Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Mudfight - 3
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Kaild continued the oracle with infuriating solemnity.
—The minion of the Demon King of Lies, Maide Mohan, has once again put you all to the test.
He dared to defile the name of the omnipotent Creator, the heavenly god who rules over all things in the world.
His villainy and audacity fill me with utter dismay.
I ground my teeth without thinking.
—The heavenly god has brought divine punishment upon humanity, yet at the same time, felt deep sorrow for it. I, Kaild, witnessed the god weeping bitterly right by my side.
What a load of bullshit.
If you're going to grieve over humanity's suffering, then don't unleash divine punishment in the first place.
—Everyone. Please do not abandon your faith in the heavenly god.
I will continue to plead with the god on your behalf.
To withdraw the rod of chastisement aimed at you all.
But for that to happen, you must help me as well.
Do not fall for the fake hero Maide!
Let us shatter his lies.
I, Hero Kaild Wake, will stand with you.
Do not be deceived by falsehoods and deceptions.
Swoosh.
The oracle ended there.
The golden sky vanished, and dark clouds gathered once more.
The dark clouds began pouring down fierce rain just like before.
[I thought it would drag on forever, but it ended quicker than expected.]
‘Adin’s body won’t hold out much longer. He’s got his hands full with the rain and the oracle.’
[Meaning even with over a million fame, this is pushing him to the limit.]
‘Yeah.’
[If we chip away at his fame just a bit more, we might see a path to victory.]
I nodded.
Then I requested a check on how much the oracle had affected things.
Trail promptly displayed a status window.
“…….”
A chuckle escaped my lips.
[Maide Mohan Cumulative Fame: 448,800]
[Adin Press Cumulative Fame: 1,085,000]
My fame had dropped.
Adin’s had risen.
…….
This was shaping up to be a war of attrition.
A prolonged battle favored him, not me.
With humanity on the brink of extinction from the great flood, they’d bow to the heavenly god.
I bit my lip.
That was when Neril asked.
“……Did it drop? Your fame.”
“Yeah. No time to explain details. I’m starting my speech right now.”
“Got it. I’m ready.”
Neril activated the communication orb.
I dove straight into my speech.
Watching my back, Neril muttered something.
But I was too immersed in the speech to catch it properly.
I’d ask Trail later.
That was when Trail murmured quietly.
[……No. I didn’t hear it either.]
What Maide had missed was Neril’s mutter.
“Adwin. Soul conversation, please. Everyone except Maide.”
“Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to talk all together after bro’s speech?”
“…….”
“Oh, got it. One sec.”
Adwin chanted a spell.
Neril gazed at the puzzled party members before speaking.
[You connected Trail too?]
Trail answered before Adwin.
[Yes. I’m here.]
[Then keep this conversation secret. Even don’t tell him with that Eye of Omniscience thing.]
[Huh?]
Neril let out a light sigh.
[At this rate, Maide can never beat Adin. You all know why, right?]
[Because Kaild will counter every rebuttal?]
[Exactly. It’ll drag on endlessly, and humanity will end up submitting to the god.]
[…….]
[So we need one big blow.]
Jenia tilted her head.
[What kind of blow? What can we even do right now?]
[Not us.]
[Huh?]
[Me.]
She took a deep breath.
[Impellium said it. To convert fame to power, you need resolve to give up what you desire most.]
[……Yeah. Wait, no way?]
[Yes.]
Neril spoke clearly.
[I’ve made up my mind.]
The oracles and speeches via communication orb continued for a while.
—It’s crystal clear that Kaild is the fake hero.
Recall what happened in Atrium or Havel.
Check the statements issued there.
Kaild babbling about the heavenly god while backed by the Demon King is the height of deception!
I’m rather puzzled why the heavenly god stays silent while the fake hero Kaild sullies his own name.
[Maide Mohan Cumulative Fame: 468,800]
[Adin Press Cumulative Fame: 995,000]
My speeches yielded some results.
My fame rose, Adin’s fell.
But then.
—Everyone. The vile Maide lacks the means, so he’s inciting you with crude communication orbs.
But what of me?
Am I not speaking to you through this golden oracle?
How is it that I receive the oracle’s grace?
Because the heavenly god is with me.
And what greater proof of my authenticity is there than the heavenly god’s presence?
If I am real, doesn’t that naturally make Maide Mohan the fake?
[Maide Mohan Cumulative Fame: 428,800]
[Adin Press Cumulative Fame: 1,005,000]
After Kaild’s rebuttal, my fame dropped again.
It was enough to drive anyone mad.
—Two oracles came down in the past.
One from the heavenly god, the other a fake from Idria.
Thus, Kaild’s claim of ‘appealing to you through oracles’ proves nothing.
His convenient speeches now are purely Idria’s doing.
—Maide Mohan nitpicked my method of communication last time.
Ha. You think this speech is via Idria’s fake oracle?
You wise folk won’t fall for such nonsense, but just in case.
Even if Idria could issue fake oracles, could she do so this ‘frequently’?
Could the Demon King churn them out like meals?
I eagerly await Maide Mohan’s excuse next time.
—Kaild claimed earlier the Demon King couldn’t issue oracles like meals, but as always, true to his irresponsible nature, he provided no proof.
How could the Demon King even appoint a fake hero? Heroes and Demon Kings are eternal foes.
Don’t lump past Demon Kings with Idria.
Kaild knows that full well. But if the topic shifted there, his own skeletons would emerge, so he slyly deflected.
