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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 3
1.
Mikel von Lyernoff.
A high priest of the Calios Church, he woke up, disturbed by the intensity of the dream.
‘What was that?’
In the dream, Mikel saw a man.
At first, he thought the man was an angel. A holy light radiated from his body, and massive, pure white wings spread out from his back.
Overwhelmed with joy, Mikel grabbed the hem of his robe, and the man turned to face him.
The moment their eyes met, Mikel froze.
The man's eyes were not human, burning a dark red that seemed capable of incinerating one's soul in an instant.
It wasn't just that.
The holy light Mikel had seen moments ago turned into an ominous darkness, and the white wings on the man's back shed all their feathers, leaving only bones exposed.
The transformed man spoke.
[You are my sacrifice.]
"Ugh..."
Just recalling it sent chills down his spine.
Mikel made the sign of the cross several times, then stood up.
"I should go for a walk outside."
By reciting prayers during a stroll, he hoped to shake off the haunting thoughts of the dream.
Looking out the window, he saw the bright moonlight streaming in.
‘Come to think of it, it's the full moon tonight.’
Mikel thought he might as well enjoy the moon and stepped out, draping his robe over his shoulders and grabbing his staff.
The outdoors was even better than he had expected.
Taking in the fresh, forest-scented air, the nightmare from earlier seemed to dissipate completely.
And in the western sky, the full moon hung.
Tonight, the moon looked unusually large, shining so brightly that it almost felt warm.
Mikel took out his rosary and offered a prayer.
After finishing his prayer, Mikel opened his eyes, and that’s when he noticed the child.
A small, frail child using crutches.
Compared to Andre, the child was a head shorter.
But there was an indescribable sense of strength emanating from him.
Perhaps it was because he stood under the moonlight, but his body seemed to radiate a faint glow.
The child was slowly walking, sprinkling a mystical silver powder on the ground.
‘What is he doing?’
Curiosity piqued, Mikel walked toward the child.
The child stopped, now fully emptying the bag of silver powder onto the ground.
Seeing this, Mikel called out to him.
"Child."
"Oh, Father."
The child greeted Mikel with a bright smile.
“It’s late. What brings you out here at this hour?”
The child’s speech was unexpectedly formal for someone so young.
Mikel’s gaze lingered on the child, his eyes narrowing slightly.
‘I don’t recognize this child. If I had, I would have noticed him sooner.’
With just one exchange, something within Mikel stirred.
The child was mysterious.
"What are you doing here alone at this hour?"
"Actually..."
A smile appeared on the child’s lips.
The child hesitated for a moment before finally speaking to Mikel.
"I was drawing with the powder."
"Drawing?"
"Yes, something came to mind, so I drew it."
Mikel looked down at the silver powder, scattered thickly across the ground.
The powder stretched in long lines, though partially hidden by the brush, it seemed the child had drawn like this across the earth.
“It’s lucky the wind isn’t blowing.”
“I checked the weather, it didn’t seem like there’d be wind tonight.”
“Hmm? You picked a night with no wind?”
Mikel asked, his curiosity piqued.
The child simply smiled in response.
Mikel, intrigued by the smile, asked another question.
"How long have you been here? I come here once a year, but I don’t think I’ve seen you before."
"It’s been about two and a half years. I’ve mostly been in the infirmary, so you probably didn’t see me."
"Hmm. I see. Then where were you during the day today?"
"I was in the forest."
"The forest? Why?"
At Mikel’s question, the child replied calmly.
"There are many things in the forest. There are squirrels, rabbits, and even spiders. There are small stones that glow with light, too. If you stray a little from the path, you can find a stream running."
"Hmm."
Mikel nodded.
This child wasn’t ordinary. Most children wouldn’t speak so calmly about what they’ve seen.
Most would either exaggerate or speak vaguely.
‘This is a rare child, truly intelligent. If this child were raised at the Church, he would surely grow into something remarkable. But…’
Mikel looked at the crutch the child was leaning on and asked.
"Is your leg injured?"
The child nodded and responded.
"My left knee is broken. The doctor said I would never be able to use it again."
"Ah..."
Mikel clicked his tongue.
It was a sad situation, but a disabled child couldn’t be adopted or brought to the Church. They weren’t deemed worthy of receiving God’s blessing.
“That’s truly unfortunate.”
Mikel murmured.
He took a step forward, intending to pat the child on the shoulder, but the child raised his hand to stop him.
“You can’t come any closer.”
“Mm?”
Mikel almost stepped on the powder the child had scattered on the ground.
He let out a hearty laugh and stepped back.
“Sorry about that. I almost ruined all the effort you put in.”
“There’s no need to pity me. I know well that someone with a disability can’t enter the Church.”
“I see.”
Mikel felt a sense of relief.
He had been concerned about upsetting the child, but it seemed that the child was already fully aware of his situation.
‘What a shame. Such a wasted potential.’
Knowing he would be leaving the next day, Mikel felt a desire to speak with the child a little longer.
So, he decided to ask one more question.
“You said you drew this because you thought of something you wanted. What exactly did you draw?”
The child smiled for a moment before speaking.
“It’s a symbol that represents something I want to obtain.”
“Can you tell me what that is?”
If it was something small, Mikel was willing to listen.
He gave a kind smile, and the child, looking at him, spoke.
