Chapter 300

The Emperor of the Empire, Ivan Accretia, had placed a collar around my neck.  

The cold metal of the collar wrapped tightly around my skin. If it contained explosives, it wouldn’t take much for my head to be blown off.  

No matter how much I trained, there was no way to withstand an explosion detonating at my throat.  

As soon as I stepped into the Pioneering Temple, for some reason, my collar started reacting abnormally.  

Chzzzt, chk.  

I could feel the current flowing from the collar. The built-in mechanism seemed to be activating. Whether it was a bomb or not, I had no way of knowing.  

If it was a bomb, there was no escaping death.  

The world slowed around me.  

I wasn’t the only one reacting to the anomaly in the collar.  

The Parish Overseer narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. He reached out a dark hand.  

Clatter!  

From the sleeve of the Parish Overseer, a chain adorned with gemstones emerged. Connected to his bracelet, the chain absorbed the light of Force and slithered like a serpent. That bracelet and chain appeared to be his Force catalyst.  

“Stay still.”  

The Parish Overseer spoke in a low voice. The tip of his chain shot forward and struck my collar.  

Ki-iing!  

A sharp, clear sound rang out as the collar and chain made contact.  

Woom!  

The collar became enveloped in the glow of Force and soon came to a halt.  

Wooom.  

Only a faint vibration of Force energy now pulsed from my neck.  

I stared at the strange phenomenon occurring within the collar.  

“…It would be best if you removed that device, but it seems you can’t do it yourself.”  

The Parish Overseer gestured toward my collar as he spoke.  

Chk, chk.  

Inside the temple, electronic devices such as terminals and retinal displays were malfunctioning. Even my prosthetic felt strangely heavy—the auxiliary functions had shut down.  

All communication with the outside world had been completely severed. The moment I stepped into the temple, it felt as though I had been cut off from the outside world.  

‘Electronics neutralized.’  

But it wasn’t due to electromagnetic interference. My prosthetics and equipment had extremely high electromagnetic shielding. It would take concentrated exposure to a powerful electromagnetic pulse—strong enough to create a noticeable heat signature—to cause any malfunctions.  

‘Is this Coritan technology, utilizing Force abilities or Arcane techniques?’  

The Coritans wield powers beyond physical phenomena. It was difficult to make a precise guess.  

“That collar… When its electronic functions are disabled, a specific mechanism inside activates. It seems to be an exceptionally sophisticated mechanical device. Quite extravagant for something meant to restrain a single person.”  

The Parish Overseer spoke as if analyzing it. His pupils glowed a piercing blue, as if he could see right through the device.  

‘This man is no ordinary figure. And… he feels foreign.’

The people of the Holy Corite Alliance still felt unfamiliar to me. Their technology and abilities were equally unique.  

“Well, there are circumstances…” I trailed off before switching to a more formal tone.  

“It would be best if you stayed close to me. The range of my ability isn’t that wide. Since it’s a collar meant for restraint… I doubt the internal mechanisms are particularly gentle.”  

“Physically speaking, is my collar in a ‘stopped’ state?”  

At my question, the Parish Overseer raised an eyebrow.  

“You perceive things quickly. To be precise, it’s ‘deceleration.’ Time is flowing so slowly that to our perception, it seems as if it has stopped. For a more detailed explanation, you should ask my elder brother.”  

The Parish Overseer gestured toward Gaya with his chin before turning his back to us and walking ahead.  

Swish.  

I reached out and touched the collar that had been halted by Force. It felt like lukewarm ice—its mass seemed to have disappeared. It was a peculiar sensation, one I had never experienced before.  

Gaya, standing beside me, added an explanation.  

“It’s a Force ability called a ‘deceleration field.’ It slows down physical phenomena themselves. For someone of my younger brother’s—no, the Parish Overseer’s—level, it’s practically the same as a ‘stasis field.’”  

I was a born fighter. My mind immediately filled with countless combat simulations regarding the use of a deceleration field.  

‘This is a tricky one. The applications are limitless.’  

The Parish Overseer was maintaining his Force ability for my sake. His bracelet and chain, the catalysts for his ability, shimmered faintly as they drifted weightlessly, defying gravity.  

