“No, it’s far less severe than annihilation! Anyway, we’re no longer tied to the Holy Knight Quest! You know what this means, right? Hurry! And… tell Leeha hyung-“
Kijung raised his voice.
After a moment of thought, Hyein finally bit her lower lip.
“Understood… I’m sorry, Kay.”
Hyein stood behind Bobae and immediately planted her staff into the ground.
Bobae’s attempt to speak to Kijung dissolved instantly.
“I was too complacent, damn it, Leeha hyung!”
Kijung regretted it. He should have called from the beginning.
The most reliable helper was logged in, yet he hadn’t called him.
Still, he had to convey it.Even if it were the last thing, he had to convey it.
“Hyung! Hyung! Listen carefully!
Leeha: Huh? Kijung?
[Hol-d, Die-]
Swoosh
At that moment, the skill Sacrifice was deactivated. Having lost all his health, Kijung’s vision was dyed in darkness.
But he thought it was rather fortunate.
After all, it was better than witnessing the dark mass that burst from “that thing” and the entities that flowed from there.
Kijung sent one last whisper to Leeha.
Kijung:Ghibrid-
Kijung: Ghibrid-
Leeha: Kijung! Kijung?
“Why so?”
“Oh, no, just a moment.”
Leeha, who was roaming near the Ezwen Papacy, hurriedly opened the friends window. Master Kay was now in a logged-out state.
“What? What’s all this about? Ghibrid?”
-Bobae! Biyemi! Jin Gonggong! Hyein! What happened? Kijung was urgently calling me-
“Why are you bothering about that now? The meeting is happening tomorrow.”
“I know that, but, lau-“
Suddenly, Leeha paused due to the rush of incoming whispers.
“Hm?”
Swooooosh…!
At that moment, the square of the Ezwen Papacy was bathed in a pale light, drawing everyone’s gaze momentarily.
Normally, this place wasn’t even a Warp Gate, nor was it common for someone to teleport directly to the square.
It meant that the individuals were those with a certain level of authority in the Ezwen Church State.
“Hey, it’s Hyein! Oh, and there, what’s that, Paladins! But where did Kijung go-“
Leeha recognized them.
Paladins who traveled with Kijung, the sage of Byulcho, Hyein.
However, despite Leeha waving and greeting them, no one looked back at him.
…’What’s happening? They’re ignoring me.”
They were hurrying into the Vatican, nothing more.
Despite the barrage of messages Leeha received from other members of Byulcho, they were mostly emotional and confused communications, lacking any substantial information that could be of help.
“What’s happening?”
“Oh, I just got a message from Byulcho.”
“What did it say?”
“Something about Ghibrid, this and that. Suddenly all this fuss about Ghibrid? Eh, what’s going on?”
Leeha tilted his head, puzzled. But something was odd.
If the quest had been completed, shouldn’t Kijung, the person directly involved, be the one entering the Vatican?
But the only ones entering were Sage Hyein and the paladins who were assisting Kijung.
It didn’t make sense for the quest to end without the main party, Kijung!
“No, wait, that’s not right.”
Amidst the flood of emotional chatter, the rush of Hyein and the paladins into the Vatican, and the sudden cut-off of Kijung’s messages alongside an unexpected logout.
“Could it be!”
“What is it?”
“No, nevermind. Something’s odd—no, does that even make sense? What exactly is happening?”
Caught in a situation that didn’t add up, Leeha was utterly confused.
Though she wanted to log out immediately and call Kijung, time was pressing on her as well.
There were less than 14 hours left until the meeting’s commencement in the Middle Earth timeframe. She needed to discreetly gather information about the meeting’s location and attendees within that time frame.
However, the little information Leeha and Kidd had managed to glean while circling near the Ezwen Papacy for about two hours was hardly sufficient, leaving her in no position of comfort.
Leeha attempted to send a message to Hyein, only to receive a “We’ll talk later” in response.
“Damn it.”
As Leeha was about to dash into the Vatican, Kidd grabbed her by the collar.
“Where do you think you’re going? Do you understand what might happen if you walk into the Vatican now?”
“I’m curious about the situation you’re caught up in, but I won’t ask further. If it’s more important than your life, then go ahead,” Kidd said, glaring fiercely at Leeha.
Leeha saw such a look in Kidd’s eyes for the first time.
“Right… he said he’d tell me later, so he’ll explain it then.”
What could he possibly do by following Hyein in now? Scanning the surroundings while waiting for Hyein’s response was the priority.
“Hm. You’re slightly better in such situations than Luger, I appreciate that.”
“What? Appreciate?”
