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EPISODE 233 – ST. CRUTE MONASTERY (1)
Upon arriving in front of the large sarcophagus bearing Solari’s inscription, Jude and Cordelia turned to the side instead of immediately opening the lid.
Because the ninth-rank angels – the Tomb Guardians, lying flat on the floor due to Cordelia’s command had complex expressions on their faces.
‘Well, from their perspective, they had to unfairly succumb to authority. Or rather, they’re troubled by the conflict of orders.’
In fact, the Tomb Guardians were not so intelligent.
Because their job was to stay in one place like a tomb, seal, and so on, just like what they were doing now.
‘They would have gone crazy if they had high intelligence.’
Because they were completely trapped for life.
In any case, they were more compliant with that order than other angels since they were Tomb Guardians, but because of Cordelia’s order to ‘get down,’ they were suffering from an internal conflict.
An order to stop anyone who would approach the sarcophagus, and an order to obey someone superior than them.
But it was at that moment.
Cordelia looked back at the Tomb Guardians who were grumbling like a dog wanting to poop, and she smiled before sending Jude a gaze.
‘I’ll try to solve this.’
‘Wait, isn’t it a bit too much to blow up those who listened to you…’
‘Hey, I’m not blowing them up, okay? Of course, most problems can be solved by explosions.’
‘Excuse me?’
Jude flinched but Cordelia ignored his gaze and cleared her throat before speaking to the Tomb Guardians.
“Tomb Guardians, I am not here to covet the sarcophagus. Rather, I came here to set you free from your long-standing mission.”
What is she talking about?
Jude crossed his arms and listened in silence, while the Tomb Guardians looked at Cordelia with suspicious eyes.
Cordelia continued with her words.
“You’ve already done well for the past hundreds of years. That’s already enough. But as long as this sarcophagus remains, you will not be freed from your mission. Because your mission is to protect this sarcophagus.”
As the Tomb Guardians nodded, Jude looked at Cordelia in disbelief, while Cordelia puffed up her chest and said.
“So, Tomb Guardians, I, your superior, will open the sarcophagus and retrieve its contents, thereby freeing you from your mission. If the sarcophagus you’re assigned to protect is gone, your mission is also over. That’s why I’m here. To set you free.”
[Oooooh.]
The Tomb Guardians were in awe and looked at Jude and Cordelia with much more relaxed faces.
Their gazes seemed to tell the two to take it quickly.
‘Hehehe, what do you think? Huh?’
Cordelia asked as she put on airs, and Jude had a faint smile.
‘You really let them accomplish their mission to the very end. How righteous of you.’
‘Huh?’
If the sarcophagus was gone, they no longer had to protect it from any dangers because there was nothing to protect.
The bridge, Endymion, the Snow Queen, and so on.
Jude recalled all of the nonsensical assertions of Cordelia in the wild lands and stared at her warmly, but Cordelia was somehow offended by his gaze and pouted her lips.
‘So, how was it?’
‘Good, really good. You did a really good job. You’ve rapidly improved.’
“Is that so? Is that so?’
Cordelia was pleased at his words praising her ‘blackened’ status, and giggled before she looked at the sarcophagus again.
“Anyway, let’s open it now.”
“Okay.”
Jude pushed the lid off the sarcophagus by applying his strength at once.
A white light then shot up from the sarcophagus and was sucked into Cordelia’s chest.
“Cordelia?”
“Eh? Oh. It’s divine power. Solari’s divine power.”
It was like how she absorbed the divine power that remained in the Temple of Life.
At the time when they opened Galleon’s tomb, she was still a human so she was not able to absorb the divine power, but she could absorb it now that she was an angel.
“Haa…”
Cordelia closed her eyes and fully absorbed the divine power, and slightly leaned against the sarcophagus before sending a <Message> magic.
[I think I’m an angel from Solari’s group. Because it’s easier to absorb Solari’s divine power… even back then with Claíomh Solais.]
Cordelia had become an angel through Ancestral Regression, and it was the blood of her ancestors that determined her group.
The ancestor of the Chase family seemed to be an angel of Solari.
[That’s great then. Has your angelic power become stronger?]
[Yes, I’ve become stronger, but not enough to raise my rank.]
Cordelia flapped her wings of light and soon clenched her fist.
[All right, let’s take it out now.]
[Okay.]
The things inside the sarcophagus were not much different from those that came out of Galleon’s tomb.
