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“Noel…?”

“….”

Noel’s silent grip on my hand as she led me forward felt distinctly different from before.

It was as if she were someone else entirely.

If someone who usually spoke a lot suddenly became quiet, it would naturally feel strange, but with Noel, it felt as if her entire vibe had changed.

While the energy emanating from her remained the same, I was certain of one thing: this was not the Noel I knew.

Even though I sensed her otherness, my body followed her lead without any resistance. It wasn’t that I had lost control over myself; it was simply that I didn’t feel the need to resist the current situation.

By the time I realized this, we were already standing before the Holy Statue.

Noel, who had brought me here, stood in front of the statue, silently smiling without saying a word. I wanted to ask her something about this strange situation, but curiously, those thoughts remained unvoiced, and my mouth refused to open.

Although this situation felt odd, I instinctively sensed that what was happening to me wouldn’t cause me harm. Rather, a part of my heart seemed to embrace the idea of being drawn over there.

Much like the frenzy that had overtaken me when I first saw Elena.

Of course, this was a different emotion from obsession or possessiveness, yet it still hindered my sense of self. If that frenzy maximized emotions I already possessed, then this felt like something being inserted from the outside into me.

I wondered if something was wrong as I observed my inner self since entering the hall, but I felt nothing specific. The same went for the external environment. The only thing I sensed was the Divine Power filling the hall.

After all, could anything as vile as evil energy exist in front of the Divine Lord’s sacred relics?

“Then, could it be that those are the cause?”

Did the relics have some power to draw people in?

As I cast a suspicious glance toward the only plausible source of the phenomenon, I noticed the relics shining even brighter than before, as if they were playing dumb.

What had been mere lights from a distance now revealed clear shapes as I approached.

A crown atop the statue, a scepter and orb held in its two hands, and finally, a sword embedded beneath the statue’s feet. Although I was seeing these items for the first time, I already knew what they were.

“Regalia.”

The four sacred relics left behind by Divine Lord Altair.

I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the relics. They had appeared multiple times in the original story. While I didn’t know every detail, I at least understood what functions they served.

These were items proving the Emperor of this land was the representative of the Divine Lord.

Each of those four items had been used by the Divine when she came to the land as a hero, and they contained powers worthy of the title “sacred relic.” Remembering how Orcus, once an emperor, had effortlessly subdued those above him with just one of them, one could only imagine how powerful the relics truly were.

Yet, even though they were such entities, the Regalia could not be wielded by anyone without the blood of a deity…

It was odd that the sword known as the Holy Sword felt so familiar to me. After all, today was supposed to be the first time seeing it.

Unlike the other relics, that Holy Sword stirred feelings of comfort within me. It might be because I wielded swords often, but somehow, I sensed that this feeling wasn’t quite the reason for it.

The emotions I felt when gazing at the sword were quite complicated. Nostalgia, fondness, regret… It was perplexing to experience such emotions for a sword I was seeing for the first time, yet one thing was clear.

Just as I was drawn to that sword, it was also drawn to me.

“Is this calling to me?”

Until just a moment ago, I had thought that the relics were calling out to Noel. Yet, watching the Holy Sword resonate with me started to confuse me.

Still, it didn’t seem like our current state of being was entirely unrelated to these items. In this place, where only Divine Power could be felt, it didn’t seem likely that any nefarious magic would cause issues.

If Noel’s state was a result of the relics calling, it could explain things to a certain degree…

This was quite a peculiar situation. After all, Noel had likely roamed the palace several times, yet this incident happened precisely when she was walking with me. Well, it seemed I was part of the reason for the situation.

Vroom—

“Hmm.”

As I stood still beside Noel, the Holy Sword embedded before us suddenly began to emit a ringing sound, almost as if it were calling out to me.

[Hello.]

Just as I expected.

As I stood before the statue, gazing blankly, Noel’s previously closed mouth finally opened.

It was undoubtedly her voice, yet it felt distinct from her usual tone. That voice reverberated through the hall with a quiet power.

Upon hearing her voice, I realized who had led us here.

There was only one being capable of expressing such will through the Divine relics in this world.

Even if it were just her voice, it felt like the descent of a deity.

Perhaps because I was facing someone of an even higher caliber than the so-called transcendent beings, my instincts caused me to shrink back. However, it wasn’t to an overwhelming degree. Gathering my strength from my core, I released the pressure coursing through my body and said the name of the deity that had descended here.

“Altair.”

In response, Noel smiled at me with a similar grin to before, without saying anything.

*

In answer to my question, she neither confirmed nor denied it. Yet, the smile she wore certainly indicated a positive affirmation.

‘So it really was true that she was possessed by a god.’

Rather than possession, should I say divine manifestation?

It wasn’t unheard of for a deity to descend directly to the earthly realm, but for Divine Lord Altair to borrow a body like this and intervene in the human realm… Even if this was a temple, it surely wasn’t a trivial matter, and her calm demeanor threw me for a loop.

While I could understand the relics calling Noel and me, the emergence of the Divine Lord was beyond my expectations.

Altair was originally a figure like a setting in the novel.

She had a background but never actually appeared.

Many incidents related to heretics had transpired, yet Altair had never intervened directly or indirectly, not even once.

Considering the influence of the powerful royalty of this empire and the power attributed to the name of the Divine Lord, it was evident she was a formidable deity. But without even a single appearance, her existence had merely served as a narrative device to explain why Divine Power existed and why the royal family held such absolute authority.

‘At least not from what I know.’

I wouldn’t know what transpired in the latter half that I hadn’t read.

Apparently, I had unconsciously excluded the possibility of meeting her based on what I’d read.

But now, reflecting on the original material wouldn’t change anything. What was important was that she had appeared before me and, in doing so, borrowed Noel’s form.

Her dialogue with me indicated she had something to discuss, but was there truly a reason for her to be interested in me? Unfortunately, I was aware that my self-imposed questions had far more answers than I anticipated.

Was it because the Holy Sword resonated with me? Or perhaps she knew I was the original Damian Kraus? Or maybe it was all a part of something larger?

[You seem to have a lot on your mind.]

Had I remained silent for too long? The first to speak was Altair.

Her tone was light, which bore no resemblance to that of a supreme deity.

Her voice contained an aura of authority, yet it also held warmth. Perhaps the pressure I felt wasn’t something she intended; it was merely the natural difference in our standings making me feel that way.

I stopped my thoughts for a moment and focused on her. Altair, gazing back at me, wore a joyful smile, and I realized I hadn’t even properly returned her greeting.

Regardless, what she held towards me was not animosity but kindness, allowing me to shrug off the pressure more easily than before.

“My apologies. In my haste, I failed to properly greet you. I am Damian Kraus, the sole son of the House of Kraus.”

[I know already. No need to be so stiff.]

You know already…

I pondered briefly before continuing.

“I see… Then, did you summon Noel and me to this place?”

[That’s right.]

“Then may I ask why? Honestly, while I can guess Noel’s role, I can’t fathom why you would summon me here.”

I had several hunches regarding the reasons, but instead of guessing, I decided to ask her directly. There could be no clearer answer.

Altair responded far sooner than I anticipated, with an expression as nonchalant as when she first spoke to me.

[It’s because you are my hero.]

 

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