Chapter 116

Ch.116 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“Ah.”

From the very beginning, it felt dangerously as if the thread of reason was about to snap.

Their attitude toward him was extremely hostile.

Respect and consideration for the Goddess of War were nearly impossible to find, even in the smallest measure.

It infuriated him that these people, who had lived long enough to know better, lacked basic manners and decorum.

Treating someone this way simply because they were young and their cult was weak only demonstrated how lowly and despicable those humans were.

Naturally, Sion’s words could not come out kindly either.

“I stand here today, staking my honor upon the name of the Goddess of War Achille. I will offer separate prayers to the Goddess of Light later.”

That was the most he could manage after holding back as much as possible.

“What did you say?”

The College of Cardinals murmured among themselves.

They never expected he would so brazenly bare his fangs like this.

‘Now I understand just how much they’ve suppressed other cults by sheer force all this time.’

Any cult not affiliated with the Round Table must have always been treated this way. He could tell without even seeing it.

Even the Church of Light was a group incapable of escaping the logic of power.

“Do you think this is a place for playing word games, War Cult follower?”

Someone shouted while pointing an accusing finger.

Sion didn’t even bother listening.

“Then is this a place where children are intimidated and crushed underfoot?”

Sion’s eyes blazed fiercely.

He showed not the slightest sign of intimidation before the highest-ranking priests of the Holy Kingdom.

“What kind of person is this!”

“Hah, this fellow has gone mad. Absolutely insane.”

Bang, bang.

The presiding judge struck his gavel to calm the assembly.

In truth, he himself was the most displeased among them.

Sion kept his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the cardinal presiding over the judgment.

The cardinal surely regarded him as an outrageously insolent brat.

“Maintain your manners. This is a sacred place.”

“You maintain yours first.”

Sion retorted without batting an eye.

In fact, he merely spoke the truth. It was their own petty-mindedness that made Sion appear defiant.

Veins bulged at the cardinal’s temples.

Indeed, this was precisely why followers of the War Cultt were always…

“Huff. Let’s move past this for now.”

This unnecessary battle of wills served no real purpose. In truth, such procedures weren’t even necessary.

According to the Holy Kingdom’s doctrine, believing in any goddess was essentially equivalent to serving the Goddess of Light.

There was absolutely no reason to stubbornly insist otherwise at this point.

The cardinal took a deep breath before speaking.

“Sion of the War Cult. Today’s gathering exists to test the purity of your character and the steadfastness of your faith. Do you understand this?”

He didn’t ask why they were the ones conducting this test.

Though he felt aversion, he couldn’t very well cut off their heads.

Today, he intended to do his utmost to grate on their nerves as much as possible.

“Yes.”

“Do you have confidence in proving your purity here?”

“I do.”

“How?”

The cardinal narrowed his eyes as he asked.

“You said this is a test. Present whatever challenge you wish. I’ll take it.”

The College of Cardinals murmured again among themselves.

They exchanged opinions on what kind of trial would best torment this annoying brat.

One cardinal stood up with a sinister smile.

“Fine, let’s see how long that confidence lasts. We have a very simple test.”

At his gesture, two Holy Knights carried a massive mirror onto the dais. The mirror’s surface was clouded and hazy, reflecting nothing.

“This is the Mirror of Pure White. Only one whose heart holds not a single speck of falsehood or malice can see their true reflection fully within it. Anyone else will see a distorted image. Go ahead, prove it—how pure your soul truly is.”

Triumphant smiles spread across the faces of the College of Cardinals. It was a perfect trap.

Every human inevitably harbors at least a tiny speck of impurity within their heart.

In reality, this sacred artifact existed primarily to pass judgment upon grave sinners or followers of evil gods.

Using it against Sion itself was an overt act of exclusion.

If Sion failed, they could brand him as impure; even if by some miracle he succeeded, it would merely mean he met the bare minimum qualification, causing them no loss whatsoever.

