<Episode 80>
“Fidgety guy.”
He followed Urd, grumbling. As they entered the white celestial fortress, they passed through seven doors and headed towards the central altar.
Following the long marble path, at the end, it revealed a collapsed wall and ceiling, and a young man comfortably sitting in front of the stone altar.
It was none other than Lord Calepa.
Bernard and Urd swallowed their dry saliva and stopped fifteen steps away, kneeling down.
“Calepa, Calepa, Cale…”
“Are both of you still hesitating?”
Under their bowed heads, the two men’s gazes briefly met.
“…”
“…”
At the end of the lengthening silence, a faint sound of a tongue clicking was heard.
“If you want to keep Rogue’s reputation and lineage intact, you must cross the fourth wall as soon as possible.”
“…….”
“…….”
“Looking at how you’re ready to be scolded, you seem to still be far from it. The Calepas of Rogue, aging… It’s the same as 50 years ago.
“The only one in the world who says that about us is Lord Calepa.”
When he managed to muster up the courage to squeeze out a few words, Urd glared at him.
It was a challenging gaze, questioning how he’d dared to reply to Lord Calepa’s nagging.
From a distance, a faint laughter could be heard.
“If you’re unhappy, then give up your position and go on a journe around the world. You’ll see better results than being stuck here in this garden, reading books and trying to control your emotions. Like a scholar, you know.”
“…Wasn’t Skuld sent to find the relics of Dian Cecht?”
“Well, that was how it was supposed to be. Right now, I’m the one in charge of that task.”
Lord Calepa was searching for the relics on behalf of Skuld?
Both Bernd and Urde were so surprised that they raised their heads abruptly.
“You mean you’re doing it yourself, Lord Calepa? Why… I will immediately grab that scoundrel by the collar and bring him here! Please wait a moment!”
“Forget it. That’s not why I came here, Urd. Both of you, come here.”
With improved expressions, the two approached Lord Calepa.
Even after several years, Calepa returned unchanged, radiating a dazzling presence.
His hair seemed to shimmer with a bluer hue than the sea under the iridescent sunlight that seeped through the cracks in the ceiling.
Lord Calepa remained as strong and resolute as ever.
The impact of that fact on the two men’s psychological stability was significant.
While they were feeling deeply relieved, Lord Calepha asked Urd.
“How many Heart Crystals are left in the sanctuary?”
“119.”
“Bring me the heart of a sinner.”
“Yes.”
Urd, spiraling out of the room, quickly returned.
The heart crystal he handed over to Lord Calepa was a very common round crimson crystal.
“Here is the heart of the devotee Fel. While crossing the third barrier, he lost his sanity, killed three fellow devotees, and then committed suicide. Since he had no family, we kept his heart in the sanctuary.”
Lord Calepa did not ask any trivial questions like, ‘Why do you consider Devotee Fel a sinner?’
“From this moment on, both of you will closely observe the changes in my soul.”
With just a brief statement, he swiftly grabbed the heart and placed it in his mouth.
Urd couldn’t hide his confusion.
“Lord Calepa?”
“Hmm. It’s a bit bitter.”
He even savored the taste, taking it a step further.
“Well, how is it? Did anything change?”
Bernard agonized.
‘Has Lord Calepa lost his mind for once in his long life?’
However, unlike Bernard, who was preoccupied with what was in front of him, Urd was faithfully carrying out Lord Calepa’s command.
He parted his lips, as if waiting to ask a question.
“Forgive me for the audacious question… but is it possible that consuming someone else’s heart disrupts the balance of the soul?”
“For now, we are speculating that it might.”
“After Lord Calepa consumed the heart, there was a very subtle tremor in his soul. However, it was so small that it couldn’t be noticed without careful observation, and now even that is gone.”
Bernard was astonished.
Heart crystals were objects created because of pure affection.
They were not made for any special benefits but rather to carry the wishes of deceased family or friends, to comfort the souls of those who continue to live.
Therefore, the heart of a sinner was not made into a crystal. It was only accepted as an exception in cases like Devotee Fel, who unintentionally committed murder.
‘It’s such an item that holds such an important meaning. No one would have ever thought of swallowing it. But I’d never expected it to affect the soul.’
From Lord Calepa’s lukewarm reaction, it seemed like he already knew about the matter.
Urd added.
“The soul became a bit hazy. If a stronger heart is consumed, the form of the soul might temporarily collapse.”
“Oh, really? Then try bringing me the heart of a slightly more heinous sinner this time.”
Urd brought the heart of a former devotee who had recently converted. This time, Bernard also observed the moment Lord Calepa swallowed the heart without missing a beat.
“It trembled longer and more violently. It seemed to be momentarily blurred. Now it has returned to normal.”
“Well then, what do you think would happen if I were to consume your hearts?”
The Calepa was asking what would happen if he consumed the hearts of Huwis.
“The soul would violently fluctuate, causing an impact on the physical body. But even if we call it an impact, it might not go beyond some bruising.”
“Then let me rephrase the question. What do you think would happen if a Yette were to consume a Calepa’s heart?”
Bernard and Urd nodded firmly, their tone resolute.
