The Challenge of the Desert's Grace
Participating in the sweep was surprising enough, but challenging the Grace out of nowhere? Kasla, what the hell is going on? Right?
Harun, who had just stepped out of the barracks, stared at the two of them with a dumbfounded expression.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because of Adel, isn't it? Hien must have taken a liking to him and wants to test the boy. Looks like the events from a year ago left quite an impression."
'As expected of Nazan's daughter.'
Kasla didn't know that Hien had obtained the phoenix egg, but her sharp instincts told her he wanted to test Adel. Still, without knowing the exact reason, she could only recall the incident from a year ago.
"Phew... The Grace, huh... I heard people have even died trying it. You think it'll be okay? We've only been in the nest for a year, after all."
"For someone saying that, your eyes are sparkling with anticipation. Harun, you don't need to hide yourself anymore. I don't know where you're from, but in the desert, you have to start by showing what you've got."
Kasla said to him.
"Well, I've seen plenty of folks who showed off and ended up with a knife in their gut. I just want to live quietly, long and thin."
"You're too eye-catching for that."
"...Huh?"
"Your height. You're the tallest trainee here."
"......"
Adel smirked at Harun. He could tell the joke wasn't entirely a joke.
"Challenging the Grace is optional, but this is definitely an opportunity, Harun."
"Why?"
"Like I said before, as long as Adel's here, we won't get any chances. He'll surely claim the honors among the trainees. Instead of waiting for a slim possibility, I'm grabbing this one, risks and all."
Kasla shrugged.
"Indeed... Spoken like a true daughter of the Black Crows. I respect that."
Harun nodded at her words, clapping as if genuinely impressed.
"But I'm not joining."
"...What?!"
"What do you mean?"
Kasla and Adel couldn't hide their shock at Harun's unexpected response.
"You're turning down a chance that fell right into your lap? Make some sense!"
"Well... It's not exactly giving up."
"What does that mean?"
"I just want to be certain. I'd rather seize a sure future opportunity than risk this dangerous one now."
Harun gave them a cryptic smile in response to their questions.
"Adel, you who could wield Nazan's Yo-yeon won't have trouble passing the Grace. And Kasla, you've probably been trained by Nazan since you were little, so you're the same. You know how to handle blessings. That's why you're not passing up this challenge, right?"
"Well..."
"But I'm different. I don't know what the Grace's trial is like, and I've never even felt a blessing. My chances of failing are high."
"It's still a chance that came knocking."
"A chance that could cost your life. Rushing in might backfire."
"You've got something in mind, don't you?"
Adel noticed the glint in Harun's eyes. Those weren't the eyes of someone giving up.
"I'll sincerely pray you both pass the Desert's Grace. Because I'm challenging it the day I graduate from the nest."
His answer made the two burst out laughing in disbelief.
"You two, who already received the Desert's Grace, won't need to challenge it again. The opportunity will come to me."
"You think you can beat the other trainees? Guys like the sons of top hunters such as Nok-on?"
Adel asked, and Harun smiled faintly.
"Who knows. You're judging them the same way, aren't you?"
"Ha, haha!!"
Adel laughed heartily, satisfied. It was the first time Harun had shown his true feelings, unlike his usual hidden self.
"Alright. For your sake too, Harun, I have to pass the Grace no matter what."
"I believe in you."
"So what now? We've got three days. I'm heading to the village for a bit. It's rest period anyway, so we can leave the nest."
"Going to see Nazan, huh?"
Harun asked at Kasla's words.
"Yeah. Sorry guys, but if there's a surefire way, I'll use it. I'm borrowing Yo-yeon. That bow has a blessing engraved on it, like Adel used. Different gods, sure, but with a blessing, I can get protection amid the Grace's chaos."
"Still, be careful. The blessing on Yo-yeon is from the low god of the hunt, Kindel. But the Desert's Grace is the domain of Garon, the mid-god of scorching flames."
"Both have a combative nature, so they're similar—but that's why they might clash. Obviously, Garon the mid-god is stronger. Kindel's blessing might even provoke Garon's wrath."
Adel and Harun warned her.
