Saula approached Lord Luke, and suddenly a light shone down from the sky, enveloping him. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice say, “Saula, Saula, why are you persecuting me?” He answered, “Lord, who are you?” The voice replied, “I am Deus, whom you are persecuting. Get up and go into the city; you will be told what you must do.” Saula got up from the ground and opened his eyes but could see nothing. He entered Orias…
—
Calandra Empire Academy, Female Dormitory, First Building, Top Floor
—
With a clang, the door of a luxurious room, difficult to believe it was prepared for a mere student, opened.
—
A woman with sky-blue hair tied back entered alone.
—
“…Geez. There’s really no need for such a luxurious room. If Lord Deus sees this, he might be disappointed, thinking I’m a woman who enjoys extravagance. But then again, deviating from the designated room is against Academy rules, which is something Lord Deus mentioned in the scriptures. This is going to be troublesome.”
—
Unlike a typical noblewoman, she didn’t bring a maid and began unpacking her luggage from a carrier stand.
—
“I clearly remember asking for a more modest room than the one I used last semester. Why did they give me this one?”
—
“Maybe they heard you threatened to ask for a better room since you didn’t like this one?”
—
“Who are you?!”
—
The unpacking woman instantly swung her fist toward the voice she heard.
—
Her fist contained a ferocious energy strong enough to tear everything apart…
—
Clang!
—
Another woman with sky-blue hair appeared and easily caught her fist.
—
“That punch-first attitude is still the same, isn’t it, Meiru?”
—
“…Sister Seiren?”
—
“Long time no see?”
—
Seiren tilted her head slightly and smiled brightly.
—
“Why are you in my room? You’ve already graduated from the Academy and are working in the Royal Guard.”
—
“That’s right. I’m still part of the Royal Guard. This is like a succession course before I inherit the Pulsreino territory. Look at this armor. It’s armor that can only be worn by the Royal Guard.”
—
Seiren knocked on her armor as she spoke.
—
“…If you’re in the Royal Guard, why are you at the Academy? Are you on leave again…? Sister, even if His Majesty the Emperor has formally made you a royal knight, you can’t neglect your duties like this.”
—
“No, no, no! What are you talking about!… There was a bit of an unpleasant incident at the Academy last year. Because of that, His Majesty expressed concern. It’s absolutely unacceptable for the future of the Empire and all its talented individuals to be endangered at this Academy. So a portion of the Royal Guard was dispatched. I came here as one of those dispatched knights.”
—
“…Ah, I see.”
—
Meiru nodded as if she understood.
—
“By the way, sister is going to be a lecturer for certain special classes at the Academy, you know? I guess it’ll be a chance for us to meet again during classes?”
—
“Ugh. The legendary tyrant of the Academy is giving lectures?”
—
“…What are you talking about, my dear Meiru? Why try to frame your beloved sister? How about we take this chance to rebuild our sisterly bond?”
—
Seiren placed her left hand on her hip and raised her right fist as she asked.
—
“Oh, no, sister. I… I’m just glad to see you again after so long!”
—
“…Hehe. Yes, Meiru. I’m so happy to see you again after a while. But didn’t Luke come with you? I heard he’s starting at the Academy this year, too.”
—
“Ah. That disgusting guy. I just knew I couldn’t bear to travel with him, so I left first. I have no idea when he’ll arrive.”
—
“…You’re still like that. You should reconcile, Meiru. You used to be close when you were kids.”
—
Seiren looked at her precious little sister with a sad expression.
—
“No way. With anyone else, maybe. But not with that guy. He dared to insult Lord Deus. I don’t mind if he brings disgrace to me, but I can’t associate with a blasphemer who dares to belittle Lord Deus and distort the truth.”
—
“…Right. Anyway, all three of us Pulsreinos have gathered at this Academy. Let’s meet again when the opportunity arises, Meiru.”
—
“…Yeah. Sister. Let’s meet again later.”
—
Thunk.
—
Clang.
