The Awakening of the Calamity (3)
I was no ordinary person anymore.
When I finally reached Uristia, I had trouble adapting to the changed geography, but I remembered the route at least roughly.
“……”
The return journey wasn’t difficult at all.
Although a thousand years had passed and the world looked quite different, the roots were the same. I wonder since when it had begun.
Someone was chasing me relentlessly from behind as I ran without hesitation, filled with fear.
I only realized I was being pursued when I reached the far east.
“Chase her!”
Red thorns and black clumps came flying at me.
I repelled them with magic or barely dodged them. Their power was anything but ordinary.
A chill ran down my spine.
“……What on earth is this?”
The figures in black robes.
They must have been remnants of the Dark Holy Association who were targeting me.
I still couldn’t understand.
What had I done to deserve being killed?
The only thing I’d done recently was……
“Ah.”
I remembered what those bastards had called the Snake God back then— the Calamity’s servant.
So was I killing the Snake God? Once I understood, a sharp wave of irritation surged up inside me.
Helping even in death wasn’t going to work.
At that moment, a sonic boom erupted nearby, and a thorn grazed my arm.
It was just a graze, yet pain flared.
“Ugh.”
A short groan escaped me.
It hurt. In this world, I hadn’t been injured much at all until now.
A wound was visible through the torn fabric of my clothes.
But no blood flowed.
That was because the Snow Woman’s body didn’t bleed.
It felt like pressing a carving knife into clay. The traitors watching the scene shouted in surprise.
“Look at that! Not a single drop of blood!”
“As expected, a divine apostle! Even her body is different from humans!”
Their voices carried shock and fear.
I had no patience for this. Why were they reacting like that? I, who was actually in danger, wanted to scream.
“Kneel, divine apostle!”
“Hurry! We must eliminate her before she recovers her strength!”
Soon their voices turned fanatical.
It sounded exactly like the shouts of humans facing a Goliath.
I grumbled inwardly at their meaningless drivel.
“Why am I a divine apostle……”
When had I ever become such a great figure?
Moreover, what could I possibly do even if I recovered my strength? The Catalyst’s energy was already spent, and although my remaining mana was low, could I really match an apostle just by filling it?
“We cannot miss her! We must kill her to achieve the great cause!”
The leader’s passionate shout carried burning conviction.
Why did they look more desperate than me, who was cornered and fighting for my life?
Still, the situation was unchanged.
Whoosh—!
Suppressing the complexity, I cast Polymorph.
The mana-circulation elixir I’d swallowed was spat onto the floor.
With so little mana left, I had to put as much distance between us as possible.
“Another apostle is casting divine arts! Pursue at full power!”
They were treating humans like sealed demons……
They chased after me with a roar that sounded like it would shatter their throats.
And a while later.
When the sun set, I had finally arrived at the Ice Mountains—the place where the environmental correction finally applied.
However, the situation only worsened.
No, it was the worst possible outcome. I was surrounded.
Among the exhausted pursuers gasping for air, only one who seemed unharmed spoke up.
“……Receive the Calamity’s retribution. Divine apostle.”
“The Calamity’s retribution?”
His robe was also black, but strangely patterned with whirlpools.
At his counter, he replied.
“That is correct. A great being who seeks to enlighten the world. The sin of killing his servant is immense.”
As expected, these were the mad fanatics.
What kind of ideology was following the Calamity? Why praise a being that only brought harm?
The man spread his arms wide and declared.
“My name is Adein! One of the Seven Apostles of the Holy Association. Remember this, divine apostle.”
“……”
I was momentarily stunned.
The Seven Apostles. One of the Dark Holy Association’s traditional systems. I had no memory of the name Adein.
That was only natural.
He must have been one of the Seven Apostles from a thousand years ago.
He was probably not an ordinary skilled fighter. Tension rose from the depths of my body.
Adein faced me directly and asked.
“Rude. Are you going to listen only? Tell me which master you serve! Are you an apostle of the hateful main god?”
It was an absurd assumption.
If he truly were such a great figure, he would never have fled this far.
“Another divine apostle……”
Even with full power, the situation was hopeless. On top of that, mana was almost entirely depleted.
I had already used all the elixirs I’d brought.
Trapped in dire straits, I desperately sought a way out with cold rationality.
I scanned my surroundings.
