WKOC Chapter 13

31
“I know why Selena killed our teacher.”

Helier’s weak voice echoed in the dark bedroom. The young Knight Captain, who had initially relaxed a bit upon hearing him speak, froze. For a few seconds, his pupils reflected only emptiness, but he quickly lowered his gaze and guided Helier to sit by the bed, using a clean towel to dry him off. Throughout the process, Helier never took his eyes off him, like a drowning man clinging to his only lifeline, trying to draw strength to continue speaking.

Alvin might have noticed this, or maybe not. His expression remained calm as he dried Helier’s hair, but his fingers trembled slightly.

The silence lingered until Helier once again reached out to grab his wrist. He tried to speak several times, but his voice got stuck in his throat, producing only weak, gasping sounds. Finally, he murmured, “Al, has the Lord ever answered your prayers?”

“I’ve never asked anything from the Lord,” Alvin replied. Realizing something, he softened his tone and asked in return, “Did you receive a divine message?”

“No…” Helier closed his eyes. “The Lord won’t send divine messages because… He is no longer with us.”

Tears spilled from his trembling lashes as he repeated, “The Lord perished on Miracle Day.”

Forty years ago, at dusk, the Church of Light and the Dark Church joined forces to drive the demonic army back to the Eastern Gorge, yet they could never fully defeat them. Just as the Demon Lord was about to break free, a pillar of light suddenly pierced the sky and earth on the battlefield. In that blinding brilliance that swept away all the demons, the Light God descended in his true form, using divine power to seal the Demon Lord and all its avatars deep within the gorge, bringing peace to the world for several decades.

This day was known as Miracle Day.

Every year, this day became a day of celebration for all followers of the Light. They would spontaneously hold events and performances to praise the greatness of the Light God. But no one knew that this “miracle” had come at the cost of the Light God exhausting all His power and falling.

“Impossible!” Alvin couldn’t accept this explanation. He desperately searched for evidence to refute it. “Every year on Blessing Day, the Lord bestows blessings upon the believers, and there’s the baptism—”

Helier interrupted him sharply: “—through the [Judgment of Light]!”

The room fell into sudden silence.

“‘Through the [Judgment of Light]’…” Alvin slowly repeated his words, his breath catching. “What do you mean?”

The [Judgment of Light] is a divine artifact left by the Light God, resembling a slender spike. It was originally called [Forgiveness of Light], and every criminal had a chance to hold the artifact and repent for their sins before their execution. The artifact would judge the severity of the sin and the sincerity of the repentance. If the spike remained balanced, the sinner would receive the Lord’s forgiveness.

But after Miracle Day, the Pope at the time renamed it [Judgment of Light] to commemorate the Light God’s act of sealing the demons, symbolizing that the Light God would judge all evil.

“The baptism ceremony requires one to kneel on one knee, place their right hand on their chest, their left hand on the [Judgment of Light], and swear an oath facing the Lord’s statue. If the Lord acknowledges the oath, your name will be inscribed on the [Judgment of Light], and from then on, you can wield the power granted by the Lord.” Helier’s voice was flat. “Don’t you see, Al? This isn’t a blessing; it’s a contract. The reason you can use the power of Light isn’t because the Lord allows it—it’s because you’ve been recognized by the artifact.”

“…”

“After the Lord’s fall, the artifact’s power lost its source and has been gradually depleting. But whether it’s the ‘baptism’ or the ‘blessings,’ both require the [Judgment of Light] to channel the divine power.” Helier didn’t give Alvin time to react and continued in one breath, “There’s only one way to replenish the energy consumed by the [Judgment of Light], and that is… sacrifice.”

Alvin’s face began to pale. His lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

The stronger the sacrifice and the more vibrant their life force, the greater the return. Initially, the Pope chose to sacrifice unrepentant criminals to the artifact, then all sinners, and even captured followers of the Dark Church. But most of them were ordinary people, weak in power, insufficient to compensate for the artifact’s depletion. Even though the Pope reduced the use of the artifact to the bare minimum—only on Blessing Day—it was like a drop in the ocean… Eventually, he set his sights on the non-human tribes.

The non-humans were born with abundant life force, living several times longer than humans, and nearly all of them possessed elemental powers. Sacrificing just a few non-humans could offset the artifact’s depletion.

Just a few.

So, the Pope personally led a team of Paladins on a secret crusade against the non-humans.

When Selena heard the news and led another team of Paladins to the Greenleaf Forest, the unjust crusade had already ended. She silently assisted the retreating Paladins who were being pursued by the non-humans, but on the way back, she argued with the Pope and killed him along with several other Paladins before defecting from the Church of Light.

“Now,” Helier said, “it’s our turn.”

Moonlight illuminated the pale faces of the two young men. They stared at each other, neither speaking.

After a long time, Helier finally moved.

He straightened his back under the weight of the secret and made a promise to someone unknown: “…I will only sacrifice the guilty.” His lake-green eyes dimmed, exhausted, and the words he whispered could only be heard by the Knight Captain standing before him. “We made a pact—we will not harm the innocent.”

Alvin slowly nodded. “Alright.”

