259

Chapter 259 — What If (7)

“…Were the Ancient Beasts not beings born together with the world?”

[They were. Born together with the world.]

“Then by Creator, you mean….”

[When God created the world, we were created alongside it.]

Faced with the fact suddenly thrust before him, Ekua fell silent for a moment.

[God was actually real?]

The Mountain Lord, who had just learned the secret of an ancestor’s birth, reacted much the same.

“I thought that was merely something the outsiders insisted upon….”

[Well, I can understand that. It isn’t as though you experienced the Age of Myth yourselves, and records from back then weren’t properly passed down.]

“Then our faith has been committing blasphemy all this time….”

In the middle of preparing to see someone off, Ekua had suddenly had this bomb dropped on him.

He tried to calm himself as much as possible.

It wasn’t easy.

His composure slipped away, and his true feelings burst out before he barely managed to soften them.

[Don’t worry about that. That one is equal death and unequal life, the benevolent forest and the merciless sea. They aren’t going to care about every little thing and stamp it with the label of blasphemy.]

“But….”

[I said it’s fine.]

Noticing his distress, Yukgwi patted his arm with a fin.

[To begin with, the only thing that one cares about is whether the world continues to exist. How the creatures of this world live, what they worship, what they follow—none of that matters in the slightest as long as they aren’t trying to destroy the world. So don’t worry too much. It isn’t good to go looking for reasons to worry.]

“…I see.”

But even that gentle patting failed to completely settle Ekua’s complicated feelings.

The boy’s eyes lowered somberly.

“When I read the Temple’s scriptures in order to understand the outside world, I was dumbfounded by the section explaining why they tolerate idol worship… but perhaps even that had some basis.”

[Hm? What did they write?]

“Their scripture says, ‘Because everything in this world was created by God, even worshiping His creations ultimately praises God’s greatness.’ Therefore, they say there is no need to persecute idol worship.”

When he had first read it, his reaction had been, Do those outsiders have no concept of respect? They’re belittling somebody else’s faith.

But now that Yukgwi had outright confirmed God’s existence, things felt somewhat different.

[Uh… that isn’t wrong. It isn’t wrong.]

Apparently, to Ekua’s surprise, that passage had actually been based on fact.

He felt strangely irritated by that.

[More precisely, as long as the world can continue to exist, and as long as the object of worship belongs to this world’s order, then it doesn’t matter whom you believe in or whom you revere… but in the end, it amounts to the same thing.]

“I see….”

[Huh? But if God’s like that, is that really all right?]

[Why wouldn’t it be? Human belief and that one’s actual existence are separate matters.]

Both Ekua and the Mountain Lord were somewhat shocked by Yukgwi’s words.

They couldn’t exactly deny something said by Yukgwi of all beings….

But having something that had formed the foundation of their lives break apart and be reconstructed brought with it an indescribable kind of pain.

[Then the reason demons are persecuted is also……?]

[Because they aren’t creatures of this world.]

[Hmmm. Then, Ancestor. Sir Knight doesn’t worship demons, and he’s working to preserve the world, so shouldn’t the Temple accept him? If God is as tolerant as what you said earlier, it feels like this would fall within the acceptable range too.]

Still, the Mountain Lord quickly recovered from the shock.

Although worshiped and placed at the center of their faith, the Mountain Lord had never possessed any particular obsession with ruling over others.

That was probably why.

[There are several answers I could give to that… but before that, let’s correct something first.]

[Hm?]

[Our God isn’t tolerant. Idol worship and denying God are simply matters unworthy of any response, so they’re ignored. It isn’t because that one is genuinely merciful.]

[Uh……?]

[Like I said earlier, that one is equal death and unequal life, the benevolent forest and the merciless sea. Another word for that is ‘nature.’]

But the truths that continued pouring out were heavier.

[Think about it. Is there anything more absurd than demanding mercy from nature? The world isn’t a place where nature accommodates living beings. Living beings are the ones who adapt themselves to nature.]

Yukgwi finally reduced both of them to complete silence.

Yukgwi didn’t exactly look happy about it either.

[And God mistreats the Demon Knight? That’s wrong too. That one has no eyes or ears. If something belongs to the order, it is embraced. If it does not belong to the order—meaning it carries power from outside—it is cast away. That one doesn’t consider individual actions at all, just as a beggar who has struggled desperately to survive may be granted death, while a rich man who trampled others his whole life may be given a long lifespan. Just look at us. If that one actually cared about us, do you think those others would ever have fallen?]

