Chapter 106
Chapter 106
Cult Apophis (1)
Rudian and his party left Nevan and headed south.
Well, even if you called it a journey of hardships, it wasn't some brutish trek where you'd strap iron weights to your
limbs and abuse your body.
Fighting and training were difficult enough, but at least the travel should be comfortable.
This was Rudian's usual philosophy.
"It's good that we've set off like this, but where's our first destination?"
Gray asked with a bored expression from inside the running carriage.
A map of the entire empire, prepared in advance, was spread out on the rectangular table set up inside the carriage.
Rudian pointed to the lower part of the map as he spoke.
"First, we'll go to the Peitala region in the south of the empire."
"Peitala? Why that backwater village?"
"There's just the right level of experience points for our level there."
Whether it's magic or swordsmanship, if you want dramatic improvement, engaging in life-or-death combat is the fastest
shortcut.
You could say that holing up in a room to refine techniques or train sword paths is also orthodox, but experiencing
other people's fighting styles and flow of power is a valuable experience that can never be gained through individual
training alone.
Rudian raised his voice loud enough for Elvin, who was driving the horses outside, to hear.
"We will head through the southern part of the empire to the great forest that spans the southern border region of the
Kingdom of Rohans. There will probably be endless fighting, so prepare yourselves in advance."
Rudian planned to cross over to another dimension from that great forest and ultimately recover one of the seven-colored
worlds.
"Peitala. That was certainly a place with unpleasant rumors coming from it."
Gray, with his hands behind his back, yawned as he responded to Luciella's words.
"Ah, I think I vaguely remember hearing about it too. Didn't I hear that cultists were running wild somewhere around
there?"
"There are rumors that several great lords of the south have fallen to the cult's teachings and don't even refuse human
sacrifice... But the Information Guild's investigation couldn't find any concrete evidence, so it was glossed over."
"Those rumors are true."
Both people's gazes focused on Rudian.
"They just haven't been exposed to the surface yet, but those cultists are already boasting considerable power in the
south."
"Are you saying there's substance to it even though the Information Guild couldn't find out?"
"Rather, it means they've been hiding their power so meticulously and secretly that the Guild couldn't discover them."
Originally, the time when they would surface was during Chapter 2, when the empire's central control weakened due to
civil war caused by the rebellion of psychics.
They were enemies who would appear at least 10 years later, but it would be good to eliminate them when possible rather
than waiting for them to show their faces.
"A cult that worships evil gods is nothing but harmful by its very existence. If left alone, it will develop into a
malignant tumor, so we need to cut off the buds early."
"Heh, so those guys will be the first target of this journey?"
Gray clapped his palm against his fist and shouted boldly.
"They won't be lacking as the first opponents to raise the fame of this genius magician Gray."
"You'd better not be too overconfident."
Rudian advised Gray in a low voice.
"With your current skill, you'd die without being able to handle even one archbishop."
"What, what?"
Gray raised his voice indignantly at the words that he couldn't handle even one piece of cult trash.
Luciella also frowned with a look of surprise.
"That's a bit unexpected? Gray is already good enough to compete with the elders of the Magic Tower. No matter how much
of an archbishop they are, for a mere cult lackey to be at that level..."
"If they were worshipping some non-existent phantom, that might be different, but these guys worship gods that actually
exist."
They follow the god's doctrine and receive compensation for practicing it.
Of course, even if that doctrine is content that's gone insane, a million light-years away from normal, the god
willingly grants power to believers who practice his teachings.
"Especially in the case of evil gods, the compensation tends to be generous. It's natural since they offer so much
tribute..."
"My magic would lose to such fanatics who have never even trained?"
Gray looked very hurt in his pride.
But what could be done when this was the truth?
"Think of black magicians. Just simpler and more powerful. What they handle is the very divinity granted by the god."
Of course, compared to true divinity, it's nothing more than fragments, but if the god's rank is high, even those
fragments can demonstrate tremendous power.
"So they're much more dangerous than demons or black magicians?"
"Hmm, it's a complicated matter... But if we're talking about power alone, yes."
Black magicians sell their souls to gain immortality and knowledge, but followers of evil gods don't gain immortality
even if they sell their souls.
"No matter how much of a god they are, they can't give immortality to all their believers. Surprisingly, that takes an
enormous amount of power..."
Instead, as compensation, their efficiency regarding offerings is tremendously higher than black magicians.
They also generously grant power.
"The power granted can usually be recovered, so from the god's perspective, there's not much to lose. Moreover, when
believers experience miracles, they become more blindly devoted to the god..."
As that vicious cycle continues, their influence expands rapidly.
"Of course, they're currently moving very secretly and haven't fully revealed their power yet."
They're probably expanding their influence mainly among southern lords and nobles rather than the general populace, who
are prone to spreading rumors.
"Still, if what you're saying is true, we're essentially walking directly into a tiger's den..."
"There must be a chance of victory since we're going there, right?"
Rudian smiled and affirmed their words.
"Of course."
***
Before entering the south in earnest, Rudian and his party temporarily made identity cards in a medium-sized city
belonging to the capital region.
"As expected, mercenary is the standard."
More than the Information Guild, mercenary guilds always exist in any decent city.
Rudian first made a mercenary card under a false name to hide his noble status.
