TRAIGS (Novel) Chapter 668

N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)



 Chapter 668

 

A dimly lit room where not a single ray of light penetrated.

A man sitting at an old desk turned his back after staring at the black fire burning on the wall.

"Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind division's movements are peculiar."

He stroked his chin as he glanced under the desk.

"They’re rolling their eyes as if they're searching for something."

"It, it could be because of me. When I first saw him, I unintentionally leaked demonic energy..."

A young man with black hair, kneeling on the floor, let out a low groan.

“But it was a very tiny amount. It was so faint that neither priests nor holy knights could detect it, so how…”

His lips trembled as if he couldn't understand.

“Sometimes, there are those who are born with special senses.”

The man curled his lips into a thin smile.

“So, Raon Zieghart participated in the conference to find you? This is getting interesting.”

“If they really sensed the demonic energy, wouldn’t it be better to send them away now?”

“No, it’s better to keep them closer. The fact that they don’t openly search means they aren't certain.”

He laughed, saying it’s best to keep such people even closer than one's allies.

"Raon Zieghart was once known as the 'Frostfire Sword of Valor' for his strong sense of justice. Such people hesitate to wield their swords recklessly. He'll be so focused on finding you that he'll be blind to everything else."

The man lightly waved his fingers, indicating he understood Raon and the Light Wind division’s actions.

“I’ll handle things from above, so focus on what you need to do.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The black-haired youth bowed his head and then dispersed into a shadowy form like murky water.

Crackle.

The man turned back to the black fire burning on the wall.

The black fire grew darker, climbing up the inscription carved on the wall.

“God is always near…”

He lowers his head, a black tear falling from his eye.

“Where exactly?”

* * *

“Priest Piren was truly a genuine person.”

Burren rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"He spent all day volunteering. It felt like I was seeing a boy who had just become a priest, not a high-ranking priest."

He shook his head, saying he didn’t know such people existed.

“Kinear was a knight in a different sense, though.”

Martha frowned in annoyance.

“What do you mean?”

Burren tilted his head.

“That guy never prays or trains, he just chases after women! After getting rejected right in front of me, he immediately hit on me! I almost sliced his mouth open!”

She gritted her teeth, calling him a complete scoundrel.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to die trying to stop her.”

Dorian sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping.

“Runaan, how about Sir Danieff?”

Raon nodded and called out to Runaan.

“Ah.”

Runaan, who had been nodding off while leaning against the wall, raised her head blankly.

“He follows the king, stays close to the king, and only sticks to the king. During his free time, he practices his sword. And…”

“And?”

“He doesn’t talk.”

Runaan put a finger to her lips, saying she’d never seen someone so silent.

“How about the Saintess?”

Raon called out to Rimmer, who was leaning against the wall, cleaning his ear.

"Can't even see her hair. Is she hiding somewhere, extorting kids?"

Rimmer massaged his temples, saying it's frustrating.

“Vice leader, You went to the gambling den instead of working, didn't you?”

"Obviously."

“Ugh…”

Burren, Martha, and Dorian shook their heads.

"Really! Even I know when and where to gamble, okay?"

“Since when?”

Runaan replies bluntly, hitting the nail on the head.

“Ugh…”

Rimmer clutched his chest and bit his lip, having nothing to say.

“Anyway, she really isn’t around. I even searched the convent!”

“You pervert.”

Martha ground her teeth in disgust.

“Ugh, damned if I do, damned if I don’t…”

Rimmer slumped his shoulders in exasperation.

“I didn’t find any unusual behavior in Balt and Uson, whom I followed.”

Mark Goetten also bowed his head, saying he found nothing suspicious with the high priest.

“What about you two?”

Burren gestured towards Raon and Hopen.

“Same for us.”

Raon clicked his tongue briefly, meeting Hopen’s gaze.

Using the status of Hopen, a prince and captain of the fifth Holy Knight, they had met everyone in the audience chamber and executives but found nothing unusual.

Even when he unleashed wrath energy, nothing happened.

“Is it really that bitch?”

Martha narrowed her eyes suspiciously, finding it strange that the saintess was nowhere to be seen.

“It’s not unusual for the saintess to disappear for months. It would be stranger if she stayed visible.”

Hopen shook his head, saying that was her usual behavior.

“It’s all been a waste.”

Burren ran his hand through his hair, squinting his eyes.

“Is there really someone using demonic energy?”

Martha rolled her eyes.

“Yes, for sure.”

