Chapter 1 – Founding Day #3

As the cheerful music quietly subsided, those who had been laughing and chatting also fell silent, their gazes turning to the same place.

The Pope of the Cordelia Church.

The consort of Cordelia, the goddess’s avatar.

But that was not all.

The man who was about to enter was a figure who possessed a presence far greater than that.

The Sword Saint of No Sword.

The Guardian of Pleiades.

The one who, alongside Iron Man Landius, was called the strongest warrior in the Western Continent—no, in all of Pleiades.

But even this was not the whole story.

Those in the world of commerce also knew that this man, the Pope of the Cordelia Church and the strongest warrior, was also an iron-blooded merchant of terrifying skill.

The Cordelia Merchant Guild, founded under the name of the Cordelia Church.

The reason the Cordelia Merchant Guild was so feared was not just because of the astonishing business acumen and fearsome drive of its master, Yuder, or its formidable intelligence network derived from the Holy Cross Guardians.

From the Cordelia Merchant Guild, new products that had never existed before were appearing one after another.

‘How on earth did they come up with these ideas?’

The manufacturing itself was understandable, given that the Cordelia Church possessed the facilities of the ancient dwarves and their craftsmen, but the very concepts behind the products were astonishing.

A flood of convenient products emerged, things that had never existed before, yet made one wonder why such items hadn’t been invented sooner.

What was more surprising was the perfection of these products.

Despite being newly developed, they were as flawless as if they had been used and refined somewhere for a very long time.

The Cordelia Church was not merely a religious group that had succeeded the Solari Church.

It was a powerful organization that possessed both the military might to make the Argon Empire and the Sailun Kingdom—the two great powers of the continent—tense, and the financial power to shake the entire Western Continent.

The one who led such an organization.

The pinnacle of martial arts and a shadowy mastermind of the financial world.

A suppressed silence, as if it could shatter at any moment, filled the banquet hall.

And then, music.

A piece tailored for the entrance began to play, and with a solemn melody that would have made Cordelia ask, “Is this the final boss’s entrance music?”, the doors to the banquet hall swung open.

Jet-black sacred vestments. And upon them, a pristine white insignia that stood out all the more.

Between them, the face of a breathtakingly handsome man was revealed.

Jet-black hair reminiscent of the night, enchanting green eyes that were almost mystical, and clear, translucent white skin.

At the sight of him, like a god descended to the mortal world, everyone in the hall, regardless of gender, let out gasps of admiration.

Yuder August Bayer.

The Guardian of Pleiades.

He was barely twenty years old, yet no one could dismiss the young man before them as a greenhorn—no, they couldn’t even think it.

It wasn’t just his overwhelming looks; a subtle yet heavy aura emanated from his entire being, captivating the hearts of all who gazed upon him.

A ragged silence followed.

The Pope of the Cordelia Church—Yuder—strode forward to stand before the central dais. He gave a light nod to the crowd, who were still staring only at him, and raised his hand.

“Next, the special envoy from the Argon Empire will enter.”

Along with the palace staff’s somewhat strained voice, likely from tension, another door opened.

Duke Arian.

A handsome middle-aged gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair that suited him well, he was the current emperor’s maternal uncle, making it no exaggeration to call him quasi-royalty.

In the wake of the chaos in the imperial capital, which had led to the mass deaths of the imperial family and nobility, his position was indeed formidable, but that was only within the empire.

It was no exaggeration to say that virtually no one gasped in admiration as he entered, accompanied by Katrinne, the Songstress of Selian, who was renowned as one of the empire’s greatest beauties.

This was because the presence of Yuder, whom they had just seen—no, whose presence was still radiating from the dais—was simply too overwhelming.

Sensing the atmosphere, Duke Arian walked forward with an awkward smile. Katrinne, too, took clumsy steps, her face a mixture of slight bewilderment at not being the center of attention and astonishment at the majesty of the man standing on the dais.

Yuder gave a light, silent nod to them as they took their seats to his left, then turned to the opposite door.

“Her Highness, Crown Princess Daphne of the Sailun Kingdom, will now enter.”

The special envoy of the Sailun Kingdom.

The arrival of the Crown Princess, no ordinary royal, caused a slight stir in the hall, but it was brief.

After all, this was the founding celebration of the Holy Nation of Yudelia, so it wasn’t strange for Crown Princess Daphne to appear.

[It has been a while.]

As Yuder sent the telepathic message with a gentle smile, Crown Princess Daphne also offered a brilliant smile befitting her moniker, the Queen of Lions.

Wearing a pure white dress that seemed to emphasize her abundant, golden hair reminiscent of a lion’s mane, she exuded a noble beauty like that of a fine sword as she took her seat.

The special envoys of the Argon Empire and the Sailun Kingdom.

