Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 10 : Saint Grancesia (2)

Saint Grancesia (2)

I agonized over the synopsis, reading it again and again.

How should I prepare for what's to come?

It was clear this would become one of the greatest turning points in my life.

'Should I participate in the surprise operation, or not?'

Of course, choosing the former would make survival far easier.

However, making that choice would mean giving up quite a lot.

Our army would be annihilated without fail, and we would lose the war with the Kingdom of Kainzel.

If that happened, it would mean that all my efforts and toil devoted to this war would have been for nothing.

'But the latter option is exactly the opposite.'

As dangerous as it was, there was much to gain.

The trust of Duke Gale, a close friendship with Lord Eaton.

Duke Gale was not only the commander-in-chief in this war; he was also the master of a powerful ducal house with a solid foundation in the Kingdom of Talua.

Tedric Eaton, heir to Marquis Eaton, might fall short of Duke Gale, but he was one of the most influential nobles.

If I could win the favor of these two, there would be no weapon more powerful.

'It's risky. Truly risky, but.......'

If I could overcome this, I'd surely have the foundation needed to revive my ruined household.

"......"

The deliberation wasn't long.

My choice had been decided from the very beginning.

After all, I was no longer just some ordinary extra.

* * *

Scritch, scritch.

A woman was walking on the frigid snowy plains.

A golden-eyed woman with long platinum hair, loose and wild.

Her appearance was so beautiful it stirred the hearts of those who saw her, yet, at the same time, there was something strange about her that sent chills down one's spine.

'Don't forget. Don't forget.'

Her pale lips moved incessantly as if talking to herself, but no sound escaped.

One side of her golden eyes, which should have shone brilliantly, had lost its light, and only one eye clung to a faint thread of intelligence and near-breaking humanity.

'I hate this. Not like this, I don't want it.'

She thought.

Dying would have been fine. She hadn't been attached to life anyway, so this kind of end didn't seem so bad.

'If only I could have died as myself.......'

But that was already impossible.

From the moment the Curse of Dragonification broke out, from the moment she accepted death, she had become neither human nor anything else—she had become a dragon.

"Hrr, hrrrrr."

Short horns had grown at her temples, and scales were slowly pushing up through her skin.

A bizarre smile crept onto the woman's lips at the sight.

Her flesh was no longer under her full control, so even smiling didn't work as she meant.

How laughable, how absurd.

To think, after deciding she didn't mind ending here, she was now desperately yearning for life.

She could only laugh.

Her legs continued to walk forward, beyond her control, and she herself clung to a thin, fragile thread of hope.

All she had left now was her trembling, tearful laughter.

* * *

"Priest Michelle, are you inside?"

I called out, shaking a small bell outside the tent.

A sound soon came from within.

"This voice... Sir Vanhart? It's cold—do come in quickly!"

"Then, if I may."

Lifting the tent flap myself, I entered with Michelle, who had come out to greet me, and felt the warm air inside the tent.

Michelle smiled as he handed me a cup of hot tea.

"Goodness, until recently it was still a little chilly, but now it's fully winter."

"I suppose the cold wind blowing from the mountains makes it worse."

"Even snowed a couple of days ago... You must be busy preparing for winter."

"Yes, especially since the war has lasted longer than expected."

After such small talk, Michelle looked me over carefully and spoke.

"So, what brings you here?"

"I've come because I have a question."

"A question?"

"Yes. Do you, by chance, know anything about the Curse of Dragonification?"

Perhaps because my question was so abrupt, Michelle's eyes widened.

"What do you mean, all of a sudden...?"

Expecting this reaction, I brought up what I had prepared in advance.

"In fact, I did lie to you about one thing, priest."

"A lie?"

"Yes, about the pillar of silver light."

Though the first day's search ended without much progress, Michelle didn't seem intent on leaving until he found something in this place.

At first, I thought it best not to get too involved, but after deliberating overnight, I decided to change my approach.

'I should use everything I can.'

After organizing what I was going to say in my head, I continued in a serious tone.

"In truth, the pillar of light descended right onto my head."

"What? Is that true!"

He was so shocked he could barely contain himself, but I lowered my voice as much as possible.

"How else could I have defeated Baian Deoric with my skill alone? It was all thanks to Lord God Altair's grace."

"Hmmm..."

Michelle still seemed a little skeptical of my words.

Anticipating this, I quickly added, "And I also learned from a revelation that I would meet with you, priest."

"... A revelation? And why me, in particular?"

"Oh, well, more precisely, someone you are carrying, priest Michelle."

With that, I turned my gaze to a corner of the tent.

There, in a corner, sat an old-fashioned coffin.

I recognized from the very first time I saw it who rested inside.

"Saint Grancesia."

"H-how did you...!"

Michelle shot up from his seat in complete shock.

It was only natural—this must have been top secret, that the actual body of the saint was sealed in that coffin.

