Chapter 91 : Sacred Relic

Chapter 91: Sacred Relic

As we kept walking, before I knew it, we had climbed all the way up the hill.

A majestic temple stood at the top.

The very same pillars we had found on the deserted island of Rundna City stood in rows.

‘So this really was the place.’

I had been a little doubtful.

According to the Book of Fate, this place was supposed to be a deserted island south of Rundna City.

An uninhabited island in the vast lake Naelund, which was as large as the sea.

But here, there wasn’t even a pond, let alone a lake—only a canyon stretched before us.

That was why I had thought it strange.... But seeing those pillars, perfectly forming a temple, just like I had seen in modern times, I could finally recognize that this truly was the place.

Holy Knight Louis let out a long sigh and looked back.

“Phew.... There, you can see Olomnima. Towering at the entrance to the Sacred Ground.”

I followed his gaze backward, and sure enough, I saw it.

‘What in the world...?’

If one followed the winding canyon all the way down, at its end lay a deep, vast basin. And there, an impossibly enormous tree stood as though leaning against the sky.

Its overwhelming grandeur seemed like it could break one’s very sense of perspective the longer one stared at it.

That gigantic tree bore branches, each with different colors. The leaves and blossoms were all distinct, of countless varieties.

A tree that seemed to hold all forms of creation within it.

That must be the Tree of All Forms, Olomnima.

Wow....

And they say the Goddess of Wisdom, Mivabar, planted that?

‘With something like that, no wonder people believe in gods.’

The sheer presence of it inspired awe.

If not a god, who else could plant such a tree?

No wonder it could sustain a million people.

And beyond the tree, the endless basin stretched wide.

‘Now I see.’

Only then did I understand. How this land had changed over ten thousand years.

That massive basin, which people here called the “Sacred Ground,” had, in my era, become the “Great Lake of Naelund.”

Over the ages, the basin had filled entirely with water, turning into a sea-like lake, while the temple, located on relatively high ground, had ended up standing alone on an island.

Realizing how time could reshape the very land stirred something grand within my chest.

Sensing my awe, pride tinged Louis’s voice.

“That place is the Sacred Ground, the Silent Plains. And among the vast Sacred Ground, there are but a few Trees of All Forms. The Fruit of Longevity, an ingredient for Elixirs, grows there, as well as the Soul Herb that awakens the spirit. Truly, it is the blessing of the Goddess.”

Huh? Wait.

The Fruit of Longevity?

The Soul Herb?

They were ingredients for Elixirs?

They awakened the soul?

Gulp.

Just the thought of it made me swallow with desire.

“Do those still exist even now?”

My greed, which I had momentarily forgotten because of Sheneril, suddenly flared back to life.

If such things existed, of course I had to sweep them into my Subspace!

But, unfortunately, Louis shook his head.

“No. We harvested not long ago, so what’s there now are only things that grow year-round, like the Eternal Blossom and the Bright-petal Flower. The Fruit of Longevity only bears once every ten years.”

...Wasn’t that a lie?!

If you were from Roberland, that was the sort of thing you couldn’t believe without seeing it with your own eyes. But still...

“Saint, everyone’s going to be fine now, right?”

The little child nestled in my arms kept chattering, clinging at my heart.

‘Hoo....’

...Right. I hadn’t come here for things like that in the first place.

I should trust him. I should.

There was no reason for him to lie under circumstances like these, was there?

If he said they weren’t there, then they weren’t—whether it was the Fruit of Longevity or the Soul Herb.

Right now, what mattered was to move quickly.

This village looked fragile enough to collapse at any moment.

I forced myself to shake off my lingering desire and turned my back.

“Please guide us, Holy Knight Louis. First, we’ll confirm whether or not this saintly aptitude really exists, and then we’ll deal with those monsters somehow.”

Resolving myself, I stepped into the temple.

*         *         *

Towering pillars.

A ceiling that resembled the heavens.

Though the temple was majestic, the people within it were not so different from those outside.

Sorrow. A sense of loss.

Knights, each injured in some way, and apprentice priests moving busily among them, tending their wounds.

Among them, I even saw some of the older apprentices using what I had only ever heard of in stories: “Divine Power.”

Uuuung—

Sweating profusely, the apprentices let a hazy light pour from their hands.

Where that light lingered, wounds closed slowly, and bodies that had been twisted by curses recovered to their original forms.

‘How fascinating....’

It truly wasn’t magic, nor aura. No... it was a strange power, as if the two had been fused together.

