Chapter 178: True Faith (1)
thxRBThe capital was in a festive mood after the victory against the Tower, which had kidnapped the Saintess. The bustling banquet of the palace was planned to be held for 7 days and nights.FMpGw
VGwzAThis was already the fourth day but I was still attending the banquet because I was one of the main protagonists of this festival. What was fortunate… was that I had a partner to go with every day.6mxE6
LnS“—Sir Korin Lork and the Captain of the First Sword Squad of the Arden, Sir Lunia Arden!”F9kW1
vf3zoThe only problem was that the partner was being changed every day.0sJ
vnS6l5“Oh my, he has another partner again. The day before was the youngest daughter of the Arden household, and yesterday was a sister from the Chapel of Zeon, right?”yDAdv
e4u“And it was Young Lady Dunareff 3 days ago.”eL8dDUS
J2wCountless whispers and gazes were on me. I even saw a newspaper this morning that said how I was scandalously swapping out partners each day, and from the looks of things, it seemed that I would be seeing the same article tomorrow.Kiqt
iIF5L7“What are you looking around for?”Vlh42
jpZ“The surroundings were a bit noisy, you see.”wDkTu
oRUdToday, my partner was Lunia. I was getting asked out to be a partner by the girls one by one but… wasn’t this something that was supposed to be done by the male?FFd5yj
8C6LBDL“Having a fiance too superb is also something to consider, I suppose. However.”MvQG
FD4C4She grabbed onto my tie and suddenly pulled me towards her, filling my vision with her proud and confident smile.ypZ4a
u0Y0FT“Do not concern yourself over others. You have to look at only me today.”XfiNXK
Nmw“K, kuhum…!”uxWwWUL
HLuL3Is this what a girl’s crush is?UWLemuO
YOsahAs expected of the most popular female hero of contemporary times, she was unhesitant and proud in everything she did.sRqwZir
oRZ“You seem busy these days. You’ve met with the King, the Saintess, and even the Queen of the Alleyway, have you not?”wV6m
I41v“Ah… How did you know that?”qVKDubJ
Sssk1“There is someone who testified that you spent a long time with her inside an odd-numbered resting room of the banquet hall.”86qQkl
D6O8w“…Putting aside the witness, do you know her?”BOF5Tj3
3fBoTeL“She did show off her sharp fangs once, saying that she wanted to eat me up.”z8KyA
Dt0AVHHoh… I already knew that Ednar was an all-rounder, but I wasn’t expecting her to even reach out to Lunia-noonim.PGv1
kju“I assume it didn’t go through?”JjviXt
BDJ“Of course not. I have no interest in getting whipped to satiate sexual desires. What I disliked the most was that I had to be on the receiving end of it.”zbB8
IfvI“You are indeed more like an ‘S’ than an ‘M’ if we had to choose from one of them.”4dv
JU6Lf“I can fulfill your secret dreams if you want me to.”rknHA
hCUz“Haha… no thanks. I am extremely normal when it comes to preferences.”Xu3bga
fW9zBut Lunia in bondage, huh…? Fu~, that would be a delight to the eyes. Not like she isn’t already, though.LPFpe
0btG6QG“By the way, Ms. Lunia. Don’t you think your dress today is a bit… too bold?”dWUhLG4
Fw3ALLunia was in an unconventionally shocking outfit. She wasn’t wearing anything apart from her luxurious dress that was exposing an aggressive portion of her breasts and a pair of knot sandals.Jn1
NRUOXThanks to that, her white and unblemished skin was practically on full display, all the way from her shoulders down to her feet, and it was overall an outfit that no one would be able to wear unless they were extremely confident in their figure.vA9F
Ard“It is quite warm in the East and most party dresses are designed like this. Plus, this is only a little less than what I usually put on in the first place.”BEG
DdYZO“I can see from the way you sisters dress up but… please wear this only when it’s the two of us. It feels like a shame to show this to everyone else.”WcDD
WghFl“If you so wish.”QfE
itgTo9hAs soon as Lunia clicked her fingers, the Five Swords ladies, each wearing a dress, walked up to her from all sides.SXFnMOO
I6VRTOne of them handed her a cigar, while another carried a thick and black fox-furred scarf and put it around her shoulders.zoJaKI
WL7pJThe men around us lamented and went, ‘Ah…!’ but we ignored them and headed to a private area on the terrace.EDB8
lTG8“You’re… very prepared.”QUM
