Ch.332Volume 25 (2)

Compared to my family, I was a slow physical developer, but I was far from ‘weak.’

First of all, I never once had a dangerously high fever, nor did I even suffer from minor ailments.

This world may have divine power, but medical science is still underdeveloped, making it vulnerable to diseases. I heard that once there was an epidemic that threatened the empire.

The concept of ‘hygiene’ was understood early, but biology still lags behind.

However, except for my mother, our family is distant from illness. Dave and Nicole, of course, and even our father has never been sick.

In fact, due to his profession, my father often gets injured by cold weapons or beast claws. In other words, he’s exposed to tetanus and other diseases.

Especially when I see him training with his upper body bare, his entire torso is covered in scars. The most impressive ones are the marks left by beast claws.

Of course, as the captain of the Navy Knights, he would have been provided with medical supplies. But the border area where my father served was literally a frontline.

In terms of my previous life, it could be compared to Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, or even Stalingrad at worst. A hellscape where soldiers were swept away almost daily.

Even with solid supply lines, supplies are often scarce in such places, especially medicine. Yet despite this, my father never caught even a mild cold, let alone tetanus.

Established frontlines typically see more people dying slowly from epidemics and terrible hygiene than from combat.

Whether it’s truly heroic bloodline or not, our family’s physical capabilities are remarkably superior compared to others. Be it immunity or potential.

Even as my body grew robustly, I never fell ill. Moreover, now that I’m blessed with divine power, I’m even further removed from illness.

“Cough, cough, ugh…”

But as of today, I might have to retract that statement. After channeling both Luminus and Mora simultaneously at the temple, I collapsed in bed as soon as I returned to the dormitory.

In less than an hour, my fever rose rapidly until it worsened to the point where I could barely control my body. The irritating cough that made my throat hurt was just a bonus.

Perhaps because I’ve never been sick since my reincarnation, it feels even worse.

“Are you alright?”

In a state where I could barely move a finger, a beautiful voice penetrated my ears. With great effort, I turned my head as I opened my eyes.

Snow-white hair and blue eyes like embedded sapphires. If she had wings on her back, wouldn’t she truly be an angel?

I forced a smile at my fiancée, Marie, who was asking with a worried expression.

My head was spinning as if someone was ruffling it, and my body was burning like a fireball, but I could at least manage a smile.

“It’s hard but I’m fi— Cough!”

I tried to answer that I was fine, but a cough erupted. My throat stings from coughing too much.

Swish—

After I finished coughing, something was placed on my forehead. A cool sensation traveled across my forehead, which felt like a fireball.

With effort, I opened my eyes and shifted my gaze to see Adelia in her maid uniform.

It seems she placed a wet towel on my forehead. Dedication and effort to somehow lower my fever.

She too was looking at me with sky-blue eyes full of concern. Her love for me is second to none, so she must be even more distressed.

But unfortunately, this fever won’t subside easily. It’s not a fever caused by a simple illness.

“Is he really alright?”

Marie asked about my well-being again. The difference is that she asked someone else, not me.

The target of her question was not Adelia, who was nursing me, but Kate beside her. She too had rushed over as soon as she heard I was sick.

As soon as she saw me groaning in bed, her expression was as if the world had collapsed.

“Yes. It’s just a ‘divine fever’ caused by the collision of Luminus and Mora’s divinity. It’s definitely not an illness.”

But true to her role as a clergy, she diagnosed my condition faster than anyone. The diagnosis for my condition was divine fever.

It’s similar to what shamans experience when possessed. But here, divine fever occurs when one receives too much divine power.

Not everyone receives ‘divine prophecy’ when it comes; only specific believers like priestesses do. If an ordinary cleric receives a divine prophecy, they suffer from divine fever.

Even popes or cardinals can receive it without much trouble, but even they receive ambiguous prophecies.

In other words, cases like mine where direct conversation is possible, and furthermore, where the future can be revealed, are extremely rare.

“I also suffered from divine fever when Luminus bestowed grace upon me. The traces remain on my body like stigmata.”

“I think I’ve heard of this. Don’t avatars also have stigmata?”

“That’s right. But that doesn’t mean I’m an avatar. An avatar is literally when gods borrow a mortal’s body to exercise their power and perform miracles. Except for the Demon War, there has never been anyone who became an avatar.”

As Kate explained, avatars only manifest in situations where the world is heading toward destruction. Historically, they have never appeared except during the Demon War.

I wanted to say something after hearing that, but I had absolutely no energy left, so I just listened quietly.

Even though I want to sleep, my head is so dizzy that even that is difficult.

“You said that Issac experienced a collision of Luminus and Mora’s divine power, what does that mean?”

“It’s simple. For some reason, Issac channeled both of them simultaneously. It’s difficult enough to channel one, but he channeled two at once, so it’s no wonder he’s suffering from divine fever.”

