Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant novel Chapter 610

The trial ended.

Frozen time began to flow once more, and Bell restored the surrounding scenery back into the Forest of Courtesy.

The saintess’s face was swollen from crying so much.

Apparently, she bruised and swelled more easily than expected.

“Done crying?”

“...Yeah.”

“Good. Then that’s enough.”

“......”

At Su-ho’s words, Bell seemed to hesitate for a moment before suddenly tearing the necklace from around her neck.

Crack!

The necklace shattered.

Now that she knew the truth behind the holy relic, there was no longer any reason to keep wearing it.

Watching her, Su-ho said,

“This place really is cruel too. Imagine bringing someone all the way to the Pantheon after death and still never telling them the truth.”

“It’s fine.”

“Yeah. I guess they all had their circumstances too. So... are you satisfied now?”

Nod—

Bell nodded her head.

Then she spoke.

“The truth is, I understood everything you were saying from the beginning. But it had become a habit... No, more than that, if I accepted your words, it felt like it would deny the entire life I’d lived until now, so I couldn’t acknowledge it.”

“But now you can?”

“There’s no reason for me to keep living according to the wishes of disgusting people anymore.”

“Yeah. You made the right choice.”

It wasn’t hard to understand how she felt.

Alive, she had been a saintess. After death, she had even reached the position of Pope. Yet the brainwashing engraved into her over countless years like a slave brand had become a major part of who she was.

‘If it were me, I probably couldn’t have accepted everything overnight either.’

But now she had accepted it.

She accepted what needed to be accepted and discarded what needed to be discarded.

And the things she had once looked at through clouded eyes, she had finally begun seeing properly.

Maybe that was why.

After hesitating for a while, still unable to meet Su-ho’s eyes, she quietly said,

“Thank you. I’ll acknowledge everything about you now. Thank you for teaching me.”

“Did I really teach you anything? I just corrected the truth.”

“Even so.”

Unlike Roland or Pyo, no further words were necessary.

Her saying she acknowledged everything—

That alone was enough.

Wheeeeng—

A door opened.

It was probably the passage leading to the next place.

Still, something felt strange.

“But I already went through Paladin, Monk, and Cleric. Why is there still more left?”

“There is.”

“What’s still lef—... Ah.”

Halfway through speaking, Su-ho realized it.

The final order.

It was Crusader.

The moment Su-ho figured it out himself, Bell smiled.

“You’ll do well in the final trial too.”

“Oh, so the next one’s the last?”

“Probably?”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

He had been wondering when this endless trial would finally end, and now apparently the next stage was the last.

Then naturally, he ought to welcome it gladly.

Before he stepped through the door, Bell spoke.

“See you next time!”

“Hm?”

“When we meet again, I’ll treat you properly.”

Snort—

And here he thought she was going to say something important.

“It’s fine. Just act like you always do.”

Bell smiled at Su-ho’s answer.

“Take care.”

“Yeah.”

After exchanging farewells, Su-ho stepped through the door.

And some time after he disappeared inside—

Bell returned to the place where she had been sitting and laid herself down.

If one called it long, it had been long.

If one called it short, it had been short.

But one thing was certain.

Since arriving at the Pantheon, it had been the most intense and pleasant encounter she had experienced.

At that moment—

Fwaaaash!

Light burst forth.

This was not a place just anyone could enter.

And yet a foreign light was pouring into it.

That meant there was only one possible person.

“Chief God?”

It was Quai.

***

Su-ho crossed the door, and the scenery around him changed.

This time, the sky was murky, the surroundings dim, and even the dirt beneath his feet was dry and lifeless, giving off a bleak atmosphere.

Flap flap flap—

Birds suddenly took flight somewhere in the distance.

Given the atmosphere, they felt like a flock of crows.

The scattered trees looked blackened and skeletal, as though they had survived a forest fire.

There wasn’t even a proper road here, but Su-ho paid little attention as he slowly walked forward.

‘She said this was the last one.’

The class this time was Crusader.

Who would it be?

Thinking back to the Conclave, whoever it was probably had not been especially welcomed either.

After walking for some time, Su-ho spotted a crudely designed altar ahead of him.

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