Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 112

Ch.112 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Sion encountered a divinity unlike any he had ever experienced before.  

The light was so intensely bright that he could barely open his eyes; it completely overwhelmed his pupils. It felt as if even the slightest trace of evil remaining in his heart would cause him to vanish on the spot.  

He had no choice but to admit it.  

The Goddess of Light was an existence on an entirely different level from the other Goddesses. Only now did he begin to grasp, even slightly, the meaning behind the title ‘Supreme Deity who created the world’.

Step.  

Sion stepped inside. The moment he entered, he halted in his tracks.  

Behind him, the large door closed, and simultaneously, he felt an ineffable, mysterious divine power enveloping his entire body.  

‘What on earth is this…?’  

Sion walked forward, pondering this unfamiliar sensation he had never felt before.  

Thud. Thud.  

Throughout his walk, all sorts of thoughts incessantly swirled through his mind—he could hardly pin down what he was thinking.  

His concentration scattered as though diffused by the radiance. Given the overwhelming intensity of divine power and light saturating this space, there was simply no avoiding it.  

At last, he arrived.  

The very heart of the Grand Cathedral.  

The place where the Apostle of Light resided resembled the garden of an ordinary nobleman’s mansion.  

Ceiling, floor, and walls—all were filled with grass, fruits, and flowers. Not a single spot remained untouched by light.  

“Please sit down.”  

A clear voice rang out. A warm sensation seeped into him.  

Looking ahead, he saw a small girl pouring tea.  

Sion hesitated.  

‘That little kid… is the Apostle of Light?’  

He had expected something beyond imagination. He had prepared himself thoroughly. Yet, a petite little girl?  

‘This is truly…’  

An entity that shattered his imagination in every possible sense.  

At that moment, the girl opened her mouth.  

“Just so you don’t misunderstand, I’m not the Apostle of Light.”  

“Ah.”  

“You thought wrong.”  

The cute girl grumbled as she pulled out a chair. The tea table standing alone in the cathedral felt oddly out of place.  

Sion sat down as guided by the girl. Only then did she slightly lift her skirt and bow.  

“My name is Erin. I’m an errand-runner for the Apostle of Light.”  

“A maid, then?”  

“The Apostle dislikes that term.”  

“Ah, I see.”  

Sion felt slightly flustered. His first meeting with the Apostle of Light was veering wildly beyond anything he had imagined.  

“So Erin, you’re not the Apostle of Light? Where is the Apostle?”  

Erin handed Sion a teacup and spoke.  

“She’s coming. She’ll arrive once you’ve finished drinking a cup of tea.”  

Was that some kind of rule?  

Sion nodded and obediently picked up the tea.  

“This table and chairs were carved from paulownia wood by an elf artisan. What do you think?”  

Sion furrowed his brow and ran his hand over the table. The smooth texture was excellent.  

“Well-made. You can feel the artisan’s craftsmanship.”  

Erin chuckled softly.  

“The Apostle will be pleased to hear that.”  

“Did the Apostle of Light make this?”  

“As a hobby.”  

A hobby.  

Sion had nothing more to say, so he silently sipped his tea. The taste was quite pleasant.  

He wondered whether the tea ceremony was also one of the Apostle’s hobbies, but seeing Erin’s silence, he guessed it wasn’t.  

It was around the time Sion’s tea had nearly cooled down.  

Shhh.  

Even the rustle of fabric brushing against leaves sounded sacred. With each step, waves of divinity could be felt against his skin.  

‘She’s coming.’  

The moment Sion saw the figure rounding the trunk of the giant tree, he was utterly captivated.  

And within an instant too brief to measure, he realized:  

‘That’s not human.’  

Nor was she an elf.  

He knew Marquisin was a being distinct from humans, and thus he was certain.  

‘She’s close to a Goddess.’  

The same sense of unease and presence he had felt upon encountering the Goddess of Decay now emanated from the figure ahead.  

