Chapter 120: Things You Should Never Do at a Funeral (2)
“I’ll save you, no matter what.”
When she heard those words, Aria looked puzzled. As if she didn’t believe me.
Well, thinking about it, I couldn’t really blame her.
I had already failed to heal her once before.
Because of that twisted divine power.
A fortress created by fusing that power with the Emperor’s authority—it was practically impenetrable. It completely blocked out any outside interference, especially anything involving divine energy.
Given who was involved, they must’ve gone to great lengths to ensure it couldn’t spiral out of control—or worse, fall into the wrong hands.
Still… there’s always a loophole.
Sure, the divine power I used in that last strike still hasn’t recovered. But I had another option.
I looked again at the shattered fragment of the Holy Sword.
“Can’t really reattach this to the Holy Sword anymore, can I?”
The sword itself had already been restored.
Of course, since this was a shard from the Holy Sword, it was undeniably a treasure of immense value—worth more than most relics. But even so, its usage was a little... awkward.
So I thought about it.
What’s the most efficient way to use this thing?
I’d hired a whole crew of dwarves, so naturally, the first idea that came to mind was to forge the ultimate shield or set of armor to go with the sword.
But... that just felt like a waste.
This isn’t a game—this is real life. If you die, it’s over. So yeah, armor or a shield to protect yourself is certainly important…
“But I mean, I don’t die even if I get stabbed, right?”
Thanks to this absurd body of mine, that importance kinda fades. I can regenerate even if someone rips out my heart. And my natural defense is better than most armors.
No matter how I looked at it, there just wasn’t a compelling reason for me to wear protective gear.
That’s when it hit me: What if I just strengthened my body instead? Rather than making a half-useful set of armor, why not enhance my body directly?
Use the Holy Sword shard like an elixir.
It was the most efficient choice I could think of.
Not only would it boost my power, but if everything went well, I might even be able to heal Aria with it.
Of course, let’s be clear: the Holy Sword shard is definitely not an elixir.
Sure, it’s overflowing with divine energy and probably contains something like a blessing. If used right, maybe it really could heal Aria…
But it wasn’t made to be consumed.
It’s like eating a rose and expecting your fists to bloom with thorns.
However… maybe I could do it.
This cursed status window of mine still refused to fix itself, so I couldn’t verify things in detail. But I had absorbed all the traits of the World Tree. Sёarch* The NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
And among those traits, there had to be something—
A function that allowed nutrient absorption.
A force that devoured energy and made itself stronger.
I reached out and placed my hand on the Holy Sword fragment lying atop the already-used magic circle. The moment my fingers touched it, I felt it—
Power flowing into me.
…Faster than I expected.
I thought it’d take hours. Maybe it worked this quickly because the Holy Sword’s power resonated with me?
[■■’s Authority absorbs the curse.]
It wasn’t just absorbing fast—it was even sucking in the curse. But since curses didn’t affect me anyway, I wasn’t too concerned.
After finishing the process, I took a deep breath.
I tried circulating my energy once—and instantly, I felt my divine power had grown.
Honestly, I thought the increase would be negligible. My divine energy was already broken beyond reason, so I doubted I’d notice any real change…
But no—this was the Holy Sword after all.
Not only had my divine power grown, my physical body felt strengthened too. The result was more than satisfying.
…Now, I was ready.
I walked over to Aria once more, still lying there.
Her face was filled with even greater shock than before. Given her current state, she couldn’t speak—but I could pretty much guess what she was thinking.
A sword said to be forged by the gods.
A shard steeped in a severe curse.
And I had just absorbed it like it was nothing.
If she wasn’t shocked, that would’ve been stranger.
I joked, asking her if she only now realized I wasn’t bluffing earlier, as I crouched beside her.
This was where the real show began.
The moment my hand touched her body, a violent resistance surged up.
An overwhelming tide of corrupted divine energy and authoritarian control flooded in, ready to seize me.
Aria looked at me with worried eyes.
But she didn’t need to.
All of it—every drop of it—lost its power the moment it touched me. No matter how immense the force, it had zero effect on my mind.
Which was a good thing.
The power that had rushed in to suppress me? That same force had also weakened the things keeping Aria trapped.
“Siel, do you think you can decipher it?”
