Chapter 289: Chapter 139: Unsealed
Wei’en glanced at the information on his panel again. After confirming that, aside from these few notifications, the rest was just information about skills he’d previously upgraded, a flicker of confusion crossed his face.
’The Deception talent was formed from a mutation after being corrupted by an unknown Origin Power...’
’During my advancement, did some Origin Power corrupt my body?’
’Could it be the same Power of Calamity that caused Tina’s mutation?’
Other than that, Wei’en couldn’t think of any other possibility.
’But my talent has already mutated and formed, and my advancement is complete. Why am I still here?’
"Brother, can you promise me one thing?"
Wei’en snapped back to reality and looked at the girl sitting primly before him. She had the same black hair and crimson eyes as him, looked to be about fifteen, and was quite well-developed...
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Huh?"
The girl paused, stunned. Her cheeks puffed out again, as if his words had interrupted an emotion she’d been building up for a while. "Estelle Loft," she said sulkily. "You damn brother, how long are you going to keep up this act?"
"Estelle..."
Wei’en murmured the name a few times. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt a faint stirring deep inside him, as if something was there... Yet when he tried to focus on the feeling, he found nothing.
"You just said you wanted me to promise you something?"
"Hmph!" Estelle turned her head away, pouting as if she didn’t want to have anything to do with him.
"Tell me."
Wei’en paid no mind to her attitude. Whether this was an Illusion Realm or just a dream, all he wanted was to get out of here.
’Once I’m back in the Clown Theater, I still need to check the situation outside to figure out my next steps as soon as possible.’
’It’s obvious. After I accidentally killed those Investigators with the Corpse Explosion Skill, there’s no way I can stay in Caster.’
"Can you promise me that if you leave the family in the future... um, you won’t forget me?" Estelle’s anger faded as quickly as it had come. As she spoke, she peeked at his expression from the corner of her eye, looking terrified he might refuse.
’Hmm?’
Wei’en frowned instinctively. Taken on its own, the request seemed simple enough. But when he cross-referenced it with the memories he’d inherited from his body’s previous owner—there was absolutely no trace of her!
’Or... have I just forgotten all my memories of her?’
"I knew it, you can’t..." Estelle noticed his expression and lowered her head, crestfallen.
"I promise you!"
Wei’en said, cutting her off.
"Really?" Estelle looked up, overjoyed. "You agree?"
Wei’en nodded. "Yes, I agree..."
’For some reason, I have a nagging feeling that this Illusion Realm wasn’t caused by my advancement ritual. It was created by the girl in front of me...’
A huge smile spread across Estelle’s face. She held out her hand, extending just her little finger. "Pinky swear."
"Uh..."
"Pinky swear!"
Looking at her smiling face, Wei’en smiled too. He hooked his little finger with hers and pressed his thumb against it, as if sealing the promise with a stamp.
"You have to remember, okay, Brother Wei’en..."
"Yeah, I... Huh?"
Just as Wei’en was about to say something more, the space around him began to blur. Even Estelle’s distinct face slowly dissolved into countless overlapping phantoms...
’So it was like that after all?’
A moment later, Wei’en once again fell into a deep slumber.
[Congratulations, you have awakened a talent ability...]
...
...
「Meanwhile, outside the southern high walls of Caster City State.」
Every so often, residents of the city-state, fleeing for their lives with lanterns in hand, were rescued by the Holy Professionals of the Storm Church and guided to join the procession of the faithful.
"SOB... Praise the Storm..."
"It was terrifying. The entire city-state is out of control. Those people... they’re like madmen, killing on sight..."
"So many people didn’t make it out. They were corrupted by the red moon and turned into monsters. If the clouds hadn’t covered the moon, I probably wouldn’t have escaped either."
After surviving the crisis of the red moon’s corruption, attacks from mutants, and harassment from thugs and criminals, the taut string of tension inside them finally loosened at the sight of the people from the Storm Church.
"Praise be to Lady Storm!"
When Bishop Naike saw the pillar of holy light above Krimms Cathedral vanish, a look of admiration appeared on his face. "He really did it."
"Lord Bishop?"
"We can move out..."
Bishop Naike saw flashes of black, malevolent lightning from within the high walls. "Our priority is the rescue. At the same time, set up a Rune Array in the Ruer District and seek the protection of Lady Storm."
"Understood."
A Guardian Knight, clad in the deep blue full-body armor of the Storm Church, nodded grimly. He then turned and waved to the army of Holy Professionals behind him.
"Move out!"
"For the glory of Lady Storm!"
With solemn expressions, the tens of thousands of soldiers in the grand army of the Storm Church roared in unison.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the Holy Professionals who remained behind and the refugees who had just escaped, the grand army marched in neat formations toward Caster City State.
"SOB..."
"I hope everyone else is okay..."
"Praise the Storm!"
"Praise be to Lady Storm!"
The people who had fled Caster watched this scene, their hearts still pounding with fear from the events inside the city-state.
If they hadn’t been lucky enough to escape quickly, their fate would have been grim.
Bishop Naike’s gaze swept over the common folk. He could already picture the future: a Storm Church cathedral standing tall in Caster City State, with believers coming and going to pray for blessings. An unconscious smile touched his lips. The long-cherished dream of generations of bishops from the West Coast of the Eastern Continent was finally coming to fruition today...
"May Lady Storm bless them!"
As he murmured softly, faint specks of blue light pierced through the dark clouds above Caster City State and drifted down. A gentle wind rose, brushing past every Holy Professional in the army.
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