[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 75

    A Conquered World.

    Kaylen had vaguely suspected this might be the case. Above all, the crimson dot that appeared on the moon when the dungeon core was destroyed served as evidence to support her suspicion. The light emanating from the moon absorbed the mana of the world.

    “Conquered... Are you saying the term ‘colony’ is true?”

    However, without revealing her assumptions outwardly, Kaylen feigned surprise.

    “Yes. Hundreds of years ago... the Celestial Realm suffered a decisive defeat to the Demon Realm.”

    The Celestial Realm and the Demon Realm.

    The two worlds had long been antagonistic, vying for dominance over the Middle Realm caught in between.

    Despite this rivalry, the two forces always maintained a balance, with neither side gaining an overwhelming advantage.

    However, by a slight margin, the Celestial Realm had been in a better position.

    This was because they were the first to spread the faith of the Celestial God in the Middle Realm, leading the majority of its inhabitants to worship the Celestial God.

    The Demon Realm, displeased by this, had always invaded whenever the opportunity arose, only to be thwarted every time—until the event mentioned by the saintess.

    “What was the decisive defeat?”

    “I don’t know the details. All I know is that as a result of the defeat, the Celestial Realm lost much of its dominance over the Middle Realm, and the Celestial Legion retreated.”

    Kaylen furrowed her brows at those words.

    “The retreat of the Celestial Legion...?”

    The Celestial Legion was a heavenly army stationed at the borders of the Middle Realm.

    They served as a defensive line against full-scale invasions from the Demon Realm.

    The defense line was so formidable that no demonic forces had ever dared to confront it head-on.

    ‘That’s why they resorted to tactics like the Demon King’s descent.’

    The Demon King’s Descent—a method to bypass the defensive line using demonic agents in the Middle Realm.

    Occurring roughly once every thousand years, the descent of the Demon King was a calamity for humanity.

    Even so, past heroes had successfully thwarted these descents.

    But to think that instead of a detour, the Demon Realm forces would break through the Celestial Army head-on...

    If that were the case, the influence of the Celestial Realm in the Middle Realm would have nearly vanished.

    ‘Then humanity alone cannot fend off the Demon Realm.’

    How could they overcome the power that even drove away the Celestial Legion?

    It was a wonder the human world was still standing.

    “Why haven’t they annihilated humanity? With the Celestial Legion gone, it should be possible.”

    “There’s no need for them to do so.”

    Theresia responded while fiddling with the dungeon core.

    “Humans without the Celestial Realm’s blessing pose no threat to the Demon Realm. It’s as if they don’t even care. Instead, they exploit something else in the Middle Realm.”

    “Exploitation...?”

    “Mana. Through dungeon portals and dungeon cores, they extract the mana of the Middle Realm. The decline in the level of knights and mages is largely due to this.”

    Kaylen nodded in understanding.

    “And it’s the same for our Holy See. The Demon Realm has never directly invaded the Holy See since the Great Demon War a thousand years ago, but due to the lack of divine power, we’ve been on the path of decline.”

    Even so, to never invade the Holy See even once?

    Kaylen’s eyes flashed with curiosity.

    ‘Surely, the Holy See would be the most bothersome organization to the Demon Realm?’

    The Holy Emperor, Saint Sovereign, representing the followers of the Celestial God.

    And the countless priests and holy knights under their command.

    The Holy See, fortified by its fervent faith, served as the representative of the Celestial Realm’s will in the Middle Realm.

    Even if the Demon Realm had conquered the Middle Realm, the Holy See was undeniably a potential threat capable of turning the tide at any time.

    And yet, it had been left untouched?

    “That can’t be right.”

    During the Demon King’s summoning, the Demon King’s army had relentlessly attacked the Holy See.

    While other humans could be ignored as the saintess had said, the Holy See was different.

    The Demon Realm wouldn’t have simply let them be, especially because of the existence of the Holy Sword.

    The Holy Sword Astella.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    “Kaylen,” she called, her voice now softer and sweeter, perhaps due to the Blessing’s influence.

    “About the most important thing I mentioned earlier... aren’t you curious?”

    “T-The most important thing... about the Sanctuary? Y-Yes, I’m curious,” Kaylen stammered on purpose.

    Theresia smiled warmly at his response and said,

    “The Sanctuary is... paradise for humans. Those chosen may live there for eternity.”

    “Eternity...?”

    “Yes, for eternity. Just like me, who has already lived a thousand years.”

    ***

    Outside the Dungeon Guild

    “Kaylen! Kaylen!”

    Branch Leader Krundal approached Kaylen, who stood motionless outside the guild.

    “Ah, yes, Branch Leader.”

    “You... forgot your book.”

    “Thank you.”

    Lost in thought, Kaylen accepted the spellbook Krundal handed him.

    “What kind of conversation could leave someone like him forgetting a spellbook?”

    Krundal couldn’t fathom it. Kaylen, widely regarded as a once-in-a-generation genius, forgetting something as fundamental as a spellbook? It was almost inconceivable.

    “What could they have talked about?”

    Krundal briefly wondered but soon dismissed the thought.

    “Better not get too involved.”

    There was an unspoken rule among Dungeon Guild branch leaders:

    Never pry too deeply into the affairs of the Dungeon Guild Headquarters.

    This rule applied even more when the matter involved someone as prominent as the saintess herself.

    Suppressing his curiosity, Krundal bowed slightly.

    “Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

    “Yes, go ahead,” Kaylen replied.

    As soon as the spellbook was handed over, Krundal quickly retreated into the Dungeon Guild building.

    Watching him disappear, Kaylen reflected on the earlier conversation.

    “Oh my, look at the time. Let’s continue this conversation another time,” Theresia had said, deftly bringing the topic of eternal life to an abrupt close.

    Her calculated pacing was the mark of someone practiced in persuasion.

    “Ah, and remember, what we talked about today is a secret. Understood?”

    At that moment, the Blessing of Life surged within Kaylen.

    It urged him to keep their conversation confidential, as though planting the thought in his mind that this secret must remain buried.

    “So, she’s not entirely carefree after all.”

    She, too, had a safeguard—her trust bolstered by the subtle control exerted through the blessing.

    “A versatile tool, this so-called blessing.”

    Kaylen let out a wry smile.

    The saintess, who had lived for a thousand years, could subtly manipulate emotions and tempt people with the promise of eternal life...

    “Cult leaders also lure followers with the promise of immortality, and now even the saintess resorts to such tactics. How ironic.”

    Yet, he couldn’t deny its effectiveness.

    The saintess, having lived a millennium and proving her own immortality, carried immense credibility.

    And who among humanity could resist the allure of eternal life?

    Even Kaylen wasn’t entirely disinterested.

    However, his intrigue wasn’t for his own immortality. What fascinated him was how the saintess and the people of the Sanctuary had achieved such longevity.

    “The Sanctuary... once you enter, leaving seems nearly impossible.”

    No matter how sanctified the place might seem, Kaylen doubted its purity.

    Without proper preparation, stepping into that realm could spell disaster.

    And preparation meant ensuring he had the absolute strength to overcome any restrictions.

    “I’ll need to accelerate the growth of the Flame Sword.”

    The key to his readiness lay in mastering the Flame Sword

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]