Chapter 97 - Priestess (3)

'I think I'll need to give up on my plan of her recognizing me.'

The condition for the job ascension was to be fully recognized by an NPC stronger than him.

Also, the quest said that the stronger the NPC, the better the power he would awaken.

According to the status window, Louise didn't fulfill the conditions for his job ascension.

But if one asked if Louise was a strong NPC, he would have to shake his head.

Had she lost her strength while she was an Angel after losing her memories?

Anyway, he couldn't leave the job ascension quest to Louise.

'Should I visit the Knight Commander again? Or maybe, should I tell Radiette about the «Assimilation» skill and then somehow try to convince him? The remaining experience will be accumulated, so it really doesn't matter if I push back the job ascension.'

"Hyun..."

Ain, who had remained silent for a while, called out to Hyun, who was immersed in his thoughts.

"Hyun."

「Hyun?」

Hyun returned to his senses after Ain called him in numerous ways.

「Yes? Did you call me?」

「Come back to me, quickly.」

After listening to her words, he «Assimilated» to Ain.

As soon as Hyun came back, Ain asked him a question.

「Do... You want to hang out?」

「Eh?」

「Now that I think about it, I've never seen you personally.」

「Wait, are you asking to meet me in real life? Not the game?」

Instead of answering, Ain nodded.

Meeting Ain in a place that wasn't Asrian…

Before being surprised, Hyun began wondering about Ain's intentions.

She had previously said some random things in the past... But it was the first time she had said something like that.

「Why so suddenly?」

「Ehmm... Uhmm... Because.」

Hyun's doubts started to morph into anxiousness.

Ain always murmured like that before doing something he had never imagined.

「I just want to?」

「You just want to...?」

「Are you busy?」

「Well, I do have free time...」

Hyun felt a little bit awkward.

He had no reason to refuse Ain's request.

He still felt a little bit weird meeting people he knew from video games in real life, but since he'd always hung out with her anyway, it should probably be okay.

Yes, meeting her in real life at least once should be okay. Hyun made that decision.

「If we're going to meet, let's make it that day… Soon, Asrian's announcement festival is going to be held.」

A few days ago, a piece of news was uploaded to the official page.

NFM was going to organize an Asrian Festival.

Rumors said that developers were going to announce something huge that day.

Because it was Asrian's first offline event, many people were planning to travel to Korea.

「I also have time that day.」

As a date was arranged, Ain started to play with her hair.

When the conversation seemed to have ended, Ain said something more.

"Hyun, I'm asking this just in case. Except for me and him... Tarr Tarr, have you used «Assimilation» with any other user?"

"N-no...?"

"Leaving NPCs aside, a female user is—"

"I won't do it!"

Hyun quickly answered before Ain could finish her sentence.

Even the dull Hyun understood the reason behind the topic.

'Hmm... This?'

Hyun had started to feel it more frequently... But was Ain interested in him?

It was a thought he had in the corner of his mind.

At first, he thought it was his imagination, but as time went on, he started to become sure of that after looking at her actions.

Hyun could feel his heart beating fast, but because of «Assimilation», he wasn't sure whose reaction it was.

While being «Assimilated» to Ain, that feeling didn't disappear for a while.

* * *

After it was decided that they'd summon an Angel with the Priestess’s Praying, the two Heavenly Beings started planning their strategy.

Radiette first gave his honest opinion.

"Even if we summon an Angel, it must be a Bishop… Or at least higher than Plain ranking."

Asra users called the categories elite, high, middle, and low, but the correct way of calling Angel's rankings was the one mentioned above.

Radiette said they had to summon a middle-ranked Angel at minimum.

"If we summon a Servant or one with a lower ranking... "

Even the lowest-ranking Angel was stronger than a Heavenly Being, but they weren't strong enough to change the flow of the battle.

They could end up losing, even if they managed to summon an Angel.

"We'll have to trust our Priestess."

"Oof, there's no other way. Huh?"

They only had one chance to summon an Angel.

Even if she were a Saintess, she probably wouldn't have enough mental strength to summon more than one Angel.

Click-

The door opened when the two Heavenly Beings were deep into their thoughts.

There was a mixture of surprise and happiness in the Priest’s face who had just entered.

"Mrs. Maria, we just got an oracle!"

"An oracle...? Now?"

"Yes! It seems like the Angels are protecting us!"

"Was there a Priest who prayed?"

"No, this time came without any warning. Just like before!"

Radiette and Maria quickly went to the altar.

It seemed like the situation was over. The light had already died down.

The content of the oracle was drawn as light in the air.

The two Heavenly Beings, and a few high-ranking priests, could decipher the content.

As Maria read the oracle, the Priests shouted in happiness.

"Oh...! An Angel has promised us victory!"

"I'm glad. I'm really glad..."

The oracles didn't lie.

If an oracle said that the Heavens would win, that was what would happen. It was like reading the history of the future.

Everyone who had panicked after seeing Iluna's light turning off shouted in happiness.

The oracle ignited hope.

"An oracle..."

