Episode 114: The Holy Order (3)
The Holy Emperor led Damian into the audience chamber.
The chamber’s ceiling was entirely made of glass, offering a sweeping view of the blue sky above. Sunlight poured in, illuminating the entire room.
With some difficulty, the Holy Emperor settled into the central throne. The sight made Damian pause, memories of his past life flooding back. He had been here before, under orders from Dorgo to capture the fortress.
Back then, Damian had arrived with his undead soldiers to seize the Holy Emperor. Astonishingly, the Holy Emperor had not fled but awaited him in this very room.
The undead soldiers had shown no mercy, dragging the elderly man by his hair like a dog. Even as his skin scraped against the ground and his bones fractured on the stones, the Holy Emperor remained unyielding, enduring Dorgo’s insults with dignity.
“The leader of the Order is a hunchback? For someone so close to the divine, you look rather grotesque.”
“It’s a shame, isn’t it? To hear such words from someone who’s nothing but bones.”
“Do you not understand your situation? Your life is in my hands.”
“I’m not afraid of death. Ah, but you wouldn’t understand. That’s why you cling to life, even in that wretched form.”
Enraged, Dorgo ordered Damian to kill the Holy Emperor.
“You seem troubled,” the Holy Emperor had whispered to Damian as he approached.
“Don’t give up. If you do, your sins will only grow. Remember, you are the only hope…”
Even as his head was severed, the Holy Emperor’s gaze remained fixed on Damian.
“Damian Haxen, come closer.”
The Holy Emperor’s voice pulled Damian back to the present. He stepped forward, stopping on the red carpet.
“Damian Haxen, your contributions are too numerous to list. You defeated Agito, a leader of Yuran, and have repeatedly dealt with dark wizards and those who use dark magic.”
The Holy Emperor continued, “The Order owes you a great debt, especially for your role in the expedition. Thanks to you, we minimized the losses of our knights and soldiers.”
“I was merely doing my duty,” Damian replied.
The Holy Emperor smiled, seemingly pleased with his response. “Moreover, I hear you’ve recently dealt with another malevolent force.”
Damian produced the core of the cursed sword. The Holy Emperor’s eyes widened slightly at the sight.
“So this is the core of the sword that shook the Apple Kingdom.”
“I wish to offer it to the Order.”
“As expected, you are as devout as they say,” the Holy Emperor said, making the sign of the cross.
“We intended to repay you for rescuing the expedition by granting you access to Vigo, but for the core of the cursed sword… I’m unsure how to properly reward you. Is there anything you desire?”
Damian retrieved a holy sword from his spatial storage. “The holy sword was damaged in the battle against the cursed sword. If possible, I’d like to have it repaired.”
The holy sword had been crafted by the Holy Order, so he assumed repairs would be straightforward. However, the Holy Emperor’s expression turned troubled.
“Sir Damian, lower-tier holy swords cannot be repaired once broken.”
This was news to Damian.
“We can mend the physical damage, but we cannot restore its divine power.”
“Then…”
“The sword is no longer usable.”
Damian looked down at the sword, disappointment etched on his face. He had grown fond of it.
After a moment of contemplation, the Holy Emperor spoke again. “While we cannot repair the holy sword, in recognition of your offering of the cursed sword’s core, we will grant you a mid-tier holy sword.”
A mid-tier holy sword. The announcement shocked not only Damian but also Cheongyeom.
“Your Holiness! Never before has a mid-tier holy sword been given to an outsider!”
Lower-tier holy swords merely protected their wielders with divine power, but mid-tier swords were different. They were imbued with miracles—abilities that could turn the tide of battle.
“Considering Sir Damian’s contributions, I believe he deserves such a weapon.”
“But…”
“Moreover, Sir Damian joined the expedition to aid the Order, despite having no obligation. He is already one of us.”
Cheongyeom’s face showed inner conflict at the Holy Emperor’s words.
“And who knows, perhaps one day Sir Damian will truly become one of our own.”
The Holy Emperor’s gentle smile was accompanied by eyes that burned with a familiar intensity—the same look Agnes had when trying to recruit Damian as a holy knight. He felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.
“I am not yet worthy to follow the will of the divine.”
“Then when you are ready, you will join us.”
“There are too many shortcomings…”
Damian had no intention of joining the Order, so he desperately made excuses.
“If that’s the case, there’s nothing more to be done.”
The Holy Emperor stepped back, looking disappointed, and Damian breathed a sigh of relief.
The Holy Emperor called to a priest standing by the door. “Fetch Malta. Tell him we need to discuss the holy sword.”
The priest left, and soon someone entered the chamber.
“Your Holiness! You summoned me?”
The newcomer hurried forward and knelt before the Holy Emperor.
“You mentioned discussing the holy sword? Are you finally approving my proposal for the ‘Ultimate Anti-Dark Magic Holy Sword’? I knew you would recognize its value!”
Damian glanced to the side, surprised.
A short, stocky figure with a muscular build and a face covered in a thick beard—a dwarf. Known for their unparalleled craftsmanship and skill.
“Malta, that’s not why I called you.”
“Then why summon me? I’m delighted to be of service, but I have pressing matters…”
“We intend to grant Sir Damian a mid-tier holy sword. I need your expertise.”
Malta turned to look at Damian, startled as if noticing him for the first time.
