MHR 32

Chapter 32

Divine Power is a level above Aura, and when fully awakened, merely clashing swords can break the arms of the wicked and even strip them of their swordsmanship abilities. Naturally, even knights who possess Aura cannot overcome Divine Power.

It seemed, however, that Ian was still only at Level 1. Once Level 1 ends—where he can run fast and temporarily emit great strength—he will progress to Level 2.

Divine Power Level 2 allows him to inherently discern good from evil. At that stage, no matter how much someone lies, they cannot deceive Ian.

Level 3 is virtually invincible, and Ian ascends to the rank of a holy knight. At that point, Ian’s old sword becomes a sacred sword, making him unbeatable regardless of the opponent’s skill.

The final Level 4 allows him to steal even the power of others. As mentioned earlier, merely clashing swords with Ian renders a wicked person unable to wield a sword again—and if they refuse to abandon their evil intentions, they might even die.

With Ian possessing such incredible power, it was far from a reason to be happy that he liked me.

This was because of the moral law accompanying Divine Power.

Divine Power, wielded only by those chosen by the gods, always pursues absolute good. If Ian were to use it for personal desires or in a place that was not righteous, he would pay a great price.

That price could range from sudden illness, temporary blindness or deafness, to paralysis or even death. In the original story, Ian suffered greatly because of this moral law.

“Father, brothers… even my sister are all evil. I ended up getting hurt because I blindly fulfilled their requests.”

As his Divine Power grew stronger, Ian became bound by the moral law, gradually losing his humanity. In other words, if someone is judged wicked, he would not spare anyone—not parents, not even friends.

“In the original story, Ian didn’t save Clarissa either.”

For a holy knight like Ian, Clarissa—the wife of a villain—stealing the grimoire for Damon, the embodiment of vengeance, and endangering humanity was unforgivable.

Once Divine Power manifests, it will grow gradually, and Ian will increasingly side with others, not with me.

“There are plenty of young, kind, and handsome men. No need to create problems. I should just cut ties with Ian.”

I made up my mind to abandon Ian and started walking toward the tea shop.

“Hmm. Where should we go for tea?”

Even though the tea shop was right ahead, I looked around nervously.

There were many quaint tea shops near the dock frequented by the wealthy, but I didn’t want to go there with Ian.

A tea shop with uncomfortable chairs, stuffy air, and a noisy crowd seemed perfect. That way, I could quickly drink tea and part ways with Ian.

I led the way down an alley reeking of urine, leaving the dock behind.

“That one should do.”

From a dilapidated-looking establishment that seemed ready to collapse, loud voices of people chatting and drinking echoed.

As soon as I opened the door, the sudden darkness hit my eyes—I had gone from bright light to a dim interior—and I blinked repeatedly to adjust.

After a moment, my vision cleared, and I drew a short breath.

“This isn’t a tea shop!”

Burly sailors with tattooed arms were drinking and talking loudly. They turned their heads at my entrance.

A noblewoman, out of place in such a shabby tavern, fanned herself as she walked in, clearly drawing their curiosity.

Perhaps fearing trouble, the tavern owner shouted from the counter:

“All the seats are full, madam. Please come again next time.”

A man with a shark tattoo grinned and winked at me.

“Full seats? But I’ve got my thighs! Hahaha!”

“I’ll give you my table—sit on it! Hahaha!”

At that moment, Ian, standing behind me, lifted a drum full of alcohol from the corner and slammed it down in front of me.

The sound of the heavy drum hitting the floor echoed like thunder.

“We can make our own seats, Clarissa.”

“I-Ian!”

Because Ian had trained his body brutally, lifting a drum like that was easy for him. He didn’t even need to use Divine Power. For him, lifting a drum was as effortless as picking up a spoon.

Still, I felt anxious. Ian had never shown off his strength in public before.

Shy by nature, he preferred helping others quietly. Now, he was flaunting his power openly.

“Seems Ian’s personality has changed too!”

When our eyes met, I quickly looked away. He clearly wanted to impress me, but if I reacted, he might exert even more strength.

“I don’t want to sit on a drum, Ian.”

“There’s an empty seat inside. Shall we go?”

“I don’t want to sit in a corner on a day like this. There’s no window seat.”

