Chapter 128: Debris

Hio had clearly told Airlights to stay in the room with Regarda and Freya.

No one knew when or where holy power might manifest, and if they were exposed to it, even Kreutzvalt’s necromancy could risk revealing their identity as undead.

Of course, our Airlights didn’t care about such things in the slightest.

“I’m bored.”

Undead, Holy Kingdom, holy power—it all meant nothing. Airlights was wandering freely through the capital, just as he pleased.

“I wonder what Hio is up to right now.”

He had actually thought about secretly following Hio, but knowing better than anyone that it wouldn’t work,

He gave up quickly and changed direction.

Because he stood out so much, he pulled his hood low and roamed the streets.

Near the royal palace of the Holy Kingdom of Hibernia, where he wandered, was as busy as ever.

After all, it hadn’t even been a week since the dragon’s attack.

Collapsed buildings.

Efforts to repair the damage.

Even if there were no casualties, large sections of the city had been destroyed.

Wasn’t this a city where such a fierce battle had taken place?

The cost and time of restoration alone were a headache.

“A dragon… I thought I knew everything about Ventair, but I never imagined there’d be dragons.”

Dragon shards and such.

Even in the days when it was just a game, he’d never even heard of such things.

And yet, dragons actually existed, and he’d even seen one go berserk, tainted by the Abyss.

Not only that, but Hio Pavlenko had extinguished its soul.

Now, the shard called Freya would take the place of the soul that vanished from the dragon.

To think it was a shard created for that very purpose from the start.

Even though he’d seen and heard it for himself, it was hard to believe.

“Well, I suppose anything’s possible.”

Airlights accepted the situation at a pace that made comparisons with others meaningless.

Especially when it was about Hio.

“Because it’s Hio.”

And because it was Airlights.

He’d followed Hio Pavlenko during the days inside Ventair, tailing the Immersed Heavenly Demon in extreme immersion.

He’d seen countless things that seemed impossible or actions that defied understanding.

He’d seen how those actions always produced results.

If that was how it was in the game, what about now that it was reality?

It was only natural that he’d pull off miracles that no ordinary person would even attempt.

And now, the results of those miracles were starting to appear one after another.

A Holy Maiden, who should never have existed, was born.

A new Empress had ascended in the Empire, gaining the absolute loyalty of the high nobility.

Even Heuka, the greatest variable, had been defeated.

So much had changed.

What would Hio Pavlenko change next, and what new path would he show?

Now, since he could be at his side,

And could keep watching him, just imagining it brought a happy smile to Airlights’s lips.

“I wonder if Hio’s back by now?”

There was still so much he didn’t know about Hio Pavlenko.

Why he was searching for that mysterious underground space.

What was hidden there.

Was it like that special place under the Imenia practice hall, where only Hio could enter?

Well, he’d find out in time.

After all, they’d be together every day from now on.

“Hm-hmm~”

Humming as the thought made him cheerful, Airlights turned back toward his quarters.

The area was still busy.

Repair crews were working on sunken roads and clearing away the debris of collapsed buildings.

As he took in these sights, Airlights suddenly sensed a deeply unpleasant feeling.

“

”

When he turned his head, he saw a building that had completely collapsed.

That was it.

The source of the unpleasant sensation.

The presence was so faint that if he hadn’t walked right past it, he wouldn’t have noticed.

If it was before he was revived, he probably wouldn’t have cared, but now his instincts sent a warning—the energy was unmistakable.

“

……

Holy power.”

Sacred strength. Holy power.

The dark mana that bound soul and body.

A power that could directly strike those tightly entwined threads.

What reason could there be for holy power to linger in the debris of a collapsed building?

Curious, Airlights climbed onto the wreckage.

Soon, he saw it.

A space barely visible between the rubble.

Within the ruined building, yet another space had collapsed inside.

Faint holy power was leaking from there.

“This is…”

Inside the hood, Airlights’s crimson eyes gleamed as he gazed down at it.

“Uwaah… this is so hard!”』

Freya clutched her head and thrashed about on the bed, but Regarda didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

“If you keep struggling like that, you’re only making it more likely that your transformation will break.”

“But still…

It’s already been three days since I transformed. My head hurts, and my whole body aches…”

“You need to change your habit of thinking in human terms. Even if it’s the same amount of time, you have to look at it from a different perspective.”

……

He said this to Freya, but Regarda, too, was uncharacteristically flustered.

Because it was his first time teaching someone.

He recalled stories he’d heard from Aerial.

He spoke based on countless experiences he’d had together, but even he didn’t know what it was like for Aerial the first time she transformed.

