Chapter 116
Chapter 116
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Sinful God - 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jenia said.
“Is this really an oracle? For real?”
“What am I supposed to do if a holy knight asks me that?”
“W-Well, it does feel similar to the depictions in history books and illustrations.”
Why is the oracle so famous?
Why is it the definitive event heralding the Demon King's descent and the hero's emergence?
The biggest reason is that everyone on the continent believes in the Heavenly God, but there must be other factors too.
‘It’s undeniable.’
[Indeed. It’s an event everyone on the continent experienced simultaneously.]
‘Yeah. For example, if the oracle had come only to a specific person and announced the Demon King’s descent through them, it wouldn’t have become this famous.’
People might doubt things they didn’t experience themselves.
But.
“No one can deny an event everyone on the continent experiences at once.”
That was when it happened.
The sky split open, and the ‘voice of the god’ echoed across the entire continent.
—All my children living on this land, heed my words.
The continent you dwell upon is now in peril.
The one who brought this crisis is the fake hero, Maide Mohan.
For a moment, I doubted my own ears.
My companions turned to me and said.
“What the hell did that bastard just say?”
“Calm down.”
“No. It’s calling Maide a fake. I’m ditching my title as the god’s proxy right now.”
It was the proxy of a pheasant anyway… no, that’s not the point.
“This oracle isn’t from the Heavenly God.”
“Oh. Then!”
“Yeah. It’s Idria. Let’s hear it out first.”
We held our breath and waited for the next voice.
—Maide Mohan is a servant of the Demon King of Lies and Deceit, Idria.
Whoa. Coming out swinging like that.
—Idria deemed the one existence that could threaten her as the hero.
Thus, she installed the ‘fake hero’ Maide and commanded him to tarnish the name of the ‘true hero’ Kaild Wake.
Maide Mohan is none other than Idria’s vanguard and prophet.
Do not be deceived by that wicked one.
Kaild Wake alone is the true hero I have chosen, and only he can slay Idria.
I pressed my forehead.
‘Not bad, Idria. Pretty clever.’
Even if I planned to coerce an oracle from the Heavenly God myself, having it smear me like this beforehand made it uncertain if I’d get the effect I hoped for.
[We can only hope the Heavenly God has some sense.]
True enough.
I stayed silent.
The sky was slowly closing bit by bit.
The oracle’s voice continued.
—Gather under Kaild’s banner. Reject the Demon King’s vanguard, Maide Mohan.
Do not be swayed by his treacherous tongue.
As always, this time too the Demon King is fated to fall by the hero’s hand.
If you see the true hero with clear eyes, there will be no issue.
Whoosh.
It felt like a sound of light pouring down.
As if to make people believe it more.
And finally, the sky fully closed.
Only then did we exhale the breaths we’d been holding.
Neril said.
“That oracle was definitely Idria.”
“Why?”
“Maide blackmailed the Heavenly God, and it worked. No one in that position would fail to grasp the situation, no matter how arrogant.”
“Hmm. Fair point.”
“The problem is how refined ‘our side’s’ oracle will be in response…”
That was when it happened.
As if it had been waiting, the sky opened once more.
The clouds parted, and light poured down exactly like before, without a single discrepancy.
The Heavenly God was delivering an oracle!
Alright. Let’s see how well it represents me.
The oracle’s voice spoke.
—The Demon King of Lies and Deceit, Idria, has descended.
In response, I appoint a hero: his name is Maide Mohan.
All of you, gather under him and oppose the Demon King.
Hm.
Good start.
Okay, and? What’s next?
“……”
We calmly waited for its next words.
But.
Swoosh.
Swish.
The sky closed again.
The light faded, and the clouds returned to normal.
My party members alternated glances between the sky and me.
Serein said.
“Huh? Is that it?”
My party members lost it.
“You fucking bastard!”
“Heh heh. This Heavenly God is like the dark seawater of the deep sea.”
“What kind of metaphor is that?”
“It’s lame.”
“What do we do? The quality difference between the two oracles is too stark.”
“And our oracle didn’t even call Kaild a ‘fake.’”
“That’s the biggest issue. Theirs outright labeled Maide a fake and the Demon King’s vanguard.”
I calmed my agitated party members.
Then I shouted at Trail.
‘Status! How’s my reputation compared to Kaild’s right now?’
[Hold on.]
[Maide Mohan Cumulative Reputation: 280,900]
I felt a brief dizzy spell.
‘What was my reputation before?’
[148,760 last recorded.]
‘So it jumped about 130,000 from this oracle.’
It rivaled the total I’d scraped together through all my ordeals since regressing.
If this were all, I’d be dancing for joy.
But.
[Kaild Wake Cumulative Reputation: 410,830]
I couldn’t help but tremble all over.
Kaild’s reputation was around 31,170 the last time I checked.
In other words, Kaild gained a whopping 370,000 reputation from Idria’s fake oracle!
Compared to my 130,000, it was nearly three times as much.
‘Ha. Life’s so unfair. Kaild did nothing, while I ran around like a dog everywhere.’
[You okay?]
‘Not okay. Let’s grab a drink later.’
[That was my suggestion earlier.]
I chuckled.
Even to me, that laugh sounded deflated.
But Trail’s next words perked my ears.
[Still, this is unexpected.]
‘What.’
[Didn’t notice? Look closely at the status.]
I shifted from the numbers to the continent map.