“Well— Ahem, I mean, it’s somewhat a relief. By the way, there seem to be many unfamiliar faces around. The atmosphere is quite different from usual Ezwen Papacy.”
Kidd, pressing down his hat, hurried ahead.
Leeha, following with a chuckle, made sure not to forget her hood again.
“Definitely. Though the meeting tomorrow is supposed to be a secret, it has likely spread among the courts of various countries.”
“Indeed. There’s no end to people’s desire to infiltrate the church and gather information.”
Is there ever such a thing as a perfect secret? The main reason for the turmoil was the repeated delays of the meeting.
Had Fernand convened the meeting immediately upon visiting the nations, it wouldn’t have come to this. However, Minis and Fibiel requested postponements due to their respective circumstances, leading to the meeting only being barely convened tomorrow, fifteenth days after the initial summons.
“What about those who look like threats? Among them might be someone targeting you.”
Leeha, scanning the surroundings, inquired Kidd.
But those who appeared suspicious seemed reasonably skilled themselves. As Leeha and Kidd felt their gazes converge, the figures shrouded in hoods vanished from the surroundings in an instant.
“It’s impossible to track every single one of them. What about the marks?”
“I’ve marked three from the left. What about Kidd?”
Hiding in alleyways was futile against Leeha and Kidd’s tracking.
The [Marking] skill was possessed by both, and the Ezwen maps, though expensive, were not beyond their means to acquire.
The duo unfolded a map in the alley, surveying the suspicious individuals’ tracks.
“I’ve marked four from the right. Are there only three?”
“No, it’s not that! I’m prioritizing those we’re certain of! Plus, we’ve been discussing potential ties with Fernand.”
“……Has there been any contact?”
Kidd’s playful expression turned stern once more. One of Leeha’s contacts, the Pioneer King Fernand. Headed to summon this assembly, he was favored by the Pope and direct recipient of letters addressed to Browless.
Leeha conjectured that Fernand’s attendance at this meeting was likely, meaning he would possess much of the information they sought.
“He won’t disclose everything, but he won’t keep it completely secret either.”
If someone targeted Browless’s life, it would equate to inciting a major disturbance within the Ezwen territory; it could even mean the Pope’s life was in danger.
Despite disliking complications, Fernand, entrusted with protecting the Pope’s life, couldn’t just remain silent, Leeha conjectured.
“Hmm… strange. Do you see this, the gathering here?”
“I see it. My 71 and your 72, 73 are all heading in the same direction.”
“Three out of five marked ones are suspicious… We have a good hunch, don’t we?”
Leeha nudged Kidd as they looked at the map. What remained was to follow them and uncover their true identities.
“Could they be Bluebeard’s minions? Shinobi-Gumi? Yamato? Or a third faction?”
As they pondered the unknown enemy, an alert suddenly appeared before Leeha and Kidd.
[Congratulations are in order! The first-ever Cardinal of Middle Earth has emerged!]
[Cardinal Kay, Holy Knight, affiliated with the Fibiel nation]
[All Fibiel nation users gain a 3% increase in affinity with the Ezwen church.]
[We hope other users will strive not to fall behind!]
The distinction between players and NPCs became immediately clear to those walking around the Ezwen Papacy; anyone surprised by the hologram message before them was a player, Leeha and Kidd included.
“Master Kay – a Cardinal? Holy Knight?”
Kidd looked perplexedly at Leeha, who had no strength to explain in detail as all the information they had gathered flashed through his mind.
Leeha: Hyein! This-
Hyein: Yes, that’s correct. Ghibrid has awakened.
In a rush, Leeha messaged Hyun. Having completed ‘all that was necessary’ at the Papacy, Hyein now had the leisure to calmly explain to Leeha.
Leeha: And did Kijung really become a Holy Knight?
Hyein: Not complete, rather, it’s incredibly unstable.
Leeha: You saw Ghibrid?
Hyein: Kay used [Sacrifice] so we could all escape while he was restrained.
Leeha: Ah…Ah
Leeha could imagine Kijung’s final moments. As Ghibrid’s name was invoked, resulting in a forced logout, that must have marked the end of [Sacrifice]’s duration.
Hyein and Bobae managed a quick escape, predicting and being certain of this eventuality. When neither Byulcho nor Paladin’s attacks had any effect, combining Rubini and Kijung’s reactions, he realized ‘it’ was indeed Ghibrid.
Could he just run away? If Kijung, having used [Sacrifice], remained and was killed by Ghibrid, wouldn’t all quests be in vain? That wasn’t it. Rather, Kijung was the first to notice this point, essentially hinting at it to ensure Hyein and Bobae could return safely.
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