Rebirth of the 8th-Circle Mage
Chapter 380: Returning the Favor (1)

Using magic from his laboratory, Henry had witnessed a series of dreadful tragedies swiftly unfold. He had watched Arthus struggle as his life was on the line and the slave hunters die a brutal death.

Henry felt that Arthus was justified in killing those slave hunters, given what they had done to him. However, he didn’t understand why Arthus also killed off all the other demihumans and drank their blood.

In a way, it seemed like something that their species would do.

Henry looked down at the two exhausted dragonborns on the floor with pity. The smell of blood permeated the underground prison, and the blood that Arthus and Mordred hadn’t finished off pooled on the floor. The acrid smell stung Henry’s nose.

Henry shifted his gaze toward the other demihumans, who had died for nothing.

‘So after escaping from here, he must’ve heard the news that I was recruiting people and came to me.’

Henry could roughly predict what Arthus was going to do next based on what he had seen so far. However, Henry had other plans ready for him. Despite his intentions, Arthus was never going to see the light of day ever again.

Henry would kill Arthus and Mordred right then and there.

He swiftly took out his sword and stabbed both of them in the heart without hesitation. Their bodies twitched slightly before going limp.

After checking that they weren’t breathing, Henry set them on fire.

‘Happy afterlife, I guess.’

The flames quickly grew larger, engulfing and consuming both of them, and Henry left after they were reduced to ash.

Although Arthus had lived a pitiful and miserable life, Henry felt that there was nothing else he could do for him.

With that, the name Arthus Highlander died, vanishing from history.

***

After leaving Highlander, Henry arrived in a city that was still under construction and yet to be named. Despite this, the city was bustling with life, and with the aid of wizards, several large buildings were already up and running.

‘Hmm, St. Hall, huh…’

This unnamed city would later become known as the Holy City of St. Hall. The emperor would give it that name after the Church of Peace naturally became the state religion.

As much as Henry wanted to prevent that from happening, he knew he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Just like before, he had no grounds for rejecting the Church of Peace from becoming the state religion.

As he kept wandering through St. Hall, Henry found himself in front of the most ornate building in the city. There, he was greeted by some people in black garments.

“May Goddess Irene bless you! When did you get here, Archmage?”

Those men were low-ranking priests from the Church of Peace. Despite their clerical status, they were assisting the ordinary workers with the construction of the unfinished building.

At this, Henry responded in a warm tone, “It looks like the construction of the Holy City is almost complete.”

“Yes, Archmage. Wouldn’t you agree that this is all thanks to the grace of His Majesty?”

“Haha, I don’t think you folks should say that, given that you’re worshiping Irene. Besides, I don’t think my friend did much anyway…”

Henry made that remark out of politeness, and thankfully, the young priests laughed, replaceing it amusing that Henry called the emperor his friend.

“What about the pastor?” asked Henry.

“He should be at the prayer house right now.”

“Ah, the prayer house… Makes sense.”

“Indeed, it’s only natural that he spends most of his time there.”

They were talking about Ross Borgia I, who had yet to be appointed as the Pope. Just like a politician, Ross was doing an excellent job at taking care of his public image. Henry remembered how he had been regarded as the world’s greatest saint before his treachery had been revealed to the entire world.

Henry quickly found his way to the prayer house, and as he entered, he saw Ross praying in the colorful sunlight that shimmered through the stained glass windows. Many would describe this sight as the epitome of holiness, but Henry found it revolting.

Ross turned around after Henry finally revealed his presence.

“Ah! Archmage, you’re back!” Ross greeted Henry with a warm, saintly smile. His demeanor made for a welcoming and heartfelt atmosphere, and he seemed like he was constantly thinking about making the Church even more prosperous.

However, to Henry, he seemed more pretentious than anything else, causing him to feel even more repulsed.

‘To think a traitor can look like this…’

Henry put on a fake smile so as to not reveal his true feelings and said, “I was just passing by and thought I’d stop by and say hello. Is it a good time?”

