Chapter 227: Book 17 (2)

The 17th volume portrays the intimate romance between Jin and Lily, while unfolding events occurring within the Holy Kingdom. Although the Holy Kingdom was originally favorable to the alliance's establishment, upon hearing the news of having to unite with demons, they refused. The reason is simple and clear: demons can turn into devils at any moment.

(TL: Clarification, Holy Kingdom in the book and Holy Kingdom Xavier in Isaacs world are spelled differently and it would be more accurate to call Xavier a 'Theocracy' but I don't want to change it now. Thus I will try to use Xavier instead of 'Holy Kingdom' Xavier when possible to avoid confusion.)

As mentioned before, even if the readers knew, the characters in the book didn't directly witness Sakran's noble sacrifice. Only a few priests who witnessed his final moments treat demons as humans, the upper echelons remain unchanged. Even Jin, who had served as Lily's guardian knight since childhood, finds himself in a situation of suspicion. While Jin himself was accustomed to such discrimination, the circumstances make it frustrating.

Moreover, the veterans tend to grow stagnant, and unfortunately, the cardinals, all of whom were aged elders, further slowed down progress.

Afterward, Jin and Lily postponed the formation of the Allied Forces and headed to an inn for the night... Only to be attacked without doing anything. The clues regarding the mastermind behind the attackers are found thereafter, concluding Volume 17.

Because hints and clues about the mastermind have been scattered throughout, someone with good deduction skills could easily realize who the culprit is. Anyway, all truths will be revealed in Volume 18, so there's no issue.

[Xavier's Holy See assures that the contents are unrelated to Xenon's Biography under the name of Luminous.]

This was the 'declaration' released by Xavier's Holy See as soon as Volume 17 emerged.

Yeah, it's nothing but a declaration. Since they were the first ones to claim that Xenon's Biography is a prophecy, that Xenon is a 'regressor' or something, it's natural they'd be rattled.

Amidst the diminishing discriminatory views towards demons, Helium now possessed enough power from the perspective of other nations to make them drool.

Not only exceptional in dwarf-level item crafting ability but also possessing a force with each individual demon comparable to tactical weaponry.

Each of these aspects was a sweet fruit, and since the nation of Helium possesses them all, it'd result in significant loss if anyone were to view it unfavorably.

However, due to its characteristic as a 'Holy Nation,' even if criticized from within Helium, it might not suffer significant damage. But from the perspective of other nations, they'd need to tread cautiously.

[Demonkind in the book is still discriminated against. That's why the emotions are more poignant.]

[An attack on the Saintess, especially an attack within the Holy See, is by no means normal.]

[Is there a secret battle happening within the Holy See?]

(TL: I just learned the Holy See is a thing.)

Readers began to question and analyze the part about them being attacked. After all, the Saintess should receive as much favor within the Church as the Pope himself, so the attack raised doubts. Consequently, Xavier found itself in a precarious situation. They not only had to provide explanations, but they also emphatically stated that such a thing could never happen under the name of Luminous.

Even though this scandal involving the church exploded to the point where readers were quite skeptical, it's a nation established for the sake of the 'god,' so they chose to overlook it, at least temporarily.

Certainly, for the clergy, forming pacts with devils while evading the eyes of the gods was an unimaginable act. Even though there might be followers of the World Tree and devil worshipers, these incidents wouldn't occur within the sacred nation.

Originally, to receive an oracle, one must undergo strict scrutiny and obtain permission from Luminous, so they firmly deny any such events. Of course, receiving an oracle might be difficult, but it's even easy to fall into corruption afterward. As power increases, morality tends to diminish, and one becomes more susceptible to desires.

In the 18th volume, explanations about this will be provided, and as Luminous mentioned, the world will turn upside down.

[Though the attack disrupted things for a night, hope still remains.]

[They practically confessed their mutual feelings. Damn those attackers...]

[I believe it will continue in the 18th volume.]

The progress between Jin and Lily, the couple, has also garnered much attention. As mentioned before, Jin and Lily are just as popular as the main characters, Xenon and Mary.

In fact, even my mother was more drawn to Jin and Lily than the main characters, indicating how high their popularity truly is.

So far, they have never directly revealed their hearts to each other. Jin was genuinely hiding his feelings, while Lily noticed Jin's emotions but quietly waited. However, starting from Volume 17, Lily couldn't hold back and confessed to Jin first, which must have been earth-shattering for the readers.

