Chapter 175

Se-Hoon and Luize were currently in the Italian branch of the Pilgrimage Church.

They had just finished their two days of volunteer work at the Antonio Rehabilitation Hospital. However, because they had to discard their fake identities and receive the reward Jane mentioned, they didn’t return straight to Babel.

The Pilgrim likely asked her to give us something.

Though the Pilgrim was someone Se-Hoon had never met personally, he felt like he knew the Pilgrim well because of others.

“He loves to give but hates to receive. An absolutely crazy fool.”

“He is a very compassionate person.”

“He’s a good but tiring person.”

Kwang-Soo found him repulsive, Archbishop Kamal mourned him, and Eun-Ha just gave an objective opinion. Their opinions varied quite a bit, but there was an underlying commonality: they all found the Pilgrim's generosity overwhelmingly excessive.

“They say if you borrow a million from him, he’d give you the million and then lend you another million interest-free.”

The Pilgrim, Karl Andersen, was more than just kind—he had a compulsive need to repay kindness with even more kindness.

“If you become too close to him, he’ll drive you crazy. But, there’s no better person to make a deal with than him.”

To some, the Pilgrim’s extravagant repayments would come off as a burden, but Se-Hoon thought simply about it: if they felt uncomfortable about not giving that much in return, why should he feel guilty about it? In fact, he thought it would be rude to feel otherwise.

I wonder how much he’s going to reward us. Well, now that we’ve established a connection, we'll certainly benefit a lot from him in the future...

“Hey, how long do we have to wait?”

Hearing Luize’s quiet voice, Se-Hoon put away his guesses on what kind of reward they would receive. Before answering, he looked at Luize, who was seated next to him on the sofa in the reception room.

“I don’t know. They’re probably still discussing the reward.”

“

Hmm...

”

Seeing Luize looking around uncomfortably, Se-Hoon gave her a puzzled look.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I just feel uneasy... as if there’s something a bit unsettling.”

“Unsettling?”

Curious, Se-Hoon looked around the reception room. The room in the Italian branch of the Pilgrimage Church was only equipped with basic security and protective equipment, so nothing really stood out.

If there's anything, it must be the ambient divine mana here... ah!

Guessing the reason, Se-Hoon immediately began probing the frowning Luize.

“Is your crown itching?”

“

Hm...

it does feel a bit like that...”

“Does it feel like something is lightly wrapping around your body?”

“Yes, also kind of like that.”

“Do you feel like someone is blowing in your ear?”

“...Yes.”

“And do you feel a peculiar warmth inside, like you just drank hot water?”

With each additional question Se-Hoon asked, Luize’s eyes narrowed further and further.

“Dude. Are you doing this to me?”

It was too suspicious. He had somehow accurately identified the four sensations she hadn’t even noticed herself.

But Se-Hoon didn’t answer. He just stared at her in surprise.

Is she awakening her divine mana...?

Those were the four premonitory symptoms that appeared when someone was about to awaken divine mana. Usually, only one of the four symptoms manifested according to the person’s nature, but if more did, it indicated the talent of the person. And Luize was experiencing all four.

The Blast Dog didn’t use divine mana though.... Is it because of me?

While the conditions for awakening divine mana weren’t clearly defined, many speculated that one’s synesthetic mindscape had an influence. So given that Luize was paving a completely different path compared to the Blast Dog, such an unexpected scenario was certainly plausible.

Well, there’s nothing particularly bad about awakening divine mana, but...

It wasn’t like one would suddenly lose the ability to control their normal mana if they suddenly awakened divine mana. It was impossible to use both simultaneously, but with practice, she could likely alternate between the two. On paper, it was extremely advantageous for her in many ways, yet... Se-Hoon felt uneasy.

She’s way too talented.

To his knowledge, only one person had ever experienced all four symptoms—the successor of the Pilgrim who came to be known as the Apostate of the Ten Evils.

If Luize ended up being the second.... Thinking about the potential danger, alarms rang in Se-Hoon’s head.

