Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 386

386

Not Elsewhere But Here

If you were to ask Zion if this was the plan from the start, he would answer with utmost confidence:

No.

He himself didn’t intend to go this far.

‘But damn it, the damage is too great.’

Not just Hispania and Nudia, but also the Holy Prussen, the Elves, and even the Celestials.

At this rate, even if it ends, it won’t truly be over.

There’s no guarantee that stopping the Celestial plot will return him to where he originally was.

Survive, they say, which is the same as saying live. And Zion wanted to live this life in this world to the very end, living ridiculously well until his final days.

From that perspective, the animosity and betrayal of Hispania, Nudia, and the various races towards the Doctrine of Light are certainly beneficial, but they don’t need to last forever.

In a situation where there’s a saying that if you can’t end the war, the war will end you, they can’t just keep venting their anger and madness, tearing each other apart.

‘Break the will to fight.

And the best way to break that will is through self-reflection, introspection, and future leaps forward.’

It’s not for nothing that when something happens in a group, they reflect or engage in self-examination.

It’s not just to receive less criticism from the outside, but also to signal to those who are trying to attack the group that they will change, and others will be watching the process of that change, so don’t bother.

Groups usually have competitors and, conversely, forces that support them.

In the current situation, the Doctrine of Light, although pushed back considerably and abandoned by Hispania, Nudia, and the western races, still commands a large number of followers.

If the Allied forces were to shout that they would fight to the end and show a murderous intent, the war would not end until they hunted down and killed each and every one of them.

And, of course, no country can return to normal as long as the war continues.

A way to make those who are disappointed in the Doctrine of Light understand, and at the same time, a way to not have to fight those who still believe in the Light.

Zion had been contemplating this method for some time and found the most appropriate scenario.

The name of the scenario Zion came up with was, ‘Forgive Me Once Again’.

“Wait, just wait a minute!

Human, human!

Just a moment!”

Of course, the one trying to stop Zion again in this situation was Shah.

“…”

Zion stopped abruptly and stood still, as if thinking about what to say, or rather, as if asking the other party why they stopped him.

In response to Zion’s reaction, Shah, gasping for breath as if trying to endure the pain from his still unhealed injuries, asked again.

“What, what did you just say?

Say it again.”

“Why are you doing this?

If you’re going to scold me for daring to say such things as a sinner, then I don’t particularly want to open my mouth.”

“That’s not it.

Absolutely not.

I’ll explain the reason later, but that phrase you just said.

Say it again.

Slowly, accurately.”

Isn’t this the leisure, privilege, and fun of someone who knows everything?

While chuckling inwardly, Zion maintained a very solemn and serious expression on the outside, turning his head only slightly to look at Shah, who was sitting awkwardly.

“Are you asking for a favor?”

“…Yes?”

“Surely you’re not ordering the one who captured you as a prisoner.

There’s no bargaining chip to offer, so it’s not a trade or a request.

Then, all that’s left is a favor to this side.”

“Th, that…”

“We saved you, our clear enemy, when you were dying, and although you are a prisoner, we are giving you as much convenience and courtesy as possible, considering that you are a high-ranking figure on the Celestial side.

But I hope you don’t think that kindness is a right.

I hope you don’t think this is still the Holy Prussen.

Supreme Celestial, Shah.”

It’s a polite way of speaking, but there are bones in it.

Above all, the gentle energy in Zion’s expression and voice had completely disappeared at some point, replaced only by a harshness that sent chills down the spine.

“…”

Shah now realized exactly what Zion wanted and what kind of appearance he wanted to see.

The human man in front of him knew that he was the highest-ranking Celestial, yet he was demanding a humble attitude.

As if to say, if you don’t like it, don’t do it, it’s up to you.

Originally, he would have refused, saying it was absurd.

Shah views humans and other races positively, but there is still a hierarchy, and the power, honor, and authority of the highest-ranking Celestial were too great to show humility to a human.

“…What is your name?”

“Zion Clauser.”

“Zion Clauser, Zion Clauser…

I see.

I see.

You are the famous hero of Hispania.

The young nobleman who was called the new light leading the kingdom.”

But here, Shah’s curiosity and questions were too great to protect his pride.

Human, the being standing in front of him is definitely human.

But that human is mentioning parts that only they, the highest-ranking Celestials, know and consider one of the most important phrases without hesitation.