The ambush disrupted their night together? That doesn't matter. What's most important is that they didn't hide their feelings. If things continue like this, it's obvious what will happen next—the ending will see the birth of a lovely child between them.

'That's impossible.'

Jin is the final boss. That's an unchanging fact, and he will consistently move towards that fate. Original works usually end tragically to deeply imprint on readers' minds. Just like Sakran, he will sacrifice himself to protect the one he loves.

I might receive some criticism and scolding from my mother, but I have no intention of changing it. If it gets too severe, I can release a spin-off. Until then, I'll sprinkle foreshadowing and clues for the readers, injecting a sense of foreboding. It will be an introduction of a very famous cliche, the 'death flag,' in Xenon's Biography.

'But why did Kate leave? Did she understand what I said and leave because of it?'

While writing Volume 18, I pondered over Kate's whereabouts. She returned to Xavier within just two days after the release of Volume 17 of Xenon's Biography. Perhaps she sensed something, as the saying goes, 'it's darkest under the candle.'

Yet, from what I've observed, Kate is out of touch with common sense and her social skills in human relationships are very underdeveloped, almost lacking.

It's a bit strange that someone like that sensed something off and went back to Xavier. Or maybe there's an aspect of her that I'm unaware of.

'She'll figure it out on her own.'

From my perspective, it's a decent situation since the priestess that occasionally sought my seed is gone. Even Marie seemed relieved upon hearing the news of Kate's return.

My current tasks are to write Volume 18 and prepare for the anniversary. I subtly asked Marie what she wanted most.

'But when it comes to that gift...'

Thinking about what Marie might want the most as a 'gift,' I smirked. She doesn't need anything except for me to be there.

As a noble, Marie has grown without lacking anything, so if she needs anything, she can rely on the family's power or something like that.

It's me who's in trouble. How can I satisfy Marie? I've already purchased top-tier cosmetics with my mother's help, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm the top priority gift.

Lately, with more women around me, I've become possessive. In any case, I need to come up with a solution.

'...Should I at least make a wish ticket and give it to her?'

It might sound crazy, but surprisingly, it could be a good gift... or not? I don't know. If it was my past life, I would search the internet for a suitable gift, but here, it's quite limited.

I'll just give cosmetics as an anniversary gift and offer the wish ticket as an extra. I'll also write a heartfelt letter while I'm at it.

If it was my past life, upon receiving a handwritten letter, one might have grumbled about it being old-fashioned and told your partner not to bother with such gifts. But this isn't Earth. It's a time filled with emotions and romance, the late modern to early contemporary era.

'Let's see. There's about ten days left until the anniversary... I'll have to go see Mora soon.'

As for going to see Mora, I've already asked Cecily to do that for me. By the way, it's not Gartz but she herself who plans to bring me to Helium.

Originally, I had planned to ask Gartz instead, but she insisted on personally bringing me as part of our date. Since I didn't really mind, I easily agreed. I absolutely have to arrive on time, as I must avoid transforming into a woman at all costs.

'But considering Mora's personality, she might pull some prank again...'

If she jokes around, I should say I won't come again. She might grumble a bit, but if she understands my sincerity, she'll reluctantly accept. For now, let's focus on writing. I need to hurry and finish Volume 18; otherwise, the bugs hiding in Xavier will run away.

'Ah, right. I should expect a letter from Arwen soon.'

There's just too much to do, even though there's already too much.

*****

Inside a carriage returning to the Xavier, at a similar time.

Kate, the inquisitor of the Church—or rather, Grand Inquisitor Kate—sat with her eyes closed inside the carriage. Clad in white armor, her closed eyes lent her an aura of sanctity and beauty, almost befitting a saint. Her hair, reminiscent of golden fields, was tied neatly, while her long eyelashes exuded a mysterious air, painting a scene akin to a picture of a 'saintly' figure.

Her face, with its characteristic impassiveness, seemed distant from any torment. Sitting across from her, a priestess quietly spoke up.

"Inquisitor Kate."

"... ... "

At the priestess's call, Kate slowly opened her closed eyes, meeting her gaze. Her emerald-green irises, resembling leaves, seemed to harbor a resolute determination.

She then smiled gently, a bright smile adorning her face, before speaking softly.

