Chapter 155

Level Up Heretic Inquisitor – Chapter 155 (155/227)

Chapter 155: Sacred Artifact (5)

“Phew!”

Ail let out a sigh of relief after barely escaping the Saint’s Realm.

When Ail had ventured into the realm of blazing white flames to find Nesha, he’d already defeated the boss monster. Of course, it had been an incredibly tough fight even for him—he alone had managed to take down the last 30% of the boss’s health. Still, it was undeniably impressive skill.

But despite defeating the boss, Nesha had almost perished within the overwhelming Sacred Flame that had engulfed everything.

Fortunately, Ail showed up at just the right moment and helped her narrowly escape. After all, Ail was the only one who could use the white flames inside the Saint’s Realm.

“…”

A sharp glare pierced through his back.

“It couldn’t be helped given the situation…”

‘Didn’t say anything.’

‘Of course she wouldn’t say anything, but still…’

Nesha’s piercing gaze made Ail break out in a cold sweat.

After all, her silent retaliation—setting fire from the opposite side without warning—had nearly gotten him roasted alive by the Sacred Flame. He deserved her resentment.

But with a casual shrug, Nesha jotted something on parchment.

“This fight is over.”

“Yeah.”

Bahamut’s grand world event…

With their plans thwarted this time around, there was no obvious way forward for them. Even a deity of immense power couldn’t interfere directly in the mortal world without influence, especially now that they’d lost the sacred artifact—their trump card. The game was officially over.

“I have no more business here. I’m leaving.”

“Where are you heading?”

“To finish what I started.”

“Still working on that? Well…”

Ail nodded at her words. What she referred to as “unfinished business” was likely the ongoing conflict with the Dark Elves. Such disputes between factions weren’t easily resolved.

“But with the Six Major Guilds stepping in directly, it should wrap up soon and smoothly.”

The Dark Elves of the Shadow Forest were deeply entangled with the Oun Prince during this world quest. The prince had sought to eliminate the Six Major Guilds and sway the Grand Council to his side. This plan had recently been exposed to those involved thanks to Ail’s efforts.

In other words, any faction allied with the prince would now count the Six Major Guilds as enemies in this world quest.

However, Nesha shook her head firmly.

Then, she scribbled one final message on another piece of paper, tossed it to Ail, and turned away.

Ail watched her leave, then unfolded the note she had handed him.

“The world quest isn’t over yet.”

‘What does that mean…?’

The world quest wasn’t over?

Ail couldn’t make sense of it immediately.

With the Six Major Guilds fully mobilized, there was no way the forces backing the prince could stand a chance. Yet if it wasn’t over, was she referring to time or some deeper meaning? It remained unclear for now.

Swoosh.

As Nesha continued walking, she retrieved something from her pocket.

“…”

The eighth fragment of the sacred artifact.

It wasn’t the sixth or seventh fragment Ail had claimed earlier; this was a completely different shard.

Unbeknownst to everyone—including the faithful searching the area and even the deities observing remotely—there hadn’t been two but three fragments hidden within the Saint’s Realm.

Even deities, despite their divine oversight, shouldn’t have been able to overlook such a detail under normal circumstances.

But somehow, Nesha had pulled it off.

Through the power of silence granted by Hin, the god of quiet and shadows, she could remain unnoticed even under intense scrutiny.

[Divine Rank, ‘Contemplator of Darkness,’ observes his Apostle.]

* * *

[World Event Completed!]

[Bahamut’s scheme has failed! Players successfully defended against the believers and will receive great rewards!]

[Huge amount of EXP gained!]

[Huge amount of Gold gained!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

Following the demise of Agria, the upper-tier servant…

The Water Church’s relentless attacks abruptly ceased, and the defensive side’s world event concluded successfully.

Most of the believers participating in the quest had been defeated, and the enormous influence invested had been wasted.

This dealt an incomprehensible blow to Bahamut, who wouldn’t be making any moves anytime soon.

Though the Blackburn Guild suffered significant losses during the conflict, the substantial rewards from the world event would allow them to recover most of what they lost.

“Thank you so much, Lord Ail!”

As the event drew to a close and it was time to part ways, the guild master of Blackburn personally came to thank Ail.

While they were unaware of specifics like the servants or sanctuaries, they certainly knew the battle’s tide had dramatically shifted thanks to Ail.

After the Water Church launched its attack, Blackburn found itself overwhelmed by powerful foes. But thanks to Ail’s intervention, the Blood Alliance Guild, which had previously refused negotiations, returned to aid Blackburn—a major favor.

Not only Ail but also Roden and the rest of his party received multiple rounds of gratitude from the guild master himself for assisting in combat.

