Chapter 585
Chapter Title: The God in the Library
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Ever since the flames of Erebos appeared in the world of Lumerne.
Rodia and Karl were rushing somewhere in a hurry.
“Lady Rodia! There are more black flames ahead!”
“Damn it all!”
Rodia cursed under her breath.
She couldn't see the black flames.
Flames visible only to the eyes of a Challenger.
But just because she couldn't see them didn't mean the flames of Erebos couldn't inflict real damage on the inhabitants of the World of Heroes.
“Aaaaaaah!”
“H-Help me!”
People from the World of Heroes, who had been passing by, screamed for reasons they couldn't comprehend.
Seeing this, Karl bit his lip hard.
To Rodia, it looked as if they were suddenly screaming and turning to ash.
But Karl could clearly see them burning away. What appeared to be sudden screams to Rodia, to Karl, was them being consumed by black flames.
Karl bit his lip hard.
“Don’t you dare go soft, Karl Thomas!”
Rodia shouted at him.
“They aren’t real! In actual history, they didn’t meet such an end… Ugh!”
Rodia clutched her head.
It was the shock of shattering her own ego once again.
The World of Heroes tried to consume her consciousness every time Rodia acknowledged that she herself was a fake.
“I know.”
Karl supported the staggering Rodia and spoke with determination.
“Finding Lord Lumerne is our priority right now.”
“...Right.”
Rodia steadied herself and took a deep breath.
“I’m as good as a blind woman with her eyes wide open right now. So, could you be my eyes, just like before?”
“Yes. I just thought of a good way to do that.”
Karl grinned and conjured his mana.
*Fwoosh-!*
In an instant, flames materialized before Rodia’s eyes.
Seeing them, Rodia’s expression turned to surprise.
“What is this?”
“It’s illusion magic.”
Karl said, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.
“I’ve perfectly replicated the black flames I’m seeing right now.”
Rodia was impressed by his words.
“You’re quick on your feet, aren’t you?”
“I’ve got a knack for these kinds of tricks!”
Karl flashed a grin.
*This seems like more than just a knack.*
He was perfectly supporting Rodia in this urgent situation.
Of course, from Rodia’s perspective, the illusion before her was crude at best.
It was merely an overlay of the scene Karl was witnessing.
However…
*Reflecting the scene before his eyes in an illusion in real-time is impossible without incredible powers of observation.*
Moreover, when they had fought the black flames earlier, he had perfectly directed the sightless Rodia to overcome the situation.
*His command abilities are excellent.*
His talent for reading the flow of battle and directing others was outstanding.
*And he’s just a young boy.*
Though his talent as a mage might be lacking, she could see his potential.
After extinguishing all the black flames with Karl’s support, Rodia dispelled her mana and spoke.
“In the future, do children like you also rise to the rank of hero?”
“Huh? Lady Rodia, that question is…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Rodia’s eyes momentarily clouded over.
Her head was pounding, but she paid it no mind.
At her question, Karl paused, then scratched his cheek.
“No.”
“What?”
“It’s the same in the future. Only those with the power to achieve great deeds can become heroes.”
At Karl’s answer, Rodia smiled bitterly.
“I suppose… the gods’ tastes don’t change so easily.”
Rodia looked disappointed.
“I had hoped that through the World of Heroes, many would be able to blossom to their full potential.”
“Oh, well, it has been a great help in that regard.”
Karl gave her a thumbs-up.
“If it weren’t for the World of Heroes, I wouldn’t have even made it to my second year at Lumerne. It’s all thanks to you, Lady Rodia. I’m grateful every day!”
Rodia burst into laughter at Karl’s cheerful response.
“By the way, did you know about the gods?”
When she heard that Lumerne had gone searching for a god, Rodia had said she had a place in mind.
Rodia answered as she walked briskly.
“I didn’t. But I knew there was something at the center of the world, that is, beneath Lumerne. In fact, that’s why Lumerne gathered us in the first place.”
“So you’re saying if there’s a god, it’s beneath Lumerne.”
“That’s right. Before the Age of Calamity, a ruin from the Age of Gods was dormant beneath Lumerne. If there’s a god, it can only be there. We’re heading to the entrance of those ruins now.”
Upon reaching the underground through a hidden passage, what Karl witnessed was a massive, open entrance.
Seeing it, Rodia wore a perplexed expression.
“It’s open?”
“Was it normally closed?”
“Yes. It wouldn’t open no matter what we tried.”
“...Let’s go in, for now.”
The two walked into the temple.
Unsure of what obstacles they might face, they moved with the utmost caution.
But their efforts proved unnecessary, as they reached what appeared to be the very center of the temple without much difficulty.
And even the door to that central area was wide open.
Beyond the door stretched a long corridor.
At the end of the corridor was a firmly shut, gray door.
“What in the world… is beyond this?”
With a tense expression, Rodia pushed the gray door.
*Screech-*
The door opened smoothly.
What unfolded before them was an unknown space where countless bookshelves stretched into infinity.
“Where is this?”
Rodia and Karl looked bewildered.
“I’m having quite a few rare experiences today.”
A beautiful child with gray hair and gray eyes, whose gender was impossible to discern, walked toward them.
“A being manifested by the Record System and a Challenger coming to find me together… It’s almost a shame that all of this is a lie.”
“Lord Rian!”
“Hm? You know me?”
When Karl said his name, Rian tilted their head, then quickly assumed a bored expression.
Seeing this, Karl felt a strange sense of dissonance.
