LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 165
Chapter 165
—
The system—it was a power Aden gained after killing the Dragon of Light.
It was a power Aden didn’t fully understand, as it was something he obtained through a series of coincidences.
All he knew was that whenever he performed a special act, the system recognized it as an “achievement” and awarded him with a special “title” that had unique effects.
But this was the first time something like this had happened.
– A title, “??? ??’s Successor,” has been created.
The title’s characters were broken, making it impossible to identify.
“What is this?”
Aden felt suspicious and tried to check the newly acquired title, but it was impossible.
– The current user’s permissions do not allow for viewing this information.
Unable to access the information.
This usually occurred when a being with a much higher soul level than Aden’s was involved.
The partial concealment of the sentence was also due to this reason.
‘But it’s the first time something like this has happened with a title, so it’s a bit unsettling.’
It was also the first time he saw a phrase like “part of a forgotten great achievement.”
[Incomplete Sword Dance of the Dark Heavens]
The sword dance of an ancient, great, and noble being, ??? ??. The sword it wielded tore and shattered the sky.
The “sky” always arrogantly ruled over everything from above. To topple such a “sky,” ??? ?? gathered the darkness from the lowest places and swung it as a sword against the sky, naming this “Sword Dance of the Dark Heavens.” Although it is an incomplete and half-finished sword dance, its value will never disappear.
– Only those who can simultaneously use dark magic and aura can wield it.
[Ravenous Blade]
– The ravenous are hunger itself. There is no hope for the hungry towards the future, and they will bite their opponents without hesitation to fill their bellies, showing no mercy. They are too hungry to even consider such thoughts.
– The first basic sword form of the Sword Dance of the Dark Heavens. It fuses dark magic with an aura blade, amplifying its power by 300-500%, and randomly increases attack power against the opponent, accumulating additional damage per second.
– The current mastery level of the “Sword Dance of the Dark Heavens” is 1-star. As mastery increases, the efficiency and power of the Sword Dance of the Dark Heavens will rise.
The Sword Dance of the Dark Heavens and the Ravenous Blade.
Both were martial arts that Aden had never encountered before.
“The Ravenous Blade… was that what the text in the old book referred to?”
A sword that creates a stronger synergy by combining dark magic and aura.
It seemed that the official name for the technique Aden had realized and created on his own was “Ravenous Blade.”
‘Honestly, I didn’t expect it to actually work.’
The general consensus was that aura and dark magic couldn’t mix.
Without the Demon Stone in his body and the additional enlightenment he had gained, he wouldn’t have even thought to try it.
Yet, simply merging the two forces had drastically increased their power.
‘And if it’s at 1-star, that means there must be 2-stars and 3-stars too.’
This would be a great help in future battles.
Even with just 1-star, it displayed power comparable to an advanced sword master.
If he reached 2-stars, or even 3-stars, how much stronger would he become?
‘It’s chilling.’
He couldn’t quite imagine it, and just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.
Aden felt exhilarated at gaining unexpected new power, but soon shook his head.
‘No, it’s too early to celebrate.’
The Sword Dance of the Dark Heavens was powerful and had extraordinary destructive potential, but it also had a significant drawback.
– Warning! Excessive use of power has damaged the body!
– Regenerative mana is restoring the body!
“Ugh…”
His entire body screamed in pain.
It was a pain similar to what he had felt when fighting the guardian of the labyrinth, and his body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.
The fortunate thing was that he was just barely conscious enough not to pass out.
“Leo, I need your help.”
– Kyu kyu oo!
The spirit dragon, Leo, who was inside Aden’s body, emerged.
Leo, who had gone into a temporary dormant state after consuming the Fairy Crystal, had significantly grown since then.
The small body, once the size of a puppy, was now over 2 meters long from head to tail, resembling a small crocodile.
– Spirit Dragon ‘Leo’ wants to help its master.
– Leo injects energy into its master’s body.
Leo possessed all of Aden’s regeneration, poison, and frost mana.
Thanks to the regenerative power Leo infused into him, his healing process accelerated, the poison mana temporarily numbed the pain, and the frost mana cooled the heat generated during regeneration.