And they were no ordinary nobles, but a quasi-royal and a Crown Princess.

But Yuder greeted the envoys with a calm demeanor, as if all of this were perfectly natural, before turning to face forward once more.

‘Has it already been half a year?’

Half a year had passed since the provisional founding, which might as well have been a founding on paper.

The Cordelia Church, having fully inherited the lineage of the Solari Church, was established, and the Holy Nation of Yudelia had now built a proper foundation for a country.

And so, they had declared this Founding Day.

‘So Master couldn’t make it after all.’

Landius and Lena, who were rebuilding the Paragon Kingdom, were so busy they wouldn’t have had enough time even if they had ten bodies each.

It was, after all, the task of raising a nation that had completely collapsed, leaving nothing but ashes.

Moreover, a dungeon tainted with the energy of Hell had been discovered beneath the Paragon Kingdom, so they were not in a position to easily leave.

‘I’m sure they’re fine.’

It was Landius, after all.

Yuder pictured his master, who was always accompanied by his muscles, and smiled silently before turning completely to face the last remaining door.

The most anticipated moment had arrived.

“The Goddess’s Avatar will now enter.”

The music changed.

The palace staff opened the doors at the top of the stairs, and with a radiant light, a godlike woman appeared.

Cordelia August Chase.

The avatar of the goddess, descended to earth.

The hero of salvation who protected Pleiades from the Archangel Auriel and the Overlord Asmodeus.

Another silence consumed the banquet hall.

It was the kind of silence that befalls one when faced with a wonder of nature, a sight so overwhelmingly beautiful and mystical that it leaves one breathless.

“It was… light. I can describe it no other way.”

Count Baanan from the empire was not lying.

He truly felt as if he were facing the light itself.

Heavenly beauty. Supreme grace.

They were clichés, but no one in the hall could think of anything else.

An angel’s halo rested upon her lovely pink hair, and wings of light were spread wide behind her back.

The pure white dress, which emitted a mystical light, was in perfect harmony with Cordelia’s slender yet beautiful body, making it seem as if they had been one from the very beginning.

Cordelia took a step.

Everyone standing below, looking up at her on high, had the same thought.

Could it be that Cordelia, the Goddess of Sun and Love, was also the Goddess of Beauty?

Could it be that the woman before them was not an avatar, but the goddess herself?

Cordelia continued to walk forward.

Everyone in the hall forgot even to breathe, their consciousness focused on her every small movement.

It was a beauty so overwhelming it was no exaggeration to call it violent, compelling them to do so.

And amidst this quiet frenzy, which seemed to be increasing the number of Cordelia Church believers in real time, Yuder wore an immensely pleased smile.

That woman is my woman.

I am her husband.

That is my beloved Cordelia.

It was enough to earn him the label of a doting fool, but fortunately or unfortunately, there was only one person who could read Yuder’s inner thoughts.

‘Honestly, this guy.’

Meeting Yuder’s gaze, Cordelia had to struggle to maintain her noble expression.

Yuder’s doting thoughts were being transmitted to her in full detail through his eyes.

And finally, she arrived.

Yuder knelt before Cordelia as she reached him and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. Cordelia, in turn, finally let her noble smile be replaced by a pure and shy one.

“Ah.”

A gasp spread through the silence.

It was the sound of voices that could no longer be suppressed.

Yuder smiled again at the crowd’s reaction, and Cordelia, recalling what had happened in the royal capital in the past, narrowed her eyes slightly.

But it was at that very moment.

‘I knew it. I can’t resist.’

‘Huh? What can’t you resist?’

‘Let’s have a dance.’

‘Huh?’

The moment Cordelia’s eyes widened in surprise, Yuder, who had risen to his feet, snapped his fingers, and as if on a prearranged signal, the musicians began to play a new song.

“Shall we?”

As Yuder led the wide-eyed Cordelia forward, the people in the hall naturally stepped back to make room.

And so began a dance for just the two of them.

At the breathtakingly beautiful and enchanting sight, everyone in the hall gasped once more. Cordelia, her face flushing red, shot a small glare at Yuder.

‘Excuse me, Mr. Black-hearted Black Cloak, wasn’t a dance not on the schedule?’

I can let it slide that you insisted we had to show off and spent four days and three nights focused on beauty treatments, but what’s with this dancing in front of everyone?

To Cordelia’s accusation, Yuder responded as he always did—that is, with a smooth and shameless demeanor.

‘It’s because you’re so lovely, Cordelia.’

At his direct gaze and cringey words, Cordelia nearly missed a step, but she was in the arms of a man with a Heavenly Martial Body who excelled at anything physical.

Yuder masterfully incorporated her stumble into the dance as if it were part of the choreography, then tightened his arm around her slender waist.

‘Showing you off is one thing, but I just wanted to hold you like this.’