Magic that changed one’s appearance to that of a completely different being.

To others, it might be called magic, but to a dragon, it was as natural as breathing, something they could do by instinct.

Knowing this, the first thing Regarda taught the newly transformed Freya was how to change form.

Because her original form was still strongly imprinted, Freya was able to master transformation quickly.

But a headache after maintaining the form for three days? Aches all over her body?

Regarda didn’t know anything about those symptoms.

The Aerial he knew was already a fully-formed dragon.

Tootot…

So all he could do was fret inwardly as he watched Freya struggle.

Outwardly, of course, he maintained an air of cold indifference.

“…We’ll return to Arilleia as soon as the magician comes back.”

“Then I can drop the transformation?”』

“That’s right.”

“Yay!!”

Was it really that great?

He looked down at Freya, who threw her arms up and bounced in place.

A smile as bright as a child’s.

No, she really was just a newborn child.

She’d split off from Aerial’s soul, but she was a completely different person.

Still immature and young, there was a mountain of things to teach her.

“Yay! I want to hurry back and see Isidore too… oh!”

Freya cut herself off and covered her own mouth.

“Be careful not to speak in dragon tongue until you can control it perfectly as a language.”

“Yeeees…”

There really was so much to teach.

Other than himself, not even that magician could teach her about the dragon tongue.

So he resolved to live for the sake of this little dragon from now on.

Regarda’s gaze shifted past Freya, toward the door.

Lively footsteps and noise could be heard from some distance away.

The presence of someone extravagant, bold, and always bringing incidents.

“It seems the magician has returned.”

“Oh! Uncle Hio is already back?”』

Which meant it was time to return to Arilleia.

For the sake of Freya’s growth, who still had much to learn as a dragon, they needed to leave soon.

But since Freya herself showed such strong resolve, it shouldn’t take much time.

Her dragon body was already fully formed, after all.

Soon, one would be able to see a green dragon with wide-spread wings soaring over Arilleia.

It meant Arilleia’s Thousand-Year Mission would finally end.

The barrier around the mysterious island would be lifted, and they would step out into the world.

The Wind Dragon, who guarded them, would always be overhead.

“Freya.”

When that time came, things would be different.

There would be no repeating past mistakes.

The source of all misfortune.

Those who spread that cursed energy.

He would strike them down himself, without hesitation, and smash them all.

Beyond the door, in a future not far away, anger flared golden in Regarda’s eyes.

“Get ready to go.”

It was a rage that had endured a thousand years.

As drowsiness claimed Liphyue for the last time, the world faded to black.

The darkness gathering from outside swept in like a tide, smothering the world of dreams.

Thus, Hio found himself in the Sanctuary again.

There was no dizziness like using a portal, nor the sudden brightness.

It was as if he’d simply always been there.

Like waking abruptly from a short dream.

And what told Hio it wasn’t a dream was the familiar notification sound and the contents of an unfamiliar message.

[Item – ‘Catalog of Endurance’ has disappeared.]

[Item – ‘Catalog of Endurance’ effect is now permanently bound.]

[Ancient Grimoire: Book of Dragon Summoning acquired.]

[Authority – ‘???’ acquired.]

Every conversation with Liphyue vividly resurfaced.

The system was now fully established, and she’d said he’d receive his reward upon return.

Her words and actions had the air of a final farewell.

Their encounter was so brief.

He had countless things he wanted to ask and wanted to talk for days, but he couldn’t.

Because the space itself had disappeared.

Maybe all of her power had run dry, sending her into a long and deep sleep.

“Well, anyway… what’s all this?”

Hio wanted to ponder the meaning of his conversation with Liphyue and the new messages,

But the scene before him distracted his thoughts.

Cardinal Herald and ten high priests were sprawled out on the floor.

Come to think of it, that’s how it was when he first arrived at the order.

During the battle between the dragon and Regarda, only Irina was awake while the rest were unconscious like this.

“Seriously, it’s like a sunfish, they just keel over at the slightest thing.”

Were they weak in body or in spirit?

Their breathing and pulse were normal.

It simply meant they’d fainted from shock.

Or perhaps the overwhelming holy power of Liphyue had overtaxed their bodies.

Either way, this wasn’t a place to quietly reflect—it was just a room full of collapsed priests.

Not to mention, tear streaks remained on most of their faces.

Ugh. I shouldn’t have seen that.

“Still, if I just leave and walk out alone while the Cardinal and ten high priests are collapsed… who knows what kind of misunderstanding I’d cause…”

So he just plopped down on the empty Sanctuary floor.

Now… as expected, it was nothing more than a space that happened to exist underground.

