Chapter 78

Chapter 14 - Episode 4

"O beautiful and benevolent Goddess Rebecca, please shine your light upon this weak and foolish servant who cannot take a single step without your light. I will save the troubled and the weak, guided by your light, and I will punish the wicked."

First Prayer Room.

In the grand hall, originally reserved for the Pope, Pascal was praying.

He was doing this to suppress his anger towards Grid and regain his composure.

"...May warm light fill the entire world."

After a long while, the prayer ended.

Pascal, with a clear expression, stood up from his seat.

Having completely suppressed his anger, he thought coldly.

'The Grid of today is not simply after wealth or power.'

If that were the case, he wouldn't have resisted my temptation.

'His relationship with Demian must be very special.'

This is an unexpected variable.

'But eternal friendship does not exist. Even blood relations can turn against each other in the face of greed.'

In this world, the only concept that remains unchanged is faith.

Smirking, Pascal gave an order.

"Open the warehouse."

"Yes!"

Pascal's loyal followers, whom he had brought from the Judar Church, immediately moved.

Creak—

The secret warehouse door behind the statue of the goddess opened, and a brilliant golden light spilled out.

The warehouse was filled with gold and treasures.

This was the secret warehouse that Pope Drevigo had created, now being used by Pascal.

'Grid, how much will it take to satisfy you?'

Pascal's subordinates began to scoop up the gold coins, which would be used to entice Grid.

'If it's not enough, I'll give more. If that's still not enough, I'll give even more. In the end, you will take my hand.'

Camian, who had been silently watching, approached Pascal and asked.

"Wouldn't it be better to just kill that guy Grid?"

"He is the only one who can unseal the three great holy relics of our church. We must not make him an enemy."

"What if you fail to entice him?"

"Haha, that won't happen. He is a very greedy person. He will surely accept my offer."

"..."

Pascal was confident, but Camian did not trust him.

'That guy is a wild beast. He can never be tamed.'

When I swung my sword at his wrist in the council room.

He didn't even blink. He was ready to strike my neck while offering his hand.

Honestly, Camian was chilled to the bone.

'He's not just a one-time fighter. His momentum was fierce. If we fought properly, he would probably be my equal. He's already praised by the believers, and if he has such martial prowess, he would be a headache if he becomes an enemy.'

His Majesty the Emperor ordered.

To make Pascal the Pope at all costs.

From Camian's perspective, who must faithfully complete the order, there was no intention to leave a risk unattended.

"Come out."

Camian, who had moved to avoid Pascal's gaze, summoned the assassin given to him by the Emperor.

An assassin from the Emperor's direct assassination squad, the Ravens.

Camian asked the shadow in the darkness, whose eyes flashed.

"Did you see that guy Grid just now? Can you assassinate him?"

"Is that a question? I can kill you without you even noticing."

This was no exaggeration.

The Ravens possess assassination skills that can threaten even elite knights.

Unless the strongest assassins, Doran and Cassim, return, the Ravens are the current strongest assassins.

"Great answer. Kill Grid as soon as possible."

"Expect it by tomorrow morning. His head will be hung on the statue of Goddess Rebecca."

The Raven immediately disappeared.

***

Grid, who was led to Isabelle's room, frowned.

"What is this?"

The small room, about five square meters, had only a shabby bed as furniture.

Even a bone-chilling cold had taken over the interior.

"Is there no fireplace? I'll freeze to death in the middle of winter."

When he touched the gray wall, dust fell off.

"You'll catch pneumonia, man."

Grid waved away the rising dust with his hand and turned his gaze to Isabelle.

"You're still the same, huh?"

"..."

Rebecca's daughters were like this even in Drevigo's time.

Despite possessing the greatest power, they could not rebel against the church's leadership and had to endure unfair treatment.

It was frustrating to watch, but what could be done?

Rebecca's daughters were raised as weapons of the church from a young age, and they were only required to obey. Deep-rooted brainwashing acted as shackles on them.

The problem was not with them but with the church.

While outwardly advocating peace and benevolence, it has none of that.

In Grid's view, the Rebecca Church is a collection of hypocrites, no different from the Yatan Church.

'Filthy bastards.'

Grid's face twisted as he recalled how Pascal and the elders had treated Demian and Isabelle.

The words of the assassin Shaira came to mind.

"It would be better if the Yatan Church openly advocates evil. They believe that evil is the right path and commit evil deeds, right? But the Rebecca Church, while seeing themselves as good, commit evil deeds. They are more sinister and far more dangerous than the Yatan Church because they are two-faced."

The Rebecca Church was not like this in the past. But Drevigo ruined everything.

'As the saying goes, stagnant water rots.'

The current leadership of the Rebecca Church is from the generation that experienced Drevigo.

Most of them have already tasted the sweet fruit of indulgence and realized the thrill of tormenting others.

Can they escape that thrilling pleasure?

No.

