I Became God of War's Youngest Disciple - Episode 371
371fury
Heukgyoju.
The Empire's greatest enemy, the leader of the Dark Church. The charisma of evil. One who is followed by hundreds of thousands of believers.
I've heard that too.
To the members of the church, the status of the Black Cult leader is said to be comparable to that of the six evil gods they serve..
One of the titles referring to the religious leader is ‘Sage God’..
Actually, if you look at his actions, it is understandable that he is supported by fanatics..
To put it bluntly, if it weren't for that bastard, the Dark Church would not have become such a huge force today..
The six largest factions of devil worshipers have had a bitter feud in the past..
The story that they fought each other to the brink of extinction still remains in literature..
The one who united such people was the Black Cult leader..
With overwhelming charisma, politics, and an unprecedented aptitude for vengeance, he united the power of six factions that were virtually no different from individual forces..
However, despite achieving such a feat, no information is known about this cult leader..
The same goes for me, who is deeply entangled with the religious denomination..
Currently, I happen to be acquainted with five of the six demon lords.…….
Even I have never seen the shadow of a guy called Heukgyoju, so I said everything..
“Is this certain information??”
“Why would you lie about something like this??”
“Heukgyoju… … . What on earth does he look like? What gender is he? Where are you now? Are you alone??”
Seren asked in a somewhat impatient voice..
It's not that that guy is strange, but any citizen of the empire would have a similar reaction if they heard about this..
Heukgyoju.
No one knows their race, age, gender, or even name, let alone their appearance or characteristics..
This means that even though he is the actual leader of the Dark Church, the continent's greatest enemy, nothing is known about his intentions..
So, in order to find even the slightest characteristic about the cult leader, the empire must be looking for clues with their eyes wide open day and night at this very moment..
But Ozma's response was somewhat vain..
“I don't know.”
“yes?”
“I wasn't the one who negotiated with the religious leader. Dorothy. He was the one who first brought up the topic of negotiations with the church in the first place..”
“ah…….”
While Seren was disappointed, I also seemed to understand why Dorothy was able to negotiate with the religious leader..
Because her other identity is a colorless believer…….
But does Ozma know that fact??
‘I can't ask this here.’
The witches' association shows signs of being cautious for now as they watch out for Lyse's thoughts, but that's it..
They are not yet completely trustworthy.
I asked curiously.
“Did they contact the church without your permission??”
“I am only the representative of the witches' council, not the leader. I don't have the authority to give orders one by one. Besides, Dorothy…….”
Ozma sighed with a somewhat tired expression..
“…Because he is a person who is difficult to control in many ways..”
“…….”
I think so..
This is the woman who impulsively kidnapped me without consulting them in the first place..
The important thing is that the information held by such a self-willed and uncommunicative woman is very important..
Maybe Dorothy saw the cult leader in person..
Meanwhile, I also became concerned about Dorothy's suddenly disappearing skills..
A power that cannot be traced once activated. A secret lifesaver that can save your life in any situation..
‘by ear.’
I shook my head at a momentary thought..
This is a wild guess..
“… But is it okay for you to share this information with us? If the church found out that the information was leaked, they wouldn't stay silent..”
“What if I don't stay still? If we decide to hide, no one will be able to find us. Except in one-sided cases..”
Ozma's gaze turned to Lise..
Somehow, it seems like a light of respect is shining in my eyes.…….
When RiSe got that look, she responded with a sour face..
“It's a fun space. We built a tom stretching out in a straight line in the [interstitial space] between dimensions, and created a different environment for each floor. This seems to be roughly the top..”
“…that's right. hmm.”
Ozma looked slightly at me and said:.
“So, from now on, we will not completely cut off ties with the church, but rather keep in contact with them and try to dig up as much information as we can, so would you mind doing me a favor??”
“ask?”
“I want you to teach me black magic..”
There was a rare hint of heat and impatience in his calm voice..
Looks like I've made up my mind.
