– Human, why are they all not moving like that?
As Raon mentioned, hundreds of people were remaining still with their heads bowed so much they were almost touching the ground.
None of them were raising their heads to look at Cale.
'What the hell?'
He was quite anxious as he had never seen something like this before.
"…Cale-nim."
Choi Han called to him in a quiet voice while Sui Khan took a step toward Cale and tried to make some sort of gesture.
It was at that moment.
'Hmm?'
Cale's senses noticed something.
'This is…?'
He felt a familiar aura behind him.
It was the first time he felt this aura not inside his body but outside.
"Cale-nim?"
He could hear Choi Han calling him in confusion, but Cale ignored him and turned around.
The rest of the group standing behind him…
Beyond their shoulders…
– Human, that!
There was a large plate on top of the tall altar.
A fire was on top of the white plate.
Crackle. Crackle.
It was a large rose gold-colored fire that was continuously releasing golden currents.
"Cale. Isn't that fire your power?"
The silent Cale opened his mouth at Eruhaben's comment.
"It's a bit different, Eruhaben-nim."
He was familiar with it and it was similar, but also a bit different.
– That's right. It is different from my power.
The owner of the Fire of Destruction. The cheapskate agreed with Cale's comment in a low voice.
– It's purer than me.
Cale agreed with this.
'There is some fundamental difference.'
The cheapskate's fiery thunderbolts that Cale used were quite a pure power of fire and thunderbolt, but the fire burning on top of the plate was closer to the foundation.
'Should I call it a root?'
"You felt it immediately as we expected, sir."
Cale turned his head after hearing a voice coming from below where they were standing.
Clang. Clang.
They could hear the sounds of jewelry.
– Human, there's another feeble person here!
A middle-aged woman wearing a long red priestess robe got up and walked toward Cale.
As Raon mentioned, the middle-aged woman was quite thin, and her complexion did not look very good. Furthermore, her skin was white, no, completely pale, as if she had never seen the sun.
– Human, she looks like when you go overboard using your ancient powers!
She did indeed look like Cale in that state.
Her outfit was different from the others.
'…It's a thunderbolt and fire.'
Her priestess robe had golden embroidery that looked as if they were supposed to be a thunderbolt and a fire.
Anybody would think that she had a high-ranking position in this temple.
"I greet the esteemed sir."
She bowed slightly and greeted Cale.
"I am a believer of the Fire of Purification and am currently serving as the Pope."
The Pope, whom Cale thought looked extremely fatigued, smiled.
"Sir, do you have the same power as that fire?"
How should he respond to this question?
Cale debated for a moment, but thought that there was no need to hide it and answered honestly.
"It is similar but a bit different, ma'am."
"The god spoke to me."
The rest of the priests lowered their bodies even more.
" 'Someone who has carried on my power will be here soon.' "
The Pope repeated the god's words.
" 'Treat him as you would treat me and do not show any hesitation in giving him help.' "
Cale's eyes slightly clouded over.
'Did the cheapskate perhaps die and become a god?'
The Fire of Purification. Was that strange feeling he had at first correct?
– …Did I… perhaps become a god?
The cheapskate spoke in a shaking voice as if he was filled with awe, but Cale just ignored him.
He was focused on something else.
'Either way, they should help us properly since the god they serve said that to them.'
It looked as if the God of Death gave them some proper helpers. Of course, it was not the God of Death but the God of the Fire of Purification, whom he suspected was the cheapskate, that helped him.
Cale calculated things and immediately spoke in a relaxed manner.
"I need a place to quietly have a conversation, ma'am."
"Yes, sir. We will escort you right away."
Chh.
Hundreds of priest robes fluttered as they got up in unison and started to move. A path was quickly created in front of Cale's group.
Plop.
The priests knelt down immediately after the path was created.
'…This is a bit overboard.'
It truly seemed like a bit much.
Cale's face turned stoic and he peeked to his side. Eruhaben had a similar look on his face.
It truly seemed too much if an ancient Dragon, who received a fanatical level of respect from Elves, had such a look on his face.
Tap.
Cale stepped down the stairs heading up to the platform and spoke to the Pope, who was the only one standing again.
"You do not need to go so overboard with us."
"That-"
The Pope smiled awkwardly.
"Is this how you normally act?"
Cale asked and she looked even more awkward as she answered in a quiet voice.
"Our god told us to treat you as if we were serving him, but…"
'But?'
"We've never actually served our god, so…"
'…Right?'
Which church would have met and served their god?
"So the church's bishop-level priests and higher-ups gathered together to discuss how we should act."
They apparently had a meeting to discuss how to serve Cale.
Eruhaben could see Cale's face turning even more solemn in real time.
The Pope observed Cale's expression and quickly continued to speak without speaking.
"We discussed it for seven nights and eight days except for a little bit of time for sleep. Oh, esteemed purifier."
'…You discussed it for seven nights and eight days?'
Cale held himself back from saying that and shook his head with an extremely stern look on his face.
"I do not like such exaggerated acts of respect. I am someone who will only be here for a little bit, so it is enough if you help me with my tasks properly."
"…I understand, oh esteemed purifier."
The Pope answered without saying anything else, but there seemed to be some disappointment visible on her face. However, she quickly hid it and Cale could not see it because he was following behind her.
Tap. Tap.
Cale followed her first while the others followed behind him.
A large white door soon appeared and the priests standing in front of it opened it.
Creeeeeak.
Cale's group followed the Pope through that door.
The priests who were bowing their heads finally started to raise their heads one after another.
Gulp.
Someone gulping echoed loudly in the silence.
'She said that the purifier has red hair.'
The purifier truly did have red hair as the Pope mentioned.
And although they had not heard about the people who came with the purifier through their god, they were beyond what any of them could have imagined.
A Dark Elf, a Vampire, two Cats, and a Dragon.
It was a small Dragon, but that was definitely a Dragon.
Creeeeeeak- boom!
The door closed once Cale's group left and one of the priests, who had been keeping their mouths tightly shut, shouted what he had been holding in this whole time.
"A perished Dragon!"
All of the Dragons in this world had died.
Dragons were creatures that had peculiar attributes and could handle mana as they pleased. They were existences that could mediate and stop the destruction of a world. This world was crumbling relentlessly because that largest line of defense was gone.
Gulp.
Someone gulped again.
Gazes full of desperation and anticipation were looking at the closed door.
It was at that moment.
