Chapter 109 : Chapter 109

Chapter 109 - Divine Conversion (3)

Usually, when using Holy Magic, the Divine Power clustered in the Holy Light unravels like a skein of thread and envelops the caster.

But since Artier was emitting Divine Power from within his body, his appearance was different from others.

“What is that?”

“It’s Holy Magic… right?”

The Divine Power seeping out from his neck and back enveloped him not as a skein of thread, but as a wide sheet of cloth.

The formless light swirled around his sword.

[The world responds to your will.]

The Divine Power led by Artier was unstoppable.

Though it was his first time treading this path, he showed a familiarity as if he had repeated it hundreds of times.

Crack!

In the meantime, the shadow hand, which had finally devoured its own summoner, licked its lips and looked towards Artier.

Although it had swallowed numerous bones and a lot of blood, it seemed the creature was not yet satisfied.

Its fingers slowly extended, and when Artier didn't react, they finally lunged for his heart.

“Artier! Be careful!”

At someone’s shout, Artier opened his eyes.

And he pushed the last of his Divine Power into the incantation.

[The world has recognized your will.]

[The bestowed Divine Power takes form.]

Thump!

The light enveloping his surroundings pulsed with a mighty beat.

[It takes on the strongest form within your subconscious.]

Artier felt armor and a sword made of light envelop him.

Its form was one he was all too familiar with.

‘Scorching Runic Saber, Coat of the Free Wind, Cloak of Gracious Nature…’

They were the end-game items Artier had always cherished.

Artier smiled as he looked at his transformed sword. Even though it was the first time he was seeing it in person, he felt a comfort as if he had returned home.

‘This will do.’

Slice!

Artier cut down the approaching fingers.

As if waiting, the fingers duplicated and targeted him again, but…

Slice! Slice! Slice!

A small line remained on the path Artier’s sword had traced.

They became invisible blades and cut down the duplicated fingers again.

The fingers continued to multiply, but Artier’s sword was multiplying just the same.

[You have learned Holy Magic: Divine Blade Encounter.]

[Holy Magic: Divine Blade Encounter (Lv.1): Can only be used when encountering an enemy. Annihilates the enemy with infinite blades.]

“Is this… Artier’s Holy Magic?”

Gerard stared at the fingers being swiftly cleared away.

Was that creature, which was being so helplessly defeated, really the same monster that Por had to burn with all his might earlier?

“It’s just as expected from the one who created the biggest Holy Light among us.”

At some point, Artier was no longer swinging his sword.

It was because the entire passage had become filled with invisible blades.

Now, no matter how the fingers divided, there was no gap for them to pass through.

In contrast, the speed at which the fingers divided was gradually decreasing.

Crumble!

Eventually, the last finger turned to dust and vanished.

Artier dispersed the Divine Power and sheathed his sword.

“Is everyone okay?”

“A little tired, but no fatal wounds.”

“……No, there are two.”

Tersion glanced at the two people lying on the ground.

As if by fate, it was Reinard’s comrades again.

“Healing magic will be difficult. We’ll need to use Holy Magic.”

Collie, who was sniffing the air, drooped his ears and shook his head.

The warrior who used the mace already had a glazed look in his eyes.

“……I shall use Holy Magic.”

“No, I’ll do it.”

Artier extended his hands towards the two.

For some reason, even right after using Holy Magic, his body was still full of vitality.

‘Everyone else is not in good condition right now. It’s right for me to do it.’

He had long since memorized the incantation for basic Holy Magic.

Casting it was an extremely easy task for Artier.

[You have learned Holy Magic: Divine Healing.]

Flash!

The warrior, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, suddenly sat up with a bewildered expression as all his pain vanished and his mind became clear.

The sword wound that had split open his abdomen had disappeared without a trace.

“Uh……”

“Wow! It’s healed up perfectly!”

Gerard couldn’t understand the situation.

“Artier, don’t overdo it.”

“Huh?”

“Using Holy Magic twice in a row. Even for you, the side effects later on will be severe……”

Gerard lost his words and shut his mouth.

It was because even from his perspective, Artier’s condition was perfectly fine.

“How did this happen?”

“Hmm?”

Artier extended his hand to the archer who was lying down.

Once again, with a bright light, her wounds healed cleanly.

“What’s wrong?”

“……”

Gerard seemed to be captivated by Artier’s natural expression.

The same was true for Collie and Reinard.

“To be perfectly fine after using Holy Magic, which requires a long rest after just one use, three times in a row…”

“That, I don’t think that’s on a human level.”

“Wow! My little brother is the best!”

Only Jeina, who lacked related knowledge, had sparkling eyes as she patted Artier’s back.

Artier forced a smile and avoided everyone’s gazes.

‘I know it’s weird too. But what can I do if it works.’

In truth, Artier was also worried. It was as if his power had gone berserk.

“I think it’s because of this skill called Divine Conversion.”

“Divine Conversion?”

At the center of all the problems was this skill.

It wasn’t an infinite feeling like at first, but just by converting the Divine Power coming in through the ground into mana, he could use twice as much mana as usual.

“Strange. There was no mention of such Holy Magic in the library.”

“I have not been educated on it either.”

Gerard and Reinard were lost in thought for a moment, then spoke simultaneously.

“I think it would be best to tell Sir Ropin about this after we return.”

