Chapter 341: Recognized by the Evil God
Chapter 341: Recognized by the Evil God
Nidhogg came to a halt at a point on the outskirts of the Great Forest.
Stepping outside, I found the situation far more dire than what Milone had described.
"This is insane."
"O Mother World Tree..."
"...It's already come to this?"
We had intentionally disembarked a fair distance from where the army of Ugly Prosperity was stationed. Yet, the sight that greeted us was not the vibrant, life-filled greenery characteristic of the Great Forest.
Leaves, still clutching a hint of green, were shriveled like autumn foliage; tree trunks were so parched and cracked they looked ready to snap at a touch.
If the massive trees were in this state, one could only imagine the rest.
The small grasses crumbled like sand, and the animals—once grown to freakish sizes thanks to the forest's vitality—had shrunken until they were nothing but skin and bones.
It was an eerie spectacle, as if the very life force of the entire forest had been siphoned away by someone.
"It's expanded this far already...?"
Indeed. This was the aftermath of the essence absorption carried out by the army of Ugly Prosperity as they moved.
While it was an ability typically favored by succubus-type monsters, members of other races could perform similar feats if they received Authorities related to Ugly Prosperity.
"The expansion speed is faster than expected, Master."
"...No. This isn't just the natural aftermath of them expanding their forces. It means they passed through here a while ago."
It’s easiest to think of it in terms of sheep and a pasture.
What happens if sheep graze in only one spot? All the grass in the area disappears, and eventually, the sheep starve to death. That’s why shepherds constantly move their flocks. They have to keep finding places where there’s still grass to eat.
"The army of Ugly Prosperity is the same. They keep moving toward places where there is essence to absorb and where they can satisfy their lust."
When I first heard they were sitting still and gathering their forces, I assumed it was because they weren't ready yet. When the scale is small, they can get by using kidnapped people as portable sexual relief.
But once the scale grows, that’s no longer enough. That’s why they have to keep moving.
This characteristic is why they're often called a 'snowball.'
When scattered, they are weak; they hide or run away when necessary. But once they grow large enough, they become like a runaway locomotive that never stops until the entire continent is laid to waste.
"Did the scouts report false information...?"
"I doubt that."
Cardinal Tumila shook her head at my muttering.
"Her Excellency the Chancellor is a woman of truly sensitive temperament; her principle is to cross-reference every piece of information multiple times. It would be difficult to bypass her paranoid suspicions just by planting a spy or two in the scouting parties."
In the game H&A, as a Cardinal of Cyclic Life, she was portrayed as someone who held High Elves—those who inherited the blood of gods—as incredibly sacred, and conversely, viewed the Chancellor, who had usurped the rights of High Elves, in a negative light.
Because of that, she clashed with Milone at every turn... but conversely, it meant she knew Milone better than anyone.
She was likely right.
"Then there's only one answer. Every single scout was deceived. There's no other way."
"...Boiling Silence."
Carla, who had already been burned by him once, growled the name under her breath.
"Exactly. Boiling Silence probably did something. There isn't much left for a guy who lost his potential Apostle and a huge chunk of his own power to do, is there? For instance... clinging to another Evil God to get his revenge."
Helena let out a long sigh, as if she also suspected as much.
"He used an Authority to deceive the perception of those around him when he invaded Solaris as well. Since all the nearby villagers were evacuated, he only needed to trick the eyes of a few scouts."
"Tsk. I don't know if they realized we'd strike first or if they were just trying to invade secretly, but the situation isn't entirely hopeless. Look. These leaves. They look like they'll crumble if you touch them... but they're still green, not brown like dead leaves. This means it hasn't been long since their essence was drained."
"Which means we can actually strike them from behind."
"If we can figure out the exact direction. Iris? Can you cast a wide-area detection magic?"
Iris, who had been staring at the withered forest with a hollow expression, snapped out of it at my voice and nodded.
"I can. However, wide-area detection consumes a vast amount of mana, and the intense mana wavelength will be detected by the enemy as well. If I do that, we can kiss the element of surprise goodbye."
"Hmm. Still, it's good to know it's an option. Better than picking the wrong direction and wandering around until we lose them. Then, I'll have to ask you to—"
"Um..."
Just as I was about to ask Iris for the detection magic, one of the few Beastkin among the elves raised his hand.
He was a man of the Rat-kin, looking rather frail for a Beastkin, who usually had a more robust impression. He spoke while twitching his large rat ears.
"I know a bit about handling animals. How about I ask Luchi to look for them from the sky?"
"Luchi?"
"Ah, he's my friend. A pigeon."
As he spoke, he proudly lifted a birdcage hanging from his waist.
Inside the ornate gold-leafed cage sat a pigeon with glazed-over eyes. Looking closely, I could see mana light flickering around its eyes; it seemed to be under some kind of hypnotic spell.
...Didn't he say it was his friend?
To think he'd use brainwashing magic instead of a familiar spell.
Well, I suppose any Beastkin who became a mage wasn't exactly sane to begin with.
Regardless, it was certain that a view from the sky would be helpful, so I nodded.
"Let's try that first. We'll leave it to... Luchi? If that doesn't work, we'll use the wide-area detection magic then."
"Ye-yes!"
Chuckling to himself, he took the pigeon out of the cage and whispered something to it.
With every word, the mana light grew stronger, and in inverse proportion, the bird's focus rapidly blurred. Finally, once the pigeon's eyes looked like those of a doll, he tossed it into the air.
Now that I looked, one of the man's eyes was shimmering with the same color of mana light I'd seen before.