MS2byZl“It is nothing much. It was just a little show for everyone to see what type of woman my fiancé has brought to the banquet.”0vZuJK3
UHBvT“Ahaha…”J050j
WjuHyQE“If you wish to be the son-in-law of the Ardens, you must be proud wherever you are.”vwRYZ
vO0nxJMHmm… My mind was already in a mess thanks to Alicia, and yet Lunia was saying a similar thing.o3F
FBtBU5x“Wasn’t it a fake engagement?”XGI
pDeMhtl“Oh dear. Was that your perception of it? That is a little sad.”bBbHU
1ItJzWrapping her arms around my neck, Lunia gazed directly into my eyes. The vivid scent of her body came very strong.sKkW
5R5J“How far have you gone with my sister?”p313DId
xS7Fg“D, did she tell you?”QKtCfZk
jZY“Do you think that fool would have? I could see it from her expression though.”FUWPYl
Zgy“Hmm…”wWhCS
8bs6I recalled what happened a few days ago – Alicia’s confession and the deep and thick kiss we shared. Never had I imagined that the bashful and dotish Alicia would do such a thing.qt0
r5641nO“Say it. Quickly.”fdKY
1ACeiB“W, we kissed.”6VR
8jyOIL“In detail.”y1ni3nq
EKLLunia interrogated, with her face right in front of my nose, so I couldn’t help but tell her the entire truth. After hearing the story from me, she seemed slightly surprised but soon let out an unreserved laughter.IE687gu
9bF7mRF“Hahaha. Quite daring for that dimwit of a sister. Right. Now that is what I would expect from a successor candidate of the Ardens.”SVT
LPQfJ“Umm… technically speaking, shouldn’t she be considered your rival, Ms. Lunia?”GBs0
AJDIt was weird for me to say it myself, but wasn’t her reaction slightly odd?7jGRc1W
PbVjFy“Two beautiful sisters contending for one man. As the man in question, you have to feel honored.”qVVe
FFsH“It sounds like the introduction of a romantic drama full of blood though…”FrozQ
oiv“There would be more to the cast for the drama. My sister is not the only girl interested in you, after all.”lEHQcD8
cxW30b“How did you… know that?”mTzzadL
WM5FuVi“Only an idiot wouldn’t.”EufPL9
fTcImngSorry for being an idiot…WkDDZx
eP5“Well, do not feel too pressured by it. A hero must rightfully know how to take several women for himself and satisfy all of them.”qtYX
fcdF7“W, what do you mean?”oR1oPf
yX5u“If you wish to walk the path of a hero, you must also embrace the heroic quality of obtaining every beauty you come across.”dcB1
oORf“What in the world is wrong with you sisters?! Are you sure there isn’t some weird gene inside your head?!”lM9JBG
4lYfmHow could someone so easily tell their husband to take in more wives? What was wrong with both of their views on love?XQkC9
qPgF“However, it is still upsetting that my sister has taken the lead. What belongs to her is also mine. I have the rightful duty and absolute right to steal from her.”CSeR4xL
QJJSaying that she suddenly wrapped one of her arms around my waist and grabbed onto my chin with the other. Gazing down into my eyes, she lifted the corners of her appealing lips.NMH
7nEXjmV“No matter what you do with my sister, you must do the same with me.”Jo9G6
KMBkP“N, Noonim?”hRBV1J
cfdyGilHer lips came closer and closer.mVR
fVYnbR9The time spent with Lunia was certainly more indulging and sensual than the time with her younger sister.e04M3Ak
sIf………h8WD
TSy……czFNum
skftmuv…Q9ZDuj1
q9n89“K, kuhum…!”BV586K
v4Fo7NgWhile Lunia was having a business chat with a general of the royal military, I roamed around the hall grabbing food.nv5hE4
wsh5npzMost of the dishes inside the banquet hall were plain and were in small bite sizes, so I could not remove the taste of Lunia from my tongue no matter what I ate.NQh
ZoTc“Haa…”LpNh
z2g2wnAfter Hua and Ran, it was Alicia and even Lunia… Considering Marie on top of that, I couldn’t help but think how others would view me as the biggest son of a bitch…eVNv99
flgIWhy am I this popular…? And why didn’t any of this happen back on Earth?Hxe1x58
glSoNone of this ever happened, even when I was playing around with Younghee-noona, Hanbyul, Seyoung, Chulho, Sangwoo, Misha, and Fujiwara…fYbzMl
FO2MXaWe were all single, so we used to go on trips with just the two of us as friends. I suddenly remembered the time I went to Hokkaido for the hot springs with Sangwoo. The scenery was great and I missed the awesome Winter Festival there. Everything was great except for the gay bar though. I wonder how he accidentally came across that place?rPmazA
