Chapter 47
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The God's Agent (2)
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“Odolph?”
I called his name several times, but he just stared blankly ahead as if he couldn't hear me at all.
As I got a little closer, I realized he was muttering something nonstop.
So, when I was right in front of him.
“Ah, please, may this sin not reach the heavens... Oh, Saxarva...”
He was frantically muttering something with his eyes slightly out of focus.
“Odolph.”
“Huuuh! Ah, ah. My lord.”
Odolph gasped and stared at me.
“Are you okay? You don't look so good.”
Indeed, his yellow face was pale white.
A pale ogre.
That's a rare sight.
And just as strange.
“Ah, I am fine. It's just, I worry that Saxarva might bring down divine punishment upon me... Of course, I have no intention of blaming you, my lord... but I did overlay the name of a god onto my humble abilities...”
Ah, so that was his worry.
He had returned to the Lord's Castle during the duel.
He wouldn't have seen me manifest the [Flames of Terror] through Trace Copy.
As expected of a smart one. It seemed he figured out what had happened by observing the situation.
“Hey, no way. Saxarva wouldn't be such a petty god.”
“Is, is that so?”
“Of course. If anything, he'd probably reward you later.”
I stood on my tiptoes and patted the shoulder of the crouching Odolph.
“As expected of my lord. You bring peace to my heart.”
Odolph quickly shook it off and stood up.
He looked at me and nodded, his expression somewhat refreshed.
“Indeed, that's right. You, my lord, are like a god to me. Therefore, you are also Saxarva. From that perspective, I simply helped a god exercise his rightful authority, so there is no reason to feel guilty at all. I was wallowing in foolish self-reproach.”
Uh, is that how it works?
I felt like I'd just heard some seriously twisted self-justification, but I couldn't afford to waste any more time.
“You're right, Odolph.”
I nodded with a faint smile.
Well, as long as not every ogre starts worshipping me as a god, it should be fine.
* * *
[A week from now, is that what Saxarva said?]
The chieftain asked after hearing the message.
He was sitting in a corner of the arena, his arm wrapped in bandages.
“That's right. He said a great invasion will occur in seven days, and that you are to fend it off with your tribesmen.”
[A great invasion.]
The chieftain's single eye gazed up at the gray sky, where snowflakes drifted.
[There are those who yearn for an endless winter. The most arrogant and vile beings in the world, and the ones most opposed to us who worship Saxarva.]
As soon as he finished speaking.
An ogre suddenly came running from the distance.
It was Ak-Katum, the one who had guided us here.
“Groooar!”
The chieftain's eye narrowed as he listened to the ogre.
Slowly rising to his feet, he looked at me and asked.
[Agent of the god. Before you head to the god's chambers, would you accompany me for a moment? That is, if you are curious about the beings who covet this land.]
* * *
I could immediately tell what kind of beings were leading the great invasion.
Their skin was a grayish color like dirty ice, and their hair was pure white.
They were shorter than the ogres, but still well over two meters tall.
And crucially, their ears were long like a rabbit's.
That's a monster that exists in MonMonMak too.
In MonMonMak, they were called.
Dark Elves.
However, they were a far cry from the 'elves' commonly known to the world.
Their pitch-black eyes were slanted sharply upwards, and their noses were so flat they were almost invisible, with only their nostrils flaring.
They looked more like aliens than humans.
[I am Sheffield, warlord of the Aturan Kingdom.]
The herald, riding a warhorse and holding a gray flag, introduced himself as such.
To be honest, all I heard was a metallic screeching, like 'Kieeeek'.
But perhaps because it was a more advanced language than the ogres' cries, the Sage translated it immediately.
[I speak to the lowly and savage beasts. Surrender now. If you do not, the kingdom's march will crush you without mercy. As proof of your surrender, we demand two things. One is the head of the idol you beasts worship, and the other is the head of the leader who guides you beasts. If you surrender and present them now, the kingdom will be content with merely taking you as slaves.]
The Dark Elf's eyes turned toward the ogre colony behind us.
For some reason, despite being a completely different species, I could see his pitch-black eyes glinting with greed.
[What will you do?]
With that, the Dark Elf pulled on a rope he was holding in one hand.
It wasn't the reins of his horse.
“Groo, ooh...”
From behind, an ogre with a leash around its neck crawled forward on all fours.
The faces of the chieftain and the warriors standing behind him contorted in real-time.
Still, they didn't charge in immediately.
Their flame was still too weak for that.
So I spoke up instead.
“We refuse.”
“?”
“Odolph, tell them. We won't accept such an insulting offer of surrender. And use the harshest words you can, if possible.”
“Understood, my lord.”
Odolph opened his mouth, a benevolent smile on his face.
“Kkannpp Si pal.”
I guess that must be the language the Dark Elves use.
Ah, a smart ogre is really reliable.
“?”
Hearing that, the Dark Elf stared blankly for a moment before his eyes shot wide open and he shouted.
[What is this lowly beast babbling about! Do you want your head to fly off right now!]
The words were conveyed directly to the chieftain.
And the chieftain, after meeting my eyes once.
“Groooooar!”
Let out a furious roar at the herald.
“Kiiik?!”
The roar, loud enough to make the mountain birds cry out, made the herald and a few other Dark Elves flinch.
[You are the ones who should withdraw your filthy feet at once. This is our land, founded beneath the sanctuary built by our ancestors, and no one may trample it. You will be offered up to Saxarva, either as dead bodies or living sacrifices.]
Odolph translated again.
The Dark Elf's eyes narrowed.
