Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 135 : The Human Closest to God (1)

The Human Closest to God (1)

My companions cautiously followed behind me.

Ian, who had an eye for observation, and Mersaya, who had Dragon Eyes, seemed to vaguely sense the presence of the stairs, descending without hesitation.

"You're all so, so fearless, aren't you?"

Only Kisea moved her steps while trembling.

Because of that, her face looked so pitiful it was hard to watch.

"So you actually have things you're afraid of?"

"Wh-what are you talking about? I'm always easily scared!"

She was so frightened, her voice was pitched higher than usual.

Being easily scared... Well, if you just look at her normally, she does seem that way on the surface.

But as soon as she grabs her sword, it's a different story.

"If you fall, I'll catch you, so there's no need to worry!"

As Mersaya watched Kisea, she seemed to think she'd found an opportunity, speaking with an air of arrogance.

In the beginning, Mersaya had spoken politely to everyone like she did to me, but at some point, she had switched to informal speech.

[It seems she distinguishes between those who might harm her and those who can't.]

'She really is sly, after all.'

Anyway, since it's hard for Ian or Kisea to handle Mersaya alone, it made sense for the guy to get cocky.

"S-shut up. I also... eek!"

"Careful there, the stairs are narrower than elsewhere."

"Y-you should have told me that sooner!"

I glanced down with a chuckle at the trembling Kisea.

The cliff still looked dizzyingly far down, but I could see another path.

'Just a little more and we'll be able to exit through the corridor.'

At some point, the transparent stairs came to an end, but on the left side, I could see a small gap.

"We need to get through this gap, so don't slip."

With those words, I entered the crevice of the cliff, and a dark interior came into view.

But thanks to that, I could clearly feel the lingering magic power flowing out from the darkness.

It was different from an ordinary human's—it carried holy power within the magic.

[... What is this?]

Grancesia seemed to sense it too, looking puzzled.

[Is it possible for a human to have this kind of magic power?]

'You wield both magic power and holy power yourself.'

[That's different. I only achieved that after reaching a certain state and becoming one with the powers. But the force I'm sensing now is from someone who hasn't reached that state.]

'You can even tell that?'

[Of course. And besides, it's clearly different from me. A human... could never possess such magic power.]

I was secretly impressed by Grancesia's words.

She hadn't even seen the synopsis, yet she could pinpoint the opponent's nature so sharply.

As I was secretly in awe, a faint white light flickered from beyond the corridor.

Almost instinctively, I pulled Kisea, who had just slipped into the gap and was catching her breath, into my arms.

"Eek?!"

As Kisea let out a small scream, a tiny light brushed past the spot where she had just been standing.

If I hadn't pulled her back, that white light would have struck Kisea's shoulder for sure.

"Wh-what was that?!"

"What do you think? Didn't you see the attack just now?"

"An attack?"

Kisea, her face reddening as she pushed at my chest, looked flustered at the mention of the attack.

"I had no idea. An attack, you say..."

As she spoke, Kisea's eyes flushed red.

Though startled for a moment, as she realized she had been attacked, anger seemed to well up inside her.

"Looks like I was the easiest target in the group."

"No, I don't think that's it."

"...?"

"Because of the nature of the technique you've mastered, it seems your opponent was extra sensitive."

Kisea's sword art is imbued with a strong killing intent. Even if she wasn't gripping a sword and swinging it, a slight sense of unease coiled around her body.

The opponent must have sensed that killing intent and launched an immediate attack.

Step.

Just as I finished speaking, a quiet footstep echoed from the darkness.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, and for a moment, no one spoke.

I was no different.

Even though I had already read the synopsis about him, I couldn't help but be surprised.

"... He's glowing?"

The man walking toward us was quite literally shining.

The pure white light emanating from his body softly illuminated the dark corridor.

No matter how you looked at it, he was not an ordinary human.

"Who are you?" he asked, his tone slow and unhurried. "For you to have come here, you must not be ordinary."

There was no special hostility in his words; only a gentle air about him.

He simply squinted when he looked at Kisea.

"Judging from your presence, I thought you were an assassin who lives by the blade, but it seems I was mistaken."

"Assassin? I am a practitioner of Swordsmanship."

"I see. It appears I made a mistake."

He lowered his head and apologized readily to Kisea's sharp retort.

Rather, it was Kisea who seemed taken aback by his attitude.

"Is that all, after attacking first out of suspicion?"

"It was my error to suspect you. Had I seen the one by your side first, I wouldn't have attacked."

He shifted his gaze from Kisea to me.

More precisely, to the Eye of Shimosha on my right hand.

"This is not a good place to talk. Please, follow me inside."

With his long white hair, blue eyes, and pale skin aglow, the man turned his back on us and walked away without hesitation.

He didn't even check if we were following and vanished quickly, prompting the dumbfounded Kisea to speak up.

