Chapter 377: Distributing an Inheritance is a Serious Matter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 377: Distributing an Inheritance is a Serious Matter
What must the Thunder God feel, having its lightning stolen right before its eyes? I couldn't say for sure, but it must be even worse than what the Thunderarch was feeling.
The emotion the Thunderarch felt upon seeing the lightning thief was neither anger nor betrayal. It was bewilderment. There's a certain absurdity to a theft so brazen it leaves you speechless. I've learned something new, Regressor.
The lightning that had surged back up the Cloud Waterfall flowed into the Thunder God. Hacked apart by the branches of lightning, the Thunder God's form flickered for a moment, as if it were about to retreat. The Thunderarch watched it and spoke.
“Normally, the Thunder God would have taken back the returned lightning and retreated. But…”
This time, the Thunder God's form only flickered; it didn't vanish. Its color now much fainter, it stared our way for a moment before disappearing below the Cloud Waterfall as if extinguished.
“Thanks to your interference, it will be back soon. What exactly were you thinking, acting so recklessly? I trust you have an excuse?”
“Not an excuse, exactly.”
The Regressor leaped lightly off the Thundergear and said, “To kill the Thunder God, I have to summon it here first, right? If I sent it all back, it wouldn't return for a while. I just wanted to save some time.”
“You’re brimming with confidence.”
“Because I can do it.”
And I’ve done it in a previous timeline.
The Regressor’s social skills were so exceptional that she could engage in a life-or-death battle with someone she’d just met. So, after committing robbery in plain sight, it wouldn't be strange if she made a mortal enemy.
‘So full of conviction. It seems she, too, is one of the chosen, just like us.’
But surprisingly, the Thunderarch seemed to quite like the Regressor's confidence. Even though half the power the city had gathered had been devoured, she was just smiling like a pushover.
To think there was someone in the world so compatible with the Regressor. The world is full of surprises.
The Thunderarch spoke kindly to the children who had been guarding the Lightning Tower.
“Jerry. Tibi. Alka. You did well. We need to restore the Lightning Tower, so please contact the repair station.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
Looking overwhelmed with gratitude, the children bowed to the Thunderarch and scurried toward the elevator. The Thunderarch watched them until they were completely gone before speaking again.
“Because it was just used, there isn't much lightning left in the Thundermill. If you fail to kill the Thunder God, Claudia will suffer immense damage. From the moment you stole that lightning, we have no choice but to cooperate with you, whether we like it or not.”
“But if I kill the Thunder God, Claudia will be at peace forever, won’t it? Isn’t that a gamble worth taking?”
The Thunderarch let out a small smile at the Regressor’s shameless reply.
“Does killing a god mean that even a human like myself must take such a gamble? Heh, it's been a long time since my blood has boiled like this.”
Muttering to herself, the Thunderarch stomped hard on the Lightning Tower. The power of thunder that had stretched to the tips of her hair flowed down through her feet and into the tower below. Shaking out her long hair and returning to her usual appearance, her eyes turned cold as she pointed at the Regressor.
“If it’s a gamble, I accept. I have no intention of losing. However, you must bear an equal risk.”
“A risk?”
“Until the Thunder God is dead, all discussions will cease. The truce, everything.”
Uh oh. Wait a minute.
Of course, it was a relief she didn't immediately try to kill the lightning thief, but no matter how many times the Regressor had done this, killing the Thunder God couldn't be that easy. And if all discussions were on hold, wasn't that a bit of a problem…?
My worries proved pointless as the Regressor readily replied, “Look forward to it.”
“We can't look forward to it!” Hilde cried, stomping her foot after hearing the whole story.
“What is wrong with you! Shei, do you even intend to stop this war?”
The Regressor answered nonchalantly.
“Of course. Once I take care of the Thunder God, the Thunderarch will actively support us in everything. The negotiations will go much more smoothly.”
“How is that a negotiation! Hoping she'll help you out of the kindness of her heart isn't a negotiation! It's just sucking up! Why are you trying to shower her with gifts she never even asked for? Are you trying to date the Thunderarch or something?”
“What? Of course not!”
“Of course not! You're into men!”
The Regressor, puzzled by the random accusation, replied, “That has nothing to do with it. I just thought that if I fulfilled the Thunderarch's dearest wish, it would be easier to get her help in the future.”
“Shei, you don't know the first thing about politics, do you? The Thunderarch is the leader of a city! What guarantee do you have that she'll help you unconditionally just because she owes you a small favor? Why would you help her first?”
“Then what should I have done?”
“You should have set conditions beforehand, gotten a promise of greater support, and then magnanimously eliminated the Thunder God for her! If you rely only on goodwill, you might not get what you want!”
From the Military State's perspective, Hilde was right. But only from the Military State's perspective.
The Regressor, however, snorted in response.
“The Thunder God is being eliminated by me, not the Military State. You have no right to demand compensation for it. If I decide to give it, I give it.”
Until now, we had been together for the sake of the truce with the Fallen Dominion. But the Regressor was, in essence, not on any country's side, and this was especially true for the Military State. If the Military State were to fight another country, she would gladly take the opposing side.
…And upon realizing this, Hilde's expression slowly hardened. Hiding the true feelings she had revealed, however slightly, back behind her mask, ‘Hilde’ began to act the part of herself again.
“Hmm~. It seems the Military State has gotten on your bad side too much to ever be your friend~.”
