by Park Saenal
Pascal exclaimed while smiling as brightly as possible. He praised Grid with exaggerated words and shook hands with him.
“I’m so glad to see you again.”
Grid was confused.
‘This guy, he can smile instead of feeling angry after my blatant provocation?’
It was an unexpected response.
‘He was like this in the past.’
Grid had taken the Holy Light set that Pascal wanted. But rather than being hostile to Grid, Pascal welcomed him.
He thanked Grid for punishing Drevigo, held a banquet and gave God Judar’s blessing without any conditions. He was someone to watch out for. Pascal was someone reluctant to make strong enemies.
‘I have to provoke him some more.’
Grid thought this and responded to the handshake.
“Nice to see you as well.”
Pascal’s spirit rose at Grid’s response.
‘It’s like this. I don’t know about the other elders, but he shouldn’t be rude to me.’
Grid should also be aware of it. The fact that Pascal would be more helpful than Damian. Pascal was filled with confidence and quickly led the situation.
“You’re a duke of the Eternal Kingdom? You’re truly a hero. Your outstanding abilities have been recognized. Now, let’s move the location. I will prepare a reunion celebration banquet, so let’s talk to each other after a long time.”
Damian paled as he watched the situation.
‘Grid and Pascal knew each other?’
It was serious. Pascal was extremely rich. Grid could be tempted by money. As Damian was worrying, Pascal nailed in the final wedge.
“Sir Grid, I will prepare many gifts for you today.”
“Hoh, gifts. i am looking forward to it.”
Grid started to show interest. Damian was frustrated, while Pascal showed a deep smile. It was at that moment.
“But Pascal, I’m a duke, right?”
Kwack!
Grid gripped the hand he was shaking with more strength. Pascal’s face rapidly twisted.
‘What is this…?’
It was an incredible grip. Pascal started to feel pain in his hands. He struggled, but Grid didn’t let go.
“You aren’t a pope yet. A pope candidate is asking for a handshake instead of politely greeting me? You seem to be making fun of me, Pascal. Was it a lie when you praised me as a hero?”
‘You’re just the duke of a small kingdom!’
Pascal was a noble of the Saharan Empire. He recognized all nations apart from the empire as small, and thought they were barbaric. He was a nationalist who believed that only the empire should be blessed by Goddess Rebecca. For Pascal, there was no humiliation worse than being treated like this by a noble of a small kingdom.
“What is this violence? Heok?”
Pascal yelled, then became filled with consternation the moment he met Grid’s eyes.
‘You…!’
He was unable to read the emotions or measure the depth in Grid’s eyes. He didn’t know the intentions, but Grid had such profound eyes. Grid’s eyes were showing a clear meaning. A provocation. ‘Bring it on Pascal. I want to destroy you.’ Grid’s eyes were clearly saying that.
‘A beast!’
The moment that Pascal was feeling agitated, someone fell from the ceiling. A knight wearing red armor. His name was Kamiyan. The 30th knight of the Red Knights, the emperor gave him to Pascal in the hope that Pascal would become the pope.
“Let go.”
Kamiyan warned with his sword at Grid’s neck. Grid snorted.
“What if I don’t want to?”
“I will cut off your hand.”
Kamiyan showed no hesitation. His sword moved towards the hand that was holding Pascal’s.
Pascal shouted, “Stop!”
Kamiyan’s sword stopped just above Grid’s wrist. Grid’s eyes narrowed from where he had been able to summon Failure from the inventory.
‘Too bad.’
Pascal barely managed to escape from Grid’s hand.
“Sir Grid, I will close my eyes to your rudeness today.”
“You don’t have to? I told you already. If you have a complaint then come forward. Bring it on.”
“…”
Anger boiled inside Pascal’s heart.
