Estio Book 5
- Episode 1
Chapter 17 Inevitability
Estio, who could not even imagine that Shuhanan had sent the request by hand, stared intently at the paper in his hand.
Contrary to the enormous ripple effect the name brings, the content of the quest was simple.
[The day when God's holy light pillar wraps around Elysium. ]
[When that day comes, I will call you. ]
[You must shed your blood on the altar to prove the truth. ]
Just in case, I opened the envelope again and found an invitation stamped on it that was really disturbing. Even the jigsaw was taken by Shuhanan himself with his own blood.
After confirming, Estio put the invitation and the request together in an envelope and saved it. And he didn't forget to cover his eyes with an eye patch again before he could have any effect on the party.
"Huh, such an absurd request."
Mubin, who had a serious expression on his face the whole time, burst out with a shout.
"You're looking down from above. You look like a damn bastard."
Moobin did not hesitate to swear at the Hwangryong Shuhanan. She was such a rude request. Usually, a request is a form in which the client requests help from the guild. But Shuhanan was different.
The request is only a means, and the purpose of Hwangryong is to put Estio right in front of me. I couldn't predict what would happen if I refused that request.
A cactus waking up from sleeping next to Mubin, who was angry, came bouncing around.
"Ugh. I don't know the details, but I know one thing."
"OK?"
"The style has really shrunk. Oops, my thorn!"
During the brief period that Estio took off the eye patch, the request content naturally shared with the members who read the letter without even having to read it aloud. Thanks to this, the cactus, who learned the details of the request, was shocked to the extent that the thorns on his body were bent.
「Is it Shuhanan or something, or what hand is stricken with morbidity? Why are you writing the request like that?"
Ahur hated his tone more than anything else. Then, he looked up at Mubin and pleaded with God.
"Moobin, you should never write a letter like that. If that happens, it will be a total shame for the tuna, saury and halibut……"
"Um, okay. To be honest, it was overdone."
Moobin forgot about his anger and smiled. After a moment of relaxing jokes, he spoke again with a serious expression.
"It probably needs an interpretation."
Then Kai nodded heavily.
"If it is the pillar of light of God, it means the baptism of the Pope."
The Pope is not chosen by human standards. Unlike the throne, which is passed down by lineage, it has been said that the person who becomes the Pope is given by God. Ordinary people only know that, and I don't know the details, but Kai knew quite a bit.
"It is said that it is not a baptism by man, but a baptism by God. The moment the new pope takes the throne, a pillar of light comes down and covers the whole of Elysium, proving the divinity."
Only those who have been baptized with this pillar of light are recognized as Pope. If an unqualified person stands in the temple, the pillar of light will not come down.
Hearing this, Mubin narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, then, he's going to call Estio-nim as soon as he becomes the Pope. If you reject the request, you've got it."
"Even if you refuse, it will be of no use. Even if you destroy the guild that gets in the way, you will find it."
After much effort, Mubin and Kai got along well. At the same time, the two men who had the same thoughts put on each other's faces. Kai sighed first and turned her head away.
"Shuhanan had no choice but to call the deep-rooted hatred towards the Black Clan."
Kai remembered the cry of Hwangryong, who had been howling day and night long ago. It was a scream rather than a cry. When Kai mentioned him, there was a dark silence in the audience.
At that moment, Parker, who had been crouching the whole time with his wings folded, gently raised his hand.
"Look, but. So what does it mean to bleed on the altar?"
"Then, there was talk like that."
Moobin agreed with his question.
"Isn't the altar a place where sacrifices are made to the gods after all?"
When choosing a sacrifice in the temple, there is no such thing as offering it alive. In general, fresh fruit, grain harvested that year, or the first young livestock are killed and placed on the altar. Parker, who had been thinking up to that point, turned white and stuttered.
"Wait, don't die...!"
"There's no reason to even call the Holy See. Rather, God-followers are taboo on murder."
Mubin was relatively calm. He cynically criticized Shuhanan's actions.
"I'd rather have a way to deal with it inconspicuously."
"Huh, then I'm glad. Then why did you call Leader Elysium?"
"Ah! What do you know? I don't understand, and I don't want to understand, what the crazy Gwangryong is doing. It's just annoying because it might harm my master."
Kai, who had cut off the harsh atmosphere with coughing, tried to turn his tail in a positive way.
"Hmm, anyway, don't worry too much. From the other point of view, it means you still have plenty of time until then."
"Kai."
Everyone's eyes focused on Estio, who suddenly called the Master. After seeing the request, he had been immersed in thought for a long time and finally made a decision.
"If you don't find a way by the day of the baptism of the Pope."
