NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Creak, creak.
The sound of a pen scratching against paper filled the air.
A man was lying down, sketching something.
He had brown hair and brown eyes, with a beard framing his chiseled face.
Even in this prone position, his formidable build was impossible to hide.
He looked to be about 190 cm tall—a giant, without a doubt.
The surroundings were an expansive meadow.
In the distance, sheep and goats grazed leisurely.
Next to the man sat a small girl on a makeshift wooden chair.
Unlike the man, the girl was petite.
Her arms and legs were skinny like twigs.
The girl sat quietly, staring at the livestock, looking as if she was lost in thought or simply daydreaming.
“It’s done.”
The man stopped moving his hands, a satisfied expression on his face.
He then handed over the artwork he had just completed to the girl.
“Here.”
Finally, the girl’s gaze left the animals.
She glanced at the man with her glassy, sparkling black eyes before focusing intently on the paper with the drawing.
With her small hand, she accepted the paper and brought it close to her face.
The drawing depicted a portrait.
It was immediately clear that it was exceptionally well-done.
The figure portrayed seemed so lifelike it was as if it might leap off the page at any moment.
It felt like a photograph captured in time.
The figure drawn was a man in his thirties.
He had dark skin, prominent cheekbones, and an intimidating presence.
He wielded a weapon shaped like a scythe, adorned with a scorpion-shaped tattoo on the back of his hand.
“What’s this?”
The girl pointed to the weapon held by the man in the drawing and asked.
“That’s a side. A side that drinks a lot of blood.”
“Hmm.”
The girl gently nodded her little head.
“Is he a bad guy?”
“Of course. A very bad one.”
“Really?”
“I swear to the gods I’m not lying.”
“If you swear to the gods, it makes me less inclined to believe you.”
“Why? Have you ever met a believer as devout as me?”
The man chuckled, looking up at the small girl sitting next to him, creating a rather amusing scene.
“A devout believer wouldn’t be acting contrary to the Church of Illyria’s doctrine.”
The goddess Illyria, the goddess of life and earth.
Not a god from this world.
A deity from another realm.
In Reiter Continent, she was often referred to as the main goddess.
Since it was the most widely worshipped deity.
As awakened beings emerged on Earth, it was only natural that Illyria’s name became known here.
Many who served the goddess Illyria showed signs of awakening, so it wasn’t surprising.
At first, it spread to the masses like wildfire.
Naturally so.
They witnessed the miraculous healing power they had never seen before right before their eyes.
The tensions with existing religions had become incredibly strained to the point of animosity.
So much so that even religions like Christianity and Islam, which traditionally weren’t on friendly terms, allied to suppress the Church of Illyria to the utmost.
Each religion insisted that the Church of Illyria was a cult and a heresy, frequently lecturing their believers.
However, the Church of Illyria’s growth didn’t falter due to such suppression.
Over time, it became clear that believing in the goddess Illyria didn’t grant ordinary people any power.
Illyria’s blessings were valid only for awakened beings.
Many had initially turned to Illyria hoping for strength, only to abandon their faith later.
Nonetheless, it succeeded in establishing itself as a religion believed by a significant number globally.
In Mongolia, where the girl lived, there was also a temple of the Church of Illyria.
“What’s the doctrine of the Church of Illyria?”
“The matters regarding awakening are entirely in accordance with the will of the goddess Illyria. Therefore, no awakened being is untouched by her will.”
“Wow, you know a lot.”
The man smiled warmly, as if looking at an adorable niece.
“Do you take me for a fool? I have eyes and ears too.”
The girl grumbled.
“Hahaha. Sorry, sorry.”
The man chuckled and apologized, rising to his feet.
He made a slight noise and then sat down on the ground as if to relax.
“But speaking of Illyria’s will? Not even a cardinal, no, not even the pope knows that.”
The man casually uttered words dangerous to any devout follower of the Church of Illyria.
“Then do you know it?”
“I don’t either. The only person who can know Illyria’s will is the Saintess of White Grace.”
The name of one of the two people Po-ahim had told Si-hyun to ask about came from the man.
“Then the Saintess of White Grace isn’t in the church? Where is she?”
“I can’t know that either. I can assure you that if she wishes to hide, no one can find her.”
“If I use my ability…”
“No, it won’t work.”
The man stated confidently.
The girl looked at him with a strange expression.
“Anyway, here’s the thing.”
The man continued.
“I may not know the goddess’s will, but one thing is clear. Bad people must die.”
“What does the Church of Illyria say about that?”
“They say to wait quietly until divine revelation is accurately received and not to act rashly. But really, they’re just trying to keep an eye on the major nations. Bad guys exist within powers like the US or China, so they can’t touch them out of caution.”
“I don’t think that’s entirely true. The fact that those bad guys have awakened might be seen as part of the gods’ will, and they’re saying to wait and see.”
The girl, though young, appeared quite perceptive.
Her words were clear and direct.
“Hah, of course they’d say that. But I told you, I don’t know a damn thing about Illyria’s will. That’s why I just took off on my own to hunt down the bad guys.”
The man, a British national, was not in Mongolia for some religious reason like preaching.
He came to eliminate an awakened serial killer reported to be in Mongolia.
In the end, in the middle of the Mongolian steppe, he wielded his sword against the criminal.
And thanks to that journey, he fortuitously encountered the girl in a nearby ger.
The man began to think of it as a divine guiding.
After learning the girl’s identity.
“Hmm.”
The girl let out a strange sound and handed the drawing back to the man.