Ooooooong-
The priests, who were bowing down almost as if they were lying on the ground, felt the ground start to shake.
"Oh no!"
An old priest who seemed to be over eighty stood up. Some of the priests around him got up and took off their long priest robes.
"Bishop-nim!"
Underneath those robes were thin armors that did not seem to fit their titles as priests.
"Why now of all times?!"
The old priest also had armor underneath the robe. The alarm started to ring throughout the temple the moment he started to move.
Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing—-
Cale was the person who reacted most sensitively to this rumbling and noise.
"Pope-nim. What is going on?"
"…It is probably better to show you than to explain everything to you, oh esteemed purifier."
The Pope smiled bitterly and pulled up her flapping priestess robe.
She had armor underneath it as well.
"We will be moving quickly."
Oooooong– oooooong–
The Pope gently pushed off and moved forward as soon as Cale noticed a red aura surrounding the Pope.
"It is fine if you follow slowly."
The Pope said that but had to flinch and looked back.
– Human! I knew I would get used to the mana here quickly!
Raon had used acceleration magic on everyone.
– But human, this place is weird!
"Cale, this place is indeed a bit different."
Raon and Eruhaben spoke to Cale at the same time. Cale looked at Eruhaben while still following behind the Pope.
At that moment, Choi Han and Dark Elf Shawn pulled out their swords and moved past Cale in formation as if to guard him.
Eruhaben noticed Cale's gaze and continued to speak.
"The concentration of mana is very thin here."
– That's right! The mana around here is only about one-fiftieth of our world!
The Pope was now at the entrance of the temple.
Cale finally realized what was odd about this temple.
'There are no windows at all.'
This white building had no windows to let sunlight in.
In addition, every door was extremely thick.
It was to the point that it required multiple people to push them open.
– Human, those people are kind of strong!
People wearing white armor with red crests were quickly gathering at the temple entrance.
"Open the door!"
The door slowly opened the moment the Pope shouted. The Pope spoke to Cale's group who had followed her without any issues.
"Please don't be shocked."
The view outside the door was now visible to Cale.
"…Tsk."
Eruhaben sighed while Sui Khan mumbled.
"The situation is worse than I knew."
There was a half-transparent red wall about ten meters away from the temple.
That wall was surrounding the temple.
And beyond that wall…
– Human, it's black.
There was a ground that had been dyed black and a sky that was covered in black fog.
There were some plants on top of the black ground but they looked odd. However, there were only a few of those plants and most of the ground was desolate.
Honestly speaking, even that was not very visible. The sun was not easily seen because of the black fog.
They could only make all of this out because there was sunlight shining down on top of this temple.
"The Wall of Purification has decayed and crumbled!"
Someone wearing armor approached the temple and reported to the Pope.
Of course, everybody could see it even without his report.
The half-transparent red wall that was visible as soon as the temple door opened… A portion of it had turned black and had crumbled.
And underneath that wall…
"It seems as if the foundation crumbled because of the rumbling and the liquefied dead mana broke through the weakened area to shoot up!"
Black liquid was shooting up.
"It really is dead mana."
Shawn was looking at the stream of dead mana shooting up in disbelief.
He had never seen dead mana shooting up like this as if it was water underground.
"Wear your helmets!"
The old priest appeared and shouted at that moment. The priests wearing armor all put on their white helmets.
The Pope spoke to Cale.
"That black fog has dead mana inside it. It is fatal if you breathe it in."
Some of the priests came over and handed Cale's group some masks. These white masks were not just regular masks; they had a red crest on them and were letting out a faint light.
"The dead mana is unable to enter the temple, so please wait inside."
The Pope then headed out of the temple.
The situation seemed urgent to the point that she could not look after Cale. Cale asked the priest next to him who was holding a mask.
"Does something like this happen often?"
"Oh esteemed purifier-"
"Answer."
Cale thought that this guy was going to ramble and cut him off, making the priest answer properly.
"Sir, the Wall of Purification used to never break. However, it has been a recurring issue lately as dead mana that is so pure that the Wall of Purification cannot handle it has recently appeared. Some parts of the temple have been closed off as a result."
"This Wall of Purification thing… Can you not fix it if it breaks?"
The priest could not even look at the purifier that their god said was like himself as he answered.
"…Sir, we would need at least half a year's worth of time to do that. We do not have such luxury."
However, he finally managed to raise his head and look at the purifier's eyes.
They were extremely indifferent.
He was calm even in such a situation.
That truly made him seem not from this world.
As a result, the priest said the following.
"Sir, it is hard enough for us to protect the parts that are still intact."
The priest then quickly lowered his head.
"Meeeeeow."
"Meeow."
He could see the young Cats.
"You should first evacuate and we can explain in detail-"
He saw the red kitten look at Cale at that moment. Hong, On, and Raon saw Cale frowning after looking at them, the black fog, and the black ground as if he was annoyed.
The priest heard Cale's voice.
"Mary."
"Yes, young master-nim."
"Do you want it?"
"Yes, sir. The quality is very good."
The person in the black robe, who had the least presence of everybody in the group, walked forward.
The priest saw the person's hand through her long robe sleeves.
Her hand was covered in black lines that resembled spider webs.
"…!"
The priest's eyes opened wide.
This was the mark of honor left on the people who were poisoned by dead mana but managed to survive.
The reason that this mark became a mark of honor was because the Emperors of the Iska Empire had this mark for generations.
The priest heard Cale's voice once again as his pupils were shaking relentlessly.
"Then you can take care of that dead mana."
"Yes, young master-nim."
"I'll do what I need to do."
Crackle, crackle.
The priest raised his head after sensing a familiar aura. He was not the only one. The Pope, who was releasing a red aura, and all the priests in armor, who were releasing a similar but weaker aura, all stopped walking and looked at Cale.
"Ah."
The priest gasped.
Rose gold fiery thunderbolts came out of Cale's hand and started to wrap around him.
The Fire of Purification that was located in the central prayer room of the Grand Temple…
He felt a power that was as destructive and pure as that fire, something that could burn up the darkness.
This golden red light that looked as if it would glow on its own even if the entire world was submerged in darkness caught his eyes.
The old priest, a bishop of the temple, subconsciously commented.
"Oh, Fire of Purification-"
Cale walked out of the temple and commented to the Pope who was looking at him with a piercing gaze.
"It looks like I will be able to fix that wall."
The Wall of Purification… The aura coming from that wall was the same as Cale's.
"Is that a power from our lord?"
