Chapter 6: King

One year before Karen Redleaf came to visit Han Yuseong, the supporter of the warrior party.

“Your Majesty! Karen Redleaf, the next court magician, has disappeared!”

“No. What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Seyeon, the former warrior and king of the griffons, who was buried under a pile of parchment papers due to the redevelopment of the land acquired from the demon tribe, received a report from the court magicians who had come running in a hurry.

Karen Redleaf, who was about to be appointed as the court magician, had suddenly disappeared.

To be honest, it was not uncommon for magicians, who were famous for being eccentric, to leave their posts without a word.

However, it was impossible to think that ‘Karen Redleaf’ had simply disappeared.

Until just a short while ago, Karen had proudly boasted about the position she would be taking and had been waiting for the appointment ceremony more than anyone else, so it was strange to hear that she had disappeared without a word right before the appointment ceremony.

“Have you left any messages or letters around you saying that you were going somewhere?”

Seyeon, who had heard the report in the midst of her busy schedule, asked the court magicians in an irritated voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty. A week ago, when she was working in her office, the next day, the maid checked and said that only a person had disappeared. This is very strange… She disappeared when she had clearly planned the next day’s schedule.”

‘It’s definitely strange… Where did she go before the inauguration ceremony, right?’

Seyeon, who was already busy with the king’s work, had a headache thinking about having to worry about her former colleague’s disappearance, but it wasn’t an issue she could just ignore.

Karen Redleaf wasn’t just a simple magician, but a high-ranking magician with a brilliant record and skills who had completed her journey as a member of a warrior party.

“Let’s leave it to the royal officials first, and if that doesn’t work, let’s ask the Information Guild.”

“Yes! Your Majesty!”

Seyeon gave the best order she could from her position and focused on her work again.

However, Karen Redleaf’s disappearance was only the beginning.

Another few days passed.

“Your Majesty! The Silver Wolf Knight Commander is on a rampage! The knights can’t stop him! I’m sorry, but Your Majesty, you’ll have to go and see for yourself..!”

“No! What the heck?!”

The royal knights who came running in a hurry shouted. Se-yeon thought that there were still people under her, so why should she, the busy king, take action herself?

Yes.

There must be a reason.

“Huh.. I see.”

Just like the saying that they couldn’t stop each other.

Seyeon thought that the knights weren’t stupid and wouldn’t have come looking for her first, so she got up from her seat and followed the knights.

And the place was in front of Sylvia Sylvester’s room.

Kwaang-!!

“Kwak…”

One of the royal knights flew through the door and crashed into the wall.

“They’re really on a rampage!”

Only then did Seyeon realize that the situation was not normal and ran towards the open door.

Knock-!

“Chief Sylvester!”

The inside of the room was a mess, with all the furniture smashed as if a bomb had gone off, and in one hand he was holding one of his weapons, a long spear.

“Pay for your sins…”

And with the other hand was Sylvia Sylvester, holding the handle of a dagger.

Whoosh.

She could see her head raised and the tip of the dagger being brought towards her pupil.

“Stop!”

Crack-!

Seyeon, who felt something was wrong, immediately jumped towards Sylvia, but, Phuuk-!

“Keuuk..!!”

The next moment, Sylvia Sylvester fell with the dagger stuck in her eye!

The dagger’s blade pierced her left eye so deeply that part of it was not visible.

If it were a normal person, it wouldn’t have been strange for them to faint right away due to the blood loss and pain.

“Hoooo…”

Sylvia let out a gasp of pain.

Chaeang-!

Letting go of the spear. Swish-!!

“Ah..!!”

He pulls out the dagger he had stuck in his eye with both hands. Pushuut-!!

“Ahhhh!! Kkuasa..!”

As Sylvia staggers, red blood spurting from her eyes, “Call a healer or a priest right now!”

The order was given by Seyeon to support Sylvia.

The commotion grew louder as the crowd of healers and knights arrived. Rumors of Sylvia Sylvester’s ‘madness’ spread throughout the Griffin Royal Family in an instant.

