Chapter 16

Ch.16 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Indeed, if he had drawn the sword earlier, he would have died right there on the spot.

‘So you knew all along. I survived.’

Roben struggled to rise to his feet.

His legs trembled uncontrollably, strength drained from them.

The existence of Sion terrified him more than the demon itself.

Suppressing his fear, he barely managed to utter words.

“You’ve done something extraordinary. I’m relieved you’re unharmed, truly.”

Sion shrugged his shoulders, as if to say—What of it?

“Oh, and…”

Sion suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled an object from inside his clothes.

When Roben saw it, his eyes widened as if they would tear apart.

“That’s—!”

“A sacred relic. Is that right?”

“Yes. May I take a look?”

Sion hesitated, extending the relic but then warning,

“Be careful. The demon has done something to this object.”

Roben cautiously examined the sacred relic.

The golden chalice was clearly a holy artifact symbolizing the Goddess of Light.

The details would have to be investigated upon returning to his homeland.

Of course, it was highly likely to be genuine.

But the problem was…

“It really is demonic energy. Oh, heavens.”

Roben finally understood why a malicious thought had suddenly flashed through his mind.

His inner jealousy had been amplified and manifested by this demonic energy.

Roben gritted his teeth.

“Damn those demon-worshipping bastards! How dare they desecrate holiness…!”

“Is it serious? Can it be purified?”

“Well…”

Roben asked for permission with an uncertain expression.

“May I touch it?”

“Yes. It belongs to the Church of Light, after all.”

With that, Sion handed over the chalice.

The moment Roben laid his hands on it—

“Ugh…!”

Roben’s head snapped backward.

Veins bulged in his neck.

His eyes rolled up, showing only the whites.

“Ghk!”

He was writhing in agony.

His hand clutched the chalice tightly, refusing to let go.

If left like this, he would be consumed and overtaken by the demonic energy—no one could predict what might happen.

“Roben!”

Sion quickly grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

“Hah…!”

Then,

Roben’s condition abruptly returned to normal back to how he was before touching the chalice.

With pale lips, Roben spoke,

“W-what just happened to me?”

“You nearly got consumed by the demonic energy.”

“You touched me, and I came back?”

“Yes.”

When Sion answered honestly, Roben’s expression turned grave.

He pressed his hand to his forehead and said,

“This… this is not something I should touch.”

“What?”

Roben asked, his tone now extremely respectful,

“Sir Sion, you said you were Apostle Garfenn’s disciple, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must be an Apostle. The Goddess of War seems to be watching over you.”

Goosebumps rose on Sion’s arms.

A stranger he had just met was confirming the existence of a goddess.

‘So the goddess really is watching over me.’

Within Sion, the presence of the Goddess of War, Achilles began to faintly take root.

[How lovely you are, my child.]

The goddess began to feel Sion’s soul more strongly.

It was a sign that Sion was truly starting to believe in her existence.

Roben explained seriously,

“This is not something an ordinary priest can handle. Only an Apostle directly protected by the goddess could purify such demonic energy.”

“Not even a knight of the Order of the Holy Sword?”

At Sion’s words, Roben gave a bitter smile.

“I’m just a low-ranking member. It seems this demon was beyond my capacity to handle.”

“So what should we do with this?”

“It’s an embarrassing request, but unless Sir Sion keeps it temporarily or finds a way to purify it…”

It was truly an unreasonable request, one that made Roben bow his head in shame.

Sion looked at Roben, somewhat flustered.

“If I purify it, what then?”

“What do you mean?”

“What happens to this sacred relic? I recover it, I purify it—then what?”

Roben understood Sion’s implication.

In a meek voice, he replied,

“…We will pay a fair price. Apart from any wager or reward, we will purchase this relic from you using the Order of the Holy Sword’s budget.”

Sion looked at the chalice, overflowing with ominous demonic energy.

All sorts of thoughts flooded his mind.

How much is this relic worth?

Surely a considerable amount.

And if I purify it too, wouldn’t its value increase even more?

This is a chance to make a huge fortune.

…Actually, none of that matters.

Can I even purify it?

Sion paused, pondering.

He had no idea how to purify it.

He’d never even heard of such a method.

If he took it straight back to Elim right now and showed it to his master or the bishop, they could probably handle it.

‘But…’

Who knew what might happen if he kept carrying it around?

Bringing it near Elim might affect the vagrants.

What if it harmed his younger siblings?

‘Absolutely not. I must resolve this here.’

After some thought, Sion recalled one possible method.

‘If the goddess is watching over me—’

That method was prayer.

‘Perhaps she will help.’

Having organized his thoughts, Sion placed the chalice before him.

“I’ll try praying to the goddess. Please make sure no one enters the tent.”

“Really?”

Roben’s face brightened.

Despite everything, the holy knight who served the light showed no greed or selfishness in the face of evil.

Even lowering his pride to beg someone he had previously looked down upon meant nothing compared to confronting the demon worshippers’ vile deeds.

He might be lowly, but he had not fallen.

Thus, Sion also intended to do his best.

“There’s little chance, but I’ll try.”

“Yes, understood. I’ll guard the entrance. Call me if you need anything.”

Roben left the tent, asking respectfully.

The back of the holy knight who served the light looked tragically lonely.

***

Sion knelt before the chalice tainted with malice.

He swallowed hard.

‘If it doesn’t work, I’ll just take it to Elim.’

Sion closed his eyes and clasped his hands.

“Goddess. Goddess of War. A humble devotee offers this prayer.”

The goddess responded with a smile.

[I hear you. My child.]

Though they could not fully communicate, they sensed each other’s presence, and understood each other’s intent.

“I have found a sacred relic corrupted by demonic energy. If left as is, it will taint everything around it. Carrying it around would be even more dangerous.”

