sigh.”

Victor Wellingson, the head of the Wellingson Trading Company, exhaled with fatigue.

The past few days had been so busy that it was terrifying to look back.

Victor had eliminated all potentially incriminating aspects of the Wellingson Trading Company, to the point where employees whispered about how thorough he was being.

Not just the darker aspects, but also unfair contracts, distributing more than the allowed quantities, and even cargo loading practices.

Victor had cleaned up his company so thoroughly that it was almost too pristine to be visible.

The reason was none other than the warning from Spiritmaster Deus Verdi.

Despite having appeared only about a year ago, he had gained great trust from both the royal family and the church, becoming one of the most important figures in name and reality.

Especially after the Romuleus incident, when he created a place for the dead and the living to say their final goodbyes, his support among the citizens of Greyford exploded.

In the end, he was being evaluated as the figure who saved the continent from crisis.

He had effectively shed the prejudice of being a Black Mage and was opening new horizons in the Griffin Kingdom.

‘Such a figure has targeted our company.’

Victor didn’t know how he would strike, but he had prepared defenses as best he could.

‘The lack of contact from those Republic bastards is probably due to the Verdi family’s intervention.’

There was no contact with those who cultivated the golden flower. That could be quite a variable, but Victor thought he could withstand it with his influence.

‘All preparations are complete, but…’

Yet Deus Verdi remained silent after issuing such a strong warning.

The lack of any news was making Victor Wellingson anxious.

“Master, it’s almost time for your departure.”

Victor’s secretary checked the clock and informed him. Victor hadn’t just been preparing within the company.

“Did you make the reservations properly?”

“Yes, I’ve secured the seats and requested that only discreet staff be assigned.”

“That’s good.”

Victor put on the coat his secretary handed him and headed outside.

Today was particularly important.

It was a gathering to form connections between bishops who were on friendly terms with him and favorable nobles.

If today’s meeting went well, relationships would gradually develop, forming a solid political alliance centered around the Wellingson Trading Company.

‘King Orpheus’s sword rampage is also over.’

Orpheus’s momentum had somewhat subsided after the recent assassination attempt, where he had properly shown the hierarchy to prestigious nobles.

Now he was focusing on internal affairs, so this was the perfect timing.

‘Damn it.’

He knew that transporting the medicine requested by the bishops was a big deal, but as a merchant, he couldn’t help but get involved because the returns were excellent.

But with the Spiritmaster’s interference, the situation had become chaotic.

Victor didn’t know what would unfold next, but he was preparing to resist as much as possible.

As Victor left the building.

He raised the corners of his mouth with satisfaction as he watched employees loading cargo onto carriages.

He had shown thoroughness by even posting job advertisements for citizens of Greyford. Good conditions, good environment, and unrestricted employment.

Although it was physically demanding work involving loading and unloading, homeless vagrants and those tired of brothels gathered to sweat honestly.

‘The image of the Wellingson Trading Company is gradually becoming more solid.’

Contracted with the royal family.

On good terms with bishops.

Close with nobles.

A clean and merciful company to citizens.

Although income had decreased considerably, he was building solid trust that Deus Verdi couldn’t easily touch.

“Kyaaaah!”

However, his satisfied smile didn’t last long.

Screams from his employees near the carriage queue. Victor exchanged glances with his secretary and rushed over.

“You bastards! Stop right there! We received information that you’re distributing drugs in the Republic of Clark, and our awesome Spiritmaster has come to inspect personally!”

A white-haired maid shouted boisterously.

Holding an axe, she began to search through the company’s goods.

But that wasn’t the problem.

“What… is this?”

Countless souls filling the sky.

They surrounded the entire company, preventing anyone inside from escaping.

The dead had begun to rampage.

And at the center…

“…”

A man with an expressionless face stood holding Lemegeton’s staff—the Black Mage who had committed mass slaughter.

“Deus Verdi!”

He never thought the investigation would be this forceful.

“Have you gone mad?! If you barge in so forcefully and one-sidedly, can you handle the backlash?!”

Victor shouted with bulging veins, but.

[Kihahahahaha!]

[Check it! Check everything!]

[Let’s go!]

Only the cries of rampaging souls answered him.