If You Truly Wish So... (1)
Deneb, who had performed a miracle, quietly collapsed as if all her holy power had been depleted.
The dwarves treated Deneb and Yulian as if they were messengers of the goddess.
They carefully lifted the two and escorted them to the most honored space within the royal citadel.
Covered in the dust of battle, the dwarf king, Grondal, stood before the royal citadel and shouted loudly.
"Dwarves! We have survived! We have protected Valskrum! And all of this is thanks to the goddess who watched over us and sent us the Saintess!"
His voice filled the surroundings like the beat of a drum shaking the earth.
"The Saintess's miracle saved us, and her courage and sacrifice cleansed this battlefield! Today! Every dwarf living on this land must remember!"
"The Saintess is not just human! She is the light that carries the goddess's will! The fact that we now serve the Saintess is proof that the goddess has not given up on us! We have achieved victory with the Saintess!"
"Uwoooaaaah!"
The dwarves raised their weapons to the sky in unison and let out a thunderous cheer.
They now all knew exactly whose holy power had saved them.
"The Saintess is with us!"
"We too are children of the goddess! Glory to the goddess!"
"A song filled with divinity shall cleanse the world!"
They grabbed each other's shoulders and shouted, all cheering like children full of joy.
Soon, every dwarf knelt before the royal citadel.
With hands raised toward the sky, they offered their reverence to the goddess and the Saintess.
It was a sight both solemn and sacred.
Though their hands were stained with blood, they struck their chests with them and swore their oaths.
"We shall follow the Saintess!"
"Her will shall be etched into the hearts of the dwarves!"
"With hammers engraved with the names of the goddess and the Saintess, we shall never again allow darkness!"
Ghislain, carrying Kyle on his back, smiled as he watched the scene.
The dwarves formally acknowledging and choosing to follow the Saintess would surely become a powerful force in their journey ahead.
Soon, mercenaries began to gather around Ghislain.
Having fought alongside the dwarves, their armor was covered in dust, and the blood pooled on their blades had dried before they could wipe it off.
Their eyes clearly showed exhaustion, yet their faces wore smiles of relief.
"Vice-captain, sir!"
"Is Kyle going to be okay?"
"Why the hell are you doing something so out of character, huh?"
Their comments came half out of worry, half in jest. Ghislain replied with a smile.
"He's fine. He made it through the worst. And now, Kyle has reached the realm of a superhuman."
"Uwoooaaaah!"
The mercenaries erupted in cheers. Yulian and Deneb had awakened, and now Kyle had too!
Unbelievable things just kept happening. It was both astonishing and joyous.
Of course, not everyone was happy about it.
"Damn it! Why is it just the big brothers and sisters awakening! When's my turn, huh?!"
As always, Osval grumbled his complaints. He looked genuinely upset.
"This is so unfair! If your face is good, you shouldn't be good at fighting too! I mean, just by looks, I'm obviously the strongest one here!"
He wasn't exactly wrong. Even Ghislain had to nod at that.
But Osval's lack of strength had nothing to do with his face. He just hadn't trained enough.
So Ghislain said,
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you become a superhuman soon."
"I'm sorry. Please pretend I didn't hear that."
Osval shrieked and ran away, but Ghislain was being completely serious. He figured that with just a bit more "motivation" (?), their levels would all rise at least one step.
After all, weren't they experiencing something more intense than anyone else right now? This constant battle would surely be a great help.
Soon, Erenes and Lionel also approached Ghislain.
Without a word, Erenes summoned a water spirit. It helped clean Kyle's body and allowed him to stabilize.
Watching this, Ghislain smirked with interest.
'She really is different from the future. She's quietly kind and genuinely caring toward her comrades.'
The future Erenes had been cold and rigid, someone hard to approach.
Of course, she only seemed cold on the outside—she never turned away from those in need. Still, seeing her openly express her emotions and look after others like this was rare.
Lionel stood nearby with a complicated expression, saying nothing.
And Ghislain knew exactly why.
'He must be so confused right now. A real Saintess has appeared—completely out of the blue.'
Having witnessed the miracle with his own eyes, no one could doubt the Saintess now. No, if you were a true believer of the church, you'd be compelled to kneel and offer reverence.
