No One Else but Me
What is it? What’s wrong?
The sword, which had gone deathly still, suddenly erupted into a frantic panic.
—Wait, why isn’t this normal?! I sense Chernobog’s aura?! ＼(●o○;) In this? Here? Why?!
Aren’t those my lines to ask you?!
It had to be an enormous crisis, given how violently the blade thrummed against my waist where I had tucked it beneath my clothes.
—We’re in big trouble, Contractor! Chernobog must have found a contractor too! 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡!!
Wait… you mean the archenemy of Belobog, the God of Light I’m contracted to? That god can make contracts with people, too?
As I reeled from the unexpected revelation, the sword vibrated violently, wailing in my mind.
—Waaah! Waaah! You haven’t even completed a proper Master Succession Ceremony! 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ You haven’t reached a fraction of a fraction of the final tier—the Super Ultra King God Emperor… wait, what was it again? (ﾟ)？ Anyway, whatever supreme tier that is! If the cruel, wicked Chernobog just goes ‘Grrr!’ at you, you’ll melt on the spot and turn to dust in the Netherworld! ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡
Be honest. You don’t even know what those buzzwords mean and you couldn't memorize them, so you're just spouting whatever pops into your head, aren't you? You threw random slang together, forgot halfway through, and trailed off!
—And… our master doesn’t even have companions who can wield every elemental attribute of divine power…! 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡
Stop lamenting my miserable lot in life and explain what's going on! You crying isn't going to magically conjure loyal allies out of thin air!
After coaxing the blubbering emoticon sword back to some semblance of composure, I finally pieced the explanation together.
Belobog was the benevolent God of Light with whom I had formed a contract.
He was the deity of the mortal surface, the one who had erected the continental barriers to shield humanity from demonic beasts. In terms of territory, the ground upon which mankind walked belonged to him.
Chernobog was his antithesis—the God of Darkness.
He was the creator and sire of all demonic beasts, ruling the subterranean depths known as the Underworld or the Netherworld. Whenever demonic beasts clawed their way up from beneath the earth whenever the barriers faltered, it was all part of Chernobog’s endless scheme to claim the surface for himself.
Naturally, Belobog and Chernobog were bitter, sworn enemies. When the First Emperor drove the demonic beasts underground and established the barrier grid, the era was hailed as Belobog’s victory.
As for why I had been chosen as his contractor? Because under the ancient covenant between the First Emperor and Belobog, the right to contract with the God of Light was strictly confined to the imperial bloodline—specifically, to those who possessed the Power of Light.
Furthermore, until that barrier completely collapsed, neither Chernobog nor Belobog could intervene directly in the human realm. While they could channel power through a chosen contractor, divine law forbade gods from laying their hands upon the mortal world unbidden.
—Sniffle, sniffle. That’s why Chernobog can’t just form a contract with just anyone, either… (*´；；`*) Sniff… Ordinary humans can’t handle dark energy, nor should they ever try. But very rarely—among an extraordinarily tiny fraction of humanity—there are people whose bodies can accept that darkness…
Wait, didn’t you say Belobog is the god of humanity? How can a human contract with Chernobog in the first place?
—Even good, ordinary-looking people can murder others, can’t they? It’s the same logic… Just like how even the most heinous, despicable scoundrels manage to find plenty of sympathizers among mortals. ʕ ´• ᴥ•̥`ʔ
Crystal clear. So what you’re saying is that this contractor tampered with the wine?
—Yes. It’s faint… and since you haven’t fully awakened as my true master yet, I wouldn’t have noticed it at all if you weren’t wearing Gloriana’s Insignia.
I glanced around the deserted corridor where Cronen had left me.
This wasn't where the ceremony was being held. Strictly speaking, it was merely an access hallway. Cronen had clearly cornered me on our way there, deliberately offering the chalice out of sight from prying eyes.
In the distance, the holy fire had already begun to blaze, accompanied by the faint drone of chanting prayers. Cronen would return any second.
What happens if I drink this?
—……
You said normal poisons get purified automatically. What happens when I drink something laced with the power of an opposing god?
—……If you’re stronger than the person who tainted it, it won't be a problem. o(；△；)o
Which means if I’m not, I’m thoroughly screwed, right?