“Of course. I’d always make time for you no matter what, Archmage.”

Ross’ servile attitude made him seem like nothing more than a religious person.

The two sat across from each other with cups of tea in front of them. Henry discreetly glanced at Ross as he sipped his tea. He could tell that the pastor was in a good mood, and he knew exactly why.

Ross Borgia was well aware that he would soon become the Pope and that he would rule the Church of Peace with absolute power. Having been called a pastor for the longest time, Ross was a hair’s breadth away from fulfilling his goal as a religious figure.

From what Henry remembered, Ross’ loyalty to the empire was so strong that he would’ve even betrayed Arthus.

Henry took another sip before continuing, “The construction outside seems to be progressing smoothly. Are residents actively moving into the city?”

“Yes, absolutely! We’re prioritizing those with the strongest faith in Irene, and we’re taking great care to ensure they can settle comfortably in the city."

“I see.”

The Holy City of St. Hall would be the first special city to be created after the establishment of the Eurasian Empire, and Ross would eventually have absolute authority over its people. Thus, it only made sense for Ross to prioritize the devout worshipers of the Church of Peace.

“I don’t believe I’ll have to worry in regards to that, since I know you’ll be putting extra care on that… Anyway, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. I just happened to hear something… let’s just say interesting.”

“Something… interesting?”

Hearing that, Ross put on a smile, but Henry could tell it wasn’t a genuine one. It seemed like the kind of smile one wore when hiding something. Although the difference between this fake smile and a genuine one was very subtle, there was no way Henry wouldn’t have noticed it.

After all, he had lived for as long as Ross, and all the wisdom he had accumulated over his past lives made it impossible for Henry not to notice when someone was being disingenuous.

“Yes, well, it’s just something about the religious war.”

Ross immediately froze. The Church of Peace would end up winning and become the reigning religion in the continent. However, the masses weren’t aware of that, and Henry only knew because he had come from the future.

It would be years before the war was over.

“What… kind of things have you heard about it?” Ross asked in an anxious tone. He quickly sifted through his thoughts, wondering how Henry could’ve possibly learned about the religious war.

Ross had been convinced that the war was a well-guarded secret. Even though it was a battle between various religions, he knew it wouldn’t reach the ears of the common people because it was merely a power struggle between different churches, with each trying to fulfill their goals.

“Well… I don’t think the source is that important… I think the information itself is what matters.”

“Haha… I’m not sure why you’re trying to scare me like this, Archmage,” said Ross in a quavering voice, replaceing Henry’s answer rather ominous.

Henry found Ross’ attitude extremely deceiving, and he couldn’t care less about how he felt. The reason he had come to see Ross was to gain the upper hand against him and get the things he wanted from him, as he would inevitably become the Pope.

“Oh, nonsense. I’m not trying to scare you. Besides, you have no reason to be afraid of anything if you have nothing to hide. Now, how about we get straight to the point and talk about the Church of Nephram?”

“...!”

At this, Ross’ eyes widened like those of a scared rabbit. He had assumed Henry would ask about minor skirmishes and conflicts within the religious war, not about the Church of Nephram.

This was a much more serious issue than he had anticipated. Only a handful of people within the Church of Peace knew about Nephram, so how…?

All sorts of emotions flashed across Ross’ face, and Henry didn’t miss this. Seeing Ross react this way, he covered his mouth and smirked. He quickly straightened his face and composed himself before putting his hands down.

However, Henry’s eyes belied the smile he was suppressing.

“Why did you do that?” asked Henry, while lifting his teacup.

“Pardon…?”

“Pastor…”

Henry didn't want to waste time beating around the bush. Although he was enjoying himself teasing Ross, it was neither the time nor the place for it.

Henry assumed a somber expression and said, “I don’t want any problems arising in the empire we’re about to establish. You know how much effort we’ve put into building this empire, right?”

