Chapter 27
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To live in this world.
I feel uncomfortable. Is there any reason to feel like this?
As soon as I began to have such doubts, the feeling of ‘I think I shouldn’t go to the chapel’ disappeared, and it felt like it had been but a lie.
My head was blank for a mont, confused. What was it? I slowly looked around. Strangely, no one was looking at , nor was there anyone around the chapel. No one was conscious of this area, as if it had been blocked off by an invisible wall.
That was not all that was odd, for it looked as if the area had not been recently cleaned. I also felt that there was no moisture in the air once I had passed what must be an invisible wall.
‘Snfff.’
The mont I sniffed and inhaled, I slled a subtle fragrance, much like perfu. Co to think of it; it was the sa floral fragrance that I had slled upon entering the temple. Back then, I had been in a good mood and didn’t really notice it. Now I knew that sothing was off.
As I walked closer to the chapel, the flowery scent intensified. My head felt woozy, so I frowned. There was sothing- As an experint, I took a few steps back, and the fragrance of flowers started to fade. I was certain now: Soone had done sothing to prevent people from coming to the chapel.
No way, is this magic?
But this was a temple. I could get a blessing here, but no one used magic such as this. Moreover, the temple priests did not seem to notice the presence of magic. Then, this can only be seen as an event.
I pondered it. I opened b Notes} and went to the events I had written down since coming to this world.
No?
Jopiel’s temple played no role in any scenario. It only had so features that players could access.
They sell expensive potions in small doses, but they have excellent effects. If the player dies, the priest can resurrect you and give you a blessing so that the temple becos your save point.
Once you donate a certain amount to the temple and increase the favorability or reliability with certain NPCs, you could gain a priest as a companion.
Later in the ga, you could also marry an NPC with a high favorability in the temple as a sub-event.
However, all such business takes place during public hours, and I never coded an event that closes off the chapel. At that mont, I saw a priest sweeping away so dust not too far away.
I approached him and asked, “How are you, priest?”
I gently greeted him, and the priest bowed at the waist, then looked at and laughed.
“Oh, aren’t you brother Judah? You have co to worship?”
“Yes. But the door of the chapel is closed. Did you close it early today?”
The priest looked surprised by my words and glanced at the hallway leading to the chapel.
Then he laughed, placing his hand on my head and rubbing my hair.
“Don’t play around. The door is open, and several brothers and sisters are coming and going through it.”
As I heard this, I looked back at the door. It was closed, and the people the priest saw were nowhere in sight. Unlike usual, all I saw was an empty hallway and a closed door. The scene he saw was different from the one I saw.
“And, as you know, our chapel is open day and night. It is only closed on special days. Of course, even if the temple is not open for twenty-four hours, the chapel always is. If we co to find that we cannot sleep, we ease our troubles through prayer.”
The priest gave another laugh and then resud his cleaning. I was thinking of asking other priests as well, but I guessed that their answer would be the sa. I nodded at the priest as he vigorously swept the floor, and returned to the hallway.
I have no choice but to enter and see for myself.
Nothing monstrous could jump out and attack in the temple of peace-loving Jopiel, and it was unlikely that a situation would arise wherein my life was threatened if I opened the door.
I walked down the hallway, half-tense and half-curious, then grabbed onto the doorknob. My mind felt like bursting at that mont as mories flashed through my head. Sothing was awry.
‘Cheolkup.’
I had turned the knob, but the door was locked. I had been here for nearly five years, and this was the first ti I had found the chapel’s main door locked. There was a side door about sixteen feet away, so I walked to it and grabbed its knob. As I half-turned it, I felt the sensation of a lock giving way. Before I opened the door, I stopped in my tracks.
What? Hold on… Isn’t there one more aspect of the temple? Obviously! Why did I forget this?
When you start the ga {24 Hearts of Pernen}, an explanation of the setting appears. After that, this chapel is shown, and then the ga begins. It had nothing to do with Judah, so I had forgotten about it.
I now turned the doorknob all the way and opened the door. The lock was well-oiled and had silently opened, and it seed welcoming compared to the front door. As I entered, the door closed by itself. As always, the chapel looked reverently maintained.
Candles were mounted upon ornate candelabras that hung from the walls, and they flickered away in the empty chapel. The huge stained-glass window was illuminated by moonlight, and in that light, I saw the huge pipe organ, appearing as majestic as ever.
But nothing there could compare to the statue of the goddess that I now saw. The reason the chapel always felts so sacred was that Jopiel’s visage looked upon it. Candles alone were not enough to illuminate the huge chapel, so several magic lights were installed into the ceiling. Their softly radiating light brightly illuminated the chapel’s interior.
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[You stand before the statue of Jopiel, goddess of peace and protection. It is a finely wrought piece of divine art, and worshipers pray for peace before it every morning]
[You feel a warm energy flow from the statue, granting succor to your troubled mind and bringing fortune to your future endeavors]
[For a period of one week, you gain experience at a rapid rate and your stamina recovers much faster]
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The mont I stared at the statue, the sa phrase as always appeared, and the buff was activated. Nothing other than that happened. The chapel was quiet as if my earlier premonitions were wrong.
