Chapter 341: Aftereffect (7)
The continuous voices seemed to tell how urgent the situation was.
Naturally, I could see the faces and backs of the flustered people. The leader of the State and Pristina of Laios also appeared in the noisy hall in an instant.
Of course, there was no time to greet them because they had disappeared into the crowd to immediately check Lee Kiyoung’s condition.
The divine power of the high priests of the State was constantly lighting up the room.
During that, the people present all had their own reactions. Some prayed, and others watched the situation with an anxious expression.
Park Deokgu was talking to a high-ranking priest, and Jung Hayan was crying. Others were no different.
Everyone was nervous.
“Gasp. Waaaahh… Oppa…”
“H-He will be okay. He must be fine. Calm down.”
“Waaaaahhh. Hic. No. It can’t be…”
“Hey, doctor, is there any way? He’s suffering like this! Does it make sense that there is nothing wrong with him?”
“The body is fine. I-I’m sure of it. The body is definitely normal… I couldn’t find the cause. For now, there seems to be no other way except to inject divine power. I heard that he was suffering from aftereffects, but I couldn’t imagine he was suffering like this. Honorary Cardinal kept saying he was okay…”
“Did you believe that?! How can you say that’s normal! Did you accept that even though you know Hyung-nim’s nature?”
“I’m r-really sorry, Park Deokgu. I’m doing my best, too… Honorary Cardinal…”
“You don’t have to be sorry for me! You have to know the cause of what the hell hurts!”
“Calm down, Deokgu-ssi. It is not a problem that can be solved by yelling.”
“T-Then what can I do, Hyunsung Hyung-ssi? We need to know what aftereffects he has to do something about it, right? O-Of course, there is nothing I can do… Still, we need to know what’s going on!”
“I don’t know the details. In particular, since Kiyoung’s body exudes a lesser amount of magical power, he must have received a bigger rebound than Hayan-ssi. On the outside, there seems to be no problem, but there is a high possibility that the shock is overlapping inside.”
“T-Then how does he usually…”
“The reason Kiyoung was able to recover his body is because of his unique constitution. It is a special constitution that shares divine power and magical power. I am also sorry for not being able to tell you in advance. He told me to keep it a secret, especially from Deokgu and Hayan… I’m really sorry.”
“N-No. It’s not something for you to lower your head. Even if it were me, if Hyung-nim had said that, I would have kept my mouth shut. H-Hyung-nim must have thought that he had to endure it. It’s a busy time. Since it’s something important, he didn’t want to be a burden.”
“…”
“Since he didn’t want to worry others, he must have suffered alone. He must have acted as if nothing had happened, squeezing his chest every day. Even though he was in pain like this, he just didn’t want us to be worrying, so he was enduring it with a smile.”
“…”
“Gasp… if only I could be in pain instead… I would want to do that. I really can’t see it. I don’t think I can stand to see Hyung-nim suffering like this.”
“I understand. I feel the same way.”
“Damn. Damn!”
Park Deokgu turned his back and clenched his fist.
‘I’m right.’
Of course, it was a simple doubt at first, but the more I listened to their conversation, the more I had to be sure.
It was natural that I nodded and stood up.
Nothing was clear yet, but if Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung really received the revelation of Goddess Benigore and Elune, I might also have been guided by something.
What I was currently looking at in the Laios reception room may be one big revelation, all of which were being put together like a puzzle.
‘Right.’
No matter how I were to think about this, I could only conclude that way. Of course, I was not sure if my guess was correct or not.
However, even at this moment, the odor that was pricking at my nose was getting worse.
There might be a possibility that it may be my misunderstanding, but there was no more time. This was because I felt the soul of the hero, who was still in pain grasping, was fading.
No, in the first place, even the small light was engulfed in perfect darkness.
“Please make room. I…”
“What?”
“Perhaps I have a way.”
“What do you mean? Elena-nim, until now… Then, how come, seeing Hyung-nim, you…”
“I am not sure. I’m just guessing, but maybe something happened… with the Honorary Cardinal’s soul.”
“What on Earth are you talking about? C-Can you even know that?”
“Yes. The current condition of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a difficult condition to judge simply that it is an aftereffect. If there is really nothing wrong with his body, it may not be a wound on his physical body. It is even more so if the high-ranking priests of the State have not noticed it.”
