READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 102
I thought that killing Calandas would turn Roxanne into an enemy, but ironically, she became an ally.
It was a misunderstanding brought on by my illusion of the Ancient Dragon, but still.
Just as Cecilia saw me as her Master, Roxanne viewed me as an Ancient Dragon (Ancestor).
It wasn’t something to celebrate just because of those reasons.
Moreover, isn’t there someone higher in rank than Roxanne who is hostile towards me?
Deep red. That was a clear intent to kill.
Now that the Old One is against me, I need to prepare for it.
First and foremost, I should distance myself from humans.
If given the opportunity, the Old One would undoubtedly declare an emergency gathering under some pretense.
“I entrusted that decision to him, after all.”
Even after the situation concluded, the Old One’s hostility towards me remained unchanged.
With the Old One targeting my life, there’s no way I can remain calm.
It was crucial to form a force capable of opposing him.
“A faction… that could be risky.”
I pondered whether to form a faction within the 72 Lords.
It wouldn’t be difficult if I had Roseha’s help, but the Old One wouldn’t just sit back and watch.
I needed to strengthen my presence without being discovered.
If possible, I wanted to secretly foster friendships with the newcomer ranked fifth.
According to tradition, the fifth-ranked dungeon is the cathedral of devout apostates. The boss is a demon named Sara who has a baptismal name.
I still didn’t know if it was indeed Sara or someone else.
In fact, I had intended to contact Sara before killing Calandas.
Just like I had recruited the DLC boss, Balutak.
But unlike Balutak, Sara’s position and movements were unstable.
Moreover, at this point in time, Sara was merely an untouchable in the magic realm and a half-demon in the empire.
There was a reason I hadn’t inquired about her.
After all, having rescued the empire, how could I possibly save a half-demon? Strange rumors would circulate in the magic realm otherwise.
I had no certainty that I could find her, and if I did and she didn’t meet the fifth rank, it would be a mere added risk.
Put aside the various reasons; at that time, I had to focus solely on the all-out confrontation with Calandas. I simply lacked the leisure for anything else.
“…Should I try using Estizel?”
Sara is like Estizel, a half-demon.
Just like Estizel, half-demons are mostly poorly treated in the magic realm.
The reason Sara left the magic realm was undoubtedly due to persecution. The same went for the empire.
For Sara, who is rejected everywhere, there was only faith to rely on.
A demon with a baptismal name. The cathedral of devout apostates.
Just by looking at her name, Sara was a contradictory existence.
Furthermore, she is destined to become a saint after receiving revelations from Solari, while also being chosen by the core of the Undead Dungeon.
A half-demon, a saint, and a dungeon boss.
Sara was a being wrapped up in such contradictions.
In any case, this is the crux of the matter.
Seeing Estizel, who is also a half-demon, would create feelings of kinship, and I could use that to build a connection.
…That thought quickly evaporated.
Naturally, my gaze lingered on the Holy Sword.
“I’m screwed.”
The Death Knight and the Holy Sword.
She may be a contradictory existence like Sara, but instead of kinship, she would see me as a foe.
A believer of Solari, a half-demon, the chosen one of the dungeon core, and at the same time a saint chosen by Solari.
Being such a contradictory existence, she was labeled a heretic in the empire.
Still, Sara held on to Solari’s teachings, extending kindness toward apostates and heretics.
What she prioritized was nothing but her faith.
Trapped in a closed dungeon, nurturing her faith like a fanatic was all that defined her.
“I’d probably become someone she sees as a heretic or a heretic.”
It might even be worse than that.
I could easily picture her saying, “An undead possesses the Holy Sword? We must kill that fiend!”
There was no way she would change her mind about having saved humanity with the Holy Sword.
Sara’s faith isn’t about humanity but Solari itself.
Her focus wouldn’t be on ‘saving humanity’ but on the ‘undead with the Holy Sword.’
Viewed from that angle, it was the epitome of double standards.
She, being no different from an undead devil, would surely think, “Why can they and not me?”
If only the fifth rank hadn’t been Sara.
I wished that, due to the butterfly effect, someone else became the fifth.
“I killed Calandas for no good reason.”
The more I thought about it, the more regret washed over me.
My eyes had been fixed solely on Calandas, causing me to neglect Sara.
I should have taken care of Sara before killing Calandas.
If I had done that, without relying on the butterfly effect, another fifth-ranked would have emerged. My short-sightedness was appalling.
“…This is really a big deal.”
If Sara were to become the fifth rank, she would be more than just another fifth to me.
In truth, I would have birthed an enemy greater than Calandas.
Sara’s sacred power was a catastrophic peak for me.
Just as Calandas had wary eyes toward the Holy Sword, now it was my turn to be wary of Sara.
Moreover, my Holy Sword does not work on her.
Whether she’s recognized as a saint rather than a half-demon, her sacred power might even heal or serve as a buff for her.
A cold sigh-like breath escaped my lips.
