Chapter 41……………………………………
If we left things as they were, it really seemed like Jürgen would seal off the sanctuary.
Clasping both hands tightly, I slowly knelt in front of the prayer tablet.
“I should ask the Lord God!”
More precisely, I intended to offer my thanks. I closed my eyes.
‘Lord God, are you listening? I was shocked to find out that the ancient sacred language was Korean.’
Lately, there had been no response when I prayed, so I thought He simply wasn’t listening at all.
But it seemed He had been watching all along—because the ancient sacred language was Korean.
Filled with renewed motivation, I tightened my clasped hands.
I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest.
‘Thank you for helping me.’
The fact that I retained memories of my past life was surely the will of God.
Thanks to that, I could read the Korean on the prayer tablet.
A warm sensation spread around my heart.
It seemed my prayer had reached Him this time.
If I awakened my divine power, it would be extremely useful going forward.
I didn’t know how strong it would be, but if things went well, I might even awaken power strong enough to erase Omega Fever from this world entirely.
After finishing my prayer, I stood up.
“Sir Jürgen, I’d like to look around the sanctuary a bit more.”
The prayer tablet mentioned a testing ground.
Since we’d come all this way, I wanted to examine everything thoroughly.
Besides the prayer tablet, the sanctuary contained various books and stone slabs written in the ancient sacred language.
However, since it had been discovered within imperial territory, none of the materials could be taken outside without permission, so they had to be studied inside.
That was why a separate space had been prepared for scholars.
Following Jürgen’s guidance, we arrived at an area packed with scholars.
It was a large room, and judging by its structure, it seemed to have once been used as a place of worship.
Now, a massive table had been placed in the center for the scholars, piled high with books and stone slabs of all kinds.
Is it really okay to stack all that up like this?
The prayer chamber looked sturdy, but the other areas didn’t.
From the entrance of the sanctuary through the lobby, parts had collapsed, and being buried in earth had left cracks running through the walls and pillars.
The floor of this worship hall also looked unreliable.
The stone slabs, in particular, seemed extremely heavy—was it really safe to gather them all in one place?
I glanced over the slabs. They were all written in the ancient sacred language, so I could read them.
Jürgen took a slow look around the hall.
Then he muttered,
“There’s only one door. Perfect for sealing it off.”
He still hadn’t given up. That man really is strange!
Ignoring Jürgen, I headed toward the table where the scholars were gathered.
Deeply focused on the ancient sacred language, the scholars didn’t spare even a glance for the newcomers.
So I spoke first.
“Hello.”
Only then did the scholars notice Jürgen and me.
“Oh—oh, you’re a priest. Greetings.”
After offering perfunctory greetings, they returned their attention to the books.
To them, deciphering the mysterious ancient language mattered far more than a priest.
Let’s see…
I peered at the books and notes they were examining.
They’ve made more progress than I expected.
The ancient sacred language had long been a stagnant field due to the lack of proper samples.
Even with complete sentences and texts discovered, I thought analysis would take a long time—but the elites gathered from various nations were steadily translating bit by bit.
Ah, that part’s wrong.
Here and there, I spotted mistranslations.
If corrected, the interpretation would move along much faster.
Should I help a little?
It would be suspicious if I suddenly read the original prayer tablet written in the ancient language, but reading their translated interpretations should be fine.
If a bit of help led to a perfect translation, I’d be able to read the prayer tablet openly in front of everyone.
I wanted to step in.
Just then, several scholars crowded around the prayer tablet I had been looking at—the one riddled with mistranslations. The wall of people they formed was so dense that it didn’t seem easy to squeeze in, so I craned my neck and peered over.
As if he’d been watching my efforts, Jürgen spoke up.
“This is Priest Sonia, who possesses healing-aspect divine power. She is here as His Holiness’s representative.”
The moment Jürgen finished speaking, the scholars’ eyes lit up and fixed on me.
Their sparkling gazes made me nervous. After a brief silence—perhaps as they organized their questions in their heads—they began approaching one by one.
“So you’re a healing priest! What do you think about this sentence?”
“When you use healing-aspect divine power, what does it feel like? Is it similar to what I interpreted here?”
The scholars, burning with academic curiosity, began firing off questions.