“Of course. We were enemies from the start. The Military State even threw me in prison.”
“I know~. I just thought, perhaps, because of the time we've spent together… But it seems that was my misunderstanding~.”
Hilde shrugged as if she'd lost interest and started walking off somewhere.
“Hilde? Where are you going?”
“It seems I can't rely on you, Shei, so I'm going to do some gloomy intelligence gathering, as befits the Military State~.”
Waving her hand dismissively, Hilde walked away. The Regressor watched her go, perplexed. She pointed at Hilde and said, “What's with her? Is she sulking?”
“Yes. Probably.”
“Tch, so petty.”
“And you're short-sighted.”
“What?”
“That's not what's important right now, Shei-ssi. What was that just now? Was that the real Thunder God?”
The Regressor, who had been looking at me suspiciously, shrugged and replied.
“You've pretty much figured it out, huh? That's right. It's not a Divine, nor is it the real Thunder God. It looks incredibly fearsome and powerful, but ultimately, it's just a personification of thunderclouds and lightning. It doesn't exceed the level of lightning we're all familiar with.”
“Then it's a fraud.”
“Not a fraud. It's a false idol created from the collective fear of, or faith in, lightning. And since lightning itself is powerful, that Thunder God possesses a power worthy of that fear.”
…A false idol? Wait a minute.
I subtly pushed the Spade Card deeper into my pocket and asked, “A false idol?”
“You should know. Beings personified from human fear. Unlike the Divine, their power comes not from knowledge, but from ignorance and terror, right? Like the Wolf King or vampires, for example.”
“Ah, right.”
I nodded in agreement. Oh, she's talking about that.
“Vampires originally only had Bloodcraft, right? But as they fought against the Sanctum and became symbols of fear, they gained the power to control darkness. Likewise, wolves were just ordinary animals, but their ferocity became so widely known that they became humanity's sworn enemy. That Thunder God is the same—a being born from the awe and reverence of Claudia.”
‘I heard it directly from the Sanctum, so it must be true. They told me as much when they gave me Chun-aeng and Jizan.’
I'd been half in doubt, but this confirms it.
Those bastards from the Sanctum… they fed the Regressor a blatant lie, too.
It's not that the Regressor was wrong. In fact, after humans became the rulers of the surface, strange things began to happen in the world. A single species gained so much power and reshaped the world at will that the surface itself became like their plaything.
A prime example is the Beast King. The fact that the Beast King, who should be the representative of their species, took on a human form is one of those strange phenomena. Since things like this are actually happening all over the world, what the Regressor said is, in itself, true.
Still, the Sanctum has no right to say such things. They're the main culprits!
Anyway. I let out a sigh of relief and said, “That's a relief. I thought we were about to get into another conflict with a monster like the Golden Lord.”
“Not a chance. Lightning isn't a Divine. It's just a phenomenon.”
“Haha. You never know. A Divine might just pop out from somewhere.”
“You worry too much. There can't be that many Divine in the world, can there?”
…Right. That's how it should be.
The Regressor declared with a confident look.
“Anyway. You can stay out of this one. I can handle it all myself. Just relax and do some sightseeing.”
“Those are the least trustworthy words in the world…”
I was anxious, but I didn't have anything urgent to do. And it's not like I could get into a brawl with a cloud.
Maybe I'll take a tour and see what the City of Clouds looks like. With a much more relaxed attitude, I headed outside.
Claudia had a unique structure, with buildings clustered cozily together beneath towering Lightning Towers. Among them, the First Lightning Tower, where the Thunderarch resided, was not only the largest but also monopolized all the power of thunder provided by the Thundermill.
As I was thinking of looking around inside the Lightning Tower, I spotted Peru. She was surrounded by the Dholes who had followed her, and she looked distressed.
“When are you going to give us the Dominarch's money?”
“Are you just going to keep dragging this out and not give it to us in the end?”
“…Th-that's… Because of the Thunder God, the Thunderarch is busy…”
“Do you take us for fools? We grew up in Claudia! The Thunder God's visit is an annual event!”
“What do you mean you can't give us anything for the time being? How is that any different from not giving it to us at all!”
The Dholes clamored for the Dominarch's inheritance. But with so much else to worry about, Peru had no time to deal with them. In the first place, with the fate of a nation at stake, a measly inheritance was far down the list of priorities.
Which was precisely why the Dholes pressed their case like starving beasts, afraid that if they didn't get it now, their chances would dwindle.
Tsk. With my petty-bourgeois sensibilities, I could understand where the Dholes were coming from. Still, I clicked my tongue and approached her. Peru, who had been at a loss, seemed subtly relieved to see me. If you can't talk your way out of it, you should use force, but you won't even do that. No wonder you're in this mess.
“See, Peru? What did I tell you.”
“…Huh?”
The best person to act with is someone who doesn't talk much. It lets me steer the story however I want. I scratched my head, feigning annoyance, and spoke.
“I told you we should have killed all these Dholes before we even got to Claudia. They're useless and were bound to cause trouble anyway. You refused, saying it wasn't necessary, and look, now they've become a pain in the ass.”
“…?”
Peru tilted her head. It was the first she'd ever heard of it. Of course, her reaction was natural. It was the first time I'd ever said it, too.
“K-kill us?”
However, hearing this bolt from the blue, the Dholes finally had some manners injected into them and shrank back.