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Those referred to as “the True Night” are indeed heretics, but they do not believe in a false god.

Their deity exists and is mightier than any divine entity on this earth.

That is certainly the undeniable truth. However, that divine being is merely an Outer God who came from beyond this world.

Their origins trace back to before the founding of the Empire, within the royal line of the ancient kingdoms that once existed on this land. Those who summoned the Outer God to this land were precisely them.

Originally, the Outer God was one who could not so much as set foot upon this land, nor perceive it. However, the ancient kings of the old kingdoms that existed before humanity united under the name of the Empire drew this god to this land.

What humans could never achieve by their own strength.

Yet, this result, which could hardly be called a miracle, was made possible by the greed of the ancient kings, who desired greater power.

They ultimately succeeded, and the Outer God descended upon this land.

In exchange for successfully summoning the divine, they received the power they so fervently sought and were promised a blessing from the god. Yet, when one receives something, it is also necessary to offer something in return to the god who granted it.

They dedicated this world to the god.

Whether they wished for it or not, that was the end result.

As an Outer God whose essence lies beyond, it was necessary for this god to stain the world with its own color to claim its place in this realm, and that act inevitably led to the destruction of the original world.

The new color of the Outer God was far too dark and cold for an already completed world, leading to the celestial deities once again turning their gaze toward the mortal realm.

To the gods maintaining the world, the existence of the Outer God, which destroys the world, was a foe that should not exist. Thus, they began to clash, and a war that would become the founding myth of the current Empire erupted upon this land.

The Outer God possessed a power undoubtedly mightier than any other divine being, yet lacked time.

The Outer God had placed the ancient kingdoms of this land under its influence, but it was still an outsider. With shallow roots in this world, it had limits to the power it could exert, and ultimately, it was defeated by the ones led by the Creator God and was banished back beyond the night sky.

After the banishment of the Outer God, all the kingdoms collapsed, but they could not erase even the traces it left behind. The followers who had rallied to it did not all vanish either.

To those intoxicated by the power under the name of divine grace, the existence of the Outer God was absolute. Even if he was banished to the outer realms, those captivated by his power couldn’t escape from his influence.

Moreover, the Outer God had set up a focal point so that they could gather under his name, ensuring that no conditions were made that would lead to his banishment again.

That being was the Archbishop.

A being not originally from this land, but directly shaped by the Outer God.

It was crafted solely for the Outer God to descend upon this land, and unlike others with their individual desires, it harbored no personal wants.

A loyal servant without the possibility of change of heart.

With such a steadfast leader, the order survived for thousands of years without vanishing, and its might was sufficiently strong to maintain authority; it could reign as the divine representative over them for a long time.

“Arch…Archbishop…why did you do this…”

But that is over now.

The aged elder, who had been part of the order for many long years, gazed at her with trembling eyes, as if he could not comprehend her actions. She, who had always been the order’s protector, suddenly appeared and began to slaughter the believers without a word; he surely could not grasp the situation.

The other believers could not resist at all and were turned into mere puddles of blood by her hand.

Her power, reigning at the top of the order for a thousand years, was a calamity in itself and at the same time served as proof of how she could maintain the order.

No matter how great an opponent the Archbishop was, the believers were not ones who would readily yield to such massacre. However, their resistance was nothing more than feeble struggles that could be crushed by a mere wave of her hand.

Thus, she turned the shrine into a sea of blood, leaving only a single person behind.

Grasping the Sacred Relic enshrined in the Sacred Sanctuary, she gazed at the scene she had created with a satisfied expression and replied to the elder who had posed a question to her.

“It is the will of the God.”

The elder furrowed his brows at her answer, not understanding, but that was all there was to it. For her, further conversation was unnecessary. There was no reason for her to go through the trouble of making him understand her actions.

Above all, she had already spoken the answer with her own mouth.

The God had commanded her to bring forth the Sacred Relic, and she was merely following that command.

Originally, the purpose of her existence was not to be a divine agent but to serve as a cornerstone for the deity’s descent.