He desperately wanted to hear the human man’s words again, wondering if he had misheard.

“I beg you, Zion Clauser.

Please let me hear what you just said one more time.”

So Shah said that, putting aside all pride as the highest-ranking Celestial.

“…”

Zion, thinking that he had grumbled enough and received everything he needed, slowly turned his body.

If Lilith saw it, she might scold him for doing all sorts of things to look cool in front of a woman, but in fact, this part was quite important.

‘Celestials value beautiful appearances quite a bit.

They are all handsome and beautiful themselves, so there’s bound to be a bias towards appearances.’

In that sense, this body was truly born with it.

A face that even the Succubus Queen fell for, a perfectly balanced body, and a pleasant voice to boot.

If he really set his mind to scamming, anyone would fall for it, and it would be a shame not to use it.

“Since you’re asking so politely, I can’t refuse.”

Zion, bowing slightly in an elegant posture and returning to his original gentle tone.

And then, as Shah wanted, and as he wanted, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Though persecuted, not abandoned; though cast down, not destroyed.”

“…I knew it.”

He thought it might be, but it really is that phrase.

It is a sacred word that only they, the highest-ranking Celestials, know, and it has considerable weight even among the phrases that only they know.

“Do you know what that phrase you just said to me is?

Zion Clauser?”

“Well.

Should I answer your question?

Even if I do answer, I can’t guarantee whether it will be a lie or the truth.”

“…”

Perhaps Zion’s answer was quite annoying, Shah frowned slightly and looked at him.

But the other party only shrugged his shoulders as if asking if there was a problem, looking at Shah like that.

‘…That’s right, there’s no need for that man to answer my question willingly, as he said.’

Shah focused more and examined Zion.

Thinking that maybe that man was a Stigmata Holder, someone who carried the traces of God on his body.

They found a total of five Stigmata Holders.

Two of them entered Hispania disguised as refugees, and three were staying in the rear preparing for an attack on the demons.

The whereabouts of the remaining two were still unclear, so they were thinking of giving up, but if this man was one of the two, everything could be understood.

Those who possess powers that even the Celestials have difficulty understanding, that is the Stigmata Holder.

Rather than being strong, it was amazing that they could use their power only with that power, breaking away from the world that makes everything possible based on mana.

Here, an incident that Shah did not yet know about, Zion’s removal of the Stigmata Holder, shone.

The information about Trisha had been hidden until now, and all the things she had done were packaged as if other magicians had caused them in cooperation.

Of course, Trisha’s abilities were kept strictly secret, and the Celestial spies did not focus on her except for being known as a trainee knight.

From the beginning, they were more concerned with Lido’s daughter, Lucia, who was said to be a magical genius.

Lia, the princess of the Myoeun tribe, and Kim Yoo-hyun, who suddenly fell from somewhere and cut them down with a single sword strike, naturally reduced their interest in Trisha, and of course, they would never have dreamed that she was a Stigmata Holder.

In addition, another Stigmata Holder, Captain, was quietly and cleanly removed by Zion’s hand before he could even use it properly.

The Holy Prussen had been watching him and thought about using him once, but he had never properly shown his power, so they did not think he was a Stigmata Holder.

Thanks to this, among those called the Seven Wings in the Stigmata Holder, the novel, there were currently five who would blow the horn next to the Celestials, and it was natural for Shah to think that maybe this man was another Stigmata Holder.

‘It will be very difficult to find out, but I can still find traces, however faint.’

Shah bit her lip and concentrated all her mind, even though her physical condition was not normal due to the injury.

Looking at the human man in front of her, she uses all her magic to investigate thoroughly, and even harbors a vague expectation that he might be a Stigmata Holder.

But after a while, Shah had no choice but to be even more embarrassed.

‘Wh, what?

I can’t feel even a speck of mana or magic?’

Even humans can basically handle mana.

For that reason, it is natural to have even a slight amount of magic.

The Celestials believed without a doubt that it was God’s blessing bestowed upon this world.

But Zion Clauser was completely free from that blessing.

No matter how much she looked, she could not feel mana from his body, and no evidence that he could handle magic was found.

It felt like looking at an empty cavity.

Clearly, there is a space where mana should be, and rather, its size is much larger than others.

It’s like two people are in one space, but there’s nothing filled in.

‘…Wait a minute.

Wait a minute?’

Then, Shah felt something strange about Zion.

