< Secretary (1) >
The Pantheon, a conglomerate of countless sects, had various factions with similar tendencies and doctrines.
If one was just a simple member, they could focus solely on their faith without worrying about the complex circumstances.
However, as is common with any organization, the higher one rises, the more important politics becomes.
If that position involves being one of the members of the 12-member operational committee that decides the direction of the massive Pantheon, representing a specific faction, it was inevitable that one would get busier with each happening.
Like the woman sitting in the back seat of a car driven by a knight, on her way somewhere.
‘How annoying, but it can’t be helped. That idiot Heinrich had to say something unnecessary…’
Adeline Schneider, a woman with ash-gray hair, closed her eyes tightly and rubbed her temples.
As a member of the Pantheon’s leadership, and also the secretary of the North American branch of the Buncheon Society, she had been overwhelmed with busyness due to recent events.
‘How on earth did he call forth a Gold Dragon? Did he really bring an entirely separate being to Earth? There’s no way anyone could summon such a powerful entity without divine intervention.’
This was an event of a different scale compared to the recent incident where a black magician summoned a Bone Dragon.
That event was quite unusual and made a lot of noise, but the appearance of a fully sentient resident from another world on Earth was, historically speaking, monumental.
Given that situation, it was only natural that the claim made by Heinrich Saint Landgard, the saint of Auterica and the catalyst for this miracle, carried even more weight.
The reason she was so busy managing factions was that the issue had made its way to the operational committee!
‘Tch, it’s never easy with those fanatics. Traitors who conspire with foreign media, polluting this land even though they’re Earthlings… and now they’re falling for the nonsense of aliens.’
Adeline’s expression soured.
Although she had proven her abilities and faith over many years in the Pantheon to reach her current position, she had never considered the other clergy as her companions.
She was merely waiting for the right time per her deity’s will, holding back her patience.
‘In any case, this is troublesome. The name of the Buncheon Society is being openly mentioned here and there. If these fanatics start running wild, it’s going to be exhausting…’
In truth, one could speak highly of the priests, but most who used holy power were no less crazy than the black magic practitioners.
Of course, she would include herself as a special case.
‘There are only bad stories about black magic users. But if you think about it, the mental corruption from holy power is not insignificant either.’
The side effects of holy power were fanaticism.
While it might not be as obvious as black magic, it was a well-known secret that most priests were a little off their rocker.
Given that they were imbued with the powers of divine beings of an overwhelmingly higher caliber, it was only normal for such users to be influenced by the object of their faith.
In a system where the deeper the faith, the stronger the holy power one could use, becoming a high priest conveyed that one was not exactly sane.
“Hoo.”
With a soft sigh, she leaned back against the seat, raising a hand to cover her eyes.
Thinking about all the tasks ahead made her feel a headache creeping in.
‘…It’s okay. It’s still just a discussion stage. Besides, they won’t easily pin me down as the one among the 12 committee members when nothing is confirmed yet.’
As she stalled for time, she would just have to frame everything on the true “Cultist of the Evil God” she had already identified.
She would have to be a little cautious for now, but it wasn’t the time to act recklessly, so that was probably the best plan for now.
‘What a bother. Heinrich… I will definitely get back at you for this… hmm?’
Just then, in the midst of her complicated thoughts—
Kiiiiiing—!
The car she was in suddenly came to a screeching halt.
Her upper body lurched forward due to inertia.
Adeline’s narrowed eyes shot up as her already uncomfortable feelings intensified.
“What’s suddenly going on?”
“I-I’m sorry, priest! Someone cut in front of us all of a sudden…”
Her calm inquiry elicited a response from the driver, causing her eyebrows to twitch.
Sure enough, looking through the front windshield, she saw a suspicious figure wearing a motorcycle helmet blocking the road.
Yet, even after comprehending the cause, her stiff expression did not soften.
‘…When did this person get so close?’
Even though she was active as a priest, she was also recognized as a powerhouse, referred to as a superhuman.
To not have sensed that someone had even approached before seeing them directly was baffling…
Beep! Beep!
“Hey! What are you doing in the middle of the road? Get out of the way!”
Just as she was lost in thought, the driver cautiously raised his voice while honking the horn.
Despite his visible anxiety towards the suspicious figure, he could not hesitate, knowing that one of the Pantheon’s leaders was in the vehicle.
Lingering too long might leave him on Adeline’s bad side, which could cost him his job.
“Ahaha, I’m really sorry… but I have a question to ask.”
“No matter what, you can’t just jump into the road like that! What if there’s an accident?”
“I’m truly sorry, but I’m in quite a rush…”
Apologizing repeatedly calmed the knight a little, as the soft tone and lethargic speech hinted at the figure’s harmlessness.
“So, I was wondering if the person inside is the secretary?”
However, upon hearing that question, the driver’s tension returned.
An unidentified stranger asking about who was inside the vehicle.
It was clear they did not have anyone’s interest in mind.
“Secretary? I can’t tell you who’s inside, but it seems you’ve got the wrong address. I must warn you, the person inside is of a higher standing than you think, so it’s best to back off now.”
Yet, the man didn’t pay any mind to the knight’s warning.
He merely felt the pressure emanating from the back seat and slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
“…It seems I’ve come to the right place.”
“Hey! You seem to be underestimating the situation. There’s no position of secretary in the Pantheon, a religious alliance, and there can never be…”
The knight, who had raised his voice in response, could not finish his thought.