To take the Holy Stone from such a Saintess was something unimaginable.
But Lionel, who had come under the Pope's orders, had no choice but to secure the Holy Stone and deliver it to the Pope.
It was a situation where he could neither go forward nor retreat, hence that troubled expression.
The dwarves' reverence wasn't just for the Saintess. Soon, Grondal pointed toward Ghislain and his companions and shouted.
"Dwarves! Hear me! Who are these people? They are the ones who led the Saintess to us! They are the Yulian Mercenaries! They fought beside us and bought us the time to fight!"
"Engrave their names! Their courage! Into the history of Valskrum! Their glory shall never fade from the hearts of dwarves!"
"Uwoooaaaah!"
Once more, the dwarves raised their weapons and roared.
Quite a few of them already knew about the Yulian Mercenaries.
They were the ones who had protected others while retreating, guiding residents from other settlements to safety, allowing dwarf warriors to swiftly gather at the royal citadel.
"Yulian Mercenaries!"
"You are the true heroes!"
"We will never forget you!"
In the grand chorus of cheers, the name of the Yulian Mercenaries echoed far and wide.
Soon, Grondal approached Ghislain. Unlike his usual demeanor, he wore a gentle, warm smile.
"This must be Kyle? I've heard of him. They say he protected the future of our Valskrum, didn't he?"
"Yes, he's a truly remarkable young man."
"I shall never forget the name Kyle. I will make sure his great deeds are etched into Valskrum forever."
"Thank you. He'll be really happy to hear that."
Ghislain laughed in delight.
Kyle had always wanted to be famous. He loved doing cool, stylish things.
So hearing that his name would be immortalized in Valskrum would surely bring him joy.
With the dwarves' praise echoing around them, Ghislain and his companions were guided into the citadel.
Grondal personally led them toward the most secluded and important area within the citadel.
Following a staircase intricately carved from stone and metal, they descended deep underground, where a massive metallic door appeared before them.
As Grondal opened the door, he spoke.
"This place can truly be called the heart of Valskrum."
Fwaaaaaah!
Beneath the citadel lay a vast and enormous chamber. Within it stood a colossal forge, passed down since ancient times.
The forge emitted flames that pulsed like a living heart.
Within the bluish fire, golden and crimson hues intertwined and flared, while the searing heat that rose from it filled even the soul with awe.
A strange vibration echoed throughout the space.
Even the crackling of the flames sounded like a sacred prayer.
This fire had never gone out in thousands of years.
The dwarves did not see it as mere flame, but as the embodiment of their divinity, tradition, and the source of their lives.
Standing before the forge, Grondal spoke quietly.
"This is... the Eternal Forge. Our most sacred relic, the flame infused with our belief."
To the dwarves, their sacred flame was a symbol of faith as ancient and deep as the World Tree of the elves.
Grondal gazed at the blazing fire and continued.
"As promised, we will now entrust you with our Guardian Stone."
He slowly reached his hand toward the fire. Then, the once-calm blaze suddenly began to swirl violently.
Fwaaaaaah!
The flame split into two, revealing what lay within.
And from the center of it all—
A single red gem, radiating brilliant light, slowly rose upward.
"Wow..."
Everyone exhaled in awe.
The scene overlapped with the image of Iraniel retrieving the Holy Stone from the World Tree.
Though the races were different, their reverence toward divinity was no different.
Grondal grasped the gem with a proud expression and spoke.
"Only the representative of a race recognized by the Origin can retrieve the Guardian Stone from the Eternal Forge."
Ghislain tilted his head and asked,
"What do you mean by being 'recognized by the Origin'?"
"The Origin is what preserves the identity of a race. For elves, it's the World Tree. For dwarves, it's the Eternal Forge."
"Do humans and dragons have one as well?"
"Of course. For humans, it's the Holy Grail. For dragons, the Primal Heart."
"...…"
It was the first time Ghislain had heard of this. The others also wore intrigued expressions.
Still, there was one thing he could infer. The Holy Grail was probably in the hands of the Pope.
After all, the Pope of the Holy Empire represented all of humanity.
At that moment, another question arose.
"How is the representative who receives the Origin's recognition chosen? Is there some kind of trial?"
"I don't know."
"…Pardon?"
