Chapter 21: Sword Saint (1)

The sudden appearance of the 'girl' caused a Constellation and his Follower to hurriedly leave their seats. Immediately after,

“A, a star fell on the Constellation’s Shrine!”

Someone from quite a distance, one of the citizens who witnessed the strange event, shouted.

“In broad daylight like this?”

“You just heard it too! Something flashed and fell from the sky!”

Human curiosity is a powerful force.

At first, people ran away at the tremendous roar, but when nothing happened,

They started to move towards the scene one by one.

And among them, Lisia, her robe pulled deep over her head, was also present.

‘Father God…’

The destination of the crowd, the final stop, was a Shrine dedicated to a Constellation.

This meant that the falling star was highly likely someone's doing.

“...How dare they.”

Lisia felt a deep displeasure and headed towards the Shrine.

-Poof…

A large boulder, from which white smoke of unknown origin billowed.

“Eek…! I hate ugly men…! I want to be with handsome older brothers!!”

At the noisy commotion, Lisia turned her head to see a child with sky-blue hair being dragged away by the guards.

“Whoa, how can a small child be so strong…!”

“Hey! Hold on tight! She’s struggling!”

Was that suppression, or kidnapping?

“Aaack! No, nooo…!!”

At the somewhat chaotic scene, Lisia turned her head back to observe the fallen meteorite.

‘Thankfully.’

Fortunately, the unidentified rock had fallen on the outer part of the Shrine.

This was also surely the blessing of the Constellation she served.

Convinced of this, Lisia briefly focused her mind, checking for any other abnormalities.

“...?”

Then, her body trembled slightly at the ominous energy emanating from the rock.

‘A Constellation’s energy.’

Having gone through countless battles following Father God's command, Lisia knew.

She knew that it was a familiar energy, and a dangerous one at that.

A Sacred Object.

An object imbued with the power of a Constellation.

The fact that such an ominous object had fallen within the domain of the Constellation she served…

It was proof that Lisia’s speculation was accurate.

‘How dare they, to Father God.’

The being who dropped this Sacred Object knew that this Shrine belonged to her Lord God.

They intentionally did this to make their presence known.

‘First…’

Following her original objective, she tried to find the Holy Knights of the Religious Order stationed here.

Lisia, who managed to find a way out of the gathering crowd, let out a deep sigh.

-Whoosh…

Then, an ominous sensation from somewhere made her turn her head.

“...?”

Right nearby.

A figure cloaked in a robe stood tall not far away.

Judging by the similar physique and exposed posture, it was clearly a woman.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

Lisia asked with a hint of vigilance, and the veiled woman opened her mouth.

“It seems a Sacred Object has fallen here.”

“.....”

“Therefore, I came to see it.”

‘Divine Power. A Priest?’

Feeling a strange energy she had never felt before, Lisia speculated on her identity.

“I am the Sword Saint, ‘Herien.’”

“....!”

Sword Saint.

Followers of a violent and hideous Constellation, known for their cruel nature.

Even Lisia, who had never witnessed them directly, only knew of them through rumors.

“I received a Revelation that a Hero will be born near here.”

“....Is that so.”

“And the appearance of the Holy Sword as well—”

The Sword Saint, Herien, had a special ability.

The ability to distinguish between good and evil, granted by her Constellation, whose form was unclear.

“I felt it simultaneously. Surely today is a blessed day.”

The meeting of a Hero and the Holy Sword is not easily achieved.

The Sword Saint existed to assist in overcoming such difficulties.

However, this Revelation stated that both would manifest simultaneously in one place.

Though she didn't show it outwardly, Herien was hiding her joy.

“Nothing is more exciting than the birth of a new Hero.”

Herien said so and quietly gazed at Lisia.

“...?”

Lisia was momentarily flustered by the sudden gaze, then Herien continued her observation.

“You are loved by your Constellation.”

She felt the energy surrounding Lisia and smiled unconsciously.

“Ah…”

“Such Divine Power without direct contact... It's impossible unless you're a favored Follower.”

