I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods – Chapter 85

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“What… do you mean?”

“It’s exactly as I said. If I brought this up because there’s a way to defeat that monster without Her Holiness the Pope’s sacrifice, I’m asking what you would do, Inquisitor.”

The strength visibly drained from the rapier that was touching the blood-stained sword.

I carefully pushed the blade away while gripping it.

Selene obediently followed my action.

Her purple eyes trembled much more intensely than before.

She couldn’t seem to focus properly, as if she had heard something utterly unbelievable.

Her pupils shook incessantly.

The tip of the rapier pointed towards the floor.

I withdrew my sword as well.

There was no point in keeping our weapons aimed at each other.

Selene bowed her head deeply.

The sacred catalyst in her left hand fell onto the silver carpet with a thud.

The rapier in her right hand was also held precariously, as if it might drop at any moment.

Seeing such a reaction made me think I had succeeded halfway, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

I lowered my sword but took a few cautious steps back, ready to deflect any attack.

Selene, with her head bowed deeply, stood still in her place for a long time.

I silently waited for her to recover.

Suddenly, her mouth opened.

“…Lies.”

Her head lifted.

The confusion that had filled her eyes moments ago had completely vanished.

“Don’t speak nonsense!”

Selene charged towards me.

Caught off guard by the sudden change in atmosphere, I hastily deflected the rapier with the blood-stained sword.

Fortunately, as if her confusion hadn’t completely subsided, she was attacking with swordplay alone, without using any sacred power.

“You said it could be handled without sacrifice? You said Her Holiness the Pope doesn’t have to sacrifice herself? Without even knowing why Her Holiness made such a decision! How dare you say the word ‘sacrifice’!”

As Selene tried to close the distance recklessly, I had to retreat as well to properly deflect her attacks.

If it turned into an extremely close-quarters fight where I couldn’t even deflect properly, it would be much more disadvantageous for me.

Thud!

The rapier struck where I had rolled to the left.

The tip of the sword sank into the wall up to its crossguard without any resistance.

The sword was quickly pulled out.

Apart from the small hole made by the rapier, there were no cracks or scratches visible on the marble.

It was a terrifyingly sharp sword.

Her neck slowly turned.

Her anger seemed to have subsided somewhat, but her hatred remained.

Selene, having regained her posture, spoke in a chilling voice.

“How did you find out about that monster’s existence?”

‘…Oh no.’

As soon as I heard those words, I sensed my mistake.

While one could deduce from what happened in the Sun’s Cathedral that someone had to sacrifice themselves, there was no way to know that the reason for that sacrifice was due to a monster beneath the Holy Kingdom.

Both of them had only used vague expressions like useless actions or unnecessary hope, without mentioning the monster at all.

“Was that also a lie? Was it also a lie that you figured it out because of what happened in the cathedral? Was everything you told me just a deception to hide my eyes from the truth?”

But I had spoken too confidently about having a way to defeat that monster.

It wasn’t strange at all for someone like Selene to immediately notice the contradiction in my words.

“I’m asking now, was it so?”

Just like now.

“Answer me! Right now!”

Selene’s expression was almost frenzied.

It was clear that she had noticed the very premise of my words was wrong, which was why she had attacked me after acting as if she would put down her weapon.

In fact, if we were to examine the truth, I had indeed lied, so I had no answer if pressed on that point.

I didn’t want to deny that.

But I couldn’t raise my voice in feigned indignation either, so I tried to change the subject of conversation while maintaining as much composure as possible.

“That’s not what’s important right now. What’s important is the fact that there is a method.”

“You said there’s a method? You said there’s a way for Her Holiness the Pope of the Moon not to sacrifice herself? Don’t be ridiculous. Why should I believe the words of someone who has been whispering lies from the start?”

The tip of the rapier pointed at me again.

As I dodged, the rapier pierced straight through the long marble bench with a thud.

Selene, who had roughly pulled out her sword, gritted her teeth and shouted.

“Did you think we hadn’t tried any methods? Did you think we would quietly submit to our approaching fate and docilely burn ourselves, sacrificing one life? Did you really think so?”

“Of course not. I know that you must have tried many things.”

“What do you know to say—”

“At first, Her Holiness the Pope of the Sun tried to subjugate the monster alone.”

Selene’s movements stopped abruptly at those words.

I continued speaking without pause.

“Next, Their Holinesses the Popes tried to subjugate the monster together, then you joined forces with them, and after that, you tried to defeat the monster by transferring sacred power without sacrificing any lives.”

The tip of the rapier was still pointed at my Adam’s apple, but it was visibly trembling uncontrollably.

“I know everything.”

The ‘attempts’ I mentioned were all things that the Pope had directly mentioned in the game.

So it was certain that things had proceeded the same way here.

“You must have tried countless other methods to twist fate, but they all failed. That’s why Her Holiness the Pope of the Moon believes that fate can never be changed, and is trying to volunteer for sacrifice as per the revelation. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

This time, Selene seemed completely dumbfounded, her face turning pale as she dropped her rapier limply.

