* * *

Seo Woohyun glanced at the Praise Stamp from Eridian, now a familiar sight as a quest reward.

He had already collected five stamps, and with the ongoing “Exercise” quest nearing completion, he expected to soon reach ten stamps and claim a special reward.

“El.”

“Yes?”

“What will you give me as a reward when I collect all ten Praise Stamps?”

“I’ll grant you one wish. Just know I won’t entertain any wishes to send you back to your original world.”

“…A wish?”

“Yes. As long as it’s within my power.”

It was a remarkable offer.

Not wanting to squander the chance for a god-granted wish, Seo Woohyun thought for a moment, then grinned mischievously.

“Then, would it be okay if I wished for you to keep granting my wishes?”

Eridian’s cheek twitched at the cheeky request.

Raising an eyebrow, he shot Seo Woohyun a penetrating look, and Seo Woohyun, sensing the answer, lowered his gaze sheepishly.

“So… a loophole like that doesn’t work, huh? I figured it wouldn’t.”

“Did you actually think that wish would work?”

“Well… to be honest, maybe just a little?”

Watching Seo Woohyun mumble while glancing up at him, Eridian couldn’t hold back a hearty laugh.

His beloved saint, who was adorable just lying around doing nothing, was so earnest in his efforts to adjust, jotting notes and wandering around, eager to learn.

And with that added charm… how could anyone not be taken?

Looking at Seo Woohyun’s face with gentle affection, Eridian’s gaze softened as he closed his eyes.

Outside the Silent Palace where the tomb of the First Saint lay, bright yellow petals drifted endlessly.

---

Having more companions meant fewer chances for private conversations with a specific person.

Seo Woohyun kept an eye out for moments to be alone with Giselle, but Habios was constantly hovering around, making it difficult.

The fact that he had learned certain things about Giselle from Eridian only made him more uneasy.

One day, as they neared the border of the Duchy of Soznian, Seo Woohyun seized a moment when the carriage halted to approach Giselle.

“Giselle, could I speak with you privately for a moment? I have some questions.”

“…Privately?”

Habios, standing nearby, made a confused noise, and Seo Woohyun nodded immediately.

Giselle checked for Eridian’s whereabouts before responding.

Given Eridian’s imposing figure, the lack of sight meant he was probably inside the carriage.

“Then, let’s step into this carriage.”

Giselle gestured toward the nearest carriage, as the open area wasn’t suitable for a private conversation.

Climbing in, he cast a spell to prevent their conversation from being overheard before he finally spoke.

“It’s soundproof now, so you can speak freely. What did you want to know?”

“Oh… it’s not much, really. I heard that Lord Eridian used to be human, and I was just curious how he became a god. Apparently, most of the followers know, and I didn’t want to seem clueless.”

Seeing Seo Woohyun nervously broach the question, Giselle blinked slowly.

Of all people, wasn’t Seo Woohyun the saint whom Eridian visited daily?

With someone willing to answer anything close at hand, why was he asking Giselle instead?

“Lord Eridian is always by your side; did you not think to ask him directly?”

“Well… I did, but he told me to look into it myself. You know how he is—he thinks he’s bad at explaining. Especially with long, detailed stories, he prefers I hear it from others.”

“I see. Yes, it’s true that Lord Eridian was once human and later became a god. But as for where to begin that story…”

Giselle carefully chose his words.

It had been nearly a decade since he became a cleric devoted to Erdian.

As the head priest and the strongest candidate for the position of Head of the High Priest, he was well aware that Erdian had once been human.

“When Lord Erdian was human, he was born as the third prince of a kingdom,” began Giselle.

Seo Woohyun pulled out the small notebook he always carried, ready to take notes.

Even though he could just ask again if he missed something without anyone complaining, he always diligently jotted down what he saw and heard.

This habit made him a satisfying student to teach.

After confirming that Seo Woohyun was writing down a few key words, Giselle slowly recited the name of the kingdom.

“The kingdom Lord Erdian was born into as a prince was called the Kingdom of Eustis.”

The fact that Erdian had once been royalty was surprising.

His dignified bearing seemed to have carried over from his human days. Seo Woohyun’s pencil paused in mid-air.

“The Kingdom of Eustis…?”

Erdian was a god worshiped not only on this continent, where the Erhartan Empire resided, but also across distant lands over the sea.

A place where Erdian had once lived as a human should be a major pilgrimage site, yet Seo Woohyun had never heard of it.

“Where is Eustis? It doesn’t seem to be a country near the Empire….”

“It no longer exists. It was destroyed by Lord Erdian himself after he attained godhood. Those of royal blood scattered and eventually the line died out. The kingdom’s location was once part of the Duchy of Soznian. I’ll find some records later and show you, as it’s a bit difficult to explain in words.”

“Erdian destroyed his own country?”

Seo Woohyun looked up, surprised.

The thought that someone so kind, laid-back, and often playful could destroy his homeland was hard to believe.

“Yes. It was one of the first four acts he undertook after becoming a god.”

“Why…?”

“I don’t know his exact reasons, but at that time, Lord Erdian seemed to have little fondness for his family or the Kingdom of Eustis. My guess is that an incident where one of his siblings harmed a friend Erdian trusted and relied on had a major impact.”

Seo Woohyun shifted his gaze, his mind racing.

‘This isn’t the past I was expecting….’

It seemed that Erdian’s past was more personal and complex than he had imagined.

“Considering that Lord Erdian later elevated this friend to the status of the first Saint after their death, it’s not so strange that he destroyed his kingdom.”

The first Saint.

He lived over 1,215 years ago, but little was known about him.

Giselle referred to him only as “that person,” as his name had been lost to history.

The only known facts were that Erdian had enshrined this friend after his tragic death at the hands of Erdian’s sibling, and that he had built the Palace of Silence in his memory.

Many scholars had tried to identify potential candidates for the first Saint.

But Erdian had executed every impostor who claimed the title, which had ultimately halted the research.

‘To Lord Erdian, the Saint is an inviolable, sacred figure.’

And now, 1,215 years later, someone sat before Giselle who had been found in the heart of the Palace of Silence and had stayed there until he set out on this journey.

“So, strictly speaking, Seo Woohyun, you’re the first living Saint since our order was founded.”

The carriage fell silent.

Overwhelmed by so much unexpected information, Seo Woohyun couldn’t immediately respond.

‘Is this why Lord Erdian didn’t tell me himself?’

The glimpse into Erdian’s past was far darker than Seo Woohyun had anticipated.

The fact that he destroyed his corrupt family’s kingdom was one thing, but honoring his friend by canonizing him as a Saint complicated Seo Woohyun’s feelings.

It made him feel like he had taken up a position that he wasn’t entirely worthy of.

“I don’t know why Lord Erdian became a god either. People only speculate that his continuous victories in a long war led the weary people to revere him as a god of war, eventually granting him divinity.”

“I see….”

“One of Lord Erdian’s other close friends from his days as a prince was also the first High Priest of our order. Following the fall of Eustis, he unified the surrounding kingdoms in chaos and ascended as the first emperor of the Erhartan Empire, where the holy city now stands. Prince Habios, who’s accompanying us, is his distant descendant. This is nearly all I know of Lord Erdian’s past. I hope it was helpful.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Seo Woohyun closed his notebook and checked a hologram display visible only to him.

The quest hadn’t been completed, indicating that there was still more he needed to know.

‘What’s the purpose of this quest he’s given me?’

Images of Erdian’s strikingly handsome face, wearing a mysterious smile, floated through Seo Woohyun’s mind.

* * *