Chapter 394: Star, Arcadia (6)

Eden, the central divine ground of .

“Hey!”

Michael let out a deep sigh in front of the person who welcomed him. He had only been away for less than a day, yet he was so mentally fatigued that he felt as if he had just gone through a battle to the death.

“You look like you never want to go there again.” Gabriel stifled her laughter, making Michael frown a little.

Gabriel was normally very gentle, earning her the nickname of the second Holy Mother, but as her long-time partner, Michael knew very well that that wasn’t her true personality. She likely had so much fun on her own while Michael was going through all sorts of trouble and Uriel, the biter-turned-bitten, was lost in despair. Watching various emotions rise from all worldly affairs that unfolded on her palm was her only source of entertainment.

Instead of arguing with her, Michael simply asked, “Is the prophecy really correct?”

“Yes, I told you that already. Do you not believe the prophecy that the ‘light’ brings me?”

“Shit.” Michael gritted his teeth. Gabriel’s new prophecy ruined his plan to distance himself from Chang-Sun now that Uriel was dead.

―My lost and wandering sheep. You will find what you desire if you follow the path the star signs have created. Why wander endlessly?

Follow star signs? The prophecy obviously meant that should partner up with . Some of their members raised concerns about whether or not they should help the that brought chaos to the Great Universe, but Gabriel’s prophecies were so significant that their worries eventually subsided. Their wish was connected to Metatron’s whereabouts anyway.

“Peter... Who in the world is he? Why is he causing me so much headache?” Michael grumbled, massaging his temples with his index fingers. Peter was the only clue they had to find Metatron, though. could not lose this opportunity. “I’ll have to discuss the details with Satan later.”

“He seems to be very angry right now. Make sure you soothe him down.”

“

Hmph

! I already expected his arrogance to put him in a mess. A mere mortal-born Celestial crushed his skull. What an embarrassment. He won’t be able to hold his head up for a while at least, which is good news.” Michael scoffed.

Paah!

Gabriel quietly watched Michael spread his wings and vanish. She then stroked her gleaming left eye, smiling enigmatically.

* * *

A series of misfortune struck Hiyan, a boy on the planet named Eos, the day after he prayed to the hero and witnessed with his father the Sky Sword going back to where it came from.

“Is your name Paul Margrata?”

“Th-that’s right. What brings you here...?”

The cabin where Hiyan and Paul, his father, stayed was known for its remoteness even in Eos. Due to its all-year-round snowy wind, the place had only a few inhabitants aside from the natives who had been living here for a long time. Hence, the regional government never really paid attention to it.

However, the regional government army suddenly barged into the cabin one day and pointed their spears at Hiyan and Paul. Since the central government rarely exerted its influence over the region, the lord’s rule over it became absolute. It was the only medieval place left in Arcadia, the magic level of which had reached the zenith.

Paul and Hiyan, mere villagers, found the regional government army’s visit terrifying. The public official, who showed up with twenty soldiers, condescended to them with his hands clasped behind his back.

“You’re under arrest for plotting treason, and... I won’t take objections,” The official announced.

“Wh-what are you saying...?! Let me go! I should at least know the reason why you’re doing this!”

“Like I said, I won’t accept objections. You’ll know the details once you have been transferred.” The official turned to the soldiers. “What are you all doing? Take him.”

The soldiers grabbed Paul’s arms. Living in a rough environment made him robust, but he couldn’t overpower twenty soldiers.

“Dad! Dad!” Hiyan screamed.

“Hiyan! Don’t be scared. Stay at home, okay? This all has to be a mere misunderstanding. I’ll talk it out with them and return soon. It’s probably nothing. Don’t worry too much and tell Mom what happened, okay?”

“Dad!”

“It’s rare to see your kind of family in this place. Well, let’s go,” the official murmured. As instructed, the soldiers dragged out Paul of the cabin.

Devastated, Hiyan blanked down. He remained seated on the floor for quite some time.

“No, This is not the time for this. I have to find out why Dad got taken away and see if anyone can help me!” Hiyan told himself.

Although Paul told Hiyan to stay at home since it would probably be nothing, Hiyan was known to be the smartest among his peers. His guts were telling him that this wouldn’t be the end of it.

‘... Some of them were priests.’

Hiyan’s hometown was so remote that it didn’t have a church or a monastery in the region. However, its main streets had a lot of religious order buildings.

The Star Order served the Zodiacs and Eighty-Eight Star Signs. Culture, politics, economy... The organization made up and exerted great influence over most civilizations in Arcadia. Hence, its priests had a very high social status in the stellar system. They were even treated higher than nobles.

Hiyan had just met those mighty priests in his village. Even though they had hoods over their heads to hide their identity, he didn’t miss the symbols on the parts they didn’t cover. He had a strong feeling that the reason his father was taken was related to the Star Order, not the regional government army and their dominance.

In an attempt to find out the truth, Hiyan tried to ask the others in his village to see if they knew something about it, but...

“No, no!”

“What should we do...”

“Sweetie! What should we do if you get taken away as well?!”

... it turned out that Hiyan’s house was not the only one in sorrow. All the male adults in the village were taken away under the charge of treason. Some of them resisted, leading to their deaths.

