Ch.383Side Story: Great Demon

God of Stone, Helton.

I’ve heard the name a few times, but I don’t recall any related mythology or religion like Heltonism.

Compared to the gods I’ve faced before—Raizer, god of lightning and clouds; Bellas, god of festivals and joy; Hertia, who symbolizes hearth and fire.

He’s much less well-known than these major deities, which essentially means he’s rather insignificant among gods.

Anyway.

After defeating all the Iceburn people who were forcibly worshipping Helton, I look down at the kneeling God of Stone.

“Ah, no, how is this possible…!”

[Haha, calm down. Our child is quite remarkable, you see.]

Laila Besh is flustered looking at the kneeling Helton, while the Dark Spiritmaster tries to calm her.

His tone is slightly irritating, but I ignore it for now and ask Helton.

“Why did you do this?”

“W-well, you see.”

With his arms bound by chains, he lowers his gaze and tries to change the subject.

I was worried he might harbor other intentions, but seeing his already broken spirit, there seemed to be no cause for concern.

“So… well, actually…”

Helton keeps beating around the bush while checking my reaction. Deia, standing beside me, glances at me and asks.

“Are you just going to let him stall like this?”

“I want to see how far he’ll go.”

“…!”

Helton’s body trembles when he realizes I’ve already seen through his pathetic scheme.

But my response apparently frustrated Deia, as she immediately pulled out her mana pistol and aimed it at the back of Helton’s head, which was bowed to the ground.

Bang!

Without a word, she pulled the trigger.

Thud!

Of course, a mana bullet can’t harm a god.

Helton only seemed to feel the impact of being hit in the back of the head without any real damage.

But it was enough to crush the pride of a being who called himself a god.

“You…!”

Helton jerked his head up and glared at Deia, but when his eyes met mine standing right beside her, he lowered his head again.

With how quickly he changes his attitude, he seems less like the God of Stone and more like a mere pebble…

“Speak.”

As I tighten the chains binding him, Helton’s face turns bright red.

Just as I was curious how much the so-called God of Stone could endure—

“A-another bloodbath is coming to the Republic!”

An alarming statement burst from Helton’s mouth.

“Some of the great demons are trying to turn the Republic into their playground, just like Archfiend Magan did!”

“…And that’s why you and the other gods are acting up like this?”

“I-if the Republic falls into chaos again, humans will look for gods to believe in and rely on!”

“Ha.”

So they knew about the coming tribulation and were scheming to make humans depend on the gods.

The Republic of Clark is full of superstitions, making it a perfect time to reinforce their fading presence.

Ironically, this created a symbiotic relationship between the great demons and the gods.

Without evil, they say there’s no purpose for good.

The gods’ ugliness in using the evil of great demons to fulfill their selfish desires seemed no different from the demons themselves.

“What’s their plan?”

At my question, Helton briefly wore a blank expression. His face clearly showed he didn’t know much, so I frowned, and he quickly pressed his forehead to the ground and shouted.

“I-I don’t know exactly, but it definitely involves Acting President Nikolai Forman!”

“Sigh.”

I was a bit disappointed that he didn’t know precisely, but he was just a minor deity trying to pick up scraps from the great demons.

This was probably all the information I could get from Helton.

“What are you going to do?”

Deia glances at me as she asks.

It meant the Republic of Clark could revert to its former state. Just when things were starting to stabilize, the land could once again be drenched in human blood and screams.

‘Even when the story ends, life continues.’

Even though the Retry fate has ended, the beings living in this land remain.

They aren’t NPCs, and of course the story doesn’t end with “and they all lived happily ever after.”

“Are you planning to get involved? I thought you said you wouldn’t interfere with the continent anymore.”

I glance at Deia when she asks.

“Seems like you want me to stay out of it?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Deia promptly answers my question.

She crossed her arms and gave me a cold look.

“You’ve already done your part. Is there really any need for you to step in again?”

“…”

“From what this blockhead said, it sounds like there’s more than just one or two great demons involved, and you might end up fighting gods who are trying to take advantage of the situation.”

“…”

“You’ve already closed your eyes as Deus Verdi. Do you really need to stand up again and fight for this land?”

The Republic of Clark falling into the hands of demons again. Deia was more concerned about me than that.

“From the Acting President to the Griffin Kingdom, they’re all deeply connected to the Republic of Clark. The situation might be resolved without you having to move.”

Is that really true?

If I hadn’t acted, Magan’s rule would have continued until now.

After all, the Republic of Clark was only occasionally mentioned by name, with no episodes related to Retry.

“Besides, what if your power is revealed to the world? You know how Deus Verdi died. The nations came looking for you because you possessed the power to destroy the continent single-handedly.”

Deia’s voice speeds up.

At first, she was coldly assessing the situation, but now her tone had changed to something like a plea directed at me.

“Let’s just… go to Norsweden together. Darius, Illuania, and Sevia are waiting for us.”