A woman embodying light approached Sion. With each step, Sion sensed breathing and movement techniques worthy of admiration.  

The air itself changed. Merely inhaling felt as though even the most terrible diseases might be cured.  

Without realizing it, Sion rose from his seat and bowed respectfully.  

The Apostle of Light gently gestured with her hand.  

“She says, lift your head.”  

The Apostle remained silent. Instead, Erin relayed her words.  

Sion raised his head, harboring slight curiosity.  

A woman of breathtaking beauty entered his vision.  

Despite having lived alongside the lovely Ruina and Kaili, his pupils trembled and his heart raced.  

Merely locking eyes sent chills racing across his entire body—so intense that it felt insufficient to describe. He could not possibly put it into words.  

Would encountering a celestial Goddess directly feel something like this?  

The Apostle of Light smiled brightly at Sion.  

Contrary to the overwhelming waves of sacred energy she radiated, her smile was incredibly warm and gentle.  

Then she repeatedly gestured toward the tea.  

As if urging him to drink with both hands, she made small, careful motions.  

Erin spoke with an expressionless face.  

“She’s offering you tea. Would you like more?”  

Sion slowly nodded.  

“Yes, please give me more.”  

Plink.  

Sion’s cup was refilled with warm tea, and the Apostle of Light sat across from him, maintaining her bright, gentle smile throughout.  

‘I never imagined it would be like this.’  

It felt as though the being farthest removed from humanity was imitating human behavior.  

The feeling was strange. His lips kept twitching, eager to speak.  

Where should he begin?  

Yet Sion chose patience.  

After all, it was the Apostle of Light who had invited him.  

Slurp.  

Slurp—  

Only the sound of tea-drinking filled the Apostle’s chamber. Even Erin served with reverent solemnity, leaving only an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.  

‘Should I be the one to speak first…?’  

Just as Sion was glancing around with a reluctant expression—  

Erin spoke stiffly.  

“She introduced herself. The Apostle of Light’s name is Naru. As for her age… she requests that it remain a secret.”  

Suddenly?  

Without understanding why, Sion nodded. Recognizing the following silence as his cue, he opened his mouth.  

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Sion. I am a knight of the War Cult. I am currently training to succeed my master, Garfenn, as the Apostle of War.”  

Naru smiled brightly, widening her eyes roundly as she listened attentively to Sion’s words.  

Her nodding and smiling looked genuinely warm. He felt like spending the entire day chatting casually with her.  

For some reason, he was reminded of his long-missed mother.  

Naru’s golden eyes were tranquil. He became curious how those softly glowing eyes would change when cutting down enemies.  

“She says she heard you well.”  

“…But may I ask a question?”  

Sion raised his hand slightly, gauging Naru’s reaction.  

He had tried to hold back, but this was truly impossible to suppress.  

Naru smiled with her eyes. Erin also nodded. It was permitted.  

“Why don’t you speak directly? If this is an impolite question, I apologize…”  

At that moment.  

[My voice carries the intensity of divinity. Normally, hearing it directly shatters one’s mind.]  

Thud.  

Sion’s mind momentarily went blank, and he grabbed onto the table to steady himself—he nearly collapsed.  

[Communicating mentally is better, but as you can see, even that…]  

Sion nodded, regaining his balance. He felt warm moisture on his lips.  

“Please use this to wipe yourself.”  

Erin handed him a white handkerchief. Merely sensing her mental wave had caused a nosebleed.  

Sion spoke.  

“I understand. I had no idea such circumstances existed.”  

Erin explained matter-of-factly, as though this were commonplace.  

“It’s actually better to communicate directly with the Goddess. The Goddess can control her power. But the Apostle cannot do even that, so—annoyingly—she must borrow my voice.”  

“Then, Erin, you are…?”  

Erin nodded without any particular expression.  

“I am the vessel of the Priestess.”  

Similar to Kaili, then.  

He thought the two would get along well if they became friends.  

“I’m sorry. I interrupted the conversation flow with a pointless question.”  