One triangular slate, one Holy Lance of Solari, and a piece of female armor believed to have been worn by Berfa, a woman.
Jude held the slate while Cordelia picked up Solari’s Holy Lance and said with a soft look in her eyes.
[Do you remember Solari’s Holy Lance?]
[Huh? Yes, I remember that.]
Because they used it to destroy the rocky mountain of Violent Avalanche.
Even now when he closed his eyes, Jude could remember the small back of the crying Violent Avalanche who had collapsed on his knees.
But Cordelia stroked the Holy Lance and said with a little – no, with complete indifference.
[As time passes by, everything will be just a memory.]
No.
I don’t think you should say that.
I don’t think Violent Avalanche would like to hear your words.
No matter how much in love Jude was with Cordelia, he couldn’t agree with what she just said.
However, he didn’t interrupt or stop her.
‘I wonder how he is doing now?’
He imagined the toddling Violent Avalanche.
A few months had already passed since they said their goodbyes in the wild lands.
‘Well, I’m sure he’s doing fine.’
Because the Golden Dragon King was now awake.
Perhaps by now, the construction work to restore the wild lands was in full swing.
It would be the construction of a large city where several tribes would live together.
‘When Malekith’s event is over, it would be nice if we could stop by there before going to the empire.’
Jude made up his mind and then took out the last content of the sarcophagus, the armor. On the other hand, Cordelia was still hugging the Holy Lance and still immersed in her own memories.
‘Is this chain mail?’
It was a chain mail made of very thin chains, but the material was uncommon.
First of all, it was light, and the metal itself had traces of mana.
‘Mithril?’
The metal of fantasies that only dwarves could mine.
It was weak against blows because it was thin in the first place, but it could prevent most slashing attacks.
It also had a strong magic resistance.
[You can wear this.]
[What about you, Jude?]
[It’s for swordsmen, but it’s fine since I already have Sword Origin.]
Cordelia gently nodded because he was right, so she put the Holy Lance and the chain mail into the space expansion bag.
‘And the slate.’
After confirming the location of the next slate, Jude made sure to remember it in his Memory Palace before handing it over to Cordelia.
[Okay, so we’re almost done?]
[Yes, they’re the only ones we need to take care of.]
Cordelia nodded her head before speaking to the Tomb Guardians who was looking at them with anticipation.
“You’ve fulfilled your mission. But now that there’s no way to go back to heaven, I can’t just leave you alone. So I’ll give you a new mission.”
At Cordelia’s words, the Tomb Guardians continued to look with anticipation instead of annoyance.
Because they were born to fulfill commands in the first place.
“Come up with me. I’ll introduce you to humans who had inherited Solari’s will, so you shall protect them and this land.”
[We shall humbly do so.]
[We shall humbly do so.]
As the Tomb Guardians bowed their heads and responded, Cordelia proudly looked back at Jude and said with her eyes.
‘What do you think?’
Isn’t this quite efficient?
I got the slate and also gave a new mission to the Tomb Guardians.
Cordelia became even more excited when Jude nodded in acknowledgment, and she led the Tomb Guardians out while humming.
***
Manuel was surprised and blinked his eyes when he faced Jude and Cordelia.
He already knew that Cordelia was an angel, but he only then realized that there was a huge difference between knowing and actually seeing it.
“Aaah, an angel…”
When Manuel knelt down and prayed without realizing it, Cordelia spoke with a saintly face.
“Manuel, I absolve you of your sins.”
“Aaaah. Thank you very much. Thank you.”
Manuel bowed down once again, and Jude sent a <Message> magic to Cordelia.
[What sins are you talking about?]
[No, it’s just… I kind of got in the mood.]
Cordelia giggled and talked about the situation after Manuel stood up again.
“You found angels that were sealed?”
“Yes, these are Tomb Guardians, angels that belong to the ninth rank. In the future, they will defend St. Crute Monastery.”
“Ooooh…”
She deliberately omitted the story of Berfa’s tomb.
Because they might question where the contents of the tomb went.
‘Anyway, I did well, right?’
‘Uh… yes.’
Though only Jude would have agreed to that.
When did she become so ‘black’?
Could it be that I did something irreversible?
But it was at that moment.
“The branch leader is waiting. I will guide you to her.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
Jude responded to Manuel’s words, and Cordelia suddenly pulled on Jude’s sleeve as she sent a <Message> magic.
[Jude, Jude.]
[Why?]
