Kael sat down again. From the very first mont, he realized that the cardinals had not called him just to evaluate his performance in Zone 1. There was sothing else, sothing carefully prepared.
He settled himself comfortably. He crossed one leg over the other, rested his elbows on the armrests, and looked them straight in the face. He didn't need to speak; his gaze alone was enough to indicate that they could begin.
Hasin was the first to break the silence.
"In a month, a holy inheritance will open. We have secured a spot, and if you're interested, you could take that spot to enter the inheritance."
He paused briefly before adding bluntly,
"It was created by the previous Pope... the one who reached rank 4."
Kael maintained his composure. Internally, his mind was racing.
An inheritance left by a demigod, and an ancient one at that.
Inside, he remained calm, but his face took on the appropriate expression: asured surprise, disbelief that did not seem feigned.
"A rank 4 inheritance?" he asked in a tone full of apparent amazent. His voice sounded incredulous, as if he had just realized the magnitude of the offer.
Hasin nodded slowly, a slight smile crossing his face.
"That's right. And it will open in a week. It will be a good opportunity for you, right? If you take advantage of it, you will be able to increase your strength even more. After all, you have already awakened your mana core."
Kael did not bother to deny it.
"That's right, I've already awakened my core," he replied calmly. "There was no reason to hide it. But then, he added sothing else, a piece that would solidify his position before them. "Besides, I'm in rank 7, Peak level."
A slight silence followed his statent. The three cardinals exchanged glances. None of them spoke, but their eyes revealed a mixture of surprise and calculation.
Kael, anwhile, maintained his serene smile. He knew perfectly well what those words ant: power, interest, and above all... danger.
"Rank 7, and not even twenty years old," exclaid Harold, surprise evident in his voice despite his attempts to contain it. He knew from his own observations that the young Rasen had a remarkable mana core; in his previous assessnt, he had placed him at rank 8, an interdiate level, but never at rank 7, the peak level.
That revelation shattered his expectations as if soone had moved an invisible wall.
Those present remained silent. The entire mansion seed to hold its breath. They looked at the young man in front of them with a mixture of respect and a twinge of instinctive fear: if he wanted to kill them, there would be no one in the room capable of even observing the gesture without falling.
The possibility was not fanciful, but a cold conclusion derived from that simple fact.
"So... do you accept?" they asked him.
"Yes, it's a unique opportunity that I can't pass up. Besides, it's rank four... sothing you don't see every day."
Kael spoke in the sa friendly tone he had maintained from the beginning, the tone with which he had forged his role as a saint. His voice was soft, calm, and kind.
Then he calmly added, "If it's not too much trouble, I need you to get a hundred Hylotrupes from Hell, a bottle of linden essence from the Third Hell, and passionflower from the First Heaven."
"Sure, no problem." This ti it was Ernest who replied. His tone was respectful, though there was a slight tension in his eyes. He didn't dare ask what he would use them for. Even if curiosity was eating away at him, he understood perfectly well that so questions only brought unnecessary consequences.
Kael nodded slowly, satisfied. "Good. If there is nothing else to discuss, I will take my leave. I won't bother you any longer. Have a nice day... and may the Lord be with you."
His farewell was as polite as it was distant. With the sa elegance that had characterized him throughout the eting, he rose from the sofa, bowed slightly, and walked toward the exit.
The sound of his footsteps slowly faded down the hallway.
Those present remained silent for a few more seconds, exchanging restrained glances. Only then did they dare to exhale.
"Rank 7..." Harold muttered, but everyone heard his voice.
Even knowing what they had witnessed, they found it hard to believe. They stood before a person in rank 7, and that sa person was none other than their Lord's chosen one, soone who moved around Zone 1 helping those most in need, as if greatness and humility coexisted in a single body.
A heavy silence spread through the room.
Ernest slumped down on the sofa, sinking into the cushions with his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"Really... we made the best decision in sponsoring that young man and offering him access to the inheritance."
