Chapter 48 048

"And I have already accomplished that purpose."

"…What?"

Seojin was taken aback once again.

'Is he saying that he's already found Frid's gravestone? That doesn't make sense.'

He should have canceled the request if that was the case. However, the still irregular request was still available, so Seojin had come all this way…

"Master Frid didn't have a tombstone built for him."

"What?"

"I retraced his steps and came to a conclusion. Master Frid was cremated."

"Cremated…"

"Befitting end for someone who held a hammer all his life. He chose to be with fire, even in death, just as he had lived. This street was named the Street of Fire to pass the torch down."

'Oh my God.' Seojin was lost for words. What was the request for then?'

This place was known as the Street of Fire since Midgard launched, which meant the request was impossible to complete from the very start.

"Then the request was…"

"Half of it was because I wanted to make sure. I was afraid that I might have been wrong in my pursuit. And the other half was…" He wore a smile that seemed almost heartbreaking. "I wanted adventurers to follow in his footsteps because his name shouldn't be forgotten."

"But this entire street is a memorial for him."

"I tend to be realistic. You never know whether this street will remain in a few years. However, adventurers will still be all over the world, even if Erzebet falls."

So, Trail wanted to immortalize Frid by making adventurers remember him. To make Frid's name indelible. At least that was what Trail thought and that was how he set the conditions of the request.

"Ask any blacksmith on the Street of Fire and they would tell you the answer about where the name came from. Or about how Frid died."

Those were the conditions that needed to be fulfilled in order to complete the request. There was no tombstone. Adventurers just had to realize that and find out about his demise themselves.

"…That's what it was."

"You must have reached the truth anyway. That's why I told you because I knew you'd be a great adventurer."

"…"

"Please, don't let his name be forgotten."

"I won't."

Seojin only said so, as the mood didn't allow him to say anything else. However, Seojin picked his next words carefully, watching Trail reflect on the past.

"That sword… did Master Frid forge it himself?"

He was referring to the sword that the statue was holding.

"That sword… oh, yes."

"He must be handing it to someone who deserves it, judging from the willingness in his eyes."

That could have been taken as demeaning to Frid, but Seojin didn't worry. It was clear that the blacksmiths here must have been proud of the story too, or they wouldn't have let the giant statue be sculpted that way.

"It's called Evilbane. It was a gift to Lord Luteinn, the Captain of the Holy Knight Order of Luna. The sword could repel lesser undead just by raising it high."

"Just by raising it up?"

It might not have been an exaggeration. Frid was a legendary blacksmith in lore, and the captain of the Holy Knights favored the sword.

"Three years ago, Lord Luteinn stopped by here. He still had Evilbane with him."

"Did he come to honor Frid?"

Trail nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. He consecrated the statue. He also referred to Frid as an old friend."

"Consecration, you say? Not a benediction?"

"Yes, it was a consecration. He said that he couldn't let any evil come close to his friend's memorial."

"I see…"

Seojin trailed off. He had once heard about the difference between consecration and benediction from Merhen.

'If he wanted to remember an old friend, benediction is the way to go. Benediction is intended for accumulating positive energy.'

The purpose of consecration, however, was slightly different, as it was cast to condense divine power somewhere near the medium. Therefore, it was mainly used to strengthen weapons or create a kind of ward.

'This feels off.'

Trail seemed to know nothing more, he was just remembering the proud moment. Seojin finally got impatient and spoke first.

"Sir Trail."

"Oh, you may leave."

Trail waved immediately as if he already knew.

"Complete the request and leave. Only then can Frid's name be spread across the continent. I don't doubt your intentions."

Trail seemed a bit different than a moment ago as if his role was finally completed.

'Did he become passive again since I finished the quest?'

That was fine by Seojin. Still, Seojin made eye contact with him just in case, as if he had lingering feelings before turning around. Like he had to leave against his will because of something more important. Seojin immediately embarked on his next plan as soon as he left the Street of Fire.

"Flappy."

"Ey?"

"I want you to go to the temple for a while. The Order of Luna… it'd probably be on the west of the square."

The priority was to link the information he'd just received with certainty. The target was the Erzebet Parish of the Luna Denomination, which included Luteinn, the Captain of the Holy Knights.

There, he was going to find a link between the sword and the statue of Frid.

"Hey, do yer think thet Ahm yer maid or sumpn? Yawl know yore askin' uh goddamn spirit tuh go tuh uh church full uh holy power? Evur heard uh spirit abuse? Ahv already spent teyun days- "

"Five magic stones. All high-quality."

"Yeah, Ah wuz bout tuh leave! Ah, wuz bout tuh! But don't yawl dare thank thet yawl can control may with magic stones, yawl hear may?"

Flappy was already off in the distance before finishing her sentence.