Rather than relying on the church, you will make much more progress if you receive teachings from Lise directly..
“hmm…….”
Since it wasn't up to me to decide, I glanced at RiSe and asked.
“What do you want to do??”
“What should I do? This body is in no position to teach anyone but you right now..”
That's right.
Even if I go out like this now, I'm destined to be taken to the underground library soon..
but…….
If we can attract the Witches' Association as allies, it will be an overwhelming advantage in the upcoming fight against the Church..
It means it's a waste of opportunity to just let it go..
After thinking about it, I opened my mouth..
“Once every two months, even briefly, would be fine.?”
“…….”
It may not have any merit to Lise, but I decided to take another stab at it..
Lise thought with a surprisingly serious expression on her face, then looked at Ozma and said:.
“Rather than giving one-sided teachings, let's give Zen questions and answers about black magic. Because I’m also interested in the black magic of this era..”
“huh. good.”
Ozma nodded with a brightened face, and Lise looked at me again..
“This body will never come to earth under any circumstances. So usually I... Take care of this guy named Lu. If something happens to that child, this body won't be able to see you either..”
Then the eyes of the witches naturally turned to me..
Ozma nodded with a stern face..
“keep in mind.”
* * *
How did the story with the Witches come to an end and we were finally able to escape from [Emerald Tower]?.
While standing in an alley with no signs of popularity, I glanced at Seren and said,.
“It really took me 10 years. I'm glad it worked out somehow. right?”
Seren narrowed her eyes after hearing my tone and spoke carefully..
“You know, have you ever…….”
I still have a skeptical attitude.
It seemed like there would be no further progress in the hidden story, so I took off the mask and returned to my original body for the first time in a long time..
Seren exclaimed..
“…After all, it was you.”
“wait for a sec. Wow, I'm so sore, I'm dying..”
When I returned to Luan after a long time, my whole body was so stiff that I felt like I was going to pass out..
I stretched in a dark alley and relaxed my stiff muscles and joints for a while..
Seren, who was looking at the situation in confusion, said with a serious face..
“…For now, I'll just assume I haven't seen you have a hobby like that.-.”
“no it's not. That look was just the default for magic tools, so it couldn't be helped..”
“Right. Anyway, it’s been a while..”
“I know.”
Seren finally breathed a sigh of relief..
It was nice to meet you, but neither of us were the type to be friendly and happy to meet again after such a long time, so we exchanged somewhat dry greetings..
Seren's gaze turned to Lise..
“But that person…….”
“Did you hear it earlier? Lycerradigos All High Mood. You can roughly understand him as the elder of the Badniker family..”
I thought it would get too long if I talked about this and that about RiSe, so I explained it briefly..
“okay? I knew it.”
Seren seemed to understand without any doubts..
It's probably because of Riise's appearance, but since she has all the Badknicker characteristics of black hair and purple eyes, there doesn't seem to be much suspicion..
“Do we have a lot to say to each other? But today I... So, I have to attend to Lise until tomorrow afternoon. So let's talk later and come back later at night..”
“okay. Oh, before that, I have something to ask you..”
“say.”
“Perhaps the fact that Iron Blood Lord came to the south had something to do with you??”
“For now, okay.”
“It was like that too.”
Of course, I plan to hide Delak's memory loss from this guy as well..
Regardless of trust in Seren, it is not a good thing for it to spread widely..
“Then, when you have time in the evening, come to a bar called [Gloomy Sunday]..”
“okay.”
Seren left first, and Lise and I were left alone..
Despite going through that commotion, Riise's expression didn't change much..
“I almost got into big trouble, but thanks to you, I survived..”
“It has been done. Because it was the first fun experience I had in a long time..”
“It's a fun experience?”
Rise said with a grin..
“okay. It's been a while since I've competed with someone directly in magic, so I guess it was a good stimulus. Although I still feel a bit sluggish.”
This means that even apart from the fact that less than half of her strength was sealed, Riese was still not at full strength..
