Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 143

2. Arsen’s Wrath

1

Grand Duke Gregory hurried out to greet Luke upon hearing of his return.

“Your Majesty, how did the interrogation go?”

“I discovered the method. Constantine’s power to turn zombies back into humans was spirit power.”

“Ooooh!”

Gregory and the paladins rejoiced.

However, the more knowledgeable mages and priests sighed inwardly.

They knew that spirit power was a force thought to be lost to time.

However, considering Constantine had mastered it, they couldn’t completely lose hope, so they didn’t dampen the good mood they had after so long.

“But Your Majesty, that man…?”

Gregory asked, puzzled, as Luke presented a hideously disfigured man instead of Constantine.

“Ahem, Constantine repented of his sins during the interrogation and took his own life. This man, I happened to encounter him on the way back, fleeing after committing a crime. I’ve subdued him for now, but don’t kill him; let the Grand Duke handle him.”

Luke’s meaningful gaze made Gregory realize that the man with the burned face was Constantine.

‘Considering what he did, I can’t let him die peacefully. Not just Constantine, but his subordinates too!’

They would all pay a heavy price in the penal colony.

Having decided that, Gregory ordered the paladins to imprison Constantine for now.

“Where are His Holiness the Pope and my companions?”

“They are at Bremen City Hall, which has been set up as a camp. Please follow me, and I will guide you.”

Luke followed Gregory to Bremen City Hall.

The city hall and its surroundings were bustling with the Holy Empire army, busy with cleanup.

Reina was comforting the soldiers injured in the battle with the zombies.

She wanted to heal them if she could.

However, she had to refrain from doing so because carelessly trying to heal those bitten or scratched by zombies with divine power would end up burning them alive.

“Please wait a little longer. I will surely save you.”

“Please do not worry too much, Your Holiness.”

“We came prepared. If I become a zombie, please do not hesitate to save my soul.”

As Reina was feeling sorry for the soldiers, Luke appeared with Grand Duke Gregory.

“You’ve arrived. Did you find a way to heal them?”

“Yes, I did. I’ll show you directly.”

Luke approached the injured soldiers and unleashed the spirit power he had absorbed from Constantine earlier.

He didn’t know exactly how to use it.

However, as Luke willed it, a hazy light appeared from his hand and swept over the injured soldiers’ bodies.

Soon, the effect was apparent.

The bluish complexion of those bitten by zombies returned to normal, and the swelling of the rotting wounds subsided.

“Ooooh, my wounds have healed!”

“I don’t feel uncomfortable, and the sensation in my body is back!”

The first ones to be healed got up from their spots.

Reina, who was watching with surprised eyes, cast divine power on the healed soldiers.

Then, the soldiers’ bodies were revitalized, and their injured areas were healed, without them turning to ash and dying.

Seeing this, Reina was so happy that she hugged Luke tightly and said,

“Wow! You really found a way!”

“The answer was spirit power. It’s about driving out the zombie parasite that entered the body with spirit power.”

Since he had started, Luke healed the other soldiers as well.

Perhaps because they had not completely turned into zombies, the effect of the treatment with spirit power was significant.

Wounds healed instantly, and bodies that were turning into zombies returned to their human forms.

However, Luke’s spirit power had its limits, and it was almost depleted after healing 100 people.

Considering that the number of injured soldiers from the battle with the zombies was nearly 3,000, it was a very small number.

Then, Reina, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward.

“I’ll try from now on.”

“You will?”

At Luke’s question, Reina smiled confidently.

“You showed that spirit power is the answer. So, there’s nothing difficult anymore.”

Reina’s ether [a spiritual energy] was given to her by Sylphir, the Wind Spirit King, when she went to the Spirit Realm in the past.

Having been to the Spirit Realm, she knew better than anyone what the energy of the spirits was like.

Moreover, the ether given by the Spirit King was easily converted into spirit power.

“I’m refraining now, but when I returned to the middle realm not long ago, I once bloomed flowers on a marble floor and revived a dead tree with ether.”

“When you lost your memories?”

“Yes, I don’t know well, but I think I already knew how to use spirit power back then.”

She just didn’t know that spirit power was immediately effective in treating the zombie disease.

However, watching Luke use spirit power, she realized that it was similar to the power she had been using.