“Your Holiness, my eyes must be deceiving me. He doesn’t appear to be a holy knight.”
“You’re correct. Sir Damian is not a holy knight.”
“Then… an outsider?”
“Indeed.”
“You’re giving… a mid-tier… holy sword… to an outsider?”
“Yes, but—”
Before the Holy Emperor could finish, the dwarf shouted.
“I cannot allow it!”
The shout reverberated through the building, dust falling from the ceiling.
“I crafted those swords with such care! It’s hard enough to part with them for our knights, but an outsider? Absolutely not! I’d rather pour molten iron into my eyes!”
“Considering Sir Damian’s achievements…”
“Achievements or not, he’s an outsider! Do you know what a mid-tier holy sword is? Handing such a precious, adorable, and beloved creation to a stranger… who knows what might happen!”
Malta’s voice boomed, and the Holy Emperor looked at him wearily.
“Malta, Sir Damian has offered us the core of the cursed sword.”
Malta flinched at the mention.
“The core of the cursed sword, you say? Where is it? I need more information for my ‘Ultimate Anti-Dark Magic Holy Sword’…”
“In exchange for the core, we will grant Sir Damian a mid-tier holy sword.”
Malta looked up at the Holy Emperor, aghast.
“Your Holiness! This is…”
“If you continue to oppose, I will exclude you from the research on the cursed sword’s core.”
Faced with the Holy Emperor’s firm stance, Malta looked as if he had lost his kingdom.
He clutched his head, groaning in deep thought.
“Then I have no choice but to exclude Malta from the research…”
“Please wait! Instead, let him prove his worth!”
Malta quickly responded, and the Holy Emperor looked at him, puzzled.
“Prove his worth?”
“Yes! If Sir Damian passes the Trial of Iron, I will no longer object!”
The Holy Emperor regarded Malta with disapproval.
“Malta, don’t make unreasonable demands just because you don’t want to part with a holy sword.”
“Why not? Even our knights must pass the Trial of Iron to receive a holy sword!”
“The Trial of Iron is for those receiving the highest-tier holy swords.”
The mention of the highest-tier holy swords made Damian’s eyes light up.
In the sacred order, swords crafted by the temple are assigned one of several ranks: low, medium, high, superior, or exceptional.
However, there were rare instances when a sword received a unique classification.
This special rank was known as the Heroic Grade.
To forge a sacred sword, divine power had to be infused into the metal over an extended period.
Occasionally, during this process, the metal would undergo a transformation due to the divine energy.
The altered metal was entirely different in structure and properties, as if it had been reborn as a new material.
Swords made from this transformed metal grew stronger and sharper with each battle. Moreover, the amount of divine energy they emitted increased.
Ultimately, they embodied a new miracle that had never existed in this world.
In essence, a Heroic Grade sword was a sacred weapon that could grow and evolve.
It was an extraordinary item, incomparable to a mere medium-grade sword.
“Let’s do it that way,” Damian said, drawing the attention of the two others present.
“Sir Damian? What do you mean by that?” one of them asked.
“Haha! Outsider! You’ve made a wise choice! To receive a superior weapon, one must prove their worth!” Malta exclaimed with delight.
“But you must understand this: if you fail the trial, we cannot grant you even a medium-grade sword…”
“In that case, if I pass the Trial of Iron, grant me a Heroic Grade sword,” Damian countered.
Malta’s face showed a flicker of surprise, mirrored by the high priest.
“Sir Damian, no matter how you look at it, a Heroic Grade sword is…”
“Very well! Let it be so!” Malta declared loudly, cutting off the high priest’s hesitation.
“Though I doubt you’ll pass the Trial of Iron!” Malta added with a confident grin, clearly skeptical of Damian’s chances.
The high priest looked between the two, then sighed deeply.
”…Since both parties agree, I cannot oppose it. If Sir Damian passes the Trial of Iron, we will grant him a Heroic Grade sword.”
“You heard him! Follow me at once!” Malta gestured for Damian to follow.
After bidding farewell to the high priest and Cheongyeom, Damian followed Malta out.
As soon as they left, the high priest staggered slightly.
“Svetlana!” Cheongyeom rushed to support the high priest.
“What did you see in him that troubled you so?” Cheongyeom asked, dropping formalities now that they were alone.
“Brother…” the high priest replied, addressing Cheongyeom with familiarity. She swallowed hard before speaking.
”…I saw a mountain of corpses.”
Cheongyeom’s expression hardened at her words.
“Corpses covered the entire world. There were so many that there was no place to step. Rivers of blood flowed like streams.”
“You saw such a vision?”
Svetlana, the high priest, possessed a unique ability: she could peer into a person’s inner self.
This power had awakened when she first discovered her divine abilities and had since helped her unmask countless heretics.
“Shouldn’t we imprison him immediately?” Cheongyeom suggested.
Svetlana shook her head.
“In that place… a black knight was weeping.”
“A black knight?”
“Yes, a knight so large and clad in such thick armor that he seemed inhuman.”
Svetlana recalled the scene she had just witnessed.
The knight was shedding tears of blood, crying out in agony.
He clawed at his own body, punched himself, and even resorted to stabbing himself with a dagger.
It was a brutal, chilling, and… deeply sorrowful sight.
“I don’t believe Sir Damian is a dangerous person,” Svetlana said, her gaze lingering in the direction Damian had gone.