The very late stage of the game.
A world where most things had already perished.
The Supreme Heavenly Demon and Gochu Is Coming, Lee Hyeonseung and Nam Taemin, had crossed paths quite often.
And whenever they did, without fail, a little conversation would pass between them.
“Hey, Supreme Heavenly Demon.”
A world where clearing the Abyss had lost all meaning.
In a situation where hundreds of Abyss Gates appeared all across the continent in a single day.
When you spent the whole day surrounded by Abyss monsters, doing nothing but hunting, even a small conversation like this was rather welcome.
“What.”
“Are you going to keep playing this game?”
“Of course I am.”
“……You’re seriously insane too. There aren’t even many NPCs left, and the only content is hunting, hunting, and more hunting. What’s so fun about a game like that?”
Why was he doing this……? As if there could be a reason.
This had already become one of Hyeonseung’s natural daily routines.
Even though no answer came from Hyeonseung, Nam Taemin continued chatting on his own as if he were used to it.
“Anyway, seriously, what kind of game makes the difficulty like this……? It’s already hard enough that everyone would have to work together, so why did they even make an organization like Black Fang?”
Black Fang, the worst criminal organization.
And the players who threw themselves into it for the sake of infamy.
“If it weren’t for those bastards, things wouldn’t have gone this far.”
They created demonfolk, and far from clearing the Abyss, they constantly carried out sabotage.
As if disturbing public order weren’t enough, they even killed key NPCs. If only Black Fang hadn’t existed, the world would not have fallen so easily.
“Well, there were plenty of other reasons too, actually.”
It could not all be blamed on Black Fang alone.
If only civil strife had not broken out in the Empire.
If only that damned war of succession, fought to seize the empty seat of the absolute ruler after the old emperor’s death, had been stopped.
No, there was that too, but what was most regrettable was, after all……
“If only the Holy Kingdom hadn’t collapsed so easily, the situation would have been much better.”
The abundant divine power of high-ranking priests was the only way to purify the cursed energy of the Abyss.
Of course, since there were not many priests who possessed that level of divinity, it might not have been of great help.
But…… the feeling of having even the thinnest strand of hope was different from having not even the slightest.
“To think the Holy Kingdom would collapse so easily without a central pillar. No one expected it.”
That was the problem.
That damned central pillar.
Some sacred being who could unite the weakening church once more.
“If the Holy Nation had possessed such a being, things would have been far better than they are now, wouldn’t they? What do you think, Supreme Heavenly Demon?”
“It is nothing more than a meaningless supposition.”
“……A wise answer to a foolish question.”
The conversation ended there.
Because Abyss monsters were surging toward them again from far away.
The Holy Nation had fallen, and everything else was being destroyed, but at the very least, this place—
Shouldn’t Imenia be protected?
As the Supreme Heavenly Demon rose to his feet, hundreds of fireballs floated above his head.
* * *
A spacious room within the lord’s castle.
A single bed placed in the center, and a young girl lying upon it.
It was Irina.
Her body, startled by the sudden outpouring of a vast amount of divine power, had been unable to endure it.
Of course, it was not a serious injury. She had merely fainted from mild exhaustion.
That was why the problem lay elsewhere.
The tense confrontation between the Sword Saint and the cardinal over the Saintess.
“The Saintess will go to the headquarters with this old man.”
At Cardinal Herald Gugenberger’s words, the Empire’s Sword Saint, Vitalianus, stepped forward.
“That girl will go to Imenia with me.”
A fierce battle of nerves between Herald, a named figure of the Holy Kingdom, and Vitalianus, the Sword Saint of the Empire.
And in the midst of it, Hio let out a sigh.
‘This situation is really…… complicated.’
First of all, the fact that he had survived even after opposing Vitalianus’s sword was nothing short of a miracle.
If he were to face the Sword Saint head-on right now, defeat would be inevitable without even needing to see the result.
He possessed not one but two top-tier skills, but the problem was that compared to his overwhelming offensive power, his stamina and defense were far too poor.
It was because his stats were too insignificant.
The Sword Saint’s stats were infamous for being monstrous.
