Great Wizard Transcending with Mythology - chapter 43

Episode 43

Stained glass of five colours.

And the light passing through that stained glass brightly illuminated the interior of the temple.

Bathed in that light, a young man stood with his hands clasped together, praying towards the deity.

The young man didn’t flinch.

With his eyes closed in a devout posture, his prayer lasted quite a while.

How much time had passed?

The young man slowly opened his eyes.

But his open eyes held nothing.

Blind.

Should one say, “Pity”?

The young man was blind, unable to see ahead. However, there was no trace of regret or sighs on his face.

He simply accepted the reality he faced…

Then, the young man spoke.

“Priest Li shieng, have you come?”

“As expected, you noticed.”

At his words, a priest emerged slowly from the darkness where the light from the stained glass did not reach.

“Archbishop Conwell.”

The priest bowed politely, offering his respects to Archbishop Conwell.

“While I cannot help but feel regret for speaking such worldly matters after finishing the prayer to Denver…,”

“Please go on.”

“The information about the saintes you mentioned before has been confirmed. Exactly as you said…”

The priest sighed briefly, continuing slowly.

“The saintes took a prohibited substance.”

“I see. Ah, what a regrettable matter. Priest, please do not disclose this to anyone.”

“Of course. Revealing such impious information prematurely could cause significant division. That is why I have come directly to you, Archbishop.”

“Ah, how faithful your faith is…! Priest, your faith will surely be rewarded!”

The Archbishop exclaimed, raising his hands again in fervor.

“Our faith is facing a great crisis! The saintes, who should be a role model, has transgressed, and the faithful of the Empire are losing their faith.”

“…That is correct.”

“Even more so, we must strengthen ourselves. Without doubting our faith, we must eradicate the tumors growing within the clergy!”

Archbishop Conwell turned his gaze to the statue of Denver under the stained glass, his eyes unwavering despite not being able to see…

Archbishop Conwell rose, looking at the priest with an expression of unwavering faith.

“Priest Li shieng, please remember.”

“Yes, Archbishop.”

“Denver bestows grace upon those who act. Action is the proof of faith, and it allows us to reach the paradise he has prepared for us!”

Archbishop Conwell slowly approached Priest Li shieng.

“The evil warned against by Denver is slowly engulfing the clergy. Someone must act.”

“T-That’s right.”

“Even if the saintes has received Denver’s grace and is inscribing precious marks of faith on her body, that fact remains unchanged.”

Archbishop Conwell grasped Priest Li shieng’s shoulders.

“I ask you, Priest.”

“Yes, yes…”

“Which side are you on? The side of who does, or the side that turns away from His will like others?”

“I-I…”

Priest Li shieng looked up at the empty space with a bewildered expression.

On the side of who does, or not.

The atmosphere created by Archbishop Conwell was incredibly heavy. It was almost unbearable for a mere priest.

But he couldn’t help but answer in this situation.

“I…I am on the side of who does.”

After hesitating for a long time, Priest Li shieng answered with difficulty.

The moment he heard that answer, Archbishop Conwell’s expression brightened.

As if he had been waiting for that answer from the beginning.

“Haha, you have ‘answered’!”

“…Yes?”
“Ah, very well. Your faith has certainly been conveyed to me clearly, Priest!”

The Archbishop Conwell said so, tapping the priest’s shoulder repeatedly.

“Let’s proceed then.”

Surrounded by light coming through the stained glass like a halo, the Archbishop spoke.

“We will bring down the false saintes and restore true faith.”

As the Archbishop spoke, something crawled from under his feet towards the priest.

Then.

Snap!

It bit the priest’s foot.

However, the priest seemed completely unaware, nodding earnestly to the Archbishop’s fervent preaching about ‘faith’.

And so, little by little.

“For Denver!”

A conspiracy began to brew deep in the heart of the Holy Empire.

So imperceptibly.

—

“I am planning to visit the Holy Empire.”

“…!”

The expressions of those vassal changed at my words.

As if they had never expected the word ‘Holy Empire’ to come from my mouth, the owner of Grave.

“Your Grace, what do you mean by suddenly mentioning the Holy Empire? It is not particularly friendly with the Empire, and the distance is quite far.”

“You must be aware of the recent visit of a saintes to the territory. If she came from there, there must be a reason for us to go there too.”

I said so, taking out a neatly folded letter from my pocket.

“As it happens, Saintes Celestia has sent me an invitation.”

“…!”

