Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: In the Name of the Evil God (3)
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Gilford, who had gone to see Estacia, ended up having to leave without accomplishing anything.
This was because everyone around them was hostile toward Gilford and his mercenaries.
No matter how skilled Gilford was in combat, he couldn't bring himself to swing his sword at unarmed opponents.
Moreover, even the elderly and children surrounding Estacia were throwing themselves forward to block his path.
He had not accepted the path of a Hero to cut down such people.
Gilford Proud.
To him, the path of a Hero was about protecting people and punishing evil.
A Hero who existed to harm the innocent was a meaningless existence.
Therefore, Gilford had no choice but to leave Estacia be and descend the mountain empty-handed.
"Captain, are you alright?"
Perhaps it was because he had looked so dejected the entire way down the mountain.
As Gilford sat blankly, staring at Ascalon, the mage Jenny, who was beside him, spoke up.
At Jenny's worried question, Gilford's gaze shifted to her.
Gilford nodded and replied to Jenny.
"Yes. There's no major issue."
"Are you really sure you're okay?"
"It's just a troublesome matter that required some thought. Persuading the people seems completely impossible."
As he spoke, Gilford recalled the image of Estacia in his mind.
Unlike what Ascalon had said about a fallen angel, what was there was clearly an angel.
An angel, at that, who possessed the miracle of healing people.
Even if he were to claim that this healing angel was a servant of the Evil God, they would only denounce him as a madman.
In fact, some were even claiming that the being who sent down the angel was the one true god.
Just what method could possibly convince those who had witnessed a miracle?
To Gilford, who had spent his entire life swinging a sword on the battlefield, it seemed like an utterly impossible task.
"Everyone seemed to adore the angel I guess it'll be hard for us to convince them, right?"
"She performed a miracle of healing. Mere words will be insufficient to persuade them."
"That's true, but Ah, how about this?"
Jenny, who had been pondering in front of Gilford, looked as if she'd had a brilliant idea.
At that, Gilford asked her.
"What is it?"
"The sword you have, Captain, it's called a Divine Artifact, right?"
"You mean Ascalon? It is, but"
"Let's ask the sword to have the goddesses send down an angel."
Using Ascalon to summon angels.
That was Jenny's plan.
The idea was to fight an angel with an angel.
"Summon angels?"
"Angels are messengers of the gods, so the goddesses should be able to send them, right? If we have an angel on our side, maybe people will listen to us?"
"If it's possible, that's not a bad plan."
Ultimately, the problem was the angel who had descended from the heavens.
If they could summon an angel of their own, they might be able to bring some resolution to the issue.
First, however, he would have to ask Ascalon if summoning an angel was even possible.
Having decided, Gilford looked at Ascalon.
Vmmmmm
Receiving Gilford's gaze, Ascalon began to emit a glow.
"Ascalon. Is what she just said possible?"
- "It is impossible right now."
But Ascalon's answer was firm.
The goddesses cannot send down an angel.
It negated Jenny's plan at its very foundation.
Hearing this, Gilford grasped its hilt and asked.
"Why not? Angels are the goddesses' servants. Can the goddesses not even command their own servants as they please?"
- "Gods bound by causality cannot actively intervene in the mortal realm. The Scales of Karma do not permit it."
"The same reason you mentioned before."
The Scales of Karma. And causality.
It had previously stated that these two factors would pose a problem for the Heroes in this war.
This time, too, causality was the issue.
They couldn't even manage their angels properly, letting one descend to the mortal realm, and now they couldn't even send another angel to deal with the problem.
It was a contradictory situation from any perspective.
Why could the Evil God do so much, while the goddesses could do so little?
It was a reality that even Gilford, chosen as a Hero, could not comprehend.
Perhaps sensing something in Gilford's attitude,
Ascalon spoke of another possibility.
- "The gods cannot interfere in the mortal realm. But you, who possess a Divine Artifact, may one day be able to."
"I can? When would that be?"
- "When most of Ascalon's sealed power has been awakened. When that time comes, you too will be able to summon an angel."
"So in the end, there's no hope for the time being."
Even if he would grow stronger once the sealed power was released, there was no telling when that seal would break.
Gilford clicked his tongue at Ascalon's words and stood up.
It was a difficult task for outsiders like Gilford's group to persuade the angel's followers.
For now, there was no clear solution.
As Gilford stood and gazed at the mountain ridge where Estacia was, Ascalon flashed brightly once more.