As he took the sketch, he asked, “Did you remember everything?”
“Yes.”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Got it.”
The girl closed her eyes.
The man gazed at her with warmth, waiting quietly.
She seemed to have fallen into a sleep.
Then, at some point.
Something red like blood began to trickle down her cheek.
No, it certainly looked like blood.
Despite the profoundly shocking sight that seemed bizarre, the man remained composed.
At first, he felt immense shock, but it wasn’t his first time witnessing something like that.
After a little while, the girl opened her eyes again.
She took a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe away her blood tears.
Though it didn’t clean up completely, it was enough to make the unearthly expression on her face diminish significantly.
The man spoke.
“Good work.”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Did you see it?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“37 degrees north, 127 degrees east.”
A perfectly clear world map was embedded in the girl’s mind.
Of course, the man was a typical, average person in that regard.
“Where is that?”
“Korea.”
“Korea?”
“Yeah, Seoul in Korea.”
It was closer than he had thought.
The man looked pleased with that fact.
“What about the face?”
“I can’t draw.”
“Haha, I’m not asking you to draw. Just describe it to me.”
“It’s a smiling face. But the smile has something sharp hidden within it? Yeah, that kind of feeling.”
“I just felt something.”
“What is it, mister?”
“Indeed, To-ya, you need to move with me.”
The man called out the girl’s name.
The drawing he had created did not reflect her appearance in this world.
It was based on what he remembered from her appearance in the other realm.
Therefore, even if he discovered her location, he wouldn’t be able to recognize her without that face.
The man managed to track down and eliminate the serial killer in Mongolia because he had the culprit’s picture.
Even if they used To-ya’s abilities, ultimately, they needed her to be present to identify the target.
“Why do I have to do that?”
“For justice.”
The man uttered the shame-inducing phrase nonchalantly.
To-ya’s expression turned one of utter disbelief.
“… Mister.”
“Why?”
“Do you really think that’s a good enough reason?”
“Eh? It sounds like a pretty decent reason to me.”
“….”
To-ya shot a sharp glance at the man for a moment and then began to slightly pucker her lips.
“Alright, for now, I’ll go along with it.”
“Hahaha, thank you, oh Sage of Blood and Tears. May the blessings of the goddess Illyria always be with you.”
The man burst into loud laughter, bringing his hands together in a gesture of blessing.
“I’m an agnostic.”
“Good vibes are good vibes.”
“I don’t need that. You have to buy me a lot of delicious food. Otherwise, I won’t go.”
To-ya said with a pouting face.
“I don’t have any money.”
“Doesn’t an S-Class Awakened being have money?”
“Haha, as a member of a religious order, what money could I have? Holy knights are supposed to be poor. Those with a lot of money are unworthy to become Illyria’s sword.”
“Then I won’t go.”
“No, no. I may not have money, but I know someone who has a lot. I can borrow some.”
The man spoke quickly.
Only then did To-ya’s expression relax.
“Let’s go.”
“Uh?”
“Let’s hurry and go. I want to eat something delicious.”
To-ya pulled on the man’s hand.
◈ ◈ ◈
A ten-day vacation.
A holiday that any office worker would envy—Si-hyun found himself unable to make any plans at all.
Travel?
Had he had a girlfriend, he would have chosen that without hesitation, but now, Si-hyun had no one to take with him.
Traveling alone wasn’t really his style.
His friends were all office workers, making it difficult to find anyone to go with.
So, Si-hyun decided to savor the leisure he hadn’t experienced in a while while slowly making a plan.
He also planned to take a break from the raid happening that weekend.
While thinking, his phone rang.
It was Eun-hye.
“Hello, Eun-hye.”
– Hello, brother. You aren’t working right now, are you?”
“Uh, my vacation starts today.”
– I remembered correctly then. I recalled your vacation started today, so I called at this time.”
“I see. What’s up?”
– The raid this Saturday is going to be held in a special location.”
“A special location?”
Si-hyun couldn’t quite grasp the meaning.
A gate is just a gate; could there really be a special location?
– Yes, it seems to be set on an island in Incheon. Have you heard of Daeijakdo? That’s the place.”
“I’ve heard of Daeijakdo. A gate has opened there?”
Si-hyun asked, his tone showing curiosity.
Typically, gates appear on land due to its significantly larger area.
Gates do sometimes arise on bigger islands like Jeju Island or Geoje Island.
However, it was quite rare for a small island like Daeijakdo to host a gate.
– Yes, it’s a D-rank Gate. Apparently, it’s very unusual for a gate to appear on such a small island.”
“I see. That is indeed intriguing.”
– So, brother.
“Yeah?”
– It’s a popular tourist destination, right? So, the idea came up to go to the island to participate in the raid while also enjoying a 1-night, 2-day vacation.”
“Sounds good.”
Si-hyun replied without needing to think.
The idea of conducting a raid on an island was a fresh experience.
He wanted to try such an experience at least once.
Moreover, he knew from experience that winter beaches had a different charm than summer ones.
Spending time relaxing with guild members at such a place would likely create great memories.
– I’m glad to hear that. Then I’ll include you on the raid list.”
Eun-hye said with a smile.
“Okay. Let me know once it’s confirmed.”
– Yes, I’m sure we can get it arranged without a worry.”
The call ended.
What had initially seemed like an unexpected plan was quickly settled.
Thanks to that, he had one less thing to ponder.
Si-hyun smiled as he picked up a blue pen to mark the dates on his calendar.