And then a few months later.

“Your Majesty! While searching for Karen Redleaf at the Red Dragon Guild, many guild members died and we have a request to increase the fee..!”

“Your Majesty! Knight Commander Sylvia Sylvester got drunk and damaged the buildings inside the royal palace again, so the repairs are..!”

The servants kept calling out

“Your Majesty. ”

Huh. Shit.

Seyeon, who never enjoyed swearing, now swore as if she was breathing.

Every day, she suffered from nobles demanding the right to redevelop the land of the demons in order to increase their territory even a little.

Now, she had to clean up the shit that her former warrior party members left behind every day.

Even without the royal funds, she had to pay the high-level information guild Red Dragon to find Karen Redleaf (in case Karen, who was part of the Griffin Kingdom, would cause trouble here and there), and Sylvia Sylvester would cause trouble every day while under the influence of drugs (she would escape because she was too strong even when confined) and destroy the royal building, so there were additional repair costs.

Whenever the prime minister came to visit and complained that the national treasury would be emptied because of the former warrior party members, Seyeon felt a pang for no reason because they were in the same party, even though she had done nothing wrong.

“Your Majesty!”

As usual, the office door opened again today and the tiresome

“Your Majesty!”

sound rang out.

Boom-!

“You do it! Please! You!”

Seyeon, whose eyes were rolled back from exhaustion since morning, slammed her desk and shouted.

“Huh? Only the current ruler of the Griffin Royal Family can perform the ceremony of receiving the crown at the consecration ceremony..?”

“Ah.”

When he came to his senses, he saw that it was not the royal official or knight that he usually visited, but an old priest standing there.

‘There was a sanctification ceremony, right?”

As can be seen from the summoning of the warrior through the goddess, the Griffin Kingdom and the Goddess Church have been together since ancient times and are like one body.

In commemoration of the day when the goddess purified the darkness that had come to the world, the priests, royal family of the Griffin Royal Family, and nobles gathered once every ten years to hold a sanctification ceremony.

Since the event ended with the goddess’s saint or saint crowning the Griffin King with a laurel wreath, the king had to attend.

“Hmm…”

Seyeon thought for a moment about whether attending the sanctification ceremony would be beneficial or detrimental to her.

‘I should leave the palace under the pretext of preparing for the sanctification ceremony. Then, if those guys cause trouble, the lower- ranking officials will take care of it, right?”

“I will start preparing for the sanctification ceremony right away!”

That day, he left the castle and headed to the city where the great temple where the sanctification ceremony was held was located.

In fact, the preparations for the sanctification ceremony were only for the priests who were busy preparing, and for the king, all he had to do was put on ceremonial clothes, walk up to the stage, and receive the laurel wreath, and that was it.

“In order to successfully complete the sanctification ceremony, shouldn’t we rehearse it a few more times? That’s my personal opinion.”

“Haha! Your Majesty is so enthusiastic about the event of our goddess cult! I’m sure the goddess will be pleased!”

Seyeon used the excuse of rehearsing the sanctification ceremony to waste time by staying at the great temple for several days.

In the meantime, there was chaos in the palace, as Sylvia Sylvester, who was under the influence of drugs, hallucinated again and split the palace building in half, and the Red Dragon Guild, who were chasing Karen Redleaf, were hit by high circle magic again and demanded compensation for the damages.

“Whew. It’s been a while since I’ve been alive… I feel like I should just beat up the king and become a priest.”

Seyeon felt intense regret about the sanctification ceremony that was scheduled for the next day.

However, thanks to taking a break and participating in the prayers at the main shrine for the past few days without thinking about the royal family’s work, she had regained her peace of mind.

“… But even if I beat them up, they’re still warriors, so they’ll probably chase after me and ask me to solve something. Sometimes I feel like I should just go into hiding like Yooseong, Hehe.”

