“Always my guardian angel.”
There was a devout Catholic among the team members.
“The merciful Lord has entrusted me to you.”
Before every battle, he recited the Guardian Angel prayer.
“Guide me, protect me, and govern me today.”
It had been ingrained in his mind to the point where it felt like a sticker stuck to his ears.
“Amen.”
When I opened my eyes, I saw Wooshas. She had returned with a corpse-like face, but as I looked at her, the Guardian Angel prayer came to mind. As I regained consciousness, she handed me warm water.
“Are you talking nonsense as soon as you wake up?”
“How many days has it been?”
“Just one.”
“I made it to Quilz Castle in just one day?”
I woke up in my room, in my bed in Quilz Castle. I must have been unconscious for at least a week. It would have taken days on horseback to travel from the Church to Quilz Castle. I briefly wondered, then quickly realized. Melissa must have helped.
“Ugh.”
For a moment, my head spun. It felt like I had been drinking heavily. The world spun around like I was intoxicated. I almost dropped the glass. However, it fell so slowly that I managed to grab it again before it hit the sheets. Strange. It seemed like the world had slowed down a bit.
“Ugh.”
As I retched, Wooshas supported me.
“Looks like your eyes remember.”
Wooshas said.
“Remember what?”
“You momentarily possessed the body of a transcendent being. Although your strength has returned now, traces of it remain.”
“Traces?”
“Memories of a moment outside of fate. Usually, when a human becomes a transcendent being and exhausts their power, they don’t remember the time when they were transcendent. But your eyes are different. Like wearing clothes that suit you, you continue to long for that time.”
“Damn, whatever it is, it feels awful. My eyes move on their own. Why is the world so slow? It feels like living in a broken world alone.”
“In the end, your senses will return for the sake of your weak body, but remember this moment. If you can transcend fate once again on your own, it might be easier to adapt since it won’t be your first time, right?”
I struggled for hours feeling nauseous and dizzy in the slow and disoriented world. Fortunately, gradually, my senses returned, and time began to flow normally again, but now I felt a strange frustration instead.
***
The bishop, the archbishops, and even the pope are dead.
But Wooshas said this was just the beginning.
For the past few years, Wooshas had been tracking ‘them.’
“The impostors are mere puppets, the puppeteers hide behind the shadows.”
Wooshas, as a ‘saint,’ had traveled all over the Empire. From villages plagued by epidemics to cities swallowed by landslides, to territories repeatedly attacked by monsters, she went to the Empire’s ‘sickest’ places and healed people with the power of miracles.
Such a woman told me.
“The authority of the papacy has increased since the Great War. The Empire seems to be at peace on the surface. But in reality, it’s being controlled. Pain and fear.”
Wooshas claimed that the plagues, leprosy, monsters outside their habitats, and unpredictable natural disasters prevalent in the Empire were the work of demons. To create wounds and make people seek God, to drive the roots of Azhibita deeper into the Empire.
“I was quite surprised that all the senior priests were demons. Maybe even the Great War was orchestrated by demons.”
“Even the Great War? Did the demons deliberately lose?”
“They probably thought it wasn’t the right time.”
My head spun.
“What do you mean by the right time?”
Wooshas said that demons had been hiding and waiting for ‘the time’ for the past few decades.
Everything was for the advent of ‘them,’ the demons beyond description.
“Like the Daimonion?”
The cockroach demon, Daimonion, which slept in the depths of the abyss, was said to have destroyed half of the Empire. But Wooshas shook her head, saying Daimonion was nothing more than a beast without a master.
“The ones who have been hiding have begun to show themselves in recent years, drawing closer. The arrival of ‘something’ worshiped by demons.”
***
Wooshas said that since all the puppets were dead, they would step forward.
The hidden beings known only to the high priests of Azhibita.
The ones Wooshas referred to as the disciples of Vedas.