While each stat that a player could purchase with points had a limit of 500,
the Sword Saint’s strength, agility, and the like easily surpassed 600 at minimum, and many even speculated they might be close to 700.
If he truly set his mind to rushing in, even reacting would not be easy.
‘That much is fortunate, but…… a Saintess.’
He had survived thanks to Irina’s sudden awakening, but it was still bewildering all the same.
There had been no Saintess in the world of Bentair.
Because after the death of the last Saintess, no one with enough divine power to succeed her had appeared.
But Irina, watching her dying friend before her eyes, had awakened under extreme stress. She had burst forth with an enormous amount of divine power.
A sacred and warm light that everyone present had no choice but to acknowledge.
Those touched by that light shed tears at the divinity swelling fully in their hearts and lowered their heads.
Everyone blessed the birth of the Saintess with one heart.
‘So it wasn’t that a Saintess never appeared. She simply hadn’t been discovered.’
What that implied was greater than he had thought.
‘Perhaps…… there may be more beings like Irina than I expected.’
Countless talented people who had vanished in vain without ever seeing the light.
Hadn’t Hio already discovered that light twice?
Irina and Claire.
What kind of current would the changes created by those two bring about?
Even while Hio was lost in such thoughts, the conversation between the cardinal and the Sword Saint continued.
“Hohohoho…… Sword Saint. Surely you felt it too. This child is a Saintess chosen by the Goddess. It is only natural that she be entrusted to the headquarters.”
“Before that, she is also a citizen of the Empire under the protection of His Great Majesty the Emperor.”
“You tried to kill that imperial citizen.”
“Kill her? I merely intended to subdue her.”
“No, Sword Saint. Had that mage not stepped forward, you would undoubtedly have cut down the Saintess.”
With Irina between them, the cardinal and the Sword Saint stood opposed, neither yielding an inch.
“Fulfill your original duty, Sword Saint. Was your purpose not to uncover the mastermind behind this incident?”
“That is precisely why I must take this girl. Is she not a child deeply involved in this incident?”
“She is a sacred child who holds immense holy power. Even for the sake of learning how to control her power, she must go to the headquarters.”
“There are temples in the Empire as well.”
“How can that possibly be the same!”
The two showed not the slightest concession.
Since there was no sign that the conversation would progress, Hio finally stepped in.
“……I think the two of you are misunderstanding something.”
Letting out a small sigh, he took off his hat and sat down on a chair beside him.
“I am Irina’s guardian.”
In truth, Hio had merely happened to meet her on the street, but so what?
No matter who looked at it, wasn’t he currently Irina’s guardian?
At those words, both of their gazes turned toward Hio.
“Then, mage. Are you saying you will continue to keep this girl with you?”
At the Sword Saint’s words, Hio shook his head.
Wasn’t she a Saintess who had appeared for the first time in decades?
Irina had to learn how to handle that power.
She had to learn, strengthen that power even further, and become a ray of hope for a world that would be covered in curses.
Therefore, Irina—
“Should go to the Holy Nation.”
Cardinal Herald Gugenberger was someone trustworthy.
If she went with Herald, Irina would be able to fully establish herself as the Saintess of the Holy Nation.
“Of course, Irina’s own wishes are the most important.”
At Hio’s words, Herald showed a benevolent smile, while the Sword Saint stared at Hio with a stiff expression.
“……Mage. Let us continue the duel we left unfinished.”
“Let’s not take your anger out on me.”
“Are you refusing now?”
“I am but a powerless mage.”
“That is the most insincere lie I have heard recently.”
Vitalianus began to let his aura rise, as if he truly intended to cross blades with him right away.
As expected of the strongest in the world, there was not the slightest hesitation in his actions.
The one who stopped Vitalianus was Cardinal Herald.
“Hohoho…… There is nothing wrong with what the mage has said. Maintain the dignity befitting the Star of the Empire, Sword Saint.”
And just as Vitalianus was about to say something back to Herald—
“Mmm……”
Irina, who had collapsed, slowly opened her eyes as if she had regained consciousness, and everyone’s gaze turned toward her.
“Child. Have you come to your senses?”
“You’re awake. You must come with me.”
“Irina. Are you all right? Do you remember what happened?”
