As Jared secretly made his way to Tartar Island to retrieve the Platinum Holy Grail of Radius, the High Priest Neod of the Krivia Temple was deep in thought. Noticing Neod's unusual behavior as he frequently tilted his head in confusion, the saintess Luna, who accompanied him, asked cautiously, “High Priest, you seem troubled all day. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Is it perhaps a worry that’s weighing on your heart?”
“No, it's just that the story I heard from Lord Jared seems so odd, the more I think about it.”
Two days ago, Neod had met with Jared at night. Jared had informed him of a startling revelation: the Platinum Holy Grail was buried in the Sanare Realm. He wondered if this discovery could result in the Sanare Realm being officially recognized as a holy site.
The Platinum Holy Grail was one of the five sacred relics that the Radius Church desperately sought. This meant that none of the five sacred relics, which symbolized their faith, were in their possession. Due to past wars, plundering, and thieves, the church had lost all its relics.
The vanished symbols of their faith should have triggered some effort to recover them. For years, the Radius Church had dispatched priests, saints, and clerics in every direction, trying to find the sacred relics, but every attempt proved futile. The relics had become as elusive as mythical creatures, with no rumors or signs of them for over thirty years.
Yet Jared suddenly declaring he would find one left Neod feeling unsettled.
“If we find the relic, it would indeed be a great blessing and protection from the divine, wouldn’t it?” Luna asked naively.
Neod nodded. “That is undeniable. But how could an ordinary lord, even if he is a capable mage and duke, possibly locate a relic that we have failed to find despite our efforts...?”
Neod trailed off, realizing he had inadvertently belittled Jared’s position. He quickly adjusted his wording. “Even if he is a skilled lord and mage, how could he discover a sacred relic on his own?”
“If he does find it, wouldn’t the place it was discovered become a holy site?” Luna inquired.
“True. From that point onward, the location of the relic would be recognized as a holy site, and the surrounding area would also be sanctified.”
“Even if the emperor were to demand it at sword-point, a holy site cannot be established haphazardly,” Luna added.
“Exactly. If the relic is recovered, the church would unanimously declare that area a holy site.”
“I’m so excited! Could it really happen? Would it mean seeing the relic I’ve wished for my entire life up close?”
“If he has promised such confidence, we must prepare accordingly. First, bring all the records about the Platinum Holy Grail. We must examine them,” Neod instructed.
“Yes, High Priest.”
“Hmmm...” Neod pondered deeply. Could Jared truly find the Grail? Honestly, he thought the chances were slim. ‘But if he does find it...’ That would change everything.
Luna wasn’t the only one; Neod too had always wished to see a sacred relic in his lifetime. For a priest, being able to lay eyes on a relic was an enormous blessing.
“Please. Make it so,” Neod found himself praying silently, his hands clasped together. He yearned to witness the miraculous healing powers of the Platinum Holy Grail.
Meanwhile, on the sea at dawn, I thought to myself, ‘This sea at dawn is truly frightening. The only light is the moon, and the water below looks pure black.’ I was crossing the Magnum Strait heading to Tartar Island. The distance was about 200 kilometers from the northern edge of the Krivia territory. It wasn’t too far.
‘If I recover the Grail, the Radius Church will certainly declare that place as a holy site. They are desperate for any relic.’ I was confident. The absence of any relic had been the primary reason for the Radius Church’s identity being attacked by the Dark Church over the years. The Umbra and Kako Churches had their own noteworthy relics: the black funeral robe of Umbra and the skull of Kako.
Initially, I had no urgency to find the relic, but as I thought about making the Sanare Realm a holy site, the idea of seeking the relic became essential for me. ‘Radius, if you are watching me, please forgive me.’ I sent an unsolicited confession to the heavens. Generally, a holy site is designated based on where a relic has been found. The Platinum Holy Grail, which I sought, was located on Tartar Island. Being open about its discovery here would mean this place would become a holy site, ruining my plan to make the Sanare Realm sacred.
Therefore, my intention was to retrieve the Grail and then return to the Sanare Realm to bury it in a pre-determined location. Then, if I presented the buried Grail to High Priest Neod with a flourish, I'd have successfully pulled off an untraceable crime!
Within the <Paradiso>, designated holy sites come with the following privileges:
First, the grace of the divine begins to activate at the holy site, reducing the chances of disasters and plagues by 75%, and this is not time-limited—it is eternal.
Secondly, the information panel of a territory classified as a holy site gains a stat for divine power. Once this divine power reaches its maximum, a three-month blessing will significantly boost the labor effectiveness of the inhabitants. Furthermore, the divine power of priests and saints will also increase at more than twice the usual speed.
