Ch.169Chapter 169. The Butterfly Dream (2)

Chapter 169. Butterfly Dream (2)

“That’s obviously bullshit. That Necrolord bastard was trying to control us with some skill we’ve never heard of before. Even the user ‘OneSlice’ who was giving us information near the capital got caught! Do you really think he’ll slaughter demons for us if we destroy the totems? We need to trust what’s trustworthy!”

Late night. In the plaza where the possessed had gathered. MeleeSpy was spitting as he ranted passionately.

“Mr. MeleeSpy. No one has said they believe the Necrolord yet. Please calm down.”

Princess Dina stepped forward on behalf of the possessed who were exchanging anxious glances while watching MeleeSpy’s outburst.

“Anyway! Don’t be swayed by that bitch Ishtania’s message. That’s exactly what the Necrolord wants. For us to act like fools, scared after hearing the surprised goddess’s words.

He claims he’ll finish everything after driving out all the gods? You think someone who says that would leave the cathedral standing after destroying Malak’s totems? Once all the totems are broken, he’ll destroy the cathedral too! He’s trying to wipe out the goddess, Malak, and all of us!”

MeleeSpy pounded his chest.

Ishtania’s message. That was why the possessed had borrowed the plaza late at night with permission from Rachel, Symphony’s administrator.

[The cathedral is in danger! You must protect the cathedral!]

This message was delivered to all possessed through their status windows. The goddess Ishtania, who had summoned them to this world, was showing her will for the first time, albeit indirectly.

[If the cathedral falls, you will never be able to return home!]

She was so desperate that she sent another one. Two messages in such a short time.

“I’ve been wondering, is it true that we can’t go home if the cathedral collapses?”

Princess Dina asked, and MeleeSpy immediately answered.

“The goddess has lost almost all her followers, and the only reason she can summon paladins or exert even small influence is thanks to the cathedral. It’s like the last connection between the goddess and this world.

If the cathedral collapses, it becomes difficult for the goddess to interfere in this world. No, she might not be able to interfere at all.”

“Then what happens?”

“This world becomes like Heroes of the Storm—a game with discontinued updates. The server stays up, but there are no patches, no newbies.”

“…Patches? Server?”

Princess Dina tilted her head, not having much gaming experience. Her encounter with the game ‘Surviving as Paladin’ on Earth was due to several coincidences.

“It means we can’t go home, and there won’t be any new possessed either. Powers already granted by the goddess, like skills, would remain, but that’s it. A closed world? Forced isolation policy? Something like that.

Unless we build a new cathedral, that’s how it would be.”

“…”

Princess Dina fell into thought at these terrifying words.

MeleeSpy sighed deeply and continued.

“Please, don’t do anything stupid. After all the totems are destroyed and Malak is neutralized, what’s next? Immediately, the demon and zombie alliance will invade. We’ll all die and become zombies.”

“That’s right. If it weren’t for Lord Malak, we wouldn’t even be able to gather here now. We wouldn’t have warm meals either. We shouldn’t fall for this divisive tactic.”

“No one repays kindness with enmity, right?”

‘MorningTentSetupKnight’ Siwoo and ‘ITrustedTheMonkeyUncle’ Monkey expressed agreement with MeleeSpy.

“Yeah.”

Other possessed nodded. Quite a few were just watching each other cautiously.

“But why did he propose a deal? If there are no believers, couldn’t he just bring demons and attack us?”

Possessed A cautiously spoke up.

“Well, he probably doesn’t know that the god Malak is currently absent? No one posted that information on the community.”

Another possessed B answered.

“No, even so. The fact that he invaded the capital means the Seven-Headed Dragon and demons were all timing when to come this way. Then he must know that demons and we fought bloody battles, right?

If he wanted to attack, now would be the perfect time, so why is he asking us? If he brought all the demons and zombies, it would be game over.”

“He must be exhausted too, idiot. The Necrolord fought with the demons in the capital too, so he can’t be in perfect condition.”

“Is that so?”

MeleeSpy, who had been listening to the conversation between the two possessed, joined in.

“The Necrolord said he’s controlling the evil god. He made it sound simple, but it can’t be easy. After all, she was once a god, so she wouldn’t be easily controlled. I’m certain he’s already struggling just to control the evil god.