Soon, my jaw dropped.
‘Th-This?’
Two oracles had come down in succession.
And they conveyed completely opposing messages.
The first called Maide the vanguard of the false Demon King, but the second declared him the hero.
Most continent-dwellers believed the first oracle.
But there were places that held unshakable faith in Maide.
No, there were ‘many.’
“Sir Maide.”
Lady Ariena—no, the countess now—gazed up at the sky, restored to its original blue.
She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
“I’m here today because of your help. I can honor my mother as my mother, and my territory’s people avoided war—all thanks to you.”
So.
“Oracles be damned. I believed from the start that you’re the true hero.”
“Dear.”
Mariana stroked the statue of her husband, Somel.
“You heard that oracle just now, right? What do you think?”
Naturally, no voice replied.
But Mariana continued in a gentle tone.
“You never answered my words, but this time, I feel like I know your answer without hearing it.”
Surely, he felt the same as her now.
The hero Maide had stopped the ghost disturbances in Rayners Territory.
He revealed her husband’s whereabouts after 13 years of searching and ultimately severed the Demon King’s power to restore him.
What the oracle said didn’t matter anyway.
“And our son has a real knack for reading people’s natures. He sees souls, after all.”
So wasting time on such ‘petty’ worries was pointless.
Ben, who ran a butcher shop, was in the middle of haggling with a customer trying to knock down the meat price exactly when the oracle descended.
By the time the two oracles ended, he and the customer were practically old pals.
“What bullshit is this? Maide as the Demon King’s vanguard?”
“The first one’s probably fake. The second oracle’s the real deal.”
“You got it. The first was way too long anyway. The Heavenly God wouldn’t ramble like that. No gravitas.”
“Exactly. I nearly dozed off listening to it.”
After chatting amiably like that for a while, they returned to their routines.
In other territories, it’d be news that’d paralyze work for a week, but not in Hasfil Territory.
This was the hero’s hometown.
They couldn’t afford to waver over a fake oracle.
The customer, who finally got a slight discount on the meat, said.
“But you’re closing up after morning sales today?”
“Yeah, head to Dian’s.”
“Oh. Ahem. Some new facts came out after Maide’s last visit.”
“I couldn’t sleep for three days after hearing. I was the one who reported Dian, after all.”
Back then, after Maide finished meeting his mother, he’d visited the lord again.
And in the trial process, he revealed the father’s abuse that hadn’t come out before.
Hasfil’s lord had been deeply flustered and begged forgiveness for the inadequate investigation.
Maide reportedly shook his head and replied.
“The one who needs to apologize to my mother most is me. Besides, that trial was under the previous lord.”
“Then at least release her now…”
“My mother did kill my father—that much is fact. Of course, if there are grounds for reduction, you could shorten it.”
“……”
“Moreover, she’s been there too long already. Throwing her into the world suddenly would be tough for her to adjust alone. It might even be safer there until I slay the Demon King and return.”
The lord, finding logic in it, nodded.
Maide had stammered on.
“But just improve her treatment a bit.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.”
After Maide left, the lord issued an official document announcing that Dian Mohan had suffered severe abuse and beatings.
And from the day Ben saw that document, he’d visited Dian once a week, bringing meat.
That afternoon, when Ben entered the visiting room, Dian was gazing at the sky through the bars.
“Ahem. Dian.”
“You’re here? I told you there’s no need to come every day.”
“I’ve just got time on my hands.”
“Hee hee. If you say so.”
“What were you up to?”
She turned from the sky to look at Ben.
“A ridiculous oracle came down. Saying my son is the Demon King’s vanguard.”
“Oh, that? Don’t worry. No one’s paying attention.”
“Well…”
She continued softly.
“No one who knows Maide would give it ear. Such an absurd oracle.”
Davids was in a meeting with his father and retainers.
The two oracles descended during the meeting.
When they ended, everyone sat with mouths agape, speechless.
Then Davids said.
“Shall we continue the meeting?”
“Y-Yes? L-Lord Davids.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No. Two oracles in a row, and you’re so calm…”
“You’re wrong.”
Davids shook his head firmly.
“There was only one oracle. The one naming Maide as the hero.”
“Gasp. O-Of course.”
Count Akain nodded, backing his son.
“Check carefully if any territory folk are shaken.”
“Yes.”
“We were once so-called Kaild supporters, so some might still call him hero. But with me, Davids, and Ophelia here, we can’t tolerate such nonsense.”
The retainers bowed in succession.
Count Akain said to his son.
“Carry on.”
He was gradually handing over the territory’s affairs to his son.
At Davids’ request.
He’d once said he wanted to meet Ophelia again as lord someday.
“Yes. About that part where yields increased earlier…”
Dronor Territory was at peace.
As if nothing had happened.
Following Trail’s words, I checked the continent map and couldn’t help but be stunned.
[How’s that? The places where your reputation shone are still shining, right?]
My reputation appears as bright light, Kaild’s as black mist.
And every territory I’d passed through was still glowing brightly.
‘Yeah. How is this possible.’
[As you see, those are places where you personally resolved incidents.]
“……”
[In other words, ‘people who met you directly’ don’t doubt you’re the hero. Even after that biased oracle.]
‘Trail.’
[Keep doing what you’ve been doing. You’ll surely turn it around again.]
Overwhelmed by surging emotion, I couldn’t say a word.