[We’ll be going to talk to the branch leader from now on, right?]
[Yes.]
[Because I have an idea.]
[An idea?]
[An idea on how to effectively persuade the branch leader.]
What do you mean?
But Cordelia has recently showed rapid growth. Perhaps she has learned a trick or two.
[What is it?]
[That is…]
Cordelia told him something specific, and Jude’s eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t help it.
Because Cordelia came up with the exact same thing that Jude himself was trying to do.
[He who touches pitch shall be defiled therewith… Have I made your hidden potential blossom?]
[Huh?]
Cordelia tilted her head with an angelic and innocent face, and Jude nodded with a huge sense of guilt. He agreed to Cordelia’s plan.
***
There were seven leaders in the Guardians of the Holy Cross.
The commander-in-chief who led the entire Guardians and six active generals under that person.
The six generals including Ghostblade Kamael were basically combat personnel, so it was rare for them to settle in one place.
Because it was the duty of the six generals to fight against the demon followers all throughout the continent.
Naturally, there were some cases where a general remained at the headquarters of the Guardians in order to protect the commander-in-chief and the headquarters, such as the high elf Eltharion Prime, the eldest of the six generals. But in most cases, it was the branch leaders who led and defended each branch all over the world.
Saint Heine.
A master of God’s Fist who led St. Crute Monastery.
She was 34 this year, and one of the youngest branch leaders, but like most young people in the Guardians, she was very friendly towards Jude and Cordelia, the so-called fantasy couple.
“Are you saying that… there is an evil spirit inside?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Jude answered with a serious face and glared at the golden necklace placed on the branch leader’s desk.
A necklace where the soul of Gamorr Khan, the infamous mercenary leader, was sealed.
Heine unconsciously swallowed hard as Cordelia spoke with a very serious look.
“It’s a really evil spirit. He has already told us the truth, but he might say something else this time.”
Gamorr Khan was actually the subordinate of Black Dragon Malekith, and there was not much time left before Malekith wakes up.
Cordelia briefly told them about it, and she released the seal on the necklace before calling Gamorr Khan.
[Aaaaaaah-!]
The purple gem seemed to be screaming, but black smoke soon soared as it formed a human shape.
It was the body of Gamorr Khan, the evil spirit.
“Gamorr Khan! Say what you said before in front of the branch leader again!”
Gamorr Khan replied with a frown at Jude’s order.
[Say it again? What are you talking about? This is the first time that you’ve released me!]
“Stop joking from the start!”
[No, this is really the first time…]
“Ha! Didn’t you already reveal that you are Malekith’s subordinate last time!”
[Eh? T-that… How did you know?]
Gamorr Khan was genuinely surprised at Jude’s words.
Or rather, he was confused on why Malekith’s name was suddenly brought up.
As Gamorr Khan continued to be visibly confused, Cordelia clicked her tongue and said.
“We know because you’ve told us. You told us everything last time. The fact that you are under Black Dragon Malekith, and your colleagues are the dark elf necromancer Sicilia, and the corrupt dwarf Madhur.”
At Cordelia’s words, Gamorr Khan was astonished and couldn’t even refute it.
Because it was all true.
“You also told us something like this. Black Dragon Malekith was defeated by the founder king, Richard D. Sälen, and was buried in the southern sea, though not much time is left before he is resurrected. After he resurrects, he plans to destroy the southern region. Your role is to be the vanguard of Malekith’s army. You even proudly talked about it.”
[No, nooo.]
Gamorr Khan was going crazy over the situation.
He thought that they would do something like an interrogation once he had been caught, but something totally unexpected was happening.
Not only Malekith, but even Sicilia and Madhur.
Why do they know that?
No, how do they know?
“Stop pretending and just say it. Be honest with the branch leader. You’ve already told us everything once.”
Gamorr Khan protested at Cordelia’s urging and pounded his chest.
[I honestly never said anything!]
“Then how do we all know this? We know because you told us! You want to hit on that haughty Sicilia, but you told us that you held it in because she’s Malekith’s lover!”
[W-when did I ever say that!]
Gamorr Khan stuttered in his extreme embarrassment.
Because it was a feeling that he had kept to himself for a long time.
‘D-did I really say that?’
Did I really tell these two about that? Did they use some magic on me?
Those are information that they should not have known unless what they said is true.
As Gamorr Khan continued to be confused, Jude smiled and led the flow of the conversation.