Aden rotated his arm in circles.
Thanks to Leo, the burden on his body, which he thought he couldn’t move at all, had eased to the point where he could move somewhat.
Aden patted Leo’s head.
“Well done, Leo.”
– Kyu, Kyu oo!
Leo flapped his wings proudly as if saying, “It was nothing! Ahem!” and then returned inside Aden.
At that moment, a voice came from above Aden’s head, where the ceiling was open to the ground.
“Ah! Aden oppa!”
“Elise?”
When he looked up, he saw Elise peering down through the hole in the ground, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit, with Choco beside her.
Come to think of it, the casino was right above this underground arena.
“Oppa! What are you doing down there?”
– Woof woof!
“Just taking care of some things.”
“Saintess! Please step back; the ground might collapse! Huh? Prince Aden!”
“Lord Aden!”
“Oh my, did the prince perhaps cause all this destruction?”
After rejoining his party, Aden left the casino.
Later, a fire that seemed to have started from somewhere completely consumed the gambling hall, and they moved towards the western main temple of the Sacred Fire Order while the peacekeeping force arrived late.
The gambling hall burned endlessly, with all the attention of the peacekeepers and the people focused on putting out the fire.
The fire, which threatened to spread to other buildings, was finally extinguished after a miraculous downpour suddenly fell.
When the flames at the Ternian gambling hall were finally put out, nothing remained.
“Hey, Unknown. Did you get the ledger?”
“Here it is.”
Except for the ledger, which contained all the corruption of the priests of the Sacred Kingdom.
—
* * *
Time passed quickly, and the Sacred Kingdom of Ternian was thrown into a new maelstrom.
Shocking and astonishing news spread.
Shock! The horrific truth behind the completely destroyed Ternian gambling hall is revealed!
The Sacred Kingdom’s elites sell out their own people!
The gambling hall owner who sought to devour the country! His identity revealed as a member of the terrorist group ‘Chaos’!
It was the horrific acts committed by the temple leadership and the reality of the Ternian gambling hall.
The Atonement Stones, human trafficking, the collusion between the temple and the gambling hall, the temple’s misdeeds, the state of the Sacred King, the gambling hall owner…
A list of the priests associated with the gambling hall was revealed, all of which were facts that made the citizens of the Sacred Kingdom shudder.
A mere gambling hall owner had been manipulating the leadership of the Sacred Kingdom, and behind it all was the horrifying truth of human trafficking.
“Priests, who are supposed to serve the gods, committed such atrocities against the people!”
This was more than enough to incite the anger of the Sacred Kingdom’s citizens and could have easily led to a rebellion against the incompetent Sacred King and the temple.
In fact, the people who became aware of the news held protests in the square.
However, there was someone in Ternian capable of calming and soothing such people.
Princess Liliana of the Sacred Kingdom embodies justice! She is truly the hammer of the Lawful God!
The youngest Saint Master is born!
Princess Liliana, the true daughter of the Sacred Kingdom, who punished the corrupted temple and uncovered the truth.
She, who was known to be nothing more than a troublesome child of the Sacred Kingdom, was revealed to be the pinnacle of the Holy Knights, a Saint Master.
She imprisoned all the bishops and priests who had colluded with the gambling hall, including three corrupt cardinals of the Lawful God Church, and purged those who resisted.
Those imprisoned had to pay the price for their sins themselves.
“Give me the Atonement Stone! Aaaah, please, atone, someone, atone for my sins, my pain! Aaaah, atone!”
“My holy power… it’s gone…!”
“Aaaah! Please save me!”
The God of Justice and Law was a very strict entity.
Now, they had to face the divine punishment they should have received for their evil deeds and broken oaths, as they could no longer consume the Atonement Stones.
The holy power that had once given them wealth and power turned into a curse that inflicted unbearable pain, and for three days and nights, they felt pain worse than death as their holy power drained away.
And on the third day, the three cardinals who had excessively consumed Atonement Stones, along with the priests, turned into white-haired imbeciles.
It was later decided that they would be executed one by one.
“Princess Liliana is the conscience and hope of the Sacred Kingdom.”