At my question, Siel hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
I figured as much. If it were just a divine energy formation, maybe.
But this wasn’t just divine power.
They’d modified her body.
Injected that warped divine power into her.
Then layered on the Emperor’s authority of domination.
This was the current Aria.
A mess of tangled forces.
No matter how skilled Siel was, expecting her to reverse-engineer something this complex was unrealistic.
But… I had already considered that.
If the thread’s too tangled to unravel…
Then just burn the whole damn thing.
With overwhelming firepower.
I’d smother her in power—enough to wipe out all traces of that warped divine energy and authority in one shot.
There was no other way to save her.
…I clenched my teeth.
I pressed my hand against her back and gathered everything I had.
All of my divine power—plus the life force of the World Tree—
Condensed in one place, ready to burst.
My hand—literally splitting open under the strain.
But I didn’t hesitate.
What I needed now was maximum output.
Even just once—only once would be enough.
I had to unleash enough power to wipe away every last trace of the force that had been binding Aria.
So I pushed past my limits…
And poured everything I had into that one, fleeting moment.
A burst of light erupted, swallowing the world.
A blinding radiance—so bright it seared the eyes. Feathers scattered from the wings that had unfolded behind me at some point.
And in the very same instant, the energy that had clung to her vanished completely.
The power that clouded memory, paralyzed thought, and reduced humans to puppets—
That vile, coercive authority—was gone without a trace.
But…
“...Ian.”
“I’m okay, Siel. Just… a little tired.”
It wasn’t enough.
Yes, I succeeded in burning away all the energy that was interfering with her healing.
But I hadn’t healed her.
Over time, that corrupted energy had soaked into her body—become part of her. Even though I expelled the foreign force, her body itself was now rejecting divine energy.
I had used up so much power I could barely remain conscious… and yet it amounted to nothing more than first aid.
Staggering, I barely managed to keep myself upright by leaning on the Holy Sword as I let out a deep breath.
“Is this my limit...?”
I had saved Aria.
I couldn’t regrow the limbs she had lost, but at least I’d closed her fatal wounds.
Still… full recovery looked grim.
Even if I gave everything I had, this was all I could manage. Regrowing severed body parts would take months at the very least. Restoring her magical circuits would take decades.
And time wasn’t something we had.
On top of that, I couldn’t just pour my divine power into her every single day. That meant restoring her strength… was all but impossible.
“...I guess I’ll have to settle for this much.”
It was frustrating, but…
This really was the best I could do right now.
Still, it wasn’t all for nothing.
She had knowledge no one else did. Her swordsmanship, her combat techniques—there was much I could learn.
To gain the teachings of someone once called the Weapon Master was no small thing.
…It just killed me that I couldn’t bring back the strength she once had. A power that had been so magnificent.
But in the end, I’d have to let go.
There was no miracle waiting to appear and fix this out of nowhere. It was better to just… accept that—
“…Wait.”
I stopped mid-thought.
Now that I really thought about it…
Wasn’t there still one option left?
A way to completely, perfectly heal her.
****
The stench of blood choked the air.
A grotesque scene, soaked in blood and torn flesh.
And amid that nightmare… white feathers drifted gently through the air—completely out of place.
They were pure.
Even when they brushed against red, sticky blood, they didn’t lose their color. There was no better word for it than sacred.
A dazzling light radiated out.
Naturally, everyone at the scene turned to face the direction the light was coming from.
And then they saw—him.
The one responsible for this horrific scene.
Or more precisely, the priests who were still torturing the prince… turned to face him.
A boy. Noble beyond words. Wings of light stretched out behind him as he pressed his hands together in prayer.
Not a soul spoke.
No one dared utter a word in the presence of that boy.
In that silent, reverent atmosphere, the boy slowly walked toward them… and opened his mouth.
“There is someone who needs help. Please—may I ask for your strength?”
At that moment—
There was only one possible response they could give.
The bloodstained fools burst into tears of joy and raised their voices in prayer. And in the midst of them, Cardinal Dominic let out a manic grin and cried out:
“The Saint has called upon us!!”
[ Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the release of "I Accidentally Created a Villainous Organization" and 4 chapters ahead of the release of "I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess": /Jade43 ]