Exactly because the God Yukgwi knew was such a being, the Demon Knight needed to look after himself all the more.

Only he could look after himself.

Therefore, he had to do so even more.

[B-but doesn’t God hear the Temple people’s prayers? If they pray hard enough, they get more Divine Power.]

[Idiot. That doesn’t work like us hearing something with our ears and answering. If God is a well, then humans lower the bucket called prayer and draw out an amount of divinity they can personally withstand.]

“…Then they were not chosen by God, as the popular belief claims?”

[The only being that one personally chose and continuously watches over is the Hero. Everyone else simply awakened such a trait, whether later in life or from birth.]

“That’s….”

[Anyway, rather than praying to God, you’d be better off wishing for luck. That one will never answer a prayer, so you might as well place your hopes in fate.]

The Demon Knight’s only absolute ally in this world was himself.

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[Because in this world, fate is something even God cannot touch.]

Yes.

The only person capable of saving him was himself.

“…I think I should insist that Sir Knight stay a little longer.”

But still….

“Before that, I’ll stop by Aori. There are some things I need to prepare.”

Even if they couldn’t save him, surely they could at least help.

* * *

The Inquisitor mechanically moved her hands and feet, treating people and helping those around her.

With one flash of light, external injuries healed.

With another flash, internal injuries improved.

The people’s faces brightened.

They were miracles of God bestowed through her as His agent.

『Save the one who has lost— their way.』

Yes.

It was power she exercised on His behalf.

『Send back the one who has lost— their way.』

And at the same time, power she had always exercised on His behalf.

『Kill.』

And power she was supposed to exercise.

That was what it was.

“Why?”

But.

But….

“Why…?”

The Inquisitor felt her knees buckle.

It wasn’t because her legs lacked strength.

Nor because anything was wrong with her health.

“Priest?”

“God, why….”

Only one thing had broken.

“Why….”

Her heart.

* * *

“Just two weeks! Please stay only two more weeks!”

[Two weeks! Two weeks!]

I had been trying everything imaginable for my dramatic transformation, including creating a wound around my mouth and experimenting with tattoos.

Then the Grand Chieftain secretly came riding on the Mountain Lord and pleaded with me as though clinging to the hem of my trousers.

The Mountain Lord had even wrapped the tail several times around my body.

“…One week.”

“No. Two weeks! I will not compromise!”

“Do I look like I’m going to compromise?”

“…Two weeks!”

What the hell is wrong with these two?

Determined to reject the clingy boy and serpent firmly this time, I lowered my head.

“…….”

“…….”

Watery eyes were looking up at me.

“…….”

“…….”

D-do you think my attack power is going to fall just because you’re using Sparkling Eyes?

Do you think my attack is going to lose two ranks just because you’re using Cute Childish Pleading with those cheeks that still have baby fat?!

“…W-what.”

…You devious, wicked little child!

You always carry out your duties as Grand Chieftain perfectly, so why do you only use a child’s privileges on me…?!

“I won’t ask for anything more. Could you please stay only two more weeks?”

But every child had a legitimate right to indulge in this kind of childishness.

And because I was an adult, I had an obligation to be properly swayed by it.

“…Promise me. Two weeks, and after that you won’t insist on anything else.”

“Yes!”

[Waaaaah!!]

“And take this when you leave.”

“What is this?”

“Look at it once you’re gone. And you, let go of me.”

[Ah, understood.]

Watching the Grand Chieftain’s cheeks flush brightly the moment conditional permission seemed to have been granted, I let out a faint sigh.

I had finally handed over three million gal for the wig—I added extra considering how much I’d imposed on them—but was accepting this proposal really the right thing to do?

The child had been the one to cling to me first, yes, but should I truly remain here?

The longer I stayed, the greater the danger that these people would become entangled in my situation.

Was it really right for me to know that and still turn a blind eye?

“Ah, and… I told the priests that I would spend today traveling through the forest with the Mountain Lord. So….”

I wondered whether, as an adult, I ought to spend time with the child.

Or whether precisely because I was an adult, I ought to prevent the danger the child might suffer.

“Would it be all right if I… stayed here with you today?”

But no answer came easily.

Of course it didn’t.

“…Sure.”

Adults knew how to feel lonely too.

Enough to give in even while knowing they shouldn’t.

[Hmmmph. When I come every day, you keep telling me to leave, but you go easy on the child? Isn’t that discrimination?]

