Chapter 774

Chapter 774

If You Truly Wish For It……. (1)

Deneb, who had performed a miracle, quietly collapsed as if all her divine power had been depleted.

The dwarves treated Deneb and Julien as if they were envoys of the gods.

They gently lifted the two and carried them to the most revered place within the royal citadel.

Grondal, the Dwarf King, still covered in the dust of battle, stood before the fortress and shouted loudly.

"Dwarves! We have survived! We have protected Valskrum! And all of this is thanks to the goddess watching over us and sending us the Saintess!"

His voice filled the air like the booming of drums shaking the earth.

"The Saintess's miracle saved us, and her courage and sacrifice have purified this battlefield! Today! Let every dwarf who lives upon this land remember!"

"The Saintess is no mere human! She is the light that carries the will of the goddess herself! The fact that we now serve the Saintess is proof that the goddess has not forsaken us! We have triumphed with the Saintess!"

"Uwoaaaaaaah!"

The dwarves raised their weapons to the sky in unison and roared.

They all now knew whose power that divine force belonged to.

"The Saintess is with us!"

"We too are children of the goddess! Glory to the goddess!"

"The song imbued with divinity purifies the world!"

They grabbed each other's shoulders and shouted. Everyone cheered like children overcome with joy.

Soon, all the dwarves knelt before the fortress.

With both hands raised to the sky, they offered their reverence to the goddess and the Saintess.

It was a scene both majestic and solemn.

Though their hands were stained with blood, they struck their chests with those same hands and swore an oath.

"We shall follow the Saintess!"

"We shall engrave her will into the hearts of all dwarves!"

"With hammers carved with the names of the goddess and the Saintess, we shall never again permit darkness!"

Watching this scene while carrying Kyle on his back, Ghislain smiled.

The dwarves' formal recognition and decision to follow the Saintess would surely become a great strength in their journey ahead.

Soon, mercenaries began to gather around Ghislain.

Their armor was caked in dust from fighting alongside the dwarves, and the blood on their blades had dried before they could wipe it off.

Though fatigue was written in their eyes, their faces bore smiles of relief.

"Deputy Commander!"

"Is Kyle okay?"

"Why the hell are you doing stuff you never do!"

Each of them spoke with a mix of concern and playful scolding. Ghislain replied with a smile.

"He’s fine. He made it through the worst of it. And now, Kyle too has reached the realm of the Transcendents."

"Uwoaaaaaaah!"

The mercenaries cheered. Julien and Deneb had awakened, and now even Kyle had awakened!

An unthinkable chain of events continued to unfold. It was truly astonishing and joyous.

Of course, not everyone was overjoyed.

“Damn it! Why is it only the seniors who awakened! When’s it my turn?”

Osval, as always, was full of complaints. He looked genuinely upset.

“This is so unfair! Shouldn’t it be a rule that if you’ve got a decent face, you can’t fight? Just look at me—I look like I should be the best fighter!”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. Even Ghislain had to nod in agreement.

But Osval’s weakness wasn’t because of his face. It was simply due to a lack of training.

So Ghislain said,

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you become a Transcendent real soon.”

“I’m sorry. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Osval shrieked and ran off, but Ghislain was serious. He figured if he just pushed them all a little harder, each of them might level up at least once.

After all, they were undergoing more incredible experiences than anyone else. This constant, relentless fighting would surely become a great boon.

Before long, Ereneth and Lionel also approached Ghislain.

Without a word, Ereneth summoned a water spirit. She cleaned Kyle’s body and helped him rest.

Seeing that, Ghislain gave a look of amusement.

‘She really is different from the future. She’s quietly kind and cares a lot about her companions.’

In the future, Ereneth had been a cold and inflexible figure, difficult to approach.

Of course, she only seemed cold on the surface—she wasn’t someone who turned her back on those in need. But it was rare to see her express her emotions so openly and look after those around her like this.

Lionel stood silently with a complicated expression.

Ghislain knew exactly why.

‘He must be in turmoil. A true Saintess, one he never expected, has appeared before him.’

Having seen the miracle of the divine with his own eyes, no one could doubt the Saintess. In fact, any devout follower of the church would be compelled to kneel and offer reverence.

To steal the Sacred Stone from such a Saintess was unthinkable.

