novelraw Chapter 129: Childhood Friend – Baric Monarch
Chapter 129: Childhood Friend – Baric Monarch
129. Childhood Friend – Baric Monarch
Rev's hand holding the aura blade trembled uncontrollably. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Lena Ainar's fallen form.
What have I done?
- Kill that bastard too. Right now!
As Rev hesitated, Leo Dexter, tangled in the thorny vines, forced himself free, thorns piercing his skin, and leapt down.
"Lena! Lena!"
Leo cradled Lena in his arms.
Desperately, he turned her over to check her condition, clinging to a faint hope that she might still be alive.
But Lena didn’t move. A heart that’s been pierced can’t keep beating.
"Le... Aaaaargh! You bastard!!"Leo Dexter let out a horrific scream.
With a face twisted in fury, he charged at Rev, tearing through the vines.
Rev finally regained his senses and raised his aura blade. He intended to slice the blood-soaked Leo in half...
- Clang!
A crude longsword with no sheen and no guard blocked Rev's blade.
[Achievement: Bound Item, 0/3]
[Sword – Indestructible]
It was hard to say if it was surprising, but Leo's sword was identical to the one Rev wielded. The longsword did not break even against the massive aura blade.
"Die!"
Leo Dexter thrust his sword forward.
It was a rare, desperate move, thrusting his right foot forward like in fencing, aiming for Rev’s chest. It was a risky move that could cause him to lose grip on his two-handed sword.
- Clang!
Rev stepped back, swinging his aura blade upward with one hand, another extreme and rare maneuver.
{Swordsmanship.3v: Bart Technique}
Both were using the same swordsmanship.
Predictably, Leo couldn't withstand the tremendous pressure and dropped his sword. But he leapt at Rev, trying to choke him with his bare hands, his large frame overwhelming Rev’s comparatively weaker body.
Leo from Demos Village.
Leo Dexter knew that he and Rev shared the same strange destiny, but he couldn’t control his rage.
Figuring out what was happening, who the 'player' was, or why the Leo before him had become the apostle of an evil god wasn’t important.
Revenge for Lena!
He tried to strangle this tiny man whose head barely reached his chin, but...
- Thud!
Rev's punch came at lightning speed. The aura blade, now reduced in size, pierced Leo's abdomen.
Leo Dexter had the advantage in physique, and their swordsmanship was on par, but Rev's body, strengthened by Barbatos's divine power, had surpassed human limits.
Unless he were a swordmaster, Leo Dexter couldn't defeat Rev alone.
"Grrr... You... bastard..."
Leo's spine snapped, and he lost feeling in his lower body, collapsing to his knees. But he clung to Rev's cloak, spitting blood, refusing to fall completely.
"I’ll... kill you. I will... avenge her..."
Leo, torn apart by the thorny vines, spoke of revenge even as he died. Rev pushed the body away with a conflicted expression. His eyes, briefly clear, turned red again.
He suddenly felt it was a pity to waste the 'mirror.'
*
“Gasp... gasp...”
“Cardinal Verke, it’s best to stop now.”
Priestess Ophelia tried to dissuade him, but Cardinal Verke, blaming his old body, continued his sword dance.
“If... gasp... I stop... everything here... gasp... will be covered in... thorny trees.”
“But...”
...It’s useless.
Ophelia couldn’t finish her sentence. She looked around in despair.
It was red and black.
The hunting party, reduced to less than two thousand, was taking a breather in a small circular clearing. This space was only possible thanks to Lord Lachar, summoned by Cardinal Verke, who tirelessly cut down the thorny trees.
However, this small haven was surrounded by a dense forest of thorny trees, and from time to time, sharp screams echoed from the forest.
We have lost.
The apostle of the evil god was an insurmountable monster.
Despite the initial blunder, when the apostle fell from his horse, there was hope. But it didn’t take long to realize how naive that hope had been.
The fifteen hundred priests, including Ophelia, had long since become burdens. They exhausted their divine power trying to purify the thorny land, rendering them powerless civilians.
The ground, briefly restored to its original color, soon turned red again, mocking their efforts.
When it became clear that purification was impossible, the hunting party was already in shambles.
The squires who charged at the fallen apostle never returned. Although they were not far from the main force, they couldn't break through the dense forest, and only a few came back, with agonizing screams proving the rest were dying.
Two days had passed since then.
The hunting party, with tears in their eyes, decided to retreat. But the thorny forest didn’t allow it, holding their ankles firmly.