*The Rian I saw in the bathroom was… kinder, somehow.*
If the Rian from reality felt approachable, the Rian in the World of Heroes was completely different.
They looked at Karl with lifeless eyes, as if observing a stone on the side of the road.
“You’re the god. You really are still around… Ugh!”
Rodia clutched her face.
Seeing her, Rian stroked their chin.
“Oh? Maintaining your sanity by destroying your own ego? As expected of the Dragon of Genesis. A true hero who saved the world.”
Rian let out sounds of admiration.
“You came looking for Lumerne, didn't you? How unfortunate. Lumerne was here holding back that monstrosity until just a moment ago.”
Rian pointed a finger toward the ceiling.
“But now, he’s gone to the surface, chasing the monstrosity that escaped this place.”
Having said that, Rian seemed to lose interest and returned to their chair among the archives, slumping down into it.
“Well, now that all your questions have been answered, would you mind leaving?”
It was Karl who spoke up to Rian.
“I have a question. Lady Rodia has been experiencing ego collapse ever since she realized this is the World of Heroes, so why are you perfectly fine, Lord Rian?”
“Why should I answer you? What do I gain from telling you that?”
*This god. More difficult than I thought.*
It was a stark contrast to the Rian of the future, who would answer any of Karl’s questions.
*If this is their original personality… are they only interested in things they personally find amusing?*
With that thought, Karl spoke.
“You were looking at Lady Rodia with great interest just a moment ago. Isn’t that payment enough?”
“So, you’re saying that because this phenomenon has amused me enough, I should answer you? How insolent.”
Rian looked at Karl as if he were pathetic, then answered with annoyance.
“It’s simple. The Hero Record is an artifact created by a god. As such, the system cannot interfere with beings who are comparable to gods.”
Rian wore an arrogant expression.
“Though I am a fake manifested by the power of the Hero Record, I am a being comparable to a god, so I cannot be classified as an error.”
“What about the Great Heroes?”
“Oh? Has there been a case where a Great Hero perceived a Challenger as an alien entity? How peculiar.”
Rian looked intrigued.
“The Great Heroes are special. They are the masters of the Hero Record, after all. Of course, the conditions for the world to be maintained after they become aware of a Challenger’s existence are strict. The Great Heroes must perceive the Challenger’s existence on their own.”
Karl, who had heard from Leo that Dweno had known his identity when he was challenging Dweno's world, nodded.
“There, are your questions answered now? I believe I’ve sufficiently repaid you for the amusement you’ve provided.”
Rian waved their hand dismissively.
“Now go away, you’re being a bother. Don’t waste any more of my time.”
“...Don’t you have an abundance of time?”
“Can’t you see I’m carving a statue of Lord Kyle right now?”
Rian showed him the gem statue they were carving and said.
“Hurry up and go help Lumerne deal with that monstrosity.”
“Can’t you tell us Erebos’s weakness or something?”
“How tedious. When seeking knowledge from a god, a worthy, equivalent offering is required.”
Rian looked at Karl with irritation.
“Could an ordinary human like you possibly pay the price for a god’s wisdom?”
As Karl fell into thought, watching Rian openly mock him, Rodia spoke to him.
“Karl. We can’t get any more wisdom from this god. Let’s go help Lumerne.”
“We can’t stop Erebos without the Pure Mana trait anyway.”
Karl looked at Rian.
“And this god definitely knows how to stop those black flames.”
At his words, the corners of Rian’s mouth curled up.
“You’re a sharp one.”
“If you know, then why won’t you tell us?”
As Rodia’s face hardened, Rian answered as if the question was obvious.
“Because it’s amusing.”
As Rian chuckled, Rodia wore a dumbfounded expression.
“This world is a fake anyway. Even if I burn away, I won’t die.”
Rian wore an arrogant expression.
“I’ve been bored out of my mind managing only the Hero Record for thousands of years. To someone like me, the life-and-death struggle between Lumerne and the monstrosity is the ultimate entertainment.”
“Ah, is that so.”
Rodia smiled and started to approach Rian.
Horrified, Karl clung to her arm.
“L-Lady Rodia. Calm down. Please, calm down.”
“Let go! I don’t care if it’s a god or whatever, I’m going to smash it to pieces!”
Rodia’s eyes glinted menacingly.
In response to her reaction, Rian merely yawned languidly.
“I’ll! I’ll try to persuade them!”
At Karl’s words, Rodia huffed and stepped back.
“What a boring little farce.”
To the bored-looking Rian, Karl said.
“If I can provide you with sufficient interest and amusement, you’ll tell us Erebos’s weakness, is that right?”
“Could a pipsqueak like you possibly provide interest and amusement to me, who knows everything in the world?”
“In the future, the Hero of the Beginning is reincarnated.”
“…”
Rodia looked utterly stunned.
Rian just snorted.
“You have a rich imagination. To think you’d make up such a ridiculous story.”
Then, they looked straight into Karl’s eyes.
Gazing into Karl’s unwavering eyes, Rian stood up from their seat after a moment.
Then they spoke.
“Sit.”
“Pardon?”
“No, please have a seat. Please, sit down.”
Karl found himself sitting in the chair Rian had just vacated.
Kneeling before him, Rian looked up at Karl.
“Is it alright for me to sit here?”
“Of course! For a wretch like me to sit comfortably in a chair while the noble person who comes bearing the words of Lord Kyle sits on the floor is simply preposterous! Now! I am ready to listen. Lord Karl. So? The Hero of the Beginning, who is greater and nobler than any god, did what? He was reincarnated? Please tell me quickly. Please? Please? Please?”