“Of course he is still at Seongguk as living proof of a legend!”

The restaurant owner and the others chimed in as well.

“Indeed, ordinary folks like us would be lucky to see them even once in our lifetime.”

“In my later years, it’s my dream to go on a pilgrimage to Seongguk’s Jerome where the first Saint was buried…”

The descendants of the Saints, proof that God had descended upon this land, seemed to be objects of faith beyond mere respect.

Delphine awkwardly lowered her head, fiddling with her empty glass.

Noticing this, Veli asked them again.

“…Seeing the descendants of the Saints is one of my lifelong dreams as well.”

Beside Delphine, Lin, who had been tilting her beer mug, chuckled.

Veli continued her act shamelessly, completely unfazed.

“Then is going to Seongguk the only way to meet them?”

“That’s right. Either that, or you can see them from afar once a year on St. Michael’s Day.”

“The Holy Emperor specially dispatches the Saints to each nation for the peace of the continent.”

“…The Holy Emperor?”

“Gundaniel the First! Even a country bumpkin should know the name of the current Holy Emperor, no?”

“Ah, while we’re on the topic. Did you folks hear?”

“Hear what?”

“There are rumors that things are uneasy on the continent lately. That there may be a Second Continental War because the Holy Emperor is too young…”

The midday conversation grew deeper and more serious.

Delphine also listened intently along with Veli, but it was hard to understand as she was not yet used to the Northern accent and there were many unfamiliar words.

Marian quickly lost interest and devoured the remaining food.

“Well, the young lady has quite an appetite.”

The restaurant owner, who had been conversing, stood up from his seat with a proud look.

“Hold on. This won’t do, I’ll give you dessert on the house as a special service!”

“Wait, is it already this time? Then I should get going to work too.”

“The beer was great, handsome country lad!”

Following him, the rest of the customers left the table one by one.

Once it was just their party again, Veli lowered her head and whispered very softly.

“…We heard more information than expected.”

“Indeed. If we took Delphine to Seongguk, we’d be very welcome, huh?”

Marian said with an innocent face, but Veli shook her head.

“That’s not all.”

“…Then?”

Veli smiled, gently curling the corners of her eyes.

Despite her angelic appearance, it was a smile that felt chilling somehow.

“If we play our cards right, we may be able to get the Holy Emperor’s help in conquering the Astrax Empire.”

“…Why?”

“I’ll explain that later.”

Veli muttered firmly in response to Marian’s question.

“The problem is, how do we safely enter Seongguk…”

“Oh my!”

It was right then that a loud voice resounded through the restaurant street.

Turning their heads, they saw the restaurant owner in the kitchen shouting with a crying face.

He was so excited that he was shouting too fast to understand what he was saying.

“…What’s he saying?”

When Marian asked, Veli, who had been staring intently at the kitchen he was in, answered.

“He needs to contact his son, but suddenly his communicator broke down and he’s in trouble.”

“Son?”

“Yes. His son went to school and it’s past time for him to return, but he can’t reach him.”

Oh dear.

As Delphine watched the crying owner, the small podium attached to the communicator caught her eye.

‘Could it be…’

If it’s not broken, but the charged aurum has been depleted, maybe she could help?

The food he gave was delicious.

Each dish was filled with warmth for the person eating it.

She was also grateful that he had shown kindness to unfamiliar travelers.

“…”

Delphine quietly rose from her seat and headed to the kitchen.

“Delphine?”

She felt Lin quickly following behind her.

The restaurant owner, upon noticing her, immediately held out the communicator he had in his hand and complained about something.

“This suddenly…I’m so upset!”

Without Veli’s translation, she couldn’t understand properly.

So instead of answering, Delphine just silently reached out to the thumb-sized podium on the communicator.

Just a little bit.

Maybe she could charge it just a bit, not too noticeably.

With that thought, the moment she placed her hand on the podium…

Swish, energy was instantly absorbed from her fingertips.

The absorption rate was on a different level from the old Astrax Empire podiums she had been charging.

She hastily removed her hand, but it was too late.

A mysterious, overflowing prismatic light from the small podium blanketed the restaurant.

Beyond the well-ventilated windows, it reached the streets.

Thud.

The communicator fell limply from the restaurant owner’s hand.

He muttered blankly with a dumbfounded face.

“Just now…”

Delphine awkwardly rolled her eyes and surveyed her surroundings.

The entire inn had gone quiet.

The other customers at the tables were staring at her, soup dripping from the spoons in their hands.

“This is…”

The moment she opened her mouth to give some excuse…

Bang.

The restaurant door opened and people with the same expression as the owner rushed in.

“The, the holy light just poured out from here?”

“Hey, Jackson! What’s going on? Did a miracle of God happen at my regular restaurant?”

Looking out the window, people were flocking around the restaurant.

Delphine quietly went and hid behind Lin, giving up on excuses.

Then she muttered softly.

“…Did I make a mistake?”

“Well…”

Just then, the restaurant owner, who had been standing in a daze as if witnessing a miracle, suddenly raised both hands and shouted.

“Gi tes chi aurum! The Saint has devoted herself to our restaurant!”

Starting with him, a commotion broke out.

The people sitting at the tables sprang up, knelt on the floor, and bowed their heads.

“Oh my goodness!”

“Gi tes chi aurum!”

It was the same for the people who came to watch.

They surrounded Delphine in a circle and repeatedly bowed their heads and offered bows.

The restaurant owner Jackson was wailing.

“There’s a reward for living diligently! It’s a reward for the good deeds of sharing food with the beggars! Ah, God! Saint!”

It seemed she was right that she had made a big mistake.

She had only intended to lightly charge it, but…

Delphine muttered softly behind Lin’s back with a crying face.

“I made a mistake for nothing…”

“No.”

Veli, who had approached at some point, replied lightly.

Unfazed even in this frenzy, he said with a grin.

“You did well. I think we just got direct train tickets to Seongguk.”

They were immediately escorted to the temple located in the center of Lübeck.

‘Temple’ was also one of the words they first encountered upon coming to the Northern Continent.

The Astrax Empire had no state religion, after all.

If they had to pick one, the Emperor was God there and his authority was religion.

“A temple refers to a place that enshrines the god of Daarism, the common religion of the Northern Continent.”

On the way to the temple in the luxurious carriage sent by the Lübeck temple, Veli explained for the party unfamiliar with the Northern language.

“Daarism believes that there is a heavenly world above this earth.”

And there, various gods and demons live, competing for territory.

Also, although the boundary between heaven and earth is clear and they do not directly descend, the gods and demons are involved in the human world in various ways.

One proof of that was holy power and black magic.

“Those who make a contract with a god and use holy power are called priests?”

“That’s right. Holy power is mainly used for healing and exorcism rituals.”

Lin, leaning against the carriage wall with her arms crossed, asked.

“Then what about magic?”

“Magic is defined as…wielding the aurum scattered on earth without a contract with a god or demon.”

And aurum is believed to be the power left on earth by the child of God hundreds of years ago.

Now Delphine had a bit of an understanding of the religious views of this Northern Continent.

Quietly nodding, Delphine glanced at her companions and carefully asked.

“Then, this thing called black magic is…”

“It refers to the power wielded by making a contract with a demon. Those who use that power are called black magicians.”

Veli answered immediately as if anticipating her question.

At those words, Delphine’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘Made a contract with a demon?’

Did that mean there were others like that in the world besides Ioan?

Veli had just said that priests perform exorcisms.

Then, did that mean it was possible to destroy demons with holy power?

Delphine’s heart pounded in secret.