Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Prelude to War (1)
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Duncan wasn't in a great mood.
That wasn't anything special on a normal day. His life as a traveling merchant over the past half-year or so had been packed with constant hardships punctuated by the occasional joy. But this time, it was genuinely bizarre.
Because just moments ago, he'd received an enormous reward.
"Take this, Duncan. Unless something unexpected comes up, it's yours to use from now on."
"Wh-what!? B-but sir, this is... the dagger made from World Tree sap that the apostle or World Tree Keeper personally handed to you, right?"
"That's right. But it suits you better than me. Considering the intent behind it being passed along... yeah, it feels like it should go to someone else anyway."
"S-sir...? What do you mean...?"
"Nothing important. More importantly, no moon tonight, it seems. Have you decided on a name to sharpen that invisible blade with?"
"...!"
A divine weapon carved from the body of a god descended to earth, blessed by the God of War himself with the chance to bestow a name upon it...
These were rewards beyond any price money could buy. Mercenaries craving power or collectors hoarding rare treasures would sell not just their souls, but their families' too for them. Duncan, already buzzing from the necklace Remillion had given him, now floated high on cloud nine.
Yet that mood plummeted to the depths for three main reasons.
The first was the name bestowed upon his weapon through "The One Who Sharpens Names."
"'Razor.'"
[...]
"I'll name this blade 'Razor.'"
"...Pardon?"
Woooong—
Before he could take it back, the compressed red glow was sucked into the transparent blade and vanished. It had truly engraved the ancient runes for "Razor" onto the sword.
Duncan, unable to decide on a name, had left it to Kadim. When asked if he wanted any special effects, he'd wished for much sharper cutting power—and that disaster ensued.
"For your first sharpening, nothing beats a name like this for boosting cutting power. Just... don't actually use it to shave. The transparent edge might slice right up to your nose."
"... "
He'd forgotten the man once named his own sword "Mosquito." Duncan stared blankly at what was now the world's largest, most dangerous razor.
The second was their exit route from the Great Forest.
"Uh, u-um... sir, are you really going that way?"
"Yeah. We came this way, didn't we?"
"N-no, but... th-that place is..."
Rumble rumble rumble...
Kadim's chosen path was the same root tunnel as before.
It was a perfectly rational choice.
The Great Forest was the continent's vastest woodland; the distance from its deepest heart to the outside spanned hundreds of kilometers. Trekking by land blindly would waste at least a month, but retracing their steps cut that dramatically. Plus, the tunnel was already dug—no extra feeding required...
The problem was the psychological aversion. Duncan's memories of this "root tunnel" were so bad he'd even dreamed nightmares of it in the Dreamwood.
He'd hinted to Kadim about scouting a new route, but got only a curt glare in response. In the end, Duncan was forced once more through the guts of that massive worm that fed on people.
Those first two were tolerable enough, if awkward. They didn't pose an immediate threat to his life.
But the biggest issue—the third one by far.
Inside the pitch-black, humid root tunnel, Duncan held a torch while checking the map to guide them. Tracing their next path, he belatedly realized something absurd.
"Wh-what? S-sir?? D-didn't you say our next stop is the wasteland beyond the mountains?!"
"...Yeah. What's the problem?"
"Th-there is one!! To get to the wasteland from here, we have to cross 'Imperial territory'!! The Lucaonia Empire, crawling with Elga Church Knights of Elga where we first met!!"
It was true.
They were in the southeast Great Forest; their destination wasteland lay at the continent's far west edge. Unless flying or swimming, they'd inevitably cross the Empire's central sprawl.
Duncan's face drained pale. His trembling eyes recalled recent nightmares: captured by Knights as a false prisoner, nearly escorted to the Holy City for judgment, surviving a Knight's death only to be hunted by a high-ranking one later...
Yet Kadim, at the center of it all, shrugged indifferently.
"So? What's that got to do with anything?"
"...Pardon?"
"Just pass through. It's not some demon-infested hellhole."
"... "
For the first time in ages, Duncan felt the same bafflement as when he'd first met Kadim. What? This guy? Had he forgotten everything?
Of course not. Objectively, the irrational one was the merchant.
"Three—four at most."
"...?"
"No surprises, and I could handle that many Arch Paladins solo. Not the fake titled ones—the real Decagram elites."
"...!!"
In the first playthrough, Kadim and his party nearly got massacred by an Arch Paladin mid-game, before even entering the Demon Realm.
By late-game, after exponential growth slaying greater demons, a single Arch Paladin was child's play—even blindfolded. And now, Kadim had recovered about ninety percent of that power...
"... "
He couldn't help recalling a useful first-playthrough truism.
All problems are solved with strength. If one can't be, you just lack enough strength.
The savage once captured for heresy now wielded overwhelming power unbound by the Elga Church. Without sacrificing droves of top Knights, they couldn't touch him even crossing openly.
And the party's strength wasn't just his anymore.
"Duncan, I heard you soloed an Inferno recently."
"P-pardon? Oh, uh, that was... a ton of insane luck piling up..."
"Even with piles of luck, how many Knights could solo an Inferno? At your level now, High Paladins should be no sweat—even if not Arch Paladins."
"...!"
"Vigilance is good, but don't cower. You're already strong enough to face Elga's hounds."
Duncan's eyes sparkled purely. For a moment, titles like top guide, comrade acknowledged by the Great Warrior, flashed through his mind, pride swelling...
"...But don't charge head-on. You're great at ambushes, not straight fights."