I was startled by their enthusiasm, but I saw it as a good opportunity.
If I satisfied their curiosity, I could naturally point out the mistranslated parts as well.
“When I use my power, it feels the same as when the Lord God responds to my prayers.”
The scholars immediately began jotting down notes. As I read the translation, I continued,
“Reading this part gives me a sense of how healing power is meant to be used. Um, may I take a look at the translated text?”
“Of course. We’d love to hear the opinion of a healing priest.”
I carefully read through the materials they had translated.
Then, subtly, I pointed out the incorrectly interpreted sections.
“This part seems more like a prayer. Rather than reciting words, the power feels much stronger when you clasp your hands and call upon the Lord God.”
“I see. Translated that way, the context flows much better.”
“And this word might not mean ‘sky,’ but rather a green mixed with yellow. Healing-aspect divine power isn’t just a single color.”
Perhaps because they were scholars devoted to knowledge, they listened attentively and readily applied my suggestions to their interpretations.
“Thank you, Priest Sonia. This section was particularly difficult. Thanks to you, the latter part will be much easier.”
“It’s an honor to hear the opinion of such a rare healing priest. Thanks to you, the secrets of the ancient sacred language will unravel quickly!”
“We’ll complete the full translation of the prayer tablet as soon as possible.”
With the blockages cleared, the scholars seemed newly energized.
There were still a few incorrect parts left, but this was good enough for now.
I’d corrected several key terms—these brilliant scholars would handle the rest.
Since I’m here, should I encourage them a bit more?
There was something else that caught my attention.
Some of the scholars had minor injuries—not serious, but noticeable.
The backs of their hands and palms were scratched by sharp stone slabs.
Handling raw stone like that must have caused it.
“Thank you for your hard work for the Holy Kingdom. I’d like to offer a small bit of help.”
I clasped my hands tightly and used my healing-aspect divine power.
But it felt stronger than usual.
That’s strange.
Relieving the fatigue of everyone here and healing small wounds should consume a fair amount of divine power.
Yet I felt no exhaustion at all—only a strange sensation.
More precisely, it felt like I was hearing a sound. From far away, something seemed to be calling to me…
…
The sound was faint, but as it repeated, I began to understand it.
It’s telling me to use more healing power?
Responding to whatever was calling me, I used more power than usual.
Overflowing divine energy wrapped around my body, surging like waves.
“Priest Sonia!”
Jürgen’s loud voice snapped me back to my senses.
“…Ah.”
What on earth had I been doing?
I can’t use any more power.
If I continued, I might exhaust all my divine power and lose consciousness. When I released my clasped hands, the divine power I had been unconsciously gathering dispersed.
With a dazed expression, I smiled at the scholars staring at me, signaling that there was nothing to worry about.
“It’s only a small amount of power, but I hope it helped.”
The scholars stared at their now-smooth hands.
Those minor wounds must have vanished completely.
After rubbing their hands repeatedly to confirm, they spoke in voices full of joy.
“Not even a small scar remains! What incredible power!”
“My headache is completely gone too.”
“So this is healing power… Amazing!”
Seeing people so happy over such a modest power made me feel good.
Jürgen, who had been watching me with a pleased expression, spoke up.
“You haven’t changed, Priest Sonia.”
Haven’t changed?
We had crossed paths a few times while escorting Cassius.
But “haven’t changed” didn’t sound like something you’d say after just a few recent encounters.
“Sir Jürgen, have we met before?”
“Yes.”
We knew each other already?
“The last time we went on an investigation, perhaps?”
“No.”
“…In His Holiness’s office?”
“Much earlier than that.”
“Then when exactly are you talking about?”
“I…”
Jürgen opened his mouth. But I couldn’t hear his voice.
Krrrk! Bang!
A thunderous roar swallowed his words.
Jürgen, standing in front of me, looked horrified and reached out his hand.
“Priest Sonia!”
I reached out to grab his hand, but couldn’t reach it.
Because I was far below him.
That’s strange. Why am I lying down?
My body floated lightly for a moment, then plunged rapidly into pitch-black darkness.
Just like that, I fell into the massive hole that had opened beneath my feet.
Jürgen shouted my name, but he was already far too distant for me to reach his hand.
