Chapter 915. Sera (15)
‘Come to think of it, this old man is famous for having a bad personality.’
He was like a kind old man these days, but at one point, Father Basel was famous for his fiery temper. When he was still a cardinal, he wielded his mace and personally smashed in the heads of undead creatures.
Many people were still wary of him even after he became the Pope. Whenever Father Basel was mentioned, I'd always imagine an old man shouting at someone to bring his mace to him. His spit would go everywhere as he shouted, and his eyes would become bloodshot, which reminded me of Jung Ha-Yan whenever she was angry.
“Are you telling the truth?” Father Basel asked. Had this old man been pretending as if he were senile all this while? I could see his veins bulging on his hands. He was still pretty healthy. It seemed that my worries were unfounded.
“Bring my mace right now...” Father Basel ordered.
'Don’t just start looking for your mace.'
“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, Father Basel. It was simply an assumption,” I told him.
“Goddess Benigoa! What did She say?” Father Basel asked.
“Actually... it’s been a while since I heard Her voice,” I replied.
'The situation is pretty serious. You understand that, right?'
“H-How... could this... happen...” Father Basel mumbled.
I couldn’t help but become careful when I saw his trembling lips.
“Of course, I can feel her beside me... but I had this strange dream recently... Of course, I wish it was nothing, but considering our current situation...” I paused.
“Father Lee Ki-Young, can you tell me more... about that dream?” Father Basel asked.
I knew he'd ask that question.
I decided to be hesitant for a bit before telling him my dream.
I told him the same thing I told Gen, but I made it sound more realistic.
I described the way Benigoa was trapped underground, and I described the room she was in. It was important to stimulate his imagination by avoiding detailed descriptions but telling him how horrible and cursed the scene was at the same time.
“It was such a horrible sight that I don’t dare talk about it,” I told him.
The demons were greedily devouring the holy blood of the goddess.
The scene was so horrible that recounting it made me cry.
“She kept asking me for help,” I said.
I made it sound realistic.
Father Basel and the followers helping me get dressed were crying as well. Some were trembling in fear, and it was understandable because how many followers could stay calm when the goddess they were serving was in such a predicament?
“The place was like hell. I wish what I saw was a lie... but thinking that Goddess Benigoa is in pain even now...” I paused.
“Goddess Benigoa... Ahh... Goddess Benigoa...” Father Basel cried out.
“Heuk... heuuk...”
“Heuk... Goddess Benigoa...”
Obviously, Father Basel and the followers didn’t misinterpret what I said.
I was sure they thought that the Templars were the demons.
“W-We must! Capture those Templars and hand them over to the Heretic Inquisitors! Even now, Goddess Benigoa is screaming out for help. They’re the most evil bastards in the world... H-How dare they!” Father Basel shouted.
‘It would be nice if it were that easy.’
Still, I was glad that Father Basel was on my side. I knew he was on my side as soon as I met Father Yohan, but his reaction was like a confirmation that we were indeed on the same side.
“I believe my dreams are connected to the anomalies that have been occurring recently. I’m talking about the monsters that can wield holy power, Father Basel,” I told him.
“R-Right. I thought that was strange as well,” Father Basel said.
“Mr. Rafael agrees, but we can’t say for sure yet. If Goddess Benigoa ends up in trouble because we moved too hastily...” I paused.
“Goodness...” Father Basel commented.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive myself until the day I die,” I added.
“R-Right, you’re right. It’s not too late to surrender myself to anger once we've handled everything,” Father Basel said.
There was one more thing I needed to confirm here.
“Do you know how the Templars are nominated?” I asked.
Father Basel shook his head.
“They’re a group that works separately from the Vatican, Father Lee Ki-Young. I tried to unify our groups together, but..” Father Basel paused.
‘I’m sure it was hard.’
It wasn't really strange, and the Templar's influence was pretty strong, as they were the strongest armed force in the Order.
This was a world of magic and strange phenomena. A politician, a noble, or even a king would die upon getting hit by a powerful spell.
Father Basel had no choice but to be nice and respect the group. After all, they were responsible for protecting the high-ranking members of the Vatican.
It was my first time hearing this, but Father Basel definitely wanted to reform the Templars. The result wasn’t great, but the fact that Father Basel had managed to establish an information network there was awesome.
“I see,” I said.
“If I knew this was going to happen...” Father Basel trailed off.
“It’s not your fault, Father Basel,” I told him.
“...”
“The Templars have been protecting the Vatican and the cardinals up for the longest time now. I’m sure questioning their legitimacy is the same thing as questioning the Order, and...” I paused.
“...”
“They have been by Goddess Benigoa’s side for a very long time. I don’t know what made them change, but—”
“I understand that you have a kind heart, but the reason behind their actions isn't that important anymore. It’s possible that they have been possessed by demons, or they may have fallen into temptation.
"However, the reason wouldn't justify their actions. They have sinned, so they must be punished for it. How can I forgive them? I can’t forgive them for what they've done this time... I'm going to throw them into the brimstone of hell,” Father Basel interrupted me.