- "In the first place, resolving this kind of matter is not so difficult."
"If you had a way, you should have said so sooner."
- "There is no need to agonize so much when a simple solution exists. I do not understand why you insist on needing an angel."
"What do you mean?"
- "Those people over there are followers of the Order. They are not opponents you should feel guilty about killing."
The conversation took an unsettling turn, and Gilford could guess Ascalon's intent.
"Surely you're not telling me to cut down all those people with my own hands?"
- "That would be the most rational and simple method."
Ascalon's logic was simple.
It meant that everyone there was a heretic, so there would be no problem in executing them.
At Ascalon's words, Gilford's eyes narrowed.
It was because he couldn't believe the words uttered by the Divine Artifact he held.
He gripped the scabbard holding Ascalon and questioned it again.
"Are you serious right now?"
- "A follower of the Order is like a tumor. Left alone, it will grow and consume the body. If not cut out when it is small, it will slowly spread."
"You"
- "If you let them be simply because they are human, all of humanity will eventually fester and rot. Even then, will you still defend them as fellow humans?"
Gilford's gaze toward Ascalon grew increasingly harsh.
His hand gripping the scabbard tightened.
An emotion-laden voice escaped Gilford's lips.
"You're out of your mind."
- "Furthermore, each time you eliminate a follower of the Order, the balance of the Scales will be restored. This should not be an unwelcome proposition, considering the future."
The balance of the Scales would be partially restored.
And he could eliminate the Evil God's followers, who could become a future threat.
To Ascalon, a Divine Artifact, this might seem like a perfectly good proposition.
At least, from the perspective of Ascalon, a Divine Artifact.
""
- "You are a Hero meant to save humanity. Think of the people you carry on your shoulders."
But Gilford had met the people himself while climbing the mountain.
Some had kindly guided him, while others had thrown their bodies in his way to stop him.
A fearless child had even poked him with a thin twig.
What Gilford had encountered on the mountain were living, breathing people.
Not the weight of karma that tipped the scales, nor a tumor eating away at a human body.
Killing kind, unarmed people was something he could not easily do, even as a Hero.
"Is that what you call a Hero?"
- "Yes. That is the duty of a Hero."
He had become a mercenary to cut people down.
But he had not taken up the sword to cut down just anyone.
He was not a knight who knew honor; he was merely a mercenary.
Nevertheless, there was one rule he had etched into his heart from the moment he first held a sword.
Therefore, Gilford said to Ascalon, which was urging him to fight.
"Ascalon. I am no knight, and I know little of honor, but I do know basic human decency."
- "What are you trying to say?"
"That I do not kill children, even if they are followers of the Order."
Clank.
Gilford, who had half-drawn Ascalon, slammed it back into its scabbard and turned away.
Then he looked at the members of his mercenary company, who were watching him.
Jenny. Gaff. And the many mercenaries who followed him.
They were looking at Gilford, awaiting his decision.
As the captain of the mercenary company, Gilford issued an order to his comrades.
"We're leaving this place. Follow me immediately."
- "Gilford Proud. The duty of a Hero"
"There's no need to go out of our way to kill someone who is helping people. This matter doesn't seem urgent enough to resolve right now."
Having spoken, Gilford immediately gathered his things and began to move.
The mercenaries who had been talking amongst themselves quickly fell into formation, following their moving captain.
Now, only Jenny and Gaff remained, staring blankly after him.
Jenny watched the back of Gilford's head as he moved to leave the mountain range and said.
"So we just saw an angel and are leaving without doing anything."
"Well, isn't coming up empty-handed sometimes part of a man's life?"
"A man's life?"
"Anyway, let's hurry and catch up! Everyone's waiting for us."
Gaff shouted heartily to Jenny and bustled off to follow the group.
With even Gaff gone after the mercenaries, Jenny couldn't very well stay behind alone.
Jenny, too, clutched her staff and set off after Gaff and the company.
The sound of Jenny's hurried footsteps spread through the dense forest.
It was a summer day, with the hot sun blazing down.
"Good, yet complicated performance."
I muttered, looking at the new item I'd obtained through the payback event.
It was because of the troublesome trait the new item possessed.
The unique trait of the Holy Relic: Etalia's Compass, which appeared in a 10-pull: Divine Pursuit.
The Divine Pursuit trait, which sounded complicated from its name alone, had the following effects.
