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Chapter 226

There was no time to ponder deeply. Gothier\'s robe flared open to the sides and rose upwards, revealing the heavy full plate armor underneath. The large golden circle on his breastplate gleamed, and the various magic stones embedded in his armor flickered momentarily.

"Wait...! Please, both of you, stop for a moment!"

With a desperate shout, a divine barrier sprung up in front of Ian.

"....?" Both Ian and Gothier furrowed their brows momentarily.

Philip had dashed forward, extending his right hand to block Ian. Glancing back at Ian, he quickly whispered, "Please give me a moment, my lord."

"It will be futile."

"Still, please."

"...." Ian clicked his tongue briefly and sheathed the half-drawn sword. He could understand Philip\'s position. Having just become a paladin of Lu Solar, he wouldn’t want to get into a conflict with the Great Church\'s purifiers.

At least giving his best effort would leave no regrets. Plus, it wasn’t a bad situation for Ian either.

It can\'t be that they\'re holding a grudge because I refused the apostle offer...

This gave him time to process what he had just seen.

Philip, withdrawing the barrier, faced Gothier and began to speak. "It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. Wouldn’t it be better to resolve this through dialogue rather than conflict, as fellow devotees of the Radiant Goddess?"

"Do you claim ownership of a sacred relic?" Gothier retorted as if that was the only reason he had given them a moment.

The golden glimmer in his eyes persisted, and his robe rippled as if about to be cast off. Observing this, Ian continued to think.

In any case, they must know that I harbor chaos power, so are they treating me as a corrupted one? But if that were the case, neither Tir En nor Della Lu would have lent me their strength.

As long as it didn\'t violate doctrine or decree, would they bestow divinity on anyone, regardless of who they were?

This seemed like a more plausible assumption. Ian\'s mind flashed to the fanatics in the game. They would wield divine power against Ian despite his not being corrupted, seeing the world as they wished. While most couldn’t sustain that power indefinitely, the situation hadn’t changed much in reality.

After all, the only deity born human was Karha. Entities born as gods wouldn\'t act according to human common sense. Moreover, Ian wasn\'t even a follower of Lu Solar. He had used the power of the relics a few times at most. Even Archeas’s request had been fulfilled out of the sight of the gods.

Understandably, they see me as the Platinum Dragon’s pawn now that I think about it. After all, I am also wielding the power of the void.

While Ian mulled over these thoughts, Philip, with one hand on his breastplate, continued to speak. "Yes, that\'s correct. I apologize for the late introduction. I am Philip, and I, too, am an Apostle of the Radiant Goddess. Although I received my revelation recently."

"An apostle...?" Gothier\'s glowing eyes dimmed, and his fluttering robe settled back down.

Ian took note of the full plate armor disappearing beneath the robe.

Certainly a seasoned veteran.

This was far more important than any speculative conclusions. It was clear he would have to fight Gothier soon. Moreover, the purifiers he had encountered in the game were akin to human weapons. It made sense, as they were the elite tasked with cleansing the most dangerous places with only a few members.

Those who survived long enough had to have reached the realm of superhumans, not just in skill, but because they were equipped with all sorts of magical artifacts and relics. They were formidable allies but also dangerous adversaries if they became corrupted or fanatical.

They were practically field bosses...

In the case of those who had become fanatics, the situation was somewhat better. They were incredibly strong, but once their health dropped below a certain point, they would lose control and self-destruct. When they were corrupted by darkness, there was no way for his character to win. This was especially true in the latter part of Chapter Three, where they encountered these enemies frequently.

So Ian often chose to run away. After all, they weren\'t named enemies that had to be killed.

But now, unlike before, Gothier, an unavoidable opponent, spoke. "State your affiliation."

"Well... I don\'t have one yet. Lu Solar granted me a revelation right here in Tessen."

"A revelation here...?"

"Yes. Allow me to prove it." Turning slightly, Philip kneeled on one knee and began to murmur a prayer with his eyes closed.

Ian paused his thoughts for a moment and gazed blankly at Gothier\'s back. He couldn\'t help but think, what kind of nonsense is this?

But still, it was an opportunity to see if Lu Solar truly supported Philip.

A soft glow began to envelop Philip\'s entire body.

Ian smirked inwardly.

... They say light shines on all things.

