Chapter 217: Outer Gods and Defying Heaven (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: Outer Gods and Defying Heaven (1)
It had been exactly one week since they set out for the North.
“…I suppose handling it that way might indeed increase our combat power.”
“Right? The miracle the Marquis bestowed upon us is truly powerful. If you can just master the lightning, Sir Reinhardt, you might even stand a chance of winning against my brother!”
“…Ho.”
“No, Silli—that’s a bit—”
“What do you think, Sir Reinhardt? Doesn’t it pique your interest?”
“Ahem, well, it certainly does. But I’ve never once believed in a god in that way—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll show you how. Now, shall we give it a try? First, open one hand, then make a fist while extending your index and middle fingers—”
From the moment the northern expedition began until now.
Silli had been persuading Reinhardt without a single moment’s rest, finally managing to reel him in as a believer(?).
Alon inwardly marveled at her sheer tenacity.
“…She’s more than I expected.”
Evan muttered blankly, seemingly thinking the same thing, and Alon nodded in agreement.
Soon, Reinhardt began to mimic the unique prayer posture of the Kalanon faith.
Watching him, Alon wore a complicated expression.
‘That’s not a prayer; it’s forming a hand seal.’
How on earth had that posture turned into a prayer?
As Alon pondered this, a biting wind brushed past his face.
“It’s cold.”
Naturally, the words Kailas had spoken came to mind.
‘The center of the coldest place.’
It wasn’t so much a precise destination as it was a mere hint.
Nevertheless, Alon had a general idea.
‘It’s likely the Horizon.’
The Horizon of the Snow Mountain.
Players simply called it the Horizon for short.
It was a place one could find by pushing past the Barbarians into the interior—considered both the coldest spot and a sacred site.
…At least, that was the extent of the information Alon possessed.
Alon himself had never been there.
More accurately, no player in Psychedelia had ever reached the Horizon of the Snow Mountain.
He only knew of it as ‘information.’
In the first place, the Horizon of the Snow Mountain existed only as lore; there was no way to actually go there in the base game.
Despite that, the reason Alon—and other players—were aware of the Horizon was because of one of the ‘Strongest.’
Once the Sins began to appear in earnest from the mid-game onwards.
Depending on the player’s choices and past actions, one of the Strongest would appear to help them.
One of those beings resided at the Horizon of the Snow Mountain.
‘Thousand Year Ice, was it?’
Possessing a name that didn’t quite fit the Barbarians, and the ability to freeze anything in their vicinity, that entity.
Whenever they were with the player, they always mentioned the Horizon of the Snow Mountain.
Thanks to that, most players came to know the place despite never having visited.
‘I think I heard it was unlocked in the DLC, though.’
After a moment of thought, Alon shook his head lightly to clear his mind.
Whether the Horizon was included in the DLC didn’t really matter at this point anyway.
‘It would be nice if we could enter easily, but that’s probably asking for too much.’
Alon shifted his gaze slightly to look at Deus and the expedition force escorting the carriage on horseback.
In truth, even if Alon had gone alone without forming an expedition, he wouldn't have been able to avoid fighting the Barbarians.
The Barbarians were hostile toward anyone who didn't live in the North like themselves.
Therefore, to reach the Horizon, Alon would inevitably have to clash with them.
‘…I just hope it’s not too much of a struggle.’
Alon let out a long sigh.
As if to remind him that they had truly ascended into the North, his breath scattered into the air as white mist.
The sight made him feel the chill even more, prompting him to shove his hands into his coat pockets.
Once again, he recalled what he had seen at the Roots of the World Tree.
‘The formula is Defying Heaven.’
Then, looking at the sunset hanging over the mountains—
‘I wonder what’s actually there.’
A fresh curiosity about what lay at the center of the Horizon began to swell within him.
As his thoughts continued to spiral one after another…
…He suddenly craved a sweet potato for the first time in a while.