“Both at once…”

“It’s fortunate that it’s Issac; if it were someone else, their entire body would have burned with holy fire. There would probably be no pain.”

Burning too quickly to feel pain? One of the most painful sensations humans experience is burns, so saying there’s no pain doesn’t make sense…

“Before that, their mind would collapse and they’d become incapacitated. There’s no pain because they can’t feel it.”

That’s truly frightening. To end up in this state in less than a second. No wonder I experienced nosebleeds and dizziness.

I got goosebumps from Kate’s explanation, which was terrifying just to hear.

I can’t even imagine what would have happened if Luminus had cut off the connection even a little later. It might have been better to just faint.

“So can he recover?”

“Don’t worry. Although Luminus and Mora’s divine power repel each other, they are children of Hirt. Soon they will gradually become one and stability will be restored.”

“Thank goodness…”

Marie sighed with relief at Kate’s explanation. Looking to the side, Adelia had a similar reaction.

Then there’s only one remaining issue. Whether to inform the outside about my current condition or keep it a secret.

While I can have all my basic needs met in the dormitory, I can’t engage in any external activities.

If by any chance my condition leaks to the outside, it would cause tremendous repercussions. That’s what concerns me slightly.

“Um… Kate.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“When will this get better? Cough.”

So I asked with difficulty. The fever was so severe and my body ached so much that I didn’t think it would heal quickly.

To make matters worse, I was also experiencing a sore throat, one of the symptoms of influenza. I hope I won’t start coughing up blood.

Kate heard my question, thought for a moment, then tilted her head and answered.

“I’m not sure about that. I recovered in three days, but in your case, since Luminus and Mora’s divinity are mixed…”

“…Three days? That long?”

“Don’t worry. I was in so much pain that I fainted, and when I woke up, three days had passed.”

Please don’t say such things with a smiling face. That thought rose to my throat but I swallowed it back because it hurt too much.

Still, that method might be the best option right now. It was just too painful.

‘Once I recover…’

I’ll go to the temple and confront Luminus. Rather than confronting, I’ll demand to know if she has anything to say.

Actually, Mora who interrupted is more at fault than Luminus, but Luminus provided the pretext, so both are to blame.

Perhaps they were scolded by Hirt like Mora was last time. They almost lost an excellent believer due to their mistake.

But putting that aside, what’s important right now is whether to inform the outside about my condition or not.

“Then about me being sick… cough. What should we do?”

“Let’s see how things go and decide. If you’re the same tomorrow, we’ll have to let people know. It’s better than not showing up without any news, right?”

“Before that, young master needs absolute rest. Don’t even think about leaving the bed for a while.”

“Okay…”

I smiled faintly at their concern. My body was so hot that I felt like I could faint at any moment, but thanks to their sincere love, I felt a little more comfortable.

I know well from my previous life that being alone when sick is the most miserable. I have memories etched in my mind of being depressed with nowhere to complain about being sick.

I wish I could reach out and touch their faces. The problem is that I don’t even have the strength to move a finger.

‘After sleeping…’

I should feel better. I slowly closed my eyes, feeling my consciousness sinking rather than falling asleep.

If I could just sleep soundly and wake up, I’d feel better. As Kate said, it might be better to just faint for a few days until I’m completely healed.

Rumble—

“Huh? What’s that?”

“There’s some vibration…”

If only it hadn’t been for the sudden earthquake.

RUMBLE!

“W-what? Why is this happening all of a sudden?”

“It’s an earthquake! Quickly, we need to protect the young master…!”

In the midst of the unexpected shaking, both Marie and even Adelia were flustered and panicking.

Even in the midst of this, I could feel them trying to protect me, but sadly, I couldn’t move a finger.

Moreover, they couldn’t cope with the earthquake they were experiencing for the first time in their lives. They were only focused on protecting me.

Rumble—

Perhaps fortunately in the midst of misfortune, the earthquake subsided quickly, lasting less than 10 seconds.

It seems to have been a mild aftershock, but there’s still something that doesn’t quite make sense.

In the nearly 500-year history of the Empire of Minerva’s capital, earthquakes have been extremely rare.

‘Did Hirt get angry…’

Luminus and Mora had explained before. Hirt is the goddess of nature, and natural disasters can occur depending on her emotional state.

The recent earthquake is closer to ‘anger.’ Instead of ‘rage’ at the level of a volcanic eruption, it’s more like a mild expression of anger.

I smiled faintly, recalling when Mora was scolded by Hirt last time.

For some reason, I can imagine the twin siblings kneeling side by side, being scolded by Hirt.

‘I’ll have to ask later…’

For now, let me sleep. As soon as the earthquake stopped, I quietly closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

Fortunately, unlike Kate who said she was unconscious for three days, I just slept all day and was back to normal the next day. Instead, I experienced mild dehydration symptoms due to excessive sweating.