It assured him that Lu Solar did not consider him corrupted. This fanatical Goddess of Light was merely fulfilling her role.

Swoosh—

With his entire body now bathed in divine light, Philip rose and faced Gothier with his golden-glittering eyes.

"Is this proof enough?"

"... Yes, it is sufficient," Gothier replied reluctantly. It was clear he was not pleased with this sudden appearance of a paladin of Lu Solar.

"By my faith, I assure you, Sir Ian Hope is not corrupted. We have entered the West to eliminate the corrupted ones lurking here."

Philip continued, unfazed. "The corrupted did not appear by chance; we tracked them down. It\'s no coincidence, nor is Lady Tensia Aynas involved with them."

"That\'s even more reason to not reject the investigation."

Philip hesitated at Gothier\'s response.

Looking him in the eye, Gothier continued, "Hand over the idols and cursed sword, Sir Philip. And accompany us to the main church. If what you say is true, Sir Ian will be released without any issue."

"Didn\'t you hear Sir Ian? We are currently on a mission for the Platinum Dragon. The items you mentioned will be destroyed through the proper channels at the appropriate time through the Platinum Dragon."

"Do you trust the Platinum Dragon?"

"Excuse me...?"

"I asked if you truly believe in that monster, who once ruled over many races, including humans, through fear, and ultimately betrayed its own kind to survive by relying on the mercy of the Radiant Goddess."

"What are you saying... Why do you, a purifier of the church, slander our saint in such a way?"

"Because it is the truth. An inconvenient truth known only to a select few."

"...." Philip could only open and close his mouth in shock.

Meanwhile, a peculiar smile played at the corners of Ian\'s lips.

As I suspected, this guy is one of those pure devotees, those who believe that miracles come solely from divine grace and that only humans are fit to uphold the will of the gods.

In the game, such extremists had risen to prominence within the Great Church and the Empire just before Ian crossed the Black Wall. Given the situation at the time, it was not surprising that such extreme views had gained traction. It seemed these devotees had already established a firm foothold within the church even before then.

Wait a minute. Could that priest also be one of them...?

Ian\'s eyes twitched as the last words of the Vampire Empress echoed in his mind. She had spoken of a Lu Solar fanatic using them. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. He had wondered how they knew to follow and harass him from the start.

... These guys aren\'t trying to recover the dark relic for the order. They intended to kill me from the start. Because I\'m the Agent of the Platinum Dragon.

The pure devotees were acting as pawns for the Council. They might not even realize it themselves, but the decision-makers issuing their orders were undoubtedly members of the Council.

At that moment, Philip managed to stammer out a response. "Th-then... would you accompany us? After completing all our tasks, you could meet the Platinum Dragon yourself and see with your own eyes whether Sir Ian is telling the truth."

That was a lie, Ian thought, but he looked calmly at Gothier. There was no way he would agree to that. The very thought of facing the Platinum Dragon would surely repulse him.

As expected, Gothier sneered. "My orders are only to retrieve and investigate. I cannot alter them at will. Step aside, fellow brother, who has yet to awaken to the truth. Ignorance is not a crime, but you cannot be pardoned of sins born from ignorance."

"What..." Philip sighed as if his breath was caught in his throat and added. "Do you truly intend to see blood...?"

Gothier responded in a subdued voice. "If it is inevitable. Gladly."

"Hah...."

As Philip sighed, Ian finally spoke.

"I think we’ve done enough."

Philip looked at Ian in bewilderment. "They don’t understand words, my lord. What on earth is this..."

"If you feel troubled, just step back." Cutting him off, Ian turned around.

"You too, Sir."

"...." Mev, now with a bitter expression, looked at Ian.

Ian’s gaze then swept over to Charlotte and Thesaya.

"This time, the three of us will fight."

"Give me my battle ax, Ian." Charlotte extended her hand.

Thesaya had already adjusted the quiver at her waist and held a spare bow in her hand. Ian retrieved Charlotte\'s battle ax from his pocket dimension.

"Well, their proposal isn\'t entirely unreasonable. Senior."

Another voice rang out from the opposite side. It was another purifier who had been silently holding the reins of two horses behind Gothier.

Unlike Gothier, this voice sounded quite young. "It wouldn\'t be bad for us to investigate ourselves. Maybe this time, we could even interrogate the Platinum Dragon himself."

