Chapter: 642
Erginius, settled in a lodging near the castle, lifted his head at the sound of a knock as he pondered the First Queen’s words in the darkness.
“Uh… Master, I have something to ask.”
At the careful voice of Joy, Erginius rose from his seat and brought her inside, sitting her on the bed.
“Is it about what the doll said today?”
“Is it really possible to return to the Age of Myth as that person mentioned?”
“I’ve thought about it continuously. To sum it up, it is possible. The Age of Myth ended not for some reason, but because the gods’ power waned.”
The wars of the Age of Myth inflicted immense damage on both sides.
Some gods lost their very existence, and all those on the side of the Evil God were sealed away. Among the surviving good gods, hardly any remained with the former divine might.
“Thus, as the gods’ glory diminished, the Age of Myth came to an end.”
“Then, if we can restore the gods’ power, the Age of Myth will return.”
“Exactly. It is quite possible. I can say this confidently because I possess the Authority of God.”
If Agra resurrected, other evil gods would surely descend upon the earth due to the impact.
Then those on the opposite side would naturally gain strength, and divine wars would undoubtedly rage once again on the surface.
“As someone who lived through that time, I must say this. That should not happen. In the war of deification, humans are merely disposable tools. The current prosperity will not last, and all civilizations will regress into the past. I cannot even fathom how many will die, nor can I guarantee victory even after countless sacrifices. What the Pope aims to ignite is such a disaster.”
Understanding that person’s judgment is difficult. They could end up witnessing their faith crumble, but how could they resurrect Agra?
Is that person’s faith truly sincere? They seem indifferent to which side wins…
“Lucy said that the Pope’s faith is sincere.”
“…The Apostle of God said that?”
As Joy nodded, Erginius raised an eyebrow.
“The Pope is indeed mad, but he isn’t a fool who acts without any thought. What are we missing?”
“Isn’t he directly trying to betray the Evil God?”
“If he were, he would’ve pretended to fervently worship Agra. He wouldn’t openly attempt betrayal.”
It would be nice if there were information about the Pope’s past, but getting any is impossible.
The God of History had mentioned that he was an existence not recorded even in his own books, and the other gods would not have known much about the Pope either.
Surely, the great Lord Jushin knows something, but there’s no way to converse with him.
“Is infidelity a no-go?”
At the voice that came from the darkness, both Joy and Erginius jumped up.
Seeing their wide-eyed expressions, the Fairy Queen giggled and clung to Erginius.
“What were you discussing so intensely with your disciple?”
“It’s about the story I heard today.”
“Ah! Right! There’s definitely nothing weird about it!”
“Joy, then wouldn’t this be more suspicious?”
“Wha?! But it’s the truth!? Uh. Uh-oh.”
“Pfft, I’m just kidding. I don’t doubt Joy. After all, she likes Lady Allen.”
“N-no?! I absolutely don’t… Well, I do like Lucy, but not in that way. No. Ugh.”
The Fairy Queen hugged the malfunctioning Joy and chuckled at Erginius’s ambiguous gaze.
“Let’s stop the jokes and get to the point. I’ve received contact from the fairies beside Lady Allen.”
“What did they say?”
“‘Old tree.’ Just those two words.”
With the obvious tight surveillance, Erginius furrowed his brow at the fact that no further contact had been received.
“Is it related to their location?”
“That’s what I think.”
“They should’ve given a proper hint. Saying ‘old tree,’ how am I supposed to interpret that? How many old trees are there in this continent?”
“For now, the fairies are checking old trees in various locations. Something should come up eventually.”
“Uh.”
Hugging the fairy queen, Joy quietly spoke.
“There’s someone I met before, who became the lord of the forest after being an old tree. Lucy rescued them from the Void Evil God.”
“How interesting. What’s the location?”
“If you ask Lina, she’ll know.”
“Let’s go right away. It’ll be worth checking.”
Drawing out his staff, Erginius traced a teleportation spell and turned his head to the side.
Joy glared at the magic with sharp eyes.
“Do you want to learn?”
“Yes. Lucy always grumbled that it would be nice to have a spatial magician around.”
“You always think of your friends.”
“…Because they’re precious friends! Ah! I mean, there’s no other meaning! Absolutely not!”
*
Phoebe, who returned to the Holy Land with Cardinal Johan, clenched her cross as she saw the commotion on the streets.
Knights filled with faith were pointing blades at each other.
The priests who had been praying together glared at each other, veins popping.
The people in the street were spouting all sorts of curses.
Although there were those trying to mediate, the position of neutrality was trampled by force.
A civil war was unfolding within the Church of the Lord.
“How could this happen?”
“It’s likely expected, Cardinal Johan.”
The Pope’s sudden purge was an attempt to expel the cancerous entities within the Church.
In reality, most of those purged had long since deserved to be expelled.
