Chapter 222: The Way Back (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 222: The Way Back (1)
The day after investigating the altar inside the cave with Yutia and returning to the outpost.
Alon heard some rather peculiar news from Deus.
"…You didn't engage in battle with the barbarians?"
"Yes. For some reason, the barbarians were nowhere to be found. Furthermore—there were traces of an Outer God appearing out of nowhere."
"An Outer God appeared?"
"Yes."
Deus recalled the scene he had witnessed while waiting, wondering if the lack of barbarians was a trap.
Just like when Uultultus had descended, the sky had turned crimson for a fleeting moment.
"However, it vanished in an instant."
"…Vanished?"
"Yes. Just as when you dealt with Uultultus, the red sky lingered for a while before returning to normal."
"…Hmm."
Alon quietly stroked his chin.
Based on Deus's report, it appeared an Outer God had manifested and been defeated.
But by whom, and how?
After pondering for a while, Alon came up with a hypothesis.
Did the barbarians deal with the Outer God themselves?
When the Outer God Uultultus appeared, he had been worshipped by the barbarians. Though his true name was the Brute God, he had appeared then as a god of savagery.
But if the Outer God that appeared in the North this time wasn't Uultultus…
It was entirely possible they had clashed as enemies.
Even if it wasn't a full manifestation due to lack of time, it wouldn't be easy for the barbarians to defeat an Outer God. But if Thousand Year Ice was there, it’s a different story.
Thousand Year Ice.
A powerhouse who, once he joined the party, would talk incessantly about the Horizon.
Recalling him, Alon nodded, thinking it was a fairly reasonable hypothesis.
Thousand Year Ice was strong; he wasn't called one of the strongest for nothing.
In particular, his Ice Eye Muscle—which he could create at any time and restore infinitely even if shattered—was a unique power. While it had no value as a weapon for anyone else, in the hands of Thousand Year Ice, it boasted a power more threatening than any other armament.
It was so convenient taking him along to the Labyrinth after he joined as an ally.
Since his basic attacks were set as area-of-effect, Thousand Year Ice had been a huge help as a companion during gameplay.
After a moment of reflection, Alon realized Deus was waiting and replied.
"Thank you for letting me know."
"It was nothing. What do you intend to do now, Marquis?"
"My business here is finished, so I plan to stop by somewhere before heading down."
"I see."
Deus looked slightly disappointed.
However, he quickly masked his expression and stepped back.
After a brief final greeting, Alon stepped outside.
And there, he immediately witnessed a scene.
"Like this?"
"It's a bit crooked, but that's the gist of it. Now, you must make sure to pray three times a day."
"…And this will really grant me power?"
"You mustn't doubt like that! Praying with doubt in your heart is utterly meaningless!"
It was Reinhardt, clumsily forming a seal, and Silli, who was 'teaching' him.
"…Is that so?"
"Yes! He bestows power only upon those who believe in Him with all their heart!"
"No, I mean, the god you're talking about is just Marquis Palatio—"
"That is impious! Do not speak the name of God so carelessly!"
Silli's shout was loud enough to shake the world, making Reinhardt flinch instinctively.
"No, I've always called him that…"
"That won't do anymore! You decided to believe, didn't you?!"
"No—believing is one thing, but Marquis Palatio is—"
"You decided to believe."
"So—believing is believing, but Pala—"
"You. Decided. To believe."
Silli leaned her face closer to Reinhardt's, her eyes glinting quietly.
As Alon watched this bizarre duo, a figure suddenly entered his field of vision.
It was Marc, the Fifth Sword of Calliban.
"…Right, I decided to believe."
"Then you shouldn't talk like that, right?"
Marc, who had been coming out of his tent as usual, spotted Silli and immediately performed a silent moonwalk back into the tent, vanishing from sight.
Alon felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment at that stealthy movement.
…Should I transfer a bit of power to Reinhardt?
Thinking that he really ought to, Alon began his preparations to leave.
A few hours later.
