Chapter: 202
God is not good. Patricia did not bother to refute Beolgreen’s opinion. A true believer only proves their faith, without forcing it upon others.
So, even when she agreed with Beolgreen’s plan a decade ago, her faith remained unshaken.
God exists, is great, and is omnipotent. If this belief is firm, then killing God is certainly not apostasy.
If God is truly omnipotent, then God’s death can only be self-inflicted. If the Lord comprehends all things, then deviating from His will is logically impossible.
Thus, this is a testimony for a faith shaken in the dreadful environment of the Demon Realm. A desperate effort to believe in God’s omnipotence and love.
“So, if it is done according to your brother’s will, the Lord’s grace and love will vanish.”
“Yes. From now on, no gods will be able to interfere with the world. Mortals will finally choose their own paths.”
“If divine power fades, the Church will divide.”
“Indeed.”
This too is inevitable. The absence of divine power would lead to distrust towards the Church.
As long as the Church does not collapse overnight, it must inevitably fracture. No longer able to unite under direct evidence of God.
Today’s clergy are all good. Under God’s will, the believers are united as one. Those priests who are not so would not be blessed.
Therefore, the Holy Father, who can be regarded as the pinnacle of faith, was undoubtedly the most devout and kindest person the Saint had ever met.
However, will that kindness remain once Beolgreen’s plan succeeds and divine power disappears? Even amidst the greatest trials of his life?
It is uncertain. But what if…
“What if I hypothetically lost divine power overnight without your brother’s hint?”
“Hmm?”
“Assuming that my divine power disappears along with all my brothers. And that I could no longer feel the Lord’s gospel. I would surely think of one thing.”
The world’s belief has deviated from the Lord’s will, and the Lord no longer favors mankind.
“If I were to hold someone accountable, I would undoubtedly point to Your Holiness. For You are the one who receives the greatest favor in this world and the one who teaches all believers. Was not the direction of that teaching flawed?”
“That’s rational.”
“I know you are a rational man, Your Holiness. Then, what will Your Holiness think after ‘that day’?”
Even though he served the Lord just as before, if the Lord turned His grace away from the world…
Then who would bear that responsibility?
“To Your Holiness, I may appear as a sinner. For I had received the greatest grace under Your Holiness and was the only one allowed to teach all believers with the greatest influence.”
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“I will prepare from now on. If division cannot be avoided, at least I must sew it up with as little bloodshed as possible.”
*
“The plan to kill the ‘unkind God’… In other words, the plan to separate the world from the influence of all gods has already been prepared with Brother Beolgreen back in those days. And I had anticipated the resulting repercussions.”
If one can foresee the future, one should naturally be prepared.
And she had a great, great deal of time to prepare for this. All the Church’s personnel would harbor no suspicion about all her actions until ‘God disappears.’
No one can doubt the Saint during peaceful times.
Thus, the Saint’s preparations were proceeding smoothly, until a variable appeared before her eyes.
“Isn’t it fate that a brother who heard the Lord’s last words appears at the point when the Lord’s gospel disappears?”
“Uh, that’s not… so great of a thing…”
“Yes, I know. But it is my job to make trivial matters great. The words of the Lord that you heard are a type of prophecy.”
That could be viewed that way. Quests ultimately warn of impending disasters and guide the direction of actions.
Under normal circumstances, this would certainly be a miraculous occurrence, but considering the grace one could somewhat grasp, the workings of divine power might vary slightly from priest to priest.
However, now that divine power has vanished…
“The prophet is indeed a saint.”
So, do you have any intention of being canonized?
To become the only prophet left in this world?
Faced with the Saint’s words, Eugene could not answer easily. The more he pondered the Saint’s words, the more something seemed to surface.
Let’s see.
Quests are fluid. The activation conditions for a quest tended to appear when I directly became embroiled in an incident or when I took direct control over it.
For instance, this way. When I captured a spy from Tylesse, a quest regarding the division of Tylesse was suddenly registered.
So, what do the quests mean in the current situation?
[Additional content will be revealed.]
[Please choose freely.]
In other words, if it simply informs what is to happen in the future…
If divine power had not disappeared, and the quest window was functioning as usual…
[Additional content will be ‘revealed’.]
This damn status window would not proactively disclose such information.
If it meant that I had to directly touch the conditions for quest occurrence for them to be listed…
Then the so-called doctrine war means, in other words…
“What happens if I accept?”
“A war will break out.”
It was not a warning of things that must surely happen in the future.
My actions would trigger all these events.
“No matter how I think about it, the Lord does not seem to be a kind person.”
“How can we judge the distinction between good and evil? If this is truly the case, and if the Lord indeed loved us and disappeared, then as His sons and daughters, should we not willingly stand alone?”
“Amen.”
“Amen.”
Eugene laughed helplessly and prayed.
“Lord, could you not at least tell me that the Saint was taking the first shot?”
Could you have given me something other than this useless status window?
And thought so.
*
“Wait, wait a moment. Chancellor… I mean, your Holiness. Isn’t this strange?”
“What is it?”
“If I am to become a saint through prophecy… shouldn’t that prophecy be ‘proven’?”
“That is correct, yes?”
“But if it is my prophecy, then it’s all…”
Someone from the Hero Party is facing a life-threatening situation, or rather, wouldn’t there only be incidents that could potentially tear the country apart?
The Saint nodded at Eugene’s question.
“Exactly.”
“So to sum this up… Ultimately, for the doctrine war, in order for this quest… no, the word to come true, I must become a saint, and in order for me to become a saint, other prophecies must come true, so that means…?”
“Yes, you must confirm the realization of the other ‘prophecies’ you heard, and through this, you must prove your ‘holiness’.”
The Saint said with a gentle smile.
“Our goal will now be a journey to save my precious friends.”
