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Chapter 136: Eteria Rodinus 1
Chapter 136: Eteria Rodinus 1
Chapter 136: Eteria Rodinus 1
Eteria Rodius, a group of wisemen who protected the divine lineage and ancestral knowledge from people with impure intentions.
They were deeply related to the Sangreal Chronicles, one of the three Ancient Chronicles that granted epic quests.
The Sangreal Chronicles was an item that couldn’t be abandoned, considering that huge rewards such as return scrolls were given when the quests were completed.
So Woohyuk tried to get as much information as possible during his meeting with Eteria Rodinus.
“What do you mean the Ark of Knowledge has been lost?”
“To understand the events, you first need some background knowledge.”
Helena explained the past as they sat on a chair.
The origin of Eteria Rodinus was a gathering of twelve disciples who were taught by the wise king Solomon.
Their original purpose was to unify science and religion to mediate disputes between religious groups and academies.
However, these attempts provoked a backlash from the extremists and, after Solomon's death, led to a conspiracy that stirred up the ancient Aperian Empire.
The newly crowned Emperor Adelbert was poisoned at a dinner with the Twelve Disciples, and the Holy Grail and Lemegeton disappeared from Solomon's Hall.
This event was later called the wisemen's supper.
As a result, the twelve disciples were arrested and put on trial, and all were sentenced to death despite the lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Anikius, a child of Adelbert’s maternal family, became the next emperor with the support of the believers of the God of Light, members of the Light Doctrine.
The divine line that had begun with the union of Adam and Eve was in danger of being severed.
At that time, Solomon's first disciple, Avicenna, escaped prison alone.
He retrieved the stolen Holy Grail and Lemegeton from the believers of the Light Doctrine, and went to the forbidden library hidden in Solomon's temple, and activated a magic circle.
The name of the magic circle was Akashic Record.
He was trying to move the forbidden library, where numerous magic books were stored, to the Ark of Knowledge in the heavenly world.
“The Ark of Knowledge is in the world of the gods?”
“Yes, only enemies of the divine lineage can enter and leave that place during certain periods of time.”
“Does it mean that the heavenly world was attacked and lost that part to the enemy?”
“During the War of Gods and Demons, Lilith tried to open the door to heaven and destroy the world through the Abyss of Origin. However, the attempt eventually failed because she wasn't qualified.”
Because of the stigma that was engraved on her when she was exiled from Paradise Lost and fell to the demon world, Lilith could only open a third of the heavenly gate before exhausting herself.
However, in the aftermath, part of the heavenly world was destroyed, and hundreds of magic books in the ark of knowledge were lost.
Eteria Rodinus intended to restore them through manuscripts kept separately on the Eeth Continent.
“Are the three ancient Chronicles included in them?”
“Yes, especially the Sangreal Chronicles that contains details about the divine lineage and the secrets of Eteria Rodinus, so it must be retrieved.”
“Then, what about the demon god? Why are you interested in the existence of the demon god?”
“The War of Gods and Demons caused enormous damage to humans as well as the gods and demons, because the battlefield was the Eeth continent.”
Recognizing the need for a countermeasure, Eteria Rodinus tried to find out about the underlying system of this world by studying the magic books in the Ark of Knowledge.
Then one day, they discovered a surprising fact.
It was none other than the dimensional staircase and the existence of the Demon God Asura.
In simpler terms, this world was made up of several dimensions, and the Demon God Asura was confined in one of them.
“Who on earth wrote that magic book? Was it the wise king Solomon?”
“We do not know. The Ark of Knowledge has existed since before Solomon's days.”
When Adam and Eve were kicked out of Paradise Lost and descended to the Eeth Continent, there were already humans living there.
They were the descendants of Adam and Lilith.
When Lilith fell to the demon world with a stigma engraved on her waist, her children were sent to the Eeth Continent.
Later, as the population increased, mankind was gradually sent to other dimensions as arranged by the Creator, and as a result, occupied the largest part of the world.
'That's an interesting story.'
According to Helena's story, the Eeth continent was the starting point of human civilization.
He now also understood why the humans on Earth were sent here.
The other humans summoned together were also likely to have lived in the Eeth continent long ago.
'But there are still many questionable points.'
Why was Eteria Rodinus trying to find the Demon God Asura?
They must have been well aware that the power of the demon god could destroy the world.
Therefore, they should’ve been hostile to him rather than friendly.
However, he could not find that attitude in everyone, including Saint Martinus.
Woohyuk was in deep thought for a while before speaking again.
“Is it possible to change the system into a desirable direction by using the power of the demon god?”
“It is said to be possible according to the ancient prophetic book on the Ark of Knowledge. Not only did it explain why Asura was sealed, there was also a description of your past, present, and future.”
Helena shut her mouth as if she didn’t want to say more than that.
Woohyuk stared at her pretty face.
“You better keep talking. I can't see any difference from your words to Aleister's quest for salvation.”
“No, it’s completely different. He is trying to destroy the world as Lilith intended. But that is not the only option available to you.”
“Then, are you telling me to fight the Creator? I’m sorry, but I haven't even reached the divine thrones yet. And I won’t have to fight him if we fill all the divine thrones and return mankind to our original world...”