What was felt in the empty cavity was not mana, but an incomprehensible gray energy.

Shah stared blankly at it and recalled something she had muttered to herself sometime ago.

―Those who stand before the gray, you shall finally be the light.

―

That was the task given to them, the Celestials.

To complete that task, to prove that they are the light by standing before the gray, they burned all that was wrong, corrupt, and unjust to ashes and tried to stand before it, that was them, the Celestials.

The part that says gray was regarded as a world where black and white could not be distinguished by making the world ashes.

They thought that only by starting everything again in that gray world where good and evil are all meaningless could they truly be called the true light.

“…Zion Clauser.”

She had seen those who could not handle mana several times.

But they were all blocked inside.

For that reason, mana could not be in place, and for that reason, they could not operate magic.

Like that man now, like Zion Clauser, she had never seen anyone with a huge cavity tinged with gray in her life, swearing on the light.

“Let justice flow like a river.

Let the heart that cares for each other overflow like a stream.”

“…”

At Shah’s sudden words, Zion was very embarrassed inside, but he was still maintaining a calm appearance on the outside.

Thinking about what this Celestial woman wanted, Zion soon recalled that it was a religious phrase from the novel he had said a little while ago, and quickly answered with what he remembered.

“The fool thinks his own way is right, but the wise man listens to the advice of others.”

Listening to Zion’s answer, Shah felt her suspicion turning into conviction.

The words that she and Zion exchanged just now are sacred words that only they, the Celestials, know.

Humans, let alone fairies, do not know.

They only emphasize the greatness of light and the danger of darkness and praise it.

“…What on earth are you?”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean by that question.

You wouldn’t be asking for my name, and it doesn’t seem like you’re asking about my origin, so what exactly is that question.”

“Please!

Please tell me honestly.

Please.

This, this is a very important issue.”

Zion had to be slightly embarrassed by Shah’s very sudden request.

The highest-ranking Celestial, who had been quite relaxed until just now, could not hide her embarrassment, and now she was begging as if she was about to kneel down and beg.

Looking at that appearance, Zion thought that things were somehow proceeding in a slightly different direction from what he had been thinking, but he thought that there was nothing more foolish than trying to pick up the water that he had already spilled himself.

“Did you ask about my identity?”

“Yes.

Your identity, what you are.”

“I am an ordinary human.”

“Lies!

That can’t be!

Tell me honestly, honestly…”

“It’s an honest answer, Shah.

Because I am an ordinary human, I desire light, but sometimes I walk into darkness, and I come out of there again to find my way, but conversely, I can’t find my way and wander there.”

To be honest, he was pretending to be in the light because he was conscious of others, but his heart was in the darkness, but Zion was instinctively wagging his tongue in the meantime.

Thanks to this, Shah had to be shocked once again.

If, by any chance, the task given to them was not to make this world ashes.

If it’s not about turning everything gray and proving themselves in front of it.

Although he is human, has a human body, and is given sacred words from God in the same way as the Celestials.

As a state in which nothing stays inside, as it is, to judge whether the Celestials, maintaining the gray light, can be called the descendants of light.

Yes, if he is truly the ‘messenger of God’, what on earth have they been doing?

“Could it be, are you that gray light?”

“…Excuse me?”

“A messenger sent to judge us, the descendants of light, no.

The Celestials, in the name of God.

I am asking if you are an agent sent because we have become arrogant and presumptuous, taking the light lightly, and foolish and weak, misunderstanding its meaning.”

What the hell is this nonsense all of a sudden?

I was just trying to emphasize that you Celestials can’t unconditionally say that you are justice, you pigeon woman.

It was the moment when Zion, unable to hide his bewildered expression, was about to say something to Shah.

“It’s already too late, Shah.”

Suddenly someone barges in!

And then, in a very elegant and graceful posture, she kneels in front of Zion and whispers sweetly.

“While you Celestials have become arrogant and presumptuous and are walking down the wrong path, the messenger of God has already been disappointed in you and is gathering everyone with the intention of straightening the light himself.”

“Y, you are?”

For Shah, it was a situation where she could only be genuinely surprised.

Another strongest person who is considered the adversary of the highest-ranking Celestial and the only one who can be compared to them.

The highest-ranking demon, the Succubus Queen, Lilith, was kneeling in front of a human man.

―――――――Afterword―――――――

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