But Lionel, who had come under the Pope’s command, had no choice but to retrieve the Sacred Stone and deliver it.

It was no wonder his face was full of inner conflict—caught in a situation where he could neither move forward nor retreat.

The dwarves’ reverence wasn’t directed at the Saintess alone. Soon, Grondal pointed toward Ghislain and his group and shouted.

“Dwarves! Hear me! Who are these people? They are the ones who guided the Saintess to us! Their name is the Julien Mercenary Corps! They fought alongside us and bought us time so we could fight back!”

“Etch their names! Etch their courage into the history of Valskrum! Their glory shall never fade from the hearts of the dwarves!”

“Uwoaaaaaaah!”

The dwarves once again raised their weapons in unison and let out a thunderous cheer.

Many among them were already familiar with the Julien Mercenary Corps.

They were the very ones who had found shelter thanks to the mercenaries.

Because they had taken refuge and guided residents of other settlements, many dwarven warriors were able to quickly gather at the royal citadel.

“Julien Mercenary Corps!”

“You’re the true heroes!”

“We will never forget you!”

Amid the grand cheers, the name of the Julien Mercenary Corps echoed through the air.

Soon, Grondal approached Ghislain. Unlike his usual self, he wore a soft and warm smile.

“So this is Kyle? I’ve heard about him. They say he protected the future of our Valskrum?”

“That’s right. He’s a truly remarkable friend.”

“I’ll never forget the name Kyle. I’ll make sure this young man’s great deed is inscribed into the history of Valskrum.”

“Thank you. He’ll be very happy to hear that.”

Ghislain smiled as if genuinely pleased.

Kyle had always wanted to earn fame. He liked looking cool and standing out.

So hearing that his name would be etched into the history of Valskrum would surely bring him great joy.

Praised by the dwarves, Ghislain and his companions were led into the royal citadel.

Grondal immediately guided them to the deepest and most vital place within the fortress.

As they descended deep underground via a staircase intricately crafted of stone and metal, a massive metal door came into view.

Opening the door, Grondal spoke.

“This is what we call the true heart of Valskrum.”

Paaaah!

Beneath the royal citadel lay an immense and vast chamber. At its center stood a great forge, passed down since ancient times.

This forge, quite literally, pulsed like a living heart, spewing out flames.

Within the bluish fire, golden and crimson lights intertwined and flared, while the heat rising from it inspired reverence that seemed to envelop one’s very soul.

A strange vibration resonated throughout the entire space.

Even the crackling of the flames sounded like a sacred prayer.

This fire had never been extinguished in thousands of years.

The dwarves did not view it as mere fire, but as the embodiment of their divine essence, tradition, and source of life.

Grondal stood before the forge and spoke softly.

“This is... the Eternal Forge. It is our most sacred relic, the flame in which our convictions reside.”

To the dwarves, this flame was as ancient and deeply revered as the World Tree was to the elves.

Gazing into the burning fire, Grondal continued.

“As promised, I will give you our Guardian Stone.”

Grondal slowly reached toward the flames. Suddenly, the calm fire surged into a violent whirl.

Paaaah!

The fire split in two, revealing its interior.

And at its center—

A crimson gem radiating brilliant light slowly rose.

“Whoa…”

Everyone let out gasps of awe.

The scene overlapped in their minds with Ilaniel retrieving the Sacred Stone from the World Tree.

Though the races were different, the reverence for the divine was the same.

Grondal grasped the gem and spoke with a proud expression.

“Only the representative of a race recognized by the Source can retrieve the Guardian Stone from the Eternal Forge.”

Ghislain tilted his head and asked,

“What do you mean by recognition from the Source?”

“The Source is what upholds the identity of each race. For the elves, it's the World Tree. For us dwarves, it’s the Eternal Forge.”

“Do humans and dragons have such things too?”

“Of course. Humans have the Holy Grail. Dragons have the Heart of Creation.”

“……”

This was news to Ghislain. The rest of the group also looked amazed.

Still, one thing could be inferred—

The Holy Grail was probably in the hands of the Pope.

After all, the Pope of the Holy Empire represented all of humanity.

At that moment, another question occurred to him.

“How is the representative who receives recognition from the Source chosen? Is there some kind of trial?”