Thanks to my Rebirth of the Flesh, I could faintly glimpse its structure, but for the people of this era—who couldn’t handle mana directly—it must have seemed nothing more than a divine mystery.

Of course, even I only caught faint glimpses. I had no idea how such a thing could be possible. How on earth could one process and control mana like that?

What’s more—

‘The power is flowing in from somewhere else.’

The source of the Divine Power the apprentice priest wielded was not within his body. A force flowed in from somewhere, only to extend outward through his hand.

Honestly, the sight of it shocked me a little.

‘Could it be... a real god actually exists?’

Where in the world was this power coming down from?

If gods truly existed... then why were there no gods in our era?

A theological dilemma I had never once pondered in my life now pressed down upon me.

Countless thoughts arose and scattered in that short span of time.

So we walked deeper into the temple.

“Brother Louis? What is this? Has something happened?”

Two Holy Knights, exuding extraordinary presence, blocked our way.

One seemed to be a Peak Expert, while the other was a High-grade Expert.

“Captain Herman. I know how absurd it sounds, but....”

Louis hobbled closer and whispered something into Herman’s ear.

Herman’s expression shifted slightly.

He looked at me with a grave face and asked,

“You claim to be of the bloodline of an ancient hero?”

“...If you mean the sign of flames burning within my eyes when emotions run high... yes, that’s true.”

Desperation.

The emotion that flickered across Herman’s face, as Captain of the Holy Knights, was no different from the others’.

Even knowing the chances were slim, he held onto that faint, fragile hope.

With earnest eyes, he asked,

“Have you ever taken theology classes?”

“No.”

“Baptism?”

“I never had the opportunity.”

“Have you attended a Spiritual Assembly....”

“Regrettably, no.”

“Prayer....”

“I’d do it once in a while before meals....”

But the more I answered, the darker Herman’s expression grew.

At last, he lowered his head deeply.

“Phew.... This is... we can hardly hold any expectations. Even if one has saintly aptitude, without proper instruction, awakening is nearly impossible....”

Hmm....

I started sweating.

Truthfully, I didn’t believe I was a saint either.

Honestly, if I really were one, wouldn’t strange phenomena have occurred around me since childhood? Or perhaps I would’ve received revelations from the gods in my dreams?

No matter how I looked at it, the claim that Banroa’s bloodline was connected to sainthood didn’t sit right with me.

But then Sheneril cut in again.

“No, Uncle Herman! This person is the true Saint!”

Since she kept squirming in my arms, I set her down, and she immediately lifted her head proudly, speaking out in protest to Herman.

“Uh... wh-what?”

Taken aback, Herman stared as Sheneril declared firmly,

“The gods heard my prayer! Isn’t that right, Saint? You’re the true Saint, aren’t you?”

Witnessing the pure faith shining in the eyes of a child...

My chest ached with a sharp pang.

Now I almost wished I really was a saint.

Without a word, I gently patted Sheneril’s brittle hair, then met Herman’s eyes.

“Since we’ve come all this way, we might as well give it a try.”

“Yes. We too... must cling even to the faintest chance, however slim it may be....”

With an apologetic bow, Herman led us deeper into the temple.

There, lay what they called the Sacred Relic.

At a spot where the ceiling opened wide, letting streams of rainbow-tinted moonlight fall directly.

Bathed in moonlight, it floated lightly in the air.

‘Well... it certainly looks sacred.’

Its form was simple.

Nothing more than a perfect sphere, about two meters in diameter.

Yet it shone with a noble white unlike anything I had ever seen before. Its surface looked smooth like metal, yet soft like a feather at the same time.

Hovering about ten centimeters above the ground, it scattered a gentle radiance, exuding a sanctity like some celestial egg fallen from the heavens.

‘But... I don’t really sense any great power.’

There was something—yes—but only faintly.

Even straining all my senses, I couldn’t feel any miraculous force worthy of being called a Sacred Relic.

Was this truly a relic?

Or was the power so high and refined that I simply couldn’t perceive it?

At that moment, Herman glanced at me, gauging my reaction.

“Perhaps... do you hear strange, incomprehensible voices?”

Not at all.

When I shook my head, his gaze dropped again in disappointment.

“I see.... Normally, saints hear divine speech—that is, revelations—merely by approaching the relic.”

With every step forward, the likelihood increased.

The likelihood that I was not a saint.

Sheneril clutched tightly at my sleeve, her unease plain.

My face heated for no reason, and I rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hand before asking,

“What must I do?”

“Kneel before the relic and place your hand upon it. Then, call upon the name of God and commune earnestly with the Holy Spirit through prayer.”

