“Stay away, you filthy thing.”
A man with an impressive 5 to 5 body proportion mumbled, clearly annoyed. The man’s droopy eyes matched well with his figure.
“Just hold on for a while. Isn’t this all for our Goddess?”
A middle-aged man with neatly tucked hair spoke to him.
They were Airak and Philos, the Holy Executioners of the Pyro Church, who were dispatched to Apton upon the main branch’s request.
Airak laid down on his horse.
“How much farther do we have to go?”
“Let’s see.”
Philos opened the map in his hand.
Normally, there should be an attendant helping them, but this time the duo's dispatch was kept hidden, so the two had to move by themselves.
Philos narrowed his eyes and looked at the man.
Seeing that, Airak asked.
“What? Do you have presbyopia?”
“Shouldn’t I, at this age?”
“How can a Holy Executioner…”
Airak shook his head and looked at the sky.
At that time, Philos who found their location said.
“Oh! We will be there in two days.”
“Damn it. We are still two days away.”
“Rather, get the Id cards ready since we will be near the border soon.”
The Great Church of Pyro was based in the Sinsilly Kingdom, so they had to cross the border to get to Apton.
“Lars, that little bastard. He was the one who didn’t do it right, so why am I suffering like this?”
“Why are you bringing up Lars again?”
“If he took care of the matter properly, would we have to be on the streets like this?”
“We aren’t on the streets but on horses.”
“Don't play word games with me! It isn’t even fun.”
“Whatever, Lars is a bastard. Still, he informed us.”
What happened at Haiss was immediately reported.
There, Lars rescued an Apostle of the Goddess who was kidnapped by the Chimera Maker and completely wiped out the rest of his helpers.
“Huh. But that is something any of us could have done.”
“You are too strict with Lars.”
“I am a little strict. But it is because he has a lot to learn. Just look at this thing; even this time, he couldn’t do anything alone.”
“I still remember the time when you just joined.”
Seeing Philos say that, Airak remained quiet for some time.
“It was so long ago!”
“But it feels like yesterday to me.”
“Enough!”
Airak cried out and turned to Philos.
It was Philos who thought that Airak couldn’t lay down on the horse anymore and got up.
It was then.
“Who are you?”
Philos’s face turned stiff.
Airak had his hand on his sword.
It was as if he felt like the two people standing ahead were unusual.
Philos pulled down his hood of the robe and asked.
“He is asking who you are.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you.”
A beautiful voice.
But it wasn’t a woman's; it belonged to a man.
At that moment, the other one, clearly annoyed, said.
“Boss is really…did he just tell us to come here just to earn some time?”
“What?”
“I wasn’t speaking to you, so don’t worry.”
“You crazy bastard!”
Airak frowned and got off his horse.
Philos sighed and did the same.
They each drew their swords at the unknown enemies.
“I don’t know what you are doing, but it seems like you came here with a plan.”
“Do you know who we are? And are still getting in our way?”
Strong holy energy began to flow from Airak's body.
The male voice, with a smile on his lips which could be seen under the hood, said.
“Aren't you the Holy Executioners of Goddess Pyro?”
“…you, who are you?”
“Are you here to stop us?”
“Annoying. Boss, I am really annoyed because of you.”
“Boss, you can talk later too.”
“You think so?”
At his companion’s mumbling, the man grinned and looked at the two Holy Executioners.
And then he pulled out his sword. Which was as thin as a rapier.
The other had a normal sword.
“Airak, they are skilled ones.”
“I have eyes too!”
“Go all out and use your power; we don’t have much time to spare.”
Holy light began to shine.
The two paladins who unleashed the Sword of Judgement threw down their robes.
Holy energy began to flow from their bodies.
“I wanted to compete with you people at least once.”
The moment Airak and Philos were ready, the four swords collided, creating a violent storm of lights.
At the same time, a man was looking at the quiet city from a tall building.
“They must have started.”
It was Sable.
He thought that the two men must have blocked the Holy Executioners by now.
They were the members of Seven Knights, the highest power in Zenith church. In other words, they were people on equal footing with the Holy Executioners.
‘All we need is a day's time.’
He thought of Marquis Bell, who was still sleeping.
He remembered the first time he met him.
“It has been fun, Marquis.”
But now it is done.
The Marquis was beginning to doubt him.
And from what he has seen over the years, the Marquis will quietly and tenaciously seek evidence to reveal the truth.
And he was one of the few people that Sable acknowledged.
If the Marquis made up his mind, it was clear that he could expose Sable in an instant.
So he had finished all that he had to do.
“If the demon resurrects, then no one can stop it.”
He was worried for Beiryl, but he left Apton.
The feet of the two Holy Executioners who came here were also busy now.
Another Holy Executioner in Apton was talented but not enough to deal with demons.
And the Archbishop was too old.
And the new Apostle and Saint of the Goddess.
‘They just appeared.’
He wasn’t sure why an Apostle of Goddess Pyro appeared.
This was proof that she was concerned, but it wasn’t good news for Zenith.
Still, they managed to come this far.
Sable pulled his sword halfway.
The moment the demon wakes up, there will be great commotion in Apton. And it wouldn’t be difficult to assassinate the Apostle, who would probably be alone.
Sable looked at his face in the blade.
A familiar boy’s face appeared in his mind.
‘Jamie Welton.’
A 7-year-old boy with skills that didn’t belong to a 7-year-old.
