Chapter 18: Priest of the End
Sylvia's eyes slowly narrowed as she looked at the words written in the diary.
But her expression didn’t change; she simply continued reading:
"Yesterday, under the leadership of the Child of the Moon, we launched an attack using gunpowder and ritual, successfully intercepting the procession of the Church of Radiance."
"But when we opened that sealed box, the item inside was not the so-called sacred relic they spoke of, but a puppet!"
"I don’t know what was wrong with it, but the moment I saw it, it felt as though I was gazing into an endless starry sky."
"Then, perhaps it was just my imagination, but I saw it open its eyes."
At this point, a face gradually became clear in Sylvia’s mind.
It was a young man, a young man with a wooden expression.
He was also the first person she had seen after awakening from the seal.
Obviously, this face was not the same as the one in the photo on the table.
So, to whom did this diary really belong?
The Deathbringer who failed to ascend here? Or that wooden-faced young man?
With this question in mind, Sylvia continued reading.
However, the following entries focused entirely on scenes from the battlefield, with only a few brief mentions of her:
"While both we and the Church of Radiance were distracted, the puppet disappeared without a sound."
"I don’t know if someone took it, or if it left on its own."
"I lean toward the latter."
But more striking than that was the final paragraph:
"I’m wounded. Seriously wounded."
"In the current circumstances, I have only one choice, and that is to ascend."
"With newly born power, I must shed this old body, or I will most likely find eternal rest here."
"Wish me luck."
Just then—
"Squawk!"
Lakdevo suddenly let out a cry, filled with confusion, speculation, and a hint of awkwardness.
Seeing this, Sylvia chuckled lightly:
"That’s right. The puppet described on this diary page—was me."
"However, I believe some of our earlier assumptions may have been mistaken."
Without further explanation, Sylvia continued flipping through the diary.
"837, December 12."
"We arrived in the City of Alova."
No entry for the 13th?
And the word: arrived.
Staring at this Koinsprache word, the corners of Sylvia’s mouth lifted slightly:
"As expected."
"If this diary isn’t a forgery, then its owner must have been the Deathbringer who failed to ascend here."
"Our assumption was wrong."
"So the question now is—what exactly is going on with the man who owns this house?"
As she spoke, she recalled the information reported to her by Kakilis:
Macas Horn, manager of Callum Department Store, resident of No. 18 Garden Street, Monne District—the owner of this very house.
A brief investigation revealed some connections between him and the gang entrenched in the Brick District.
He was also an enthusiast of the occult, and a large amount of death-related occult material was found in his home.
According to neighbors, aside from going to and returning from work, he almost never left his house. Strange sounds frequently came from his home, but this time the volume and duration were so unusual that it prompted someone to call the police.
After purifying the undead, the Knights of the Tribunal found a letter on the desk in the bedroom, addressed to a certain gang leader in the Brick District.
A brief glance revealed contents relating to the Full Moon Sect. They immediately ceased their search of the house and had the team's Messenger deliver a report to St. Ruls Cathedral.
Based on that information, Macas became a major suspect as the Deathbringer from the Full Moon Sect who had failed to ascend.
But judging from the content of the diary, that didn’t seem to be the case.
In hindsight, the clues left behind felt far too deliberate—deliberate in an uncovered, unabashed way, filled with a sense of provocation.
The diary casually stuffed into a bookshelf, the letter left openly on the desk—it seemed as though someone wanted to guide the Church of Radiance's attention in a certain direction.
The Child of the Moon was not something the local church forces in Alova could deal with.
But what if the Radiant Angel, soon to arrive, was included?
As Sylvia pondered this, she continued reading:
"Since we received that anonymous letter last week, we were ordered to come to this city in Savia."
"Although we had planted informants on this unfamiliar land early on, it didn’t change the fact that we had never operated here before."
Last week.
Seeing this word, Sylvia didn’t continue reading but instead flipped forward:
"837, December 5."
"We received a letter from an unknown sender."
"The writer informed us that in our neighboring country—Alova in the Kingdom of Savia—the Church of Radiance had acquired a sacred relic long lost within our sect."
"At first, we didn’t believe it."
"But the description of the relic in the letter was too detailed—more detailed even than what we had recorded in the 'Book of the Moon'."
"At the same time, Lord Child of the Moon told us that the letter carried the lingering presence of a high-ranking Priest of the End."
"It’s said that transcendent beings on this path possess the ability to foresee the future."
"So we were ordered to depart immediately, even if it might be a trap."
"Damn it, were the higher-ups blinded by desire? This could very well be a setup!"
"And don’t they know how far it is from Lapude to Alova?"
"But my anger was pointless. He is the Apostle of the Land, our leader—what could I do?"
Reading this passage, Sylvia murmured thoughtfully:
"Lapude?"
"Squawk!"
Lakdevo picked up the topic and responded:
"Lapude is the capital of the Kingdom of Ulpus."
"And the Priest of the End? Which organization controls that path?"
"There are many organizations that control this path."
The fat crow tilted its head.
"Not just this one. It’s the same for most paths."
"The beginnings of transcendence aren’t secrets among large organizations. The factions of the True Gods have collected almost all the initiation rituals for every path."
"In truth, what really matters is what comes afterward—completeness."
"But judging from this diary page, the Priest of the End who left behind that presence must’ve been quite high-ranking, considering he earned an Apostle’s trust."
"To my knowledge, four factions fully control this transcendental path—"
"Among them, two are aligned with the True Gods: our kin of the God of Death, and that group of witches."
"The other two are illicit faith organizations: the Doomsday Sect, active in the eastern continent, and the Council of Fate, active in the southern continent."
Upon hearing this, Sylvia nodded slightly, then spoke:
"Unfortunately, it’s far from us."
"But even so, we can clearly see how complex this matter is."
"Someone behind the scenes appears to be pushing all of this forward for some kind of purpose."
"I'm beginning to suspect that my descent was also part of a plan."
Leaning back slightly, Sylvia’s gaze flickered with a dangerous light.
"No, I believe your arrival was an accident in their eyes."
However, it was at this moment that Lakdevo spoke up:
"I think their goal was merely to use the descent ritual to create a dangerous and powerful forbidden object, or simply to summon your Apostle to this world."
"But your personal descent was absolutely beyond their expectations."
"After all, in thousands of years, there has never been a single successful case of an external god’s true body descending."