If it had only been based on his own perception, he wouldn’t have been able to answer that question confidently. However, with Wrath’s confirmation, he nodded calmly.

“Phew…”

Raon sighed as he looked at the yellow moonlight streaming through the window.

‘We couldn’t find them in the end.’

Despite Raon and the Light Wind division's efforts to search everyone in the audience chamber, the one who had made a contract with the demon did not reveal themselves.

He even set a trap to lure out demonic energy, but since they didn't realize it was a trap, Raon began to think that there really wasn't anyone who had made a contract with the demon.

‘But…’

He didn’t get to meet the saintess.

As Rimmer said, the saintess disappeared after that day and hasn't been seen since.

Given her scoundrel-like behavior, Raon thought she couldn’t possibly be the one who made the contract, but now he needed to consider her a suspect as well.

Especially since she was the only one who openly told them not to participate in the holy conference.

“What do we do now? The holy conference is the day after tomorrow.”

Burren bit his lip, uncertain of what to do.

“The search operation is canceled.”

Raon clapped his hands lightly to get everyone’s attention.

‘It’s a waste of time as it is.’

Given the current situation, the enemy likely knows we are searching.

Considering they are hiding their identity in this land filled with holy power, it was impossible to find them before the holy conference.

“Then what do we do?”

“We need to change our approach. We must prepare to fight even if someone does summon the demons. Even if there are some sacrifices, we need to protect the greater good.”

He's not a hero. It was far better to prepare properly than to waste time on uncertainties.

“Dorian, you have holy water, right?”

“Of course, it’s essential.”

Dorian smiled brightly, saying that holy water was a must in the holy kingdom.

“We have plenty of holy water too. If you use that…”

“No, we can’t use that.”

Raon shook his head firmly. Considering the involvement of the executives, he had had to assume that the holy water and artifacts in this country were already contaminated.

“From now on…”

Raon conveyed to the Light Wind swordsmen and Hopen what preparations needed to be made and how.

The plan was complicated due to the unknown enemy, but everyone, being talented individuals, understood immediately and nodded.

“Such a hassle, and it’s not even our land.”

Rimmer wagged his finger at Hopen.

“If this ends well, you’ll reward us properly, right?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

Hopen promised to treat them with a full course and smiled.

“I’ll look forward to it!”

Rimmer grinned and exited through the window. Despite there being a door, it was puzzling why he always used such exits.

“There’s no need to give him anything. He’s going to lose everything here anyway.”

Burren said there was no need to give him even a single gold coin and left the room. “Yeah, just ignore him.”

“Coo…”

Martha snorted as she carried the sleeping Runaan on her back and left.

“Well then.”

Mark Goetten bowed politely before leaving.

“I should go too.”

Hopen followed Mark Goetten with an awkward smile. His steps seemed heavier than anyone else’s.

‘Hey.’

Raon gestured to Wrath, who was leaning against the ceiling.

What.

Wrath flicked his tail and opened his eyes.

‘Still not going to tell me?’

How many times does the King of Essence have to say it? A contract between a human and a demon is made through mutual agreement. The conditions are set by both the human and the demon. Not even I, the King of Essence can break that!

Wrath pounded his hand, saying to stop spouting nonsense.

'You seem a bit anxious despite your words.'

What, what do you mean anxious?!

Wrath shook his head vehemently.

Anyway, the King of Essence won't say anything until the contract is fulfilled! Absolutely!

‘Is that so.’

That meant he might help after the contract was fulfilled. That was a bit of relief.

‘King Baurun, priest Piren, commander of the royal guard Danieff, commander of the holy knights Kinear, saintess Olga, and the priests…’

Raon sighed shortly, recalling the events so far in his mind.

‘Hmm? Wait…’

Recalling the time Hopen explained about the executives five days ago, a suspicious person came to mind.

Thinking of what Hopen had said and recent events, this person's behavior was definitely unusual. While not definitive, it was enough to raise suspicion.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just as he was deep in thought, someone knocked on the door. It sounded more like someone kicking it than knocking.

Raon frowned as he opened the door. saintess Olga, with her purple hair tucked behind her left ear, stood there on one leg.

Now that he saw her, there was a bizarre tattoo behind her ear.

“Saintess?”

It was puzzling why she, who had been missing all this time, suddenly appeared.

"Saintess my ass. Spare me some time."

Not even a polite request, but a demand.

Even more amusing was that she turned and left without waiting for a response.

‘What a personality.’

Raon shook his head and followed her. She stopped and leaned against the zelkova tree in front of the lodgings.

“Why did you call me?”

