Chapter 222: From Now On, I Will Put an End to Everything (4)
“I can’t just stand by and watch as my disciple struggles with such a difficult task. This should be of considerable help. I’ll go to the Association now and suggest we think of a way to stop the destruction after the ritual is over.”
“B-But what if something goes wrong, Master……? What will happen to you?”
“Well, I’ll likely face some hardship. But if that’s your will, I can’t ignore it and bring all the Association’s mages here to blow that place up, can I? Besides, everything in the world has a set order and a suitable person. The world is showing signs of destruction, but you and your friends are here, and the person at the center of it all is present, so things will flow as they should. Everything is according to providence.”
Lucy looked as if she had a lump in her throat, unable to speak.
I, too, could guess Madsan’s intentions.
That staff is a considerably valuable item, and Madsan will return to the Association and suggest researching ways to save the world on the brink of destruction. And if Lucy and I are truly defeated by Artshever and his unpleasant companions, he will probably be reprimanded and have to pay the price.
The price of a master trusting his disciple.
Madsan glanced at me. As if he had read my thoughts, he subtly hinted with a profound expression.
“Make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“I will do my best.”
I couldn’t help but make that vow. At the very least, the master shouldn’t be punished for believing in his disciple.
Even for that reason alone, I must choose the fastest way to stop Artshever’s plan.
I looked up at the sky for a moment, lost in thought.
And I realized that today was not a day conducive to contemplation.
“Hyung-nim―! It’s a big problem!”
A huge, thumping footstep could be heard from afar. It was Joey’s approaching sound, no need to ask who it was. I grumbled at the sky for a moment and turned my head.
“What’s wrong, Joey?”
“I-It’s a big problem! Namias-noona is……!”
“In mortal danger again?”
“Huh?”
Joey blinked his eyes. He had an expression that asked what I was talking about. Ugh, I reacted indifferently for a moment.
“No, it’s nothing. What about Namias?”
Joey swung his massive arms around. It was enough to create a whirlwind for a moment. It was an action he took because he couldn’t quite find the words, but if someone got hit, it was an action that would send their body and soul flying to the heavens.
Joey finally succeeded in pumping his arms and drawing up the water of words.
“She became the Head Priest!”
“What?!”
What is this nonsense now?
The serene beauty, High Priest, now Head Priest, Namias calmly said,
“I contacted the Light of Origin using holy magic. I explained the current situation and what I thought needed to be done. And then the Head Priest, the former Head Priest, bestowed the position upon me.”
Her tone was a bit more forceful than usual. I could see that she was a person capable of excitement.
“Please tell me more.”
“Yes. So, two hours ago, I used the last of the divine power I could muster today to contact the Grand Temple. And I spoke with the former Head Priest. I told him that the world is on the verge of destruction, and that I intend to cooperate with everyone here to stop it. Then, the former Head Priest said this:”
She took a breath for a moment.
“Then I guess I’ll tend the garden now. You be the Head Priest.”
Silence followed. I looked at Namias with a blank expression, and so did everyone else.
After a short while, Aila’s critique began.
“The end?”
An excellent critique, full of implied meaning. Namias nodded and said,
“So, I became the Head Priest.”
Everyone, there’s someone here besides Aila who’s misusing the word “so.” No matter how I think about it, that seems like an inappropriate usage.
“Is it okay to inherit the position like that, out of the blue?”
Here’s another person misusing words. I looked at the back of Lucy’s head as if I wanted to hit it. But Namias embraced Lucy’s rudeness with the broad tolerance of the light.
“Actually, I’m wondering about that too. But seeing as how this came to me, I suppose this too can be seen as the will of God……”
Something that had been hidden beneath her baggy clothes, unseen, was now held in her white hand and revealed to us.
It was a short crystal pillar, shaped like what should be called a wand. It was about 30 centimeters long, similar to a dagger, and at the end of the wand was attached a long crystal.
It was transparent overall, like a prism that emitted a rainbow when it caught the light.
I tilted my head.
“What is that?”
“It’s a Sacred Artifact. It’s a symbol of authority that God bestows upon the earth once every hundred years.”
“A S-Sacred Artifact?!”
Not just me, but everyone present was astonished. I finally understood why she had been sitting on the floor. Her legs had given out, and she couldn’t stand up!
A Sacred Artifact.
It’s the most direct evidence of God’s existence, a proof of God.
Once every hundred years, every religious order receives a sacred tool from the God they serve, a tool meant to prove and reaffirm their existence.
The Sacred Artifact inherently contains the element that the God governs and also exerts divine power close to omnipotence. With it in hand, any priest can use the holy magic closest to God.
Simply put, it’s the power of God itself, capable of even resurrecting the dead if you just hold the Sacred Artifact!
Namias carefully placed the Sacred Artifact on her lap and said,
“The position of Head Priest is passed down from person to person, but the Sacred Artifact is proof of God’s chosen representative on earth…… Lynin told me to protect it well. Therefore, I have become the Head Priest. Oh my God…… Ru Ikellainin……!”
She seemed to have finally realized that she had become the Head Priest, and she offered a passionate prayer. I could see that she, too, had the same emotions as ordinary people.
While Namias was praying, I poked the Shrine Knight in the side, accidentally hitting his thigh instead.
“Joey, how should we interpret this?”
“Uh, I’m still learning about the doctrines, so I can’t say for sure, but that Sacred Artifact receives one light and emits all sorts of colors, right? In other words, it probably signifies the grace of light spreading throughout the world. Or the light itself. I think Lynin is telling Noona to protect the light with this.”