The Pope asked while looking at the rose gold light surrounding Cale.
– That's not the case!
The cheapskate, who had been calm until now, suddenly shouted. Cale wondered if the cheapskate, the original owner of the Fire of Destruction, had become a god, but…
'But I didn't get this power from a god.'
That was why Cale answered honestly without any hesitation.
"No. This power is not from a god."
'I earned it by throwing a money shower.'
He didn't say that part out loud.
The Pope's pupils started to shake.
'How can he have such a strong power when it is not from a god?!'
It was pure yet destructive.
This vicious rose gold light looked as if it would not fear any darkness in the world.
The Pope suddenly remembered that her god told her to treat Cale as if he was the god himself.
'Perhaps-'
The Pope knew one of the secrets of the world.
'Living creatures become gods after dying and going through trials.'
It was a secret of the world that she heard from the old man who was the former Pope, a long time ago when she was very young.
'Perhaps this sir also…?'
A possibility stirred inside the Pope's mind but she calmed herself down.
'I must not be hasty.'
No matter what it might be, she could not just theorize about it and brush aside.
The Fire of Purification. As the Pope with the mission to save this church and the world, she could not do that.
As a result, she tried her best to calm down and collect herself as she spoke again.
"Oh esteemed purifier, are you able to repair the Wall of Purification immediately with that power?"
The important thing right now was repairing the Wall of Purification.
It would be extremely difficult for the church to run away from their Grand Temple.
Cale responded to her question without any hesitation.
"I can repair it right away, however… It does not look like that is needed right now."
'He can do it but he won't?
Even though we are in such a dire situation?'
The Pope could not understand him. However, she did not say her complaint immediately. This purifier sent from their god must have his reasons.
She opened her mouth to ask him about it.
"Oh esteemed purifier, the people inside the church will be in danger if the black fog makes it inside. May I ask why you are saying that there is no need to do that right-"
Shh.
The Pope saw a black robe walk past her at that moment.
She then heard Cale's voice.
"It is because my friend has something to do first, ma'am."
The small black Dragon inside the temple with two Cats summoned quite a large pouch at that moment.
"Here you go, Mary!"
The average-looking pouch headed toward the black-robed woman. She raised her arm to receive the pouch. The Pope finally got a look at her hand and her eyes opened wide.
Shh.
The string tied around this regular brown pouch was released.
Mary's movements were not very fast but they were quite efficient without any hesitation.
She flipped the pouch over.
Plop. Plop.
Things started to fall out of this regular-looking but quite advanced spatial pocket bag.
It was hard to believe that these things came out of such a small bag.
Boom! Boom!
Large bones fell to the ground.
"No way-!"
One of the priests in armor shouted without being able to hold himself back.
This was the power that was said to be the most precious in Xiaolen right now. This priest had seen this power just once in the Iska Empire.
That phenomenal power…
The power that even dominated the dead black ground…
Mary closed the pouch after taking out the things she needed and stretched her other hand forward.
She then spoke in a low voice.
"Rise."
Black threads started to flow out of her fingertips.
The bones on the ground started to move and gather together.
"…She really is a necromancer."
The old priest in armor… The bishop mumbled and gasped in awe. A priest next to him shouted in shock.
"A, and she has black bones!"
The large skeleton that seemed about 3 meters tall was made of black bones.
The Pope bit the inside of her mouth while looking at the black-robed woman.
'A necromancer strong enough to make black bones?!'
This was a necromancer with the highest abilities. The Pope knew that only highest-grade necromancers were able to make black bones filled with dead mana.
'I did hear that those with so much talent that even the heavens would gasp could do it from the moment they get the ability, but…'
The method of becoming a necromancer was a secret in Xiaolen that was only passed down through the Iska Imperial family for generations and there was talk about how someone who could overcome the hardships of that secret method had to have noble blood.
Of course, the Pope did not believe that.
'A necromancer who is with the purifier.'
It was shocking.
It was not only the Pope but all officials of the temple who were watching that had the same thought.
"My goodness-"
A priest gasped before turning his head after feeling a pat on his shoulder and gasping even louder.
"Oh e, esteemed Dragon."
"Yeah. I'm a Dragon!"
The small black Dragon's eyes sparkled and the corners of his lips twitched. He then asked in a quiet yet loud enough voice for people around them to hear.
"Is our Mary and our human amazing in this world too?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are they amazing?"
"Y, yes sir!"
"Hehe. I'm amazing too!"
The black Dragon smiled cutely but the priest could not smile back.
Boom. Boom.
The large skeleton started moving. This skeleton that resembled a monster or maybe a bear charged toward the dead mana fountain that was corroding away the Wall of Purification and shooting up.
"Hmm. Should I go help too?"
The people inside the temple could see Dark Elf Shawn slowly heading toward Mary. He was not the only one.
"Hey you, Vampire girl. Are you not going?"
"I am going."
The Vampire followed behind him.
The people of the temple looked at the necromancer, Dark Elf, and Vampire surrounding their esteemed purifier Cale with odd gazes.
'Hmm.'
Eruhaben watched this for a bit before turning his gaze.
"I've heard a bit about what happened. I think they said that your name is Lee Soo Hyuk?"
"It is Sui Khan now."
"Are you part of the Black Hawk race?"
The red eyes turned to look at Eruhaben.
Choi Han was watching the two of them.
A tired smile appeared on Sui Khan's face.
"What are you curious about?"
"Does that punk Cale know too?"
"About what?"
"The story of the birds."
"Who knows?"
Sui Khan looked at Choi Han once before looking forward. He could see the black skeleton sucking in the black underground fountain as well as the other darkness attribute races.
He could see Cale walking toward them once the fountain died down a bit.
Sui Khan mumbled in a low voice.
"I'll need to tell him my story soon. We are part of the same team."
Choi Han finally nodded his head and smiled innocently.
It was at that moment.
Boom-!
The ground started to shake.
"Cale-nim-!"
As Choi Han shouted Cale's name almost in gasp…
'Fuck.'
Cale scowled.
The reason behind it was simple.
Cale had walked up to repair the Wall of Purification before the black fog entered once the others absorbed a good amount of the dead mana.
Sssss- sssss–
The black fog entering through the breaking wall turned into grey dust and scattered in the air as Cale walked forward with the rose gold thunderbolts surrounding him.
"Ahh– esteemed purifier–"
Cale heard some old guy gasping in the back but he ignored it and reached his hand toward the red half-transparent wall that was being corroded black.