They were laboring under a grand delusion. Their tense faces suggested they didn’t know my condition.
I seized the opening.
“I am not an apostle of the gods.”
The fanatics froze.
I quickly drew out a Fire Kit and lunged at the weakest target.
“A-Ack!”
The guy whose collar caught fire flailed, while the others were frozen solid. They must have been startled by the new weapon.
I’d been keeping it in reserve for just this kind of moment.
Breaking through the collapsing formation, I escaped the encirclement.
I looked down the slope. To the Snowfield…… No, even reaching the central Ice Mountains would put an end to the pursuit.
At that moment, a man with a bright smile blocked my path.
“……I don’t understand what you mean. Still, I’ll eliminate you here.”
Adein. A black whirlpool spun in his hand. A dangerous light flickered.
If I was hit, it wouldn’t end cleanly.
“……”
But my body was already fueled, and it was too late to dodge.
The moment I closed my eyes…… a roar echoed.
I snapped my eyes open as the ground shook violently.
“Kya!”
Adein was flying through the air.
The sight looked absurd, as if in slow motion. I shifted my gaze.
The culprit was the white-furred being.
Mid-grade snow spirit, Yeti.
A tall, snow-white snow ape stood rigidly, glaring at the crowd.
With a mirthful chuckle came a wave of emotion.
“……Seriously.”
That day long ago, like the distant past, I had sent Yeti away as I left the mountains.
He hadn’t returned despite my command.
He had simply waited endlessly.
In this hellish realm, waiting for his master’s return, he remained there forever.
I hadn’t thought it would be easy.
Perhaps because Adein had valued my heroism more than his subordinates.
When I saw him slaughtering the Snake God, it had been impossible to gauge true power. The only calculation was that it must have been close to full power.
If it wasn’t, the enemy was hopeless.
Still, I had to act.
He had harmed my servant; he could not become an ally.
A formidable foe that would disrupt their future had to be removed at once.
Moreover, slaying such a powerful enemy would elevate their own standing.
The pursuit was no simple matter.
For some reason, the target avoided combat but used bizarre divine arts, such as turning humans into mist, and watched me with cold indifference.
It ignited my curiosity.
When I reached the Ice Mountains, accomplishment came at last.
The extreme cold carved into my flesh, but escape was no longer possible.
Still, carelessness was impossible while facing an enemy estimated to be a divine apostle.
I assumed he would break out of the encirclement at least once, so I kept watch and prepared to respond immediately.
I blocked the path of the fleeing woman and activated the divine art.
It was the perfect opportunity.
The moment the target failed to respond in time.
If I pierced only her heart, I could end her life right there.
Yet her expression remained cool even then.
Death was moments away, and she didn’t seem to care.
When unease swelled, it appeared.
“Kya!”
Kraaaah—!
A monstrous creature wrapped in white fur.
After hurling Adein away, it displayed overwhelming movement.
It smashed through the Ice Mountains like a home, repeating charges and swings.
It looked as though it had fought for days on end.
“Kyaaah! Gyaah!”
The subordinates’ screams rang out.
Each swing broke arms and shattered knees.
The monster seemed wildly enraged, and my guess was correct.
Yeti had been bound here for a long time, repeating fierce battles with the mountain monsters.
Already agitated, seeing black cultists attack his master caused him to lose his composure.
“What kind of monster is this……!”
Thick ice enveloped my entire body.
Could it be a great demon from the hellish realm? My subordinates resisted with magic, but it was useless.
When terror began to erode reason, I thought desperately.
Could a divine art kill it?
“It is possible. There is a possibility. But……”
I turned my stiff neck to look at the woman.
At that moment, the last subordinate fell to the monster’s blow.
The woman’s pupils moved as she watched her only enemy.
What lay within them was cold indifference.
“……That’s impossible.”
Her expression remained unchanged.
As if nothing would disturb her even if a variable appeared.
She naturally led those who sought her life into the hellish realm.
Into the hellish realm where she had planted her most loyal subordinate.
Even if the monster were killed, that woman would never lose.
Only now did her earlier words make sense.
“I am not an apostle of the gods.”
Those words, spoken with icy contempt, were far more than simple denial……
The hunter had changed sides.
Now I was the one fleeing.
The harsh climate was draining my stamina.
Before I could be immobilized, I turned and ran.
