< Pantheon (2) >
A large office adorned with majestic paintings on the walls.
Drrrr—
In the midst of the strangely heavy atmosphere, a gray-haired woman in uniform spun the wheel of her mouse.
Her indifferent blue eyes scanned the rapidly descending monitor, and a small smirk crept onto her lips.
“Heinrich Saint Landgard. The saint of Auterica.”
A cold voice followed from her lips.
A pair of luminous blue eyes fixated on the silver-haired handsome man vividly displayed on the monitor.
‘He first appeared on Earth about last month. And just recently, the Head confirmed his existence in another dimension.’
The woman—head of the Buncheon Society’s North America branch, the Secretary—slowly sank into her chair with her fingers pressed together.
The cold smile on her lips deepened.
“…It seems that crossing dimensions is indeed true.”
If not, it couldn’t explain the temporal and spatial differences.
Given that the Head personally confirmed and affirmed the counterpart, it was an undeniable truth.
It was hard to believe, but it was certain that the other party had the ability to transcend the walls of dimensions freely.
‘For now, it seems he can only travel between his original dimension and Earth.’
That alone was undeniably impressive.
Except for the Head, who had already ascended to the divine ranks, such a feat had never been witnessed until now.
However, the problem troubling her was more than just that fact.
“Of all things, he had to say such pointless words…”
With a soft complaint, her brows furrowed.
His revealing of his identity was the cause of her distress.
The evil faction conspiring to destroy the entire dimension.
To eradicate the secret forces that had taken root on Earth.
That was the noble cause put forth by the saint of that foreign realm, Heinrich.
The organization targeted was, in fact, the Buncheon Society, to which she belonged.
‘First, I need to confirm how much he knows about us.’
She gently closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
He seemed to be quite a capable talent, and initially, her goal was to recruit him, but now that she had already clashed with the Head, she couldn’t maintain that route anymore.
“The head of the inquiry team was Jason, right?”
A Knight known for his unyielding temper, somewhat hot-headed yet paradoxically valuing rationality.
She knew him well enough already.
She had utilized his personality to lead him where she wanted more than once.
‘Will it go well? I hope I can buy some time, at least.’
She recalled the conversation she had with Jason through communication not long ago.
She had said a few words to stimulate his rationality and undermine his trust in the White Knight, but she had no certainty about its usefulness.
“Saint… the saint…”
While mumbling to herself and lightly tapping the table, the Secretary suddenly paused, stayed quiet for a moment, then burst into a light laugh.
She felt that her current worries were utterly useless.
Swish—
Holy Power, like the colors of a sunset, radiated from her body.
She quietly gazed at the energy pooling in her hands, twisting her lips into a smirk.
Whether he was truly from another world or not, it was already far too late for such things.
It wasn’t as if a deity had personally come down but merely a puppet-like saint, limited in what he could accomplish.
The one she followed was undeniably the Holy God of Earth.
Thus, her worries now seemed like needless old woman concerns.
“Still, I can’t just sit still.”
The interest of the public towards the White Knight stemmed from their inability to easily accept his existence.
But if it turned out that most of what he said was false, and he couldn’t even properly prove his own words…
‘There are countless excuses he could make. No matter how he tries to explain, if I steer things that way, it will suffice.’
If he couldn’t provide irrefutable, solid evidence, his claims would naturally lose their power.
Dealing with him would come afterward.
Slowly nodding, the Secretary rose from her seat and headed out of the office.
‘Perhaps this will end more easily than I thought.’
The sunset-hued Holy Power left behind fluttered and scattered chaotically.
*
The conversation that began after Heinrich took his seat progressed smoothly.
Since they already had some knowledge of each other, and given his demonstrated abilities, there was no friction.
Heinrich’s popularity among the people was not to be overlooked.
It was only natural that other agencies, including the government, didn’t want to unnecessarily antagonize him.
They were satisfied enough with having established a connection and dialogue with the sensational figure.
“…But isn’t it true that you can freely traverse between the two worlds, Brother Heinrich?”
Naturally, with Heinrich being such a hot-button topic, it was expected that the conversation would focus on him.
A middle-aged man with brown hair and a well-groomed short beard, the Priest Jason sent from the Pantheon Headquarters in the USA, brought up the subject, and everyone’s face lit up with excitement.
For them, this was their principal concern.
“I’ve heard that too. Dimension traveling! I could never have imagined it was possible!”
“It’s such an amazing feat. How is it possible…? It must be thanks to the power of the gods, right?”
“How often can you come back…”
“How does time differ…”
As if waiting for the right moment, they bombarded Heinrich with eager questions, to which he gently smiled and answered methodically.
“…The reason I can’t often make appearances is indeed because of time differences. I have to focus on my world, after all.”
In the friendly atmosphere, questions and answers flew back and forth.
Among them were truths, a mix of truths and lies, and complete falsehoods, but all were clearly filled with content that turned modern common sense on its head.
And understandably—.
“…Hmm, I have something to say about that.”
Such one-sided claims were bound to be met with skepticism from others.
“I understand that you possess great abilities, Brother. Just being here, sitting across from you, makes me tremble in my flesh.”
As Jason, who had been quietly listening, spoke, all eyes turned to him.
In the clergy, Holy Power was the most definitive way to prove one’s faith.
Having seen it firsthand in this way, they couldn’t dare to voice any objections on that front.
Though the issue was that it was entirely separate from what he wished to express now.
“However, I still don’t fully understand your other statements. Especially your claim of being from another world, Brother Heinrich.”
The clear distrust behind those words made Heinrich slowly nod his head.
It was the reaction he had anticipated.
[Only the Awakened Ones of Earth can traverse dimensions.]
That had already been established as common knowledge among Earthlings for over twenty years.