It was likely a form of vision-sharing magic.
The pigeon circled the sky for a while before suddenly stopping and beginning to fly back toward us at high speed.
"I-I found them."
"Where?"
"That way... if we go that way, it'll take five minutes... no, they're moving too, so it'll take a bit longer. Anyway, it's that direction."
He pointed a finger toward a specific heading.
"The direction is set, then."
*
Even at the same level, the mobility of an intermediate magician and an aura user is like heaven and earth.
Unless they've mastered teleportation, those who use aura are usually much faster.
However, that doesn't mean magicians are without options.
With my overflowing mana, I cast several support spells, and with Helena adding her blessings, the magicians were able to run at a decent pace.
It wasn't long before we spotted a green head of hair.
We had found a goblin trudging along at the very rear of the army.
As planned, the mages and priests prepared their strongest single-shot attacks that could be readied stealthily.
The knights, meanwhile, let their sword qi leak out, ready to pounce at any moment.
Just as I was about to give the signal at the perfect timing—
"What the—!"
Suddenly, my Cultist Detection trait picked up numerous anomalies.
"Fire! Knights, don't move out with me, guard the perimeter!"
At my shout, colorful magic and divine arts streaked across the sky.
Simultaneously, blurred figures lunged from all directions.
Somehow, the assassins of Boiling Silence had surrounded us.
Ignoring the explosions and screams erupting behind me and the stinging heat on my skin, I focused my mind on the sensations provided by Cultist Detection.
"You annoying bastards!"
Two assassins approached rapidly. I cast Shining Ray at the head of one.
Because it was cast without a chant, its power was weakened, but that didn't change the fact that it was an intermediate-level spell.
It was an attack that a mere assassin, who looked to be bishop-class at best, could neither dodge nor block.
Thwack!
He managed to twist his neck at the last second, but half his head was blown away, and he tumbled across the ground, his momentum carrying his corpse forward.
As for the other one, I simply slammed my new staff into him as soon as he got close.
Clang!
With a body that could rival most knights, stacked buffs, and a staff whose impact was maximized by enhancement magic, the blow sent him flying with a clear, ringing sound.
He spun through the air like a kite with a snapped string before collapsing.
Wait, why are they so weak?
Looking around, I saw the others were in a similar situation.
Though they had gritted their teeth and swung their weapons in surprise at the sudden ambush... they looked bewildered by how easily the enemies were falling.
However, I soon understood their intention as a massive number of presences swarmed from the front.
They were just sacrificial pawns meant to stall our surprise attack.
Our allies' magic had certainly dealt significant damage to the army of Ugly Prosperity.
But the knights, who should have charged in through the opening to wreak havoc, were unable to fulfill their roles because they were distracted by the assassins.
Because of that, the battle had turned into a simple frontal confrontation rather than a chaotic raid.
Since we had to wait for the reinforcements arriving in a few days anyway, the plan was to fight moderately and then pull back. The goal was to delay them and ensure our safety rather than how much damage we could inflict.
Just as I was about to send the signal to that effect—
"???"
For some reason, the army of Ugly Prosperity facing us wasn't moving.
Even as they stood there with raging erections or reached between their legs to writhe and twist their bodies, they never made a move toward us.
While I was momentarily stunned by this sight—surprising in many ways—a single cultist walked out from among them.
An elf woman with long ears and beautiful features. However, unlike an elf who should value chastity, she was wearing vulgar clothes that even a common prostitute wouldn't touch.
Even now, as she licked her lips while arousal fluids dripped down her legs, her face was familiar to me.
Mariel the Impatient.
An Archbishop of Ugly Prosperity and a mini-boss you'd encounter with a random probability while visiting brothels.
She wasn't particularly strong, but she was tricky because you usually encountered her when you were unprepared.
In other words, she wasn't much of a threat right now.
I didn't know what they were trying to achieve with a single Archbishop, but it was clear they had an intention.
Deciding there was no need to play along, I gathered my mana. I intended to blast her away and then retreat.
But then—
Vrooom—
A change occurred a step ahead of me.
The energy of Ugly Prosperity settled thickly over the entire area. I hurriedly cast a spell, but it vanished fruitlessly, blocked by a thick curtain of divine power. Not just my magic, but everyone else's as well.
"Ha."
Even if they were only intermediate-level spells, to be blocked this easily? In a situation where there wasn't even an Apostle to act as a bridge?
They must have consumed a significant amount of divine power. And as if to support my theory, the energy of Ugly Prosperity began to grow even heavier.
It was just like seeing Boiling Silence descending into Fiona's body before.
"Are they actually insane?"
It goes without saying, but Mariel was absolutely not Apostle material. If she were, she would have held a much higher rank than Archbishop.
In fact, Mariel's body, unable to withstand the power of Ugly Prosperity, was rapidly melting away.
Her flesh sloughed off, her bones popped out of place, and blood sprayed from every orifice.
Ugly Prosperity, having barely sent down its consciousness by consuming its believer like a disposable tool, opened its mouth through Mariel.
[Ah... what a truly lewd scent.]
Did it recognize Carla's potential?
If I hadn't intervened, Carla would have become the Saintess of Ugly Prosperity. That’s how well-matched they were.
I hurriedly stepped in front of Carla and glared at the entity, and the corners of Mariel's half-collapsed eyes curved into crescents.
[Yandel, our nemesis. And you, lewd brat. Won't you become my Apostle?]
"What...?"
Me? So obsessed with lust that even an Evil God would covet me?
This is slander!!!!