Chapter 116
Behind Kyte, Rahada hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Your Lordship said you’d dispose of the failed specimen, but what should we do? Shall I wait for an opportunity and handle it then?”
“Let that girl do as she wishes.”
“Then, should I assign someone to watch over the specimen?”
“He’s a failure anyway. If he’s lucky, he’ll live as an ordinary human, and if not, he’ll just live as a fool. There’s no need to bother.”
“Yes.”
Kyte was in a terrible mood.
He had found out how Estira, that thousand-gold believer, had become rich overnight, but because he had not heard it from Ariel’s own mouth, it annoyed him.
He believed that, thanks to the remarkable amount of holy power he possessed, Ariel would become a useful subordinate. It was a waste, having to make him into a mere vessel. Still, a dog that doesn’t listen to its master and insists on having its own way deserves to die.
Kyte clicked his tongue sharply.
It wasn’t just losing Ariel that pained him.
The vessel experiment he’d invested years into had failed yet again.
What’s more, it had failed so spectacularly that it stained the lake’s water black.
At this rate, when would he ever succeed in creating the perfect vessel?
Kyte pressed a hand to his aching chest and exhaled deeply.
“O God. Please, give me the answer.”
Tears fell from his eyes as he looked up at the sky. He truly wept in pain.
“How am I supposed to bring You down to this world?”
***
“Water…! The water!”
“My goodness, doesn’t it look even clearer than before?”
“Wasn’t that man the one they called the next Pope?”
Kyte’s farce came to a spectacular close.
From early morning, he had gathered the people and declared boldly: Behold, your precious Seonui Lake has answered my prayers.
After yet another performance of pouring out his holy power, the people bowed deeply before him. With this, his plan was a perfect success. By putting on a show of reviving Seonui Lake in place of the Pope, Kyte had managed to redirect the Pope’s prestige and support onto himself.
Even now, the Pope possessed more holy power than Kyte, but in all other respects, he was inferior. In the past, holy power was everything—power itself. But as the temple became more corrupt and entangled with politics with each passing day, the amount of holy power one possessed was no longer such a valuable card.
The current powerless Pope was the perfect example of this.
Kyte had arranged everything to his own advantage, and the Pope was nothing but a powerless puppet.
The only thing Kyte lacked was the glory and support that the Pope enjoyed.
He was determined, by any means necessary, to become Pope with the respect and worship of the masses at his back, until the day he claimed the throne for himself.
Unaware of this, Ariel knelt at the lakeshore in agony.
Should he simply write it off as his own misunderstanding and close his eyes to it all? Or should he face the lies he saw with his own eyes?
To deny the temple that had been his whole life was the same as denying himself. That was how painful it was for Ariel.
The day the procession of pilgrims left the village.
At last, Ariel finished his struggles and prayers and rose to his feet. Having barely eaten or slept, his face was thin and haggard, but his gaze was clearer and more resolute than ever.
He immediately went down to the village and denounced Taolti.
He didn’t hesitate to gather people so that more villagers could hear of Taolti’s corruption. Originally, he would have quietly called Taolti aside to persuade him, but he didn’t do that this time.
Estira was watching his every step.
The benefactor who believed in him and helped lift the clouds from his eyes.
He didn’t want to show such a disappointing side of himself to her anymore. In front of many, Ariel publicly declared that he would put Taolti on trial.
Estira gave a small smile.
That tiny smile felt like proof that this was the right path.
His stomach was empty, but his heart was full. He realized that the self who had been drifting like a leaf in the center of the lake had finally found a direction.
Rather than merely praying in the temple and reciting the doctrines of God, he would walk the path of God with his own feet and come to his own realizations. That was Ariel’s new resolve.
With a simple bundle of belongings, Ariel stood before Estira.
She wasn’t surprised to see the bag slung over his shoulder. Her expression was one of serene acceptance, as if she had expected this all along.
A person who, though just a fifteen-year-old girl, seemed to know far too much. Ariel had learned a great deal from this girl. With gratitude in his heart, he opened his lips.
“I want to go to the Holy Kingdom. To see with my own eyes, not through the mouths and eyes of others, what the truth is.”
“That attitude of questioning. I like it.”
“Are you permitting me to leave?”
“Of course. After all, letting you go to the Holy Kingdom was part of the contract between you and me.”
Estira and Ariel did not exchange lengthy farewells.
“Take care of yourself. I’ll keep in touch from time to time.”
“Yes. I’ll look forward to the day we meet again.”
Ariel, after a moment’s hesitation, stepped closer to her.
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