Ch. 26 - Unexpected Happiness

Paladin, who became increasingly sluggish, rummaged through the cabinet for a bottle of ink. When he found one, he dipped his finger directly into it and tore open the worn carpet on the floor. Skillfully, he began to draw the magic circle. After that, he lit a fire, poured water, blew some wind, and sprinkled soil on it.

After finishing all these, Paladin gasped for air. He dragged the two sleeping couples into the magic circle, stood straight in the center, and drew some of his blood. Boom! Boom! Boom! There was a flash of a blinding light. Paladin picked up the soybean-sized Philosopher's stone lying on the ground with one hand. With his sleeve, he wiped the magic circle off the floor. After glancing left and right and seeing nobody else, he dashed towards the church. Leaving behind the family of three’s corpses in the store.

Paladin stumbled into the room, closing the door with a shake of his hand. He collapsed to the ground weakly. Right now, he was terrified because he clearly felt that he was dying. His limbs became so weak and his brain began to get confused.

Paladin's feet were practically numb at this crucial moment, so he had to clench his teeth. He steeled his resolve, supported himself on the ground with his weak arms, and muttered resentfully, "How can-how can I just die here?! Dying in a humble and lowly way, which is because of old age? I'm Paladin, the one who’d be a great figure in the future!”

Harboring deep grievances, Paladin failed to walk to the counter. He laid limply on the floor. A sliver of life essence was rapidly escaping him. Paladin dazedly laughed. He continued to laugh as he looked at the ceiling. His strength was no longer sufficient to draw the Dharma Array, the reintegration and disintegration magic circle. He didn't even have the strength to climb onto the stool. Aside from despair, there was a deep unwillingness clearly reflected in his eyes right now.

While in a trance, Paladin’s journey in life, his own humble and lowly life, was played in his mind from the very beginning. He had never been cared for. His life was inferior to that of pigs and dogs. Every day was filled with humiliation and burden. At that point in time, he was studying more desperately than any student. All because he was convinced that only by mastering knowledge could he get ahead, get rid of his original life, and gain respect. That was, until he came across the scroll….

The Ripley Scroll, which recorded the recipe for the legendary great medicine in alchemy, the Philosopher's Stone. Paladin was unable to resist the strong temptation and took it for himself.

"Sure enough, I gained power and a life with freedom. I have a high status; if I could add a beautiful wife to that, I'd be satisfied."

Paladin had a self-deprecating smile on his face as his eyes gradually became unfocused. Just as he was about to slowly close his eyes and wait for death to take him, the visage of a man and a woman with blurry faces suddenly popped in his mind. They were looking at him with a smile. The inexplicable intimacy that came from these two people made Paladin understand in an instant that these were his biological parents whose appearance had been forgotten by him.

That moment, a nameless fire suddenly ignited in Palatin's heart. His heavy eyes opened instantly, filled with endless malice and madness.

"Get away! I don’t need your pity! I'm not a rabid dog wagging its tail pleading for mercy!" Paladin said hoarsely.

He firmly grasped the philosopher's stone in his hand, threw it into his mouth with all of his remaining strength, and swallowed. He laughed nervously, a smug smile plastered on his crazed expression.

"Even if I, Paladin, die, I don't want your pity! Even if my body burst due to the Philosopher's Stone’s huge power and no single bones remained, I am me and will always be me! ”

Paladin was desperate. After swallowing the Philosopher's Stone, his body felt like a dying plant that was being rained on. Paladin's exhausted body was warmed by an endless warm current.

"Aaaaah! So comfortable! ”

Unlike the previous sharp pain that ran through his body, Paladin felt more comfortable than ever. He was pleased to see his dry wrinkled skin regained its smoothness and tenderness. Endless strength gushes out of his whole body. It was as if the exhaustion he felt before was but a dream.

Paladin rolled over and immediately stood up. Looking at his young self in the mirror, he looked happy.

"It turns out that it can be swallowed raw. Hahahaha! I, Paladin, do not deserve to die in that manner!"

However, as soon as the words were spoken, Paladin's body began to age again. Obviously, it wasn’t that fast this time. Paladin was only slightly stunned before laughing viciously.

"The Philosopher's stone refined with two people isn’t enough? I've fused with the magic elements using four people at once, the Philosopher's Stone refined using only two people couldn’t be enough at all. Fortunately, there are plenty of people in the town. There are raw materials everywhere."

Paladin, who was smiling, seemed to have abruptly remembered something. He fell into deep thought for a while. Not long after, he suppressed his excitement and said, "Wait a minute, if I swallowed ten Philosopher's Stones in one go, doesn't that mean my lifespan will be ten times longer than others? What if it's a hundred people, or even a thousand people? Will I be immortal? I can live forever! Hahaha!”

A faint foreboding laughter echoed in the room. The people, who were still asleep at this time, would have no idea that they had been seen as raw materials to be squandered at will by a highly revered priest.

The dark night gradually lit up when the sun began to rise up into the sky. A ray of sunlight illuminated the interior of the town's church. Paladin, who was sitting on a pew with a manic face, couldn't help but softly laugh as he looked at an egg-sized bright red Philosopher's Stone lying in a handkerchief.

"Ten portions of life essence, a Philosopher's Stone made with a whole ten portions of life essence! Ah, what a lovely color. It’s eye-catching, as if it’s filled with endless blood. It is mine and mine alone!”

Paladin picked up the Philosopher's Stone and swallowed it with one gulp.

"Hah, hahah! Hahahaha!"

Paladin's gradually aging skin was instantly rejuvenated. His skin looked as if it had been painted with a layer of white paint, showing an unusual snow-white color. Although his appearance remained the same, it was a little more bright. He looked a few years younger than his actual age of twenty-two.

Paladin was pleased with his own body. He was not afraid of things falling apart and getting caught because the majority of those who died were beggars and stragglers, not the people of this town. The only ones who could be identified were the couple he murdered previously. But he was unafraid because the bodies had turned into skeletons. Ordinary soldiers would only think it was the doing of a black sorcerer.

Since a black sorcerer was presumably involved in this matter, it was necessary to seek the assistance of the local priest. That priest was no other than Paladin himself. He would never report it to the Holy See and would never allow it to be sent to the magistrate from the Inquisition. Moreover, the lord of this town didn’t care about the life or death of civilians while the soldiers and the captain of the guard couldn’t contact the Holy See. So, as long as he didn’t report it, he could get a vast variation of raw materials to choose from.

Paladin couldn't help but laugh again when he remembered this delightful fact. Now, all he had to do now was change into a suitable costume and wait for the soldiers to arrive. Inviting him to perform the show.

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