The Saint's Pilgrimage was wildly famous, so anyone in the kingdom would know of it, but I had never heard any rumors about the Coffin of the Saint.

==

〈Grancesia Atell〉

Age: 73 (at time of death)

Gender: Female

Role in story: Extra; legendary figure

Abilities: Divine Blood, Blessing of God, ...... , ...... , holy magic

Special notes: Saint of God Altair. A legendary figure, already deceased.

==

'The name of a saint fits. Even as an extra, she's on another level.'

A whole twelve abilities.

It was the most dazzling set of attributes I had ever seen.

No narrative weight, perhaps, but the setup suited a legendary figure.

And now, what I sought was only one of the saint's abilities.

'Divine Blood!'

Divine Blood was the very symbol of Saint Grancesia.

According to legend, a single drop of the saint's blood would heal any illness or toxin.

'The birth of the dragon disaster began when the princess suffered from the Curse of Dragonification.'

The Curse of Dragonification was an illness that only afflicted those of the imperial family of Asktalin.

There was a legend that the imperial family of Asktalin carried the blood of dragons; just as the legend said, occasionally, a child was born showing features of a dragon among those who inherited the emperor's blood.

Of course, if that were all, it would not have been such an issue.

The problem was that those children, as they grew, would gradually lose their reason, and eventually become complete dragons.

Because of this, the Empire of Asktalin expelled those affected by the Curse of Dragonification.

Since those afflicted rarely lived long anyway, they did not take their lives directly.

Riya Asktalin, too, must have been exiled from the empire.

But she survived.

'There's something off, though—the curse typically manifests at birth.'

I had once been invited to a New Year's festival of the Empire of Asktalin.

I remembered seeing Riya Asktalin from afar; at the time, she had shown no features resembling a dragon.

Which means, at least at that time, she had not been afflicted by the Curse of Dragonification.

The contradiction with what I knew only deepened my doubts.

'In any case, if the Curse of Dragonification is a disease, Divine Blood should be able to heal it.'

Moreover, Divine Blood wasn't just useful for the crisis at hand; I needed to acquire it for my own sake going forward.

Obtaining it would mean, in effect, immunity to most poisons and diseases.

"Could it really be..."

Michelle's face showed a complex mix of suspicion, shock, plus a touch of hope.

"I ask again, priest Michelle, do you know about the Curse of Dragonification?"

"... Yes, I do. I've heard it is an illness that sometimes strikes the imperial family of Asktalin. But why do you bring it up now...?"

"Because of the revelation I received. God told me that soon, a child bearing the fate of disaster in dragon form will pass by this place."

"A child bearing the fate of disaster in dragon form?"

I nodded solemnly.

"Soon, great disasters will strike this world. The child bearing the fate of disaster in dragon form must be one of those disasters."

"I-is that true?"

"Yes, absolutely. But do not worry. The child is not yet fully awakened as a disaster. God wills that, with the powers of Saint Grancesia and her successor, you, priest Michelle, it can be stopped before it becomes a true calamity."

"That can't be..."

"I know my words may be hard to believe."

Meeting Michelle's confused gaze, I leisurely rose from my seat.

"Please watch and see whether my words are false or true."

I had never intended to persuade him in just one day.

For the sake of "narrative plausibility",

I would need to continue visiting here for at least ten days.

"I'll return again tomorrow."

Leaving Michelle speechless, I headed outside.

The chilly air brushed past my flushed cheeks.

Looking up at the blue sky, I opened the "Setting Addition" tab.

'Time is running tight...'

==

〈Divine Blood (神血)〉

Required Narrative Plausibility

1. Pray at the remains of the owner, saint Grancesia, for 100 hours.

2. Acquire the saint's relic, 'Eye of Shimosha'.

3. One act of self-sacrifice for another.

==

Compared to the Hidden Star Sword, the requirements for acquiring Divine Blood were vague in many ways.

'Self-sacrifice for another, huh.'

A simple yet difficult thing to do.

If it were that easy, it wouldn't be a requirement to acquire something as powerful as 'Divine Blood.'

The second condition was another issue.

To acquire the saint's relic, the Eye of Shimosha.

'At least I know where the relic is...'

I'd been told that the saint's corpse and relics were interred together inside the Coffin of the Saint. Most likely, that relic was the Eye of Shimosha.

'The real issue is that I'll have to open that coffin eventually.'

But it wasn't yet time to bring that up. I could wait to do so until I established myself as a convincing 'herald of revelation' before Michelle.

There were two weeks left until the operation began.

It seemed I'd have to move even faster now.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Aside from the fact that the author/transmigrator/possessor died without being able to do anything much... Which, to be honest, isn't really that implausible...

We also don't know if the original author got the abilities that Clay has now...

But with all that, I had a suspension of disbelief and enjoyed the first 10 chapters...

The story is quite juicy, and those first 10 chapters are jam packed...

I like this novel....

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】