episode_0112

I managed my facial expressions later. I had to hypnotize myself by saying that the reason I was surprised was because I heard that the once warrior had fallen, and not because I was happy to hear that Wayne was alive.

“The hero’s corruption… Something unbelievable happened while I was away.”

He spits it out as if he could have easily prevented it if I had been there. These were words that made the listener see me as something great and were also factual. Just looking at the hero’s fall, it seems like Arjen was involved, but there’s no way that would have happened if I had been by her side from the beginning.

“Yes, that is why the church is also focusing its attention on the Land of Death. It is a land that must be purified someday.”

It seemed that the name of the area near where I lived had been changed to a bloodthirsty name, ‘Land of Death.’ The name of that lush forest is the Land of Death. It seemed like Arjen had really swept away every blade of grass.

“When you say “someday…”, does that mean you’re not ready yet?”

“I’m embarrassed, but that’s right.”

Why? Of course, it was fortunate for me, but the power of the Stella Church was also not at a level that could be ignored. If Arzen was causing such a serious nuisance, there was sufficient justification for subjugation. Just sending in the church’s elite troops and warriors will be enough to subdue Arjen and Wayne.

Still, the reason why it can’t be done. There was only one answer I could think of.

“It looks like the hero is away.”

“……What are you hiding? It’s just as you said.”

In this case, the reasons can be largely divided into two. There are no signs of a threat to humanity as a whole, so the hero hasn’t appeared yet…

‘Or does Stella still recognize Wayne as a warrior…?’

If so, you had to hurry. I don’t know how Arjen is prolonging Wayne’s life, but it’s safe to say that he’s still going against Stella’s wishes in real time.

“Sorry for getting into the middle of a conversation, His Holiness the Pope. I guess I need to hurry up and go.”

“Are you heading to the land of death?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Then, the paladins of our church…”

“No, it’s okay.”

When I saw that the Pope was trying to support the church’s troops, I immediately waved my hand. I am going to the extent possible to bring Arjen back to his senses, not to subdue Arjen and Wayne as they wish.

“However, it is a light dragon and a fallen hero. Can a saint handle them alone?”

I nodded without hesitation. It’s not a lie. When it comes to bed, those two are more than enough to handle on my own. Of course, no matter what the truth is, this behavior will also be a factor in overestimating me.

“Didn’t I tell you? He is a god from another dimension, and the reason he hastily returned now is for this reason.”

This is a lie. If Prinia hadn’t told me, I would have put my mind at ease just knowing that Arjen was safe from Akasha.

“As the Pope, I cannot afford to delay the saint’s steps in performing miracles. We will lend you the church’s means of transportation.”

Since it is the church’s means of transportation, are they willing to lend us a carriage? I’m sorry, but I think it would be faster to fly, so I’ll have to politely decline again.

“We will teleport you to the cathedral closest to the Land of Death.”

Before I could express my refusal, shocking words came out of the Pope’s mouth. Teleportation, is it possible for humans to do that?

The Pope seemed to have interpreted my embarrassed expression to mean something else and said with a kind smile.

“Haha, there is nothing to worry about. Although I can’t do anything for four days and just pray the whole time.”

It seemed like teleportation was putting quite a strain on the Pope’s body. Anyway, I guess I can’t use a great magic that allows space movement at no cost.

The room where the Pope led me, saying he would teleport, as if a lot of effort had gone into preparing it, was a room about 100 pyeong in size with a large magic circle drawn in the middle of the floor. Stone statues depicting Stella in various appearances were erected here and there in the room.

“Thank you. I will not forget the Pope’s hard work.”

Standing in the middle of the magic circle, I had nothing right now, so there was nothing I could do to express my gratitude other than blowing out an empty check, but the Pope smiled as if that was enough.

“May the blessings of the stars be with you.”

“May the blessings of the stars be with you.”

At the end of the conversation, the Pope knelt toward the stone statue of Stella in front and prayed. That was the last sight I saw of the Holy See.

