[……her?]
It was the first time that the expression on the face of the god, who had been smiling wickedly the whole time, changed.
Hwang Dong-soo.
He was a high priest who had been brainwashed with great care by the foreign religion, and he was a human with S-class power.
Contaminating the soul of someone with S-class power was an extremely difficult and tedious task.
At first, I slowly built a relationship with him by giving him requests that he wouldn’t suspect.
Afterwards, when his doubts seemed to have been dispelled, he entrusted the distribution of star dust necklaces and star fragments to Itarim, and gradually became tainted by the divinity of Itarim.
After so much time and effort, I was finally able to make him a high priest.
The high priest Hwang Dong-su, who possessed S-class power, was born after such arduous work.
… … But why?
Why on earth was the high priest who was so painstakingly created dragged out like that?
[how……!]
Kukukukukuku… … !
Itarim’s new statue rose from its chair with a fury incomparable to that of when Kim Chul died.
But the answer to the question of the god did not come from the old man who dragged Hwang Dong-su out, but from Su-ho’s mouth.
“… … Huh, Grandpa?”
“hmm?”
Seong Il-hwan’s expression, which had been indifferent to Su-ho’s voice, brightened and he looked at Su-ho.
“Hey, who is this? Why is my dog here?”
* * *
Seong Il-hwan.
The father of Shadow Lord Seong Jin-woo, the trigger for him to recall memories of his past life was a ‘dream’.
-Is it that dream again?
At first, I dismissed the dream as simply a scene from a movie.
It was just a brief scene, and the content was nothing more than a childish dream about himself fighting monsters.
Even so, by the time I opened my eyes in bed in the morning and drank my morning coffee, most of the memories from that dream had already disappeared.
As if it had been erased with an eraser.
… … Well, that’s always the case with dreams.
But no matter how much you erase with an eraser, if you erase too much, a trace will remain on the paper.
-… … Is it that dream again?
At some point, the scenes he had seen in his dream would not leave Seong Il-hwan’s mind, even in the morning and into the afternoon.
Still, I didn’t care.
After all, it was just a dream.
but.
There was just one thing that bothered me.
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-Why Jinwoo… … .
In Seong Il-hwan’s dreams, his son, Seong Jin-woo, always appeared.
Especially on days when I had a conversation with my son or did something together with him in reality, not in a dream… … .
When I fell asleep, I would have ‘that dream’.
-Didn’t you miss me, Father?
At the end of that dream, always.
His own son, Seong Jin-woo, was looking at him with a resentful gaze.
And these words were always flowing out of his mouth towards him.
-… … I always wanted to see you.
And Seong Il-hwan touched his son’s face, which was close to his nose, with his hand.
Tears fell from my son’s eyes and soaked the back of his hand.
Those tears were so hot… … .
Even though I knew it was a dream, it still hurt so much.
Even though this father has done nothing for you, you… … .
-You grew up well.
At those words, Sung Jin-woo asked with a terribly heavy anger.
– Are they the rulers? Are they using and abandoning my father?
The rulers.
Seong Il-hwan shook his head, although he didn’t know who they were.
-They just gave me a choice. I chose to protect you, and that choice wasn’t wrong at all.
As he answered, his own hand, which had been caressing his son’s face, began to turn to ash and fall.
-I wanted to talk to you more.
I wanted to spend a little more time with my son.
In the end, he ended up erasing his father from his son’s heart twice.
Tears flowed from Seong Il-hwan’s eyes, who had tried to hold them back.
-I’m sorry I couldn’t be a good father.
That concludes it all.
Slurp.
Seong Il-hwan’s entire body was turned to ashes.
Even as the ashen powder fell, Sung Il-hwan could see.
The expression on the son’s face as he came closer to hug his father’s crumbling body.
The intense anger in those eyes.
-Eww!
Then the mana in the atmosphere vibrated.
The sky, the air, the ground cried.
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-Do you hear me, my lords? You will pay the price for today!
The roar of the angry Shadow Lord shook the heavens and earth.
‘… … Shadow Lord?’
That day.
Seong Il-hwan got up from bed, put his hand on his forehead, and sighed.
‘Ha. This… … .’
like that…….
Seong Il-hwan ended up recalling memories from his past life that he had forcibly erased in order to live a normal life with his son.
In retrospect, this may have been inevitable.
Because his son, Sung Jin-woo, had already become a being far superior to the rulers whose memories he had asked to be erased.
It was inevitable that memories would come back to him, having always lived with such a son.
It could never have been a coincidence.
And as always.
Everything has meaning.
Some time after Seong Il-hwan recalled his past life.
Seong Jin-woo has gone missing.
Just like long ago, when he disappeared to fight a lonely war alone.
And then the cataclysm occurred.
-Has the Earth changed again like it was back then?
Seong Il-hwan couldn’t hide his bitterness as he watched the gate and dungeon break start again.
But unfortunately, there was nothing he could do now that he was old.
No, actually, there were things you could do if you put your mind to it.
Even though I’ve grown old, I still have the same magical powers I used to have.
But Seong Il-hwan, who was already an old man, had no intention of making the same choices as before.
Because the voice of her son, who always looked at her with resentment in her dreams, was strongly engraved in her head.
-Are you going to leave again without saying anything, Father?
