Chapter 97
Talent
“…I’m sorry, Sir Shaperia. I cannot accept your sword.”
Shaperia, who had been holding out her sword with both hands, returned it to its sheath.
Rising to her feet, she said,
“The truth is, I am not qualified. I know that perfectly well.”
Although her oath had been rejected, Shaperia appeared completely unbothered.
She remained perfectly composed, as though she had expected it.
She knew that she was not qualified to serve Johan.
Fundamentally, Shaperia was not a knight.
She could not wield aura, nor had she been born a noble.
She possessed none of the qualifications expected of a knight.
To become a knight of a noble house—especially a prestigious house belonging to the Council—one needed the appropriate credentials.
At the very least, one had to prove a basic level of martial prowess.
Of course, Johan could ignore all such conventions and appoint Shaperia as his knight.
As the head of a house belonging to the Council, he possessed the authority to confer knighthood.
But Shaperia did not want a shortcut.
She wished to prove her worth herself.
Johan spoke.
“You are more than qualified. Do not belittle yourself.”
Shaperia shook her head.
“As I am now, I do not possess the strength to protect you, Baron. Forget becoming a knight—I am hardly qualified to become even a squire. Therefore, I intend to open my dantian.”
She meant to train in aura.
Johan was somewhat startled.
The moment Shaperia opened her dantian, she would no longer be able to wield divine power.
Even receiving a blessing would become impossible.
She would no longer be able to serve the Sacred One.
—I will choose you over the Sacred One.
That was how it sounded to Johan.
It came as quite a shock.
“…Sir Shaperia, do you intend to cast aside your faith?”
Shaperia answered immediately.
“No. To me, serving you is itself an act of devotion to the Sacred One.”
Johan was puzzled.
“How are those two things connected?”
“As you know, the Sacred One withdrew my holy power. No matter how much I contemplated it, I could not understand why. But after spending time with you during this incident, I finally came to understand the Sacred One’s profound intentions.”
The Sacred One’s profound intentions.
Johan was extremely curious to hear what those might be.
“What exactly do you think those intentions were?”
Shaperia replied calmly.
“I believe it was a revelation commanding me to serve you.”
Johan was suddenly overcome by the urge to slap his own forehead.
Religious zealots…
Shaperia connected every coincidence and event to divine providence.
This is absurd.
There was only one reason she had lost her holy power.
Johan was responsible.
In the past, Johan had found Shaperia’s Eye of Judgment troublesome, so he had stripped away her power to eliminate it.
Shaperia shook her head.
“I am certain that is not the case. Why else would the Sacred One have deliberately shown me a miracle?”
“…A miracle?”
“I mean your survival after using the Brilliant Sigil, Baron. That itself was a miracle.”
It had merely been an illusion created through Belzarak.
Did I overdo it?
The illusion had caused Shaperia to form an excessively grand image of Johan.
Johan swallowed a groan.
“Well, I suppose that is true, but…”
“That was when I became certain. You are an emissary of the Sacred One, Baron, and I have a duty to support you.”
Over the past several hours, Shaperia had personally witnessed Johan’s selflessness, faith, and unwavering sense of duty.
She could not help but respect him.
Combined with the numerous coincidences, it now felt like a divine revelation.
Johan wanted to let out a hollow laugh.
He could not bring himself to do so.
Shaperia’s misconception was entirely his fault.
Johan kept his expression as composed as possible.
None of this had anything to do with the Sacred One.
“I still don’t understand how losing your holy power could lead you to interpret it as a revelation.”
Shaperia explained calmly.
“Ever since I lost my holy power, you and I have repeatedly crossed paths in matters both large and small. It began with the incident involving Sir Rael, continued through the southwestern quarantine zone, and ultimately led to the present incident involving His Highness Gawain. Our fates have continued to intertwine.”
Sir Rael’s corpse had inexplicably been discovered at the site where the Apostle Beris appeared, so Shaperia had been dispatched to the baron’s house as a spy.
Nothing unusual had been found, and the investigation had been closed.
She had assumed that her connection with Johan had ended there.
She had been wrong.
Later, the group of slash-and-burn farmers she had encountered by chance happened to be Johan’s benefactors.
Shaperia had escorted them to his territory.
When she arrived, she discovered that Johan needed her help.
In this way, their connection had continued.
Johan furrowed his brow.
“It looks like a series of simple coincidences to me.”
“Still, I suppose your theory does have some merit.”
He decided to simply play along.
There was no point in arguing with her.
Johan was not foolish enough to debate a fanatic about her god.
He simply wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible.
Shaperia’s expression brightened slightly.
“I knew you would understand, Baron.”
“Yes, well…”
“I will begin cultivating aura today, so that I may serve you in the future.”
Shaperia looked ready to open her dantian that very moment.
Someone like her would probably learn to wield aura in no time.
Before long, she would reach astonishing heights.
At least, that was how it had been described in the Demonic Record.
Shaperia’s talent in martial arts was unmatched.
Johan stared at her and fell briefly into thought.
Shaperia wielding aura…
Objectively speaking, she would be an exceptional asset.
One day, she might even reach the level of a Sword Saint.
From Johan’s perspective, that meant he could gain a Sword Saint as his subordinate.
There was no real justification for refusing her.