At this, Ross’ eyes twitched. Given the timing, Henry assumed that it hadn’t been long since Ross had become involved with the Church of Nephram. However, the timing didn’t matter. The only important thing was that Henry had caught onto this.

“It’s just the two of us here now.”

At this, Ross quickly kneeled in front of Henry.

“I-I’m sorry! I just…!”

“Just what? Even though you’ve taken part in hunting the Demon King, you’ve been supporting the Church of Nephram that had brought that Demon King into our world to begin with… Why’d you do that?”

“No, no! I did that purely out of sympathy! I kept them alive purely out of pity! I swear I had no other intentions!”

“Pity?”

“Yes! Yes, absolutely! Isn’t Irene the goddess of love and peace? I did that in the spirit of equality and charity…”

Henry didn’t believe that ridiculous excuse one bit. After shaking his head, he quietly put his index finger on his lips. Ross wanted to keep on talking, but Henry’s gesture silenced him at once.

With that, Henry burst into laughter. He had only planned to gain the upper hand against Ross, not to kill him. He was aware that there was nothing more efficient than religion to unify people and dispel their uneasiness.

Moreover, replaceing someone like Ross, who enjoyed support from all the members of the Church, was even rarer than replaceing a wise man. Henry figured that it was more convenient to have a popular pastor wrapped around his finger than to search for a new one.

“Alright then. I’ll come back in three days. During that time, I expect the Church of Nephram…”

“I-I will take care of them.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

With that, Henry got up and left without looking back. After Henry shut the door, Ross immediately collapsed into his seat and panted, drenched in a cold sweat.

He had no idea how Henry had found out about the Church of Nephram, but in any case, he was relieved that he had a chance to rectify his mistake.

After calming down somewhat, Ross called out, “Logger!”

Ross called the great paladin who had raised the dignity of the Church of Peace during the religious war and the unification of the continent.

Moments later, Logger stood in front of Ross.

“Pastor, you were looking for me?”

“Take care of the Church of Nephram right now! Make sure no one knows about this!”

“Yes, Pastor.”

With that, Ross left the room with a determined look on his face.

***

Henry was on his way somewhere on the eastern part of the continent. He was looking for the Church of Nephram, which was supposed to be around this region.

‘Well, they shouldn’t vanish.’

Henry had instructed Ross to take care of the Church of Nephram on his own because he wanted to avoid any issues with the soon-to-be-established empire. However, Henry didn’t want the Nephrams to be eliminated.

The Church of Nephram was a group that prepared for the birth of the new Demon King by negotiating with the Demon God under the leadership of the Messiah. In other words, it meant that the Church of Nephram could predict the emergence of the next Demon King.

Once he arrived at the eastern mountain range, Henry came across a familiar-looking well. Seeing it, he recalled the time when he first discovered the Church of Nephram.

‘Well, it seems like it’s going to be a bit tricky this time.’

Henry remembered that the underground area beneath the well was teeming with skeletons and that he couldn’t use magic down there. However, he had to pass through there in order to reach the Church of Nephram.

Before, Henry had used Klever and his swordsmanship to take down the Church of Nephram, but he couldn’t do so now. Fortunately, he knew what kind of traps he would stumble upon, so he had another plan ready.

Henry stood in front of the well and took out the Wisdom. Then, chanting for a few moments, he softly uttered a command.

“Giga Reverse Gravity.”

Rumble, rumble, rumble-!

The ultra-high-level reverse gravity magic shook the earth. Henry smiled as he saw the trees and plants rise into the air one by one. He figured that there was no need for him to go underground when he knew the Nephrams were already there.

The trap-laden basement, which had never seen the light of day, was yanked out into the air like the roots of a plant.

Deborah's Thoughts

Cosy: All missing chapters have been published now! We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience. There was a technical issue and we didn't realize that the chapters weren't publishing.

30 July 2024, 9:27pm (GMT+8)