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s have sweet potatoes today.”
“…? Yes… well, sure.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… you had them two days ago, so it feels a bit sudden.”
“…….”
The end of his train of thought was a well-roasted sweet potato.
* * *
Evening.
Marc, the man known as the Third Sword of Calliban and widely rumored under the name Shadow Sword.
He stared at the carriage parked in the distance with a strange expression.
It was the carriage belonging to Marquis Palatio.
“…….”
The first thing he saw was the Marquis, and a cat at his feet licking a sweet potato.
Next was his guardian knight, blankly peeling a sweet potato beside him.
And next to them…
Deus Macallian, the First Sword of Calliban, was poking at a bizarre pet snake that accompanied the Marquis.
Furthermore.
There was Silli, recently called the Saintess of Kalanon, sitting next to the bullied snake and talking animatedly.
And Reinhardt, who was making inexplicable hand gestures.
On the surface, there wasn't anything particularly strange.
Aside from the snake looking faint as if it were spiritualized.
Or the cat next to the Marquis seemingly checking his reaction before teeth suddenly sprouted from under its belly to eat the sweet potato.
…Okay, it was a bit unconventional.
But regardless, that combination, which didn't seem particularly dangerous, was a scene that could fit within the bounds of a normal dinner.
After all, his own knights were sitting around in small groups eating their meals, just without a carriage.
However, the reason Marc couldn't take his eyes off them, feeling a sense of bizarreness, was—
‘…Why is everyone praying to Marquis Palatio?’
It was because of the knights surrounding that group.
The Eclipse Knights led by Deus Macallian.
They were sitting in a circle behind the Marquis’s party.
That in itself wasn't particularly odd.
But they…
To anyone watching, they looked like they were praying to Marquis Palatio.
No, it wasn't just that they ‘looked like it.’
It was certain.
The Eclipse Knights were offering prayers to Marquis Palatio.
And they were doing so with great solemnity.
As if they were truly praying to a god.
For some reason, their posture was a bit different from a normal prayer, but…
The sight of humans offering prayers to another human was… incredibly bizarre.
‘What on earth are they doing?’
Just as Marc was harboring such doubts.
“…What’s up with them?”
“Dunno. I heard some talk about Marquis Palatio being a god or something.”
“A god?”
“You know that rumor, haven't you heard it? The one about Marquis Palatio going to Ronobelli and manifesting as a god?”
“Ah, ahh—that one?”
“Yeah, that.”
Marc found himself unintentionally eavesdropping on the voices of his subordinate knights.
“But isn't that just an exaggerated rumor?”
“Probably? I heard they worship Kalanon, the Lightning Receiver, as a god in the Luxible Grand Duchy, and the Marquis looks like the statue, so the rumor spread even more.”
“…Well, seeing how Lady Silli, the Saintess of Kalanon, treats the Marquis, it might actually be true—”
“But for a rumor, the Eclipse Knights seem dead serious, don't they?”
“…That’s why it’s giving me the creeps, too.”
Then, when one of them whispered, “Aren't they all just collectively insane? This?” while circling a finger near his head, a comrade quickly grabbed his hand and pulled it down.
“You crazy bastard, are you trying to commit suicide?”
“Suicide? What did I do?”
“You’ll be in real trouble if you get caught. Don’t you know a knight from the Fifth Sword’s order got beaten half to death by an Eclipse knight the other day just for making a joke about Marquis Palatio?”
“…Wasn't that just because he was acting out?”
“No.”
“Damn… that’s scary.”
“So just shut up and eat your food.”
The knights whispered for a moment before averting their eyes and returning to their meals.
At that, Marc shifted his gaze back to the Eclipse Knights.
Knights who looked so devout they could practically be mistaken for Paladins, offering their prayers with utter solemnity.
And.
Looking at the Marquis, who was nonchalantly eating a sweet potato with his back to them.
‘…Isn't this basically heresy at this point?’