The fiery thunderbolt flowed through his hand and toward the Wall of Purification.
'I have a feeling.'
Cale's instincts were telling him something.
It was telling him that the power of the Fire of Destruction was flowing through this Wall of Purification.
And he realized it right away.
The power of his fire could repair this wall.
Crackle-!
The rose gold light reached the Wall of Purification.
At that moment…
Boom-!
The ground started to shake.
The Wall of Purification then started to change.
"Ohh– holy light–!"
Cale heard the old man's voice again and he scowled.
The half-transparent red wall became dyed rose gold and started to glow.
Sssss- sssss–
The light made the black fog outside the wall all turn into ash and scatter.
Everything the light touched became that way.
The 'everything' was not talking just about the black fog.
"Oh, Fire of Purification!"
Plop. One of the priests plopped down on the ground.
Not only did the black fog in the vicinity of the light become ash and disappear, the ground outside the wall, the area from the wall to approximately 10 meters away, slowly started to lose its black color.
Of course, they did not return to their original color, but they could slowly see the black turning to brown.
Cale had a thought while watching this.
'This-'
'This looks like-'
"Purification!"
Someone shouted from behind him as if they realized his thoughts.
The Wall of Purification was purifying everything up to 10 meters away from the wall as it glowed rose gold. The black fog couldn't even get close.
It would turn into ash if it touched the light.
"E, esteemed purifier-"
Cale looked at the Pope after hearing her calling out to him and then flinched.
The Pope's eyes were sparkling as if someone had found 100 mines full of gold.
Cale quickly avoided her gaze and observed the Wall of Purification with his arm still stretched out.
'Ah.'
The Pope realized that she had acted rashly after seeing Cale's calm and serious demeanor and bit down on her lips.
'Our lord told us to treat the purifier as if we were treating him.'
The Pope recalled the words of her lord as she clenched her fists.
Cale had no idea about this as he was deep in thought.
'Something is weird.'
– Something is weird.
It was the same for the cheapskate.
Cale and the cheapskate were having the same thought.
– Why is it like this when you didn't even use that much power?
'Exactly my thoughts.'
Cale had only sent a tiny amount of fiery thunderbolts into the Wall of Purification as he thought that he just needed to fix the broken part of the wall. He was planning on using more if necessary.
'I had no thoughts about pushing myself too hard.'
This was not a world with Cale's foundation. Even if there was a group helping them, Cale could already tell that this organization was not a mainstream force in this world.
It was more likely that the enemy was the mainstream force.
That was why he was planning on saving his powers as much as possible.
'But why is it like this-'
– It's extremely effective, isn't it?
Cale and the cheapskate continued to have the same thoughts.
– Cale, this is weird. If we consider your whole body as the amount of power you have, the power you used is maybe the size of a finger. But for it to be so effective… Is it because of this Wall of Purification thing?
'Is it?'
Cale fell deep into thought while looking at the Wall of Purification that was glowing rose gold.
'Is it so effective because this wall and my power are extremely compatible?'
Cale withdrew his fiery thunderbolts after seeing that the wall was fully restored.
"Mm."
He then groaned.
'It's the same.'
The Wall of Purification did not return to its original half-transparent red wall and remained glowing brightly with rose gold light.
The black fog was still unable to come within 10 meters.
"Are you okay?"
Cale did not respond to the question the Pope asked with a concerned look on her face. He didn't think she was talking to him.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
However, he turned his head after hearing one more question. The Pope didn't seem to know what to do as she approached Cale.
She had seen the esteemed purifier groan and pull back his power with a serious look on his face just now.
'I'm sure that he pushed himself too much.'
The way his face was pale before he even started made the Pope think that this purifier's body was feeble like hers.
'I get tired when I use my powers too.'
The Pope knew that her stamina quickly went down when she used her purification power.
If that was the case for her, imagine how hard it must be for the person in front of her right now.
Nonetheless, he just let out a short groan and held everything in, similar to how the Pope herself usually acted.
It was because there were people watching.
It was because there were people who followed her.
'I'm certain it must be the same.'
The Pope thought that the person in front of her was similar to herself while also feeling a sense of respect.
"Ah, I am okay, Pope-nim."
Cale wondered why the Pope was suddenly acting like this and just answered nonchalantly as if it was nothing.
It really wasn't a big deal.
He turned his gaze elsewhere instead.
"Mary."
"Yes, young master-nim."
"Is it different here than back home?"
Mary immediately realized what 'it' Cale was talking about.
He was asking if the dead mana from their world was different from the dead mana here.
Mary turned toward the black skeleton. The dead mana that seeped into the skeleton's bones… She could naturally scope it out.
Mary answered honestly.
"It is purer on this side."
That meant…
"The dead mana here is more fatal and dangerous for people."
Mary said exactly as she found out.
"If over 80 percent of the world is like this, this truly is a ruined world for humans."
Cale looked at Shawn, who was rubbing the liquefied dead mana on his finger onto the back of his hand. Shawn raised his head.
"I agree."
The Vampire also silently nodded her head.
Cale turned his head and looked at the Pope.
'Hmm?'
He then flinched. An old priest behind the Pope was kneeling down on the ground, clasping his hands together, and looking at Cale with a burning gaze.
– Human!
"Meeeeeow!"
"Meeow!"
Cale couldn't help but feel iffy about this but he brushed it aside while watching the children averaging nine-years-old approach him.
He made eye contact with the Pope.
"May I hear the details now?"
"Yes sir."
The Pope responded without any hesitation.
The Pope pointed to the Iska Empire, located on the center of the map, as she spoke.
"There are some special people among the black mages who use dead mana."
Cale's group, who were seated around her, all focused on her.
"A holy white light flows out whenever they use dead mana to cast spells."
The Pope calmly added on as Cale's eyes clouded over.
"That magic is what we call White Magic."
"And?"
The Pope continued as Cale asked with certainty that there was more to be said.
"The first group to make that White Magic was the Black Bloods household and they are the family who has provided the instructor for the Emperor for generations."
"The concept of white magic here is different from what I know."
Eruhaben crossed his legs as he spoke in a low voice.
After the issue with the Wall of Purification, they followed the Pope into a study or office.
Cale's group members were either sitting on couches and chairs around the room or standing and looking at the map on the table at the center of the room. Their gazes turned toward Eruhaben.
