Chapter 220

“So, what can you do for me, Priest?”

Before I could tell the Saintess what I wanted, I needed to know how far she was willing to go for me.

“…Anything you desire.”

‘Is she giving me a blank check?’

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m willing to fulfill most of your requests.”

“…..”

As I was lost in thought, she spoke up first.

“You look like you’re not sure what to ask for.”

“…I’m thinking. Just to confirm, you’re saying you’ll let me speak with Aitas?”

“Don’t worry. That’s naturally included.”

In that case, all I really need to ask for is… financial or diplomatic compensation.

‘It’s not like I have any ties with the Holy Nation anyway.’

To be honest, there’s no force in the Neutral Country or the Eastern Alliance that can touch me, but Tayos and the Holy Nation are different.

If this place were the Neutral Country or the Eastern Alliance, this matter would’ve been resolved quickly.

“Or… should I make the offer instead?”

“…You’re offering, Priest?”

“Yes, since you seem to be struggling with your decision, I’ll propose some rewards that I think will satisfy you, Lee Yun-seong. How does that sound?”

Not bad. If she makes the first offer, I can just tweak the details later.

“Sure. That sounds fine.”

“…First of all, I don’t think you’re in dire need of financial compensation.”

She’s right. Money is always good, but I’ve got more than enough.

Besides, I can always pull funds from multiple sources if I really need to.

“First, the Aitas Church will become an ally of yours—more specifically, the Eternity Clan.”

“…Can you really make that decision?”

I was skeptical. As far as I knew, the Church had never formed close ties with forces outside the Holy Nation.

“Don’t worry about that. Aitas has already approved it, and I practically hold the real power in the Church anyway.”

“What about the Pope…”

“His Holiness is on my side.”

“…Alright. But let’s clarify one thing, Priest.”

“…What is it?”

“To be honest, I don’t really need the Church’s power. I already have enough strength.”

Back when I first arrived on the continent, maybe. But now, the Church’s power doesn’t hold much value for me.

Sure, it’d make things easier if I were active in the Holy Nation, but I can just avoid going there.

This situation is an exception. I don’t plan on visiting the Holy Nation much in the future.

“Of course, having the Church’s backing would be nice. But something else just came to mind.”

“…Go on.”

“Priest, I want your ability.”

At my words, she fell silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“…By ability, do you mean the one I used to heal your arm?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

To be honest, my request was quite unreasonable.

Back then, her healing my arm was purely out of goodwill.

But having experienced the miracle of that ability firsthand, I couldn’t help but covet it.

I know it’s greedy. But with that ability, I could save anyone on the brink of death.

“I’m being a bit greedy. Your ability is something I really need.”

“As far as I know, you’re not injured at the moment.”

“Think of it as a safety net for the future. I need to prepare in case I or someone close to me gets hurt.”

“…I understand. But only once.”

‘That’s a bit disappointing. Sigh… what can I do?’

Asking for a lifetime pass was too much, so I’ll have to settle for this.

“It’s a shame, but I’ll take it. Alright.”

Even this much is a huge gain. Enough to make up for the months of wasted time and frustration.

“Then let’s meet Aitas now. We should keep our original promise, right?”

“Of course. Would you like to meet him now?”

“Yes. The sooner, the better.”

******

Following the Saintess, I entered a prayer room inside the Church.

“This place…”

“It’s for my personal use.”

Seems like a private prayer room given to the Saintess.

“When I’m troubled or need to speak with Aitas, I often come here to pray.”

“Surprising. From what you’ve said, you don’t seem particularly devout.”

It might’ve been rude, but since she told me to be honest, I didn’t hold back.

Judging by her behavior, I didn’t think she had much faith.

Instead of looking offended, she smiled slightly and replied.

“Haha… It’s not that I have no faith. I do have enough faith in Aitas.”

“…Do you resent him?”

If I were her, I would. Being forced to become a Saintess is one thing, but losing her sight on top of that…

“I do resent it. I resent this fate of mine, but Aitas was against the Holy Mark Ritual. My resentment is directed at the other gods who agreed to it.”

“…I see.”

“You still seem uneasy around me.”

“Ah, that’s…”

“Is it because you killed me once?”

‘What?’

Her sudden words caught me off guard.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“There’s no need to pretend. I know, and I don’t hold it against you.”

“Ha…”

“You’re carrying unnecessary guilt.”