“Gamorr Khan, you’ve said that this is the first time that you’ve been released, but this is the second time. I guess that you’ve lost your memory in the aftermath of the divine magic we used last time.”
[I-is that so?]
When Gamorr Khan answered without realizing it, Cordelia quickly added on with a dark smile.
“Of course. In fact, I can still use the same magic I used back then. It will bring you more pain than death… it’s the kind of magic that will make you cry out to rather kill you than to experience that pain. That’s why you told us back then. You said that ‘you’ll tell us everything, so please don’t use it next time.’ But if you insist that you haven’t told us because you’ve lost your memory, I’ll tell you that to convince you.”
[T-that?]
“Yes, that. The fact that you were looking for the other Ultimate series was because of Malekith. Ultimate Three, the legendary Dragon Sword Ascalon was your target, right? You wanted to use it to stab Malekith in the back, right?”
At Cordelia’s last words, Gamorr Khan’s face turned completely white even though he was an evil spirit.
Because her words were completely true again this time.
[I-I really said that?]
“Yes, you did. You feel a pain in your chest now, right? Even if your mind can’t remember it, your body still remembers it. The divine magic that I used last time began from the chest.”
[C-come to think of it…]
My chest has been aching since earlier.
No, it seriously hurts now.
[Ughhhh…]
It seems like these b*stards in front of me are telling the truth.
I lost my memory and confessed in between.
‘How painful was that magic?’
No one else but him could have told them about such things.
He tried hard to remember, but he couldn’t remember.
So the past pain that Jude and Cordelia talked about became an unprecedented fear, and that fear became pain again as it pressed on Gamorr Khan’s chest.
[Ugh…]
Gamorr Khan made a painful expression, and Jude said to him with a very cold expression.
“Gamorr Khan, tell Branch Leader Heine once more about everything that you know. If you say something different from what you said last time, I’ll make you experience that extreme pain again.”
Gamorr Khan was startled at Jude’s words, and he said after frowning as he found it quite unfair.
[B-but I can’t fully remember what I said to you last time because my memories disappeared…]
“That seems to be the case.”
“Then, why don’t you just tell us everything that you know? You told us everything last time, but if there’s anything lacking this time… you’ll know what’s going to happen to you, right?”
Cordelia followed up on Jude’s words, smiling as she gathered her divine power in her right hand, so Gamorr Khan shuddered.
[Y-you demon-like b*stards…]
There are things you must not do even in interrogations, right?
But Jude and Cordelia lightly ignored Gamorr Khan’s protest, and gestured to him to speak quickly, so Gamorr Khan began to confess everything that he knew in front of Branch Leader Heine.
‘Oh, there was such information too.’
‘Because the game didn’t tell everything.’
Even the little information that they didn’t know.
Naturally, it was such a trivial information that it was useless, but at least, the huge amount of information managed to convince the branch leader in front of them.
“Good, it’s very similar to what you said last time.”
[Phew…]
Gamorr Khan sighed in relief at Cordelia’s declaration, and he went back to the golden necklace on his own even though he was not ordered to do so.
Because he wanted to avoid further questioning since he couldn’t even ran away.
“Hehe, problem solved.”
Cordelia murmured and sealed the golden necklace again before saying to Branch Leader Heine.
“Branch Leader, as you have heard now, the threat of Malekith is real. So we have to be prepared for that.”
Malekith was not a demon or demon follower, but he was clearly a great evil that threatened humanity.
“We need a way to contact Kamael. Can you prepare that for us?”
Branch Leader Heine immediately nodded at Jude’s request.
“Of course. We will dispatch our personnel so that we can find Master Kamael in the south. We’ll also relay this information to the Guardians’ headquarters.”
Her answer was satisfactory.
But Heine even added more to it.
“Is there anything else that we can help you with?”
Heine would not have believed it if someone else had captured a demon and shared the same story.
But it was Jude and Cordelia who captured that evil spirt, so she believed in it.
The story of Gamorr Khan was also highly credible.
So as the branch leader of St. Crute Monastery, she extended her aid.
She said that she would do anything in order to help them.
Jude and Cordelia exchanged glances and had dark smiles.
Both of them thought the same thing without even needing to read the other’s thoughts.
“Branch Leader Heine.”
“Yes, Lord Jude.”
“There must be an armory in St. Crute Monastery, right?”
Like a treasure trove.
At Jude’s question, Branch Leader Heine nodded her head, and Cordelia smiled in delight.