Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 89

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 89

 

A glass barrier seemed to form around Giuseppe, separating him from the world, and divinity blazed in his golden eyes that looked like molten gold.

 

There was a specific reason why the temple revered golden eyes.

 

When using divine power, one’s eyes would turn golden, but those with golden eyes could conceal their use of divine power.

 

However, Giuseppe made no effort to hide the fact that he wielded divinity.

 

Unable to withstand that overwhelming aura, Mellio prostrated himself at Giuseppe’s feet, curling up his body.

 

Realizing the situation was far from ordinary, Cesar had appeared like a shadow beside Belinda at some point.

 

Even while being overwhelmed by the divinity pressing down on his entire body, Mellio denied reality.

 

“B-black magic, you say! If you’re a cardinal, shouldn’t you be able to see it! This divine power overflowing from my body! So how can you spout such nonsense!”

 

“It’s a lie. I’ll execute you immediately.”

 

Right after that, a long spear of light rose beside Giuseppe like the break of dawn…

 

Thud.

 

“Urgh.”

 

By the narrowest margin, Cesar covered Belinda’s eyes.

 

However, Belinda could easily guess what was happening beyond Cesar’s hand.

 

Because she could hear Mellio’s dying breath, the sound of something heavy falling, and the nauseating smell of blood filled the air.

 

“Lady Blanche.”

 

Giuseppe called her with his usual gentle and warm tone.

 

‘Crazy bastard.’

 

Belinda bit her lower lip hard to avoid showing her fear, then pushed away Cesar’s hand.

 

Giuseppe continued speaking in his pristine appearance without a single drop of blood on him.

 

“In case you might misunderstand, I should mention that ordinary divine trials don’t proceed in such a simple manner. However, Priest Mellio dared to turn his back on God despite being ordained as a priest, so it couldn’t be helped.”

 

“Are you really… certain that Priest Mellio was a dark mage?”

 

Belinda knew it too. That Mellio was a dark mage.

 

But she asked because Giuseppe’s attitude in judging Mellio had been so insincere.

 

‘A person’s life was at stake… yet so simply.’

 

Giuseppe nodded as if he understood her feelings.

 

“Of course. God’s divine power always reveals only the truth. By the way, Lady Blanche, since you provided great help in catching the culprit, you have the right to know the full story. What do you think Priest Mellio wanted through black magic?”

 

‘How would I know such a thing.’

 

Belinda openly scowled.

 

Giuseppe didn’t beat around the bush and quickly gave the answer.

 

“It was divine power.”

 

“Your Eminence, that’s classified information that outsiders shouldn’t know.”

 

“It’s fine, Lord Lionel. Lady Blanche is trustworthy.”

 

Giuseppe said that, but to Belinda, his words didn’t sound straightforward.

 

This was a kind of trap.

 

If rumors ever surfaced anywhere that even divine power could be obtained through black magic, Giuseppe would come looking for Belinda using today’s events as an excuse.

 

“The temple had been keeping an eye on Priest Mellio, judging that his rate of divine power increase was unusual. Then the incident of the sacred relic being stolen occurred.”

 

In the end, it meant everything had been in Giuseppe’s palm from the beginning.

 

“At first, we thought Priest Mellio was using the sacred relic as payment for black magic. But we realized from the ‘landslide’ warning that Lady Blanche told us about.”

 

Giuseppe withdrew his smile for the first time and looked down at Priest Mellio, who had become a cold corpse.

 

“What Priest Mellio was after wasn’t the sacred relic itself, but the landslide that would occur when the relic left the shrine and the people who would lose their lives because of it.”

 

Human lives were offerings that dark mages commonly sacrificed to fulfill their desires.

 

Yet Giuseppe had overlooked this point because all his attention was focused on the apocalypse that would come in 10 years.

 

He had been looking too far into the future and nearly tripped over a stone right in front of him, but thanks to Belinda, he was able to avoid it.

 

Therefore, Giuseppe sincerely expressed his gratitude to Belinda.

 

“Thanks to you, we were able to prevent casualties. I offer gratitude on behalf of the Holy Empire. Now, would it be alright if we moved locations? Since we’ve recovered the sacred relic, we need to hurry and reinforce the seal.”

 

Without even waiting for Belinda’s answer, he tidied up the area and spoke to Lionel.

 

“Lord Lionel, please collect Priest Mellio’s remains. Though he was a sinner, shouldn’t we at least send his remains to his family?”

 

“Understood.”

 

“While we clean up this place, how about Lady Blanche stays at the temple?”

 

“…I’ll accept your kindness.”

 

The reason Belinda couldn’t immediately refuse that suggestion was because the smell of human blood soaking the floor was too vivid.

 

When she nodded heavily, Giuseppe said quietly, “Then we’ll see you at the temple,” and left the inn first.

 

* * *

 

‘I thought he was the most normal one, but he turned out to be the craziest bastard.’

 

It still felt like the smell of blood lingered at the tip of my nose.

 

Since there wasn’t much to pack, Leo, Lord Penandel, and I headed to the shrine on the mountainside with light travel gear.

 

Since it was such a sparsely populated village, even carriages didn’t run at night, so we had to walk for quite a while.

 

Though Leo was battling drowsiness, fortunately he didn’t show signs of struggling.

 

“Lady Belinda, yawn, are we going home tomorrow?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At my words, Leo wiped the tears from his eyes along with his yawn and smiled happily as if dreaming sweet dreams.

 

Feeling sorry, I gently stroked Leo’s head.

 

‘We only came on a trip to show him snow, but somehow things turned out like this.’

 

Still, there were two gains.

 

First was recovering the sacred relic faster than the original fate and preventing the landslide.

 

Second was that the synchronization rate had increased significantly thanks to all the trouble I caused while acting as bait.

 

Synchronization 75% Complete

 

Receive ‘Quest Reward: Belinda’s Memory Fragment (Third)’ as a reward.

 

You will receive a special reward upon obtaining the memory fragment.

 

I needed to raise the synchronization rate to deactivate the Belinda translator, and I needed to deactivate the translator to properly call our Leo’s name at least once before leaving.

 

Somehow I was reluctant to receive the third memory fragment.

 

Was it because I knew Belinda’s ending? Now sometimes her memories appeared in my dreams as if they were my own.

 

Lost in such thoughts, I wasn’t watching my footing properly while walking and ended up stumbling when I misstepped.

 

Fortunately, Leo and Lord Penandel caught me so I didn’t fall.

 

I looked at the ground to see what I had slipped on and tilted my head in confusion.

 

The path was completely muddy. Since it hadn’t rained, the snow must have melted to create this mess.

 

“Wait, snow?”

 

I hurriedly looked around.

 

The mountain vegetation visible in the dim moonlight was all withered and dead with drooping heads, and the snow that had been scattered around until this afternoon had disappeared without a trace.

 

“It seems we’re already too late.”

 

When Lord Penandel said that, I didn’t understand what he meant at first.

 

But exactly five seconds later.

 

Crack-!

 

A tremendous roar like a giant old tree being split by lightning echoed throughout the mountain.

 

Then came the sound of something cracking, and white ash-like particles began falling gently like snow.

 

“…?”

 

Looking up at the sky belatedly, I could only gape in bewilderment.

 

The transparent barrier-like thing that had been covering the mountain was breaking apart chaotically, scattering like fragments of a mirror.

 

Though Lord Penandel didn’t explain separately, I could tell immediately.

 

That was the barrier that had been containing the monsters.

 

Finally, as its fragments came pouring down to the ground, the mountain began to boil with heat.

 

Then, as soon as Lord Penandel picked up Leo, we all ran toward the temple without hesitation.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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