Chapter 572
It’s cold.
No, it’s way too cold. I swear, even with this fur coat and the anti-freeze magic, it feels like my ears are about to fall off. Or maybe they’ve already fallen off, and I just don’t know it yet.
‘If I’m stuck in a place like this, even the holy deities would turn evil!’
I shivered. Is it really true that Enen sealed the evil gods? What if they just shoved anyone into this place and those gods awakened as evil gods?
I know it sounds ridiculous, but this freezing cold is making me think terrible thoughts. Honestly, checking the seal feels pointless; wouldn’t it be smarter to just let the evil gods break free and then defend against them from the North?
‘As expected, husbands should listen to their wives.’
A wave of indescribable sadness washed over me. If I had just stayed back in the mansion like my wife suggested, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.
‘Damn it.’
I feel like if I shed any real tears, they’d freeze instantly, so instead, I just cried in my heart.
Everyone knows I came this far north. I mean, look at how many family mages I summoned. The guy who usually only wears uniforms is suddenly digging out a fur coat. Anyone can tell I’m preparing for a long trip, so I confessed first. If I’m going, it’s better to come clean than face a lot of questioning.
Of course, I used the word “evil spirits” instead of “evil gods,” and described it as just checking some ancient ruins instead of confirming a seal. Too much honesty only leads to more worries.
“Do we really have to go? If it’s north of the North, it’s practically uncharted territory!”
Even with my attempts to soften the truth, thinking of Mar with tears in her eyes made me sure it was the right call.
“It’s okay. I won’t be gone long; I’ll just check and come back.”
Anyway, I reassured Mar and the other ladies that it wasn’t a hard task, I’d be in and out quickly, no big deal.
And that wasn’t a lie. It really would just be a matter of checking the seal. If it was loose or broken, I had every intention of bolting without looking back.
‘But where exactly is the seal?’
The problem is that reaching the seal itself is proving to be tougher than I imagined. The Dawn Sect rose as the dominant religion on the continent at least a few hundred years ago. That means Enen sealed those evil gods hundreds of years ago, too. Can you imagine the state of a seal that’s been left in the wild for that long?
There weren’t even paths to follow, and any signs that might have existed long ago were buried under a blizzard.
Thanks to that, the mages and I found ourselves trudging through the heavy snowfall, searching for any suspicious spots.
– Just keep heading north.
Naturally, we were accompanied by my totally useless navigation device.
‘Didn’t you just say to go north?’
– What if I really meant exactly north? I don’t know the specific location either!
The eternal blue sky, sounding intrigued, muttered with a tone that was basically an admission of guilt.
– It’s a seal made when Enen was at their strongest. It’s thoroughly hidden. I’m not tracking it by feeling Enen’s energy; I’m just picking up traces of those nasty gods…
I remained silent again at the apparent disparity in strength he mentioned. There wasn’t much point in pestering the eternal blue sky about it.
‘…Can’t we just ask Enen directly?’
– They’re busy too. They won’t respond right away, but if the seal is weak, those evil gods will pop out first!
‘This is driving me nuts.’
The only being that knows the seal’s location is taking a break, leaving me in a lurch.
But I could understand. Enen is the god overseeing the entire continent, so there are plenty of other things to worry about besides just the seal. Plus, Enen getting busier is because of the human-led council, so it feels a bit petty to hold a grudge.
So I tried to think positively. If Enen isn’t responding about the seal, it probably means something else is more urgent, which likely means the seal remains intact. There couldn’t possibly be anything more pressing than the evil gods breaking free, right? So the seal must be fine, and that’s why there’s no interest anymore.
‘Please.’
Just please let that be true. If there’s something more urgent than those evil gods being released, my sanity might not survive!
“Gghhhhhh…”
“If you’re having trouble speaking, writing is okay too.”
Amidst all this, I heard the sorrowful call of a mage whose mouth seemed frozen shut, so I waved my hand dismissively.
If it’s that cold, just use sign language. Trying to talk might break your teeth!
[ Magic cannot be activated. ]
“What?”
I frowned as I quickly skimmed the mage’s hasty written note.
‘No magic allowed?’
In this freezing weather, in this marker-free tundra, you want me to just tough it out without magic?
I even told you to mind the mana distribution!
[ There’s still plenty of mana left. But whenever I try to release the accumulated mana, it feels restrained. ]
As I wore an expression of both annoyance and helplessness, the mage hurriedly scribbled his next line.
“Something feels restrained?”
[ Yes, Your Grace. ]
I glanced up from the note to see the mage’s face beaming like a devotee who has just found a glimmer of hope among despair.
