Chapter 157: Apology
The cold wind howled.
A small, withered tree stood alone in the endless white snow, swaying in the biting northern wind, making a shrill whistling sound as if it could be uprooted at any moment.
We passed by that tree.
The team continued southward.
Mother looked at me.
Her words spilled out, like a dreamlike murmur filled with grievances, leaving me at a loss for how to respond.
I…
I could’ve met her sooner.
If only I had understood her words earlier, if only I had known…
I…
Should’ve thought of this earlier.
But I didn’t.
Almost the whole of last year, I was wandering aimlessly in the Eastern Continent, living a long, aimless life of a drifter, and during that time, I never once truly put myself in my family’s shoes.
I thought that after such events transpired, no one would ever see me again. I believed that would be the best outcome.
I was dead wrong.
“Mom…”
Now, the only thing I could do to make amends—if it could even be called that, since this incident had already left an irreparable wound in my mother’s heart—was to explain myself thoroughly.
Then, once everything settled down, peacefully accompany her quietly in the coming years… at the very least, I shouldn’t let her worry about my life and d*ath like this anymore.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to come see you, just listen to me…”
Next, I told her everything that happened in these past two years.
From the Woodward Forest consumed by raging infernos, the ultimate battle between the Church and heretics, me and the “demon,” to the betrayal that followed, the “demon” breaking free of its seal, my desperate attempt to obliterate it, being gravely injured and on the brink of d*ath, and then being rescued by Eborista’s leader, Miss Ailna, and escaping to the Eastern Continent to recover…
I told her although I survived, I had been asleep in a little town called Mase for quite a while, and when I finally woke up, it was already July of the next year.
I explained to her how I lost a significant portion of my power, unable to easily leave the desert, staying in a dim, dry basement filled with forbidden books about faith, deities, and the history of humanity. I had read most of them, and shared some stories about the “Mase people” with her, along with the fates that befell the so-called “heretics” who learned the truth.
The Church’s army found the town’s location; the knights came, leading to the final showdown with the “villains.” In that fight, I gained even greater power, eliminated almost everyone sent by the “Grace Scales” faction in the most brutal and decisive way, delivering a powerful counterstrike against the Church’s betrayal. After that, I left, wandering the Eastern Continent until I finally reached the Western Continent’s border by boat this March.
I left out a ton of stuff in that story.
I skipped over the specifics I learned in the basement about the so-called “historical truths,” I left out that my newfound strength came from devouring true divine power, and I omitted the terrifying demon that the Church claimed was the source of heretical power, which was actually the remnants of the deities they revered, including the Goddess of Sin, Diana…
I missed explaining why disasters like the “Abyss” occurred, because the “deities” were driven to the brink by the very humans they loved, generating the opposite force of nature—”Chaos”—as the craziest revenge on this world. And this revenge forced the entire Church into a corner, driving them to desperate measures in a frenzied attempt to turn the tide—of which I became their most exceptional outcome.
I glossed over how I had lost so much of my basic humanity.
The heretic leader named Ailna was dead.
Killed by the Sword Saint, the symbol of unmatched righteousness.
What used to be the terrifying, flesh-eating heretic organization, the Gate of Truth, had practically vanished.
I made the story sound as much like a classic tale of good triumphing over evil as possible.
In the end, I escaped from the “darkness,” returned safely, and reunited with my family.
This way…
Mother would feel much better.
When I snapped back to reality, I suddenly noticed that the hunters had gathered nearby, listening intently with serious expressions.
“Pepé, you…”
Mother’s gaze was hazy, her eyes red.
Even though I hadn’t mentioned any of the truly dark things… nonetheless, those experiences left her struggling to sort out her emotions, looking at me with a heart full of concern, wanting to ask something yet not knowing how to express it. After hesitating for a while, she only managed to murmur, “Did you see Elder Ryan…”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
I knew that the Sword Saint had been close friends with my father. I even met him when I was little.
“You… you didn’t…”
I recognized what she was trying to ask.
“No, I didn’t see him face to face.”
I looked into her eyes.
Mother seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: “That’s good then…”
She seemed worried I would fall out with the “strongest” one. Deep down, she probably believed that no matter how powerful I became, I could never defeat Elder Ryan, even if he had aged.
The name “Sword Saint” was synonymous with “invincibility,” that was common knowledge.
“It’s been many years since I last saw Elder Ryan… you used to really admire him when you were small… who would have thought our next meeting would be under such dangerous circumstances…”
“Yeah.”
I remembered those days.
I did recall my childhood.
But…
The next time we meet, maybe swords will be drawn.
I’m actually looking forward to it.
This so-called “strongest,” the one who defeated Ailna, left all the future Pope Knights in the dust, and even now in his seventies, still “unrivaled”… just how powerful can he be?
“The Holy Church is truly a bunch of despicable sc*m…”
Hoover, unable to contain his frustration after the story I just shared, practically gritted his teeth saying this.
Of course, I didn’t tell them the real reason for the Church’s betrayal.
I just said that I had a disagreement with Pope Angel, and the reason I didn’t return home immediately was partly due to this—the Church believed I was dead, and they didn’t deliberately deceive Shanter Castle about that; it seemed they genuinely thought of me as a hero.
But if they knew I was alive, that would be another story.
“Mom, I was worried I might involve you all, so…”
I carefully explained, fearful that my mother would think too far: “So I was only thinking of seeing you and Dad for a bit and then leaving… letting you all think I was really dead, that way, you guys wouldn’t be exposed to the Church’s eyes. As long as I don’t show up, you, Dad, and the brothers should be safe…”
“But now that things have escalated like this, that kind of thinking holds little meaning. The Church has already moved against Dad, and the high-ups in the Holy City have been in chaos for a long time… Whether I hide or not is no longer important; I have to take action… So Mom, I’m sorry.”
I sincerely apologized.
“You silly child.”
Mother’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears as she slowly reached out her hand toward me, gently resting it on my head, stroking me softly.
After a long while, she sighed, turning all her unspoken thoughts into a single breath: “You’ve really grown up.”
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a fierce fire erupted in the night sky behind us, shrieking towards us with an ear-piercing wail, tearing through the darkness.
