Change of Plans

The absolute oppression of magic is not actually "absolute." There is an exception that can ignore this oppression, and that is because there is a rule in magic that is "prioritized" over this rule - anyone has the "priority" to use their own magic and props containing their magic.

After the Saint casually admitted defeat, he looked around at the unremarkable black metal powder scattered on the ground. This was the "magic material" dropped from the air by the black-haired man during the initial refining, and it had already been completely integrated with his magic.

"Did you anticipate my arrival when you dealt with those two knights, so you took the opportunity to refine some extra metal powder into their armor when you were refining your weapon?"

The answer Harlan got after pondering was truly surprising. The black-haired man in front of him seemed to be too young and full of flaws, but in fact, he was impeccable. Whether it was the magic material set in the armor of those two knights from the beginning or the immediate switch to using the "Holy Sword: Severed Steel Sword" attack that Eina couldn't use at the moment, as well as the adaptive method of turning the crisis of the God-binding Lock into an advantage.

This also confirmed the Saint's speculation about the identity of the black-haired man even more.

"Are you joking, your Holiness? If I want to cause chaos in the heart of the enemy, I naturally have to be fully prepared. If I always rely on one of the highest commanders of the enemy to help me divert the other one and give me enough time to work, I'm afraid I won't survive this operation. When I first started this mission, my worst-case scenario was to escape from under your and the Holy King's nose. Such a dangerous operation wouldn't end well if I didn't prepare well, after all, magicians are also human...humans are fragile."

When he mentioned "fragility," a trace of sadness seemed to flash across the black-haired man's face.

"Oh, the saint of the church, you seem to have 'aged' in years of 'peace.'"

After the black-haired man said this to Harlan, who still had a young appearance, he quickly bypassed the strange girl next to the Saint and returned to Eve's side without putting down the Holy Sword, using one hand to perform "physical repair" on his injured part.

Looking again at the strange girl whose arm was severed by the Holy Sword, her severed arm had begun to "regenerate." This was not magic, but because of her physical constitution, her bones, tendons, and skin regrew at the same rate as the black-haired man's magic from the severed section.

"Indeed, I can be said to have 'aged,' but the result of your sword just now may not necessarily be my defeat."

The Saint did not pay too much attention to the black-haired man's taunts, still looking at him with a meaningful smile, and answered him in the same way.

--A magician is a profession that requires thorough preparation, so any magician will prepare sufficient backup plans in advance to deal with unexpected situations.

For Harlan, who has completely mastered the "Fourth Construct," barely encountering the "Third Construct" black-haired man is as childish and ridiculous as a child who has just learned to run.

Unlike the "First Construct" and "Second Construct," which can be reached through continuous learning, the "Third Construct" is a realm that only those with true talent can reach. The requirements for the "Fourth Construct" are even more brutal, and it is an impossible realm without years of accumulation. Of course, ordinary humans are probably unable to persist for so long.

After tidying up his attire, Harlan, having confirmed the strength of the black-haired man, spoke of obscure words: "One of the seven heroes who ended the Dark Ages, the unnamed hero who left no information behind, it is said that he could skillfully control various 'divine artifacts' that only appeared in legends. But as someone related to the Church, I am very aware that most of the divine artifacts are attributed to 'Holy Relics' and are under the Church's protection. Then...how did that hero obtain the divine artifacts within the Church?"

"..."

In the face of Harlan's words, the man did not show any emotion. With Harlan's knowledge of controlling the "Fourth Construct," he probably knows as much about these treasures as the "Sage King" who possesses all knowledge of the earth and the "Tyrant" who plundered all treasures of the earth. He can accurately deduce the result with just a little information, let alone these information that he doesn't need to deliberately hide.

Therefore, in the face of the saint's words, the man did not feel surprised.

"However, everything became clear after seeing your way of fighting. This black hair color, the alchemy magic of forging divine artifacts... heh, such exquisite magic control must have been honed on the cruel battlefield where only seven people survived, right? Cross·Haley (the name given to the black-haired man by the Holy Maiden)... No, one of the seven heroes, 'Joseph·Slater'."

"What!"

The black-haired man is not surprised that his identity was recognized by the saint. However, this saint actually identified his true name, which he has never disclosed to anyone before.

What kind of realm is the Fourth Construct after all?

"I am very satisfied with your power. Join the church and become my subordinate judge. This way, you will have the chance to obtain the 'Philosopher's Stone' that you need from the stubborn Holy See, but how to obtain it will depend on you. The 'Second Church' that safeguards the holy relics is a place where I cannot intervene."