Naturally, such public opinion arose towards Liliana.
People love a dramatic hero story.
The actions Princess Liliana took were more than
enough to captivate the hearts of the citizens.
The people of the Sacred Kingdom praised and fervently supported her as the true representative of the Lawful God who had saved the kingdom.
Moreover, all the forces that could have opposed her were now mindless fools, so there was no opposition.
Using this support as a foundation, she began to quickly and boldly reform Ternian and the Lawful God Church from within, acting in place of the Sacred King.
The loyalists who had participated in the coup were reorganized into the new cabinet of the Lawful God Church.
Thus began the journey of the one who, in the original history, would have quietly disappeared, but who, in the distant future, would be known as the “Iron-Blooded Sacred King.”
—
* * *
“Thank you so much, Lord Remes.”
“I think I’ve heard that thank you over a hundred times now, Princess Liliana.”
“…But I’m that grateful.”
Aden met Princess Liliana, now the Sacred King Liliana, at the central main temple of Ternian.
Liliana spoke to Aden with a face that showed she was still uneasy.
“The one who actually defeated the gambling hall owner and saved Ternian was you, Lord Remes, yet it was all attributed to me…”
Because of this, the citizens’ support for Liliana had only grown, but her conscience was pricked.
Given her upright nature, it was difficult for her to just let it go.
“I asked for it to be that way, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
Aden was an outsider with no connection to the Sacred Kingdom.
If it became known that an outsider like Aden was deeply involved in this incident, it would be a hassle to explain later.
Especially since things had already become noisy due to the events in the northern Syres region, he had no intention of causing more unnecessary commotion here.
“And besides, I took a few treasures from the Sacred Kingdom’s vault and received this as well.”
Aden held up a ring with the seal of the Sacred Kingdom engraved on it.
It was a ring that only members of the royal family or those recognized as honored guests could possess.
As long as he had this ring, Aden could ask for help from the Lawful God Church and Ternian at any time.
He asked Liliana,
“More importantly, how is the Sacred King?”
“…He still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
Her face darkened when the Sacred King was mentioned.
Her father, who had been manipulated like a puppet for a long time by black magic, was still under the curse, even though Somora of Delight was definitely dead.
As a result, Princess Liliana had taken over as regent, governing the Sacred Kingdom in his stead.
Of course, only the high officials of the Lawful God Church knew the full details of the situation.
“Probably, someone other than the gambling hall owner cast the curse on Father. That’s why the curse hasn’t been lifted. We’ve tried several methods to break the curse, but they’ve all failed.”
“It is a curse cast on the Lawful God’s saint, after all. It can’t be lifted by ordinary means, Princess Liliana.”
When it came to the Sacred Fire Order, Elise had lifted the curse on Kertel, the cult leader, with holy power.
But the case of the Sacred King of the Lawful God Church was somewhat different from that of Kertel.
The cult leader, Kertel Jin, had his saint status revoked and was nothing more than an old man with a lot of holy power. As a result, the strength of the curse was relatively weak.
‘But the current Sacred King of the Lawful God Church is a saint, the representative of the deity. Casting a curse on a saint would require a curse far more severe and high-level.’
According to Liliana, even the power of sacred relics or artifacts, which were strictly managed within the church, had been tried but to no avail.
“Father was a very good man.”
She murmured softly, her voice heavy with sorrow.
“He would have been so happy to know that I became a Saint Master. He would have been… really happy, but now he can’t even recognize my face…”
The princess who had saved the kingdom lost her beloved father in the process.
It was an indescribable sorrow.
“…Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said such things, Lord Aden.”
“…..”
Sensing that the mood had darkened, she flinched and then quickly composed herself, apologizing to Aden.
“…What if.”
Aden, who had been quietly watching her, finally spoke.
“What if the curse could be lifted?”
“…What?”
“I know someone who might be able to lift the curse on His Majesty, your father.”
“…!”
The most powerful master-level warlock Aden knew, Niketa Florence—if it were her, she might be able to lift the curse on the Sacred King.
If even she couldn’t, then no one else could.