"Usually, white magic is a term given to magic using regular mana and not dead mana in order to differentiate it from black magic. The term is not used very often."
The ancient Dragon then looked at the Pope who gulped.
'Why did I not notice it?'
The Pope had not felt the ancient Dragon's presence earlier. However, the ancient Dragon gave off such a large presence once they came into the room and he took off his hood.
'It is highly likely that he is a Dragon.'
There might be another Dragon in addition to that small and cute black Dragon. This one seemed like a proper adult Dragon as well. The moment the Pope had this hypothesis that was more of a certainty…
She couldn't help but speak formally to the individual who was speaking informally to her.
"Yes, sir, that is true. The basic magic that is used is also called white magic."
Cale, who was seated next to Eruhaben, was thinking about how the youngest young lady Orsena had shouted, 'white magic.'
'Which white magic was she talking about?'
Was the seven-year-old talking about white magic using regular mana or was she talking about black magic that gave off a holy light?
The Pope continued to speak.
"Even now, that white magic, mm, I will just call white magic using regular mana just 'magic' in order to differentiate."
Cale looked at the map.
The three continents of the Xiaolen World… Most of it was dyed black. The ocean was dyed black as well.
To be more specific, 81.29 percent of it was black as the world informed Cale earlier.
There was less than 20 percent that was maintaining its original color.
"Magic is still surviving through the named mage families. It is a symbol of a family's history and long-standing legitimacy."
The Pope smiled awkwardly and continued to speak.
"Of course, magic is still used quite often, as 20 percent of the lands maintain their functions."
"How did the world end up like this?"
The Pope stopped talking for a moment at Eruhaben's question. She then let out a short sigh.
"…The land started to become dyed black about 300 years ago."
"Mm."
Choi Han groaned.
300 years.
That meant that the world was slowly taken over by dead mana starting quite a long time ago.
"The cause?"
The ancient Dragon calmly asked while observing Cale who seemed to be deep in thought. He also looked at the Beast named Sui Khan, who seemed to be just as deep in thought.
However, the ancient Dragon couldn't help but look at the Pope after hearing her response.
"The start was the extinction of the Dragons."
Boom!
The Pope turned her head after hearing a loud noise. The black Dragon, who was with the two Kittens, had slammed the ground with both front paws.
Crack.
The temple floor crumbled.
"Extinction?!"
Raon looked at Cale in shock and Cale shook his head.
"Please explain in detail, Pope-nim."
"Of course, esteemed purifier."
The Pope continued to speak in a more devoted voice.
"All of the Dragons on the three continents and the oceans died. The humans did not know about this at first. It was rare for humans to ever see Dragons."
She was right.
Cale was a peculiar case but most humans would usually have no Dragon sightings throughout their lives.
"But one day, there was a sudden incident where a mountain at the center of a continent suddenly sank down."
"A mountain crumbled?"
"No, sir. It didn't crumble, it sank down. It sank underground."
"Mm."
Eruhaben suddenly groaned and uncrossed his legs.
The Pope continued in a shaky voice as Cale's eyes clouded over while looking at Eruhaben's movements.
"The Elves came to find the humans at that time and informed the humans about the extinction of the Dragons."
This was written in the records of the church.
It described the incident.
The Elves had looked desperate while some of them were even crying when they came to find the humans.
" 'The World Tree has died.' "
Eruhaben let out a deep sigh.
The Pope looked into the purifier's firm gaze as she spoke.
"That is what the Elves said and the world started to become dyed black after that."
"Excuse me."
Cale raised his hand to stop her for a moment.
"Isn't the World Tree an immortal?"
'Wouldn't it come back to life as itself even if it died? Isn't that why it continues its life nonstop?'
"I'm not sure about that, oh esteemed purifier. Based on the records that were left behind, the Elves said a mysterious existence killed the World Tree and that the representatives of the different races went to confirm it was true."
"Cale-nim."
Choi Han, who had been quietly listening, started to speak.
"It is the same. It is the same as the White Star's methods."
Cale silently nodded his head.
'Choi Han is right. The pattern is similar.'
The only difference was that the White Star had failed.
He tried to kill the Dragons as well and went to a village of the Elves to get the branch of the World Tree. This might have been just one step in eventually killing the World Tree.
'Those bastards even made a fake World Tree to- Ah!'
Cale looked down at a badge on his shirt.
The fake tree was in that badge.
It was a black World Tree at that.
'Mm.'
There was an odd look on his face and his long-time friends, who recognized it, looked at him wondering what was going on, but… Cale waved them off and motioned for the Pope to continue.
"There is nothing special after that."
The Pope's expression was quite dark for saying there was nothing special.
"The land became taken over by dead mana and the number of creatures dying rose exponentially. A new power started to rise and the power relations were reorganized. I will organize details about that in a document and explain at a later time."
Cale nodded his head.
'I can basically figure out the power relations without explanation.'
The approximately 20 percent of land that wasn't dyed in dead mana yet…
Those places would be the center of power.
"But excuse me…"
Shawn spoke for the first time since coming into this room.
"Dead mana would naturally appear more abundantly as a lot of creatures would die once a decent amount of the land was taken over by dead mana, but, ah, never mind."
He looked at the children averaging nine-years-old and stopped talking. He looked at the others instead.
'They already know.'
They were already thinking about what Shawn was about to say or had quickly realized the situation from what he said.
This was what Shawn was about to say.
– Cale, that Dark Elf is right.
Eruhaben shared his thoughts in Cale's mind.
– In order to first create enough dead mana to dye the land, they would have had to kill a lot of living creatures. It would have been similar to how the White Star was using the Mogoru Empire and creating a large amount of dead mana underneath the Alchemists' Bell Tower.
The underground plaza of the Mogoru Empire's Alchemists' Bell Tower had been full of bones and dead mana.
"First."
Everybody looked at Cale once he started to speak. Cale was still organizing his thoughts.
'The Hunters messed with the Roan Kingdom.'
He was almost certain about it.
'And youngest young lady Orsena mentioned white magic.'
So, the top priority right now…
"It looks like I'll need to visit the Black Bloods Household."
Raon tilted his head in confusion. Hong's ears twitched as he tilted his head to the side as well.
"Human! Why visit instead of destroy?"
"That's right, nya! That's weird, nya! It's weird that you are not destroying it, nya!"
The Pope flinched but Cale was calm.
"Have I ever been someone who only destroyed things?"
Smile.
