Chapter 380: Fact Always Wins (6) |
“I’m sure it’s a very important story for you,” Father Bishop said.
Naturally, I[1] felt uncomfortable, but I nodded slowly because I needed to find out exactly what they talked about. The Republic had insufficient information about the enemy. The influence of the World Tree that Everia Kingdom possessed and the fact that Father Lee Ki-Young was in Everia was information we had just recently discovered. It would be foolish to think that those were their only hidden cards, so when considering the possibility that they had many cards up their sleeve…
‘He could have gotten some information.’
One could guess many things during a small conversation, and if we want to end this war effectively, we had to know the enemy’s thoughts.
‘Defending isn’t our only goal.’
It was a matter of when the war was going to start. The war could start as early as tomorrow, and there was a high chance the war would start the day after tomorrow. We needed to prevent the enemy from reaching Castle Rock, so we had to hold them here for at least five days, and even if they managed to break through, it had to be after Castle Rock was captured.
“We’re in an advantageous position.”
The walls were strong, and our soldiers were superior. We were in the position to defend, not attack. If we created a long-term battle by centering around distributing the mage’s stamina and the priests…
‘We won’t fall so easily.’
‘He doesn’t want to fight.’
I’m certain of it, and as a priest, it was natural to think that way.
“What did you want to talk about, Father Bishop?” I asked.
“It’s nothing much. I’m sure there are many things you want to hear…” he replied.
“You’re… right, Father Bishop. We undeniably lack information, and we don’t know what kind of cards they have up their sleeves. You have to tell me the conversation you had with him in that tent,” I told him.
“It was nothing but a conversation between priests. Even if you heard it, I’m sure you won’t get anything out of it because we didn’t talk about the war in the first place. We talked about peace, coexistence, and about new beginnings. We also talked about what the goddess truly wanted and the direction the priests had to take in the future. There’s a difference in the gods we serve, but the root is the same for all… Haha. Father Lee Ki-Young said he was an atheist before coming here. Can you believe it? An atheist… on this continent!” he answered.
“Holy power doesn’t really exist in the world where we’re from, so there are many atheists like him,” I told him.
“I heard there are constant wars on Earth. The interesting part was that many of those wars are caused by religion. Of course, there has been a holy war here, but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what is happening on Earth. I heard many people on Earth are fighting for their beliefs. They’re fighting for a god whose existence is unclear, for a god who doesn’t even show themselves, and for a god who never sends holy power to their believers…” he continued.
“I’m sure they did, no, I’m sure they’re still fighting…” I commented.
“He said he couldn’t understand it, but now, he finally understands. Of course, he doesn’t understand war outside of that context. He said he understood why people would fight for what they believed in. I think I know why the Goddess of Benigoa and Elune chose him as their envoy. His faith is pure. He’s a really pure person,” he added.
“What?”
“He’s a real priest with pure faith. He’s not afraid of the dangers on the path he is walking on. He doesn’t hesitate to fight for the name of god. Not only that, he was even studying the doctrine of Varian—Hahaha. I couldn’t help but reflect and think: have I ever fought in the name of god? Am I worthy enough to say that I have a holy job? Have I done anything for Varian?” he explained.
“You’ve done many things, and I’m sure you’ll do many things from now on, Father Bishop,” I told him.
“No, I haven’t… done anything. I haven’t done anything for god,” he said.
“That’s not true,” I said.
“Could you open the path?” Father Bishop asked.
“What?”
“You must open the path. They have a cause, but we don’t, so we must avoid this fight. There’s no reason for the denizens of the Republic to shed their blood in vain. All he wants is for us to be one under the name of the light and to put an end to this chaos by capturing the demon summoner Jin Cheong. We must open the path and head to Castle Rock together,” he suggested.
“What did you just say?” I asked.
“I’m telling you that we need to work with them, Yevkarina,” he replied.
“What are you talking about, Father Bishop? We’re currently at war, and you want us to open the path? That’s ridiculous… And you know better than anyone that Commander Jin Cheong isn’t that kind of person,” I told him.
“I’m talking about possibilities here. If he’s really innocent, how come he didn’t show himself at the Continental Court and how come he didn’t answer the Republic’s questions? He really is the demon summoner. I saw it with my own eyes,” he claimed.
“I think you’re drunk. I’ll listen to the rest of your story tomorrow. Please return for now,” I suggested.
“I’m not talking nonsense, Yevkarina. I saw it with my own eyes! Lee Ki-Young also said that he received a divine order from god! Jin Cheong is the demon summoner, and he must undergo an official religious trial,” he shouted.
“I told you that you’re drunk, Father Bishop!” I yelled.
“And I told you that Jin Cheong is the demon summoner! Yevkarina!” he shouted as well.
