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Chapter 229

What? Do you mean to say this happened regardless of your will?

There was no response. The surrounding light grew brighter, and an apostle quest appeared in the middle of his vision as if answering his question. Ian, of course, declined the quest. And with that, it ended. The gaze disappeared suddenly, just like the way it had appeared. The light that had filled his vision faded away.

"...!"

It was as if he had been thrown back into reality. All his senses returned at once.

Ian was on the ground, panting. Reddish steam rose thickly from his entire body. The divine power of Karha, which had been neutralized by Lu Solar\'s divinity, spread through his entire body once more. It carried a peculiar heat, almost as if it were filled with anger.

Ian staggered to his feet, breathing heavily. The surroundings were now filled only with shimmering light. There was no pillar of light or force field in sight.

"...." Ian gave a bitter smile and turned his gaze toward Gotheir. His body had turned into a blackened, charred husk. Yet all his equipment remained intact, even glowing with residual divine energy, contrasting with the charred remains.

As Ian stared at Gotheir in a daze, he realized that his level had increased. Despite Gotheir’s self-destruction, Ian had received experience points for killing him, and more than he had expected.

That\'s enough, I suppose.

Just as he was about to click his tongue in satisfaction, he heard a voice.

"This can\'t be... oh light..." Nasser, who had been lying flat, raised his upper body with a sigh. "Was this truly your will...? Please forgive this foolish servant...."

Kneeling and clasping his hands together in prayer, he murmured a low prayer.

Did he see something similar to what I saw?

Ian wondered, looking down at Nasser.

Nasser’s hood had fallen off, revealing his face. Light brown skin, almost black wavy hair. His thin lips, contrasting with his skin tone, suggested he was a half-breed of Vantruian and Imperial descent.

"My lord...! My lord! Are you safe? Please respond!" Philip’s urgent shouts came from beyond the mound of debris, accompanied by hurried footsteps.

The area around Gotheir had formed a small crater, surrounded by the wreckage of collapsed and destroyed buildings. This sight was no longer surprising.

Ian moved forward, saying. "I’m safe. For now."

Despite Ian’s approach, Nasser seemed unaware, lost in his own world of prayer.

Is he going mad too?

Ian thought to himself, raising his hand slightly. The reddish divine energy still lingered.

"Are you really okay? It seemed so serious... huh?" Philip, climbing over the mound, stopped mid-sentence. He took in the sight of Ian and Nasser, who were sitting beside him, praying.

"What is going on here?" Philip asked.

"What do you think?" Ian replied nonchalantly, then brought his hand down in a chopping motion toward Nasser\'s neck.

With a grunt, Nasser\'s head snapped back from the impact, and he collapsed. His light brown eyes rolled up, unfocused, between his open eyelids.

"N-no, my lord...!" Philip\'s eyes widened in shock. "No matter what, you can\'t kill someone while they\'re praying...! That\'s something only heretics or barbarians would do...!"

"Well, I guess that makes it fine for me. In a way, I’m both. Besides..." Ian, unconcerned with his blasphemous words, nodded at the approaching Philip.

"I didn’t kill him."

Probably.

Philip bent down and checked Nasser\'s neck, letting out a small sigh of relief. "That’s true. Thankfully."

Is that really a good thing?

Ian added to himself as he slumped to the ground. The flicker of divine energy, like a flame, danced around his hands as he brushed the ashes off his head and face. The Blessing of Battle still hadn\'t dissipated. Apparently, Karha wasn’t satisfied with the conclusion of the fight.

I understand how you feel, but we can\'t bring back someone who\'s already dead. Anyway, we won.

As Ian clicked his tongue, Philip, looking down at Nasser, spoke. "He looks younger than I thought. He might not be much older than me. That\'s surprising. I thought purifiers of the order were usually older."

"If someone like him survives to the end, they turn into someone like that," Ian answered without stopping his hands from brushing off the ash.

Philip sighed as he took in the sight of Gotheir’s charred remains.

"I can’t understand the will of the Goddess. No matter how much he followed the doctrine and fought against darkness, to grant such great grace to someone so narrow-minded."

"It could be the opposite."

"What...?" Philip turned his head blankly.

