Chapter 1477 – 1477. Paladin: The Journey Of Eradication
“Paladin, welcome. I am Amelia. As the Saintess of Valentier, I am tasked with guiding and assisting you on behalf of the Goddess.”
The Saintess of Valentier spoke in a calm voice.
Saintess.
There are as many of them as there are Paladins. They receive the Goddess’s will and support and guide the Paladins.
In the game, she was the most important NPC. She was the beginning and the end of the main quest.
“I am Eugene. I came here by the Goddess’s revelation.”
“Yes, I know. The aura of corruption is trying to consume your soul. Would you like to undergo a purification ritual?”
“…I will.”
“Please take off your clothes and enter the sacred pond.”
She pointed to a pond on the right. The pond, filled with holy water, was constantly being replenished with fresh water. I took off my clothes and became naked. I strode towards the sacred pond and lay down in it. She showed no agitation at my nakedness.
Originally, the purification ritual required the participation of a number of priests, including the bishop, but it was different for the Saintess. The Saintess, who received the role of assisting the Paladin from the Goddess, could perform the purification ritual alone.
I lie down in the sacred pond. I submerge myself completely, even my head.
The souls of demons and the corrupted that clung to my body are purified. Some of them seeped into me and became my power, while others were sucked somewhere.
[Your Divine Power has increased by 1.]
I raise my upper body. The sacred pond splashed. I sat leaning against the edge of the pond, still. The pond, filled with holy water, was very comfortable just being in it. Even physical and mental fatigue was quickly disappearing.
The Saintess approached me. She carefully placed a towel and new clothes down. The clothes were luxurious and ornate, befitting a Paladin.
I moved only my eyes to glance at her face. The veil fluttered, and her face was slightly visible. It was the most beautiful face I had ever seen in this world.
My gaze returned to the front. There was a jar in front of the sacred pond. The inside of the jar was glowing faintly.
The aura of blessing.
The aura of corruption purified from the sacred pond was contained in that jar.
‘That’s why I came here as quickly as possible.’
Only the Saintess can handle the aura of blessing, and only the Paladin can become stronger with the aura of blessing.
“Can I use the aura of blessing now?”
“The aura of blessing can be used here at any time. This sanctuary is also a resting place only for you. However, the aura of blessing that can be used now is very small. You will not receive much blessing.”
“It doesn’t matter. I need to become stronger.”
“Put on your clothes and pray before the Goddess.”
I followed Amelia’s words. I walked to the statue of the Goddess Herianne, knelt on one knee, and bowed my head. The Saintess, standing behind me, put her hands together and prayed. Immediately, the statue’s eyes glowed and stared at me.
A notification window that only I could see appeared.
[Current accumulated aura of blessing – 155]
[List of blessings that can be selected
Holy Strike – 2,500
Light Diffusion – 700
Resurrection – 5,000
Sprint – 3,000
Descent – 15,000
Perfect Body – 100,000
Wings of Dawn – 100,000
……]
Blessings were skills.
Paladins could learn or enhance skills by using the aura of blessing.
‘As expected, there’s not enough aura of blessing, so there’s almost nothing I can choose.’
If there was enough aura of blessing, I could also obtain the Perfect Body and Wings of Dawn skills, which were other skills that Paladins could choose when they first received their revelation.
‘Those skills are just pie in the sky for now.’
I abandoned my lingering attachment and looked for the skill I originally intended to get.
[Holy Sword – 100]
I selected the skill.
‘It’s a skill that adds an attack power bonus when using a sword.’
Paladins, including Holy Knights, can use other weapons as well. The sword is just a commonly used weapon.
‘I’m more comfortable with a sword.’
Some of the aura of blessing seeped into my body.
[Holy Sword (Lv. 1) is bestowed upon you.]
[Name: Eugene
Class: Holy Knight
Level: 27
Strength: 20 Agility: 10 Stamina: 10 Divine Power: 8
Skills: Holy Eye (Lv. Master), Holy Aura (Lv.1), Holy Sword (Lv.1)]
I checked my status window.
‘Good.’
Considering that in the original game, the player’s level was around 10 when they first arrived at the sanctuary, I had grown several times faster.
I stood up.
“Your prayer was too short. Would you not like to pray more? Prayer will further solidify your faith.”
“My prayer is to kill demons and the corrupted. Eradication is the proof of my faith. It is also the reason why I became a Paladin after receiving a revelation from the Goddess.”
“May your faith not crumble….”
“That will never happen. Even if I die at the hands of a demon.”
“……”
If I die, the Saintess also dies. The Saintess was an existence that bore the Paladin’s sins in their stead. She was a kind of scapegoat.
If the Saintess dies, another nun will be selected as the Saintess by the Goddess’s revelation and will assist a new Paladin. The Paladin just needs to kill demons and the corrupted. That was the system.
“I want to receive the Holy Sword of Valentier.”
“The Holy Sword is currently being reforged.”
“Reforged?”