Irina, momentarily flustered by the focused gazes, soon seemed to recall something and looked at Hio as she asked,
“Mister Mage…… What about my friends? Are they all right?”
“Ah, your friends.”
Hio smiled as if to reassure her.
“Thanks to you, they all returned to normal. They’re still unconscious, so they’re lying in the castle’s treatment room.”
“……Thank goodness.”
Irina, whose heart had eased considerably, only then looked around.
Two people were sending intense gazes toward her.
“Um, Mister Mage…… who are these people……?”
At Irina’s question, Herald stepped forward as if he had been waiting for it.
“Be at ease, child. This old man is a priest of the Holy Nation, Herald Gugenberger.”
And not to be outdone, the Sword Saint also immediately stepped forward.
“I am an imperial knight, Vitalianus Hamel.”
The Sword Saint even went one step further.
“Come with me to the imperial palace.”
“Child. Pay no mind to what that frightening-looking knight says. Come with me to the Holy Nation.”
“She is a citizen of the Empire.”
“Before that, she is a Saintess chosen by the Goddess.”
As the two were about to begin their war of words yet again, Hio cut in.
“Irina. What do you want to do? Do you want to go to the imperial palace, or do you want to follow the priest?”
The gazes focused on her in an instant.
Irina, who had no idea what was going on and had become nervous, spoke in a slightly intimidated voice.
“I want Mister Mage.”
“……Hm?”
“I want to follow Mister Mage.”
At Irina’s unexpected answer, Hio pressed a hand to his forehead.
“It looks like we’ll need some explanation.”
* * *
In the end, the one who lost the battle of wills between the cardinal and the Sword Saint was the Sword Saint.
Defeat.
It was a word utterly unsuited to the Sword Saint, but there were several complex reasons behind it.
First, because Irina, who kept stubbornly insisting that she would follow Mister Mage even after hearing the explanation, ultimately chose Herald.
Even without Hio persuading her, wasn’t the benevolent-looking cardinal clearly more comfortable than the terrifying-looking Sword Saint at a glance?
And in truth, more than anything else, Vitalianus himself had not wanted to clash too fiercely with the cardinal.
If the Sword Saint had truly intended to take Irina……
He could simply have taken her.
The Sword Saint, whose martial prowess was said to reach the heavens, could not be stopped even by a cardinal of the Holy Nation.
If it had been any other time, he would likely have taken her by force without even bothering to argue like this.
But the reason he did not was—
—Do not cause trouble. That is an imperial command.
There had been an order from the emperor.
An order to avoid conflict with the Holy Kingdom as much as possible.
And while an imperial command was an imperial command, the most important reason was the final one.
The Sword Saint’s interest was, in truth, elsewhere. A being who stirred his curiosity even more than the existence of the Saintess.
“……Mage.”
The one who had given his bored self a sense of tension.
A person who made his competitive spirit stir for the first time in over ten years.
A mysterious mage whose true identity he could not fathom at all.
In truth, to the Sword Saint, this was the more concerning and important matter.
Of course, even amid that, there was something he did not concede.
“Tom, Zadin, and Hardy must be investigated.”
Those three, at least, had to be thoroughly investigated and cooperate in uncovering who stood behind them.
Even if they were friends of the Saintess, they could not be exceptions.
“I will not treat them as criminals.”
From the Sword Saint’s position, even that much was a tremendous consideration.
At the very least, they had not harmed anyone or committed any serious crimes.
“If they cooperate sincerely with the investigation, I will release them once the matter is wrapped up. After that, they may do as they please.”
“Yes! Thank you so much, Sir Knight!”
The conclusion was reached quickly.
Since the second most important issue, the Saintess’s future, had been decided as the Holy Kingdom, the rest could be passed over roughly. Now, was it not time to resolve the most important matter?
Vitalianus’s gaze turned toward Hio.
“Mage.”
A predator’s craving slowly filled his indifferent golden eyes.
What at first glance seemed almost like madness was both boundless fighting spirit and yearning.
A confrontation with a strong opponent who would lift him, who had been stagnant for so long, to even greater heights.
“Are you ready for our duel?”