episode_0131

Episode 131: After the War (3)

Estella.

The saintess of the Ustia Theocracy, a woman called the daughter of the gods.

And the lead of ‘Akacheonma’.

“……”

I was stunned by her sudden appearance.

Because normally, she shouldn’t be appearing in this episode. The theocracy was busy with ‘Black’ issues.

Besides, if they had the capacity to send the saintess, the number of reinforcements would have been twice as many.

Anyway, other people’s reactions weren’t much different from mine at her appearance.

Unlike me, who is a candidate, she is the real saintess. The student hall became chaotic in an instant.

“We greet the Saintess.”

“The Paper of White greets Lady Estella.”

Greetings were heard from everywhere. All voices of the theocracy’s people. They gave her eyes of respect.

It was natural. Considering her reputation and achievements as a saintess, it was strange not to revere her.

“S, Saintess Estella! Why are you here…!”

“Weren’t you too busy to come?”

Elena and Hatan, the representatives of the theocracy, came rushing over at her appearance. The two surrounded her as if to protect her.

Perhaps an even greater reaction than mine. But it was understandable. She was a being loved by God. An important figure as much as their God.

“Elena, Hatan, long time no see!”

The two bowed their heads at the saintess’s greeting. And then Elena asked.

“More than that, Saintess Estella. What brings you here? I heard you were busy….”

“How can I not come when I hear that something big has happened? I have to come and help as a saintess.”

The saintess answered Elena’s question. Her melodious voice tickled the ears. Combined with her appearance that forcibly captivated the mind, people understood, thinking that it was natural.

But it didn’t work on Elena. She said in a low voice.

“Saintess. Tell me the truth. If that were the case, you should have come with an escort.”

Then the saintess scratched her head.

“I can’t fool Elena after all. Actually… I ran away from home!”

“……”

Ran away from home.

Silence fell at that confident remark.

Elena grabbed her forehead as if her head was throbbing.

“…Why did you do that.”

“Elena, you see…”

The saintess began to speak as if venting her pent-up complaints. To summarize, she said that she was tired of working too much and felt suffocated.

“Haa….”

Elena let out a rough sigh at her honest eyes. It was a sigh that represented the hearts of the people around them who were listening.

“Do you think that makes sense now….”

“Elena, we can scold me later. There’s something important now, right?”

She tried to naturally change the subject by being playful. However, Elena sighed at the saintess’s unique benevolent smile.

Even if the saintess was wrong, even if they tried to sternly reprimand her, they had no choice but to weaken as long as they were followers of the Ustia Theocracy.

“Thank you, Elena.”

When she remained silent, the saintess expressed her gratitude and approached me. And then she asked me.

“Can I take over and finish from now on?”

“…Do as you please.”

You’re going to do it your way even if I don’t allow it anyway.

“Thank you, candidate saint.”

“……”

Please stop calling me a saint already….

I sighed inwardly and observed the saintess.

Estella headed towards the wolf. And then she went up to its huge forepaw and faced it. Even though I reduced its size by half, it was still big.

“How is your body? Are you still in pain?”

-Grrr….

“Not enough to die. You have an interesting way of expressing yourself. Ah, my name is Estella. I’m the saintess of this generation. Nice to meet you. You who loved humans and protected humans.”

The saintess spoke to it.

“How did I know? I told you, I’m the saintess. White sometimes told me, though not often. That there was a being who loved humans too much in the past.”

-Grrr.

“You said it was unnecessary? I enjoyed the story? So I’m quite happy to face the being in the story like this? So… would you like to tell me more of your story?”

She continued the conversation while stroking the boss’s fur. But it seemed annoyed.

“You’ll tell me to your heart’s content later? Is that a promise?”

-Grrr.

Only after hearing the answer did the saintess get off its paw.

Immediately after, the saintess knelt in front of the wolf. Then she put her hands together. Having finished preparing, she murmured quietly.

“Then… I’ll begin.”

In a solemn atmosphere, divine power emanated from Estella’s hands.

A clear energy that can be seen at a glance. Cleanliness at a level that can purify everything.

Hwaaa!!

The divine power gradually increased in size. A light brighter than the sun lit up the world. It was so dazzling even though it was morning.

A huge divine power that even made me feel a thrill. As a saintess loved by God, the amount she handles is also enormous. Even if we gathered the divine power of the believers in this place, we wouldn’t be able to fill even half of that.

‘It’s overwhelming.’