“If I tell you, will you grant it?”
“Hmm.”
Mikel pretended to stall, continuing.
“Let’s hear it first. You never know, my heart might move, and I might help you.”
The child then spoke.
“First, I want my left leg to heal.”
Mikel’s expression grew serious.
He would’ve liked to help, but that was against the Church’s rules.
Healing someone who had become disabled was prohibited; it was allowed only for injuries, not permanent disabilities.
The reason was that a disabled person’s soul was considered incomplete, and thus, unblessed by the divine.
Mikel shook his head and spoke.
“I’m sorry, but that’s something I cannot do. Is there anything else?”
The child thought for a moment before responding.
“I heard that tomorrow you’ll take Andre with you. I hope you don’t take him.”
“And why is that?”
“Because he’s the one who made my knee like this.”
Mikel’s eyebrows twitched.
The Andre he had seen up until now was a big, cheerful boy. He hadn’t imagined him capable of such a cruel act.
But that didn’t mean he could reverse the decision. Andre’s adoption had been finalized last year, and the Church would not change such decisions without a valid reason.
Mikel shook his head again.
“I can’t do that either.”
“I see.”
The child responded without much disappointment, but Mikel’s heart wasn’t as calm.
Feeling guilty, he added one more thing.
“I promise you this. When we get to the Church, I will bring this up. Andre will be severely punished.”
He said it forcefully, but the child’s expression didn’t change. It was a strange expression, one that was neither smiling nor angry.
Mikel asked again.
“Is there anything else? I hope this time it’s something I can actually grant.”
“......”
The child looked up at the sky, lost in thought for a moment. Then, he turned to Mikel and spoke.
“Actually, if you had granted my two wishes earlier, I wouldn’t have asked for anything else. But since you rejected both, I ended up wishing for more things.”
Mikel waited for the child to continue, and the child spoke again.
“I want a perfect body. Not a child's, but the fully grown body of an adult. I also want to regain the power I’ve lost, and once that’s done, I wish for eternal life.”
Mikel’s eyes widened in surprise.
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“What are you saying? Eternal life? Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m simply stating my wishes.”
The child’s expression turned cold.
It was a completely different side of the child that Mikel hadn’t seen before.
“Who are you?”
“Does it matter? I doubt we’ll meet again after tonight.”
“You little brat! I gave you a chance, and this is how you speak to me?”
Mikel’s anger flared up.
Most children would shrink away in such a situation, but not this child.
With an even colder tone than before, the child retorted.
“A chance? You can’t call something you can’t grasp a chance. And the opportunity I gave you? You rejected it.”
In an instant, the child raised the crutch he was leaning on and slammed it onto the ground.
The silver powder that had been scattered on the floor suddenly emitted a burst of light.
The light quickly spread out, enveloping the area around the orphanage, creating a barrier between Mikel and the child.
‘This…’
The radiant light rising from the ground was unlike anything Mikel had seen in over fifty years of being a priest.
Mikel reached out toward the child through the light, but it felt as if a solid wall blocked him.
Sensing something was terribly wrong, Mikel shouted.
“Who are you? What is your name?”
“Now you’re curious about my name? I suppose that makes sense. Until now, you’ve only been judging me by what use I might be to you.”
The child’s laughter was twisted.
It felt as if the angel had suddenly turned into a demon, just like in the dream Mikel had seen.
‘The dream? Could it be…’
Mikel’s eyes widened, and the child continued.
“The Calios Church is always the same. They claim to spread mercy and love in this world, yet there are so many conditions. Some are excluded because they’re disabled, others because they’re still minors, and some because they’re sinners—though, oddly enough, some sinners are accepted. Calios is a tiring god. It’s so difficult to receive his blessings.”
“You... you dare to blaspheme the god? Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment?”
Mikel shouted, but the child only laughed in response.
Seething with anger, Mikel grabbed his staff and began to chant a spell.
As his divine power focused into the gemstone at the staff’s tip, a brilliant golden light began to shine.
Mikel thought he could break through the barrier with this.
But he was wrong.
The divine power that poured from the staff was absorbed into the light barrier, and at the same time, the color of the light began to change—from bright silver to a sinister red.
It was then that Mikel realized what the child had done.
‘This is a dark magic circle.’
Mikel’s eyes were filled with terror.
The dark red magic circle.
He had read about it countless times in books, but this was the first time he had seen one in person.
‘That means...’
The child who had drawn such a magic circle so skillfully—what exactly was he?
In fact, right now, the child’s identity wasn’t what mattered.
The wall of light that surrounded him gradually darkened, turning into an even deeper shade of crimson.
Mikel stepped forward and cried out.
“Get me out of here! Please!”
But the child did not answer.
“I’ll do whatever you ask. Everything!”
Mikel shouted desperately, but the child only smiled in response.
After watching Mikel struggle for a moment, the child fiddled with his crutch and spoke.
“It’s too late. The one has arrived.”
Mikel shifted his gaze to where the child was looking.
The dark red wall of light stretched up into the empty air.
There, a colossal being was watching from above.
Black wings and dark red skin.
Her prominent chest, slightly covered, was alluring, but the muscles around her lower abdomen looked menacing.
Her shoulders and lower abdomen were covered in thick black fur, and five twisted horns proudly pierced the sky from her head.
She was the Demon Lord.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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