“Protect the light?”
“Yes. I mean, if the world is destroyed, there won’t be a place for the light to shine, right? So, protecting the light means protecting this world. I don’t think the Gods would want this world to be destroyed either. That’s why, exceptionally, they bestowed the Sacred Artifact after 87 years, I guess.”
Indeed. That’s a possible interpretation. Joey has become quite the priest in the meantime. I nodded and suddenly a question came to mind.
“But what if we fail to protect the world?”
Joey’s expression momentarily darkened. With the most irreverent expression a Shrine Knight serving the God of Light could make, Joey spoke gloomily.
“Noona’s soul would be deprived of even the chance of reincarnation in the recreated world. She wouldn’t be allowed into the Heavenly Hall of Light and would wander in darkness forever. Some hard-line theologians say that God’s expectations are a kind of curse. It’s a humanistic interpretation, but even people get angry when their expectations are betrayed, right? They believe God would feel the same. However, the breadth of God’s mercy is unimaginable, so I don’t think anything that extreme would happen…… Still, divine punishment would be unavoidable. More than anything, Noona herself would suffer greatly. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself, even in death.”
I nodded with a serious expression. Certainly, even if God’s mercy is unimaginably vast, it’s hard to believe that even this would be forgiven.
It might be an overly humanistic interpretation, but it means failing to fulfill the duties of God’s representative on earth. As Joey said, punishment would be unavoidable.
At that moment, Namias, who had finished praying, raised her head. Her face was flushed with emotion, and tears were even streaming down her cheeks.
“Even if it costs me my life, I will fulfill the mission God has given me. I will not disappoint the body dedicated to Lynin, the great Father of Light. With you all by my side, I can do it.”
So please help me.
She was pleading like that.
Anyone would feel the same, considering the emotion and heavy responsibility she must be feeling in this moment, a woman who has looked to God her entire life, especially seeing her normally unwavering expression disappear.
“It will be done.”
At some point, I had made a vow without even realizing it.
I couldn’t think deeply due to the sudden events. However, those two events reminded me of the gravity of our current situation.
At the same time, it made me realize what was important and what wasn’t.
Lucy and Namias.
They received the greatest expectations they could possibly bear. Not because their abilities are necessarily up to the task, but because people believed they could do it.
And what they believe in is the faith in their friends, the belief that no matter what, their friends will help them.
I am at the center of that trust.
I’m not as skilled in swordsmanship as Levidian, nor do I have the perseverance to silently strive like Al, nor do I possess monstrous strength like Joey, nor the special powers and adaptability like Aila, nor the ability to use magic like Lucy, nor am I chosen by God like Namias.
However, I have earned the trust of all these individuals.
Everyone shares the common denominator of me.
The reason why these individuals with such strong personalities can all get along is because I believe in them wholeheartedly, stand before them, lead them, and have received trust greater than mere belief.
Simply because I wanted it, because it felt right, these people have walked this difficult and arduous path with me. And now, these people are facing a crucial juncture.
If they fail to fulfill the duties placed upon them, the thing I fear most will happen.
The people I love will suffer.
I want the people I embrace to be happy.
If I were to plant the seeds of misfortune in them, simply because of my stubbornness, I would be tormented by eternal self-loathing.
“And through that, I’ve realized something.”
“What is it?”
“From the beginning, we decided to pursue this war in a way that minimizes casualties. We resolved to minimize the sacrifices of both sides, ally and enemy alike. That’s why I even accepted the position of Commander-in-Chief, which I dislike. As the Head Priest said, I’ve realized my duty.”
The great sacrifice of our allies is as painful as being pierced by an awl. However, seeking revenge to alleviate that pain would mean throwing away everything I carry on my shoulders.
My responsibility as the Grand General, my past as Artshever’s enemy, the path I’ve walked so far before my friends, and my own resolve to overcome myself and restore the world to normalcy.
I can’t say which is more important. What weighs more, the tens of thousands of lives lost or my personal duty? When I think about that, a terrible conflict still arises.
But I must rise higher. I must look to the future, not the present.
I carry the weight of even the lives of those who have died. They may desire revenge, but I have a duty to embrace even that revenge and elevate it to a higher place.
I must not kill twice the lives of those who perished due to me, due to my misjudgment.
At least, I must give them the honor of having saved the world!
“At the very least, I will personally purge the rotten heads who pulled out the worst possible card, the one that poisoned both sides. But that’s something I’ll do after saving this world and winning this war. If we win this war, even the Imperial Army far away will become citizens of the same nation. I must embrace their lives as well.”
I looked at Head Priest Damachi Ir.
Back then, a time that now feels so long ago, he was reborn as a devout priest like he is now and became the Head Priest because of something he realized thanks to me.
Time has passed, and now he has given me a clue to enlightenment.
People cannot live alone.
We live by giving and receiving, grateful for each other’s existence.
I must not take away even a single opportunity for people to be grateful to one another.
I will save as many lives as possible.
I will give the dead the honor of knowing their deaths were not in vain.
And I will take responsibility for all the consequences of this decision.
The most important thing, after all, is taking responsibility for one’s actions, isn’t it?
“I will save them and save the world. And I will save myself as well. From now on, I will put an end to everything. I ask for your help, Head Priest Ir.”
I solidified my firm resolve and gave it form. Head Priest Damachi Ir smiled gently and bowed his head to me.
“I, too, hope that I and the Radiance of the Sun can be of help to you. Please do not refuse our assistance.”
I bowed my head in return.
With this, everything is prepared.
It’s time to end it all.
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