Ch.21069. For You Who Cannot Die (2)

The wandering young lambs are ignorant.

They are also impulsive, simple, and emotional.

The blind cannot see even an inch ahead.

For the deaf, a hundred or thousand words are worse than none at all.

If the hero had not defeated the golden beast, the Demon King,

The first thing to disappear from the world would have been none other than faith.

Crisis and despair, indiscriminate oppression and misfortune actually bolster religious devotion.

…But it was the golden beast who believed even that could be controlled.

Thus,

Even after the Demon King’s defeat, most religions across the continent collapsed miserably.

The Church of Irenis was steadfast in that sense.

Their hero ultimately defeated the Demon King, and their saint saved the world.

Their believers and their nation were the first to unite and integrate.

Eventually, they expanded their influence.

And this stemmed from their meticulous methods of evangelism.

Ancient and long-transmitted faith and teachings.

Even their methods of evangelism and edification were passed down in concrete, detailed ways.

And if they could somehow gather scattered people, one by one, to participate in worship.

Everything would be resolved.

Sacred songs.

Sacred music.

Capturing the sense of hearing while binding the sight with strange yet classical attire.

Gracious words.

Merciful words.

Grateful words.

Content woven with such distinguished prose that even renowned poets, playwrights, and writers would naturally bow their heads, poured relentlessly toward believers and potential believers through readings and sermons delivered by meticulously trained church members.

But that’s not all.

The hymns and prayers that string together the beginning and end. The confession of faith.

And this encompasses each and every individual, while simultaneously defining individuals as a group, a collective, a crowd, binding them as one community.

The atmosphere created by this acts as a difficult snare to escape for weak-willed individuals, those who bend like reeds.

But is that all?

Worship doesn’t simply stop at repeating faith and doctrine.

Sometimes it encourages and influences the affairs of their local community.

The flow and color of worship differ distinctly depending on what purpose, intention, or direction the sermon leader pursues.

Dignity, legitimate authority, qualification.

And even the place where it’s conducted.

All of these create rightful authority and bestow legitimacy upon all actions.

For instance, the Emperor of the Empire addressing his people and a priest presiding over worship are the same, differing only in scale.

On the other hand, even a mere band of thieves boosting morale before their remnants is not so different.

The fundamentals are the same.

Will you be the one who commands?

Or the one who is commanded?

Will you be the one who gives directions?

Or the one who receives them?

‘Inviting them into the world I have created.’

Not their individual thoughts or ideals.

…But making them throw themselves into my thoughts, plans, ideals, dreams, perhaps hopes and interests.

That is precisely.

…The duty of a leader, as I learned from His Majesty the Emperor.

‘That’s why he said a leader must never be blind or foolish, right?’

The head of a snake can never become its tail.

And likewise, the tail can never become the head.

In that sense, this speech has been well-orchestrated in many ways.

The Queen laid the groundwork, and based on that, I drew out all the authority I could assert.

It doesn’t matter if the content is somewhat lacking.

Before authority and dignity, even the clumsy and naive are often overestimated.

One by one.

All of it.

“……”

It all began from the palm of my hand.

“They said something would happen, but there was just commotion without anything significant occurring, wasn’t there?”

The sun is setting.

The square has turned into a festival, with various foods and drinks being passed around.

Though they’re known as an ascetic race, that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy drinking and dancing.

There, I drew upon traditions they don’t know about, ones they’ve forgotten.

The ensemble of several types of flutes and string instruments.

Then, selecting those with exceptional voices and vocalization to sing lyrics and whistle, encouraging merriment.

Finally, the wide-area transmission of musical performances through spirit magic.

Songs, music, and melodies unknown to them but played by their distant ancestors, adapted to suit the sensibilities of this era.

The joint concert of dozens, lasting over an hour, must have been quite an extraordinary experience for those watching.

…Though for the Church of Irenis, this would be a common sight during Sunday worship at cathedral-level churches.

Within the Church of Irenis, there are several factions, but among them, the reformists began emphasizing worship rituals based on simplifying the mass for the universality, accessibility, and convenience of evangelism.

It’s certainly more accessible for pagans… or rather, non-believers.

…But I had no intention of imitating church ceremonies or rituals here.

I only needed the effects that could be obtained from them.

“If nothing happened, that’s fortunate. Once something happens, it can’t be undone, right?”

“That’s… true.”

“And don’t be disappointed yet, because nothing is over.”

“…When you say it like that, it sounds even more ominous.”

Dusk is falling.

The sun has long since disappeared.

Even the horizon is forest, with just a hint of red shimmer at its edge.

Probably a few blinks of the eye and the sky will soon turn blue.

And then dark, darker.

Endlessly dark.

Then countless stars, invisible to the naked eye, will once again flaunt their presence.

“But it’s shocking that the World Tree is… passing away.”

“……”

Cariel shrugged her shoulders.

“So in the end, we descendants must fill that void, right?”

“Obviously.”

What else could we do?

Either leave it empty or fill it with something new.

That’s for them to decide.

“……”

It won’t be easy right away.

Though I’ve beautified and softened my words, essentially I’ve only told them a prettified, distorted version of the truth—that all the blessings and protections they received from the World Tree are gone.

But anyway, funeral rites are ceremonies for the living, and we don’t even know if they affect the dead at all.

That’s how everything in the world is.

That’s why we sweat so much trying to discover the truth and facts.

“You said you were nineteen then… how much time is left?”

“Who knows.”

“You don’t even know your own age?”

“I’m not curious about it.”

Age is just a number.

Unless aging brings about an absolute transformation, change, or specific turning point.