One hurdle after another…
Performing a safe Master Succession Ceremony supposedly required assembling wielders of every single elemental divine attribute. What was this, a quest to gather the seven Dragon B*lls?
I addressed the sword again, which had fallen uncharacteristically quiet and despondent.
As long as I don’t drink it, I’ll be fine?
—Yes. As long as you don't get wounded and let that energy seep into an open cut… or drink it… you should be relatively safe… (╯•﹏•╰)
…Well, I’ll manage somehow.
—It’s too dangerous, Contractor! Seriously, if Chernobog’s contractor is meddling in this… (๑ŏ _ ŏ๑)
I offered the anxious blade a faint smile. Seeing it so downhearted today tugged at my heartstrings.
Looks like there wasn’t any other choice but me.
—Pardon?
To be honest, I spent a lot of time wondering if some cosmic error had occurred. What could someone like me possibly have to warrant becoming the contractor of a grand deity? I barely even remembered the contract ritual, but you insisted so fiercely that I just went along with it. But now it turns out I have to stand against something that dangerous… the literal god of demonic beasts? And only members of the imperial family qualify. Brian? Ha… honestly, we’d be lucky if he didn’t suck up to them, begging for an army of monsters while screaming ‘I am the King of Beasts!’ Adrian has an empire to run in the future. Which leaves me—the one who’s bound to have a slight… connection… with House Castrein. All right, I'm sold!
—……Wait, Contractor, what on earth did you just convince yourself of?! (◔д◔）
If no one else can step up, then it has to be me. Simple as that.
There was no need to overthink it. It was far too late to run away just because the stakes were high.
Back in my past life, I had a friend who went out for student teaching.
During her practicum, she took a group of children out on a field trip.
An accident nearly struck one of the children in her care, and she had instinctively thrown herself over the child to shield them. When our circle visited her in the hospital, showering her with praise for being so brave, she had only smiled sheepishly.
‘It wasn’t anything grand. Firefighters risk their lives entering burning buildings every single day, and police officers fight armed criminals. Healthcare workers volunteer on the front lines of deadly epidemics, putting their lives on the line. What I did was just like that. I simply did the best I could at my job. Even if I was just a student teacher and not a certified one, to those kids, in that terrifying moment, I was an adult they trusted and relied on. He called me his teacher. I just wanted to protect him… Truly, that was all. I just couldn’t look away. I couldn’t bring myself to run.’
That was the kind of person she was.
My mother and father were the same. Whenever they saw a lost child crying in the street, they never walked past; they stopped and did everything they could to find the parents. When an elderly vendor tipped over a cart of fruit, they would spend half an hour walking the pavement, picking up every stray apple. I grew up surrounded by people like that.
Of course, I had also seen far too many people who made me wonder why they even bothered drawing breath. Selfish people who loudly insisted that looking out for number one was all that mattered, preaching that nobody rewards honesty or sacrifice. A former boss at a short-lived job used to sit the entire staff down just to drill that cynical rhetoric into our heads day in and day out.
Even so, I wanted to be the kind of adult who, upon seeing an unfamiliar child weeping on the street, could crouch down and ask, ‘Would you like a snack? Are you hurt? Where are your parents?’ I didn’t want to live my life as the sort of person who couldn’t even manage that much.
So when someone looked me in the eye and essentially said, ‘If it isn’t you, this entire world might go up in flames,’ what real choice did I have?
If I walked away, I’d go down with the ship anyway.
“Forgive me for the delay.”
Having changed his attire, Cronen walked back toward me. He forced a smile, though lingering rancor still stiffened the corners of his mouth. His new vestments looked virtually identical to the ones he had worn before. I shot him a sidelong glance and offered a bright grin.
“Yes, it certainly took quite a while. I was growing rather bored, and my feet were starting to ache… but of course, you couldn’t possibly have intended from the start to leave me stranded in a drafty hallway without a single place to rest. Right?”
Cronen barely managed to swallow down the curses bubbling at the tip of his tongue, holding fast to his strained smile. Heh. That’s what you get for trying to slip me a poisoned drink.
“Let us proceed at once.”
I fell into step behind Cronen, matching his pace as he led the way. Ahead, the solemn prayer of benediction echoed through the stone corridors like a sacred hymn.
O Lord, deliver us.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
O Lord……