Chapter 111

Ch.111 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Sion silently stared at Lagan. A complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.

‘I need to confirm this, don’t I?’

He hated leaving questions unanswered. Resolving them was necessary to focus on what came next.

After all, he liked Lagan as a person—but that didn’t mean he liked the Light Cult.

Sion broke the silence that had hung in the carriage.

“Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword.”

“What is it?”

Lagan answered with his eyes closed, speaking lazily as if sprawled out.

“The mad apostle woman—what she said. Is it true?”

“……”

Lagan didn’t answer immediately. It seemed even he couldn’t easily comment on the matter.

The Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword slowly opened his eyes. His gaze locked with Sion’s.

“That mad woman said a lot of things.”

“You know what I mean. The strangest thing she said.”

Kuuuuh— Lagan groaned.

He seemed tired, closing his eyes again as he fell into thought.

A moment later, he opened his mouth to answer Sion’s question.

“To be honest, I don’t know much about that. The goddess weakening? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Is that so?”

Sion hadn’t expected a clear answer.

Still, he didn’t believe Lagan truly knew nothing.

Even Sion himself had suspicions—more than a few—and Lagan, as the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword…

“But.”

Lagan seemed to sense something too. He opened his mouth again.

“It is strange, though.”

“Hmm.”

Lagan opened his eyes and stared out the window.

“This is the Holy Kingdom. Caldenz Castle has long been under the Holy Kingdom’s influence. No matter how powerful the Apostle of Blood was, there shouldn’t have been a place for him to hide here.”

“I found it strange too.”

Lagan fell into deep thought again. Silence stretched on for a long time.

It looked as if a difficult battle was raging inside his mind.

“The corruption of Lord Vincento also makes no sense. His bloodline shouldn’t allow evil intentions to take root.”

There must be many secrets related to the Holy Kingdom.

The people forming the Holy Kingdom and its members weren’t ordinary.

‘Judging by what he says, the blood of those guarding the Holy Kingdom’s borders is special.’

Extensive precautions must have been taken. Blessings from the Goddess of Light, unknown to Sion, likely flourished like weeds everywhere.

‘But blessings like that are probably curses in disguise.’

Whatever they were, they weren’t working properly.

Without knowing the full truth, many logical gaps only made sense if the ‘Goddess of Light’ had truly weakened.

Such things couldn’t happen if the Goddess of Light, the main deity, were perfectly fine.

“So then, indeed—”

“Sion.”

“Yes?”

“In front of me, it’s fine. But in the Holy Kingdom’s main headquarters, you should be careful with your words. Those old geezers won’t let anything you say slide.”

“I understand.”

“Then—are you underestimating me?”

Sion shook his head.

“You’re a senior I deeply respect—realistic, flexible, and someone who listens to his juniors.”

Lagan’s gruff voice instantly softened.

“You brat.”

The corner of Lagan’s mouth twitched slightly up and down. Sion had found Lagan’s weak spot.

‘A senior who wants recognition from his juniors.’

If he could properly satisfy the approval needs that Arwen had failed to meet, he might gain quite a lot.

Lagan cleared his throat.

“You’re right. Too many things don’t add up. This isn’t something I can just dismiss as blasphemy.”

“What about the possibility?”

“Possibility?”

“Yes. The chance that what that mad woman said is actually true…”

It wasn’t a pleasant topic to discuss.

Sion was casually committing blasphemy as if breathing. In a reversed situation, Lagan might have drawn his sword and cut off his head without hesitation.

But Lagan was truly a respectable adult. He faced the seriousness of the situation head-on and didn’t react with anger, even if it sounded like blasphemy.

“Since it’s a statement from an Evil God’s follower, it should be dismissed as false. But…”

Lagan added a soft ‘Ahem’ before continuing.

“Without that explanation, it’s hard to make sense of it. I don’t know if she’s truly weakened, but something’s clearly wrong or mistaken.”

Sion was once again amazed by how openly Lagan admitted this.

It was revealing a weakness of his own goddess. Only someone with extraordinary courage would dare say such a thing.

But Lagan had something to believe in, which is why he spoke.

His circumstances and background were on a completely different level from Sion’s.

The War Cult, fragile and just beginning to grow, was worlds apart from the Light Cult in terms of roots.

“Well, we’ll know when we ask the apostle.”

Lagan smiled faintly, adding that he didn’t want to think about such headache-inducing matters anymore.

“You said you only follow the apostle’s orders, Commander?”

“Yeah. If she says go, I go. If she says cut, I cut. If she says exterminate, I exterminate. I’m just a puppet, but it’s easier that way. Look at this now. Do I have to deal with this problem? Think about it, come up with a solution?”

Lagan grimaced and shut his eyes tightly.

“I can’t do it.”

I can see that. Sion refrained from saying the words aloud.

“I’m going to sleep.”

“Understood.”

“You should rest too. Recover your stamina and clear your mind.”

Sion asked with a slightly sour expression.

“How troublesome will that ‘test’ be?”

“Test? Just ignore those old geezers when they start ranting.”

Lagan said, hands clasped behind his head.

“The real problem is meeting the apostle.”

“What? The apostle?”

“Yeah.”

Lagan left behind a cryptic remark.

“Ordinary humans lose consciousness just by meeting her. Usually.”

“Just from hearing that, isn’t she practically a goddess?”

“You’ll understand when you meet her. The rumors circulating are close to the truth.”

