Ch.264The Road to the Turianic Plains (1)

After repelling the apostle and establishing a defensive barrier, I couldn’t immediately leave Lake Ceres.

Even though I hadn’t directly caused any destruction, the slaughter and devastation perpetrated by Karyl’s followers remained.

I deployed troops to maintain order and called the refugees back to the city. I also conscripted able-bodied men to clear debris, rebuild ruins, and rescue survivors.

“I’m trying to hire adventurers.”

“How much have you inquired about?”

Still short-handed, I placed a request with the adventurers’ guild in the city.

It was too difficult to protect a city of 6 million people with just over 50,000 soldiers, and I had 1.3 million gold coins at my disposal.

Thus, nearly 200,000 adventurers quickly joined as temporary workers, using their specialized skills and knowledge to help rebuild the city.

“Money truly is king and lord… To think these adventurers who were dawdling among ruins would now throw themselves into work so eagerly…”

“The lust for gold is like that… Don’t worry too much about it. We’ve fought for money ourselves. It’s not much different.”

“I suppose you’re right…”

I nodded, gazing at Ceres City where dozens of buildings were being reconstructed each day.

Since I too had followed my desires to reach this point, how could I morally or ethically lecture them?

“At this rate, the restoration work should be completed around the 15th month.”

“Good. That’s faster than I expected.”

Staying for about three months shouldn’t cause any problems. If anything, it might bring some benefits.

Besides, since I must become a ruler after completing my pilgrimage, the experience of being a control tower for a disaster-stricken city is quite valuable.

“The Apostle of the Sun looked at me!”

“No! He was watching over the barrier!”

“He turned his head and clearly saw me digging!”

“He was inspecting his warship!”

“No! I’ve been chosen! Guided by his hand, I shall go to the side of the Sun and Moon!!!”

…And then there’s the experience of dealing with such fanatics.

Blind faith that has lost reason and objectivity is merely self-satisfaction—no, self-deception—that helps neither gods nor humans.

I don’t deserve to be called a savior because I cannot eliminate the suffering of this world, nor do I deserve to be called a redeemer because I cannot guide people to heaven.

I’m merely a person chosen by the Sun (who happens to be incredibly strong and immortal).

Do they know my concerns?

Of course, to those who live day by day, my worries might seem like those of a rich son complaining about having too many luxuries to fit in his room. But to the person experiencing them, they are genuine concerns.

“My lord. The cleanup of District 13 is complete. Additionally, there’s been a disturbance in District 22.”

“A disturbance?”

“It’s about rations. A mother demanded rations for her child as well, but it turns out the child was already dead. How should we handle this?”

“Tsk tsk… Give her five or six lashes on the backside and then let her go. She’s denying reality due to the grief of losing her child. What mother would sell her child’s name for an extra piece of bread?”

“Understood.”

If she had truly tried to use her child’s name for personal gain, I wouldn’t have issued such a light punishment.

I made that judgment from a humanistic perspective, believing that a mother wouldn’t do such a thing.

If she had betrayed my expectations and truly sold her dead child, her head would have rolled too, but I still wanted to believe in humanity’s goodness.

For the next three months, I had to deal with endless civil and criminal cases. When I faced difficulties, local experts, Simon, and the hired adventurers provided appropriate assistance.

This gave me a good answer as to why a ruler must place the right people in the right positions, and it reinforced my belief that one cannot rule through violence alone.

“So a virtuous ruler governs with compassion, a benevolent ruler with generosity, but a wise ruler must squeeze his officials to benefit his subjects… The expectations of rulership are indeed difficult.”

*

And so, three months passed, and it became the 15th month.

During this time, I’ve been plagued by philosophical and existential questions, and below are my answers.

If pain exceeds the joy of life, can it still be called life?

It’s like forcibly reviving a dying elder with a defibrillator. While I affirm life, I don’t wish to call hopeless desperation that merely postpones death “life.”

That’s also why I don’t desire the revival of the empire. The dead should be buried, decay, and be forgotten. That is the natural order.

Forcibly reviving the past in the present only makes us realize why the past remained in the past.

That’s why I won’t resurrect the Nariakiran Empire. I don’t want to repeat past failures.

The empire’s principle was simple: all humans are equal under the sun, there are no gods in this world except the Sun and Moon, and humans can never become gods.

That might have worked in the past when only the moon shone brilliantly at night and the sun was the only luminous body.

But not anymore.

During the Age of Solar Eclipse, millions of ascendants rose to the heavens and became stars. Though not as powerful as the sun, they could prove their own existence. Now, when you look up at night, you see twinkling stars alongside the moon.

Karyl, Medina, Moneta, and Logos have a profound influence on this world, and people offer sacrifices to them, praying for their wishes to be granted.

Therefore, the ideology of the Nariakiran Empire is no longer suitable for governing all of humanity.

The world has changed, and the calendar of mortality didn’t appear for no reason.

With these thoughts, I gazed at the sun.

The Sky Warden rose toward the sky, and the sun drew closer.

O Sun, are you disappointed that I denied the revival of the empire?

[How could I blame you? Your words are all correct. The descendants of Ichika have lost all their mighty influence. Isn’t the tragedy of 50,000 years their own doing?…]

You don’t say you’re not disappointed.

[…]

I understand. I know your wish. A healthy society where all humans freely express their opinions, are accepted, and can realize their innate potential.

But, forgive my blasphemous words, that wasn’t achieved even when all of humanity was under your guidance.

People are not born equal. Don’t you know how I grew up… and how my companions grew up? When those with swords create a nation, those with weak, short swords become slaves, and those with strong, long swords become nobles.

[I know. That’s why it’s all the more regrettable. Despite such technological advancement, despite calling for the spiritual evolution of humanity, humans remain merely human….]

Don’t be sad. Your wish is right, but that’s why it wasn’t accepted.

Humans are beings who make choices because they are a mix of good and evil. And the definitions of good and evil change with time and place. What’s good in Faerun becomes evil in Miriam, so we must distinguish between good and evil through endless exploration and research.

[But as you said, that was impossible even in the empire’s era.]

Not everything impossible is worthless.

Why did you choose me as your apostle? If you had chosen a monarch of a powerful kingdom, you could have proclaimed the revival of the Nariakiran Empire in the name of the Sun. If you had given your message to a great warrior, he would have led his followers to start a holy war.

But you chose me. What is the reason? What brought the light of the Sun to this young servant who only had desires and longings?

[I saw your purity. The pure desire that sustained an indomitable spirit through trials and hardships that you endured alone. How could I pass you by?]

Then, please watch and believe in me. Though the Nariakiran Empire has fallen, I will establish an empire once more in your name.

[Then go forth, my apostle. Usher in an era where an emperor reigns above kings in this world.]

I nodded toward the sun.

My path is still very long, and the day when the empire will be established is distant.

And until then, I must embark on an adventure.

“Set course for the Turianic Plains!”

And the risen Sky Warden began to fly toward the Turianic Plains.