The language of the origins, Rune.
It is the language of the gods, and the supreme power containing the fundamental laws of the world.
To wield this power, a special resource is required; it is the trace of divinity… the imprint etched onto one’s soul, known as a mental image.
For the forgotten gods, mental images were infinite.
Being connected to the source of the world allowed them to regenerate mental images whenever they were depleted.
However, humans are different.
With their mortal bodies, they could never reach the world’s source. Thus…
‘Once a mental image is consumed, it cannot be recharged.’
This is the fundamental difference between gods and humans, and the inescapable limit of mortals.
And the thing that helps transcend that limit is the Ring of Iphrashia.
An unnatural artifact that defies the laws of the world, a sinful object that warps causality.
But to Arkhan, who was unaware of the ring’s existence, the current scene seemed as if…
‘…it was like transcending a wall.’
I maintained my poker face and glanced behind me.
She had admirably blocked the full force of the explosion.
Rudine and Adina were also safe under Arkhan’s protection.
However, Arkhan’s gaze upon me was far from ordinary.
It seemed shocked, yet also full of awe.
‘…Now what?’
Suddenly, a scene from the original story came to mind where Arkhan evaluated humans.
Humans are inherently a weak species.
But at the same time, they are beings brimming with countless possibilities.
Within their short lifespan of not even a hundred years, they repeatedly hit their limits, converge, and break through them.
If an individual cannot succeed, a family will; if a family cannot succeed, all of humanity will pass on that brilliant flame.
Arkhan loved that flame.
To her, who had lived for hundreds of years, the brilliant flame passed on by humanity was one of the few forms of entertainment.
But ultimately, humans are still just humans.
Though they were making progress towards new turning points step by step, they were still incredibly weak.
This weakness became a wall.
A great wall that the human race could never transcend.
And now, she might think she has met a human who has crossed that wall.
…Of course, this was nothing more than a great misconception.
“…Haha!”
Sure enough.
The corners of Arkhan’s mouth stretched wide in a grin.
This reaction was exactly the same as in one scene from the original story.
Later, she would witness the protagonist crossing the wall, and as a result, the Third Lord Arkhan, who had maintained neutrality for hundreds of years, would side with the protagonist for the first time.
And right now,
The obsession that should have been directed toward the original protagonist…
has veered off onto the wrong track.
“Luke Richter.”
Arkhan’s eyes sparkled.
They looked like those of a child expecting a gift, filled with eagerness and excitement.
Based on that, the line she was about to spit out would most likely be:
“Do you want to be the Third Lord?”
Ah, damn.
I knew this would happen.
Elfried Trivia.
Her life on the streets alone began when she was around eight years old.
It was the time when, due to her inappropriate use of divine power without the permission of the Star Sect, her parents rejected her.
“Mother! Please forgive me! I’m sorry!”
“Get out of here! Who were you ever a child to?”
“I’m cold… Please…”
“Get lost before I cut off your wrist!”
“I’ve made a mistake… I’ve done wrong…”
The healing and purification powers that cured wounds and cleansed evil.
That was the exclusive domain of the Star Sect.
If anyone not affiliated with the Star Sect misused such power, they would be labeled as a heretic and ostracized.
In this harsh world, having an eight-year-old child labeled a heretic without any backing was tantamount to a death sentence in all but name.
Being able to abandon their own child simply for violating the minor rules of the Star Sect might seem incomprehensibly barbaric, but that very barbarity represented the spirit and madness of the times they lived in.
The spreading power of rumors was unimaginable, making it nearly impossible for her to find a normal job. There were no compassionate employers willing to hire a young girl marked as a heretic.
She was instantly stripped of her family and home, becoming a wanderer who begged on the streets, barely surviving by scavenging through garbage cans.
“Child.”
“…”
“Would you like to join the Star Sect with me?”
“…Alright.”
Thus, when she caught the attention of the Star Sect and was offered a place by a man, Elfried could not refuse.
It was like the whisper of an angel sent to save her.
“You are now one of the Star Sect. This means you are family now.”
“…Will you not abandon me then?”
“Of course not. The gods do not abandon their followers. Unlike your parents.”
The man’s words, which declared that the gods would never abandon their followers, unlike her parents who had cast her aside like a piece of trash, were sweet.
Born out of her deficiency, it was an obsession, but Elfried didn’t care.
She didn’t want to overthink things.
The current situation where she wouldn’t go hungry or endure the cold anymore was quite satisfying.
“You have a natural affinity with divine power.”
“…”
“Be at ease. Being born with the power of the gods is something to be celebrated. It’s all the will of the gods, isn’t it? However, where there is power, there is responsibility. We have a task that needs your help. Do you have any thoughts about it?”
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
Elfried accepted the Star Sect’s proposal without hesitation.
To her at that time, the Star Sect was everything, and she could not even imagine going against their wishes. Thus, there was no reason to reject the request that her abilities were needed.
