Chapter 211
Chapter 211
Chapter 211
Utopia (3)
As Rebecca stormed out like an angry bear, Rudian also hurriedly changed his clothes and went down to the first floor.
And there...
"Ah, hello?"
Rebecca, who had suddenly become extremely polite, was bowing profusely toward priests dressed in clerical robes.
'...What are you doing?'
She went downstairs with the momentum to devour several people, but suddenly this attitude change.
"Hehe, we're terribly sorry for disturbing your rest, sister."
"Oh, not at all! You're doing important work! Hehehe...!"
"Hehe, thank you for understanding, sister."
"......"
It wasn't the first or second time you'd shown weakness to priests, but even so, this is a nation of pirates, Rebecca.
'Hmm, come to think of it, this is a bit strange....'
As far as Rudian knew, the Pirate Kingdom had no priests.
This place was only called a kingdom in name—it was a place where the political system was as chaotic as anything below the level of northern tribal confederations.
You could tell from the fact that this country wasn't invited to the Continental Conference.
"This is the first time I've seen such vestments. It doesn't seem to be from the Seven Great Gods' order—who are you people?"
Rudian grabbed Rebecca's shoulder and pulled her behind him.
At Rudian's words, the elderly priest at the front smiled gently.
"My, it seems I've interfered on a day when history is being made. I should have come tomorrow."
"Oh my!"
Rebecca's face flushed red as she understood the implication, but Rudian felt a headache coming on and pressed his forehead.
"Stop talking nonsense. This is the first time I've seen people like you in the Pirate Kingdom... Don't tell me you're cultists?"
Well, it was obvious, but cultists don't recognize themselves as cultists or call themselves that.
Just like those from the Apophis Cult who seriously claim they're orthodox believers serving their god.
"Cultists... I suppose that's how we might appear from the outside. If that were the case, what would you do?"
"I'm facing something big, so if you're cultists, I'd have to sweep you all away."
A hint of killing intent arose in Rudian's eyes.
"Especially when non-humans pretend to be human."
"...!"
Surprise flashed in the elderly priest's eyes.
"Remarkable. No one has ever seen through that at first glance until now...."
"Of course, it's nearly impossible for ordinary people to see through Divine-Grade Protection."
Rudian's head tilted sideways.
"I'm just not one of those ordinary people."
"......"
At that moment, hostility flowed from the eyes of the heavily armed knights and other priests behind the priest.
Immediately, a tense atmosphere filled the entire tavern.
"Stop."
With the elderly priest's firm word, that atmosphere was instantly broken.
OH!
From how their momentum immediately subsided, he could tell how these people regarded the elderly priest's existence.
The elderly priest looked directly at Rudian with a somewhat hardened expression.
"I am Ragza, a priest who serves the Water God."
"Are you a pope?"
"No. I'm merely tasked with guiding these people in god's name—I'm not worthy to be called the first servant."
"Well... judging by those guys' attitudes, you seem to be in a similar position."
"I'm merely a proxy."
To Rudian, it was the same thing.
"Right, fine. That innkeeper behind you probably tattled everything and brought you here. So what do you plan to do now?"
At Rudian's words, Water Priest Ragza bowed his waist and politely entreated.
"The Water God wishes to meet you."
"...! The Water God was alive?"
"Such impudence!"
"How dare you blaspheme our god!"
Immediately, the priests behind him flared up in anger and bared their teeth at Rudian.
Proving they were undersea species rather than human, the faces of those affected by anger began to transform hideously like fish—resembling sea bream.
"Ugh...!"
Rebecca, who was behind them, recoiled in disgust.
Physiological revulsion was unavoidable.
"Did I not tell you to stop!"
FLINCH!
"From now on, anyone who emanates aura without my permission will face severe punishment!"
"...S-sorry, High Priest."
This time, their momentum was completely crushed.
After venting his anger toward the back once, Ragza immediately corrected his expression and stood before Rudian again with a gentle face.
"My apologies."
"Your expression changes are quite artistic."
"I know enough to distinguish between public and private matters."
Ragza once again bowed politely toward Rudian.
"The Water God has been waiting for you with great longing. Please grant him an audience."
"What I don't understand is...."
Rudian scratched the back of his head and frowned.
"Wasn't the Water God dead? No, I'm not trying to blaspheme... it's just what I know to be fact."
The Water God doesn't appear in the original work.
Only their vassal species emerged from beneath the surface to make the already chaotic surface world even more chaotic.
And even when they were swept away by Abel's party, the Water God never appeared.
"...Indeed, you're someone well-versed in ancient truths. Of course, those learned in mythological knowledge would believe the Water God perished, but in fact, the Water God is alive."
"How? It would have been against the Seven Great Gods... and North at that."
"Of course, he suffered great wounds in the battle against the cursed darkness. But mere darkness could never overcome the great source of water."
"......"
To summarize those words:
He did get beaten like a dog by North in the past, but somehow managed to keep breathing.
'Mm, I roughly understand. If he was so severely wounded that he couldn't move even when the original story was in full swing, that's possible.'