“If it’s not a physical wound… can it be a s-soul wound?”
“I think I can explain it like that for now. It is unclear whether this is the area I can help with, but… if you leave the Honorary Cardinal as he is, there will surely be problems. I also don’t know how the outcome of this will be. One thing I can say for sure is that the current condition of the Honorary Cardinal is so disastrous that it is beyond words. If I don’t take any measure, he will collapse right away.”
“Please explain in an easy-to-understand manner.”
“I think it would be most appropriate to say he is contaminated.”
“What do you mean… contaminated?”
“Yes. He is so polluted that it is difficult to describe. Perhaps as a side effect of resisting the power of the demon that day…”
“Is that why the elf princess just got nauseous?”
“It’s… embarrassing, but it is.”
“No. There is no need to be embarrassed. That’s because Hyung-nim’s condition was terrible. I-I can understand this. More importantly, w-what happens if there is a problem with the soul?”
“I have never seen anyone contaminated that collapsed, but the body will likely begin to collapse. Just as if the water in the pond rots, the surrounding area also gets affected. That’s exactly the Honorary Cardinal’s condition. He is probably going through a painful process beyond our imagination.”
“T-Then, do something. Quickly! Please, do something to Hyung-nim!”
As I nodded, the heroes stepped aside. What stood in their eyes were expectations and doubts.
Of course, I could understand. I felt disappointed, but what I was saying was ridiculous even when I thought about it myself.
“If something goes wrong or you see other signs…”
“I can understand you are doubtful. However, I am here on behalf of the kingdom of Eberia, not to harm the heroes. If I try to harm Lee Kiyoung, you can cut my throat.”
“Elena! That…!”
“It will be fine, Ludwig. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I think I know why I came here. No doubt, Elune brought me here.”
Every time I took one step, I felt disgusting energy that could not be explained in words. However, I had to bite my lips tightly and maintain my composure.
The hero was suffering worse pain. It was not him that was painful, but the sublime soul that resisted the demon until his soul had begun to rot.
‘It’s painful.’
It all felt so disgusting that even my own soul felt like rotting.
It was surprising to see that purity still remained in this situation. It was hard to guess what his original soul was like.
With this sensation that was confusing me, I shook my head as much as I could and stood in front of him, and what I could see was a miserable sight. He was constantly gasping for breath, and tears flowed out of his bloodshot eyes. He was biting his lips to bear the pain, but a miserable scream was leaking from him.
Even the trembling legs and twisting body seemed to be telling the extent of his suffering. It did not match the hero’s appearance, one who did not retreat at all with a huge demon in front of him.
This hero of light, who had not suffered even from breaking his own body, was suffering enough to shed tears of blood at the contamination of his soul.
How… How could he be so sublime?
How could this happen to a human that was so altruistic and sacred?
Lee Kiyoung struggled to swallow his scream and nodded as if he was okay, for me not to worry.
Tears flowed out without my knowledge. Slowly, I put my hand on his chest.
I had the sensation of touching a rotten maggot, but after biting my lips tightly once again, I put the other hand.
‘It’s neither disgusting, nor dirty.’
I didn’t know if it would work.
However, I continue to push away the energy inside his body. This was because I thought I should stop it from being completely eaten.
‘Elune, I know you led me here because of this noble soul. Since it’s your servant who is asking, please give me the power to save this soul. Please. Please.’
Please, I beg you.
‘Please… I will never forsake him even if I sacrifice my all.’
While I kept holding his hand, struggling to crush these gruesome sensations, a short scream was heard.
“Ah!”
His breath slowly stabilized.
Both the deformedly bent waist and the limply trembling legs began to return to normal.
The hero who was suffering was not there. Instead, his face looking at me while touching his body with eyes of doubt stood out.
‘It was a revelation. The revelation was correct!’
[Heroic-grade forced quest is activated.]
[My dear daughter… run… (0/1)]
[For unknown reasons, the forced quest of the heroic-grade was canceled.]
I think there was something going on that I couldn’t seem to understand.
[Legendary-grade forced quest is activated.]
[Transition of Revelation (0/1)]
I think I knew what role I had now been given.
“Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!”
“Oppa, Oppa. Sniff.”
The moment I heard a big cheer, I had to smile a little.
“Thank you, Elune.”