Chapter 251: One Step Closer |
“I can… hear the voice of the divine beast,” Lucion repeated.
He met Heint’s questioning gaze, his doubt about whether a warlock could truly hear the voice of a divine beast clear in his expression. Carson, however, remained calm, his face showing only quiet acceptance. Lucion felt his resolve waver. Even Hume was smiling, his pride evident.
‘…?’
Lucion was taken aback.
There was no trace of criticism or condemnation in their gazes. Not even a hint.
As waves of anxiety began to ebb away, they were replaced by a growing sense of calm that filled his chest.
[Look, Lucion. Heint and Carson trust you more than you think.]
Russell’s voice came softly, accompanied by a gentle smile. He watched Lucion intently, hoping he would break free from the chains of his past and face the truth head-on.
“Who else knows about this?” Carson asked suddenly, his eyes darting to the door through which Lucion had exited.
“Carson…!”
“Brother!”
Both Heint and Lucion called out at once, stopping Carson in his tracks.
“You can’t,” Lucion said firmly.
“Heint might not look like it, but he’s someone you can trust to keep his mouth shut. I can guarantee it.”
“…”
Caught off guard by the unexpected compliment, Heint blinked, then quickly ran a hand over the goosebumps that rose on his skin.
“But not him,” Carson said, his gaze shifting back toward the door. “I don’t trust him. I understand why you’ve let him be, but I don’t want to leave even a single ember of trouble smoldering behind us.”
“I understand your concern,” Lucion replied. “But through him, we can expose the truth about Nevast. Whatever he may be, he’s a high-ranking priest, and his social standing can’t be ignored.”
“…Fine. If that’s what you’ve decided after meeting him.”
Carson reluctantly released the hilt of his sword and placed a reassuring hand on Lucion’s shoulder. After a short breath, his gaze softened, filled with his usual warmth.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to respond, Lucion.”
“It’s fine, Brother.”
“It must have been hard… for you.”
Carson’s voice wavered, the words heavy with meaning.
Lucion was taken aback by the depth of his brother’s tone, much more than he expected.
“How… burdensome it must have been for you,” Carson continued, his hand trembling slightly on Lucion’s shoulder.
“Do you… trust me?” Lucion asked hesitantly.
‘You didn’t trust me when I was little.’
Lucion barely swallowed the bitter words that rose in his throat.
“If I don’t trust you, who would I trust?” Carson replied, a faint smile curving his lips.
“Am I not… loathsome to you?”
“To me? Loathsome…?” Carson countered, his brow furrowing. “Lucion.”
Carson paused, licking his lips nervously.
“No matter who you are or what you’ve hidden, you are my brother. That fact will never change for me.”
The wrinkles on Carson’s brow deepened as he spoke, his sincerity striking Lucion deeply.
“You told me not to run away, didn’t you? I won’t run anymore, Lucion. But will you… forgive me? Can you forgive me for running away from you?”
“Brother.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve told you before—it’s not your fault. There’s nothing for me to forgive. You don’t have to carry the burden of being a fugitive in front of me anymore.”
For a moment, Lucion’s thoughts drifted to recollections of his brother, who had taken him beyond the frontier walls when he was just a child.
The disbelief when Lucion told him he could see ghosts.
Even the moment Carson had stabbed him.
There was nothing to forgive.
If the documents taken from Neubra and passed to Ketlan were now delivered to Cronia, he could probably even laugh about it.
“The fugitive… is me,” Lucion admitted, forcing a smile. “I didn’t trust you, Brother.”
“All of it,” Carson said quietly, his voice steady. “I understand all of it.”
“I deceived you.”
“You didn’t.”
“Am I not deceiving you even now?”
“It’s not deception; you simply delayed telling me. No matter when, you would have told me eventually. Isn’t that right?”
Lucion nodded at that.
“Then that’s enough. That’s enough, so don’t blame yourself anymore. You’ve told me now, haven’t you?”
Carson smiled warmly, and Lucion’s smile looked anxious as if it might shatter at any moment.
“Brother, I…”
Lucion swallowed the words threatening to spill from his lips. There was one more secret he hadn’t revealed—that he was Hamel. Would Carson forgive him for that as well?
“Lucion.”
Carson tightened his grip on Lucion’s shoulder.
“Don’t push yourself further. For now, this is enough. Just breathe.”
“…Yes. I will.”