“This is the reception room. I imagine my brother must have missed this place. Before the expansion, this room served as his office.”  

The Parish Overseer opened the door and sat down on the sofa inside.  

Gaya and I sat across from him, facing him.  

A steaming teapot and teacups sat on the table between us.  

Trickle.  

The Parish Overseer smoothly poured the warm tea and offered it to us. The liquid was a deep red, black tea.  

He took a sip first before speaking.  

“Border City is… in considerable turmoil right now. The church is keeping a close watch. The heretical cyborg, Lukaus Custoria, has also caught my attention.”  

The Parish Overseer glanced at me subtly, as if gauging my reaction.  

My nervous system felt tense.  

‘The Holy Corite Alliance, the Pioneering Temple in Border City, the Parish Overseer.’  

I reflected on all the events I had experienced in Border City so far. I had considered the Holy Corite Alliance to be separate from the current situation. Until now, their presence hadn’t factored into my calculations.

However… the Coritans had been watching all along. Perhaps they had even intervened.  

Now that the variable of the Holy Corite Alliance had entered my mind, the neatly organized sequence of events was becoming entangled again.  

“I’d like for the Parish Overseer to assist this young man in finding Kinuan. Also, Kinuan has been using Holy Corite equipment. It must have leaked out illegally, so tracking him down wouldn’t be a bad endeavor from the church’s perspective either.”  

Gaya spoke politely. His usual address of ‘younger brother’ had now been replaced with ‘Parish Overseer.’  

“You want me to help a man who cut off his own healthy limbs to replace them with machines? A man who, before long, will turn his entire body into a machine?”  

The Parish Overseer laughed as he spoke.  

The Coritans held an especially strong aversion to prosthetics. In particular, they seemed to view the act of discarding a healthy body as a blasphemous offense.  

“This man’s mind has not been corrupted by machinery. I can vouch for that.”  

Despite Gaya’s reassurance, the Parish Overseer scrutinized me with a sharp gaze.  

“For now, perhaps. But it’s only a matter of time. Still, he seems useful at the moment.”  

My tongue itched to speak. I wanted to get straight to the point.  

‘He let me in knowing everything. The Parish Overseer intends to negotiate with me.’  

If he had no intention of using me, he would have turned me away at the entrance—or simply watched as the collar’s mechanism activated.  

I had no patience for drawn-out conversations.  

“…Parish Overseer, if there’s something you want from me, just say it. I’ve played the fixer role more times than I can count. Some even call me a great detective.”  

I interjected, trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but it seemed to have no effect.  

The Parish Overseer frowned, his expression turning rigid with authority.  

“If not for my brother’s request, you wouldn’t have even set foot in here. You would do well to remember that.”  

A typical threat. I was too used to it to be angered.  

“There’s something I don’t understand. You call me blasphemous, yet you’ve been working with Kinuan, haven’t you? And Kinuan is a full-body cyborg.”  

I struck where it hurt. My guess had to be correct.  

‘The equipment used by Kinuan’s subordinates, the Dead Ronin, came from the Parish Overseer.’  

There was some form of collaboration between Kinuan and the Parish Overseer. That meant I didn’t have to overestimate Kinuan’s abilities.  

‘The reason Kinuan has been able to remain hidden despite his activities in Border City, the reason he was able to build up the Dead Ronin and gather followers…’  

It was because he had the support of a secluded power.

The once-mysterious whereabouts of Kinuan were now grounded in reality. He wasn’t some bottomless monster—he was a real person, just like me.  

“Parish Overseer, is what this man saying true?”  

Gaya interlocked his fingers and asked. The air grew tense and cold.  

‘If the Parish Overseer deactivates his ability, I could die.’  

I felt like I was suffocating.  

The image of my head exploding along with the collar kept surfacing in my mind. That wasn’t the kind of end I wanted.  

But life didn’t bend to my will. Even dying here in vain was beyond my control. All I could do was my best.  

Suppressing the surging anxiety and thoughts, I maintained a blank expression.  

The Parish Overseer parted his lips slightly, then let out a quiet sigh.  

“…This is Border City. I believe that answer should suffice.”  

Border City—a place where those who should never mix were thrown together in a jarring blend.  

