Chapter 216 – Revelation (2)

“Playing mind games, huh?”  

It wasn’t something you should say to a god, but after staying silent all this time, now they decide to appoint a hero?  

If it weren’t for the current situation, I would’ve flipped the bird at the sky.  

“Was I Earth’s hero candidate all along?”  

Unlike the other hero candidates from Ea, the reason I could mimic a hero by borrowing the Saintess’s divine power was likely because I was this world’s—Earth’s—hero candidate.  

The same probably applied to why I, who was originally from Earth, suddenly became a hero candidate.  

Now, all the questions made sense.  

The reason I was different from other knights and hero candidates was because of this world’s god.  

If so, then I wasn’t chosen as a hero candidate because I was some exceptional knight.  

The god of Earth probably had no other options.  

Among Earth’s awakened, there were hardly any who could properly wield mana. And among the knights who crossed over from Ea, I was likely the only one who remembered their past life in this world.  

Even now, it was the same.  

The world—this Earth—was on the brink of destruction. The god of Earth had to appoint someone as a hero to stop the Demon King before the world perished.  

And the only one capable of that was probably me.  

“So, in the end, they hesitated until the last moment and had no choice but to make a decision?”  

“That sounds dangerously close to blasphemy.”  

“If it is, maybe the god will take back the offer.”  

“Probably not. This feels more like a divine decree. Refusing isn’t an option.”  

Honestly, I couldn’t refuse anyway.  

I was at the point where I needed help from an apprentice mage like Irene—how could I turn down the hero position when it was being handed to me?  

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve kicked it away without a second thought.  

But now, I had no choice but to accept.  

“Seriously, the mind games are next level.”  

“Keep it down.”  

Yerim shushed me as I grumbled and placed her hand on my head.  

It seemed she intended to perform the hero’s baptism right here and now.  

Originally, this was supposed to be a solemn ceremony held in a temple with the Pope and priests in attendance, but there was no helping it now.  

Besides, I still had something to confirm.  

“Wait, hold on—”  

I quickly stepped back, and Yerim gave me a puzzled look.  

By now, divine power wasn’t just emanating from her hand—it was spreading from her entire body.  

If the divine power kept radiating like this, the Demon King would notice soon.  

Time was running out.  

“Why are you doing this?”  

Yerim’s tone was more serious than before.  

Was she the one speaking now?  

Or was it the god speaking through the Saintess?  

At this point, it didn’t matter.  

As long as the god heard me.  

“After this is over, can I quit being a hero?”  

“Huh? What—what did you just say?”  

Yerim’s expression twisted strangely at my words.  

She looked shocked, then confused, tilting her head as if she couldn’t understand.  

It was almost as if two people were surprised at the same time.  

Fascinating as it was, I needed an answer first.  

“If not, I’m out. I’ll refuse the hero position and run away.”  

“That’s absurd! This is a divine revelation! You can’t refuse!”  

The way she snapped told me this was Yerim talking.  

If it was her, persuasion would be easier.  

“Even the Pope can refuse if he doesn’t want to do something, right? You’ve traveled with me—you know what I want.”  

What I wanted was a peaceful, wealthy retirement.  

The hero position was the worst possible obstacle to that plan.  

“Well, that’s true… but hold on.”  

As expected, Yerim understood me well.  

After hearing me out, she closed her eyes in prayer, then opened them again with a tired expression.  

“…You can’t quit, but you can pass it on to someone else. A sort of succession. The god says they’ll make an exception just this once.”  

Yerim really was an excellent Saintess.  

“Great! The god won’t go back on their word, right?”  

Of course, gods might not have just one mouth, but saying that would probably count as more than just blasphemy, so I held back.  

At any rate, with the god’s confirmation, I had no choice but to accept this “hero” title.  

I stepped back in front of Yerim, and she placed her hand on my head again, her expression solemn.  

“By my name, I baptize you. Henceforth, the knight Egar shall become a hero and vanquish my enemy.”  

Words completely unlike her usual tone flowed from Yerim’s lips, and the divine power dwelling within her poured into me.  

The baptism of divine power that heroes received.  

As the divine power surged into me, I could feel my body changing.  

My bones, infused with divine power, grew sturdier. My muscles became more refined and powerful.  

My blood vessels strengthened, and my nerves and senses sharpened to an unparalleled degree.  

Finally, as the divine power coursed through the mana circuits in my body, they transformed.  

What once only carried mana could now carry something else—like divine power.  

Now I understood how a hero could fight the Demon King.  

A knight with barely apprentice-level strength could stand against the Demon King after becoming a hero because of these altered mana circuits.  

They allowed the hero to wield divine power instead of mana.  

Moreover, the hero’s ability to amplify and transform the divine power granted by the god was also thanks to these modified circuits.  

