Ch 258
Burning Black Fire.
No.
Somehow, anyway, White Flame Dangaleon.
That spirit（?） was once a dominator who reigned as the master of countless servants.
The foolish ones, blinded by power, willingly sacrificed themselves to become a part of it.
Burning Black Fire （it was definitely black then）.
By accepting a part of it, that is.
For example.
That spirit was a veteran.
Servant.
A veteran with deep expertise in that unfamiliar and strange field（?）.
“What is this!?”
That Dangaleon immediately recognized it.
The abnormal phenomenon that occurred in Lisir’s Inner World.
Its identity, that is.
“Master’s energy is connected to somewhere…!? This is, a passage!?”
Passage.
It was a phenomenon that Dangaleon also experienced every time he gathered new servants—
The meaning of the phenomenon was fixed.
Connection of energy.
Through the medium of perfectly identical energy, different existences were connected.
That is.
By possessing perfectly identical energy to Lisir, an existence influenced by him was born.
Servant.
“No way!? That vermin who received Master’s energy has become Master’s servant!?”
Dangaleon felt shocked.
Master and Servant.
It was not a relationship simply established by giving and receiving energy.
To make the target a ‘servant’ in a position of unilateral subordination, quite a few conditions had to be met.
‘Oh? You’ve got my energy? Then you’re my servant now~’ such coercion doesn’t work.
If that were possible, all the powerless weak in this world would have become someone’s servant.
Therefore, Dangaleon could only be confused.
“Clearly, all Master did was bestow energy upon that verminous Saint!?”
Lisir, when sharing his energy with the Saint, did not impose any restrictions or conditions.
The Saint had no reason to become a servant in return.
The Saint would not have even imagined that she would become a servant in return.
But what’s this?
The Saint had somehow become Lisir’s servant.
‘Oh? You’ve got my energy? Then you’re my servant now~’ such coercion had worked perfectly.
“Mas, Master…!!!”
It was a spirit completely accustomed to that unreasonable existence—
But even so, this was unavoidable.
In that sense, should I say it’s fortunate?
“Ah…!!! As expected!”
The spirit, after persistently analyzing the ‘passage’, realized that the passage was not intact.
It was true that Lisir could influence the Saint through this passage.
However—that influence was not absolute.
The total amount of energy bestowed upon the target!
Lisir’s influence would probably be proportional to that.
The spirit who thus resolved all doubts.
His next action—
“Ah, Master!!! As expected, Master had a plan!!! But this foolish and innocent thing, without knowing the deep meaning…!!!”
It was reflection.
Reflection on his past misunderstanding（?）.
It was when Lisir shared his energy with the Saint.
At that time, Dangaleon had to suppress the emotions boiling inside him.
He was dissatisfied.
That some worm was taking his energy without any price.
That too, as if it were a matter of course!
Even, a vast amount of energy enough to have a meaningful impact on him!
There was a limit to how infuriating it was.
The spirit wanted to burn that verminous Saint to ashes.
—Even if Master didn’t demand a price, shouldn’t it be natural to offer one willingly!?
However.
What can be done?
Since everything is according to his benevolent will.
—Kuaaaaaak!!! The Saint is not a mere worm!!! Keeping her alive will be useful someday—Kuaaaaaak!!!
The spirit even attempted cognitive restructuring to accept the existence of that worm.
Thus, to this day.
The spirit realized how foolish his actions had been.
“Of course! That evil—no, wise and despicable—no, wise Master would not have shared such vast energy simply out of a desire to bestow!”
The spirit recalled.
The Master’s schemes that sometimes even amazed himself.
The schemes that even amazed himself, who had a cursed and sorrowful past as a ‘former demon’!
Thus—
The spirit recalled the Master’s new servant.
Saint.
What the spirit felt.
That Saint was a greedy pig.
Not knowing satisfaction and continuing to demand power without any price!
“Even wicked demon worshippers offer appropriate offerings when they desire power!!!”
It was truly difficult for the spirit to understand.
To give a sublime meaning to the actions of such a pig, merely because she has the insignificant name of Saint!
In that sense—the spirit thought.
“Indeed, Master!!! Master had perceived the true form of that greedy pig!!! Surely, he was not deceived by that insignificant name!”
Thus, the demon’s thoughts reached a new stage.
“Master is infinitely merciful to innocent beings like me（?）, but infinitely merciless to evil beings like demons!!! Would Master have bestowed such vast energy without any price upon that greedy pig!?”
The night Lisir fell asleep.
A grayish-white fireball was burning fiercely within him.
“Hey, mute woman!!! Tell me!!!”
