Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Rakrak's Covenant
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Rakrak laughed.
"No way."
Rakrak tossed AR1026's pig creation aside.
The corpse of Dasamu, floating lightly, landed at the feet of the three mages.
"Even if you'd just sat there quietly, you would've died anyway. Why go to the trouble of lifting a finger?"
Mazdari examined Dasamu closely.
'...Is this really a god's creation?'
It wasn't any known monster or divine beast.
There was a chance it could be some unknown abomination or monstrosity, but that would mean it was equally likely a creation from another god.
'The flesh is soft and still warm. It hasn't been dead long. The odds of them fabricating a story about a sudden abomination or monstrosity are low.'
Though they stood in the same spot, the other mages didn't seem to share Mazdari's thoughts.
The gnome Yan spoke up.
"Hmph, we could've handled a pig like that ourselves."
Yan was an elderly gnome compensating for age-related nearsightedness with a glass lens.
He'd never specified his exact age, but gnomes were a long-lived race, so Mazdari guessed Yan was around a hundred. That'd put him in his early sixties, human or halfkin equivalent.
This gnome's cursed feature was his right ear—black and jagged, unlike any race's, earning it the nickname "devil's ear."
"I wasn't talking about the pig, gnome."
Rakrak said.
"I meant the other ones that'd come after it. For folks who look down on the gods, this cave doesn't strike me as all that cozy."
At that, Yan clamped his mouth shut.
This time, the ent Talley spoke.
"We're grateful for the help. But even if this pig hadn't found us and died on its own, doesn't its death give away our position?"
An ent's silhouette resembled any other bipedal race, but fundamentally, they were the most alien.
Every part of an ent's body was made of wood.
Socially, they mingled with other races, but they sustained themselves mostly on sunlight and water.
In player terms, they were a "rare race" like garuda—and even less popular.
Not needing food resources was both a pro and a con.
They didn't require vast territories or heaps of supplies.
But players thrived on competition, tech advancement through conquest and plunder. Unless it was a themed build, ents weren't a popular pick.
Talley's cursed feature wasn't visible. It was just his ominous moniker:
"Carnivorous Ent" Talley.
Rakrak waved off Talley's words.
"No need to worry about that."
"Why not?"
Rakrak scowled.
This legendary lizardman dominated the mages simply by existing, and a mere change in expression had them breaking into cold sweats.
But Rakrak was just pondering how to string together a complicated explanation.
"The Bug God intervened as well."
Mazdari was briefly puzzled by Yacheon's old name but quickly recalled it.
Rakrak continued.
"First, he severed the connection between the creation and its god. He's done that sort of thing occasionally, so the god linked to that creation won't sense anything off. Then I killed it, and after that, the Bug God created a lookalike. Right now, that god's staring down at the wrong pig."
Talley nodded, seemingly accepting Rakrak's assurance that there was no cause for worry.
This time, Mazdari asked again.
"Then, Rakrak, let me ask once more. Why have you come to us?"
"...Hmm."
Rakrak crossed his arms and leaned back as he spoke.
"Have you all eaten?"
—┼
Cooking was Rakrak's domain.
The three mages, all former alchemists, knew their way around a kitchen to some extent.
Alchemy was basically just inedible cooking, after all.
But Rakrak's style was a whole different genre.
He skinned the beast, butchered the meat, built a fire, and grilled it—nomad fare.
'The skill to process and roast a house-sized hunk of meat is another matter entirely.'
The other two mages watched the process, whispering anxiously.
Yan said,
"Mazdari, what do we do? Is it safe to eat whatever that is? Should we run?"
Mazdari shrugged.
'Can a mage stand against a god's apostle?'
Mazdari thought it might be possible, maybe.
Not right now, but if they restored their magic and pulled every trick in the book...
But right now? No.
Mages needed prep time for battle.
Gathering reagents, drawing circles, accounting for timing, location, condition.
Meanwhile, the apostle before them—if the legends were true—could take all three their heads with three swings, no more.
Mazdari said,
"Look on the bright side. If Rakrak wanted to do something, he'd have done it already. He's being friendly."
This time Talley spoke.
"My concern lies elsewhere."
"What?"
"Whether it's safe to eat 'meat created by a god.' No curses or anything?"
"...Huh, interesting point. Can't say I've read about that in any ancient tomes..."
Rakrak said,
"Don't worry. Meat is meat."
