TCF 775
# I'm going to rest now? (2)
“What should we do, your highness?”
Alberu grabbed the armrest with his hands that had been brushing his face after hearing Tasha's question.
The Prime Minister of Caro Kingdom, who had been peeking at Alberu, opened his mouth at that moment.
"What is going on, your highness? It sounds extremely urgent.”
His gaze looked as if he had figured out a number of issues.
"Did something happen outside? I am suddenly concerned as they are looking for Commander Cale Henituse of all people.”
“I agree. Your highness, could we, as your allied nations, hear what is going on?”
“I wish to hear as well.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Askosan and one of the representatives of a kingdom on the Eastern continent chimed in as well.
Alberu made eye contact with Tasha.
‘What should we do?’
Alberu slowly looked around the meeting room after seeing the question in his aunt’s gaze.
‘...Hiding it...’
Since the different representatives or their executives were here...
‘Seems impossible.’
It was impossible to hide the fact that a divine item was bestowed to the Church of the God of Death.
Furthermore, even without the information networks of the different kingdoms, the Church of the God of Death would not keep quiet about it.
‘They wouldn’t want to let go of such a big issue.’
There were no official records of the Church of the God of Death receiving a divine item.
The current Church of the God of Death did not have any divine items, let alone a Saint or Holy Maiden.
Death.
This was the god who presided over the absolute concept of death, but the Church of the God of Death did not have much influence in either the Eastern or Western continents.
They had temples all over the continent but they were not very well off.
A god had bestowed a divine item to such a place.
‘They would do everything they could to spread the news.’
This was especially true right now since the Church of the Sun God, which had significant power in the Western continent with the Mogoru Empire at the center, had lost its power and was aiming for a comeback. That comeback should take quite a while even though they had Saint Jack.
As a result, the chief executives of numerous churches would be trying their best to take the place of the Church of the Sun God.
“...It can’t be helped.’
The God of Death's divine item.
The information about the Divine Oracle.
Finally, Cale Henituse.
Information about these three things will end up spreading anyway.
Then there was only one answer.
“Tell him to come in.”
He gave Tasha the order before addressing the people inside the meeting room.
“I don’t know for sure either so we can all hear together. I suppose it is information everybody should know.”
Litana's eyebrows rose slightly.
‘He supposes it is information we should know?’
The Alberu she knew would not use such words of uncertainty.
‘What could be going on?’
It didn’t seem as if it was another dangerous incident.
Rather than a sense urgency, the expression on Alberu’s face was...
‘...Annoyance?’
He looked somewhat annoyed.
This was something Litana could only make out since she had seen Alberu quite often.
Slam!
“Your highness!”
A priest rushed in as soon as Tasha opened the door.
“Hmm?”
Clopeh's eyes clouded over.
There were some commoner priests behind the priest who urgently rushed in.
‘...A church?’
The priest, who walked in with his extremely wide sleeves fluttering, was wearing a robe representing a church.
There were many priests staying in Puzzle City right now as healers. There were some high-ranking priests, but none had been at the Bishop level.
It was obvious that he had teleported to urgently come to Puzzle City.
‘That’s weird. It’s understandable that he teleported here. But nobody stopped this group of priests all the way to this meeting room? What could the information be?’
Clopeh was not the only one who found this to be odd.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Askosan subconsciously started speaking after the arrival of an unexpected individual.
“...Why would a priest suddenly-”
“Your highness!”
The priest who seemed to be a bishop completely ignored the Askosan representative. He instead bowed toward Alberu and started speaking.
“I am someone who serves the God of Death.”
“Are you a bishop?”
“Yes, your highness. I am the bishop in the Roan Kingdom’s capital.”
Being the bishop of Huiss City, the Roan Kingdom's capital, meant that he was the person in charge of the Church of the God of Death in the Roan Kingdom.
“Your highness. Have you heard?”
The bishop's eyes were sparkling once he raised his head.
“...Mm.”
Alberu gulped instead of responding.
“...He looks as if he has gone mad.’
The bishop's eyes were full of lunacy and greed.
‘It's understandable since a divine item was bestowed not to the temple with the Pope but a temple with a bishop.’
Using this in his favor could lead this bishop to become the next pope.
“Your highness! I have rushed over because there was a message I must deliver to you!”
The priest didn’t notice that his white hair was getting messy as he continued to shout.
"The God of Death has bestowed a divine item to the Temple of the God of Death in the Roan Kingdom's capital!”
Silence filled the meeting room for a moment.