The Apostle of Light is said to be Eru’s avatar.

As Lagan snored and fell asleep, and the carriage continued toward the heart of the Holy Kingdom, Sion couldn’t fall asleep.

What kind of person was the Apostle of Light?

‘No…’

What kind of being was she?

Endless curiosity gnawed at his drowsiness.

* * *

It was as if the gates of heaven had opened, bringing the celestial realm down to earth.

The Holy Kingdom. Its central headquarters.

Silver spires pierced the sky throughout the city, cleaving through the wind.

Eight towers symbolizing the Goddess of Light and the Round Table.

At their center stood a dazzlingly white grand cathedral, and on its front gate, the radiant halo pattern glowed like an eye from the heavens, gazing down upon the land.

It was a sacred place, as if the goddess herself resided there.

Every passerby exuded an endlessly pure divine power.

Thanks to the commander’s escort, Sion passed through without even a checkpoint and stepped out of the carriage.

Only then did a few people begin to glance curiously at the unfamiliar black-cloaked knight.

Sion paid no attention to their stares, instead continuing to take in the holy capital with wide eyes.

Even the stone paths under his feet were spotless, not a speck of dust in sight—likely cleaned daily by monks.

All around was silence. The footsteps of guards were uniformly aligned, like a single musical note, and the distant chime from the bell tower felt like it purified demonic energy.

The moment he arrived, impure energies and fatigue vanished from his body.

Truly, if there was a divine sanctuary, it wouldn’t be much different from this place.

“Wow…”

Lagan laughed as he saw Sion’s awestruck expression.

“How is it? Feel like you’re about to wet yourself?”

“Yes, really. It’s far more magnificent than I imagined. I can see how narrow my world has been.”

“Haha! Everyone reacts like that at first. It’s natural. This isn’t a holy land built by humans—it was crafted by celestials and elves.”

Structures built by Eru’s descendants, shaped from their devotion to praise their creator.

With such buildings lined up in succession, it was only natural that the air shimmered with sacred energy.

Even at the outskirts of the Holy Kingdom, near the border, he’d felt something similar—but the center was on a completely different level.

Stone structures layered like steps toward the sky,

Clerical robes shimmering like colorless light,

And crystal windows that captured and reflected the light pouring from the heavens.

Even with thousands walking about, not a single noise could be heard.

The Holy Kingdom did not permit noise.

Here, only the goddess’s breath and hymns sung in her honor could be heard.

“Lord Lagan.”

An official approached cautiously from somewhere.

He placed one hand on his chest and bowed deeply, his words filled with reverence.

“The apostle is waiting.”

At that name, Sion narrowed his eyes slightly.

‘The Apostle of Light.’

He had imagined her the entire journey.

Her appearance, presence, strength…

But the moment he arrived at the Holy Kingdom, Sion realized all his previous imaginings were meaningless.

Imagination was limited to what one had seen before.

The Holy Kingdom was built with architectural styles, materials, and structures Sion had never seen in his life.

The Apostle of Light would surely be a person of a presence Sion had never encountered.

He stopped imagining and simply waited to meet her.

Thump.

Lagan placed a hand on Sion’s shoulder.

“Country bumpkin of the War Cult. Are you ready to meet our apostle?”

“…Of course.”

Sion smiled awkwardly.

He still felt dazed, as if he’d entered another world.

“But, when can I meet my master?”

However, Sion quickly regained his composure and asked the important question first.

Lagan chuckled.

“After you meet the apostle. Once she’s assessed your character and deemed you safe.”

“…Not exactly a warm welcome.”

Sion grumbled. He had known this would happen.

“Well, just as I said. This place doesn’t welcome the War Cult. In fact, it’s a place that rejects it.”

“I knew, but…”

Lagan patted the hand he’d placed on Sion’s shoulder.

“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. I’ll vouch for you.”

“Thank you.”

Sion gave a small smile and followed the official who had started walking ahead.

* * *

The deeper they walked into the cathedral’s corridors, the more the murals embroidered on the walls overwhelmed Sion.

Saints of the past, knights blessed by the goddess, and those who first brought light to this land.

All of them bowed their heads, and at the center, a silhouette split the sky.

‘…The Goddess of Light.’

Sion was consumed by an indescribable emotion.

Inside this holy land, where not even a shadow existed, he felt seized by the presence of the main deity.

He could feel it in his skin—this truly was the sacred land of the Goddess of Light.

‘Snap out of it.’

This place wasn’t friendly toward the War Cult.

Kuuung……

A golden door, likely more valuable than all the War Cult’s combined wealth, slowly opened.

Through the heavy, gradually widening gap, a single beam of light entered, illuminating the world.

The air inside the cathedral’s corridor and beyond was clearly different.

Outside, the air was already saturated with divine energy, making every breath feel like inhaling the goddess’s breath.

Inside, the air and energy created the illusion that one had entered the goddess’s own courtyard.

An indescribable holiness.

A soft, refreshing fragrance cleared the mind.

“Go and present yourself.”

Lagan said.

“Just me?”

Sion asked, bewildered.

Lagan nodded, then explained sternly.

“The apostle always meets alone. No exceptions.”

As if to prove his words, the natural, divine energy from within pulled at Sion’s consciousness.

“The apostle is calling you. Go quickly.”

Lagan pushed Sion’s back. Sion felt as if his feet moved on their own as he was swallowed by the light.

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