Age is ultimately just a number.

“You really seem twisted when I look at you like this.”

“You flatter me.”

“…That wasn’t a compliment.”

While chatting with her, the sun finally fell completely into the other world.

“But strangely, there seemed to be little resistance to the announcement of your engagement to Her Majesty.”

“The High Elves didn’t seem pleased though.”

“Well, they’re always full of complaints, so let’s set them aside.”

Ironically, Remira herself was a High Elf.

“Your friendly relations with our kind have been quite famous among us.”

“Better to get along, right?”

Building friendships and fostering relationships.

It was all necessary.

Even now, I’m reaping the benefits.

The lack of animosity toward me is because I’ve steadily built up actions and deeds that earned their goodwill and favor over a long period.

There are no shortcuts for this.

…You have to stack it up steadily, like grain in a storehouse.

Naturally, the storehouse must be well-maintained too.

Otherwise, if rats eat the contents or they go bad, crying about it later won’t help.

In that sense, I’ve naturally been cultivating close relationships with the very few other races staying in Ardisus.

In such situations, bonds tend to form between outsiders.

If they didn’t, I would have made them form.

“By the way, that light suddenly, I was really surprised.”

“……”

“Is that why you’re called of the Radiant bloodline, because you can use such things?”

At Remira’s words, I inwardly let out a laugh mixed with a fake cough.

It’s really nothing special.

Though the music had to be artificially employed, this couldn’t be artificial.

‘Even so, it was just a minor trick.’

But it was also a technique not just anyone could accomplish.

This was something my mother had shown me, which I had developed more impressively while traveling abroad.

Even though it’s nothing special, such displays are sometimes misunderstood as divine miracles or wonders.

And in a way that’s very beneficial to me.

It’s not simple illumination, radiance, or light-emitting magic.

It’s different from what’s commonly called divine power or divine arts.

It’s also different from what’s defined as white magic.

This is solely a technique for display.

And that light is a thorough imitation of the noble light emitted by sacred beings, different from ordinary light.

…More precisely, it’s an imitation of the radiance my mother shows when praying or using divine power, or the brilliance my father displays when drawing his holy sword.

In any case, since I’m also called one of the Radiant clan, there will be no shortage of people who will misunderstand in a favorable way just by my displaying such things.

“The festival will continue for three days, and then this news will be delivered across the continent… probably within less than 100 days, the entire continent will know about this. Just a simple prediction.”

“You seem to know about such things unexpectedly.”

“…Being by Her Majesty’s side, how could I not know?”

My position is still near the top of the high, many steps leading up to the upper temple.

Sitting there catching my breath is quite enjoyable.

…Many High Elves gave disapproving looks at me sitting with my bottom on the bare ground, but why should I care?

“Let’s get going then.”

“…Where to?”

“Toward the World Tree.”

“To offer prayers?”

“…Something similar.”

But first.

“…Do I have to go down from here? How bothersome.”

“Just go down carefully with a respectful mind.”

“Can’t you carry me on your back and jump down?”

“…That’s obviously impossible.”

Is it?

I wanted to jump down safely from a high place, but I guess that’s too bad.

====

“The level of danger is different from before. We must kill him.”

Near the forest, not in the dugout, Keilan nodded calmly at the gloomy eyes of the man wrapped in black cloth blending into the darkness, and the words he deliberately uttered.

“But if your queen and the Empire’s Radiance are joined, East-West integration might not be just empty talk.”

“So what? Think I’ll change my mind? Is that what worries you?”

“I can’t say it doesn’t.”

The atmosphere is ominous.

No killing intent is felt… but the aura is extremely sharp.

A well-honed blade, a weapon… instills fear by its mere existence.

“If that were the case, you would have already been buried by the forest at this spot… without us having to take separate action.”

“It’s because I know that I’m keeping quiet.”

“Then don’t bother talking. It makes you look unsavory.”

His mind is complicated.

And that’s probably not just Keilan’s personal anguish.

His comrades and those who had agreed with him lost their will to act after the queen and the human child, and even the councilors, elders, and priests acquiesced to the situation.

If it had been revealed that Keilan himself had brought in demon remnants… he wouldn’t have been safe either.

‘But this is a favorable development.’

Even if the human child is assassinated, the weight of responsibility that the elves must bear will now be firmly different from before.

Once the engagement ceremony is held, there’s no turning back.

At that point, the human child will essentially be our kin’s actual…

“The blame we’ll take has grown heavier.”

“…Will you turn back even now?”

“Of course not.”

They’re both already in a position of no return.

Would the dull commander withdraw here?

Keilan could use this in reverse to overcome the crisis and achieve merit.

The moment they set foot here, there was already no turning back.

Even if Bargo himself could somehow escape from here alone.

…His subordinates who had struggled to follow him this far would truly die like dogs.

“……”

Therefore, Bargo had no choice but to cling to Keilan.

Also,

Keilan might be in danger at any moment due to potential betrayal by his comrades.

But if they can drastically change the situation, an opportunity will arise.

“The descendant of Radiance will stay in the Queen’s Palace from today.”

“Not yet, I take it.”

“…Fortunately, I heard he headed to the World Tree’s altar.”

“Understood.”

Once the assassination is confirmed, they must simultaneously expose the propaganda that the queen and councilors have sold everyone out.

Strictly speaking, assassination and exposure should not be related.

However, if by true coincidence, the two align properly.

Afterward, there will only be chaos and confusion.

‘If that happens.’

…Even if unwilling, that person will have no choice but to raise an army.

And even that chaos will naturally be resolved by that person’s hand.