“I don’t know.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I just naturally knew once I became king. I imagine it’s the same for the other races. The Great Chieftain of the Elves, the Pope, the Dragon Lord… they probably aren’t any different from me.”

“You just… know?”

“Yes, the sacred relics recognize the representatives of each race. That’s what makes them sacred. Some force we can’t understand must be at work.”

“Then what if someone else just gathers support and claims to be the representative?”

Grondal snorted and crossed his arms.

“Well? We dwarves don’t have scumbags like that, so I wouldn’t know. But maybe among humans, something like that’s happened in history?”

“Possibly?”

“Still, I doubt someone could just fake it. There’s probably a proper process required. But… if everyone were to unanimously proclaim someone new as their representative… things might change.”

“Hmmm…”

Ghislain nodded. These sacred relics had existed since ancient times.

There seemed to be some kind of rules, but no one knew how they truly worked.

Not that it mattered.

What was important now was gathering the Sacred Stones so Deneb could attain her full power.

Still, Ghislain intended to investigate what had happened to each race’s sacred relic in the future.

‘The World Tree… judging by Ereneth, it seems to be hidden somewhere… The others might be as well.’

If he could find them, who knew what might happen?

If the opportunity arose, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look for them.

And staying here for a while might give him a better understanding of the sacred relics.

Even Grondal didn’t hand over the Sacred Stone without formality.

“It’d be inconvenient to carry it like this, wouldn’t it? Since the Saintess will be the one using it anyway, I’ll give you something easier to carry it in.”

Grondal instructed a nearby dwarf to fetch a bracelet. Like the necklace, it had a small built-in structure.

Click.

When Grondal brought the Sacred Stone close, it fit perfectly into the structure.

It was the same mechanism as the necklace Ilaniel had handed over. Ghislain couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked,

“That… is that bracelet also made for mounting the Sacred Stone?”

“Exactly. It’s the same as the necklace the Saintess is wearing. It’s something that has been passed down among us for a very long time.”

“Hm…”

That bracelet was likely one of the Saintess’s sacred relics in the future.

Perhaps the sacred item Gartros had in his possession was this bracelet.

He hadn’t seen the exact shape, but the divine power that protected Gartros back then seemed to emanate from his wrist.

Staring at the bracelet, Ghislain furrowed his brow slightly.

Necklace, bracelet… it was likely the next item would also be a piece of jewelry.

‘…Strange.’

It was almost as if someone had designed them to fit different parts of a single person’s body.

As if someone had planned ahead so that the future Saintess could wear all the Sacred Stones.

He couldn’t know the truth. But it clearly wasn’t a coincidence that these items were made in the form of jewelry.

As Ghislain was lost in thought, Grondal spoke again, this time with a more serious tone.

“I’ll give the bracelet to the Saintess myself once she wakes. But there’s something I want to ask you…”

“What is it?”

Grondal looked toward ‘Gramdyr’ hanging at Ghislain’s waist.

“That sword is a treasure of our royal family. It was stored in the deepest vault of the citadel—how did you come to possess it?”

Grondal’s eyes sharpened. His expression clearly demanded a proper explanation.

And understandably so. To him, this was no different than the royal citadel’s treasure having been stolen.

“Hm, I see.”

Ghislain kept a composed face as he unfastened Gramdyr from his waist.

All eyes turned to him.

The mercenaries wore sympathetic expressions.

‘Ah, no wonder that sword looked too good to be true.’

‘So a dwarf thief must’ve stolen it. Tsk, since it was won in a rigged bet, I guess he has to return it now.’

‘If it has a rightful owner, there’s nothing we can do. We’ve never stolen anything from someone else, after all.’

That’s what everyone assumed. Since they had just received a Sacred Stone, there was no need to provoke the Dwarf King.

Grondal also extended his hand, thinking Ghislain was about to hand over Gramdyr.

But then…

Paaaah!

Ghislain opened a subspace and casually tossed Gramdyr into it.

“……”

Grondal stared at Ghislain, dumbfounded. So did everyone else.

But Ghislain puffed out his chest confidently and declared,

“This is mine.”

“……”

Grondal had the distinct feeling that retrieving that sword from him would be extremely difficult.