It was indeed around the time we had planned to leave for Norsweden, so her words were right, but.

“Deia.”

“Damn it!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Did she already sense my answer from my voice? Deia cursed in frustration and fired bullets into the back of Helton’s head.

“I’m not just doing this because I live in the Republic of Clark. And I’m not moving because of the tragedy of the people living here either.”

“Then…”

“If I don’t extinguish this spark here, there’s someone who will pick up an axe and rush in to reclaim her freedom again.”

“…”

Deia’s lips pressed tightly at my words. Even though Findenai might seem somewhat careless now, she was still a woman who had stepped over countless corpses to achieve freedom.

If someone tried to threaten the freedom she had barely gained, Findenai would wield her axe at the cost of her life.

“I’m doing this for the woman I love.”

Just for that one reason alone.

I had a reason to move despite all the risks.

“Damn it.”

Realizing she couldn’t stop me, Deia bit her lip and slightly lowered her head.

Her shoulders trembled, showing how tense she was.

“Finish it as quickly as possible. Then we’ll go to Norsweden together and rest a bit. Don’t get caught up in the continent’s politics or demons or gods!”

I smiled gently at the shouting Deia and told her I understood.

I didn’t plan to drag this out either.

“Dark Spiritmaster.”

[Yes! Shall we storm in right away?]

I pushed Deia toward the excited Dark Spiritmaster, who was eager to charge straight into Clockwork, the capital of the Republic.

“Take her home.”

[…What? You’re going alone?]

“Yes, please protect Deia just in case. Seeing the gods moving, there might be others watching my movements.”

[Aw, I wanted to show off my skills too.]

“No need, I’ll be back soon.”

Though disappointed, the Dark Spiritmaster took Deia back home.

Left were just me, Helton, and Laila Besh.

“Could you prepare a carriage to Clockwork right away?”

“Ah, yes! Of course!”

Laila had heard everything Helton said. She might not understand the exact situation, but she seems to have grasped that the Republic of Clark is facing another crisis.

And finally.

“Go tell the other gods.”

To the kneeling Helton.

“That I am on the move.”

As I released his bindings, I declared in an involuntarily cold voice.

“So they’d better not catch my eye.”

* * *

[Wow, I didn’t think they’d really target us?]

“Sigh, that just means they’re serious.”

Deia sighed as she returned home with the Dark Spiritmaster. It was because of the demon’s minions who had attacked them on their way back.

It meant they were indeed watching in case Shinwoo Kim made a move.

[It seems they’re confident enough to act even knowing about Shinwoo Kim’s existence.]

“He won’t be in danger, will he?”

As Deia entered the living room, the Dark Spiritmaster just laughed.

[Who? Shinwoo Kim? How could he possibly be in danger now?]

That’s somewhat reassuring.

The Dark Spiritmaster might have a silly side, but she was still Shinwoo Kim’s teacher in necromancy.

If she was this confident, it must be true.

[But it might take some time. You know how complicated his problem-solving methods can be. In situations like this, it would actually be easier if someone like Findenai stepped in.]

Just go in, smash everything, and come back—that would be enough.

“Why me?”

Findenai was sitting at the table, nibbling on a piece of bread. Any trace of yesterday’s apologetic demeanor had completely vanished, and she was back to her usual self.

‘Better not tell her.’

It might cause bigger problems if Findenai learned that the Republic of Clark was in danger.

Deia tried to brush it off, but.

[The great demons are targeting the Republic of Clark again, so Shinwoo Kim went to deal with them.]

The Dark Spiritmaster explained what happened today with a bright smile.

“…What?”

At first, Findenai’s expression showed she didn’t quite understand.

But gradually, the atmosphere grew ominous.

It felt as if the surrounding air was turning blood-red.

Truly.

Was this woman really the same person who had been munching on bread just moments ago?

That question crossed Deia’s mind.

“Ha… those fucking bastards.”

Growling as she exhaled deeply, Findenai brushed her bangs aside and stood up.

“My axe, it’s in the storage, right?”

[Yes! Since the axe is so cold, I covered it with cloth to keep dust off so you could sleep hugging it in summer!]

At the Dark Spiritmaster’s cheerful declaration, Findenai immediately kicked the door open and went outside.

“Wasn’t that something we shouldn’t have told her?”

As soon as Findenai left, Deia asked the Dark Spiritmaster.

[Don’t worry! I’ll follow her closely and make sure she doesn’t cause trouble!]

The Dark Spiritmaster declared, loosening her shoulders as if she’d been waiting for this.

‘Ah…’

And that’s when Deia realized.

That Shinwoo Kim went alone, and the Dark Spiritmaster was feeling left out.

The woman who called herself the strongest necromancer was quite bored.

[Stay here carefully with Stella. Those petty demons can’t even look Stella in the eye anyway.]

“…”

[Findenai! Let’s go together!]