"Maybe this time, we can interrogate the Platinum Dragon himself as well."

Gothier\'s expression twisted with anger. "Don\'t be foolish, Nasser! Do you think that dragon will let us live if it knows we have the truth? If you\'re still entangled in that foolish conflict, stay out of it. I can handle the execution alone."

Swoosh—

At the same time, the golden light flickered in Gothier\'s eyes again.

Mev stepped in front of Ian almost simultaneously.

"I told you to stay back."

As Ian spoke, she lowered her tattered face covering and replied. "In my eyes, he is a blind apostle. Just as dangerous as a corrupted one."

As Ian was about to raise one eyebrow slightly, Philip, strapping the round shield to his left arm, muttered. "My first opponent as a paladin is a senior paladin... I don\'t know if this is some kind of joke of fate."

"It seems your fate is to face enemies within the Order," Ian added with a smirk.

As Philip muttered not to say such dreadful things.

"Are you sure you don\'t need help?" Another purifier, Nasser, spoke up.

"It looks like they\'re all coming out. It won\'t be easy on your own."

"It\'s proof they know nothing of honor. Watch and you will see the truth." Gothier\'s robe billowed dramatically, rising over his shoulders. His full plate armor emerged once again.

Clang!

The helmet, which had been tilted back, reassembled itself, covering Gothier\'s head almost simultaneously.

In the meantime, the robe fully spread out and floated above his head like a kite. The golden spell circuits inscribed on the lining sparkled.

Despite hating dragons so much, he seems to favor draconic magic.

Ian chuckled, recognizing the circuits on the robe as dragon magic known as Mantra. Judging by its color, it seemed to be an item directly inscribed with spells by Archeas itself.

"We do not lack honor. Knowing honor, we fight to protect it with our lives," Mev spoke then.

Philip, raising his round shield, followed suit. "Disarm and withdraw. Otherwise, we will consider you to be obstructing the Platinum Dragon\'s request."

There was no way to see Gothier\'s expression. His face was already hidden behind a smooth faceplate. Only the golden light glimmered through the narrow eye slit.

"The divine retribution has no mercy. Even for the foolish...." Gothier murmured, drawing a long two-handed sword from his back.

He began to move forward with a leisurely gait. However, the magic stones embedded all over his body shone brighter and brighter, and divine energy started to manifest on the blade. The floating robe followed him silently, like a magical carpet.

I shouldn\'t use chaos power. Not that I have much of it left anyway... besides, the one behind him will soon join as well. It seemed like any ordinary magic wouldn\'t have any effect...

Drawing his sword, Ian continued his calm thoughts. This was an opponent he had to fight carefully.

"That\'s fortunate."

"...!?"

Tatata—

A black trajectory brushed past him at that moment.

"I always wanted to fight them at least once." Charlotte\'s words belatedly reached Ian\'s ears.

"Light...! Please stop this meaningless battle!" As if it was a signal, Philip and Mev also charged forward, shouting.

"I need to land a hit on that head to feel better!" Thesaya also followed closely behind them.

... So much for caution.

Ian let out a brief chuckle at the sudden charge of his comrades.

"...?" Ian, who was about to run after them, suddenly bowed his head. A heat was spreading deep inside his stomach. A faint red divine power shimmered between his armor.

No, not again...?

In an instant, his body heated up as if filled with molten lava. Ian, gritting his teeth, felt his knees hit the ground. The question of why this was happening when they weren\'t even in the North couldn’t last. The heat spread to his limbs, his vision turned red, and all his senses melted away.

Boom! Crack!

A series of loud explosions began to erupt ahead. The continuous roar mingled noisily with the thunderous sound that pounded Ian\'s head. By the time he realized it was laughter, a booming command to fight shook his consciousness.

What, is this some kind of fight between elite warriors?

Ian let out a dry laugh without realizing it. This pain was wretched, but this time, he didn\'t feel like blaming Karha. Deep down, he also wanted to smash his fist into that fanatic’s face.

The heat that had scorched his entire body slowly began to rise. Ian didn\'t suppress it like before. Feeling his previously sunken consciousness becoming clearer, he simply threw his head back wide. To let the heat burst forth as much as it wanted.

"------!"