Chapter 48.2 – How to Stand Against the World (2)

4.

The Empire and the Temple of God were fully in the midst of [The Test of Faith].

Other forces began to intervene one by one as well.

“Ohhh, everyone…Now is not the time for fighting.”

The Elf Ranger Captain from the Fairy Forest sighed.

“Shouldn’t we investigate thoroughly whether or not the witch is really under that young man’s control? No matter how foolish you all are, there’s a time and place for everything.”

Was he trying to stop the fight, or fan the sparks of the fight?

Naturally, it didn’t help whatsoever.

“That’s right if I had to add a comment to what you just said, isn’t the Temple of God being self-contradictory? The Founding Emperor of Aegim’s Holy Protection Sword was bestowed to him by the Goddess of Protection that you all worship at the Temple of God. To doubt the authority of the sword is to doubt the authority of the goddess, isn’t it? That’s why humans who live short lives are so foolish…”

“What?! The elves saw us in that kind of light?!”

“This is why these big-earned ones are unreliable sons of bitches!”

They even got in the way.

“What on earth are the Temple of God and the Empire doing?! Arguing in front of us who came to uphold our honourable covenant!”

The Dragoon Unit Captain that came from the volcano shouted.

“Settle it with a duel just like the warriors you are! What else are you going to use your weapons for?”

Basically, they were a unicellular unit.

In Hunter terms… Yes, they were just like the Venomous Snake from Chen Mu-mun.

“Our Freedom City Union believes both the Holy Protection Sword and the Temple of God are right. But there must be someone more right. If you have any suggestions, I’ll listen with an open mind.”

“That’s why farming is for suckers… Oh, so when can we plunder that town? You said we could rob it right? So, since they came to see us.”

“Ev-, everyone. Guys… there’s a witch’s den right in front of us….”

Wearing an armed top, she openly revealed her [Personal Status], she was a nomadic female chief who was grumbling while pulling along the horses.

It was the closest place to the vengeful ghost’s paradise, so only the lords of the minor countries, that initially tried to desperately spark the destruction of the paradise, were in a state of panic.

In other words, it was a very dangerous situation.

-Keuuhoooo!

On the other hand, the Sword Emperor and I became that much more relaxed.

Bae Hu-ryeong folded his arms and shook his head.

-I understand why the vengeful ghost put up a fight against the Hunters. There was an exhilarating feeling when driving a wedge in, causing internal confusion!

‘I admit it.’

Honestly, it was so much fun.

However, of course, they were not the only ones full of trollers.

“Ha. Guys, get out of my way!”

Just like us Hunters had a person that was so-called the ‘Civil Militia Guild Master’. A mediator. There were, of course, those who came forward to resolve the situation before the whole army headed toward chaos and destruction.

A lizardman magician from the Mermaid Falls stepped forward.

“In the eyes of this young one, the problem was simple after all.”

The lizardman magician pointed at me with his webbed fingers.

“Whether the young man really is the emissary of the Founding Emperor, or if that woman was really the witch. Whether or not the emissary really defeated the witch and brought her under his reign. It’ll all be solved as long as we can confirm this.”

The Chief Holy Knight of the Temple of God, who became exhausted while arguing with the General of the Empire, frowned.

“So how do you confirm that?”

“Don’t worry. Of course, I have a way.”

The lizardman magician placed her webbed hands on her chest.

In her grasp was a blue bead that seemed to hold the condensed deep sea.

“This is the Soul Jewel that the Queen of Mermaids gave me.”

The lizardman magician was very serious. As if she was going to show us an extremely precious treasure from now on, and she sounded as if this was the fortune of our lifetimes to be able to see such a treasure with our own eyes.

“If you drip a drop of blood here, you can determine whether the owner of the blood has a [Good-Natured Soul], or a [Evil-Natured Soul]. If you have a good-natured soul, the jewel will emit white light, and if you have an evil-natured soul, a black light will emerge.”

Hmmmmm.