A firm voice followed.
"I will leave the guild."
"Impossible."
However, Kai was not left behind to be determined.
"Hey, it's a sweet pumpkin feast. When the guild came in, it was at will, but I don't think it's when you leave."
Regardless of the atmosphere, Estio said to Kai again, leaving the cactus that was excited and croaking alone.
"Kai doesn't want me to meet Shuhanan, right?"
"exactly."
Kai affirmed without delay.
"Meeting Shuhanan is like going into a tiger's den naked. Of course, it's a real tiger's den, but it's safer."
Tsuki, who was hiding in the corner and watching, shrugged and rumbled.
"You're saying it's too dangerous. It's better to reject the quest than that."
"Didn't you say the guild would be destroyed if you refused?"
"...I didn't mean to say that. Even if it is, it's okay."
Kai smiled embarrassedly.
"We, Ignis, are not a very slick guild."
It wasn't a lie, it was the truth. Although the dragon, who lost most of its powers due to severe injuries, may be threatening, Ignis had members with excellent abilities. Considering the scale, even the imperial imperial family borrowed a hand, so it is by no means an easy guild. Kai promised that the guild would do everything in its power to help Estio.
But Estio finally shook his head.
"You don't have to."
"Estio."
"Actually, even before I got the invitation, I wanted to meet him."
Estio was well aware that it was a risky choice. But curiosity prevailed over fear.
'cognation.'
I was used to being hated anyway. If one more person hated him in the world, there was no reason to be particularly concerned or afraid.
What was more important to Estio was that there was only one person in the world like him.
So Shuhanan gave him relief just by being there. A heartbreaking comfort that you are not alone in the world.
"But I don't want my choices to harm the guild."
Apart from Shuhanan's strange sense of relief, Estio cherished the Ignis Guild. So he has only one choice.
"I will leave the guild, Master."
Estio bowed his head politely towards the Guild Master.
'Would you have been disappointed?'
He covered his eyes with an eye patch, so there was no way to know what kind of expression Kai was making.
I can't see, I can't even read my mind. It was this opportunity that I properly realized that it is much more frustrating than I thought when something I had originally seen suddenly disappeared. Contrary to her boldly chosen choice, Estio became anxious inside.
There is no reason to throw stones at strangers. Most of them just picked up stones because others were doing it. There is no guilt and reassurance that you don't fit in. They even enjoy throwing stones.
However, there is always a clear reason when a person who has done a favor turns away. And what's even more unbearable is that people who change from good to bad always suffer.
'That little kid was a monster that read people's heads.'
'Don't pretend to be friends again, you devil! You deceived us!'
I had met the distorted eyes of those who were gripped by fear or guilt even though they were so angry in the past.
Estio didn't want to remain as that kind of memory for Kaina Parker.
"Whoa, I can't."
In Kai's voice, I could feel that he had really given up. It was the moment when Estio heard the sound of a deep sigh and shook his shoulder.
"Then go see me."
"......Yes?"
Estio was stunned. He was still aching from the tension in his shoulders, still not relaxed.
While he was dazed, Kai continued speaking in a soft voice.
"I told you clearly. Ignis Guild is on your side."
"that."
"That means I will follow whatever choice you make."
The little finger of the azure boy pressed hard on Estio's left chest.
"Because you were our guild leader, Estio."
Only then did Estio realize why his title was given as 'leader'.
In this place, members of various kinds are moving together regardless of race and status. Estio is the center of this bizarre movement.
This action taking place in a small room was just the beginning. Just like Shuhanan, who is going to take up the papacy easily because he is a dragon loved by God. If Estio wished, he could serve as the focal point of all relationships.
Even the skeptical guildmaster trusted and depended on him from time to time.
"Hmm, then, is it free time until the Pope's baptism?"
Mubin clasped his hands on the back of his head and grinned. Then Kai smiled softly and nodded her head.
"For the time being, that's it. Since this mission is over, we don't need combat personnel."
"You're so cruel. What are you trying to kick me out like that? Let's enjoy the free time that's been out of the territory for a while."
"It seems that Moobin is already enjoying himself..."
It was Moobin who acted most naturally after entering the Imperial Palace. She said that this time she seldom fights, so she literally had more days to eat and run and hang out. Hei was the Duke of Hei who didn't even spit in her mouth and insisted that she need a break, but Estio didn't even bother to stop her. In the end, the choice was theirs, just like Kai did a while ago.
"Estio."
Just then, Kai called him.
"Now let's go back to headquarters."
You don't have to leave the guild. He still had a place to return to. Estio, who suddenly realized that fact, quietly nodded his head.
