Chapter 140

“The Dragon Vein is not a place where even I can enter recklessly, let alone you all. But in times like these, there’s nothing more meaningless than sticking to the rules.”

I nodded at the Empress’s words. Sometimes, laws and order can be powerless in the face of chaos. Over there, the Ranga King was counting jewels one by one, carefully inspecting them for any flaws, and then replied.

“It’s just about finding one person. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“If you find Ardein and the situation seems really bad, just take that child with you to the Eastern Plains. The money I gave you is the deposit.”

“Huh? That’s not fair. Why are the conditions different for me?”

“If you don’t like it, give it back.”

The gray wolf shook its head in surprise and quickly tucked the pouch into its chest.

The Empress leaned her ear against the wall for a moment, then closed her eyes and spoke.

“If a confrontation were happening now, it wouldn’t be this quiet. One side must have already won or lost. If the Church Country and Edmund have won, it wouldn’t be good for my daughter to stay here. In that case, it’s better to send her far away from the Imperial Palace.”

“So you’re trying to dump the burden on me?”

“Ranga King. That child is also a Master. Even if the Temple has won, it will be chaotic for a while. In such times, I don’t think the Church Country will bother with a group of adventurers led by three Masters.”

The Empress leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and finished her words.

“Then go now. This old woman has nothing to worry about. I’ve already assigned one Master, so the Church Country won’t deploy more forces just to capture me.”

Anyway, that’s how it went. We were told the way to the Dragon Vein.

Before leaving, I made one request to the Empress.

“This child doesn’t have a usable weapon right now. Could I borrow a decent sword?”

“Didn’t you already take the Moon Lady’s sword from the Imperial Vault? You didn’t lose it, did you?”

“Well, it’s now… like this…”

When I showed the Moonlight Stone, Her Majesty also seemed surprised, her eyes widening.

“It melted and turned back into ore.”

“Melted and turned back into ore…? Is it because of the Dwarves’ unique weapons? Or is it a material issue? The world is full of strange things.”

Even as she said that, she called a knight and ordered them to bring a sword.

A moment later, a female knight brought a sword glowing with a dark light and respectfully handed it to Roka with both hands.

This sword also seemed to be made of unusual material, likely crafted by a master. Even I, who knows little about weapons, could tell. It felt lacking compared to the Moonlight Blade.

“It’s a sword made of a special mineral called Ink Iron, darker than ink. It’s heavier than ordinary metal, making it suitable for slashing weapons. It’s sturdy and absorbs impact well. When it receives an impact, the blade turns white, and when the impact fades, it releases the stored energy.”

It might not be a treasure, but it’s still a fine sword worthy of being called a famous blade. It would have suited the old Roka well, but now it feels a bit lacking.

Seeing Roka’s expression not brighten even after receiving the sword, the knight added a few more words.

“This is a supply sword for our knights, so it might be a bit lacking for a Master. Please don’t blame me if it breaks later… There are only a handful of metals that can withstand the clash between Masters.”

Well, there’s nothing we can do about that. We’ll have to find a better weapon later, or Roka will have to learn to control her power better.

Roka seemed to have thought that far too, as she quickly clung to my side and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

Let’s do that, that. Her eyes kept shooting light at me.

‘Can I use the Phylogenetic Seedling?’

The seedling that appeared between my hands was quickly grabbed by the child with a greedy expression. Soon, that expression turned to disappointment.

Her tail drooped, and her head tilted. With a dejected expression, the child muttered.

“I fought so hard, why…”

There was almost no accumulated karma. It was far from enough to bring visible results.

Back when Roka had no power or abilities, even a little karma could bring significant results. But now, Roka is already a big figure, and to bring about more change, even more karma is needed.

It was only a few days ago that I used the Phylogenetic Seedling. Wanting more was indeed greedy.

If Roka had been the one to defeat the Phoenix, a lot of karma would have been accumulated, but in the end, I was the one who took it down. All I could say was to keep working hard.

“We’ll have to try a little harder.”

I took out a comb and brushed Roka’s blue hair, which had lost its luster. Only then did the child’s drooping ears perk up again. Just as I was doing that, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze.

“Shameless.”

