Chapter 363

Chapter 363

‘Should I isolate him from Timothy even now?’

Harden couldn’t help but worry about this.

Handling just one Timothy was already overwhelming, but if there were two of him, Acherandir would surely become a mess.

Since Joy’s ability was outstanding enough for Harden to recognize, that time would not be far off either.

To Joy’s eyes right now, Roan probably looked like the present progressive tense of living history itself.

…And anyone with common sense would call what she was trying to do human experimentation.

“Tsk… Anyway, I will assign two or three priests who witnessed it here. For now, replace the investigation through them. Also, even if Darc wakes up, do not bother him until next week.”

“Um, may I dare to ask why?”

“…Normally, when a student faints for such a reason, it is only proper to let them rest.”

Harden reacted as if asking why she was questioning something so obvious, but Joy was not one to be easily pushed around either.

“But it seems Lady Hiloa’s holy light is not a normal reason.”

[That is true, though?]

The listening Diar said teasingly.

Harden waved his hand as if it was annoying and asserted.

“Anyway, just do as you’re told.”

Joy wore a disappointed expression, but soon left the small prayer room with a few priests as Harden directed.

In Harden’s mind, Joy was solidifying as ‘a slightly more normal Timothy.’

And Harden asked Diar.

“How is Darc’s condition?”

Flutter— flutter—

Diar fluttered its pages for a moment as if thinking, then said.

[His body is fine. However…]

“However?”

Diar delivered the gospel in a slightly serious voice.

[It seems he is dreaming.]

“A dream…”

Harden also spoke in a pensive voice.

In this world where holy magic and magic actually existed, dreams held a completely different meaning than on Earth.

How much more so if it was a dream dreamed after receiving Lady Hiloa’s power directly?

Harden murmured as he looked at the collapsed Roan.

“I hate to admit it… but it seems she favors him quite a bit.”

[Tell me about it.]

How could a human understand the will of a god?

…Strictly speaking, it was a supreme holy spirit who had transcended humanity to reach the realm of a god, and that god’s diary, though.

At any rate, the two of them could not guess Hiloa’s will at all, nor did they even dare to try.

However, precisely because they loved Hiloa that much, they felt proud of Roan, who was favored by Hiloa, yet on the other hand, jealousy would occasionally rise…

* * *

Roan, who had fainted from Hiloa’s storm-like holy power—which was directed only at him—

opened his eyes groggily at some point.

A dark room because it was night, old but classic furniture, and various ornaments that also suggested a significant history.

The sound of raindrops shattering in the pouring rain and the occasional roll of thunder set the atmosphere.

Normally, he would have thought something like, ‘Was I captured?’ but Roan was used to these situations by now.

‘It’s a dream.’

Because there no such place in Acherandir.

If he had really been captured, he would have woken up in the iron coffin he saw in Kaina’s dungeon.

Decisively, he could not feel the authorities that were now practically one with his body.

It was solely Roan’s soul standing here.

Roan looked around.

A gray-haired man was standing in front of a small window in the room, looking out.

‘Hmm.’

Looking at that back, Roan felt a sense of déjà vu.

Extremely familiar, yet also unfamiliar.

Feeling a sense of kinship as if he was a part of his soul, yet as though they had been separated for a very long time…

Just as Roan was about to take a step to see his face,

Shhh—

he turned around on his own.

‘Whoa. What is that? Why does he look so scary?’

Roan was startled to see the face of the man who finally revealed himself.

Crash—!

Coincidentally, a lightning strike at that moment cast a dreary light on only half of his face, making it even more chilling.

That was because, even though he was dressed in fairly high-quality clothes,

‘…it looks like he just came out after stabbing ten people in a back alley.’

Not a single drop of blood was on him, but that made his appearance prompt even more brutal imaginings!

However, for some reason, the man stared intently toward the direction where Roan was standing.

‘Can he see me…?’

It was a blatant and persistent gaze that forced Roan to doubt.

But this place was strictly within Roan’s dream.

There was no way he would be visible to anyone.

Even so, just as he was about to move his position to test it just in case,

— Your Grace! Lord Darc!

someone called the man from the door, not daring to enter the room without permission.

Roan was astonished.

‘Darc!’

Nonsense.

Did it mean his own bloodline looked that terrifying!

‘…Hmm, looking closely, it seems he has a benevolent side. Yes, those eyes certainly look very warm.’

Roan gritted his teeth and began to find positive aspects in the face of the man who suddenly looked cold, gloomy, and dangerous.

And had the False Divinity been able to chime in, it would probably have vibrated violently.

Asking how he could not recognize someone who looked exactly like him!

At any rate, Roan roughly guessed the situation upon seeing the copper plate inside the cabinet.

— Imperial East Grand Paladin Order Contribution Plaque —

— Delion Bisted Lu Darc —

— You have made every effort in both material and spiritual aspects for the safety of the Empire… —

— May 12, Year 5300, Commander of the Imperial East Grand Paladin Order —

‘Delion Bisted Lu Darc.’

It seemed that this warm, benevolent, and true father-like man was his father in the riddle, Delion.

‘I heard stories about him being angry in dreams, so I thought he would have a slightly different image.’