Therefore,

“Please grant me the power to purify this demonic energy. I beg you sincerely. Could it be done using the demon’s blood I offered? If it’s not enough, I’ll borrow some in advance… This is for the revival of the church.”

Even now, the calculating nature of Sion only made the goddess find him endlessly adorable.

[No such thing is needed. Purifying evil requires no transaction.]

The goddess accepted, placing her hand upon Sion’s head.

[My future Grand Apostle. I shall grant you power.]

At that moment, Sion’s eyes snapped open.

A strange force pierced from the crown of his head down his spine.

‘Divine power?’

Sion instinctively recognized what it was.

Though he had never learned or been taught, he could feel the sacred energy.

If this wasn’t divine power, then what could it be?

Sion sensed the change within his body and steadied his breath.

The goddess must have answered his prayer.

Slowly, Sion reached his hand toward the chalice.

“…!”

Then, the demonic energy contained within the chalice began being sucked into Sion’s palm, as if Sion himself were absorbing it.

“What is this?”

Once started, the absorption of demonic energy continued without end, as if determined to finish completely. The speed gradually increased.

At the same time, Sion’s arm began trembling violently.

He wasn’t purifying the demonic energy—he was absorbing it!

The amount of demonic energy filling his body kept increasing.

And with it, the pain intensified.

It felt as if demonic energy was flooding and flowing through every blood vessel in his body.

“Khh!”

Sion groaned in pain.

Could it be… failure?

Was he not strong enough yet?

Unable to fully handle the goddess’s power?

“G-goddess! Something’s wrong…”

Just as such negative thoughts arose,

[Impossible. My child. Just endure a little longer. This is my arrangement for your sake.]

Though Sion couldn’t hear the goddess’s words, he shook off the bad thoughts and sat firmly.

He focused on his breathing, concentrating on resisting the demonic energy.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s not unbearable.’

The goddess had chosen absorption over purification.

‘There must be a reason.’

Sion trusted the goddess.

He trusted himself, beloved by the goddess.

Sweat dripped down.

Time passed.

Sion trembled like an old man suffering from chills.

Yet he endured, thinking of this as merely a difficult training session.

He brainwashed himself into believing that if this were training directly given by the goddess, he could endure even worse.

[Well done.]

The goddess smiled with satisfaction.

Achilles carefully controlled the demonic energy to minimize Sion’s pain and prevent injury.

[Just endure a little longer, and the precious demonic energy injected by a 150-year-old demon will transform into your divine power.]

The golden divine power of the Order of the Holy Sword that Sion had envied.

The goddess inwardly pitied Sion.

So she seized this opportunity to make her future Apostle stronger.

Click, click, click!

Sion’s jaw clattered uncontrollably.

Not only was sweat pouring from his entire body, but impurities were also being expelled.

The goddess directly intervened in Sion’s body, purifying impurities.

It was a rare blessing, seldom seen.

Vaguely sensing that affectionate touch, Sion clenched his teeth even harder.

Gradually, change arrived.

The thorns flowing through his blood vessels softened, becoming as smooth as milk and honey flowing through the goddess’s garden.

The searing, burning pain vanished, and an unknown power began to well up from within.

Especially that strange sensation in his chest—bright, sacred, and powerful.

‘Something incredible has happened.’

Sion didn’t exactly know what it was.

But he realized the goddess had absorbed the demonic energy and transformed it into something beneficial for him.

‘Probably divine power.’

Slowly, Sion opened his eyes.

When he moved his arm, it felt unbelievably light.

It was as if he had become an infant again.

With his newly acquired arm, he grasped the sword lying beside him.

Then, mentally drawing out the sacred power residing in his chest, he transferred it into the blade.

It was an extremely difficult process.

Merely imagining it caused his neck to tighten, his heart to race, and his breathing to quicken.

But Sion didn’t give up. He struggled to maintain maximum concentration.

Going through a process as delicate as running while carrying a full cup of water without spilling a single drop, tears welled up in his eyes.

“A.”

A blade emitting black light—

and beautifully twinkling starlight.

At last, the colors of Achilles were seeping into Sion.

Sion fell into a state of ecstasy.

Achilles touched his cheek.

[Well done, my child.]

***

When he stepped out of the tent, the sun was already peeking above the horizon.

It was a beautiful sunrise, so radiant it made the previous night’s ordeal seem like a dream.

Roben had stood guard at the tent entrance all night without a single moment of sleep.

“S-Sir Sion?”

When Roben saw Sion, he was startled.

His appearance was terrible.

Yet, despite his pitiful state, something immediately caught Roben’s attention.

“T-the sword…?”

“This? Divine power. Is that right?”

It was a question that didn’t need answering.

For only divine power could cause the miracle of light to dwell within a blade.

“Yes. That’s right, Sir Sion. The goddess has truly favored you.”

The result was obvious without needing to ask.

The meaning of war’s coloration dwelling in the sword was clear.

“I’m relieved.”

Sion sighed in relief, letting his shoulders relax.

Then, he handed the cleanly purified chalice to Roben.

“It should be safe now.”

“Haha…”

Indeed, Roben could hold it without any problem. The demonic energy had clearly vanished.

“Thank you, Sir Sion. I owe you a great debt.”

“No, it’s fine. I did it expecting compensation anyway.”

Sion said casually and shuffled away.

“I’ll just get some sleep.”

“I apologize.”

At Roben’s sudden words, Sion turned back.

“For doubting and criticizing the Church of War, for tormenting you throughout our journey—”

Sion cut him off with a shrug.

“I’ll listen properly after I’ve rested with a clear mind.”

Roben stood dazed for a moment, then smiled.

“Yes, of course. We’ll talk in detail later. I’ll handle the cleanup.”

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