"Yes, Priestess Aisha. What is it?"

"I... I'm curious as to why you're returning to the homeland. Have you completed your pilgrimage, perhaps...?"

The priestess, Aisha, cautiously inquired about the reason for Kate's return. She knew to some extent that Kate had embarked on the pilgrimage path to find Xenon. However, returning to Xavier before completing the pilgrimage seemed contradictory. The pilgrimage held great significance for clergy.

Unless under extraordinary circumstances, returning without fulfilling this duty was enough to raise questioning and suspicion.

"Surely, you haven't found Xenon..."

"No, that's not it."

Kate responded firmly, nodding her head slowly at Aisha's questioning. Xenon, well, she did find Isaac, but she fulfilled his request and didn't disclose it to the world. Besides, something more urgent than Xenon has arisen, so she must return.

Kate glanced at Aisha's puzzled expression and chuckled before subtly asking,

"Aisha,, what comes to mind when you hear the saying, 'It's darkest under the lamp'?"

Kate, having absorbed Isaac's advice, delivered it word for word. Aisha blinked, then smiled and replied.

"Well, I don't even know why it's darkest under the lamp..."

Kate received the expected response and, with a wider smile than before, slowly closed her eyes. Aisha couldn't fathom why Kate had said such a thing and looked baffled, but Kate remained silent.

Meanwhile, Kate mentally revisited Isaac's advice and the recent Xenon incident that had emerged.

'If the stories in the book are true...'

Though lacking in human relationships and common sense, Kate possessed an exceptional level of analytical and observational skills. She was the one who had originally uncovered the devil worshippers hidden in the Minerva Empire's capital. She tracked them by gathering rumors, information, and meticulously tracing each clue.

The position of the Cardinal and the Grand Inquisitor is not something easily obtained by chance.

'The mastermind is undoubtedly someone lacking in faith, probably someone who hasn't prayed recently. Cloaked in the authority of a Cardinal, hiding behind a mask with a smile.'

She already precisely saw through who the person behind was. In other words, it means she can predict exactly how Volume 18 will unfold.

When Volume 18 comes out, there will surely be chaos even in the Xavier. It's probable that someone has made a pact with a devil, and it's among the ranks of the Cardinal.

And Kate will uncover such individuals and deliver punishment. Of course, if she were to immediately punish them, it would cause her significant harm as well, so she planned to proceed slowly with her work.

There's at least a fortnight remaining. She must pull them out of hiding like insects before Xenon's Biography Volume 18 comes out.

'So that's why you only told me. Surely, he must have trusted me.'

Isaac predicted such an event and informed her. He gave instructions to find those who tarnish the name of Luminous and crush their skulls.

If Volume 18 comes out and they just start searching, it will be too late. Therefore, it was a roundabout way of saying to quickly return to her home country and start the operation.

'Sir Isaac is undoubtedly someone from the future. That's why he couldn't directly say it.'

Not only that, but Kate had another conviction. Until now, people have speculated that Isaac couldn't reveal his true identity because of the "constraints" imposed by God.

Things that will happen in the future are events humans can't handle alone, and they're revealed through the "book." The contamination of the roots of the World Tree and the worshipers of devils were examples of this.

Above all, Isaac himself gave her advice that sounded like a proverb: 'It's darkest under the lamp.' It indirectly expresses that there is a fallen clergyman in Xavier. Therefore, the conclusion is clear. Isaac is certainly someone who has returned from the future and cannot speak directly due to constraints set by God.

He is the 'chosen one' by 'God,' blessed as a 'saint,' and finally, a 'hero' to save the tainted world. The titles that would startle Isaac if he were to hear them continued one after another, but at least Kate thinks so.

'I dared to seek the seed of such a person...'

She still fell far too short. Kate hugged her belly hidden under the armor.

At least to receive his seed, she needs to further refine her faith more than now and eliminate all the dirty things. Otherwise, it would be a disrespect and insult to the saint chosen by God.

So, the foremost task is the 'purification' of Xavier. They are secretly defiling Luminous's name while under his banner. Unforgivable. Kate's subtle anger surged briefly in her heart, but when she thought of Isaac again, her mind calmed down.

'Please wait, Isaac. I will follow your instructions.'

Following Isaac's words was akin to following the words of Luminous.

'And someday, your seed...'

A 'pure madness' began to take root in Kate's mind.

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