The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 118

“Gaia-men. Thank you. This must also be Gaia’s guidance that you have given me….”

“Gaia-men.”

Ra-El made the sign of the cross with Saint Cecilia in her room.

They came to her room to talk alone, as it had been a long time since they had met.

Carlson said he would come with him, but he was caught by the Silver Cross Knights around Cecilia.

‘I guess he’s busy preparing for the Saint’s Inauguration now,’ Ra-El thought.

“By the way, Ra-El…. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not getting used to it. I should call you Lord Ra-El, not Ra-El.”

“Hahaha. What’s important about titles between us? Call me Ra-El, whatever you like.”

Ra-El smiled broadly as he watched Cecilia return as a saint.

For the past few days, crazy beastmen, crazy spirits, and even crazy dragons have been tormenting him.

Being surrounded by crazy bastards made him laugh every time he saw Cecilia returning home in triumph as a saint.

“Oh, yes. Ra-El. I heard you’ve been doing great while I’ve been focusing on prayer! I also heard that you won the Yongbong Tournament.”

“No matter how great I am, I can’t be as good as the Saint. Do you remember? I told you. Cecilia will be a great priest someday.”

Ra-El used to praise Cecilia, saying that she would become a great priest whenever he saw her.

It was time for that investment to come back to him.

“Hehe. I know. It happened as Ra-El said. Thanks to Ra-El, Commander Marco looked after me, and thanks to Ra-El’s words, I gained courage.”

Cecilia was grateful to Ra-El.

Thanks to him, she had the opportunity to serve Gaia.

Ra-El nodded with a satisfied smile.

“I see. Oh, by the way, have you ever seen His Holiness the Pope?”

“Yes. He often came to me when I was offering thanksgiving prayers to become a saint.”

Cecilia recalled the face of His Holiness the Pope, who used to visit her.

“…Um, was there anything strange?”

“Yes? His Holiness the Pope?”

“No. Well… I was just curious about his impression. I heard that the Pope is busy and doesn’t show his face often.”

“Oh, the Pope’s impression. He was very kind and… what should I say? He had a clergyman’s face.”

Ra-El recalled that the Emperor had dead fish eyes.

Fortunately, the Pope doesn’t seem to be like that.

“That’s a relief. I’ve never seen His Holiness the Pope, so I was curious.”

“You’ll probably see him at the upcoming Saint’s Inauguration and Warrior Selection. After that, you’ll be staying at the Order’s headquarters. The Heavenly Demon was also curious about Lord Ra-El, so you can see him often if you want.”

“Oh, I see. The Heavenly Demon…. Huh? The Heavenly Demon?”

Ra-El blinked and turned his head.

He wondered if he had misheard.

“The Heavenly Demon? Are you saying that’s the name of His Holiness the Pope?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“…How can the name of the Pope of the Gaia Order be the Heavenly Demon? Priest Cecilia, no, Saint. That doesn’t make sense.”

Ra-El blinked in disbelief.

If Zenith of Beggars had said that nonsense, he would have grabbed her by the collar and said, ‘Are you the Beggar Master?’

“Um… I’m sorry. I don’t know. Why doesn’t it make sense? The Pope is the Pope.”

“…”

Ra-El stared at the saint with a blank look.

He still didn’t know everything about this world.

‘The Pope’s name is the Heavenly Demon…? These sons of bitches….’

Even if it’s a world without roots.

This can’t be happening.

“Hehe. Ra-El, you’re still the same even though you’ve become a celebrity in the Empire. I’m glad.”

Cecilia smiled at Ra-El.

He sometimes did things she couldn’t understand, but Ra-El was still the same.

“The same goes for the Saint.”

Ra-El erased his *잡생각* [miscellaneous thoughts] as he watched her happy smile.

Yeah. What if the Pope’s name is the Heavenly Demon or the Blood Demon?

‘Let’s be satisfied with the fact that the Saint Coin has mooned [increased greatly in value].’

Indeed, such a kind person is perfect for a saint.

Seeing Cecilia after seeing someone like Cardinal Bernardo made him think that there was still hope in the Gaia Order.