“Why do you think you were able to meet the demon god? Do you believe that you just accidentally discovered the Nag Hammadi Chronicles in the underground ruins of the Liones Kingdom, and met the three goddesses of fate in Urdarbrunn through luck?”
Helena's blue eyes burned fiercely.
Woohyuk was surprised for the first time.
'Do they know that I regressed?'
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to mention the events that happened in his past life.
His heart throbbed like never before.
Along with the tension, an anxious foreboding came.
“Was everything planned by the Creator?”
“The peaceful ending you have been expecting will never happen in the future. The adversity you will face will be far more terrible and distressing than the ones you experienced in the past 40 years. Think carefully about why Lilith and Aleister have been leaving you alone.”
‘Does he want me to suffer?’
Did he want Woohyuk to become increasingly stained with blood and madness as he lost his loved ones and became frustrated?
Woohyuk recalled the events in the memory garden.
'I won’t let things go that way.'
No matter what happened this time, he would reach the divine thrones and save everyone.
It was with that promise that he tore the return scroll.
He had given up everything.
His peaceful daily life, the woman he loved, the emperor's throne, all kinds of golden and silver treasures in his warehouse.
It was because he thought he was the only one who could achieve this goal.
But the future had always been planned.
‘This is unacceptable.’
Woohyuk stood up from his seat and held firmly on Helena’s shoulders, who was facing him.
“I will kill them all. I will not hesitate to cut down those who stand in my way. So tell me. What the hell is written in that prophetic book and what is my destiny?”
“You are already drowning in madness. You are just not aware of it yet. If you kill me now, you will never escape that madness.”
Helena wasn't afraid and looked straight into Woohyuk’s eyes.
A heavy silence flowed for a while, and Woohyuk stepped back after releasing her.
“Apologies. It seems I got overexcited.”
“That is understandable. You've been overusing the Demon God’s abilities for a while after uniting with his ego. That is why you will need my help from now on.”
“How will you help me? You won’t even tell me the contents of the prophetic book.”
“Because I am a saint. I have inherited the divine lineage.”
It was said that Helena was the descendant of Solomon, the wise king.
Woohyuk was puzzled and looked at her again.
“Now that I think about it, you do resemble Saint Sophia.”
“We are of the same family. But how do you know of her appearance?”
“I happened to meet her at the Royal Library in the Izuna Kingdom.”
Woohyuk recounted the events at the secret library of the Spiritual Society.
Then Helena exclaimed with a startled expression.
“You passed the trial of the White Sage Martinus? That’s something I didn't see in the prophetic book...”
“The trial was merely a few battles in the imaginary world.”
“Well, then do you have the nameless tome?”
"Of course."
Woohyuk took out the ancient nameless tome.
Helena hurriedly grabbed it and skimmed the pages without hesitation.
“It’s true. It is written in Rosa Eterna and there is no sign of it being a counterfeit.”
“Is that ancient book important to you?”
“Of course. The nameless tome contains all the information about the Ark of Knowledge and the Holy Grail.”
If it went into the hands of Pronoia or the Golden Rose Society, everything would be over.
While they couldn’t read Rosa Eterna and would take a long while to read it, it would still be extremely unfavorable to them.
“Then this will be easy. In exchange for returning it, I want to hear everything written inside.”
“I will add one more condition. No matter what happens, you will not harm me.”
“I must have terrified you earlier.”
“Not really. It's just that if I die, many people will be in trouble.”
Those who had inherited the divine lineage were few now.
Those of the Light Doctrine tried to erase Solomon's bloodline from the world after making Anikius the puppet emperor.
They elected a pope after putting the word holy in front of the imperial name, and they were not afraid to cover up the truth by modifying the scriptures and records.
Therefore, Solomon's eleven disciples, who escaped the imperial dungeon, left the empire and lived together in seclusion.
“Eleven disciples? You mentioned 12 people earlier.”
“The twelfth disciple Judas Iscariot was a traitor. It was he who poisoned Emperor Adelbert.”
Judith had sold them all out for a piece of gold.
He had become so absorbed in the Light Doctrine that he had forgotten the teachings of his master.
Later, when his crimes were revealed, he ran away and committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree.
“I’ve heard something similar before.”
“The version from the world you were originally in was slightly different. Anyways, the members of Eteria Rodinus have always been eleven ever since. We are only allowed to have one successor.”
“Are there any other descendants of Solomon other than you? I’m not quite convinced that you are the only one.”
“I never declared that I was the only one. Hidden children who inherited Solomon’s bloodline have existed. Avicenna is a prime example.”
The High Sage Avicenna was both the first disciple of Solomon the Wise King and his illegitimate child.
Therefore, even after the royal family of the ancient Aperian Empire was eliminated by the Light Doctrine, the divine lineage was able to continue its survival.
Woohyuk nodded as if he understood.
“Then, won’t Eteria Rodinus accept my request even if I take you hostage?”
“Well, that is the case. I have enough candidates who can replace me. Now that you know, can you stop aiming for my life?”
Helena turned her head with a frown.
A woman with a clumsy and cute side that did not suit her mature appearance.
Woohyuk got up from his seat with a small smile.
“I'll apologize for the comments from earlier, Miss inflexible saint.”
“What do you mean by that, Mr. I-don’t-know-any-basic-etiquette?”
… It seemed that it would take some time for the two to get close.