Chapter: 262
As soon as I heard Alsatine’s story, I headed outside the academy.
Classes are waiting, but I can’t think about such trivial things right now.
You’re telling me that they’re going to offer an entire territory to the Evil God? What kind of crazy talk is that?! It’s just absurd!
The Burrow Ducal Family is definitely a massive place. It’s one of the few ducal families in the kingdom, so the lands under its influence are vast, and there are many people living there.
If they could devour all living things existing there, it would grant them great power, but…
That’s only under the premise that they can actually devour everything.
There are several points at which this plan doesn’t make sense.
First of all, the vastness of the Burrow territory itself is a problem.
How are they going to prepare magic that can handle such a broad scope, and even if they somehow did it without being detected, that magic would surely be riddled with flaws.
There are countless reasons for this.
First, the Power of Tariki is insufficient. Tariki’s authority isn’t that vast.
Given that the Burrow family is a knight’s territory, there probably aren’t many resources related to magic.
Most importantly, there is simply not enough time.
It hasn’t been long since Nakrad fully devoured the Burrow family.
Even if they began preparing this from then, they would still be short on time.
There’s a limit to how far you can manipulate people via fanaticism. The magic of sacrifice can never be perfect. If it were merely activated, wouldn’t we have to call it a miracle?
Even if, by some stroke of luck, the magic of sacrifices were properly executed, there would still be problems.
How would they endure until the sacrifices are made after activating it?
The Burrow Ducal Family is a vast territory.
When the black magic capable of consuming everything is activated, the church won’t possibly fail to notice. No matter how specialized the Power of Tariki is at hiding, there are limits.
Especially with Tariki’s powers being incomplete right now.
The surrounding territories. The nations. The church. They will come to smash Tariki. The magic cannot be completed.
…
If by some minuscule chance…
If we assume that, just maybe, the magic of the sacrifice was executed flawlessly…
Let’s suppose they somehow managed to withstand the movements to subdue Tariki while also offering the Burrow territory to him.
But could Tariki really defeat those coming to hunt him down?
Ha. No way.
A sacrifice is ultimately energy and calories.
Just like there’s a limit to how much one can eat regardless of how much food is in front of them, even if countless sacrifices are made, there is a limit to how much power can be absorbed from them.
Currently, Tariki is like a human who has been buried in the ground for a long time, surviving by eating falling water and bugs from the ceiling.
No matter how much of a glutton he was in the past, how much can he possibly eat when served a feast after so long without proper food?
I am certain. Even if the magic is completed, the power of the resurrected Tariki will be infinitely weaker compared to his peak.
In that state, he won’t even be able to darken the sky; he would just end up adding another line to the achievements of those coming to hunt him down before fading away.
How can I be so sure? I’ve seen the rushed revival of Tariki with my own eyes. I handled that guy with my own hand; he was so weak compared to when he was perfectly resurrected that it was laughable.
That’s why I thought there must be some mistake happening.
No matter how I think of it, this is a suicide mission. What else can you call betting your life on a gamble that is guaranteed to fail?
Could it be that I figured out the hidden secrets of the Burrow family and he started moving to deal with me?
Not at all. He may feel pressed for time, but there’s no reason for him to commit such madness.
He likely recovered enough power while devouring the Burrow family, so it would be better for him to retreat satisfied. Why would he stake his life on a gamble that is bound to fail?
In fact, the Tariki in the game acted like that. He said that if he left, humans would fight amongst themselves and cause more damage than when he was there.
“This is the report I received from my master. The Apostle of Beauty and Art saw it, and since the information was verified through several priests by my master, there shouldn’t be any errors.”
But the Tariki in this world is markedly different from the one I knew.
He really was preparing to devour the Burrow territory.
I want to deny it. I want to deny it!
But all the information laid out before me points too precisely toward one undeniable truth!
Damn it! Karia! You’re really good at this stuff!
How can you blend in among the followers of the Evil God?!
And to think that this is when he’s lost most of his power! Just how overwhelming was he in his prime?!
“What will you do?”
At Alsatine’s question, I snapped out of my thoughts.
He’s trying to keep a normal face, and clearly, he’s skilled at acting. If it were me before I found the weakness detection, I wouldn’t have noticed anything.
However, I’m not the same now. My eyes can see it. The anxiousness that doesn’t want to be discovered. The worry for his master.
The moment I confronted that emotion, the myriad thoughts swirling in my mind settled into calmness.
“Mm.”
I took a long breath and closed my eyes.
As all the information points to this magic being real, it’s a fact that Tariki is about to do something insane.
Thus, no matter how much I point out that this is madness, it holds no meaning.
So let’s think in reverse.
‘What are the reasons that would make him do something insane?’
