I opened my mouth, but then quickly closed it again.
“I’m saying you don’t have to be the one to step up.”
Raizen said it firmly again.
He looked like he genuinely wanted to stop me from revealing myself as the Saint—even though becoming the new Saint meant I would no longer be ordinary Daniel, but Sean Kreveta, returning to my original place.
‘Wouldn’t that be better for Raizen?’
Wasn’t that what he’d been hoping for all along, clinging to my side?
But honestly, I wasn’t sure.
With most people, you might think they only realized their feelings after I left—that they stayed close because they missed me, regretted something.
But this was Raizen.
“…I really don’t know.”
I unconsciously ran a hand down my face.
I didn’t want to jump to conclusions about Raizen, but part of me was scared to expect anything from him.
His actions didn’t feel like him at all—so contradictory.
Had he really changed so much just because I left?
I forced myself to stop chasing answers.
I covered my mouth with both hands and sighed quietly.
“Then is there another way? Something I can do myself, without relying on you or the others.”
“What’s wrong with asking for help?”
Raizen’s voice turned icy cold.
“If there’s something you can use, then use it.”
He slowly stepped toward me.
His footsteps weren’t loud, but they carried weight.
It felt like each one was pressing directly down on my heart instead of the floor.
Was it Raizen’s natural pressure, or his oddly sharp pheromones?
Before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me, gripping both my shoulders.
His hands were large and firm, a little colder than normal—like sharp needles pricking my skin.
‘Is he angry?’
I couldn’t even breathe properly.
I was scared.
I was genuinely afraid of Raizen.
It was a kind of fear I had never felt from him before.
‘Why?’
Why was he angry?
Why was I so afraid?
“You left with no intention of coming back. Didn’t you want to put down all those burdens and live in peace, alone?”
His tone was factual, but it somehow sounded like he was blaming me.
I couldn’t get a word out, like something was choking my throat.
I couldn’t even look up to read his expression.
“Then why? Why do you want to become the Saint? Just because you have divine power? Because the sacred beast chose you? You know better than anyone that those things might not even matter. You’re no match for Karon Luavis.”
“…”
“He knows exactly how to present himself as someone special. He’ll use anything to make that happen. But you’re not like that.”
—Stay still.
—Don’t do anything.
—Just stay like this. Stay where my eyes can see you. Stay happy and alone.
It felt like not just his voice, but the air around us and his pheromones were whispering to me.
“Answer me.”
—Say you’ll stay like this.
—Come on.
All I had to do was say yes.
Then this fear would disappear, and everything would go back to how it was.
That’s what my instincts—his pheromones—were telling me.
My lips parted on their own.
“…I, I…”
Instead of continuing, I tightly closed my eyes, then opened them.
My trembling jaw barely moved.
“No.”
The moment I squeezed out that one word, I felt the air around us shift.
I seized the chance and spoke more firmly.
“Don’t force me like this. I started this—I should be the one to end it.”
“Sei.”
Raizen’s voice was still low and cold.
My heart shrank, but I couldn’t back down now.
That one thought kept me standing.
“I know. I ran away. I’m only doing this now. You probably think I’m pathetic. Maybe you think it’s just guilt or pity that’s driving me. That’s fine. But it’s just…”
“…”
“…Those kids. They were just born. And yet, they’re being made to feel guilty for existing. They’re stuck with someone who makes them believe they’re sinners. If this goes on, they’ll end up either handed over to black mages as core material, or they’ll stay in the temple forever, living with warped beliefs.”
I knew I was being overly emotional.
It was the same as when I couldn’t just pass by the youngest from the Odil family, who had been crying in secret.
I kept seeing my old self in those kids—myself from Korea.
“But I saw it. And I do have the power to do something. I’m an adult. I don’t want this to end with just pulling them out of there. I don’t believe that’s enough.”
Some people might say at least they have shelter, and get regular meals, even if they’re bad.
Better than being on the streets.
Even among the kids themselves, there were probably those who thought that way.
That’s why I kept thinking, kept questioning what I could and should do.
“I know. With your power, or Grandpa’s, or the Duchy of Pantheon’s help, those kids trapped there could be well cared for. But you know it too. This is just the beginning. Unless someone recognizes the real issue and monitors it constantly, the same thing will keep happening.”
Maybe human experimentation had already started on a small scale.
But the fact that Duke Luavis and Kim Minsoo had chosen to start using the temple now meant they were hitting their limits trying to hide things in the shadows.
The heavy air that had been crushing me suddenly felt a bit lighter.
I finally dared to lift my head a little.
That’s when I saw Seol, standing at a slight distance from Raizen and me.
His brilliant golden eyes were full of worry and rage. And yet, he hadn’t stepped in.
Because I had to say it.
Because I had to show them.
He let out a small breath.
Then, he slowly unclenched the fist he had kept tightly balled up the entire time.
Gazing at the palm of his hand, marked with deep nail imprints, he began to summon his holy power.
It had been difficult at first, even just to draw out the power from his heart—but now, it felt as natural as breathing.
A blue light, laced with silvery particles, began to pool in his palm.
The light gradually lengthened and thinned, taking on the shape of a branch.
Before long, the blue hue faded from the tip, revealing a slender, silver-white staff that looked as though it had been carved from sacred wood.
At the end of each outstretched twig, round jewels shimmered in blue and silver.
“…Whew.”
Only after gripping the sacred staff did I finally meet Raizen’s gaze.
His slightly widened eyes were fixed on the silver-white staff.
If it was Raizen, he would have realized what this meant.
“…It’s a holy sword.”
“…”
“My holy sword.”
The sacred weapon that Baldur had forged and left behind—for me.
‘But what’s the point of having a holy sword? I don’t even know how to wield one. It’s too late for training anyway.’
[The ‘holy sword’ is just a convenient term. Haven’t you seen the statues of the past Saints? Each one wields a different primary weapon.]
‘…Really?’
[Sheesh. Anyway, the holy sword will manifest in the form best suited to you, once you’re deemed worthy.]
The result was this sacred staff. Just as I’d hoped, it could heal, purify, protect…
“And it can attack, too. To put it simply… I can use every kind of holy magic now.”
According to Seol, holy magic had all but disappeared since ancient times.
The so-called “holy magic” that modern mages performed was laughably weak in comparison.
That was partly because divine power and magical power were inherently different forces.
But to use real holy magic, both the quantity and quality of one’s divine power had to be exceptional—because true holy magic fundamentally relied on using divine power in the same way one would use magic.
[In that sense, figuring out how to apply magical techniques to control divine power… well, I guess I should say you did pretty damn well.]
Those words from Seol drifted through my mind, words spoken during our grueling training.
It left me feeling strangely proud, and a bit melancholic.
Honestly, I’d only wanted to prove that I wasn’t weak anymore—because I had a holy weapon, too…
‘I feel like a little brother bragging about getting a good grade on a test.’
“Ahem… Anyway.”
I gently moved the sacred staff.
The jewels hanging from the branches swayed softly, releasing a more vivid stream of divine energy.
‘Using divine power through the staff definitely makes it feel stronger.’
That’s why I’d wanted to show it to Raizen at least once.
The divine energy flowed toward him, enveloping his body and then seeping in.
“…”
And still, there was no response.
Even with the enhanced divine power, it had no effect on Raizen’s curse.
I bit my lips shut before a bitter laugh could escape.
Show him Sei!!!