I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

"Matheus, all preparations for Mass have been completed."

 A priest approached Matheus as he was passing through the corridor.

  Nodding his head while holding the catechism in one arm, Matheus walked towards the chapel.

 There was no tremor in his silent, slow gait.

 However, in his head, the story he had heard from Cedric, who had recently returned to the temple, was circling.

 “… In order to save me, Julia went back to the Grand Duke herself.”

 The choice was compulsory, but Matheus considered that it was also Julia's decision.  It was definitely a choice with her will.

 So he wasn't too concerned about her current situation.

 But…

 The only concern for now was her health.

 Julia's power, which had returned to him like a set procedure for a while, had been cut off at some point.

 That meant she was holding up with little power left.

 It was not strange if she lost all her powers and died a long time ago, but she was holding on for a very long time.

There were not many cases like Julia's where the power in the body was directly connected to the life force, but it was not impossible.

However, all of them were recorded to have lost their lives because they could not endure any amount of it. It was probably because after using the holy power only once, the power leaked out.

 However, according to the information he has recently obtained, there has been only one exception.

 That was hundreds of years ago.

 There was a record that a person, who was on the verge of death because all of the stamina in his body had disappeared,  miraculously survived.

 The holy water of High Priest Kalosa, who was one of the gods' agents, absorbed it into his body just before his death, and completely changed the function of the body.

 The high priests of hundreds of years ago in the records were those who had unparalleled power enough to be able to communicate directly with God.

 In other words, they were divine beings that couldn’t be compared with the current priests.

 According to another record, it was said that the high priests, who had powers close to God, were all slain because their powers were restrained.

 However, some priests had different opinions.

 There were those who thought that those with near-god powers would not have been killed so easily.

 They argued that there was a possibility that they were living in seclusion somewhere without revealing their power because they knew the fear of their existence.

 Matheus was also one of those who expected that.

 “Life expectancy will also be different from that of ordinary people.”

 So if any of God's agents were alive…  It was a problem that could be easily solved without even thinking about it.

 The problem was that finding them would be as difficult as finding a tiny needle in the desert.  Still, he had no choice but to ask around as much as he could.

 Matheus owed Julia a debt. He was obliged to do everything in his power to make sure she was happy.

 After taking a deep breath, Matheus finally reached the front of the chapel.

 While the servant opened the door, someone hurriedly grabbed him.

 “Matheus!”

 The young priest, who took hold of his arm, trembled as if frightened.

 Suddenly, unexpected words came from the priest.

 “Grand Duke Caesar came to see Matheus……”

 “Grand Duke?”

 Matheus asked with his eyes wide open. Sensing that something unusual had happened instinctively, Matheus immediately turned around.

 The people in the chapel who had been waiting for him tilted their heads over the door, but leaving them behind, Matheus hurriedly moved forward.

 Matheus, who followed the young priest with a bad foreboding, eventually entered the corridor.

 And soon, over the corridor, he saw a tall man standing.

 Even the slender woman clasped in a robe and cradled in his arms.

 “…  Julia.”

 It was then that Matheus faintly felt the energy of Julia. It was so faint that he didn't notice right away.

 Hearing footsteps, Fernan turned and looked at him.

 He stood there in a disastrous state. The bloodstains on Fernan’s shirt and sleeve caught Matheus’ eyes.  Matheus felt his heart sinking in the distance and ran to them.

 ***

 They moved to Matheus’ office.

 Fernan gently laid Julia down on the cot.

 A pale face with no blood. A body with no breathing and no movements.

Her faintly beating heart was the only evidence that he knew she was still alive.

 “…  After she vomited her blood, she collapsed.  She hasn't breathed since then…. "

 Fernan, who looked like he was about to die, murmured.  Matheus, who was listening to him silently, stared at her heart with a calm yet sober gaze.

  Precisely, her power was trying to protect her with a thin membrane around her heart.

 A very small and vague low energy that could only be felt by Matheus.  It was barely supporting her heart.

 So even though her breathing stopped, only her heart was beating faintly.

 “By your Holy Power, by your Holy Power…  Can you try anything?”

 Matheus, who raised his gaze at the desperate whisper, looked at Fernan's shaky eyes, losing its light.

 It was his eyes that had gone through hell thousands of times while he brought her here.

 “…  With my own strength, complete healing is impossible.”

 Matheus lowered his hand as if to prove it.  A blue healing light from his hand fell on Julia.

 The light that flowed through her body disappeared into the air without penetrating into her.

 Fernan, who looked at him, bit his lips and grabbed Matheus’ shoulders.

 “Then, is it possible with the power of another person?”

 “…  ”

 “Tell me how.  Whatever it is, I'll do it all….”

 Matheus’ white priest's robe was crumpled in Fernan’s strong grasp. Seeing him with bloodshot eyes saying he would do anything, Matheus lowered his eyelids as if he was thinking something.

 “For now, two requirements must be met.”

 Eventually, Matheus raised his head and opened his mouth with a determined face.

 Then he looked down at Julia again and spoke slowly.

 “First of all, Julia has to hold out as she is.”

 Currently, the power surrounding Julia's heart was probably not going to disappear easily.

 Because the flow and density must move to protect her.

 …  She will have to sleep in a coma for a very long time.

 “And the other thing, though, in fact, it’s almost impossible…  .”

 Matheus stared at Fernan's face, who was silently waiting for him to speak.

 A method that was close to impossible.  However, given the position and great army the Grand Duke had, he could foretell the possibility.

  “We must find the High Priest, the agent of God.”

 “…  God's agent?"

 Fernan asked, as if forcing his words into his head.

 "Yes. They existed hundreds of years ago, but my guess is that they must be hiding somewhere on the continent.”

 Matheus took a small breath and gently grabbed his hands.  And he continued with a firm voice.

 “With them, it is possible to regenerate the stopped functions of the body. Of course, they can also restore Julia’s condition.”

 At those words, Fernan's dead eyes lit up in an instant.  While he looked at Julia, Matheus’ voice continued.

 “However, it is unclear where they are.”

 “But, we can pick out where the possibilities are.  Even so, it would still be broad… …  ”

 “Even if I have to search all over the continent, I will find him.”

 Carefully holding Julia’s droopy hand, Fernan murmured.

 Matheus looked at him, then slowly lowered his eyelids.

 “Yes, then what matters right now is time.”

 The key was whether Julia could hold out until Fernan found the High Priest.

 Fernan raised his head and looked at Matheus.  Their eyes met in the air.

 "Time will help Julia, because her god seems to be giving her her last chance for a long time."

 Matheus spoke resolutely. 

 “So, don’t worry. I will protect her from anyone's access by putting up a protective shield with my power."

 “……  okay"

 Fernan, who barely nodded his head, looked down at Julia again.

 Holding her hand tightly with an anxious gaze, then slowly releasing it, Fernan stood up. Still, everything was not clear.  However, he did not have time to ponder and understand this situation for a long time.

Now, he had to think only of saving Julia.