hE6SfYC‘Ehew… Maybe I should visit some hot springs when it’s all over.’x1eRF
NTLUqI wouldn’t be able to go on friendship trips like back then, but it would be great if we could go together with the members of our Guardians guild.Burg
6VQgAs such, I was reminiscing the memories of my time on Earth when I saw one of our guild members in the hall. It was a boy who looked rather gloomy despite his neat outfit – he was Germain Luther, a spy from the Old Faith.lBtN
HP4QYg“Yo~ Germain.”biOa
IzKiFk“H, huh? Senior Korin?”pB5tSo
7DEJ“We’re not in the Academy so just call me ‘Hyung’. Ah, you can’t call me ‘Bro’ okay.”gZklabo
Z7tvM“Mhmm… Hyung.”WH9gs
rp6I“Are you enjoying the banquet?”GJEa68Z
lFSXhzR“It’s not bad.”wLlLYYi
icTJfEver since he realized that the Old Faith… Chapel of Xeruem had been conducting a disgusting transaction with the Tower of Mages, Germain appeared to be in deep thought every time I saw him.o5VOk
OyT“I was just wondering if I had the right to be here or not because I didn’t even do anything in the actual fight.”QgqE
pfsNtXEGermain was one of our guild members, so he was also part of the fight against the Tower of Mages.Su6JMA
KJEzUBut of course, he was probably tasked by the Chapel of Xeruem to monitor the movement of us and the Kingdom and secretly convey it over to the Tower of Mages.zdF1Qw
GSg2“Well, you can’t always be at the center of a war. You’re still young so you will have plenty of opportunities in the future.”AKjLQ
9uYJu1“…”Hws
nqzLHis conflicting emotions were on full display on his face. He was probably feeling guilty for deceiving me right now.qfZScR
bYYMeBut considering how he had been brainwashed by the order ever since he was young, it was hard to imagine that it would be easy for him to change his thoughts and values.iRlg
7CoNHVThat was, however, completely up to him. I had to make decent use of him until he made a decision.d3QuNJo
oPhz“Here. Try this cake out. The patissiers of the palace are top-notch.”pv26
OnDv“Sorry, I don’t like sweet stuff. There are too many sweets here.”QOZN
WfmgAlthough he was keeping it a secret, it appeared that he wasn’t into the luxurious food of the higher-up nobles, as someone who had previously been a priest of the Old Faith.V6fl7a
8iyR“If you don’t like the food here, you can request something else. There’s a restaurant on the other side of the corridor, and it’s in a buffet format.”yWiqfV
e2Gar3u“Really…? I didn’t know that.”97CU6K
xBziIt was something I only knew thanks to Miru from the last iteration. The palace wasn’t a friendly place to first-comers after all.5fVpuuR
Pu0o“Let’s go grab a meal then.”ZVBvSw
pYOZxNHHe came without a partner and must been pretty bored, so I decided to look after him.tIKQ
9Ae***25d4
U04GThe festival came to an end, and we were almost done with everything that had to be done at the capital, but it wasn’t over yet.C1Qdq
la5GCeIt was time to meet her.e1FuLhB
xKEGNUnder the dark night sky, in the royal gardens located in the outskirts of the capital city – inside the cave that had marked the finale of my date with Hua Ran, was Master, Lady Josephine, and me.emp
MPc5z“Personally speaking, I’m against it.”Y8Qb
bB8QLady Josephine voiced her disagreement out of nowhere.lKdxSK0
BCRb“Now now. Clara. It’s what Korin has decided on. He probably has his reasons and plans.”Hk2Qu
whcVFhCErin said to appease her but… to be fair, it was strange that Master wasn’t the one disagreeing with the plan. Wasn’t she being way too nice to me?vRJi7L4
YND“Erin. You are way too weak to Student Korin.”JVKV
COwzE8Look, even Lady Josephine is saying the same thing.TUwc
nkBL0In any case, I couldn’t proceed with my plan without their permission and assistance. Well, in that sense, the fact that they were both here in the first place was proof that they were both supporting me on this.9oIofpI
VGiiSKT“Honestly, I can’t predict how this would span out either.”tQWPgx
rR77“…That is a very irresponsible thing to say of you. The reason Erin hasn’t been intervening in the works of the Order the whole time was to avoid confusion that would sprout with the spread of the Danann religion. The current belief of the Order has spread far and wide, and we cannot predict the outcome that would happen if it is downright rejected.”q0Lf
