The Paladin Owns the Relic

73 – Search for Paramer (19)

[Zahad Balten] [Level: 66]

[Race: ???] [Occupation: ???]

[Job Unique Skills]

-Snake God’s Love: The possessed snake god and related skills grow rapidly.

-Snake God’s Grace: The possessed holy power is quickly restored.

-Snake God’s Blessing: You can handle the Snake God’s holy relics without risk.

-Snake God’s Prayer: Becomes immune to abnormal conditions.

[Apostle]

-Mixed Stigma (A): Pushes all demons away. It can impart stigma to others. Priests under his command are mixed, and some bodies may be twisted. (5/20)

-Mixed divinities (A): Two divinities are mixed. It has become more difficult to use, and is not noticed by others. You can freely switch between the two divinities, and you can exchange the nature of the holy power with what you want.

-Healing (B): You can combine healing and combat. The world calls this the ‘fight of the undead’.

– Blessing (B): Greatly increases resistance to abnormal conditions, and can maintain coolness except in special situations. Greatly increases physical ability, and temporarily greatly increases s*xual power.

[Cult of Naga]

-Youngryun (C): Creates a quiet shadow. It can permeate darkness and move without sound.

-Pray of the Scales (C): When you pray, the presence disappears for a certain period of time. Physical abilities are improved.

-Venom Production (C): Poison that causes abdominal pain can be produced inside the body.

-Snake’s Whisper (C): The object’s appearance is partially permeated into darkness. You can hide objects, only for objects you are holding.

-Erosion (C): Penetrates into the mind, and sheds hints into the minds of others.

-Black Scales (B): Derived from the ‘Song of Shadows’, the basic swordsmanship of the Serpent Church. Unnecessary parts have been reduced, and those who have mastered the sword are famous for living in the dark.

-Black Swamp – Favela (A): The essence of dagger skill that only a few of Naga’s direct followers can acquire. It was kept secret and passed on only to a few. In other words, it is also called the snake’s fangs.

[Common skill]

-Meat Recipe (B): You can make delicious meat that cannot be cooked.

-Seafood Recipe (B): You can make delicious seafood that cannot be cooked.

– How to make a drink (C): You can make a delicious drink.

“…Really.”

I glanced at the air. All of the skills related to the Apostle of the Sun God had disappeared.

A special skill of Aris, the slave of the Clock Tower. To completely seal one power.

In the game, it was only a temporary phenomenon. There was no word about being eaten. It was normal for the sealed power to return after time.

But let’s see now… Seeing as it’s completely gone, does that mean it’s in a semi-permanent state?

You don’t have to worry too much. If the slave of the clock tower dies, that skill is also canceled.

Her point was to kill her. I’ll have to do something with the half of my remaining strength.

I opened and closed my hand lightly. I confirmed that the shadow holy power was flowing out.

Growl.

It’s not a sound from my stomach. I glanced back at the elves. Elves clenched their hungry stomachs and waved their hands hurriedly.

“That’s not our voice!”

“It’s unfair!”

“I haven’t said a word yet.”

“……”

Fortnight. The original duration of the operation was exactly that. Even if they had brought food, they would have brought only that much.

In addition, elves are the guys who specialize in light bodies. I probably wouldn’t have brought a heavy load in the first place.

It was only natural that the food was scarce. Maybe the reason why I can’t bear to say it is because of that very high pride.

I searched my pockets. I handed out the food.

“Take it.”

“Yes, yes? Ha, but…”

“Just take it. You can stay anyway.”

Originally these were brought to give to the specter. The ghosts could be brought back to their former form if they were fed enough food.

Life and death. The ghosts ambiguously sandwiched between them. The high-ranking members of Paramer, who were caught up in sealing Aris, the slave of the Clock Tower, were able to turn them into humans simply by feeding them plenty of food.