He was the son of a Saharan noble, who had gained a high status after joining the Rebecca Church. This was the first time that he had been treated like this. Pascal couldn’t be rational or prudent anymore. In his heart, he wanted to tell Kamiyan to immediately hit Grid’s neck. But he had to endure it. He needed Grid’s strength to release the seals on the three divine artifacts.
“I hope that we can laugh with each other when we meet again soon. I will always have a gift for you.”
Pascal withdrew with a red face. Kamiyan and the elders followed him. Grid’s face was filled with regret as he looked at them.
‘His endurance is great.’
Grid couldn’t attack senior NPC priests first. As long as they weren’t abandoned by the goddess like Drevigo, they were always protected by the goddess. If he attacked them first, the goddess would curse him.
[Goddess’ Curse]
The unlucky stat will be generated.
The unlucky stat was vague since it wasn’t a status condition. Grid was reluctant to be cursed by the goddess. That’s why he tried to provoke Pascal, but eventually failed.
‘Well, don’t be nervous and just wait.’
From Pascal’s point of view, Grid was an eyesore. He would eventually attack Grid.
After Pascal and the elders left.
Isabel, who had remained silent the whole time, approached Grid.
“It has been a long time.”
It was a dissatisfied voice. It seemed like she had something to complain about.
‘I hate you.’
Isabel was plagued with terrible pain because of Grid. This situation happened because Grid forgot to seal Lifael’s Spear.
“I’m sorry.” Grid sincerely apologized.
Isabel gritted her teeth at the sight of him. “Why are you sorry? Are you apologizing for unsealing Lifael’s Spear? Don’t make me laugh. I was able to save my friends thanks to you releasing the seal. Thanks to you, the entire church was saved. So don’t apologize.”
She was grateful.
‘Then why is she angry?’
Tears filled Isabel’s eyes while Grid was puzzled.
“You always do this. Why do you only show up when I’m in a desperate crisis? Like a prince on a white horse.”
Isabel had a crush on Grid. Her emotions were stimulated because she was saved just before falling to hell. But Grid had already ignored her once. It would be the same this time as well.
“You won’t accept me anyway, so why are you acting like this…?” Isabel whispered as she bowed her head. Her words didn’t reach Grid. The problem was that her voice was too small.
‘Her condition is strange. Indeed, she must be in a lot of pain.’
Grid watched Isabel. Her beautiful platinum hair was now close to grey and it wasn’t even shiny. Her lustrous red lips were pale and her skinny body looked like a mummy. There was a bigger problem.
‘Her breasts have decreased in size.’
It was the effect of losing weight. Her original B cup breasts were now an A cup. It was really a pity.
“W-Where are you looking? Pervert!” Isabel covered her chest with her arms and shouted.
“What is there to look at?”
“What is there to look at? What does that mean?”
“Do I need to explain?”
“That’s okay!”
It had been a really long time since Isabel had been so energetic. Damian watched her and Grid and smiled.
‘Isabel-chan, you have always missed Grid.’
He hoped her heart would be communicated to Grid. He truly was cheering her on. Damian wasn’t a rival for Grid.
‘It’s natural for the heroine to be connected w
ith the hero.’
He was just an extra. He was too incompetent, so he was satisfied just watching Rebecca’s Daughters from the side. Huroi approached Damian and whispered. “Don’t worry. She doesn’t fit My Lord’s taste.”
“…”
The beautiful Isabel-chan didn’t suit Grid’s taste? It was upsetting. Damian was making a subtle expression when Grid urged him.
“How long are we going to stand here? Guide me to a suitable place.”
It was time to figure out how to create and seal Lifael’s Spear.
Chapter 267
Chapter 267
“Beautiful and benevolent Goddess Rebecca, give your light to this weak and foolish servant who can’t move without it. I will use your light to save the weak and punish the wicked.”
The first prayer room. Pascal was praying in a place that originally only the pope could use. It was to shake off his anger about Grid and regain his senses.
“…May the whole world be bathed in the warm light.”
