ALL NOVEL Chapter 374
“Karina. I’m heading out.”
“Have a good trip!”
“Be safe!”
“Johann, before you go…”
Geez. When did she become so clingy? I shared a light kiss with Karina, who had nestled into my arms. If I didn’t have anything to do, I would have probably stayed like that for five minutes, but unfortunately, I had a schedule today, so it couldn’t be helped.
I stepped out of Yeomyeong-gwan while being seen off by my lovers.
It’s a hassle to be going out early on a Saturday morning, but… well, it’s the job I chose, so what can I do? I headed straight down to the tunnel and moved toward the portal.
The portal, which I had set up in advance yesterday, was ready with coordinates whenever I needed to enter.
“I hope it’s over quickly.”
I’ll just grab the Holy Sword and get back to prepare for battle.
As I organized the rough plan in my mind, I walked into the portal.
—————–
“Welcome to the Mage Guild, Sir Quartz!”
“What? Sir Quartz?”
“Is it really Sir Quartz who’s here?”
I shrugged off the stares I’d grown used to and accepted the greetings as I left the guild, heading straight for the Grand Temple.
Naturally, I was there to pick up the Holy Sword that Kalon had promised.
“Welcome, Sir Quartz.”
As I arrived at the central Grand Temple, a man dressed as an archbishop warmly welcomed me. He must be a new archbishop since I had never seen this face before.
I extended my hand to him for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you, Your Excellency.”
“It’s an honor to meet you as well, Sir Quartz.”
As expected, his reputation is quite high.
It’s hard to gauge since reputation doesn’t show on the Status Window, but he’s clearly beyond limits since he rushed over to welcome me.
If I raise this a bit more, the Emperor too… ahem.
“My name is Kranchia. Please feel free to call me Archbishop.”
The archbishop, being relatively young, chuckled at my greeting.
Thinking about it, this person was the new archbishop after the fall of the previous ones, right?
I could guess the reason why he was treating me so well. His foundation isn’t solid yet, and making an enemy of a hero of the continent wouldn’t bring him any good.
Especially if that hero was here to receive the Holy Sword based on a divine decree.
“I heard that a decree has been given to me. Could you tell me what it was about?”
Feigning ignorance, I pretended to be curious while watching the archbishop’s reaction. His face lit up with excitement as he exclaimed in a more agitated tone than before.
“Yes! The Lord Kalon! Has given me a decree!”
It wasn’t exactly a sight I wanted to see— a middle-aged man puffing as he spoke, but I understood his excitement.
Isn’t it like being chosen by your favorite?
What fan wouldn’t love that?
“Sir Quartz! Let me guide you directly to the vault!”
I followed the archbishop who offered to guide me inside the temple.
The Grand Temple was grand and full of murals, fitting of being a magnificent shrine built in the capital, but my interest lay elsewhere— with the Holy Sword.
Or maybe with some other goodies.
If there was anything useful in the vault, I wouldn’t mind swiping a few things.
Of course, it depended on how Kalon delivered the decree… but I could always ask about that.
“Archbishop Kranchia, I heard about the decree given to me, but could you tell me what it was about?”
“Oh, certainly! A few days ago, the decree I received was: ‘To he who cuts the breath of the Dragon, calamity shall come, and in my name, I shall bestow my glory and grace upon him.'”
Now that I think about it, wasn’t the weapon called Kalon’s Glory?
Still quite a direct decree. It’s basically asking to hand me the Holy Sword and some treasure. While it’s a bit suspicious that there’s been no contact lately, it seems they still intend to look out for me.
Well, even if they plan to discard me, it’d be after I deal with the outsiders.
Until then, no matter what their true feelings are, they should be supporting me.
So, I just need to thoroughly drain their resources and once I’ve slayed the outsiders, negotiate with Kalon.
I haven’t fully thought it out, but whether we sign an agreement or if it comes to killing and propping up a puppet… it’ll work out somehow.
While I was thinking like this, Archbishop Kranchia stopped walking ahead.
I halted as well, looking at a massive door that seemed large enough even for an ogre to enter. Is this the vault? It looked unnecessarily grand for storing the Holy Sword.
With the materials used to make this door, I could probably make another Holy Sword.
Just craft a basic sword and infuse it with the World Tree’s energy— that’d be a Holy Sword, right?
“Then, I shall open it.”
The archbishop placed his hand on the door and began murmuring what seemed to be a prayer. I leaned against the wall, staring blankly at him as I waited for the door to open.
I wonder how long I waited.
The archbishop’s words came to an end, and the sound of the massive door scraping began. I gasped in awe at the interior becoming visible through the slowly opening vault door.
I followed him inside the vault.
Upon looking around the inside of the vault, it was even wider than it appeared from the outside. It seemed to be about the size of two classrooms.
“Impressive.”
“This is where the treasures collected by our church over hundreds of years are stored. Each one is an incredible treasure.”
“That treasure over there was a brooch that Saint Claire carried about 300 years ago. It has the power to ward off evil. That sword was used by Sir Patrasche to crush the conspiracy of the cultists 200 years ago…”
The archbishop began explaining each treasure contained within the glass display cases.
His face revealed an unhidden pride in the hundreds years of history of the Kalon Church.
“You certainly know a lot about the treasures in the vault.”
“Before I became the archbishop, I was in charge of managing this vault.”
“I see.”
“The Holy Sword is inside.”
The archbishop led me further into the vault. He seemed to know the exact location of the Holy Sword among the many treasures.
“The Holy Sword of the Kalon Church has rarely been shown to the world since it was used by the first hero, except for a few instances. And every time it appeared, there was a crisis for the entire continent.”
He stopped in front of a glass case containing a sword that shimmered with a sun-like hue, deep in the back of the vault.
“The Lord Kalon asking to hand over this sword indicates that an even greater threat than the Dragon is approaching the continent.”
“A threat… that sounds frightening. The Dragon was quite a formidable foe, after all.”
I feigned ignorance while responding to him. He didn’t seem to suspect me; instead, he sighed and placed his hand on the orb beneath the glass case containing the sword, beginning to recite the prayer once more.
“O mighty Kalon…”
It seems stealing this won’t be easy. A long prayer like that serves as a password, and unless you’re a devout follower, you won’t be able to lift the seal.
Once again, a considerable amount of time passed before the unlocking ritual was finally completed.
“O chosen warrior of the great one, please raise the sword.”
As he stepped aside, I strode forward to grasp the Holy Sword.
“…What an incredible sword.”
Is this what happens when the main god of a world puts all their might into crafting something. I was awed by the thick sacred power radiating from the sword.
It’s definitely on par with the divine power that radiates from Karina.
I’m not sure how well I can wield it in an actual fight, but it should definitely prove to be an immense aid in subduing the outsiders.
“With this sword in hand, no matter who comes, I can handle them in one cut.”
Could Renny lift this?
I’d rather have Renny wield it than me.
I can’t handle swords. A shovel, sure, but not a sword.
Even the great sword I create with my ability is wielded like a shovel.
“I sincerely hope you will save the continent with this sword, Sir Quartz.”
“I will dedicate my life to saving the continent.”
Once I take down the outsiders, a world of pleasure awaits, so what can’t I do?
I didn’t want to live as a eunuch like the protagonist of a harem story just because I assembled a harem!
I resolutely reaffirmed my determination while saying something contrary to my true feelings.