“Hello, Ai.”
“Hello, Terry.”
Their hearts ached as they exchanged the usual greetings of reunion.
They wanted to enjoy this peace for a little longer.
Ailet smiled faintly.
“There are many guests. I’m not very happy to see you, but I opened the door because you said you were here, Terry.”
“I’m sorry. The church tends to show its status by the number of people, so I couldn’t come alone.”
“I know. You don’t need to apologize.”
“Thank you for opening the door, Ai, even though it must have been inconvenient.”
“No problem.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m feeling fine. Were you worried?”
“Yeah.”
“How much?”
It was then that his mood changed completely.
“Enough to kill me.”
“.......”
“If you hadn’t opened your eyes like that, I might have died along with the world.”
“.......”
Here and there, the sound of gasping for breath could be heard.
Of course, Ailet’s was among them.
The conversation, suppressing her sadness, ended here.
“Ai.”
His soft call felt completely different from usual.
Finally, everyone sensed that the main topic was about to begin.
“I heard a strange story at Seonghwangcheong.”
“.......”
“You worship another god.”
“.......”
“Really?”
“.......”
The gentle tone unique to Tesilid was carried in the low-pitched, beautiful voice.
However, it effectively hit Ailet’s sensitive spot.
The situation she had imagined in her head several times had finally come.
In order to squeeze out a single answer, she had to clench both fists so that the joints on the back of her hands stood out.
“Yes.”
“Ah.”
The elasticity was so plain. To the point where I couldn’t even feel emotions, let alone surprise.
The surroundings were in chaos.
“Hic! Ba, did you just hear that?”
“Shin Seong-gyeong admitted it!”
“Heresy, heresy......!”
Indeed, it was a world of deep-rooted monotheistic faith.
Ailet slowly raised her head, which had been bowed, amidst the pouring gazes of rejection.
I thought that perhaps preparing for the worst would make the shock less severe.
So she first imagined Tesilid’s face full of betrayal and tried to match it with reality.
However, the sight of him in her eyes made her self-defense seem meaningless.
“Child, what is the name of the god you believe in?”
“.......”
“Answer me. Be honest, please.”
“.......”
A face that she couldn’t tell if it was smiling bitterly or crying sweetly. It felt familiar for some reason.
Before long, a scene from her memory overlapped before her eyes.
It was the same expression she had when she received the ‘Save Point’ artifact as a gift in the deep sea cave that hid the Well of Eternal Life and heard its source.
Aylet remembered the emotion she had read from Tesilid back then.
A sense of liberation.
Was he still feeling the same emotion?
She opened her mouth amidst the strong desire to confirm.
“The Word Spirit that builds the world.”
That was the moment. [<System> The progress of ‘The Word Spirit Leader’s Mission Stage 7’ is updated.] It wasn’t just the knights of both countries who were paying attention to the situation in the plaza.
There were also citizens of Hispenril here, and their numbers were... ... .[<Quest> ‘The Mission of the Spirit Leader, Stage 7’
Completion Condition: Declare to 1,000 people that your god is the ‘Spirit that Builds the World’
Completion Status: 1,000 people/1,000 people]
[<System> ‘The Mission of the Spirit Leader, Stage 7’ has been completed.] More than a thousand people. It was enough to complete her mission. [<System> Receive the success reward. Your world will change from a ‘world abandoned by god’ to a ‘world where god exists’.] There was no particular huge change in the world.
No one could sense any great change. Not even Aylet.
However, in order to inform that the laws of the world’s existence had changed, the ‘Spirit that Builds the World’ sent down a small omen.
To Aylet Rodelin, the intermediary between god and the world.
“What, what is that!”
“Hey, it’s a Halo!”
The screen of holy light spread wide behind Ailet’s back in response to the powerful divinity.
The light that drew a beautiful circular pattern. It was a halo, a light that only appeared to blessed saints.
“Huk.”
“Hik.”
The amplified charisma turned the entire square into a sanctuary.
The presence that was close to a divine being emanating from her transformed into physical force and pressured the Order’s knights.
Thanks to this, their mouths could not dare to call Ailet a heretic. They were busy croaking.
Those who entered the square with unjust intentions were not even allowed to breathe properly.
However, there was the only heretic who looked upright.
“Ai.”
The handsome man’s chest repeatedly rose and fell roughly.
Even though he was consciously controlling his breathing, he could not hide the anticipation and excitement that was mixed in his breath.
“Can I go that way?”
“.......”
“Now.”
The air in the square is tense.
