Ch.201Volume 15 (3)

To summarize the information brought by the hastily returned delegation from Animus, the situation is roughly as follows.

A rebellion, or coup d’état, occurred and the Warchief lost his life.

Then, the beastman who took the Warchief’s position ruled until he too lost his life after receiving a “Holmgang” challenge. Because of this, the Warchief position remains vacant, and there seems to be internal chaos over it.

It’s natural that when a nation is established, a ruling class forms, and people who are dissatisfied with that ruling class emerge. After all, the class system itself represents the pinnacle of inequality and injustice.

However, if the ruling class governs well and remains uncorrupted, the possibility of rebellion decreases significantly.

Even if someone blinded by power attempts rebellion, without legitimacy and justification, such actions will lead the nation to ruin.

The most prominent example would be the Jeiros Revolution that erupted in the Kingdom of Teres. The Kingdom of Teres is considered a cultural powerhouse and is evaluated as a beautiful country no less than Alfheim.

However, before the Jeiros Revolution, culture—that is, art—was the exclusive domain of nobles. Culture was not permitted for commoners, and the evaluation of being a “country of culture” applied only to a small portion.

If a commoner practiced art? They would be immediately oppressed and thrown in prison. In severe cases, they would suffer terrible pain from punishments like having both hands cut off.

When some conscientious high nobles witnessed this and protested to the upper echelons, the response was demotion and abolition of status. This became the catalyst for the Jeiros Revolution.

Although the Jeiros Revolution didn’t completely overthrow the upper class, the king was changed, and furthermore, art permeated to the commoners. Thanks to this, the Kingdom of Teres earned the title of a “country of culture.”

Of course, no one knows how much blood and sweat was shed to earn that title. In this way, rebellion itself briefly reveals a country’s history.

[It shows what happens to a country that adheres only to tradition. If civilization is to be achieved, traditions that harm that civilization must be discarded.]

[Even if not discarded, there must be flexibility to avoid falling into chaos.]

[Hick provided an opportunity to unite the beastmen through culture and tradition, but ironically, that same culture and tradition are once again dividing Animus.]

The coup in Animus can be seen as a perfectly natural phenomenon, but it’s slightly different. According to what the delegation revealed, the Warchief has changed several times over the past decade.

Due to the unique culture called “Holmgang,” the throne is vacant, and the country is in turmoil.

From what I hear, the original Warchief was virtuous and wise, governing Animus well and actively engaging with neighboring countries, but that’s no longer the case. The recent one openly practiced tyranny and indulged in women, losing his life to Holmgang in less than two years.

Since then, Animus has split into two factions over the Warchief position. One faction, centered around lion beastmen like Leona Lions, places importance on “legitimacy.”

The opposing faction advocates discarding traditions that shake the nation’s foundation and further suggests that the country should be run by means other than a Warchief. This faction has no particular center, but most lean toward abolishing tradition.

In other words, it can be seen as a confrontation between a king and his ministers who are stubbornly rigid and focused only on legitimacy. The reason the Warchief position remains vacant is because these two factions haven’t found a suitable compromise.

Ironically, the reason Holmgang is being indiscriminately invoked is because the conditions for its legitimacy are being met. Since they can’t communicate with each other, Holmgang occurs countless times, resulting in damage to tradition.

If this continues, Animus will become neither one thing nor the other, and its foundation will be uprooted. Neither faction is foolish, so they’ve been trying to prevent this information from leaking out.

Of course, that became futile after the release of Biography of Xenon Volume 15. I imagine they’re probably preparing to find me now.

Though it’s a story from a distant land, I can’t help feeling tense since it’s indirectly related to me.

‘Luminus.’

[Speak, child.]

‘Am I really not some amnesiac returnee or prophet?’

[… …]

I’ve become so suspicious of myself due to my batting average—I don’t even know how many home runs I’ve hit by now—that I went directly to Luminus’s temple.