Rakrak sliced off a thick slab from the well-roasted pig and swallowed it with barely a chew.
"Mm, perfectly done. Dig in, everyone."
Despite their unease, the three mages approached Rakrak.
It was inevitable.
To evade the gods' pursuit, they'd tapped every ounce of knowledge, acting with excessive caution.
That included skipping meals, sticking to raw food when possible.
A hot meal after so long—especially the aroma of roasting meat—was intoxicatingly sweet.
Rakrak carved and distributed portions with his knife, and the mages forgot decorum, tearing meat from bone and chomping away.
Mazdari knew Rakrak, infused with divinity, had no need for food—yet he ate like the three starving mages.
Glancing at him, Rakrak said,
"Ah, it's hard to satisfy that kind of urge beyond death."
"Why's that?"
"Who'd want to play the role of meat if they had to live forever?"
Mazdari found the exchange intriguing.
A simple Q&A, but it touched on something fundamental.
Even faith in gods and the afterlife didn't guarantee perfection there.
As bellies filled and eating slowed, Rakrak asked,
"So, how long do you think you can hold out?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your lives."
Yan choked and coughed.
As Talley handed him a waterskin, Rakrak repeated,
"You got lucky meeting me this time. But next time? You could be more careful, buy some time. Three of you, scatter—triple it. If you take disciples and train new mages in the meantime, even better."
Mazdari said,
"I know it's a gamble. Compared to the gods, we're nothing."
"And yet you rebelled?"
Here, Mazdari, Yan, and Talley avoided mentioning Yacheon's name.
They hadn't betrayed the gods because Yacheon egged them on.
To prove that, they couldn't say it.
The three mages stated their true intent.
"We lived before the gods existed."
"That's just saying the gods help us only to manipulate us."
"Magic proves we can stand on our own without divine aid."
Mazdari added,
"Our deaths won't end it. If gods kill us, it'll prove they feared our power. Magic will endure."
Rakrak smiled.
"You're right."
"...Rakrak, apostle of the gods—you agree with us?"
"Yeah. Folks who can't do anything without gods are the real fools. And yes, the gods do use us."
"If you know that, why do you..."
"Because I know it."
Mazdari scowled, suspecting wordplay.
"If we can stand independently without gods, doesn't that mean—even on their chessboard—we're not their pawns?"
"Sophistry. You prove it by defying divine will."
"What if my will always matched the gods'? What meaning does defiance have then?"
"You're deceiving yourself."
Rakrak affirmed it again.
"Maybe."
"What?"
"Then it's a happy deception."
Mazdari didn't fully grasp Rakrak's point.
But it reminded him: Rakrak was a god's apostle, not even a priest.
'...What good is debating faith with a god's apostle?'
Mazdari said,
"So you're saying we won't last, so believe in Yacheon? You'll protect us out of goodwill? Did you prophesy we'd betray our nations and gods for this moment? If so, you're wrong. We won't serve under any god."
Rakrak cut in.
"Can't offer goodwill or protection without faith in Yacheon."
"Then?"
"A contract changes things."
"...We said we won't move by any god's will."
Rakrak nodded slowly, as if expecting that.
"But Yacheon asks nothing of you but one thing—and I doubt you'd refuse."
"...What?"
"Survive."
Mazdari clacked his beak.
"What do you mean..."
"That's it. Just survive. Of course, Yacheon's aid has limits, and Heukrin's heading to war now, so it won't be easy. Still beats dying outright—keeps you alive."
Mazdari seemed to catch on.
"I see. Our mere survival threatens the gods, so we have value?"
"You could see it that way."
"And if not?"
Rakrak said,
"If not? Cast out for being cursed. Wander the world, persecuted, find refuge only for it to crumble. Huddled in a dark cave, starving, pondering a bleak future."
Rakrak continued.
"What's not to pity?"
Mazdari fell silent and glanced at the other two mages.
Longtime comrades.
A look said it all.
'They've already bought in.'
Mazdari thought his choice was all that remained.
But glancing down, he saw half-eaten meat in his hand.
'Was filling our bellies the opening gambit?'
Never negotiate on a full stomach.
Mazdari felt deflated.
Rakrak's arrival wasn't some elaborate scheme.
It was basic negotiation craft.
"...Very well, Rakrak, first apostle of Yacheon. We accept the contract."