The spirit pointed to another spirit with spirit.
It was the purple girl who had been blankly staring at him nearby.
“…”
The purple girl simply stared at the spirit with her characteristic expressionless expression.
It meant, ‘I don’t know.’
“As expected!!! Even you, who are incompetent, can see this clearly without a doubt!!! That’s right!!! Master would never leave that greedy pig alone!!!”
“…”
The purple girl simply stared at the spirit with her characteristic expressionless expression.
It meant, ‘Why are you asking me?’
“Good!!! It’s becoming clearer what I have to do for Master!!!”
The grayish-white fireball was trying to ask the opinions of other spirits.
“No! On second thought, it’s fine! I, Dangaleon, second in rank!!! There’s no reason for me to listen to your insignificant opinions!!!”
The grayish-white fireball showed contempt for his juniors.
Then, he politely rubbed his hands together towards somewhere.
It was the Sand Mite Spirit, struggling with its small body to create a sleeping environment similar to Lisir’s.
In this inner world filled with unfathomable energy, it was almost impossible for spirits to preserve their energy.
Nevertheless, the spirits were preserving their energy to a limited extent with the power they originally possessed.
The Sand Mite Spirit was the being that preserved the most energy among them.
The grayish-white fireball told her his plan.
“Therefore, please, Verbande…ts! Could you lend me your power!?”
“!!!”
The Mite Spirit, whose eyebrows were particularly fierce due to important work, looked at the grayish-white fireball.
“It’s time for coco-nap!?”
“!!!”
The veteran’s Lights Out Declaration!
Before that statement with its absolute power, the spirit felt his vision go dark!
“Hmm!!!”
However, at that time, the Mite Spirit, propping her chin with a small hand, fell into thought.
“!!!”
The result of anguish!
The angle of her eyebrows became even sharper.
“Okay, Huahual!!! This is the only time!?”
“Oooooh…!!!”
The veteran’s Designated Night Watch!!!
Huahual.
The grayish-white fireball intensified its ferocity.
The energy of the swirling sandstorm boosted his energy.
“I, Dangaleon, this burning White Flame!!! I will surely complete my mission!!!”
“We’re going to coco-nap now!”
In the inner world, an environment exactly like Lisir’s bedroom had been created.
A bedroom with soft moonlight coming through the window.
Thump thump!
The Mite Spirit tapped the bed vigorously.
Stomping stomping. Rolling rolling.
The spirits gathered on the bed in their own steps.
“Ah, yes.”
The grayish-white fireball cleverly lowered his voice and brightness.
Afterwards.
He cautiously approaches the ‘passage’.
To fulfill the mission that his Master entrusted to him!
✦✦✦
—Thus!!! While Master was sleeping, I infiltrated the pig’s inner world!!!
“…”
—And, like this!!! I got the appropriate price from that pig!!!
It was the whole story of the ‘Luminous Lisir’ that the spirit told.
Lisir, Shuyen, Tara.
They realized belatedly.
The sparkling Lisir.
That they felt a stronger ‘Divine Power’ from him than before.
No.
In fact, they had realized it a long time ago.
Because it was a divine power too clear to be dismissed as a feeling.
Nevertheless, they ignored their gaze and denied it.
Because they could easily infer where that divine power came from.
Lisir recalled.
The prayer that Tara Dorin and he had made, asking for energy.
The divine power contained in that prayer.
“Ah…!”
Lisir sighed unconsciously.
It was a fact that could no longer be ignored.
Saint.
The identity of the ‘greedy pig’ that the spirit spoke of was undoubtedly that Saint.
They were immediately shocked.
“The Saint’s energy… was stolen…?”
Lisir was shocked that his spirit had stolen the Saint’s energy.
“The Saint… was made a servant…?”
Tara and Shuyen were shocked that the Saint had been reduced to someone’s servant.
They recalled the energy possessed by the current Saint.
That energy, which stood out even in a weakened state, was clearly—worthy of being called a Saint.
Even Tara Dorin, the First Saint.
Even transcendental beings who command countless servants.
They would not be able to ignore her will and make her a servant.
“How is that possible…?”
Tara and Shuyen demanded an explanation from Lisir with their gaze.
“No, even if you ask me…”
Lisir was just as confused.
This was the first time he had shared the energy itself entirely.
But, he never imagined that act would result in the Saint becoming his servant.
“Originally, if you share energy, does it become like this?”
“If that were the case… she would have become Tara’s servant long ago.”
Lisir nodded at the fairy’s answer.
Is that so?
Then what is it?