“What do you mean by that?”
“A divine item? A divine item for the Church of the God of Death?! Such a thing-”
However, it instantly became rowdy.
Even the Breck Kingdom and Whipper Kingdom’s representatives, who had mainly been quiet, said a few things as they could not hide their shock.
“That is correct.”
A smile appeared on the priest’s mouth for a moment.
Alberu had clearly seen it despite it lasting only for a moment. The priest had no idea about Alberu’s sharp gaze before shouting with a look of triumph on his face.
“He also bestowed a Divine Oracle with it! As a servant of the God of Death, I must fulfill this Divine Oracle!”
“You, no, bishop-nim, were you the one to receive the Divine Oracle?”
Someone looked at the bishop with shock.
“...Ahem, I did not hear it, but it was written on a parchment that came with the divine item.
The bishop slowly looked away.
Alberu raised his hand and ordered the bishop to speak.
“Explain in detail.”
“I understand, your highness.”
The bishop stood up straight and closed his eyes. He had a look on his face as if he was recalling something bursting inside him.
“Today... Today is the day we have our weekly prayer. All of us gathered together earlier today to pray to the God of Death for all living beings of this world.”
“And?”
The bishop slightly frowned after the Askosan representative interrupted, but he responded without any issues.
“It was the moment I gave the final prayer for the wellbeing of the Eastern and Western continents.”
“And?”
“Ahem! And!”
The bishop didn't even look at the Askosan representative who interrupted again, and continued speaking.
“Darkness suddenly descended on the temple. Then a radiant light descended on the altar at the center of the temple!”
“And then?”
“Ahem.”
The bishop ignored the Askosan representative and kept speaking.
“The divine item and the parchment with the Divine Oracle suddenly appeared on it.”
“What was the divine item?”
The Prime Minister of Caro Kingdom asked without being able to hide his anxiety but the bishop shook his head.
“What do you mean by that?”
Alberu asked and the bishop responded with a look of pity.
“I was unable to touch the divine item.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“A current crackled when we tried to touch the divine item on top of the altar. We thought that we would be put in a dangerous situation if we tried to touch it.”
“Ho.”
The Breck Kingdom's representative gasped and started speaking.
“Then what can we do about the divine item? Do you just have to leave it there without knowing what it can do?”
The bishop shook his head again when that question, which sounded almost as if he was speaking to himself, came out with a sigh.
“The Divine Oracle dictated the owner of the divine item.”
His voice was calm, lofty and clear.
The priests looked at Alberu.
The bishop continued speaking.
"The owner of this divine item is only the one who came back to life despite being stabbed in the heart. Only the one who saved the continent will be the owner of this item.”
“Ah.”
Someone gasped.
The one who came back to life despite being stabbed in the heart.
The one who saved the continent.
There was only one person.
Only he met the conditions.
Litana subconsciously closed her eyes. She had chills all over her body. She could feel how amazing of a deed Cale had done.
She heard Clopeh mumbling at that moment.
“Even a god recognized him and bestowed a divine item, so why are the people who claimed they would be with him acting like this-”
Litana was at a loss for words at his comments made as he sighed.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Clopeh. She then flinched.
His fists were tightly clenched. Clopeh Sekka’s fists were shaking as he glared at the people around the table.
The bishop and the priests all bowed to Alberu at that moment and made a request.
“Your highness. We must see Commander Cale Henituse-nim.”
Everybody in the meeting room looked toward Alberu. He ignored their gazes and responded.
“Commander Cale is currently not in a state where he can meet people.”
The bishop had a grim look on his face as if he knew about this.
He had already tried to go to the annex to see Cale before coming to find Alberu because the Royal Knights Brigade turned him away.
“Your highness. It just needs to be for a short moment. This is the first time in hundreds of years that the God of Death, no, that any god has bestowed a divine item.”
The bishop was desperately pleading his case.
"That is how precious a divine item is. Commander Cale Henituse-nim is the only person who can figure out the identity of this divine item.”
“Please, we beg you, your highness.”
The priests bowed once again.
Alberu responded with a firm gaze.
"This is not an issue for me to decide. Commander Cale. We must follow his will.”
It’s not my decision to make. It’s not something I can order Commander Cale to do. So don’t ask me about it.
Alberu was drawing the line as he continued speaking.
“However, there is something I am curious about.”
“Please ask, your highness.”
“Is the divine item something that Commander Cale can receive right away if he goes to the Temple of the God of Death?”