The aged paladins, the prince’s guard knights, and the priests who had lost their divine power tried to clear a path through the vines, but the forest seemed endless. Only the mages’ efforts to set the forest on fire and pour rain allowed some escape.
They were complete remnants now.
Food was running out, and despite Lord Lachar’s constant efforts, the thorny trees sprouted relentlessly, preventing proper rest.
No one left here believed they could defeat the apostle of the evil god or escape this forest.
If only the apostle would show himself. They would fight to the death, but...
The apostle remained elusive, cruelly avoiding any direct confrontation. Horrific death cries echoed from the forest, which quickly covered those left behind.
“God, have we been forsaken? Please, save us.”
The high priests and priests prayed ceaselessly, pleading for salvation and light. Meanwhile, Cardinal Mihael, looking gaunt, sighed as if accepting their doomed fate.
“Gasp... gasp...”
Cardinal Verke stopped his sword dance. He massaged his trembling arms and took a moment to catch his breath before shouting at the priests.
“Do not beg for your lives from the gods! Our lives are not what matters to them!”
It was a blasphemous statement. Had he said this before the situation became so dire, he would surely have been stripped of his cardinal rank and subjected to severe punishment. But Cardinal Verke did not cease his shouting.
“The gods desire that we overcome adversity on our own! What matters to them is the human spirit! Struggle to live! Ignite your will to survive! If you do so, the gods will open a path for us!”
Verke knew the secret of divine power. The reason he hadn’t exhausted his divine energy despite performing the ‘Descent Ritual’ non-stop for two days was purely because he had burned his own will. However,
“...It’s all futile. This is the path ordained by the gods. I now understand why they told the saintess not to move.”
While the priests froze at Cardinal Verke’s irreverent outburst, Cardinal Mihael muttered in a low voice. His face was one of complete resignation, and Verke could only feel sorrow.
The belief that everything was bound by ‘fate,’ that the future was predetermined no matter what, had made the priests weak and complacent.
Verke wanted to refute their mindset, though he understood it. Because despite being at the pinnacle of the Holy Cross Church, a cardinal, he was...
A sinner.
+ + +
His real name was ‘Baric Monarch.’
Born the illegitimate son of the Monarch Barony in the Kingdom of Conrad, he was a son but wasn’t given a room of his own.
He lived among the lowly servants and was often given arduous tasks when there were not enough hands, and of course, he wasn’t paid for his labor.
Such was the life of a bastard. Treated worse than common folk who would rebel without pay, he had to rely on his lowborn mother to beg his father—no, his master—for education through tears.
Some servants mocked him, saying he was lucky not to starve to death. Young Baric thought so too at first.
No matter what, he carried the blood of the Monarch family. Surely, he wouldn’t be cast out. At worst, he might become a steward, or with luck, the head steward, he thought.
But that was too hopeful.
Despite nearing the age of adulthood, Baric wasn’t educated in the duties of a steward.
He showed talent in swordsmanship and was sometimes taught by the family’s knight, but that was only because the knight, pitying Baric, took time out of his schedule to teach him.
A bleak future awaited him.
Baric Monarch lived a life scorned by his family and ridiculed by the lord’s retainers and servants, but he had one thread of hope to hold on to.
‘Grainen Monarch,’ his half-sister.
Only a year apart, Grainen and Baric often played together in their childhood, with the baron allowing it, perhaps thinking it wasn’t bad for his late-born daughter to have a playmate.
Thanks to this, Grainen Monarch grew up without discriminating against her illegitimate brother. She would even sneak him food despite knowing their father disapproved.
Baric loved her. Though she was his sister, he wasn’t treated as family by the Monarch household, and she was more like a friend to him.
Their relationship gradually developed into something more. When no one was looking, they would hold hands, sometimes embrace.
One day, when the baron took the family hunting, Grainen, who stayed behind claiming illness, kissed Baric. With flushed faces, they whispered “I love you” to each other as they crawled into bed.
It was a happy moment, but it was also the beginning of disaster.
They thought no one knew, but just as children’s lies are easily seen through, what happened in the small mansion of the Monarch family inevitably reached their father’s ears.
“You wretched bastard! They say blood doesn’t lie, and you’re just like your mother!”
Baric, beaten senseless, spat out blood.
That wretched bastard is your son! You didn’t even take my mother, who died of a disease, to the church for treatment to save on expenses, so what right do you have to be called a father?
He had plenty of things he wanted to shout out, but Baric chose to remain silent. He let them beat him and insult him.
