146 - Oracle (1)

146 - Oracle (1)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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In the heart of the City of Light, Lezero, there's a plaza surrounded by buildings exuding a sacred atmosphere.

"Wow! All the buildings are white? How much money did they pour into this place?"

Rat, the leader of the Rat Mercenary Group, muttered in amazement as he looked around at the buildings that created a solemn environment. It was his first visit to the City of Light, and having never seen such a sight before, his astonishment was inevitable.

"Don't look around so loudly. Everyone's staring. It's embarrassing; we look like country bumpkins."

Ember, another member of the mercenary group, said this as she stepped a bit away from Rat, trying to avoid the stares of people around them.

"Haha, well, it's my first time here, so I guess I am a bit of a bumpkin. Let's go to the Church of Light later. I heard they allow inside tours."

Despite Ember's words, Rat continued to excitedly look around.

Watching him, Ember shook her head and turned to Elysis, who was silently following behind, and asked, "So, Ely, why did you want to come to Lezero? Isn't it about time you told us?"

The reason they were in the City of Light was because of Elysis.

A few days ago, she had expressed a desire to visit Lezero, and ultimately, Rat and Ember followed her here.

Of course, they didn't forget to accept a commission upon arrival to cover their travel expenses.

"Um... I'll tell you a bit later."

Elysis hesitated and then trailed off in response to Ember's question.

Truthfully, she didn't know the exact reason why they needed to be in the City of Light either.

A few days ago, someone whispered the word "Lezero" in her dream, and upon waking, she felt a strong intuition that they needed to head there, but that was all.

Therefore, she couldn't explain it to her companions.

"I think I know why. Aren't you planning to participate in the Saintess competition?"

Rat, who had finished looking around, approached with a grin and spoke up.

"Ah, how could I possibly participate in that..."

Elysis waved her hands dismissively in response.

To participate in the Saintess competition, one fundamentally needed exceptional talent in handling divine power.

For a novice priestess like her, it was an unattainable competition.

"Why not? I think Ely has enough potential. After what happened in the Angelosh territory, your skills have improved tremendously. You've put in a lot of effort, too."

Ember said this, and Elysis smiled in appreciation, naturally recalling the image of someone in her mind.

'Prince Zion...'

Every time the events in the Angelosh territory were mentioned, his name inevitably came up.

The truth was, her efforts to improve her skills were all for Prince Zion.

To repay the debt of her life, she needed to reach a level worthy of him.

Despite her hard work, she was still far from reaching that goal.

'How much more do I need to strive before I can reach him...'

A hint of bitterness touched Elysis's lips at the thought.

"...Huh?"

Her eyes flickered upon noticing something.

A man walking through the crowd in the distance.

'Prince... Zion?'

Even though she could only see his side profile, the man's appearance closely resembled that of Prince Zion she had seen before, even down to his black-dyed hair.

Without realizing, she found herself running towards the man.

"Ely? Where are you suddenly going!"

Ember's call came from behind.

Elysis was so focused on the man that she couldn't hear her friend's voice.

However, by the time she reached where the man had been,

"Ah..."

The man was already gone, vanished without a trace.

---

After Zion entered Lezero, the first thing he did was meet with the Moon's Eye.

Originally, he should have testified to the paladins gathered at La Morde station about the attack, but he had left everything to Olivia and slipped away before that.

"Your Highness Prince Zion, it's an honor."

"It's been a while."

Zion smiled faintly at Narie, a top-class informant of the Moon's Eye, who greeted him with a nervous bow.

Despite the months that had passed, fear of him still lingered in her eyes.

"Have you been promoted in the meantime?"

Zion asked, scanning Narie's surroundings.

It seemed she was the only one present, which likely meant she had taken over as the head in Lezero.

"Yes, after being promoted to head of the region, I was stationed here."

"I see. How did the task I assigned go?"

'If it had been released, the empire might have perished in a war against demonic magic before the war even began.'

An angel that dared to rebel against the god must have possessed unimaginable power and authority.

'And perhaps this time...'

As that thought crossed his mind, recalling the additional instructions he had given to Narie,

"Hey! Zion! That's you, isn't it!"

A loud voice came from the side.

Turning towards the voice, Zion saw a woman rapidly approaching.

A beauty with platinum blonde hair and striking features.

It was Olivia.

"Where on earth did you disappear to all of a sudden? You were here?"

Her face, asking Zion this, looked incredibly tired despite her loud voice.

That's because she had just been released from testifying about the solar train attack in the church's reception room.

"Is the testimony over?"

"No, there's still a lot left. I just stepped out for a break."

In response to Zion's question, Olivia sighed deeply with an expression that said she was on the verge of death.

The case was so serious that the testimony was bound to be lengthy.

It was related to the major event of the Saintess competition, and the attackers were demonic magics.

Moreover, Olivia was the only survivor of such an attack, making her role crucial.

"The whole church is in uproar. Not just the paladins and battle priests, but even the inquisitors are likely to be mobilized on a large scale."

The Church of Light was among the groups in the empire that despised demons the most.

Given that it was revealed demons were involved, such a response could be seen as natural.

"But... While I'm here dying from giving testimony, you were leisurely touring the church?"

Olivia's eyes turned half-lidded as she noticed Rubeto standing beside Zion, recognizing him as the priest responsible for the tour.

Of course, it was all in jest; Olivia didn't truly blame Zion.

He was the benefactor who had saved her life.

When Zion suddenly disappeared a moment ago, she was only worried because she hadn't yet expressed her gratitude; there was nothing more to it.

'Even if I were mad, just looking at his face would make it all dissipate...'

Once again, it must be said, Olivia was severely partial to good looks.

"Did you really come here for a tour?"

"No."

Zion shook his head at her question and slowly continued.

"There's something I need to ask."

"Something to ask?"

At that moment, Olivia looked at him, puzzled.

"You're here!"

Once again, a loud voice echoed through the corridor.

Along with it, a group of priests appeared.

At the forefront of these priests was a middle-aged man who appeared to be a high bishop, looking at them with an intensely emotional expression.

'Have they come to meet me?'

Olivia thought as she saw the approaching priests.

Her family wielded enormous influence within the Church of Light.

So, it wouldn't be strange if they had come to greet her upon belatedly realizing she was inside the church.

'But it's the first time I've seen someone of bishop rank come to greet me.'

The bishop and other priests approached and bowed their heads.

And at that moment,

"We have come to escort you, Chosen of the Light."

Olivia realized her assumption was mistaken.

The priests were not bowing to her.

They were, in fact, bowing to Zion standing beside her.

'Exactly, who are you...'

With Olivia's gaze wavering, the attention of those around naturally shifted towards them.

'It doesn't seem very secretive.'

Ignoring those gazes, Zion remembered what Narie had said earlier and thought to himself.

---

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