Chapter 132: Fall of the Hero (1)

It had been a few days since I got an experience double coupon from a 10-pull.

I had already used one coupon and earned a large amount of karma.

It was an item that I bought with expensive money, even if it had some drawbacks.

To use the coupon properly, I had to try it once in advance.

That was what I did.

“Hmm… I got about 3,000 karma last time, right?”

That was how much karma I gained from using the coupon.

On top of hunting diligently, the karma that I usually received was doubled as well.

3,000 karma per coupon.

Not a bad level.

Except for the one I used for testing, I still had four coupons left.

How to use the remaining four was a problem that I had to think about in the future.

“I could get much more karma if I use them when my level is higher… but the causality rate adjustment is a concern.”

There were many things that I had to pay attention to while playing the game.

There was always a backlash, except for spending money.

The most important thing in game play was not to raise the difficulty recklessly.

It was not a game that I could just leave alone and go wild.

“But there are some convenient parts of being idle.”

Of course, even when I was not logged in, the characters worked hard to earn karma for me.

The church was also growing its power continuously.

These were all advantages of being an idle game.

Just like the characters that I saw on the screen right now.

-“For the time being, we plan to spend time on fortifying the holy land.”

The church’s headquarters where Yuto landed.

There, Archbishop Roan gathered the apostles and talked.

What Roan talked about was Yuto’s fortification.

It was also something that I had been thinking about since I got [Artifact: Fake Divine Tree Yggdrasil].

“Fortification. That’s a good idea. A flying fortress is cool.”

A sky fortress that bombed the ground while flying.

Wouldn’t that be every man’s dream?

I agreed with Roan’s plan on many aspects.

Roan, who came up with a good idea, pointed at Yuto who landed on the ground with his finger and spoke.

-“First of all, we will start with installing the magical part.”

-“The magical part…!”

Perin’s eyes sparkled as he heard Roan’s story.

He was happy that Yuto was evolving in some way.

Of course, Roan ignored him and continued to explain.

-“Even though the guardian of the holy land has stealth and bombardment abilities, I think the holy land should be the last bastion for the church.”

-“The last bastion…”

-“For that, Apostle Eutenia helped us a lot. The fortification plan will be based on the magic circle that she drew for us.”

Nod.

Eutenia, who was listening, nodded her head in agreement.

She also contributed a lot to the fortification plan.

And behind her, Peter, the mage, was packing up his stuff.

Why was he doing that there?

As I alternated between looking at the two of them with a short thought, Roan added an explanation.

-“Since Apostle Eutenia will be away for a while on a mission, the fortification plan will start after we transport the carriage and the two of you to the destination.”

It turned out that Eutenia was leaving the church for a while.

It seemed to be part of the operation to get the [Philosopher’s Stone] that I ordered before.

As if to prove that, there was a brief conversation between Eutenia and Peter.

Eutenia looked at Peter, who was struggling to load his luggage, and popped up a speech bubble.

-“Peter. You should be careful not to ruin the cake when you move it.”

-“Huh? Cake? Do we need that?”

-“You never know how long the journey will be.”

-“Hmm…”

She asked him to be careful not to ruin the cake.

It was a rather absurd command from my point of view.

After all, Eutenia liked cake more than any other apostle.

When did she start liking cake?

As I racked my brain and wondered about the beginning, I remembered giving her a cake when she was hiding in a cave.

“Did I feed her too much cake?”

Even by the standards of that time, it was a cake that cost more than 6,000 won each.

It was natural for her to react that way, since she had grown up eating expensive cakes.

Especially since most of the times when a cake came out of the lottery, I gave it to Euteneia as a reward.

Did I make one of my characters a cake addict?

That’s how much Euteneia loved cakes.

“Well… Euteneia does her job well, at least.”

Of course, this was a luxury problem for a character who was worth the money.

No one could deny that Euteneia was the hardest worker in the cult.

Roan also moved busily, but most of the big tasks were done by Euteneia’s hands.

Her personal strength was also one of the top among the apostles.

“Please keep up the good work. As for the cakes… I’ll try my best to find them.”

I alternated between looking at the cup noodles and the smartphone on the table, and then smiled warmly at Euteneia.

I felt like giving her a compliment for once in a long time.

Of course, the characters who received my praise were all in pain, but I thought it was a worthwhile thing if my intention was conveyed.

It’s not like I’m the one who’s hurting anyway.

With that in mind, I reached out my finger towards Euteneia, who was sitting with her shadow spread out.

And right after that, Euteneia suddenly got up from her seat and moved.

My finger, which lost its target, swung around in the air and hit Peter’s back of his head, who was carrying a load.

-“Aaargh…!”

Thud.

With a heavy sound, Peter fell to the floor.

The bag he was holding also dropped and rolled on the ground.

As Peter collapsed, Euteneia, who was nearby, ran towards him quickly.

“Oh… You’re coming to help your colleague right away.”

– “Ca, cake…!”

“So that’s what you were worried about.”

Euteneia was not concerned about Peter, but the cake.

I put my hand on my forehead as I watched Euteneia use her shadow to grab the cake.

Thump.

I didn’t forget to hit Peter’s head with my remaining finger.

A speech bubble popped up over Peter’s head along with a crisp sound of impact.

* * * * * *

A secret space located underground of Crossbridge.

There, Hus looked at the Saintess of Knowledge, Aurora, who was operating the magic device.

The Saintess of Knowledge, Aurora.

The longest-ruling saintess in Crossbridge had the most secrets.

The secret space he visited this time was also the place he learned from Aurora’s guidance.

“Why did you come down here again?”

Hus, who was watching Aurora operate the device, asked her.

This space was full of unfamiliar things for Hus.

At the same time, it was a space hidden behind a thick veil.