Ian, now dusting off his palms, added. "If it doesn’t violate the doctrine, she might have no choice but to grant divine power."

"But that... that’s putting the cart before the horse. Do you really think that?"

Ian shrugged, recalling the vision he had seen earlier. "Take it or leave it. Just a thought. If you\'re curious, find out for yourself. You’re the Apostle of Lu Solar, not me."

"Well... that’s true," said Philip.

Ian reached into his pocket dimension and took out a sealing box, placing it on the ground as he added. "Wrap your shoulders and arms with bandages. The smell of burning meat is overwhelming."

"Oh, this?" Philip sheepishly looked down at his left arm.

The quilted fabric between his steel gauntlet and wrist guard was blackened and charred, evidence of blocking Gotheir’s lightning strike earlier.

"It’s not as bad as it looks. After all, I’m an Apostle of the Radiant Goddess, right? It might leave a scar, but it will heal just fine."

"Okay, so take it off and wrap it up immediately."

"Yes, my lord." Philip, finally relieved, smiled and opened the sealing box.

Ian took the leather canteen he handed him and brought it to his lips. As he tilted his head back, he caught sight of the sky. The divine power Gotheir had unleashed had benefited the area. The once ash-gray clouds over the city had turned pure white, as if bleached, and glimpses of blue sky and sunlight shone through.

And not even a single quest for this?

Ian set the canteen down beside him and stood up again. The sound of approaching footsteps was growing louder. It had to be his companions.

"It’s really over, right? Nothing else is going to explode, is it? My eyes hurt." Thesaya, peeking over the pile of debris, asked a question.

Instead of answering, Ian let out a chuckle and looked away. Behind her, Mev climbed up, coming into view.

"Are your eyes okay?"

"Fortunately, yes. Though it might take a bit more time to fully recover. At least I can see."

Nodding at Mev\'s response, Ian then noticed Charlotte approaching, dragging a two-handed sword. It was the Legion Commander\'s Greatsword.

So that’s where it ended up.

Meeting Ian\'s eyes, Charlotte spoke. "There was quite a flash. Are you okay?"

"As you can see."

You seem alright too.

Faint remnants of red divine energy still lingered around Charlotte\'s body. That must have been why she was carrying the greatsword. A memory from the Labyrinth Mansion flashed through Ian\'s mind. Karha must have recognized Charlotte as a warrior back then.

They say human gods don’t bless other races. But he’s surprisingly unbiased. Maybe it’s because he’s a barbarian.

At that moment, Philip, having hastily bandaged his hand and wrist, suddenly stood up. Gripping the fresh bandage in both hands, he ran over to Mev. Ian also turned his gaze back to her as she approached.

New scratches had appeared on Mev\'s face, crossing one side of her jaw, oddly complementing her look. Her exposed forearms were marked with cuts from blades and burns, and her Imperial full-plate armor was now reduced to a few remaining pieces.

A smile tugged at the corners of Ian\'s mouth.

"Well... at least we saved some money."

"Saved money?" Mev asked as she approached, while Philip began wrapping her wounds.

"Your gear." Ian tilted his head toward the side. "You’ve got something new to replace it. Something much better."

"...!" Mev\'s eyes widened as she turned her head.

Beyond the advancing Thesaya, Gotheir\'s body came into view, encased in his massive, ornate plate armor studded with now dim magic stones.

"No matter what, looting the belongings of a purifier of the order—"

"Don\'t bother arguing. We\'re taking everything. Besides, those are my spoils, so it\'s up to me how I share them."

"...."

"I think it\'s best if you accept them." Philip, who was wiping Mev\'s other arm with a cloth, interjected.

Meeting Mev\'s gaze, he continued calmly. "Since you\'ll be heading to the frontier, I’d be worried every day if you were roaming around in shabby gear, even if you stayed in the cathedral."

You\'ve got a way with words, don\'t you, kid?

Ian chuckled and nodded his head.

Mev, after a few moments of hesitation, murmured. "Still... taking all the spoils for myself feels a bit... uncomfortable."

"I didn’t say I’d give you everything."

"... Oh, right."

"What I mean is, you’ll get the armor. The rest we’ll divide up. Of course, I’ll take what I need first."