Alberu was asking because he was worried the church might do something to not give Cale the divine item or try to make a deal with him to get something for the divine item.
Of course, there was no need to worry about Cale being dragged around by the church. He was just asking because he was worried Cale might get in a fight with the church.
The bishop responded without any hesitation.
“Yes, your highness. We will give it to him right away. The item from our god would be going to its one and only rightful owner. We just wish to know what kind of divine item it is.”
Alberu slightly nodded his head.
‘Hmm. At least it won't be cumbersome for Cale.’
As Alberu had that thought...
“Everybody in Roan and the entire continent will watch the sight and be delighted.”
“...Mm?”
Alberu looked at the bishop after suddenly hearing his energetic voice. The bishop must have been thinking about something great as he smiled brightly as he spoke.
“The glorious moment that a divine item is received by its owner, it is a sight for everybody, enjoy, and celebrate.”
The bishop was imagining such a sight.
He was imagining that glory happening at his temple, taking him closer to the pope position.
"For the past few months, no. The citizens of the Western continent have been struggling for the past few years because of multiple wars. They’ve constantly lived in fear. I'm sure it was the same on the Eastern continent.”
The bishop spoke with vigor toward all of the chief executives in the meeting room.
“That sight would symbolize the start of peace for all those people.”
He showed his strong passion for power as desperation for a noble cause.
“Please trust us and leave it to us! I and the church will swear on our life that we will treat the Commander-nim as the utmost VIP and inform people that peace has arrived!
‘No, that's not good.’
A slightly anxious Alberu turned his head. He made eye contact with Tasha. She shook her head with an expression that seemed to be asking what they were going to do.
Everything the priest was saying must absolutely not happen.
That was what her gaze was saying.
Alberu agreed with her. They were certain that Cale would stealthily infiltrate the temple to loot the divine item and Divine Oracle if the bishop tried to do those things.
“We should hear from Commander Cale and see what he wishes to do-”
It was at that moment.
Boom-!
There was a strong rumbling.
Alberu immediately looked out the window.
Someone in the meeting room shouted.
“The temple-!”
The sealed god’s temple had still been floating in the air.
It was destroyed here and there but the temple that still gave off a sense of holiness was slightly shaking.
* * *
“Mm.”
Cale, who lost consciousness again while meeting with the God of Death, slowly opened his eyes.
He couldn’t help but gasp as soon as he opened his eyes.
“Are you awake, young master-nim?”
“Cale-nim!”
“Human!”
Cale urgently opened his mouth as Ron, Choi Han, and Raon showed their delight about him waking up in their own ways.
“R, Raon! You-”
“Hmm?”
Raon tilted his head before speaking excitedly.
“Human! Isn’t this item that slapped you unconscious a divine item? I'm going to make sure the God of Death pays for that!”
Raon was right about to throw the black book to a floating ball of fire.
Cale spoke sternly but quickly.
“Don’t do that. That’s precious.”
“Hmm? Is the divine item expensive?”
The corners of Cale’s lips curled up.
Ron and Choi Han’s eyes clouded over as they watched. It was rare to see such a gentle smile on Cale’s face.
“Yes. It’s very expensive to me.”
“I didn't know that, human! I was just trying to scare the God of Death!”
“That was a good move.”
Cale praised the shocked Raon before receiving the black book from him.
He then carefully opened it.
The God of Death had given Cale a hint to look in the book as it would be written in here.
Chh. Chh.
His hand stopped at a spot while flipping through the pages.
“Found it.”
< Endable >
It was the now empty city that had once been a kingdom raised by the White Star before it was destroyed by the summoning ritual for the unranked monsters.
However, the Endable Kingdom had slowly started to be restored with the Vampire Duke at the center while Cale’s group was stuck inside the sealed god’s temple and the races that were still shunned by the continents had returned to live there.
It was no longer called a kingdom but just Endable. They didn’t have a clear direction as for how to move on from here.
This land underneath the sinkhole...
The word Endable written in Korean on a black page... That was where Lee Soo Hyuk had been reborn.
- Cale, Cale!
It was at that moment.
The Super Rock urgently called out to Cale.
Boom-
- The sealed god’s temple, no, the place is your temple now!
Cale looked out the window as soon as he heard the Super Rock's voice.
He could see the temple in the air shaking. He felt and odd sensation in his body at the same time.
He could feel the temple's silent scream and pain.
- It looks like you need to quickly lower that to the ground.
‘Mm.’
Cale clenched his eyes shut.
He wanted to head to Endable but he sure had a lot of things to do.