LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 223 - Saintess's Awakening (8)
Benjamin couldn’t believe it.
Even after rubbing his eyes and looking again, the god was floating on the lake. It was charred black to the point where no reverence for the god could be found.
Its dead appearance was so shabby and insignificant that it was hard to believe this was really the being that had terrified Eshua.
Perhaps because of this, apart from the relief of being alive and the joy of saving his nephew, he was worried.
“Even so, to kill a god. They surely won’t leave this be.”
At Benjamin’s words, Elai frowned as if displeased.
“It’s not a god. It’s an eel.”
At his father’s insistence, Benjamin was exasperated. No… well. Even he could see it looked like a fish, but.
“An eel? That’s something Isaac would say…”
“It looked delicious so I grilled it. It looks good for Eshua’s winter food supply.”
Benjamin held his face.
‘Damn it, even Father has been influenced by Isaac…!’
Am I the only sane one left in Eshua!
No, are Noel and Goel still there? No, that’s unpleasant in its own way!
No, that’s not what’s important right now.
‘A priest killed a god.’
He couldn’t help but anticipate what was about to happen.
“Father, how on earth are you going to clean up this mess…”
“Huh, I just grilled one eel, what’s the big problem.”
“Father!!”
Just as Benjamin was about to say something, someone rushed to embrace him.
“Father!”
“!”
It was Leia. She buried her face in Benjamin and burst into tears.
When the god died, the divine shackles binding her must have been undone.
“Father, I’m so glad you’re alive, really…!”
As his daughter, who never cried no matter how hard things got, burst into tears as if pouring out her emotions, Benjamin’s nose stung.
She was a child who had grown up early without ever crying. Seeing his daughter’s tears for the first time, his heart ached as a father.
How difficult must it have been for this child all this time.
How many burdens must she have been carrying on her back.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I too…”
As Benjamin tried to embrace his daughter with emotion, his arms felt strangely empty.
“Le-Leia?”
The daughter who had been in her father’s arms had vanished. He wondered where on earth she had disappeared to, but in that time she had rushed over to Isaac.
“Isaac! Are you okay? Isaac!”
Seeing her carefully embrace Isaac and check on him, her father felt just a tiny bit disappointed.
Daughter, your father is more important, right? That’s how it is, right?
But Leia stroked Isaac’s face and called out to him anxiously.
“Isaac, are you okay? You can’t die!”
Then Isaac, embraced by Leia, answered.
“Yeah. I’m fi… Uweek!”
As blood gushed from Isaac’s mouth again, the color drained from Leia’s face.
“Isaac!”
Isaac wiped his mouth.
Ha, damn it. I need to hurry and build up my body to the point where it can withstand the Skeleton King’s magic.
They urgently picked up Isaac and headed to land from the lake. As Leia began healing Isaac, his physical condition improved rapidly.
By the time color returned to his face, Joseph, who had been on land, approached.
“Kid, I didn’t think you’d really pull it off.”
Joseph rarely revealed his true feelings.
“Thank you for saving Father.”
“!”
“I’ll definitely repay this debt, even if it costs me my life.”
Isaac looked at Joseph as if surprised, but soon laughed as if a pumpkin had entered through the vine.
Kya, this merchant bastard is acting like this? If this guy just stays as a slave without leaving Eshua, that would be very welcome.
Joseph giggled like a mischievous child while hugging his father.
“Well, now that we’ve killed the god, Leia’s awakening is off the table, but that’s okay, right?”
At that, Benjamin immediately became serious.
“How is that okay! Though we saved our lives, it’s fatal if Eshua fails to produce a Saintess.”
“!”
Benjamin bit his lip as if this was where the real problem began. This was an issue concerning the family’s survival.
“We killed the God of Awakening of all things, so what will happen to the family from now on…”
‘No, we might not even get that far.’
Sure enough. The Gold Cardinal and the Gold priests approached them. They looked dumbfounded.
“Eshua, what have you done?”
“Those who should have become sacrifices, killing a god. What are you priests doing now!”
At their appearance, the Eshua family gulped. Their faces said the inevitable had finally come.
The Gold priests were perplexed, but nonetheless they had caught them red-handed.
“This isn’t just Gold’s problem. Gods are beings worshipped jointly by the Five Great Faiths! All faiths will denounce you.”
“You’ve finally touched the taboo, Eshua.”
We never imagined they would reveal their true nature like this.
“Not being able to kill the Skeleton King, you were actually spies for that side all along.”
“We must immediately refer this case to the heresy trial and execute Eshua!”
At those words, everyone’s faces froze, including Leia’s, but Elai stepped forward as if to protect his family.
“Heresy trial?”
“!”
Elai let out a hollow laugh as if to say what nonsense.
“What do you think the technique I used was?”
“What?”
“I merely used anti-demon divine technique. Do you think it makes sense for a god to die from anti-demon divine technique?”
At Elai’s words, the color drained from the Gold priests’ faces.
…What’s going on?!
As if to ask what this meant, the Gold Cardinal hurriedly ordered:
“Check immediately.”
Even he looked perplexed. If Elai’s words were true, something impossible had happened.
And after some time, the Gold priests who had gone out to the lake approached with dazed faces.
“Your Eminence. That… is correct. It’s Blue’s anti-demon divine technique.”
“What did you say?!”
What is this…! How could that be!
The Gold priests exchanged glances as if to ask if they were crazy.
‘Anti-demon divine technique doesn’t react unless it’s undead or demonic attribute.’
There’s no way it could work on a god.
Yes, there’s no way it could work, and yet…
It was then.
“Yes. It really was anti-demon divine technique?”
“!”
As if struck by lightning, the Gold Cardinal flinched. Elai raised the corners of his mouth as if he had been waiting for this.