‘S-stop.’

Cordelia’s neck and ears began to turn red again.

Yuder felt the desire to whisper in her ear with his actual voice—to see her become even more flustered—but he suppressed the urge and sent her his usual look.

‘So, you don’t like it?’

‘You’re a real jerk.’

Giving a non-answer to his question, Cordelia huffed and focused on the dance. Yuder then planted a surprise kiss on her forehead.

‘They’re making a fucking spectacle of themselves.’

Scarlett and Rough Avalanche cringed with pained expressions, but in this hall, the two of them were in the minority.

The moment Yuder’s lips touched Cordelia’s forehead, a chorus of stifled screams and gasps erupted from those around them.

And in truth, despite their suffering, both Scarlett and Rough Avalanche were smiling.

Because the two of them were just so perfect for each other.

Gasps and admiration. A thunderous round of applause.

After finishing their dance magnificently, Yuder and Cordelia returned to the dais, where the envoys from the empire and the kingdom each paid their respects.

They were quasi-royalty and royalty, but that was merely their earthly status.

Before the goddess’s avatar and her consort, they were all just mere mortals.

Cordelia greeted Crown Princess Daphne and the imperial envoys warmly—and at her incredibly affectionate smile, Katrinne, the Songstress of Selian, who was seeing Cordelia for the first time, was so overcome with ecstasy that she nearly fainted—then turned lightly to face everyone in the hall.

“Hello, everyone. Thank you all for attending.”

Cordelia’s gentle voice spread beyond the banquet hall to the entirety of the Holy Nation of Yudelia.

And the people could see it: an image of Cordelia, formed of light, above the palace of the Holy Nation.

It was the result of an extra-large hologram magic circle that Yuder had created to show off Cordelia’s beauty to as many people as possible.

At the appearance of the hundred-meter-tall hologram, the people gathered in the square did not gasp or cheer, but instead began to pray with rapturous faces, their hands clasped together.

A nation blessed by the gods. A nation where the goddess’s avatar resided.

Cordelia swallowed hard.

She had practiced diligently, but perhaps due to her natural disposition, she could never get used to occasions like this.

Therefore, instead of dragging things out with unnecessary words, Cordelia kept her speech short and to the point.

Thanks to everyone for attending. Thanks and praise for the Goddess of Sun and Love, Cordelia.

‘I-I’m so embarrassed I could die.’

Praising and thanking herself with her own mouth—and in front of so many people—was an act embarrassing enough to trigger death from shame.

And so, without even the presence of mind to compose her reddening face, Cordelia put on the brightest smile she could muster and spoke the final words.

“By the grace of the Goddess of Sun and Love, Cordelia, I hereby declare the founding of the Holy Nation of Yudelia!”

As Cordelia felt another wave of embarrassment at the sound of her own declaration echoing from outside, a thunderous storm of applause and cheers erupted simultaneously from both inside and outside the palace.

The nation where gods reside. The guardian holy nation that protects Pleiades.

With everyone’s blessing, the Holy Nation of Yudelia was founded.

And then, six months later.

The Avatar’s Room, located in the deepest part of the Holy Nation of Yudelia.

Yuder and Cordelia stood facing each other, wearing similar yet different smiles.

“Are you ready?”

“Yep, I’m ready.”

Cordelia replied with a bright smile, like a child the day before a picnic. Yuder, in turn, looked her over like a parent on the day before a picnic and asked,

“Supplies?”

“Here.”

Cordelia held out a single letter, sealed with the insignia of the Holy Nation of Yudelia.

“The contents?”

“Nope, not allowed. Don’t even think about reading it. You know what’ll happen if you use your X-ray vision, right?”

Yuder nodded at her cute threat, which she emphasized by clenching her fist, then placed the letter on the bed and looked at Cordelia again.

“Have you decided where to go?”

“Yup, yup. First, we’ll go see Master Landius and Lena, and then we’re going back to Earth.”

I’m so, so curious to see how Kang Jin-ho, Hong Yu-hee, and Natasha are doing.

And I want to see Mom and Dad, too.

“Very well. I shall escort you.”

Yuder replied in a theatrical tone, then turned and offered her his back. Cordelia leaped up and clung to him piggyback-style.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Smiling again at Cordelia’s excitement-filled reply, Yuder kicked up a whirlwind and threw himself out the window.

And the next morning.

Maia, standing side by side with Dahlia, opened the letter. Instead of smiling bitterly or sighing, she wore a small smile.

“You’re used to it by now, right?”

“I’m used to it.”

“But Dahlia, did you know?”

“What?”

As Dahlia tilted her head in confusion, Maia finally let out a bitter smile, took out a notebook, and showed her a page.

Yuder and Cordelia’s Escape Record.

It was their monumental 100th elopement of love.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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