"I just knew, naturally, when I became king. I suppose it's the same for other races. The Elf Grand Chieftain, the Pope, the Dragon Lord… they were probably no different from me."
"So… you just knew?"
"Yes, the sacred relic acknowledges the representative of each race. That's why it's called a sacred relic. I believe it's a power beyond our understanding."
"Then what if someone else just gathers enough support and insists on being the representative?"
Grondal scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Well? We dwarves don't have such rude bastards, so I wouldn't know. But I'm sure among humans, there must've been cases like that in history."
"Maybe?"
"I don't think it works just by insisting. There probably has to be a legitimate process. But… if everyone were to unanimously recognize a new representative… then maybe it would be different."
"Hmmm…"
Ghislain nodded. These sacred relics had been passed down since ancient times. There seemed to be rules of their own, but no one knew how they truly functioned.
Not that he needed to know all the details.
What mattered was gathering the Holy Stones so Deneb could regain her complete power.
Still, he did plan to find out what became of each race's sacred relics in the future.
'The World Tree… judging by Erenes, it must be hidden somewhere… The others might be as well.'
If he could find them, who knows what might happen. If an opportunity arose, it wouldn't be a bad idea to search for them.
And while staying here, he might be able to learn more about the sacred relics too.
Grondal wasn't about to just hand over the Holy Stone as-is either.
"It'd be inconvenient to carry this around like this, wouldn't it? Since the Saintess will be using it anyway, I'll provide something for her to wear it with."
Grondal gave instructions to a nearby dwarf, who brought out a bracelet. The bracelet had a small structure on it, similar to a pendant.
Click.
When Grondal brought the Holy Stone close, it fit perfectly into the structure.
It was the same mechanism as the necklace Iraniel had handed over. Ghislain couldn't hold back his curiosity this time either and asked,
"That bracelet… was it made to hold the Holy Stone as well?"
"Indeed. Just like the necklace the Saintess is wearing. It's an item passed down among us since ancient times."
"Hmmm…"
That bracelet was likely one of the Saintess's relics in the future as well.
It was even possible that the relic in Gartros's possession was this bracelet.
He hadn't seen it clearly, but at the time, the holy power protecting Gartros seemed to emanate from his wrist.
Ghislain narrowed his brow slightly as he looked at the bracelet.
A necklace, a bracelet… chances were high that the next would also be a piece of jewelry.
'…How curious.'
It was as if someone had crafted these specifically to be worn on various parts of one person's body.
Almost as if the future Saintess was meant to gather and wear them all.
The truth was unknown. But for the Holy Stones to be shaped into wearable accessories—surely, that couldn't be a coincidence.
As Ghislain was lost in these thoughts, Grondal spoke again, this time with a serious tone.
"I'll hand the bracelet over once the Saintess wakes. But in the meantime, there's something I'd like to confirm with you…"
"What is it?"
Grondal's gaze settled on Gramdir, hanging from Ghislain's waist, as he asked,
"That sword is a treasure of our royal family. It was stored deep within the citadel's vault. How did you come to possess it?"
Grondal's eyes sharpened. He clearly wanted an explanation.
And understandably so. From the dwarves' perspective, it was as if their treasure had been stolen from the royal vault.
"Hm, I see."
Ghislain maintained a calm expression as he unhooked Gramdir from his waist.
All eyes turned to him.
The mercenaries wore troubled expressions.
'Ah, I thought the sword looked too good to be true.'
'So some dwarf thief must've stolen it. Tsk. It was taken through a rigged gamble, so I guess we'll have to return it.'
'If it has a rightful owner, we don't have much choice. We've never taken something that wasn't ours.'
That's what everyone was thinking. Since they had obtained a stolen item, the proper course would be to return it with perhaps a small reward.
No reason to antagonize the dwarf king who had just handed them the Holy Stone.
Grondal also seemed to believe Ghislain was about to return Gramdir and reached out his hand.
But then…
Fwoosh!
Ghislain immediately opened his subspace and tossed Gramdir inside.
"......…"
Grondal stared at Ghislain, utterly dumbfounded. The others were no different.
But Ghislain puffed out his chest and said boldly,
"That's mine."
"......…"
Grondal had the distinct feeling… that getting that sword back was going to be very, very difficult.
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