"... "
"Always lurk like a rat—hit flanks, knowing discovery means death."
...Only for the follow-up to deflate it instantly. Amid glorious titles, Duncan added "rat that dies if spotted."
Still, the confident warrior's words eased his anxiety. Chatting about the path ahead and the Forgotten God's power, Duncan suddenly shifted topics.
"Um, sir? That girl... the Forgotten God's priestess—where'd she vanish to?"
"... "
Kadim's lips tightened.
Ilenia, priestess of the Forgotten God, had vanished after saving him from heavenly punishment. No farewell, but likely to divert the sun's gaze and prevent another strike.
Kadim still couldn't decide how to treat her.
Trusting her fully felt off, yet her unavoidable secrets were proven real. Until he toppled that sun, full answers seemed distant.
One certainty: she'd helped immensely.
Stone tablets for ruins, inventory, even this root tunnel—all impossible without her. Sure, she'd recklessly taken Melissa's clone... but that was on its creator, not her.
After long deliberation, Kadim chose to heed the dragon's advice.
Keep suspicion's dagger in hand, but plant trust's seed in your heart.
"...Who knows. But this won't be our last meeting."
Fake archaeologists from Galen University or nameless Forgotten God priestesses were hard to trust—but he'd leave room for faith in the "Ilenia" he'd met.
After endless talk and even more walking in silence, the root tunnel's exit appeared. Light tickled night-adapted eyes; fresh air rushed into stench-numbed noses.
Duncan excitedly dashed out—then froze in confusion.
"S-sir? D-did the weather suddenly turn winter?!"
"... "
Kadim silently inhaled the crisp air deeply.
The Great Forest's mysteries fixed its climate: mild year-round, lush greenery. But beyond its fringes, seasons normalized. They'd entered late autumn; winter outside was natural.
Cold winds swept barren fields. Manageable here in the south, but harsher northbound.
Yet no time for sentiment.
A far graver anomaly loomed overhead, dwarfing the seasonal shift.
Thud, thud thud...
Pale beams pierced murky clouds.
"Hm?"
The merchant saw only flashes, but Kadim identified the form clearly.
It was an Arch Paladin's mount: the Radiant Steed.
"...Hah."
A ridiculous chuckle escaped.
How soon after mentioning them? Decent folk wouldn't show up like this. And why at the Great Forest fringes—not even Imperial soil—with Elga's hounds?
Reason unknown, but he couldn't ignore it. No casual stroll brought them this far.
Thud, thud thud...
The Knight atop the glowing steed passed without spotting them. No questions asked—Kadim decided to zap the Knight's nape first, plans later.
Crackle, crackle—!
"Wh-what? S-sir? Why's that axe suddenly...?"
"... "
But right before hurling, he veered the lightning skyward.
Flash—Boom!
―――― Kwagwagwagwang—!
The bolt shot vertically high, exploding like a signal flare marking their position.
The Knight yanked reins at the thunderous flash.
Thud thud, thud thud...
"Wh-what! Th-that's Elga Church's...!"
Duncan finally recognized the gleam. Bewildered why Kadim signaled a high Knight, he stared—but of course, it wasn't thoughtless.
This was the continent's sole high Knight Kadim considered an ally.
The one who'd asked to uncover the Magic Tower's truth, first shared Gordon's intel, given the light nullifying magic—an Arch Paladin who pierced truth, incapable of lies.
Decagram's Third Seat, "Star that Pierces Truth": Hendark.
Whoosh—hum, whoosh—hum, whoosh, whoosh, clack—!
Recalling the lightning, Kadim stayed tensed.
"No hostility sensed, but cloak up and hide in shadows just in case, Duncan."
"... "
Thud, thud thud...
As the merchant vanished, the Radiant Steed's rider descended like a divine judge pronouncing verdict.
*
World Tree's pinnacle: Hall of Eternal Dreams.
The ashen hall now bloomed like a jungle anew. At center lay a sleeping dark elf woman; an elf boy calmly watched over her.
After sending the Revelation Warrior off and returning, Lilia had collapsed into sleep near-comatose.
Not surprising. She'd worked sleepless for half a month restoring the World Tree and Great Forest. Parneo figured it was for the best and let her rest.
Despite exhaustion, her sleeping face held no shadows. Probably from strolling her beloved flower field moments ago. Watching her peaceful rest, the boy's upturned smile lingered.
Then suddenly.
"Ugh, guh, grrrgh..."
"...?"
Lilia's face twisted horribly.
Deep wrinkles etched, distortion spread like plague. Her serene features morphed demonic. Parneo's eyes widened in shock.
Ominous foreboding hit. She'd occasionally dozed off abruptly in confinement too—and it always meant...
"Li-Lilia? Lilia? You okay?"
"Guh, grrrgh, grrr..."
"Lilia, wake up for a sec..."
As the boy hesitantly touched her shoulder.
"[KyaAAAAAAAHHHH—!!!]"
The woman awoke shrieking ear-splittingly.
No ordinary scream.
Utterly unlike her usual soft voice. No human or elf could make such a sound. Like a butchered beast or throttled monster. Demonic wails scraped the hall long after.
"Hahk, hngh, guh..."
The scream finally stopped; bloodshot-eyed Lilia panted. Parneo was speechless, overwhelmed by the grotesque sight.
Heavy silence choked them.
"... "
"... "
At last, the prophetess murmured in despair.
"Greater demon... a greater demon..."