I probably looked pretty similar.
‘I found it.’
If this magic that was normally working suddenly gets interrupted, there must be a reason, and the only thing around that could change it would have to be those evil gods.
Unless the mana decided to freeze solid in the cold, I can bet that a seal of an evil god is in the vicinity.
“Let’s go. We find it, check it, and everyone gets a ten-day vacation when we come back.”
“Ugggghhh!”
“Graaaahhh!”
They were uttering sounds that could scarcely be called human language, but nobody seemed to mind.
Having frozen lips isn’t enough to stop our enthusiasm!
*
The howling winds of the bitter cold wrapped around us like chains, while the Godforsaken sun stands there, watching our every move.
Everything. Everything in this world is our enemy. They block our steps and insult our grand advances. They are the reactionaries hindering our reform.
But still, we don’t hate these things because they are part of the world that we have to govern and lead. How can we hate those foolish souls who have yet to open their eyes to true faith? We can merely pity their ignorance.
Yes, their ignorance is pitiful. It’s this foolishness that thinks the sun can illuminate the truth, this foolishness that gets blinded the more it stares at the sun.
‘Damn sun.’
Grinding my teeth, I lifted my head.
‘Damn sky.’
I cursed the sun and sky that I couldn’t see because they’re too far away.
How dare they have taken the world we should govern. Born first, yet clinging to that sun like a fool.
If I could, I’d like to tear apart that sky and sun. I crave to occupy that space myself.
No, I don’t want to occupy it. I want to reclaim what rightfully belongs to us!
‘I will rise again.’
So I vow every day. I shall break free from this cursed prison and reign over the world. I shall become the true truth, a deity.
We have—no, we deserve that right. The right and duty to rule over and oversee all things.
It has to be so. We, in our essence alone, command the awe and fear of all creation.
‘Plagues, wars, famines.’
Critters that shake the world and build it anew.
‘And I…’
The one who stands among them, and over them.
“Death!”
The endpoint all life must reach. A fate no one can escape.
That is me. Though I’m caged in this dark, cramped prison now, one day I shall stand towering over this world!
“Why’s that bastard going off again?”
“Hey! Are you alone out here? Keep it down!”
But my powerful and grand intentions were met with the scorn of my comrades who failed to grasp them.
“The first one thrown in here also thinks he’s a prophet!”
“Come on, he got us in here first and then found a warm spot!”
“Oh, so he’s that prophet?”
Watching my comrades start to guffaw made me grit my teeth.
Those defeatist idiots. Instead of thinking of escaping this prison, they’re rolling around seeking a more comfortable spot.
I’d like to be individuals separate from them, but since we were all born around the same time, I have no choice but to bear with these pathetic beings.
“If you two don’t want to be plagued, show us your pride! Don’t think of escaping this prison; plan to sink your teeth into that sun’s neck!”
Filled with frustration, I shouted again today. I truly hope those morons snap out of it—
“Go away, you idiot! That’s not how it’s said!”
“Shut up! I didn’t even say it like that!”
“Did too!”
“AAAAAH!”
In the end, I couldn’t hold back and ended up biting one of their necks again.
“Those idiots are at it again?”
“I must be lumped in with those fools outside, huh? Suddenly I feel like disappearing.”
From the back, I could hear the whispers of the other prisoners, but I didn’t care.
What mattered now was punishing that pestering plague god!
– ──! ───?
– ─── ──!
“Hmm?”
As we were caught up in the scuffle and battling it out, an unusual noise caught my attention.
What’s this? After being stuck here for over a hundred years, it’s the first time we’ve heard a sound other than our own?
“What’s that noise?”
“Hey, wake those asleep over there.”
It must not just have been me since one by one, the others started looking around.
“It seems to be coming from above?”
Following the words of the famine, we all lifted our heads towards the sky, towards the exit we hadn’t been able to reach in centuries.
“Oh?”
“Was it always that hazy up there?”
The barrier that usually blocked us appeared to have dimmed just a tad, welcoming us in an unusual way.
What’s going on? It was clearly fine just a moment ago?!
“…Did something happen outside?”
At the famine’s question, the murmurs among my fellow comrades and prisoners fell silent.
The sun’s barrier dimmed = the power maintaining the barrier is wavering = something happened to the sun = chaos has descended upon the world.
…
“AAAAHH!”
“Are we getting out?! Is it finally time to escape?!”
“Right, it’s too much to be stuck in here after just one loss! Time to fight again!”
Suddenly the determination of old, the spirit that fought to seize the world, resumed taking over the prison.
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