What is he aiming for? Recovery of power? No, if that was the goal, there would be many better options.
Hatred for the Burrow family? He doesn’t have that.
Nakrad’s unilateral decision? That isn’t it either. He may be a ridiculous figure, but his loyalty is genuine.
What is it? What the heck is it?
The more I think, the more I feel lost, and just as my head starts to spin, grandpa let out a sigh.
Haa. “Why does my head hurt so much if it’s not related to the dungeon?”
‘…Eh? Grandpa, what did I just say?’
I didn’t say anything to grandpa, did I? I only thought it in my head?!
A couple of thoughts leaked out in between.
‘Well, why don’t you let me know in advance?!’
Why are you eavesdropping so sneakily?! You should respect personal privacy! Act your age!
I was just watching because I was impressed that you could think for yourself.
‘Really?’
So, what other reason could there be?
‘No, but the skeleton said something just the other day.’
How many times do I have to tell you it’s not that! My preference isn’t for little kids like you! Anyway! Why can’t you think when you’re right in front of the answer?!
Did you say I’ve arrived at the answer? What do you mean by that?
Tell me, when do you throw away your life for something?
‘When you’re trying to protect something precious?’
…That’s similar. More accurately, it’s when something more important than your own life is at stake.
Something that’s even more important than life. For Tariki, the Evil God of Darkness, who has been sealed after a long time filled with hate due to defeat…
‘Revenge against the Lord Jushin.’
That’s the only thing he would want to risk his life for.
Good. Then what must he do for revenge?
‘Destroy the world or something.’
Why do you think that?
‘Because this world is the most precious thing to the Lord Jushin…’
Precious things. Things to cherish. Things to care about. Things you continue to look at.
In the past, when Shoddy God wasn’t involved much in this world, those things could only be abstract.
But not now.
Because I…
Because I have the Apostle of Armadi.
That’s right. It’s you, Young Lady.
‘…No, but still. This doesn’t have anything to do with me, right?’
Of course, I have to head toward the Burrow family for the quest.
But Tariki knows nothing about the quest.
If something were to happen in the Burrow territory, how would he handle it while merely sitting back and ignoring it?
He’d just create a ruckus and utterly annihilate himself.
Isn’t it too sloppy to say he’s targeting me?
So, is it okay to ignore it?
‘…Huh?’
Can you ignore the countless damages that would arise due to your indifference?
‘…’
If you can’t answer, let me ask something else. Can you handle the Burrow territory burning because of your involvement with other forces?
‘…No.’
I can’t. I’m not that strong of a person.
Struggling to bear even one life, how could I possibly manage countless additional lives on top of that? Surely I would crumble.
Then let’s return to the beginning. Is this matter unrelated to you?
‘…No.’
I had no way to refute that. As long as I’m me, I can never turn a blind eye to what happens in the Burrow family.
That’s right. Since you’ve shown numerous hints until now, that guy must also be aware of it.
As I faced reality, my mind calmed down.
Ah, damn it. I can’t ignore it anymore.
If Tariki causes a ruckus and sacrifices occur, it means there’s a flaw on my part in that story too.
The opponent is clearly digging a trap for you. If you go there, countless dangers and hardships will follow.
They will. Knowing that the opponent will come, why wouldn’t I be preparing for that opponent?
Ah, is that why I conquered the Trial Dungeon?
To figure out how I tackle the dungeon?
And based on that information, to create a dungeon to hunt me down?
What I thought was a blind spot was actually reconnaissance?!
My opinion remains the same as last time.
Grandpa said.
Learn how to shoulder sacrifices.
Don’t stake your life on everything.
Ask for support.
Just like last time.
However, there was one part in what grandpa said this time that was different from before.
Since you are my master, I must respect your intentions. I will ask you. What will you do?
The moment I heard the question, only one word sprang to mind.
‘I’ll strategize.’
Strategy.
Made for me.
A dungeon created just to kill me.
You want me to ignore the dungeon that’s optimized for me?
The Mode Creator made a dungeon for me, and you’re telling me to disregard it?
I can’t! Absolutely not!
…Haa. Yeah. I knew that. Then the next question is, are you confident?
‘Is that even a question? Grandpa, it’s a dungeon.’
Ha. What are you going to do if you try to foil me?! After all, he’s just a lousy Evil God!
Having cleared this game countless times, I know just how lacking that Sloppy guy’s creativity is!
Let him try! I’ll make him painfully aware of his stupidity!
What’s the plan?
‘Knowing that the opponent has prepared something for me, I should prepare a gift for them too.’
If they’ve meticulously prepared what I hate, then I should prepare something they’ll hate in return.
Because I’m a nice and polite person.
Would they go crazy over the two suns appearing in the sky?
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