Chapter 116

‘Have they all lost their minds?’

The way people looked at Peter changed completely.

The fear was gone without a trace, and some were even sneering.

“Surprised why people are suddenly acting this way?”

Choi Gi-woong said mockingly, slinging an arm around his neck.

“Their eyes have been opened. They’ve realized you’re nothing special.”

Him, who had reached S-Rank, the supply officer of the Demon Subjugation and Restoration Society, a formal High Priestess of the Lu Order—nothing special?

It felt like his soul was being trampled.

He wanted to run over right now and gouge their eyes out.

Peter trembled as he spoke.

“I think I said this yesterday. If you so much as lay a finger on me, what happens···”

Peter stopped mid-sentence and shut his mouth.

He had no choice.

The man who had just told him, ‘I’m not looking at you,’ was now rummaging in his clothes and pulling out a potion.

Then, as if to show him, he gulped it down.

That wasn’t all.

“Get your Buff Stones! Take as many as you need!”

Bucks, who had been beaten to a pulp by Peter, was handing out Buff Stones in the plaza.

Peter flinched and glanced to the side.

Had this guy stolen his?

No. Even while slaughtering twenty Holy Knights, the man hadn’t touched the sack of supplies.

Besides, the quality of the potions inside was clearly different from what he had prepared.

Potions and Buff Stones so good you could call them the finest quality.

They weren’t items you could easily find even in the upper districts.

Peter turned his head to the side again.

This time was different.

It was filled with fear.

It was obvious who was behind this.

He wanted to ask the man next to him.

Did you do all this?

“You, just what is your identity?”

“Ian.”

“What does that mean.”

“I’m the Reincarnator of Ian, the one written about in your scriptures.”

Peter stared blankly at Choi Gi-woong for a moment.

Then he shook his head.

“The Saintess must have steeled her resolve. I understand. I admit defeat.”

“Defeat?”

“···Now kill me. And go to District 1 and kill the bishop too. Kill the archbishop above him as well. Just kill all the sinners. And tell the Saintess. You may have won in politics, but you failed to save the people.”

“Looks like you have a lot of cronies in District 1, huh?”

“Why are you pretending not to know when you already know everything?”

“The Mainland can’t end up like this. Okay. One more thing to do when I get back.”

This guy, he would sometimes spout incomprehensible things like this.

Whatever. It didn’t matter.

It was all over.

If he wasn’t killed, he planned to kill himself.

But it was strange.

His body hadn’t been moving for a while now.

Immediately after, a terrible pain followed in his head.

“Kuaaaargh!”

“If you think bad thoughts, it’ll hurt that much more. I’m the one who does the killing. Got it?”

“What···”

“I planted a simple spell.”

So no matter how much I struggle, I’m in the palm of this guy’s hand.

The outcome was decided from the very beginning.

Peter’s legs gave out from under him.

It was the moment his last remaining hope completely vanished.

“Let’s go.”

Choi Gi-woong wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders.

Smack—!

District 17.

Smack—!

District 16.

Smack.

District 15.

Every time they passed through a district, he was indiscriminately beaten in the center of the district, in front of everyone.

An assassination attempt?

Not a chance.

It was met with Silence.

Every time he entered a district, he would beat him mercilessly in front of the district’s people.

There was no mercy.

The district residents, watching this, were at first bewildered, then burst into cheers.

Families who had lost their fathers to him spat on him, and those who had shed tears of blood because of him tried to kill Peter.

Each time, Choi Gi-woong would step in and placate them.

Peter looked squarely at those tears of blood.

It was as if they were saying this.

Here. These are the cities you ruined.

If only you hadn’t taken bribes, if only you had cared about us a little more, it wouldn’t have become such a mess. How is it? Now that you see it with your own two eyes, do you get it? What you’ve done? You call yourself a Priest? Go to hell.

Every time Peter received such glares, he retorted.

He could say it because, for the time being, he was in a body that couldn’t die anyway.

“It was an unavoidable choice. A small sacrifice for the greater good. Even if it wasn’t me, it would have ended up like this someday.”

“It wasn’t for a reason like that, it was to line your own pockets.”

Peter couldn’t refute that.

Because it was the truth.

Sometimes, when Choi Gi-woong was away, his right-hand man would sidle up to him.

“Supply Officer. How about we look for a chance to attempt an assassination?”

“And you’ll stand back?”

He no longer had any faith in his right-hand man.

“Come to think of it, it was the same back then. 20 years ago. You said let’s just shut our eyes and take the bribe from District 5. That it was no big deal. 10 years ago, you advised that we needed to pick and choose. That we should save those who could be saved rather than those who would die anyway.”

“Are you saying it’s my fault, sir?”

“No. It’s my fault. I was the one who made the decisions.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Regret? That’s not something bad guys like us do. Do you think we have the right to?”

Peter answered with trembling eyes.

“And that guy. He’s not part of the Order.”

It was a conclusion he’d reached after observing Choi Gi-woong for several days.

“The curse on my body is one of the forbidden Dark Magics. If he were part of the Order, there’s no way he would have learned something like that.”

That’s why he was confused.

Just where did this guy appear from, to suddenly torment him like this.

“Surely you don’t believe that man is really the reincarnation of Him, do you?”

