Chapter 386: A Guest from the North
Chapter 386: A Guest from the North
For a while, we were busy beyond belief.
I had no time to spare as I worked on getting used to the Dragon Heart while simultaneously mastering the magic I had received from Rebecca.
Carla, seemingly inspired by the fact that my Lintblum Core had transformed into a Dragon Heart, began researching the Lintblum Breathing Technique.
Elisha and Iris spent their time further refining the Visions they had recently grasped.
Fay, having gained much from this ordeal, holed herself up in her workshop and barely slept as she processed her findings and integrated them into her research.
Iona spent her days in deep introspection, claiming that her body had undergone some kind of change after drinking my blood for so long. Of course, she still managed to fulfill her duties as a professor.
Finally, Helena and Solari seemed to have been stimulated by the sight of Fallen Carla, who had wielded immense Authority even after Ugly Prosperity had been annihilated.
They were so dedicated to practicing their Authorities that they even cut back on their prayer time.
That alone was enough to fill a daily schedule, but it didn't end there.
The fact that I had defeated Ugly Prosperity was common knowledge, thanks to the many witnesses and the extensive promotion by the Levantine Empire and Alfheim.
However, the fact that I had also eliminated Boiling Silence was not widely known… at least, not until Rebecca testified.
Naturally, the initial reaction was mostly disbelief.
It made sense. After all, many conditions had aligned to defeat Ugly Prosperity, and I’d had the assistance of Alfheim and Cyclic Life.
But then, to claim that a group of fewer than ten people had charged in and taken down another Evil God in just a few days? Even with Rebecca’s testimony, it wasn't something easily believed. I wouldn't have believed it either.
However, the story changed when Cyclic Life—who had lent me Mystiltainn—provided additional testimony, and the captured followers of Boiling Silence grew rapidly weaker, with some even losing their Authorities entirely.
As people began to believe, the already significant interest in me reached a fever pitch.
“This is seriously so annoying… Why are there so many events?”
“Shall I massage your shoulders, Master?”
“No, I can reach my shoulders. Just give my lower back a rub; I can’t reach there.”
I flopped face-down onto the bed as I spoke. Soon after, I felt Carla’s touch.
Climbing onto my back, Carla began to firmly massage my back and waist.
“Um… Master. If it’s that exhausting, wouldn't it be okay to just decline some of these invitations? Your current training is important, too.”
“Yeah. It wouldn't be a problem to use training as an excuse to stop them from calling. But the war situation isn't bad right now, is it? It’s times like these when I need to travel around and show my face.”
The situation remained unchanged in the central and western regions where the Levantine Empire was holding out, the eastern region where the Church Alliance and the Small and Medium Nation Alliance were gathered, and the Dwarf kingdom of Nidavellir, where fierce battles were raging.
But the south was different. We had seized complete victory by killing Ugly Prosperity.
However, Alfheim’s burden had been so great that they couldn't afford to send support elsewhere… but Crassius was a different story.
They were the ones who had received massive investments specifically to deal with Ugly Prosperity’s forces. Yet, they never actually had to fight a proper battle. They hadn't even sent proper reinforcements.
In other words, they had preserved a significant portion of their military strength.
Normally, they would have kept their mouths shut and hoarded their power, but this world contained a hegemonic power that had swallowed half the continent… the Levantine Empire.
If I stood on the side of the Levantine Empire and showed my face here and there, the Empire would use my status as a hero to put political pressure on Crassius.
That was the reason I was being called all over the place lately.
“Still, I’m glad I have Teleport. I can’t use it multiple times in a row like Professor Iona, but I can manage it once or twice.”
“To think you’re using it so skillfully when it hasn't been that long since you learned it… I sometimes wonder if there’s even a difference between Low-grade Magic and Advanced Magic for you, Master.”
“Well, that’s…”
It was probably thanks to the System correction and the Dragon Heart.
“I understand why you keep showing up at these events despite being tired. But… will Crassius actually listen just because of that?”
“They have to. They won’t have a choice.”
In the first place, the only reason they were able to arm themselves like they are now was because the Levantine Empire provided unstinting material support at my strong insistence.
At first, the Kingdom of Crassius feigned ignorance, claiming they were at war with the forces of Noble Reign…
But Noble Reign was just a temporary filler while Ugly Prosperity was redirecting its destination to Alfheim.
Now that Ugly Prosperity had failed, those guys would have retreated and scattered long ago.
Since they were a bunch with nothing but useless pride, they were probably each fighting wherever they felt like. It could hardly even be called an army anymore.
