Chapter 985: Altanus (22)

This man… this man was determined to die.

The saint was trying to burn his final flame here.

He was trying to prevent the destruction of the Underground Temple and the continent by sacrificing himself.

They had no idea what was going on outside, but I knew what was going on out there.

Lee Ki-Young—the Priest of Prophecy—was trying to calm things down by sacrificing himself.

The atmosphere was suggesting that. Draktaris and his guards seemed to be certain of that as well. Draktaris was cautious about his words despite knowing what was right and which decision would bring about a more positive result.

“What…”

There wasn’t any hesitation in my eyes.

“What do you mean by that?” Draktaris asked.

'You know what I mean, so I’m not going to answer. I’m not going to tell you what I meant just now because everyone knows the answer.'

It was like we were on thin ice.

Templar Genny, who was listening to the adults talk, looked at me nervously.

“There’s nothing I can tell you. However… However, I want you to promise me that, Father Draktaris. It’s my last request,” I told him.

“I can’t… I can’t do that, Priest of Prophecy. I’m sure there’s another way. If we… work together and find a way—”

“I can tell you that with certainty. There’s no other way,” I interrupted him.

Out of the fourteen million futures I had seen, there was only one future where we won.

“I know that it's a difficult task, and I know it’s hard to accept, but…” I trailed off.

“...”

“But you must endure it, Father Draktaris. I know I sound selfish by saying this… but you must endure it,” I told him.

“...”

“I trust that you’ll keep your promise and be the single ray of light that shines in darkness. No matter what hardship comes your way… even if there’s a situation you can’t endure, you must do your best, but today… today isn’t your time to die,” I explained.

“Father…” Draktaris mumbled.

“I… I believe Lady Lucifer has given everyone a role that fits them. It’s my mission… to protect you in this place. It’s my job to guide the people who will fight for the continent and for Lady Lucifer in the far future,” I added.

“...”

My words weren’t convincing because I wasn’t trying to be reasonable in the first place.

My remark was to make people emotional, to trust me, and to tell them that this place wasn’t their stage.

Of course, Draktaris had no obligation to grant my request or keep his promise.

However, h-he wasn’t

that

cruel to betray the saint’s sacrifice.

I was sure he wasn’t aware of how difficult it was for me to make this decision and how much I had suffered so far.

He was the archbishop with a ton of responsibilities, so I was sure he was trying his best to understand my feelings. If he were a priest with no responsibilities, he would have refused my request.

“Y-You… have my word,” Draktaris answered while suppressing his heartache as much as possible. “I swear on Lady Lucifer's name, and I promise… to follow your request."

I smiled, letting him know that I could finally rest in peace.

My smile was sad, and I looked like I knew that he was going to agree with my request.

I told everyone through my smile that this was the right thing to do.

Draktaris frowned, looking like he was trying his best not to cry and that he ought to send the saint off with a smile, but he cried too easily.

“Well then…”

I didn't have much time to say farewell to them.

It’d be a shame if I didn’t grab the hands of the other priests and pray together with them.

“O Lucifer…”

“There will be light.”

“Blessings…”

“Please watch over the Priest of Prophecy. Please… Please always stay by his side.”

“: Lady Lucifer will watch over all of you.”

I didn’t forget about the guards, either.

“Please take care of Father Draktaris, Sir Neymarian,” I requested.

“Y-Yes, sir…” Sir Neymarian stuttered.

“Sir Serilicia, you have a beautiful smile, so please see me out with a smile,” I said.

“

Heuk… heuk…

O Priest of Prophecy,” Sir Serilicia said, sobbing.

“Lady Lucifer’s blessing will be with you,” I told them.

After kissing everyone on the cheek, I walked out with footsteps, intending to become a saint.

“F-Father.”

Of course, there were still some whom I had yet to say goodbye to.

‘Yeah, this is the end for you as well.’

Surprised?

I was sure he had never imagined that we’d part ways here, but it was time to part ways.

We would never meet again.

I was talking about Templar Genny, who tugged at my sleeve.

“It’s the same for you, Templar Genny,” I said.

“...”

“This is where we say goodbye…” I told him.

“What?”

“Please take care of Father Draktaris. T-There are many things I want to say to you… but I want to thank you for everything before anything else. Our time together was short… but you gave me a lot of strength…” I muttered.

“Why… are you telling me this?” Genny asked.

'It seems like you don’t have a lot to do, but you do. Father Draktaris needs one Templar on his side.'

“I can’t… do that. This doesn’t make sense,” Genny said.

'What do you mean? You can do it.'

“Father… Father…” Genny was already crying. “Please don’t go. I can’t let you go. I just can’t.