In the end, to cover up the scandal of the bastard sleeping with the young lady, Baric was sent to the churChapter Officially, it was said that they were dedicating one child to the gods.
Even on the way to the capital church, Baric was insulted by the knights and squires escorting him, calling him a filthy bastard who defiled his sister.
Baric couldn’t defend himself.
He knew he was fostering a forbidden love with Grainen.
But he couldn’t control his growing feelings, and it led to this disaster.
‘But...’
Despite reflecting on his sins, a deep-seated anger welled up within him.
What if I weren’t a bastard? Would I still have been cast out in such disgrace if I were the legitimate heir?
If that were the case, our relationship might have been accepted. While marriages between close relatives are frowned upon, they weren’t unheard of.
It was his lowly status as a bastard that left no room for such allowances.
Reflecting on his worries and lamentations about Grainen, Baric escaped from the carriage escorting him to the capital church.
Determined to cut ties with his heartless family and atone by himself, he changed his name to Verke.
After years of hardship, Verke entered a seminary. His decent sword skills led him to aim for becoming a paladin rather than a priest, and as he studied theology, he gradually became a devout follower of the main god.
But even during his studies, his past constantly troubled him.
‘Can a sinner like me become a paladin? Will I receive divine power?’
The one true god, the main god, must know all my sins.
Probably... not.
He had long since given up hope.
If he couldn’t become a paladin, he thought he would become a knight. Surprisingly, he passed the ritual, even being evaluated as someone who could accept divine power quite efficiently.
Verke was puzzled.
Why?
Why did the god grant glorious divine power to someone like me? I falsified my background and status, making me the worst candidate in terms of qualifications...
Despite his doubts, he became a paladin and was assigned to the Toddler region of the Kingdom of Bellita. It was a short two-year assignment.
In the small church there, Verke performed various tasks, experiencing peace for the first time in his life.
But that peace was shattered when he found an old document while helping clean the church library.
Covered in dust and so old it crumbled at a touch, the document contained the secret history of the First Saint, Saint Azura.
The Toddler region, known as the birthplace of the first king and swordmaster Toddler Akiunen, was also Saint Azura’s hometown. Shockingly, he was an incorrigible drunk.
Azura frequently caused trouble when drunk and was jailed and dishonorably discharged from the army of the Arcaea Kingdom, which was transforming into an empire at the time. After his discharge, he became a conman and served multiple jail terms.
Returning to his hometown in his later years, he became a simple farmer, then suddenly set off on a journey.
This is when the holy saga of Saint Azura, known to all, begins.
Holding a 'bronze goblet' in one hand and a wooden staff in the other, Saint Azura traveled the continent, defeating evil seven times. After vanquishing all the evils scattered across the continent, he prayed, “Grant humanity the power to fight against evil,” and the main god, impressed by his achievements, sent down a saintess to the continent.
Learning about Saint Azura's past, Verke was shocked. His youthful misdeeds were incomparable to Verke's own sins.
Yet, this man became a revered saint for thousands of years...
Moreover, the main god, pleased with his deeds, granted humanity divine power.
Enlightened, Verke reapplied to the seminary. Abandoning the path of the paladin, he rigorously researched based on his newfound understanding.
The resulting thesis was [The Theory of Universal Priesthood]. It reinterpreted the ‘Responsibility of Creatures’ to claim, ‘Anyone in this world can become a priest.’
However, that thesis was also filled with Verke's insecurities about his status.
In this hierarchical society, Verke's thesis could never be accepted. Despite many monks rallying to support him, Verke couldn't withstand the overwhelming pressure from all sides. He was on the brink of losing not only his teaching position but also his priesthood.
In the end, Verke acknowledged the harsh reality and published several papers supporting the social hierarchy. The best resistance he could muster was not retracting his [Theory of Universal Priesthood].
'Indeed... to achieve something, one needs realistic power.'
After this experience, Verke strove tirelessly to become a cardinal. He believed that at the pinnacle of the Holy Cross Church, he could finally implement his ideas.
But at that pinnacle stood Cardinal Mihael, the greatest theologian of his time and a royal.
When he first engaged in a debate with Mihael, Verke tried to keep calm.
However, Mihael's subtly ingrained sense of superiority and chosen status pricked Verke's inferiority complex.
The debate eventually escalated into a fierce argument, and Verke, newly appointed as a cardinal, was assigned to the Kingdom of Conrad.
He had been expelled from the central church.
'It's for the best.'
Let's start here.