“Father God…”

Moved by those words, Lisia offered a prayer of gratitude to her Lord God once again.

Although it was a process she formally performed more than five times a day, it still felt insufficient.

If possible, Lisia wanted to be in contact with him 24/7.

“If it's not an intrusion, may I experience the love of the Constellation myself?”

“Love, you say.”

“It's nothing much. Just a simple touch of my hand to yours.”

Lisia, who was debating whether to do it or not,

Decided to grant the Sword Saint’s request, if only to reciprocate the compliment towards her and her Constellation.

She was also curious about the exact description and the result.

“Then... please, for a moment.”

“I should be thanking you.”

Herien briefly nodded in courtesy and took Lisia’s outstretched hand.

‘Ah…’

At that moment, she felt a warm and ecstatic feast of Divine Power.

The Sword Saint Herien's consciousness instantly settled into the warm embrace of the Constellation.

‘This is…’

She had encountered the energies of countless Constellations, but she had never felt the energy of someone so full of love.

A pang of envy struck Herien’s heart.

This was because she had never experienced such communion with her own Constellation.

‘Every day would be blissful.’

Truly a utopia that every Follower dreams of.

That was what unfolded within Lisia.

“.....”

After briefly experiencing the Divine Power, Herien tried to end the connection.

“...?”

However…

-Ssst…

Deep within the warm and bright Divine Power…

She sensed something coiled.

Even if she didn't want to know, the ominous energy grabbed her wrist.

‘This is…’

Herien saw what was hidden.

And that terrible darkness looked back at her.

“....!”

Herien knew the identity of that energy.

She had encountered the wickedness of countless Followers.

“You.”

“What’s wrong?”

Lisia was taken aback as Herien suddenly grabbed her wrist and started sweating profusely.

“Are you… a Priest of the Black Sun?”

“...! No! How can you say such a terrible thing!”

“Then what is this hidden energy?”

The Black Sun.

Any human living in this world would be strange not to know of the deeds committed by that group that shouldn’t exist.

A still inexperienced Hero, and a follower of the Black Sun Cult.

‘They’re targeting the Hero…!’

Sensing the danger, Herien immediately unleashed her Divine Power.

- Fwhoosh!!

A massive amount of Divine Power erupted from beneath her feet. Lisia, feeling a sense of injustice, had no choice but to counter it.

"What the...!"

The fact that this was all due to a minor misunderstanding stemming from someone's Community...

It was a matter of the lofty Constellations, incomprehensible to mere mortals.

#

[Warning! Holy War in progress.]

"...Huh?"

Right after seeing Belladis off with a tinge of regret, I saw the notification pop up with impeccable timing. Reflexively, I opened the System window to assess the situation.

Focusing on the screen, which captured the scene like a holographic monitor, I saw a familiar head of red hair.

Our Filial Daughter, Lisia.

According to the warning message, this was the image of a Follower caught in the midst of a Holy War.

'But our kid isn't the type to go around causing trouble...'

She usually possessed a gentle and peaceful disposition.

She's more likely to be on the receiving end of a conflict rather than instigating one.

And...

'What's she doing there?'

The name of the location displayed on the Map was clearly marked as "Regarium."

It was so natural that it left me bewildered.

'How did she even get there?'

I thought she was on her way back to the Religious Order's headquarters.

Yet, at some point, our Filial Daughter had reached my location.

Could she be looking for me?

If so, I'm ready to shower her with head pats out of sheer admiration.

For now, putting the praising aside...

I focused on the situation on the screen to grasp the exact truth.

However…

"Uh, ugh."

Seeing Lisia's bewildered expression as she looked at a dust-covered woman collapsed on the ground, I was dumbfounded.

"...What?"

It was clearly a post-battle scene, already concluded.

...It's already over?

'I came right away!'

There was no time to bestow a Blessing or offer direct assistance.

It just… ended abruptly.

'Kind of anticlimactic.'

But thinking about it properly, it wasn't that strange.

