chapter 118
In the dark (1)
I am dreaming.
A dream in which the surroundings are all black, thick, and gloomy.
What am I doing in it… … I stood there blankly, doing nothing.
He was just waiting for his body to sink into this deep darkness.
Only then could I return to reality.
I had been having these boring dreams over and over again and again for a long time, so many times, no, I dare not say any number.
It was boring and boring again.
Most of the things that dreams usually seem meaningful, but this nightmare was not at all.
It was just a nightmare that my body was slowly dragged into that darkness.
A nightmare that has no meaning and no meaning.
At first, I struggled several times, but I realized that there was no meaning from one day, and I just waited for the dream to end quickly.
In addition, unlike other dreams, this dream strangely remained in my memory, and it appeared without fail when it was time to forget about it after feeling uncomfortable for a while.
Even if that wasn’t enough, I realized that it was a dream and tried to do anything in the dream, but I couldn’t do anything.
I don’t know why I’m doing this even though it’s my dream.
So there was nothing I could do but wait in a daze.
Whether lying down, sitting or standing, the time was the same, so just stay still.
Should I do a handstand this time?
It was the moment when I thought about it.
jjoong… … !
The world, which was only static, cracked.
This is my first time ever.
I caught my sinking consciousness and raised my head.
A white lightning bolt was drawn against an all-black background.
I didn’t even know where the floor was, so a large gold engraved in a place where I didn’t know if it was a ceiling, a wall, or rather a floor.
And soon after, it was smashed violently as if a battering ram had fallen from the outside.
Quaaa!
Soon, a white pillar of light descended from between them.
But even that light couldn’t push away all the darkness.
The pillar of light, like a stake, stuck in the darkness only shone softly around it.
It was huge, but it seemed weak nonetheless.
I felt like I was seeing myself somewhere. I forgot for a while that it was a dream and looked at the pillar of light with sad eyes.
-Kuh… … .
At that moment, a voice was heard.
like where did you hear
like hearing it for the first time.
No, I wonder if the voice is right.
There were intermittent sounds that I couldn’t tell if it was laughter or crying.
It was difficult to pinpoint the location as it resonated not in one place but in all directions.
This… … Is it really my dream?
It was a dream I’d had thousands of times, but for the first time I had such doubts.
Or maybe it was simply an extension of a dream I couldn’t remember.
Just like I don’t remember all my life. It may have been a dream that I had forgotten about without realizing it.
-hehehe… … .
Meanwhile, the unpleasant voice continued to be heard.
He seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t even hear what he was saying.
only… … I felt incredibly terrible.
So I deliberately distracted myself from the voice and looked around again, but nothing had changed except for the new pillar of light.
Is it just an extension of the same dream?
– Heh, hehehehe… … .
Noisy all the way.
For some reason, I swung my finger in the direction I thought I was on this side, and my consciousness gradually sank into the darkness.
* * *
The eyes were heavy.
I knew it was not a dream, but reality, but my body felt heavy.
Has fatigue accumulated this far?
I rummaged for a while, still unable to open my eyes.
I went to find the holy relic and was trapped in the ruins related to the hero, and after defeating the golem, I came out through the exit… … returned home
When I opened my eyes with difficulty, a familiar ceiling came into view.
It did.
Yesterday I came home and, without tidying up, I collapsed and fell asleep.
The fatigue I felt as soon as I relaxed was no joke, perhaps because I used Limit Break in succession.
Is that why it is so heavy?
With that thought in mind, I lowered my gaze and saw silver hair like moonlight.
“… … huh?”
Why is Rize here?
I definitely remember going to bed with Irina because I was worried about her.
I couldn’t understand for a moment, but he reached out and stroked my hair lightly.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I should enjoy this moment.
So I spent some time enjoying the peace. It seemed like he woke up a little later than usual, so it wouldn’t matter if he stayed up later.
But when I thought about it, there was always someone who got in my way.
“Are you awake?”
Irina burst open the door as if she knew everything and said that.
Turning around, I saw Irina, who had loosened the cloth holding her broken right arm.
“Does everything look better?”
“The young lady was constantly worried, so I had no choice but to wear it. Now that I’m back home, I have to work properly.”
After all, Grace gave her proper treatment in the beginning, and on her way back, she continued to treat her until she arrived at the Holy City of Hisera.
Because he was injured, he was excluded from the vigil, so he looked more blushing than usual.
“By the way, why is Rize here?”
“When I was about to wake up in the morning, the lady did not want to be alone, so I brought her here.”
“Yeah, well done.”
Isn’t this small happiness felt right after returning from a trip more important than anything else?
As I continued petting Rize while thinking about that, I saw Irina still standing in the middle of the room.
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
“You need to get up soon.”
“huh? why?”
It’s the day after I came back from my trip, so I’m not allowed to rest like this.
As I was thinking about that, Irina looked at me with a reproachful look and said, “Have you forgotten already?”
“Didn’t you decide to go see High Priest Miriam? Because of the discussion about the reward for successfully recovering the relic.”
“Ah, it was, indeed.”
