Chapter 120

Ch.120 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“Close your eyes.”

Garfenn’s voice sank low.

Sion took a deep breath and slowly lowered his eyelids.

Soon, the world shut out.

And then.

A single particle of light flickered into existence in midair.

Like something alive and breathing alone in a black abyss, the light pulsed with a rhythm akin to a heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump.

Growing larger and smaller in sync with a steady noise and cadence.

But something was strange.

Each time the light expanded, Sion felt a tickling sensation right in the center of his chest—as if someone were poking him from the inside with a finger.

More precisely, it wasn’t even a finger.

It felt as though an invisible aura was layering itself over Sion’s holy ring.

“Feel it well. That pulse is the power of your star.”

The master’s voice rang out right beside Sion’s ear.

It felt as if his breath had stopped.

“……This is a star?”

“Yes. This star is engraved with all the deeds you have accumulated as a holy knight of the Goddess—from the smallest good deeds to the greatest acts of virtue. Everything is inscribed within it.”

The starlight grew even brighter.

At some point, Sion began to feel it wasn’t merely light—it resembled a door.

A door leading somewhere.

A door with a very narrow crack.

Through that crack, sensations of the real world—wind, dust, the scent of grass—seeped in.

Those sensations felt so vivid and real that Sion’s brow involuntarily furrowed.

“Master, this… feels like it’s connected to somewhere?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Sion strained his concentration to its utmost limit, trying to firmly grasp that sensation.

“No, this is something—”

At that moment.

The starlight flashed explosively before Sion’s eyes.

Instantly—

His feet lost contact with the ground, accompanied by a rush of cold air.

A crushing pressure, as if his heart were leaping into his throat.

Then came the bizarre sensation of his body vanishing in one instant and reappearing somewhere else.

Kwaak!

His feet landed firmly on solid wood.

The sensation was intensely vivid.

It felt far more tangible than something merely imagined within the realm of mental visualization.

‘Wait a minute?’

Sion’s eyes flew open.

“……!”

He immediately held his breath.

Just moments ago, he had been inside his quarters—but now he stood atop a tree growing outside the building.

Below him, children and puppies were playing.

Sion turned his head to look toward the window.

There stood his master, eyes wide with shock.

Garfenn immediately threw open the window.

“You. What did you just do?”

“I—I’m the one who should be asking! What is this?”

Garfenn felt sweat trickling down the back of his neck—at the sight of such an absurd spectacle.

Goddess Achille was equally astonished. She too blinked rapidly, staring fixedly at Sion.

“No way.”

[Amazing. It’s spatial teleportation.]

Goddess Achille clarified.

The supernatural ability granted to Sion was none other than spatial teleportation.

Though the distance was short, the implications of its possibility were terrifyingly immense.

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant.

‘I’ve gained an absurd ability. It truly feels like a power bestowed for slaughter.’

Merely imagining its potential made his palms sweat.

Once he began seriously mastering and utilizing this ability, it was obvious how terrifying a monster he would become.

Thud.

Sion leaped back through the window.

He still couldn’t believe it.

The sensation in his legs felt strange.

Garfenn crossed his arms, wearing an expression of profound bewilderment.

“Sion. That was spatial teleportation.”

“What? Spatial… teleportation…?”

“It seems the ability you’ve gained is spatial teleportation.”

“Wow. So that’s why I moved from here to that tree outside?”

Garfenn laughed incredulously.

“Your expression right now—Goddess Achille is making the exact same face.”

Meaning they were both utterly dumbfounded.

Garfenn calmed Sion down, then spoke again.

“Sion. Do you remember that sensation just now?”

“……Yes.”

“Try to recall it again.”

“This is a gift given to you alone in this world. No one can teach you how to use it. You must master it yourself.”

“Understood.”

Sion took a deep breath, glanced downward at his feet, then brought the starlight back into his mind’s eye.

At that moment—the star flickered again and swallowed his vision once more.

Whoosh!