“Lisir. Is there any unusual characteristic about your ‘caliber’ that we should know?”
At that time, the fairy Shuyen said.
“Caliber?”
“Yes. Not the caliber of power, but the caliber as an existence. A characteristic that further supports the fact that you are something beyond human.”
“…”
After a moment of contemplation, Lisir opened his mouth.
“I am, for one, a Guardian Saint.”
Shuyen and Tara, who had been listening to him, felt something ‘click’ in their heads.
“Oh, and recently, I’ve also become the World Tree’s-… mother.”
“…”
Is that sentence correct?
Shuyen and Tara had to spend some time cultivating their cognitive flexibility to accept that sentence.
✦✦✦
“Okay. Let’s just say it’s all possible.”
Saint Tara, Fairy Shuyen.
Their thoughts, after strenuous effort, reached the same point as Lisir’s.
Tara closed her eyes and pondered for a while.
Then, she opened her eyes wide and shouted.
“What, what are you doing!? Stealing the energy of someone who needs help!?”
Tara’s facial muscles trembled.
Tara had been in constant contact with the Saint through prayers.
She knew.
The Saint’s weakness.
And, even in that weakness, her holy heart that tried to help others rather than take care of herself!
That was why Tara had helped the Saint without doubt and wholeheartedly.
Empathy.
She saw herself in that foolish act of helping others by sacrificing herself.
Tara knew how exhausting and lonely such a life was.
Therefore, she earnestly hoped.
That that pitiful child would not follow the same path as herself—
“Do you know what kind of state of mind I helped that child with!?”
Lisir’s spirit.
What he did was to trample all of that.
Tara’s determination and efforts that she had painstakingly maintained until now—
“But… but…! To do such a thing to that child…! To seize such power from that pitiful child!!! This way, she won’t be able to protect others, let alone herself… what to do, what to do—”
Huff. Huff.
Tara’s breath came in short gasps.
The First Saint, who had never felt doubt or anxiety even at the moment of self-sacrifice and annihilation, was rapidly being consumed by all sorts of impure energy.
—What nonsensical nonsense are you spouting!?
It was the spirit’s overbearing voice that calmed the Saint（?）.
—Pitiful my foot!!! What pitiful thing would pile offerings like mountains in a barn!
“…What?”
—No, it should be a privy instead of a barn!? That’s right! That would be more appropriate!
“Wh, what are you saying—”
—That pig has received your energy countless times! It’s your energy, a quite useful power for a worm! Yet, you say it’s merely weak! Haven’t you ever thought it strange!?
“That’s… because that child… is sacrificing herself to help others…”
—If that were the case, her fame would have already reached Master!!! Master!!! Have you heard anything about that pig!?
Saint Asrania.
Lisir began to recall things about the current Saint.
What came to mind was the conversation that took place when a High Priest visited the Grey Tower.
—Is the Saint still secluded these days?
Lisir had little interest in religion, and therefore, he didn’t know much about the Saint.
That was all he knew about the Saint.
“What…?”
Nevertheless, she was better than Tara, who lived a life completely cut off from the present world.
It was as Dangaleon said.
According to Tara’s claim, the Saint was performing continuous self-sacrifice—salvation through it—with the energy of the First Saint.
The achievements accumulated through repeated salvation naturally spread throughout the continent and should have reached Lisir’s ears.
However.
All Lisir knew about the Saint was that she was shut up in her room.
Even if she started her pilgrimage after receiving Tara’s energy—
The fact that news related to her did not reach Lisir was clearly a problem.
Therefore.
The meaning of the series of information was clear.
—That pig was pretending to be poor, coveting your power, and secretly accumulating power!
They were shocked by the Saint’s true power as described by Dangaleon.
It was a fact that was clearly conveyed even though it was indirectly stated.
Lisir, whose momentum was rising, was heading towards the end of Rank 7.
The Saint possessed power and energy that surpassed Lisir’s.
It was infinitely far from the ‘weakness’ Tara talked about.
—Foolish things! Consider it fortunate that Master has arrived before you!!! Wise—no, wise Master had noticed all this long before I did, and intended to trap that pig!
“…”
Tara and Shuyen looked at Lisir in great surprise.
Lisir also looked down at himself in great surprise.
I.
Me?
Dangaleon’s statement wasn’t entirely wrong.
Originally, Dangaleon was not much different from others.
Even to that demon who treated mortals as pests, the name ‘Saint’ had its own meaning.
A greedy Saint.
If Lisir hadn’t opened their minds with a new perspective, Dangaleon wouldn’t have suspected the Saint.