***

“Wow….”

When I closed my eyes once and opened them, the scenery had changed. There was a carpet on the floor, and chairs were placed on the left and right around the carpet, so it seemed like it was a place for believers to pray.

When I glanced back, there was, as expected, a stone statue of Stella. As I looked around to see where I should go, the door on the left opened.

“What are you talking about… Wow, who are you!?”

A man who appeared to be a priest was startled when he saw me. Rather than saying anything, I quietly showed him the Venus ring on my hand. Sure enough, the priest, whose eyes were as wide as those at the Vatican, made a fuss for a moment, but quickly calmed down and trusted me.

“I see. Are you heading to the land of death? As you said, this is the cathedral closest to that land.”

“Yes. If you don’t mind, may I ask how far it is?”

“Haha… This is the closest, but it would still be about 300km. The sun will soon be setting, so how about staying overnight?”

It seemed like the priest had a lot of things he wanted to ask about from me, an adult. I didn’t know if it would be another time, but I couldn’t afford it now, so I politely declined.

“I will accept it with all my gratitude. However, the Holy Father personally sent me here with his divine power. That means what I have to do is urgent. So, you need to hurry up and move your feet right now.”

I felt like I wouldn’t be able to convince myself, so I subtly included the Pope to sell the idea. Of course, the effect was outstanding and I left the cathedral and headed toward the forest.

“300 km… Long live the Pope. Long live the Pope.”

The distance from Korea to Indonesia has been drastically reduced from Seoul to Busan. Riding the Sirocco wind, 300 km was literally nothing.

“Let’s go, Sirocco.”

I took out the compass I received from the Vatican and flew in a straight line toward the direction of Arjen’s Lair.

“Wow… what is it…?”

I entered the forest, but the trees around me quickly withered and turned into twisted trees, and soon it became a bare land. I thought there would be at least one place I’ve been to near Argen’s Lair, but I was wrong.

“This is a bit harsh…”

Since it was said to be the land of death, I expected it to be uninhabitable by life. But the field became a plain. Even the hills became plains. The forest also became a plain. Even the mountains became plains.

There is a saying that even rivers and mountains change in 10 years, so a lot will change in 360 years. But anyway, isn’t this too much? If a meteorite had fallen on Eletrove at that time, there might have been less change.

“Oh…!”

After looking at the flat land for a while, a slope appeared. Although there wasn’t any grass or trees growing, I was happy to think that something had changed.

“Mountains… right…?”

I kept pulling out the images that remained in my mind and contrasted them with the scenery I could see now. What I remembered was a green forest overflowing with life, and what was in front of me was a hill that could hardly be called a mountain, but the shape of the spreading veins was definitely the same.

“That’s it. Let’s walk from here.”

Since I found a path I knew, I went down to the ground. From here on out, it’s even harder to find Argen’s rare.

“Oh….”

When I came down to the ground, there was still a bit more elevation difference than what I saw from the sky. There were some that could be called cliffs, and some that could be called hills.

The place that was so dense and overflowing with dryads was reduced to nothing more than a rocky mountain, but at least its form remained. Somehow, as I walked further, relying on the map and compass, I began to feel the familiar and absurdly ominous energy of Mana.

“Ugh…!”

I got goosebumps all over my body. Even I, who clearly knew that the true identity of that magic power was Arjen, inadvertently felt fear and wanted to run away.

“Ugh, how depressed can I be like this.”

I tried to laugh it off. The reason I can relax like this right now is because it wasn’t my first time experiencing something like this. It was like this when I first made Kaela cry after signing with Sirocco.

Anyway, that experience served as a foundation, and I suppressed the survival instinct of a living creature that told me to run away immediately and took a step toward the source of mana. Then the entrance to a very familiar cave came into view.

“…….”

In front of the cave, Arjen, looking like I had never seen him before, was sitting in a state of fascination, with his black hair flowing down, as if his soul had escaped him.