“Now that you’ve become a saint, you won’t be able to visit the orphanage often. Tia and Berg wanted to see the Saint.”

Cecilia used to volunteer at the orphanage often, but now she would have much less time to do so.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the orphanage.”

“I understand. The Saint is busy, so it can’t be helped.”

The Order is not an easy place to be, even though Carlson of the Silver Cross Knights goes gambling every day.

Ra-El himself can’t visit the orphanage every day, so Cecilia, who has become a saint, must be even busier.

“It’s not just that I’m busy… but those children don’t seem to be of much help to the Gaia Order. I don’t think there’s any reason to invest time in them, is there?”

Cecilia tilted her head and said.

She didn’t understand what Ra-El was talking about all of a sudden.

“…What?”

At that moment, Ra-El’s face hardened.

Ra-El turned his head with a blank expression.

Cecilia was still opening her mouth with a pure expression.

“Most of the children who grew up in orphanages live at the bottom. Even if I invest time in them, there’s almost no chance that their fate will change, so I probably won’t see them again. Ah! Ra-El, don’t worry. You’ve already proven your strength, so our relationship can continue.”

Cecilia smiled brightly.

Ra-El, who was watching her, trembled without realizing it.

‘What the fuck.’

The reunion with the saint after a few months was the worst.

Ra-El sensed that something was wrong.

*

As soon as Ra-El came out of the Order’s headquarters, he ran to the Special Guard.

Because bizarre phenomena that cannot be understood by human common sense must be asked to bizarre guys.

“Brainwashing?”

And, the answer was quickly found.

In the Special Guard, there was a giant who loved nature and had a lot of *잡다한* [miscellaneous] knowledge.

“Ra-El. It’s not a good habit to be 100 percent sure of anything. But, if it’s as you said, brainwashing seems likely.”

Gent said, sipping his tea.

He brewed tea leaves he had grown himself for the first time, and the aroma was better than he thought.

Recently, Reina’s power has been getting stronger, and plants are growing better and better.

“Is there no other possible cause? Uh… a curse or something. Or did *마기* [magi – demonic energy] shake her perception?”

“Didn’t I just say that? It’s better to keep all possibilities open. But, if it’s a curse that Ra-El can’t feel, you might as well give up.”

“…I guess so. I didn’t feel anything from the Saint.”

Ra-El’s senses can catch unusual phenomena around him without having to concentrate.

If Cecilia was affected by a curse or *마기* [magi – demonic energy], he would have known even if he didn’t want to.

The fact that he didn’t notice it means that the possibility of a curse or *마기* [magi – demonic energy] is almost non-existent.

“What the fuck… why does it feel like this is only happening around me?”

Ra-El sighed.

It was shocking to him to see Cecilia, who liked to help people, cherished life, and gave love to everyone, hating commoners.

‘Someone has done something dirty to my golden *동아줄* [rope – lifeline/connection].’

Ra-El sighed as he recalled his long investment.

He still had a strong *동아줄* [rope – lifeline/connection] called 유리 [Yuri], but the Order’s Saint was also one of Ra-El’s important connections.

‘If you think about it, 유리 [Yuri] is also *불안한* [unstable] in more ways than one.’

Was it that all the *동아줄* [rope – lifeline/connection] he had grabbed were rotten?

Only then did Ra-El realize his reality.

“Ra-El. I heard that the Gaia Order is holding a Saint’s Inauguration soon? If the Saint candidate is brainwashed, isn’t that a big deal for the Order?”

“…No. She doesn’t seem to have anything wrong on the outside. However, it seems that she has a deep-seated hatred for the lower class.”

If Ra-El hadn’t brought up the story about the orphanage, he wouldn’t have noticed that the Saint was strange until now.

The brainwashing that Cecilia was under was that perfect.

“The culprit must be inside the Order, right? Do you have any suspects?”

“Cecilia hasn’t met anyone for months because of her thanksgiving prayers. I heard that she prayed with the Pope often… but I’m not sure. That’s why it’s so frustrating.”