At this point, it became difficult for me to predict the extent of RiSe's undivided attention..
At the same time, questions arose about how powerful the seal was that locked such a person in the underground library..
“By the way, it seems like you are deeply intertwined with the church..”
“It just so happened that it happened like that..”
“Hmm… okay.”
“Shall we wander around a little more first? I haven't even been able to see half of Iruga yet..”
I took Rise, who nodded, and went out into the street..
I stopped by the De Marlin refreshment shop again, bought a lot of desserts, and walked around the streets while eating..
RiSe wasn't as picky as I thought..
Although he had a bit of an appetite, he didn't seem to be very interested in expensive clothes or accessories..
Rather, what he was interested in was an alley with street vendors selling miscellaneous items, but Rise said he wasn't going to buy anything and just looked at it for a very long time..
As a result, the sun naturally went down, and after eating a quick meal, I returned to my accommodation..
“Didn't you say you had no intention of sleeping? It's only 24 hours…….”
Rise was lying on the bed, covering herself with the blanket and complaining..
It's like a nephew who whines and says he doesn't want to sleep... You shouldn't think like that.?
“You just have to wake up early. The quality of life comes from sleep. You have until tomorrow afternoon, so keep your eyes peeled..”
“Umm…….”
Rise looked dissatisfied, but eventually accepted what I said..
In fact, it was because he had been rubbing his eyes and looked oddly sleepy since earlier..
It looks like he used up a lot of his mental energy while competing with the witches' association in magic..
I was finer than I thought.
Strangely, since coming to the South, my body has always been full of energy, and I have lost a lot of sleep..
Isn't it because this area has good synergy with Chloride First Industrial Co.?.
[Thanks to the grace of Vulcan!]
‘It's a surprise.’
Vulcan revealed his presence without warning..
I thought you had been a little quiet lately..
‘Can't you just not show up when you're not in luzard form??’
[That can't be possible! From the moment you held Myeongryongah, we became a community of destiny.!]
‘What kind of fate community?.’
After leaving the inn while chatting trivially, we arrived at a bar called [Gloomy Sunday], which we had heard about in advance..
Any Southern bar in the evening is bound to have a lively atmosphere.…….
This bar had a very quiet and calm atmosphere..
Wouldn’t business have been much better if the store name had been Happy Sunday??
This is why you need to name your store well..
‘hmm.’
Anyway, I couldn't see Seren..
I went to the counter, then threw a silver coin at the person who appeared to be the owner and said,.
“Master, eat what you always eat.…….”
“Don't be shy and come inside.”
I heard Seren's voice from inside the counter..
It’s been a while since I last saw you, but you’re so grumpy..
I glanced around and realized that most of the people here were under Seren's command..
They are probably all members of the information guild [Bastard]..
‘It's pretty good?’
Not everyone is at a good level.
Skills are skills, but their true value is different..
The most important thing when establishing an information guild is securing talent, and among those talents, the most valuable are trustworthy ones..
That's because they make a living by trust..
This means that everyone here is prepared to throw away their lives without hesitation if it is the order of Master Seren..
It is a great achievement if achieved in a short period of time..
Well, if I didn't have that level of ability, I wouldn't have been able to settle down in this big city called Airuga..
Going inside, a shabby food ingredients warehouse appeared. Seren is not visible.
“come down.”
“huh?”
When I looked for something, I noticed that there were stairs leading down behind the stacked boxes..
‘oh…….’
This is what an information guild should be like..
I laughed and went down the stairs..
After going down the dark stairs, a fairly large space was revealed with dim lighting..
One wall was entirely a bookcase, with old books and documents piled indiscriminately..
On the other wall was a large map..
I glanced at it and saw a map of the south..
There were too many handwriting traces and patterns on the map to count, but honestly, I don't know..
Isn't the information guild encrypted?.
Of course, what surprised me the most was that there was one more person in this space besides Seren..
“hi.”
“…See you soon.”
