The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 147

Merida said that if they truly wanted the downfall of the Slaughter Cult, Priestess Lunia wouldn’t have survived.

“Lunia is my second disciple and a child who possesses the Holy Mark of the Slaughter God. As long as such a Lunia is alive and breathing, the Slaughter Cult cannot collapse.”

Even if all the priests dispatched to the Wasteland of Death were defeated by the Troll army, it didn’t matter as long as Lunia was alive.

“As long as she, who can become the saintess of the Slaughter God, exists, the doctrines of the Slaughter and Death God will continue uninterrupted. The cult can always rise again. Spica must have known this.”

“Then why on earth…?”

“Because this child both hated and loved the Slaughter Cult.”

“…”

Aden remained silent at those words.

Merida continued.

“Most of the saintess candidates of the Slaughter Cult experience an unfortunate childhood. The reason is simply because they are different.”

Born with special qualities, they are envied and feared by ordinary people because of their differences.

This was something Merida had experienced, and so had Lunia.

The bandages covering her eyes were a glimpse into her past.

“Spica resented me for condemning the people of the Antlion Village. But it was something I desired as well.”

Knowing that Spica could not be loved by them, she judged them as evil and condemned them as the saintess of the Slaughter Cult.

“Spica craved recognition from the villagers and worked hard for it.”

Despite knowing it would never be reciprocated, she foolishly couldn’t let go of her attachment, unable to resent them.

Thus, Merida chose to become the object of Spica’s resentment.

Perhaps even becoming the enemy who killed the parents and villagers who might have loved her.

In this way, Spica followed Merida into the Slaughter Tower to exact revenge on the cult and grew by dueling Merida.

Revenge became the driving force of her life.

“Like me, Spica was chosen by the Slaughter God. The saintess of the Slaughter God cannot truly hate His children. She cannot help but love them.”

It was akin to a mother’s instinctive love for her child, almost like a primal instinct.

This was also the fate of a saintess.

Merida reached out and placed her hand on Spica’s cheek, already drained of color.

“…I hoped that my successor would have fewer scars than I did.”

Though not expressed in words, there was a sense of pity in her touch.

“Nothing is more painful and difficult than being ‘betrayed’ by someone you longed for.”

“…”

“In the end, my actions have resulted in this.”

“…”

“I have made Spica unhappy.”

“…No.”

Aden denied her words.

“Your judgment was not wrong, Merida Lunius.”

It was something he could say because he had returned, knowing the future and the Iron-Blooded Saint.

Iron-Blooded Saint.

Aden could not know what she had thought and how she had lived.

‘I will probably never know.’

However, no matter what thoughts she might have harbored, there was one fact he could state without a doubt.

“She would have become the greatest saintess who treasured the Slaughter Cult above all else.”

The Iron-Blooded Saint truly cherished the Slaughter Cult.

Aden had seen firsthand her dedication and efforts to revive the Slaughter Cult, which had nearly collapsed due to the Undying Lord.

Aden could never doubt that affection.

“…Is that so.”

Merida only responded like that and did not ask Aden how he could be so sure or if he was just offering empty comfort.

Even that resembled the Iron-Blooded Saint from the last night he saw her in his dream.

‘Perhaps she wanted to warn me about the betrayal of my comrades.’

But the truth was unknown, and it didn’t matter.

She had contributed to the betrayal through her silence and indifference, and that was an undeniable fact.

At that moment.

“Thank you, Aden Remes. Thanks to you, I have made a decision.”

The Saintess Merida broke her long silence.

Then she said something completely unexpected.

“I intend to save my disciple, Spica.”

A saintess is a sacred being, a mediator between gods and humans.

But ultimately, she is just a human.

Thus, it was impossible for even a saintess to fully revive the dead.

Only ancient relics like the World Tree’s Fruit occasionally held such power, which neither the three major holy orders nor saints and saintesses possessed.

Especially for the Slaughter Cult, where the nature of holy power and holy spells had evolved to specialize in attack and combat, it was even more so.

“Why do you want to do that?”

However, before Aden asked how Merida could revive the dead or if it was even possible, he asked the reason.

He asked coldly.

“She must have committed great sins. What will you do after reviving her, and what meaning does it hold, Saintess Merida?”

“There are three reasons.”

The Saintess Merida said.

“The first reason is that our cult has suffered significant losses in strength.”

Many priests had died in the holy war initiated by the usurper saintess.

Although the number was about two hundred, considering the total number of priests in the Slaughter Tower was around six hundred and sixty, it was a significant loss.

“Spica’s talent surpasses mine. Our cult needs every talented individual more than ever, and hence, the Slaughter Cult still needs Spica’s talent.”

Even though she won by ambushing with the power of the demonic sword, the fact that she was the first to successfully usurp in the saintess contest since the founding of the Slaughter Cult showed that her talent was extraordinary.

“The second reason is that Spica Lunius has not yet received a proper punishment.”

The reason for the death of the usurper saintess Spica was due to the demonic sword Lavolas, which caused her to commit involuntary suicide.