Estio Book 5
- Episode 1
Chapter 17 Inevitability
Estio, who could not even imagine that Shuhanan had sent the request by hand, stared intently at the paper in his hand.
Contrary to the enormous ripple effect the name brings, the content of the quest was simple.
[The day when God's holy light pillar wraps around Elysium. ]
[When that day comes, I will call you. ]
[You must shed your blood on the altar to prove the truth. ]
Just in case, I opened the envelope again and found an invitation stamped on it that was really disturbing. Even the jigsaw was taken by Shuhanan himself with his own blood.
After confirming, Estio put the invitation and the request together in an envelope and saved it. And he didn't forget to cover his eyes with an eye patch again before he could have any effect on the party.
"Huh, such an absurd request."
Mubin, who had a serious expression on his face the whole time, burst out with a shout.
"You're looking down from above. You look like a damn bastard."
Moobin did not hesitate to swear at the Hwangryong Shuhanan. She was such a rude request. Usually, a request is a form in which the client requests help from the guild. But Shuhanan was different.
The request is only a means, and the purpose of Hwangryong is to put Estio right in front of me. I couldn't predict what would happen if I refused that request.
A cactus waking up from sleeping next to Mubin, who was angry, came bouncing around.
"Ugh. I don't know the details, but I know one thing."
"OK?"
"The style has really shrunk. Oops, my thorn!"
During the brief period that Estio took off the eye patch, the request content naturally shared with the members who read the letter without even having to read it aloud. Thanks to this, the cactus, who learned the details of the request, was shocked to the extent that the thorns on his body were bent.
「Is it Shuhanan or something, or what hand is stricken with morbidity? Why are you writing the request like that?"
Ahur hated his tone more than anything else. Then, he looked up at Mubin and pleaded with God.
"Moobin, you should never write a letter like that. If that happens, it will be a total shame for the tuna, saury and halibut……"
"Um, okay. To be honest, it was overdone."
Moobin forgot about his anger and smiled. After a moment of relaxing jokes, he spoke again with a serious expression.
"It probably needs an interpretation."
Then Kai nodded heavily.
"If it is the pillar of light of God, it means the baptism of the Pope."
The Pope is not chosen by human standards. Unlike the throne, which is passed down by lineage, it has been said that the person who becomes the Pope is given by God. Ordinary people only know that, and I don't know the details, but Kai knew quite a bit.
"It is said that it is not a baptism by man, but a baptism by God. The moment the new pope takes the throne, a pillar of light comes down and covers the whole of Elysium, proving the divinity."
Only those who have been baptized with this pillar of light are recognized as Pope. If an unqualified person stands in the temple, the pillar of light will not come down.
Hearing this, Mubin narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, then, he's going to call Estio-nim as soon as he becomes the Pope. If you reject the request, you've got it."
"Even if you refuse, it will be of no use. Even if you destroy the guild that gets in the way, you will find it."
After much effort, Mubin and Kai got along well. At the same time, the two men who had the same thoughts put on each other's faces. Kai sighed first and turned her head away.
"Shuhanan had no choice but to call the deep-rooted hatred towards the Black Clan."
Kai remembered the cry of Hwangryong, who had been howling day and night long ago. It was a scream rather than a cry. When Kai mentioned him, there was a dark silence in the audience.
At that moment, Parker, who had been crouching the whole time with his wings folded, gently raised his hand.
"Look, but. So what does it mean to bleed on the altar?"
"Then, there was talk like that."
Moobin agreed with his question.
"Isn't the altar a place where sacrifices are made to the gods after all?"
When choosing a sacrifice in the temple, there is no such thing as offering it alive. In general, fresh fruit, grain harvested that year, or the first young livestock are killed and placed on the altar. Parker, who had been thinking up to that point, turned white and stuttered.
"Wait, don't die...!"
"There's no reason to even call the Holy See. Rather, God-followers are taboo on murder."
Mubin was relatively calm. He cynically criticized Shuhanan's actions.
"I'd rather have a way to deal with it inconspicuously."
"Huh, then I'm glad. Then why did you call Leader Elysium?"
"Ah! What do you know? I don't understand, and I don't want to understand, what the crazy Gwangryong is doing. It's just annoying because it might harm my master."
Kai, who had cut off the harsh atmosphere with coughing, tried to turn his tail in a positive way.
"Hmm, anyway, don't worry too much. From the other point of view, it means you still have plenty of time until then."
"Kai."
Everyone's eyes focused on Estio, who suddenly called the Master. After seeing the request, he had been immersed in thought for a long time and finally made a decision.
"If you don't find a way by the day of the baptism of the Pope."
