Chapter 370: False Accu?sation (2)
Chapter 370: False Accu?sation (2)
"Hmm..."
A framed portrait hung above the head of Cyclic Life. Looking at my own face inside it—wearing an utterly insufferable expression—an inexplicable surge of emotion rose within me.
"Hmnnnnn..."
How should I put this? I knew it was my face, but that smile was bothering me.
"Don't I look a bit too evil?"
"Pardon...?"
Cyclic Life, who had been beaming with anticipation for my reaction, blinked blankly.
"No, I mean, look at it. How could you paint this handsome face to look like some villainous noble?"
"What...?"
This time, the voice didn't come from Cyclic Life, but from my companions. Snap! I whipped my head around to see Fay quickly covering her mouth.
Meeting my eyes, Fay fidgeted with her fingers in front of her chest and looked away.
"Ah, haha... You're right? That is strange... I mean, Junior's impression is sharp enough that I initially mistook his support for something... improper, but he's not that bad. Yeah."
Wait, she was on my side?
I threw an arm around Fay’s shoulders and nodded vigorously.
"Exactly. Look at that expression. He looks like a total thug who has nothing but fighting and women on his mind."
"??? Is... is that so?"
"I'm telling you. It looks like he's about to ask something outrageous, like, 'Will you put the leash on yourself? Or should I do it for you?'"
"Uh, um. You know, Junior. I was thinking, maybe this is just self-loathing or some kind of 'same-species' repulsion..."
"Zip it."
"...Eek! Right! You're absolutely right, Junior! Ugh! It came out looking so scary! If you're going to make a statue out of it, you should have toned it down... no, beautified it? No, that's not it either... A-anyway, you should have made him look cooler!"
I had only taken a sharp breath, but Fay flinched and answered with military precision.
Because of her small stature and naturally hunched posture, having my arm around her made it look like she was being intimidated. Anyone watching would think I was bullying her.
Honestly, Fay has the talent and the looks, but her lack of confidence is the problem. It’s improved a lot lately, but seeing her like this occasionally reminds me we still have a long way to go.
As I shook my head, Elisha, who had been watching from the side, let out a deep sigh and slapped the back of my hand that was draped over Fay's shoulder.
"You. I know you find it cute when Senior Fay gets all shriveled up like this, but stop teasing her."
"Hey now. Teasing? This is an expression of affection! Pure affection!"
"Hiiiieek!"
Perhaps I had unconsciously tightened my grip while speaking. Fay curled up even more, looking like a shrinking violet.
...Did I take the joke too far?
I let go of her shoulder and gave her messy hair a gentle pat. She stole a few glances at me before scurrying away to hide behind Carla.
Carla gave a helpless smile as she shielded Fay and spoke up.
"Don't be so hard on him, Master. I actually really love that expression of yours."
"Carla, wouldn't you love me even if I took a dump in the middle of the plaza...?"
"I-if that is what Master desires, I shall try my best to appreciate it!"
"No. Don't take it seriously. It was just a figure of speech."
"Phew..."
Carla looked visibly relieved. I chuckled at her reaction and turned back to Cyclic Life.
"By the way, who painted this? I heard that Alfheim was making a statue and the Church of Righteous Light was painting a sacred mural for the Great Temple. Did a priest from the Church of Light paint this?"
"...I did."
"Pardon?"
For some reason, Cyclic Life looked deeply hurt as she repeated herself clearly.
"I painted it."
"......?"
"I was bored being stuck inside the World Tree ever since the War of the Gods... I thought my skills had improved after practicing for about three hundred years."
"Ah..."
"I see. I suppose it wasn't to the subject's liking."
"A-ah..."
"It can't be helped. It makes me very sad since the person himself hates it so much, but I suppose I must discard this painting."
"U-uh, Lady Cyclic Life? It's... It's not that I hate it..."
"Sigh. And here I stayed up for several nights to finish it. I painted it while looking forward to seeing your reaction before you left... I should just throw it away and leave it to a professional artist."
"Aaaagh!"
Tallulah... ACTIVATED!
I dashed over to the bitterly smiling Cyclic Life and began to massage her shoulders with utmost sincerity.
"I was joking! Just a joke! It looks exactly like me! I was just so happy and embarrassed about having a statue made that I acted out. Please don't worry!"
"Ahem. Is that really true?"
"Of course! Just look at this!"
Saying that, I zipped around to the front of Cyclic Life and mimicked the exact smile from the painting.
"See? Identical, right?"
"Uh...?"
But for some reason, Cyclic Life’s eyes widened, and she immediately looked away.
"...It's even worse than the painting."
"What?"
"It's nothing. Since we're at it, could you show me a bit more closely? It might not be a bad idea to make some minor adjustments now..."
Cyclic Life was muttering something, but before she could finish, Solari stepped in between us.
"That's enough of this nonsense! If you don't want the titles and relationships to get even more tangled, knock it off."
"...Your words are a bit harsh, but you're right this time, Light."
Cyclic Life nodded and pulled her chair back to create some distance. Only then did Solari relax and pull me toward the opposite side.
Cyclic Life, now further away, let out a sigh, her face looking slightly flushed—perhaps from the glow of the hearth.
"Phew. I think I understand why you're so taken with this boy, Light. For a god who has always received prayers and granted salvation, being on the receiving end is quite an intense experience. I just realized that again."
"As long as you understand."
"Oh, don't glare at me like that. The emotions I felt are likely different from yours, Light. After all, I feel a certain sense of responsibility toward that child."
Cyclic Life chuckled at Solari's grumpiness before asking me with her usual gentle smile.