Seyeon, lying down in the temple room and muttering half-jokingly and half-seriously, could not even imagine that. The ‘real thing’ had not come yet. The day of the sanctification ceremony.

Along with the voices of people chattering, a high platform could be seen ahead.

“Do it like you practiced! Just like you practiced!”

“Shouldn’t the goddess feel our sincerity? Yes?”

The priests in white and the high-ranking priests of the temple were preparing for the event while encouraging each other.

On the platform where they were standing stood a huge statue of a goddess that could be seen from far away.

This is a statue of a goddess carved from high-quality materials to commemorate the sanctification ceremony that comes once every ten years.

The sight of the giant stone statue, which seems to be embracing those below with its wings made of white feathers, makes one feel awe toward the goddess just by looking at it, and even feels the benevolent motherly love of the goddess as if she is truly watching over them.

“Oh… It really is as if the goddess has appeared!”

“This year’s event is really well prepared!”

Of course, this was from the perspective of the priests.

Doesn’t everyone have work to do? There are so many people gathered. Seyeon exclaimed while looking at the nobles and priests of the kingdom gathered on both sides of the long carpet leading to the stage.

When the king himself was about to give instructions on difficult matters, the attendance rate was low, but now these people were bustling around and making a lot of noise at this kind of event, and it even made her feel annoyed.

“Hmm. That’s a statue of a goddess?”

I’m not sure if it’s similar to the goddess who summoned me, but in any case, it feels like a goddess.

Seyeon, You are the main character of my story.

Only you can finish it?

The appearance of the goddess who spoke with her white wings spread.

‘At first, she made me fly with all sorts of words…”

When her friend YooSung finished off the Demon King, Se Yeon, as if she was disappointed in herself, did not appear in her dreams even once after defeating the Demon King.

She didn’t even send me home…

The goddess who told me to come out didn’t come out, and the dead Demon King didn’t appear…

It must be a dog dream, but..! Se Yeon, who was absentmindedly thinking about random things, turned her head for no reason and found Saint Lea Forte walking toward the altar in front of the statue of the goddess with the priests.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the saint. You haven’t changed at all, have you?”

At one time, she had a crush on the angel-like appearance of praying and singing hymns in the temple.

However, she gave up on her two-facedness when she cursed the goddess like a fanatic while traveling and refused to heal her friend YooSung, ‘You didn’t even show your nose during the sanctification ceremony practice, but you showed up today.

“So, should I just go over there and receive the laurel wreath that the saint hands me?”

I asked the priest who was serving nearby to confirm.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The priest from the choir will then offer a prayer of praise to the goddess. Then, Your Majesty, as soon as the prayer begins, please slowly walk towards the stage and kneel before the saint while saying

“In accordance with the will of the gods, I bestow the laurel wreath on the hero!”

Then, the saint will place the laurel wreath on Your Majesty’s head.

In short, he was telling me to start walking as the prayer began, go up to the stage when the prayer ended, and receive the laurel wreath on my head from the saint.

“So timing is important.”

“Huh? Tai..What do you mean..?”

“No problem. I’ll just talk to myself.”

After a while, the clear voice of the priest from the choir rang out from in front of the altar.

“Ahhh-our dear Mother Goddess, the Supreme Goddess who created this world, gave birth to all things, and always embraces us warmly as light..!”

The first part of the prayer is praise for the Goddess who created the world.

“It has begun.”

Jeokbuk. Jeokbuk.

At the same time, Seyeon started walking, stepping on the cloth spread on the floor.

“The goddess sees the darkness that has fallen on the world and worries about her children on earth, so she sends down light…”

The middle part is about the goddess sending down her power to defeat disasters, natural disasters, and demons that have invaded the world.

Jeokbuk..

At this point, the distance between the stage and Seyeon narrowed, and the face of Saint Lea Forte standing in the distance began to appear more clearly.

The saint was wearing a white saint’s robe that revealed her body lines and a translucent veil.

She was a beautiful woman with dark ebony hair and sapphire-blue eyes.

