Chapter 531: Mirror Lake (1)
[I need your help.]
“Goddess Benignore…”
[Loren and I had placed the darkness back in, but this is only short-term. There is still some darkness lingering in his heart. Please, let him be cared for by those who he believes in the most. It is a small request, but this is something that could determine the survival of this empire. Please always support him and help him from behind.]
“Yes, I’ll always keep that in mind.”
[Pope Basel, thank you for always believing in me and never holding doubts in such a lacking goddess.]
“How… could I ever doubt you, goddess Benignore…?”
[Believing in him means also believing in me. He who has found the light even in the darkness fits to be in the closest position as me. I hope you will continue to work in the future.]
“Oh my…”
[Light Swordsman, I have big expectations for you.]
“…”
[I beg of you. Please ensure that he doesn’t go on the wrong path.]
“I don’t intend to be a guide. I just…”
[I understand what you mean…]
“It’s fine as long as you stay by his side.”
[…]
“…”
[If that is what you wish.]
“…”
With a bright light, Benignore disappeared. The situation ended with bright particles falling bit by bit. The scene was very satisfying.
A smile erupted out of my face. I felt like all my sins had been washed away with light.
I checked for any errors or anything that was off through the hologram that Lee Jihye had captured, but I couldn’t find anything wrong after checking two or three more times.
I actually wanted to applaud the entire event that seemed more like a miracle. That had been such a success since not only did I become free from my confinement, I also added alternative explanations for Doom Kiyoung.
In the last three days, the state began praying day and night.
After pope Basel received some kind words from Benignore, they became busy spreading the word about the miracle. I didn’t even have to mention that they had asked me to stay in the Vatican after saying that they must take care of me.
I thought I should help restore Lindel, but there were too many things that I still had to consider before going.
‘I have to read about the situation.’
What could I do even if I went to the ruined city that didn’t have anything?
It was more important to know how the public opinion had shifted after the demons had left and what the empire’s citizens and adventurers felt.
I was excited to read news and articles, the ones I couldn’t look into before. Since I lived in an Age of Information, gathering information itself was enjoyable.
‘Let me read the news that had come out right after the battle…’
[The Miracle that Benignore had Created, After Overcoming this Nightmare, the Sun Sets Again. -Lindel Times Reporter Kim Sung-Kyoung]
“Hm… hm…”
[Comparable to a Miracle, Besides some Casualties, Confirmed to Be Few Deaths… Michael, correspondent of the National Press.]
‘It really was close to a miracle.’
[Professionals in the Union Miraculous Saved. The Country Disappeared, but People are Alive- Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]
[Guardian of the Nation, Dialugia. Temporarily staying in Celia to Recover- Celia Press Reporter Kyosuke]
[It’s already been 20 days since the Honorary Cardinal has fallen asleep. Pope Basel appears at the capital to lead a prayer meeting. “At times like this, all believers must join forces.”- Michael, correspondent of the National Press.]
[Difficulty in restoring Lindel. Expectations say that the restoration will take three months. The Red Mercenary Guild will issue their stance on temporary residence and welfare for adventurers… Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]
[Citizens furious that there is no news about the Honorary Cardinal for 34 days. “Concerns that authorities are hiding something…” Kom-Pany, correspondent of the National Press]
[Besides the announcement of the Blue Guild’s spokesman, Kim Mi-young, there is no other news. It has been rumored they might be hiding Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung’s death. - Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]
[National candlelight protest. Will pleas to reveal the truth be answered? - Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]
[Cardinal Lee Kiyoung opened his eyes earlier this morning, putting the entire nation in a festive mood. However, some people are raising their concerns… Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]
I could tell what had happened while I was confined.
Dialugia was resting, and besides the slow restoration of Lindel, everything had been wrapped up nicely. The only thing that took me off guard was the fact that the Blue Guild had not announced that I had woken up.
‘They must have only announced that I was unconscious… jeez, why…’
I didn’t know what they were thinking, but even on the days that I was awake, it was written that I had been unconscious. They probably would have kept hiding the matter if the candlelight protest or something else like that hadn’t happened.
There were probably some politics involved, but this all felt a bit creepy. They told everyone that I was still in bed when I was totally fine and confined.
‘Well, everything is over now.’
I continued to search and saw more interesting articles.