- The Holy Relic is bound to the first wielder until their death.
- While the sun is rising, the Holy Relic will have the following functions.
- While the effect of Divine Pursuit is active, the Holy Relic will indicate the direction of another Holy Relic the wielder is thinking of.
- If the distance to another Holy Relic is too close, the detection function will be lost and a warning will be displayed.
- While the effect of Divine Pursuit is active, the wielder cannot use magic power.
- Once the effect of Divine Pursuit ends, it cannot be activated again until the next sunset.
It can detect another Holy Relic that a character is thinking of.
Looking at this part alone, it was an item with tremendous performance.
If I just gave the character an order, the AI would automatically detect the target.
No matter where it was, I could easily find the direction of the Holy Relic.
Using this Holy Relic would also lower the difficulty of finding the targeted Stake of Erges.
The problem, however, was the tricky conditions listed below.
"If it's bound, I should give it to Yutenia, but the part about not being able to use magic power is tricky."
While the Divine Pursuit trait is active, one cannot use magic power normally.
Since I planned to give this item to Yutenia, a mage, the fact that she wouldn't be able to use magic was a predicament.
A mage unable to use magic was practically the same as being disarmed.
Of course, it wasn't as if there was no way to use magic power at all.
It was possible to use magic power again by deactivating the Holy Relic.
"It seems like you can use magic again if you deactivate it, but"
However, deactivating it triggered a considerable cooldown before it could be used again.
Since it could only be activated after the next sunset, it basically meant waiting for two days.
If I cut off the Holy Relic's effect to use magic, the search would be delayed for two whole in-game days.
It was a powerful penalty befitting a powerful effect.
And it's not like I could give a bound item to that guy named Philip next to Yutenia.
"Yutenia? Evan? No, Evan is a magic swordsman, so he can't fight properly without magic either."
Left with no choice, I stared at the Holy Relic: Etalia's Compass and pondered for a long time over who I should give it to.
Evan and Yutenia. And Loan.
The members of the Order passed through my mind one by one.
Kueberberg's image also briefly crossed my mind, but I'd be lucky if it didn't just put the Holy Relic in its mouth.
Estacia, who was holed up and unmoving, was of course out of the question.
After agonizing over the owner of the Holy Relic for a long time, I came to one conclusion.
"Hah For now, let's give the grimoire I have to Yutenia and think about it more."
I decided to first give the magic I'd pulled to Yutenia and then continue to mull it over.
Having reached a conclusion, I flipped through my inventory and opened the page with the Grimoire: Giga Lightning.
Grimoire: Giga Lightning.
It was a grimoire I had newly acquired from a pull.
In the past, I would have used it immediately after pulling it, but now I had a family to support, so I couldn't.
Giving the grimoire to Yutenia first so she could learn the spell was the most efficient course of action.
"I hope she learns it quickly and returns it. I want to try out the new magic too."
Once Yutenia had fully learned the magic and returned the grimoire as an offering, it would be my turn to learn Giga Lightning.
If I learned a lightning-based spell, Evan, who possessed the Divine Artifact: Astrape, would also be able to use it.
Furthermore, the Magic Sword: Ednos that Loan had possessed the ability to store magic.
Including me, a total of four people would be able to use the same spell.
To think that four people could share a single newly acquired spell.
Anyone could see that this was peak growth efficiency.
"Yutenia was probably somewhere to the west."
After opening my inventory to the grimoire, I began to search for Yutenia's whereabouts.
As far as I recalled, Yutenia seemed to be passing through a location somewhere between the Order and Estacia.
Swipe. Swipe.
I flipped through the map at high speed, searching for Yutenia, who was traveling west.
And the moment I spotted Yutenia moving in a carriage.
A series of new messages began to appear at the bottom of the screen.
- A Fanatic has died.
- Karma gain from Faith has been reduced by one.
- A Fanatic has died.
- Karma gain from Faith has been slightly reduced.
.
.
.
- A Fanatic has died.
- Karma gain from Faith has been slightly reduced.
A decrease in Karma gain due to the death of Fanatics.
That was the content of the newly appeared messages.
Startled by the sudden messages, I immediately checked on Yutenia.
Yutenia, who was reading a book, seemed to be perfectly fine.
If that was the case, this could only mean one thing.
"My followers are dying?"
Something had happened to my followers somewhere.
A major problem, at thatone dire enough to kill followers with the Fanatic trait.