Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: 17. Tales of Others (3)
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# 163
17. Tales of Others (3)
#5 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Priest.
Gods.
The term refers to the beings who manage this world under the two Creators who shaped heaven and earth.
They use their powers to maintain the world's balance and ensure its continuation.
A prime example involves entities from other worlds.
When gods or archdemons from other realms form contracts with summoners and descend upon this world, they can't fully utilize their original powers because the gods of this world suppress that strength to preserve balance.
At first glance, they seem righteous.
But each god has their own personality and traits.
The Goddess of Spring and the Goddess of Autumn are sisters, both known for their gentle natures.
However, born from the hands of different Creators, they don't get along.
Even as gods renowned for their mild temperaments, it's said that enormous battles erupt the moment they meet.
To keep them apart, the Goddess of Summer and the Goddess of Winter position themselves between the sisters, resulting in the cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
In stark contrast, the Goddess of Summer and the Goddess of Winter—infamous for their clashing attributes and foul tempers—simply ignore each other without fighting.
Just like that, gods have varied personalities and ways of acting.
Among them, the god I serve, the God of Nature, is one of the most personable—nay, one of the most humane among the divine.
He cherishes his followers more than any other and loves the peace of the world.
And I, who can hear His voice directly, know better than anyone how much the God of Nature cares for us.
Yet, such a god...
[Hey, you fucker. Stick with those bastards. No matter what!]
...delivered this oracle.
At first, I thought I'd been cursed.
There were demons around, and I mistook it for a wicked curse making me hear a devil's voice.
But moments later...
[You hear me, right? This isn't fake—it's really me talking! Listen up! You have to tail those damn guys without fail. Don't let them out of your sight for a second—watch them with your own eyes! This is an oracle? An oracle!]
Stunned into a blank expression, I was bombarded with oracles laced with all sorts of profanity.
Was this truly the God of Nature I'd believed in all this time?
Wasn't I being toyed with by a demon right now?
[Ahem... Calm down, Hill. I was so shocked that I put you through a trial. My apologies.]
Hearing His usual gentle voice allowed me to compose myself.
And so, I relayed God's words exactly to the Hero.
"It's an oracle to keep up this meeting. We must stick behind them no matter what. We have to, Hero!"
And I was rejected.
I'd tried my best to persuade him, but he turned me down.
And then...
[Ah, hold on. He's the Hero I chose! Why won't he listen to me?!]
[Do you know how serious this is?]
[Fine, then we'll go all out too. It's a grand oracle, a grand oracle!]
A grand oracle?
I'd never heard the term before.
[Alright, meeting adjourned. A grand oracle is one issued after the gods convene and vote. And this one's not just from the human gods—demon gods joined in too!]
[Tell the Hero straight: if he doesn't follow, it's like declaring war on every god in existence!]
Honestly, I couldn't comprehend it.
Why had the merciful, kind God of Nature become so violent?
[Gods can know everything in the world. But there are exceptions. We call them singularities.]
[And that one? The worst kind of singularity. Can't confirm it ourselves, and others can't either. Tricky, huh?]
[But as a rare exception, beings close to gods—like the Hero and saint I've chosen personally—can see it with their eyes, letting us confirm through them.]
[It's for world peace! For world peace, we have to catch those damn guys!]
The God of Nature Himself spoke of it being for world peace.
As His servant, I had no choice but to convince the Hero.
After various threats and persuasions, just ten minutes after I'd finally swayed him...
"Yeah, still no."
[This goddamn bastard?]
The Hero refused, and the God of Nature flew into a rage.
[Why did I ever pick that piece of shit as the Hero!]
The words that followed were too vile to commit to memory.
If I remembered them, something precious inside me would shatter.
[Change his mind before he runs!]
I'd probably received more oracles today than all year combined.
"Hero, what exactly is the reason you can't follow them?"
"There's an iron bat, you see."
"Pardon?"
Was I the weird one? Or had everything around me gone strange today?
Even God was spouting things hard to understand, and now the Hero was saying something incomprehensible.
"Getting hit with a wooden bat hurts bad enough, but now it's an iron one. No way. If they don't vanish from my sight, I'll get iron-batted."
"Hero! Are you even listening to me? All the gods want this. That iron bat thing—"
"That thing? Have you ever been hit by a bat? Have you? No, you can't even describe the pain—it's beyond words!"
I was momentarily speechless at the Hero charging in earnestly.
What is a Hero, after all?
Someone who sacrifices for the world.
A challenger of the impossible.
One who transcends human limits.
Only for the world's peace does a true Hero embody all this.
Yet here he was, dead serious about not wanting to get hit!
"Hero. Do you even have any awareness as a Hero?"
"No, Hill, you're only saying that because you've never been hit."
"Hero!"
His endless excuses made me angry too.
Not only had the God of Nature spoken, but I'd never imagined the Hero could be so irresponsible.
"No, wait... Never mind. Talking's pointless. Hill, just take five minutes of it."
