Ch.215Buried Things (5)

I woke up the next morning.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the white ceiling of a hospital, and the IV lines attached to my arm were pumping all sorts of nutrients into my body.

“Where am I…?”

I looked around with eyes that barely opened.

There were no other people or beds visible in the hospital room, and upon closer inspection, the bed I was lying on was extremely spacious and adorned with elaborate decorations.

“A luxury private room?”

I clearly remembered what I had done before passing out.

My last memory was guiding the final legionnaire into the embrace of the sun, and then suddenly collapsing as if my body’s power had been switched off.

But for some reason, this time there was no extreme pain or side effects.

“Because of the nutrients?”

….Probably not.

The thought that side effects from divine possession could be resolved by mere human-made medicine was beyond blasphemous—it was absurd.

Perhaps… it was the difference in circumstances.

In Aparkat, I had used a tiny fraction of divine power to exert all my strength to kill a being who, though weak, was powerful enough to be worshipped as a god. This time, from a much stronger body, I had emitted not the light of slaughter but of salvation.

With a stronger body channeling weaker energy, it made sense that the side effects wouldn’t be as severe.

Since becoming a human hot pack in Zirconia, naturally combusting enough to melt armor and ground, I had been feeling that my identity was gradually shifting from mortal to immortal.

While ordinary pilgrim knights had to meditate facing a wall all day just to receive a single line of revelation, I was so powerfully connected to the sun that I could communicate with it just by sending a mental message. Perhaps it was natural that this divine power was driving my transformation.

“A god….”

If the sun is a god, what does that make me? An apostle? An angel? A messenger?

I wanted none of those.

I wanted to die as a human.

[Oh my.]

?

Sun Lord. Why do you suddenly sound disappointed?

[I was planning to make you an angel when you die, so you could periodically travel between heaven and earth.]

….May I ask why?

[I’ve been watching those imperial descendants for 351,201 years, abandoning all their duties to loaf around, only rocketing up to sing praises of the founding emperor when it’s time to make orichalcum. I needed someone to give them a good scolding on my behalf.]

…

I’m sorry, but we’ve agreed to call that “hired thuggery,” my lord.

[Tch.]

The sudden, random short conversation with the connected sun ended there.

What the… I was just having a profound monologue….

I couldn’t concentrate at all when I imagined myself as a winged undead with flashing bulbs all over my body, shining brightly while berating the imperial descendants lounging in Centrum: “Come up more often and show your faces to your grandchildren!” like some Confucian gangster.

Is this… the dignity of the sun?

I blinked blankly, then shook my head and got up.

Well, if I don’t like that, I just need to not die. The Sun Lord doesn’t seem to intend to ignore my wishes anyway.

Besides, I’m young! Worrying about what comes after death at an age not yet twenty is something best left to old men like Simon Holmes.

“Hmm!”

With that thought, I moved my stiff body around and pulled out the IV.

*

About three hours passed after that.

Once the hospital learned I was awake, they let my wife in, and through her, I began to hear how events had unfolded.

After I collapsed following the pacification of the dead, my soldiers rushed to move me to the medical bay of the Sky Warden. Only then did Bekarium’s soldiers and officials quickly radio the situation back to their home country.

Soon after, relief knights and Bekarium’s elite forces gathered to assess the situation, and simultaneously, I was accommodated in the best room of Bekarium’s finest hospital.

The reason was ostensibly to provide proper treatment to a hero who had brought safety to Bekarium by pacifying thousands of the dead, but it was also because they feared me.

If ancient imperial heroes willingly knelt and accepted pacification, it meant either my divine power was tremendous, or I had received an equally powerful divine blessing. Bekarium, which had attempted to profit by excavating the tombs of ancient imperial heroes, feared I might hold them accountable for their actions.

Considering that pilgrim knights have been known to annihilate entire villages in a day out of rage for desecrating the sanctuaries of martyred heroes who served the Four Gods, this was a reasonable precaution.

And most importantly, they could control information about me.

Had I not stepped forward to pacify the ancient legion, we would all have died there, and Bekarium would have had to prepare to lose half of its standing army.

If it became known that I could soothe and pacify ancient imperial undead, there was great concern that foreign countries or other organizations would threaten my safety to gain control over me for excavating ruins.

With just me present, one of the greatest difficulties in excavating ancient ruins would essentially be eliminated. Even countries with armies of not just 10,000 but 100,000 soldiers might go mad enough to throw in 1,000,000 troops to claim me.

“Bekarium played it quite smart. I’m grateful for that.”

I stroked my rough beard that had grown during my time unconscious and ordered my wife to bring my equipment.

She left, and in her place, someone with a marshal’s insignia entered my room.

*

“Ahem… Yes. I’ve heard about what happened at the ruins. Bekarium owes you a great debt.”

“Hmm.”

“In return, our Bekarium city government has decided to pay you 1 million gold coins. It’s a large sum, but nothing compared to what we’ve gained and will gain from the ruins.”

“How much have you gained?”

“Just from excavated items, tax revenue worth 1,300 years… and the value from the facility itself is worth 400 years of tax revenue… And considering future development of the ruins as a tourist attraction, conservatively speaking, we’ve gained revenue equivalent to 3,000 years of taxes.”

My mouth fell open.

Three thousand years of tax revenue for a nation of 3 million—what a splendid rhyme.

Just days ago, I would never have imagined that thousands of years of tax revenue could be spoken of so casually.

“I gratefully accept Bekarium’s generosity.”

“Hmm. We won’t impose any confidentiality obligations. Given your status as an adventurer, I can’t control you anyway, and you know the dangers if your abilities become known…”

“Ah…”

“We’ve tried to keep people quiet, but while we can control the soldiers, we can’t stop rumors spreading among civilian excavators. It’s already made the newspapers. We exerted pressure to hide your face and name, but once the title ‘Knight of the Sun’ appears, it’s obvious who they’re referring to.”

“…”

I nodded heavily.

This kind of fame is the last thing I want, even if popularity itself isn’t bad….

Sigh… Don’t believe in things like the sun, people.

CRASH!

“W-what? Suddenly a thunderbolt from a clear sky…!”

“…”

Sun Lord! It was just a joke!

[It didn’t sound like one to me.]

And we’re indoors! How could lightning reach me?

[Tch.]

Damn. Another judgment from the sun. I have to accept it…

“Victor? Are you alright? You still look pale…”

“Ah… That’s just how divine possession aftereffects work. I’ll be fine soon. Anyway, is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“For now, yes. Oh, your party members handled the completion of the request. When I mentioned the 1 million gold coins, they said they’d split the commission fee among themselves.”

“Let them… Compared to 1 million gold coins, the commission fee is literally pocket change.”

“Indeed, you’re right.”

The marshal left with a faint smile, and shortly after, Raisha filled the empty space, bringing my clothes and equipment.

*

Three days later, as we watched the 1 million gold coins being loaded onto the Sky Warden, we received a report that the brigade commander had allowed the soldiers to relieve stress in the city.

“Good work, Brigade Commander. And naturally, you’ll need to ensure the soldiers keep quiet about this incident. You understand why?”

“Of course. I’ve already strictly warned the soldiers. Whether they’ll comply is another matter, but…”

“Well, we can only trust them for now. Who knows? Perhaps the Sun will strike all my enemies with lightning.”

“Haha.”

Of course, that wouldn’t happen.

If it did, the Nariaki Empire wouldn’t have fallen.

CRASH!

Just then, lightning struck the lightning rod of the Sky Warden.

[Ah, I missed.]

It seems the Sun Lord dislikes gossip.

I wonder how they survived during the imperial era.