The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years - Chapter 104



103 – The Saint is Smiling.

Who would have expected that a child would give the answer he had been waiting for?

There was no surprise like this.

No, maybe it was a prejudice to ask the elderly in the first place.

“Th-that is….”

The child stammered. Moreover, his pupils were shaking, and his body was all hunched up, so he seemed quite surprised.

It must have been quite a shock for a child to have someone who seemed to be in a high position approach him.

Franz calmed himself and sat back on the bench.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay.”

“Rather, could you tell me a bit more in detail? What do you mean you know?”

Since it was a child’s words, it needed verification. It could just be a misunderstanding or something said to get attention.

But he hoped it was true. If the child’s words were not true, it would really be the end.

“Can you promise not to tell anyone…?”

The child said, turning his head to look around. As if it would be a big deal if someone heard.

What on earth could it be?

Franz was puzzled, but it was not the time to worry about such trivial things, so he nodded and answered.

“I promise to keep it a secret.”

The child seemed relieved by Franz’s words and began to speak cautiously.

“There is a cave a little away from here. Grandpa told me not to go because it’s dangerous….”

To summarize the child’s words:

There was a dangerous cave somewhere, and inside the cave, there was a large lake.

A ray of light shone through a hole in the ceiling of the lake, and the moment he heard the code, that image came to mind.

‘It sounds plausible….’

A cave would be a sufficient place to hide a weapon. Moreover, the word ‘dangerous’ added a bit more credibility.

Still, it was very childlike to go despite being told it was dangerous. Thanks to that, he got important information, but he hoped the child wouldn’t do that in the future.

Franz spoke.

“Can you tell me where that cave is?”

“Hmm-.”

The child furrowed his brow, pondering, then pointed somewhere with his finger.

“If you go straight in this direction, you’ll find it.”

How far exactly is “straight”?

The cave wasn’t marked on the map, so it was puzzling.

‘Well, I’ll just have to check it out myself.’

Franz snapped his fingers and used teleportation. A magic circle was drawn on the ground, and soon it began to be filled with light.

“Whoa?!”

The child, seeing the magic, exclaimed in surprise, and at the same time, the surrounding scenery changed. They had moved in the direction the child had pointed.

“Do we need to go further from here?”

Franz asked, and the child, who had been looking around with wide eyes, slowly nodded.

Once again, Franz snapped his fingers.

“There, over there.”

Fortunately, this time they seemed to have found the right place, as the child immediately pointed somewhere with his finger.

There was a hole just big enough for an adult to pass through. When he thought of a cave, he naturally imagined something seen in the mountains, but it seemed to be a tunnel leading underground.

He would have to check if this was really the place indicated by the code, but it would be better to do that alone. The child would only be a hindrance in a situation where a battle might occur.

Should he send the child back now?

Just as Franz was thinking that and about to snap his fingers again,

“Amazing…! Is this magic?! A magic circle was drawn on the ground, and the place suddenly changed!”

The child, excited, spoke. His pure, shining eyes were looking at Franz with admiration.

Franz was taken aback by the child’s sudden reaction, but more than that, he felt proud. It seemed like the child recognized all the hard work he had put in until now.

“Are you interested in magic?”

“Yes…! My dream is to become a great magician like you someday…!”

Hearing his own name come out of the child’s mouth, Franz scratched his head.

It was nice to see someone happy about magic, but being mentioned so directly was another matter. It was certainly pleasing, but also somewhat embarrassing.

In that awkwardness, a crisp sound echoed.

As if nothing had happened, Franz returned to the original place, rummaged through his pocket, and took out a gold coin. He placed it in the child’s hand.

“Huh, huh?!”

The child’s eyes widened at the sight of the glittering gold. As a commoner, it was money they would hardly ever touch in their lifetime, so it was only natural.

It was a bit much for simple information, but the reaction was good, so a little extra allowance was added.

“This is for the information.”

“But, such a large amount…”

“It’s fine, just take it. And if you ever want to learn magic, come to the Empire’s Magic Tower anytime. I’ll let Franz know.”

“You know Franz?!”

Not just know, but actually be him…

Well, there’s no need to reveal that now.

“We’re friends.”

“Wow…! I’ll go…! I’ll definitely go…!”

The child, clutching the gold coin tightly, nodded repeatedly.

Franz smiled at him and snapped his fingers again. More time had passed than expected, and it was already dusk. It was time to head back.

And more than anything, it was hard to face the child.

He couldn’t keep his head up out of embarrassment.

Thus, Franz ended his journey in the west and returned straight to the Magic Tower.

In the past, the Magic Tower felt so bothersome and unpleasant, but these days, there’s no place like it.

Although the magic maniacs often caused incidents, he was so used to it now that it didn’t even faze him.

In fact, it felt awkward when the Magic Tower was quiet.

“Welcome back, Tower Master.”

Naturally, it was Arian who greeted Franz upon his return.

As if she knew he would return, they met in the Tower Master’s room.

“Yes, nothing unusual happened at the tower?”

It was such a common occurrence that Franz didn’t feel anything strange and naturally took off his robe and handed it over as he asked.

“Nothing that the Tower Master needs to worry about, so don’t worry.”

Which meant, something did happen.

Well, it was probably something like the Necromancer Association causing a ruckus at the cemetery, or rival magic associations fighting.

That much didn’t need his attention. Arian said so too.

“By the way, did you meet the Saint today?”

“Huh…? How did you know that?”

Franz was simply bewildered. There was no way she could know he had gone to the cathedral.

At least yesterday, he noticed the body odor, but today, he didn’t even smell it, so it was even more so.

It was hard to think that he was speaking with such certainty just by guessing.

‘At this rate, he could compete with some bespectacled kid somewhere.’

It was the same guy who had made someone’s neck full of holes with an anesthetic needle.

Franz was reminiscing about the 21st century when it happened.

“There’s a rumor that someone received the goddess’s blessing at the cathedral. I don’t know why the person who said they were going west went to the cathedral, though.”

Arian said in a sulky voice.

It was then that Franz realized. The events at the cathedral had already spread to the world.

As the saying goes, a word without feet travels a thousand miles, and the speed was indeed fast.

Arian let out a long sigh and continued speaking.

“So, what will happen to the Tower Lord now?”

“Well… I don’t know for sure yet.”

As Justia had said, it would probably be decided through a meeting within the goddess’s church. And they would probably have no choice but to accept it. After all, they received the goddess’s blessing in front of countless believers.

‘The title of Holy Father is too heavy, isn’t there something like an honorary believer…’

All Franz could do was wish for it in his heart.

Of course, it was an impossible wish.

Time passed, and the next morning, carriages with familiar emblems stopped in front of the tower.

What more could be said? The emblem indicated the goddess’s church, and they had officially come to see Franz.

Click-clack.

A woman descended gracefully from the foremost carriage.

Arian, who was on her way to work, was astonished to see her.

The symbol of purity, with her snow-white hair and attire. It was none other than Justia who had descended from the carriage.

“Oh my, Lady. We meet often these days.”

“…Indeed. But what brings the Saintess here?”

“Well, I didn’t really plan to come, but an incident occurred that the goddess’s church couldn’t just ignore.”

Justia’s tone was overflowing with such leisure that it was like a waterfall.

Moreover, she wore a faint smile as if she were the victor, which made Arian extremely displeased.

Of course, Franz, who knew nothing, was just waking up and getting ready.