When he asked Aurora, who was busy moving her hands, she smiled faintly and told him.

“I received a trust from God after a long time.”

“Did you say trust?”

Hus widened his eyes at the word trust.

The saintesses of Crossbridge were beings who received direct trust from God, but that didn’t mean trust came down often.

Moreover, it was a rare occasion for Aurora to receive trust alone.

Hus, who was curious about the content of the trust, sent a glance at her, and Aurora let go of her hand from the device.

“It’s a trust from the Goddess that came down after a long time.”

“What was the content of the trust?”

“The apostles of the cult are after the holy relics.”

The apostles of the cult.

As soon as he heard that, Hus’s brother’s face came to his mind.

As far as he knew, Evan Allemier was one of the apostles of the cult that served the evil god.

Maybe Evan was the apostle who was after the holy relics.

That thought crossed Hus’s mind.

“Do you know which apostle is moving?”

“Unfortunately… I didn’t hear that much. You must be worried about your family.”

“……”

“It’s a tragic fate, but we still have to bravely accept our role.”

Aurora’s hand drew a cross on her chest.

There was a hint of affection in her eyes that were smiling.

It was a look that looked beyond this place to something else.

Aurora, who faced Hus with a complicated look, continued.

“Just like I did in the past.”

Just like she did in the past.

At Aurora’s words, Hus felt his left eye twitching.

It was a new eye that was given to him along with a brilliant miracle.

The brightly shining pupil sometimes showed him things that humans could not see.

“The saintess of the past…”

“I also had to make a choice. It was a very difficult choice for me, and the outcome was not very good either.”

“Is that so…”

“But I don’t regret it now. The Goddess is guiding me on the right path.”

O Goddess, guide me on the right path——.

A short prayer came out of Hus’s mouth.

Hus’s hand clenched the rosary that was wrapped around his neck.

Aurora, who was watching him, approached the device again.

Clank. Rattle.

The complex machine moved and a strong light poured out of the blue crystal.

“Actually, there is something you have to do here today, Hus.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Please take out the hieroglyphs. This is a task that only the hero of knowledge can do.”

This place, located underground of Crossbridge, was a secret even to other saintesses.

But she said that this secret was only allowed to the children of knowledge.

The hero of knowledge had a role that suited him.

His power was indispensable for the great work that was carried out in the holy land.

“What do I have to do?”

Chwarararak.

The bookshelf of hieroglyphs in Hus’s hand turned quickly.

Hus’s eyes, holding the hieroglyphs, also shone brightly.

When Hus asked her about his role with the artifact in his hand, Aurora pulled down the lever of the device.

“You have to reproduce this magic, Hus.”

What appeared as the lever was pulled was a magic.

It was a small-scale magic, but it contained complex patterns.

Hus realized why he was needed as he looked at the magic with his eyes glowing.

The device here could only reproduce magic of that size.

Only Hus, who used the miracle of hieroglyphs, could activate magic on a larger scale.

“So that’s what it was.”

“Can you do it, Hus?”

“I’ve finished analyzing the magic. It’s okay to move on to the next step.”

Clank. Rattle.

Aurora’s hand operated the lever again.

Then, this time, a space with a huge magic circle began to rise up.

Aurora winked at Hus as if that was her goal.

Now, her eyes were filled with strong anticipation.

“That’s where you have to use magic, I guess.”

Nod.

Hus’s eyes stared at the center of the magic circle as he moved his head.

Light and light flashed and drew huge lines in the air.

The ability of the hero of knowledge to reproduce the magic he had seen once.

The miracle of hieroglyphs reproduced the powerful magic he had seen on a larger scale.

“——Hieroglyphs.”

One line creates light.

Another line strengthens the light that stretches out.

Many lines overlap and create complex patterns.

Countless lines and power wanted to do only one thing.

The endless movement of great power.

“Ah, aah…!”

A scream burst out of Aurora’s mouth as she watched the magic.

The power flowing from God’s remains was moving towards the hero’s remains.

The powerful power began to defy the order of the world as it shook.

The soul that was forcibly held back also went against the natural order and was trapped in the decaying body.

The hero of the past, who was trapped in the reproduction of the miracle, opened his eyes.

“This is, no way…”

“Arein!”

Crack. Splash.

The glass tube that had been storing the old hero’s remains broke.

The preservation liquid from the broken glass tube soaked the floor heavily, and in it, the dead man who opened his eyes floated in the air.

The former hero of knowledge, Arein Crost.

The dark power flowing from his body dominated the entire space.

“Ugh, ugh…!”

Hus frowned at the pressure of the power that pressed down on his whole body.

He had become a hero and gained endless power, but even with his power, he could not bear the pressure now.

But Aurora ran towards Arein even in that pressure.

She quickly approached Arein and hugged him with all her strength.

“Are you awake, Arein?”

“……”

“Arein. Finally, finally our promise has come true.”

She looked at the dead man who came back to life with moist eyes.

A short kiss.

Aurora’s lips touched Arein’s and then parted.

She caressed Arein’s cheek with affectionate eyes.

The hero who woke up from a deep sleep greeted her with a slow voice.

– “Ah, Au, rora…”

“Arein. Arein… You promised to protect me forever.”

An eternal promise.

The oath that bound the hero even after death was there.

Arein’s hand hugged Aurora’s head, who had grown old.

There was a difference of many years between the hero who died long ago and the saintess who became an old woman.

“There are evil apostles of the evil god who threaten the holy land. Arein… Please defeat them all for us.”

Aurora whispered in Arein’s ear in the endless oath.

The hero of knowledge.

An unrivaled genius.

The talent of destruction.

Impossible.

The hero who inherited all those adjectives nodded his head briefly.

For God. For the holy land.

For his only lover.

The vow was eternal. And it had to be eternal.