“So, it was you who collaborated with the most blasphemous man of all, Parish Overseer. Does the Holy Alliance back home know about this?”  

Gaya, seemingly forgetting my precarious position, pressed him aggressively.  

“You have no right to interrogate me, brother. Once you rise to the rank of Parish Overseer, you’re faced with countless problems that cannot be solved with pure faith and unwavering belief alone. Didn’t you abandon the church precisely because you were disillusioned by that reality? Because you lacked the resolve to stain yourself?”  

The Parish Overseer didn’t back down.  

‘The resolve to stain oneself.’  

In other words, the stomach to swallow corruption.  

Gaya was someone who refused to taint himself. He always made clean choices that aligned with his beliefs. Noble, perhaps, but some might call it cowardly. Others would see him as rigid and unyielding.  

“…You’re right. I have no right to question you, Parish Overseer. But ‘Kinuan’ is far too dangerous an individual to work with. His path is nothing but ruin. He’s like a typhoon—wherever he passes, only destruction follows.”  

The Parish Overseer bit his lower lip.  

“You’re an outsider, brother. If you wish to offer me advice, return to the church formally first. Otherwise, spare me the lectures when you don’t even understand the current situation.”  

It was thanks to Gaya that I was able to enter the Pioneering Temple. I had a certain level of respect for him.  

But right now, I believed the Parish Overseer was right.  

He was dealing with the problems that existed in reality, while Gaya ignored the complexities of the world and preached idealistic theories.  

‘Gaya might make a respected priest, but he’d never be a great Parish Overseer.’

The agitated Parish Overseer continued speaking.  

“In the central parliament, the prevailing opinion is no longer that Border City should be converted—but purged. They’re ready to abandon even those who can still be saved.”  

Gaya fell silent.  

“…I didn’t know that.”  

“Of course, you didn’t! You shut your eyes to reality and live in your own little world! You get to feel good about yourself while treating a handful of lunatics. But I am responsible for far more than just this temple! Things have changed since you were here. Do you have any idea how much funding is required to maintain the monasteries for education and missionary work? If central support is cut off, we won’t last more than a couple of months! The believers of Border City—abandoned and unrecognized by the Holy Alliance—will be left to wander without a parish!”  

Gaya’s silence deepened.  

“The Parish Overseer had to prove the worth and utility of the Border City parish to the central church.”  

I spoke in Gaya’s place.  

The Parish Overseer took a sip of tea and, in a slightly calmer tone, replied.  

“I needed someone well-versed in the underworld and illicit information… and more than anything, someone capable of finding Arcane Artifacts to offer as tribute to the Holy Alliance. The methods were of little importance.”  

Just hearing the description, I could already picture the right person.  

‘Kinuan.’  

And Kinuan must have betrayed the Parish Overseer. Recently, at that.  

The threads of the situation were becoming visible. I felt like I could finally follow Kinuan’s thought process.  

I grasped onto that thread desperately. As I traced it further, my field of vision seemed to expand in an instant.  

‘The chaos in Border City that began after my clash with Kinuan… The resulting racial conflicts… Ismael La and Son Seok-jae…’  

One thought led to another until it all stopped at a single place—the auction house.  

‘…The auction house.’  

It was where Deputy Minister Ismael La had been attacked by the Equessian mercenary.  

Amid the chaos in Border City, with the government’s attention diverted, the auction house must have been dealing in stolen goods and illegal items that day. There was a high chance that Arcane Artifacts were among them.  

“Did Kinuan steal an artifact from the auction house?”  

Kinuan—or at least his subordinates—must have been there on the day of Ismael’s attack.  

The Parish Overseer’s eyes widened. He was probably wondering how I had figured it out.  

“Kinuan intercepted an item I requested. He disappeared immediately after.”  

A ‘request’—but in reality, the Parish Overseer had hired Kinuan to steal it.  

From the looks of it, the Border City parish was struggling financially. Purchasing an Arcane Artifact at auction and offering it as tribute would have only deepened their financial troubles.  

Swish.  

At some point, the Parish Overseer had fully turned toward me, giving me his full attention.  

I must have seemed quite competent, able to follow the flow of events from just a few vague clues.  

…In the end, the Parish Overseer also needed to find Kinuan.

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