And it wasn’t just Blackburn.

When news leaked internally within the Water Church about their failed large-scale expedition, it included plans to conquer the Blood Alliance Guild’s territory as well. Consequently, representatives from the Blood Alliance also arrived to apologize and express their thanks to Ail.

‘No need to go out of your way to show off.’

Now that he possessed the sacred artifact, Ail saw no reason to stick around unnecessarily and draw attention to himself.

He planned to return to the church as quickly as possible.

Ding!

At that moment, a system notification arrived.

‘Already sold!’

Confirming the message, Ail rushed straight to the auction house in the hub.

The sale of Nocturnum, which he’d listed post-battle, had gone through. With the ongoing conflict between the Nightmare Guild and Dawn Guild driving prices sky-high, now was the perfect time to cash out before new variables emerged.

[Item, ‘Nocturnum,’ sale proceeds received!]

[Amount too large; automatically transferred to storage vault!]

‘That’s insane…’

The sum he’d earned was a staggering 550,000 gold—a far cry from the mere tens of thousands he initially invested.

Thanks to Blackburn Guild’s promise to waive auction fees at their hub, he saved a hefty 10% commission.

‘Now how should I spend this? Thanks…’

Ail swallowed hard.

Never did he imagine handling such vast sums of money. In real terms, this amounted to hundreds of millions. Just thinking about it made his palms sweat nervously.

‘Time to splurge on some meat… and maybe upgrade my room too. Should be fine…’

Happy thoughts filled his mind, causing him to chuckle involuntarily.

* * *

Deep within the forest where darkness lingered…

A man dressed in aristocratic attire, concealing it beneath a cloak, appeared in stark contrast to the gloomy surroundings.

Frowning at the mud clinging to his boots…

“To summon me all the way out here…”

This man was none other than Oun, the prince of the kingdom.

Oun clearly disliked this messy location.

The soggy ground and haphazardly broken trees made it unsuitable for someone of his stature. Normally, he wouldn’t set foot here unless absolutely necessary—and certainly not without proper retinue.

“So, what do you want to say this time?”

Oun snapped irritably at the figure standing before him.

A woman cloaked in a violet robe adorned with a crescent moon motif.

One of the Apostles, Mute.

“Well, good to see you again, Prince Oun. Don’t be so grumpy—it’ll wrinkle that handsome face of yours.”

Mute greeted him with a sly smile.

“Just get to the point. I’m in no mood for banter with someone like you.”

“As you wish… As you know, things aren’t going well. Ever since the Six Major Guilds moved, almost all our operations have been blocked.”

“Of course they are,” Oun scoffed derisively.

Before she could continue, Oun interrupted impatiently.

“I promised your group I’d halt the suppression of banned magic. I even stamped my seal on documents freeing the rebellious non-humans from royal restrictions—all risks I took based on your assurance that you’d secure me the throne. So what’s changed now?”

Stepping closer, Oun raised his voice.

“Nothing has improved! Worse yet, that detestable woman Saeya is pressuring me! She’s practically offering to spare my life if I step down from the throne—nothing but thinly veiled threats. And now what? Are you going to ask me to make a pact with demons next?”

His voice echoed ominously through the forest, but his anger showed no signs of abating.

Since the Six Major Guilds discovered the conspirators’ movements, everything had unraveled.

All their carefully laid schemes were being thwarted one by one. The external factions they bribed and manipulated were crumbling rapidly.

True, the Six Major Guilds couldn’t directly accuse royalty without solid evidence—but the current situation felt like having his limbs severed one by one.

“All this because you can’t handle a simple task!”

“Calm down, Your Highness. We bring good news—for all of us.”

Raising her arm, Mute flashed an enigmatic smile.

“Good news, you say…”

Swoosh.

At that moment, someone emerged from the shadows.

A hooded man.

When he removed his hood, his identity was revealed.

“You… You’re…!”

Oun stumbled backward in shock.

Kronuger, the guild leader of Apollo.

Apollo—one of the famous Six Major Guilds, dominating most territories in the eastern region and boasting unparalleled strength.

More importantly, Kronuger himself ranked first in the Warrior Rankings, renowned across the gaming community—even among royals like Oun.

Oun’s face paled instantly.

If this guild leader discovered his plot to destroy Apollo, Kronuger might decide to kill him right here.

Even prominent factions would be annihilated instantly for daring to harm royalty—but Apollo Guild was different.

As long as Kronuger didn’t kill him outright, he could always spin the story later with the princess’s support.

But contrary to expectations, Kronuger’s words took a surprising turn.

“A conspiracy to bring down the Six Major Guilds… Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Prince?”