“Now that we know the answer, there’s no need to hesitate any longer.”

Reina immediately converted her ether into spirit power and manifested it.

Whoo-oong!

A refreshing light bloomed from her body, and soon, flower rain fell from the sky.

The sight of the flower rain, filled with the pure energy of nature, adorning the sky was so beautiful.

‘Th-this is!’

Luke’s eyes widened.

The spirit power that Reina had just unleashed felt much more vibrant and vast than the spirit stone he had taken from Constantine.

“What is this?”

“It’s flower rain?”

The injured soldiers who were sitting in the square next to the city hall, receiving treatment, looked puzzled at the sudden flower rain.

It wasn’t the season for flowers to bloom, and even if it was, there were no fields full of flowers around Bremen.

Where did these flowers come from?

But after a while, changes began to occur in the bodies of the injured soldiers who were hit by the flower rain.

The bodies that were rotting from being bitten by zombies returned to normal.

“A m-miracle!”

“Ooooh! Her Holiness has bestowed a miracle!”

The injured soldiers, finally understanding the situation, cried out in joy.

Some soldiers were so moved that they knelt down and prayed.

Thanks to the flower rain, nearly 3,000 injured soldiers were healed at once.

Not only that, but the zombies wandering around the city hall also turned back into humans.

The miracle that Reina created once again brought hope to the northern city of Bremen.

2

‘Huh? Could this be…!’

Deep in the pyramid on Thanatos Island.

Arsen, who was overseeing the strengthening of the death knights and liches, frowned slightly.

He was connected to the guardian Beymon, made from the corpse of the demon king Seymon, through spiritual energy.

But just now, that connection was severed.

That meant only one thing: Beymon had been destroyed.

Arsen’s eyes, gleaming in his skull, twisted with anger.

‘Kuh! Who the hell is it? The Pope? Or that woman’s right-hand man, Grand Duke Gregory? Or else…’

Could it be Luke de Rakan, who destroyed the guardian Hiros, made from Rakan’s corpse?

‘It’s highly likely. That guy is the Pope’s fiancé and has been a thorn in my side every time.’

As he was speculating, he felt another unpleasant sensation not long after.

The spirit stone implanted in Constantine, whom he had made his puppet using Beymon, had disappeared!

“Keh! Beymon. And. Now. Constantine. Too! What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On!”

Urrrrrrung!

His angry roar shook the entire pyramid, and pieces of stone fell from the ceiling.

He had prepared a lot and put in a lot of effort, so he didn’t think that his plan to throw the Holy Empire into chaos would fail.

Honestly, it couldn’t have failed.

Hundreds of thousands of zombies created by spreading the plague, and black mages who could control them.

On top of that, the guardian Beymon, the strongest black mage besides himself, who could freely use 9th circle black magic, had joined them.

But it had failed again, and he couldn’t contain his rising anger.

“Nesta!”

At Arsen’s angry shout, an old mage wearing a fancy robe was startled and replied.

“Y-you called, Ancestor!”

“I. Will. Go. To. The. Holy. Empire. Right. Now. I. Will. Kill. The. Pope. Bitch. And. The. Leaders. Of. The. Holy. Empire. All. Of. Them!”

Until now, he had refrained from going directly to the Rodisia continent because of several restrictions, such as the whereabouts of Nanda and the strengthening of the undead.

But he couldn’t take it anymore.

At his outburst, Nesta immediately prostrated himself on the floor and shouted.

“Ancestor! Could you please tell me what happened?”

“Beymon. Was. Destroyed. And. The. Connection. To. The. Spirit. Stone. Implanted. In. Constantine. Was. Severed.”

“Huh? Then?”

“Keh, It. Means. That. The. Dark. Scheme. I. Laid. Out. In. The. Holy. Empire. Has. Failed.”

‘That can’t be!’

In fact, Nesta had created the framework for this plan, so he knew well how much damage this plan would inflict on the Holy Empire.

He thought it would never fail, but it had failed!

Shaking his head to regain his senses, he quickly said,

“Ancestor, it is natural to punish the leaders of the Holy Empire who ruined the plan. However, it is not clear who exactly interfered with this. At least, please move after figuring out who is in the Holy Empire!”

