Chapter 24

Trelinia Kingdom.

The presence of religion had rapidly spread across various regions.

This was partly because Trelinia Kingdom was a very old, historic kingdom. However, the most important factor was that they had established a religion.

“Religion, huh…”

In this world, religion holds significant meaning.

It wasn’t merely something created out of people’s desire to believe; it was a religion established based on the existence of real gods. And in such a world, creating a religion was considered extremely important.

Especially for those countries that believed in the Goddess, one of the two gods who created the world.

The Holy Empire, Eiros.

Eiros had been continuously watching over Trelinia Kingdom. It was still the largest kingdom that had yet to choose a religion, and it was deeply intertwined with the recent chaos of war.

“Saint, shouldn’t we check it out?”

A knight clad in white armor knelt before her.

The saint sitting in front of him, Belial Eiros, nodded.

“Indeed, it’s a name I haven’t heard before.”

Whether Trelinia Kingdom had a religion or not, it wasn’t a major problem for the Holy Empire of Eiros.

On the contrary, the Holy Empire encouraged kingdoms to embrace religions. Even if it wasn’t their beloved Goddess being worshipped, it didn’t matter.

Sanctioned at the national level.

Eiros simply overlooked any god besides the ‘Demon God’ being believed in.

What they believed in was solely the Goddess.

Trying to force that on other countries would not lead to genuine conversion anyway.

Thus, they paid no attention to whether other kingdoms believed or not.

As far as existing ‘gods’ were concerned, that was it.

In this world, countless gods exist.

Although some have very low influence and can’t fully exhibit their divine stature, such gods still undeniably exist in this world.

No matter if they were the god of insects, the god of wind, or the god of fire.

None of it mattered.

As long as the gods existed.

However…

“Jörmungandr…”

That was a name he had never heard before.

Let alone possessing a special title like other gods.

For example, the god of insects, Asnakesis, while having a name, is also called ‘the god of insects.’

Because that is the easiest way to describe that deity. Most gods are referred to by their titles rather than their names, and the vast majority of worship is based on that.

And yet, they wanted to believe in a new god.

Especially in Trelinia Kingdom, which had never had an official state religion.

Moreover, it was not even a named god, but one they had never even heard of?

This warranted investigation.

The Holy Empire of Eiros permitted only real gods.

They weren’t absurdly fabricated deities.

“Shall we send an envoy?”

“No, I’ll go myself.”

Saint Belial shook her head.

It was just the right time; she was feeling quite bored.

—

Trelinia Kingdom.

Originally, it was a kingdom that accepted no religion at all.

There wasn’t a particularly compelling reason for this.
Trelinia Kingdom.

It was simply because they were the closest to the battlefield of the Demon Realm that they couldn’t afford to accept other religions.

Yet, the Trelinia Kingdom was recently fervent about creating a new religion. The deity they worshipped was Jörmungandr, an infinitely colossal being that had protected their kingdom as a great god.

Lesberico stood at the highest point of the kingdom, quietly observing the scene of Jörmungandr being accepted as their new god.

Would the citizens truly believe it?

That they offered Princess Eliserde as a sacrifice because they believed Jörmungandr to be a dragon?

Probably not.

Though he expected it would spread eventually, the fact that they sacrificed the princess was a closely guarded secret at that time.

“Haha…”

Lesberico chuckled to himself, hands behind his back.

At first, he thought the kingdom would be doomed.

A massive dragon suddenly appearing behind the mountain?

When the Solitary Hero passionately proclaimed that the hero must offer a sacrifice to the Goddess, he saw it as a sign the country was on the verge of collapse.

Thus, they made their sacrifices.

Even amidst the chaos of war, they sent pigs, cows, and chickens.

When it seemed like that wasn’t enough to satisfy the heavens, they went so far as to offer his own daughter as a sacrifice for the dragon, just like in the myths.

But it turned out to be unnecessary.

The dragon was…

“Ha, haha! What a lovely day!”

Lesberico’s gaze shifted to the side.

There stood a man with a notable mustache, the root of all troubles.

The Solitary Hero, Hans, was grinning.

At a glance, it seemed like a bright smile, but the king noticed Hans was sweating profusely.

“Indeed, it seems like one could bury a person without anyone noticing, huh?”

“……”

Hans quietly closed his mouth.

In an instant, the smile was wiped off his face as he furtively glanced at the king for a reading on his mood.

‘Why did I ever let myself be fooled like that?’

Hans thought about how he wanted to slap his past self silly.

How could he have mistaken it for a dragon?

Sure, let’s say it was possible to make such a mistake.

But didn’t he vehemently proclaim that sacrifices had to be made to offer to the god?

Because of that, the king was forced to sacrifice his own daughter to the dragon. Of course, they did receive the help they thought was from the dragon, Jörmungandr.

But the root of all troubles had to feel like he was tap dancing on a hot griddle.

No matter how things turned out, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the king’s pain of having sacrificed his own daughter.

The king’s expression was unreadable.

In the shadow of the sun, what thoughts were brewing in his mind?

Hans barely managed to suppress the urge to pray for his life, with the corners of his mouth twitching.

As he quietly kept an eye on the king, the king suddenly burst out laughing and patted Hans on the back.

“Haha, good sir! Do you take me for a cruel king who would bury you for making a single mistake?”

“Ha, haha, of course not!”

“Though I did offer my daughter as a sacrifice because of it…”

“……”

“Well, it’s all good. I’m not the kind of weak man who would dwell on the past.”

The king finally stopped his teasing and shook his head.

To be so frightened over just a little jest.
The title “Solitary Hero” must have been crying out in despair.

Of course, looking at his serious expression, and considering he was the king of a nation, anyone would have thought the same as Hans.

The king diverted his gaze from Hans to his daughter, Eliserde.

“No, no! Jörmungandr has a much smoother curve!”

His daughter, who fervently supported the religion more than anyone, was moving about under the sunlight, advising on the creation of a statue. Seeing her like that nearly brought tears to the king’s eyes, prompting him to turn away.

He thought he would never see her again.

From the moment he sacrificed his daughter to the dragon, the king could not forgive himself.

He felt resentment toward his own role, which required him to sacrifice his daughter for the kingdom’s safety.

But in the end, everything turned out perfectly.

Instead of dying as a sacrifice, his daughter was living well, her skin glowing with health.

For some reason, her once-dull eyes turned vibrant, radiating a bright aura to everyone around her.

Moreover, the troublesome neighboring kingdom had been perfectly dealt with, and his daughter was under the protection of a being stronger than anyone he had ever seen.

Though the beginning was uncertain—

Looking at the outcome, there could hardly be a better situation.

It felt like discovering that what he thought was a hellish mine was actually a gold mine filled with jewels and golden nuggets.

He felt as if he had fallen backward, crushing all the nuisances in one go.

In truth, all of this was thanks to Jörmungandr.

His daughter being able to live safely, the kingdom regaining its peace, and even handling the troublesome neighboring kingdom—all of it was due to the fact that they had mistaken it for a dragon.

“How embarrassing to have thought it was a dragon.”

He could now see just how foolish that sounded.

Jörmungandr was overwhelmingly powerful enough to be beyond compare.

The king still couldn’t forget that scene—

The sky splitting open as that infinitely gigantic being filled the horizon, swiftly dealing with the kingdom’s enemies.

Just when the king was smiling, looking at his lively kingdom—

Bang!

A minister barged through the door.

The king, about to say something, felt déjà vu at the minister’s urgent expression.

Sure enough…

“Your Majesty!”

“What’s the matter?”