The Apostate could target her...

Thinking about numerous things, Se-Hoon finally came to a decision just as Luize got tired of waiting.

“Hey. Answer me now—”

“Those are the premonitory signs when one awakens their divine mana,” Se-Hoon abruptly said.

“...Huh?”

“But just ignore them; even if you do manage to awaken divine mana, try to keep it hidden. It could cause a lot of trouble.”

Not letting her speak, he continued on to explain the extent of Luize's talent and how troublesome the Apostate was.

Listening, Luize’s initial skepticism eventually turned into seriousness.

“There do seem to be more disadvantages than advantages for now. You’re hiding it for the same reason, right?” asked Luize.

“Exactly. It’s better to keep it a secret until we become stronger.”

“

Hmm...

Okay. Honestly, I’m not too keen on borrowing power from some strange god anyway.”

Rather than disappointment, Luize seemed relieved. Se-Hoon thought it was quite interesting.

Is this why the Blast Dog couldn’t use divine mana?

Seeing as how she was already half-distrustful of gods right now, how would the deeply cynical Blast Dog have felt? Her deep-seated distrust must have hindered her awakening of it.

“I’m guessing you feel the same way... right?” asked Luize hesitantly.

“Well, to be honest, I do feel the same way. How can one trust something so easily?”

“Right? So how did you and I both awaken it...”

Utterly confused, Luize tried to solve the paradox.

Knock, knock.

Putting away her confusion, Luize watched Jane walk in.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. The discussion took longer than expected.”

Smiling, Se-Hoon replied, “We haven’t been waiting that long. Right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Luize added, agreeing.

Jane smiled. “Thank you for saying so. Now, let me show you the items we’ve prepared as a reward.”

Taking the seat across from them, Jane took out a small void box adorned with golden designs on a white background.

“The following items are for teaching us your treatment method, sharing the Pleasure District’s plan, and explaining how to thwart it. Please do not refuse them, and let us know if there is anything you’d like to exchange them with.”

Se-Hoon nodded at Jane’s polite words.

“Understood.”

“Then first, let me show you the monetary reward.”

Opening the void box, Jane took out a pristine white credit card and placed it on the table.

“This is the card linked to a new account we created. All the profits from your treatment method will be deposited here. Feel free to use it as you wish.”

“...All of it? You guys aren’t taking any of it?”

At the surprise in Se-Hoon’s voice, Jane replied matter-of-factly, “Yes, it

is

your treatment method, so you should receive all the profits.”

Se-Hoon was completely taken aback; he had always assumed some fees would have been deducted, yet they were giving him everything.

“Why would you guys do such a dum—”

Covering Luize’s mouth with his hand, Se-Hoon silenced her sudden exclamation before she could finish.

Then, pretending Luize hadn’t said anything, he said, “Thank you. I will use it for the benefit of humanity, just like what the Pilgrimage Church is doing.”

“Haha, thank you. But while I do appreciate that, please use it for your personal matters as well. It is a reward after all,” Jane said with a gentle smile.

Moving on, she took out another item from the void box and placed it on the table.

“Up next is the support we’re planning to provide you. We were able to confirm that you are involved in various activities for humanity, so we decided to provide this as support.”

Looking at what Jane placed on the table, Se-Hoon recognized that the golden ring-shaped item was an emblem used in the Pilgrimage Church to signify rank. However, it looked different from what Se-Hoon had seen before.

“Will showing this emblem allow me to receive support from the Church?” Se-Hoon curiously asked.

“Yes. Any branch will cooperate fully upon seeing this emblem, Lee Se-Hoon. Or rather, should I say, Honorary Archbishop.”

“Sorry, did you just say Honorary Archbishop?” Se-Hoon genuinely thought he had misheard.

Understanding, Jane continued with a smile, “Originally, we wanted to grant you the rank of Archbishop, but since you don’t possess your own divine mana, the Pope has generously created the title of Honorary Archbishop for you.”