The corners of Cale's lips curled up and the children averaging nine-years-old nodded their heads as if this was expected while some of the others slowly avoided the Pope's wandering gaze.
Of course, Choi Han smiled innocently like Cale while Mary slowly nodded her head. Choi Han responded.
"Then I guess we need to go where the Black Bloods reside."
His gaze naturally headed toward the Iska Empire on the map.
The Pope must have noticed his gaze as she pointed to the Empire's capital.
"The Black Bloods are called the House of Huayans here and they hold the title of Duke."
"Our human's family is a Duke's family too!"
"That's right, nya! It's a great family, nya!"
The Pope stopped for a moment as Raon commented and Hong chimed in.
'…The esteemed purifier is a Duke of another world?'
She pushed aside that question for now.
"The House of Huayans has held the position of the Imperial Crown Prince's instructor since about 400 years ago without ever missing it."
"For 400 years? Others just let that be?"
The Pope smiled bitterly at Eruhaben's question.
"The House of Huayans has been the Emperor's instructor, but they had never sought out any other positions of power. Furthermore, they have the image of trying to delay the erosion of dead mana more than anybody else. Of course, we have discovered that that is not the case."
The Pope's gaze that became vicious along with the bitter smile made it seem as if there was some story behind it. However, the Pope seemed to have no desire to explain it.
"Anyway, The House of Huayans is located in the Iska Empire's capital. They are right next to the Imperial Palace."
Shawn quietly mumbled as if he was uncertain about this plan.
"It looks difficult to approach."
Someone who had been quiet this whole time looked at Cale and spoke.
It was Sui Khan.
"If you're okay with it, I can search it on my own."
Shawn, who didn't really know about Sui Khan, looked at him as if he found this to be odd, but he held back his questions after seeing Choi Han nod his head as if he thought it would be fine.
Cale looked at Sui Khan's tired smile as if he wasn't okay with it before asking the Pope a question.
"The Black Bloods. Have you ever been to the House of Huayans?"
Cale was thinking about finding the most efficient and easiest route after using as much information as foundation.
"Yes, sir. I have."
"Then you should be able to guide us?"
Choi Han spoke with a bright expression on his face, but the Pope's expression did not look so good.
"It is possible… I am always able to go with you if the esteemed purifier wishes for it, however…"
"However?"
Eruhaben looked at her in confusion.
The Pope smiled while receiving the gazes of Cale's group. The way she smiled with a tired look on her face made her seem extremely weary.
"There is something you must know."
She spoke with that weary look on her face.
"We are a cult."
"Excuse me?"
Choi Han subconsciously asked.
The Pope smiled even brighter. However, it was still a smile on a tired face so it looked quite sorrowful.
"Our Church was originally a proper church accepted throughout the continent, but we have been denigrated as a cult since about 100 years ago. Now they can kill us without even a trial if they find out we are a priest of the church! Hahahaha! Hahahaha-"
The Pope's bright laugh filled the office.
'Haaaa.'
Cale sighed internally.
This was their helper organization, but they were a cult on this continent.
Furthermore, what kind of position must they have for people to be able to kill them immediately if they were found as a priest of the church?
Of course, Cale already figured out the answer to his question.
'Either the Black Bloods or the people in power right now must have found out about their power of purification.'
Although this world was on its way to ruin, there were bound to be people who accepted this world and wanted to hold power.
It was highly likely that this Church of the Fire of Purification and its purification powers would be a thorn in their eyes.
"Then will it be difficult for you to go with us?"
The Pope shook her head at Shawn's question.
"No. It would be possible as long as we hid our identities. Well, normally it would be."
'Hmm? Normally?'
Cale looked at the Pope because he thought her choice of words was odd. The Pope picked up a calendar next to her.
"The security around the Empire is quite severe right now."
"Why is that?"
The Pope pushed the calendar toward Cale at his question.
"They are currently recruiting candidates for the position of the next heir of the Iska Empire. There will be a competition between the candidates as soon as the recruitment finishes. That is why the security around the Empire is more thorough than ever."
'Hmm?'
Cale had a questioning gaze on his face. Eruhaben started to speak at the same time.
"The position of Imperial Crown Prince is not selected from the Imperial family? Why are they recruiting?"
"In the end, the heir is usually someone from the Imperial family. However, they started this recruitment about 300 years ago when the necessary requirement became that the heir had to be a necromancer."
"Why?"
The Pope's gaze slowly moved to one side.
Cale's gaze moved as well.
He could see the person in a black robe who was sitting up straight and looking down at the table.
It was Mary.
'Perhaps?'
Cale looked at Sui Khan. He recalled what the team leader had said.
'For reference, the Emperor of the strongest Empire in that world must have a certain ability. They will only earn the qualification to challenge for the position of imperial crown prince by having that ability.'
'Yes, only those with the power of a necromancer will earn the title of heir in that place. It doesn't matter whether they are from the main family or a collateral line.'
Sui Khan was also frowning while looking at Cale. It seemed as if he didn't know about this part.
The two of them had a pretty good idea about what the Pope would say after looking at her gaze.
"The Emperor must have the strongest necromancer abilities. Basically, anybody with the necromancer ability is qualified to be the Emperor."
Mary slowly raised her head. Her purple eyes looked into Cale's eyes.
The quiet Raon hit the ground one more time with his chubby front paw as if he realized something and shouted.
"Is good little Mary going to be the Empress?! Mary is the best of the necromancers! She is the strongest!"
Of course, Mary was the only necromancer that Raon knew.
"That's right, nya!"
Hong strongly agreed with Raon's statement. On slowly moved to Mary's side and patted her calf with her front paw. Mary opened her arms and On jumped up.
"Excuse me, but…"
Cale, who watched all of this, asked the Pope a question.
"I heard that the Emperor was the only one with the necromancer ability?"
Mary recalled what Cale had told her in the past while petting On's head.
'Mary. That is a place where being a necromancer is only reserved for the Emperor.'
An odd smile appeared on the Pope's face.
"That is because nobody other than the next Emperor survived."
The mood sank down.
"That is how dangerous the test to pick the next Emperor or the next Imperial Crown Prince can be."
"Is the test the same each time?"
The Pope shook her head at Eruhaben's question.
"No, sir. It is different each time. They create a board to discuss and determine the contents of the test every time it is required."
Furthermore, the contents of the test were revealed when they started to recruit candidates.
"Fairness and preparedness. It's their way of saying they will look at everything."
"No wonder the security around the capital is thorough."
