Chapter 34: Duamutep (1)

A Short While Ago.

Academy Lecture Hall.

“The belief of intelligent beings, in other words, faith, gives rise to divinity, and that gathered divinity births a deity.”

A professor standing at the lecture podium was delivering a lecture in a leisurely voice.

“A deity is made of divinity and exercises influence by consuming that divinity. When a deity performs a miracle, the believers produce even more faith, thereby replenishing the deity’s divinity.”

“Yawn… When is this going to end?” 

Albus asked Wald, his eyes half-closed.

“Hmm… seems like there’s still quite a bit left,” Wald replied, resting his chin on the desk with a bored expression.

“This may lead to the question of why gods don’t freely perform miracles in the Middle Earth to gain more divinity. However, it’s not that simple. If it were, we would have witnessed a heavenly scene where gods descend to earth and grant our wishes. But in reality, the parts where gods can intervene in the Middle Earth are limited.”

“Yawn… Why does that guy always talk about the same thing?” Albus rubbed his eyes with his hands.

“Many scholars have researched the conditions or limitations under which gods can intervene on earth since ancient times, but nothing has been definitively revealed. Except for the fact that gods have less room to intervene than we might think.”

Due to the professor repeating stories from previous lectures, not only Albus and Wald but also a considerable number of other students were dozing off.

“It seems everyone is struggling to listen because I’m repeating things I’ve said before.” The professor adjusted his glasses with his finger.

“Then, let’s talk about something that might pique your interest. Rudera. It’s been causing quite a stir across the continent these days.”

“…Rudera?” Albus couldn’t help but react when the professor mentioned the world he created.

“Haha, friend. Just hearing the name Rudera wakes you up. That’s a serious condition,” Wald teased.

“…I don’t want to hear that from you.” Albus glared at Wald briefly before focusing on the professor.

Rudera was currently a major issue on the continent, but until now, no professor had ever mentioned Rudera during class.

Despite most professors enjoying Rudera when their accounts were fully investigated, they never talked about it during lessons.

Those professors who loved talking about their own stories.

“It seems everyone’s interest is piqued by the mention of Rudera.” The professor chuckled as he saw the students become more animated.

“Due to the principal’s orders, it’s a topic we shouldn’t discuss during class. But as an educator and a researcher, it’s hard to simply let it go.”

‘The principal ordered us not to talk about it?’

Why?

Albus pondered the reason.

‘Is it because the academy’s original purpose is to impart traditional norms and order to students?’

Students need to absorb the knowledge and order passed down from the past, but if they become interested in Rudera, which makes them pursue momentary pleasure, the education might not be properly conducted.

Moreover, since Rudera appeared not long ago and has brought a certain level of chaos socially, the older generation naturally doesn’t want educators to mention it.

“Everyone, it has already been nearly ten years since Rudera appeared to us. However, in its early days, Rudera was merely a vast landmass. It was like another continent had formed, but compared to reality, its density was quite low.”

Some students showed signs of wanting to raise their hands, but the professor continued while calming them.

“Haha, I know. Even in its early days, there were unique aspects like resurrection after death and the existence of special items. What I want to point out is that early Rudera was significantly different from the Rudera of today. The Tower of Labyrinth and the Labyrinth Shop have brought such immense changes, but Rudera has been continuously evolving over the past ten years. Almost as if the master of that world is intending something.”

The professor’s glasses reflected the light.

“A god exists through the power of faith and exercises that power. But the exercise of that power entails restrictions. Everyone, if you were a god, wouldn’t you look for ways to use your power in the Middle Earth?”

The students murmured.

“I think of it this way. Rudera is a trick found by the god, GM, to exercise power in reality. The descent of [Miracle Spring] across the continent is part of that.”

The students nodded unconsciously at the professor’s confident words.

“…LH?”

The GM found the professor’s words so absurd that they couldn’t help but speak.

“That’s not all. The Tower of Labyrinth shook the entire continent just by its appearance. Let’s talk about the second floor.”

Snap

When the professor snapped his fingers, a model of the Spriggans Desert appeared in mid-air.