“...”

“Oh, and please don’t feel burdened by it. You may have the authority of an Archbishop, but you will be excluded from the duties of an Archbishop. Please use this emblem whenever needed.”

In stark contrast to Jane’s sincere happiness, Se-Hoon was trying his best to prevent his eyes from twitching. He had planned to just accept the reward casually with no other feelings, yet right now, he was overwhelmed by the excessiveness of their generosity.

“Can I really accept all this...?”

Not hearing Se-Hoon’s murmur, Jane moved on to the next reward.

“The last reward is the piece of equipment you requested. You mentioned needing powerful equipment for fighting strong enemies in the future, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

In his last life, Se-Hoon had used the Demonic Blood Art, an application technique of Soul Honing, to create powerful weapons for himself on the spot. Now, however, he had discovered the alteration of his soul, which restricted its use.

Left with no choice for now, he had asked for a replacement weapon.

I only asked for this as a reward...

Nervous, Se-Hoon watched Jane intently.

She started by apologizing. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a piece of equipment that met all your conditions. As you may know, all the weapons we have in our Church require the wielder to have divine mana.”

“Oh, I see.”

He wasn’t too disappointed, having expected such an outcome. After all, he was intentionally still hiding his ability to use divine mana.

And luckily he had. If it were known that he could use divine mana, then not only would the rewards increase but the Pilgrim might even just kidnap him for humanity.

Moderation is key...

Though the final reward was slightly disappointing, Se-Hoon was still content because he had already received more than enough.

At that moment, Jane pulled out another item from the box.

“An incense burner?”

It was a round, white incense burner with a golden ring-shaped lid and a long white chain connecting the main body to the handle. At first, it didn't look like a powerful item at all, but upon examining it Se-Hoon's eyes glinted sharply.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

This looks familiar...

Both the shape and the energy emanating from it seemed strangely familiar, so Se-Hoon dug through his memories. And he was left in disbelief.

“...The Pilgrim’s Incense Burner?”

“You do recognize it. Well, unlike other Stigmatas, the Pilgrim's Incense Burner is quite famous.”

A Stigmata was a unique Holy Artifact created personally by Pilgrim Karl Andersen, tailored to the talents and abilities of each Archbishop.

Receiving such a thing as an outsider was already astounding, but what shocked Se-Hoon the most was the history of the item itself.

“This incense burner was the first Stigmata created by the Pilgrim after his ascension.”

“...”

“It lacks some of the features of more recent Stigmata, but it’s still an excellent item since it was used by the Pilgrim himself.”

“Did the Pilgrim... really say it was okay to give this to me?”

Jane smiled at Se-Hoon’s apparent disbelief.

“The Pilgrim handed it to me personally, instructing me to give it to you.”

“...”

“And he even made some adjustments to make it easier for you to use. Would you like to take a look?”

Still somewhat dazed, Se-Hoon reached over and examined the information message of the incense burner that Jane held out.

[

Pilgrim’s Incense Burner

]

[Tier: Legendary] [Quality: Poor]

[An incense burner crafted by Karl Anderson, the Perfect One who witnessed the presence of a god. It contains the Pilgrim’s power of grace and can be used by consuming one’s divine mana. If the user lacks divine mana, the incense burner can permanently consume its inherent power to replicate the effect.

*Consumes divine mana to use the Pilgrim’s power of grace

*Permanently consumes its inherent power to replicate the effect if the user lacks divine mana]

“...”

Not only was it crafted by the Pilgrim himself, but it also contained his inherent powers, similar to the Ascension Ring and the Eternal Nocturne’s Phalanx.

He could even use it if he lacked divine mana, though it would have limited uses. However, since he could use divine mana, it became incredibly valuable.

Gulping, Se-Hoon looked at Jane.

“Actually, you should know that I have the entire scripture of the Pilgrimage Church memorized! I’m a devout believer! Haha!”

“...”

At his “unintentional” reveal of his hidden devotion to God, Luize glared at him.