“I don’t think anyone is here,” I mused to myself.
But there was soone. As I had entered from the side, the other person had been hidden by the pews. So distance away, a boy was kneeling before the statue. From my position in the back, I quickly realized that it was Kain.
I had not ti to think about anything else — A great light started shining, descending.
The dazzling, brilliant, and divine light lowered unto the statue of Jopiel.
I covered my eyes with my arm as the light suddenly flared up. It did not lessen in intensity, but as my eyes adjusted to the dazzling radiance, I lowered my arm. The light remained, shining in a great column over the statue.
As soon as I saw that light, my heart leaped in my chest; it felt as the faith that had never existed in my heart had now flared into it. It almost felt as if my heart was being tickled.
I felt tears flowing from my eyes, and I knew that if there was a real god, it probably used such halo lights.
“Kain Sabrak,” a beautiful, otherworldly voice echoed through the chapel. In the center of the advent of that light, the blurred figure of a six-winged angel appeared. Because of the intense radiance, I could only make out its outlines, yet I thought that it was a beautiful and warm angel.
“No, I’m not Jopiel,” the angel said as if answering Kain. The dazzling light slowly began glowing softer and softer until I could see her: Green hair, three pairs of wings, and a golden crown, the symbol of an archangel. I knew who she was.
Gabriel.
Without a word, I admired the first appearance of an angel in my world. Gabriel spoke only to Kian, whether she had noticed my existence or not.
“I have inevitably appeared in the temple of Jopiel, but I am the Third Queen, Gabriel. Everything is okay. I ca here to ask you sothing, Kain.”
“I am all right. I ca here because I believe in you.”
“Yes, I am glad that you say that. After all, you are brave and good. From now on, I, the Third Holy Monarch, has chosen you. You are now ‘Gabriel’s Sword,’ and I hope you will take responsibility for your position and spread righteous justice through the world.
“What you need to do in the future is prevent a great conflict that is spreading into this world. All of Pernen’s fragnts have to be recovered. It will be difficult, and you will face more trials than you can think of. But have no fear, I will always be by your side.”
After those words, light from the radiating column gathered into a shining sphere in Gabriel’s hand, and this sphere beca a concentrated bead of light that slowly drifted down. Kain, still kneeling, politely reached out his hand. The mont that the bead touched Kain’s palm, it was absorbed into his body. I quickly checked Kain’s status.
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「Status Window」
[Na: Kain Sabrak]
[Title: The Chosen One]
[True Na: Apostle of Light]
[Level: 1]
[Occupation: Gabriel’s Sword (Hidden_S)]
[Race: Half-Human Body]
[Strength: 30(D) / Potential SS]
[Health: 25(D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 35(D) / Potential S]
[Magic: 30(D) / Potential A]
[Magical Resistance: 25(D) / Potential B]
[Knowledge: 10(F) / Potential B] ? Special
[Luck: 55(C) / Potential A] ? Special
[Divine Power: 50(C) / Potential SS] ? Special
[Likeability: 0 (normal)]
[Reliability: 72 (trust)]
「Talent 4/6」
[Gabriel’s Sword]-Rank: S
[Half-Human Body]-Rank: A
[Chosen One]-Rank: A
[Action of Favor]-Rank: B
「Skill 2/6」
[Light Swordsmanship]-Rank: S
[rcenary-style Martial Arts]-Rank: A
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I was surprised to see Kain’s changed stats. His race had turned half-human from human, and a title and a true na have been created for him. Title, True Na, and Race didn’t really matter, but his stats had risen crazily.
All his potentials had risen by one level. His strength had been S-Grade before; it was now of an SS-Grade.
Only now, after five years here, did I rember what had slipped my mind. When I made the ga, I figured, ‘The protagonist should be on a high level, so the player can enjoy the ga easily!’
I now muttered as I rembered all the character options I had tweaked.
Oh my God.
If I had known I would be coming into the ga as Judah, I would never have set such crazy stats for Kain. At that ti, the lore was a bit fluffy; I just wanted to let Kain progress on his story arc. I hadn’t known that he had gained his powers by absorbing a bead of light.
In the next instant, Gabriel disappeared from before the statue, yet the column of light remained.
Where is she?
As I looked around, I felt a presence above and so slowly raised my head.
“!”
Gabriel had her six wings unfurled as she looked down upon . I had not even noticed her moving. She slowly descended to . I hesitated, then stepped back. I tried to check her status screen.
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「Status Window」
[Na: Gabriel]
[Title: Third Queen]
[True Na: The One Seated Left of the Throne]
[Level: 100]
[Occupation: Holy Monarch (SSS)]
[Race: Angel]
[Unknown]
[Unknown]
[Unknown]
[Unknown]
[… .]