“Damn it, damn it……”
His pursuers’ screams cut through his ears as he ran.
He had to survive. He had to tell the Holy Association about this monster.
That it was a great obstacle, the birth of an enemy.
The boundary between the mountains and the continent.
Adein, who had unconsciously turned back at the sound of footsteps trampling the green, met her eyes.
The cold gaze that looked down indifferently while wielding a monster was utterly emotionless.
His legs weakened, he sat down, then forced himself up and fled.
“Hmm.”
Performing such a grotesque scene.
Was the introduction as one of the Seven Apostles a lie?
I exhaled and surveyed the area.
“……”
It was tragic.
The state of the black cultists who had lost their combat ability was indescribable.
The battle was over.
I was still alive.
“Well done.”
I gently stroked Yeti and murmured my thanks quietly.
The phrase “thank you” had been twisted in a rather arrogant way, but it was nothing new.
The enemies were stunned and seriously wounded, but there were no deaths.
Yeti must have known I didn’t want to kill anyone.
I had never killed anyone before, and I had no desire to.
“……But, that can’t be helped.”
This world was harsh.
Social barriers to protect me no longer existed.
On top of that, the massive variable of the scenario progressing had occurred.
I had to grow stronger.
Externally and internally.
These were the Dark Holy Association.
Evil beings who could not be redeemed.
Moreover, they had attacked me first, so they had no value in being kept alive.
“Of course, I don’t need to dirty my hands with blood.”
This place was the Ice Mountains.
An extreme-grade monster gathering ground.
I didn’t need to soil my hands.
After coldly gazing upon the multicolored fallen bodies, I ascended the mountain.
─────!
Along the way, Yeti roared and rampaged repeatedly after encountering quite a few monsters.
The presence of a powerful ally.
It felt extremely reassuring.
How much time passed before my vision suddenly cleared.
Beyond the blue-gray mountains lay an endless field of pure white snow.
An vast, boundless Snowfield whose end was invisible.
“We’re here.”
Since it didn’t feel real, I muttered.
It had been a long time since I last saw such scenery.
Was this what they called a sense of displacement?
Yeti growled as if agreeing.
Just as I reached out to stroke him and was about to step forward.
─────!
A thumping sound echoed from afar, accompanied by a loud noise.
A sense of déjà vu hit me, and sure enough, it was Mishra.
The Guardian of the Snowfield, the White Silver Dragon King, Pankaj Mishra.
She flew at high speed and landed with a Polymorph shift in mid-air.
I was left speechless by her toughness.
“L-Lady, you’ve come…… Welcome! It’s been a while!”
Mishra spoke hesitantly.
Unlike her initial toughness, she seemed bashful.
Perhaps not.
“It’s been a while.”
Anyway, ignoring the greeting would be rude.
Since she was a dragon race lord and showed this much emotion, I had to receive it.
But her tone remained cold.
“The events on the continent…… have they ended?”
“For now.”
She didn’t elaborate, but she must have known I had been away.
It wasn’t about having a mission, but about understanding the world’s flow and having fun.
Details weren’t necessary.
“Then……”
A sudden gust of wind cut her words short.
Thud thud— A sound of something running toward me. I turned my head and saw silver wolves.
The wolves ran at terrifying speed as if they had spotted prey.
-Quilly!
The silver wolves changed into fluttering snowflakes as they raced forward, kicking up snow.
Lower-grade snow spirits, Prike.
They must have come to greet me.
-Quilly! It really is Quilly!
-In the end, waiting won!
-The hot lady did it!
Mishra gave a wry smile.
They must have chased after her as she flew away.
The spirits were almost in a celebratory mood.
Why were they so happy about just one person coming?
“I told you to guard the Snowfield.”
I said it somewhat bluntly out of embarrassment.
But the spirits took it seriously.
-Ah, that’s right!
-Oh no! The Snowfield is empty!
-The hot lady was trying to steal it!
Looking at the bewildered Prike, Mishra muttered.
“……This lady is here.”
Her lips puffed out.
I let out a laugh at the absurdity.
“H……”
Not even a family reunion.
I never imagined the day would come when these pranksters would be so happy.
I had run here out of fear of my own entertainment, but was my home really the safest place?
Fear and worry melted away in an instant.
Feeling safe surrounded by these people who liked me, Mishra looked at the Prike and asked me gently.