Sion apologized. Naru, still smiling with rays of light dancing around her, gently shook her head.  

“She says it’s fine.”  

Sion accepted the conversation with Erin more comfortably, thinking of Erin as essentially Naru.  

“Thank you.”  

“On another note, she was surprised.”  

“Huh? By what?”  

“Almost no one hears her mental wave and only gets a nosebleed. Perhaps only Lagan or Arwen?”  

Sion gasped.  

Even those monstrous humans suffered internal injuries.  

It was a fresh shock indeed.  

“She says, as expected, you are the human chosen by the Goddess of War.”  

Should he be pleased about this?  

Sion smiled reluctantly.  

Despite sharing the same rank of Apostle, the disparity in power was so stark it even dissolved any lingering hostility he might have held toward the Light Cult.  

‘With such immense power, how is it possible for Evil Gods’ forces to run rampant?’  

It was a natural question to follow.  

With such strength, surely they could have eradicated the Evil Gods’ forces long ago, with power to spare.  

“You seem to have many questions.”  

Erin asked.  

Sion bit his lip.  

“May I ask them?”  

Naru sipped her tea, smiling with her eyes, and Erin nodded again.  

“I just realized—Naru, you are a being close to a Goddess. Why, with such power, do you not exterminate the fanatics?”  

To Sion’s provocative question, Naru’s smile didn’t fade—in fact, it deepened.  

“Indeed, a question fitting for a disciple of War.”  

Erin spoke on Naru’s behalf.  

“To answer, the Apostle cannot move from her position.”  

“Cannot… move?”  

“Yes. Only very, very rarely does she leave her post—for instance, when exterminating an Apostle of Blood whose massacres have grown too severe.”  

He had heard this from the person himself.  

“Still, I don’t understand.”  

“Would it make sense if I told you the Apostle’s duty is not extermination?”  

“Huh?”  

Erin slowly parted her lips. Naru’s breath seemed to grow colder.  

“What caught your eye most when you entered the Holy Kingdom?”  

Immediately, the scenery of the Holy Kingdom unfolded in Sion’s mind.  

Magnificent, splendid architecture; divine power distinct even in the air; reverent monks…  

And above all these, the mysterious, floating halo. 

“The ring of light.”  

Brightly.  

As if confirming the correct answer, Naru’s eyes curved into a long, gentle arc.  

Erin immediately continued.  

“That halo is the entrance leading to the heavens.”  

“…Huh?”  

Sion’s arm, holding the teacup, trembled as if convulsing. His mind turned blank at words he had never imagined hearing.  

“A… a door through which one can meet the Goddess?”  

Erin nodded precisely, once.  

“Exactly. Thus, she cannot leave the door unattended. The moment she steps away, who knows which Evil God’s apostle might invade?”  

The moment Erin finished speaking, Sion’s pupils trembled—he was stunned by the realization that the Goddess was closer to humanity than he had thought.  

“It’s a door leading to the heavens. It must never be breached by anyone. Is this answer sufficient?”  

Erin asked.  

Naru smiled.  

Beneath Sion’s eyes, a cold shiver ran through him.  

The Apostle of Light was in a far more complex situation than Sion had imagined.  

Truly, she was a monk bearing heavenly mandate, a guardian.  

Now he understood why the Grand Sword Master existed separately.  

Why he was so perpetually busy.  

And why, despite the existence of the Holy Kingdom, the Goddess’s cult established separate bases throughout the world.  

He finally understood the reasons.  

‘No matter how strong the light, shadows will always fall.’  

Even where light does not reach, the Goddess’s touch was needed.  

In a sense, it was melancholy.  

That even with absolute power, evil could not be wholly eradicated.  

Therefore, he must demand it.  

“Please grant me permission to wield my strength.”  

To take over the Apostle of Light’s duties.  

So that the Goddess of War may freely unleash her power. 

Schedule: Every mon, wed, fri and sun

Review at

NovelUpdate