However, humans are not simple beings, and in one place, a monster may be a kind neighbor in another.
Just take the Pope as an example.
Once an apostle of the Evil God Agra, he had shown genuine faith to reach the Pope’s position.
“They lost their friends, their families, their comrades. Nevertheless, they remained silent because they believed Your Holiness was right. But what if they find out that the one who judged their sins is a villain?”
The truth of the matter is unimportant. It doesn’t matter whether the dead were innocent. They scream in sorrow.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll suppress it with others.”
“No, you don’t need to.”
Before Johan could express his doubts, Phoebe stepped toward the battlefield.
Those nearby were shocked and tried to grab her, but their hands stopped just before reaching the Saintess.
The divine energy swirling around her blocked their approach.
“Everyone.”
Her voice was not loud.
Compared to the uproar occurring in the Holy Land, it was a small voice.
Yet that small voice froze everyone in place.
“Please, listen to me.”
Those who were pointing knives at each other turned their heads.
Those who had rushed in with murderous intent paused as if bewitched, looking toward the source of the voice.
The crowd in the Holy Land focused on the single person present.
“There was no need to protect me.”
Watching her speech from the rooftop of a building, Benedict, assigned to guard Phoebe at her request, enjoyed the show.
Her embrace of the angered crowd was truly the figure of a Saintess.
*
Arthur sweated as he looked at the spirits of his ancestors surrounding him.
– Is this brat the one chosen by the founder?
– He seems to have talent, but…
– Does he really have talent? He looks like a sissy.
– Better than your face.
Though he couldn’t make out what Soladin’s fragment was saying, Arthur’s ancestors treated him as the next heir.
“Please, calm down and listen to me. I’ll take the throne.”
– Kid. Pay attention. I’ve set everything up. Are you planning to mess it up now?
What kind of plan! What benefit do you gain by deceiving the ancestors?!
As Arthur complained with his eyes, the fragment whispered into his ear.
– They think less of you compared to your friends. If you charm them, you can ease that a bit.
“…Tell me more.”
– They may look like worn-out oldies, but they’re heroes who once shone. If you accept and mimic their skills, you’ll become incredibly versatile!
After the explanation, Arthur recalled the small back he had seen and raised his head.
“He is indeed the rightful successor.”
What does it matter? They’re already dead.
“What can you give me, ancestors?”
Even if issues arise in the future, Lucy Allen or the Saintess can purify them.
They’re just ghosts anyway.
*
The impact contained in the greatsword sent Frey flying far away, and she staggered as she got back up. Seeing her trembling hand gripping the sword, Benedict let out a sigh.
“Are you going to continue?”
“Of course.”
“Your body has reached its limit. It would be better to rest.”
“I could have won.”
At Frey’s spat out words, Benedict stopped for a moment.
“I definitely could have won. But I didn’t. It’s because I’m lacking.”
“…You mean you could have defeated the Evil God’s power?”
“I don’t know. But if I had, I would have won. But I didn’t. I need to get stronger.”
With a voice filled with resolve, Frey gripped her sword tightly, and Benedict dismissed the other knights, raising the greatsword again.
“Let’s continue until you’re satisfied.”
“Okay. I will. No, I’ll go for it.”
*
[Follow the Pope and confirm his objective.]
[Listen to the Pope’s old stories. (Achieved)]
Even though the quest conditions were met, the quest did not clear.
It seemed there was another condition that the Perverted God did not inform.
Regardless, even if the quest clears now, it’s not like I can leave this mansion.
Looking down at the spot where the Pope had been, I leaped off Lasha’s back, grinning at her food-smeared face.
“Woof woof♡ Since I’m such a good person, if you do me one favor, I’ll let you keep your ears♡”
“Just one ear?”
“If you don’t want it, that’s fine♡ But next time, there might be a tail added too♡”
At the mention of a tail, Lasha’s eyes shook drastically.
“If you want it, I won’t stop you♡ Hehe♡ You’ll become such a cute little puppy♡ Right?♡”
“What. What do I have to do?”
“Not interested?♡ I don’t want to say it either♡ My good intentions were betrayed, and I got hurt♡”
Pretending to cry intentionally made Lasha press her forehead to the ground with a trembling voice.
“I… am… sorry. I was foolish… sniff…”
As I gently patted the enraged Lasha, I opened my mouth, seeing her veins bulging in her hands.
“I’ll forgive you because the efforts of a silly puppy are admirable♡ I think I’m really kind♡”
“So what’s the favor?”
“A duel♡”
As soon as I spoke, Lasha shot her head up.
“Are you serious?”
“Why?♡ Are you looking forward to being pummeled by my mace?♡”
“No. It’s the opposite.”
Feeling a chill down my spine from Lasha’s deep smile, I didn’t hold back my words.
I had to get stronger to fight Agra.
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