Alon boarded the carriage to return to Calliban.
He had arrived with a large entourage, but only his immediate party was leaving.
Yutia stayed to handle a sudden task from Rosario, and Elivan stayed to finish clearing the dungeon… I suppose.
He recalled Elivan’s disappointed face and Yutia waving with a gentle smile.
And then.
I still have people left to convert! I'll finish proselytizing to them before I head back!
After briefly thinking of Silli and her high-spirited determination, Alon closed his eyes and entered a state of contemplation.
Perhaps because he had practiced consistently since discovering how to contemplate, he could now enter the state almost instantly whenever he wished. He checked Kalanon's Divinity with practiced ease.
Was Silli's hard work paying off?
Looking at the divinity, which shone much brighter than before, Alon lowered his gaze and picked out one of the many stars connected to Silli.
It was very faint.
But that star, clearly visible within Kalanon's Divinity, was Reinhardt's faith.
He had located it earlier while Reinhardt was being recruited so fervently, thinking he might give a small gift to the man who was suffering more than expected.
Though, if it's this faint, he probably won't be able to use the power even if I share it.
According to Kalanon, sharing the power was Alon's part, but using that power was up to the recipient.
For instance, even if Alon transferred a divine power value of 100, if the user didn't truly have faith in Alon, they wouldn't be able to use it.
Even if they could use it, they couldn't just draw on Alon's power indefinitely. From that point on, the user had to consume the divine power they generated through their own faith in Alon.
In other words, once Alon gave them the initial spark, they had to maintain the power through self-generation.
And on top of that, I take a portion of the divine power they generate.
…The more he learned about faith, the more he couldn't help but think it was a pyramid scheme.
"Ahem—"
Anyway, the point was that even if he transferred the power, Reinhardt wouldn't be able to use it unless he truly believed in Alon.
Despite his doubts, he made a decision.
Well, I already decided to give it to him.
He firmly grasped Reinhardt's star.
Simultaneously, following Alon's will, Kalanon's Divinity began to be absorbed into the star.
The problem was…
Oops, I sent too much.
Since it was his first time transferring power this way, he ended up infusing Reinhardt with a bit more divine power than intended.
Alon let out a sigh.
He couldn't help but feel it was a bit of a waste.
Looking at Reinhardt's star, which had transformed from a faint glimmer into a vivid light, Alon also infused divine power into Silli.
He felt it would be unfair for her to have no reward for working so hard for him, even if it was voluntary.
Besides, while Silli's divine power was already overflowing, he felt he should give her a bit more than Reinhardt.
Eventually.
"Whew—"
As soon as Alon opened his eyes after finishing the transfer, Evan asked.
"Marquis, is it correct that we are heading east instead of straight back to Calliban?"
"Yes. Well, we won't be leaving the North just yet. It'll only take a few days."
Alon replied, mentally organizing the items he needed to obtain.
After traveling for about two days.
"Wow—Marquis, you really have a knack for finding places like this."
"Do I?"
"Yes, I wonder how you even come across such information."
[……Interesting.]
[Kyu?]
Alon's party arrived at a massive cave nestled beneath the imposing cliffs of the Snow Mountain.
* * *
Silli was working hard, but faith in Alon had naturally been on the decline among the Eclipse Knights recently.
Most of the Eclipse Knights had seen Alon's power with their own eyes. Because of Alon's declaration that he would grant power to the faithful, most of them worshipped him.
Furthermore, with Silli as living proof of someone sharing his power, their faith had doubled.
However, that faith had begun to fade slowly.
The reason was simple.
Nothing changed as time passed.
The fact that other knight orders looked at the Eclipse Knights strangely played a part, but the main reason was that no matter how sincerely they prayed, no one besides Silli was able to perform a proper miracle.
Thus, the knights' faith was gradually scattering, and the same was true for Reinhardt, who was stationed on the Northern front with Deus.
Actually, to be precise, he had found it difficult to worship Marquis Palatio from the very beginning.