“Quiet.”

[Hiiiing.]

“Haha… Ah, right. Benefactor, the priests packed us a lunch. Would you like to eat together?”

At the Grand Chieftain’s words, I pressed my dry lips together.

Once I left the Great Forest—once I stepped outside this forest—would I ever hear words carrying that kind of nuance again?

With the penalties from Disguise preventing me from staying long in cities or villages, and preventing me from seeking companions when traveling along roads, would I ever encounter words like those one more time?

“Ah, I don’t mean we should eat immediately…. I meant we could eat together at the time you normally have your meal. I asked the priests to pack more than usual. They packed a great deal, so I don’t think we’ll run short… probably……?”

Probably not.

Almost certainly not.

Unless I came back here again, and unless they still had warmth left to offer me by then, it would be nearly impossible.

“…Would you rather not?”

That was why things inevitably ended up like this.

When someone knew a difficult road was unavoidable, it was only natural to want to postpone walking it as long as possible.

“No. We’ll eat together.”

Unable to smile, I raised one hand toward the top of the child’s head.

Was it really acceptable to do this to the person leading this entire region?

Wouldn’t it be rude to pat his head without even asking permission?

That sudden thought made my hand hesitate.

Tap.

The child stood on tiptoe and placed the top of his head against my hand, which had stopped with an awkward gap between us.

Casting aside the position of Grand Chieftain, Ekua smiled shyly like an ordinary child.

[Hiiiiing.]

Only one serpent, convinced of being discriminated against, continued grumbling for no reason.

“…When did you eat breakfast?”

Meanwhile, my fingers, which had briefly stiffened, began stroking through his hair.

Whenever I tried to stop, the child rubbed against my hand first, which made it awkward to pull away.

“I ate around sunrise.”

He really does wake up early….

I glanced up at the sun, which was only just approaching the middle of the sky.

For reference, because the forest canopy was so dense, the sunlight didn’t stab directly into my eyes.

“Let’s eat now.”

“Yes!”

I had eaten breakfast a little late, but….

My profession involved heavy physical activity.

In other words, the more calories I consumed, the better.

So I decided there was no reason to object and prepared to eat.

The Mountain Lord, who had been half-ignored this entire time, wore an expression of monumental sulking.

But one apple tossed over as an apology fixed that immediately.

I had no idea whether the Mountain Lord realized it was one the creature had grown personally.

“This is the lunch.”

“…Lunch?”

“There’s a separate dinner as well.”

No….

That wasn’t what I meant by the question.

Looking at seven enormous lunchboxes, I involuntarily made a subtle expression.

The Grand Chieftain had asked them to pack a little more food, sure.

But did they really need to pack this much…?

How much could that tiny child possibly eat?

“The Mountain Lord said there were things to taste.”

[I don’t actually plan to eat much. Something that tiny wouldn’t even count as cleansing my palate.]

Fortunately, my suspicion didn’t last long.

Noticing my confusion, the child and the Mountain Lord hurriedly explained themselves with embarrassed expressions.

That was reasonably convincing.

Each lunchbox looked too large for even an average adult to finish alone, but compared to the Mountain Lord’s size, it was nothing.

“This one is fried rice, this one is porridge, and this one is….”

Meanwhile, Ekua opened the lids one by one.

Soup and stew.

Stir-fried vegetables.

Fried rice.

Curry.

Stir-fried noodles.

Several grilled dishes.

The rich aroma of spices used only in this region rose into the air.

“We couldn’t remove the meat because there was no plausible reason to. I’m sorry….”

“It’s fine.”

What are you talking about?

If there’s a growing child here, meat absolutely has to be included.

Between my personal likes and dislikes and the essential nutrients a child needs to consume, the latter wins every time.

Even if they had known I was here, I would have told them to include it.

“We give thanks to nature, which always grants us its blessings.”

More importantly, that fried rice and risotto….

Just looking at them was making my mouth water.

I picked up my spoon while staring at the rice dishes, whose grains resembled long-grain rice more than Korean rice.

The child had just finished praying, so there was no reason to hesitate.

My stomach, which had shrunk after weeks of eating alone, accepted a rare luxury.

The rice, so light it almost seemed ready to fly away, rolled across my tongue first.

Then the coconut-milk-based curry sauce, rich with the scent of chili, burst together with the vegetables inside my mouth.

It felt like the blood I had lost while practicing the Disguise skill was being replenished.

This is ridiculously good.