Ch.269269. Deus

“Ugh, I don’t feel well.”

Soho clutched his stomach as he dismounted from the blood horse. Though it had only taken a week to travel from the Duchy of Valestan to near the capital of the Republic of Clark, the journey had been arduous for Soho, who was unaccustomed to traveling.

While the Duchy of Valestan was relatively small in area, the Republic of Clark was so vast that the journey inevitably took some time.

“We’re almost there now.”

While patting the back of Soho, who was clearly suffering from riding the blood horse, his gaze turned toward Clockwork, the capital of the Republic visible in the distance.

“……”

The experiences he had there were, in truth, too urgent and tragic to simply call memories.

Looking around, a slight smile naturally formed on his face.

When he first set foot on this land to save Findenai, he had heard countless screams and wails of souls.

Sorrow that covered the sky, the tragic history of those buried in the ground.

“It’s quiet now.”

With everything gone, only the sound of the wind brushed past his ears, calming his mind.

About what I did.

I never thought of myself as great for creating a land of peace and saving this continent.

I just did it because someone had to, and I thought I was the one who could do it best.

Seeing how different the atmosphere was from the Republic of Clark he had visited last time, he felt somewhat proud of himself.

What I’ve done wasn’t wrong.

This land was telling me so.

“The Republic, truly a preposterous land.”

Lanhart naturally approached my side and linked arms. He looked at Clockwork, the capital of the Republic, clicking his tongue in regret.

“If I had known Governor Magan was a Great Demon, I would have gone to take his head before Deus Verdi.”

“You seem to take these Great Demons too lightly.”

A statement that could only be described as bravado. Having personally killed a Great Demon, I didn’t need to explain how nonsensical Lanhart’s words were.

But it seemed Lanhart hadn’t spoken thoughtlessly.

“I know it’s difficult. But with such a clear goal, I would have thought harder and trained more thoroughly to hunt it down properly.”

“……”

“If that still wasn’t enough, then so be it. That would just be the limit of a human like me.”

The word “human” catches in my throat.

Soho, who finally felt better, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief while gauging the mood between me and Lanhart.

Sensing the atmosphere wasn’t great, he quietly slipped away to join Unyeop. Soho seemed more comfortable around Unyeop, who treated him exceptionally well.

Watching this, Lanhart folded his arms.

“Do you know why Unyeop is so fond of that child?”

“I guess he likes children.”

I answered indifferently, having little interest, but Lanhart continued regardless.

“His daughter died of illness before. That’s probably why he treats him more specially.”

“……”

“Not a particularly pleasant story, is it?”

It certainly wasn’t, but.

“In this world, who doesn’t have their own story?”

I said this as I turned and left my spot.

“Yes, that’s true.”

Lanhart didn’t deny it either as he gathered the hunters again.

Now the Norsweden Mountains were truly right before us.

* * *

“They’re coming.”

Findenai, who had recently quit smoking, blurted out while nervously shaking his leg.

Deia, who was about to complain about the annoying leg-shaking, froze.

Seeing Deia’s reaction, Findenai continued with more details.

“I got a message from the scrapyard that they’re coming very fast on a black horse called a blood horse. They were spotted in Clockwork, and considering their speed, they’ll probably arrive by tomorrow.”

“…Why are you only telling me this now?”

Although preparations had been made, the soldiers had become somewhat lax due to the long waiting period.

Deia stood up abruptly, intending to quickly inform Darius.

“I just heard it myself. The blood horse is abnormally fast to begin with.”

Findenai shrugged and stood up, following Deia.

For the sake of protecting the Mountain Lord, they needed to handle this situation decisively this time.

“Tell everyone to gather fire suppression equipment. Order the soldiers at the mountain outposts to assemble and cross over into the Republic.”

“Are we really crossing the mountains?”

“Yes, we are. It’s different from last time.”

Different from last time.

No one knew how hard Deia had worked to be able to say these words.

Unlike Weilbelt’s attack, which came with little warning despite the Mountain Lord’s alert, they had some time before Lanhart’s arrival.

So what Deia had prepared was a kind of setup—creating a situation where they could fight legally.

While Findenai and Darius had prepared for Lanhart’s arrival through training,

Deia had been busy laying the groundwork for them to fight freely.

“I’ve secured an agreement to temporarily cross the border for fire suppression work. From now on, we’re going to put out fires.”