As evidence, they have already failed to resist Pascal's temptation and are following him.

It's time for a change.

'Demian must become the Pope.'

Although he is an otaku, Demian is a pure person. If he becomes the Pope, the Rebecca Church can change.

'Especially, Pascal must not become the Pope.'

Pascal is an imperial citizen. He is the son of Baron Chilita, who has strong power within the empire.

If Pascal becomes the Pope, the empire can use the Rebecca Church as they please. According to Laowel, the empire will become much stronger than it is now.

Grid agreed.

'When I become king someday, I will have to be hostile to the empire. If they are stronger than they are now, it will be a problem.'

After silently thinking, Grid spoke.

"Demian, start your election campaign immediately. Thoroughly advertise the fact that I am your guardian. Froi will help you."

"Yes!"

Froi, the top-ranked orator.

His captivating speeches capture people's ears and hearts.

He will be a great help to Demian.

"Meanwhile, I will unseal Raphaël's Spear."

Grid sat Isabelle on the bed and began to observe the spear she held.

"Legendary Blacksmith's Appraisal."

[A legendary blacksmith uses his superior insight to appraise items. If there is a hidden function in the target item, it will be discovered.]

<Raphaël's Spear>

Grade: Mythic

Durability: 1,500/1,500

Attack Power: 1,330~1,890

*Holy Power +3,000

*All stats +200

*Life recovery speed +300%

*+5,000 fixed damage per attack.

*High chance to activate 'Wheel of Light' skill.

*High chance to activate 'Light Shield' skill.

*High chance to activate 'Light Guidance' skill.

*Always activates 'Blossom'.

*+50% attack power against targets with dark magic.

One of the three great holy relics of the Rebecca Church.

Due to the immense holy power it contains, which is beyond human endurance, it places a great burden on the user's mind and body.

Because the previous Rebecca's daughters could not withstand the power of this weapon and died young, the 5th Pope, Frenz, regretfully asked Paguma to seal the weapon's power.

However, in the 13th Pope Drevigo's era, Paguma's descendant unsealed the weapon.

Usage Condition: Rebecca's daughter.

Weight: 400

[This item has already revealed its hidden function.]

'To reseal this...'

I need to understand the structure of the item.

Perfectly, to the point of grasping its manufacturing method.

For that, the process of <Disassembly> and <Assembly> is essential, not just observation.

After becoming a Paguma's descendant, Grid had been constantly disassembling and assembling items whenever he had the chance. He was confident that he could quickly grasp the structure of Raphaël's Spear.

That's why he thought this task would be easy.

'But the reality is different.'

The task became difficult.

The problem was Isabelle.

Her health condition was much worse than expected.

If she were to let go of Raphaël's Spear, she would die immediately.

This means that Raphaël's Spear cannot be disassembled.

'I have to do it by observation alone.'

How long it would take, even Grid himself couldn't guarantee.

But one thing was certain,

"Isabelle, I will definitely save you."

Isabelle is precious.

Before being an NPC, she is someone who shares memories with me and is loved by someone.

Demian's feelings for her are no less than my feelings for Irene.

'I will not let her die.'

Grid began to observe Raphaël's Spear, examining every detail meticulously, over and over again.

Is it possible to raise the understanding of an item to 100% just by looking at it?

Currently, it is impossible.

It is beyond Grid's ability.

But Grid believed in his own imperfections.

'I still have abilities that I haven't awakened.'

Abilities that should be obtained by completing the class change quest.

I will definitely awaken those abilities.

'I can do it.'

Grid's class change quest was in an unproceedable form. That's why he hasn't completed it for over a year.

'Unless the developers are brainless or manipulating things.'

There must be some method prepared to awaken my power instead of the unproceedable class change quest.

And the answer is likely hidden in Raphaël's Spear.

Why did I unseal Raphaël's Spear?

Because the system made me.

In the past, the system arrow guided Grid to unseal Raphaël's Spear.

And it led to the current situation.

It's a clear arrangement.

'An arrangement to awaken my power.'

Grid's eyes, observing Raphaël's Spear, gradually became sharper. His concentration began to rise to an extreme level.

The will and perseverance he had honed through countless trials were being put to use.

'Grid...'

Isabelle, sitting across from Grid, gradually felt at peace.

It seemed like the voice of Goddess Rebecca was speaking to her.

Trust him.

***

The quiet dawn.

The Raven, hidden in the shadows, peered at Grid through the window.

'Already 8 hours.'

Grid, crouched in the small room.

For 8 hours, he had been staring at Raphaël's Spear, his mind completely focused on it.

This meant he was vulnerable.

'Rebecca's daughter is asleep. This will be an easier assassination than expected.'

The Raven landed under the tree and entered the building where Grid was.

The entire process was silent, without even a slight noise.

"..."

The Raven moved through the corridor stealthily. Even the sensitive mice did not detect his presence.

But someone in the shadows was watching him clearly.