He couldn't help but think that.
‘But for that to be the case, Rosario doesn't seem to be reacting much.’
He then turned his gaze toward the Paladins accompanying Chief Cardinal Yutia.
Of course, Rosario didn't show much hostility just because someone believed in a different god.
That was why the Luxible Grand Duchy wasn't kept in check by Rosario even after changing its state religion.
However, that didn't mean they wouldn't have any ‘feelings’ about it, so as Marc wore a puzzled expression—
‘Come to think of it, they were always together, but I don't see Chief Cardinal Yutia today.’
Recalling that Chief Cardinal Yutia hadn't shown any particular signs of disapproval either, he tried to finish his meal.
Well, it wasn't any of his business, after all.
That was certainly what he thought, but…
“Hello.”
“…!”
Marc almost spat out the food he was chewing.
‘When did she—?’
The woman who had been talking to Reinhardt just a moment ago was now right in front of him.
As Marc sat there dazed, Silli spoke.
“You kept looking over here.”
Only then did Marc realize his mistake. He had been staring too intently.
“…I’ve made a blunder.”
“No, I didn't come here to receive an apology.”
“Then—”
“I was just wondering if you might be interested in lightning.”
Silli smiled brightly.
At that, Marc scratched his head awkwardly.
In truth, Marc had no interest in Kalanon.
To be precise, he didn't have much interest in gods in general.
However, since it was true that he had been somewhat rude.
“…Well, sure. I am curious.”
He gave that answer just to humiliate her.
“Oh, really?”
At his response, Silli’s eyes sparkled as she began her story.
The next day.
And the evening of the day after that.
“Lord Kalanon’s lightning is so clear and bright. Just like the blue sky of this world. That means Lord Kalanon’s lightning is no different from this sky—”
‘…Save me.’
Marc realized.
He had made an unthinkable mistake.
A few weeks later.
Aside from making eye contact with Marc—who looked at him with a strange expression a few times—Alon arrived in the North without any particular incidents.
Soon, he encountered a truly unexpected face at the base camp.
“Marquis—!”
“…Elivan?”
It was none other than Elivan, the protagonist of the original story.
Rumors had been circulating that he was successfully handling Exam Questions and Strange Gates in the Shuhtalian Kingdom, so—
“Hello!”
For some reason, he was here in the North.
* * *
The capital of Calliban.
“…This is unexpected.”
Hidan had come to Calliban as usual to hand over information about the Blue Moon to Deus.
He scratched his head at the news of Deus’s expedition.
‘I’m sure there wasn't an expedition last time. Oh well.’
After a moment of deliberation, Hidan pulled a piece of paper from his robe and began to write a letter using mana on the spot.
Normally, he would have waited here, but since the Red Moon’s orders had been issued, time was tight.
Hidan, who was about to leave the letter at Deus’s mansion and depart—
“…?”
Discovered a bizarre statue.
A statue with massive antlers, like those of a stag, atop its head.
Furthermore, it was a statue with a coat trailing behind it that was almost excessively long.
Of course, from the perspective of Hidan, who had developed an immunity after seeing all sorts of statues, the statue before him wasn't necessarily bizarre in itself.
The reason Hidan felt that way was…
Because he knew this was a statue of The Great Moon.
‘…Was it always like this?’
Hidan immediately shook his head.
No matter how indifferent he was to his surroundings, he could recognize such a drastic change.
The statue he had seen before didn't have antlers, the coat wasn't that long, and above all—
‘…It’s too handsome.’
It hadn't been that good-looking.
“…….”
It was a face that perfectly captured an ideal, handsome man.
A statue so meticulously crafted that if it were alive, one might expect a cluster of stars to pour from its eyes.
Hidan stared blankly at the upgraded(?) statue of The Great Moon—
‘That’s… a bit much, isn't it…?’
He left behind that impression.
…It was a statue Alon had been too embarrassed to even look at properly.