He shrugged and said,
“Though I can’t guarantee that it will definitely work, so don’t get your hopes up too much. I’m only saying that I can introduce you to someone who might be able to break the curse. Understand?”
“…”
“Princess?”
“…Thank you.”
Suddenly, she lowered her head.
Her face was hidden by her hair, making it impossible to see her expression, but the occasional trembling of her shoulders and the sound of her tears dropping made it clear that she was crying.
“Really… thank you so much, Lord Aden… Ah…”
Just when she was about to face reality and give up, hope had appeared before her, and she couldn’t control her emotions.
Aden quietly waited for her to calm down.
After some time passed, and she finally composed herself, Liliana lifted her head.
“I will never forget this kindness.”
The darkness that had seemed to weigh her down with the burdens of the world had completely lifted from her moist eyes.
For the first time, a light typical of a girl her age returned to her eyes.
Aden smiled faintly and said,
“I’ll make sure to collect later, so there’s no need to be too grateful, Princess Liliana.”
At his words, her silver-gray eyes shone brightly.
“Yes, I will never forget this kindness. Whenever you need my or the Lawful God Church’s help, just call.”
“It’s a promise.”
For now, this was enough.
Sometimes, having someone indebted to you was more effective than material things.
‘Especially when that someone is a genius who became a Saint Master at a young age.’
Her nature, as seen through the Clairvoyance, included “uprightness,” so there was no way she would ever disregard her debt.
Aden, as if suddenly remembering, brought up something else.
“Oh, by the way, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Well, it’s…”
Upon hearing Aden’s request, Liliana’s eyes widened slightly.
—
* * *
Curse asked Aden,
– Aden Albireo, may I ask you something? Do you have feelings for the princess?
‘Of course not, you fool.’
– It’s just that you’ve been unusually kind to her. I was wondering if you ate something bad.
‘I didn’t eat anything bad.’
He was simply weak towards people of her type.
Those who bore great responsibility and carried a heavy burden.
Mercenaries were always free and had nothing to be responsible for. Even if they did, they could always ignore it and walk away.
That’s why he felt respect for those who lived on, carrying their responsibilities with unwavering resolve.
He was merely showing respect for Princess Liliana’s responsible demeanor.
‘Now shut up and let me focus on the conversation.’
Aden asked the person in front of him,
“Hermit, is that your true face?”
“Yes, boy. Haha! How is it? Are you smitten?”
“Not particularly. It’s nothing special.”
“Puhaha! You’re the first to say such a thing! Most men drool just by looking at my face.”
Aden found the sight of the red-haired, red-eyed woman in front of him, drinking strong vodka straight from the bottle and exclaiming, “Ah, this is good!” in a rough, masculine voice, to be quite incongruous.
Indeed.
What Aden had wanted was to have a one-on-one conversation with Liliana’s secret master, Hermit.
With her mask off.
With her mask removed, Hermit looked like a young woman in her mid-20s.
To describe her more precisely, she was someone who, if dressed up, could have the beauty to shake a nation.
However, her rough demeanor, reminiscent of a neighborhood uncle, along with an inexplicable air of experience, diminished her beauty.
“Then why are you drinking?”
“Hmm? Because it tastes good? Does a person need a reason to drink? You drink just because you feel like it. Oh, would you like a drink?”
“…I’ll pass.”
She was a woman whose true identity couldn’t be discerned, even with the Clairvoyance.
And the more he looked, the harder she was to understand.
As Aden stared at her, Hermit downed a bottle of vodka and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
With a slightly flushed face from the alcohol, Hermit giggled and asked,
“So, what did you want to talk about? You had my student ask me to meet you one-on-one, seems like you have a lot of questions, boy.”
“That’s right.”
From the moment Aden first saw her, he had a powerful instinct that he couldn’t win against her.
And so far, only two beings in Aden’s life had given him such a strong feeling.
‘One of them was the Underlord, that bastard.’
But the being before him wasn’t the Underlord.
That left only one other possibility.
Unless this woman in front of him was the third being that took away his confidence to survive.
That’s why Aden asked Hermit,
”
Are you a dragon?”