‘No way. I can’t make the same mistake.’
Seong Il-hwan made his choice.
Long ago, as soon as he awakened his magical powers, he became a hunter and jumped into the dungeon without hesitation.
For the noble mission of sacrificing my body to save the world and the wealth and honor that will follow.
‘But this time, I’m protecting my family.’
In this life, Seong Il-hwan still remained by his wife’s side even though he had awakened his magical powers.
It is the job of young people to save the world.
He chose to spend the rest of his life growing old with his beloved wife.
… … Of course, sometimes I would use fishing as an excuse to clean up some simple dungeons near my house and come back.
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What I discovered was a black market that had opened up near my house.
Of course, at first, Seong Il-hwan also planned to just do a quick investigation and leave with a light heart.
But the moment you step inside.
The moment I discovered Itarim’s statue inside.
[What a coveted soul.]
‘… … !’
A strange voice burrowed into Seong Il-hwan’s mind.
* * *
Jiiiiiing-
Kookwakwakwakwang!
Seong Il-hwan approached Su-ho, narrowly avoiding the blue rays shooting out from the eyes of Itarim’s statue.
“Grandpa! What are you doing here!”
“Oh my, this guy. Who would say such things? What are you doing here?”
“Of course I want to go to Grandpa… …!”
Suho’s eyes widened as he looked at Seong Il-hwan up close.
There were numerous star fragments embedded all over Seong Il-hwan’s body.
Kim Chul and other foreign believers had dozens of these, one on each forehead!
“Grandpa, what the heck is this… … .”
“Oh, this? I got caught by accident and almost got modified.”
“Inventory!”
Suho immediately opened his inventory and took out a bunch of ‘Items: Spring Water from the Echo Forest’.
And while dodging the giant feet of the Itarim statue that came down from above their heads to trample them, he put a potion bottle into Seong Il-hwan’s mouth.
“Please eat this first!”
“Ahhhh!”
Gulp, gulp!
Seong Il-hwan accidentally drinks the antidote potion.
But even in this urgent situation, he looked quite cheerful as he was able to talk to his grandchild for the first time in a long time.
“This doesn’t taste that good. Is it good for you?”
‘Is now the time to make such a joke?’
Suho struck down the fanatics attacking from the side and escaped the range of Shinsang’s attack together with Seong Il-hwan.
An angry voice burst out from Shin Sang’s mouth towards Seong Il-hwan.
[You insignificant mortal! Rise, High Priest!]
Paaaaah!
At the same time, a blue energy rose from Hwang Dong-su’s body, which had been lying on the floor, and rose into the air.
Hwang Dong-soo, like Seong Il-hwan, had dozens of star fragments embedded all over his body.
[How on earth did you escape the power of the Foreign Stone!]
“trivial?”
Seong Il-hwan chuckled at Shin Sang’s words.
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“I guess you guys don’t really understand what insignificant means.”
And he spoke while tapping the dozens of star fragments embedded in his body.
“You want to brainwash me with these insignificant stones?”
Kuwaaaaang!
The attack from the statue shattered the ground he was standing on.
“Kuaaaah!”
Hwang Dong-su also flew in and attacked them without any reason.
The blue energy he emitted exploded and one wall of the chapel collapsed.
Seong Il-hwan lightly got out of there and spread his arms.
Then, surprisingly, dozens of star fragments embedded in his body began to surround his body, emitting blue energy in a stream.
In a similar form to Hwang Dong-su.
Phaaaat!
The blue energy gathered in Seong Il-hwan’s hands and transformed into blue black energy.
He swung it as if he was holding two daggers.
Choke choke choke choke choke choke!
The blue sword energy slashed through the air and attacked Shin Sang and Hwang Dong-su.
[How dare you-! An unbeliever who has no reverence for God try to use divine power!]
The statue of Itarim grew even more enraged and emitted blue rays from its eyes.
At that moment.
“grandfather!”
Suho hit the statue’s leg with all his might.
Tukwaang-!
[… … !]
The balance of the body collapsed, and the direction of the blue light was twisted in the opposite direction of Seong Il-hwan.
“Oh my, when did our grandson grow up so much?”
Seong Il-hwan smiled broadly, looking very proud of his grandson whom he had not seen in a long time.
“I wonder whose child you are? You look just like your father.”
“grandfather.”
Suho cut off Seong Il-hwan’s whining and looked ahead with serious eyes.
“Can you follow my directions?”
The corners of Seong Il-hwan’s mouth went up at those words.
“As much as you want.”
At that moment, Seong Il-hwan turned his head towards the statue and his eyes became sharp, just like Su-ho’s.
Suho ran towards the statue with all his might.
[Dare!]
Jiiiiiing-
A blue ray of light from the statue passes precariously over Suho’s head.
“Haaaaaap!”
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Suho raised his fist.
However, what was attacked was not the statue, but the floor of the chapel where the statue was standing.
Kukuang-!
[… … !]
For a moment, the balance of my body was shaken.
“now!”
As if he had been waiting for those words, Seong Il-hwan appeared in front of Shin Sang.
―――――――!
A burst of blue light occurred.
Tiring!
[‘Protection of Itarim: Discipline of the Temple of Carthenon’ is lifted.]
