Chapter 26: Blessing of Wisdom
Bibian has shown favor toward you.
The perk of Blessing of Wisdom is unlocked.
Synergy perk: Waves of Wisdom activated.
Mana increased by 50%.
Spell power increased by 50%.
“Whoa!”
“What’s wrong, my lord?”
“Nah, it’s just... stomping on Odin’s holy grail feels damn good, you know? If that bastard Odin were right in front of me, I’d have curb-stomped his face. Such a shame.”
“As expected of my lord! How can your faith be so profound?!”
Cecilia’s affection was coming out of nowhere, utterly baseless. Her face was flushed red, like she was about to burst a nosebleed any second. Hell, it looked like she was already wiping one away.
As Cecilia went into full frenzy mode, the gods weren’t slacking off either. The performance I was putting on right now was beyond anything they could’ve imagined.
Probably the most effective episode in my serialized life so far.
Not bad at all. I’d hoped Bibian might throw in some synergy for farming too, but this works just fine. The stronger I get, the easier it’ll be to push the story forward. Even if problems pop up, brute-forcing them will just hype the gods up more. Win-win!
Speaking of which, karma’s already piling up past 200k. Wouldn’t hurt if they dropped a shop voucher already. Guess the gods’ shop access is locked behind that main quest-tier conquest of the ancient titans. Eh, no big deal.
Not only did I smash the grail to pieces—I torched Odin’s entire foundation and burned it to ash. The gods mentioned Odin’s curse as a worry, but Bibian said she’d handle it, so I’m good.
From my perspective, as long as I keep tossing out these hooks to keep the gods from getting bored, viewer drop-off won’t be an issue. Who knew godly infighting would turn into such a boon? Hell, at this rate, they might start a war in the divine realm. If Odin wins that? Not relaxing just yet.
Whoosh!
The foundation disguised as a tavern was now a smoldering ruin, and Count Abon trembled in terror.
“I-I didn’t know anything! I had no idea Odin’s foundation was in my territory!”
“Shut your trap, you heretic scum! You think I’d buy that? You built it underground to dodge inquisitors!”
“Aigoo! It’s true! I’ve got nothing to do with Odin’s foundation!”
If I weren’t the one here, his excuses might’ve landed. But I am. I decided early on to go full thug route—redemption’s only for the peasants and rank-and-file soldiers. Soldiers might need a bit more tough love too. But nobles? No way. Especially now, when the gods only get off on me rampaging like a maniac.
If I act normal (?), I’d just disappoint them. Gotta squeeze out every gain before the real chaos starts.
“Your life’s up to His Majesty, not me. But if you lend strength to his army, maybe your sentence gets lighter.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll send 25,000 elite troops!”
I barely held back a grin. The bastard was stripping down to his skivvies. Out of 30,000 total forces, handing over 25,000 meant leaving just the bare minimum for defense. He’d get hammered by bandits and monsters after that. Five thousand’s too thin to patrol a territory that size, war or no war. The place would turn into a shitshow while the front lines wrapped up quick.
“Supplies?”
“Take it all!”
“Good. Kainus!”
“Heh heh heh. Your orders, my lord.”
“Requisition everything His Majesty’s army needs to eat and fight. Skip the poor commoners—raid only the count’s warehouses.”
“As you command! I’ll strip ’em clean.”
Kainus’s calm tone turned Count Abon’s face ashen. Like getting shaken down by the mob—gut-wrenching. Refuse now, though, and who knows what I’d do? My rep across the empire says I’d raze the whole territory, no sweat. Hell, he’d probably thank me for just taking the army and cash.
“And one more thing.”
“M-More...?”
The count looked half-enlightened already. Once you start plummeting to rock bottom, you just let it ride. That was Abon right now. Fine, take it all if you’re gonna.
Damn right I will. Come next year’s bad harvest, he’s toast.
“Rommel!”
“Yes, my lord!”
“Fetch the Rod of Love. I dunno how much this’ll restore the count’s faith and loyalty to His Majesty, but we can’t just let it slide. Plenty of your knights straightened up after a taste of my loving rod, right?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
I asked Rommel, but the knights shuddered and shouted it. Rod of Love’s more effective than I thought? It’s the iron club we use to thrash mana-wielding knights. Regular sticks won’t cut it, so we had these custom-made.
“Count Abon! I rebuke you in the gods’ name! Lie flat if you don’t want shattered bones—recommended posture.”
“...!”
The count’s knights bulged their eyes. Prone position for a clubbing—straight-up lèse-majesté under a divine pretext. They probably thought I was nuts. Lucky for them, I wasn’t beating him to death here.
Damn, my psycho rep’s working overtime.
Abon dropped flat. Full swing.
Whooosh!
Crack!
“Gwaaaack!”
“Oops, looks like your tailbone snapped. Cecilia!”
“Yesss!”
“Heal him!”
“Hehe, someday use that iron club to stroke me too!”
Cecilia shivered mid-heal. That psycho’s definitely getting off on the beatdown. Does Bibian even know her high priestess is this deranged?
Surprisingly unhinged god chatter followed.
“...”
That was some dangerously doped-up nonsense. Cecilia’s cracked psyche had reasons, sure. But the goddess of the world’s biggest church saying that? What a fucked-up world. Makes me seriously doubt if I’ll survive to the end.
Evening chill turned to flurries. A bit further march, and we’d hit the ancient titans—straight into battle. Weather like this worried me. Not for me, but we need intact forces for the post-rebellion phase. Don’t want frostbite sidelining troops mid-march.
Why the hell did these maniacs invade in winter? Worst season for war, idiots.
One ace up my sleeve, though: the phoenix soaring regally over the lord’s castle. Thanks to it, the inner territory stayed mildly warm, snow melting to rain. Once the main force assembles, I’ll order it to prioritize our soldiers’ protection.
The locals already saw me as some guardian, thanks to the phoenix. But after I loot the lord’s coffers, taxes’ll spike. Wonder if they’ll still think that then.
Speaking of Abon? Hell if I know. Beat his ass so hard his tailbone shattered into shards. Good rehab might let him walk someday—limping, but better than crippled.
The gods who’d been hyped went quiet. Too stimulating; they’re probably wiped. Smashed a holy grail, after all. To farm more karma, I’ll need even wilder stunts soon. Made soldiers piss on the powdered remains—next up, slap the pope at Bibian’s church? Serious dilemma.
“Oh yeah.”
Forgot for a sec. Got lost in future-planning, skipped reflecting on my gains. Bibian finally endorsed me today, granting Blessing of Wisdom. Straight +50% mana—insane on my already huge base. Absolute cheat blessing from the goddess with the world’s top devotee.
One thing to ponder: magic. No clue why, but the moment I got the blessing, four circles forcibly etched into my heart. Four circles straight up. By count alone, I’m a 4th Circle mage now.
A mage who can’t cast. Or magic swordsman? Time to learn spells, then.
“Hey!”
“Yes, Viscount?”
The territory maid spoke with awe. My display of power, smashing Odin’s church, “reforming” the land—reputation’s solid here. Problem’s after I leave.
“Fetch the camp mage!”
“Right away! Any special instructions?”
Her blush showed my notoriety diluted among locals. Protagonist’s looks carry hard, at least.
“Young woman. Prettiest mage you got.”
That’s when I felt the gods watching.