—Maide is back to slandering again, but……
—Kaild is spouting ridiculous excuses, but……
The back-and-forth dragged on like this.
I could only lament.
‘It’s a total mudfight.’
A week later.
I finished my communication orb speech that day and checked my fame.
Looking at the screen, I closed my eyes tightly.
[Maide Mohan Cumulative Fame: 418,800]
[Adin Press Cumulative Fame: 1,105,000]
Even right after my speech, my fame had dropped.
Adin’s had risen.
Yes.
Thanks to the nonstop downpour over the week, humanity could no longer think calmly or rationally.
In the end, they chose the heavenly god.
A bitter taste rose in my throat.
That was when.
“Maide.”
“Yeah? Oh.”
It was Neril.
Her face had grown noticeably gaunt lately.
‘She’s definitely plotting something. Hasn’t shown up at speeches recently.’
[…….]
‘Spit it out.’
[What.]
‘If you won’t tell, show me the secret. The one between you and Neril.’
Trail stayed silent, just like the past few days.
She must have made him swear tight.
Neril said.
“From your expression…….”
“Yeah. Today’s results were utter shit.”
“Worse than that, right? Your speeches aren’t swaying the continent anymore, are they?”
“…….”
“It’s okay. Don’t make that face.”
Neril spoke in a gentle tone.
“Get some good rest today, try again tomorrow. It’ll definitely go better then.”
“Because you’ve steeled your resolve?”
“……!”
“I’m telling you now, Trail kept the secret to the end. And that’s exactly why I’ll beat the crap out of him later.”
Neril’s eyes trembled.
I continued softly.
“The other party members too. Tell them to brace for a scolding.”
“H-How did you know?”
“Why would you think I wouldn’t? You know how sharp my instincts are.”
“…….”
“Especially when it’s about you.”
Rustle.
I approached Neril.
I gently took her hand and said.
“I know you’ve all been huddling together at night, pooling ideas.”
“Maide.”
“You’re planning to convert your fame to power for some reversal scheme. Of course, I’m rejecting that plan outright.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know what you want most, but it’s probably as big a deal to you as retirement is to me. No way I’m letting you sacrifice that.”
“But if we keep going like this, it’s certain defeat. You know that.”
True.
But I played it off casually.
“Worst case, I’ll flip the board.”
“Huh?”
“Head back to the starting line. Slaughter hundreds of Velocians there, kill Adin and Kaild too.”
“…….”
“Should’ve done it ages ago, honestly. Getting dragged into this mudfight turned everything into a swamp.”
Neril fell silent for a moment.
But soon, she smiled softly.
“Yeah. That’ll do it.”
“Yeah. It will.”
“Take a quick nap.”
“Sure. ……Huh?”
An irresistible drowsiness washed over me.
I forced my heavy eyelids open, and saw Neril holding the Withering Jewel.
“You didn’t.”
“Figures it wouldn’t work easily. I drained every last bit of the jewel’s vitality, and still no sleep.”
“Don’t do something so stupid.”
“Maide. I had two wishes.”
She cradled my collapsing form.
Then whispered in my ear.
“One was making you the hero.”
“…….”
“The other…… well, it’s a secret.”
“Neril.”
“I agonized over which to give up, but the answer was obvious. If I can’t make you the hero, the world ends.”
She stroked my face.
Then lightly kissed my lips.
Smack.
“I’m not gambling blindly. I’ve got a minimum safety net, so don’t worry too much.”
“…….”
“You’ve worked so hard till now. Leave this to us and rest.”
With that, I plunged into deep sleep.
Neril laid Maide flat.
Then looked behind her.
Rustle.
Figures rose from the campfire shadows.
Ophens scratched his head and said.
“No clue how much hell we’ll catch later. From Maide.”
“You guys won’t get in that much trouble.”
“You’re about to give up what you want most right now.”
“More precisely, I’ve resolved to give it up. And I’ve insured even that.”
Jenia jumped in, face on the verge of tears.
“No one knows if that’ll even work.”
“…….”
“We should’ve told Maide from the start. But Neril blocked it so hard…….”
Neril shook her head firmly.
“You think he’d have agreed cheerfully if we’d told him upfront?”
“……No.”
“Right. Let me tell you something now.”
She continued deliberately.
“If I made Maide choose between ‘his own life’ and ‘party members,’ he’d pick the latter.”
“…….”
“That’s his biggest weakness. In other words, I—we—are Maide’s weakness.”
“Neril.”
“I can’t stand that. It’s not about pride. We’re heroes supporting the hero. We can’t be his stumbling block.”
Everyone bowed their heads like they’d committed a crime.
Neril disliked the mood and added playfully.
“You hid it from Maide because you feel the same, right?”
“……Not entirely, but mostly yeah. Above all, Maide already gave up retirement.”
Strength entered Jenia’s voice.
“If we give up nothing while he has, we’re no longer comrades.”
“Me sacrificing this time is enough.”
“Neril.”
“If our all-nighters for a week pay off, everything will be fine.”
She nodded at Ophens.
Ophens touched his Adam’s apple with a grim face.
He soon spoke.
His voice was perfectly Maide’s.
“I’m ready.”
“Script?”
“Don’t need it. Memorized it perfectly over the week.”
“Good. Whew.”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly.
Would the plan work?
What if it didn’t?
‘What else?’
It’d be farewell.
She smirked, pulled something from her bosom.
And recited her resolve firmly.
—I renounce the future I dream of with Maide.
At the same time, she snapped something with a crack.