[It seems you don't understand your situation, you filthy beasts. Your mongrel god has already abandoned you. Can't you see this white plateau? This is already our god's domain.]
[No, Saxarva has not abandoned us.]
Thump.
My body suddenly staggered.
The chieftain had placed a massive hand on my shoulder.
[He has personally sent his agent. We have long since seen through your filthy ambitions.]
[Agent?]
The Dark Elf's pitch-black eyes turned this way.
Soon, his mouth split open into a wide grin.
Kakakak, the bastard laughed.
[It seems these beasts have finally gone mad! I was wondering what these two inferior creatures were, but they must be clowns you kept for times like this! You imbeciles, do you really think these two pathetic humans will save you?]
It was then.
“Kik...?”
The cackling Dark Elves fell silent.
Choi Kangwoo, who had been standing still, suddenly stepped forward.
“...”
He didn't do anything in particular.
He simply took a few steps forward and glared at them silently.
That was all.
“Ki, kiik...”
A suffocating killing intent pressed down on the Dark Elves.
“Guild Master.”
“The metallic screeching of these creatures was grating on my nerves. I have no intention of harming them.”
Choi Kangwoo stood still.
Finally freed from the killing intent, the herald let out a few nervous coughs and a chuckle.
[Fine. I will relay the beasts' answer to the commander. Then I suppose this is no longer needed.]
Shhhk!
“Grooo...!”
A Dark Elf warrior swung a curved sword at the ogre cowering on all fours.
[There is no longer a reason to convey your savage language.]
[You...!]
The chieftain trembled with rage, steam puffing from his nostrils.
Looking at him, the Dark Elf left with a sneer and a final word.
[Let me add one more thing. We have a real 'god' with us. Paractus, he accompanies us. I am very curious to see how you beasts will howl when you witness your own destruction.]
“...!”
Paractus.
At that name, the eyes of the chieftain and the other ogres wavered.
And so the Dark Elves turned and disappeared, leaving behind the dying ogre and their sneers.
In the ensuing silence, I asked Odolph.
“What is Paractus?”
“Paractus is the god worshipped by the Dark Elves. It is said his body can crush a mountain and swallow a river whole. The one accompanying them is probably not the real god.”
But it would be a monster of similar caliber.
In that case, the answer was clear.
“Chieftain.”
His single eye, filled with worry, turned to me.
“Now, guide me to the god's chambers.”
Monsters are blocked by monsters.
We just need to prepare a monster to counter theirs.
* * *
The chieftain stopped behind the statue, where a steep cliff rose up.
The ogre, holding his warhammer, spoke.
[Be careful, agent. Even if you are Saxarva's agent, the path to the god's chambers will not be a gentle one.]
“It's fine.”
The chieftain nodded, then struck a concave part of the cliff before him with his warhammer.
CRACK!
With the spot shattered by the warhammer as the epicenter.
Rrrrrrumble!
The cliff in front of us and the ground we stood on began to vibrate.
Then, a part of the cliff directly before me crumbled away, revealing a cave.
But I couldn't carelessly step into the cave, which gaped open like a viper's maw.
[This is the final trial. At some point, I could no longer pass beyond this point. Saxarva rejected me.]
Because a blazing barrier of fire stretched across the cave's entrance.
The intense heat made my hair stand on end.
‘Sage, analyze.’
[Through special analysis, the Sage has determined this barrier is a complex defensive spell.]
‘So, does that mean I can go in?’
[The Sage informs you it's totally possible. ( •̀.̫•́)✧]
Where did it even learn a term like that?
In any case, the Sage had declared it.
I trusted it.
“There's nothing to worry about. The will of Saxarva is with me.”
Odolph translated, his face now completely devoid of guilt.
The chieftain nodded.
[Mm. I have already witnessed his will once. I will trust you.]
Without hesitation, I stepped into the flames.
And then, something mystical happened.
The flames, which had looked ready to devour me, parted to the left and right, opening a path.
[Oh, Saxarva...]
“...!”
This time, it seemed both Odolph and Choi Kangwoo were surprised.
Choi Kangwoo immediately took a step to follow me.
But.
Fwoosh!
“No...”
A massive wall of fire immediately blocked his path.
Seeing this, the chieftain bared his teeth in a grin.
[That human is the only agent who has received our acknowledgment.]
I nodded.
And said to Choi Kangwoo on the other side of the flames.
“Guild Master, it'll probably take me quite some time to return. So, in the meantime, please do what you can here.”
“What I can do, you say?”
“Yes. Just staying put and not causing any trouble will be enough.”
“...I understand, for now.”
Choi Kangwoo looked quite offended at being treated like a troublemaking bomb.
Still, he backed down without another word.
“Please be careful.”
“Don't worry.”
I turned my back.
And slowly, I walked into the beckoning darkness.
* * *
Inside the cave, scorching heat and a cold so intense it could freeze your breath coexisted.
It felt like alternating between a sauna heated to its limit and the inside of an arctic iceberg.
The fluctuations in temperature were like going back and forth between heaven and hell.
How long did I walk like that?
After passing through a passage so cold my whole body trembled.
I finally felt a faint warmth.
And an equally faint light began to spread from the far end of the cave.
[Through special analysis, the Sage has confirmed the presence of an unspecified monster ahead!]
My view suddenly opened up, and at some point, I had emerged from the cave.
It was the summit of the mountain.
Beneath the vast gray sky, countless snowflakes scattered.
Under those snowflakes, in a precarious spot on the cliff edge of the summit.
“Found it.”
There was a monster.
However.
[Through special analysis, the Sage informs you that a total of two monsters have been identified!]
“Two of them...?”
An unexpected variable had appeared.