I pointed toward the man with the shark tattoo. The window seats were all taken by men who looked intimidating, as if the tavern were ruled by strength.

“There’s a seat by the closed window, Clarissa.”

There was an empty table by a window that didn’t open.

“People didn’t sit there because it’s stuffy. Let’s go somewhere else.”

I decided to leave and find a proper tea shop, determined to end things with Ian.

“I’ll open the window.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no window that won’t open. So it will open.”

Ian grabbed the broken window and tore the whole frame out. Silence fell across the tavern.

The men who had mocked me at the window seat quietly got up and left.

Pleased with himself, Ian puffed out his shoulders. He clearly wanted to show off.

“Clarissa, there’s a seat over there too. Huh? Why is everyone leaving?”

“You caused a scene, that’s why.”

“Really? I was doing it for you…”

“No matter what, don’t break property.”

“The window can be reinstalled, Clarissa.”

Raising his fists like hammers, Ian mimicked repairing the window as a defense.

“Sigh… Well, we can’t just leave now. Let’s sit for a bit.”

I shook my head and went to the window seat. Ian followed meekly.

When we sat, the tavern owner quickly approached to take our order, folding his hands in a polite gesture.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Anything but alcohol. And sorry about the window—I’ll pay for repairs.”

“No, madam. The window was rusted and stuck in the frame. You helped by removing it, so no charge for drinks.”

The tavern owner smiled humbly.

“Even if I have to remove it again, I need to restore it myself to feel at ease. Recommend some drinks.”

“Since it’s a tavern, we have no special drinks. I can mix lemon juice with soda water.”

“Two of those, then. Ian, okay?”

“If you want me to drink it, I’ll even swallow a stone, Clarissa.”

I swallowed hard and then lightly tapped his back.

“I told you to stop joking, didn’t I? Keep joking and I won’t play with you.”

The owner looked shocked, coughed, and walked away. Ian’s sheer strength was clearly intimidating.

‘Feels like I’ve become a bear trainer.’

I glared at Ian, sitting before me like a massive beast.

“Why do you keep drawing attention with your actions and words? I don’t like that, Ian. You know I’m quiet and delicate.”

“Got it, got it.”

“So behave, okay?”

“I will. If you tell me not to, I won’t, Clarissa. I’d rather jump into the sea at Foret Harbor than disappoint you.”

I pinched my forehead. Ian seemed completely unaware of the chaos he’d caused.

He had thrown Frederick—the empire’s top swordsman, armed with daggers—against a building wall and knocked him out.

Earlier the same day, Ian had appeared near the dock and effortlessly removed a tavern window. If Duke Rackton received reports of both incidents, what would happen?

Rackton would try to manipulate Ian to extract his strength for his purposes, and if useless, he’d have Ian do farm work.

If he learned Ian’s Divine Power had manifested—stronger than Aura—that would be a disaster.

‘Rackton would try to control Ian with sweet words, and Ian, using his power for evil, would suffer from the moral law.’

Even though Rackton was cruel and treated lives like flies, to Ian he was still a father. Ian, being too kind, would inevitably seek his father’s approval.

In the original story, Ian struggles after Divine Power manifests—whether to aid his biological father, what is truly good, and whether evil must always be destroyed.

I, however, didn’t want to suffer because of Ian’s moral struggles.

Moreover, if Ian knew about my unhappy marriage, things would surely get complicated. I needed to either remove Ian quickly or sever our connection.

“Ian, you’re not fully back, right? You’re just stopping by and leaving again?”

“Nope. I’m not going anywhere anymore, Clarissa.”

Ian spoke the exact opposite of what I wanted, his eyes warm and bright.

“Hmph. Why make such a decision? You haven’t even been formally knighted yet.”

I glanced at Ian’s worn sword and shabby clothing. As a knight, he shouldn’t look like this.

“Not a formal knight yet, but I’ve decided who I serve, Clarissa.”

“I won’t ask who that is…”

“Why not? Aren’t you curious?”

“Nope. So you wasted two years? Disappointing. I thought you’d return as a knight.”

So go back quickly, Ian.

I said sharply. Ian pouted, lowering his head. I ignored him.

“But Clarissa…”

Ian spoke.