'I can't be sure until I see it by myself, but…'

Seojin twitched his lips, looking at Flappy's back. Three irregular requests. He sensed that they were definitely related to each other and that each completion would give a hint for the next request. If that was the case, he'd have to pop it all at once. That was the only way to avoid the others trying to put him in check—to detonate a bomb that could cause immense, irreparable damage without giving them a chance to react.

* * *

Seojin was sure that the Ironbloods didn't know much about irregular requests. They didn't do anything during the ten days Seojin had been contacting Trail. Key NPCs were a good trap and lure for those who were monitoring and yet they had let the chance slip. They only looked for a guy with blue hair who was acting weird. Players who stayed friendly with blacksmiths were not included in their definition of acting weird. Thanks to that, Flappy was able to fool around inside the temple as much as she wanted.

"Ahv checked it out, an' it's defnutly sumpn fishy."

"Suspicious?"

Flappy nodded, scratching her belly. "Ahm shore them altar boys is hidin' sumpn. Mah gut iz tellin' may. Them heartless, stingy thugs nevur spend thur power on sumpn useless."

"Can you stop scratching your belly?"

"Ah say wun heartless tug ova there too, an don't tell may whut tuh do. Mah body, mah choice."

Flappy was squatting in the air like a delinquent by that point.

"…Anyway, you're right. The Captain of the Holy Knights must be important."

"Yeah, naw shit. Do thay always set thayure pretendin' tuh bay angels uh virtue while jerkin' awf on power behind our backs?"

"Do you have to put it like that?"

Jerking off, she said. Seojin didn't say it out loud, knowing Flappy wouldn't give a damn.

"So there's something about the Frid's statue."

"That Trail or whatever must be sad hearing that. Ye don't sound respectful at all now, eh?"

"Never took you as a sentimental type."

"Nah, Ahm gist mad cuz yawl treat may lahk Ahm uh mule!"

"Thought so."

Seojin swept over his chin with his hand.

'It was consecration. Consecration… there's no way the captain enhanced the statue itself. There must be a barrier or something similar.'

The Captain of the Holy Knights must have tremendous power. The barrier could be anywhere in Erzebet even though the medium was in the Street of Fire.

'Is it a kind of dungeon? Or even a treasure chest…? Well, whatever it is, it won't be too hard once I find a way in. He didn't have to make a whole fuss just to make a ward.'

That seemed to be the answer.

'That means he kicked up a fuss and used Frid as an excuse… just to hide something. Just how precious does it have to be worth all that? I only can assume, but it must be tremendous.'

All Seojin had to do was find the hidden place and intercept the juicy reward.

"I should be religious. I'm of Luna faith from now on."

"Wow, talk about selective religion, eh?"

"Well, what else can I do?"

"If I was you, I would egg a real Luna believer. Dat'd be less xketchy… Ey danks!"

Flappy practically lost her mind as she was suddenly tossed a magic stone.

"That's a very good point."

Giving a proper reward for a useful proposition was the basis of good management.

* * *

The Order of Luna in Erzebet was poor. Science thrived more than religion, and Count Erzebet chose to be close to the alchemy guild over the temple. So, Bishop Crown had no choice but to love this new believer, who suddenly offered them tons of money.

"May your path be filled with moonlight. The Goddess will be watching over your faith."

"My offering is humble, Sir."

"No, it isn't. How could the sword of the Goddess do justice, or the wand of the Goddess spread her will, without your patronage? We, the Order of Luna, never forget how important each devotee is."

In a nutshell, he was saying thank you for letting them rip him off. However, the loyal believer simply bowed his head gratefully and left. Bishop Crown let the benevolent look drop from his face at that very moment.

'I don't know where the money came from, but it's a good thing.'

Originally, any ordinary devotee of the church could never meet a high priest such as a bishop alone. They could only watch them pass by from a distance at most. But that man was not just any devotee, he was a cash cow that made Bishop Crown's pockets bulge.

"That man could be my key to Central."

That man had offered up a whopping ten gold. Considering offerings were usually given within an affordable range, the bishop might have even been able to coax him to throw out more money.

'Haha, rich people will never be in the arms of the Goddess.'

So, Crown was planning to make sure the new devotee could be embraced by the Goddess. A few days ago, the new devotee came forth and talked about darkness, saying that he wanted to help fight it by donating.

After that? Crown just had to show that darkness to him, so dark that he would have to give up all his assets.

'I'll have to show him *that*.'

The devotee had been attending services at the temple for many years, so a clumsy trick wouldn't work. Blinded by greed, the bishop was planning to show him the secret hiding in the temple's basement.

'It's not like he could notice anything just by glancing at it anyway. Maybe I should give him an honorary position as well and he'll shit gold like a river.'

The bishop listed a couple of powerless, yet honorable positions that would make any faithful devotee cry in religious ecstasy.

'I'm ascending closer to you, my Goddess…'

Bishop Crown sat alone and smiled menacingly, under the expectations of rising higher.