"I didn't expect anything from you... but since there is currently no other information about the 'Philosopher's Stone', I can only temporarily agree to your request."

The black-haired man didn't trust the man referred to as the saint, and this "distrust" included fear of his power. However, he had no reason to refuse at this moment. After all, "magicians" are focused on their interests, and the other party had indeed offered conditions that were sufficient to make him agree.

"Hahaha, this is the magician who pursues the truth. By the way, since you don't seem to like your real name very much, I'll give you the name 'Cross·Ha... no, 'Cross·Asteros'—is that okay, my dear Saint Lady?"

"Hmph... it was obviously me who gave him that name. You old monster."

The beautiful girl with pale blue long hair pouted her cheeks and let out a soft hum. This seemed to contain extreme dissatisfaction with being ignored and having her given name to the black-haired man changed and appropriated.

The relationship between the "Saint Lady" and this "Saint" might not be so friendly. For Eda, who had lost her vision and could only "observe" the world with her "heart," the thing she hated the most was Harlan, an old monster who completely shielded his inner feelings. Faced with such people, Eda couldn't even tell if he was standing in front of her.

"I'm really sorry. Let's just consider this name to have been given by the Saint Lady, and as for ignoring you, I deeply apologize."

After using magic to remove the blood from Eda's body, Harlan performed a standard priestly ceremony, even though Eda couldn't see his movements at all.

"Well, then don't use your ugly surname... it's insincere."

Eda still had no intention of forgiving this man.

"The name doesn't matter."

Since the black-haired man, as the person concerned, said so, Eda couldn't continue to insist. Besides, she didn't really have the right to give the name "Judge" to the "Saint's" subordinates.

"By the way, Eda... if you don't mind, can I help you restore your vision?"

The black-haired man "Cross," who had lifted the hostile relationship, expressed his thoughts. For him, who was able to create an artificial human with full bodily functions, simply repairing the optic nerve and restoring vision was a trivial matter.

However, these words left Eda stunned. From the day she was born, others had always focused on her "ability," and no one had ever truly cared about her. Even the Church, which had countless "magicians" and "priests" no less than Cross, had never offered to help her with anything...

Cross's sudden statement left her momentarily speechless. Her innermost thoughts were surprised and elated, even though she knew very well that her eyesight could not be cured by magic alone.

Just as she was about to express her gratitude, she was interrupted by the saint Harlan.

"Hahaha, Cross, you really are amusing. Magic is not omnipotent. The Princess's eyesight was lost as a 'price' for the contract, not due to physical defects."

"Contract?" "Hmm?"

Cross and Eda both expressed their doubts. While Cross could put that aside, Eda, as the person concerned, was hearing about this for the first time.

"Thousands of years ago, it's highly possible that one of your ancestors signed a contract with something at that time, and paid the price of losing their vision to gain special powers. As long as this 'compensation contract' is not terminated, even Eda, who has passed through countless generations, still has to pay this price."

Of course, the abilities gained from paying the price would also be inherited by the bloodline.

This was also the reason why Eda had been a "caged bird" in the Church since she was young.

"Thank you, Cross, for considering my situation."

Eda placed her right hand over her heart and sincerely thanked Cross. "No, at least as an atonement for my malicious behavior," Cross reflexively said something that may not have been from his heart.

"Then let's leave here. We can't keep the Saintess standing like this," Harlan said, shaking off his cloak. The special measures taken in the corridor temporarily lifted the visual disturbance, and he returned to his original appearance.

"Don't treat me like fragile goods," Harlan replied, even though she was indeed feeling tired from standing for those few minutes, for some reason she wanted to refute Harlan's words.

"Hahaha, sorry about that, but we can't stay here any longer. The Holy King is coming back," Harlan said, and the group left.

At this moment, the naked girl beside the Saintess whispered to her, "Lord Harlan, do you really want to bring him into your ranks? He will surely be a threat to you!"

To this, the Saintess just smiled as usual and replied, "That's precisely why I'm keeping him by my side. He's not someone who will be content with just being a holy knight. He will definitely cause a great disaster in the future... a disaster that could destroy the whole world! Of course, he may also become the savior in the midst of that disaster. Isn't it interesting to have someone like that by my side?"

"... Why keep a 'disaster' by your side?" The naked girl could not understand her respected master's thoughts.

"Haha, when you're about ten times your current age, you'll understand," Harlan said.

Now, as the "tyrant" of that dark age has not accomplished much, the "saint" Harlan believes even more that the so-called "disaster" will also turn into "hope".

So what will Cross Asteros be?