This ridiculous doubt that perhaps I can’t remember due to some restriction, as speculated in the articles. At first, I dismissed it as nonsense, but as these incidents kept happening one after another, seeds of doubt sprouted.

Of course, I know it’s an absurd idea. But there’s always the possibility of “what if” in this world.

Due to the incident related to Animus, the gazes of those around me have become strange. Marie even asked me, “Are you really from the future?” which gives you an idea of how things are.

[Absolutely not. I can swear on my divinity. You are simply a soul that crossed over from Earth, just an ordinary novelist.]

‘Then why do these things happen with every new release? Can this really be called coincidence?’

[…Honestly, even I find it absurd.]

‘… …’

Even a deity shows a “this is a bit…” reaction. Though it’s absurd, my trust in Luminus has increased significantly because of it.

In truth, confronting Luminus like this is half venting. The world won’t leave me alone; it forcibly connects everything I do, to the point where I could cry.

Luminus advised that things would gradually improve with time, but at this rate, there will be no solution. I need to prepare some kind of resolution…

‘…There’s no way to fix this, is there?’

[What if you regress a few days back and completely rewrite everything? With your current divine power, you could regress two weeks.]

‘No, I’ll pass. I don’t want to completely rewrite the story, and it’s not that desperate.’

Regression is something you’d do in a desperate situation, not appropriate for the current circumstances. I’ll just endure it.

Besides, even if I rewrote the story, people would surely find something strange elsewhere. In the current situation, something will happen regardless.

Therefore, there’s only one thing for me to do right now.

‘…Instead, I’d like to request some divine power. I’ve been having a lot of tiring experiences lately.’

[Are those children bothering you a lot?]

‘That’s part of it, but the situation itself is exhausting.’

I need to receive divine power from Luminus to resolve the stress and fatigue that have accumulated over the past few days.

Beyond the current situation, fundamentally, Marie and Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin have been taking turns tormenting me.

We barely reached a compromise; last time, they fought over who would go first, causing me trouble. As a bonus, Rina Urmi Christine, sitting across from me, blushed.

I don’t know what she’s thinking, but she blushes whenever our eyes meet. Recently, it’s become less frequent, but whenever Marie or Cecilly send signals, she subtly asks where I’m going.

I hope she doesn’t have that kind of preference, but it makes me feel somewhat ambiguous.

[There must be more than just those girls… if you’re already this exhausted…]

‘What? What did you say?’

[Nothing at all. And child, I don’t recommend coming for divine power just because you’re tired. You should increase your stamina; filling the gap with divine power becomes meaningless.]

‘I’m trying, but it’s hard to increase stamina in a short time. For now, I have no choice but to do this.’

[Hmm…]

Luminus showed signs of contemplation at my words, then spoke about one method.

[There is a way to increase stamina in a short time. It would be particularly suitable for you, whose divine power is nearly infinite.]

‘Oh? Can you tell me?’

[I have no problem telling you… but there will be some changes. Just as your hair grew longer according to Mora’s preference, if you use this method, your body will emit a lilac scent.]

‘Ah, I’ve heard about that.’

Those favored by the gods undergo various changes. A representative example is the body scent.

According to mythology, Luminus favors the scent of lilacs, and the more favor one receives, the stronger the lilac scent becomes. Because of this, most people who worship Luminus use lilac perfume.

Additionally, Mora emits a peach scent, and Hart, the mother of the siblings and goddess of creation and nature, changes the very aura she emits.

‘Don’t tell me Luminus is going to do something strange like Mora…’

[I’m different from that immature one. The lilac scent is enough for me.]

As expected, siblings are siblings; Luminus treats Mora as immature. Looking at it this way, they really are humanlike gods.

‘Thank you. So, can you tell me what this method is?’

[How much do you know about paladins?]

‘Paladins are…’

Paladins, as everyone knows, are the personnel responsible for force within the church. Because they use force directly, they use divine power for physical enhancement rather than healing, and Kate Louise Angelica, the Grand Inquisitor and Cardinal, is a paladin.