At the Saint’s words, Eugene immediately covered his face and sobbed.
“It was a linked quest—?!”
[“Impossible Level” Quest. The Fallen Warriors.]
[“Impossible Level” Quest. Prelude to Catastrophe.]
[“Impossible Level” Quest. The Morning Star’s Avatar.]
[“Impossible Level” Quest. For True Freedom.]
[“Impossible Level” Quest. Doctrine War.]
“This is everything!!”
*
As the season slowly shifted from ‘less cold winter’ to ‘winter,’ Ivan quietly nodded in the blooming spring flower garden.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“No, brother. This is not just any regular thing…”
“Even if it wasn’t a linked quest, it’s something we all had to do anyway.”
If the situations presented by the quests eventually led to the deaths of the Hero Party, and if, as the status window suggested, ‘quests not chosen would be marked as failed…’
There was never an option not to choose. This is insidious wordplay. Considering the repercussions of failing a quest, it meant we must proceed with all quests from the outset.
What if we failed in Tylesse? If Tylesse collapsed, the Union would be done for.
What if we failed in Kalion? If a new Seven Dragon Lords finally devoured the Elves, the Union would still be finished.
The human forces would have to confront a disaster that could never be overcome again. Both quests seemed to be that way.
In other words, none of the proposed quests can fail. Think simply. If we can’t ‘give up’ anyway, it’s right to carry on with all.
“And quests have tendencies.”
“Tendencies?”
“The goals and rewards of the quests ultimately lean towards preserving humanity’s survival.”
“…Uh…?”
Excluding malevolent content and impossibly high difficulty, if we purely examine goals, outcomes, and rewards, the quests seem to wish for the Union Kingdom’s preservation.
The first quest is to prevent the division of Tylesse and to maintain Jill Ber in a state of survival, ensuring that Tylesse’s territory suffers minimal destruction.
The second quest is to stop the Seven Dragon Lords born in Kalion and to keep Beolgreen in a state of survival while sealing off the split of the Privy Council.
All of this means to sustain the Union Kingdom ideally if successful. Thus, the status window does not wish for the Union’s destruction.
Only the point that the difficulty is designed to be seriously high is the problem.
“So, don’t waste your thoughts on trivial matters. There’s no need to expend mental energy in trying to measure the good and evil of the quests or beings like gods.”
Ultimately, this is what the Saint meant. Eugene nodded.
Then the problem arises from a more fundamental part.
“Can we do it? Since we have no idea when or where it will explode…”
“It doesn’t matter whether we can or not.”
Ivan does not consider possibilities when carrying out missions.
“Must we do it.”
Of course, they must.
“Then let’s do it.”
Ivan had received much training and had been deployed in numerous operations, but he prides himself on the fact that there was one thing he had never learned.
To give up. At least, not that.
“I apologize for interrupting your honeymoon by bringing work.”
“Nonsense.”
Seeing the back of Ivan turn away, Eugene chuckled briefly. If the status window had been normal, his favorability would have surely dropped just now, he thought.
Ep 32. A Normal Spring in Krasilov.
After Eugene, who had urgently requested a private meeting, returned, Ivan remained quietly inspecting the garden.
Even without spring, the garden of this royal palace was always lush with greenery. It was meticulously maintained to bloom at all times of the year, regardless of the season.
However, the garden of Krasilov Palace welcoming spring was even more special. Dew-laden petals gently swayed in the warm breeze.
“Tendency, huh.”
Ivan bitterly reflected.
Once, when he revealed to the Saint and Enrique that he was a possessor, it was probably around this time last year.
Then the Saint had said something like this.
In a century’s time.
As if each was trying to create their own narrative, those who emerge vigorously.
Transient outsiders who finish their tales and vanish.
“How enviable.”
The ‘page’ Eugene must turn is probably about saving the world.
Preserving the chaotic Union Kingdom and leading them to strengthen humanity’s future, that journey.
The ‘page’ turned by the Hero must be about preventing humanity’s destruction.
Rescuing the Union Kingdom that was on the brink of destruction from the hands of the demons.
Brilliant. A shining tale of a hero that might be remembered in history or perhaps even in mythology.
Ivan bitterly smiled amidst unfamiliar jealousy.
“It must be ugly.”
On the other hand, his page is probably…
If that ability to exploit another being’s divinity exists. It has come into his hands as if fated.
If, just as the status window had suggested, every ability has some ‘tendency,’ then his tendency is confined solely to killing the Seven Dragon Lords.
And if he kills the Seven Dragon Lords, he receives a ‘blessing.’ A type that is hard to endure with a human body. One that even heroes could not overcome.
Even if Beolgreen diluted it, right now, he is…
“Vanka. You were here. Come in quickly. Today’s dinner is eel.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It felt as if every meal was something to be chewed and swallowed with oil and sand.
Ivan picked up a spoon without frowning even once, silently sitting across from Elizaveta.
“Um, it’s delicious. You should try this too. I specially ordered it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Every dish, carefully prepared and steaming, tasted of sawdust and rancid oil.
Without changing his expression, Ivan chewed and swallowed it all while thinking.
The current curse was mostly borne by Beolgreen, and this was merely a diluted fraction of it.
If that curse must be endured at least four more times.
If his tale involves killing all the Seven Dragon Lords…
The curse, which the hero could not endure, a curse far greater than what the hero had to bear.
‘Can I do it?’
That does not matter.
‘Must I?’
He must.
‘Then I will do it.’
With a crunch, Ivan swallowed what felt like gravel.
“You eat well! No matter what I serve, you eat so well, it gives me reason to prepare your meals every day. How’s it? Is it to your taste? That was made by me personally.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ivan nodded as usual in response.
“It was an excellent feast.”
With a face that broke into a satisfied smile, Elizaveta chuckled with delight.