This was Lisia at her peak, with her Divine Power fully restored.

In a one-on-one match, not a group fight, there's no way my Follower could lose to another Constellation's Follower.

'Well done, anyway.'

As I praised Lisia internally, I saw Bella approaching from afar.

"Father God."

"Yes?"

"I just felt a massive surge of Divine Power. Similar to ours…"

"...I'm looking into it, so don't worry."

It was already resolved in an instant anyway.

I reassured the worried Bella and sent her off to continue her duties.

"As expected...! You know everything."

Watching Bella leave with a face full of trust, it was time to investigate the individual who attacked Lisia.

[Name: Herien

-Special Privilege: Sword Saint]

Sword Saint.

Special Priests chosen to assist and protect the Hero.

'Here we go.'

I didn't know the circumstances that led to the fight with Lisia, but it seemed like she came to retrieve the girl who possessed the qualities of a Hero, as I had observed earlier.

It's their duty to assist the immature Hero.

The sky-blue hair peeking out from beneath her disheveled robe seemed to confirm this speculation.

A distinguishing feature of Heroes is sky-blue hair.

And those associated with them also possess similar traits.

'It's a relief that nothing serious happened...'

"...Hmm."

Still, it was still infuriating.

How dare they touch my Follower?

Beyond the screen, I could see Lisia looking bewildered after her easy victory, surrounded by guards.

Judging by the circumstances, it seemed like Lisia was the one who had attacked the Sword Saint.

'This is bad.'

I couldn't stand by and watch her be falsely accused.

I immediately headed towards the King.

This is what having a reliable connection is for.

"I'll bring him right away!"

"Huhuhu."

As I gave a friendly smile, King Edmund beamed back, his face full of smiles.

This is the power of authority, I tell you.

Soon, I would be able to secure both Lisia and the Sword Saint.

The only thing left was...

"...I really don't want to see their faces."

[Black Sun's Incarnation: Me neither...]

Both Constellations expressed the same apprehensive reaction.

The Constellation that handles the Hero—

『Descendant of the Lost Star』

A plausible name, but with less-than-plausible methods.

Its Followers are Heroes, and Heroes possess an extreme aversion to other Constellations.

This is because, from their very conception, they are designed as weapons against Greater Constellations.

In terms of pure power, they lag far behind our Followers.

However, the terrifying aspect of them is their Curse Penalty.

If you kill a Hero or take damage from a Holy Sword...

There's a very high chance of incurring a penalty.

'What a childish setting.'

It would be quite frustrating to have my hard-earned Progress diminished by the Hero's Curse Penalty.

Even if I've raised my Progress to the level of an Absolute Being, openly antagonizing someone bent on self-destruction is...

Not easy.

[The Flow of Stars is felt from somewhere...]

'At this point...'

I had a good idea who the sender of this suspicious message was.

[Constellation, 'Descendant of the Lost Star' is aware of your presence.]

[Constellation, 'Descendant of the Lost Star' requests a conversation with you.]

[Will you accept the request?]

"Hmm..."

[If you accept, you will be transferred to the Constellation's space.]

The Constellation's conversation request arrived just in time.

[Black Sun's Incarnation: Y-You're not actually going to accept, are you?]

"Why not?"

[The other party is that crazy Star...! You'll only suffer losses...!]

Still, we have to at least try talking, right?

I haven't done anything particularly wrong in this playthrough.

Just focused on raising my Progress.

'Let's give it a shot.'

[Black Sun's Incarnation: R-Really...?]

"If it doesn't work out, I can just flip the table."

Penalties.

A bothersome element in the Game, but things are different now.

Lost Progress can be compensated with other resources, and even if my Followers are affected, I'm confident I can quickly remedy the situation.

'I have to do what I have to do.'

I didn't struggle to reach this point just to run away.

This is what I've been building my Progress for.

[Request accepted!]

[Loading.... 68%]

With that, my vision darkened, and the world began to crumble.

-...This Holy Sword desires you.

No, thanks. I don't need it.