Super Righteous Player
Chapter 988 - 46: The Heart Desiring Love

Chapter 988: Chapter 46: The Heart Desiring Love

"This thing swings with an exceptionally good feel."

"It’s lighter than a hammer, heavier than a baton, easy to lift for blocks and parries, can whip or chisel strike. Even Bernadino’s not yet fully developed body could easily use it to demolish a corner of a table."

Annan even felt that this object was somehow more suited to the hand than a sword...

Although he had long heard of the great fame of the Physick Blade, it was the first time he had actually treated a crowbar as a weapon.

"However, since I have been given such a thing..."

Annan muttered, "What do I have to fear?"

His physical body possessed a level-one Cross-Weapon Mastery, a skill that was not particularly advanced, so even the non-Transcendent Bernadino could use it now. Though he lacked the Blood of the Frigid Winter in his veins, the initial level Frost Sword Technique could still be utilized.

This meant that even against a silver-tier enemy, with the element of surprise, Annan could charge forward and take them out with a single blow.

With the weapon in hand, Annan immediately felt eager to try—it even made him slightly look forward to giving Father Ludwig, who would return shortly, a good strike to test out the feel.

But considering... that doing so would probably mean he could no longer continue to play "Bernadino." If his image departed from reality, the main quest might fail.

So Annan regrettably had to abandon this tempting option.

He just tried to push aside the plaster statue blocking the room’s door, only to find that it seemed immobile as if fixed in the void. It was completely unshakable—not even possible to topple over.

He tried to see if he could simply bypass it by squeezing through... then found he definitively could not.

Father Ludwig was quite sturdy in build. Despite not displaying bulging muscles at will, his shoulders filled out his loose priestly robes without looking baggy... comparable to his neighbor, Father Louis of Noah.

His statue stood there at the doorway—even the clothes were made of plaster, and only a liquid cat could possibly slip through.

Annan sighed at the plaster statue blocking his way, "Well then."

He surmised what the weapon that had suddenly appeared in his hand was for.

Annan stepped forward and swung the crowbar without hesitation.

—Bang!

With the sound of shattering,

Annan continued swinging the crowbar, forcefully striking the plaster statue until he had utterly destroyed "Father Ludwig," scattering the pieces all around.

But as he smashed the statue, he thought he heard the cringe-worthy sound of bone breaking. Something like blood seeped out from the broken statue, staining the floor.

Annan bent down, touched the red substance, and sniffed it.

...It was red paint.

His brows furrowed in thought for a moment.

Annan glanced thoughtfully back at the tightly shut room door, then stepped decisively over the remnants of "Father Ludwig" and into the room.

—Suddenly, Annan felt a massive force from behind him.

His body involuntarily fell forward.

Annan tried to dodge but failed to do so.

He realized at once... he had seamlessly transitioned into a CG sequence.

"Always be vigilant."

Father Ludwig’s voice came from behind, "The enemy may appear from anywhere. Be sure to lock the door when entering a room."

"Bernadino’s" collar, which had been grasped, was gently released.

He instinctively looked back, only to discover that Father Ludwig had appeared at the doorway without notice.

And the plaster figure that "Bernadino" had just shattered had completely vanished.

—But it was by no means an illusion.

Because at his feet... there lay a shard of the plaster statue.

It was a piece that had splattered into the room when he had smashed it.

Apart from the fragment under "Bernadino’s" foot, the other pieces of the plaster statue by the door and at the entrance were gone.

What... was going on?

"Stand up straight."

Father Ludwig spoke sternly, "Don’t be so slack."

Just as Father Ludwig had said. He entered the room, casually closing the door behind him, and lit the lamp in the room.

Annan’s pupils suddenly constricted.

That’s when he realized that this was not the main bedroom. But neither was it a study or kitchen...

——This is the storeroom.

In this rather cramped room, there are many plaster statues.

Portraits. Busts. Full-body statues.

All of them are of Father Ludwig.

Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy—all kinds of expressions, different poses.

The whole room is filled with "Father Ludwig," and Annan roughly counted a total of fifteen.

"——Smash them, Bernadino."

Father Ludwig placed his hand on Bernadino’s back and spoke in a deep voice.

"...Smash them?"

Bernadino asked incredulously.

"Yes, smash them. In Yawen’s school, this is called the ’Rite of Abandonment.’

Father Ludwig spoke slowly: "It’s like pushing down a sandcastle you’ve stacked or ripping and burning old works. If a creator becomes satisfied with their work, they will stop moving forward.

"Artists must have a covetous heart, and they must never cease moving forward. They must never be satisfied with their work, always craving greater perfection. They must destroy what they love in order to seek with a ’thirsty heart’ from the world... if they cannot find it, then they will turn inward and seek within themselves.

"These in front of you are all the sculptures you’ve handcrafted since you started learning sculpture from me."

Father Ludwig said as he slowly stepped forward.

He gently touched the youngest Father Ludwig portrait, "This was your first creation. Do you remember I told you from then on just to create the same work.

"And this..."

He said, touching the most lifelike full-body statue.

It was identical to Father Ludwig as he appeared when Bernadino first entered, with not a single difference.

"Two years’ time."

Father Ludwig sighed: "In this regard, you are unquestionably—a prodigy. When you see a person, it’s as if their soul flows through your eyes and dwells in your heart.

"When you sculpted, you never once looked at me. You just stared at the stone, as if... it was jade hidden in the stone, and you were merely chiseling away the excess.

"You are a natural sculptor, Bern."

Father Ludwig caressed Bernadino’s head and said in a deep voice: "If you cannot walk this path... you will certainly turn to wickedness. That is why I prevented you from straying from this path.

"Your inspiration is strong, far surpassing your logic... Your heart is unbalanced. This allows you to perceive the world keenly and irrationally, but it also strips you of the possibility of becoming a Wizard or a Ritualist, and it puts an unbearable stress on your spirit.

"I’ve arranged for a doctor for you; he’s an old friend of mine who can heal your heart. You don’t need to worry about anything.

"Completely release all the pressure in your heart. Abandon your works and your old shell here... offer your painful cries and roars as a sacrifice. Move forward with your artistry and your irrational heart. Your transcendent talent will hatch and ascend here."

Father Ludwig turned around and touched the closest sculpture, which was also the last one Bernadino had created.

"Begin."

The Father said softly.

Control of the body returned to Annan at that moment.

He looked at the many "Father Ludwigs" in front of him and took a deep breath.

He understood everything.

Annan finally knew what had happened all those years ago.

Why he’d inexplicably lost his travel money, why he never went home even when he had no other options...

Annan clenched his left hand, stepped forward, and forcefully, completely smashed all the statues.

——Everything beloved had to be abandoned. In exchange for a "thirsty heart."

That was a strong desire.

Father Ludwig’s love was evident.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth, ashes to ashes..."

He murmured softly.

It was not Annan’s words, but something his body did on its own

In the blink of an eye, the room filled with sculptures that were masterpieces was left with nothing but plaster debris.

But Father Ludwig remained silent, not turning back.

Annan, controlling Bernadino, approached Father Ludwig slowly from behind.

——He raised the crowbar in his hands high.