His words were filled with a mixture of relief and amazent.
"That's right..." Hasin nodded slightly. His face reflected an unusual seriousness, and his fingers drumd on the wine glass in his hand.
"We never imagined that the young man we t in the sumr... was actually a rank 7, peak-level master. Thank goodness you didn't do anything to offend him. Otherwise, only ruin would have awaited us... or we would have seen his rise from the shadows."
The words hung in the air like a silent warning.
The other two n could only nod. No one dared break the new silence that had ford. Each picked up his glass, swirling it slowly, watching the wine reflect the light.
From the window, the city stretched out. Outside, the world continued on its course, unaware of what had just happened.
...
Two days later.
Just as the cardinals had promised, what Kael had requested arrived without delay: higher-quality black priest robes and a wide variety of fresh food.
After finishing teaching the children, Kael set off with little Rosan, who by then had beco a familiar figure in Zone 1. People greeted her with gestures of respect, so even with a slight smile, sothing unthinkable just a few days earlier.
They both walked to the place where he had begun his relief work. Upon arriving, Kael paused for a mont, observing in silence. The change was extraordinary.
That miserable corner, where before there had been only despair, seed like a different place. The oppressive atmosphere had disappeared, as if a thick fog had lifted. The streets, though still humble, were clean. There was life, movent, murmurs, and laughter.
People chatted calmly, exchanging food or helping each other. Children ran through the alleys, their faces lit up with smiles that seed impossible. Their eyes, once empty and dull, now sparkled with genuine joy.
These were the sa people who, just days ago, had looked at the world with resignation, knowing they could die at any mont. But now... they laughed.
Kael watched them with a calmness that showed neither pride nor tenderness. To others, it might have been an act of compassion. To him, it was the expected result. Every smile, every look of gratitude, was a seed planted.
The first step was complete.
Not long after, people noticed his arrival. One by one, they began to gather around him, leaving their tasks, their conversations, and their everyday apathy behind.
Their eyes reflected sothing they hadn't felt in a long ti: gratitude.
Kael watched them calmly. His smile was warm, tranquil, perfectly asured.
Every step he took exuded a natural authority, and yet he seed to walk among them as one of their own.
He made his way through the crowd until he reached the house where, days before, he had prayed.
Once there, he stopped. He turned around and looked at everyone. His smile widened, kind, almost luminous.
And then he began to speak.
"Thanks to Cardinals Harold, Hasin, and Ernest, we will have better quality clothing and a wide variety of food for all of you. This would not have been possible without their help... and, of course, without our Lord, the Ancient Sun God, who guides to help you all. Without Him, none of this would have been possible."
His voice rose firmly, clear and asured, projecting with natural authority. Each word was simple, but laden with aning.
He knew exactly how to touch the hearts of those people: faith, gratitude, and hope.
He paused briefly. His gaze swept over the faces of those present: moist eyes, clasped hands, reverent expressions.
Then he continued in a soft but firm tone:
"So I need so volunteers to help bring things from the house so I can distribute them among you."
A murmur ran through the crowd. Several hands went up almost imdiately. Kael nodded slowly, satisfied.
With the volunteers gathered, Kael set off with them to bring the supplies he had requested from the three cardinals. Although he didn't really need their help, as with his current strength, the task was trivial, he preferred to keep up appearances.
Once they returned to the site, the atmosphere began to fill with movent. Kael calmly organized the supplies and began to distribute better-quality clothing, along with als intended for people living in groups or families.
He knew well that in that environnt, precarious as it was, living together inevitably created bonds. In the sa place where despair reigned, couples, alliances, and affection were also born.
That was human nature: to seek warmth in the midst of cold.
But for Kael, that was not a problem. It was not his concern to control the flow of everyday life.
So he simply continued to give everything with his friendly smile, showing neither haste nor fatigue. The others responded with words of gratitude, sincere bows, and so restrained tears. For them, he was a savior.
Reviews
All reviews (0)