After many twists and turns, he had returned to his birthplace. He would gather strength here and start anew.
With this resolve, Cardinal Verke visited the Monarch Barony on his way to Lutetia, the capital of the Kingdom of Conrad.
It was a bit childish, but he wanted to show up unexpectedly and surprise the family that had always despised him.
The barony? Verke was no longer a powerless bastard. As a cardinal of the Holy Cross Church, he could destroy a small peripheral family with a single word.
As expected, the barony's household came out en masse to greet the eminent cardinal from the central churChapter Many recognized Verke and stammered, unable to speak properly, but...
In what should have been a satisfying moment of petty revenge, Verke himself was left speechless.
Grainen Monarch, his half-sister, was there.
He had thought she would have been married off to another family long ago, but here she was, looking at him with teary eyes.
"Baric. You're alive. I'm so glad you came back."
Verke, no, Baric, followed her into the parlor. His beautifully aged sister congratulated him on becoming a cardinal, calming her dazed brother, who could only ask how she had been living.
"I've been well. Happier than you might think. There's someone I want you to meet."
Grainen called a maid to bring a man, and soon a tall, silver-haired young man entered the parlor.
"Introduce yourself. This is your father."
"...Hello. I'm Gustav Monarch."
It was a moment where a father and son who didn't know each other existed met.
Though Gustav's expression was a bit cold, Verke felt his heart stop.
I have a son. So, my sister... my sister raised him without getting married.
He felt dizzy with the realization. Hearing that his half-brother, Bailey Monarch, had no children, leading to Gustav becoming the official heir as an adopted son, the priest could not help but think of the gods.
Why, oh why, would the gods grant holy power to a sinner like me, who not only committed incest but also fathered a child? Why...
This was a direct contradiction to the Holy Cross Church’s doctrines.
Does this mean the gods disapprove of the Church’s conventions?
Confused, Verke postponed his journey and stayed at the Monarch Barony for a few days. He wanted to speak more with his sister, and Gustav's wedding was a few days away.
"Who knows whom he takes after, but my son broke a plate. Could you officiate the wedding?"
The broken plate was a euphemism for a pre-wedding mishap. Touched by the reference to their past, Baric avoided her gaze and said he would consider it.
On the wedding day, Verke ended up officiating.
Gustav was marrying the only daughter of Count Peter from the Kingdom of Bellita, who had long, flowing black hair. Though from another country, the Monarch Barony and Count Peter's family often interacted as their territories bordered each other.
"May the gods bless this union."
As he concluded the ceremony, Verke bestowed ample divine power upon Gustav MonarChapter Feeling remorseful for the son who grew up without a father...
After the wedding, Gustav departed for his in-laws with a curt farewell, and Verke also prepared to leave for the capital.
Before departing, he apologized to Grainen for not showing his face for all these years, but she said,
"Don't say that. I still love you. I have no regrets."
These words brought tears to middle-aged Baric's eyes.
Leaving the Monarch Barony, Verke was a changed man.
Previously, he sought to achieve something within the framework of the Holy Cross Church, but now he had a different goal.
‘I will build a new churChapter A new kingdom where status is free, and the rules are more flexible. This is the mission the gods have given me.’
As he made this resolution, he felt the divine power rooted deep in his chest swell enormously.
+ + +
Verke's shouts ultimately came to nothing. The despondent priests only continued to pray for salvation, and Cardinal Mihael shook his head, ignoring Verke’s words.
After two days of dancing with the sword, Verke was completely exhausted and could no longer perform the sword dance. The form of Lord Lachar vanished simultaneously as the white letters from the dance disappeared.
Thorny trees sprouted like bamboo shoots. The hunting party was completely scattered. The thorny forest disrupted their cohesion, but the real problem was the tempting red fruits growing on the trees.
The fruit looked like it would drip with sweet juice if bitten. It was a devilish temptation for the starving hunting party.
Those who ate the fruit went mad instantly. They ran into the thorn bushes, laughing maniacally, and were never seen again, their fate all too clear.
In the end, the only ones left around Cardinal Verke were Priestess Ophelia and a few young men from the 'Granania Orphanage' he had raised. Cruelly, the evil god's apostle appeared two days later.
After three days without food, water, or proper rest, Cardinal Verke could offer no real resistance.
Thus, Verke, who had dreamed of revolution, perished in the vast thorn forest, and no one from the hunting party escaped alive.
Only a young man with a complex expression emerged from the forest, limping slightly as he rode a black horse north.