Nesta judged that there must be a very powerful ally in the Holy Empire, just by seeing that even the Ancestor’s guardian, whom he himself could not handle, had been defeated.

As far as he knew, Grand Duke Gregory’s skills were not enough to defeat Beymon.

“Keh, Isn’t. It. Obvious? That. Impertinent. Descendant. Of. The. Hero. Must. Be. There. It’s. Actually. Good. I’ll. Take. This. Opportunity. To. Get. Rid. Of. The. Holy. Empire. Leadership. And. The. Hero’s. Descendant. At. The. Same. Time.”

There were only a handful of strong people on the Rodisia continent who could face his guardian.

Of course, it was possible if they pushed with numbers, but Constantine’s side had far more numbers in this trap.

There were over 200,000 zombies alone.

Besides, they also knew that the hero’s descendant and the Pope were in a relationship.

“But…”

Pwang!

Nesta, about to speak to stop Arsen, was sent flying backward with a simple gesture.

The 8th circle defense magic, Absolute Barrier, activated automatically, but it was like paper in the face of Arsen’s rage.

The remaining force after sending Nesta flying even shattered the thick stone wall behind him.

“Cough!”

Arsen, his eyes filled with murderous intent, growled at him as he lay on the floor, spitting blood.

“If you try to stop me again, I will not forgive you, even if it is you.”

‘Ugh!’

Arsen’s rage was like looking at lava about to erupt from the depths of silence.

Nesta had never seen the Ancestor this angry before.

That meant it was impossible to stop him any further.

In the end, he had no choice but to yield.

After all, the first enhancement of the Death Knights and Liches was complete, leaving only the finishing touches, which he or his subordinates could handle.

With 100 of these more powerful Death Knights and Liches, it would be enough to take over the Southern Continent.

“As you wish. But this unworthy descendant has one request.”

“A request?”

“Yes, if you’re going to wipe them out anyway, please take care of Luke first. Isn’t he the most detestable one?”

“Hmm…”

“Seeing that even Beymon was defeated, he must have gained considerable power. If such a man and the leaders of the Holy Empire join forces…”

Arsen’s eyes turned cold at Nesta’s words.

“Keh, do you not trust my strength?”

“It’s not that at all. But please judge rationally. Taking them out one by one is a more certain way to finish the job. If the great work is delayed due to unnecessary damage and losses, it’s not just a loss for you, Ancestor.”

It was certainly not wrong.

The power wielded by the servants of God was the opposite of Arsen’s power, so he would inevitably struggle.

“Alright, since you plead so earnestly, I shall do so. I also do not want the great work to be delayed any longer.”

“Thank you, Ancestor.”

Arsen, turning away from the delighted Nesta, departed for the Rodisia Continent.

To put an end to the tiresome descendant of the hero who always tripped him up.

Spat!

As his body disappeared, Albert, the Meister [Master] of the Veritas Magic Tower, who had been holding his breath on one side, approached and asked.

“Father, is it alright to send the Ancestor alone?”

“Of course not.”

There was a saying in the Southern Continent that one hand cannot block ten.

Even without mentioning that saying, Nesta had no intention of leaving Arsen alone.

It would be troublesome if he were to teleport to the wrong place again, like last time.

“Then?”

“At this opportunity, we’ll also see the abilities of the mid-level undead and attack the Holy Empire to draw their forces to the south.”

He couldn’t directly help Arsen, who had a strong sense of pride.

He wouldn’t want it.

Instead, Nesta planned to attack the Holy Empire to prevent them from helping Luke.

There was a suitable excuse.

It was to check the performance of the mid-level undead that had been completed recently.

The undead deployed to the Southern Continent last time were all low-level.

Nesta planned to deploy five mid-level undead to the Holy Empire to see if they could really exert the power of a Sword Sage or an 8th circle Archmage.

Think about it.

What kind of disaster would occur if five undead at the level of Grand Duke Gregory ran wild?

They could probably devastate the southern part of the Holy Empire.

3

Thanks to Reina’s miracle using spirit power, the zombies near Bremen began to be healed quickly.

Those who had lost their minds after becoming zombies due to the disease were initially confused, but after hearing the situation from the soldiers, they bowed their heads to the Pope endlessly.