Anyway, as I became more famous and my influence grew, the Kingdom of Crassius began to watch my every move.
“If Alfheim, which almost perished here, denounces Crassius’s selfish behavior, that’ll be the end of it. They’ll have no choice but to send reinforcements to the East.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Right now, they’re just a bit spooked because the Evil God’s army was stronger than expected. Beastkin are a bellicose race by nature, aren't they?”
“U mad? U scared? Neener-neener! Look at this scaredy-cat!” If I poked at them like that, they were the type who eventually wouldn't be able to take it and would come charging out.
If the well-equipped reinforcements from Crassius were added to the Eastern Front, which was somehow holding its own?
If things went well, we could push them back, and going further, we might even be able to disrupt the plans of those cultists who were currently busy unsealing the Evil Gods.
The East was where Narrow-minded Usurpation and his kin were, right? Iona and I had raided their undead warehouse once before.
If things really went well, we might even be able to drive his forces out of the East before Narrow-minded Usurpation could even descend.
He wouldn't be as weakened as Boiling Silence, so we wouldn't be able to pull him out of the seal and kill him… but we could at least keep the seal under our control.
I had properly retrieved Mystiltainn and put it in my inventory.
If I attached it to the seal of Narrow-minded Usurpation, he wouldn't be able to recover his strength or project his divine power outside anymore.
And if I could find an opportunity to toss the entire seal into the far side of another dimension, that would be the best-case scenario.
“Well… things in this world rarely go exactly as planned, so it probably won’t work out that perfectly. Still, being able to interfere with the Evil God’s descent is enough.”
“As long as there isn't an Evil God who can change the tide of war single-handedly, it’s worth a shot. …But what about the Apostles?”
“The Apostles of the Evil Gods are certainly a nuisance. Because they use Authority itself even when they’re just believers, they get used to that power quickly. If we miss the timing, they’ll become strong in an instant.”
But being an Apostle wasn't something just anyone could do. No matter how much power was available, what was the point if there was no vessel to receive it?
They could force someone to become an Apostle, but such a person wouldn't be able to draw out the power properly and would just drop dead quickly, so there was no need to worry.
“Apostles are strong, but they aren't high-ranking existences like the Evil Gods. You don’t necessarily need to be an Archmage to kill them; you just have to hit them really hard.”
“…You sound like someone who’s actually experimented to see exactly how hard you have to hit them to make them die.”
“Ahem.”
In the early days of H&A, I had tried so many things.
For example, maximizing the power of a single strike to instant-kill an Apostle, or going all-in on defense to just block high-damage gimmick patterns that were practically instant-death moves, or investing everything into evasion and roaming the battlefield wearing nothing but underwear.
Some were successful, but far more were failures.
Unfortunately, most of it was just testing the limits of the game system and couldn't be used now… but I could still salvage a few pieces of indirect information.
Apostles were treated as semi-divine, so you could wound their Divine Body, but they weren't completely transcendent beings, so they could still be hurt by ordinary attacks.
“See? An Apostle’s weakness is that they die if you separate their head from their body!”
“No one survives having their head cut off!”
“I don't know. Someone like Professor Iona might be able to? Her heart would still be fine.”
“Professor Iona is a vampire!”
“What? Are you saying Professor Iona isn't even a person?! That’s really harsh, Carla…”
“A-Ah, no! Why would you say it like that…!”
Flustered, Carla shook her head frantically, stammering.
I chuckled, thinking she was still as easy to tease as ever. After a moment, Carla realized I was joking and continued in a slightly pouting tone.
“…I think this all the time, but you’re far too mischievous, Master.”
“So? Do you hate it?”
“I didn't say I hated it.”
Carla shut her mouth and went back to kneading my back.
I was still chuckling at her obvious reaction when—
Bang!
The door suddenly burst open. As Carla and I turned at the same time, there stood Fay, panting heavily.
“J-Junior! We have a problem! Hide me!”
“What? Where is there even a place to hide here… More importantly, what’s going on all of a sudden?”
“A guest is coming!”
“Uh… did you actually have friends, Senior Fay?”
Fay shrieked at me as I tilted my head in confusion.
“I don’t have friends! It’s a vassal! My father’s vassal has come to take me back!”
“What?”
Who dared to try and take away my gloomy, petite, busty, beautiful girl engineer!
“By the way, Senior Fay, you were actually aware that you don't have friends?”
“Hey!!!”
It was winter.