‘Something is going on...!’

Hiyan came to his senses. A big conspiracy was underway.

The premonition made the young boy in this rural village anxious.

* * *

“Hiyan, you really shouldn’t be doing this! If we get caught, you, me, and your father are all as good as dead!”

“You know you’re the only one I can count on right now. I’ll never speak of your name even if I run into a problem in the future, so please, Mister Bixter.” Hiyan put a liquor bottle in the back pocket of Bixter, Paul’s long-time drinking buddy.

“Is this...?”

“Snow Ginseng Liquor made from a Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng. You asked my dad for this the last time you visited our home, yes?”

“Hiyan! What do you take me for? Do you really think I’m only doing this so you would give me this?”

“I know you’re not. Think of it as a token of my appreciation. Dad won’t say anything if I tell him that I gave it to you.”

“W-well, in that case...

Cough, cough, cough!

” Bixter cleared his throat.

Bixter was the only villager who made it to a decurion in the regional government castle. Although he loved alcohol too much, he was sincere and affectionate. He even occasionally gave Hiyan pocket money. Worrying that others would see them, Bixter took Hiyan to a back alley.

“I’m really not sure if I can tell you this.” Bixter sighed as he began. The details of his story shocked Hiyan.

“... They’re the priests of ‘Ursa Major’? Why in the world would they—”

“

Psst!”

Bixter hurriedly covered Hiyan’s mouth, quickly looking around. “Lower your voice, Hiyan! If they catch us, we’ll all end up in the guillotine!”

Fortunately, no one seemed to have heard them.

‘‘Ursa Major’... What does the order have to do with Dad?’

Hiyan wondered. The ripple in his heart spread further, jumbling up his thoughts.

The Star Order, which served the eighty-eight Star Signs, was known as a religious order, but it would be more accurate to describe them as a pantheon or an alliance of religious orders that served the Star Signs.

Among them, the ‘Ursa Major’ order was the one in charge of maintaining and enforcing order in the Star Order. Its priests were considered death reapers whom the people of Arcadia should never run into.

“What was he charged with?” Hiyan asked.

“I-I’m not sure. Things have been too hectic for me too...”

“They need to charge him with something to drag him away.”

“A-Artifact theft? Relic theft? It was something along those lines, but I really couldn’t make sense of it.” Bixter frowned, trying to remember.

“Relic...?”

A relic was a great item that required at least a Star Sign’s priest to use. Paul and Hiyan couldn’t be farther from such an item, considering they had never even been to a museum. However, a memory soon flashed in Hiyan’s mind.

A relic.

The Sky Sword that the legendary hero used. Could its disappearance into the sky and what happened to the villagers be related?

“I-I have to go back to my post now... I’ll get going. I’ll update you when I get more information, so go home! Your mother is probably worried about you!” Bixter left in a hurry.

Hiyan bowed at Bixter to express his gratitude. He couldn’t stop thinking about the Sky Sword.

* * *

After his conversation with Bixter, Hiyan asked around the village about the Sky Sword. Since mentioning his father or the villagers who were taken away would raise suspicion, he feigned ignorance and inquired if the ‘Ursa Major’ priests had conducted any expedition to find relics.

Luckily, Hiyan was only a ten-year-old boy. His investigation only made him seem like a curious child, not someone suspicious. Quite a lot of people found his questions bothersome, but he still managed to gather a lot of information.

“People who looked like priests? Ah, you must be talking about the ones wearing white clerical robes. They asked me if I saw the shooting stars several days ago.”

“They did ask me what the shooting stars looked like as they ascended to the sky. I told them that one of them looked like a sword that only Giants could use, and they freaked out.”

“I also told them about our legend since it’s famous around here.”

“They asked me for a list of people who know the legend in detail and spread it around... Ah, I was also asked if I saw any other abnormal phenomenon.”

The ‘Ursa Major ’ priests mostly inquired about the Sky Sword and the legend about it. What did the Sky Sword look like? Where did it go? What was the legend, and who knew about it?

They seemed especially interested in finding witnesses, likely to eliminate everyone well aware of what the Sky Sword was and knew that it had flown up into the sky. His investigation made him realize that everyone who was taken away met the criteria.

‘They’re trying to hide everything about the Sky Sword and the shooting stars. It’s like they’re scared of them. What in the world is that weapon...?’

Hiyan wondered.

His father said that the hero who used the Sky Sword was just an ordinary man from another world. Nevertheless, after making excruciating efforts, he managed to defeat the Demon King.

‘Since they want to hide the legend... can they be related to the Demon King in some way?’

A shiver ran down Hiyan’s spine. The ordinary folklore his father told him could be a weakness that the Star Order never wanted to reveal.

‘I have to save Dad...!’

Hiyan held his hands together and closed his eyes, praying that the Sky Sword hero would show up and save his father.

However, the sky remained quiet.

“... Yes, I should save Dad myself instead of praying to a god.” Hiyan clenched his fists and slowly stood up. He strode forward more confidently than ever, missing the messages that showed up where he left.

[The Celestial ‘Divine Twilight’ has sensed the hope of his follower!]

[The Celestial ‘Divine Twilight’ is bestowing his blessing.]

[Proceeding...]