Sion gazed briefly at the mirror. What he saw reflected was not the cloudy glass—

Instead, he saw only corrupt priests whose hearts were stained pitch-black.

‘Pathetic, wretched old men.’

Before the heavy truth of the world’s end and the goddess’s impending disappearance, this childish test demanding proof of spiritual purity seemed downright laughable.

Sion did not approach the mirror.

Instead, he turned his body to face the cardinals.

“You called this a test?”

“That’s right. Hurry up and prove your purity, War Cult follower Sion!”

Sion chuckled softly. Hearing that chuckle, the cardinals frowned, sensing an inexplicable unease.

Sion mocked them openly.

“Shouldn’t it be your turn first, Your Eminences? Wouldn’t that be the proper order?”

“What did you say!”

“After we generously chose to overlook your insolence, now you dare commit blasphemy!”

The cardinal spat in fury. Though this hardly warranted such excitement, he couldn’t tolerate Sion’s blatant provocation.

‘They must hold the War Cult in utter contempt.’

They seemed to regard Sion’s very existence as an affront to the Holy Kingdom.

Tormenting him felt natural to them.

Their perception of the War Cult as inferior was deeply ingrained.

‘Disgusting.’

Sion openly radiated hostility toward the Holy Kingdom’s cardinals.

“You insolent brat!”

Sion continued speaking toward their visibly shaken figures. His voice remained calm, yet the weight behind it pressed down upon the entire stone chamber.

“Has even a single one among you, Your Eminences, ever stood before this mirror?”

“……”

For a moment, silence flowed through the stone chamber.

“Shouldn’t standing before this mirror be a prerequisite for becoming a cardinal? Instead of using it to harass insignificant minor cults.”

No one answered. They merely glanced nervously at each other, trembling with fear that their own filthy inner thoughts might be exposed.

In lives defined by schemes and shadowy power struggles, not a single one among them could stand confidently before the Mirror of Truth.

Confirming their cowardly silence, Sion drove in the final nail.

“As expected—none of you have.”

Having spoken, Sion stepped forward confidently toward the Mirror of Pure White and puffed out his chest.

The mirror, angled cunningly, perfectly reflected the distorted faces of the cardinals—faces twisted by panic, anger, and fear.

It was as though the mirror itself chose to reflect those whose hearts were ugly and tainted.

After a moment, a change occurred within the Mirror of Pure White.

The mirror fully reflected Sion.

Exactly as the cardinals saw him with their own eyes—without a single distortion.

“Is that enough now?”

The College of Cardinals tightly shut their mouths.

They pretended indifference, clearly irritated but unwilling to show it openly.

“They call this stone chamber the Hall of Repentance. Who exactly needs to repent here…?”

Sion muttered softly under his breath.

Someone finally couldn’t restrain themselves and shouted furiously.

“Cease insulting the sacred sects of the Round Table! You vile War Cult follower! Are you determined to provoke bloodshed even here through reckless provocations!”

“Vile? Who are you calling vile?”

Sion clenched his fists tightly.

Had he brought a sword, he would have drawn it to threaten them immediately.

Whoosh!

Instead of a blade, he unleashed his aura, overwhelming the entire assembly.

“Who was it that tormented the War Cult arbitrarily and created forced doctrines to oppress us?”

“What? Forced doctrines?”

“I’ve just proven my purity before the mirror—an achievement none of you could accomplish. Now, answer me.”

Sion’s clear eyes slowly, deliberately took in each aged and corrupt cardinal.

“Who are the true priests and Holy Knights now?”

“Are you insulting us, who have faithfully served the Goddess without faltering for decades? This is a grave crime. You must be prepared for the consequences.”

“You have fallen into corruption. The War Cult committed no crime, yet you treat oppressing and tormenting us as perfectly natural—as if it were merely a form of ostracism or entertainment.”

Stung by Sion’s sharp rebuke, the presiding cardinal cried out,

“I can endure no more! What are you waiting for? Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword! Drag this rascal out immediately!”

