37
Chapter 37
"How dare she do that in front of Lord Mallak!"
"Her tongue should be ripped out!"
The red-faced Barbarian Warriors shouted in rage.
They looked ready to draw their weapons right then and there.
"That wench, how on earth...!"
One Barbarian elder even grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.
"Sister! What are you doing! We could all be killed!"
"We clearly agreed to join you!"
The panicked Civilized Persons argued with the nun in awkward, hesitant postures.
They even shook their heads while looking at the barbarians, as if to signal that the nun's sudden behavior had nothing to do with them.
"Everyone, please calm down..."
"Shut your mouth, you filthy civilized scum!"
The knight tried to stabilize the situation, but it was useless.
"..."
Tur glared at the nun and gestured for something to be brought. Seeing the signal, a subordinate pulled out a thin, awl-like blade from his waist.
Is that a torture tool? This could turn into a bloodbath if I'm not careful.
A nun is a valuable asset. I saw her firing bursts of white light when fighting the Infected earlier.
She might not be Holy Knight level, but she'd be more useful against demons than an average Barbarian Warrior.
I should step in.
- Stop.
"..."
At my single word, all the barbarians fell silent. Even the subordinate bringing the awl-like blade stopped in his tracks.
- Nun, tell me your name.
The knight didn't translate this time. Since it's the word of a god, they should be able to hear it without a translator.
"...I am Grace."
Though I am a god of a foreign faith, a god is a god. Fearing me, the nun answered with a trembling voice.
She can't even meet my eyes. Where did all that boldness from before go?
Something suddenly made me curious.
If the nun's power comes from the Goddess, would she lose that power if she changed the one she worships to me?
That would be problematic.
- I am not ordering you to betray the one you serve. You need only serve me as well.
I heard from Harry, a Civilized Person, that the Church of the Goddess is not a monotheistic religion.
Technically, it's closer to a henotheistic one.
It's a religion that acknowledges multiple gods but regards the Goddess Ishtania as the supreme being and worships her.
She just needs to shift that mindset to worship me alongside Ishtania.
"..."
Does she hate that too? Well, it would be difficult.
- Grace, I will not demand your immediate allegiance. You will need time to gather your thoughts, and I shall grant you that time.
I'll go with the vibe of being a benevolent god.
"Accept it. Now! Before the God's wrath falls upon you!"
The knight, having knelt again, urged the nun.
"...Thank you for this opportunity."
Sister Grace answered reluctantly.
- However, I will not wait long. Soon, you must make your choice.
Let's say just one more thing.
- Never forget that I, Mallak, am the only one who broke the taboo and descended to save the surface. It was not Ishtania who saved you from the Infected.
These words were for all the Civilized Persons.
They should have gotten the point by now. It's late, so it's time to head back.
I deactivated the Binding Totem and returned to Totem No. 1.
"Ah...!"
I locked eyes with Paya, who was polishing Totem No. 1.
Ah, today was the day to polish the totem. I've been so distracted that I completely forgot.
"...Did you return from the Golden Sun Tribe?"
- I did.
"How is Chief Nyx?"
Come to think of it, I didn't see Nyx. Perhaps she wasn't brought along for the battle because she's from a different tribe.
True. Combat requires perfect synchronization. No matter how skilled one is, they can't match comrades who have trained and fought together.
Unless they were as skilled as Rake.
Or perhaps she was just given a certain level of respect for being a chief, even if she belonged to another tribe.
- I did not see her today.
"I hope she's doing well. Moving tribes twice... it must be heartbreaking."
- Chief Nyx possesses a strong heart. She will overcome it soon.
Even in the most desperate situations, Nyx never lost hope and continued to lead her tribespeople forward.
Although I acted as both her spiritual pillar and compass, it would have been difficult without Nyx faithfully fulfilling her role as a leader.
Paya, who had been diligently polishing the totem with busy hands, spoke again.
"...It's been a while since I've talked with Lord Mallak alone."
Has it?
"You're always with Chief Rake..."
Paya pouted.
I can't help that. Rake is the strongest.
It's not like I can tell Paya to go hunt Low-tier Demons.
"But I was the first... Lord Mallak came because I called you..."
She is the first vassal, after all.