[What did the Knight of Light see in his unconscious state? The Blue Guild Master himself tells the vivid tale. The sunset sword is the Cardinal’s gift. Hot news that you can’t listen to without tears -Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]
‘Hyunsung must have wanted to boast. Yes, that’s a good story to tell. You can spread those kinds of things everywhere.’
[New book of How a Genius Swordsman and Alchemist Fell in Love. Exclusive interview of the mysterious author. “I want my writing to cheer people up.”- Jung Yumi, a reporter for Lindel’s Cultural Center]
“These are good stuff. They are helpful.”
I could only nod in appreciation. There was nothing more strengthening in hard times than cultural life.
[The filmization of the book, How a Genius Swordsman and Alchemist Fell in Love, expects that there will be fierce competition among investors. Fans praise the news, but some worry that it will not live up to the original…]
It could be a good idea for the Blue Guild to support that officially.
As a platform that provided services for creators, investing was easy. Furthermore, I expected that that business would expand. I didn’t think the returns would be that high compared to other businesses, but it was better than nothing.
And I could include a theatre while I was at it. I became excited just at the thought of expanding my business even a little bit.
My freedom felt precious to me after having lost it for a long time. There were so many things I had to read.
In the goddess’s mirror, they had said that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had recovered after meeting the goddess. The whole nation was praying for me once again.
I was now swimming in a sea of information. I could just follow the algorithm and read the next news.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be bad for me to go out for a while too. I could help with the restoration work by doing some manual work with my worn-out body or holding each of the citizen’s hands while shedding tears.
There were many things that I could do. Hence, I thought for a bit.
Then, I saw Oscar- no, lady Alice, approach me with Chrysanthemum tea.
“Oscar-nim…”
“Please call me lady Alice, Lee Kiyoung-nim. You called me that a moment before too… if you keep doing that, I will be sad.”
“I still can’t get used to it.”
“Is your body alright?”
“Yes, as you can see, I’m healthy. I can walk around without discomfort too.”
“But still, don’t overexert yourself. Everyone else is worried too… Honorary Cardinal-nim’s body is not only yours, after all.”
Was it only me who thought the last line was kind of scary?
“I can understand how you want to run to Lindel this instant, but please wait for a bit. You already have such a big burden to hold, and I hope that you can rest even for a moment.”
“That is true, but…”
“Do you want to drink first?”
“I will gladly take it.”
“I really like how we can be by ourselves right now. Ah, how was yesterday?”
“By yesterday…”
“I heard that the medics, Catherine, Elise, and Merlin all stopped by.”
“Ah, of course, it was a pleasant time. I was a bit overwhelmed about how concerned they were for me, but I hadn’t seen them in a long time.”
“I hope you’re not too tired.”
“Thank you for worrying about it. I am fine, lady Alice.”
‘This is also an important thing…’
I had to manage my connections and network properly. Even though I was in a high position, I couldn’t get lazy.
‘It was time to take care of that too.’
It was important to maintain my networks with the top members of Congress, such as Senator Kathlak and Senator Merlin, as well as Archbishop Jaina and Inquisitor Helena.
Other than them, there were influential merchants, civic representatives, eight other diplomatic nations, etc. They had all visited me at the hospital.
It was a bit bothersome to keep in contact with them, but there were some enjoyable aspects, too. I could gossip with aristocratic wives, and it wasn’t bad that I could gain a lot of information from them.
It was a rare chance for me to hear about an event from many perspectives. Everyone’s opinion was different, and I had to organize the story sometimes.
One drawback was that I couldn’t see Kim Hyunsung and my Blue Guild members because of the endless visits, but I had temporarily grown sick of seeing them in my confinement.
As such, I talked to Alice about different topics such as life and politics.
Then, the door suddenly opened, and hearing the footsteps’ sound, I knew who was coming. Hearing his heavy breathing as he ran towards me while causing the ground to shake, I knew it was definitely him.
“Hyung-nim! Oh! Oscar-nim is also here!”
“Ah, hello.”
“Thank you for your work. But that’s not the point. Hyung-nim.”
“What?”
“It’s time for us to ride the boat to see the mirror lake!”
“What?”
“We decided to go to the mirror lake that you always sang about!”
‘When did I… when did I say that I wanted to go there, you pig bastard?’