"Who is that guy? Or is he even human? He feels different somehow..."

"As you said, he's not an ordinary person."

True to her sensitivity about "humans", Kisea seemed to immediately feel something off about the man.

Ian looked unsure, but Mersaya also didn't look happy.

She must have sensed something as well.

"Let's go anyway. We can't stay here."

I had come here to meet this person.

To be precise, to learn a certain technique he possessed.

* * *

"My name is Pilla Ganest."

We walked down the dark corridor until we reached a fairly spacious area.

I saw a bookshelf crammed with books and a living space fit for someone to reside in, which felt somewhat wondrous.

"Pilla Ganest? It couldn't be...?"

At the sound of that name, Ian frowned.

Of course, Kisea immediately questioned him.

"Why? You know him?"

"He's someone from over 100 years ago—a figure who served as the Inquisitor of Setram. He had a great influence on the current Inquisitor system, and he appears in history books. Didn't you study at all?"

"... How would I know such things, having lived only in the mountains?"

Kisea retorted with a rare sulk at Ian's sharp comment.

"But if he lived a hundred years ago, how is he still alive?"

"That's why I'm surprised. The official record says he died in battle..."

Despite Ian's suspicious gaze, pilla merely calmly sipped his tea.

Whether he noticed everyone's attention or not, he closed his eyes and exhaled leisurely.

He didn't speak until about five minutes had passed.

"I'm the one who should be asking questions."

He fixed his blue gaze on me.

His eyes, as clear as glass, were formed in a way distinct from ordinary humans.

Especially the cross-shaped pupils hinted that he was not human.

"I won't ask how you found this place. But I would like you to answer this."

"What is it?"

"How do you possess the Eye of Shimosha?"

So that was it.

When he first looked at the Eye of Shimosha, I figured that question would come up.

"The Eye of Shimosha is a divine relic of the Atell Family. It's supposed to be kept by the heir or the head of the family. Please tell me how, as an outsider, you came to possess it."

"How do you know of this?"

"I was a friend of David Atell. I recall hearing about it from him."

[David Atell led the Atell Family 100 years ago. He was quite a smart boy.]

Grancesia added an explanation to Pilla's words.

I knew from the synopsis that he was connected to the Atell Family, but I didn't realize he was close to someone of that standing.

"If I tell you the story, it'll take a while..."

I'd already expected him to ask these things.

And I had already prepared my answers, so I was able to explain skillfully.

"... I see."

"And so, to stop the calamity, I received the Eye of Shimosha from Priest Michelle."

"To think the ring would choose someone... David always said it never responded to anyone."

He closed his eyes in thought.

He was probably organizing things in his head.

"In fact, my coming here to find you wasn't by chance."

"... What do you mean?"

"I was guided here by the ring."

"Guided by the ring?"

A divine relic with an unknown ability truly made for a good excuse.

"Yes, sometimes the Eye of Shimosha grants me foresight. For example, it shows me the strength I will need for future battles."

"Foresight... Then you mean that I possess the power needed for that battle?"

He didn't show any sign of shock, speaking as if testing me.

"Yes. More precisely, it is the technique you have mastered."

"The technique I have mastered?"

"Yes. As a half-angel and former chief Inquisitor, you have your own unique technique."

At my mention of 'half-angel', his body froze. That was information still top-secret in present-day Setram.

"Heaven-Slaying Arms (천쇄의 무구)."

It was a duty bestowed upon him—to fight those who wielded the power of the gods.

* * *

At the foot of a certain mountain range.

A secluded place at the end of the continent, where no one's footsteps had ever reached.

There, a massive dragon lay—so large that a human's eyes could never take in its full size.

The first dragon, called the king of all dragons.

Even other dragons could not set foot in this place, yet a pure white bird flew in.

The dragon, whose eyes had remained closed as though in slumber, opened them as the bird landed before him.

"Altair, what is it this time?"

To my surprise, the dragon addressed the white bird.

The bird gazed up at the far larger dragon without fear and replied.

"The calamity of the dragon... That was a thing, wasn't it? But I'm sure that wasn't supposed to be me, right?"

At those words, the white bird chirped out another beautiful sound.

"Hm. Very well. In any case, a little ripple in my dull, long life is a good thing. Calamity... That, too, could be an entertaining game."

For a dragon who had lived nearly an eternity, such things as "calamity" hardly mattered.

Though one could never understand what this god was thinking, occasionally going along with his whims wasn't so bad.

"Oh, right, Altair."

As he absentmindedly replied to the white bird, the dragon recalled what it had said before.

"When is 'that one' coming to this world?"

As the dragon spoke calmly, the white bird—who had been singing so beautifully—closed its beak.

The bird's face was so tiny it was hard to read, but the dragon somehow knew.

That white bird was surely smiling now.

.