"Pardon?"
"If you endure five minutes, I'll join them, no holds barred."
"Really?"
I sighed as the nodding Hero looked at me.
Even the God of Nature was cheering me on with oracles.
As one who serves God, His word is truth.
With the Hero in the lead, I boldly declared before the being God called a singularity—the Hero's master:
"Hit me, please!"
And shortly after.
"God of Nature, save me!"
[World peace! World peace! Just endure a bit more!]
"I can't!"
I etched an unforgettable agony into my body.
#6 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Runaway.
In my previous life, there were many called gods, but I'd never seen one appear before my eyes.
That's probably why the German philosopher Nietzsche could boldly declare, "God is dead!"
But this is a world where gods exist openly.
The moment you shout "God is dead," you die for blasphemy.
There are temples inhabited by the faithful, where priests and clerics nurture their devotion to perform miracles.
They wield miracles through divine power.
Healing the injured and sick, curing the cursed, sharing food with the poor.
That's what all the clerics I saw in the palace did.
They were all diligent, devoted, and upright.
Well, that's to be expected.
You couldn't find a corrupt cleric even if you tried, like in old novels or medieval tales.
In this world, gods are actively involved.
They issue oracles on whims, and for bigger issues, they descend directly into the bodies of believers.
Scamming in a god's name or pursuing personal desires in a world where gods walk among us?
Divine punishment. Or worse, stripped of all holy power, reduced to something that can't even be called a priest.
Thus, all priests in this world are good people.
That's what I thought—until a High Elf, priest of the elves, shocked me.
She's insane.
Charging at me, screaming about sudden fateful encounters—it was pure terror.
What the hell gave her the idea to follow me like that?
Even as the elves dragged me to the World Tree, she yelled, "We'll meet again for sure! It's fate!" Chills even now.
The silver lining? Unlike priests of other gods, elves worship the World Tree.
A divine artifact created by the Goddess of Compassion and Devotion to bless this land.
High Elves pray daily, dreaming of the day she revives after sacrificing herself for the Evil God.
Yes.
High Elves are clerics, but they worship a currently nonexistent goddess.
So, no way to tell if a priest lacks qualifications!
Born a High Elf? You're a cleric.
Even if that cleric snaps branches off the god's own divine World Tree and mails them out like a lunatic, no god to punish her!
That's why her mad actions as a cleric are... understandable!
"Hit me, please!"
What the hell is this guy?
- Isn't that a weird fetish?
I pegged the priest who appeared while I was stroking my sleeping, tearful daughter as a masochist loving me and the iron bat. A pervert.
"But if you endure five minutes... please travel with us."
Ah, got it. His ex-disciple had thrown a fit about an oracle.
Unlike the disciple who bolted when I said beat it if he didn't want hits, this priest had lingering attachment.
"Fine."
He won't last a minute anyway.
I'll use just enough force to send him flying myself.
"Alright, here I go."
With potential threats to my daughter ahead, I need to conserve mana.
Plus, he's a priest.
Not a combat one like a paladin—a regular priest.
Looks like he'd just shuttle heals.
One solid hit, and he's out.
Then he'll beg for mercy.
"Here I go."
"Yes!"
The moment he nods with a resolute face, I swing down.
Clang!
"Gaaaaaah!"
Clear metallic ring, followed by the usual scream.
- Nice!
- Let the fanfare ring!
Hours ago, I'd beaten demons in rage-fueled venting.
But now, humming to the iron bat's rhythm, the priest started singing.
If it had a title: "Screams of Pain and Trial."
"Huh?"
As I kept swinging amid cries of "God!" and "Please!", something felt off.
"How long's it been?"
Weird. Even if time flies for the hitter, this feels too long.
Glancing right while swinging: the Hero staring in horror at the priest.
Left: the neighbor gramps gazing with respect.
"F-Five... min-utes... done."
Thud.
I was shocked watching him crumple.
- I-I lost?!
The iron bat seemed hit hardest among us.
- Owner, owner? What's with the kid?!
- What else? A faith-crazed fanatic.
- How? Ex-disciple, fanatic, unconfirmed elf! You said elves are nuts too!
- Well, precisely a High Elf.
- Now what? Really traveling with him? For real?
The iron bat spat tongue-tied sounds in panic.
Traveling with the Hero.
Perfect chance to die.
Obviously...
- Gonna go? Obviously midnight bolt!
- That's my owner!
#7 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Hero.
"...he said, with a 60 percent chance of bolting at night."
"Spot on."
Dawn, in a corner of the carriage.
Hiding amid piled luggage, we endured the rattling vibrations.
"Hero, do we really have to go like this?"
"Don't ask me—ask Hill and the God of Nature."
Serena grumbled, face scrunched, but no choice.
Instructor's a master escapist.
Even the Empire couldn't catch him easily.
To travel with such a man...
"Predict escape routes in advance and follow!"
As a Hero saving the world...
I began chasing the Instructor's trail with all my might.