"Don't worry. I've prepared for that. Adel, I'm actually more worried about you."
She said with confident assurance.
But looking at her, Adel flashed a cryptic smile of his own.
"I'm good too."
"Oh? So when are you challenging it?"
As they walked, Adel's barracks came into view.
"Right now."
He grinned at Kalderet, who was lounging lazily at the entrance yawning, and said to her.
[I was having a nice dream for once, and you drag me into this hassle. Even with an ancient god, you're never satisfied, huh.]
Still half-asleep and yawning nonstop, Kalderet grumbled as he shuffled behind Adel.
"An ancient god's power is impressive, sure. But if I can't use it right, what's the point? If this was three years from now, I'd have stopped that incident with your power."
[So in three years, you'll wield my power fully? What confidence.]
"It's just because I have to graduate the nest. Give me one more year, and handling blessings will be no issue."
[Oh, really?]
Adel smirked at the muttering Kalderet.
[Anyway, is that Garon's tower? Hmph, a mere mid-god living so grandly.]
Kalderet eyed the massive arrowhead pointing skyward atop a giant bow-shaped structure. That single arrowhead formed a tower rivaling any temple.
"He's a mid-god, but the bravest in the desert. With so many followers, that's nothing."
[True. Gods feed on human devotion. God ranks are just human labels, really.]
Kalderet nodded.
[With enough believers, even a low god can surpass a mid-god. That's the rule.]
"Right. Even high gods might not outmatch Garon in the desert."
[Then why Garon? Wouldn't serving a high god be better?]
Adel shrugged at Kalderet's question.
"You know. The high god of scorching flames, Garuda, hates humans. He eats them instead."
Not all gods look kindly on humans. Where there's light, there's shadow. Gods have two faces, and judging them good or evil by human standards is arrogance.
[I see. The lord of the fire realm still craves human blood... Tsk tsk. No wonder Garon hates that.]
"You know Garon well?"
[Of course. As an ancient god, I know all gods. The many gods dominating the continent now all stem from the two ancient gods, including me.]
Kalderet said, nose slightly upturned.
"What kind of god is he?"
[Hmm? You grew up in a desert tribe and don't know Garon? Amazing.]
"Yeah. I couldn't use him. Never even challenged the Desert's Grace."
[...Why?]
"I didn't exist."
[What? Did the god vanish or something?]
"Yeah."
Thud. Thud. Plop.
Kalderet's steps behind Adel halted.
"During Garon's time, I couldn't enter the nest. Only the talented get in."
[But you contracted with me.]
"That was five years later. Before that, I wasn't talented—or rather, I didn't know my own talent."
[Five years...]
A blink to a god, but enough time for much to happen.
"And soon after I qualified for the nest five years later, Garon vanished."
Reasons gods vanish: two main ones. First, actually killing a god—but no god has been slain in human history. Second, no believers left.
[Gods grow strong on human devotion.]
"Devotion is the power of belief. More believers, more power."
[...So no one believed in Garon anymore. Why? With so many in the desert.]
"Because all those people died."
[...What?]
Adel spoke calmly, but his words were far from serene.
"Sacrifices for the empire's continental unification."
He looked at his hands.
'I was the one who offered those sacrifices. Exiled from the tribe, when I returned to the desert, I'd become the enemy.'
His life was full of regrets, but he didn't blame himself. Time was too precious for that. Focusing on moving forward faster was all he could do.
[Whatever. If words won't work, I'll help crush that mid-god with raw power.]
"Gods grow on devotion, right? Even an ancient god like you has almost no believers now. Honestly, aren't you weaker than Garon at this point?"
[One spark is stronger than a thousand straws. Right?]
Adel nodded.
"Yeah. Spot on."
He knew that single spark was himself. His devotion was fiercer than anyone's, enough to regress time itself.
Now, it was time for that spark to ignite Garon's flames.
"Adel of the Ulan tribe. I challenge the trial of Garon, mid-god of scorching flames ruling the desert."
As he placed his hand on the tower door, it melted like mud, swallowing him whole.
Whoosh---!!!!
Passing through, a scorching heat slammed into Adel.