While still seated, he suddenly swayed and fainted, his head crashing against the steering wheel.
BANG!
The horn blared loudly.
Accompanied by that sound, Adeline, emerging slowly from the backseat with her eyes slightly narrowed, gazed at the mysterious figure.
A person dressed in unfit clothing, covered entirely by a helmet, seemed to know her identity precisely.
‘So he activated the barrier without me noticing. Did he prepare it in advance and just trigger it? He’s been waiting to strike from the start.’
Moreover, an eerie, inhuman ambiance leaked from this person, akin to a part of nature itself.
Even she, who had gone through countless battles and high-pressure situations, found it to be quite unfamiliar.
So, before displaying her capabilities, she aimed to gather as much information on her opponent as possible.
“You, I don’t know who you are, but do you have the confidence to handle the aftermath? How dare you assault me, a member of the 12-member committee of the Pantheon? Dying gently won’t be an option for you.”
“Ahaha… I’m not really the type to think about the consequences. To be honest, I’m starting to think coming here was a mistake. I even prepared an air purification magical equipment, and still, it’s hard to breathe in here. Seriously, how do all of you live in a place like this?”
“Cut the pointless chatter. So, what’s your goal?”
Despite the charged atmosphere, a calm conversation sparked between the two standoffs.
It appeared they would resolve this peacefully, however…
“My goal… what else could it be after coming all this way?”
That momentum, however, didn’t last long.
Transparent figures began to appear around the suspicious figure wearing an air-purifying helmet.
These beings were entities one could never have expected to see in this world.
“What I desire is only one thing from the very start.”
“…A spirit?”
Adeline’s face hardened.
These were not just any average spirits.
They were high-tier spirits of a caliber that she couldn’t underestimate.
At that moment, a swarm of them revealed themselves, as if they had been waiting.
“My goal is the destruction of the Buncheon Society. In other words—”
With clear malice directed towards her, the secretary found herself unexpectedly attacked by someone she hadn’t anticipated at all.
“Your death.”
A surprise attack came in an unforeseen manner.
BOOM—!
With a crash of immense noise and destruction.
*
‘Impressive. Their reaction is far better than I had anticipated.’
The high elf Harris, returning to Earth after a long time, nodded slowly inside his helmet.
Normally, the spirits’ powers should have significantly decreased, but thanks to the two previous uses of “Dimension Barrier Mitigation,” the decline was much less than expected.
Rumble—!
High-pressure currents surged from the Lightning Spirit Watt, flames like lava spewed from the Fire Spirit Kali.
A sharp wind manifested from the Wind Spirit Pascal, while a heavy wave rolled out from the Sound Spirit Decibel.
The Earth Spirit Hectar, Light Spirit Lumen, and Water Spirit Litra, all newly contracted and consistently growing in strength, also unleashed their powers as if to show they would not be outdone.
“Cough! Spirits, really? That was completely unexpected. Plus, being able to manipulate so many at once… what kind of unique skill do you possess to be capable of such?”
However, that was not enough to deal with the secretary, who was radiating a sunset-like glow from her entire body.
Clad in divine armor woven from holy power, like a divine messenger, she wielded a large shield and hammer, sustaining the ongoing barrage of spirits.
As if time was on her side.
‘What’s that? …As expected, so it was.’
And having already experienced “Dimension Barrier Mitigation” twice, Harris could sense an oddity within her holy power.
That which all holy power users had to bear.
The inefficiencies caused by the difference in dimension were absent from her.
‘The secretary’s holy power likely originates from the Buncheon Society leader. Since the roots of that power are in the same Earth, it’s only natural that she wouldn’t be affected by the dimension.’
That might be the reason why she had been able to reach such a high position in the Pantheon.
Clearly, her conditions differed from everyone else, making it easier to reach the top without exerting all her power.
‘Well, if we’re talking conditions, Heinrich is in a similar position as well.’
Harris took a small breath, his star-shaped pupils glimmering inside the helmet.
With this air purification equipment, it’s certainly better than trying to breathe freely without it, but as the closest being to nature, his breath was not made merely through his lungs, making it equally arduous.
‘Using spirits makes it feel tougher. I need to finish this as quickly as possible.’
Tightening grip.
With chaos surrounding him, the area bombarded by the attacks of seven high-tier spirits turned into a disaster zone.
He gripped his bow, Themis, made from the branch of the World Tree, tightly.
After all, with the “Soft Eight Trigrams Secret Skill” creating formations around, there was no need to worry about collateral damage.
Using that power, he had already moved the driver and the car he had been in to safety.
For someone like him, capable of manipulating the energies of nature with “Soft Eight Trigrams Secret Skill,” the mystical technique of shaping it was a perfect match.
Moreover, he had received ample knowledge from the Zhuge Family and Gonmudo!
Kiiiiiing—!
An arrow made from the World Tree’s branch held steady in place, poised to be unleashed.
Power rapidly concentrated within it, as if it would be shot in no time.
Goooo—!
Pure natural power, compounded with various elemental energies from spirits, coalesced into one point.
And the moment that destructive energy reached its limits, it broke free.
———!
A beam of light pierced through the air, slicing space itself.
BAAAAAAANG—!
After a massive explosion, Harris’s expression turned rigid.
“Oh, I didn’t see that coming…”
He gazed at a familiar figure blocking his target, the secretary.
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