“Then, will you be staying here for a while?”
“For a bit.”
Hearing my answer, she looked strangely pleased.
It wasn’t the feeling I remembered from the settings.
Perhaps she, too, had longed for warmth during those distant years alone.
-Let’s go to the Snowfield, Quilly!
Following the spirits who held onto my hand, we all headed toward the center of the Snowfield.
It was the location of the snow-built castle.
“……Well.”
Well, something big would happen, right?
At the very least, I would be safe here.
As long as I didn’t step into the continent until my true identity was revealed, it would be fine.
For now, let’s stay here.
Gentle snowflakes fell like a blessing on my head, wetting my hair.
In the deepest part of a research institute in Robrok.
The private laboratory at the core of the facility was filled only with silence.
Within that quiet room, an elderly scholar devoted himself to his studies.
“Hmm……”
The middle-aged scholar peered into ancient texts through his monocle.
He dissected and analyzed the strange letters.
Ancient language was still an extremely limited field, and even renowned scholars dared not approach it.
“Indeed, the God of Autumn was once called Hypnos in ancient times…… Hmph.”
Even so, the scholar had barely crossed that boundary.
Even those called geniuses enjoyed studying such groundbreaking knowledge.
“The names of gods change according to era and legend…… but we must record them.”
Swish swish— He organized them with sparkling eyes, full of interest.
He missed no trivial detail. After all, he was deeply sincere about theology.
While maintaining interest and turning the page, footsteps sounded.
Tap tap tap! Knock knock knock—!
“Master! Master!”
Someone rushed in and knocked on the door while shouting.
An unpleasant sound. The scholar with a cracked temple narrowed his eyes and closed his book.
“Master! Sir! Please open the door! I’m begging you, Master!”
“……”
Truly noisy.
The scholar, rubbing his temple, pulled a device beside the desk.
Screeech—
“Ouch!”
“Why all the fuss?”
As the door opened, Fett immediately fell flat.
After a moment of adjusting his nose, he looked up with eyes full of purpose.
“M-Master! It’s an important…… major matter! It’s urgent news!”
“……”
Master, Agnat z, exhaled in surprise.
Why had his disciple become a fool? None of his disciples could speak even one straight sentence.
To calm him, he manipulated a nearby machine and poured tea.
“You went south and probably ate something wrong. Drink this and vent it out.”
“Urgent report…… Yes.”
Agnatz’s unique device.
He was a theologian but also excelled in many fields, including mechanics.
Devices that didn’t exist anywhere else on the continent except his workshop.
Bub bub.
Meanwhile, the more genuine Fett carefully sorted his thoughts while recalling.
One scene rose to the surface.
On the day the Snake God invaded, he had been in the city.
Because the contract with the lord hadn’t been completed.
He thought he would die helplessly when he saw the grotesque evil spirit.
He regretted it.
He hadn’t been blinded by results.
But……
“Master, please listen.”
“Yes. I’m listening to everything. Tell me what you’ve gobbled up.”
“I’m serious.”
“I’m also serious. What kind of ingredient could instantly turn a healthy person into a moron……”
“If you don’t listen, you’ll regret it.”
She had always seemed like a mysterious woman from the beginning.
But it had gone beyond that.
It had reached a level that his common sense could not grasp, and as a researcher facing the incomprehensible, he was at his wits’ end.
If the incomprehensible could be understood with his own abilities, he should borrow someone else’s brain.
With Fett’s serious eyes, Agnat z finally stopped joking.
“……Tell me.”
The continent’s greatest scholar, Agnat z.
He had uncovered everything so far.
Unless it was a mystery from the distant past, that was.
“I may have witnessed an existence outside humanity……”
Fett told the story in order.
The tale of boredom turning to interest, interest turning to shock, quickly reached its climax.
Agnat z, whose face had been skeptical, gradually became engrossed and listened intently.
Immediately after the disciple finished speaking.
He ran to the study and flipped through the ancient texts.
Books related to the star god or the Winter Goddess.
.
.
Flower blooming, flower withering.
The sun rises, the sun sets.
Reddened maple leaves eventually withered.
Spring green passing, summer heat blazing.
Autumn, head lowered and ripe, was shaken off by white winter.
The seasons changed the clothes of humans and the continent many times over.
……Ten years passed.