It was Ozma.
What's going on with this woman here??
Feeling puzzled, I sat side by side in front of him..
Seren said.
“He has something to say.”
“what to say?”
“huh. I feel like the conversation earlier wasn't over yet. I'm here to tell you a few more things.”
“What is it?.”
“First of all, your goal is, of course, to thwart the church's plans and prevent the coming of the Demon Lord.?”
“Yes.”
“But the church has been preparing for this for at least 10 years, maybe longer. A tower that was built with great care will not collapse if a few cornerstones are removed. Besides, it's just about to be completed, so even if you guys get involved, nothing will change..”
I thought for a moment and said.
“The person who actually manages the labor yard is the Golden Duke, the lord of Airuga. Wouldn't that level of impurity be enough to collapse the tower??”
“it will be difficult.”
It was Seren who responded this time..
“The most important thing to the Golden Duke is not the peace of the city or the lives of its citizens. However, their loyalty to the empire is not complete. The only thing that moves her is money.”
“…They say that if the country collapses, gold will just become a yellow, shiny metal.?”
Seren sighed..
“They say money makes people stupid. I wasn't giving up either. I didn't know the church's detailed plans, but I knew they were up to something in the workhouse. I intentionally leaked that information to Golden Ball, but there was no response. Rather, the number of prisoners increased..”
“Are you blinded by relics and turning a blind eye to the church’s tricks?.”
Still, he's one of the five archdukes of the empire, so why is he so stupid?.
While I was laughing out loud, Ozma opened his mouth..
“It's not like the golden ball has no thoughts. It seems like he has come up with a plan that will definitely prevent the devil from coming..”
“yes?”
“What is that... … . Didn't you say that the descent of the Demon King has already reached a stage where it is difficult to stop??”
“okay. that's right. For example, if the leader of the cult steps forward and recite the scriptures of evil right now, the green-tongued devil will descend on this earth, albeit in an imperfect form. The reason for not doing so is because the church wants to complete the ceremony more clearly..”
“So how are you going to stop it? Enough sacrifices have already been made, and there is nothing to be certain about the identity of the religious leader..”
“It's simple. Mixing a cup of pure blood with turbid blood..”
“Hemorrhage… … . dirty blood?”
“I know? Recently, the Golden Duke has been imprisoning a growing number of prisoners of different races at the Lahilde Workyard. If possible, his sponsors are also receiving lobbying from people of different races..”
“that… Yes.”
Seren, who knew what was going on, nodded..
“After hearing this, I can't figure out anything.?”
Seren still looked confused, but I hardened my expression..
Because what Verita said in the past crossed my mind..
“…The cult can only sacrifice the seven races..”
“okay. The bloody blood of this race actually made their gods angry..”
Why the Church is Deeply Intertwined with the Empire…….
This is because the only ones that can be sacrificed to summon a demon are the seven races that contributed to the founding of the Unknown Empire..
Humans, fairies, dwarves, giants, beastmen, Heavenly Wings, and finally dragons..
In other words, races other than that, or other races as they are called in the world, are not worthy of sacrifice..
“The Golden Duke plans to kill all the prisoners of this race at Rahild Workyard. The minimum number is around 5,000. At that level, the cup of pure blood will be defiled and the ritual will fail..”
Ozma said with a relaxed face..
“Even if he rots, he is still one of the five great dukes. If the Golden Ball's plan goes as planned, the Church's plan will go astray and they will only suffer enormous losses. Even if it is a replica, handing out sacred relics is not a viable business..”
“…….”
“So, you just watch without getting involved and look for any clues about the cult leader. That would be much more efficient.”
Ozma's words are flawless..
It's probably true..
If that's what I said, Iron Blood Ball... I also understand why Delak cooperates with the Golden Ball..
To that gentleman, the lives of other races are probably not that important..
If you ask a hundred citizens of the empire, they will probably all give the same answer..
however…….
‘pestilence.’
why am i so upset?
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