“They would die. Quite miserably.”
“Both the physical body and the soul would be ruthlessly shattered, I presume.”
“You innocent fools. Don’t you even consider the opposite?”
Opposite? Urd and Bernard’s eyes met in the air.
The annihilation of the soul and the body. If it’s the opposite…
“No way.”
Bernard responded with eyes filled with disbelief.
“Are you saying that we can resurrect the dead using the Heart Crystal?”
Instead of answering, Lord Calepa chuckled softly. His silence was a confirmation in itself.
‘It’s quite a plausible hypothesis. Changing the form of the soul could also mean rebuilding the soul.’
This could be considered a groundbreaking discovery of the century.
However, Bernard couldn’t help but find the results of today’s experiment intriguing.
‘Experiments like this…’
They were unlike the Lord Calepa, unlike Rogue.
Because they were dangerous.
“You’re scared, aren’t you?”
Bernard didn’t deny the low, rumbling voice.
“…Lord Calepa, who sees right through our minds. As we age, our fears only grow. I apologize. I’m ashamed to see you.”
All followers of Rogue bow before the Lord Calepa, showing as much respect as they do to their parents and teachers.
He doesn’t seek to dominate the world through strength.
He simply exists as the sole powerful being, observing his followers like a god and guiding them onto the right path.
The Lord Calepa was Rogue. At least, that’s how it has been in this generation.
“It’s not much different for me. That’s why I’m concerned.”
Urd asked cautiously with a puzzled look in his eyes.
“If you say you’re concerned…”
“Do I really have to go to such lengths to save them?”
Bernard and Urd’s eyes met again in the air.
‘To save them?’
‘Who?’
A sudden question sprang in their mind.
What kind of experiences had the Calepa had in the past four years that would lead to a discussion of saving or not saving someone from his precious lips?
‘I’m curious.’
They say that as you get older, you become more nosy. His lips, which had been fine just now, began to twitch, and he couldn’t stay still.
“Who is that… person?”
“What do you mean?”
Hmm.
After a short and ambiguous pause, a concise word popped out.
“Cute.”
…Cute?
‘Did I hear that wrong?’
No, that couldn’t be. Lord Calepa clearly said “cute.”
Judging by Urd’s bewildered expression, it was clear that he heard it correctly.
“…Did you happen to have a child on the outside?”
Otherwise, there’s no way those words would come out of his mouth.
Considering Lord Calepa’s age, nearing 180, he might have changed his mind…
“A child?”
For the first time, the benevolent Lord Calepa formed a scary smile.
“Do you want to die?”
“Gasp.”
To make such a statement, asking if he wanted to die, from his noble tongue!
Sensing the situation, Urd slammed his forehead on the ground and berated him with all his might.
“You pathetic fool. How dare you utter such insane words to the Lord Calepa? Just bury your face in the ground and die.”
Even though it was a topic even he was curious about.
Bernard swallowed his grievances and focused his entire mind on know-towing.
well, that’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed the chapters! (sorry Lili T-T for worrying youu, it’s not too bad at all)
ALSO RUE CALLING DAISY CUTE IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE AHHH
Thank you! Your translations brighten my mornings
Rue watched Daisy catch a priceless artifact in her mouth like a dog and was like “I simply have no choice but to risk it all for her”
He’s right though, Our Miss Daisy really is cute.
On a serious note, I had been thinking that Rue had been the one who brought Daisy back to life for some reason or another but it seems that using the heart crystals for resurrection is something he had also not been considering until now. So who was it and whose heart did they use? Maybe Skulds heart since he’s MIA. As for our necromancer….could it have been Natasha?
Thanks for the chapters!
It could also be the heart Rue was looking for in Queen Island.
Oh I love the Natasha theory! It’s mentioned she’s no longer crown Princess… So what happened to her?
Well that’s a really tough choice, to give her what are hearts, and maybe that he’ll have to give himself up for her to live. I know Rue likes her, but I can’t fathom the extent of it. He’s considering very extreme options, at the moment just for her to be alive.
Also, ame, I hope that you’ll be ok!!
I absolutely get why taking a break from things is sometimes better than stressing about them, that we just need to escape life for a while. Actually, reading novels and manwhas is the same for me.
The reason for my concern is that during this week I also had to study for a test and well… deal with a nonexistent sleep schedule for a couple of days. So yeah, upcoming tests already come with stress, I couldn’t imagine what that added with the amount of work you put into your translations would feel like. The advice still stands, take a break once you can (if this is your break there ain’t much I can tell you, but to pace yourself).
Well now that the heart to heart is over, good luck on your exam, and thank you for your hard work!!
my exam is still farrr, but I get stressed anyway, since stressed is better than careless. thank you for the advice, Lili, and good job on getting through those exams! I will pace myself for sure now, since I translated a bunch of chapters already (haven’t posted some of them yet) haha.. I liked it though. I enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you for the chapter!
Rue’s followers sould reduce their zeal ’cause I don’t think that being religion zealot is good for body and mind unity.
Thank youuu~
I need more intimate skinship lovely moments of our main leads. To the extent that I can write a fan fiction rn.