'I understand your feelings that way, but you can’t just attack them. There are still many things we need to know and hear.'
More importantly, I wanted to see how they'd react once I started being hostile toward them.
If they were still an ordinary armed force, I could probably break through to them, but they were working with Father Yohan, so I was sure that their political influence was pretty strong.
Perhaps this was a checkmate for Father Basel...
“There’s an order for everything. If we want the believers to believe that they must be punished, then we need convincing enough evidence, I told him.
The first step was bringing them down.
“Right... you’re right...” Father Basel said.
“It hasn’t been that long since that big fight. I don’t want the believers to be nervous,” I said.
Information was necessary as well.
‘I need to know how the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary works.’
I also needed to help Father Basel grow in power so that they could accept his slightly far-fetched arguments.
“Father Lee Ki-Young...” Father Basel said.
“...”
I put my sad face on and wiped away my tears.
“Father Lee Ki-Young...” Father Basel repeated.
However, I couldn't stop crying. It looked like someone had turned on the faucet to my holy tears.
'Yeah, my tears are holy tears.'
The followers were quiet as they stared at the Saint of Light.
The Saint of Light had merely been acting tough all this while, and the followers learned that fact when they witnessed his weak side.
Father Basel looked sad as he stared at me. The prayer service would start soon, and he watched as I became an emotional wreck. His eyes were filled with sympathy toward me, as he knew that I was carrying a huge burden on my shoulders.
It was a gaze that people wouldn't usually cast on me.
“Father Lee Ki-Young... regarding the prayer service that’s taking place today...”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. All I can do right now is pray for her safety,” I told one of the followers.
'My prayer service has to continue...'
“I may be crossing the line here, but how about we delay the prayer service a bit?”
'Why? Does it look like I’m unable to control my emotions right now? Or... do I look like a mess because I cried too much?'
They could be trying to stop me because they were afraid that I was going to put the blame on them. After all, I wasn’t wearing the majority of my accessories, and I looked really pathetic. Obviously, I knew they weren't really thinking that way, but...
‘They don’t know anything.’
This kind of look was more effective. It was better to go out there looking like this. I had to look as weak and as pitiful as possible. I had to look like I could break even at the lightest touch. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to touch the people's hearts.
It was the same when the continent was under a huge threat. I had to look more human than anyone else. Of course, the light within me couldn't look human, but that gap would touch the people's hearts.
That was my identity, after all.
“It’s fine,” I told them.
The followers turned to Father Basel, looking like they wanted to tell Father Basel to ask me to stop.
“Father Basel...”
“Let's do what Father Lee Ki-Young wants. Who could stop him? Let’s all pray for Goddess Benigoa," Father Basel said, shaking his head. He was telling them that I couldn't be stopped.
‘I said I’m fine, so why are they making a big deal out of it? And we can’t delay it either.’
Soon, I heard the loud noise of a pipe organ.
The noise was so loud that the entire Vatican seemed to tremble beneath it.
Since it was an official prayer service, they used the biggest pipe organ.
Eventually, I heard the choir, and I was sure the people who had come here to attend the service were finally entering the hall. The followers supporting the weak Saint of Light cast worried gazes at me, but I nodded at them, signaling that I was okay.
However, I didn't even bother wiping away my tears.
‘Kim Hyun-Sung, you better not be here. I told him not to come here.’
If he had a conscience, he'd stay in the Republic. I told Jin Cheong to keep him there so I was sure that they were having an awkward time together.
Hee-Ra noona said that she was coming, while the majority of the Blue Guild members were probably here.
While thinking about many useless things, I started walking away. Light poured down into the cathedral through the stained glass and holy light poured down through the perforated ceiling.
“Father Lee Ki-Young...!”
“Ahh... Son of Light...!”
The followers standing in the hallway proceeded with the prayer service; they didn’t say much, as they were too shocked to witness my appearance. When I spread my wings, they looked down as if they were in a daze.
“Goddess Benigoa’s blessing will be with you,” I said.
“Thank you, Son of Light...”
I also saw Rafael, who had decided to attend the prayer service.
“Hyung... are you okay?” Rafael asked.
He extended his hand out hesitantly to try and comfort me...
Slap!
‘You bastard. How dare you.’
“Hyung?”
“I’ll head up first, Mr. Rafael,” I told him.
'You need to be punished for what you did.'
When I walked up to my spot, I noticed the crying followers.
‘I knew this was going to work.’
They didn’t bother wiping their tears and simply stared at me dumbfoundedly. When I spread my wings wide, they exclaimed and looked away. They probably thought that looking directly at my wings was disrespectful.
‘My wings do look pretty nice. Particles of light keep falling down from it.’
Even I thought that my wings looked pretty.
‘Maybe I should flap them again.’
This was seriously amazing.
I was crying as well.
My tears were sincere and beautiful, looking like they contained the pain and innocence of the entire continent.