When the saint smiled, there was a saying that her pure and gentle appearance was like an “angel’s smile! ‘

‘..Hmm?’

Seyeon felt a strange sense of foreboding as she walked and glanced at the saint.

‘Is she saying something?”

The mouth of the saintess, who had a blank stare, continued to move rapidly.

If she was saying something, the assistant priests right next to her would know.

However, the assistant priests next to the saintess, who were concentrating on prayer, seemed to have closed their eyes and bowed their heads, listening to the prayer, as if they had not heard a single word.

In other words, the saintess seemed to be silently reciting something into her mouth.

Wait a minute! Could this be…?

Seyeon felt something strange, whether it was the warrior’s intuition or just anxiety.

Karen Redleaf, the explosive maniac who disappeared in real time and defeated the royal pursuers and information guild members one by one.

Sylvia Sylvester, an alcoholic and drug addict who changed from the knight commander who protected the castle to a terrorist who destroyed the castle building.

They are all former members of the warrior party.

Then, would the remaining one, Saint Lea Forte, be okay?

“No… But she is a saint, right? What kind of trouble could a saint who has the image of goodness itself cause? That too, at a ceremony of the goddess cult… Of course, that can’t be. It can’t be.”

“Your Majesty, are you uncomfortable?”

“Not at all! I’m not at all.”

Seyeon’s face was filled with anxiety enough that the priest walking beside her could tell, but inside she was brainwashing herself, thinking that it was a needless worry…

As the first child of God and the one who delivers the word, will you inherit the will of the Mother God?

” As the prayer reached the end and the high priest who had arrived holding a laurel wreath according to the order of the ceremony looked at the saint and asked. Lea Forte stopped muttering and a strange smile formed on her lips.”

Ahh ..

” She let out a moan-like voice and raised her hand towards the laurel wreath, the sacred relic of the goddess. ”

Dea de materte (I offer up a sacrifice to the Demon King)

Immediately after that, a word in an unintelligible language burst out of the saint’s mouth.

“.”

It was a language that ordinary people could not understand at all, but the high priest in front of Lea Forte opened his eyes wide and looked at the saint with a face of astonishment.

There are two types of scriptures in the Goddess’s Church.

One is the Book of Emotions, which explains the words of the Goddess and the miracles she performed.

And the other is the Forbidden Book, which records the language and magic of heretics.

It seems strange that the sacred Goddess Church would have a book that records the magic of heretics.

The first saint, who established the Inquisition with the spirit that you can defeat your enemy by knowing it, had the work of recording the magic and divination of the most terrible evildoers in the Forbidden Book for generations.

“Saint…Saint! What… What language are you speaking now!”

Forbidden books are only read by high-ranking priests and the saintess.

In other words, the old high priest holding the laurel wreath also studied the Forbidden Book, so he could understand the language Lea Forte spoke.

Dea de materte.

Offering sacrifices to the Demon King. It is a spell to summon and contract with Demon King Baal by reciting the 66 verses of the contract sentence offered to the devil and saying it at the end.

Thud. Slurp… Gulp… Gulp…

From the laurel wreath that the saint’s hand touched, sticky black mud-like smoke rose up.

Clang-! Hwaaak-!

The laurel wreath surrounded by mud shatters and the fog turns into a black storm and engulfs the surroundings. ‘Crazy! I couldn’t believe it!’

The moment Lea Forte smiled, Seyun had already noticed everything and was shouting

“No!”

“.!?”

“I..!”

That’s why, unlike the priests, nobles, and knights around her who were too surprised to run away, she immediately moved her body towards the platform.

‘Holy Sword!”

“Ah!”

She habitually felt her waist to draw her main weapon, the Holy Sword, but she had left her weapon behind when she changed into the ceremonial attire for the consecration ceremony.

“Borrow!”

“Yep!?”

Sreung!

She pulled out the sword of the knight next to her from its scabbard…

Paat-!

Seyun kicked off the ground and leaped towards the platform.

