Episode 148

A room with a wall broken through in a certain hotel.

Lucia didn’t know what to do given the situation.

Shiron had collapsed. That alone scrambled her thoughts and left her bewildered, but Seira, whose origin she couldn’t pinpoint, was also lying unconscious.

“…Ugh.”

Had there ever been a time after her reincarnation when she found herself in such a troublesome situation? She could confidently say there had not.

Of course, there had been many more difficult times in her previous life… but it was the same in that she couldn’t solve them alone.

The curse that wouldn’t lift was dispelled by Seira, and when she was fatally poisoned, the dwarf Vinella somehow found a medicinal herb and made an antidote. Even when she was about to die of starvation after falling alone into a transfer maze, wasn’t it Yura who came with companions and barely saved her?

‘…Let’s wait until daylight.’

Both seemed to be in a deep sleep if one were to judge by appearances alone. Lucia decided not to risk moving them for treatment in the middle of the night.

She was well aware of Seira’s self-healing magic from her previous life, and though he was young, Shiron had completely healed from a grievous injury received at the Lake of Beginning in less than a week, hadn’t he?

Moreover, the outside she briefly saw through the window was too chaotic to risk taking the two unconscious ones out. The light illuminating the street went out in an instant, and it started to fill with the murmuring of confused people.

‘After daylight, I’ll go to Raihan from the Foreign Affairs Squad we met yesterday and ask for help. He won’t leave Shiron, a noble of Rien, unattended…’

After a moment of contemplation, Lucia drew her sword and sat down in place. The best she could do now was to do her best within reach.

‘I don’t know what they’re trying to do, but there are some coming up here.’

The presence of a group getting closer from the floors below. The number was ten… maybe more.

As their presence grew stronger the closer they got to this place, she guessed they either joined in midway or were wearing magical devices to hide their presence.

“Huff…”

Lucia took a deep breath and drew mana from her dantian.

Emergency stairs.

Elevator.

Corridor.

In front of the room.

Lucia fiddled with the handle of her sword.

Click- Click-

She sensed the presence of several people beyond the door.

Click- Click-

“They’re not even knocking.”

Click!

“Is there any need to?”

The door opened. The man Lucia had seen earlier that day walked in with his hands behind his back.

“Knocking, as if you would open the door in this situation, is pointless.”

“You know well. To come en masse like this and threaten, yet expect it to be opened.”

Lucia glared at the dozens of people, her golden eyes flashing. Anger boiled inside her, and irritation surged. One situation after another arose where her companions were incapacitated, and now, hulks smeared in all sorts of magical equipment had shown up.

“So why have you barged in? You do realize this is trespassing, right?”

Lucia spoke with as much authority in her voice as she could muster. At that, Asad smirked.

“It’s because of the chaos outside.”

“Chaos?”

“Yes. The lights in the cathedral went out, and the citizens, who were living their peaceful daily lives, are now voicing their anxieties. Do you need more reason? Although you said you wouldn’t interfere with what we do, I really didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.”

“What… are you talking about?”

Lucia raised her voice at the nonsensical sound that reached her ears.

“Are you saying we caused this chaos? After parting with you, we came straight here, and Shiron collapsed immediately. Don’t arrest innocent people without evidence.”

In front of the hotel,

Shiron said he wouldn’t do anything to purposely bring down the city.

And true to his word, Shiron did nothing. There was no indication he would do anything, and he had collapsed without the opportunity to act.

“Are you certain of that?”

“…I’ve been watching Shiron the whole time.”

“That’s not what I mean. Do you have solid evidence that you’re not the culprits behind this situation?”

Asad sighed at Lucia, who was shouting. He spoke respectfully, but his attitude seemed to dismiss Lucia as if she were a tantrum-throwing child.

“Evidence?”

It was an absurd statement. Dumbfounded, Lucia foolishly asked back.

“Did I… hear you wrong? Are you saying I should prove myself not to be the culprit?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You guys… Do you have any evidence that we’re the instigators?!”

“Ha. Why wouldn’t we?”

After a few hollow laughs, Asad wiped the smile off his face. He looked at Lucia more stiffly than anyone else present.

“Isn’t there a revelation? I’m sure I told you this afternoon. God has revealed to me in a prophecy that you are the instigators.”

“…You’re spouting nonsense.”

“I’m not crazy. I don’t know how much you’ve been graced by God, but I’ve seen the face of a person I’ve never seen before in my dreams, and I was able to recognize the faces of people I was seeing for the first time right there. If this isn’t a miracle, what is it?”

“…”

“I’m neither a prophet nor a sorcerer, just a believer. Of course, those with lesser faith might not understand my way of thinking. But still…”

Asad took a deep breath, his eyes piercing through Lucia. The eyes of a lion, only possessed by the residents of Brahham who were loved by God. The strength of the girl reflected in his blue-gray eyes began to imprint in his mind.

20.

She wouldn’t even need to stand against the twenty elite guards in the room.

100.

She could fight evenly against a hundred of the guards filling the corridor.

1000.

She could effortlessly suppress a thousand guards occupying the hotel, even though they wielded divine magic that granted them seemingly infinite life.