It had not been a punishment carried out under the laws of the Slaughter Cult.

If there was no way to save her, it couldn’t be helped. But if there was, it was right to revive her and let her receive a proper punishment.

“Even though she killed you once?”

“The saintess competition for the position is a lawful act according to the laws, so it is not a problem.”

The only issue was that she used a demonic sword, a heretical and apostate element, in the holy duel.

And although this war was initiated through unjust means to become a saintess, the orders given and the authority she held as a saintess were legitimate.

The act of initiating an unreasonable war itself was not a reason to be held accountable.

“According to Spica, this incident was caused by an insidious external force that used my disciple to harm our cult or the Troll army. It’s not a sin deserving of death.”

That was the second reason.

Aden then asked.

“Then what is the third reason?”

“…I do not want to send her off like this.”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering.

“I am not ready to send Spica to the side of the Slaughter God.”

“Even though she killed you?”

“I do not resent that.”

“She may cause bigger problems later.”

“I will stop her.”

“She attacked not only you but also the Border Count of Sedus.”

“I will offer appropriate compensation and apologies later.”

“You are being partial to her.”

“Yes.”

Merida nodded readily.

“Yes, if you call this partiality, then it is true. I am partial to my disciple, Spica. It is selfish and not the right reason for someone who leads the cult… but I do not want to send my disciple off like this.”

A saintess is also human.

She is not a god, so she cannot help but form attachments to certain individuals and be swayed by them.

Merida was no different.

To Merida, Spica was like a child.

And there are few parents in the world who want their children to go before them.

Aden knew she had already made a firm decision.

“Then how do you plan to revive her?”

“The fruit that made it possible for you to revive me, indeed, it is a relic filled with ancient miracles.”

She slowly untied the bandages covering her eyes.

“Not only did it bring my soul, which had already returned to the gods, back into my body, but it also healed my eyes.”

Scarlet.

Her radiant scarlet eyes, resembling the red sunset of the wasteland, were revealed to the world.

Those eyes, holding the sunset, were filled with moisture like dew.

“Even now, there is still residual energy from the fruit that I have not fully absorbed.”

She placed her hand on Spica’s chest, where she had been pierced by the demonic sword.

“I already know that I don’t have much time left to live. But if I absorb all this energy, I can live for at least another hundred years.”

The fruit of the World Tree was an elixir of eternal youth that could overcome the limits of human lifespan.

It was a dream cherished by everyone, the goal of humanity, to extend life and live long.

“If I transfer all this energy that hasn’t yet integrated with my body to Spica, I can fully revive her.”

The blind saintess gave up her lifespan, her life.

Saaaaa…!

The mana of the World Tree’s fruit, which had not been completely absorbed by Merida’s body, started to flow gradually into Spica’s corpse.

Aden quietly watched the scene.

-Dragon Slayer, are you not going to stop it?

Spica Lunius was one of Aden’s revenge targets.

Curse asked Aden, meaning whether it was okay for a revenge target to be revived like this.

‘No need to stop it.’

However, despite the possibility that his revenge could fail, Aden’s expression remained calm.

‘Now I understand.’

-What do you mean?

‘I understand the reason why I felt like crap.’

Aden finally realized the source of his feelings.

‘It’s because I ‘failed’ in my revenge.’

The revenge he wanted was to make the traitors pay the price and be unhappy.

‘But death was not an unhappiness for Spica.’

From the moment Aden first heard about her, despite being influenced by the demonic sword, she had been moving with her own death in mind.

She had no intention of living from the beginning.

So, when Spica faced death, Aden’s intended revenge failed.

But if she was revived by Merida, the story would be different.

‘For someone who desires death, life can be a greater torment.’

Aden knew that feeling well.

When he was trapped in the Void, he had exploded his mana to commit suicide for similar reasons.

‘And now she is revived by the hands of the master she loved so much, even consuming her master’s lifespan.’

For Spica, that life would come as an even greater pain and suffering.

That pain would be indescribable.

Perhaps stopping Merida’s attempt to revive her disciple would be the minimum consideration for Spica.

‘Surely that would be so.’

But Aden did not do so.

He recalled the words of the Knight King Sylbeta spoken at the end.

‘I said I wouldn’t ask for forgiveness.’

Therefore, Aden did not forgive.

He disrupted all of the enemy’s plans, causing them to go mad and die in despair.

Aden remembered the last appearance of the Iron-Blooded Saint.

‘She chose silence and indifference.’

He recalled her defensive silence.

Thus, the form of revenge Aden needed to take also changed.

Merida continued to pour the energy of the fruit into Spica’s corpse, and the hole in her chest gradually healed.

And then.

“Haa…”

From Spica’s once cold lips, a faint breath of the living emerged.

He gazed coldly at the unconscious Spica, whose heart had begun to beat once more.

‘I will remain silent about your revival. I will be indifferent, Spica.’

That is my ‘revenge,’ Iron-Blooded Saint.