Chapter 133: Revealing The True Identity (1)
Are you really a black magician or a necromancer or something like a lich?
Iriel asked with suspicion.
Honestly, isnt that the case!
It was unthinkable for someone to be able to revive the dead!
If such a person existed, they must have been a black magician of extreme caliber or a lich!
Moreover, inflicting wounds to heal them? Such a method of treatment did not exist in this world.
Black magicians created chimeras or conducted certain experiments, not opening up someones chest for healing purposes.
Ray frowned at Iriels words.
What are you talking about? Your god forcibly brought me here. Do you think anyone becomes a saint because they want to?
That was true when thought about.
They had brought him here, and the gods had chosen him.
Saying he was a black magician meant that the gods had chosen a black magician as a saint.
Iriel quickly retracted her statement.
I misspoke. The situation is just too unbelievable
It was not just unbelievable; she couldnt believe it.
Despite seeing it with her own eyes, she couldnt accept it.
He had cut open the chest. That was a fatal wound.
How could Zik be alive after having his organs tampered with!
Bewildered by her thoughts, Iriel managed to restrain herself with superhuman patience.
Now was not the time to resolve her doubts.
Ray spoke to Iriel.
Instead, go help Euclid. Proxias plan has failed, so theyll try to end it at Gehel, where they have the most troops.
Okay. And what about you, Ray?
At her question, Ray smiled slyly.
Me? I have something to do.
Iriel tilted her head in puzzlement at his smile.
No matter how many times she thought about it, the thoughts of a saint were often incomprehensible.
Iriel glanced at Zik once more, then nodded and picked him up.
She tore her sleeves into pieces to securely tie Ziks back to prevent him from falling, and looked at Ray.
For now, Ill place Zik in a safe location. The remaining forces should be able to hold out under her command.
Alright. See you in Selonia.
With those words, Iriel flew off to somewhere else.
Ray watched her diminishing figure, then smiled coldly.
They should have dealt with it by now.
He murmured to himself and began walking toward a certain destination.
The chief priest of Gehel was sound asleep.
Despite Gehel having turned into a battlefield, he had found a safe place and was sleeping without worry.
However, the chilling sensation of something cold touching his neck abruptly awoke him.
I didnt sense any presence
As this thought crossed his mind, a deep, heavy voice reached his ears.
Wake up.
A man with numerous scars on his face held a sword to the priests neck no, to the neck of the now chief priest of Gehel.
The chief priest quietly rose to his feet.
Who are you? Do you understand the gravity of what youre doing to me?
Dont speak carelessly. Its His command. His words are above all laws of the Holy Kingdom.
Who are you referring to as Him?
Youre not in a position to be asking questions. Just answer mine.
Under whose order is this? Ill pay ten times whatever hes offering.
The man listened quietly to the chief priests words, then whispered,
If its just talking, theres no need for the other parts.
With that, he swiftly sliced off the chief priests left arm with his sword.
Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, the chief priests face twisted instantly.
Aaaagh!
Whos above you?
Aaaah! My arm! My arm!
Be quiet. Do I need to cut off the other arm to satisfy you?
Ugh Ugh
The chief priest, struggling to stifle his cries, began to weep.
It was a pain unlike any he had ever known, threatening to drive him to madness.
Yet, he was too terrified of the man before him to make any sort of move.
Just one glance was enough to sense the oppressive aura that weighed down on him.
But the chief priest noticed something even more astounding.
He wasnt the only one in the roomthe man who had broken in was accompanied by six more figures surrounding him.
Unknown to the chief priest, they were the seven protectors of the Saint.
How could seven people have entered without him sensing a thing?
The woman standing at the back with her arms crossed seemed even more terrifying than the man in front of him.
Her aura was ferociously wild.
The look in her eyes was that of an absolute ruler.
The man questioned the chief priest again.
I asked whos above you.
Ugh Above me is the archpriest, Lord Zabil
Im not asking about that hierarchy. Im asking about your role as an officer of Proxia.
Pr, Proxia
Could they really know about that?
How? The covert operations were meticulous.
Even if they knew about the existence of Proxia, how did they find out he was involved with Proxia!
Stunned and speechless, the chief priest trembled under their gazes. Then, the short woman, Soyeong, spoke up.
Not talking, huh? Seems like hes not willing to share.
No! Ill tell you!
Fearing another amputation, he stammered with trembling lips.