Now that the heresy has been confessed by the mouth of the Holy Bible, what will the Master of the Holy Sword, who has come as the judge of heresy, do?
It is clear that the worst must be assumed. Nevertheless.
“You can come.”
Aylet allows Tesilid.
Tesilid slowly takes his steps, not hiding his joy.
One step.
The knights of the Principality of Hispenril flinch.
The Master of the Holy Sword is wary of swinging his sword without the process of drawing it.
Two steps.
The knights of the Elfenheim Church, who have barely regained their breath, become bystanders and watch the situation.
‘Yes, Lord Tesilid. Approach like that and induce the heretic to let his guard down!’
Three steps.
The citizens of Peronsa hold their breath. At this moment, the square seemed to have become a vacuum.
Four steps.
As he approached Ailet, within arm’s reach, the silver-haired handsome man smiled radiantly.
And finally, five steps.
Ailet’s eyes, which had been calm until now, wavered. Even though they could no longer get any closer, Tesilid did not stop approaching.
The man’s large hand approached her.
“Sister......!”
Ash, realizing that Ailet had let his guard down, shouted urgently. But it was already too late.
The handsome man’s face invaded Ailet’s focal length.
Hot warmth enveloped one of her cheeks, and her breathy lips parted.
When Ailet came to her senses, they were breathing together while staring at each other with half-opened, sea-colored eyes.
“......!”
He did not allow her to reflexively retreat, flinching. He pressed his lips closer together and took a deep breath.
It was a kiss that revealed a deep desire that was hard to believe for a noble and faithful knight.
That was when.
“Signal! Everyone, start attacking...... hic!”
The fanatic’s mouth, unable to grasp the situation, was silenced by an aura blade.
Magram was startled when he saw the light sword stuck at his feet.
He could quickly tell where it had come from.
The light sword was immediately retrieved by Tesilid.
“Haa.......”
Tesilid, who had parted his lips, faced Aylet with an ecstatic face.
He didn’t care about his dishevelment and only ran his thumb over Aylet’s wet lips, slowly returning to his usual appearance.
He barely restrained himself and went into the next action.
Thud.
He knelt down on one knee toward Aylet in front of everyone.
He took on the appearance of a noble and faithful knight again, and spoke politely.
“Your Highness, Holy Scripture.”
“......Terry?”
“I, Tesilid Argent. I would like to be baptized here.”
“......!”
She, who had been intoxicated by the afterglow, opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I have always wanted to convert.”
“.......”
“I swear. From today until the end of my life, I will serve the ‘Spirit that Builds the World.’”
“.......”
Aylet remained silent for a while. She could not believe that the situation was the best it could be.
Her silence made Tesilid impatient.
He wanted to be saved quickly. So I whispered with the most appealing expression I could muster.
“Please, child. Accept me.”
“.......”
Of course, the system window was already floating in front of Aylet’s eyes. [<System> Converting pagans into believers.] So the answer was set. Aylet’s hand landed on Tesilid’s silver hair.
“I, Aylet Rodelin. As the representative of the Word Spirit that builds the world, I baptize Tesilid Argent who wishes to follow my will.” [The ‘Word Spirit that builds the world’ is merciful in nature, so it will gladly accept even a mortal like you.]
[The ‘Word Spirit that builds the world’ promises ‘Tesilid Argent’ the position of a knight guarding the Holy Scripture.] When he knelt down, he was a slave and a fool of God, but when he stood up, he was liberated and free.
He raised his head as if he had opened his eyes to a new world.
And he turned around.
The first thing he did after becoming a believer in the Unryonggyo was to spread the gospel to the knights of the Elfenheim Church.
“You {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} too, convert. The ‘strict order and good’ sect has no future.”
“.......”
The knights were astonished.
The shock brought on by Tesilid’s change of stance was no less than when the Holy Scriptures were found to be a heresy.
On the other hand, the duchy was thrilled.
“Brother-in-law, you thought well!”
“As expected, our granddaughter-in-law!”
“This mother-in-law believed, son-in-law!”
“Son-in-law! Today’s lunch is roast goose!”
Tesilid smiled at the knights.
“If you’re not going to convert, would you please step aside? It’s almost lunch time.”
Clink.
Behind his back, a dozen or so Aura Blades unfolded, harmonizing with Aylet's Halo.
This was indeed a polite request from the Aura Master. The knights of the Elfenheim Church had no choice but to retreat with calculated politeness, just as they had when they came here.
This was the beginning of a historical event that would later be called 'Peronsa's Return' in the Word Church and 'Peronsa's Humiliation' in the Order Church.
Special privileges for the possessed