‘…Guilt?’

Nonsense. I’m not the type to feel guilty over killing someone like her.



‘Just for the life of that woman?’

I do feel some guilt regarding Yoo Ju, but I definitely don’t feel any guilt towards this woman.

After all, I’m not the kind of softie who feels guilty over someone I’m not even close to.

“I died by my own hand in your grasp. So, treat me kindly. In fact, you saved me in the first round.”

“What are you talking about… you died by your own hand?”

This was the first time I was hearing this, so I couldn’t help but be flustered.

‘Died by her own hand? What… what does she mean by saved?’

Ruska only knew that I had killed the Saintess, but she wasn’t aware of the details either.

That’s why I also have no idea why I killed this woman.

“…It seems you don’t know everything.”

“That’s right… but what do you mean by dying by your own hand?”

“In the past, no, unlike now, the situation in the first round was much more serious.”

‘Well, that makes sense.’

…It wasn’t necessarily because of me.

In the first round, Yoon Yeon, who was a Transcendent candidate, died, and Yoo Ju wasn’t a Returner either.

So, a lot must have happened.

From the collapse of the Myth Clan to the deaths of Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun, something must have gone down.

“I don’t know everything either, but at least in the first round, I wished for death. I must have been exhausted from the heavy role of being the Saintess.”

“…So, you’re saying you died by your own hand?”

“Yes. I asked you to kill me.”

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

It’s only natural that my head started hurting from this sudden revelation.

“…Enough. I don’t feel any guilt, so don’t get the wrong idea.”

“……”

“So, how do I meet Aitas?”

“…You just need to pray and infuse the statue with your mana. You should offer a prayer, Lee Yun-seong.”

‘Do I really have to pray?’

What an ironic situation… a Dark Sorcerer like me praying in the chapel’s private prayer room, which is only used by the Saintess.

As I pretended to pray, the Saintess infused her mana, and the prayer room began to fill with light.

‘What’s this?’

Whoosh—

I could only gape stupidly at the sight.

The prayer room was filled with a brilliant golden light, and soon, the figure of a woman appeared before my eyes.

‘…Aitas.’

The god I saw in the records of the first round was very blurry, but for some reason, the goddess before me now was crystal clear.

She had golden hair and golden eyes, a beautiful woman who looked like the goddess of gold rather than time.

‘Ha, so this is why everyone calls her a god and believes in her?’

She was the very image of a god.

Even those without faith would feel a sense of devotion upon seeing her.

‘She’s the administrator, but she looks exactly like a goddess.’

This is why the administrator of this continent is deified.

But I wasn’t about to be fooled by appearances. The more beautiful and pleasing to the eye, the more dangerous they usually are.

The being before me was no exception. From what I’ve seen so far, she doesn’t seem hostile to me, but…

‘Who knows? You never know until you dig deeper.’

I had no intention of letting my guard down until everything was certain.

‘…Should I speak first?’

The atmosphere was quite awkward.

Since she was staring intently at my face, I had no choice but to ponder what action to take.

“…You’re different.”

‘What?’

I was puzzled by what she meant.

“What do you mean…”

“You’re very different from before the time reversal. Your demeanor and attitude have changed.”

I decided to listen quietly. It seemed like Aitas had something to say.

“Your overall demeanor has softened a lot. In the first round… you were much more sharp-edged.”

‘Is that so…’

Well, even the scenes I saw in the Library of Records were definitely different from now.

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”

“…Yes, it’s an honor to meet you, Aitas.”

“There’s no need to be so formal. Just hearing you speak politely to me is enough.”

Hearing that, I suddenly felt a chill and couldn’t help but ask her.

“…Did I speak informally to you before?”

“Yes. Informal speech and swearing were the basics.”

‘What the f***…’

Cold sweat ran down my back. I had no idea that in the first round, I had spoken so rudely to her.

Not just informal speech, but even swearing.

‘Lee Yun-seong, you crazy bastard, what the hell did you say to her?’

“Um… what exactly did I say…”

Seeing my flustered face, Aitas smiled and continued.

“B****, you hypocritical b****, you wh***, something along those lines.”

“W-What?”

It was only natural that my mind went blank at her words.

“I was quite surprised when you called me a wh***. I’ve only ever heard that from you.”

‘What the hell…’

I seriously started to wonder if this wasn’t my execution ground.