Chapter 299

The culture and customs of the Coritan people felt foreign from the perspective of an Accretian citizen. They followed a different path than the Bellato Federation.  

The Bellato Federation was a nation that inherited the culture of Earth. They were the closest to humanity’s origins.  

Because of this, there was significant cultural overlap between Bellato and Accretia. Both societies shared a fundamentally materialistic worldview.  

'But Corita is different.'  

The Holy Corite Alliance was a theocracy. It was a nation built upon the religion of Disemism.  

A nation that based itself on religion in an era where technological civilizations traversed the universe? At first glance, it seemed irrational.  

'…The problem is that their research into Arcane Civilization is the most advanced among the three nations. They’ve even managed to systemize and utilize Force—something that current scientific technology cannot explain.'  

Disemism was, in some form, a religion that had branched from the Arcane Civilization.  

It could have been the faith of the Arcane Civilization’s people, or perhaps it viewed the Arcane Civilization itself as a mythology or divine existence.  

Beyond that, I didn’t know. The Empire had never taught me more than that.  

Either way, Corita’s technological foundation was incomparable to that of the Federation or the Empire. It wasn’t a matter of superiority or inferiority—their bases were simply different.  

Vmmm.  

The Coritan air vehicle I was riding emitted a quiet hum from its engine. Its interior had a continuous, sleek curvature that exuded an aesthetic sense of stability.  

Inside the vehicle, there were only three of us: myself, Gaya, and a priest dispatched from the temple.  

"Hey, Mr. Gaya, is there anything I should be careful about? Aren't there a lot of nitpicky folks here who fuss over trivial manners, like you?"  

As soon as I spoke, the priest furrowed his brows.  

"Watch your words. This person is—"  

Before the priest could finish, Gaya raised his hand. The priest immediately shut his mouth.  

'As expected, Gaya holds a high status in Coritan society.'  

I smiled faintly.  

Gaya let out a sigh and gazed toward the cockpit beyond the partition.  

"Priest, I'd appreciate it if you could give us a moment alone."  

"Understood, former Archbishop."  

The priest deliberately voiced Gaya’s title before stepping into the cockpit.  

"I don’t know much about Coritan society, but… an Archbishop sounds like quite a high-ranking position, no?"  

"A former Archbishop. You intentionally spoke rudely to provoke a reaction from the priest and extract information about my identity, didn't you? You’re as sharp as ever, Luka."  

Gaya spoke with a blank expression.  

"If I offended you, I apologize. It's just a habit of mine to gather information."

"I'm not particularly offended. I know that's just the kind of person you are. Thanks to those skills and habits, you've managed to survive countless perilous situations. For example, if you were ever to face off against the Coritans of the Pioneering Temple, you’d probably try to take me hostage to escape—since you now know from this conversation that I'm an important figure."  

I didn’t deny it. As Gaya said, that was indeed one possible strategy.  

"I don’t know much about Corita. That includes the temples of Disemism. I have no choice but to be cautious about everything."  

Gaya let out a faint smile. He lifted his index finger and traced a shape in the air. His bracelet jingled softly, emitting a faint glow.  

Vmmm.  

At the tip of Gaya’s index finger, a shimmering light of Force flickered.  

The Force wove itself into a thread-like pattern, forming an image—a temple with an architectural style marked by pronounced curves.  

‘He's quite skilled at applying Force.’  

Gaya made full use of his abilities. Now that I knew he was a former Archbishop, he had no reason to hold back.  

"There is a Pioneering Temple in the Border City Parish. In terms of war, Border City Parish is essentially the front line. I was appointed as the parish overseer about forty years ago."  

I flinched. Judging by his appearance, Gaya looked at most to be in his forties, even if he had aged well for a natural human.  

"…Then how old are you exactly?"  

"I do look young, but you should also know that I wasn’t that old when I was appointed as a parish overseer. In fact, I was young—far too young."  

Gaya gazed out the window at Border City below. He was a man who had spent many years living there.  

"Well, you must have been on a fast track to success. Did something happen?"  

Gaya shook his head.  

"No, nothing happened. No dramatic incident or grand event that would have caused a major shift in my mindset. I simply realized my own limits. Perhaps you might understand that feeling."  

"I don’t know. I’d say we have more differences than similarities."  

Gaya exhaled a quiet laugh. He looked at me with a soft smile.  

"In my opinion, neither you nor I have the stomach to climb any higher. We lack the appetite to swallow down corruption."  

I almost argued back but stopped myself. Something inside me resonated with his words.  

Seeing my reaction, Gaya continued speaking.

"I'm not talking about corruption in the conventional sense of good and evil. No matter the reason—whether it's to stand at the top of society's pyramid or something else—one must inevitably commit and endure actions that go against their own values and beliefs. I’d call that corruption. You have to carve out parts of yourself that define who you are."  

Gaya drew a triangle with the light of Force. Then, without hesitation, he sliced off the top.  

"To stand at the pinnacle of society, we must transcend ourselves. A bureaucrat must abandon innovation and ideals. A soldier must cast aside the honor they’ve built over a lifetime. And a priest… must endure the corruption of the faith that once guided their life. Whether you call this transcendence, corruption, compromise, or transformation—it doesn’t matter. You and I are simply not the kind of people who can withstand it."  

Gaya grasped the triangle's severed peak and let it dissolve in his hand.  

I understood exactly what he was saying. Put simply, it meant that sometimes, you have to do things you don’t want to do.  

But this wasn’t as simple as forcing down food you dislike or doing work you find difficult.  

