CH 9.1

It was a strong light that had never been seen before.

It was both sacred and marvelous.

The merciful and strong power was captivating even to the onlookers.

It was like a divine and elegant halo that one would see if a god were to descend before them.

Or perhaps it was as compassionate as the Virgin Mary…

“How dare this bastard try to cut off my source of money? Do you want to die? No, just go die!”

In fact,  the Skeleton King swung his rattle again along with the babbling that was far from benevolence.

Crack!

The reinforced magic-infused rattle struck the bishop’s face.

The advantage of being a baby was not needing to filter his words.

Since no one could understand him anyway!

“Just die! If you turn me into a demon, I won’t be able to get close to the Emperor! Then I won’t be able to rob the imperial treasure vault, you fucking bastard!”

It was disgusting to get excited and speak vulgarly in front of money.

“The Emperor must be made into my lackey by all means!”

Of course, it wasn’t merely about money.

The Emperor was the only person on this continent who could restrain the Pope.

‘Surely he will be of help in case of emergency.’

At least, if the Pope were to discover his true identity, he had to steal money and run away before being burned at the stake.

And regardless of such reasons…

‘Exorcism?’

In simple terms, it was a holy law for banishing demons. At the same time, it was the pinnacle of sacred techniques, from one demon to exorcism, within the divine camp.

In the divine camp, it was a significant traditional technique that stated, ‘Only when you master dealing with nine kinds of demons can you be recognized as a rooted priest.’

‘But that’s only from the perspective of the priests.’

From the perspective of the demons, it was simply a deadly technique that declared, ‘You’re a demon, so die,’ and only forcibly kills the opponent.

In other words, it completely denied the existence of the opponent and was a technique solely aimed at forcefully killing the other.

But who would accept such a crazy thing?

Moreover, even the highest-ranking figures in the Holy Empire, the Pope and the Saint, couldn’t defeat the Skeleton King.

Even the gods had given up trying to annihilate him.

But what can you expect from someone who has only eaten sixty out of a hundred?

Even if he had come from the main headquarters of the Holy See, at best, he would only be around the fifth rank. What a novice!

And above all, the Skeleton King hated those who harbored different thoughts while pretending otherwise.

If he really intended to exterminate demons, he should at least say so!

“Who do you think you’re fooling, trying to assassinate while pretending to use Holy Law?!”

From the Skeleton King’s perspective, he may be a novice, but bishops, at the very least, didn’t go around secretly killing infants under the excuse of demon extermination.

In reality, even the exposure to a strong aura would make a young child tremble and lose their fragile life.

However…

“You’ll last only 500 years! You brat!”

The Skeleton King, infuriated, glared as if telling him to take more blows.

Crack! Crack!

On the other hand, the bishop, who mindlessly received slaps on his cheeks, glared back at the Skeleton King.

‘What’s this? Divine power?’

Just by looking at it, it was undoubtedly so.

That light that priests used when using Holy Law. It was a brightness that could never be produced without being a high-ranking priest.

However, being directly struck by that light, the bishop could understand it.

‘It’s not divine power!’

It was undoubtedly clear. While there were attack-oriented techniques in Holy Law, they were far from being as vulgar and despicable as this.

Rather, with such audacity and vulgar nature, it was undoubtedly magic!

‘Could it be enhancement magic?’

The bishop’s eyes grew fierce.

This little child.

Could he really be using magic?

Moreover, the magic itself was extraordinary.

‘It’s the power of the demons!’

The bishop became serious in a different sense.

“We need to conduct a detailed investigation on this child… Ack!!“

As the bishop attempted to grab the Skeleton King’s head, he received a blow to the face.

The bishop, having seen blood, staggered.

The Skeleton King holding the rattle widened his red eyes.

‘Do you think I’ll let you investigate, you mole-like bastard?’

The Skeleton King, extinguishing the light, raised the corner of his mouth.

As the bishop had thought, he had placed enhancement magic on the rattle.

That way, even if the child wields it, it would be enough to completely drain an adult’s spirit.

Of course, he controlled it.

They weren’t fools either.

If he kept the enhancement magic active, its power would be maintained, but it would be quickly discovered.

So he activated the magic only for a fleeting moment when it touched the skin and immediately dispelled it.

In a single moment that no observer could possibly notice. But the power remained undiminished.

It was an area of control that even advanced magicians found challenging, but he was a magician of the highest level of the 10th rank.

Controlling magic was easier than breathing for him.

The Skeleton King once again struck the bishop with the rattle.

“Whack! Whack, yah-yah!! Whack!”

Now that it had come to this, he had to deal with it somehow and gain some benefit.

The more noticeable it became, the more impossible it would be to secretly kill.

The paladins marveled, seeing the light bursting every time the rattle made a hit.

“Look! That light! Surely it’s proof that he’s using Holy Law!”

“He must not have made a contract with the gods yet, but he’s already using it. That’s evidence of being a Saint!”

Upon hearing those words, the bishop widened his eyes.

A Saint, my ass!

‘There’s no way Esua’s child could be a Saint! In the first place, there’s no such thing as a Saint in this world!’

That’s undoubtedly magic too!

The eyes of the Skeleton King, who read the meaning behind that gaze, flickered with cunning.

‘Yes, <Luminescence> magic.’

It was a reproduction of the light of Holy Law that had burst forth when he dealt with fake servants and nannies.

Even for the Skeleton King, who was proficient in all types of magic, he needed to have the basic principles in his head to properly use the spell.

And divine light?

Reproducing it was a piece of cake for the Skeleton King.

Well, of course, it’s a temporary illusion, so you have to choose your opponents carefully and use it with caution.

‘Do you think you can find any evidence?’

And actually, genuine divine power was coming out.

Roughly one out of ten bursts of light right now?

So deep down, the Skeleton King was surprised.

‘Why can I use divine power?’

Come to think of it, even during the fake servants incident, didn’t divine power suddenly burst out?

But no matter how much of a Saint one may be, unless they make a contract with the gods, there’s no way divine power would gather in their body.

‘Could it be that I’m taking away the divine power from the surroundings… from the bishop?’

Like siphoning their magical power?

If that were true, high-ranking priests filled with divine power could be good prey.

Was it reading the deceitful smile mixed in with the Skeleton King’s eyes?

The bishop, as if handing over the Skeleton King to the priests, straightened his thoughts.

“Summon the Heretic Inquisitor… No, forget it! I will personally take him to the Pope, to the headquarters!”

But then the paladins, as if insisting, stopped the bishop.

“Didn’t you see the light!”

“Wasn’t he using impressive Holy Law?”

“Did you even bother to remove your eyeballs? What you’re looking at is not Holy Law! It’s magic…!”

And right at that moment.

“Hahaha!”

The Emperor suddenly burst into laughter.