Radiette was suspicious about it.

While everyone was happy, only he wasn't feeling comfortable.

He went through the content of the oracle many times and then asked a question.

"Do oracles come in such a direct way these days? The oracles I know are very confusing and make their interpretation hard."

"Oh, yeah. That's right. They used to be like that."

A high-ranking Priest answered Radiette's mumble.

"But recently, the Oracles we receive are quite simple. Haha, thanks to that, interpreting them has gotten easier."

Maria nodded and added an explanation.

"That's right, Radiette. After we brought in the Priestess, the oracles got clearer."

"Is it the Priestess again...?"

"Yes. I believe this is one of the abilities of the Priestess."

Even Radiette had no choice but to give in.

If they really didn't need to interpret the oracle, did that mean that they could just follow the Angel's instruction?

Radiette started to wonder about the limits of the Priestess Maria they had brought in.

"It seems like all our worries have been magically solved."

The two Priestesses read the contents of the oracle more carefully.

Judging by the content of the oracle, it seemed like the forces of the Abyss were going to start moving by midnight the next day.

If they knew the exact time at which the battle would start, they would be able to prepare for many things.

And there was one more piece of information they were able to get…

"The 'Iluna's Center' mentioned in the oracle is the center of the hexagram. Right?"

"Yes, it probably refers to the main magic circle."

Thousands of years ago, the Abyss had once invaded Iluna.

There was a record that said that, back then, they were able to summon an Angel at the magic circle located in the center.

According to the sacred texts, after the Angel appeared, tens of thousands of monsters were cut in half. The Heavens ended up winning in just an instant.

Maybe that historical scene would repeat.

"This is going to be easy."

After reading the oracle completely, Radiette laughed.

The Priestess should take one Heavenly Being and Pray.

—That condition was easy to fulfill.

The Abyss army was probably getting ready to invade the last city. So there was a huge chance that the main magic circle would be empty.

He'd be able to take the Priestess there safely for sure.

"I'm going to be okay alone."

"No, you can't go there."

"Why?"

Maria shook her head.

"You must protect this city. If the light turns off, there's no meaning in summoning an Angel."

"What are you talking about, Maria? You can stay here and protect the city."

At Radiette's question, Maria made a sad smile and showed him the back of her hand.

The rune of the Heavenly Being shining faintly.

"Maria, you..."

A Heavenly Being was an existence that was between a human and the Angels.

Whenever they influenced the world, their life was cut short.

The reason was that their ego was cut short each time they intervened in the world.

Maria had always looked at humans.

Maria's life span being shorter than Radiette's was, in a sense, expected.

After noticing the decision in her eyes, he sighed.

"It seems like you recently did something."

"I have no regrets. I was able to meet the Priestess and bring her here. And then, there's you, who will replace me for sure."

"No... Once this is done, I'll return to the forest."

"But that won't be today."

Maria laughed while saying that.

Radiette wasn't sad about Maria dying.

If she wished it to be so, she should’ve been able to live for another 500 years at the minimum.

She had chosen to die, so he had no reason to be sad because of that decision.

'Then, there's going to be only one Heavenly Being with the Priestess...?'

Radiette read the oracle and swallowed a bitter smile.

The oracle contained the will of an Angel, but he couldn't help but think that they were being swayed by it.

* * *

After they parted ways with Louise…

Hyun and Ain returned to the place where they had originally been.

「...」

There was an awkward silence between them.

After the previous conversation, the atmosphere around them had gotten weird.

Even Ain, who usually told embarrassing jokes, was silent.

Hyun, who felt uncomfortable with the silence, mumbled for himself.

「Hmm... Should I send the footage of the fights on Iluna to TarrTarr...? He has probably already finished editing, so it should be okay if I send them to him.」

While Hyun was earning time, Radiette appeared.

Next to him was a woman who, judging by her appearance, was clearly a Heavenly Being.

"So you're that user."

Maria smiled kindly while looking at Ain.

"I have a gift for you. Will you follow me?"

<Heaven's Hidden Quest: What Maria Wants to Leave>

- Her gift is for you, for herself, and for the Heavens.

<Reward: Maria's Legacy>

Hyun and Ain got the same message at the same time.

After reading the content of the quest, Hyun realized something and, with a serious expression, nodded.

After a while, they entered an empty room.

—It was a big, white, empty place.

Maria, who finally stopped her steps, opened her mouth.

With a serious expression on her face, she began talking.

"There was something I wanted to ask you. In a sense, the gift is just the hook."

"A favor?"

"Did I hurt your feelings?"

"Not really."

After answering, Hyun looked at Maria's expression.

He wondered why she'd suddenly called Ain, but he decided to leave that doubt behind for the moment.

Instead, he thought about the word that appeared in the quest. Legacy.

What was she thinking at the moment?

There was no way he'd know.

Maria's expression hadn't changed. She had the same gentle smile.

"You're free to refuse, but I hope you don’t."

[The Heavenly Being 'Maria' wants to teach you a skill!]

[Will you accept? Y/N]

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