Chapter 250:

Chapter 250:

The Millennium Kingdom was the ultimate goal of the Codex of Light, and the position of an Archangel was something all believers aspired to.

Refusing it was akin to confessing, “I am a suspicious person with plans to apostatize.”

Isaac decided to accept this as positively as possible.

The Church would now make him perform all sorts of menial tasks to achieve the feats necessary to become an Archangel, but it would also bring him closer to the inner workings of the Church with considerable authority.

Ensuring that no one could accuse him of being a heretic with undeniable authority was exactly what Isaac wanted.

‘At least, the blessing of a naming ceremony will remain just a proclamation for now.’

Given the precedent of the exemplary Elil, who had become an angel during his lifetime and then went berserk, all angels were only named after their death. Even if Isaac accepted the proclamation (not that he had any choice), no one knew what might happen in the meantime.

‘There’s no chance they’ll make me the Ninth Faith like Kalsen, right...?’

Kalsen had been a virtuous Paladin, but Isaac was an Agent of Nameless Chaos. They couldn’t make Isaac the Ninth Faith as that would effectively aid in the return of Nameless Chaos.

In other words, they couldn’t use and discard Isaac like they did Kalsen. Instead, they tempted him with the grand reward of becoming an Archangel, ensuring he wouldn’t dream of bringing back Nameless Chaos.

The Church also gained something. By enticing Isaac, who was navigating between the Emperor and the Order, firmly to their side with the trials to become an Archangel, they would secure his allegiance.

Both sides wanted to hold Isaac’s leash.

‘Fine. Whether an angel or the Pope, they all want to hold my leash. They might not realize that holding a leash means having a ferocious beast right next to them.’

Even without all this fuss, Isaac supported the order pursued by the Codex of Light. In some ways, his faith was stronger than that of many priests in the Order.

He didn’t want other faiths to dominate the world.

Yet, the reason these people constantly doubted and guarded against him was that they were believers.

Believers were always trying to prove their faith. Paradoxically, because Isaac was not a believer, he pursued the values of the Codex of Light more diligently than anyone else.

“...Then, I will humbly accept the proclamation. I only hope that my inadequacies do not bring shame to the Codex of Light.”

At Isaac’s response, Horhel smiled. He grasped Isaac’s hands tightly and prayed sincerely.

“This is truly a blessed event, Brother Isaac! I hope you will become a great sword of the Church. If there are any difficulties, please do not hesitate to tell me. I will actively assist you.”

Isaac’s eyes gleamed at his words.

“Thank you for saying so first, Brother Horhel. In that case, may I immediately speak about my current trial, or rather, my business?”

Horhel, taken aback by Isaac’s sudden change in tone, stammered for the first time in front of him.

“Of c-course, go ahead...”

“As you might have seen on your way here, this estate is a poor village. I could not ignore the believers who gathered here upon hearing my humble reputation, so I accepted them. However, I have not been able to pay detailed attention to the management of the estate due to my noble journey.”

“For that, the roads are quite well-maintained...”

“To maintain the faith of the believers who firmly believe that tomorrow’s sun will rise, it is paramount to feed and shelter them well. If rumors spread that I might be named, even more hungry believers will flock here. In such a case, would it be right for me to leave on a journey, leaving the hungry believers behind...?”Aall newest chapters on n.o./velbi/n/(.)com

In simple terms, he was asking for money.

As Isaac continued to talk endlessly about welfare plans and ways to raise funds without giving Horhel a chance to speak, Horhel finally excused himself, saying that he would leave the details to Bishop Ramarié, and left.

Watching Horhel leave, Isaac thought.

‘They may know how to move and split the world, but they don’t know how to cook rice or count coins.’

It seemed they were so occupied with grand plans in the heavens that they couldn’t see the small stones on the ground. Thinking this, he understood Horhel’s shabby appearance and thin body.

Wearing the authority of the heavens, they probably didn’t care about clothes, and delicious food was likely considered a base desire.

But did he realize that faith originally started from the lowly people?