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Almost nothing ca into my mind, as if everything was locked. Most of the information about her appeared as [Unknown]. As Gabriel approached, she narrowed her eyes as she t mine. Then she muttered as if to herself.
“That’s weird. There was definitely nobody here.”
The mont she spoke, there ca the scent of flowers.
This scent…?
It slled like lilies; it was a lily’s scent. It was the sa fragrance I had slled upon entering the temple a while ago.
Was it Gabriel that had made it so that priests and others were not gathered in the chapel? That mystery was solved. However, resolving such questions was not important now. The important thing was that Gabriel was right in front of . She ca down and folded her wings, and then knelt down on one knee as she ca to my eye level. Her eyes looked sowhat sad. Gabriel reached over and stroked my hair. Her hand was warm, and it felt similar to Tia’s touch.
I felt my alertness naturally fade away.
Why should I be alert in the first place? She sits in the seat of an archangel and is also a Holy Monarch, and as an angel, she could be said to be the manifestation of all that is good.
Even in the ga, she was more concerned about Kain than anyone else, even helping him out in dangerous situations.
“I can feel a special power in you. No, more familiar than it is special. It’s as if I had felt it sowhere… Where? Ah. Would you like to give your na?”
The mont that I was about to say my na, the lily fragrance lingered in my nostrils again. I felt dizzy; sothing was weird. My vision beca hazy, the world blurred. I clenched my teeth and screwed my eyes shut, and shook my head. The normal world returned when I reopened my eyes.
“…”
Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable about her reason for asking. I shook away Gabriel’s hand and stepped back, thinking that she was dangerous.
The vigilance that had disappeared from now rose as if horribly forcing itself back into my mind. As I looked at Gabriel, I opened the system screen.
There was a system ssage:
[—]You are resisting magical effect {Thick Lily Scent}[—]
I knew that it was impossible to resist Gabriel’s magic with my current level of Magical Resistance. However, if the magical effect is ntal, I have total immunity due to my b Player} talent. Gabriel tilted her head as if she was looking at sothing strange, and the floral scent once more reached my nostrils.
I hastily covered my nose with my sleeve, increasing the distance between Gabriel and . I bumped into the door with my back.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Gabriel did not answer my question as she looked blankly at her hand, which had stroked my hair.
***
Why didn’t my power work?
Anyone drugged by the fragrance of the lily enters a state of hypnosis where they must truthfully answer Gabriel’s questions. Yet, it didn’t work. She was well aware that it does not work on does who have powers above the apostolic class, and this dark-haired boy was just a child!
As she studied his features, it seed that he had an overall dark atmosphere; perhaps that was just due to the color of his hair and clothes.
There was nothing else special about him. Gabriel slowly took the boy in with her eyes. An image passed through her head, for the briefest of instants.
“It seems like I saw him when…” Once more, Gabriel groped through her mories. When she felt a tingling, burning, montary headache, she frowned.
“Well, yes. Obviously- Judah, Judah Arche. That is your na, right?”
“!”
From his reaction, Gabriel figured that she was correct. Her mory still seed functional.
“Hm, yes. Judah, it was you. I was stuck with you until the end.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s my first ti seeing your young figure. It’s cuter than I would have thought.”
Gabriel nodded as if she rembered it well. She raised her knee, no longer kneeling to et Judah’s gaze. Her eyes, though still sad, looked puzzled.
“But- I don’t understand. Why are you here? Unless my mory is wrong, you’ve never been here. Could you be twisting things without knowing?”
What is she talking about? Judah could not comprehend her words. Gabriel talked as if they had already t!
She knows my na. She might know other things… It’s just confusing.
Both Judah and Gabriel were confused, but unlike him, she quickly cleared her head. She now smiled a smile that did not fit her sad eyes.
“It’s better this way. I’ve thought about not having you at all. I’ve thought about it a lot. So, let take this opportunity to take your soul myself. If this is the wrong way, I’ll go back. Like I’ve done so before.”
Gabriel pointed at Judas with her index finger, and an extraordinary force gathered on the tip of her slender finger. Unlike the warm light of the column, it was a terrifying force that could easily take the life of a young child.
***
I should avoid it! If I don’t, I die! I was sweating; my eyes were shut—death, and then back to that first day. I have never made a save between then and now. My eyes were wide open as my heart thumped wildly in my breast.
I tried to resist Gabriel’s power, but my body did not move when I willed it to move. It felt as if my body was bound by invisible fetters. When I opened my eyes and lowered my eyes, I could see a transparent thing, like the stem of a plant, coiling around my body.
The scent of lilies from before now seeped into my nose. It felt as if my consciousness was falling apart from that thick scent.
At the sa ti, the light sprang from Gabriel’s finger. I clenched my teeth as I saw the light flash, forming into a cross.
Frustration, helplessness, and anger engulfed my body, but nothing could be done.
Such an absurd death!
The mont I thought that, I heard soone whisper into my ear.
“You’re in trouble.”
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