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

“Your Holiness is a true apostle of God and a savior.”

In front of these people, Reina shook her head and said.

“It wasn’t just my doing. It was possible because His Majesty Luke helped me.”

She then revealed that the black mages had played a big role in finding the cause of this disease.

Those who knew the inside story expressed concern about revealing this, but Reina didn’t care.

She wanted to change the perception of black mages and Seymon, even if only a little, with this opportunity.

To this end, she intended to reward not only the black mages of Dark Moon who were researching in Wolfs, but also Wilf, the black mage from the village of Ribeck, who had discovered that the zombie disease was spreading through water.

Of course, Marquis Leas and the priests were up in arms.

“Your Holiness, although the black mages helped resolve this situation, they are a treacherous group who have been secretly conducting forbidden research. I believe that while their sins may be forgiven, there is no need to reward them.”

“Marquis, I don’t know what sins they have committed. Did they summon demons like the sinister black mages of the Veritas Magic Tower? Or did they sacrifice humans or spread epidemics to learn black magic?”

“Of course, it’s not like that, but…”

“You must have heard His Majesty Luke’s words? That black magic is also fundamentally about studying the natural phenomena of darkness and chaos.”

“Yes, I have heard. This foolish believer has learned that black magic is not entirely bad, and that it can be beneficial or harmful depending on who uses it. But what does not change easily is the perception of the world.”

What Marquis Leas was most concerned about was whether this incident would tarnish the reputation of the clergy and the Holy Empire.

Until now, the priests of the Holy Empire had been searching and exterminating black mages like lice.

But what kind of reaction would there be if they now acknowledged the merits of black mages and rewarded them?

Other countries might laugh at the Holy Empire for joining hands with black mages.

And the opposition forces within the country were likely to seize the opportunity and rise up all at once.

“And it is stipulated in the national law that black magic or those related to it should be severely punished. If we violate this, the prestige of the nation…”

“Then we should change the national law.”

“Y-Your Holiness!”

There would be no problem even if the Pope changed minor laws unilaterally.

However, the laws related to the eradication of black mages and doctrine were established by the first Pope, who was called a saint.

None of the past Popes had touched them.

They also thought there was no need to touch them.

“The scriptures also say that if there is a mistake, one should reflect and not repeat the error.”

“Of course, but if you try to change it too suddenly, there will be problems. Please keep that in mind.”

Faced with the opposition and dissuasion of the priests and officials, Reina had no choice but to give up on rewarding the black mages.

Displeased with this, she complained to Luke throughout dinner.

“I’m really disappointed. They say that the perception of the world cannot be easily changed, but they don’t even try to change it properly!”

“It can’t be helped. We can only be thankful that the perception of black magic has changed even a little through this opportunity.”

At Luke’s calm words, she pouted slightly and asked.

“Aren’t you frustrated or angry? The reality that they are hostile and despise black mages even though they haven’t done anything bad.”

“Of course, I’m frustrated. But I want to avoid anything that could cause a backlash as much as possible. So that the improved perception doesn’t collapse in vain.”

The black mages of Dark Moon also did not expect a reward.

They only hoped that the reality of being persecuted and killed just for being black mages, without even being investigated, would change even a little.

“Still, I think we need to change the law.”

“Of course, we should. I think it would be good to use this incident as an excuse. We need to properly understand and know black magic, even to deal with the evil deeds that black mages might commit.”

“Are you saying that we should make them directly manage and supervise black magic?”

“I heard that the ancient magic empire did that too. They say that the state directly managed magic that was dangerous or had a high possibility of being misused.”

Reina showed considerable interest in Luke’s story.

“There’s no need to think too hard. Think of it like a thieves’ guild.”

What is the relationship between a thieves’ guild formed by thieves and the police?

Isn’t it a relationship of catching and being caught?

Not at all.

Looking at various cities, the two were surprisingly intertwined and helping each other.

In exchange for the police turning a blind eye to minor crimes, the thieves’ guild would ban serious crimes such as murder, robbery, and human trafficking on its own.

The police were happy that serious crimes in the city decreased, and the thieves’ guild was happy that they could carry out their business (?) without worrying about being caught.

In addition, the thieves’ guild could earn enough money by collecting and trading various information, or by investigating someone for money, without having to commit crimes.

