Chapter 66
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Black Sun
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- You have used Control Weather: Solar Eclipse.
- The effect of Control Weather will last for 1 day.
After using the Control Weather skill, I was faced with a problem.
A simple yet troublesome problem I faced after using the skill.
The fact that I could no longer see the game screen properly.
On the darkened screen, apart from the skill icons on the map, most objects weren't displaying correctly.
Only faint outlines were visible on the black screen.
"I... I can't see the screen."
As a result of using a solar eclipse over such a wide area, even I was faced with a situation where I couldn't see the map properly.
It was a situation I hadn't anticipated at all.
No matter what eclipse effect was used, shouldn't a player at least be able to see the screen for it to be a proper game?
And yet, this insane game was failing to display the screen properly.
I had been harmed by the effect of my own skill.
"No, I mean, come on... a skill I use shouldn't be hindering me, right?"
I couldn't continue playing the game in this state.
The game coming to a halt just because I used a single skillit was absurd.
What's more, once a skill was activated, it was impossible to cancel it before its duration ended.
That meant all I could do was sit back and wait for the skill to wear off.
Staring at the black screen, I muttered in disbelief.
"This game is truly one for the ages."
If I had the mana to spare, I would have used Control Weather again, but with my mana depleted, all I could do was wait for time to pass.
Because it would take a significant amount of time for my mana to fully recover.
Realizing I had no other options, I mentally calculated the skill's remaining duration.
I intended to use the time difference between reality and the game to estimate how long I'd have to wait.
"It lasts for one day in game time... so it should probably wear off in less than half a day in real time."
The time displays in the game's system messages are mostly based on in-game time.
And there was a certain time difference between the game and reality.
From my personal experience, the flow of time seemed to be two to three times faster in the game.
Since I had set the duration of Control Weather to one day, it was highly likely the skill would be gone by the time I woke up.
Click.
I turned off the smartphone's screen and, still holding it, lay down fully on my bed.
As I stretched out my arms and legs, a yawn escaped my lips.
"Yaaawn..."
Having given up on playing, I lay in bed and watched the TV.
The TV, which had been on, was playing the news I had turned on as soon as I got home.
I'd left it on just to fill the house with some sound.
With sleepy eyes, I watched the world news on the TV.
It had been quite a while since I'd watched the world news.
- "The Republic of South Africa has declared a state of national emergency and has closed its borders."
- "Experts on the situation state..."
On the news, an anchor was discussing the global situation.
It seemed there was trouble on the other side of the planet.
There are many countries on Earth.
And it's impossible for all of them to be at peace simultaneously, isn't it?
It was inevitable that some country would be having problems.
"Watching this is making me sleepy again."
Leaning to one side to watch the world news, my eyes slowly began to close.
A wave of drowsiness spread through my body as I lay in bed.
The anchor's voice in my ear sounded like a lullaby.
I couldn't play the game on my phone anymore, and my tasks for the day were long since finished.
There was no reason to stay awake.
I didn't fight the encroaching sleepiness and let my eyes close completely.
"I should just sleep..."
The sound of my own soft breathing mixed with the anchor's voice in my ears.
The rhythmic sounds gradually brought a sense of calm.
My consciousness slowly faded, and my eyelids grew heavier.
The moment my fading consciousness went completely dark.
I fell asleep.
- "In response... other nations..."
- "And..."
- Crackle. Fizz.
At a branch of the Order in the southwestern part of the continent.
There, Estacia stared blankly at the sky.
Normally, the sun would be high in the sky at this hour, but today was different.
A black sun had risen, turning the entire sky dark.
This bizarre sight was not an unfamiliar one to Estacia, a Cherub.
A solar eclipse, artificially created using mana.
A phenomenon that only a god from another world could intentionally manifest on earth.
"Hmmmm..."
As the sky turned black, Estacia lit her halo and pondered.
The eclipse before her had been intentionally caused by the master who had sent her down.
So, why had he created a black sun?
After a moment of thought, Estacia came to a conclusion.
He got into a bad mood while observing the mortal world.
That was the cause of the eclipse, as far as Estacia could figure.
"Ugh..."
Having reached this conclusion, Estacia groaned and took a step back.
It was because of the conclusion she'd reached after pondering why her master would be angry.
Suddenly, an image of herself lazing around her room all day yesterday flashed through her mind.
At the same time, she recalled the warning Apostle Yutenia had given her not long ago.
A warning that the Great One might punish her if she didn't watch over the people every day.
It seemed that Estacia's laziness yesterday had angered the god who was watching over her.
"Today... might be a little busy."
Faced with this grave situation, Estacia broke into a cold sweat and increased the output of her halo.
A bright light spread out, and a radiant aura bloomed around Estacia.
Bathed in a nimbus of light, Estacia's figure shone brilliantly even in the darkness.
At the sight of Estacia with her wings spread and halo glowing, the people near her cried out in joy.
To them, the sight of Estacia shining alone in the darkness was like a beacon.
"A-Angel...!"
"I can see now!"
"Sob... Being near the angel, I can see clearly..."