“The second floor of the Tower of Labyrinth conquered by the Beast King. Here, the Beast King discovered the truth about the lost god of the Demihumans, Duamutep. Thanks to this, the Demihumans realized that their origin existed and obtained proper faith. That faith connected to the GM. …But there’s more.”

As if crafted specifically for this day, a high-quality hologram appeared, and all the students in the lecture hall held their breath, waiting for the professor’s next words.

“If the faith of the Demihumans in Duamutep creates divinity again? If that divinity gathers and forms Duamutep? Then the god that vanished might be resurrected.”

“Resurrect a god?”

“Is that even possible?”

The students were abuzz with excitement.

“Quiet, quiet. We are still in class. Please save the chatter for after the lecture. What I want to convey is this: the reason GM created Rudera is to exercise power in the world. The reason for creating the second floor of the Tower of Labyrinth was to resurrect the already vanished god, Duamutep. If the Demihumans’s god truly resurrects? Then we can assume that all the floors were made for GM’s special purpose. That’s all.”

“Yaaaaawn.”

As the lecture ended, Albus and Wald yawned and left the lecture hall.

“I’m so sleepy I could die.”

“Albus, what do you think?”

Wald asked Albus with a slightly stern face.

“About what?”

“The GM. Do you think, like the professor said, they created Rudera with a specific purpose?”

Albus was dumbfounded.

“A purpose… well, of course, there is. I made it because I was bored to death and wanted to have some fun.”

“Hey, Albus?”

Albus tapped Wald’s forehead as he was deep in thought.

“What does it matter if we know? Are you planning to fight the GM? What if something goes wrong and you can’t even play Rudera anymore?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Then why worry about useless things? They’re a god. It’s not like we can do anything about it anyway. Just don’t bother.”

‘After all, I’m that GM. I did it just for fun.’

“…Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Wald nodded at Albus’s words and matched his pace.

“I’m hungry. Shall we go eat?”

“Yeah, let’s go quickly before it gets crowded.”

It was just as they were about to step out of the lecture hall.

“…Huh?”

Something small approached Albus’s stomach and bumped into him.

When Albus looked down,

“Ehehe!”

A silver-haired girl was rubbing her face against Albus’s chest.

…Who’s this girl?

A girl he had never seen before.

With such delicate facial features and skin as white as jade, she would grow up to be a beauty who could shake the continent.

“Hello! I am a god!”

Is she a bit sick?

Calling herself a god out of the blue.

She must be the child of someone working at the academy.

She seems lost.

Should I take her to the guidance office?

Just as Albus was thinking that,

“Daddy!”

Duamutep shouted loudly.

The surroundings became noisy in an instant.

Albus, who was already the center of attention due to the incident with the saintess, was now the focus of even more attention.

Moreover, it was right at the entrance of the lecture hall where students were pouring out after the lecture.

Numerous students witnessed this scene.

“Isn’t that the guy the saintess called husband?”

“Yeah, yeah! Does he already have a kid?”

“How neglectful must he be for the kid to come to class?”

“She has the same silver hair as him. She must be his child.”

“Come to think of it, the Duke of Vernier’s family is known for their silver hair.”

“That thing! The malicious rumor about the saintess!”

“…It seems it wasn’t a rumor.”

“I can’t believe he even has a child.”

“A child with the saintess… ugh! I’m jealous!”

“The saintess with a man…? Unbelievable!”

“I find the child more interesting than the saintess.”

“What’s with this guy!”

“Hey, friend… you…?”

Wald, with trembling eyes, looked at Albus.

“You said it wasn’t true, didn’t you? How, how…!”

Albus was also confused and couldn’t grasp the situation.

Who is this child calling me daddy?

Why is she happily rubbing her face against my chest?

The gazes and attention of people pouring onto Albus and Duamutep.

The negative emotions of ‘jealousy’ directed at Albus made Duamutep frown.

“This place is too noisy!”

Duamutep stretched out her arms and hugged Albus’s waist.

“Huh?”

Whoosh

The next moment, Albus found himself standing in the middle of a desert.