At last, Lucion exhaled deeply and turned to Heint. Slowly, a smile formed on Heint’s lips.
‘I understand you.’
That was what his gaze seemed to say, and Lucion felt his heart flutter with joy.
For whatever reason, Carson and Heint truly believed in him. Gratitude welled up in his chest.
“Thank you… Thank you, brothers.”
* * *
“…Ah, Saint.”
The High Priest knelt before Lucion, his head bowed deeply in a gesture of confession and shame. The story the high-ranking priest of Nevast revealed, prompted by Lucion’s words, was harrowing.
The killing of a divine beast, the corruption of holy relics—these were acts that no servant of the Light should ever commit. In fact, no human should ever commit such atrocities.
The weight of professing faith in the God of Light now felt unbearably shameful to the High Priest.
“Saint, forgive me. To claim ignorance would be a pitiful excuse for such a grave sin. It’s disgraceful to even say we serve the same god… I am utterly devastated.”
The High Priest glared at the high-ranking priest kneeling on the ground. The man said nothing, staring silently at the floor as fresh wounds, inflicted by Lucion’s kick, throbbed across his body.
“How… could someone in human form commit such atrocities? I… I…” The High Priest struggled to contain the shame and anger bubbling within him.
“Indeed. That person is trash,” Lucion said with a faint smile.
“I’m sorry. I am so deeply sorry that I have no words but this. Saint, this matter must be revealed to the world. It cannot be hidden,” the High Priest declared, his unwavering gaze fixed on Lucion. His sincerity was evident—he wasn’t saying this merely because Carson and Heint were present. If a sin has been committed, the sinner must face the consequences.
“So, please, Saint, grant me the opportunity to beg Troy for forgiveness. I have claimed to serve the god while blind to the god before me. How shameful… How utterly shameful.”
The High Priest dared not look at Troy. What Lucion had revealed was so overwhelming that it made his heart race.
The god was real. Right here, before his very eyes, bearing the title of the divine beast.
He hesitated even to speak Troy’s name until Troy, through Lucion, gave permission.
At last, the High Priest understood why Troy had chosen Lucion. With the followers of the Light so thoroughly corrupted, who else could carry the divine word?
“Troy is already listening,” Lucion said softly, glancing at Troy.
The divine beast nodded in response.
-Tell him there is no need to beg for forgiveness, Lucion.
“Troy…” Lucion let out a tired sigh and leaned against the divine beast.
The way the High Priest looked at him had always been overwhelming, but now it had reached a new level. Even the simple act of setting foot on the ground felt like a sacrilege, to the point where one should lay out a fresh silk cloth.
―Ratta, Ratta!
Ratta trotted over and gently rested her head on Troy’s front paw.
[It’s remarkable, isn’t it? A divine beast of light coexisting with one of darkness.] Russell mused, finding the situation fascinating. The coexistence of Light and Darkness, a concept he had only imagined, was now unfolding before him in the interactions between Troy and Ratta.
[It’s the kind of situation you enjoy, isn’t it?] Bethel teased.
[Yes, it’s exactly what I hoped for,] Russell admitted, his voice tinged with satisfaction.
“I understand, Troy. It is the truth,” Lucion said. He had no intention of condemning the High Priest, despite his role as a political figure. While flawed, the High Priest had not engaged in the vile acts committed by Nevast’s priests. Compared to them, he was an upright man.
“Troy says there is no need for forgiveness,” Lucion conveyed.
“How… how can you say such a thing?” The High Priest’s voice trembled as he prostrated himself further, pressing his face to the floor. “Please, grant this unworthy servant a chance to atone for his sins.”
Lucion looked to Troy, whose warm gaze rested on him.
No matter what anyone said, the most powerful presence in the Great Light Temple right now was Troy. Any command Troy gave them would be justified beyond question.
-Lucion, this decision rests with you. Tell me what you wish to achieve.
“I… should decide?” Lucion’s eyes widened as he met Troy’s.
To an outsider, it truly seemed as though the two were conversing. Heint, still in a daze, stared in awe. No matter how many times he witnessed it, it was astonishing.
-Yes. You have become my voice, and you’ve given me what I’ve wanted so long, and I could spend all day petting you and telling you how happy I am that we can communicate like this.
―Ah! Ratta thinks the opposite! Ratta wants Lucion to stroke Ratta all day instead!
