CHAPTER 118

A meal with Horizon.
I couldn’t eat much since I’d had a sandwich earlier, but that was fine.
Just watching Horizon eat put my mind at ease.
“U-Um, i-if you all keep s-staring at me like that, it’s a little much.”
Horizon glanced around nervously as she ate, clearly feeling pressured.
Right, we were staring too much while she was trying to eat.
“Horizon, there’s something we need to tell you. Listen while you eat.”
I had already told Horizon that several months had passed, but I hadn’t gone into the details yet.
I knew it would be a long story, so I had waited on purpose.
We slowly recounted the story of what we had been through.
What had happened to us, and how Asheria Eve had stolen Horizon’s appearance.
We explained everything, step by step.
Horizon remained silent throughout the entire story.
It must have been a bewildering and absurd tale for her to hear, but it was necessary.
After the long story was finished, Horizon let out a breath.
“So that’s what happened.”
She looked up at us with a bittersweet expression.
“It’s a shame there are so many memories I couldn’t share with you, Harua, Aranseol, and Babiyen.”
“We can just start making new ones from now on,” Aranseol spoke up first.
“We have plenty of time.”
Relationships can be rebuilt.
Even if what was built before was a lie, we can start over and build it with truth.
Aranseol, myself, all of us knew that well.
“It’s not that difficult,” Babiyen said with a sniff, looking smug.
I wasn’t quite sure why she was the one acting smug.
“Harua, even though I wasn’t the one who asked, thank you for saving Monghwagol so many times.”
Memories Horizon didn’t have.
But she expressed her gratitude nonetheless.
Because the women of Monghwagol were her family.
“And it seems you’ll be needing my help from now on.”
This time, we only managed to defeat one of the Sins.
Ganibal, the Sin of Gluttony.
The whereabouts of the other Sins were unknown.
In particular, Morbid Geryusika, the Sin of Envy, had escaped right when we had him cornered.
Asheria Eve’s intervention had thrown our plans into disarray.
Horizon’s shadow abilities were effective against Morbid, the mutant Amyeong.
Asheria Eve herself had proven that.
“...The Sin of Envy. He is my enemy, too.”
Asheria Eve had read Horizon’s memories.
Therefore, everything she had said was based on what Horizon remembered.
That meant Morbid was the same enemy who had killed Horizon’s biological parents.
“I will become stronger.”
A firm resolve settled in Horizon’s eyes.
She conveyed her desire to be of help to us as well.
The determination Horizon had shown in the spider’s den that day had been genuine.
It’s the same for me.
Aranseol quietly gazed out the window.
“...Sohan.”
The disciple Soun had taken in, who had trained alongside her. Sohan.
He had approached Soun from the very beginning with the intent to betray him.
“Harua, I think I need to be with Master for a while.”
Was it because she felt helpless against Asheria Eve this time?
A fierce determination churned in her eyes.
The fastest way for her to become stronger was to receive proper training from Soun again.
After all, there was no one in this world who could wield a sword better than Soun.
Aranseol’s eyes showed a hint of sadness at the thought of leaving, but her face was set with resolve.
“Okay. Come back stronger.”
I was planning to live at the Holy Church for the time being anyway.
With Black Dawn’s future movements uncertain, what I needed to prepare was strength and connections.
As word of my Resurrection magic spreads globally, various figures will try to contact me.
I already had the title of Saint.
The Holy Church was already actively promoting the fact that I was the disciple of the Divine Lord, Aigis.
In other words, they had decided to use me as the Holy Church’s promotional poster child.
And there was likely a message for me in that as well.
The Holy Church had already decided to protect me.
That’s what they were conveying.
It made sense. Considering the value of the name ‘Saint’ and Resurrection magic, it was a profitable venture for them.
Now that the Holy Church was directly involved, I would have a constant escort to prevent any kidnapping attempts.
It would be a guard detail of a much higher intensity than before.
With this, my life would be safer than ever.
“Harua, can we talk for a moment?”
Just then, Babiyen asked to speak with me privately.
Following her request, I left Horizon and Aranseol and stepped outside for a moment.
“The Red Flame Lord… can you revive that woman again?”
I understood Babiyen’s words instantly.
“Babiyen, there’s no guarantee that woman will cooperate normally.”
“I know. But even in the Red Magic Tower, there was no one who could match her in fire magic.”
She wasn’t called a Lord for nothing.
She may have been an easy opponent for Soun, but a Lord was still a Lord.
When it came to fire magic, she was at the pinnacle.
“...I know this is a shameless request.”
Babiyen knew better than anyone how vicious a woman the Red Flame Lord was.
And yet, she was asking this of me.
I didn’t have to think too hard to understand how she must be feeling.
“I don’t really think it’s shameless.”
In the first place, I was a large part of the reason she needed to become stronger.
The situation had become this dangerous because of my Resurrection magic.
Babiyen was trying to become stronger to match it.