—
—
On the way to the Academy, I was organizing my thoughts in the carriage.
—
My mother mentioned an “unknown assailant” earlier.
—
An unknown assailant… who could it be?
—
Was there such a being at this point?
—
When I arrive at the Academy, the entrance ceremony will be held.
—
The entrance ceremony is the starting point of Episode 1 of [Deus Ex Machina].
—
It’s also the tutorial phase of the game.
—
However, there were no random attacks happening from the northern territories at that point…
—
Who could it possibly be?
—
“Young Master. It’s getting dark, and entering the forest may be a bit dangerous. There are no villages or homes nearby. It seems we might have to camp here tonight.”
—
In reality, the world of [Deus Ex Machina] I knew and this world are quite different.
—
That book…
—
The book I created has completely changed this world.
—
If it had only spread for entertainment on the continent, it wouldn’t have been a problem…
—
But who would have thought it would become a colossal religion that devours the continent?
—
Deusism.
—
The name by which the religion that regards my book, [What One Should Read to Live on the Continent], as a sacred scripture is known in the world.
—
They don’t call their belief “Deusism,” but when others see it, the religion acknowledges Deus as the only legitimate god to rule the continent, hence it’s called Deusism.
—
The believers of Deusism refer to themselves as…
—
“Christos”
—
A name derived from “the anointed one,” meaning Christos, which I coined in my book.
—
Various concepts from my past life’s religion were stitched together to create it, but who would have predicted it would go this far…
—
—
“Our Mother in Heaven… please provide our daily bread…”
—
In the distance, I saw a coachman praying as he received today’s meal.
—
“Hey, you! Don’t you remember the words of Lord Deus?!”
—
“Ah! S-sorry, Hans! I’ll correct it!”
—
A veteran knight reprimanding a junior knight.
—
Currently, everyone traveling with me believes in Christos and Deusism.
—
Well, technically, it’s the book I created, but I never expected our territory would be so thoroughly consumed by it…
—
“…Huh? Young Master. Someone is approaching.”
—
The captain of the knights leading the group, Barok, shouted.
—
What? In this pitch-black night, someone’s approaching in the forest?
—
And in the darkness, a figure was gradually coming closer.
—
“Everyone! Prepare for battle!”
—
It might seem excessive to prepare for combat just because an unknown opponent was approaching.
—
But this is the world of [Deus Ex Machina].
—
A place filled with all sorts of fantasy monsters.
—
There was no way we could let our guard down with a potential threat that could attack us.
—
In that tense silence, everyone was on edge.
—
“Who are you! Reveal your identity!”
—
The enigmatic figure entered the light, revealing herself.
—
A woman with red hair, walking slowly while wearing tattered cloth.
—
She was stunningly beautiful.
—
“…A woman?”
—
“Captain! She looks like a poor young woman who might have been robbed nearby. Should we take her in and care for her, then hand her over to a nearby village?”
—
The woman with red hair…
—
Something about her face looked familiar.
—
Have I seen her before?
—
“Wait a minute. We need to verify her identity first.”
—
“What verification? As a man from the north, seeing someone like this…”
—
“You fool! Have you forgotten our duty? We must safely escort the Young Master to the Academy. We can’t overlook even the slightest risk! What would Lord Deus think if…”
—
– Deus? You believe in Deus?
—
“…Huh? Do you know the words of Lord Deus then? If so, that’s good. Yes, we follow and act according to the words of Lord Deus…”
—
– …Deus! So, you all serve a god, huh?
—
The atmosphere suddenly shifted.
—
An immense power began to emanate from the woman.
—
“C-cough. W-what is this?”
—
“Everyone, form a defensive formation! This is an unusually strong foe; protecting the Young Master takes priority!”
—
I remembered.
—
That woman’s identity.
—
—
—
A monstrous abandoned dragon.
—
The final boss of Part 1 of [Deus Ex Machina] and the continent’s worst nightmare.
—
Saula Drakania.
—
Why is she here now?
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