Gray frowned as he looked at the mercenary card issued in his name.
"Ray Fellen? This sounds completely like a girl's name!"
"I just removed the 'G' from Gray. And anyway, you're still young, so that name suits you well too."
"That aside, why do we need to hide our names? How convenient noble status is!"
Rudian flicked Gray on the forehead.
"We need to cross the border. Rohans is now an enemy country, so try advertising yourself as Bellatrix there and see
what happens."
Gray was certainly intelligent, but in areas like this, his lack of experience definitely showed.
Within the empire would be one thing, but when crossing borders, carrying a mercenary card is much more convenient than
noble status.
Luciella, who was beside them, glanced at Rudian's nameplate.
"Dian... Wasn't that made too carelessly?"
"Well, wouldn't it be strange to put too much effort into a false name, A-rank mercenary Isabella?"
"Huhu, that's true."
Luciella was the only one in the party who was already registered as a mercenary.
Moreover, she was an A-rank mercenary, of which there were fewer than 200 throughout the mercenary guild, so with her
guarantee, the mercenary cards that would normally take a week to issue came out in just one day.
'Just how much did she rampage in the past...'
Even while joking around, Rudian's eyes went to the name "Isabella of the Gentle Breeze" engraved on her nameplate.
'An A-rank nameplate with a nickname attached isn't something you can get from just one or two requests, right?'
Rudian knew it required at least several years in the industry, achieving both skill and accomplishments.
Luciella stroked the old nameplate in her hand while sending some kind of profound gaze.
"I miss those stormy days I spent with Uncle... Huhu, huhuhuh..."
"......"
Rudian slightly turned his head away, seeing something sinister rising from her entire body.
After wearing a gloomy smile for a while, she only came to her senses with a cough when she realized everyone's
attention was focused on her.
"Ahem, ahem! Oh my, I was briefly lost in thought, unlike myself."
"Just from your expression, you looked like a villain. What exactly did you sweep through in the past?"
"It was, it was youthful indiscretion."
"You're only in your mid-twenties now, so what do you mean 'youthful'?"
"Early, early twenties..."
Even to Gray's sensitive comment, Luciella showed a rare passive reaction, averting her gaze.
Rudian looked at her with new eyes.
'Certainly, there's a reason for her strength.'
Surely Kaitel must have taken Luciella around, providing her with guidance and practical experience.
She would have been cut off from actual combat for several years after entering the academy, but with this journey, she
would get plenty of the actual combat she didn't want...
'If she survives to the end of this journey, she might be the one who achieves the greatest growth.'
You can't always perfectly match the level of enemies you face to what you want.
But at least in terms of overall level, Rudian could know whether they could handle it or not through his knowledge of
the original work.
And according to that knowledge, this target "Apophis Cult" was something they could sufficiently handle with their
current full strength.
The party, having prepared their mercenary identities, continued heading south.
Since they were using a carriage, they could quickly stop by villages, so there wasn't much inconvenience in traveling.
Rudian was naturally completely accustomed to this world, and Elvin and Luciella were also veterans with considerable
experience in such things.
Gray did complain about some discomfort, but he was gradually adapting...
Surprisingly, the problem lay elsewhere.
***
"Are you okay...?"
Rudian asked while stroking the back of Yev's head, who was lying face down between his thighs.
"Sweet things, I want sweet things..."
'What the hell is this...?'
Surprisingly, the one maladjusted to this journey was none other than Yev.
"Mont Blanc, cream puffs, cupcakes, parfait..."
Yev listed things she usually enjoyed eating while making groaning sounds.
An otherworldly god with sugar addiction. There's no comedy like this comedy.
"Just how much candy do you eat?"
Looking into the bag that had only crumbs left, Gray shook his head with a disgusted expression.
Naturally, when leaving the capital, they had brought cookies and biscuits that were easy to store for Yev.
Quite a lot of them too.
'Did it last... Three days?'
Getting large quantities of sweets at the level that suited Yev's taste (generously covered with sugar or honey) in
provincial cities outside the capital Nevan was inevitably difficult.
"Just bear with it a little. We'll reach another city tomorrow, so for now, endure it by eating this."
"Ugh..."
Yev chewed on the fried hardtack that Rudian put in her mouth.
But there was no way a child who had only eaten luxury desserts could be satisfied with sugar-sprinkled hardtack.
Seeing Yev slump down again, Gray spoke in an incredulous tone.
"Did the ghost of someone who died eating sweets in a previous life possess this kid...?"
Elvin, who was driving the carriage, heard Gray's words and muttered quietly to himself.
"Ghosts are... Also gods."
Still, it was admirable.
With Yev's power, it would be fine even if she rampaged as she pleased, but she was suffering like this while still
trying to keep the contract.
"When we reach Southwood City, let's stay for a while and stock up on snacks. If there's time, I'll make some for you
myself."
"...!"
At those words, Yev raised her head and her eyes lit up.
They were shining so excessively that it was somewhat burdensome.
"Promise."
"Yes, promise."
"If you eat too many sweets, you'll get sick, little one."
Gray grumbled and made a comment, but there's no record of gods getting diabetes, so it should be fine.
The problem was that Southwood City, where the party was currently heading, had been occupied by cultists and used as
their base in the original work...
'It should be fine, right?'