Who said it? Actually, I didn’t even need to hear the tone or accent. Surely it wasn’t Her Majesty the Empress.

As expected, Lady Kisea, who looked like she wanted to curse but was holding back because she needed something from me, was glaring at me with sparkling eyes.

Even though their fur colors are different, it must be unpleasant for her to see Roka, a member of the same clan, following me like this. I can understand that.

“Then we’ll be going now.”

“There’s no need to come back. Go straight to the Eastern Plains.”

The Empress is now doubting the possibility of the Temple’s victory, hence her words, but no one knows for sure. Victory or defeat is unknown until the very end.

Now that the end seems near, the outcome over there must have been decided. It was too fast. It felt like it ended almost immediately after it started.

Either the Church Country subdued the Empire this quickly, or the Empire repelled the Church Country this quickly, or both sides suffered heavy losses and decided today wasn’t the day.

In the end, it must be one of the three. But if it’s the first two, either side should have sent an envoy to this Rose Palace.

Instead, the Church Country didn’t even send anyone to ask Lady Kisea about the progress. It’s as if the affairs of this Rose Palace no longer matter at all.

Well, time will tell. It’s not my job to think about it further.

I remember the location of the Dragon Vein clearly. Now, it’s time to go there and meet an old acquaintance.

*****

“Annihilation…? No, how could that…”

Sestine, the Saint of Healing of Goddess Hilrae, lost her words and turned pale. Right now, mysticism and such were the last things on her mind.

She couldn’t even stand up and remained seated in her chair. For a moment, she felt dizzy, and her legs gave out.

If it were just a rumor, she could make excuses—mistakes, confusion, false information—and deceive herself. But this message came from the Goddess herself, so there was no room for error.

“Armata!”

Without realizing it, the Saint called out the Archbishop’s name, then gave up and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. This time, the Church Country has suffered a great loss.

The loss was so immense that someone had to take responsibility. The Goddesses were truly furious at such a devastating loss!

“This is absurd! How could this…”

Even the usually combative Arseria jumped up and paced around restlessly. Soon, she grabbed her head with both hands and ruffled her hair violently. She wanted to scream, curse, or just make a loud noise, but she barely held back.

“Your Majesty, the situation… has changed.”

Among the two, the more rational Sestine was the first to regain her composure and speak. The Emperor looked utterly baffled.

“Just a moment ago, you called me a heretic, and now it seems the high and mighty have had a change of heart. The damage must have been significant.”

However, he didn’t look pleased or triumphant… or even condescending. Instead, he looked worried. Right now, the Emperor still hadn’t grasped the situation. Yet, they had already admitted defeat.

If they had truly lost, why would they publicly acknowledge their defeat like this? Especially in front of the Emperor, as if to make sure he heard it.

The Temple had always valued their dignity and prestige so much. Even if they had lost, they would have pretended to win and quietly withdrawn. Like the ebb tide, quietly but naturally retreating.

“Actually, not long after we arrived here, a Death God appeared in the southeastern part of the continent.”

But now, the Goddesses had no time for that. The spark of the Death God had already reached their feet.

They had to withdraw the Church Country’s forces, send envoys back to the Capital, and coordinate opinions to negotiate. There was no time! Now that they had lost all their worldly power, the Empire’s help was indispensable.

“Death God?”

The Emperor shook his head in disbelief. Such things happen from time to time in life.

How much darkness is there in people’s hearts? Has the world ever truly been at peace? The Death God is a natural phenomenon. Its birth is irreversible. It’s something humans cannot stop.

But until now, hadn’t they always exterminated or sealed them as soon as they appeared? And the Church Country was undoubtedly the best in that field.

“Don’t beat around the bush. Get straight to the point.”

He didn’t want to hear any more nonsense. The Emperor was now so irritated that even the mention of the Church Country made him shudder. Sestine bit her lip tightly.

It was humiliating to attack first and then beg for negotiations. It was deeply humiliating. To put it crudely, it was embarrassing.

But that was that, and she was the Saint of the Church Country. Her dignity was insignificant compared to the Church’s benefit. So after a moment of hesitation, she spoke again.

Now, the situation had changed.

To defeat the Death God, to rescue the Hero,


the Church Country now needed the Empire’s help.