He knew that his talent was terrifying, but he wouldn’t be able to stop a demon with his current skills.
But, why did he think of that kid?
‘It is an absurd thought. Unless Count Welton comes here, nothing will happen.’
He was unusual, but he was still a child.
And with the current skills of the kid, after the demon was resurrected, Jamie would only be a stumbling block.
The heart was ready. As soon as the monster returns to the forest, the hatching will be complete.
Sable tried to clear his anxiety and jumped out of the building.
However, Sable couldn’t completely ignore the anxiety he felt.
Jamie went to the place where he felt the power with Venna.
“What?”
“Take this.”
Jamie threw her a ring.
Taking the ring, she looked at Jamie.
And then blushed as she stuttered.
“This, this, this… what is this!?”
“What are you so flustered about?”
“N-nothing. We are too young. And especially master you…”
“What kind of misunderstanding are you having?”
Jamie frowned and told her how he got the ring.
“It was taken from the ruins. It seemed like a weapon which suited you.”
“A Weapon?”
Venna titled her head at those words.
The ring looked like an ordinary gold ring.
So she took a bite to see if it was real gold.
“Ah! This is fake?”
“… shut up and put it on.”
Venna put the ring on her middle finger.
As she was still young, it fit her middle finger, but it was pretty loose; however, the ring took the size of her finger.
“Artifact?”
“Put mana in it.”
“Okay.”
As Venna infused mana into the ring, the ring changed.
Venna’s eyes widened as she was suddenly gripping a long rod with both her hands which had taken form from the ring. And the rod’s blunt end took a cylindrical shape.
Pha!
As the mana covering it disappeared, a slender figure was revealed.
“… hammer?”
It was a pink color, and it was a cute-looking one. It was similar in length to the form of a large hammer used in construction.
“It is very light.”
Venna shook the hammer back and forth.
Even so, the whole thing seemed to be a lump of iron, and she lifted it easily, but it was so easy that she wondered if there was lightening magic on it.
“This is so good!”
Venna smiled as if she liked it.
The hammer artifact was stored in the warehouse of the ruins.
Jamie didn’t know why that was the only artifact there, but he thought that it was a suitable weapon for Venna, so he took it.
‘It is a weird hammer.’
Something must be hidden in it.
And it was up to Venna to find it.
“Thank you, master!”
As Venna tried to hug him, but Jamie pushed her back.
“Enough, let’s go.”
To go there.
All the wounds that came from Theberon were also healed.
But from now he couldn’t rely on the orb of life anymore.
He spent too much of its power today, so even a small wound probably wouldn’t heal.
As time passes, the orb will recharge, but for today, it was at its limit.
‘The good news is that I can use the power of the ruins.’
It is a pity that he couldn't use the most useful ability of Blocking aboveground, but there were other functions.
“Let’s go,”
“Yes.”
Jamie and Venna headed to where they felt the energy.
And as he went closer, Jamie’s expression darkened.
Vena gulped and followed him behind.
Jamie suddenly stopped walking.
“W-what?”
“It is ahead.”
Although covered in bushes, the Demon’s egg was right ahead.
Jamie took a step back with a nervous expression and then moved to see it.
And saw.
A huge, disgusting colored egg with veins wriggling on it.
A terrible horrifying energy emanating from it.
“Woah!”
Venna couldn’t stand it.
Although she was from a race which belonged to the forest, she too was a dark magician, and so she was unable to withstand this disgusting energy from the egg.
However, Jamie was looking at something other than the egg.
A translucent purple veil which covered around the entire egg.
Numerous ancient words were written on it, floating in the air.
He couldn’t exactly feel it properly from afar, but now he couldn’t deny it.
As Theberon said, it really was his power.
“Why is my black mana…?”
He approached the veil.
The ancient words which flowed over the veil like a wave were floating.
And he read it.
"The dead stretching out their hands over the sea of water. The One floating the the dark sea illuminated by the moonlit sky.” (1)
There were words moving, and one thing caught Jamie’s eyes.
The key characters of the ancient language written were clear.
Jamie slowly raised his hand and touched the veil.
Black mana fluttered on his fingertips. The moment he touched the veil.
[A turbulent black sea. Pouring starlight. The dead stretching out their hands over the sea of water. The dark sky lit by moonlight. An Old man raising his arms and falling into the dark. The same being that will become a monster and will eventually devour the entire darkness. A monster that covets everything.] (2)
Both the black mana from Jamie and the egg resonated.
Memories were flooding into his mind.
He saw a book. And the exact phrase he had just read was written on the first page of the book.
“Ugh!”
His head was hurting.
Venna grabbed Jamie and staggered.
“Master!?”
His mind was overcome with nausea, and his eyes were completely red.
And he couldn’t hear Venna’s voice.
Numerous scenes flashed around his eyes.
A falling bookshelf. Him tearing things apart.
His fist crumbling up a paper.
Screams, but there seemed to be no sound. But he somehow seemed to know.
‘The Promise of the distant future. A very distant future.’
Tearing off the books and throwing them into the sea at night.
The memory creased there, and Jamie finally recalled the forgotten memory.
[Leviathan]
A very powerful ‘Grimoire’ made by Diablo Volfir a long time ago.
Editor's Notes -
(1) Tried to go with the most matching edit here. The author’s writing was pretty sketchy almost as if he wanted to be vague.
(2) Same as the above. I tried to edit it so that it could be as clear as possible without leaving anything essential out.