I’ve seen many saintesses in the past, but there was no one with as outstanding abilities as her.

It is often said that the saintess’s divine power is determined by which part of the body it is in…. Well, that’s just a joke.

Paaaaak!!

Divine power envelops the wolf. The vast divine power also affected the surroundings. A warm energy covered me. I don’t like divine power, but the saintess’s reduces the pain just by its existence, so I accepted it quietly.

Estella quietly murmured in the center of the swirling divine power.

“O God, please….”

At that moment, the divine power swelled even more. It was a reward sent by God for his daughter’s prayer.

Immediately after.

“Salvation to him who has suffered for so long….”

Divine magic – Salvation

Miracles covered the world.

People stared blankly at the unfolding miracle with dazed eyes. And they came to their senses when the pure white light had almost disappeared.

“It’s over.”

At the same time as her words, the storm of divine power subsided. Estella withdrew the remaining divine power. The boss revealed its appearance.

A figure that has become so small. The boss had shrunk to about the size of a puppy.

-Woof!

Even the cry it made was just puppy level. The dignity as a boss had completely disappeared.

I stared at it with a hollow expression. I was at least trying to make it to the level where I could ride it.

But this is….

“What have you done to make a puppy.”

“A puppy? It still retains its appearance. Look at this.”

She held up the wolf. The features are somewhat present, but in my eyes, it looks like a puppy no matter how I look at it.

Of course, the divinity of the demigod that resided in the body was completely removed, and with that, mana and soul were recovered, resolving the imbalance.

Now, this wolf, no, this puppy can be considered normal. Perhaps if it raises its level like this, it will be able to return to its previous appearance.

“Hyungnim! Saintess! Thank you!”

Then Evan rushed over and took the wolf into his arms. He hugged it very tightly, trying not to drop it. Because of that, the one who was once a demigod and the boss of the monster season struggled in Evan’s arms.

Anyway, now that the cause of the commotion has been resolved. I said to the people in this place. It was getting hard to endure.

“It seems to be resolved for now. What do you think.”

When I asked those who stood on the opposite side of Evan, they remained silent. Since even the saintess came and helped, it was natural that they had nothing to say.

“Then let’s have other arguments in the afternoon. I need rest too.”

I also appealed to them by showing my exhausted appearance, and the situation was quickly resolved. The onlookers who confirmed that there was nothing to be concerned about also scattered one by one.

I leaned on Elraim next to me and said.

“Let’s go to the infirmary. I need to lie down. I’m going to die….”

“Haa….”

My sister sighed deeply and carried me on her back. At the same time, Lana stuck to me and scolded me.

“You’re not feeling well and you’re pushing yourself! Why are you using your body so carelessly!”

The target of her scolding was not only me. Lana shouted at Evan who was following behind.

“Evan hoobae too! You clearly knew that Kyle was hurt and you asked for help!”

“Lana sunbae, it’s not that….”

“Evan hoobae!”

“S, sorry….”

Evan lowered his tail at Lana’s scolding. It is said that originally, when a kind person gets angry, it is more scary.

I wanted to stop Lana, but my sister’s atmosphere was not good either, so I remained silent. If I intervened, my sister would definitely intervene too.

On the way to being carried away by my sister, the saintess Estella tried to approach this side. But she was blocked by Elena.

“Where are you going, Saintess Estella.”

“The candidate saint’s condition doesn’t look good. Can’t we talk a little later?”

“No.”

Elena firmly stopped the saintess, and eventually Estella was dragged away by her.

I didn’t particularly want to help.

‘You shouldn’t have come out on your own accord.’

In the end, it was just her own karma.

“Kyle, once we get back, I won’t let you out until you’re fully recovered.”

And this side seemed to be my karma.

***

After a series of commotions, I was once again in the infirmary.

This time, I was thoroughly confined under the surveillance of Lana and Elraim and couldn’t do anything. I just lay in bed and focused on recovering.

It wasn’t a quiet time. In the meantime, numerous priests came and went and treated me. Thanks to that, it was noisy for about 3 hours.

Anyway, now that it’s lunchtime, the two went to get food. I was left in the infirmary with Evan.

To be precise, that guy is confined. For asking for help for no reason and making me get hurt even more.

“Hyungnim, I… I’m sorry….”

Then Evan apologized. Evan, with a gloomy face, had drooping shoulders.

“Why are you sorry.”

“It’s because of me that you….”

“It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

Even if I said that, Evan’s condition did not improve.

“Are you very sorry?”