“Of course, I understand your concerns. It is unusual for an aristocrat to go directly to the Holy Empire. But it is necessary to establish a good relationship with them.”

The Holy Faith is undoubtedly the largest religion in this land.

Naturally, there is nothing wrong with having a good relationship with the Holy Faith.

Of course, I’m not going to the Holy Empire just for that reason.

‘But an excuse is always necessary.’

With that thought, I looked at those vassal. Of course, there was no one who objected to my words.

The reasons I gave were quite convincing.

“And we won’t stay long. At most, for about a week?”

“Umm…”

“During that time, I will ask sir Setarim to take care of the territory. I believe sir Setarim can perform the role of deputy excellently.”

“Me…?”

“Yes.”

Well, it might not usually be like this.

But from my perspective, having experienced the future through ‘regression,’ Setarim is someone I can trust completely.

He is highly regarded within the family and has good relations with people.

Of course, there is someone else who could take full responsibility for managing the territory, but…

‘It’s not time to visit him yet.’

Until then, Setarim will inevitably be in charge.

“Well then, let’s decide on that.”

I said with a smirk.

“I ask you, sir Setarim.”

If it’s Setarim, I believe he can handle it excellently for a week.

—

The next day, I prepared to head straight to the Holy Empire.

Accompanying me is Lepentier.

And…

“Thank you for granting my request, Your Grace!”

… Rachel.

As always, Rachel nodded enthusiastically at my words, sparkling.

I wonder if she would be wagging her tail like crazy if she had one.

“No, well, it wasn’t an unreasonable request.”

And rather than leaving her in my territory, it’s more comforting to have her by my side.

I don’t distrust Setarim, but as someone who knows about the power hidden by the Chaos church, I can’t afford to be complacent.

If those guys purposefully target Rachel while I’m away, it’ll be a headache.

After all, the Chaos church is hiding various powers.

So it’s better for me to deal with it directly.

Besides…

“Ah, I’ve also made what you mentioned last time. Here!”

I thought Rachel’s ability would definitely come in handy for this plan.

I received the item I had commissioned from Rachel and put it in my pocket.

‘There’s nothing as good as Rachel’s ability to counter old man Conwell.’

Archbishop Conwell.

He became the ‘Archbishop’ of Denver at the young age of twenty-five, and despite being blind, he has remained a faithful believer of the Holy Empire.

Especially, becoming an Archbishop at twenty-five was an unprecedented event in the history of the Holy Empire.

Archbishop Conwell has not changed at all from his appearance when he became the Archbishop.

After ruling as the Archbishop for fifty years, it’s not strange that people praise his appearance as ‘a blessing from God.’

Well, half of it is true.

Half of it is.

“But why don’t we use the teleportation magic circle this time? It’s faster and more convenient.”

Rachel, sitting in the carriage, asked with wide eyes. Of course, the answer to this is simple.

“We’re not going directly to the Holy Empire. There’s a place we need to visit on the way, and there’s no magic circle there.”

“Ah.”

“Besides, this is not just a simple carriage. It can almost transform into a siege weapon if needed, like a giant magical device.”

It’s a duke’s family for nothing.

It’s just that our family is currently declining, as it is the oldest and most prestigious family so there are many weird and unusual things.

At that moment, Rachel asked.
“However… where exactly would be the place to intervene? If Your Highness insists on intervening in the middle, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary place…”

“Well, it’s nothing special.”

In this world, there are many hidden spaces. Wizards who study magic in seclusion, scholars who research forbidden knowledge.

Or warriors who devote themselves to rigorous training on their own path and leave behind enlightenment.

And strangely enough, individuals of such kinds often create their own special hiding places and take refuge in them.

“A dungeon?”

People commonly refer to it as a ‘dungeon’ and wander in search of it.

“Just a moment, Your Highness. If it’s a dungeon… haven’t most of them already been explored by adventurers?”

“That’s right.”

“Immediately, it’s understood that places like the ancient royal tombs, the cradle of demons, or the lair of the mad mage have all been revealed to the public…”

Lepentier asked cautiously.

“Perhaps, are there still dungeons that have not been discovered?”

“There are.”

Surprisingly, there are.

And among them is a dungeon of ancient mysteries that countless adventurers have searched for but not found, left untouched for a long time.

” Pramel.”

“…!”

The two were astonished.

“The Alchemist of Brilliance!”

It was Rachel who received my words. Rachel leaned forward with her eyes gleaming madly, almost sticking her face in front of mine.

And then.

“Um, um, I-I’m, sorry!”