Demons move like an army. With the dark cloud and Seven-Headed Dragon gone, the evil god is currently the highest rank. For now, they’re following the Necrolord who controls the evil god, but if the evil god slips out of control even slightly, internal conflict will break out.

He’s in an uncomfortable situation, so he’s trying to divide us.”

Hannah nodded as it made sense.

MeleeSpy was an idiot, but he was also the top expert on the game ‘Surviving as Paladin’ and this world.

“So what should we do? Let’s say we ignore his demand to destroy the totems. Should we invade the capital before he perfectly controls the evil god? Or wait safely until Lord Malak returns and then attack? Damn, this is so complicated.”

This was from ‘Ghoulre,’ the actual deputy commander of MeleeSpy’s attack team.

“Shouldn’t we wait until Lord Malak returns before going? If we go by ourselves, it might work out well, but there’s no backup plan. It’s also questionable whether the tribal alliance will believe us and fight alongside us.”

Fallen Power Knight said while stroking his chin. This was also a reasonable point.

“Isn’t his threat to destroy the cathedral just a bluff?”

“Then why would the goddess send such a message?”

“In the game, the cathedral was a sanctuary that even demons couldn’t touch. But now a single Necrolord, not even a major power, is going to control paladins to destroy the cathedral? Doesn’t that sound implausible? It breaks the balance.”

“By that logic, is there balance between us paladins and the demon forces? Even at max level, we couldn’t touch the Seven-Headed Dragon.”

“Still, would someone called a god fall for a bluff?”

“She might be called a god, but she could just be a super-powerful alien.”

“Come on, did hiding alone make you thick-headed? Do you think someone powerful enough to send us to another world with superpowers like skills can’t distinguish one lie?”

“Let’s speak one at a time, people.”

The meeting, which was originally about ‘not being deceived by the Necrolord and goddess,’ had somehow shifted to ‘how to defeat the Necrolord’ or ‘can the Necrolord really destroy the cathedral.’

“We should assume the Necrolord has the ability to destroy the cathedral. If not, there’s no need for this discussion. We just wait until Lord Malak returns and then kill the evil god or Necrolord.”

“That’s the problem! Hey, why are we risking our lives fighting? Wasn’t it to return home? Do you want to keep living in this shitty world? If we kill all demons and evil gods but still can’t return to Earth, what’s the point?”

Many people nodded slightly, showing passive agreement.

“Damn it, but we can’t trust that bastard Charon! We don’t even know how many Earthlings like Rinojohnnson or OneSlice are being controlled by him! Would that bastard see us as human? He’d just see us as future corpses or the goddess’s lackeys!”

“Lord Malak said he would send us back to Earth! He told that friend MorningTent! He must have a way!”

In the chaos created by frightened people, Bella, who had lost her sister and was now alone, glared at the lord’s castle where the totem was located.

“…”

Hannah carefully watched Bella from the corner of her eye, hoping she wasn’t harboring any foolish thoughts.

***

[If there’s a problem, notify Lakye, Kanto, or Rachel immediately]

[PetitNoa: Yes!]

“Phew.”

I sighed and closed the community.

Before dealing with Charon, I need to escape this unidentified space first. That’s the top priority.

I can hear about the tribal alliance situation through private messages from Noa, Siwoo, or Hannah. If there’s anything concerning, it would be this.

[The cathedral is in danger! You must protect the cathedral!]

[If the cathedral falls, you will never be able to return home!]

The goddess sent a message through the status window, probably after seeing Charon’s post about destroying the cathedral. It seemed like an admin notice since I could still see the message even after closing the status window.

Did Charon post that knowing the goddess would make such a fuss?

“Cunning bastard. …Oh?”

I was surprised to hear my own voice aloud after several years. Despite the crisis, I suddenly felt better.

No one’s here anyway. I guess I can talk to myself.

“This place is like a flower garden.”

It’s a space filled with beautiful flowers and trees I’ve never seen before. I walked slowly, enjoying the fragrant flower scent.

“Ah shit, I fell. That hurts.”

My legs keep getting tangled. Maybe because it’s been a while, even walking isn’t easy. I clicked my tongue at the pain I hadn’t felt in a long time.

…Did my body blur for a moment? Must be my imagination.