All eyes turned to Lagan.

He was the only one present wearing a sword.

“If necessary, you may cut him down. I grant you summary judgment authority.”

Upon hearing this, Lagan slightly twisted the corner of his mouth.

“You summoned me as a witness, and now you want me to leave again? Don’t bother busy people.”

“Can you still speak like that after witnessing such behavior? Commander?”

“Don’t give me orders.”

Lagan defied the cardinal directly.

Yet, no one dared raise their voice or point fingers at Lagan.

Their attitude toward him was utterly different from how they treated Sion.

“It’s a bit excessive, Elders. You didn’t even grant him proper speaking rights, then suddenly pulled out a mirror meant for testing demons.”

Flushed red and blue with shame, the cardinals’ faces contorted grotesquely at Lagan’s criticism.

“H-how dare you speak like that!”

They never imagined the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword would side not with the Holy Kingdom but with the rootless War Cult follower.

Precisely because they vaguely understood Lagan’s nature, they’d believed without doubt he wouldn’t take Sion’s side.

Strict neutrality.

Lagan typically sided mechanically with the Holy Kingdom when handling matters.

“Let’s proceed according to procedure, shall we?”

Lagan issued a warning.

“Our Apostle has already undergone one round of verification. Here, we should merely go through the motions formally, shouldn’t we?”

The cardinals’ lips jutted out sulkily.

Their faces were so irritating he wanted to tear them off immediately.

“Or perhaps you intend to defy the Apostle’s will?”

“T-that’s not it, Sir.”

“But isn’t all this merely formal procedure? Didn’t you all just witness that War Cult follower committing disrespect?”

Frowning, Lagan sharply cut off their ugly remarks.

“Enough. Proceed. First witness—step onto the dais.”

Lagan lightly tapped Roben’s back. Roben, missing an arm, had been undergoing mental and physical rehabilitation within the Holy Kingdom.

He’d been selected as a witness precisely because Sion had arrived at the Holy Kingdom.

The cardinal spoke with a dissatisfied expression.

“Make your profession of faith, then testify. Roben, Second Division Deputy Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword.”

“Yes.”

Roben raised his remaining arm to profess his faith to the Goddess of Light.

His statement was brief yet powerful.

It carried a genuine resonance none of the cardinals present could possibly match.

Then, he slowly began to speak.

“I personally witnessed… Lord Sion risking his life to exterminate monsters and hunt demons, protecting the people of Foils right beside me.”

“Is this true?”

“Yes. All details are fully documented in the mission records.”

The cardinal furrowed his brow.

In truth, they already knew all this.

They’d reviewed it multiple times, searching for any pretext to criticize—but found none.

They couldn’t locate even a single negative speck within Sion’s entire record.

That was precisely why they resorted to harassing him arbitrarily.

“…Very well. You may return.”

“Yes.”

Roben descended from the dais.

As he passed Sion, he gave him a slight smile.

He himself hadn’t been much different from these cardinals when he first met Sion.

He’d been a man full of jealousy and greed.

But after being thoroughly humbled once by Sion, he’d completely repented—or rather, transformed into an entirely different person.

Here, he was making amends for having tormented Sion back then.

“Am I next? Tsk, I’m bored to death. Seriously.”

Grumbling, Lagan ascended the dais.

He didn’t even wait to hear the cardinal’s instructions.

Bang.

Lagan slammed his palm onto the dais.

“I stake the honor of the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword to guarantee the integrity of Sion and the War Cult. Any objections?”

The stone chamber fell silent.

Not a single breath was exhaled carelessly.

Descending from the dais, Lagan placed a hand on Sion’s shoulder and walked out of the chamber.

Just before leaving, Lagan left one final remark.

“I knew it already, but truly—you’re all embarrassingly shameful. Uncomfortably so. Someone ought to sweep you all away entirely.”

Bang!

Even after the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword departed, not a single person dared speak first.

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