The Pope nodded her head at Choi Han's comment.
At that time…
"It is inefficient."
Mary finally made a comment. Cale turned to look at Mary. Although her voice was GPS-like as usual, Mary's voice was oddly a bit different from how she always spoke.
"It will be more helpful to this world if there are multiple necromancers. I do not think that it is the right choice to make the test difficult enough that only one survives. Furthermore, they would have to focus on the Empire's affairs once they become the Emperor, so I believe that they would not be using their necromancer powers out on the field very much."
The Pope smiled bitterly as if she agreed with Mary, but the words that came out of her mouth were stern.
"A necromancer is now the symbol of authority of the ruler."
Mary closed her mouth and did not say anything else. Cale watched all of this and then started to speak.
"I guess we will need to infiltrate the capital first."
They had no choice but to go there because the Black Bloods were in the capital.
"Yes, esteemed purifier. The capital is about three hours away from here."
"It's closer than I thought?"
"There are naturally some eroded areas within the Iska Empire, and this is the eroded area that is closest to the capital."
In an area north of the Iska Empire's capital on the map… There was an area dyed black. The temple was at the center of that area.
"Is it okay to be here when they can kill you on sight?"
"You have to be close to the enemy to prepare for them. Also-"
The Pope's gaze sunk down.
"There are no regular believers or priests here. Everybody here is part of the battle forces or rear support."
The Divine Oracle had come down, so the church believed that this was the time for some sort of change regardless of the purifier's identity.
They only kept the people who agreed with them at this temple.
Cale did not ask for any more explanation. The Pope did not say anything else after noticing Cale's silence.
'Our lord told us to treat the purifier as if we were treating him. I just need to follow the will of the purifier-nim.'
The Pope pointed to the Iska Empire's capital.
"We are usually heavily clad in the armor of purification when we leave this area. We can see the barriers set up by the Empire if we go about one hour using a carriage covered by the power of purification."
That was one of the defenses against the dead mana fog and was usually maintained by black mages. Even then, they were unable to stop the erosion completely.
"We need to sneak into the barrier and go about two more hours on a carriage to reach the capital. Our temple has a carriage lined up so we should be good to use it."
"That's complicated!"
The Pope looked at the young Dragon who was overflowing with dignity as he suddenly interjected.
"Oh great Dragon, what do you mean by that?"
Raon looked at Cale and Eruhaben before answering the Pope's question.
"Let's just teleport there! Just give me the coordinates! We can get there in one minute!"
"Ah."
The Pope gasped.
"…I see. Our side does not have mages but our esteemed purifier has a mage, no, a Dragon."
The Church of the Fire of Purification did not have any black mages.
They definitely did not have any regular mages either. Those mages were even more precious than black mages.
The Pope asked a question that popped into her mind.
"Umm, the density of mana is quite low here. Would it be possible to teleport with multiple people?"
"Whether it is here or where we came from-"
Eruhaben spoke in a low voice.
"Mana is mana in the end."
He reached out his hand.
Shhhh—
Golden powder gathered around the Dragon's hand in the air and created a small whirlwind.
It was beautiful, but the Pope felt a vicious power in that small whirlwind.
It was at that moment.
"It's okay if the mana is lacking!"
Raon pulled out a large bag from his spatial dimension.
Boom!
That bag fell onto the table and opened.
Chhhhhhhh.
"We have a lot of magic stones!"
The corners of Cale's lips curled up.
Crown prince Alberu had given them a lot of things as they left.
'Here, take these.'
'Thank you very much, your highness. We will put it to good use.'
'Okay. By the way…'
'Yes?'
'…You said that two Dragons are coming to the capital?'
'Yes, your highness. Aren't you concerned about the defenses at the capital? Most things should be no issue if two Dragons are here.'
'…Here are some cookies for the kids.'
Cale could see the Pope's shaking pupils.
"This is my first time seeing magic stones in person."
'Hmm?'
Cale instantly scowled.
'Now that I think about it, it's weird.'
The Xiaolen world claimed that he could have a magic stone mine or any kind of mine as a reward.
Was that possible when the land was eroded by dead mana?
Cale felt an ominous feeling but firmed his resolve.
'If there are none then I will create one in order to receive it.'
There was a determined look on his face. The Pope, who had been looking at Cale, gulped after seeing the determined look while Cale ended the conversation with indifference.
"Then we will move to the capital as soon as the preparations are completed."
Going to the capital.
Things proceeded quite efficiently once they decided on what to do.
'We will provide a guide and a Holy Knight from our side. Could you please wait a moment?'
Cale had said, 'Yes,' to the Pope, and Cale's group used the time to get some rest.
'I'm going to go look around a bit.'
'Me too.'
Eruhaben and Sui Khan left the temple together. They were going to look around.
'I will go take a look outside as well.'
Shawn and Choi Han followed behind them as well. Choi Han seemed to be following Sui Khan rather than trying to look around outside, so it seemed as if he had something to say to him.
Cale, Mary, On, Hong, Raon, and the Vampire were left in the small resting area the Pope had provided for them.
"Hmm."
Cale, who was seated on the couch, looked toward the Vampire who was standing behind him in Choi Han's usual position.
"…Why don't you sit down and relax?"
"I'm okay, sir."
The Vampire with short purple hair was quite gruff. However, she should be quite skilled since Duke Fredo had sent her.
"Your name was Jezna, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did Duke Fredo tell you anything?"
Vampire Jezna responded with a gruff look on her face.
"He told me to make a very good impression, sir."
"…Really?"
"Yes, sir."
"Anything else?"
"He told me to do anything and everything you wanted me to do."
A determined gaze was visible in her gruff eyes.
"He told me to make sure that my actions benefit Endable."
Cale did not say anything despite the unsettled look on his face because he knew that Duke Fredo and the people of Endable wanted to solidify Endable's position.
'Endable needs to be properly accepted by the Eastern and Western continents.'
His thoughts and Duke Fredo's thoughts did align on the big picture.
"…You're quite honest."
"Yes, sir. I am honest. The Duke-nim told me to keep my mouth shut and not answer even if you ask anything, but shouldn't I answer?"
"…I guess?"
"Yes, sir. That is correct."
'This Vampire is kind of odd too?'
Cale felt a bit uncomfortable, but Raon sounded quite bright as he spoke into Cale's mind.
– Human, I think that this Vampire will be a good worker!
Raon and Cale seemed to have opposing thoughts on this Vampire.