Of course, the other changes to my body would help too, but from what I could tell, most of the power came from these altered mana circuits.  

‘This must also be why dead heroes couldn’t be turned into undead.’  

But this time, I seemed a little different from other heroes.  

“I think I can still use mana, not just divine power… why?”  

Heroes were supposed to use divine power instead of mana.  

That was why the Demon King was said to have specialized against them.  

It was also why the Empire, the land of heroes, trained swordsmen to fight other nations.  

But I was different.  

*Hummm.*  

Divine power and mana alternately enveloped the sword in my hand. When I borrowed the Saintess’s divine power before, I could only use divine power—but now, that limitation seemed gone.  

I gave Yerim a puzzled look, but she just tilted her head, staring at my sword.  

“Is this weird?”  

Come to think of it, Yerim knew even less than I did.  

The divine presence that had seemed to dwell in her earlier was nowhere to be seen now.  

But the others from Ea all nodded at my words.  

“It’s hard to call it weird, but it’s definitely different from other heroes.”  

“I also thought heroes only used divine power.”  

Hoffman agreed with Yelena’s words.  

So it was clear—I was different from other heroes.  

But since none of us were actual heroes, we had no way of knowing why.  

Or if this difference was even real.  

“Guess I’d have to ask a hero directly.”  

The best way would be to ask a hero, but there was no way to do that now.  

The same went for the Saintess Princess and the other priests.  

“Well, it’s not a bad thing.”  

No, it wasn’t just “not bad”—it was a huge advantage.  

If I could only use divine power and later quit being a hero, I might’ve had to rebuild my mana reserves from scratch.  

Plus, being able to use mana meant I could fight effectively not just against the Demon King or undead, but in other situations too.  

At any rate, since it was helpful, I decided to think of it as a result of the training I’d done so far.  

It was hard to attribute this to the god’s help, given how much history I had with this world’s deity.  

“After all that running away, you finally had no choice this time.”  

Hoffman’s words, spoken without the usual formality, made me laugh.  

“We have to survive first.”  

“I see. Then maybe I’ll live long enough to finish my service too.”  

Normally, I would’ve stopped him from saying something so ominous, but this time, I joined in.  

“After you retire, come to my estate—no, my domain. Even if your knees are shot, I’ll hire you as a gatekeeper.”  

“Haha, I’ll take you up on that. I’ll do my best to survive.”  

Hoffman laughed and nodded at my absurd joke.  

Then, the others chimed in.  

“Take me with you when you go.”  

Yerim stood next to Hoffman and raised her hand, saying she’d go too.  

“To Ea?”  

“Mhm. I’ll probably stay on Earth since I’m the Saintess, but I can still visit, right?”  

“If we undo the magic, the gate can be reopened.”  

“See? I’ll definitely visit the estate you kept singing about.”  

Yelena, who usually stayed quiet, also added her opinion.  

“Is there an opening for a court mage in your domain? Training apprentices would be easier if I had that position.”  

Zahina smiled as she watched us, and Seung-ah and Irene exchanged relieved glances.  

Seeing everyone like this, I finally understood why characters in movies or novels always said the things they shouldn’t before the final battle.  

Facing a fight where the outcome was uncertain, there was no other way to ease the tension and fear.  

In the end, this was how everyone steeled their resolve.  

Once I saw their expressions shift, I raised my sword and stepped forward.  

“Let’s all make it out alive.”  

With those words, I leaped down toward the magic circle-covered plain.  

Behind me, Zahina and Yerim began running.  

The three of us were here to lure out—no, to face the Demon King.  

The hero, the Saintess, and the mage.  

We ran as stealthily as possible, but there was no hiding on a flat plain with no cover.  

Before we even reached the hotel, the Demon King—and the liches and undead gathered around the divine tree—noticed us heading toward them.  

As expected, the Demon King didn’t move, but the liches and undead near the divine tree tried to intercept us.  

I’d hoped they’d stay bound to the tree a little longer, but that was wishful thinking.  

The situation was worse than expected.  

Fighting the Demon King while also dealing with liches and undead?  

Worse, if those undead stayed at the hotel after we lured the Demon King away, the mages would be in danger.  

I bit my lip at the thought—  

Then Zahina, running beside me, suddenly spoke.  

In a trembling voice, one I’d never heard from her before.  

“Mother said she’d take care of the rear.”  

Before her words even finished, the divine tree exploded.  

*Kwaaaaang!*  

The remaining divine power erupted, sweeping over the undead around the tree.  

In that moment, I understood what had happened.  

There was a reason it was called the divine tree.  

Even in its final moments, it hadn’t lost its will.  

The divine tree had recognized its daughter’s arrival and, when she needed it most, set itself ablaze.  

The undead trying to block our path were all consumed by divine flames.  

Not all of them turned to dust, but now, nothing stood between us and the Demon King.