The responsibility had been mine from the start.
Moreover, there weren't many people in this world I could trust.
That tendency was only going to become more pronounced.
From now on, everyone who approached me would do so for one thing: Resurrection magic.
There was no way I could form a proper relationship of trust with people like that.
That was why the only people I could truly trust right now were three individuals.
Aranseol, Babiyen, and Horizon, who had been with me from the very beginning.
If those three became stronger, it would be the best insurance for me.
“If the only condition for her revival is that she teaches you, that greedy woman won’t refuse.”
If we revived her with all her magic circuits blocked, the Red Flame Lord would be powerless anyway.
But she was a woman with a twisted personality.
A woman like that would definitely try something even in that state.
“Babiyen, you won’t be able to handle her on your own forever. We need someone else trustworthy.”
A reliable person who could definitively keep the Red Flame Lord in check.
We needed at least one more person like that.
We could look for someone in the Regular Army, but they were currently extremely busy with Black Dawn.
With every person being a valuable asset, it was a bit much to pull away military strength just for training.
More importantly, there was an element of uncertainty, just like with Asheria Eve.
It was too risky to act rashly.
Babiyen thought for a while.
Then, as if something occurred to her, she looked up.
“...There is someone.”
“Who is it?”
“The person who is the Red Flame Lord’s polar opposite.”
And then, an unexpected name was mentioned.
“The Ice Lord.”
I hadn’t expected another Lord to be mentioned at this timing.
“Do you have a connection with him?”
“He owes a debt to the Asteria Barony, so I met him often as a child. He was also the one who told me I had a talent for magic. If I had a talent for the ice attribute, I would have studied under him.”
“But with the Asteria family…”
“Yes, I was supposed to have died. Still, he’s someone I’ve known for a long time. More importantly…”
Babiyen stated it clearly.
“He’s always been famous for being that woman’s opposite.”
The Ice Lord.
I might have studied the Sins, but I had never looked deeply into the Lords.
Still, from Babiyen’s expression, he seemed to be a rather trustworthy person.
This could be useful.
It’s always good to know even one more powerhouse on the level of a Lord.
It might be a good idea to use this opportunity to put him in my debt and build a relationship.
The Black Dawn bastards are on the run.
Including the Sin of Wrath, the current members of Black Dawn have achieved their goal at the Imperial Palace and are now desperately fleeing in the 2nd World. Since they caused such an incident at the Palace, not only the Regular Army but the Imperial Family itself is on the move.
Even those bastards can’t afford to target me in this situation. Doing so would only result in a greater loss of their own strength.
After a major battle, this is essentially a lull.
I was continuously receiving reports on the war situation from the Regular Army. I had to get as much done as I could during this gap.
“Then, we can go meet him together.”
“You’ll come in person, Harua?”
“He’s the person I’ll be entrusting you to for a while. I’ll know what kind of person he is once I meet him myself.”
I have a good eye for people.
If I didn’t feel I could trust him, I could just call it off.
After hearing my words, Babiyen looked at me quietly.
“...Then, it will be just the two of us?”
Aranseol has to go train with Soun.
In Horizon’s case, since she’s an Amyeong, her training will be individual.
As such, it would definitely be just me and Babiyen.
“It probably won’t be just the two of us. The Regular Army and the Holy Church will assign escorts to my side.”
Lululio would probably rejoin us as soon as she returned.
As long as the enemy has Morbid of the Amyeong Tribe, Lululio’s Ability would be a great help.
My life would become even more important from now on.
Security would be tightened to fend off those targeting me from all sides.
“...I’m not talking about escorts like that. I mean Aranseol and Horizon won’t be there. It’ll be just us.”
What’s with her?
“Babiyen, are you awkward around me when it’s just the two of us?”
Come to think of it, there had never been a time when it was just me and Babiyen.
Aranseol was almost always by my side.
So it was possible that Babiyen felt awkward with me.
Babiyen stared at me blankly for a moment before covering her face and letting out a sigh. She looked as if she couldn't understand why she was even worrying about this.
“I’d rather it actually be awkward.”
“Lady Babiyen, if you wish, I can keep my distance at any time.”
Babiyen immediately threw a punch, so I quickly backed away.
Sorry, but with Babiyen’s current physical abilities, she stood no chance against me.
I, too, have gotten quite strong as a member of the Holy Knights.
A frail mage is no match for me.
“Don’t be so annoying. I’m going to hit you.”
“You already swung.”
“It didn’t land.”
Violence isn’t only established when a hit lands.
Such a statement from an uncivilized this-worlder.
“Hmph, seriously. Ugh, I don’t know. Do whatever you want!”
Why was she getting more and more irritable?
After taking out her frustration on me for no reason, Babiyen stomped back inside.
The Ice Lord, huh.
I don’t know what kind of person he is, but since he’s the Red Flame Lord’s opposite, I feel like we’ll get along just fine.
I can’t resist some good old-fashioned badmouthing.