—Master! I, Dangaleon! Once again, I admire Master!!! To trap that pig with such a cunning plan!!!
Shuyen and Tara looked at Lisir with shocked expressions.
Someone who could come up with a scheme that even demons would admire!?
“…Yes, that’s how it is.”
Lisir sighed and reluctantly agreed.
Right now, there was something more important than resolving the misunderstanding（?）.
He looked at Tara.
Through true dedication, truly in a weakened state—
The true ‘Saint’.
“Dangaleon. Saint—no, was Tara’s energy clearly stored in the place where that woman had accumulated her power?”
The spirit carefully observed Tara and nodded.
—It was piled up like a mountain!!!
The truth was revealed.
The Saint was embezzling the First Saint’s energy for impure reasons.
While Tara and even Shuyen were confused.
Lisir said in an unwavering voice.
“Is there a way to get it all back?”
✦✦✦
“Kyaaaaaaaaaak!!!”
Early morning.
The congregation members rushed to the Saint’s room at the scream from inside.
“What is it, Saint-…nim?”
The congregation members who burst into the room unconsciously trailed off.
It wasn’t because the Saint was still in her pajamas.
That Saint—
A terrible poison was lingering on the kind and delicate Saint’s face.
Saint Asrania was gasping for breath in that state.
“…”
Soon, the Saint slowly returned to her original appearance and spoke to the congregation members.
“I’m sorry for causing a commotion. I had a terrible—a very terrible nightmare…”
Her appearance, drenched in sweat from anxiety, was clearly that of someone suffering from a nightmare.
“Is that so.”
Another one after yesterday’s heresy trial.
The congregation members felt a sense of incongruity, but for now, they left after saying their greetings.
‘Why!?’
As soon as the congregation members left—
Asrania immediately regained her poisonous expression and consulted herself.
‘Why? Why!?! Why!?!?!? Why did it suddenly decrease!?’
She took out a necklace with a huge jewel from the pouch hidden in her bosom.
It was the ‘vessel’ she had carefully hidden in the dimensional pouch.
Dawn’s Guidance.
The power she had accumulated to achieve that cause.
The power that was approaching its target had greatly decreased for some reason.
As if it had been stolen!
‘What, what is it—who could do such a thing…!’
No matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind.
Thus, Asrania is dominated by ‘anxiety’.
Anxiety that her energy might be stolen again.
And, anxiety that she might not be able to achieve her cause.
In the end, Asrania was dominated by that anxiety.
“This may only be the beginning…”
She muttered in a somewhat alien tone.
Her wavering eyes were firmly fixed with madness.
Asrania stared straight at the vessel.
Thus—
It was the moment she was about to use all the remaining power in the vessel.
“…!”
Asrania’s pupils dilated.
Suddenly, the world changed, and swallowed her.
Asrania did not know.
That she had become someone’s servant without knowing it.
That their energy and inner worlds had become connected.
The pure white world that suddenly kidnapped her.
That it was someone else’s inner world.
At that time.
A man appeared before Asrania.
“My child…”
Lisir.
He spoke to Asrania.
With the most mysterious and meaningful atmosphere possible.
Asrania’s expression crumpled.
Dawn’s Guidance.
There was only one being who could call her, a member of it, like that.
Dawn’s Hand.
The great being who should be called the true God.
Just as Asrania was about to show her aversion, it was then.
“…!”
Suddenly, Asrania’s eyes were filled with lush green.
A giant tree scattering life.
“World Tree…”
The sacred tree had grown and was protecting the man’s back.
The World Tree is the heart of the Elves.
The mother of all Elves.
But, how could a mere human ‘possess’ the World Tree.
Who. Could do such a thing.
“…!”
Suddenly.
Asrania’s eyes widened.
Dawn’s Hand.
She recalled the great being who tried to embrace all things in the world with its great tolerance.
The great being she had only indirectly encountered until now—
Had finally revealed itself before her?
“My child.”
The man said again.
It was at that moment.
—Asrania…
“!!!”
Asrania quickly looked down at her hand.
A necklace decorated with huge jewels.
Vessel.
A voice came from the essence of the power that served Dawn’s Hand.
—Do not be deceived…
Asrania looked back and forth between the man and the necklace in confusion.
A familiar voice and presence.
And, a strange man.
The situation was clear.
However, it was unavoidable.
—Asrania…?
World Tree.
That immense presence strongly captured Asrania’s gaze.
—Asrania…?
Dawn’s Priestess.
Her eyes wavered.
It was a ripple caused by a thrown question.
Asrania suddenly felt such a question.
Is this possible for our God?
✦✦✦
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