Even the last goddess of hope had fallen asleep in this world.

Even the god of hope was seeking hope in these times.

What was he supposed to do in such a world now?

– What else? Just do as you always have.

“…Yeah.”

– Don’t go saying such weak things.

There’s still much to do. You still have to find the Holy Magician’s House again, and it’ll take quite some time to reach 5th Circle.

“Right. That snapped me out of it. Thanks.”

Furnel was right.

This wasn’t the time to be moaning like someone else.

That was enough whining—it was time to get back on his feet.

As he said, there was a lot to do.

“First, the Catalog of Endurance effect is now permanently bound, right?”

That’s what the message clearly meant.

The item, Catalog of Endurance, which made it easier to raise endurance even under the same circumstances,

Had always been important to Hio, though he hadn’t used it much.

Unless he was focused on raising endurance, it wasn’t something he carried all the time.

But now, having its effect permanently bound meant—

“Endurance will be much easier to fill now.”

Triggering hidden trait conditions would be much easier.

“And the system… is still intact.”

– The system itself was ultimately made for possessors like you by the gods.

He had suspected as much.

It was just too different from the awakened ones of the outside world.

The speed of growth alone was on a whole other level.

Maybe the gods of this world had expended their vast powers to build such a system.

And even now, after the last god had fallen asleep, the system was still running.

He remembered Liphyue’s languid voice saying the system was now fully established.

“To cover the Eye of God… what an arrogant thing to say that was.”

Thinking he’d hidden from the Eye of God was now a black mark in his past.

He’d only hidden from the system’s gaze, while the goddess herself had been watching it all.

“…Anyway, next is this.”

A battered old book in Hio’s hand.

With its ancient script written concisely—this was the ancient grimoire.

[Ancient Grimoire: Book of Dragon Summoning]

He put off translating for a moment, and just flipped through the runes—there were plenty he didn’t recognize.

It looked like something he couldn’t learn right away with just his 4th Circle skills.

– For now, check out that Authority or whatever it is. An Authority, imagine that.

A permanent effect like Catalog of Endurance or an ancient grimoire—those were within the realm of understanding.

But Authority?

Authority was a word reserved for the power of gods.

When he opened his status window, there was now a new tab called Authority beneath the skill tab.

Half suspicious, half curious, he opened it.

[Authority – ???]
[The essence of a god dwells here, but its identity has not been established.]
[Your Authority will change according to the direction of your growth.]

The explanation was surprisingly simple.

To sum up—

– …It means you can’t use it right away.

Depending on how he grew, a different Authority would awaken.

Whether “growth” meant skills or stats,

Or the types of magic,

Or perhaps inner spiritual growth—he wasn’t sure.

“I’m already careful, but I’ll have to be even more cautious now.”

It gave him another reason to be more prudent about choosing magic and skills.

For that, he needed to reach the 5th Circle as soon as possible.

He’d have to find the Holy Magician’s House again.

If he couldn’t, he’d have to go further afield and use a different Magician’s House.

“I’d prefer to find the Magician’s House here, if possible.”

– That’d be best. Even if it’s not the Holy Magician’s House, you could still activate the portal.

“The problem is, it’s not as easy to find as you’d think.”

You might expect a Magician’s House to be under an important building, but that was rarely the case.

If it were, it would be too easy to find.

It was the same in Imenia, and with the Magician’s House where he’d stayed with Berga.

They were always tucked away under some ordinary place.

– For now, why don’t you study that ancient grimoire? You’ll have to decipher its content and effects.

‘…Maybe I should.’

He had to wait for the priests to wake up anyway, so he opened the Book of Dragon Summoning and began to pore over it.

– This… this really is an ancient grimoire. They did say there wasn’t anything like this in Tetradia Magic Tower.

Even the ancient script was different from what Furnel knew.

It looked like translating would take longer than expected.

He sat there, poring over the grimoire for several minutes.

As he concentrated, he gradually sensed presences gathering around him.

“Hmm…”

“This place is…”

The high priests who had fainted were awakening.

A little dazed at first, they soon grasped the situation and saw Hio sitting before them, absorbed in the ancient book.

Their innocent eyes went wide as lanterns, remembering the moments before they’d fainted.

“Apostle, O Apostle!”

As soon as they rose, they prostrated themselves before Hio.

“The Apostle of the Goddess has appeared again on this land!”

“It is the moment of the Saint’s birth! What a glorious day!”

“Ah! Liphyue! Thank you!”

At this, Hio closed the ancient grimoire and let out a small sigh.

“Ugh… here we go again.”

The sunfish priests seemed to have all gone mad together.