CH 69

Chapter 14. Is it a Holy sword or a Demonic sword?

9 hours ago, Vatican.

The Cardinal Council decided to urgently organize a subjugation squad. The reason was the dungeon sink that occurred in the northern part of Elpenheim.

The name of the dungeon was ‘The Hill where the Sword of the Celestial Demon is Sealed’, and it had two very unique features.

The first characteristic was that the dungeon is periodically generated within the territory of the Holy kingdom.

A splendid dungeon that opens with a large-scale sync every 60 years.

It was already the 5th cycle, so it was a fortunate era where they had ways and methods to attack the dungeon!

The second characteristic was that the level of difficulty varies from one extreme to another depending on the initial response.

If done well, it could be closed more peacefully than the already subjugated D-class dungeons. However, if you do it wrong, you could face a tragedy of S-class or higher calamity.

In fact, the subjugation records of the last 3rd and 4th cycles were markedly different.

Thousands of lives were lost in Cycle 3, while Cycle 4 ended with no casualties.

The Vatican assumed that the difficulty of the dungeon was a standard S-class and prepared as such. Thus, at present, a considerable number of people were urgently summoned to the conference hall.

They were the cardinals, the core of command of the Vatican, and the commanding ranks of the three knight orders who were in charge of this subjugation.

The meeting had yet to start. In a place like an amphitheater, murmurs that went here and there did not stop.

“Is it true that the orders participating in this war are the Mandate of Heaven, Holy Spirit, and The Blessing? They are the orders who boast the most power in the denomination.”

“Will Sir Maximus, the Knight Commander of the Order of the Blessings, take command? He’s a great man with old hands in the field, so he’s reliable.”

(Note: Old hands in a field = lot’s of experience)

“Besides, if the Mandate of Heaven is also deployed, wouldn’t that be Sir Eleon’s knights? It will be possible to finish in this cycle as a D-grade dungeon as well. Ha, ha.”

“Yes! If it’s the Knight of the Blue Fame we can trust it!”

Perhaps thanks to the success of the fourth cycle, everyone was optimistic about the results. Around the time when the aspect of the conversation flowed into small talk that praised a particular person.

“I heard that the Heretic Judgment Bureau will send personnel too.”

“Hahaha, there would be no battle it’s basically a waste of manpower. Who is joining?”

“Only one person has been confirmed. You know, that paladin who killed the heretics to stop the ritual to summon the demon?”

“Ah, you’re talking about Thesilid Argent!”

“Talking about it.”

As if waiting for the talk to get to the topic, the main character of the gossip appeared in the conference hall.

For a moment, people who saw him for the first time in a long time couldn’t take their eyes off him in surprise. 

His beauty, which had been regarded as a living divine work of art since his childhood, had been wonderfully transformed under the blessings of God.

Thesilid Argent, who has just turned twenty, has grown into an unrivaled young man.

Pure silver hair that was not mixed with other colors, a white face like plaster, and a white paladin uniform created a holy atmosphere.

It was not simply good-looking, but God-given good-looking. Indeed, he was the favored child of god who received the privilege of ‘Strict order and Goodwill.

Thesilid stretched out his tall legs and sat down with a graceful and modest movement. Even though he had done nothing to stand out, the gaze that stuck to him continued. 

Awe, envy, a little jealousy.

Thesilid Argent was a special existence by all accounts.

Silver hair that symbolizes God’s blessing, the overwhelming divine power awakened by stigma engraving, and the inherent talent of Aura.

He was an overwhelmingly strong figure among the stigmata, called the final weapon of the Vatican.

At this rate, it was self-evident that within a few years he would become the most powerful paladin in the Holy Kingdom.

Besides, what about external fame? Recently, he had been raising his stock price by a large margin. 

A few months ago, he alone accomplished the feat of preventing a catastrophe.

There were heretics who were hiding in a dungeon and secretly performing special rituals. They struggled to complete the final ritual, even offering themselves as a sacrifice.

It was a crisis in which the dungeon could be annexed to the territory of the Demon King Carpeus increasing his power. There, Thesilid showed determination.

He stopped the summoning rituals by taking their lives before the heretics sacrificed themselves.

Judgment of heretics while blocking the increase of power of the demon lord. The Vatican was very pleased with the achievement of killing two birds with one stone and praised Thesilid for his contribution.

Naturally, his fame spread throughout the kingdom of Elpenheim. However, he himself did not like to mention it.

When the conference hall was quiet for a while due to Thesilid’s presence, a cardinal in red vests came out and announced the start of the meeting. It was Cattleya Gillette, who was selected as the head of the State Council this year.

“I understand you have received all the information. But it’s important, so I’ll tell you again.” 

Key explanations followed. It was an official event and her words were formal.

“The boss of the dungeon is the ‘Sword of the Celestial Demon’. If the right person to be the owner wields it, it functions as a holy sword. The hero, Lord Valkus O’Drek, was able to do so.”

In other words, he’s a person who is clearly qualified, but unfortunately, he passed away 15 years ago.

“The problem is when an unqualified person touches the sword of the Celestial Demon. If that happens, the sword uses him as a host to slaughter. It becomes a demon sword. The more blood it drinks the stronger it gets and the longer it takes to subdue it, the more terrible it will be.”