She was so high up that she could almost see the platform and the people at a glance.

This is horrible.

This is a disgustingly vicious magic: Swoosh.

The circular, swirling black fog covered the platform and the statue of the goddess from above, making it impossible to see them.

Just looking at it contains such a vicious demonic energy that those with weak minds would go crazy.

Baal, the king of demons, is considered to be on the same level as the Demon King, the king of the demon tribe.

“I have to deal with him before he is completely summoned!”

“Haaap-!!”

Seyen, who raised her sword with all her might after years of gathering all her magical power, focused her magical power of light on it.

Jiing- -!

Then, the sword where the light was gathered shone brightly like a piece of the sun and raged.

‘There is a saint below, but…”

The complete summoning of the demon king and the death of the saint Lea Forte.

Seyen, who weighed the two for a brief moment and chose… -Choohwaaaak-!!!

She hurled a slash of light toward the black storm below.

Shuuu..!!

The abilities of a warrior, a job given by a goddess, grow infinitely.

Even while working as a king for years, she never neglected her training for a single moment in order to protect the country from any possible threats.

Shuuuu..!

The crescent-shaped light halo heading towards the ground was even stronger than when the Demon King was defeated… no, it was even more powerful than that–Kwaaang!

It collided with the black storm!

The sound of the explosion from the slash was not heard, but the black storm covering it clearly split, revealing the figure on the platform hidden inside.

Blocked. Seyun landed on the platform with a dark expression.

Passus..

The sword in her hand was unable to withstand the power Seyun unleashed and turned into dust.

‘There should be damage..”

“Saint!”

Seyun, who could no longer use her weapon, called out the saint’s title with a stern face.

However, there was no answer.

The saint’s figure had not disappeared.

I never imagined that I would be summoned by the saint through a holy relic after thousands of years.

The giant red skull wrapped in black fog spoke with a thought.

“So you’re saying I can’t?”

Lea Forte asked in front of her as if urging her.

It’s an interesting summons, so there’s no reason to refuse. I will accept.

The red skull, Demon King Baal, who answered like that, turned into smoke… Swoosh!

“Ugh..” He was absorbed as if covering the body of the saint, Lea Forte.

“Haaak… Hwasuk..”

The saint’s white outfit turned black from the tips of her feet as she floated into the air and let out a moan. –Flutter!

“Haaaaah!”

Along with the saint’s shout of joy, black wings stretched out from behind her.

Softly.

Swoosh–!

After a while, Lea Forte, who had finished her transformation, lightly came down onto the stage.

All the black fog around her gathered around Lea Forte as if guarding her.

“Hehehe..”

Lea Forte’s eyes, which had been like blue sapphires before, were dyed red like blood as she let out a nasal laugh.

“Corruption… It doesn’t feel so bad. She licks her lips with her red tongue and gives off a decadent vibe that can never be described as a saint.

“Saint… woman?”

Seyeon, surprised by Leah’s appearance, once again uttered the word ‘saint’ in a trembling voice.

“I wish you wouldn’t call me by such a disgusting name.”

“What do you mean..?”

What do you call a saint instead of a saint?

“What, even if I tell you, the dog that ‘woman’ loves.. Ah, I’m a little hungry.”

With that, the former saint Lea Forte turned her head away from Seyun.

Fluttering- she lifted herself up from that spot.

“There’s so much prey here..”

Swoosh! Wiggle–!! Wiggle–!!

Dozens of black tentacles burst out from Lea’s black bat wings.

I’ll eat well

Whisk-!! Wiggle-!! Wiggle-!!

She began to soar toward the people below the platform.

“Run..Run away!”

“Oh Goddess!”

The people who realized the situation too late tried to run away.

Phuuk-!!

The priests in the hall were impaled like skewers.

Gulp-Gulp– Gulp-

“Keep me alive..!”

“Keep me alive…”

The tentacles started to suck out all the nutrients from her body.

WHACK! THUD-!