Maybe it was because of a dirty dream, but I just remembered it now.
Speaking of the result, the holy relic, Saint Leia’s bracelet, was recovered safely.
Coincidentally, when we went out to the exit of the ruins we were in, it was connected to the ruins where the holy relic was located, and after investigating there, we were able to retrieve the bracelet.
Fortunately, the ruins were also built strong, but most of the interior was intact, although some were buried.
Still, the exit was blocked, so I had to pierce it eventually, but the tools piled up in the space expansion bag were a big help.
A temporary pillar for emergency fixing the ceiling so it doesn’t collapse, an aculium that eats metal debris, or a slime trap that hardens while inflating in size.
After using various tools, we were able to see the light of the ground again after about a day.
Grace and Hudson expressed their deep gratitude to me and promised to serve me as a benefactor of the church.
He said he would deliver the details after discussion at the head office… … If you don’t fill my castle, I will turn it over and overturn it.
Aside from that, Miriam, who had been informed of the success or failure of the quest, wanted to talk about it in detail today.
I was just nodding my head at the time because I was tired, but I guess I should go today.
When I tried to get up, Rize hugged me whining, and in the end I had to spend time holding Rize for a while.
When the hug ended like that, Rize savagely kicked me out.
“Have a good trip, Dad.”
The reason was because of the care of Irina, who might still be sick.
She was obviously healed, but maybe it was because she saw her injuries right in front of her eyes, it seemed that Rize was still not relieved.
After glancing at Irina, who had a proud expression on her face, I left the house and walked towards the Lunara Sacred Church.
Come to think of it, I should report back to the magic teachers of Douglas and Rize. I have to tell you when I go to church.
When I arrived at the church with such thoughts in mind, a priest immediately came along and guided me, as if it had been discussed in advance.
When I entered the same room as before, Miriam, who had been sitting, got up from her seat and bowed deeply towards me.
“Thank you very much for making our church’s long-cherished dream come true. The church swears to always be on the side of Irvin believers no matter what happens.”
“This is too much of a greeting. I think the Pope will tell you the rest, so let’s stop there.”
“Fufu, it is as you said. His Holiness the Pope told me that he would like to meet Irvin in person.”
“Should we leave now?”
It’s been less than a day since I arrived home, and I want you to go all the way to Hisera again?
When I asked in disgust, Miriam smiled and shook her head lightly.
“Not necessarily. It seems that His Holiness the Pope will be busy for a while with the relics. And since Irvin’s followers have to visit Hisera in person anyway, it would be best to meet them then.”
“Because of the blessing of purification? I heard it takes a long time to prepare.”
“Yes, I think it will be held in time for the New Year, but I will let you know as soon as the schedule is set.”
It was not difficult to anticipate that the interior of the Holy City would be very complicated in the New Year.
How many people would pray to God for the New Year? I hadn’t been to Hisera that day, but I expected it roughly.
I didn’t like that kind of situation, so I asked a question.
“Are you doing it on a grand scale in front of the public? I want to avoid people’s attention.”
“The only thing I do publicly is tell the truth about the relic. Basically, it will be held in a place where only a minimum number of people are present.”
“That is fortunate. Since it was the New Year, I was worried that too many people would gather.”
“Since Irvin is the benefactor of the church, the church will provide maximum convenience. If there is anything you want, just let me know.”
I was a little embarrassed because I had never been treated like this before.
After all, do people have to do good things for a living?
Anyway, there were about three months until the New Year, so I didn’t have to think about it right away.
Still, you should be prepared for some risk.
It was going to be held at the main headquarters of the Lunara Sacred Church in the sacred city where countless people gather, so you might be worried about it, but did you know that just before that, you would fall apart from Rize?
Since I admitted that I was too complacent, I had to prepare even more.
At this time, there is probably one thing that the church should be careful about.
I rummaged for a while and asked Miriam a question.
“Do you know who the priest in charge of the blessing of purification at that time is?”
As mentioned before, the blessing of purification is a very labor-intensive task, so in the case of members of the imperial family, the pope directly blesses them.
Other than that, the high priest would be in charge, so I asked just in case.
“I was in charge this year, but maybe next year… … .”
After rummaging for a while, Miriam nodded as if she remembered, and put a name in her mouth.
“Brother Berettinio will be in charge. I also haven’t seen you a few times, but most recently I was appointed as a high priest.”
Why are ominous premonitions always wrong?
It seemed like an involuntary laugh would come out.
Miriam gave a brief explanation of the purification blessing procedure, and I listened to it with one ear and let it flow through the other, reminding me of Beretinio.
If you roughly look at his career, he’d be a faithful believer who quickly rose to the position of high priest… …
To put it bluntly, he was a dirty traitor.
As a member of the Dark Truth Church, he joined as a spy to destroy the Lunara Holy Church from within.
It must have been a plan that took a lot of effort to rise to the position of High Priest, but… … This time I had no choice but to step out.
The person who gave Rize a blessing was a filthy traitor, so what on earth could she trust?
In the next three months, Berretinio had to be brought down.
For that… … I made a plan in my head step by step with the five children.