A firm voice followed.
"I will leave the guild."
"Impossible."
However, Kai was not left behind to be determined.
"Hey, it's a sweet pumpkin feast. When the guild came in, it was at will, but I don't think it's when you leave."
Regardless of the atmosphere, Estio said to Kai again, leaving the cactus that was excited and croaking alone.
"Kai doesn't want me to meet Shuhanan, right?"
"exactly."
Kai affirmed without delay.
"Meeting Shuhanan is like going into a tiger's den naked. Of course, it's a real tiger's den, but it's safer."
Tsuki, who was hiding in the corner and watching, shrugged and rumbled.
"You're saying it's too dangerous. It's better to reject the quest than that."
"Didn't you say the guild would be destroyed if you refused?"
"...I didn't mean to say that. Even if it is, it's okay."
Kai smiled embarrassedly.
"We, Ignis, are not a very slick guild."
It wasn't a lie, it was the truth. Although the dragon, who lost most of its powers due to severe injuries, may be threatening, Ignis had members with excellent abilities. Considering the scale, even the imperial imperial family borrowed a hand, so it is by no means an easy guild. Kai promised that the guild would do everything in its power to help Estio.
But Estio finally shook his head.
"You don't have to."
"Estio."
"Actually, even before I got the invitation, I wanted to meet him."
Estio was well aware that it was a risky choice. But curiosity prevailed over fear.
'cognation.'
I was used to being hated anyway. If one more person hated him in the world, there was no reason to be particularly concerned or afraid.
What was more important to Estio was that there was only one person in the world like him.
So Shuhanan gave him relief just by being there. A heartbreaking comfort that you are not alone in the world.
"But I don't want my choices to harm the guild."
Apart from Shuhanan's strange sense of relief, Estio cherished the Ignis Guild. So he has only one choice.
"I will leave the guild, Master."
Estio bowed his head politely towards the Guild Master.
'Would you have been disappointed?'
He covered his eyes with an eye patch, so there was no way to know what kind of expression Kai was making.
I can't see, I can't even read my mind. It was this opportunity that I properly realized that it is much more frustrating than I thought when something I had originally seen suddenly disappeared. Contrary to her boldly chosen choice, Estio became anxious inside.
There is no reason to throw stones at strangers. Most of them just picked up stones because others were doing it. There is no guilt and reassurance that you don't fit in. They even enjoy throwing stones.
However, there is always a clear reason when a person who has done a favor turns away. And what's even more unbearable is that people who change from good to bad always suffer.
'That little kid was a monster that read people's heads.'
'Don't pretend to be friends again, you devil! You deceived us!'
I had met the distorted eyes of those who were gripped by fear or guilt even though they were so angry in the past.
Estio didn't want to remain as that kind of memory for Kaina Parker.
"Whoa, I can't."
In Kai's voice, I could feel that he had really given up. It was the moment when Estio heard the sound of a deep sigh and shook his shoulder.
"Then go see me."
"......Yes?"
Estio was stunned. He was still aching from the tension in his shoulders, still not relaxed.
While he was dazed, Kai continued speaking in a soft voice.
"I told you clearly. Ignis Guild is on your side."
"that."
"That means I will follow whatever choice you make."
The little finger of the azure boy pressed hard on Estio's left chest.
"Because you were our guild leader, Estio."
Only then did Estio realize why his title was given as 'leader'.
In this place, members of various kinds are moving together regardless of race and status. Estio is the center of this bizarre movement.
This action taking place in a small room was just the beginning. Just like Shuhanan, who is going to take up the papacy easily because he is a dragon loved by God. If Estio wished, he could serve as the focal point of all relationships.
Even the skeptical guildmaster trusted and depended on him from time to time.
"Hmm, then, is it free time until the Pope's baptism?"
Mubin clasped his hands on the back of his head and grinned. Then Kai smiled softly and nodded her head.
"For the time being, that's it. Since this mission is over, we don't need combat personnel."
"You're so cruel. What are you trying to kick me out like that? Let's enjoy the free time that's been out of the territory for a while."
"It seems that Moobin is already enjoying himself..."
It was Moobin who acted most naturally after entering the Imperial Palace. She said that this time she seldom fights, so she literally had more days to eat and run and hang out. Hei was the Duke of Hei who didn't even spit in her mouth and insisted that she need a break, but Estio didn't even bother to stop her. In the end, the choice was theirs, just like Kai did a while ago.
"Estio."
Just then, Kai called him.
"Now let's go back to headquarters."
You don't have to leave the guild. He still had a place to return to. Estio, who suddenly realized that fact, quietly nodded his head.