…Perhaps I should simply accept a fortunate outcome.
This was unquestionably an unexpected blessing.
Then why does it feel so unsettling?
He could not understand the reason.
After pondering for quite some time, Johan spoke.
“Very well, for now. Let us discuss this again after you have opened your dantian.”
Shaperia smiled brightly.
“I will be sure to live up to your expectations.”
Johan found her gaze somewhat burdensome, but he did not show it.
“Then shall we return to the matter at hand?”
Shaperia turned her gaze toward Gawain.
“We have kept His Highness waiting. How may I assist you?”
Shaperia was necessary to prevent Gawain’s corruption from progressing.
Johan had intended to connect her soul to the cursed spear Turavak.
Shaperia would become a demon in Gawain’s place.
She would become his sacrificial victim.
But the situation had now changed somewhat.
Shaperia bore Johan tremendous goodwill.
Keeping her human might produce greater benefits than turning her into a demon.
After thinking briefly, Johan spoke.
“I will need your help in the Abyss. There is nothing you can do here at the moment. Could you return to the castle at this time tomorrow? We can discuss the details then.”
Johan needed about a day to think.
Should he keep Shaperia human, or should he corrupt her?
The moment he chose one of those options, future events would change considerably.
It was not a decision he could make hastily.
Shaperia replied,
“Understood. I will see you again tomorrow.”
The two immediately left the Forbidden Archive.
***
Johan sat in his office chair, tapping the armrest with his fingers.
He had contemplated the issue for quite some time, yet he still could not decide what to do with Shaperia.
If he kept her human, Gawain would become a problem.
He could think of no other way to halt Gawain’s corruption.
…Should I search for another favored child instead of Shaperia?
The favored children of the Sacred One shared portions of their souls with one another.
If Johan used one of them, he could transfer ownership of the cursed spear Turavak.
What a nuisance. Far too much of one.
He already had plenty of work to do. He did not have time to search for another favored child.
Johan released a long sigh.
At that moment, a familiar voice reached him.
“What were the two of you discussing for so long?”
Ilea entered the office.
A faint smile rested on her lips.
Johan spoke.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Shaperia. You spent quite a long time with that woman in the Forbidden Archive.”
For some reason, her tone sounded slightly cold.
Johan replied expressionlessly.
“She said she wanted to serve me as her lord.”
Ilea clapped her hands.
“My, that’s wonderful. She’ll obediently follow your orders, so our work in the Abyss should become much easier.”
“I thought the same. However, I’ve become a little greedy.”
Some of the amusement disappeared from Ilea’s face.
“Greedy for what?”
“I want to use Shaperia in a different way. Given her talent, she could become a great help in everything that lies ahead.”
“Shaperia is merely an ordinary human. You were the one who made her that way, Johan.”
“She says she intends to train in aura.”
“…For you?”
“Something like that, I suppose. Honestly, I don’t fully understand it myself. Let’s just say it’s because of her faith.”
Ilea fell silent for a moment.
Then she spoke.
“I’m against it.”
“Why?”
“She was a spy for the Order.”
“She no longer is.”
“I know, but I still don’t like her.”
Johan frowned.
“…That isn’t a particularly helpful opinion.”
“I’m merely telling you how I feel. Objectively speaking, if she is even willing to learn aura, there is no real reason to refuse her.”
Johan nodded.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“On a separate note, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Shaperia is quite beautiful, isn’t she?”
Johan’s expression twisted slightly.
“Is that really important in our current situation?”
“It’s quite important to me.”
Johan clicked his tongue.
“Leave. I don’t have time to exchange pointless jokes.”
When he waved her away, Ilea immediately turned around.
As she left the office, she said,
“Either way, I’m against it.”
Johan sighed and returned to his thoughts.
If possible, he needed to reach a decision before the day ended.
Night fell, and the sun rose again.
Throughout that entire time, Johan did not take a single step out of his office.
He still had not reached a decision.
Even now, with Shaperia standing before him, he remained conflicted.
Shaperia looked at him with concern.
“Baron, are you all right? The area beneath your eyes has turned completely dark.”
Johan forced a smile.
“I didn’t sleep very well.”
“If you are tired, shall I return tomorrow?”
Johan nearly nodded, but stopped himself.
Dragging this out any longer would not help him reach a conclusion.
He finally made up his mind.
“No. Let us descend to the Forbidden Archive.”
Shaperia smiled brightly.
“Before that, there is something I would like to show you.”
A subtle confidence appeared on her face.
“What is it?”
Shaperia suddenly drew her sword.
“See for yourself.”
At that moment, a loud humming vibration echoed through the office.
It was the sound of something activating.
“Surely…”
Johan’s thoughts abruptly ceased.
Transparent ripples spread from the tip of Shaperia’s sword and engulfed the office.
Johan’s skin tingled sharply.
He shot to his feet.
“Aura!”
Shaperia smiled and nodded.
“I opened my dantian last night.”
She had achieved aura in a single day?
It was utterly unbelievable.
Johan froze stiff.
Beside him, Hakain dropped his pipe.
He stared at Johan in astonishment.
“…Where in the world did you pick up a monster like this?”
Johan had not picked her up.
She was a treasure that had rolled into his hands all on its own.