“The Holy Sword of Valentier was broken two years ago. The curse of the Great Demon was successfully purified after two years of effort, but the sword blade is still broken. The Archbishop and priests are forging the Holy Sword of Valentier through rituals, so please wait.”
It was the same as in the original story. I had a hunch, and it was as I expected. If I had the Holy Sword, it would have been easier.
I took out the demon’s heart and other spoils from my backpack and handed them to the Saintess.
“These are what I obtained by killing demons.”
“The byproducts of demons contain special powers. They will be of great help to the Order. Is there anything you desire?”
“I want the Sword of Sprint and Explosive Holy Water.”
“Fortunately, the Valentier Cathedral has those items. I will prepare them right away. Also, how would you like to use this heart?”
I was surprised. I thought I would receive contribution points by handing over the demon’s byproducts and exchange them for items, but they were giving them to me for free.
‘…Right. This isn’t a game.’
The settings of this world are superior to the game system.
“…I would like it to be made into an elixir that strengthens the body. Is that possible?”
“Of course. I will purify the demon’s heart myself and prepare the elixir. However, it will take time.”
“I understand.”
“Please wait ten days.”
“I don’t intend to just wait. It’s more beneficial to find and kill demons during that time. Is there any information on demons or the corrupted?”
“Recently, the number of corrupted has been increasing in Valentier. Please assist the Inquisitors in finding the corrupted and investigate the cause of the corruption.”
As I expected, they didn’t tell me to immediately eradicate demons. It’s because I’m weak.
“I understand.”
“I will bring the Sword of Sprint and Explosive Holy Water. Please wait.”
She left the sanctuary and reappeared with the nuns. The nuns in black clothes handed me the items. I first put the Explosive Holy Water in my backpack. Explosive Holy Water was literally holy water that exploded. It could inflict area damage on demons and the corrupted.
The Sword of Sprint was a sword imbued with the blessing of sprint.
‘Just by holding this sword, my mobility becomes faster, and I can do double jumps.’
Personally, I thought it was the most useful sword in the early stages.
Amelia handed me three stones.
“These are return stones. If you use a return stone, you can return to the sanctuary no matter where you are. However, you cannot use a return stone if there are demons or the corrupted nearby.”
“…I will gratefully accept them.”
Having taken everything I needed, I left the sanctuary.
•••
I met an Inquisitor.
He was wearing ordinary clothes compared to Holy Knights or priests. Leather clothes and a leather coat. And a leather hat. And he was armed with a sword, bow, and axe. Inquisitors looked like mercenaries on the outside.
Kiiiiiiing.
As soon as I met the Inquisitor, I used Holy Eye. He flinched.
“That eye is indeed the Holy Eye.”
“…Ah, sorry. It’s become a habit to use Holy Eye when I see people.”
“I heard that you can distinguish demons and the corrupted through Holy Eye. It’s a good habit. I envy you. If I had Holy Eye… things would be easier.”
The Inquisitor lamented.
In this world, there are ways to distinguish demons and the corrupted even without Holy Eye. Amulets are a prime example. However, the value of amulets was not small. It was a huge loss for the Order to use them on ordinary people. Therefore, Inquisitors interrogate suspicious people to distinguish the corrupted and demons.
I followed the Inquisitor down to the basement of the cathedral. There was a musty and fishy smell.
“…Can’t we gather people in the square? It would be faster to find them using Holy Eye.”
“That would be faster in a small village with a small population, but Valentier has a population of 30,000. It’s not only difficult to gather all the citizens in the square, but they might notice and run away. The rumor that the Paladin has arrived has already spread throughout the city.”
“…That’s true. We can’t let them escape by moving rashly. The important thing is to completely eradicate them….”
“You have the same opinion as me. The previous Paladin didn’t agree with us Inquisitors on that point.”
“What was the previous Paladin like?”
“He had holy wings. And he was merciful. Too merciful.”
“Did he try to save the corrupted?”
The corrupted who have not been corrupted for long can be saved through rituals. However, the Order does not bother to perform rituals to save the corrupted unless their status is noble. The reason was simple. Efficiency. The salvation ritual requires a considerable amount of money and time.
“Yes, that’s right. Thanks to that, we had a hard time.”
We arrived in the basement.
It was a prison full of suffering. Children, young women, and old people alike were all groaning and expressing their pain.
Inquisition. It was synonymous with the word torture.
“Bring them out.”
Another Inquisitor brought an old woman from the prison. The shabby old woman trembled and rubbed her palms together as soon as she stood in front of me.
“Please spare me! Please spare me! I am not corrupted! I am not a heretic!”
“Corrupted.”
I swung my sword. The old woman’s head was cut off and fell to the ground. The expression on the head that fell to the floor was distorted with anger. The old woman’s head glared at me and expressed her anger.
“You damn bastards! Paladin! I won’t die alone! I’ll take all of you….”
Crack!
I stepped on the old woman’s head and crushed it.
The Inquisitors immediately struck the old woman’s body with maces. The corrupted’s body was dragged away, a mess.
“You are amazing. Were you perhaps an Inquisitor?”
“I am a Holy Knight. Bring the next one.”