Just like the existence of the monster itself, the fact that the Inquisitors and even the Popes of the Holy Kingdom had personally attempted to subjugate the monster was also top secret information.

Of course, all of their attempts had failed.

They couldn’t even enter the boss room, and even the sacred barrier exerted by the Popes at full power could only prevent corruption by the abyss.

Although it was a failed subjugation, all four participants were characters who would never betray their vows and faith, and the number of participants in the subjugation was only four.

In other words, the fact that the Popes had joined forces to try to subjugate the monster beneath the Holy Kingdom should have been known to no one except those four.

It should have been that way.

“How… how could you know even that…”

“There definitely exists a way to subjugate that monster, Inquisitor.”

I met her trembling purple eyes.

“Look at this.”

I showed the back of my left hand in front of her eyes.

Her purple eyes, filled with all sorts of complex emotions, turned to the rune tattoo engraved on the back of my hand.

In addition to the tattoo symbolizing the vitality enhancement rune, there was another tattoo intertwined with it.

“This is the key. With this rune I obtained from the depths of the rune dungeon, it’s possible to enter that abyss without any resistance.”

“…Is that really true?”

“Do you think I have any reason to lie in this situation?”

“B-But… that’s impossible…”

“Impossible, you say?”

“It’s a monster that the Inquisitor of the Sun, myself, and even Their Holinesses the Popes failed to subjugate. It’s a monster that even our god couldn’t touch. How could you alone…”

“I didn’t expect you to say such things, Inquisitor. You’ve seen what I’ve been doing all this time.”

Selene’s body flinched.

I continued speaking with a light smile.

“Was it conceivable that Her Majesty the Emperor would show great interest in a mere new knight from the outskirts of the Empire, so much so that you, the Inquisitor of the Moon, had to personally visit the Empire to invite me to the Holy Kingdom?”

“…”

“Was it conceivable that I could possess sacred power without faith?”

“…”

“Was it conceivable that I could easily conquer and return from the rune dungeon that the Holy Kingdom had failed to subjugate multiple times?”

“…”

“Was it conceivable that Priestess Lucia, who fell into the depths of the dungeon over a decade ago, could return to the Sun?”

“…”

Selene couldn’t answer any of these questions.

I hadn’t exaggerated my words, nor had I inflated non-existent events.

I had simply calmly explained what I had done.

Nevertheless, these were all feats that were practically impossible, but I had already proven them possible.

That was why I was standing here alive, having this conversation.

“I decide what’s possible, Inquisitor. And right now, I’m saying that it’s entirely possible for me to subjugate that monster alone.”

“…”

Selene’s eyes became even more unfocused than before.

She was in a situation where she couldn’t blindly believe my words, but she couldn’t completely disbelieve them either, so she was at a loss.

“I fully understand your feelings. You must still be anxious. I’m not asking you to believe me right away.”

This was a process of uprooting the faith that had been maintained until now and rebuilding it from the ground up.

I never expected to make her believe me with just a few words.

“Instead, I’ll prove my words to you.”

“…How?”

Selene finally opened her mouth.

I answered with a light smile.

“The method to defeat that monster. I’ll explain it to you in detail, step by step, from now on.”

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‘May you find peace in God’s embrace.’

It was only after several hours of prayer that Stella slowly rose to her feet.

Despite kneeling throughout the prayer, her legs weren’t sore or numb.

Rather, her heart ached more.

Due to her guilt about Lucia, who had suffered in the abyss for so many years, and about herself, who couldn’t protect Lucia.

On the other hand, gratitude was also firmly lodged in a corner of her heart.

‘Kind one.’

Their first meeting had certainly been terrible.

Stella had arbitrarily accused an innocent person of being a heretic.

Considering how heretics were treated in the Holy Kingdom, it was tantamount to hurling insults at one’s parents.

Because of that, they even had to undergo heretic judgment, and Stella couldn’t even begin to imagine how insulted that person must have felt.

She had no words, even if she had ten mouths.

But that person had granted Lucia peace as if nothing had happened.

They had also given Stella a chance to say goodbye.

It was something Stella hadn’t been able to do for over a decade.

It was impossible even to gauge how to repay this grace.

‘…If there’s anything they want, anything at all.’

Stella made a firm resolution internally, offered a final prayer towards Lucia’s sacred catalyst, and turned around.

—Knock knock.

As if on cue, a knock was heard from outside the door.

“What is it you’re calling me for?”

“Guests have arrived.”

“Guests…?”

“Yes. A knight named Delta and Inquisitor Selene.”

As soon as she heard that name, Stella felt her heart beat a little faster.

Trying to calm her pounding heart, she asked in an even voice.

“Did they mention the purpose of their visit?”

“They said they couldn’t tell us.”

Something that couldn’t be told to the battle nuns and priests.

Whatever it was, Stella instinctively knew it must be something very important.

“I understand. I’ll be out soon, so prepare a place for them.”

“Yes.”

The voice faded away.

Stella quickly tidied her clothes and fixed her hair, then walked with light steps towards the place where those two would be waiting.

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