That’s why some places that were only called thieves’ guilds have completely transformed into information guilds.

“You’re saying to control thieves with thieves.”

“That’s right. In the Southern Continent, they call this ‘using barbarians to control barbarians’.”

Having said that, Luke changed the topic of conversation.

“Anyway, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like you to cooperate with the experiment again today…”

“Are you talking about the experiment to analyze and explore divine power? You haven’t given up yet?”

“If I was going to give up in a day or two, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

At Luke’s words, Reina made a helpless expression, but still reached out her hand to him.

Woo- Woong!

The divine power converted from ether manifested externally and flowed into Luke’s body.

He absorbed Reina’s divine power like a sponge soaked in water, and still tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

He had clearly confirmed that the divine power was being absorbed into his body, specifically into the ether glove.

But he couldn’t control it with his will like mana, aura, or spirit power.

Once it was absorbed into the ether glove, it was as if it had fallen into an abyss, never to be heard from again.

‘Hmm, why doesn’t it work? Is it because I learned black magic?’

He thought about it, but it didn’t make sense.

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have been able to learn the Gold Sword, which has anti-magic properties similar to divine power.

“Is it completely different from swordsmanship or magic? That’s a problem…”

“I told you, divine power is manifested through faith.”

At Reina’s nagging, Luke made a somewhat displeased expression.

The faith she had just mentioned meant devotion to God, in other words, religious faith.

Yesterday, when he sought advice from Marquis Leas, a priest and archmage, he heard the same thing.

No, he even said this.

Divine power belongs to the realm of God, so one should not try to analyze it with human knowledge.

“You can only be granted divine power if you are devoted to God and faithfully follow the words of the saints who are his representatives.”

“Well, if that’s the case, how is it possible for priests who have broken the rules to wield divine power?”

Constantine, who had been blinded by his lust for power and turned countless people into zombies, and Count Schmidt, who was notorious as a serial killer in the Holy Empire, could also use divine power.

Luke didn’t think of himself as good or following God’s teachings, but he believed that he wasn’t a piece of human trash like Constantine or Schmidt.

So why couldn’t he use it?

“There is a saying in the scriptures: ‘I will not abandon even the sheep that wander outside the fence. You shall not abandon them either.’ Perhaps the corrupt priests were not abandoned by God because of that.”

“A sheep wandering outside the fence… Am I not the same?”

“Hoh ho ho. Perhaps God sees you not as a sheep, but as a wolf.”

“Me, a wolf? Fine, since I’m a wolf, shall I try acting like one?”

At first, Luke was displeased, but soon a sly expression crept onto his face as he approached Reina.

“Kuaaang! A delicious-looking sheep! Shall I try to devour you?”

“Kyaaa! Save me-!”

As Luke playfully pretended to pounce, Reina also jumped up from her seat and ran away.

After circling the table several times, playing a game of wolf and sheep, the sheep was finally caught.

“Hehehe. Got you. Where shall I start eating you?”

“Oh, you really….”

Both Luke and Reina started it as a joke.

But as they felt the warm touch and gentle hands of their lover, their eyes grew serious, and they naturally kissed.

However, they couldn’t go any further.

That was because a shepherd dog(?) was standing at the door of the dining hall, watching them with sharp eyes.

“You two, how about stopping the play there?”

Flustered!

Luke and Reina blushed and moved apart.

Luke, his good time interrupted, glared resentfully at Grand Duke Gregory and asked,

“Ahem, what brings the Grand Duke here?”

“I came because I had business with His Holiness. But it seems I arrived at the right time.”

The fact that the two were a married couple was a top secret known only to a few within the Holy Empire.

But recently, the two seemed to be getting too close.

If they were given a little more leeway here, they might cause an incident.

Frankly, causing an incident wasn’t the problem, but what if Reina suddenly got pregnant?

It would be a disgrace like no other.

“Your Holiness, would you have a word with me for a moment? I also have some advice to give.”

“Ah, okay.”

Eventually, as Reina left the dining hall with Grand Duke Gregory, Luke could only smack his lips in disappointment.

4

Despite the frustration of not being able to progress further with Reina, Luke steadfastly continued his research on divine power.