Although no fire had yet broken out in the mountains.

She had exaggerated the previous fire to create a pretext.

Certain troops now had the authority to cross to the other side of the mountains in case of emergency disasters.

Since the Griffin Kingdom was friendly to the Republic of Clark, the Republic had granted permission with a few conditions.

“Finally, it begins!”

Findenai stretched, delighted that the time had finally come. Having waited longer than expected, he felt as if dust had settled on his body.

“Don’t get excited. Keep a close eye on the Weilbelt people. They might betray us, or we might be able to use them as a bargaining chip.”

“I know, I know.”

Before leaving the room, Deia grabbed a shotgun. She had no intention of going to the front lines but took it as a precaution for emergencies.

“……”

Before leaving, Deia briefly surveyed the office while holding the doorknob.

Though she was using it naturally, this was actually Deus Verdi’s office.

‘Don’t worry.’

As if speaking to him.

Deia quietly steeled her resolve as she stepped outside.

‘I will definitely protect the place for you to return to.’

* * *

“It’s high.”

Lanhart let out a short exclamation as he looked up at the Norsweden Mountains, which soared toward the sky like a natural barrier daring none to cross.

“The master of such a place must truly be a magnificent being.”

White breath escaped his mouth.

Even though other regions were still in summer, the Norsweden Mountains maintained their consistent cold.

The familiar cold made me feel my cheeks relax, but I also had an uncomfortable feeling.

‘Why am I feeling this way?’

As I felt before, a personal desire not to return to Norsweden in this form suddenly rose up.

Although I had no intention of waiting for Deus’s body to stabilize, I still wondered why I was feeling this way.

‘It’s difficult.’

It was a good thing that my once-faint emotions were gradually finding their place.

It meant I was growing more human, overcoming my acquired tendencies.

But it was also confusing. The rapid changes were happening faster than I could adapt to them.

Just then, Unyeop, who had gone out on reconnaissance, came running back to report.

“The Weilbelt deputy commander did betray us. The forces of the Norsweden Margrave are currently stationed in front of the mountains, waiting.”

“Hooh.”

“They’ve even built palisades and are quite serious about it. I don’t understand how they can do this on Republic of Clark territory…”

“They used a strategy.”

I answered Unyeop’s words.

“The deputy commander’s failure became the foundation for them to establish their position.”

“……”

“I’ve heard there’s quite a capable administrator in Norsweden.”

Amusingly, even as I spoke, I felt a bit like a doting parent.

I was explaining the situation to them in a straightforward manner, but I was also secretly praising Deia’s competence.

‘Excellent.’

As expected of Deia.

The lady of Norsweden.

She would probably dislike being called that, but I couldn’t think of a more fitting title for her.

“Well, what does it matter?”

But despite Deia’s efforts and the barriers Darius had set up, Lanhart showed little interest as he firmly gripped his spear.

“We came to hunt the Mountain Lord anyway. The Margrave hasn’t brought all his forces, and if we can’t overcome this much, then hunting the Mountain Lord would just be empty boasting.”

Moreover.

“A battle with them is inevitable if we want to seize the souls possessed by Deus Verdi. It’s actually quite convenient that we can break them while their forces are divided.”

Dark red mana erupted from Lanhart’s entire body, and a blood horse that emerged from within his shadow naturally supported him.

“Prepare to charge. It’s time to hunt.”

* * *

A quiet, dark room.

Once called a curio shop that sold antiques and rare items.

Now only one man sat there, leaning against the wall like a broken doll.

One might think he was dead, but his heart was still beating.

Nothing was visible around him, yet there was a feeling that the space was strangely distorted.

The man who had received millions of souls and personally became a land of peace.

The Spirit Master Deus Verdi.

He had been sitting there like a puppet with cut strings, waiting for the owner of the body to return, but.

Somewhat early.

“Ah.”

He let out a voice.

“…De…us.”

Unable to speak properly as if his throat was full of dust, he slowly.

Very slowly began to move his body.

Since it would take some time for his long-stiffened body to function properly.

He touched his hands and feet, moving slowly as if tuning an instrument.

As focus gradually returned to his eyes.

“De, us.”

The one name he clearly identified.

“Dei…us.”

Around him, who was slowly rising while leaning against the wall, countless souls had gathered.

And all of them began to help whoever had taken possession of Deus’s body.