Cale stopped thinking about Jezna since he accepted her as an ally and pulled out the divine item, the mirror, from his pocket.
"Hmm."
He had come to Xiaolen and met a decent helper organization.
Now he will go to the capital, learn some things about the Black Bloods and decide where to go from there.
'Mm… Things are going decently, but…'
He felt a bit concerned as he had no updates on the Roan Kingdom.
What if they had been attacked again while he was gone?
'I wish I could speak to his highness.'
It was at that moment.
Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiing– ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing-
The fancy-looking mirror started to shake.
Paat.
The mirror screen turned on despite Cale not even touching it.
Currently downloading the abilities of the cintamani.
Developing communication routes between the dimensions that the owner of the divine item has visited...
23 hours and 59 seconds left until fully loaded
58 seconds. 57 seconds. The loading time was slowly decreasing.
"Ha!"
Cale let out a short laugh.
The God of Death had said that he would give Cale something to replace the cintamani that allowed him to communicate with Earth 3.
"So this is in the cintamani's place."
'No. Is it an upgraded version?'
Cale's eyes landed on the words, 'dimensions that the owner of the divine item has visited.'
'Looks like I'll have a way to contact Roan.'
There were about 24 hours left but Cale could pretty much understand the usage of this item.
It was at that moment.
"I am curious."
'Hmm?'
Cale turned to look at Mary.
Mary, who had stayed here unlike the others, had been sitting there quietly since earlier.
The children averaging nine-years-old had not been approaching her because she seemed to be deep in thought.
"What are you curious about?"
"I am curious about how the other necromancers might be."
"That's understandable."
It was an expected curiosity.
Mary had a lot of friends including Dark Elves, sword master Hannah, and others, but there was nobody in her world who had the same powers as her.
That was why she probably wants to meet the other necromancers living in this world and communicate with them.
Cale could understand how she must be feeling right now. That was why he could anticipate her inner thoughts and added on.
"But there is no need to do something dangerous."
The test to determine the Imperial Crown Prince was so dangerous that only one person might survive.
Cale reminded Mary about this.
"I am aware, young master-nim."
Mary had her hood covering her face as she nodded her head.
"But I am curious."
"Of course."
Knock knock knock.
They heard some knocks on the door at that moment.
"The preparations are completed, sir."
They heard a priest's voice and Cale watched as Mary jumped up.
– Human, why are you smiling like that?
Cale shrugged his shoulders at Raon and followed behind Mary.
They then arrived at the location for the teleportation.
"Bishop Durst will be your guide."
An old priest who looked over eighty respectfully bowed toward Cale.
"Nice to meet you."
He grabbed the hand that Cale extended. Cale could see that the old priest's hand was quite firm and filled with scars.
"I am delighted to meet you as well. Oh esteemed purifier. My name is Durst Ren Wishrop."
Cale looked at him after hearing the long name and old priest Durst smiled before adding on.
"I carry on the blood of the last king of a kingdom that has perished after the land was dyed black."
"I see."
Cale didn't know what else to say to this old priest. The old priest smiled as if it was fine, let go of Cale's hand, and stood next to him.
There were about one hundred armor-clad individuals behind the Pope.
"We will move by land later, esteemed purifier. Our chances of getting caught will increase significantly if such a large number suddenly showed up at the capital."
The Pope handed Cale a book with the coordinates, map, and other information.
"The coordinates are for the church's secret safe house in the capital. The people there will assist you, oh esteemed purifier. We will start to move right after you leave."
"Yes, ma'am. Then we will be heading out first."
Eruhaben looked at the coordinates and reached out his hand once Cale finished speaking.
Shhhhhhh-
Some magic stones cracked as a gold magic circle appeared underneath their feet.
Then a bright golden light quickly surrounded them.
Paaaat-!
Cale's group disappeared into thin air.
The Pope mumbled.
"It really is magic."
'There's going to be chaos in the capital.'
The Pope's focus was neither on the two Dragons nor the necromancer. It was on the radiantly shining rose-gold light.
"We will move immediately as well."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The First Holy Knights Brigade, the strongest of all knights in the Church of the Fire of Purification, started to move toward the capital as well. Furthermore, messenger priests who had been at the Grand Temple started to scatter in all directions as well.
The Pope thought about what Cale allowed her to do as she headed toward the capital.
'Oh esteemed purifier. May I inform the church about our course of action?'
'It doesn't matter to me, Pope-nim.'
The Pope had a hunch.
She thought that the time would soon come to show the full extent of the church's powers.
No, she believed that that time had already started.
Cale covered his face and body with a robe and joined the rowdy crowd once he arrived at the capital.
"The recruitment information is located in the plaza, sir."
Old priest Durst, who also had his face covered by a robe, whispered while standing next to Cale.
Currently, Cale, the invisible Raon, Eruhaben, and Mary were following the old priest.
Of course, Choi Han, Sui Khan, and the others were all here but doing different tasks.
"There really are a lot of people."
The capital was full of people as the ancient Dragon mentioned.
– This place feels like a different world!
Raon was right in saying that this place did not look like a part of a world that was being eroded with dead mana.
"We will finally get to meet the person who will become the new sun of Iska!"
"I know, right?! My heart is already beating crazy thinking about how great that person is going to be!"
People were excited about meeting the person who would become the new Emperor. It was as if they saw this test to select the Imperial Crown Prince as a festival.
'Hmm.'
Cale's gaze sunk down as he observed the mood.
"We are now at the plaza."
The group arrived at the plaza and Cale could see a large notice at the center of the plaza.
"We are going to get closer now, sir."
Cale and the others followed Durst to the notice about the recruitment.
Cale heard some other things as they walked.
"It looks like everyone in his Majesty's direct line is participating."
"I heard that multiple people from the collateral line are participating as well!"
"Hmm. There are people from other kingdoms participating as well. Is it going to be like the last time when they faked their necromancer powers?"
"Who knows? Anyway, look at how the test is going to be. It's going to be amazing again."
There were quite a few useful pieces of information.
It was at that moment.
"Did you hear? It looks like having three assistants will be essential for this test."
"Really? Mm. It was like that two tests ago too."
"But more importantly, did you hear who the First Imperial Prince is going to be participating with?"
"Who?"
"…A Dragon."
"What?!"
Cale stopped walking.
'What are they talking about? The Pope said that Dragons went extinct, didn't she?'
Cale could see Eruhaben already walking toward the direction of the conversation.