After a long time, his prayers finished. Pascal made a refreshed expression and got up from his seat. His anger was cleansed and he was now calm.
‘It isn’t simply riches or power that the current Grid is coveting now.’
If it was, Grid wouldn’t have been able to shake off his temptation.
‘It seems like there is a special link between him and Damian.’ This was an unexpected variable. ‘But eternal friendship doesn’t exist. Even blood and flesh will kill each other in front of greed.’
The only concept that didn’t change in this world was faith.
Ssik.
Pascal commanded with a smile, “Open the warehouse.”
“Yes!”
Pascal’s loyal followers that he brought from the Judar Church moved immediately.
Creak.
The secret warehouse door behind the statue opened and glittering gold poured out. There were treasures and gold piled up in the warehouse. Pascal used the secret warehouse that Drevigo had made during his days as the pope.
‘Grid, how much will make you satisfied?’
Pascal’s men started to gather up the gold coins. These gold coins would be used to obtain Grid.
‘I will offer more if it’s still lacking. If that is not enough, I will give even more. In the end, you will be caught by my hands.’
Kamiyan watched Pascal and asked. “That person called Grid, isn’t it better to just kill him?”
“He is the only one who can unseal the three divine artifacts of our church. He can’t die.”
“What if you can’t obtain him?”
“Haha, that won’t happen. He’s very greedy. He will surely accept my heart.”
“…”
Pascal was confident, but Kamiyan was unsure.
‘He’s a wild beast. He can never be tamed.’
Kamiyan had noticed it when he aimed his sword at Grid’s wrist. Grid didn’t blink once. He was prepared to give his hand to strike Kamiyan’s neck. Honestly, it gave Kamiyan goose bumps.
‘It isn’t a skill that develops after fighting once or twice. His momentum was overwhelming. Perhaps I would’ve had to fight properly. His power might be praised by the church, but it will be painful in many ways if he becomes an enemy.’
The emperor had commanded Kamiyan. Pascal must become pope. Kamiyan faithfully carried out the emperor’s commands, so he couldn’t neglect any dangers.
“Come out.”
Kamiyan moved to avoid Pascal’s eyes and summoned an assassin from the emperor. An assassin of the emperor, the assassin called ‘Crow.’ There was a flashing light in the darkness and the shadow asked Kamiyan.
“You saw that guy called Grid, right? Can you assassinate him?”
“Is that a question that needs to be asked? I can even kill a mouse.”
It wasn’t a lie. Crow had the ability to assassinate enemy knights. One day, the strongest assassins Doran and Kasim disappeared, so Crow was now the strongest assassin in existence.
“Good answer. Kill Grid as soon as possible.”
“Look forward to tomorrow morning. He will be hung on Goddess Rebecca’s statue.”
Crow immediately disappeared.
***
Grid frowned as he was guided into Isabel’s room.
“What is this?”
It was a small room where the only furniture was a shabby bed. A chill that would make the bones ache dominated the inside of the room.
“There isn’t even a fireplace? It will be freezing in the middle of winter.”
He touched the grey wall and stone powder fell down.
“Hey, you will catch pneumonia.”
Grid shook off the dust and turned to Isabel.
“It’s still like this?”
“…”
Rebecca’s Daughters had also suffered under Drevigo. Despite being the strong force, they didn’t rebel against the leaders of the church and endured this unfair treatment.
It was frustrating when he thought about it, but what could he do? The church raised Rebecca’s Daughters as a weapon and they were taught only obedience. This deep brainwashing was like a shackle.
It was the church’s fault, not theirs. On the surface, the church expressed peace and charity, but there was no charity. From what Grid could see, the Rebecca Church was no different from the Yatan Church.
‘Bad people.’
Grid’s expression distorted as he thought about how Pascal and the elders treated Damian and Isabel.
The words that the assassin Shay had spoken popped up.