Wondering if deep faith was really necessary, he even deliberately read the entire scripture of the Elkasel Order from beginning to end.

However, he did not achieve any results even after reading the thick scripture.

“It’s just full of good stories and words. But that’s all.”

In fact, he had read it once about 500 years ago.

He had read it at the recommendation of Saint Brendan, who had saved his life.

Although Luke didn’t explain the details, Brendan seemed to have seen the deep anger he harbored.

So, he handed him the scripture and said this:

“Resentment and hatred must have led you here. But that alone will not help you achieve your goals. It’s not too late, so I hope you come to God’s side.”

Of course, Luke did not accept the offer, and he did not feel any particular resonance even after reading the scripture.

Rather, he only felt anger.

Why do those who invoke God not follow God’s words and the teachings of the saints?

Why are the gods neglecting the world they painstakingly created?

Just like in the mythical era of the past, shouldn’t they punish the wicked and select only the good, whether by sweeping them away with a flood or by launching a divine spear that turns the world to ashes?

“Does God not feel a sense of responsibility? Or is it that they don’t have the ability or the will to do so?”

It was when Luke was muttering words that would make the priests jump in shock that he felt an unusual energy behind him.

Luke quickly turned his head.

Nanda was standing there, having appeared out of nowhere.

“Ha, you really are like a ghost, Ambassador.”

Even with Luke’s excellent spiritual power and senses, he could not detect Nanda’s physical movement.

If he hadn’t made a sound, he wouldn’t have known that he had teleported.

“Hahaha. It’s not that this old monk is like a ghost, but that Your Majesty and others simply cannot perceive it.”

Nanda waved his hand and sat down in front of Luke, then began to speak.

“You seem to have many worries. On the one hand, I also sense a desire and desperation?”

“I can’t hide anything from you. That’s right. I’m worried because I want to learn divine power, but I can’t.”

Then, Luke explained in detail to Nanda why he wanted to learn divine power and what the problem was.

“The priests say that one must be devoted to God, but I don’t think so. Reina also had deep faith, but she didn’t manifest any divine power until she obtained the power of Aether in the spirit realm.”

“Hmm….”

“Frankly, it’s frustrating. People who are more sinful, incompetent, and wicked than me are using divine power as priests and holy knights, but why can’t I? It’s true that I lack faith, but there are many things that I really don’t understand.”

Nanda smiled at Luke’s lament.

“You don’t understand… Isn’t that how things are in the world?”

“How can you say that’s how things are in the world? There are plenty of things with clear causes and effects.”

“Who determined those causes and effects? Your Majesty has the ability of magic. If Your Majesty creates a flame from your hand, those who do not know magic will be amazed.”

“That can be explained by magic theory….”

“Would an ignorant farmer really understand magic theory? If I explain my abilities from my perspective, would Your Majesty be able to understand?”

“……!”

Nanda’s physical movement.

Luke had heard about those abilities close to God from the Zhuge family in the past, but he did not fully understand them.

The concept was too unfamiliar.

However, Nanda’s physical movement was not a trick or an ability that did not exist in the world.

Nanda continued to speak to Luke, who seemed to have grasped something.

“It is natural not to know the ways of the world. That is why people never stop learning and experiencing. Repeating countless cycles of reincarnation.”

“Countless cycles of reincarnation….”

“Sometimes they commit sins, and sometimes they do good deeds. Sometimes they live in harmony with nature without any worries, and sometimes they contemplate and agonize with their intellect until they awaken to the Tao [the Way] and break free from the cycle of reincarnation, reaching a higher realm.”

“…….”

“Are you resentful that God does not care about this world? But does the fact that God does not directly interfere in the world mean that they do not care? Has Your Majesty ever heard the desperate cries of an earthworm being bitten by ants?”

“Are you saying that people are the same as insects?”

Even though Luke showed some displeasure, Nanda calmly continued to speak.

“What is different between people and insects? They have only one life, and when they die, their bodies return to the earth. It is true that they have some intellect, but from God’s perspective, people are also bound by the constraints of being living creatures.”

“……Is there a chance to break free?”

“Of course. Whether they waste their lives, accumulate merit through good deeds, or awaken to even a small Tao… everything depends on themselves.”

Luke nodded, finally understanding Nanda’s words.

