Chapter 290
“Nonsense! Are you out of your mind?”
Istanya’s face twisted in disbelief at Chris’s demand.
It was only natural.
What he was proposing wasn’t just unreasonable—it was utterly absurd.
“Why do you say that? This should be a welcome proposal, even for the great High Priestess. If my plan succeeds, your unstable position will become rock solid. Isn’t that something to celebrate?”
As the earlier conversation hinted, High Priestess Istanya’s hold on power was far from secure.
This was due to the nature of the Holy Empire: the High Priestess wasn’t a hereditary title but was elected by the highest-ranking priests.
“So, the top priests have been choosing puppets they can manipulate, abusing their power left and right.”
Still, Istanya wasn’t someone to be underestimated. She was trying to resist the corrupt senior priests, but it was a losing battle.
The entire Holy Empire was rotten to the core, and no matter how fiercely she fought alone, her limits were clear.
There was only one way.
“There’s only one way for you to bring those corrupt priests to their knees: gain the support of the common priests and the Holy Radiance combat units.”
Not all the lower-ranking priests and soldiers were corrupt.
If she could win their loyalty, she’d have the power to check the corrupt clergy.
Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
“If you achieve the feat of capturing the Demon Sword King of the Magic Empire, that should be enough.”
“!!”
Istanya’s expression turned incredulous.
Ruin, standing beside her, looked equally stunned.
“Y-you… no, Hero, are you insane?”
The Demon Sword King.
To even suggest targeting the leader of the Triangular Alliance?
An absolutely impossible notion.
For context, the Holy Empire’s greatest enemy was the Triangular Alliance, and the Demon Sword King was the most notorious demon in the Magic Empire.
The people of the Holy Empire feared the Demon Sword King more than even the Nordians or the lords of the Demon King’s Castle.
“Enough with the nonsense…”
“Why do you think it’s nonsense?”
“!!”
“Have you forgotten that I am the Hero?”
A flash of light shimmered from Chris’s hand.
It was the Radiance Mana—the highest tier of the Holy Radiance’s power.
“…The symbol of the Hero.”
Not all heroes wielded Radiance Mana, and not everyone who wielded Radiance Mana was a hero.
Still, countless heroes throughout history had mastered Radiance Mana, making it a symbol of the Hero.
“But even so, I can’t accept such a proposal.”
Istanya shook her head.
This wasn’t just anyone—it was the Demon Sword King.
“Not only is it impossible, but if you provoke the Demon Sword King, it could spark an all-out war with the Magic Empire.”
“You didn’t listen carefully. I said I wouldn’t kill the Demon Sword King, but capture him alive. If we take him prisoner, the Triangular Alliance won’t be able to move recklessly.”
That was even crazier.
Assassination was impossible; capturing him alive was out of the question.
At that moment, Evan, who had been quietly standing by, stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, may I say a word?”
“…Hero of the Meyer family.”
The Meyer family was a renowned lineage of swordsmen.
After recently defeating a monster from the Fanatic Cult, Evan had revealed his identity to the world.
His growing reputation made it difficult for the swordsmanship clan to eliminate him.
“Trust this man.”
“!!”
“I swear on my sword that he is truly the Hero who will save the world. He wouldn’t speak such nonsense.”
A sworn oath on one’s sword was heavier than pledging one’s soul among swordsmanship clans.
“…Hmph.”
Istanya shook her head.
Evan was someone she had been watching as a potential Hero candidate for the coming turbulent times.
Yet, to see such unwavering trust in his eyes—
‘What is it about this seemingly reckless guy?’
Chris shrugged.
“I understand it’s hard to believe me so easily. Then, how about this? I’ll solve your other problem—the ‘Mark.’”
“!!”
“The Mark has been fading, causing issues with your holy power, hasn’t it?”
Istanya’s face paled.
It was true.
Chris twisted the corner of his mouth.
“I’ll fix your holy power problem.”
The power used by the cult’s priests was the ‘White Light Mana.’
It was mana imbued with the blessing of the Constellation.
However, a select few saints wielded a special power called ‘Holy Power.’
“It’s the power granted by the Constellation’s authority.”
For reference, Chris’s sister Olivia, who was in Gold Cross, also wielded Holy Power.
‘I wonder how Olivia’s doing. She keeps contacting me, saying she has things to discuss.’
Chris shook his head, briefly thinking of his sister.
Anyway, the Holy Power used by the cult’s saints manifested differently from the Holy Power wielded by the Law Clan of the Law Kingdom, which was Chris’s bloodline in his previous life.
The Law Clan, born with the blood of the Constellation, had Holy Power inherently within their souls.
In contrast, the cult’s saints received blessings from the Constellation to use Holy Power.
The ‘Mark’ was proof of the blessing received from the Constellation, but if it began to fade, the Holy Power weakened, and eventually, it could be lost entirely.
“……”
Istanya glared sharply at Christian.
“How do you know that?”