This time, he appeared in the middle of a hallway.

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

It was the hallway right outside his quarters.

Still, Sion straightened his back and opened the door.

Creak.

“Huh?”

Garfenn turned his head, eyes wide with surprise.

“You?”

“Yes. It’s me. I thought of the hallway, and I teleported here.”

“Crazy!”

Garfenn leapt up in astonishment.

“It really works!”

“Ha, haha. It’s incredible, right?”

Garfenn, seeing Sion’s dazed expression, reacted with exaggerated excitement on his behalf.

“Incredible, you say! Do you realize? Every apostle has dreamed of an ability like yours!”

“Ah, no, I didn’t know that.”

Garfenn was genuinely delighted.

“To instantly appear behind the enemy and strike—this is theoretically near-perfect. In terms of offense, defense, and evasion, it’s the most overwhelmingly dominant ability imaginable.”

Sion asked, trying to calm the visibly excited Garfenn.

“What ability do you have, Master?”

“I…”

Garfenn spoke with slight embarrassment.

“I gain power by sacrificing my sanity through imagination. Truly an alien power.”

“…….”

Sion closed his mouth, then opened it again.

“Isn’t that… a dangerously unstable power?”

“That’s why I’ve only used it once—against an apostle of a powerful Evil God.”

How fierce that battle must have been.

It was difficult to imagine.

“Abilities like this aren’t meant to be used frequently in the first place.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because the Goddess herself must physically attach to our bodies to make it possible.”

“Ah.”

It was a method requiring direct bodily contact between the Goddess and the apostle to link the star and the apostle. Even for an apostle, the physical burden was immense.

“Look at you right now, for example—your nose.”

“Huh?”

Only then did Sion realize he was bleeding from his nose. He licked his lips and tasted the metallic tang of blood.

And this was after only two teleportations.

Garfenn patted Sion’s shoulder.

“Good work for now. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to succeed on your very first attempt.”

“Is it usually hard to achieve?”

“Well, it’s rare, certainly.”

But Sion was no longer surprised.

His talent and genius were truly beyond comparison.

Rather than being astonished, Garfenn focused on guiding him as correctly and stably as possible.

“Truly… remarkable.”

Sion quietly thrilled.

His clenched fists tightened involuntarily.

“With this power, I can protect even more people.”

Garfenn stared silently at Sion for a moment.

“Many, many more. Hmm.”

This was the person who had inscribed such an absurd ability onto his star.

How desperately must he have wanted strength? How fiercely must he have wished to protect his siblings, to gain such power?

‘It’s a stroke of fortune that Sion is the one who possesses such talent.’

[Indeed. This is truly the blessing of the Goddess of Light.]

‘Is Goddess Achille alright?’

Achille forced a gentle smile.

She had made physical contact with Sion, whose body is not yet fully synchronized, and activated a powerful ability in that state.

Since she had not yet fully returned to the Round Table, even Achille felt the strain.

But she showed no sign of it.

Achille was not one to be shaken by such things.

The strongest sword was being forged ever sharper.

She too would devote all her strength and devotion to it.

[I am fine.]

‘……Please don’t overexert yourself.’

[Understood.]

Garfenn turned his attention from the Goddess back to Sion.

“Are you alright? Your body?”

“Yes. I definitely feel fatigue catching up to me now, but I can endure it.”

Garfenn nodded gratefully.

“Since you’re not yet an official apostle, your body still requires further adjustment. Don’t push yourself—be satisfied with this much for now.”

“Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Master.”

Sion bowed deeply.

Immediately straightening up, he casually traced the holy sign and added,

“Please take good care of me, Goddess.”

The corners of Achille’s mouth curved into a benevolent arc.

[Of course, my future apostle. The day we speak directly is not far off. This Goddess eagerly awaits it.]

Garfenn relayed her words exactly, and Sion blushed.

He still couldn’t quite grasp the reality of speaking directly with a Goddess—it felt distant and awkward.

After a brief silence, Sion smiled gently.

