Chapter 54
She absolutely does not have divine power.
Silence fell for a moment at those words, pronounced like a death sentence.
If it had been any other time, Rennea would have panicked, saying she'd caused this atmosphere.
But now, things were a little different.
“I’m sorry, but this is a rather important point.”
It seemed Rennea wasn’t being so serious simply because of the difference in our ranks.
The Liberation War of the Rajesta Continent.
One of the survivors of the war that drove out the gods.
For her, divine power seemed to be a more sensitive subject than I had imagined.
“T-then... what did you all see? You said it was divine power!”
Confused, Seo Hajin asked anxiously.
The value of her supposed specialness was plunging like a roller coaster.
“Maria! Say something! You said you watched all my stage videos!”
“Huh? Y-yes! I-I watched them! That was definitely divine power!”
“That was divine power.”
With her arms folded, Rennea declared it.
What had been shown on stage was indeed divine power.
But Seo Hajin absolutely does not have divine power.
In this contradiction, one hypothesis naturally came to mind.
“From ancient times, an idol has meant an object of worship. What if we look at it from that angle?”
The members of Spectrum came to mind immediately. They were following Seo Hajin like zealots.
Seo Hajin looked shocked at my words.
“You mean... divine power manifested thanks to the fans?”
“No, absolutely not.”
However, Rennea rejected that as well.
“It seems your understanding of divine power is a little off, so let me correct it properly.”
She brought over a sheet of A4 paper and drew a crooked circle.
“This is a god.”
“At least draw it properly.”
“Don’t nitpick over something strange! And next to it! This square is a human!”
Seeing Rennea pout her lips oddly put me at ease. Yep, she was the 1,902-year-old granny I remembered.
“In the old days, the power bestowed by gods was called ‘divine power.’”
A history lecture from an elf who had actually lived through that era.
This might be a surprisingly valuable moment.
“It really was power given by gods. However, do not misunderstand: gods granted it only because they were worshipped. Whether anyone worshipped them or not, their power was immortal and mighty.”
Come to think of it, that made sense.
If divine power were determined by the number of worshipers, it wouldn’t be any different from an idol constantly running promotions.
Rennea swiftly cut the line between the circle and the square.
“But 1,500 years ago, through the War of Liberation, the gods were driven out and the connection was severed. The power granted by gods disappeared.”
Thus, divine power today has taken on a slightly different meaning.
“A saint who reaches the power of the gods. The manifestation of great strides and unyielding conviction.”
“…….”
“In simple terms, today’s divine power is the clearest proof that the Rajesta Continent can do without gods.”
The cathedrals of the Rajesta Continent are different from churches here.
If I had to compare them, they were closer to Buddhism here.
People are at the center.
To hone yourself, refine yourself, train, and reach enlightenment.
Enlightenment on the Rajesta Continent is basically divine power.
“Now, do you understand? If divine power arises through someone’s worship, then it isn’t divine power to begin with.”
Rather, it was the exact opposite.
“Divine power belongs to those whose convictions cannot be swayed by anyone.”
I could see why Rennea was so adamant.
It was a kind of warning not to casually sully the great path of those who possessed divine power.
Seo Hajin, having fallen silent, lowered her head.
A woman who wanted something special.
For her, who had expected something more than just being an idol, the manifestation of divine power must have seemed like a dream.
“N-not yet, we still don’t know yet.”
In the end, Seo Hajin lifted her head.
“We still don’t know, do we? But it did actually manifest.”
“……True. I will not deny the divine power shown in the video.”
“Then?”
Taking a breath, Seo Hajin clenched her fist and made a proposal.
“Please come to my final performance and see for yourself. Whether it’s really fake. I still can’t give up.”
“…….”
“Please.”
Seo Hajin bowed deeply.
Rennea looked as though she wondered whether that was really necessary, but Maria also bowed her head.
“That’s right! Please!”
“Hmm, I have trouble with places that are too noisy.”
She pointed to the headset slung over her shoulder.
“This isn’t for listening to music; I wear it because loud noises hurt my ears. So there’s really no need to-”
“Rennea.”
“Hm?”
Since she seemed not to know much, I quietly whispered into Rennea’s ear.
“Those tickets cost about 200,000 won each. They’re impossible to get.”
“…….”
“Shouldn’t you at least understand youthful sensibilities?”
Could there be another elf this easy to persuade?
* * *
A few days later, early in the morning.
I woke up, rubbed the sleep from my eyes, grabbed a cigarette, and went outside right away.
‘Cigarettes have gotten way too expensive.’
