Chapter 605

"I have become accustomed to those who do not know me hating and despising me. I thought it was inevitable. But this time it's the opposite. Those who do not know me were worshiping and loving me, even within the Five Great Religious Sects. Like how Ellen is revered as a hero, they also think of me as the rightful champion of Als and Tuon, who are not recognized by the world. Many have seen me make my final plea. Among them were members of the Five Great Religious Sects, including high-ranking clergy and paladins who knew that the Gate incident was not something I had intended through my subordinates. Therefore, it was inevitable that there would be those who secretly supported me within the sect. Rowen was among the radicals. If there are radicals, there are also moderates. If there is a side that says there are circumstances for the Demon King, then there is a side that says the Demon King is absolutely right. That assumes that both sides support me from the beginning. Does that mean that the majority of the upper echelons of the Five Great Religious Sects have supported me at some point? Did the popes act according to the trend of the times, not betraying humanity? Even Ileion Valtan, who was busy with the battlefield, seems to be familiar with this matter. The Five Great Religious Sects were just waiting for me to appear and had become my supporters for some time. 'What is the argument of the radicals?' 'The culprit of all this is not you, but the Empire and humanity.' Those who did not believe in me. Assuming that I have no fault, is it a logical argument that all those who did not believe in me are responsible? 'Some of them hope for the collapse of the Empire.' In the end, it's the same. Blaming someone. It's just not me. Rowen was a person who worshiped me and hated the Empire. He was trying to investigate the Empire's corruption, but the commander of the Holy Knights stopped him, even trying to kill him. 'Rowen would have hated me, who prevented him from exposing the corruption beyond the Empire...' Fire. I tried to show that sight to someone. I wanted to show it to an unspecified number of people. 'Now, of course, even the sect will hate and distrust me.' The radicals believe that not only the Empire but also humanity is responsible. That means that even the Five Great Religious Sects cannot be clean. There would have been priests and popes, including paladins, in that position. But what if the scenes of civilians being captured, killed, and tortured in the Tuan sect's temple, which already had a bad reputation, were revealed to the world? The already ominous public sentiment would have gone crazy. And the Empire would not have slept. If there were no people, there would be no Empire, so the Empire would have had to push back against the Five Great Religious Sects. 'If there had been a civil war in the Hwangdo... Is it too extreme an interpretation?'" "I can't say for sure, but it could have been possible."

From the beginning, Rowen was a proponent of the Empire's responsibility, not just investigating this incident. That's why Illeon Valtin would have considered Rowen dangerous and tried to eliminate him. Rowen was someone who wanted to destroy the Empire whenever he had the chance. That's why punishing Rowen was the best option. If left alone, the friction between the Divine Faith and the Empire could have escalated into actual bloodshed. Rowen was someone who, if there was a bomb, wouldn't avoid it but rather want to detonate it, so Illeon Valtin's decision isn't incomprehensible. Leaving Rowen alone would have been dangerous. That's why Illeon Valtin tried to use force, but since he failed, Rowen became an even more dangerous person. As long as the sects that had been loyal to him were trying to kill him, it wasn't strange for him to hope that Rowen was sane. Illeon Valtin's saying that I need him probably meant that. Rowen thinks of me as a prophet, so meeting him would solve everything. I have to find Rowen before he tries to do something I don't want him to do under the pretext of caring for me.

***

Berthus led Ellen and her group to the underground research facility of the Temple of Magic. It was a terrible sight. They all watched what was happening underground. Resurrected corpses, corpses that were coming back to life. Where they are now, what they are doing, and how they will be energized. Ellen, Ludwig, Louise, and Heinrich could all see the sight that the Demon King had seen a while ago. None of them could speak properly. Not only the warriors, but also the heroes of the past who had died long ago were coming back to life. They saw that. "As I said, no matter what you say, I have no intention of abandoning this plan." Berthus finally told them everything and insisted that he would continue with this plan as he had said. "If someone else dies in the future, we'll continue to resurrect them in this way, right?" Ellen asked. Berthus shook his head. That means even if Ellen dies. It means that Sabiolin Tana will be resurrected and put into battle. This should not happen. But in the end, what value does a corpse have other than the weight of its body? If it can be used effectively, shouldn't it be used? "Did Ashur also... come back to life in this way?" Ludwig asked. A figure that is no different from a living person. If he comes back to life and speaks and remembers just like he did when he was alive, isn't he really coming back to life? Berthus shook his head at Ludwig's question. "It failed." "You really couldn't... resurrect him?" "That's right." This is a resurrection that is not even half complete. It's just making a weapon. Since Delphin couldn't even find the body, it was impossible to attempt it. What if we could really resurrect the dead? What if they had not only their complete form but also their complete memories? Half-resurrection alone creates false hope that it could succeed. Ludwig, Anna de Gerna, and Christina were the core members of the research. Ludwig wants to see it, but it's better not to. Berthus leads Ellen and Heinrich to the underground research facility of the Temple of Magic, where they witness resurrected corpses and heroes of the past coming back to life. Berthus insists on continuing with his plan to resurrect corpses, even if someone else dies in the future. Ludwig asks if Ashur also came back to life in this way, but Berthus says it failed. This is a resurrection that is not even half complete and is just making a weapon. The chapter ends with the question of what if they could really resurrect the dead with their complete memories. The possibility of failure plunges people into despair and gives them false hope. Christina has lost her mind in the possibility of resurrecting her dead friend Ashur. Even after multiple failed attempts, she refuses to give up. Ellen wonders if it is even right to bring back the dead with their complete memories. She sees the toll it has taken on Christina and worries about the consequences. Berthus is determined to continue with his plan, even if it means sacrificing someone else in the future. The group realizes that even if they succeed, it may not be worth it. "If they can speak like Ashur and have Ashur's memories, can we really say that they have come back to life? But if they can just vaguely remember, then we can say that they have. From that point on, it becomes something that should not be done. Christina is trying to do it now. Everyone is silent but agrees with Ellen's words. The sad expressions on Anna and Louis' faces as they continue to watch this scene are already evidence. Christina probably wanted to stop, but she couldn't bring herself to say it and was forced to help. Her stubbornness was not only destroying Christina but also the other two in real-time. At Ellen's words that they should stop now, Christina's deep and dark eyes become even darker like an abyss. 'You.' 'I'm here.' 'Even if it was Reinhardt.' 'Are you going to say that?' With that one word, the air froze. '...What?' Just by calling that name, everything became tense."