Recovering their humanity, they were bound to thank me and reward me. Originally, aiming for it and bringing it back to life is a national rule, but…

I can’t help it now. Because things got messed up

What I needed right now wasn’t a treasure. There was only power. To get out of here, it was best for me to twist my body somehow and make my way through Paramer’s interior.

Anyway, I gave up on saving, so the food was overflowing. It’s like being able to put in your mouth the whole thing you brought to feed the specters.

“Do you want me to take it?”

“Ha, but…”

“Of course it is not free.”

I raised my hand. The elves huffed and retreated.

“Seo, can’t you do the same thing as before…?!”

“A while ago? What?”

“That… That… Hip…”

“…Huh?”

I moved my finger.

“Do you want to be beaten?”

“That, could it be?!”

“Me, we are proud elves!”

“Even a benefactor will be angry with more than that!”

The elves shouted. But only one person was not screaming.

Flora gulps down with hearts floating in her eyes. When our eyes met, it was clear that he was averting his gaze. Blush that emerged. A butt sticking out for some reason.

I’m afraid someone isn’t a mazo elf, are you alone? Well… It looks like the rest of them have a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of too.

I definitely kicked the guys’ bottoms. When I hit him, I get absorbed in it without even realizing it. But not now.

“You only have to do one favor later.”

“Boo, please?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult.”

I talked to Naga.

“Go out.”

– Yes. I’m listening.

I glanced at the refugees who were almost clinging to the wall.

“What would happen if I absorbed all of these guys?”

-…Honestly, I don’t know. That’s too much negative energy. Even if you absorb it, whether you can completely digest it is a different area. On the contrary, it can harm your body.

“What if?”

-What about pretending to listen to them…? When the least resentment is resolved, they themselves will cooperate. A peaceful rest would be what they also longed for…

You mean to patronize them pretending to save them from the pain of starvation? It matches the direction I was thinking of.

From noble mtl dot com.

“If you look at Naga-sama, it’s because he is secretly evil.”

-Chi, is that a compliment…?

“Of course. The only thing I can rely on right now is Naga-sama.”

-Ahh…I…I…I’ll try…!

Listen to the story.

Where should I start? I glanced at the man in the corner. A man hugging a woman who appears to be his wife.

They were the first refugees I encountered on the ground. He sat down in front of him, whose skin slightly improved from eating his lunch.

He flinched and looked up at me.

“Sah, priest…My wife…My wife…”

The woman hugging was not feeling well. Her entire skin was covered in black, and she was repeating her incomprehensible words.

“Ah… Ah… Ah…”

Yes.

That’s normal.

Except for him, most of the refugees’ skin was covered in black. There were only a few that were sparsely located like spots.

“Bitter, rotten me…”

“Shh.”

I covered Flora’s mouth.

The fact that the whole body was not black, but only the spots, was proof that he had not bitten off other people’s flesh. Even if he ate, he probably ate very little.

At least, it can be seen as conscientious. Because you chose your own pain over the pain of others.

But can you look kindly at the refugees in front of you?

…That can’t be.

In the first place, there are no normal people among the refugees. Only those who abandoned others to live.

Paramer’s high-ranking officials.

People who threw millions of Paramers into the streets just for the sake of their families and their own comfort.

And that wasn’t the only sin these guys had. Most of Paramer’s high-ranking officials knew how the clock tower in the center of Paramer worked.

In other words, it can be said to be the garbage among garbage. It’s like a hypocrite. Even if I revived them, they would be punished and die on their own.

“Brother.”

He whispered kindly.

“To understand the situation, could you tell me what happened here? I want to hear your story.”

In fact, I know everything.

But I’ll pretend to listen and sympathize with you.

To eat everything from one to ten!

The man sobbed. The voice crawled.

“Ah…aaa…I’m hungry…I’m hungry…Priest…I’m so hungry…”

“Let’s pray together.”

I put my hand on his head.

“The naga will take care of you.”

“…Something seems to have changed…?”

Be quiet.

. . .

Flora blinked. He looked at the priest who was quietly listening.