“Yes, well…. I gave a burden to a sick person, so it would be strange if I wasn’t sorry….”

“Then watch out for a moment. For about 10 minutes.”

“Yes? What are you going to do….”

“Don’t ask.”

Evan moved immediately. Perhaps because he was sorry, his movements were fast.

And I took out the reward I received from the hidden quest earlier from my pocket.

A black bead-shaped medicine. Commonly known as Black Hwan-dan. Unlike the well-known White Hwan-dan, it is a precious elixir known only to some, including the head of the Arden family.

As you can tell by the color, Black Hwan-dan is an elixir that forms a pair with White Hwan-dan. However, Black Hwan-dan has no effect if you just eat it, and it only exerts its efficacy when consumed in a state where you have eaten White Hwan-dan.

I put the Black Hwan-dan in my mouth. Then my tongue tingled with a bitter taste. It was so bitter that I felt pain. But I endured it and swallowed it down my throat. The medicine melted away.

At that moment, my mind became hazy. At the same time, my dantian began to heat up. I operated the Arden Mana Method to guide the heat.

White Hwan-dan and Black Hwan-dan. When the two elixirs are consumed, they cause an awakening reaction in the body and soul. This heat is the basis for that.

I constantly, without stopping, operated the mana method. As time passed, my senses awakened and my senses gradually expanded. My whole body tingled and I felt the change in my body.

Along with that, the energy of the elixir healed the wounded soul.

Originally, you would go through the process of entering your mind with the power of the elixir and awakening your soul. But I am already in a complete state. There is no room to go further.

It may be a waste, but I have no regrets. The time spent worrying about such things is more of a waste.

Besides, what I wanted from consuming Black Hwan-dan was the healing of the soul. So I concentrated the energy of the elixir on the soul. It is important for the body to move on to the next level, but the recovery of the soul takes priority.

“Hoo….”

I breathe out. Heat leaks out through the gaps. I immediately checked my condition.

‘The soul is completely healed.’

As expected, it was a secret medicine of the family, and all the wounds that had been cut to pieces had healed. In the process, it became stronger than before.

‘And the body is….’

Just before Master. It’s in a state where you’re just barely stepping on the edge and about to pass it.

‘This is a bit of a waste.’

In terms of distance, it’s about 5cm. If I had passed that, I would have been a Master.

Still, I think it’s a decent result. Because even at the time of possession, this body had nothing. Starting from almost 0 and reaching just before Master in one year is an amazing speed.

I cleaned up the waste and odor that came out during the awakening process with magic.

“Evan.”

“Yes, hyungnim. Are you all done… Oh, something is very different about you.”

“My skin has gotten better.”

“No, that’s not what I mean… Still, I’m glad you seem to be better than before.”

Only then did Evan’s complexion brighten. And it was then.

Knock knock

Someone knocked on the infirmary door.

“Who is it?”

-It’s Estella… May I come in?

“Ah, Saintess!”

At the appearance of the saintess, Evan immediately opened the door. Afterwards, Evan greeted Estella, who entered the infirmary.

“Hello, Saintess. My name is Evan Phelik. Thank you for your help earlier.”

“No. I just did what I had to do. And introductions are not necessary. I know because I heard it from Elena.”

“Ah, Elena….”

Evan blushed.

“By the way, Evan? Ah, is it okay if I call you that?”

“Yes, feel free to call me that.”

“Then Evan. I came to examine the candidate saint, but could you excuse me for a moment?”

“Uh… Yes!”

That clueless bastard. He didn’t even check my opinion and answered.

“Hyungnim, I’ll be waiting outside.”

With those words, Evan left the room. There was no time to send a signal not to go.

And so I faced the saintess Estella. She stared at me silently and then tilted her head.

“Amazing! You were in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if you died just now. What kind of magic did you use, candidate saint?”

“I won’t tell you. And stop calling me a saint and using honorifics.”

“No! Even between a saint and saintess, it is said that you have to keep etiquette.”

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue at the frustration. I decided to kick her out before this situation continued any further.

“I won’t do it, so you can take care of the honorifics, and if you don’t have anything to treat, leave.”

“Hmm… I certainly don’t have anything to treat. I have something I’m curious about.”

At that question, I sighed inwardly and said.

“What are you curious about.”

“That’s… Candidate saint, no, Kyle Arden-nim….”

The saintess Estella opened her mouth slowly while looking at me with sky-blue eyes.

“Why are you still alive?”

“……”