Theres no one above me. I was instructed to clear out any obstacles to Proxias expansion into Gehel
His tone had changed completely.
Soyeong cocked her head and inquired,
None? Then who conveyed those orders?
Ugh Through a mana crystal I dont know where it transmits from. They contact me first when they have something to say.
The seven exchanged glances.
Was it a cell-structured organization?
But even such organizations have clear boundaries.
What exactly are they if even the chief priest is just a pawn in their plan?
Staying here wouldnt yield any more information.
Soyeong nudged the man, saying,
Move aside. This is my area now.
At her command, the man, Heukyeong, stepped aside.
Soyeong directly faced the chief priest and suddenly burst forth with divine power.
What she was using was divine magic.
Specifically, it was a form of mental divine magic, rare and seldom mastered.
Even Eclayna and Iriel couldnt perform this.
It wasnt about controlling or reprogramming the mind; it could, however, discern the truthfulness of words.
Since they werent born with the Eyes of Truth like the Elves, they resorted to magic for such purposes.
Soyeong seemed tired even from that brief spell.
Mental magic generally required more divine and mental energy than other types.
It was understandable for her to feel exhausted, considering she wasnt a saint, saintess, or pope.
Hmm His words seem to be true.
I see.
Im a bit sleepy now
After using the demanding magic, Soyeong gradually succumbed to drowsiness.
Hongyeong caught her as she fell and said,
Cheongyeong, finish the task thoroughly.
Understood, Hongyeong.
Cheongyeong, after bowing in respect, unsheathed his dagger as Hongyeong departed.
He then respectfully bowed to the chief priest.
This is Hongyeongs command. Dont take it too personally.
Wait, just a
Seogeok
Before he could finish speaking, Cheongyeong swiftly beheaded him.
As the clean sword stroke passed by the chief priest, his head fell to the ground, his face still showing he didnt understand how he died.
Cheongyeong shook the blood off his blade and looked around.
Follow Hongyeong.
With a cold demeanor, Cheongyeong gazed out the window towards the ongoing battle, a chill in his eyes.
Ray immediately went to meet the Pope.
No matter how high-ranking the Pope was, he couldnt refuse a request from Ray, a saint and the primary hero of the war.
Ray opened the door and slightly bowed.
I greet Your Holiness.
And I greet the Saint.
After exchanging formalities, the Pope spoke.
Its both a pleasure and a surprise to see the Saint so suddenly. What brings you here?
Sensing the urgency, Ray got straight to the point.
Your Holiness, I believe we have identified the leaders of the enemy, Proxia.
The Pope leaned forward, showing his interest in Rays words.
Please tell me, Saint.
Yes. To get straight to the point, Proxia is not a newly formed organization.
What do your words imply?
The Popes expression furrowed slightly, struggling to grasp the implication.
Despite deploying numerous informants, they had obtained no substantial information.
Was Proxia not a new group, after all?
Ray continued.
Such a large army cannot form without the notice of other kingdoms. First, the Holy Kingdom requested support from neighboring kingdoms.
The Pope listened quietly to Rays words.
However, we were rejected. It wasnt a holy war, nor had any necromancers emerged, so they saw no reason to assist. Of course, my being asleep also played a part.
With the Saint asleep, showing no signs of awakening, the neighboring kingdoms felt no obligation to assist, risking their own military losses.
This was a consequence of the Holy Kingdoms minimal engagement in diplomacy.
Focused solely on faith, they had paid little attention to diplomacy.
Even financial support would have been in dire straits if Ray hadnt introduced new agricultural and trade practices.
However, the current concern was not about diplomatic issues.
Ray looked directly at the Pope and said,
Proxia is not a singular, newly formed force. Rather, it is a coalition formed by neighboring countries.
Neighboring countries? Are you certain of this information?
The Popes tone remained even and composed, but his hands gripped the throne, trembling with rage.
Ray nodded.
I sent a few reliable people to investigate. It seems our Holy Kingdom is also involved.
The Popes face contorted instantly.
He had been so pleased to receive a response from the gods.
He had felt joy leading a kingdom that seemed to delight the gods.
But after hearing Rays story, only emptiness remained.
In this kingdom serving the gods, a kingdom beloved by the gods, the emergence of a betrayer was unthinkable, unacceptable.
The Inquisition required notification to eliminate this betrayal.
However, Rays words were unexpected, even to the Pope.
Leave them be.
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