I Was The Hero, But I Woke Up as a Phoenix Princess! – Chapter 595

Chapter 53 The Fire Saint’s Memory (Part 2)
“Perhaps it’s because of the longing for a time outside of the winter, for the light and shadow of fire… In ancient times, the honored name of ‘Fire Saint’ flourished with the establishment of the church. This even dates back to the ancient kingdom period.”
Count Sirius’s words made Ig frown.
He had discussed the frost calamity with Verafia, which was the will of a true god’s revival, but was Count Sirius hinting… that this frost god had truly existed in ancient times?
Since this continent of Aer was entirely the territory of that frost god, according to the knowledge of gods that Verafia had once told him… then the “Fire Saint” that Count Sirius mentioned was not a native deity.
Ig suddenly thought of a possibility beyond a god of raging fire: could this “Fire Saint” be a condensation of faith?
“Is Ig suspecting the true existence of the ‘Fire Saint’?”
As if sensing his thoughts, Count Sirius gently shook his head and smiled slightly: “The church of the Fire Saint was established during the ancient kingdom period. Legend has it that there were once monks and priests who drew his holy word…”
“However, when the kingdom was destroyed, the church was also destroyed, and the ancient stories and scriptures were inevitably lost… This also led to the continuous decline of the power of faith. Until twenty years ago, when the frost calamity approached.”
Count Sirius’s voice suddenly paused.
Was it the fear of the frost calamity… that made them once again hold onto their faith in gods?
Ig thought. He turned his head, and the girl sitting beside him gently lowered her exquisite eyelashes, her big eyes slightly closed, lost in thought.
“Lord Ig, I told you before that the concept of the ‘Fire Saint’ is not something we fabricated.”
Count Sirius said, “Even after suffering turmoil, the traces of the ‘Fire Saint’ have not completely disappeared. The church in Nar City holds a holy relic of the blazing flame… It is because of this that we have been able to survive the frost calamity. Similarly, the ruins of the church are inscribed with his prophecies and oracles.”
Sirius raised his pale gold eyes and read them out, word by word:
“Among them, he prophesied that twenty years ago, the calamity of frost would engulf the land… And similarly, a knight with burning flames would be his envoy, the nemesis of the frost calamity, using the sword of flame to incinerate the ice and frost.”
Ig nodded, appearing to ponder.
He didn’t think this was a fabrication by the church, and moreover, Count Sirius said that the relics of the “Fire Saint” protected them from being devoured by the frost calamity…
If this “Fire Saint” was also a deity, then were the knights who would defeat the frost calamity in the oracle his chosen ones?
Suddenly, Ig felt Count Sirius’s gaze fall upon his face.
“Sirius believes that Ig will be the envoy of the ‘Fire Saint’?”
Ophi raised her long eyelashes, revealing eyes like frost ice, and exclaimed in surprise.
“Miss Ophi’s words… this is not my speculation. However, the priests of the Inquisition once witnessed Lord Ig’s battle with that cultist.”
Sirius said softly, then looked at Ig again: “Bishop Lord told me that your flame magic can suppress the aura of the frost calamity… even those cultists who transformed into servants of the frost calamity could only last a moment under the spear of flame.”
“You mean…”
Ig raised his head.
“I am merely relaying the wishes of Bishop Lord,” Count Sirius said, “He entrusted me to request your participation in the church… If you are truly the envoy of the Fire Saint, you will be honored throughout the entire continent.”
“As for the reward, I cannot say definitively, but if you are the savior in the oracle who defeats the frost calamity… at least, it will be a city, or even the entire church.”
Ig listened intently to Count Sirius’s narration.
In reality, there was not much to decide.
As the savior of the continent? It sounded very cool and inspiring; and the reward of a city, or even the position of Pope, was also enough to make one yearn for it.
However, Ig knew clearly that he could not be the envoy of the so-called “Fire Saint” at all. In the oracle, it was a knight holding a sword of flame, and he was not a knight at all. The Sword of the End in his hand, even though forged with Verafia’s flame, was still far from the sword of flame.
Moreover, his magic was not fire; it came from the blood of the girl, her divine choice…
If he were to rush headlong into the frost calamity with his current meager strength, this platinum-weak body of his, without fate’s protection, would likely be instantly devoured by the evil gods following the frost calamity.
“Count. You are mistaken. While my flame may have an opposing characteristic to the frost calamity, it comes from the Goddess Princess of my hometown… Perhaps the envoy you speak of is someone else.”
Ig said. Verafia had remained silent, most likely because the “Fire Saint” of the Aer Continent had nothing to do with her or Herafir.
He gently turned his head again. The beautiful girl sat beside him, her golden hair radiant and soft. The gentle, pale golden sunlight streamed in from the window, making the girl’s flawless profile incredibly gorgeous and moving.
Like the most precious treasure in the world, he thought.
Ig gently took the little hand of the girl beside him and placed it in his palm. Perhaps due to a hint of surprise, the girl’s fingertips briefly gripped his hand before quickly relaxing and gently resting in his palm.
A smile crossed the young man’s lips. The eyes he raised held a hint of softness, and he turned to look at Count Sirius again:
“Furthermore, our journey is to help the Young Lady… Count, I thank you for your offering, but please forgive me, we cannot stay in your territory for too long.”
“Is that so…”
Count Sirius murmured softly, then suddenly smiled, a hint of envy flashing in his clear, pale gold eyes, and he said:
“Mr. Ig, your affection for Miss Verafia is enviable… If I were not a Count, I would have the same aspirations as you.”
Ig felt a bit embarrassed. It was a very ordinary matter, but in Sirius’s words, it sounded like high praise.
“Could it be, but Sirius said that he would have the same aspirations as himself… Could it be that this young count also likes a girl?”
Ig thought. But he felt a hint of doubt; his status as a Count should not affect his love for a girl…
Could it be that this little Count likes someone he shouldn’t be in love with because of his Count status… perhaps a forbidden girl, a woman beyond ethics… or perhaps, a handsome young man?
Ig was suddenly startled by his own thoughts and instinctively thought of the red-haired young man Azer, who was close to Count Sirius and had grown up with him.