“You will act as a proxy from now on.”
“Proxy?”
“What do you know about the Saint?”
“An apostle of the gods. A being that fights against evil and corruption.”
“You know well. From today, you will be the proxy of the Saint.”
“Me?”
“How?”
“Your divine power is necessary.”
“Does the Saint not have divine power?”
“That’s not something you should concern yourself with. Your divine power will soon be useful.”
“For what?”
A rather serious question.
As someone who was both family to the Star Sect and a devout believer, she had no reason to refuse their request.
“The Demon King has descended into this world.”
“The Demon King?”
“Yes, a fragment of chaos that pursues primal evil.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Dangerous, indeed! Fragments of chaos are beings born to realize evil. It means they are rotten from the roots.”
The Demon King’s descent threw the continent into chaos once more.
In response to this, the royal family organized an expedition team to slay the Demon King, which would soon be known as the “Hero Party.”
According to rumors, the Saint from the Star Sect also joined this expedition team, but that was not true.
In reality, it was Elfried, who possessed powerful divine power, taking on the guise of the Saint and joining the expedition.
The battle against the Demon King was fraught with danger.
They faced numerous difficulties, faltered in the face of adversity, but eventually overcame them.
Through these experiences, Elfried grew.
Along the way, she realized something: her divine power was not at all ordinary.
“Are you really a fake Saint?”
“…”
“Yes.”
“Good grief. Fake? What kind of fake is more capable than the real thing? Clearly, you’ve been played by the Star Sect. Do you have any idea what they’re doing under the name of the gods?”
“…”
The words of the hero were true.
Elfried was the true Saint, not an imposter.
Selected and pointed out directly by the gods—not by the Star Sect—she was truly the apostle.
However, she shook her head, dismissing the thought.
There was no longer a need or reason for her to harbor more ambition.
Completing the task given to her and returning—that was all Elfried had to do now.
Observing from the sidelines.
That was the path she had chosen.
And the cost of that choice was brutal.
“…S-sentiment!”
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
“Elfried! What are you doing there! Move quickly!”
The Demon King’s body was just a shell.
They had managed to cut off the Demon King’s head with the Sacred Sword, but the chaotic sentiments embedded in the Demon King’s essence erupted outwards at terrifying speeds.
And the place those sentiments headed towards…
“Elfried!!!!”
Elfried Trivia.
It was none other than the Saint.
The chaotic curse dug deeply into her soul.
It gnawed at her sanity, infusing it with madness.
Her skin gradually decayed, and it became increasingly burdensome to control her own mind.
The intense pain made her wish she could die quickly.
But the strong divine power residing within her wouldn’t even allow that.
“Good work, Elfried.”
“Please… save me…”
“Haha, what nonsense. Aren’t you still alive and well?”
She barely managed to hold onto hope and returned to the Star Sect,
but the man who had once accepted her simply smiled.
“Rather than live…”
“That’s out of the question. Does the world’s causality seem like it would allow your death?”
“Huh? Causality?”
“Causality refers to a role. It would be quite troubling if someone given a role were to die off early, wouldn’t it? Thus, the world protects those chosen ones until their role is completed. That’s what it means to be bound by causality.”
“So this divine power…”
“Exactly! It’s because your role given by the gods is not complete yet. And if you don’t believe me, go ahead and try. See if you can meet your desired death.”
Indeed, it was as he said.
Even if she threw herself off a building or stabbed herself with a sword, she couldn’t die.
A being protected by the world… A being bound by causality… That was what it meant.
“Anyway, good job. Now that your usefulness is over, the Star Sect cannot take you back.”
“…”
“What did you say?”
“You did want to die, right? Then head to the Blackmore realm. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your death on the other side of chaos’s boundary.”
She was abandoned.
The words that the gods would never abandon their believers were proven false.
Everything was an illusion.
She wanted revenge. She wanted to burn the world, but the desire to die was stronger.
As her physical state deteriorated, her desire for death only grew stronger.
She wandered endlessly.
She walked and walked and kept walking.
And in doing so, she left the city and headed to the Magic Realm, eventually crossing the boundary.
Bound by endless chains of pain, she waited only for death.
Until…
“…”
A man appeared before Elfried.
Her vision was blurred.
All she could see was the vague figure of a man approaching her, reaching out a hand toward her.
The man’s clear blue irises fixed their gaze on Elfried.
The moment their eyes met, she felt a lump in her throat, her chest constricting.
The man’s hand reached out to her, and its fingertips gently brushed against her forehead.
A soft, warm touch, indescribable, which anchored her scattered sanity.
Whoosh…
Her thoughts couldn’t keep up with the rapidly unfolding situation.
Yet, somehow, the unbearable agony began to slowly subside.
And at that very moment, something hot and wet trickled down from the corner of Elfried’s eye.
A completely unknown emotion.
It was…
…Salvation.