“Let’s confirm the conditions under which it was obtained and, if necessary, find a way to pass it on to the members of the knight order.”

“R-Right.”

Why did he feel a sense of greed in both their eyes?

Artier tried his best to swallow his unease.

“For now, let’s get out of here quickly. More enemies might come.”

“Understood.”

After sheathing his sword, Artier briefly stared at the two corpses.

Funnily enough, no fear could be felt from their expressions. There was only calmness and bewilderment.

‘Come to think of it, these guys had the title of Orion Empire Special Division Soldier. They weren't an ordinary expedition, were they?’

If so, wouldn’t they have some special items too?

As he rummaged through the inventory with anticipation, an unexpected item was caught in his hand.

“Huh……?”

[Skill Book (Rare)]

[Embedded Skill: Shadow Pierce (Black Sign)]

[Option: Acquires the embedded skill upon use]

[Usage Restriction: Fulfill special conditions or possess a physical attack skill of Lv.8 or higher]

“……”

The power of Shadow Pierce had already been proven.

Hadn’t Artier suffered immensely because of it?

Although there was the penalty of getting hurt himself, considering its power, it was well worth the risk.

“I suppose I should forgive them.”

“Excuse me? What are you suddenly talking about?”

“……It’s nothing.”

Artier hastily put the book away before anyone could see.

***

“To think it’s not here either.”

Ropin let out a sigh.

‘The most recently recorded work content is from a whopping 6 months ago……. And there’s nothing unusual about it.’

He was currently in the palace’s document storage room.

Beside him, parchments detailing how the Empire handled its affairs were piled up like a mountain.

‘Any more of this would be a waste of time.’

Ropin got up from his seat and massaged his stiff back.

“As expected, it’s not easy.”

Except for the first day he gave his congratulatory address, Ropin had been practically living here every day. The Crown Prince didn’t seem to care what he did anyway.

Today was already the third day.

‘Well, if they had condoned or tried to use the Hellmorphs, they wouldn’t have stored the evidence in a place like this.’

It seemed another method was needed to uncover the Empire’s secrets.

Ropin got up from his seat and stared at one side.

There was a door with ‘No Entry’ written in large letters.

“It would be great if I could check that place…”

However, that place was a restricted area where only the scribes in charge of records could enter.

Even Ropin couldn’t carelessly enter there.

“Hmmmm……”

“Is something troubling you?”

Ropin, who had been racking his brain, turned his head at the familiar voice.

There stood Simon, holding a tray with tea and refreshments.

“I heard you haven’t eaten anything today.”

“Thank you.”

Thirst and hunger hit him belatedly.

Ropin picked up a teacup and a cookie.

“Then I shall take my leave……”

“Simon.”

“……Is there something you need?”

Was his head starting to work after the sugar kicked in?

Or did he just want to grasp at even the smallest clue?

“What do you do when you have to enter a place you cannot enter?”

“A place I cannot enter, you say.”

Simon answered immediately.

“I break in.”

“I can’t do that. I can’t get caught.”

“Then you have to pick the lock and go in.”

“Wouldn’t I get caught if I pick the lock?”

“……”

Simon couldn’t hide his bewildered gaze.

What in the world did this old man want from him?

In the first place, mercenaries would charge in expecting a fight if they were caught, unlike assassins who would slip in and out without a sound.

“Then…… wouldn’t you bribe someone.”

In the end, Simon brought out the last resort he could think of.

“Bribe?”

“Bribing them with money or various conditions.”

“A bribe……”

Ropin began to consider it quite seriously.

‘That’s not something a priest can do.’

Simon couldn’t fathom the intentions of the old man in front of him.

In the first place, weren’t all the methods he suggested far from what a priest would choose?

As if he knew his thoughts, or perhaps not, Simon gave a bright smile.

“Thank you, Simon. You’ve been a great help.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Simon was about to get up from his seat, but Ropin immediately stopped him as he was about to leave.

“Simon, there’s a place you need to accompany me to.”

“……”

This felt ominous.

Very ominous.

“If you require an escort, it would be better to take the leader……”

“No. Sir Trophin is too large and draws too much attention.”

‘I also draw an enormous amount of attention from humans.’

For reference, Simon was a beastman.

In broad daylight, he could probably be distinguished from 500 meters away.

“I’d prefer it if the process wasn’t long. It would be noisy if a large group wanders around, wouldn’t it?”

The soldier guarding the entrance blocked the way with his spear as Ropin approached.

“I apologize. Even for you, Father, entry to this place is not permitted.”

“I am sensing a deep darkness from that place right now.”

“Pardon?”

Ropin completely erased the gentle expression he had just a moment ago and spoke seriously.

“An evil spirit may have hidden itself inside. It must be purified immediately.”

“B-But that requires the permission of the head scribe……”

“Can you take responsibility if the evil spirit escapes while you’re doing that? This is the Imperial Palace. I shudder to even say what would happen if an evil spirit were to visit His Majesty the Emperor’s chambers.”

The soldier’s complexion grew paler and paler as Ropin continued to speak.

“Understood. Please enter. But do not touch anything, and you must not speak of entering this place anywhere.”

“Do not worry. I swear on the name of the stars to keep this a secret.”

Ropin said so and lightly took the soldier’s hand before letting it go.

Seeing the gold coin placed in the soldier’s hand, Simon stared blankly at Ropin.

He’s a priest… right?

Simon had such an impious thought.

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