Chapter 15
Aquila summarized the course of events for Ianpel in concise terms.
That it was not poison, but the Curse of Deadly Poison.
That only after coughing up blood and losing consciousness did he recall what the great dragon had once told him.
And that thanks to that prophecy, he had been able to escape death.
“Wait a moment. Are you saying you actually lifted the Curse of Deadly Poison? That is something I could not undo no matter what I tried.”
Just as Aquila had expected, doubt followed at that point.
When it came to Divine Power, Ianpel had confidence surpassing anyone else.
So the moment he heard that, with Yujelia’s help, the Curse of Deadly Poison had been removed, it was only natural for him to question how such a thing was possible.
But to Aquila, it was nothing more than a tiresome repetition.
He once again brought an oath to his lips.
After all, the disappearance of the Curse of Deadly Poison was the truth.
The one who acted unexpectedly was Yujelia.
“The Curse of Deadly Poison that had been cast upon Aquila has disappeared. I swear this before the Sun God Raspalara—these words are not false.”
With her hand placed over her brooch, Yujelia swore upon the name of the Sun God.
This was on an entirely different level from the simple oath Aquila had made.
Anyone standing upon this continent would know what it meant for a priest to swear upon a god’s name.
Yujelia’s oath was a vow of immutable truth made under divine authority and judgment.
‘If a priest breaks an oath sworn in the name of a god, the god can intervene directly.’
And in such cases, there was also the possibility of divine punishment.
The gods did not condone everything done in their names.
That was why, when Aquila himself had been a priest, there had been very few occasions when he swore upon a god’s name.
Although things had turned out as he anticipated this time, there had been no guarantee that the god would permit it.
‘The most unknowable and fickle beings in this world are the gods. You never know what they are thinking or planning.’
That had been Aquila’s experience as well.
He would rather deal with dozens of spirits than face the gods.
A faint yellow light scattered around Yujelia once more, lingering briefly before settling down.
Ianpel remained silent for a long while.
He had tested her because of her connection to Bishop Martio, but Ianpel already knew that Yujelia acted on the basis of sincere faith.
When he had investigated Martio, he had already finished looking into her background.
“…Then that must be your bargaining chip.”
Ianpel finally spoke in a calm voice.
The blatant suspicion that had filled his pale lavender eyes had faded, replaced by a different emotion.
Curiosity.
“In exchange for telling me the method of removal, what would you like me to give you?”
As expected, he was quick to grasp it.
Yujelia had eliminated the most troublesome step, making it easier for Aquila to say what he intended.
Aquila glanced sideways at her and offered a silent look of thanks, to which she responded with a smile.
“Just as I said earlier. Ah, I do not mean actually killing anyone to erase them. It was only a metaphor.”
“Haha. A metaphor, you say… That is quite a violent one.”
Having regained some composure, Ianpel returned to his usual smiling demeanor.
“It will not be a difficult price. Saint, you only need to continue doing what you are already doing.”
“I wonder if you say that knowing what it is that I am doing?”
“You are surely saving people for a noble cause. I would never demand anything strange.”
“One never truly knows another’s heart. I have no way of knowing what thoughts you harbor.”
Aquila and Ianpel smiled at one another.
‘I would like to return that line verbatim.’
Even so, Aquila did not change his expression and spoke leisurely.
“Lend me the name of the Temple of the Sun.”
“Lend you the name… Do you understand what that means?”
Borrowing the temple’s name was no simple matter.
The Temple of the Sun was a religious organization with more than half of the Delvion continent’s population as believers.
That name carried immense weight.
Aquila nodded without hesitation.
“Of course. It does not have to be the entire Temple of the Sun. The name of the Portplum branch alone will suffice.”
“The name of this place is no less significant. Aside from where the Pope resides, this is the second-largest temple on the continent—”
“Aquila Reschenhardt was able to eliminate the Curse of Deadly Poison with the help of the Temple of the Sun.”
“…What?”
When Aquila abruptly cut him off and spoke out of context, a flash of displeasure crossed the saint’s eyes.
He must have wondered what nonsense this young master was suddenly spouting.
But Aquila paid it no mind.
“I want it known that ‘Aquila Reschenhardt was able to rid himself of the Curse of Deadly Poison thanks entirely to the Temple of the Sun. Without the Temple of the Sun, who knows what would have happened.’ That is what I want to spread.”
For the first time, Ianpel looked utterly dumbfounded, as if he needed to reconsider whether what he had just heard was real.
“This is strange. Are you truly saying that you will attribute the credit for lifting the Curse of Deadly Poison to the Temple of the Sun?”
“Yes.”
“…What exactly are you plotting?”
Once again, suspicion filled Ianpel’s pale lavender eyes.
The Temple of the Sun had received several requests related to the Curse of Deadly Poison.
Yet every priest, and even Ianpel himself, had failed each time to lift it.
The black, chilling energy spreading through the body made it clear that it was no ordinary curse, but no priest had been able to resolve it.
Divine Power simply did not work.
The Temple of the Sun had struggled desperately to solve the Curse of Deadly Poison but achieved no tangible results, and Lady Priadel, a candidate for Crown Princess, had ultimately met her death.
The temple had suffered a major blow as a result.
Needless to say, an even deeper crack had formed in Ianpel’s pride.
And now, an opportunity to recover all of that was being handed to him so easily?