No matter how much I regret it now, it’s too late.
Then again, it remains uncertain. Due to the butterfly effect, perhaps someone else might become the fifth instead of Sara.
The birth of the new Undead Dungeon’s fifth rank was still undecided.
While waiting for the fifth to arise was a waste of time.
There was, after all, another Undead Dungeon that could be drawn to our side.
It was a perfect candidate to subtly form an alliance, with mutual interests aligning perfectly.
“Rank 7 Hermit.”
It was time to meet the real Rank 7 that I was impersonating.
***
In the aftermath of Calandas’s invasion, the empire was in ruins.
For restoration, the people of the empire needed to unite in faith.
In a situation where one heart and mind were insufficient, the empire was fracturing.
“How can you claim to support the Undead Dungeon?”
The pope trembled after returning from inspection.
Based on the current circumstances, even amidst the chaos, the people of the empire had split.
There were factions supporting Barugore as a hero, while others denounced him as a monster of the Undead.
Needless to say, the pope belonged to the latter.
No matter whether he had been a hero in life, he was now a monster of the Undead.
And who was responsible for bringing the empire to this state?
Though he posed as the savior of humanity, the true cause of war was Barugore.
How could one forget that and dare to support a monster of the Undead?
Each and every one of them was heretics opposing Solari’s teachings.
If not rooted out now, these heretics would run rampant even after the chaos subsides.
The pope worked to manage the aftermath of the conflict publicly, while secretly commissioning inquisitors to identify and root out heretics.
He added that if there was no chance for rehabilitation, it was permissible to judge them all.
Heretics were like cockroaches.
If one didn’t harshly judge and eliminate them, they would never stay hidden.
He was unreserved in purging them under the guise of questioning and judgment.
He believed that only in doing so would the empire be restored.
“Is there any progress?”
“Yes. All thanks to the grace of your holiness.”
As he wished, heretics were being wiped from existence.
Just today, Barugore beheaded a heretical apostle claiming to be the Messenger of God.
He displayed the severed head in the public square to clearly show what fate awaited heretics.
I thought the purification process was proceeding smoothly.
“What does that mean?”
“I am deeply grateful, but it means what it says.”
The archbishop, head of the inquisition, had returned as usual, having identified heretics.
Upon receiving the word, the pope unwittingly questioned.
“I saw a pillar of light. That light pointed to a woman and immersed her, creating a stigmata.”
A pillar of light and stigmata—surely a sign of a saint.
The first saint to appear in centuries, and the first in the empire’s history.
The pope believed a savior had appeared in troubled times, but all it took to shatter that faith was a single phrase.
“…A half-demon is a saint?”
“That’s right.”
It was none other than the half-demon who had been chosen by the divine.
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A tainted woman with the blood of a demon as a saint?
And that wasn’t all.
“That half-demon claims to be the lord of the fifth rank Undead Dungeon.”
“What do you mean? Just a moment ago, you called her a saint?”
“…Yes.”
“…No way.”
Saint and Undead Dungeon.
It meant that two oppositional statuses coexisted within one woman.
“Based on the revealed circumstances, that’s what it appears to be, but verification is not yet complete.”
“…It can’t be true. It’s surely a misunderstanding.”
Simply stating that a half-demon was a saint would create significant turmoil in the religious order.
And if, on top of that, she were the lord of the Undead Dungeon, the mere thought brought discomfort to the pope’s neck.
At least until verification is complete, he found great solace in that.
The lord of the Undead Dungeon was just a delusion.
How could a saint chosen by God be selected by the Undead Dungeon?
“Your holiness, there’s one more thing I must report.”
“What now?”
“Thanks to the inquisitors’ efforts, only one heretical faction remains. The leader of that group is….”
The pope’s eyes trembled like those experiencing an earthquake as he listened.
“That half-demon is the leader of the heretics. Even now, she’s gathering followers in the shadows.”
“….”
“Your holiness, take a look at this. The puppet had it.”
The archbishop pulled something from within his robes.
The thick book was unmistakably the gospel.
“What they believe in is not the teaching stemming from Solari.”
The pope, with trembling hands, opened the gospel.
One page, two pages, three pages…. As he turned the pages, shadows loomed over his face.
“Is this truly….”
“It is. That half-demon is Barugore of rank 7 of the Undead Dungeon—”
Bang!
“That’s absurd!”
Crack.
The pope ground his teeth.
Though he displayed zero dignity, the archbishop wasn’t surprised.
Anyone would respond that way upon hearing such news.
“There’s a limit to blasphemy! To claim Barugore is a manifestation of God—what…!”
“Your holiness. They are heretics. We cannot be swayed by the nonsense of heretics.”
A half-demon saint claiming to be rank 5 in the Undead Dungeon.
The gospel stated that becoming a saint was the will of God, and that becoming a fifth rank lord was also the will of God.
That God had manifested as the Death Knight Barugore.