"Anyway, you're saying it's fine to make the statue based on this painting?"
"Oh, yes. If it's based on a painting by none other than Lady Cyclic Life, it will be a very meaningful statue in many ways."
"Fufu. Then let's leave that topic there and move on to the next. I'd love to chat more, but... Light's gaze is quite frightening, and I'm sure you all have much to do. You're planning to leave today, right?"
"That's right. We plan to clear one dungeon on our way out, so it'll take a bit longer to leave the Great Forest, but we're leaving Yggdrasil today."
"You're in a hurry."
"Alfheim might have caught its breath, but the war is still raging elsewhere. Above all, I plan to find and finish off Boiling Silence as soon as my preparations are complete."
"...Do you know the location of the seal?"
"Just the one for Boiling Silence."
When I shrugged and said that, Cyclic Life fell into deep thought with a serious expression.
Since she knew my information came from Fafnir, she probably wasn't wondering where it was or how I knew.
Just as I was tilting my head, wondering what was taking her so long to decide, Cyclic Life finally spoke.
"Since you won't be able to use a trick like you did this time, you'll probably take the Empire's Sword Master with you? Or perhaps seek help from the Academy's Archmage."
"It can't be helped. We aren't capable of dealing proper damage yet."
"No. There's no need for that. Not if you have this."
With a look of resolve, Cyclic Life pulled a small branch from her robe.
"This is..."
"A divine object I created at the end of the Great War, pouring all my divine power into it. It is Mystiltainn."
"???"
I had never heard of this item. At least, I was certain it never appeared in H&A.
Which meant that in the future Fafnir had predicted, Cyclic Life never brought this out.
"You know well that we originally intended to seal the Evil Gods with the help of Rahim and his friends, right?"
"Yes. It's a famous story."
"Indeed. And naturally, we had prepared ways to manage the sealed Evil Gods. Righteous Light intended to have her believers guard the seals, Clashing Steel planned to build prisons that even a god couldn't escape... and I grew mistletoe that would continuously absorb divine power."
"Wait, don't tell me...?"
"Yes. This Mystiltainn is that very mistletoe."
Hearing that made it suddenly seem incredibly impressive. To the naked eye, it just looked like an ordinary twig.
"It looks ordinary, doesn't it?"
"Pardon? Ah... yes. Honestly, it's a bit surprising."
"It would be. This is a divine object that only reacts to a sealed god. But rest assured, the effect is guaranteed."
Originally, the Good Gods were supposed to manage the seals after the Evil Gods were imprisoned... but just as the dungeons were scattered across the continent, the seals also ended up in places beyond the reach of the Good Gods.
Because of that, it must have been tucked away in storage, never used.
In H&A, the story only dealt with a future where the Evil Gods' seals had already been completely broken, so there was probably no reason to bring it out.
Against an Evil God who had already broken free, a divine object that only reacted to a sealed god would have been nothing more than a simple twig.
But things were different now.
Now, having brought about a better present based on the future Fafnir observed, the Evil Gods were only just beginning to struggle to break free.
And Boiling Silence, who had lost his divine power, his Apostles, and even his high-ranking followers, would be in a state where he couldn't escape the seal on his own.
"If you absorb all the remaining divine power of the weakened Boiling Silence... you'll be able to defeat him without needing help from others."
"That... that's truly amazing."
The Emperor of the Levantine Empire or Havel wouldn't try to use this as leverage to put me in their debt. They weren't that foolish.
At most, they would just want to share in the glory of subjugating an Evil God.
However, the time it would take to get to that point would be significant.
From sending word to the Empire, to the Emperor—who had become wary after being burned by an Evil God—deciding to lend his strongest asset, Havel, to joining up with Havel and heading to the seal of Boiling Silence...
But with Mystiltainn, not only could I skip all that time, I could monopolize the achievement of slaying Boiling Silence for myself.
I didn't care much for fame, but the System's rewards would definitely be more generous.
In that sense, Cyclic Life's gift was a much bigger help than I expected.
As I accepted Mystiltainn with a respectful attitude, Cyclic Life continued with a wry smile.
"I'd like to give you something even better... but I'm not in a position to do so yet..."
"This is more than enough. Oh, if you really want to, could you grant a blessing to me and my party later?"
"Haven't you already received the Blessing of the World Tree?"
"Not that, I want to receive the Blessing of Life."
"...Aha? Because of your lifespans."
While the Blessing of the World Tree strengthened the body, the Blessing of Life was one that extended lifespan.
It was something absolutely necessary for our party, which consisted of various races, to reach a happy ending.
Only then did Cyclic Life nod, her smile brightening as if a weight had been lifted from her heart.
"Of course. Once I recover my strength, I will certainly do so."
"Then I'll have to defeat all the remaining Evil Gods before then. I don't know if you've heard..."
"That you're going to give the heads of the Evil Gods to Light as a dowry? She's bragged about it so much that I remember it clearly. I'll prepare something else as a wedding gift, so look forward to it."
"I wonder just how much she bragged... but it's helping me out now. I'll look forward to it with excitement."
I glanced over to see Solari looking off into the distance, pretending she didn't know anything. Cyclic Life began to giggle at the sight of us.
Then, as if remembering something, she lightly clapped her hands.
Clap!
"Ah! Come to think of it, I have something to brag about to the other gods as well... would that be okay?"
"Pardon? Why are you asking for my permission? You can do it if you want to."
When I tilted my head and said that, Cyclic Life replied with a voice full of anticipation.
"Because that 'bragging' is about my son. And I even have a painting of him now, don't I?"
"......"
What on earth are you talking about, Lady Life...?