However, thanks to the people nursing me right beside me, I was able to recover quickly. After being diagnosed again by Kate, I immediately headed to Luminus’s temple.

Of course, this was to confront her about the recent incident, and also because I had some questions.

‘Don’t you have anything to say to me?’

[…I’m sorry.]

‘Was yesterday’s earthquake because Hirt was angry?’

[Mora and I were scolded while kneeling side by side.]

So it was true.

*****

Which country had the biggest reaction after Volume 25 was released? Scholars studying anthropology and theology would be in an uproar regardless of country.

But I can say with certainty that it brought a huge wave to Alfheim, or more precisely, to the elven race itself.

Originally, the origin and mythology of elves was about banishment due to pride, but it was completely overturned through the Biography of Xenon.

Not banishment, but tearing off their wings voluntarily to make the world a better place—an extremely devoted and righteous mindset.

Within that was also included the concept of being a chosen people, which explained the elves’ characteristic arrogance, and furthermore, it solved at once the reason why they receive divine blessings.

This raised concerns about whether it would strengthen nationalism. Whether they would become arrogant like before the Racial War.

And for good reason—the newly established elven mythology through the Biography of Xenon was sufficient to inject what is commonly called ‘pride.’

The previous mythology was about being banished, a story that was not good in many ways. It was oddly inconsistent, but everyone accepted it because it was a mythology they had firmly believed in until now.

But not anymore. Instead of banishment, a magnificent mythology was born about voluntarily tearing off wings and descending.

Even scholars nodded in agreement after analyzing it several times, and even the gods did not raise any objections.

If it had been an absurd mythology, they would have directly denied it. They can’t help but be sensitive because it’s not just ordinary history but mythology.

Yet the fact that there was no word means they tacitly acknowledged it. In other words, the act of tearing off wings and descending is itself true.

[There was a reason we received blessings from the gods!]

[We are not exiles! We are descendants of the great angels!]

Therefore, voices like the above began to grow within Alfheim. If it had proceeded without brakes, many problems would have arisen, but…

[Have you learned nothing from the Racial War?]

[Clearly distinguish between arrogance and pride.]

[Our greatest enemy is none other than arrogance.]

As Arwen gave such advice, the flames gradually subsided. There was nothing wrong with her words.

However, even Arwen could do nothing about the pride injected into the elves. That applies to Arwen as well, who is also an elf.

Although she was a half-blood, not a pure-blood, she was essentially the same as a pure-blood. Elven characteristics show up to at least a quarter-blood.

So, like Cecilly’s demonization, she wondered if wings would sprout on her as per the mythology, but…

“It’s not working. I’ll have to give up.”

After several attempts with no wings or any changes appearing, she promptly gave up. From the beginning, only the mythology changed; it wasn’t explained in the Biography of Xenon like demonization.

Unless the next volume features Pride, Lucifer with wings, mythology remains just mythology.

So she was able to give up cleanly and focus on state affairs. Being a half-blood, not a pure-blood, made it easier to give up.

Knock knock knock—

At that moment, the sound of someone knocking on the office door reached Arwen’s ears. She opened her mouth without even raising her head.

“Enter.”

As Arwen gave permission with her characteristic manner of speaking, the door opened carefully and an elf appeared.

Kayre, a guard knight appointed as Arwen’s secretary. He stood quietly waiting until Arwen raised her head.

“Yes. What brings you here?”

Arwen asked Kayre as she put down her quill pen. Due to the busy situation caused by the hidden elven mythology revealed in Volume 25, she intended to handle it quickly.

To this, Kayre cleared his throat while meeting Arwen’s silver-gray eyes, then opened his mouth in a soft voice.

“The item Your Majesty ordered has arrived.”

At those words alone.

“R-really?!”

Arwen shouted loudly as she sprang from her seat. Her silver-gray eyes widened, and her expression was filled with surprise.

Kayre, who witnessed such a reaction in real-time, smiled subtly and nodded affirmatively.

“Yes. It’s on its way here now.”

“Ah, I see. Finally…!”

Arwen clasped her hands together at her chest with an expectant face. A reaction like a child receiving a new toy.

Kayre smiled weakly at that reaction, then soon wore a curious expression.

“But what kind of item requires such materials? Silk made from the thread of silkworms that fed on World Tree leaves… It’s hard to grasp what it could be.”

“Y-you don’t need to know that! Rather…! Ahem.”

For some unknown reason, Arwen’s face turned red. She hurriedly cleared her throat to change the subject.

Then, after beating her chest to calm herself, she instructed Kayre with a somewhat determined expression.

“…Now it’s time to make the announcement.”

“By announcement, you mean…”

“Yes.”

Now there’s only one thing left.

“It’s time to give a gift to Xenon.”

It’s time to give Issac a gift that’s not just a gift.