So it’s like the Crusader’s [Lie Detector] and the Sword Saint’s [Detective’s Insight].

-Uhuh. I think so. The demifolks are very good at making weird gizmos like that.

Bae Hu-ryeong and I remained unfazed. The Queen of Mermaids’ precious jewel or whatever, it sounded grand, but… It was nothing new for us.

Unaware of our thoughts, the lizardman magician was confident.

“Now! If that woman is truly the Witch of the Frontier, and if you are truly the emissary of the Founding Emperor, accept the test of the jewel!”

The lizardman magician lifted the jewel.

“The evil deeds you have done. The good deeds you have accumulated. This jewel will prove everything!”

“Alright then.”

I nodded meekly.

“Try as much as you like.”

“Don’t regret it. As I said, the jewel will expose your soul as it is.”

“You’re standing quite far from that fork. How about you start running?”

The snake-like eyes of the lizardman magician sharpened.

“I hope that confidence is not just false bravado. Well then, let’s start with testing that woman’s soul first.”

The lizardman magician strode toward us. She grabbed the wrist of the vengeful ghost. Then she ran her sharp fingernails across the vengeful ghost’s palm and scratched her.

Blood flowed down from her palm.

“Hikkk.”

The vengeful ghost flinched. The dark red drops of blood trickled down and smeared the jewel of the Queen of Mermaids.

Shinngggggg!

The jewel was dyed black at once.

“What the f-!”

“Oh my God.”

The commanding officers watching the soul test were terrified. The color exuded by the jewel was not an ordinary black. It was a color that was as dark as the abyss. A void-like black shadow writhed around, just like a slithering black snake.

“What an evil soul this is…！”

Even the lizardman magician, who was overseeing the test, gulped.

“It’s to a degree that’s hard to believe. How many murders and evil deeds did you commit…., This is a being that shouldn’t exist in the world. A cursed being… She’s undoubtedly the witch!”

Plop.

The magician quickly let go of the vengeful ghost’s wrist as if she was trying to avoid wastewater. The vengeful ghost could see that the magician’s eye contained a great deal of contempt and fear, fear from even being close to her.

“No. Not even a witch could compare. She’s definitely a Devil King!”

The vengeful ghost shrugged even more.

The atmosphere changed. Was it because the lizardman magician confirmed the identity of the vengeful ghost? The soldiers’ chattering died down. The commanders stopped arguing and stared fiercely at the vengeful ghost. The more they stared, the more she cowered, and she slipped back and hid behind me.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

People’s eyes naturally turned towards me.

The lizardman magician raised her long nails.

“Self-proclaimed emissary of the Founding Emperor. Are you ready?”

“I’m always ready.”

“It’s no use bluffing…Now, give your hand to me.”

I willingly extended my left hand. Screech! My flesh spread like gills on the spot where the fingernails of the lizardman magician had run through.

Red blood flowed down from the cut. My blood dripped slowly onto the jewel that was dyed black because of the vengeful ghost’s blood.

And…

“Ah…?”

There was a ray of light.

“Uh, Huh…?”

The blackness disappeared from the jewel as if it was cleansed of it. It wasn’t just that. The white ray of light clung together and lit up, and finally spread like an explosion around me.

Shingggggg!

The Acacia field turned white instantaneously. Screams broke out from here and there. And I screened my face with my palm.

The lizardman magician who was holding the jewel did the same.

“Ho-, how can this…”

She was stunned and gasped.

“Wait a minute, what the hell is this soul……?”

“What the hell is going on?!”

Shouted the Chief Holy Knight of the Temple of God.

“The ‘water droplet’ given by the current Queen! Why is this ray of light coming out from the jewel?

“His soul…”

The wizard muttered without even looking back at the Holy Knights.

“How can you be so… How many lives have you saved, such a pure white, this is… This is simply…….”

Ahhhh, said the lizardman magician.

“This person is……He’s light itself……!”

Yes.

I was the light.