God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 219: Episode _Rose Gold Holy Dragon (5)

8.

For Han Simin, who had not only spent all his GP but had also poured every last bit of his liquid gold into Squeaker, the black magic mages' items were nothing short of an emergency fund. Despite the continent's oppression, countless users were diving in, hoping to become black magic mages of historical renown. These were items their main class couldn't easily obtain. How much would they sell for? And these weren't just items with a bit of demonic energy dropped by some nobody; they were items used by genuine black magic mages. Some had special options, and there were even Unique-grade items. They could fetch tens of millions of won at the very least!

Simin didn't hesitate to hand them over to the knights.

"Don't get caught. Make it look natural. Got it?"

"...Must we go this far?"

Naturally, the knights protested. They were here to investigate, not to aid in Simin's scam. Though they were knights, they had the grave duty of protecting the Emperor, and even a small amount of time like this was precious to them. If it weren't for the Emperor's command, they looked ready to give him a piece of their mind.

"What? You got a problem? You pissed? If you're so pissed, you can be the son-in-law. You son of a… I wasted my own time to make you guys stronger behind the Emperor's back, and now you're going to act like this? Fine. I get it. I'm a man of principle who never forgets a favor, so I was going to graciously set aside a month to help you break through your plateau if you helped me this time, but I guess not. Fine. I get it. Go back. Go back and tell His Majesty you couldn't do it because you were pissed off. His Majesty will be thrilled. After all, it's a deal he secured by handing over an item from his private treasury, and the Imperial Knights just blew it off on a whim. A refund? Of course not."

Of course, such complaints were useless against Simin. When he was in a position of weakness, he was endlessly servile and tried to latch on however he could, but when he was in a position of power, he milked it for all it was worth, as if to show this was the pinnacle of power. The knights had no choice but to obey. The memory of their growth from their past training with Simin was already slowly returning. For knights who had already tasted that drug, breaking through a higher wall with effort alone was difficult. Their conflict naturally faded. They had already fallen for Simin once.

'It's all for His Majesty.'

'Intervening in the Temple was something that had to happen eventually.'

'This much isn't going against God's will.'

The self-brainwashing was quickly accomplished. How could the priests or elders possibly keep up with their sleight of hand? Even as they watched, black mage items were swiftly placed in the elders' private drawers.

"...No!"

"That, that is not mine!"

"Hmph! To play innocent when the evidence is right here! Seize that man at once!"

"Yes, sir!"

Simin's roar and the knights' swift movements, spurred by their own guilt, left no room for the elders to recover. They were captured and dragged away without even a moment to grasp the situation. They were bound to be confused. They felt something was wrong, but their opponents were the Imperial Knights. Not just any knights, but the Emperor's direct subordinates. Even assuming a conspiracy, it didn't make sense. Why would the Emperor do this?

What if he had joined hands with the Pope to eliminate them? What if the Pope, who had left them alone until now, had finally made up his mind? This might be the golden opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop. Joining hands with the black magic mages after being betrayed and abandoned wouldn't be very effective. It would just add another external enemy instead of an internal one.

"Th-this! This is a conspiracy!"

The cries of the elders, now unjustly accused, were desperate. Their shouts were filled with sincerity.

"I may have wanted to become Pope, but to join hands with the black magic mages! This is absurd! Please!"

"Save me!"

It was only natural. Having risen to the rank of elder, they knew the Temple better than anyone. Hadn't they personally overseen the punishment of countless heretics from that very position? Elder or Pope, once branded a heretic, you were done for. Losing your head would be a merciful death. The Temple's dungeons. What if they went to that terrible place not as elders, but as heretics?

"...Please! This is a conspiracy, Your Holiness!"

Their desperation was so palpable it could wrench the heart of anyone who heard it. Simin raised his hand.

Thud!

The Imperial Knights stamped their feet in unison. A final hope was given to the elders, who were crying their eyes out. But they were not given a chance to speak. Simin stepped forward in front of the Pope and the numerous priests.

A quiet silence. Simin approached and pointed to the numerous crystals of demonic energy held in the knights' hands.

"Are you truly saying those are not yours?"

At some point, his tone had naturally become condescending, as if addressing a criminal. One corner of his mouth curled up strangely. A smile that seemed to say he knew everything.

An incensed elder shouted, "That's right!" He caught himself and added a belated, hesitant, "…sir." 'What is this? I'm saying it's not mine, but why do I have this ominous feeling that I might be wrong?'

Simin gave the elder a chance. "Go on, pick one."

He was dumbstruck.

"Pick an item that isn't yours."

What kind of absurd question was this?

"None of them are mine."

"Really? Then it won't matter which one I pick, right?"

"Of course!"