On the way to the smoking area with a cigarette in my mouth.
Lately, this had become something of a routine whenever I woke up in the morning.
‘I really should quit smoking too.’
The company was starting to have some breathing room too. This was when I should be tightening my belt and saving money.
But when things aren’t going well, my hand naturally reaches for cigarettes.
After lighting up in the smoking area, I was just about to check my stocks when-
A message had come in.
- Ryu Seoram: hehe
- Ryu Seoram: haha
- Ryu Seoram: hahaha
“Ah, sent it again.”
For some reason, Ryu Seoram had been sending weird messages like this ever since last time.
- Kim Juseon: Why are you doing that?
- Kim Juseon: What’s your complaint?
She definitely seemed to be upset about something.
But she wouldn’t tell me anything.
As I smoked at the smoking area outside the building, two women in tracksuits were jogging toward the building.
“One! Two! One! Two!”
“One! Two! One! Two!”
Rennea and Sister Maria.
Rennea had been jogging every day ever since hearing on Noutube that jogging prevents aging.
Maria had been staying at Rennea’s place because she had nowhere else to stay on the third floor.
“Phew.”
As I slowly exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke, the two of them spotted me.
“Ah! Boss! You’re up! To be honest, this one couldn’t sleep since yesterday because I was so excited!”
“You kept waking me up too, saying you couldn’t sleep!”
Today was the day of Prism’s “Goodbye Concert.”
Since it was Saturday, Meracle also had the day off.
I was going to spend a luxurious weekend for the first time in a while.
“You still haven’t given up?”
Rennea had only one reason for looking forward to it.
“Hmm! Give up? How could I? There’s a good chance the people there will see how adorable I am and scout me!”
“…….”
That night.
After the conversation ended and I watched Seo Hajin’s rank assessment from the side, she’d been like that ever since.
“Just becoming an idol would rocket me straight up to S-rank... hehehe!”
I left her alone, since she didn’t seem to realize idols can’t date.
I just hoped she’d be careful with her joints.
“Fine, whatever. We’re leaving in an hour, so get ready. We also need to meet up with Miss Kim.”
“Yes! Boss!”
“Yes, y-yes!”
Watching the two of them trot off, I finished my cigarette.
‘Will divine power manifest again today?’
For several days, I’d gone through Seo Hajin’s concert videos with Rennea.
Surprisingly, each time, divine power was clearly visible.
‘What on earth is it?’
I wondered whether we would finally learn its true nature today.
I tried to blow the mix of anticipation and worry away with cigarette smoke.
* * *
Sailos Cathedral.
After Sister Maria left behind a note saying, “I found someone who possesses divine power, so I’m bringing them back!”
The archbishop had taken over cleaning the underground sealing chamber, which had been Maria’s duty.
It wasn’t as though he held a high position and therefore took on lowly work.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The seal’s rumbling grew stronger day by day.
He was only afraid of the fallout if the other nuns found out.
“…….”
The archbishop looked up at the enormous sealing sphere.
The smoke-filled interior of the golden sphere was now growing clearer and clearer.
Arhelak’s red eyes stared straight at him.
The archbishop’s wrinkled brow furrowed deeper, and his whole body trembled.
“Human.”
“I-it even talks...!”
It was an eerie voice, as if iron were melting. Hot with rage and a craving for destruction, like lava.
Holding something tightly compressed within it, Arhelak opened its mouth.
“The day I leave this place, you shall watch me swallow your sons and daughters alive.”
“……!”
“My teeth, split into thousands, shall gnaw at you. Caught between my molars, you will become a body that cannot die, and you shall see this land turned into a sea of fire.”
Human.
“Run. Run far away. And one day, when you look back.”
Kwaaaang!
The sealing sphere shook violently from the enormous kick.
“I will be standing there, having burned away every road you have walked.”
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
“I never forget those who have humiliated me-!”
Kwaaaaaang!
“Balkar!”
Kwaaaaaaang!
“Rumiel!”
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
“Ducarion-!”
A spear, a shield, and a sword.
The names of their owners, each laid before a seal.
“I will drag you out of your graves! I shall take you to the abyss and resurrect you! There shall be your hell! Become my clowns! With holes pierced through your feet, you shall dance upon spears forever-!”
Terrified out of his wits, the bishop rushed out in a panic, forgetting even to breathe.
The pounding noise behind him was like the footsteps of a giant chasing after him.
“H-Hey, get word out! Call the other bishops for backup—!”
The panicked bishop shouted urgently.
The story continues off the page
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