“If I ever make the same choice as my teacher, you must stop me. Even if it means killing me.”

“……”

“Promise me!” Helier gritted his teeth.

Alvin lowered his lashes. Adam’s apple bobbed, and after a long pause, he finally said, “…Alright.”

The young Pope visibly relaxed, his stiff shoulders slumping. He raised his head, gazing into the void above him, and softly asked, “We can do this, right?”

He didn’t receive an answer.

“Say something…” Helier’s voice trembled, uncontrollable sobs leaking through. Tears slid down his cheeks as he broke down, questioning desperately, “Everyone is waiting for the Lord’s grace, but the Lord is gone! That grace was bought with lives! They escaped, but what about us?! How long can we last?!”

“……”

Alvin stared at the holy symbol hanging on the wall, his expression blank and lost, but his voice was eerily calm. “There will be a way. I can hunt bandits, arrest criminals, track down monsters… There will be a way.”

“Helier, it’s not time to despair yet.” The young Knight Captain knelt before him, wiping away his tears, and looked into his eyes, promising with determination, “Leave it to me. I will bring you hope.”

“The Light will surely return.”

32
From the day [Forgiveness of Light] became [Judgment of Light], there was no turning back.

The previous Pope had tried to stay true to his principles, but the path was too harsh. In the end, he too fell.

Selena saw through the truth of the Light and chose to leave.

Helier had struggled to keep the Church together for twenty years, like a rope stretched to its limit. I don’t know when it will snap, sending him plummeting into the abyss just like his teacher…

But thankfully, after sixty years, Luke appeared.

With the Light’s return, all those struggles have meaning.

Cooper and the Holy Son no longer have to bear the same fate. They will never know the sacrifices and costs hidden in the darkness before the dawn. The new Pope and Knight Captain will inherit a Church of Light blessed by the Lord, and the Holy City of Kaelia will once again become a true City of Light.

This future is so beautiful that it’s worth giving everything we have left to achieve it.

That’s why I can face Selena’s questioning without guilt.

“Selena, you have your chosen battlefield, and I have mine.” I met her gaze. “Let me go.”

She stared at me, her eyes sharp like icy shards. “And if I refuse?”

“You can’t keep me here.” I stated the fact—as weak as my attack power was right now, barely in double digits, with enough patience, I could break out of any cage no matter how much health it had.

The tension thickened.

In Selena’s violet eyes, emotions churned wildly. I could even hear the creaking of her grip on her sword hilt as she clenched it too tightly. Suddenly, she raised her hand, and the sword blade stabbed down, grazing my cheek and embedding deep into the bedframe. For a moment, I thought she had gone red-name on me, but she held back, turning her head to the side. Slowly, she released her grip on the sword, finger by finger, her voice hard as stone. “Stay one more day.”

I didn’t know why she wanted me to stay another day, but if possible, I didn’t want to escalate things further, so I nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

She stood up and left without another glance at me.

I gripped Dawn’s hilt, and with the boost to my stats, I easily pulled it free. The white flames flickered faintly, as if struggling, before retreating into the blade. They never fully covered the sword like they used to. I stared at the flames, which in a way reflected my cursed state, for a moment, then sheathed the sword and climbed down from the treehouse.

As time passed, the seal at the Eastern Gorge gradually weakened, leading to more and more demonic incursions every year. Large-scale attacks like this one happened several times a year, so the non-humans in the camp remained relatively calm. As I descended the rope ladder, they were still busy—wounded were being bandaged, some were organizing supplies, and others had started several small campfires, distributing food.

Seeing the food reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in who knows how long. The hunger bar had been sitting at 0 for so long that it had turned blood red—no wonder I felt weak even walking.

Luke came over from the direction of the group, holding a large leaf stacked with flatbreads. The non-humans passing by didn’t seem to find his presence strange; many even greeted him warmly. It looked like he had earned quite a bit of reputation from completing the main quest.

He walked up to me and casually handed me one of the flatbreads.

“Thank you.” I accepted the bread, wondering if I should give him a bit of a favorability boost.

“No problem.” He replied, the tuft of hair on his head swaying slightly as he walked past me.

I sat down on a tree root that jutted from the ground and took a bite of the bread.

Lily suddenly appeared out of nowhere, running over to me. From the pile of fruit she held in her arms, she picked out two of the biggest ones and stuffed them into my hands. With a smug hum, she ran off again before I could say anything.

I stared at the two overly vibrant fruits, unsure whether she was showing kindness or secretly trying to poison me.

While I was contemplating, Selena approached, carrying a huge stone bowl in one hand. She placed the heavy bowl filled with vegetable soup on my lap and coldly commanded, “Drink it all.” before turning and leaving.

I sat there, holding the bread, fruit, and vegetable soup, not knowing which one to eat first.

At that moment, another pair of feet stopped in front of me. I looked up to find Cooper standing there. I hadn’t noticed when he had woken up, but his name was green again, and he was holding two skewers of roasted meat, thrusting them toward my face like a pair of weapons. With a malicious grin, he said, “Captain, if you don’t finish your meal on time, I’ll kill you!”

Me: “…”

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