Heuk… heuk.

”

'What do you mean? Who gave you the right to say that you won't let me go? I’m the one who decided to go. '

I couldn’t help but think that he was still truly young. Earlier, he seemed pretty reliable, but his face was now covered in tears and snot.

It happened so suddenly that I was surprised.

It seemed like he already felt like crying from the prayer event earlier and had simply been holding his tears back. Now that it was time to say farewell, he couldn’t hold back his tears anymore.

His jaw was shaking, and I could tell how emotional he was right now.

He was still holding my sleeve, and his eyes were telling me that he wasn’t going to send me away. I wasn’t sure why he was so engrossed, but it was probably because he knew where this was going.

‘At least he’s not dumb...’

“Father… So… so…” Genny stuttered.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

‘Am I going to die?’

I would probably die, so it was understandable why he’d think that way, but I needed to make a white lie to calm him down.

“I think I’m heading back up,” I told him.

“What?”

It was an angel's pure white lie.

“I’ll probably head to the surface and find a way to get help from there,” I said.

“...” “I’ll be going with Miss Metel,” I added.

Rift Guardian Metel was reliable, and I was going to leave this place someday, anyway.

I had always been a guest here, which meant that I couldn't stay here forever. Although the timing was pretty dramatic… telling them that I was leaving to get help from above was pretty believable.

Of course, he didn't believe me at all; he probably thought that I was lying to him.

“Lies…” Genny mumbled.

‘Yeah, it’s a lie.’

“Stop lying.

Heuk…

Father,” Genny sniffled.

But…

“I swear on the name of Lady Lucifer, Templar Genny,” I told him.

'This is it. Lucifer will forgive me for this white lie.'

It sounded like a lie, but no one criticized me for it.

There wasn’t a fool quick-witted enough to think I would lie while swearing on Her name. I made the white lie for the kid who was going to be hurt. It was a lie that Lucifer would be happy about.

The innocent fool nodded and asked, “Are you telling the truth?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Y-You’re not lying, right?” Genny stuttered.

“Yes, I’m telling the truth. I can’t tell you that I’ll come back down soon… because I have a lot of work as well… and it might actually be difficult for me to come back. I can’t promise you… that we’ll meet again…” I told him.

I was being cautious about my words.

Templar Genny nodded.

Although it was hard to understand, he seemed to be trying his best to understand. He couldn’t believe it, but he was forcing himself to believe it.

He had chosen the path that would make him suffer less.

He was still young, so he had unconsciously chosen the path that was the least painful for him.

As expected, he asked, “C-Can I come visit you?”

I bent down a bit, made eye contact with him, and patted his head.

“Of course, Templar Genny,” I answered.

“

Heuk… Kgh…

”

“I look forward… to the day we meet again, Sir Neymarian and Serilicia. Please take care of Genny,” I requested.

I was obviously telling them to stop him from following me.

With that, I kicked the door open and didn’t look back.

“Father! Father!!! Let go of me! Let go!” Genny shouted.

“...” “Father!

Kgh

…”

I was a busy man, so I ignored his cries.

The sounds of explosions and the heavy atmosphere enveloped me.

'Ah, next… next is…'

“So this is where you were.”

“Guardian Metel,” I greeted.

“Where have you been?” Metel asked.

“What?”

“Do you know how worried I was about you?!” Metel shouted.

“It's fine; you've confirmed that I'm safe, right? Anyway, I'm sure you can cast a spell, so can you create a path straight to Bahamut? Actually, I think it’s best if we decide on a location and make preparations ahead of time.

Ah!

Have you been studying it?” I asked.

“I didn’t have time for that. I still have… a bunch of questions I want to ask you,” Metel answered.

“I'm the one who organized the information, so you don’t have to worry so much. More importantly, I need you to help me. We don’t have time, but we have many things to do,” I requested.

I couldn't help but think that there was something wrong with Metel, and it was due to the fact that she was still worried about the Rift Museum despite the chaos around us.

At this point, I could say that she was obsessed.

Of course, people like her would always prioritize the satisfaction of their curiosity before anything else.

‘I’m glad I have someone who can lend a hand.’

I just had to take care of Bahamut in the next eight hours.

Actually, how many hours had it been?

“What exactly do you need help with?” Metel asked.

“...”

“Actually, before that…” Metel trailed off.

“...” “Father, one of your eyes…” Metel pointed at me.

“...”

'What about my eyes?'

“One of your eyes…” Metel repeated.

I quickly took out a hand mirror and checked my face.

“...”

'My eyes…'

“...”

“...”

‘Damn it… how dare you forget me, you bastard!’

It was returning to its original color.