Usually, paladins hold a much higher rank than ordinary clergy. They pray while never neglecting personal training, making them the embodiment of both literary and martial excellence, hence their high rank.

Also, paladins are at least twice as strong as ordinary knights because they use both magic power and divine power. Rumor has it that Kate is as skilled as an elven Warchief, which gives you a rough idea of how strong she is.

[The reason paladins can be so strong is precisely because of divine power. Physical enhancement using divine power makes the body remember it. Physical training that consumes divine power is much more efficient than consuming ordinary magic power.]

‘But I don’t know how to use divine power?’

[You don’t need to worry about that. Divine power and magic power have properties that mix with each other. You can consider magic power as divine power.]

‘You should have told me earlier.’

[This child. Anyway, will you accept it?]

‘Yes.’

It would be foolish to give this up when I can receive nearly infinite divine power. Having a strong lilac scent isn’t a problem either.

Rather, having a body scent that changes to something sweet like flowers is only beneficial. I don’t wear perfume anyway.

[…It will make it easier for that child to find you.]

‘What?’

[Nothing at all.]

After receiving divine power, I left the private chapel.

“Sniff sniff. Sniff… Isn’t this a bit much?”

I vividly experienced the intense lilac scent emanating from my body.

*****

Creeak-

Not long after Issac Dukar Mayshall left the private chapel, the door of the adjacent private chapel opened, revealing a woman.

She had golden hair as bright as a fresh field, braided into one, and impressive emerald eyes that sparkled.

A beautiful woman with an infinitely benevolent impression and pure beauty like a girl raised in the countryside.

She wore the white sacred garments typically worn by the Church of Luminus, which clearly expressed her figure.

From her ample bosom to her slender waist and wide hips, and finally her fair thighs revealed by the side slit.

Her name was Kate Louise Angelica, a Cardinal and Grand Inquisitor who, until a few days ago, was smashing the skulls of demon worshippers with her mace.

She is a paladin famous for her cruel disposition toward heretics and demons, despite her appearance.

“…Huh?”

As soon as Kate came out, she blinked her green eyes and flared her nostrils. At first, she was uncertain, but the intense lilac scent invaded her nose.

As she continued to sniff and look around, a female devotee approached Kate.

“Have you finished your prayers, Cardinal Kate?”

“Sniff sniff. Ah, yes, Sister Anna. But this smell…”

“Ah, this smell? I don’t know who it is, but someone must have sprayed lilac perfume.”

Perfume… The devotee didn’t think much of it, but Kate inwardly disagreed. This was absolutely not an artificially created scent.

The reason she could distinguish between artificial perfume and natural scent was simple. As someone favored by the deity, she also emitted a strong lilac scent.

And the scent outside the chapel now was surprisingly identical to her own. In other words, someone attending this temple was receiving favor from Luminus.

At this, Kate smiled like the most benevolent saint in the world and asked the devotee:

“Judging by how strong the scent still is, someone must have just passed by. Who came here?”

“No one came, but someone did leave from the next chapel. His name was… Issac, I believe? A man with red hair and distinctive golden eyes.”

“Ah, I see… Wait. Did you say red hair and golden eyes?”

“Yes.”

“Red hair and golden eyes…”

Kate seemed bothered by something as she touched her chin, deep in thought. The combination of red hair and golden eyes is rare worldwide.

Red hair itself is already uncommon.

‘In the oracle, it clearly…’

Kate emerged from her contemplation as she carefully recalled the oracle given by Luminus. The oracle was so ambiguous that it was difficult to judge hastily.

She might wrongly identify an innocent person, so direct confirmation was the priority. She asked the devotee:

“Did you say this devotee’s name was Issac? I’m curious if you know where he resides.”

“Judging by his uniform, he seems to be a Halo Academy student… That’s probably it.”

“Academy… I see.”

Then Kate smiled kindly and said:

“Thank you for your help.”

As she gently placed her hand on her lower abdomen.