“Of course not.”

Peter quickly shook his head.

A myth is just a myth.

A month and a half had passed since I entered this world.

I wonder how the kids are doing. Han Seung-hoon is probably handling things well, right? Lee Seok-jae should be distributing Level 3 Skill Books by now.

As various thoughts overlapped, I arrived in front of District 1.

The higher the district, the better the people’s living conditions were becoming.

The district chiefs who had given Peter bribes every time we passed through a district.

I didn’t forget to take their heads.

In return, I distributed top-grade Buff Stones and Potions to the residents.

By casting a subspace spell on my backpack.

There would be a brief moment of chaos.

I didn’t care.

Because it’s something I have to do. I don’t think of it as meddling and causing a scene in someone else’s world.

Because this is what Ian wants from me.

Tracking Rate: 31%

Despite encountering countless Monsters on the way here, the tracking rate had barely changed.

It was definitely a good idea to bring them along.

Anyway, that’s that.

I can see the castle gate.

A massive and splendid castle gate, on a different level from the other cities I had passed through so far.

Seeing the city I had only seen in dreams again, it felt somehow welcoming.

Elsland.

The holy land, now called District 1.

I had arrived.

“Good work, Officer.”

I organized what I had to do next.

Since they say Casilla is alive, I’ll meet her first, then absorb all of Ian’s Traces.

I’ll help with what I can.

In the process, I have to reveal that I am Ian’s reincarnation.

That will make things go more smoothly.

Well, if I absorb Ian’s magic, I should be able to handle a Demon King or two myself.

So, I should see Casilla as soon as I get there. That was the plan I had made.

“But this person is···?”

I gestured with my chin toward Peter, who was next to me.

Thanks to my diligent use of healing magic every time I hit him, his face, at least, was fine.

He calmed his quivering flesh and said.

“He is, he is a Warrior I brought with me. He looked useful. It’s fine, so don’t mind him.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

“By the way, why is it so noisy?”

Peter asked, glancing at me.

His eyes were already asking if I had killed everyone.

“Did Monsters invade, perhaps?”

“No, sir, nothing like that. It’s quite the opposite.”

Suddenly, the Holy Knight’s face brightened.

“The holy land is in the middle of a festival right now.”

“A festival? What festival.”

“Please don’t be surprised. They say the Resurrector of Him has arrived.”

“Him?”

“Saint Dragorin Ian, I mean. He has been resurrected and has arrived here!”

His voice was full of excitement.

Peter, on the other hand, tilted his head. Then he looked at me.

With a look that was clearly asking, what in the world is this situation?

I was just as bewildered.

What?

Who was resurrected and came here?

“They say He arrived here a week ago. The Saintess has also completed all the verifications. He is definitely the reincarnation of Him!”

Arrived a week ago? The Saintess finished the verification? A definite reincarnator?

What the hell is this?

“He has finally come to save us!”

Hearing such an absurd story, a hollow laugh escaped me.

“This is taking an interesting turn.”

The city was literally in a festive mood.

The sound of people’s laughter spread loudly over the white buildings reminiscent of Santorini.

I raised my gaze higher.

I could see a Barrier, invisible to others.

“The Barrier needs to be fixed.”

The thing, caked in Divinity, was on the verge of breaking.

“Heh.”

Peter, who had been terrified just a moment ago, sneered at me.

The Holy Knight and his right-hand man who had been beside me were all sent away.

“How does it feel? The real Resurrector is here. Where will the fake go now··· Keuk!”

The guy stopped talking and clutched his head.

“This isn’t a curse that a mere S-Rank can break.”

“What does the great Reincarnator plan to do now?”

“I have to meet him.”

“Who. The real one?”

The guy had provoked me at every turn on the way here.

Go on, kill me. Kill me quickly.

That’s what he was clamoring for.

“Do you know this? If you’re caught impersonating the Reincarnator, you won’t even get a clean death. Isaac.”

“I know, right. How on earth did that fake become the real one.”

Peter scoffed.

“In my opinion, they’re both fakes. There’s no way a Reincarnator exists.”

Peter strongly denied it.

Probably because he had to do so to justify the many evil deeds he had committed.

“Both that guy and you are pretty stupid. Why tell a lie that will be found out eventually?”

I’d been thinking about that since a while ago.

Just who is going around impersonating me?

Seeing as he even passed the Saintess’s test, this isn’t something that will just blow over as a simple incident.

“No matter how strong you are, can you take on the entire Order? It would be quite something to take you with me as a companion to the afterlife.”

“Let’s meet the Saintess first.”

Before anything else, I need to start by meeting Casilla.

“Are you serious?”

“About what.”

“It would be more beneficial for you to run away from here. Or do you really believe you are the Reincarnator?”

“You think I’m not?”

“If a crazy bastard like you is the Reincarnator, that in itself is a problem.”

Peter’s eyes wavered.

It’s not true, right? It’s not. Say it’s not.*

That’s what he was saying.

“Now, shut up and guide me to Casilla.”

“That’s not something you can just do so easi—Kuaaak!”

Peter clutched his head.

“I get it, I get it, so stop···”

“No.”

I changed my mind.

“Let’s see that guy first. The one who’s going around impersonating me.”