Of course, to fill the divine power stat, continuous prayers and offerings from the temple’s clergy and those visiting the temple were necessary.
Thirdly, if a site becomes holy, the specifics of the blessings to be bestowed can be determined. I planned to bestow blessings on development, specifically agriculture. Given that there was plenty of barren land to cultivate, if I succeeded in making it fertile, it would likely yield a substantial rice harvest.
Fourthly, continuous enlightenment would occur for the residents living at the holy site, promoting cooperation and loyalty towards the affairs of the territory.
Thus, these four privileges were crucial to me. ‘Besides, I could also disrupt the influence of the Umbra Church as a side effect.’ The Umbra Church had its hold around the Krivia territory. Just think if I could casually create a holy site of the Divine Church right in the heart of their domain? It would be like holding a blade to the enemy's heart, sending a clear warning to the Dark Church.
And most importantly, ‘The divine power stat.’ If I were to find the Grail, I could finally add the divine power stat, which had remained empty in the stat window until now. It was a much-needed stat, especially since I anticipated many confrontations with the Dark Church in the future.
“Should I climb a bit higher?” With that thought, I soared into the sky, tracing a curve as I quickly ascended. The moonlight that poured between the stars was soft yet mysterious. It was truly a rare moment of liberation, enjoying the vastness of the space alone after a long time.
As I continued crossing the strait, my feet finally touched the ground of Tartar Island before dawn broke, as the first light of day began to appear.
‘This place is troublesome too. After the onset of the Demon Lord War, the Dark Elves began to collaborate with the Demon Lord’s army to attack humans.’ It was natural for the perception of collaborators or clans of the Demon Lord to be negative. However, as someone who had researched and posted their backstory, my view was different.
About four years from now, the Dark Elves would lift the years-long ban on humans and begin trading seriously. Thanks to this, nations that started exchanging trade with the Dark Elves would buy their advanced magical engineering weapons and devices. They were worth it.
The problem, however, was greed. Initially, those countries were content with enjoying the benefits of the Dark Elves’ developed civilization as friendly nations, but then they began to think differently. They decided it was better to subjugate the Dark Elves and absorb their technology than to buy devices for a hefty sum. That was when the tragedy began.
It seemed inevitable that foolish kings would face their destiny, forming a coalition to lead Dark Elf attacks — it was precisely the kings of the Bonuus Kingdom and the Malus Kingdom who would later hurl the refugees right into my territory.
Ultimately, the Dark Elves completely renounced their trust in humanity due to this betrayal. They intensified their research into weaponry while enforcing a strict ban on human contact. Equipped with fearsome weapons, they revealed themselves as enemies alongside the Demon Lord’s army. This was known as the Tatra Nex, or the transcendentable magical engineering suit, which users would come to refer to with awe.
An hour later, I walked lightly, making my way rapidly toward the Platinum Holy Grail.
During the search in <Paradiso> for the Grail, I was too lazy to check the map over and over, so I memorized the locations entirely, so I had no trouble remembering where to go. The spot where the Grail was buried was fairly distant from the Dark Elves' stronghold, so the chances of running into them were quite low.
‘This should be the place. Yes, the tree from which a unique sap flowed abundantly. The Grail was buried right in front of this tree.’ I began digging the earth in the spot where I remembered the Grail lay hidden.
Just in case, I cast a silence spell and used a shovel from my dimensional storage to dig with all my strength. Thud! Thud! Thud!
How long did I dig?
[Platinum Holy Grail of Radius]
[Classification: 5-star]
[Option 1: This is known as one of the five sacred relics of the Radius Church. It can resurrect the deceased using the power of the Grail, but in that case, the Grail will be completely destroyed.]
[Option 2: When the Grail comes in contact with water, its unique healing energy emanates, transforming the basic qualities of the water into healing properties. This transformation can proceed perpetually without diminishing the Grail's divine power.]
“Finally.” The Platinum Holy Grail emerged. It matched my memory of the options and content perfectly. Previously, in games, I had not been particularly touched by the detail about resurrection in Option 1. However, now, looking at it in reality, the meaning of that word felt profoundly heavy.
What that meant was that even those who had turned to bones could be revived, and they could be restored to their original state during their lifetime. In other words, it was perfect resurrection.
But just then, as I was about to grasp the Grail and waiting for the appearance of the title message, a sound pierced through the air with a metallic whirr, flying past the dense trees of the forest toward me.
“...Tatra Nex?”
It was the ultimate manifestation of the magical engineering civilization crafted by the Dark Elves! The Tatra Nex had appeared!
End of Chapter 88.