‘It is tempting enough to accept the deal on the spot, but he might demand an unreasonable price.’
Ianpel tried to maintain a composed expression, but it did not come easily.
The Curse of Deadly Poison was an unsolved knot, something the Temple of the Sun had never managed to overcome.
The loss of prestige the temple had suffered because of it was something the man before him could not possibly be unaware of.
And yet he was offering to give this away for free?
Ianpel narrowed his eyes, gauging Aquila’s intent.
“The Curse of Deadly Poison is—”
“I know the culprit. And I know the method used to cast it.”
“…What?”
Once again, a foolish sound escaped Ianpel’s lips.
“Who would not know that it would be better to announce it as my own achievement? If the name Reschenhardt were attached, everyone would say, ‘Reschenhardt accomplished what the temple could not. How remarkable!’ Is that not so?”
“That sarcasm cuts deep.”
“No matter how much I may be ‘that’ Reschenhardt, I am still an individual. And one who was nearly murdered, at that.”
Ianpel’s face turned cold as he slowly mulled over Aquila’s words.
“You mean that it is connected to something too great for you to bear alone… and that the surrounding circumstances may also be dangerous.”
“As expected, you are easy to talk to when it comes to things like this.”
Aquila smiled faintly without meaning to.
Seeing that expression, Ianpel felt an inexplicable swelling in his chest.
From his perspective, it made sense.
Since that incident, the Temple of the Sun had been desperate to resolve the curse, yet had made no particular progress.
On the contrary, the Priadel family, from whom cooperation was needed, had begun trying to conceal the matter instead.
There was no concrete evidence.
In the end, the temple had been forced to retreat without uncovering anything.
A full year passed after Lady Priadel’s death, with no solution in sight.
Then, an unsettling shadow was detected in Portplum.
Information surfaced that the Guild of Darkness, a den of all manner of crime, had infiltrated the temple, and that a priest was opening paths for them.
When this reached the Pope’s ears, he sighed—and then he raged.
As if matters were not chaotic enough already, for such a thing to happen!
There could be no greater act of disloyalty while serving the Sun God Raspalara.
Thus, the Pope secretly summoned Ianpel and issued an order, which the saint accepted.
Upon arriving in Portplum, Ianpel immediately expelled several shadows.
But all of them either took their own lives or were ignorant low-level members.
A guild of darkness was still a guild of darkness, rotten though it might be.
That was evident from how nothing of value came out of it.
Then news reached Ianpel that a strange message had been received.
A bloodline of Reschenhardt—the very family most suspected, and one that the culprit was rumored to have recently visited—had requested to use an unknown holy relic.
Ianpel halted his work and entered the chamber of the crystal orb.
And now, here he was.
As if the Sun God Raspalara himself had guided them here, Ianpel found himself believing that Aquila Reschenhardt might finally say the words he wanted to hear.
“The Temple of the Sun must know the Guild of Darkness better than anyone else. Will you help me capture them?”
And that was no illusion.
For the first time, delight rose clearly in Ianpel’s pale lavender eyes.
***
The heavy door opened with a muted sound.
“This is the place. It may be slippery, so please watch your step.”
Ianpel guided them while reciting the exact same words Aquila had heard when he first entered the basement in a previous cycle.
The air brushing against their skin was slightly cooler than above ground, but not musty.
Perhaps because this was where holy relics were stored, it was excessively clean and spacious.
“So there was a path here. I had no idea…”
Yujelia murmured as she looked back at the passage they had just come through.
She had not even known that a basement existed, and it was her first time here, so the shock was understandable.
“Is this really all right?”
Shen whispered quietly as he stared intently at the wavering water-colored hair and the surrounding priests.
No matter that he was a saint, Ianpel could not come here alone, so other priests had been brought along as well.
Among them was Chelsea, who had guided them to Ianpel’s room.
For security reasons, the armed guards could not accompany them, and only Aquila, Shen, and Yujelia had descended into the basement, which made Shen uneasy.
Aquila, who had once again pulled his hood low, nodded as if to say it was fine.
This was a moment when witnesses were needed.
“Even if it is at the saint’s request…”
“He even swore upon the god’s name. If this can truly resolve the Curse of Deadly Poison…”
Ignoring the priests’ whispered exchanges, Aquila walked forward slowly.
Various holy relics were displayed inside transparent glass cases.
As Yujelia examined them, recognizing what they were, she let out a silent scream.
Ianpel suddenly stopped at one wall, then returned holding a chalice from a shelf.
It was about the size of an adult’s forearm, lavishly decorated like a holy grail.
“Ah. Could this be—”
“Yes. This is the holy relic of the great Sun God, the Right Hand of the Halo. If this relic is of help to you, Raspalara will surely be pleased.”
With a smile that seemed almost painted on, Ianpel answered kindly.
Aquila let out a surprised sound and reached out his hand.
As if drawn to the relic he was seeing for the first time, he intended to touch it briefly and then pull away.
After all, they were planning to put on a show.
But the moment Aquila’s fingertips touched the Right Hand of the Halo—
Ding!
[Right Hand of the Halo: A chalice that the Sun God Raspalara received from the God of Springs in exchange for compensation. Drinking the water that wells up from the chalice increases Mana and grants one random skill.
Remaining Uses (110)
— Limited to this cycle. Disappears upon death.]