A benevolent expression. Head nodding occasionally. If you watched from the side, he was a faithful priest.

But what can I say? The more he heard the story of Flora, the more his face frowned.

It was a story that I couldn’t bear to listen to because I was nauseous.

“…What?”

I want to dig my ears. I want to spit out what I heard.

Flora really wanted to do that.

“You pushed children under the age of 10 into this huge clock tower? Didn’t you even take care of the food properly?”

“Ah, as the children grow up, they may get caught in parts. It was a necessary procedure. They were slaves anyway. I wasn’t a citizen of Paramer…”

“Are slaves not people?”

The man sobbed.

“Ha, but the clock tower…Was the symbol of Paramere. The interior is made up of complex parts…Not suitable for adults. There were only children who could work.”

“Then you should have demolished it! Or invest more money and come up with a way!”

“However, with Paramer’s limited budget…That is the most effective…”

“That doesn’t even sound like a word…!”

Zahard grabbed Flora by the shoulder. She shook her head.

Flora shut her mouth, telling her to stay still. But I still didn’t understand.

Why?

Why?

What is that symbol, putting children in to maintain a clock tower like this?

“Pa, Paramer…Paramer…Is a symbol of the Empire’s technology.”

A man makes mistakes. He shuddered, as if he had done something he didn’t want to do.

“The Clock Tower is a place that existed before Paramer was prosperous. It was like a tradition for us. Even if technology develops and people don’t feel the importance of the clock tower… It was one of the things that must be there.”

“I understand. Brother.”

Flora glanced at Zahard’s profile. His mouth said he understood, but his eyes were completely sunken.

Eyes that look like garbage.

“So what happened?”

“Si, the clock tower…As I said before…Is a symbol of Paramere, so we had to maintain it somehow. So we bought young slaves at the city level. It took at least a hundred children to move and clean this gigantic clock tower. Ah…Priest…I didn’t agree…I’m hungry…I’m so hungry…My wife…My wife…”

“If all is said, hunger will also disappear. Brother Please tell me slowly, one by one.”

“Pa, Paramer’s clock tower… Was managed by slave children. Aris was one of those children. To be precise…Aris wasn’t called Aris at first. She was just a slave without a name… That night was the first time she ever heard that name.”

The man bit off his finger. He swallowed his flesh as if he was used to it.

“The inside of the clock tower…Is a space full of complex parts…And dangerous gears. It was an environment where it was easy for children to die in accidents while working. When a child dies… Buy a new one… And have the children clean the corpse of another child… And that child named Aris also entered the Clock Tower. I remember managing slaves…Probably…Because I was the 1721st…Child…”

Flora forced herself to swallow the gastric juices welling up in disgust.

These crazy human bastards.

Zahard sighed. He reached out his hand and stroked the man’s head.

“It seems that the whole of Paramere agreed.”

“Yes, that’s right…I, I was against it…but, it’s still small with my own voice…”

“I see. I couldn’t help it. Brother, then…Do you know how old that child named Aris is?”

“Ah, I know. She was sold at the age of 10… Exactly the 7th year she did it… No… How old is she… Now… When is it now?”

“Brother. It’s okay. Take her deep breath. When did Aris get her powers?”

“Ah, Aris…Aris…”

The man gasped.

“That day…That day…A black mist enveloped all of Paramer. Humans twisted and bit each other. My wife and I fled to this shelter that we had prepared in advance…But it wasn’t safe here. There was a girl The culprit behind everything… She… Aris waved her hand at us.”

“……”

“Darkness shuddered, and strange claw-like things rained down. Ha, but fortunately there were people who could fight back. The high-ranking officials of Paramer… We had people who would protect us. However, even for them, the limit was to confine Aris to the basement of the clock tower. Most died, few survived. Me and my wife also… Barely survived. But… what kind of English is it…”

Sobbing. Flora knew for the first time that human cries were so disgusting.

How can a human being who casually treats a slave as an object can pretend to be innocent?