Lucion chuckled, placing Ratta on his lap and stroking her fur. When Bethel joined in, Ratta’s tail wagged so fast it was a blur.
―Ratta is so happy!
Troy let out a soft laugh at the scene before him.
-Florence has come before you and confessed his sins. Thus, it is only natural that the decision regarding this matter rests with you, Lucion.
Lucion nodded. With a calm yet firm tone, he addressed the High Priest.
“For the upcoming meeting between Nevast and Neubra, I will take Mr. Veros with me. And, of course, that piece of trash as well.”
“You plan to go to Nevast?” The High Priest’s face filled with fear.
“To uncover the truth, there’s no other way but to go to its heart. We must rescue the remaining divine beasts, mustn’t we?” Lucion said with conviction.
At his declaration, Florence, the high-ranking priest of Nevast, who had been silent until now, looked up in shock.
“O Saint,” he murmured in awe.
To willingly walk into danger for the sake of truth and others—such an act was nothing short of saintly.
[Look at that guy’s eyes. I just want to gouge them out,] Russell growled, irritated by the reverence Florence directed at Lucion.
Lucion wasn’t thrilled about walking into the lion’s den either. But he had no choice.
Nevast was already under Veronia’s control. To ensure his survival, Lucion needed to bring Nevast to its knees.
If the situation weren’t so dire, Russell would have stopped him.
“It’s dangerous,” the High Priest warned. “That place has already succumbed to madness.”
“I’m well aware of the dangers,” Lucion replied. “But to reveal the truth, we need the truth itself. And to deliver it, we need someone to confess and someone to prove it.”
He pointed to himself.
“As Troy’s voice and representative, who else could take my place? Who else could validate the truth on Troy’s behalf?”
The room fell silent. There was no one else. Only Troy could stand against those who, deceived by Veronia’s lies, had descended into madness and cloaked falsehoods as truth.
The High Priest lowered his head, unable to refute Lucion’s bitter reality. If anything went wrong, they wouldn’t just lose their god but also their god’s chosen representative.
“Please ensure the priests accompanying me remain silent. Also, Florence’s and Mr. Veros’s identities must be concealed.”
“I swear on my life to handle everything exactly as you’ve instructed, Saint,” the High Priest promised solemnly.
“Then I will personally deliver this matter to His Majesty.”
Lucion rose from his seat. There was nothing more to say.
“Lucion,” Carson called out, his voice steady. “Heint can handle things from here, so don’t worry. Let’s head back to the villa.”
Today had been exhausting. So much had happened, and it was clear they all needed a break.
“Yes, Lucion, you should rest,” Heint chimed in, agreeing with Carson. “I’ll personally deliver the message to His Majesty. Take this time to recover.”
Though Lucion claimed he was taking time off to recuperate, he had, in truth, been quite active as Hamel.
“Oh, brother,” Lucion said, addressing Carson, “before we leave, may I meet the people who brought the high-ranking priest here? I need to thank them properly.”
[Finally! Heroan’s reaction is coming up.] Russell rubbed his hands together in anticipation, excitement clear in his voice.
Carson looked momentarily surprised but then turned his gaze toward the High Priest, who flinched under the unspoken request and quickly nodded.
“I will bring them here,” the High Priest said promptly.
“Alright then, Lucion,” Carson replied. “Wait here while the High Priest fetches them. We’ll wait outside in the meantime.”
“I…”
“Hume, you stay with him,” Carson interrupted, smiling at Hume. As Lucion’s right-hand man, it was only natural for him to remain.
‘He knows more of Lucion’s secrets than I do,’ Carson thought, feeling a twinge of disappointment. Still, he didn’t let it show and walked out with Heint.
‘There was no choice, considering everything that’s happened,’ Carson admitted to himself. Then a soft smile spread across his face.
‘But even so… Lucion shared one of his secrets with me.’
For Carson, that trust was enough to make him genuinely happy.
Once everyone had left, Lucion broke the silence.
“Troy.”
-Yes, Lucion?
“I don’t want to do this half-heartedly. Is that alright with you?” Lucion’s voice was resolute.
-Lucion, you are restoring balance to a scale that has long been tilted. You don’t need to be concerned about my approval, nor do you have any reason to be.
“Understood.” Lucion nodded, his expression firm. “Then I will use you, Troy, for my sake.”
-Do so.
Troy’s gaze softened as he gently patted Lucion on the head.
Knock. Knock.
A sharp knock sounded at the door.