The reason was obvious and clear.
Because Marquis Palatio was alive.
Of course, Reinhardt had seen it too—the Marquis descending as a god. In fact, he had witnessed the Marquis's awakening as a god before anyone else.
At that moment, Reinhardt had certainly felt awe toward the Marquis.
But in the end, that was just 'awe'; it didn't translate into faith.
Having interacted with the 'human' Marquis Palatio several times, Reinhardt felt a certain familiarity with him, making it impossible to worship the Marquis as a 'god.'
Furthermore, while Reinhardt understood the derivative effects gained from reaching the heights of swordsmanship, he had no grasp of divine power whatsoever.
No matter how much Silli grabbed him and made him pray, he didn't feel any sensation of divine power accumulating, and each time, his faith faltered even more.
Because of that…
…I shouldn't have been tempted back then.
He often felt like punching himself for falling for Silli's sweet temptation: "If you use divine power, you might be able to beat your older brother."
Ah, he had found a comrade too.
He had formed a mental bond with the Fifth Sword, Marc, whom he had only exchanged a few words with officially before this expedition. Marc was also being subjected to forced prayer, just like Reinhardt.
Anyway, Reinhardt, who had been living a life filled with 'suffering' lately, had recently been taught how to use divine power by Silli.
Calling it a 'teaching' was a stretch; it was more like a brief tip.
"Believe in Him, visualize lightning, and think about how you want to use it. Then it will come out. If it's too hard, just believe in Him and visualize lightning; it'll work out somehow."
To be more accurate, it wasn't even a tip. He could have given such vague advice himself.
And naturally, Reinhardt couldn't use divine power.
He didn't feel particularly regretful. It was only natural that he couldn't use divine power when he hadn't sent any proper faith in the first place.
So, when he joined the front lines due to the returning barbarians, Reinhardt just brushed off Silli's words to try using the power.
Even as hundreds of barbarians rushed toward him as if they had been waiting, he drew his sword without much thought. Then, remembering Silli's words, he closed his eyes just to give it a try.
…He already acknowledged and expected that he wouldn't be able to use divine power.
But even so, that 'what if?' feeling led him to think, 'I'll just try it once, even if I'm being fooled.'
If nothing else, his desire to defeat Deus was genuine.
So, Reinhardt closed his eyes and visualized Marquis Palatio.
However, this time, he approached it a bit differently.
The image he conjured wasn't the usual Marquis Palatio, but the one he had seen in the Ronobelli Jungle.
Marquis Palatio with two horns growing from his head, his entire body wreathed in lightning—
The 'God.'
Next, he visualized lightning.
The massive lightning held in his hand, connecting the earth and the sky.
And then.
—Meteor Sword.
As always, he used his ability and opened his eyes without much expectation.
At that moment.
"!"
Reinhardt saw it.
Crackle—!
The lightning.
K-K-K-Boom—!!
The lightning surged in reverse.
Gravity slamming down from the sky trapped hundreds of barbarians.
And from the ground, dozens—no—
R-R-R-R-Rumble—!!!!
—hundreds of bolts of lightning surged upward, ravaging the hundreds of barbarians.
And when it ended.
"……"
As both the barbarians and allies fell silent, overwhelmed by the staggering sight, and the world was seized by stillness.
"Th-this actually works?"
Reinhardt's bewildered voice rang out.
"That… actually works?"
The words escaped Marc's mouth as if in response, standing a short distance away.
"……"
"The Second Sword used Lord Kalanon's lightning…?"
Like a round of song, such gasps erupted from among the Eclipse Knights.
That wasn't all.
"What on earth was that just now…?"
"Isn't that that power? I saw Sir Reinhardt with the Saintess of Kalanon recently, so of course—"
"What the Eclipse Knights were saying was true? I thought it was just nonsense—"
"……Hah—"
The lightning Reinhardt unleashed, which had started from Alon's 'guilt,' spread like a plague to all the knights in the North.
…The contagion known as faith.