“But… isn’t it still a bit far off? Master, you’re still so very much alive and well.”

It was a lighthearted joke.

Garfenn gave a slight snort and replied with what he had to say.

“It’s closer than you think.”

“Hmm… really?”

“You’re growing too fast. Far too fast.”

“Haha.”

“But you need to grow even faster. Madly, insanely fast.”

“Hmm?”

Garfenn sat Sion down again.

Sion asked, bewildered.

“What else is left?”

“There’s still something left. Something very important.”

“What is it?”

“The special power granted by the Goddess exclusively to Apostles of War.”

What on earth could this be?

“What is necessary for war?”

“Uh… courage…?”

“—Is necessary, of course. But what is truly essential for war? Weapons.”

Sion clapped his hands.

“Right.”

“Weapons are absolutely essential for War Disciples. The more, the better.”

“True. I currently have two swords myself.”

Garfenn nodded approvingly, referencing that fact.

“Why not carry both of them?”

“That’d be cool.”

“…….”

Garfenn groaned softly.

“Not that.”

“Uh….”

“It’s inconvenient. Annoying.”

“Ah, right.”

Only then did Sion realize what Garfenn was trying to say.

“No way?”

“You caught on?”

“Subspace?”

“We call it the Weapon Vault.”

“Wow….”

“It’s a power granted upon becoming an apostle. Train to adapt to it quickly.”

Garfenn patted Sion’s shoulder.

“Close your eyes again.”

* * *

The nights of the Holy Kingdom knew no rest.

The Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword, grasping the baton of command, mobilized every available force to prepare for the decisive battle.

While residing in the quarters, various news reached Sion’s ears.

An amusing report: apostles from various cults had begun arriving one by one.

‘Apostles from each cult? This should be interesting.’

Each apostle undoubtedly possessed considerable strength.

At minimum, any Round Table-affiliated apostle was stronger than Sion’s current self.

He wished to meet them.

If possible, he even wanted to cross swords to gauge their strength—but expending energy before confronting the critical issue would be foolish.

Sion couldn’t simply go out to observe them; he had to continue receiving Garfenn’s teachings.

From the mindset an apostle must possess, to the intertwined histories of various cults and empires, to regional characteristics and crucial secrets one must know—

Merely this alone felt overwhelming enough to burst his head, yet he also had to train in mental visualization, supernatural abilities, and now even subspace manipulation.

Since becoming a War Disciple, Sion had never experienced days as busy and exhausting as these.

Garfenn had boldly declared he would impart everything—and he was truly doing exactly that.

Sion hadn’t stepped a single foot outside the quarters, endlessly repeating training after training.

Humanly speaking, he should have been exhausted—but Sion showed not a trace of reluctance.

It was simply what he must do, and precisely what he fervently desired.

‘It’s only a pity I can’t meet the other apostles.’

It was at such a moment, as Sion lay awake lost in such thoughts,

That Garfenn, whom he thought was asleep, quietly moved his lips.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Ah, Master. Was I tossing and turning too much?”

“No. I can’t sleep either.”

“I see.”

Garfenn suddenly blurted out something entirely unexpected.

“Will it be a boy… or a girl?”

“Huh?”

“……I mean your nephew.”

“Oh. N-nephew?”

“Of course. You’ll have to be the little uncle.”

Sion’s heart swelled warmly.

Even imagining it felt wonderfully pleasant.

‘Little uncle. Nephew.’

Sion spoke.

“A cute little girl would be nice. A spirited little boy would be great too.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, they must take after Miss Anna in looks.”

Garfenn pressed his forehead as he replied.

“Please!”

“Haha!”

Sion burst into laughter at his master’s heartfelt plea. Then, cautiously, he asked,

“You’re… going back, right?”

Garfenn silently gazed at the ceiling and nodded.

“I don’t want my people hurt twice by the same hand. I must protect them. Absolutely.”

Sion’s eyes grew moist.

“You’ve made the right decision, Master.”

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