One elder, collecting himself, shouted. He was certain it wasn't his. Whatever they did, if it came down to proving it, he was confident he could prove his innocence. It was unfair that he had to clear his name of this accusation when he had no connection to the black magic mages in the first place, but what could he do? The situation had already escalated this far, and he had become embroiled without his knowledge. It wasn't too late. He wanted to escape this wretched situation as soon as possible. So, he prayed fervently in his heart. 'Oh God, please help me.'

Meanwhile, Simin, without a second thought, as if casually picking up a piece of rice cake from a pile, chose one of the items the knights were holding. And he held it out. To the elder.

He was too stunned to speak.

"Hold it."

The elder did as he was told. Refusing was what the guilty did. Having dealt with many heretics from the opposite side, the elder was confident he knew Simin's state of mind better than anyone. If you're innocent, just show it. Babbling on was a foolish act that would make even the innocent seem guilty. Even though the touch of the black mage's item sent a shiver down his spine, he still took it.

"Channel your holy power."

He was confused.

He channeled his holy power. At the same time, he realized what Simin was trying to do.

'Fool.'

A smile had already formed inside him. But he wasn't so tactless as to let it show. 'So this is how it is. But you've picked the wrong target, you fool.' To think he would try to make an elder of the Grand Temple use a black mage's item. Not a chance.

Vmmmm.

Hope soon turned into opportunity. The elder, who prided himself on his integrity, channeled his holy power with all his might for all to see. A wave of pure white mana, so dense it was visible to the eye, surged forth.

"Wow!"

It was a vast amount, enough to make some of the watching priests green with envy. Who could possibly look at such holy power and call him a heretic?

A heretic cannot wield holy power. And a priest cannot use the items of a black mage!

Vwoom—

Flash!

"Ack!" the elder gasped.

"It's—it's black magic!" the priests cried out.

'...What?'

Just as the elder was about to shout his confident declaration, the black mage's item in his hand reacted to his own holy power, spewing forth an abyss of darkness. It was a shadow far deeper than the brilliant holy light he had just displayed. A silence so profound it felt bottomless fell over the Grand Temple.

*

'I already blew 45 million dollars, so what's a few tens of millions?' Simin thought. Money was always relative. While tens of millions of won was a huge sum on its own, to Simin, who had already lost tens of billions, it was a paltry amount. Especially now that he was committed to revenge. Losing a few more multi-million won items didn't sting much at all. 'I'll just run a few more ads, release the movie, and take some more pictures of Squeaker.'

Han Simin had reached a point where he could prioritize his feelings over money. The black mage's item he had chosen was a type that could be used not only by black magic mages but also by priests. It was designed to react to any magic-related energy—holy power, mana, or dark mana. Naturally, it had responded to the elder's holy power, unleashing the item's inherent black magic.

"..."

Those who were unaware of this fact could only stare in shock. How could they possibly know the intricacies of items belonging to black magic mages, a group they had scarcely even glimpsed in their entire lives? There were certainly no records in the history books of priests ever using a black mage's artifacts. Why would they ever experiment with the belongings of those they considered lower than insects? Such items were always destroyed on sight.

"It's a setup! A setup!" the elder cried, his voice cracking with desperation. The circumstantial evidence was so overwhelming that he began to wonder if he had been sleepwalking, colluding with black magic mages without even knowing it. But he had to live. He had to survive, even if it meant begging and claiming he had no memory of it, that it was something he did in a dream. It was the last, pathetic defense of a man who had spent his life persecuting heretics. The injustice and fear were overwhelming. If they would just kill him, it would be over, but this meant losing everything he had built as a priest of the Grand Temple. "I've heard of this before! Your Holiness! It's said that a black mage's item can be activated with just mana!"

"And how would you know that? A priest of the Grand Temple? Did you hear it from the black magic mages?" Simin interjected coolly.

"...No, absolutely not!"

"If not, then what? Did God appear in your dreams and tell you?"

"..."

'If I could just punch that mouth once before I die,' was the elder's fervent wish.

As if mocking him, Han Simin crushed the man's last hope. He snatched the item from the elder's hand and walked straight to Squeaker. "That's a ridiculous story, but as an investigator, I will remain neutral and listen to the accused's final statement."

"..."

"Here. Please use it, Saintess."

"Yes," Squeaker replied.

Taking the item, Squeaker gathered her power, radiating a shimmering divine energy with the utmost holiness and grace. Of course, she didn't have a shred of mana left; it would take a long time for it to recharge. This, too, was the power of gold. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Vwoom—

The artificial holy power was far denser and more potent than what the elder had confidently displayed moments before. That divine energy seeped into the item. And then...

Flash—!

"Ah!"

"Saintess!"

A pure white light, completely different from before and without a single speck of darkness, filled the temple. A moment later, when the light faded, the item in her hand was completely cleansed, with not a trace of black magic remaining.

"..."

No one doubted the elders' betrayal any longer.

*