“The Holy Spirit... is it something like a Sword Spirit?”

“Absolutely not!”

Herman burst out briefly, but then,

“...Still, since it is your first time, perhaps approaching it in such a way may not be entirely wrong.”

He quickly resigned himself, as though conceding, Just try it. If it works, wonderful.

It seemed their expectations had sunk to that level.

I felt the same.

Did I really have to go through with this?

Sheneril’s boundless hope.

Their curiosity about my bloodline.

The desperate yearning of the people here.

All of it pushed at my back, making me feel I had no choice but to try.

But honestly, it was humiliating.

And if it turned out I wasn’t a saint?

‘Maybe I’ll just fake a revelation, then flare up my aura dramatically and bolt out of here....’

I dreaded seeing disappointment cloud Sheneril’s face.

Swallowing my embarrassment and the pressure, I approached the relic.

Kneeling before it, I placed my hand on the strangely soft, warmly radiant surface.

Then I whispered a prayer.

To the only god I knew.

“O Mivabar, Goddess of Wisdom....”

If you really exist—if you truly exist—can’t you lend me a hand?

Just. Clearly. “You are the Saint.” Say it once. Everyone here is hoping for it.

As if summoning a Sword Spirit, I stretched out my soul, probing deep into the Sacred Relic.

And then—

‘...Huh?’

There really was something there. A presence. A soul, dwelling within the relic.

‘Is this... the Holy Spirit?’

It was certainly different from a Sword Spirit.

More than that—

‘Strangely, it feels closer to an Armor Spirit inside Magical Armor....’

But not exactly.

It was far more complex, far more advanced than an Armor Spirit.

A Sword Spirit was like a small animal, something I had to approach delicately and embrace.

An Armor Spirit was like a trained pet—give the signal, and it obeyed.

But this Holy Spirit—it was like a slumbering giant. I had to approach deeply and shake it awake with all my might.

‘Come on... wake up!’

I extended my soul with all my strength and shook.

And then—

Wuuung—

A faint vibration rippled across the surface of the relic.

At the same time, a voice rang in my head.

[Connection attempt detected.]

Uh...?

It was a language I had never heard before in my life.

Was this the Divine Speech Herman had spoken of?

But why could I understand it?

And moreover, the tone...

Strangely formal, strangely courteous....

It felt off.

Come to think of it, wasn’t it the same with the Annihilation Angel?

[Identity verification in progress.]

Something scanned through my body.

Exactly the same as back then.

That angel had examined me in just this way, and afterward....

‘Wait? Then could you also be...?’

A sudden premonition struck—

[「Zero Code」 confirmed. Transitioning from dormant state to full awakening mode.]

That word again.

‘Zero Code!’

Wuuuuuuuung—!

At that instant, the relic shook violently, scattering radiance in all directions.

‘This power...?’

Suddenly, an unknown energy, like a thunderbolt, filled the Sacred Relic.

I quickly traced the direction it was coming from.

Wait a moment—

‘...The sky? The power is descending from the heavens?’

A force from the heavens?

What—was this truly a god?

The relic’s radiance grew ever brighter.

Where before it had only glowed softly across its surface, now it blazed so fiercely it engulfed the entire vast temple.

Not aura, not magic—

No, precisely both combined, and beyond them, an unfathomable principle unleashed. A higher-order power stormed in all directions.

In that brilliance, everyone turned their gaze toward me.

The apprentice priests, who had been busily tending the wounded, and even the patients who had been groaning as though on the verge of death, all suddenly rose to their feet, eyes brimming with tears.

“Sacred Radiance!”

Captain Herman of the Holy Knights cried out like a shout.

“Ooh... O Vishanti....”

Someone dropped to their knees with a thud,

“Glory be to God!!”

Another clasped both hands and began to pray.

Even the wounded who had been lying scattered across the floor covered their eyes, their chests, their mouths once with their palms, then folded both hands together.

The sign of the Thirteen Gods’ faith.

The Holy Knights around me did the same.

All at once they crossed themselves, pressed their left hands upon the hilts of their swords to point them downward, and dropped to one knee before me.

“I, Knight Herman, servant of God.”

“I, Knight Louis.”

“I, Knight Heines.”

Bowing their heads deeply, they cried out as one:

“We greet the Saint.”

And then—

“Saint!!!”

Sheneril called out to me.

Her entire face blossomed with a smile brighter than the blazing Sacred Radiance itself.

There were still countless questions left unanswered....

But at least for now—

I really was a Saint.

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