Now that the God had descended into this world, she no longer had any obligation to maintain the order. More importantly, her God did not attach any significance to the existence of the order, so she too would follow suit. Even if it meant abandoning something she had maintained for a thousand years.

“Shall we leave it at this for today? It seems the God desires you all to self-destruct.”

“What in the world does that… Ugh!”

The elder raised a question, feeling as if the Archbishop wished for the order’s ruin, but he would receive no answer. By the time he opened his mouth, her hand had already pierced through his chest.

Upon confirming that the shrine had fallen silent with his last breath, she elegantly departed the scene.

*

When I regained consciousness, it was not Altair who woke me, but Noel.

A different scenery than before I had closed my eyes. A swaying body.

I was currently being carried somewhere within the Imperial Palace, slung over Noel’s back. Realizing I was awake, Noel promptly turned her head to me and spoke.

“Damian!! I’m so glad you’re awake!! When I suddenly opened my eyes, there I was in the Archbishop’s Temple. And for some reason, you were collapsed! Luckily, you had chocolate in your pocket!! But wait, you always carry that around?!!”

Noel rambled as soon as I opened my eyes.

From what I could see, it seemed she had no recollection of her time in the Archbishop’s Temple when she was possessed.

Having witnessed her melt and nibble on the chocolate she herself described as bad last time, I knew she was indeed the Noel I remembered. My relief at seeing her back to her usual self allowed me to quickly regain my composure.

As Altair said, perhaps the appointed time in this world had come, as I could no longer feel Altair’s presence emanating from Noel.

After all, if it were her, she wouldn’t have just woken me up; she would have likely taken the opportunity to give me the Holy Sword while I was unconscious.

“Damian. But why were we collapsed over there? I… I don’t remember anything strange at all.”

“Well, I’m not sure either.”

I couldn’t give a straightforward answer to Noel’s question.

The fact that Altair, who hadn’t interfered in this world for years, had done so with such urgency clearly indicated something was amiss, but I thought it didn’t have to be something grave or dangerous. If it truly were serious, she wouldn’t have tried to contact me alone like this.

Given her references to a hero and that she appeared to know something about me, it seemed Altair’s interest was solely in me. Thus, there was no need to burden others with this, and it was fine to keep it under wraps as my own concern.

Above all, I had no idea how Noel would react if I told her her ancestor had possessed her and called me the chosen hero.

Well, even if she alone knew, it didn’t matter given the nature of the situation; it would definitely reach the Emperor or Orcus’s ears. And if that happened… just the thought of how much of a hassle it would be was blatantly clear in my mind.

From what I saw before losing consciousness, it didn’t seem things were going as Altair had intended. If so, eventually, she would come to me in some form or another.

If that were going to happen, it might be better for me to remain still.

‘It seems there are more problems than just that…’

At that moment, the strength I overcame Altair with was not mine. It came from the necklace Elena had given me.

No matter how much of a genius she was at magic, the power I sensed this time felt different from mere magical energy. If I had to compare, it resembled Divine Power. I’m not exactly sure, but it was certainly something that could not be achieved through magic.

All I could sense as I accepted that power was that it was Elena, her formidable strength.

Along with her awakening as a transcendent at an early stage, there was undoubtedly something about Elena that I did not yet know.

‘Well, I’m sure she’ll let me know in due time.’

However, I chose to stop thinking about it.

If it were her, she would surely tell me without me having to say anything.

And if she didn’t, that’s just how it must be. Everyone has unspoken secrets they live with.

If Elena chooses not to share something with me, that would be her secret. After all, I also have secrets I cannot tell her.

When I told Noel that I couldn’t remember well about the incident, she seemed to accept that explanation easily.

After all, we both collapsed back there. No matter what matters we were entangled in, it was not strange at all for both of us to have no memories.

“Ah, more importantly, Noel…”

“Yes! What is it, Damian?”

“Could you put me down? I’m alright now.”

I couldn’t just keep being carried around like this.

 

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