The fading of the Mark was her secret, one she hadn’t shared with anyone.
“Didn’t I say? I’m a prophet who receives revelations from the Constellation. Of course, I’d know something like this.”
“……”
“Anyway, I will solve the great High Priestess’s problem.”
“…That’s impossible, isn’t it?”
Istanya’s expression was full of disbelief.
As explained earlier, her Holy Power came from the Constellation’s blessing.
If the Mark was fading, it meant the blessing was leaving her, and no matter what she did, there was no solution.
‘In fact, during the era of destruction in my previous life, Istanya had lost her Holy Power. She could only use the White Light Mana that common priests wielded. Even so, that was enough to manifest power beyond ordinary Holy Power.’
But—
“I have a way.”
“!!”
At Chris’s confident, unwavering voice, Istanya’s pupils flickered.
Evan spoke beside her.
“It must be true. As far as I know, this man has never lied once. No matter how impossible the task, he’s made miracles happen.”
Evan repeated his earlier words, emphasizing them.
“He is truly the great Hero who will save the world.”
Istanya bit her lip tightly.
With nothing to lose, she asked.
“What method?”
“It’s simple. You must offer your soul to me.”
“…What?”
“Did you not understand? I said become my follower.”
“!!”
At that insane suggestion, Istanya froze for a moment, then her expression darkened with fierce resolve.
“How dare you utter such blasphemy to me! Do you want to die?!”
A brilliant white light burst from her staff.
“Stop.”
At Chris’s low command, the moment the light was about to explode—
“!!”
Istanya’s body stiffened like stone.
It was the effect of the Ten Thousand Souls Binding.
“W-what? Sorcery?”
“Sorcery? No. Feel it properly.”
Slowly, Chris revealed the presence of his suppressed soul.
“I’ll show you what kind of being I am.”
Istanya’s face turned pale.
As expected of the High Priestess.
She had sensed the rank of Chris’s soul.
“What kind of soul rank is this? Y-you… no, you are? Could it be a Constellation? No, then a demon?”
Her voice was completely confused.
Chris shook his head.
“No, neither Constellation nor demon. I’m human. A soul that transcends the limits of mortal beings.”
“!!”
“Do you understand now why I said become my follower? I will grant you Holy Power through my authority.”
But it was incomprehensible.
No matter how much his soul transcended mortality, Chris was not a Constellation. He shouldn’t be able to grant Holy Power.
“Y-you don’t have Holy Power, do you?”
“Well? Let’s see.”
Chris expanded the shadow of his soul and projected it onto Istanya’s soul.
“W-what is this?”
“How about it? Do you really think I don’t have Holy Power?”
Faintly, traces of Holy Power could be felt within Chris’s soul.
“W-how? Are you really a Constellation?”
“No, I told you. I’m human. This is just a power my soul has always held.”
Held within.
It was understandable.
But it was true.
‘After all, I am from the Law Clan of the Law Kingdom.’
All members of the Law Clan, who inherited the sacred bloodline, possessed Holy Power.
Actually awakening and manifesting it required even more stringent soul conditions, but they all carried Holy Power within.
Chris was no exception.
So, where did the Law Clan’s Holy Power reside?
In the soul.
And now, Chris was inhabiting the body of ‘Christian’ with his entire soul, so his soul still contained Holy Power.
‘Of course, it’s only contained, and actually drawing on it is impossible.’
This wasn’t just talent; the soul had to take a form suitable for manifesting Holy Power.
It was called the Holy Soul Form, and Chris was not born with it.
Among the Law Clan of this era, only Olivia possessed this trait.
However, being born with the Holy Soul Form wasn’t exclusive to the Law Clan.
Istanya herself had the Holy Soul Form.
For reference, all saints who wielded the cult’s Holy Power had the Holy Soul Form.
If you’re not a consecrated vessel, no matter how much sacred power you receive from the constellation, you simply can’t use it.
“In other words, if I bless Istanya with sacred power, she’ll be able to wield it.”
Of course, the total amount of sacred power she could use would be less than before.
But that didn’t matter.
“After all, the sheer size of her sacred power isn’t what’s important to Istanya.”
What truly mattered was the symbolism.
If the high priest of the order lost their sacred power, the fallout would be catastrophic. They wouldn’t just be stripped of their position—they could be excommunicated.
In the worst case, they might even be branded a heretic and burned at the stake.
In her previous life, Istanya had desperately hidden the fact that she’d lost her sacred power.
“Well, there are ways to make up for the reduced amount. Even with the same quantity of sacred power, how you handle it can make all the difference in efficiency. That’s my specialty.”
Chris looked directly at Istanya.
“So, what do you say? Will you become my follower?”
“…”
Istanya couldn’t answer easily.
No matter what, the idea of the high priest of the order becoming someone else’s follower was hard to accept.
But Chris sneered.
“You’re a heretic anyway, aren’t you?”
“!!”