According to Cecilia, the Pope is likely to be the culprit, but it’s not certain.

If you’re sure of the answer when you don’t have much evidence yet, you won’t see what you can see.

“Hmm. But what are you worried about? Ra-El, you can contact the Saint as much as you want, right?”

Gent asked, sipping his tea, as if wondering what the problem was.

“What does that matter? Gent. The Saint has become a completely smiling madman.”

Recalling Cecilia, who was spewing out hateful remarks with a smile, made him shiver.

“Ra-El. How about using your power to absorb the power around you? Try absorbing the brainwashing with that.”

“…Is that possible?”

Ra-El’s eyes widened at Gent’s words.

It was a usage that he had never thought of.

“Your power is a mysterious phenomenon that even Tia doesn’t know. There’s no way I can know. So I’m telling you to try it yourself. Ra-El, you said you’re close to the Saint, so you can fix it even if there’s a problem.”

“…I guess so. That seems right.”

Ra-El nodded.

Certainly, it was worth a try.

*

So now.

Ra-El entered Cecilia’s room again.

The room, which smelled of feminine fragrance, had only basic items provided by the Order and didn’t feel lived-in.

“Ra-El. What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Cecilia tilted her head as she watched Ra-El, who had disappeared saying she had something urgent to do, come back.

“Something suddenly came to mind. Cecilia. Would you like to sit still in this chair?”

“Like this?”

Cecilia sat in the chair without any suspicion and turned her back to Ra-El.

Ra-El does not leave his weapon when entering the headquarters because he was the honorary knight of the Silver Cross Knights.

If he wanted to, he could cut Cecilia now.

‘She’s definitely the Cecilia I knew.’

She is a person who does not doubt others and gives trust first.

Ra-El took a deep breath and drew up the magic power of his body.

“I have something to check. Cecilia. Please stay still for a moment.”

“Yes. Will this do?”

Cecilia smiled as she looked ahead.

As she was talking to Ra-El alone again, old memories came to mind.

Whenever big mercenaries approached her at Sarah’s inn, Ra-El would save her.

‘From now on, I have to help Ra-El…. Huh?’

Cecilia, who was nodding, suddenly became curious.

…Why should she help Ra-El, who is a *하층민* [lower class person]?

‘Ah, Ra-El has proven his ability, right?’

He was no longer a *하층민* [lower class person].

Cecilia entrusted her body to him with a more comfortable heart.

‘Something is felt.’

Ra-El closed his eyes with his hands on Cecilia’s shoulders.

He maximized the senses of his whole body and concentrated his magic power.

Dugun- Dugun-

Ra-El focused all his nerves on Cecilia.

He could hear Cecilia’s heartbeat in the middle of the quiet room.

Ra-El infused magic power into Cecilia’s body as it was.

‘Divine power…. But it’s not Cecilia’s.’

Ra-El’s magic power dug into Cecilia’s body.

Cecilia’s divine power that he had felt several times.

On top of that, there was someone else’s divine power.

“Ra, Ra-El. Ugh, eugh….”

Then, Cecilia groaned uncomfortably.

Surprised, Ra-El immediately recovered his magic power and checked Cecilia’s condition.

“Saint? Is there anything uncomfortable….”

“Ah, aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The moment Ra-El faced Cecilia.

Cecilia grabbed her head with a painful face and started screaming.

Her voice spread throughout the Order’s headquarters in an instant.

쾅-!

“Saint!”

“What’s going on!”

The Order’s Saint is an existence that must be strictly protected until the Saint’s Inauguration.

Ra-El swallowed as he watched the Silver Cross Knights rush into the room in the blink of an eye.

“Ra, Lord Ra-El?! What’s going on?”

“Why are you here…?”

The knights who came into the room after hearing the Saint’s painful voice were also embarrassed.

In their eyes, it seemed that Ra-El was restraining the Saint’s body, who was in pain.

“…Ah, that’s.”

Ra-El slowly took his hand off Cecilia with tension.

And he made up his mind.

Gent. You son of a bitch.

I will never listen to that giant again.