Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Beggar Gritz (13) - The Royal Road Cliché
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Steal the position of Guardian God by exploiting the residents' perceptions.
To make this plan succeed, Grace first needed to demonstrate her use of the Guardian God's powers in front of everyone.
Because a "candidate who would inherit the power after the Guardian God's death" was entirely different from a "provisional Guardian God who already possessed those powers."
But at the same time, this plan absolutely could not afford to drag into a prolonged battle.
No matter how passive the Guardian God was, it was far too optimistic to think it would stay quiet while its power was directly stripped away.
Thus, the sequence of the plan devised by Gritz and Grace was as follows.
First, spread subtle rumors—just enough to bait the idea that Grace might become the next Guardian God.
Then, at the moment when the most people gathered, like the final day of a festival, put on a grand show in front of countless onlookers.
The strategy of laying dry kindling and oil before igniting the flames had been a resounding success, and the rumors of Grace's miracle spread astonishingly fast, engulfing the entire territory.
Now, only one step remained.
Neutralize the Guardian God, who would surely go mad watching its assets drain away in real time.
"This way."
A dark night where even the moonlight was hazy.
The head of the Canillian family, guiding the path to the temple that enshrined the Guardian God, had his face stiff with tension and anxiety.
The road to the temple was a secret known only to past family heads, but if that were all, there'd be no need for the head to personally lead the way.
He could have simply told Gritz the route in advance and waited at home.
Yet the head chose to come himself.
It was a calculation that if he had to kneel to Gritz and Grace anyway, better to do it thoroughly—and a desperate wish to end his role as servant to the monster his ancestors had created.
Standing before the grand iron gate that permitted not even a single intruder, the head unlocked it with a key from his bosom, revealing the scene beyond to the three of them.
"Hngh."
"Ugh."
The faces of the head and Grace twisted in an instant.
The temple was formed by enclosing a portion of the Canillian estate with special iron bars, so it wasn't a massive building structure.
Not distinctly separated into indoor and outdoor spaces, there was no reason the air should feel different.
Yet, merely crossing one door left them feeling as if their breaths might stop.
The air was sticky.
Like steam from oil filling a sealed room.
But the anomalies didn't end there.
"G-Grass...!"
Originally, from the temple's main entrance to its depths lay a well-paved stone path.
But now, weeds sprouted thickly between the stones, their leaves fluttering.
The head grimaced and tried to push through the grass, but his attempt failed immediately.
Shlick!
"Hng!?"
He'd tried to shove the grass aside with his shoe, but the blade touched his footwear and sliced it clean off.
As if pressing tofu against a stationary knife.
Had he been careless, his foot itself might have been severed. Pale-faced, the head froze, and Gritz spoke upon seeing it.
"You, head back now. You've guided us far enough."
"B-But."
"Won't say it twice. Guard the door from outside so no unrelated fools get dragged in."
Glancing warily, the head only relaxed slightly after Gritz assigned him a role, then turned back. Inside the gate remained only Gritz and Grace.
"You can head back too. I'll handle the fighting alone anyway."
"No way."
Grace refused outright.
"This fight decides my future. You expect me to sit quietly at home and just catch the scraps that fall?"
"Even if you come, you'll just watch. If you're dead weight, better bail early."
"Whether I'm dead weight is something we find out by going."
With that, Grace strode forward confidently.
And without hesitation, she trampled the weeds that had nearly sliced off the head's foot moments ago.
A situation where her entire foot should have been shredded into pieces.
Yet Grace emerged unscathed.
Her shoe was intact, and the weeds crushed underfoot had lost their razor edge, wilting pathetically into dust.
"See? I'm not just sitting around eating for free."
Hands on hips, Grace puffed out her chest proudly.
"Hoo."
Gritz let out a low murmur of admiration.
Not sarcasm, but genuine praise laced with sincerity.
Enhancing plants into blades and traps was the Guardian God's domain.
And now, Grace had nullified that domain with her own power, withering the grass outright.
Considering she'd only begun handling divine power days ago, and it had truly blossomed just this afternoon, her growth was staggering.
"The prerequisites are tricky, but divine power really is top-tier. Any swordsman or mage would cry foul at this cheat."
"If they complain, tell them to become sacrifice candidates themselves and spend every thrilling day with pounding hearts."
Grace shrugged lightly, then grew serious.
"Let me come all the way. I might not help, but I won't get in the way at least."
"Hmph, do as you like."
Gritz didn't dismiss her resolve.
In truth, he'd only asked once more as a final check; he had no real intention of leaving her behind.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought her here or explained the full plan.
Rumble. The sound of an oak barrel rolling.
Rustle. Footsteps crushing grass.
With those distinct sounds, the two pressed on.
The air grew stickier, the plants' forms and behaviors ever more grotesque.
And finally, at the fence's deepest point.
Atop a stone building the size of a small house.
'It' met their gazes.
At a glance, it resembled a person draped in gold and green garb, adorned with countless jewels.