Perhaps Bishop Juan was truly a rare gem.

‘Now, let’s see, what about Bishop Ramarié of Lenheim Cathedral?’

Bishop Ramarié appeared reluctant when he came to negotiate the “business” with Isaac. However, lacking the courage to flatly refuse the proposal of someone who might soon be named an Archangel, Ramarié had no choice but to provide substantial support to Isaac, which felt like cutting off his own flesh.

Isaac gave him a lower score than Juan.

***

After Bishop Ramarié left, Isaac thought about the White Owl.

‘Surely, she couldn’t be the White Owl.’

If so, Isaac had been farming his mother’s remains to create items. That would be an exceptionally creative level of impiety.

However, Isaac thought that wasn’t likely. Usually, Archangels had very distinctive appearances, but the fallen angel found in the mine had the “typical” appearance of an angel from the Codex of Light.

Isaac and Ulsten finally arrived before the fallen angel statue.

The fallen angel was still petrified in the wall. Isaac thought Ulsten had likely stripped away much of it to create items, but surprisingly, only one wing was half damaged.

“I told you to use as much as you needed for your creations and even sell it for funds if necessary, yet you didn’t take much.”

Ulsten’s expression turned subtle.

“I told them not to sell it. Nor to strip it.”

Isaac looked at him quizzically, and Ulsten resumed walking.

“What I wanted to show you is deeper inside.”

Not showing the progress on the fallen angel’s work?

Isaac followed him, feeling a bit puzzled.

Ulsten navigated the twisted pathways of the abandoned mine as if he had the map in his head. Isaac would have surely gotten lost if he had come alone.

“Could you just tell me what it is? Is there a monster down here?”

“It’s worse than that. It can’t be explained with words. You’ll understand once you see it.”

Isaac followed Ulsten, wondering what could be so intriguing. As the walk continued, Isaac started to ponder again.

“Ulsten, have you ever felt like you were just a pawn on a chessboard?”

“A pawn? That’s a luxurious thought. Aren’t you all just pawns of the gods anyway?”

Isaac was taken aback by this near-blasphemous statement. But then he remembered that the god of World’s Forge was currently absent. It was said that the god was in a massive furnace beneath the earth, melting and refining his body in preparation for rebirth.

In other words, he was not a chess player.

Isaac was about to respond, but Ulsten didn’t give him the chance.

“Pawns don’t think such thoughts. If they could, they’d already be the chess players.”

It was a statement full of pride and dignity, befitting a dwarf. As Isaac tried to ponder its meaning, they came to a narrow passage that required him to stoop as low as Ulsten. The moment he passed through, the air suddenly turned cold.

They entered an open space with clear air. It was air that didn’t fit this deep underground.

“Here...”

“Light it up.”

Already illuminating the area with the Luadin Key, Isaac was surprised to find that the light didn’t reach beyond where they stood. This indicated that the underground chamber was enormous. He intensified the light from the Luadin Key until the far side barely came into view.

Ulsten then struck the holy relic he was holding and threw it. The blazing relic illuminated the surroundings like daylight as it floated up slowly.

Isaac finally saw the scale of the chamber.

An incomprehensibly vast space opened up before them. Isaac was stunned to realize that such an absurd abyss existed beneath his estate. It was large enough to warrant concern over sinkholes or collapses.

But Ulsten wasn’t showing this space for its own sake.

He quietly pointed to a massive stone structure exposed in a collapsed dirt pile opposite them. Isaac, seeing the strange patterns, initially thought of a hidden ruin, but as he approached and saw up close, he realized what it was.

Ulsten’s words about an “interesting discovery” were a gross understatement.

Isaac felt fear before he could even feel awe. It was an unfathomable number of fallen angels. Fallen angels tangled, clashed, and crushed together like garbage buried under earth and debris. Their number had to be calculated by area, not by count.

Isaac tried to estimate the scale of the fallen angels buried under the dirt but gave up, feeling overwhelmed.

At this scale, almost the entire deep underground of the Issacrea Monastery could be filled with fallen angels.

_____________

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