'Hypocrisy and duality.'  

To rise to power in a nation or society, hypocrisy and duality were unavoidable. One had to preach noble ideals while committing disgraceful acts, speak of aspirations while compromising with reality.  

'He's right.'  

Just as Gaya said, I didn't have the stomach for that.  

Not that I hadn’t committed corruption before. But like a picky child forcing down food they despised, I had to deliberate over it again and again, suppressing the urge to gag. It was never easy.  

Yet there were people who could swallow such corruption without hesitation if necessary. Someone like Son Seok-jae, for example.  

"…That's also why I’m helping you, Luka."  

"You’re overestimating me."  

"No, I’m underestimating you. You and I will never be great men. We're too proud and too weak-stomached to achieve great feats."  

I had heard something similar once before from Ragnata. She had defined what it meant to be a hero by her own standards.  

'A hero is, inevitably, a monster. They devour everything around them for the sake of their ambition and desires. To shine as a hero, they need fuel—so they start by burning everything around them.'  

Ragnata and Gaya were essentially saying the same thing.  

'You can’t let your selfish desires swell out of control. Whether it’s justice, evil, or conviction—whatever it may be—you can’t consume others without hesitation for the sake of a singular goal. You don’t have the stomach to become a monster.'  

Ragnata’s words lingered in my ears.  

I couldn’t bring myself to burn everything around me for my own goals, nor could I consume others.  

…What was even more ridiculous was that I had once wanted to be that kind of person. I had wanted to appear ruthless and cold—someone who cared for nothing but himself.  

"From now on, whatever you do, it will be purely for personal reasons. It will have nothing to do with changing the world. I hope you find your own peace and happiness. As for achieving great feats and shaping history… leave that to the heroes who have the stomach for it."  

To be honest, my conversation with Gaya brought me comfort. He acknowledged me as I was.  

Perhaps because of this emotional stability, the chaotic thoughts rampaging in my mind suddenly settled into silence. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt such peace.  

"You really are an excellent healer, aren’t you?"  

"A most generous compliment."  

*         *         *

Our air vehicle came to a stop at the airstrip behind the Pioneering Temple.  

Before stepping out, I looked outside. The pristine white temple stretched upward in elegant curves.  

‘Corita’s Pioneering Temple.’  

It was a temple dedicated to missionary work in Border City. Not only humans but many other species moved in and out of the temple. Among them, though rare, were even Tajirun, a species known for their strong materialist tendencies.  

‘So many different species believe in Disemism.’  

If the Bellato Federation had become a multi-species nation through the principle of diversity, then the Holy Corite Alliance had formed a multi-species society under the unifying banner of Disemism.  

‘Still, it’s not much different from being human-centered.’  

Most of the priests wore traditional priestly robes—and the vast majority of them were human. Non-human priests were a rare sight.  

Ssshhk.  

The doors of the air vehicle slid open.  

As soon as Gaya and I stepped out, the awaiting priests lowered their heads in silent reverence toward Gaya. Some even began reciting prayers.  

Shff.  

The priests parted to the sides, making way for a man clad in a white robe embroidered with golden thread. He was clearly of the highest rank among them.  

I blinked slightly.  

‘He looks like Gaya.’  

Dark skin, strong, defined features—he was unmistakably reminiscent of Gaya.  

In that moment, I realized that he and Gaya were related by blood.  

"It’s been a while, Brother. I see you’ve brought a blasphemer with you."  

The man glanced at me before offering Gaya a respectful bow. Gaya returned it with a light nod and a slight bow of his upper body.  

"I didn’t expect the Parish Overseer himself to come greet us."  

Gaya’s younger brother was the current Parish Overseer.  

‘This is turning into something bigger than I expected.’  

I could feel the heat rising to my head.  

‘I expected Gaya to be a high-ranking figure, but this has escalated far beyond what I anticipated.’  

It was unclear how much the Parish Overseer knew about me. The Holy Corite Alliance was known for its exclusivity.  

Swish.  

The Parish Overseer raised his hand.  

The priests all stepped back, ensuring that from this point on, only Gaya, the Parish Overseer, and I would hear the conversation.  

"At the very least, I must show proper courtesy. There are still many priests and believers who respect you, Brother. Even though you abandoned the Order and left."  

His words were like a whip laced with thorns. Gaya, however, responded with nothing more than a serene smile.  

"You wanted the title of Parish Overseer as well, didn’t you?"  

"…Not like this. I wanted to seize it, not inherit it."  

"That part of you hasn’t changed, even after all these years."  

"Because this is Border City we’re talking about."  

Their words carried multiple layers of meaning. It was clear they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and that Gaya had distanced himself from the religious order.  

‘During his time as a Parish Overseer, Gaya was highly respected. Many probably admire the fact that he willingly abandoned his position and chose to live in seclusion.’  

It seemed Gaya still held considerable influence. That worked in my favor.  

"Come inside. Kinuan isn’t something we should be discussing out here."  

The Parish Overseer didn’t even bother to introduce himself to me. With a sharp turn, his robes fluttering, he strode toward the temple.  

‘Kinuan.’  

He had spoken the name so casually.  

Kinuan… was entangled with the Pioneering Temple as well. That was only natural. And at this point, I was tired of hearing about it.  

As I followed them inside, I suddenly froze.  

The moment I stepped into the temple, I felt a shift in the density of the air.  

Zzt.  

A spark of electricity flickered from my neck brace.  

A chill ran down my spine. It felt as if my head could explode at any moment—right along with the brace.

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