But no.
Its upper body was half a beautiful human form, but the rest clustered with dense green leaves and golden grains.
Its right wing mimicked a bird's white feathers, but where the left should be, plant stems and roots extended like tentacles.
No lower body, but instead, countless human bones intertwined below its torso.
"──."
Grace unconsciously swallowed.
Honestly, she'd never fully understood the family head's attitude until now.
If the Guardian God was so repulsive, why not secretly gather soldiers and exterminate it? But the head never chose that path.
Not even after failed attempts—he hadn't even tried.
But now, seeing the god with her own eyes, she understood.
This was a monster.
Yet a god.
Repulsive, yet beautiful. Blasphemous, yet sacred.
-You're late, shrine maiden.
It spoke. The Guardian God addressed her. The monster stared at Grace.
-I know of your petty schemes. I know it is betrayal. Yet I forgive you.
-Humans are like foolish children, blindly fearing and deeming evil what they do not understand.
-Your ignorance led you to this misguided path, so how can I, as this land's parent, punish you?
-Come now, it is not too late. Approach and pray before me, embrace me, and your predecessors will teach you your duties.
The Guardian God's voice brimmed with utmost compassion.
Its gaze was gentle, like beholding a swaddled infant.
Suddenly, Grace felt her mind fill with sweet honey.
The Guardian God's face seemed like loving parents she'd never known, and the bones on its lower half had transformed into beautiful women beckoning her closer.
Half-unconsciously, Grace stepped toward the Guardian God.
Its smile, and those of the past shrine maidens, deepened.
Slap!
"No thanks. I have zero interest in being your shrine maiden."
But the enchantment lasted only one step.
Snapping herself back with a slap to the cheek, Grace glared and declared to the Guardian God.
Grace summoned her divine power.
Silver and ash divine power, contrasting the Guardian God's gold, enveloped her, dispelling the illusions in her eyes.
The Guardian God's face of compassion turned expressionless, devoid of emotion. The past shrine maidens, once welcoming like a baby sister, now wept blood-tinged tears, their eyes filled with jealousy and resentment.
"Hahaha! You really stick to your word!"
Gritz burst into hearty laughter, delighted.
Realizing it affirmed her promise not to hinder at least, a smile tugged at Grace's lips.
The oak barrel at Gritz's side spun in place.
The surrounding forest brimmed with the Guardian God's golden divine power.
Centuries of accumulated faith, piled layer by layer.
Even with pipes connected to drain the vast reservoir, fully extracting it would take time.
Thus, the task was clear.
"Hey."
"Better than calling me 'you girl,' but it'd be nicer if you used my name."
"Whatever. Pray hard. Or meditate? Mental battle? Doesn't matter—suck up that leaking divine power faster, drain it dry. Now that we're this close, wouldn't you rather be the star of victory than just a spectator?"
"Got it, but is it okay to say that right in front of it? Some advanced bait strategy using me?"
"What, don't trust me?"
Grace smirked, then knelt in seiza, hands clasped in prayer.
A posture of utter vulnerability, as if beseeching something.
And simultaneously, the silver and ash emanating from her began eroding the enveloping gold bit by bit.
-Foolish, so very foolish.
With the Guardian God's proclamation, the plant tendrils—no, tentacles—wing-like on its body surged toward Grace.
The assault didn't stop there.
Leaves from the surrounding woods flew like shuriken.
Pollen laden with poison and malice targeted their airways.
Roots erupted like spears from the ground, and withering pests took flight.
This was a god's miracle.
Power amassed by assimilating faithful offerings of talent—it reached realms no mere clone could rival.
The fierce resistance shattered futilely; the oak barrel shielding Grace splintered first.
Tentacles pierced it, fragments scattering pitifully.
Having dispatched the interloper, the Guardian God extended tentacles anew toward Grace.
Despite the ominous rupture, Grace remained still, eyes closed, hands clasped.
That was her trust in the gray-haired man.
As a tentacle aimed to impale her throat.
"─Agreed. Utterly foolish."
There was light.
There was impact.
And sound arrived last.
Boomboomboomboomboomboomboom!!
Tentacles, blade-leaves, toxic pollen, spear-roots, vile insects—all pulverized in an instant, hurled back.
The Guardian God's eyes narrowed slightly.
A reaction that, in a human, might be called shock.
Amid swirling dust, golden hair swayed.
"But I rather like the foolish ones."
The man, oak fragments flipped like a mask atop his head, spoke in a strangely pleased tone.
Alarms blared in the Guardian God's mind.
The presence before it was different now.
Speech, gestures, aura—above all, its very existence—belonged to another realm.
This was no primitive life the god could trample at will.
It spoke.
"By the way, do you know the venerable royal road cliché of beggar and prince?"
The Guardian God did not reply.
The question was incomprehensible.
Thus, it answered with a fresh onslaught instead.
The man countered.
On a stage with one eyes-closed spectator, a clash reaching legendary heights unfolded.