8popNL“Whatever happens would be a lot better than the destruction of the entire world. The Old Faith has always been a shithead both in the past and the present, but the roots forged by the New Faith will be a detrimental hazard later on.”ABv
WxHmegM“Like I said, where is the evidence to-”XZgP1Np
tvktOyH“Clara.”MYlPhv
VCkJ3NMaster spoke up, putting a stop to Lady Josephine’s question. Lady Josephine didn’t know that I was from the future, but Master Erin knew of my regression so she trusted me 100%.fzxI
LItc4“Justice is sometimes unable to choose the best option. At times, we can only choose the second-worst option to avoid the worst possible scenario, like how we had to kill numerous priests and mages during the Witch Revolution.”SZAh
4h0M8z“…”CrszS
7CN“Frankly speaking, I cannot predict how the children would react either. But with Tates and his threat looming over us… we have to make a decision.”Mec5DS
I1qWMaster said once again to show her support. That was when someone spoke up from the other side of the cave.SkY
bBAa“Chairman? Professor Josephine?”LB26J24
NhMGuThe one who visited the cave in secret with a robe over her was none other than Estelle.POga
houdShe seemed surprised to realize that it wasn’t just me here and that Master and Lady Josephine were also in our company. But soon, she regained her composure and said with a smirk on her face.PvP5M
ZcU“Hmm~. I was expecting a one-on-one date with Dongsaeng though. How disappointing.”TdOl
gyNtrP“Come on. Please. Let’s be serious now.”jJqn
MxIeUP“This noona is always serious~”pd4WHKe
I5oiDShe always tried to take the upper hand and tease me in our conversation. That was what made her annoying yet attractive at the same time.AUL
F2wQw“More importantly, you were going to show me something, weren’t you? Is it related to the new Chairman and Professor Josephine?”Xs0
Prf4F“They’re not just related; in fact, they are the core personnel. It’ll be difficult without their permission.”byho
ijQHRW“Hmm…”Yl1gLoy
wsr4VEstelle Hadassa El Rath, the Saintess of the New Faith. A child of the god, who served the ‘Lord’ of the Order more than anyone else.a5WyB
UTIpToday, I wanted to reveal to her the true identity of faith.FNb
jMP0“Master. Lady Josephine. Please.”JsfZzA
3Es“…Sure.”ptuFlhk
QvD“Can’t be helped. Erin. Student Estelle. Please stand in front of me.”w3LC4J
UvdubaThe two of them walked up to Lady Josephine while I watched over them from a distance.783WZ
gKOq“Are we teleporting somewhere?”gmfKZ
iJOD4“Yes, but… to a place very different from the real world.”bPSQhwS
jUf“What do you…”rRT6tUj
1nV“You will see when you get there.”N1B
IPHErin answered her question as the dimension started to crack open. It was a fragment of Paradise, Tir na Nog, which required Erin’s permission and Josephine’s dimensional gate.EJEqvQ
VvnMag Mell, the Island of Treasures. My plan for today was to send Estelle to the land of remnant souls of the gods.qLh41
f0guIH1***PBW
KpULS0The three of them teleported away, and I watched over the stars in the night sky while waiting for them to return.dusPq
j7oWhat conclusion would she come to after seeing the real gods? She was an NPC that couldn’t even join the party back in the game and was busy working as the Saintess of the New Faith in the last iteration, so this was a first.9aF
zsmNow, she would witness and encounter the mythological gods at Mag Mell and hear the truth from her long ancestors.lBX
saGiIf lucky, she might even obtain a treasure from Dagda.ZrB
JwARLike that, I waited for one hour… two hours… and three hours, and only then did the sound of the dimension cracking open echo throughout the cave.d5p
i3R“Haa…!”K7F
pguREstelle collapsed from the crack along with a heated breath.FuUm83
Tme“Saintess?”WeCXz
OJ09“Korin… Dongsaeng?”xNzD5
zgnXBDrenched in sweat, she gasped for breath as if she had received a great shock. With trembling eyes, she turned at me and—AIz
O7RV“—O god.”x35
fJDShe stared at me with eyes that were more desperate for a god than ever before.502SW
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HaydenZeMan
VIP Qi RefinementMarie you need to step up your game, how are you going to let even Lunia kiss him first