"Really? Can I pick something I want too?" Thesaya, who had been inspecting Gotheir’s corpse, looked up excitedly.

Ian laughed through his nose as he answered.

"Your turn is last, Thesa. You should know why."

"Because I did the least, right? I don’t mind. As long as I get something."

"Wipe your nose."

Thesaya rubbed her nose with her arm and then kicked Gotheir\'s head, scattering his ashes. Without a second glance, she began kicking different parts of his armor, trying to separate it from the remains.

"Why did you keep this guy alive?" Charlotte asked as she wrapped a bandage around her torn hand. She stared down at the unconscious Nasser.

Ian reached over and tightened the bandage she was wrapping as he answered. "We need to find out who’s behind this. They seem to have been sent after me from the beginning."

"I see... in that case, my interrogation skills might come in handy."

"I don’t mind, but..." After neatly tying the bandage, Ian met Charlotte’s eyes. "Are you sure about this? After all, he’s also an apostle."

"Since he came after your life, he’s no different from a corrupted one. Don’t worry."

"Well, if you say so." Ian nodded and kicked Nasser onto his back.

His robe parted, revealing a sleek plate armor underneath. It looked different from Gotheir’s, with magic stones embedded in various places. The built-in enchantment circuits also seemed to be different.

Indeed. The uniformity was sufficiently conveyed by the robes alone. I shouldn\'t be complaining about the lack of a quest. This is a big catch, after all.

Ian smiled as he took in the sight of the mantra on the lining of Nasser’s robe.

"Strip everything. What he’s wearing is ours now."

"Gladly. And then? What’s next?" Charlotte looked at Ian with a peculiar anticipation in her eyes.

Ian didn’t disappoint and nodded. "You’ll need to use your specialty. We can’t afford to be careless in restraining him, considering he’s blessed by the Goddess."

"Of course." Charlotte\'s lips curled into a smile, revealing a hint of her fang, like a cat with a mouse in sight.

"Even if a divine avatar comes, they won\'t be able to break my restraints."

"While you\'re at it, you can also keep watch. We\'ll interrogate him as soon as he wakes up."

"Will do." Charlotte sat down next to Nasser.

Meanwhile, Philip, having finished tending to Mev, smacked his lips.

"I agree with disarming and restraining him, but I didn’t expect you to allow Charlotte’s interrogation methods. Is it really necessary?"

His gaze swept over the unconscious Nasser.

"After all, he surrendered and didn’t raise a weapon against us."

"Are you defending him because he’s a paladin?" Charlotte snorted as she began unfastening Nasser\'s robe.

Philip quickly shook his head, turning his gaze away. "That’s not it... though I suppose it might seem that way."

"Fine, we’ll give him one chance to talk it out. But don’t pity him. He’s as good as dead anyway."

"Well... couldn’t we decide that after talking to him? Don’t you think so, my lord?"

Philip turned to Ian, then stopped and spoke softly. "You’re planning to kill him, aren’t you?"

Ian shrugged, looked at Philip and Mev, and spoke. "I might change my mind. But most likely, I’ll kill him. I don’t need to explain why. How I decide is up to me, and I won’t take objections. I will, however, handle it out of sight of you two."

"How merciful...." Charlotte muttered in a tone that made it hard to tell if she was joking or serious.

Philip clicked his tongue and nodded, while Mev, without much change in expression, gave a brief acknowledgment. Though she wasn\'t keen on it either, she understood Ian\'s position well enough.

Ian continued speaking calmly. "Setting that aside, you should check your equipment as well. We\'re going to dismantle the spare armor and share the pieces."

Philip’s eyes widened as he looked at Ian. "You’re not going to use it yourself?"

"I find wearing full plate armor too suffocating. Besides, it looks like this guy had a shield as well. You take that for now."

"My lord...! Oh no, forgive me, Lu Solar. I will put it to better use." Philip, overwhelmed with joy, quickly offered a prayer. However, he couldn\'t entirely hide the twitching at the corners of his mouth.

He\'s better suited as a mercenary, Ian thought with a smirk, then added, "Finish your prayer and head to the gate. These guys came on horseback."

"...!" Philip\'s eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "We can ride in a carriage!"