In the ancient temple of Azhibita, it was said to fear ‘Chilak.’ But the current Azhibita does not teach about Chilak. It was something that demons deliberately erased. Wooshas suspected that Chilak was the demon worshiped by demons.
“So, the demons known as the disciples of Chilak had manipulated the pope and senior priests… by presenting puppets, controlling Azhibita from behind?”
“You got it.”
There was a reason why Wooshas wasn’t surprised that the pope was a demon.
“They were like smoke until now, so we couldn’t be sure. We thought they were hiding among the senior priests… but this incident has made me more confident. They are there, in the unseen places.”
“Do Ranista and Melissa know about this?”
“They are figuring out the secret in their own way. But it’s time for them to join forces soon.”
It was a complicated situation, but it was easy to understand.
In short, there are demons controlling Azhibita.
And if the hidden ones reveal themselves, it will be the end.
Damn it!
Dalbi, who had been watching boredly, yawned and threw a tantrum. It seemed like she had accumulated complaints since she hadn’t been entertained for a few days. I hugged Dalbi, but her anger didn’t dissipate easily.
***
“Do you know about Dalbi, Sister?”
“I don’t know the details. I only know that she is not ‘a being of this world.'”
Wooshas looked towards Dalbi as she spoke.
But her gaze didn’t match where Dalbi was.
“Spirit, it’s a mysterious power. A presence that doesn’t fit with this ‘hell.’ She suddenly appeared and suppressed the demons. If what she did is her doing, she might be a remarkable deity.”
Amazing!
Although Dalbi was kind to everyone, she particularly disliked my siblings. Dalbi, who was constantly angry and kicked her feet violently. I hugged Dalbi, but her anger didn’t subside easily.
***
Sister’s speculation was indeed correct. While high-ranking priests of the Azhibita Church, including the Pope, died in an instant, the Azhibita Church itself remained silent. The Pope had no power whatsoever. So, concealing the truth didn’t provoke any backlash. The Azhibita Church was still in the grip of the demons.
Whether they had heard of my awakening or not, my father came to my room late at night.
“Lie down.”
Father sat beside me, restraining me from getting up.
It was after Wooshas explained what had happened.
“I asked you to investigate, but I never expected… something like this to happen.”
After the sparring with Ranista ended two months ago, Father began entrusting me with tasks in earnest. Just earlier this year, I was nothing but a lazy brat, but Father knew better than anyone about the changes within me.
Father loved his children, but he wasn’t like a father tending to delicate flowers in a greenhouse. As soon as I gained the ability to discern demons and the power to kill them, he immediately assigned me to ‘investigate’.
Father simply ordered the investigation, but I utilized my abilities to eliminate demons, even leading to the death of the demon in the Kaklyang Monastery.
Father sighed, still finding it unbelievable.
“To think that the Pope was a demon… Ah, he must have received the devil’s baptism.”
Ironically, when we were born, the Azhibita Church sent priests suspecting my sibling and me as ‘demons’. Whether they were humans or impostors back then, it’s a strange fate. Father stared at me silently for a moment. I met his brown eyes. Even if I remembered my past life, I was still Rainberg’s son inheriting his brown eyes and hair.
“There’s not much time left.”
The upcoming border day.
“A heavy responsibility will weigh on your shoulders.”
Worry and pity were evident in his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
My answer was always the same.
“I won’t disappoint you.”
Father chuckled and hugged me tightly.
“I’m sorry, Cantavia. I never wished for anything like this to happen.”
Receiving sincere worries was something I wasn’t accustomed to.
Blaming me, worrying about my ‘eyes’—the scoundrels had met countless times in our past lives.
I hesitated before placing my hand on his back.
Daalbi, who appeared at some point, nestled between us.
Mac, the blue wolf who had been quietly observing, casually placed his forepaw on my shoulder.
—
Including the nobles, the Empire’s aristocrats received a letter bearing the Rainberg seal.
And in an instant, the Empire began to boil with Rainberg’s sensational remarks.