‘The Yatan Church is the one that stands for pure evil. They believe that evil is the right way. But the people from the Rebecca Church commit atrocities, even though they realize they have to do good deeds. The front and back are different, so they are far sneakier and more dangerous than the Yatan Church.’
This wasn’t the case with the Rebecca Church in the past. But Drevigo ruined everything.
‘He caused the rot.’
The current leaders of the Rebecca Church were those affected by Drevigo. Most of them had already tasted the sweet fruit he offered them and realized they felt joy in harassing others.
Could they let go of this pleasure?
No. The evidence was that they were following Pascal without trying to overcome his temptations. Pruning was required.
‘Damian should be pope.’
He might be an otaku, but Damian was a pure person. The Rebecca Church would change if he became the pope.
‘First of all, Pascal can’t become pope.’
Pascal was from the empire. He was the son of the powerful Earl Chirita of the empire. If Pascal became the pope, the empire would be able to utilize the Rebecca Church freely. Lauel was convinced that the empire would become much stronger than it was now. Grid agreed.
‘Someday I will become hostile to the empire when I become king, so they shouldn’t become stronger than they are now.’
Grid silently thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Damian, you should start your campaign right now. Make sure you thoroughly advertise that I am your guardian. Huroi will help you.”
“Yes!”
The first ranked orator, Huroi. His words had the power to capture people’s ears and hearts. He would surely be a great strength to Damian.
“In the meantime, I will seal Lifael’s Spear.”
Grid sat on Isabel’s bed. Then he observed Lifael’s Spear in her hand.
“Legendary Blacksmith’s Appraisal.”
[The blacksmith who became a legend can appraise items with an excellent discerning eye. If a hidden feature exists in the target item, it will be found.]
[Lifael’s Spear]
Rating: Myth
Durability: 1,500/1,500
Attack Power: :1,330~1,890
* Divine Power +3,000
* All stats +200.
* 300% increase in health recovery.
* Fixed damage of +5,000 on each attack.
* There is a high probability of activating the ‘Light Wheel’ skill.
* There is a high probability of activating the ‘Shield of Light’ skill.
* There is a high probability of activating the ‘Light of Guidance’ skill.
* The skill ‘White Transformation’ will always be invoked.
* Attack power +50% against those with dark magic power.
It is one of the three divine artifacts of the Rebecca Church.
It contains a tremendous divine power that human beings can’t afford to handle, placing a heavy burden on the user’s mind and body.
Since Rebecca’s Daughters became short-lived after being unable to cope with the power of this weapon, 5th Pope Franz asked Pagma to seal its power.
However, Pagma’s Descendant appeared in the days of 13th Pope Drevigo and released the seal on the weapon.
Conditions of Use: Rebecca’s Daughter.
Weight: 400
[You have already uncovered the hidden feature of the item.]
‘In order to reseal this…’
He needed to understand the structure of the item. Then he could figure out how to make it. In order to do so, the process of disassembly and assembly, as well as observation, were essential.
After becoming Pagma’s Descendant, Grid had often disassembled and assembled items. He was confident that he could quickly grasp the structure of Lifael’s Spear. That’s why he thought this task would be easy.
‘But the reality is different.’
Things became difficult. Isabel was the problem. Her health was far more serious than expected. If she let go of Lifael’s Spear, she would die immediately. It meant that he couldn’t disassemble Lifael’s Spear.
‘I have to do it with observation.’
He couldn’t guarantee how long it would take. But one thing was clear.
“Isabel, I will be sure to save you.”
Isabel was a precious person. She was a person he shared memories with and was loved by somebody. Damian thought of her the same way Grid thought of Irene.
‘I won’t allow you to die.’
Grid started to observe Lifael’s Spear. He carefully looked at the features several times. Was it possible to raise the understanding of an item to 100% just by looking at it? It was impossible at this time. It was out of reach with Grid’s current abilities. But Grid believed in his imperfection.
‘I have abilities that haven’t blossomed yet.’