Rachel's pupils grew larger, and the smile on Isel's face faded. Their expressions were not happy, even worse than saying they already believed in another religion.
The laughter in Isel's voice completely disappeared.
"Young sister, can I take a look at it for a moment?"
"Yes!"
Isel gently unwrapped a thick cloth, covering the light with both hands, and observed the necklace.
"A pair of wings and a sword... I see. It must be something from the Kalton Mountains, right?"
Seeing her pinpoint it accurately, Reed was a little surprised.
"Do you know the religion?"
"Yes, this is an ancient religion created by the demon race to infiltrate beliefs, just like the current Eternal Church."
"The demon race?"
Hearing that, Reed became cautious, and Isel reassured him with a smile.
"You don't need to worry. There was nothing wrong with the religion itself. Like the Eternal Church, all religions have their characteristics."
Isel returned the necklace to Rosaria.
"The problem is using those characteristics to manipulate people's hearts. That's the most problematic aspect of the demon race's tactics."
Was it because it was a religion used by the demon race?
Reed felt uneasy about the necklace Rosaria was carrying.
Feeling the need to resolve his curiosity, he asked Isel.
"What kind of religion is this?"
"It was once called the Human Order."
"The Human Order?"
"Those who don't rely on gods, but believe in themselves, follow the teachings of this religion."
"Believe in your own potential."
It seemed close to Buddhism, which does not rely on something else.
It was an unpleasant religion for them, who mainly relied on gods.
"It's one of the heresies I became interested in because of the hero."
"Because of the hero?"
"Yes, it was the only religion the hero believed in."
Hearing that, Reed was surprised.
It was said that the hero who vanquished evil 300 years ago believed in the God of Light, Althea.
The reason he knew this was because it was part of the content of a book Rosaria was reading.
"Even in adversity and injustice, if you believe in a righteous heart, hope will follow. Trust your pure inner self and move forward."
"Nice phrase."
"Indeed, it's a great phrase, isn't it? I still remember it. It's what the hero said. And in my previous life, I changed this phrase a little. 'Believe in the light within your heart.'"
Isel smiled faintly.
"It's funny, isn't it? I claim to distance myself from other religions, yet I'm borrowing their words."
The reason Isel said this was because the Althea Church advocates monotheism and evangelizes.
"It's not bad to borrow if it's a good word."
However, Reed didn't see it as entirely negative.
In reality, he had seen too many such situations and thought it was understandable.
Then, Isel looked at Reed with a slightly open mouth, seemingly surprised, and Reed asked her, wondering if something was wrong.
"Why is that?"
"The words you just said are exactly what the hero said back then. When I said I would change it, that's what he said."
"Is that so?"
"Thinking about the hero... You're quite similar to him. He also had similar gray hair. His hair wasn't as long, but he had a cheerful impression. The only difference is... maybe he didn't teach his name."
"Didn't he teach his name? Wasn't his name John?"
"John is just a pseudonym. He always concealed his name. He never once said who he was. We always just called him the hero."
"He must have wanted to hide himself thoroughly."
"But that couldn't be done. People needed the name of a good person who defeated rampaging evil in order to have hope."
Isel smiled bitterly as she spoke.
"Come to think of it, I was the one who spread that lie."
As Isel struggled to laugh, Rachel comforted her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"All the pain was created by me. I have reasons to be tormented because it's all my fault."
Isel's anguish could be felt in those words.
Without time to console her, Isel grabbed Reed's hands and spoke.
"Our conversation has been long, Tower Master. We must return now. Thank you very much for allowing us to have such a precious experience today."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Please take good care of the hero's sword."
"I will."
Isel and Rachel went outside the tower as their last stop.
Reed returned to the reception room and looked down at the Dawnbreaker they had given him.
"Hmm..."
It's an item he can't use anyway.
He decided to keep it hidden as much as possible.
***
"You said you got an interesting item?"
"......"
Freesia barged in before even a day had passed.
What's wrong with the security of this damned tower that it keeps reaching her ears?
"Hand it over."
"I can't give it to you... but I can show it to you."
"I wish our Reed would just give it to me quickly, but why is he always so talkative?"
"Do you have a reason to covet it so much when you can't even use it?"
"You can't use it? That's what you think. Our Reed's shallow tricks won't work for that, right?"
It's annoying.
It's even more annoying because it's true.
"I know what you want to use it for, but I can't give it to you. Just take a look."
"Our Reed has grown up. It's annoying to see him talk back to his sister like that. No, I should just kick him, right?"
Thump thump.
Freesia laughed mischievously like a brat full of pranks and kicked Reed's leg.
Reed sighed at her persistent targeting of his shin and headed to the warehouse where the sword was hidden.