He tilted his head, hiding his probing gaze.

"Why are you speaking informally?"

The Saintess tilted her head.

“Because you used it.”

“You have a nasty personality.”

“Not as bad as yours.”

“Ha ha.”

The Saintess laughed, seemingly pleased. She was certainly a peculiar person.

“Do you smoke?”

“No.”

As Raon shook his head, the saintess took out a cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth.

“You guys seem to be up to something strange.”

She lit the cigarette and shook her head.

“Stop doing useless things and go back to Ziegart.”

“What strange things?”

“Sending an ugly elf to find me.”

She laughed mockingly, referring to Rimmer.

“You might not know this, but I pay a lot of attention to faces. However, I'm not interested in such a sneaky guy.”

She said something that would make Rimmer have a seizure and shook her head.

"How much do you know?"

"What do you know?"

“What are you trying to find by following people around?”

The saintess asked three questions in one go.

“……”

Raon clasped his fingers together, looking into the saintess' calm eyes.

"Oh, should I kill you?"

The saintess laughed, placing her hand on her neck.

"No need to glare at me like that. It's just a hunch."

Gray smoke billowed from her red lips.

Cough! Cough!

Wrath, floating in the air, coughed and frowned.

Kill that woman! This is secondhand smoke!

‘Stay quiet for a bit.’

Raon waved Wrath away and looked at the saintess.

“A hunch?”

"I've had good hunches since I was born. I can read both dangers and opportunities."

The saintess clicked her tongue lightly.

"That hunch tells me you guys should stop messing around and leave."

“Does that mean Schpern is in danger?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

She waved her hand dismissively.

“If your hunch is good, why not tell others about it?”

"I've tried a few times, but when I say danger is coming, it comes as an even bigger crisis. A lot of people died."

The saintess bit the end of her cigarette, calling it a wretched life.

"Then why are you telling me this...?"

“Just as you observed me, I observed you. For some reason, you felt alright.”

She took a long drag from her nearly finished cigarette and smiled.

“See? Even talking to you now, I don’t feel any unease. Maybe it's a sign from God to save you.”

The saintess extinguished the burnt-out cigarette and shook her head.

“A revelation just to save a person like you? What a shitty God. Makes me want to punch them.”

She put the cigarette butt in her right pocket and gritted her teeth.

Raon narrowed his eyes, watching the saintess insult the God.

‘What is with this woman?’

She wasn't even transcender, yet she spoke as if she could read the heaven's flow like the Thespian Emperor (Ariel). It was strange, even if she didn't have the details. (Heavenly sign/Heavenly energy changed to heaven's flow)

It’s heaven's connection.

‘Heaven's connection?’ (천통, cheon-thong, cheon = Sky/Heaven, thong = connection/passage/channel)

It's when you're born with your upper energy center open and connected to the heavens. It's open wider than the Pineapple Girl's. However, because it's not intentionally open, as she mentioned, she won't know the specifics.

‘Ah…’

Hearing Wrath, Raon began to understand the saintess' words.

“This is the last warning. If you don’t want to die, stop messing around and go home.”

"If this place is dangerous, wouldn't me and the Light Wind division be helpful?"

"Who knows when the danger will strike? Will you stay here forever?"

The saintess scoffed, saying the timing was unknown.

"And didn't that foolish king say it? Even if we're weaker than you, we have the courage to fight to the end."

She clenched her small fist.

“If you’ve heard that, we must fight to the end with our own strength, not someone else’s.”

Her eyes were calm. Despite calling him a fool, she seemed to respect the king Baurun.

“If you understand, leave before the conference.”

The saintess waved her hand dismissively and turned away.

“Hm…”

Raon watched her retreating figure and swallowed hard.

‘What should I do?’

Revealing the truth to the saintess could greatly help their plan. But this situation could also be part of her scheme, making his head spin with confusion.

As he bit his lip and pondered, Wrath clapped his hands, looking at the saintess's arms and thighs.

Ah, that’s it!

‘What?’

The King of Essence thought the woman's tattoos were strange, but upon seeing her ear, he understood—they're not tattoos.

‘Not tattoos?’

Indeed. Those bizarre marks are the result of holy power backlash.

‘What’s holy power backlash?’

Using too much holy power can cause the skin to melt in such shapes. Demons experience the same phenomenon.

Wrath shuddered, saying she must be a madwoman who feels no pain.

Hearing Wrath, Raon clenched his fist.

‘Then…’

* * *

The day of the holy conference dawned.