Especially since he didn't appear even when the mythological age arrived in Chapter 4, there was a high possibility he was literally just alive and breathing.
"Hmm, an invitation from the Water God...."
Naturally, it would be an invitation to Lucretia, not here.
'The desperate side would probably be them... It doesn't particularly matter?'
If the Water God were in normal condition, he wouldn't have sent priests to invite him like this.
He would have come directly, or at least sent an avatar.
Since Rebecca was there anyway, a dying Water God and his subordinate species wouldn't pose much threat.
"Fine. Guide me."
"Thank you for your quick decision."
Ragza brightened and bowed his head again.
And Rudian pointed his finger toward the back.
"And tell that tattletale to keep his head down for a day."
At the tip of Rudian's finger was the innkeeper.
"I'll handle it as you wish."
"W-wait!"
The innkeeper let out an aggrieved cry and protested to Rudian.
"N-no! You were the one who said to do as I please...!"
"Make him bow his head."
"H-High Priest!"
"Bow."
"...Yes."
Unable to resist authority, the innkeeper immediately bowed his head on the spot.
This is punishment for ruining the mood with Rebecca, you bastard!
***
Rudian and Rebecca came out to a deserted beach following the High Priest's guidance.
"...It's beautiful!"
At the fantastic coastal atmosphere bathed in moonlight, Rebecca exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
"This is one of the representative forbidden zones in this vast maritime territory. Thanks to that, it's well-maintained."
"Because it's a passage to Lucretia?"
"That's right. You're quite perceptive."
"I catch on quick."
When Ragza muttered some incantation at the offshore waters...
SWOOOOSH!
Immediately, the sea in front split in two, recreating Moses' miracle.
"Usually we cast spells on visitors to enable breathing, but...."
"No need."
Both Rudian and Rebecca had now transcended human limitations to the point where they could function normally even in space.
"I see. It was an unnecessary concern."
Ragza and the priests slowly began entering the split seashore.
As their bodies touched the seawater, their forms slowly began transforming into fish-men bodies.
"Ugh...!"
Rebecca, clinging to his back, recoiled in disgust, but she seemed somewhat accustomed to it now, showing less revulsion than before.
"This way...."
The split seawater returned to its original state, and Rudian's view was covered in pitch-black darkness.
But that was only momentary.
As soon as he activated his spiritual sight, his vision brightened as if he were on land.
-How is it? Can you manage to move?
-Mm, I'm not used to swimming yet, but I can manage to follow.
Rebecca could now evaporate the seawater on the surface or create a direct passage to Lucretia if she wanted.
At this level of pressure, it would be no different from just splashing water.
Seeing Rebecca's condition, Rudian felt relieved and followed Ragza into the deep sea.
When they had descended nearly several thousand meters below:
"You can breathe now."
An ancient ruin-like city hidden within something like a giant soap bubble.
"Uh... mm...."
No, calling it a city was questionable... it was practically ruins where you could barely recognize the exterior, like the Parthenon that remains in modern times.
If not for the fish-men swimming around like loaches, you'd believe it was just an abandoned place.
'This place is completely ruined. There was a reason it didn't appear in the original work.'
Rudian walked into the ancient city of Lucretia with a grim expression.
-Come.
And at the center of those ruins, he could see a gigantic fish-man, completely battered with limbs torn off, bound in chains.
"...!"
The skin that should have been covered with blue scales was torn in places, revealing raw flesh underneath.
Not only his limbs but one eye was also gouged out... he was in a miserable state, no different from a prisoner.
"Horrible...."
Rebecca muttered softly through gritted teeth, as if voicing Rudian's inner thoughts.
The high-ranking god who was once called the Water God and ruled all the oceans of the earth.
The fallen form of Dagon appeared before Rudian's eyes.
***
Rudian frowned as he examined the appearance of the Water God Dagon.
"...It's impressive that you've managed to survive without perishing until now."
-You're right. I'm barely breathing—I lost my divine functions long ago.
"What's your reason for inviting me here? In that state, you don't seem in a position to propose any kind of deal."
As he said, no matter how much of a god he was, someone who couldn't even take care of himself wasn't in a position to offer anything to someone of equal standing.
Even if he possessed something precious, in that condition, he'd clearly be robbed without being able to resist.
-Right, I have nothing to offer you now.
"...Now?"
The Water God spoke to Rudian in a desperate tone.
-Save me, heretic of the world. You should be able to revive me.
"What confidence do you have? What makes you propose such a thing to me?"
-Because I'm certain you can handle this properly.
"...!"
CLANK! CLANK!
The Water God shook the chains binding him.
"Handle the chains? They look like ordinary chains... huh?"
Rudian frowned as he looked at the square, massive something that formed the center of those huge chains.
'Could that be?'
He wasn't inexperienced enough to be confused at this point.
That crude box-like something emitting a gentle green light.
-No, why is that like that...!
Adi also seemed bewildered, muttering softly in a dejected voice.
Though it simply looked decorative... that was definitely the box containing Adi's healing artificial intelligence, Utopia.