The tentacles instantly turned the opponent they caught into a mummy state and discarded them like trash.

Wriggle.. Wriggle..

“Eek..!”

They immediately started to move around, extending their length to find the next prey.

“Ahhh.. It’s so full! It’s eating up all of that woman’s dogs…!”

Leah, who had sucked up the nutrients and divine power of the priests and absorbed them into her entire body, let out an exclamation drenched in pleasure with a face that turned red.

“Ah.. It’s a demon!”

“The saint has fallen!”

Leah Forte, who was called the proud saint of the goddess church and a comrade of the warrior who defeated the demon lord until just yesterday, was given the title of  devil’in just one day.

“Stop this instant! Damn it! Stop!”

Paat-!

Seyun, whose eyes were wide open at the sight of people dying, rushed towards Leah Forte with her bare hands, but.

“Huh? Don’t interrupt this happy moment, Warrior.”

Whirl-! Crunch-!

“Whoa?!”

At Leah’s light gesture, dozens of black tentacles moved and she was easily stopped as she was entangled.

“Kkuuk..! Crunch!”

“If I cut this thing off!”

Woof! Sizzle-..!

Seyun immediately turned her light magic to burn the tentacles wrapped around her neck, arms and legs, trying to cut them off.

Whirl–! Wriggle..! Wriggle!

They’re tough and there are too many of them..!

Beyond the dozens, hundreds of tentacles were added, wrapping around her entire body.

Even resistance became impossible.

“Keuk.. Euaaa..!”

With only her face out, her entire body was wrapped in tentacles and she couldn’t move.

“Gasp.. gasp.. Leah! Why are you doing this..!?”

Seyun, whose strength was blocked, asked Leah Forte as a last resort.

Also, it was a question that Seyun couldn’t understand why Leah Forte would summon the Demon King and commit such a massacre.

“Did you get brainwashed by the devil… or something!?”

“Brainwashing? Did you just say brainwashing?”

The saintess turned to Seyun as if she was breaking her neck at the word “brainwashing! Seyun flinched at the vivid red eyes for a moment.

“No…! If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason for you, a saintess, to do this..!”

“Shut up!”

Leah shouted with a serious face, even her smile disappearing

“This! All of it! It’s my choice! I’m doing it because I wanted to!”

“You did this of your own volition?”

“Ahhh… how much! how much! how much..! It wasn’t all my will! I was actually in love with you… It’s all because of that woman! Because of that woman…! That woman! That woman! Aaaah!!”

Leah suddenly kneels down, wraps her arms around her shoulders, and starts screaming madly.

“It’s my fault! No! It’s my fault!! All of it!!”

Knock Knock…

Her sharp nails that grew as she merged with the devil dig in and scream madly enough to draw blood.

‘I can’t understand what she’s saying. One thing’s for sure, Leah Forte is not in her right mind right now.”

“Calm down. First! Listen to me, Leah!”

Swish.

Leah gets up from her seat and looks at Seyeon as Seyeon shouts once more.

The deep wound on her shoulder instantly heals and her skin turns white.

“Hehe… Because you stopped me even a little before I hurt that person? I’ll spare you, warrior.”

“Stopped me.. What the heck?! Explain it so I can understand..!”

As expected, there was no explanation this time either. Instead, at the gesture of Leah Forte, who smiled again. Swish-!

“Ugh?!”

“Just fall asleep for a bit and it’ll all be over, okay?”

Finally, looking at the smile of Saint Lea Forte, known as the ‘Smile of an Angel’.

Wriggle.. Wriggle..

‘Damn…”

Seyen, whose face was also wrapped in tentacles, fainted from suffocation.

“Ugh..ugh..”

“What happened..?”

And when she opened her eyes again and got up from her seat.

“Huh.”

The altar of the sanctification ceremony was completely in ruins and the stone statue of the goddess was broken with only its head rolling around.

Lea Forte was nowhere to be seen, and all that was left were dark red blood and the mummified corpses of the priests.