Amidst this, a person suddenly claiming to be from another world had emerged, so it was hardly believable.
It could be said it was only twenty years, but in reality, a great cataclysm occurred, which had never happened before in history, so those twenty years weren’t short at all.
“And you also mentioned that you came to eradicate evil, as directed by the gods. You said that there is a secret organization lurking on Earth that conspired to bring down an entire dimension… Heh.”
Continuing, Jason chuckled and shook his head.
Then, surveying the group before him, he fixed his gaze straight at Heinrich and spoke again.
“If such an organization exists, then why are they staying silent right now? If they possess the capability to bring multiple dimensions to ruin, Earth should be an easy target.”
“I’ve also looked into Auterica. They were on the verge of destroying the world long ago, engaging in a war against the Undead King. But for a group of such caliber to be plotting such a catastrophe…”
His initially calm tone began to rise in agitation.
It started as a composed assessment of the situation but gradually transformed into what resembled an interrogation.
“Frankly, our Pantheon may not have the strongest cohesion, but it is vast enough to embrace the entire globe. It’s not much different from the World Returnee Association’s scope, is it?”
“If such a force existed, we would definitely have known. No, not just us, no one else has heard of them either. Until you mentioned them, Brother Heinrich.”
In the silence, Jason’s words continued to resonate, with Heinrich feeling the collective agreement from everyone’s silence.
In truth, they hadn’t spoken out loud, but it meant that everyone shared the same thought.
‘…This is dangerous. It seems the distrust is greater than I anticipated. Did I take this too lightly?’
Indeed, all his claims had presupposed that he had truly come from another world by the will of the gods.
If that foundational condition lost credibility, all his assertions would naturally become hollow cries.
‘If you think about it, I’m also a true Earthling.’
In truth, even now, there weren’t many people who fully believed his words.
Many simply maintained a neutral stance, influenced by Heinrich’s overwhelming abilities and the aura of ‘faith’ exuding from him.
‘Ultimately, to raise the credibility of my claims, I have to definitively prove that I am a dimension traveler from another world…’
The issue was that Earth was a place where people with all sorts of unusual powers gathered together.
The probability of him being rebutted while trying to demonstrate his abilities was exceedingly high.
‘If I had more time, it wouldn’t be a problem.’
As time passed, those returning from Auterica might lend credibility to his claims.
Of course, that would only support his ability to travel between worlds, not conclusively prove that he was indeed a being from another world.
‘But right now, time is of the essence.’
Ultimately, it was crucial to shatter the fixed notion that only Awakened Ones from Earth could cross dimensions.
But how on earth could he do that?
He needed utterly undeniable, universally acknowledged evidence.
Something so clear-cut that anyone would have no choice but to accept it upon seeing it.
“Ah, I see. Then let me show you.”
“Um?”
“Excuse me?”
…He had it.
Actually, there wasn’t much to think about.
Such things were far too easy for him.
‘In this world, it’s not uncommon for humans who cross over to become vampires or werewolves. Some even possess the ability to transform into entirely different beings.’
But even that had its limits.
And the most effective approach would be…
‘Alright, since it’s turned out this way, let’s go all out. Instead of doing things half-heartedly, it’s better to envelop everything in shock. I’ll make it so they have no choice but to believe, even if they don’t want to.’
While the people around him were taken aback, Heinrich, with his eyes closed and hands clasped, spoke in a solemn tone.
“…The gods have answered. They wish to send their other kin to this land.”
“Excuse me?”
Confusion spread among those who exchanged glances with one another at his sudden statement.
But regardless of their reactions, the situation started to take an unexpected turn.
“Then let’s call it forth right now.”
“Uh, no…”
“Hey, Brother Heinrich?”
As if intent on not giving them a moment to think, he ignored those calling out to him and leapt to his feet.
He then strode over and flung open one of the windows.
“Brother Heinrich? Calling? What for…?”
“There exists an entity that cannot possibly be in this world.”
He looked up at the clear sky and continued, as if in praise.
“The Sentinel of Dimensions and the Harmonizer of Balance. And by the will of the gods, the Guardian who observes the world.”
Responding to those words.
Crackle—!
Sparks flew in the middle of the clear sky.
This wasn’t just a one-off; it continued to happen, expanding its range over time.
Given the unusual reactions, everyone sitting jumped to their feet in unison.
“W-What?”
“W-wait a minute! We’re in the middle of Seoul…!”
However, before someone could finish their foreboding cry, Fwoosh—
With a dazzling golden radiance.
[Krroooooo—!]
A roar filled with an overwhelming presence swept through the vicinity.
The place where the anomaly occurred revealed an enormous being covered in a beautiful golden wave— dozens of meters in size.
Wheeee—! Wheeee—!
At the same time, a loud siren echoed throughout the city.
The peaceful city fell into chaos, and the uproar that erupted here and there turned the area into a battleground.
‘I feel a bit sorry, but… this much should be acceptable.’
The recent debate wasn’t just about convincing those present.
His words had spread throughout the world via various media.
Thus, to make everyone accept his assertions and take them seriously, he had to imbed them firmly in the minds of the global population.
Glancing back at those who had been talking to him moments ago, Heinrich realized that his plan had struck true.
“What is that…?”
“Whoa!”
One and all gaped with their mouths agape, staring blankly out the window.
Anyone who faced that entity would instinctively know.
That creature was not something that could be mimicked through artificial means.
With overwhelming differences in status and kind, there was no comparison to fantastical transformations or powers.
[Krroooooo—!]
Flap— Flap—
The Gold Dragon, with a Yeouiju in its mouth, roared once again.
Having come out for a long-awaited outing to cool his head, it was as if it was announcing its presence to this Earth.
< Pantheon (2) > End
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