“You may not understand with your faithless mind, but if other brothers have had the same revelation in their dreams, doubting it would feel blasphemous.”

“You talk too much.”

Lucia slowly rose from the floor, sensing the presence of an increasing number of foes approaching. It wasn’t just outside the hotel; the surroundings were being taken over, and she could feel a selected force encroaching upon the area.

“Come at me if you’re going to.”

She spoke with confidence, yet Lucia’s heart was ablaze with turmoil. She yearned to draw her sword and slaughter them on the spot. However, behind her lay two who had yet to regain consciousness.

She didn’t want to fight; she sought to resolve the situation through dialogue. Nonetheless, the current circumstances were pushing Lucia towards combat.

The killing intent and momentum emanating from the opponent suggested that, if necessary, they would not hesitate to kill her and use her corpse as a means to pacify the citizens and for propaganda purposes.

It might seem like a baseless fear, but history had witnessed such actions before.

When the morale of soldiers waned due to a commander’s error at the front line or a disruption in supplies, executing a stern figure to quell their dissatisfaction was often the chosen remedy.

“…You’re really making things difficult. Is cooperation with us that hard?”

Asad smirked and uttered those words. Lucia’s hand instinctively reached for the sword at her waist.

“Cooperate? When you’re prepared to demolish this entire building?”

“Just step out of this hotel peacefully. We’ll keep you in a place within our reach until the situation stabilizes.”

“…Where to?”

“The Central Penitence Hall.”

The moment Asad finished speaking, everyone in the room drew their swords. White light. The divine magic, Sanctification, unfolded and engulfed the entire hotel. The room was bathed in pure white light.

The elite guards, as always, engaged in battle without hesitation.

The strength of their opponent was irrelevant.

They were aware that they could not defeat the red-haired foreigner, no matter how many of them rushed in.

Yet, nineteen elites charged at Lucia without a second thought. The noble spirit that allowed one to sacrifice oneself to protect the sacred city made this possible.

This mindset was the result of brainwashing from a very young age, the moment they were born with blue-gray eyes. The duty and ability to act push them over the edge, outweighing the emotion of fear.

They struck only where the enemy was, their swords wrapped in holiness. Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! The sound was brutally rough, as if flesh and bone were being crushed simultaneously…

“…What.”

In an instant, Lucia observes the forms of those she had slashed dozens of times. She believed she had split their flesh, crushed their bones, and neutralized the enemy in a breath…

But none of those she had slashed had fallen.

Their heads were smashed, faces burst, arms severed, yet with the one remaining eye, they looked at her, picked up their fallen swords, and gripped their weapons, ready to charge again.

Asad smiled contentedly at the proud scene before him.

Sanctification was the love of God, or the cradle of heaven. It created a sanctuary here that allowed believers to fight endlessly as they wished, regardless of whether their arms were crushed or their bellies were torn.

Squelch- Thud-

The guards of Brahham did not stop, even as the pain of their entire bodies being engulfed in flames washed over them. Their faith in the Lord. The belief that after completing the holy war, they could go to heaven!

That mad appearance made Lucia feel sick to her stomach.

“…Crazy.”

Lucia’s sword tip wavered. The enemy stumbled towards her, swinging their sword. She slashed at them with her trembling sword. They didn’t fall.

No matter how much she cut, her opponent continued to rush at her as if they felt no pain. Only after she had perfectly incapacitated about five did the opponent’s body become too damaged to stand on its own.

‘Could it be…’

Did she have to continue this charade?

Lucia swallowed hard.

She had only just incapacitated five, but the number of people who had entered the room hadn’t changed.

Twenty. And nineteen to attack.

…At least a thousand waiting outside.

‘…Should I just run away with the two?’

Lucia quickly looked around. There was no way out. Then, did she have no choice but to continue this nonsense? While she was enduring complex emotions and disgust.

From behind Lucia, a massive presence was felt. Slowly… but very surely, unhesitatingly approaching this place…

—–Roar!

An explosion occurred behind Lucia. Thick concrete walls burst outward like a storm. The light from divine magic scattered in the dust.

Crackle-

Lucia noticed Shiron and Seira in the opening created by the explosion. The guards of Brahham stared at the intruders who had burst into this place.

The enemy they had to face had increased from one to two. All the guards quickly realized this fact and rushed forward. And a whirlwind swept through the narrow room.

Crack- Crackle Crackle Crackle-!

A rough noise was followed by a moment.

Whirr-

A monotonous rotation continued in the chaotic space. The blade spun thousands of times in the air, shredding the enemy. The sound of bodies thudding followed one after another in the now-red room, and the dusty air was pushed outside by the whirlwind. Lucia, who smelled the metallic scent, saw a very red room.

“…….”

Lucia blankly stared at the woman standing in the center. Unlike the room dyed red, not a single drop of blood was on her.

Swoosh-

With an elegant gesture, she brushed the dust from her hair. She was a figure who seemed too far removed to be here.

“What are you guys?”

An ice-cold voice and gaze.

Siriel Prient.

Without seeing her face, Lucia could somewhat guess what Siriel looked like. Unlike Lucia, who intended to deal only with incoming enemies, Siriel’s strikes did not discriminate against any opponent.