“So, ultimately, learning divine power depends on me, not God.”

“Of course. Faith is surprisingly simple. Think carefully about why God, who seems to neglect the human world, bestows the power of divine power. If you are as intelligent as Your Majesty, you will soon realize it.”

With those words, Nanda suddenly disappeared.

As if nothing had been there from the beginning, there was no trace left in the place where he had been sitting.

Luke was not very surprised because that was always how Nanda was.

Instead, he pondered the question Nanda had left behind and began to seek an answer to divine power.

‘Faith is surprisingly simple? The reason why God bestows divine power….’

As Luke thought about it, he picked up the scripture he had finished reading again.

Then, in the chapter on the creation of the world, which tells the story of the birth of the World Tree in the early days of the mythical era, he saw the following passage:

Having subdued the chaos of the beginning, the Father of the Heavens, Elkasel, and the Mother of the Earth, Belise, planted a small sprout.

That sprout took root and grew leaves, and the sun and moon were born, and countless stars came into being.

Where the leaves spread, greenery unfolded, and where the roots went, mountains rose, and water gathered and flowed in the low places.

From the branches that stretched high into the sky, countless lives began to ripen, and the Mother Goddess was very pleased and delighted….

‘Pleased and delighted….’

It was a passage that showed that this world was not created with absolute malice.

Luke recalled a memory from a long time ago at the words “pleased and delighted.”

It was a conversation he had when he received the scripture from Saint Brendan.

“Become a priest? But I’m already deeply tainted with dark magic?”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if you are a dark mage, you are a child born with God’s love. If you devote yourself to God, He will be pleased and delighted.”

“I was loved by God? Then why did He give me such sorrow? Why did He make me feel hatred!”

“Huu, how can we humans know their will? But the fact that you are alive and breathing now, and that you have received the help of this humble one, is all because of their love and care.”

Brendan, who had repeatedly persuaded and reasoned with him when he was consumed by hatred.

He emphasized that even though he was a dark mage, he was still a child loved by God.

‘Love… Yes, if you like something, you can cherish it and love it.’

The first person who came to Luke’s mind at the word “love” was Reina.

He cherished and loved her, the reincarnation of his past lover, Katarina, more than anyone else.

And he trusted her more than anyone else.

Reina also never betrayed Luke’s love and trust.

‘That’s it. Because you can like something, because you can love it, you can have faith in it. It’s the same for people, academics, and religion.’

Luke learned magic because he liked magic and believed that magic would give him power.

It was the same with learning swordsmanship after his reincarnation.

Like this, anyone can love and have faith.

Even the wicked can do the same.

Even those who are shameless and unashamed like Constantine and Schmidt believe in God and crave His power.

God allows even these flawed children to live and breathe and willingly bestows power upon them.

Hoping that they will one day awaken.

‘Denying that love and grace is only for the demon god and those who worship him. Yes, that’s why divine power doesn’t react to the demon god’s mark.’

The reason why Reina can reign as a pope with miraculous power is because she tried to sacrifice and dedicate herself for the sake of the beloved Luke.

Because Sylphid understood that heart, she gave her the power of Aether, and Reina was able to convert it into divine power.

Luke touched the wooden cross engraved on the cover of the scripture and said,

“Great Father of the Heavens, Mother of the Earth! I am too lacking to understand your deep intentions. But I love a woman who follows your teachings. I give her all my faith.”

Words more sincere than ever flowed from Luke’s mouth and were deeply engraved in his heart.

“I want to respect her will, not my own, and I want to protect her. If you love her, and if you also love me, who adores her, please bestow a small power upon this flawed child.”

Woo-oong—!

Was it because the earnest love and faith for one person reached the heavens?

Luke’s Aether Glove began to transform in a way that was different from before.

A cool and warm energy circulated throughout his body, then spread brightly around him through both hands.

Then, life returned to the cold stone floor, and flower buds bloomed brightly, piercing through the floor.

It was as if a garden had been created indoors.

Luke smiled with joy at the completely different feeling and the completely different scenery from just a moment ago.

“Thank you, God.”

Luke, the dark mage who had buried himself in darkness for revenge.

Having gained a new understanding and made a vow to a great being, he finally obtained God’s grace, the power of light.