Perhaps it was because God was blessing them, or because they were blessing God, but the sky was clear without a single cloud.

As soon as the morning mist cleared, the Holy Kingdom of Schpern locked its gates and enveloped the entire kingdom with a barrier of holy power.

As the sun rose above the white castle walls, all the citizens of the kingdom came out of their homes.

They knelt in the streets, holding cups filled with water or holy water.

Raon stood at the top of the tower, overlooking the entire kingdom.

Under the dome of holy power shaped like soap bubbles, the sight of countless devotees preparing to pray was a spectacle in itself.

“Thank you for staying with us, leader of the Light Wind division.”

Priest Piren approached and bowed his head.

“No need to thank me. This will be a valuable experience for me as well.”

Raon waved his hand lightly, smiling.

“It's truly a magnificent sight.” Commander Kinear chimed in, rubbing his hands together. "You see it every year, spectacle my ass." Saintess Olga scoffed, glaring at them with a look of disapproval.

As Raon met her eyes, he heard heavy footsteps from behind.

Turning around, he saw King Baurun, commander of the royal guard Danieff, and several high priests approaching.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Raon bowed his head to the king Baurun.

“It is an honor to have you stay with us, leader of the Light Wind division.”

King Baurun greeted him with a smile.

“Have the other swordsmen not come?”

He tilted his head, noticing Raon was alone.

“They felt uncomfortable here and decided to stay below.”

“Well, there are many old folks here. If you get bored, feel free to join them anytime.”

With a gentle smile, Baurun walked forward.

“The sun is rising, we should start soon.”

The king walked calmly to the edge of the tower, a dangerous spot where one more step could lead to a fall. He set down the holy water he had brought with him.

Priest Piren approached and poured holy water into the king’s cup.

Ding!

As the bell rang throughout the kingdom, the king raised the cup filled with holy water towards the sky before drinking it.

The people below followed suit, moistening their lips with holy water.

King Baurun, smiling as if pleased with the sight, knelt and clasped his hands together.

"God is always near. Even if he does not watch over us..."

As he began reciting a verse from the scripture, the people below followed along.

Oooooooo!

Starting from the king, the light spread to the priests, knights, and citizens, strengthening the wall of holy power that enveloped the entire kingdom, radiating even more magnificent brilliance.

A sense of holiness and sacredness, as if a God might descend upon this land, filled the air.

Raon felt the holy power, so strong that his fingers tingled, and rolled his eyes.

‘Even with such strong holy power spreading, there isn’t a single sign or movement….’

The holy power was strong enough to affect ordinary people, yet no one seemed to be in pain.

The person who made a contract with the demon was more enduring than he had anticipated.

Raon calmed his mind and scanned everyone present.

However, until the sun reached the center of the sky, no one moved.

Ding!

Only when the grand bell rang, signaling noon, did everyone open their eyes.

The king drank the second holy water and recited the scripture again. The citizens also drank their holy water and continued their prayers.

Nothing special happened afterward.

Ding!

When the third bell rang as the sun began to set, all the citizens of Schpern moistened their lips with holy water, just as they had at noon.

Raon frowned, looking at the sky painted with the sunset.

'What's going on?'

Is it not happening today?

There was almost no time left for the prayer to end, yet there was no sign of demonic energy, not even a single cloud.

He had been on high alert all day, and now his concentration was starting to waver.

‘Have they noticed I’m looking and postponed their plan? That doesn’t seem likely…’

As he continued to ponder the inexplicable situation, the surroundings fell silent.

King Baurun, who should have been reciting prayers, had his mouth shut and wore a faint smile.

“What a truly beautiful sight, don’t you think?”

King Baurun nodded gently, looking at the people with their hands clasped.

“Leader of the Light Wind division, have you ever heard that the God only gives trials that humans can bear?”

He looked at Raon with gentle eyes.

“…I have heard it.”

Raon nodded. That saying was common not only in Schpern but in most religions.

"We believed in those words more than anyone. We saw every trial, big or small, as an experience that strengthened our body and soul."

The king smiled, brushing his chest with his hand.

'We?'

King Baurun had always referred to himself as "I" or "me," but this was the first time he used the royal "we" to describe himself.

“But it was no longer so. No matter how much we prayed not to be led into temptation, the God did not listen. It’s either because we’re too weak to overcome the trials…”

The king raised his head. Over his blue eyes, a dark aura flickered.

“Or because the God is a son of a bitch.”

As his chilling voice flowed down from the tower, black darkness began to rise over the wall of holy power that enveloped the kingdom.



-

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