At any rate, Roan felt that the most important puzzle pieces were finally falling into place.

At least now he could say he knew his parents’ names and faces with confidence!

However, looking closely, not only was Delion’s appearance unusual, but the energy felt from him was also extraordinary.

Of course, it could not be compared to the professors scattered all over Acherandir.

Though it did not reach the level of demigods like Harden or Diar, it was just below that.

‘He must be at least at the level of the Tiger of Mount Videln or the Commander of the Central Paladin Order…’

Delion was on the level of a top-tier named character who could rule the continent.

Furthermore, there was a sense of disparity that he had felt since first seeing his face.

Since he couldn’t fully elevate his senses, he couldn’t be sure, but at least to Roan’s feeling…

“Enter.”

At that moment, Delion called the man in a low, solid voice.

It was indeed a voice filled with irresistible majesty.

…This was not flattery, but sincere truth.

Creak—

A vassal with a stiff expression appeared through the crack in the door.

He spoke in a highly tense voice compared to Delion.

— Your Grace, it seems… it has finally begun.

Although many elements were missing, to anyone, it was an ominously alarming statement.

Delion nodded, as if he understood with just that.

“Is that so. What about the others?”

— As you ordered… they have been sent out in advance.

“I see. I will go out soon as well, so you may leave.”

— Yes, Your Grace.

The vassal bowed politely and prepared to leave.

But he could not control the trembling felt from his body.

Watching him, Delion called him softly.

“Wait.”

— …Yes?

Perhaps it was not a very familiar phrase, as Delion frowned for a moment before parting his lips.

“……Thank you for staying.”

— !

The vassal’s body flinched heavily.

But there was no longer any subtle trembling like before.

Creak—

The vassal closed the door and left without a word.

It seemed to be a conversation unfamiliar to both.

And Delion looked toward the door where the vassal had left for a moment, then moved his steps.

When he pressed a brick on the empty wall next to the bed—

Rumble—

soon, the wall seemed to pivot halfway, and a small space emerged behind it.

‘Tenth row from the top, thirtieth brick from the window. I must remember this well.’

Roan, who would soon go to the Darc Lord’s Castle, memorized the location of the brick just in case.

Who knew if there might be a secret family warehouse inside!

However, Roan was slightly disappointed after checking the contents inside.

Strictly speaking, a secret storage was indeed a secret storage.

However.

Slide—

‘To think there’s only a single set of clothes inside…’

The problem was that it was a secret storage containing only one item.

However, Roan’s eyes widened slightly upon confirming the identity of the clothes Delion pulled out.

‘Scale Robe of the Shattered God?!’

The ‘Shattered God’ series, which even Roan could barely obtain and wear in the very late stages of the game.

Among them, the scale robe was easily the best armor for characters using holy magic.

Not only did it possess defense comparable to heavy armor of the same level, but it was also lightweight and even added a guaranteed bonus to attack power despite being armor.

However, the scale robe Delion pulled out was black.

Since the ‘Shattered God’ series normally existed only in white, one of each kind, it was something Roan hadn’t even imagined.

Roan’s mind spun quickly.

‘A black scale robe. Well, it could exist. But for that single robe to be in the Darc family… means it is at least an heirloom!’

And he could not hide his intense regret.

‘If only the family hadn’t been destroyed, it would have just passed down to me!’

Seeing him hide it so carefully behind the wall and only pull it out to wear, he probably wouldn’t use it under ordinary circumstances.

That meant, normally, it was assets that Roan should have inherited!

Naturally, after the Darc family was destroyed, he had no idea where that robe might be.

‘I must, I must… return to Darc Castle.’

Roan nurtured a deep affection for his family with a heart that wept tears of blood.

Regardless, Delion left the room wearing the scale robe.

Roan thought as he followed behind him.

‘But why am I dreaming this dream?’

Thinking about it, there was something strange.

Judging by the felt atmosphere, this scene was a secret history right before the destruction of the Darc family.

If he were the real Roan Darc, it wouldn’t be strange to dream such a dream, but

as you know, current Roan was not Roan’s original soul.

The only guess he could make was…

‘Could destiny have become entangled because of Hiloa’s holy light?’

The wheel of fate did not turn in vain.

However, if the holy light of Hiloa, the main god of this world, was involved, it was a sufficient factor.

For now, that was the only way he could think of it.

How much further did they walk along the dark corridor of the Darc Lord’s Castle?

Rumble—

An extremely ominous vibration swept through the castle once.

Stop—

Delion, who was walking ahead, stopped his steps.

And he quietly stared straight ahead.

It was not because he couldn’t find the source of the vibration.

Even Roan could find the source of such a severe vibration in an instant.

However, the reason was that the source appeared in all four cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west, simultaneously.

Below, where the vassals and troops would be gathered, an absolute chaos must have broken out.

— Hiloa!

— Do you truly abandon the Darc family!

Cries filled with despair rose along the cold stone walls.

It was also the first time Roan had actually felt such a vibration.

However, the ominousness encroaching at the fundamental level of existence,

and if it was the presence of a terrible evil capable of stopping someone like Delion in his tracks, there was a suspect that came to mind.

Roan and Delion muttered at the same time.

‘It’s a Demon King.’

“A Demon King…”