If the explanation was clear to this point, the strategy of attack was already decided.

Only one person needs to be selected properly. The first person to touch the Celestial Demon’s sword. 

Cattleya opened her mouth more sternly than ever. 

“A person with qualifications and conviction must draw the sword. The person who will take on such a role…….” 

“I’ll take it.”

A determined voice resounded through the hall.

The person who cut Cardinal Cattleya’s words and stood up was a fine young man in his late twenties.

A roar spread throughout the conference hall.

“Oh, Sir Eleon O’Drek!”

“As expected, he came forward. I believed he would!” 

“If it’s the Knight of the Blue Flame, it’s a qualified man.”

“By the way, isn’t Sir Eleon a descendant of Sir Valkus?”

Everyone seemed to agree with him holding the sword of the Celestial Demon.

What made it understandable was that Eleon O’Drek was a well-known paladin of the Vatican.

There were many words of praise for him.

The first sword of the Vatican, the agent of God, the incarnation of chivalry, the perfect paladin, the prince of the church, etc.

His swordsmanship skills were outstanding, and he rose to the rank of knight commander at a young age, and as he always treated women with manners, his followers overflowed.

He even has a fairy-tale-like appearance of blonde hair and blue eyes!

Eleon has long been known as the best groom among the women of the church. He himself was well aware of his status. Therefore…

“The next master of the Holy Sword will be Sir Valkus’s sucessor.”

“He will soon be called the Knight of the Holy Sword, not the Knight of the Blue Flame.”

He was very satisfied with the atmosphere of this kind of praise.

‘Master of the Holy Sword.’

A modifier that will further solidify his reputation. What a reverberating echo it had.

The corner of his handsome lips swung up.

Cardinal Cattleya looked at Eleon with profound eyes for a long time before opening her mouth.

“Sir Eleon. The splendor of the Lord is recognized by everyone, including myself. Outstanding swordsmanship skills, noble character, and righteous beliefs. You are being evaluated as having everything.”

“I’m flattered. I will make sure that this mission doesn’t fall short of expectations.”

But Cattleya’s words were not over.

“However, since the lives of many people are at stake, the denomination wants to make a safer choice.”

“What?”

“Sir Eleon, you can sit down.”

“……”

Eleon stood in place with a face that just didn’t understand what he was hearing. Meanwhile, Cardinal Cattleya’s gaze shifted to someone else.

“Sir Thesilid Argent.”

“……”

At this point, the called name had no choice but to cause a great repercussion.

Because he was chosen over The Knight of the Blue Flame.

In the midst of the murmur, Thesilid himself widened his eyes as if a little embarrassed. Then he slowly got up and bowed in manners.

“Yes, your Grace the Cardinal.”

“You shall draw the sword of the Celestial Demon.”

“I will obey the orders of the denomination.”

Obedience is the virtue of a paladin. Thesilid accepted it plainly without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Eleon had forgotten to sit down.

‘I was deprived of my role.’

As they stood side by side at both ends of the conference room like a comparative mirror, a deeper sense of resentment and defeat overtook his whole body.

However, there were many eyes to see, so he didn’t do anything outwardly stupid.

He just stared as if he was going to pierce Thesilid. The inside of his eyes, the source of the nickname Blue Flame, seemed to be on fire.

Thesilid rolled his eyes and looked at Eleon.

‘Hostility……’

Even if others didn’t know, Thesilid, the target of the attention, could clearly feel it.

‘The Knight of Blue Flame’ may be a character with a very different nature from the public opinion, he thought.

“We ask Sir Maximus, the commander of the Order of The Blessings will be in charge. Departure will be in an hour later. Get ready, complete your mission, and come back safely.”

Cattleya’s hand drew the sign.

“May the protection of ‘Strict order and Goodwill’ be with you.”

When the meeting broke down, people flocked to Eleon as if waiting.

No matter what anyone says, he was the most promising young man in the current denomination. There was nothing bad about scoring points for consoling him on a day like today when he was likely to be depressed.

“Sir Eleon, don’t take it too seriously.”

“Everyone knows that you are qualified. But Lord Thesilid is such a sure and safe choice.”

“Yes. Because silver hair symbolizes God’s blessing, so…”

These words were meant to comfort him, but to Eleon, they had the opposite effect. His stomach twisted.

However, he could not lose the external image he had built up so far. At times like this, Eleon wore a courteous smile on his lips.

“Isn’t it an old myth that silver hair proves divine blessings? It is a little difficult to accept that the standard for judging a person is the color of their hair. When I look at people, I tend to look into their eyes.”

“Cof, hm.”

There was nothing more that embarrasses people than refuting an old-fashioned theory.

“Of course, this does not deny that Sir Thesilid is a great paladin. Sir Thesilid is a paladin with eyes that reflect green nature and a kindred heart.”

It was a good evaluation, but it included a subtle blow that only Eleon knew. 

‘His eyes are nothing but green compared to mine.’

He took great pride in his looks. Blonde hair, and blue eyes.

That was then.

“Sir Eleon.”

A voice with a deep resonance that was hard to forget once you hear it rang.

People’s attention shifted at once from Eleon to the master of the voice.