Citing the ‘demon attack’ from the Papal decree as an example, the main content was to distinguish impostors on border day. Rainberg had manipulated the events of that day. While hiding the fact that the Pope, cardinals, and high-ranking priests were demons, he publicly announced that the perpetrators who killed them were demons.
Rainberg’s remarks caused a stir. Firstly, the Rainberg family, independently and unprecedentedly, undermined the authority of the Papal Office by investigating major events, and secondly, claimed they could distinguish impostors.
Moreover, those who didn’t participate in the border day were declared demons. It was a disrespectful statement towards the nobility’s dignity and honor. Even if the Emperor had said it, it would have been considered nonsense. Thus, the Rainberg family was seen as disregarding both the Empire’s state religion, the Azhibita Church, and the Imperial family.
However, the remarks of the war hero, Rainberg, carried significant weight. Even the reluctant nobles decided to participate in the border day event. Surprisingly, even the Red Pillar, Solgar, and the vile Luchakuan, who were the main checks on Rainberg, respectfully followed the Rainberg family’s instructions.
With their own purposes and thoughts, they awaited the upcoming border day.
—
“Hi, Cantavia.”
“Hey! Long time no see, Lord Cantavia!”
Kazuwea knows.
The rest don’t.
That they were summoned by Father after thorough investigation.
Why now?
I surveyed the individuals gathered in the training field.
A diverse group of people had gathered.
There were children, and there were elderly with graying hair.
The commonality was that all seven people gathered here had their attendants by their sides and were busy conversing with them, paying no attention to each other.
“Lotso, I want to go home.”
About ten years old, a young boy throws a tantrum.
Beside him, an attendant resembling a calf licks him.
“Hehe, I might help you since I saw your potential, but, Lord Cantavia, is it really a Spirit User? Our Penelli really hates you, Lord.”
A hunched old man, looking at me, was the only one who bothered to talk to me. Beside him, a moth attendant, larger than an eagle, fluttered its wings.
I didn’t want to spend time for them.
“Do you know your mission?”
A man who handles wolf attendants like Father answered. His wolf had fiery red fur, exuding confidence and youthfulness, and was brashly unyielding.
“To kill demons? Lord Rainberg said we’re the hope.”
I said firmly.
“No. You’re just hired hands following my orders.”
“Hey, Lord. I want an equal relationship. If you want to borrow my strength, think of it more as a request than an order…”
“Have you met a demon?”
The man stopped talking and looked around. Only Kazuwea and the old man nodded. But he didn’t care and continued confidently.
“I’m an orphan from the Sternil Kingdom desert. I grew up fighting desert monsters, so well, demons are just monsters, right? I’m confident.”
I ignored him and spoke to Kazuwea.
“Some are here for advancement, or perhaps for past connections. Or maybe out of petty heroism. If you approach with a gloomy attitude, you’ll die.”
Despite my warning, they remained nonchalant.
I scratched my cheek. I didn’t like their attitude.
“Well, it’s indeed the reign of the overlords.”
Assistance from Spirit User would be nice, but not essential.
However, getting entangled without preparation and then ‘blaming me’ would be disgusting.
“People can’t come to their senses, so the attendants end up bearing the punishment.”
Since the incident with Aura, there had been a change in how the attendants treated me.
Before, they either hated me or ran away,
But now, they began to fear me and cautiously watched my every move.
“Gather around.”
Initially, the attendants of the seven Spirit User didn’t listen.
But as I exuded natural authority, they suddenly lined up in front of me.
Spirit User exchanged bewildered glances with their attendants.
I did not show mercy towards the line-caught trout.
“Dalbi, hit it harder.”
Kazuwea shouted urgently.
“Oops, Penelli! Lotso, what about our Dalbi?”
“Hmm, you’re excluded.”
Dalbi’s beating.
In fact, just glaring and pressing firmly with hooves.
But the recipients of Dalbi’s pressing became limp and beat up.