Is this that kind of attachment children have?
It's cute, like a daughter whining to her father for coming home late.
Paya suddenly covered her mouth, as if she had said something she shouldn't have.
"S-sorry. I don't know what I was saying."
- It is fine.
Well, she's at an age where she's still emotionally immature. I used to be like that too.
Was it in middle school? Anyway, it was back when I attended a private academy.
There was a truly beautiful college student who came as a math tutor.
She was tall, had great proportions, and dressed well—a literal model. She's the second most beautiful person I've ever seen.
Luckily, my academy allowed private tutoring. I ran straight to my mother and told her.
'Mother...! I want to study math...!'
I remember looking up at her with my mouth slightly open and tears streaming down my face.
'My son has finally come to his senses! Great!'
My mother, who was obsessed with academic passion, immediately took out her phone.
And so began the one-on-one date—I mean, private tutoring...!
At 8 PM, when all the academy classes ended. I smirked at my friends who were happy to be going home and waited for her with ease.
The time spent sitting close to that model-like noona.
The beautiful voice beside me, and her soft elbow that occasionally brushed against mine because the desk was too small.
It felt like I was in heaven.
Until I heard from the tutor noona that she had a boyfriend she'd been dating for seven years.
She said he was the coolest man in the world and that they would definitely get married.
Dammit... those filthy romantics...!
'Waaaaah!'
I had no choice but to run out of the academy crying in the middle of the lesson.
My math score that semester was 40. That was when my father brought out the flyswatter again.
Maybe it's her fault that I ended up in the humanities track and always failed at math.
- ...
It's a memory of a first love that still lingers in a corner of my heart.
I wonder if that noona is married by now? She might even have kids.
Her words come back to me.
'You'll grow up to be a cool man!'
Noona, I became a totem... and I even ended up in another world...
Sigh.
"Lord Mallak, is your recovery progressing smoothly?"
Paya woke me from my reverie.
Recovery. She must be asking if I'm earning points well.
- It is improving day by day.
In fact, I learned one more blessing after killing a Boar Infected.
I'd killed three Low-tier Demons and one that was close to that level, so it was about time for it to appear.
The problem is that this is a consumable blessing, similar to 'Berserker's Aura'.
[Path of the Elementalist: Imparts knowledge of Elementalism. The higher the target's talent, the greater their achievement. This blessing can be granted to one believer and can only be used once.]
Unlike Berserker's Aura, which stated that the user gets stronger the more they fight, it wasn't exactly clear what 'Elementalism' entailed this time.
The real issue is who to give it to.
Someone with a great talent for Elementalism? There has to be a way to verify that.
Since this is similar to shamanism, I thought it would be good to give it to a High Priest, but giving it to the High Priests of the Tribe Alliance felt a bit off.
Paya is too young, and Muri is too old.
It takes several hours just to walk down the mountain; do they even have that kind of stamina?
Aside from that, as a 21st-century modern Korean, I didn't want a young girl in her early to mid-teens risking her life in battle.
Isn't there a world of difference between kids playing at throwing axes and actually throwing axes at enemies on a real battlefield?
"Did you recover a new blessing?"
- I did.
I explained that the blessing was a power I had possessed from the beginning.
That I lost my power after falling to the surface... it's a common trope.
"I see... I want to receive a blessing like Chief Kanto and fight by your side, Lord Mallak. Will I be able to do that someday?"
Paya seemed to want to go out into battle like Kanto and Rake.
If I respect her wish, grant her a blessing, and take her on a subjugation mission...
What if she dies?
Wouldn't I regret it?
...It's not an urgent situation, so let me think about it a bit more.
***
A few days passed.
After monitoring the movements of the demons, I visited the Golden Sun Tribe again, but... oh boy.
"Kill her!"
"The woman with the tongue of a snake!"
Sister Grace was tied up in the middle of the altar.
"Let's burn that witch!"
"Offer her as a sacrifice!"
The barbarians were trying to light a fire.
What is this? Why is an execution suddenly taking place?
"I knew this would happen..."
"Good grief...!"
Not only the barbarians, but even the Civilized Persons looking at Sister Grace didn't have kind expressions.
They're reacting like that too?
Seriously, Sister. What on earth did you do this time?