“Given this situation, I rather want to ask you.”
“!”
“Since when has the Gold been serving demons instead of gods?”
…Crazy, what did you say?!
Seeing that scene, Isaac, who was being embraced by Leia, giggled.
‘I wondered why Grandpa burned it so severely to that extent.’
Could it be he was trying to erase traces of using black magic?
Isaac glanced at Elai.
‘Well, Cardinals shouldn’t be unable to sense black magic.’
It seems only Elai noticed because of the distance now, but things would be different if a full investigation began.
Especially if it fell into the hands of the Black Cardinal, they might notice something during the autopsy process.
Soon the Gold priests glared at Isaac.
“I was far away, but I clearly saw it! Flames burst out!”
“That’s right, those flames were surely not divine technique, but magic…!”
At those words, just as Isaac was about to refute-
Slap!!
“Kuhek?!”
Elai suddenly struck Isaac’s back. At that powerful force, Isaac immediately vomited blood.
“Uweeek!!”
The internal injuries that had healed burst open again.
Elai immediately threatened the Gold priests with flashing eyes.
“What do you think this injury is?”
“What??”
“Our cute grandson suffered internal injuries from the power that god emitted.”
At those words, Isaac, who was vomiting blood, was dumbfounded.
No… Grandpa. It’s okay!
‘I was going to say it was just the doing of the Skeleton King bones I ate!’
I was planning to accept that level of risk since there’s something to gain…
Slap!!!
“Kueeeek!”
Isaac, who was hit on the back again, vomited blood once more.
Elai glared at the Gold priests as if even more angry.
“It’s true our child was foolish and jumped in to save his uncle. But-“
Slap!!!
“Kueeeek!”
“Who made our child like this by using evil power?”
…Damn it!! He’s killing his grandson!!!!
“Right? Isaac? The god made you like this, right?”
This bastard’s eyes are saying he’ll knock me out completely if I don’t play along!
Anyway, I get your intention!
I understand you’re trying to pin everything on those bastards!
‘I know the effect is better if I speak while bleeding, but it really hurts…’
Slap!!
“Kueeeek!”
I got your intention, you bastard! Okay! Okaaay!
[Like grandfather, like grandson. Master, you were also trying to pin everything on those bastards. To leave no room for suspicion.]
Yes, that’s true, but.
[You were going to pin the blame for the magic on the dragon, right?]
‘Was it obvious?’
[It’s blatant. If you pin the blame on the dragon, won’t she lose interest in you? Kya, look at this marriage fraudster. Pulling tricks because you don’t want to marry…]
‘Ah, why! As if I would marry such a…’
Slap!!
“Ukueek!”
Finally, Isaac, who felt like he was about to die from his grandfather’s back smash, answered.
“…Yes. When I realized the god was undead and tried to use divine technique, its power backfired and came back…”
The Gold priests were indignant.
“This is slander! Just as Joseph Eshua stole the Skeleton King’s talisman, that bastard also brought magic-related items!”
Isaac’s ears perked up.
‘Huuh? He brought what of the Skeleton King?’
Then the Gold Cardinal was troubled.
The situation was not good.
Examining the corpse? That can be handed over to the Black faction. Though it seems doubtful anything can be salvaged given how severely damaged it is, something might come out.
But the situation was so bad that even that was meaningless.
‘To think a god’s life was ended by anti-demon divine technique…!’
The Blue family head would surely dig into that relentlessly too. To think the Pope’s attempt to kill Benjamin over the archive issue would get tangled up like this.
But did they think things would go their way?
How arrogant of the Blue. As if they’re not the only ones in danger right now.
Soon the Gold Cardinal spoke.
“Regardless of the circumstances, it’s true Eshua killed the God of Awakening. You can no longer raise Saints.”
“!”
“You have lost Eshua’s greatest secret technique. That fact alone removes your qualification as one of the Five Great Faiths. Everyone else will agree.”
At the Gold Cardinal’s words, everyone in Eshua closed their eyes tightly. Because what he said wasn’t wrong.
This time even Elai was silent.
He seemed already prepared. In fact, he chose to save his bloodline taking all this into account.
‘From the moment I decided to kill the god, I gave up on Saints.’
If they can’t raise Saints, Eshua will collapse.
But didn’t Isaac say it?
Family members are also precious fingers.
That’s why Elai chose.
“We are a faith that protects small things. What does that glory and qualification matter?”
“!”
“We’ve protected our small fingers, so as the Blue we’ve simply done our duty.”
“Grandfather…!”
“Father!”
Leia bit her lip hard.
The Gold priests also seemed momentarily stunned as they looked at Elai, but the Gold Cardinal looked at him with disgust.
“You keep speaking pretty words to the end. Then you agree to the revocation? In that case…”
But then, Isaac grinned.
‘Why can’t we do the awakening. You damn bastards.’
Embraced by Leia, he smiled like a fox and instructed Whisper.
‘Begin.’
[Yes!]
When he touched the god’s body, he planted a part of Whisper inside.
For this very moment.
Sure enough, Whisper, who had been secretly hiding in the god’s body, giggled hehehe and tore out its internal organs.
Twack!
Then he exerted force on the internal organs as his master ordered.
At that moment, an amazing light burst forth.
Flash!
“Huh?”
A dazzling light burst from Leia’s body. People immediately realized the identity of that light.
“This light!”
“Awakening…! It’s the light of the Saintess’s awakening!”
“What did you say?!”
Awakening when the god is dead?
The Gold Cardinal looked at her in surprise.
But that wasn’t all.
“Huh?”
Not just Leia, but the awakening light also activated for Benjamin and Joseph, who were 0th rank.