The people who saw Estacia's light began to approach her one by one.
To them, who had lost the light, Estacia was the only light and their salvation.
Among those who approached Estacia was a bishop of the Order.
The bishop, his face pale with fear, immediately drew close to Estacia.
And then he asked her about the current situation.
"Angel! D-Do you happen to know what this phenomenon is?"
"It's a solar eclipse, caused by the black sun."
"A black sun..."
"It seems the Great One is angry."
The Great One was enraged.
Hearing this, the surrounding followers let out a collective gasp.
The wrath of a god was like a bolt from the blue to his followers.
In the worsening situation, the followers began to voice their concerns.
"The god is angered...!"
"We're in big trouble now..."
"How could this be? Angel! Why on earth is the Great One angry?"
All eyes turned to Estacia, who had explained the situation.
Receiving their stares, Estacia looked away with a troubled expression.
In her mind, the responsibility for this incident lay with Estacia herself.
However, she couldn't possibly say that out loud in front of the followers staring at her.
After all, she had the dignity of an angel to maintain.
"W-Well."
"Of course, it must be very difficult for you, Angel, to have directly received the Great One's wrath."
"Yes..."
"But thanks to your intercession, we haven't been punished, have we?"
"Maybe... so...?"
And so, Estacia couldn't bring herself to completely deny the bishop's words.
She simply didn't have the courage to face the followers if they were to blame her.
As Estacia gave a vague reply, the bishop nodded, his face filled with emotion.
Then, with tears in his eyes, he expressed his gratitude to her.
"Thank you! Angel! To think you would appease the Great One's wrath for our sake!"
"Uh, yes."
"We shouldn't just stand here. We must offer our prayers to the Great One immediately. Let us gather the lost followers and head to the chapel."
"Alright."
The conclusion the bishop reached in the face of this crisis was singular.
For everyone to pray together to appease the heavens' wrath as quickly as possible.
That was the only logical solution a follower of the Order could conceive.
Estacia, too, thought it was the most reasonable course of action.
She figured that if she at least kept praying, the Great One might calm his anger.
"Everyone! To the chapel!"
"Yes, Bishop!"
"We must offer prayers of atonement to the Great One and quell His anger!"
Leading the followers to the chapel naturally fell to Estacia.
Aside from her own thought that she needed to work today, it was because she was the only one among them who was glowing.
If they weren't close to Estacia, the followers struggled even to see what was in front of them.
In essence, only Estacia could become the guide to lead people through the darkness.
Estacia had no choice but to find the followers one by one and lead them to the chapel.
For Estacia, who normally never even went above the second floor, this task was an incredible trial and hardship.
The moment Estacia found the very last follower and returned to the chapel.
She was met with the sight of followers praying in every seat except her own.
"Angel!"
"Ugh... I'm so tired."
"We have prepared a seat for you, Angel."
"Alright..."
As she approached, the bishop personally guided Estacia to an ornate, jewel-encrusted seat.
Her legs aching from going up and down the stairs, Estacia sat down in her designated spot.
No matter how tired she was, she couldn't not pray in a situation like this.
With her exhausted body, Estacia sat down and began to pray.
Flutter.
Estacia's wings moved, and the radiance of her halo brightened another notch.
Estacia respectfully folded her hands and began to offer her prayers to the god.
"O... Great... Master... who art in heaven."
As Estacia prayed with her eyes closed, her eyebrows twitched.
She wished for the darkness covering the sky to disappear as quickly as possible.
If this situation continued, the followers might point to Estacia as the culprit.
If that happened, she might not be able to enjoy her cool strawberry juice for several days.
As she prayed, Estacia's hands began to tremble.
"P-Please... grant us... light for our sake..."
Of course, the thoughts of the followers watching Estacia pray were completely different.
Seeing Estacia sweating and stammering, the followers in the chapel were all moved to tears.
They thought Estacia was struggling to pray despite her ailing body.
There wasn't a single follower present who wasn't moved by the sight of an angel sacrificing herself for humanity.
"Sob, Angel... To pray so hard for us even when you're in such pain."
"There's no one... like our angel."
"O Great One. Please look upon our angel's efforts with favor and grant us your light."
The corners of Estacia's mouth, praying with her eyes closed, twitched faintly.
The followers' reaction was vastly different from what she had expected.
Estacia felt an urge to check what the followers looked like right now.
So as not to be caught, Estacia minutely lifted her eyelids.
As she lifted her eyelids, a small, dry cough escaped her lips.
"A... ahem..."
Peeking through her barely open eyes, Estacia's gaze quickly swept over the followers.
Fortunately, it seemed no one had yet noticed her culpability.
Phew.
Breathing a sigh of relief inwardly, Estacia continued her prayer in a trembling voice.
Each time Estacia continued her prayer, the nimbus of light surrounding her grew brighter.
"And thank you... for giving us... our daily... s-strawberry...?"
Was it because the sky had turned black?
The followers, gathered before the only source of light in the darkness, Estacia, never left her side, even when mealtime came.
Estacia, who had been praying, was finally freed from her all-night duty when the sun rose the next day.