“The door was locked…We couldn’t go out…The food we stored ran out…There was nothing to eat…So…There were people who ate each other……Ah…God…I didn’t eat! I didn’t eat!”

“So what happened?”

“Well, we…we obviously ate each other…strangely we didn’t die. Rather, rotten flesh grew where it was eaten. I heard Aris laugh at the same time. I was eaten like that… I was starving… No matter how much I ate, I wasn’t full… So… Food… I needed food…”

“The door is open.”

“Yes, yes…It is open. And I met the priest… Alas… Priest… What should I do… Why don’t you give my her wife something to eat…”

The man crawled on the floor on his knees. I lowered his head several times and whispered.

“Give my wife something to eat… Priest… Please… I beg of you…”

I wanted to shout Flora not to give it to her. Why did he feed a guy who threw away other people’s lives as if he was dealing with devotion?

And there are children. The victims were unable to speak out. Young children who would have been best off just being beaten.

Flora raised her voice. I shook off Zahard who stood in my way and asked him.

“Well then, that child named Aris… No, how did the children who were slaves live? During those 7 years? Did you guarantee your freedom? Did you give them a separate break? What about the wages?”

“…Yes?”

The man tilted his head as if he really didn’t understand.

“The slaves…Lived in the clock tower. I made them live there because I was afraid they would run away.”

“No, other welfare-like things…”

“Pa, Paramer’s budget is limited…”

“Then what about you? You said you were against it, what did you do for them?”

“I, I am…”

The man averted his gaze.

“I don’t have time…”

…Ah.

Flora realized. He put his hand on the crossbow.

This chew is just something he said he couldn’t help it with his mouth!

This damn f*ck is a f*ck!

“This, these… demonic… humans…!”

“Stay still. Flora.”

“Ha, but! How can you keep this quiet…!”

Zahad held out his hand.

The voice was heavy.

“You tried to kill me too. Do you have the right to say that?”

“That, that’s…!”

“It’s just a difference in perspective. We are always hypocrites to someone. You are the same, I am the same. People who try to kill others for mutual benefit.”

Zahard shrugged his shoulders as if he was used to it.

“Life is hell. There are only demons in hell. It’s just the difference between less bad and worse.”

“Ha, but…”

“It’s okay.”

Zahard bowed. She whispered in her ear.

“Because I have no intention of ending it like this.”

Zahard grabbed the shivering man by the shoulder.

“Brother. It’s okay.”

She grinned.

“Everyone makes mistakes. Me too. Looking back, I didn’t live a very kind life.”

“Ah… Priest… I, I really…”

“Has your heart calmed down after talking?”

“Yes, yes…If only the hunger…Is solved…Priest…Priest…Please give me something to eat…”

“I’m glad you’ve calmed down. You don’t have to worry about starvation.”

Her hand dug into the man’s shoulder.

“You won’t be hungry anymore.”

“…Yes?”

“If you go back to Naga’s arms, there will be no more hunger. It is a world full of tranquility and no eternal pain. All who are without sin will be permeated with rest. Both you and your wife are all fine now.”

Zahard’s whispers were like snakes. Flora felt goose bumps.

What is it? This human.

Ah, wasn’t the god that the person originally enshrined worshiped was the sun god…?

“You worked hard. Brother.”

“Ah… Ah…”

Let’s go to a world without pain. I will lead the way.”

“Go…Sesaang without pain…”

The man’s silent scream ran down his fingertips. The rotten flesh collapsed and the shimmering black darkness was sucked into Zahard’s body.

“…After.”

He licked his lips as if he had eaten delicious food and smiled broadly.

“Ugh. f*ck. It was hard to pretend to empathize.”

“What, what did you do…?”

Zahard glanced at her shrug and looked back at her. She nodded her head in thought.

The answer came immediately.

“…Justice?”

Flora is dumbfounded.

From noble mtl dot com.

Anyone can see that he’s a villain.