“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll bring military law into this,” I threatened.
“...”
“...”
“I’m sorry… it seems like I got worked up a bit…” Father Bishop apologized.
“Whooo… it’s fine. I completely understand how you feel…” I said.
“Would you like to have a drink with me?” he asked.
“I’m fine. I’m having a headache, so please return. I will overlook what happened today. No, I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear anything, so please reconsider,” I told him.
“Okay… I will,” he replied.
“I haven’t told you this, but I admire you a lot. I’d like to see you tomorrow with a smile,” I commented.
“...”
At that, Father Bishop slowly walked away, and I noticed how his shoulders sagged. I still had no idea what kind of conversation he had with him.
I bit my lips, and the glass of wine that was on the table unknowingly caught my attention. However, I had no choice but to throw the glass Father Bishop had poured wine into toward the floor. I was frowning because I realized that I had made the wrong decision.
“Shit.”
“You should’ve drank that wine, Yevkarina.”
I turned toward the door where the voice had come from and saw a gray-haired old man staring at me from the cracked door. His eyes were filled with madness, and he looked hostile. I channeled a spell in response, but the old man charged at me with a dagger in his hand. Fear and shock filled my mind. This wasn’t the first time I had experienced something like this, but Father Bishop’s unusual behavior made it difficult for me to think of anything else.
“Ahhh!”
“You should have drank the wine! The holy wine I offered!” Father Bishop yelled.
“Y-You crazy old man!” I shouted.
“I’m crazy? You think I’m crazy?! You’re the one who’s crazy. You dirty servant of the demon!” he said.
“What… are you saying?!” I questioned.
“You think we don’t know your plans, you demon worshiper! Your plan to summon the demon again at Castle Rock! Do you really think that I don’t know about your plan about using all the people there as sacrifices to completely manifest a complete demon? You think I’d fall for your tricks after receiving divine revelation from Varian?!” he yelled again.
“You crazy!”
“I saw it! I saw the future and experienced it firsthand. I saw the Republic turning into a sea of fire through Varian’s divine revelation! I know what you bastards are trying to do at Castle Rock! I figured it out, you idiots! I even found out why you’re trying to start this war!” he continued.
“Let… let go of me!” I shouted.
“How dare you try to harm Father Lee Ki-Young! He has been chosen by the gods, but you’re still trying to harm him?! He’s the son of Varian and the chosen envoy! He’s not someone a bitch like you would understand!” he yelled.
“Crazy… old man!”
My mind was blank. I struggled, but because of the metal sticking out of my abdomen, it was hard for me to do anything.
“I’m going to fight as well. I’m going to fight to protect the denizens of the Republic and fulfill Varian’s expectations! I’m going to join Father Lee Ki-Young’s cause!” he confessed.
My vision became blurry, but I thought about how I had to remain conscious. I extended my arm out, and I managed to grab an unknown object. I smashed it into Father Bishop’s head, and he fell to the ground after losing his balance. Afterward, I started coughing. I had no idea what was going on, but one thing I was sure of right now was that Father Bishop wasn’t in his right mind. I looked up and saw that his injuries were quickly recovering under the effects of his holy power.
“You’ve finally shown your true colors… you dirty servant of the demon,” Father Bishop said.
“No… I didn’t…” I muttered.
“You dirty bitch!” he yelled.
“I’m not that kind of person!” I screamed.
I smacked his hand away because he was trying to attack me again with his dagger. I felt around and found something hard. I had already lost control of my body due to fear, and because I wanted to survive, I also lost my mind.
“I’m!” I yelled.
“Ugh!”
“Not!”
“Gaah…”
“The demon’s servant!” I yelled.
“Guh!”
“I just want to protect!”
“Ack!!”
“The Republic! I just want to protect Commander!”
“You… dir… ty… ser…”
“Die!” I screamed.
“...”
“Die! You traitor!” I screamed again.
“...”
“Dieeeee!!!”
A sticky liquid splashed on my face. I stretched my arm out weakly, and I finally noticed what I was holding. It was a statuette of Varian, and he was covered in blood while holding up a sword and a shield. I had no idea why, but I started laughing uncontrollably upon seeing the bloodied statue.
However, a loud sound interrupted me.
Booooooooom!
Before I could figure out what was going on, a soldier with a pale face came in to make a report.
“Miss Yevkarina! The alliance is gathering toward the… wall—W-What did you…”
“...”
“What did you do?!” the soldier yelled.
I was too exhausted to answer.
‘Commander… was right. He was… right.’
I felt like I could hear his voice echoing in my head.
‘Don’t trust him, Yevkarina. No matter what.’
“I knew it… Commander… he was right…” I muttered.
1. Yevkarina’s POV ☜
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