Veiled Return and the Birth of Holy Spirits
With my face hidden behind the recycled veil, I made the grand announcement that the Father God's hand had once more descended upon this land. Thanks to the item's existence, at least my face wouldn't be sold off. As long as I avoided unnecessary exposure from here on out.
My leisure life.
I could return to those happy days long ago, holed up in my room caring for the cult and its devotees. From now on, whenever I went outside, it had to be in the form of "Leisure." Saving lives? Fun. Punishing evil? Fun. Welcoming new devotees? Pure fun.
This is it.
I reaffirmed my direction in my mind and gazed proudly at the knight order, who were still cheering wildly.
Then, one of the kingdom's knights who had been showering me with praise hesitated.
"Th-that's..."
"...Huh?"
A stiff expression cut in at this random timing, as if plainly stating the situation wasn't over yet.
You're still alive after taking that hit?
I subtly turned my head to find the culprit. Even the eldritch commander of that army had been obliterated, yet it was maintaining its existence after taking the attack.
Only a constellation could withstand an attack from a constellation. Which meant—
Possession?
No need to go looking—it had come right to me, making it easy to find. With my heart pounding in anticipation of meeting a new friend, I turned my gaze.
But.
The undead, 'Dullahan', evolves into 'Executor of Radiance'!
What I discovered was figures emanating holy energy, stealthily rising amid the ashes of the incinerated undead army.
"...Undead?"
Someone muttered in disbelief.
No.
I naturally denied it. Those weren't mere undead. The form was similar, but the fundamental nature composing their bodies was different.
"Holy Spirits."
One of those pervy settings I'd buried in the game data. When you smash undead hordes with holy power, there's a certain probability they reincarnate infused with holy properties.
And what was born from that was precisely this.
The undead, 'Banshee', evolves into 'Heavenly Prelude Singer'!
The headless knight now had a new head blazing with holy power, no longer driven by resentment to find its lost one.
The banshee that once sang curses upon the world now possessed a voice brimming with love to protect and heal the innocent.
This is for real?
And that wasn't all. The undead army had numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Even with the minuscule probability, the sheer volume made it meaningless.
From the aftermath of my holy power, a whopping 50 undead had been reborn.
Useless, though.
They looked much cleaner and more holy than before, so visually not bad, but still, nowhere to use them.
Purified a portion of the undead army, reincarnating them as your new devotees!
Some constellations show awe at your actions!
Reward acquired.
Hmm...
Well, if they're giving something, I'd take it. Maybe load them up and send them back with Belladys on her way home. Already pondering disposal was getting complicated.
"The Absolute has purified the wicked undead!!"
"Wooooah!!! Purifying advanced undead... as expected of the Father God...!"
The crowd was thrilled even at that, so I'd take the good with the good.
The constellations suddenly praising me, and Black Sun getting pissed at his words. Ignoring their bickering for now, my focus turned to the rewards tab.
Last time it was devotee vouchers, so hopefully more this time. I already had all the gear and ability modifiers anyway.
I'll check that later when I'm in a secure personal space.
Assemble.
I commanded the generated holy spirits to gather behind me.
Clank.
Clank.
In sync with the majestic sound of iron armor, the holy spirits positioned throughout moved in perfect formation behind me. Each one was unique, but grouped together, they made quite the sight.
Nice visuals.
This would make fine decorative pieces for my holy water faction.
Why bother?
I'd have to deal with them either way, but no reason to prioritize these over my own troops.
"Somewhere."
"Good idea."
Not now, but a perfect disposal target had come to mind.
"As expected of the disposal master. Inspiring stuff."
I briefly thanked the star buddy who'd gifted the holy sword package, then commanded the remnants of the undead—the holy spirits—gathered behind me.
"Kneel."
The majestic troops lowered their bodies in unison. The dangerous entities that had reeked of death just moments ago now obeyed as a holy knight order.
This sight left a profound impression on the watching knight order.
"Th-the Absolute has summoned holy incarnations...!"
The Regarium knights were on the verge of ecstasy with every performance, worshipping me fervently. Savoring it to the end, I decided to wrap up.
Hit and run appropriately.
My "appropriate" hit seemed fatal to the undead side, but who cared. The fact was, I'd successfully awakened the hero's blood.
Leave the cleanup to Edmund.
Conveniently, I had a solid connection as backup. The top figure in this kingdom, who'd pledged loyalty to me multiple times already. Recalling Edmund with his scant hair and kindly smile, I set off on the return journey.
"Ooh, ooooh...!"
Edmund Carsein was currently facing the holy war site alongside his daughter.
The hero's manifestation, the holy sword, and now this. The being himself had revealed his presence and stepped forward for everyone's sake.
"Father God...!"
"Lord God...!"
Father and daughter alike were utterly entranced by the Absolute, unable to pull away.
This was only natural. For the Absolute—for that Absolute—to reveal himself for the first time in their own kingdom of Regarium! No other nation could catch up to the weight of that significance, no matter how they tried.
Edmund was absolutely convinced.
When he personally lifted the child with the hero's talent and introduced her before everyone, even he shed a tear unwittingly. It felt like sharing a scene from myth itself—pure rapture.
"Sniff...!"
Glancing aside, his daughter was reacting the same way. She elegantly wiped her teary eyes with her index finger, then clasped her hands and fervently prayed toward Him.
"Not only did You not abandon us, but You bestowed blessings directly upon us!"
"Doubt is blasphemy itself..."
No longer did the word "doubt" exist in Edmund's mind. Having showered forgiveness and endless love, even demonstrating the blessing of the "holy sword" right here and now.
He vowed once more in this very spot to devote his remaining years and all his strength to worshipping Him.
"Knight Commander!"
"Yes!"
Composing himself briefly, Edmund summoned the kingdom's loyal knight and ordered him to head to the site immediately.
"We must not bother the Absolute Father God."
"Understood."
At Edmund's emphatic command, Knight Commander Baltar bowed deeply and obeyed.
Following that—
The knight commander's direct troops arrived at the barrier where the undead invasion had begun, starting to sort out the situation.
The knights still reeling from the fan meeting aftermath were pulled back, and they quickly sought the center of the incident: the sacred man veiled to conceal his identity.
"We shall escort you."
Baltar stepped forward personally and bowed, and Ron nodded while still holding the little hero's hand.
"Let's go."
Cause the incident, leave the responsibility to others.
I solved it, didn't I?
Trivial(?) cleanup like that would be left to the professionals.
Ron decided to enjoy the responsibility-free pleasure—no, happiness—just as he'd wanted from the start.
But first.
You lot, dismiss for now.
Ron temporarily dispelled the holy spirits he'd unintentionally created.
Like summons in the game, they obediently lost form at the caster's command...
Seeing them fade away like game summons at the caster's command reminded him of the good use he'd thought of earlier.
I'll handle that in front of the king later.
Under the knights' escort on the way back to the palace. At Ron's request not to reveal his identity—especially his face—a specially prepared carriage gave him a moment to breathe.
"Well then..."
Ron's gaze turned to the two women sitting awkwardly in the carriage.
"Heh heh, hehehe~"
The still-elated hero was giggling and snuggling up to Ron's side—
"F-Father... God."
"...."
Lisia, too overcome with emotion to speak, and the Sword Saintess amid the awkward atmosphere.
It seemed time for the greetings they'd missed until now.