episode_0030

A day has passed since we returned to the camp.

General Bulterion pushed his troops until the next day, but it was reported that not even the regular troops, let alone the mercenaries, came out anymore and continued to circle the same place, suddenly returning to the entrance.

In the end, it seems that among the soul soldiers, except for us, no one has broken through the magic wall.

Soon the time came for the troops to depart, and the general made a decision.

[The demon’s castle is judged to be harmless, so people leave without evacuating.]

Although the castle floating in the air was not completely driven out, it was judged that there would be no need to advance further than this unless there were enough troops.

As originally planned, the enemy’s number was greater than what appeared on the surface and the plan had been made assuming additional reinforcements to come, but the situation was completely over as the enemy was almost completely annihilated in less than four days.

Rather, it is said that the meeting concluded that they were planning to tie up our army for some reason, but we were destroyed when we jumped out.

‘I don’t know the exact reason because we didn’t open our mouths. ‘It’s a good thing that they interpret it favorably.’

The officer who received our report said, ‘I’m sure we’ll tell the same story as other soul soldiers anyway.’ As if I was thinking about it, I didn’t ask to use Atir to report, so I didn’t have to say anything.

Of course, even if I use Atyr, I don’t have the desire to tell them everything that happened in the Succubus’ room, so if that happens, I can just bring Peria to the forefront.

Even if you use Atyr to forcibly interrogate him, the report will be false because Peria is not a soul disease.

‘At times like this, Peria becomes useful again.’

From now on, whenever I tell a lie, I will have to bring up Peria.

After the final preparations were completed, it was concluded that all troops would leave and only a few high-level wizards would be left and dispatched to the old castle to continue the investigation.

“It was four hellish days.”

“Still, I was glad to see some progress this time. In the past, if I stood on the same hill for more than two weeks, I would feel skeptical about what I was doing. I hate high ground battles the most.”

“To die is to die in an instant. I remember a time when there was no way anyone could be left standing because if a single large-scale spell was used, everything would fly away. There are many truly extraordinary things about magic. To be honest, I still can’t believe that a natural disaster of such a scale could be achieved by human power.”

“It’s a really terrible life.”

After returning, we stopped by the resuscitation center and spent half a day there.

At the resuscitation center, Linai and a few junior priests remained, not following the departing legions.

“It would be better to just get healing magic at the temple and be done with it.”

“Soul disease cannot receive healing magic.”

“I thought it was just a rumor, but was it true?”

“Uh. I wanted to try it too, but they told me to give up because it wasn’t effective. What does that feel like?”

“If the wound is light, it feels like a slight itching, and if the wound is large, the pain feels like a burning sensation? They say it’s that much, but I don’t know because I’ve never seen it that big.”

“That’s right.”

The resuscitation center also provides treatment for spiritual illnesses. However, it is different from general treatment.

Although there are divine magic, especially healing magic such as healing, they are for people who have magical power in their bodies.

What this means is that those of us who do not have magic power cannot receive the effects of healing magic.

Not being able to receive healing magic, which can be said to be the most basic medical practice in this world, created a decisive problem between soul disease and the humans on this side.

‘This is why they say we are not human.’

So, if you ask me what to do, I think it’s closer to repair.

This is what it looks like when you see Linai attaching Master’s arm.

Among the created bodies, the arm that has almost finished growing but does not contain the owner is cut off to match the length of the arm opposite to the teacher.

And after getting the stitches and resting well, the arm starts to stick together, feeling like it was broken and cannot move.

It is almost completely cured in about a day.

I also took the protein lump that Linai had carefully brought, stuffed it into the hole, and taped it, and I was revived in a day.

‘Because it’s this way, people with soul illnesses aren’t treated like people.’

Anyone can say that this is not an act of treatment. This is no different from repairing a machine.

“Don’t drink or smoke and take a good rest for the day.”

“Ah, yes.”

It seems like saying things like this after treatment is the same whether there or here.

Then we woke up one day and went to work together in the supply department.

“Welcome. It’s been a while!”

Seeing Enin greeting me with such a lively appearance, I finally feel like I’m back.

“Now here. There are no snacks, just instead.”

“Yes? Sweets?”

“It’s nonsense, so you don’t have to react.”

When I came back, I submitted the horn attached to the helmet of the regular army to the unit and took the confirmation I received to Enin.

“Oh my god! You didn’t have to take care of this, but did you? You must have really worked hard. And thank you.”

Bowing his head, Enin says thank you. This performance is reflected in Enin’s personnel management, but I think this is something I should naturally do for Enin who takes care of my convenience.

“There is no work for about a day today, so get some rest. The entire unit has left, and the only people left are us, my senior in the tent next to us, and a few administrative soldiers. Almost all the repaired equipment was swept away, so there is no work.”

“Oh, so it’s vacation?”

“It’s similar, but if a request comes from the security forces, I think we can support them like last time. And they say that the weapons requested from the city in the rear will arrive in 4 days, so it must be a busy day then. It’s a bit disappointing that I came late because it conflicted with my university schedule.”

“I just want to rest.”

Peria whines.

Well, from Peria’s perspective, it was her first time experiencing a long-term battle, so she must be tired.

“Then should I take a day off today?”

Mental care is important. We’ve been fighting day and night for the past few days, so getting some rest is good for our mental health.

“Then I also want to get some rest.”

Soon, Hwarim continued massaging his arm and then went to a bench placed on one side and lay down at an angle. Still, he brought over the documents he had piled up to help Enin and began looking through them.

Peria, who saw that, got up again, probably because she remembered something else.

“Ah! From now on, I will go to town and come back. If you don’t contact the union for too long, everyone gets worried. But it doesn’t matter, right?”

“Sure. Come back before dinner. Oh wait.”

Flash!

I said there has been no response these days and the bracelet only works like this again.

As the bracelet glows and Peria’s body glows slightly, Peria looks at the bracelet and rolls her eyes.

“And find a way to destroy it.”

“… It was not intentional. I’ll be careful.”

After Peria left, Master lay down on the bench with his legs spread out.

After about an hour, Enin saw something written on double-handled paper and called me.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lee Rim, but would you like to go to the security forces office? I have a call.”

“Huh? Call?”

This is a call, not a request for support.

‘Did I do something wrong? If it was the last time, from what I remember, I definitely handled everything correctly.’

I wondered if there was something I could catch, but there wasn’t. Still, I thought there might be a procedure I was missing that I didn’t know about, so I decided to go right away.

“Then, since there was nothing else to do, why not go? I’ll be back.”

“Yes, please come back. Oh, Lee Rim, please come back before evening too! Today I will treat everyone to dinner!”

“That’s good news.”

Wouldn’t I be the best in boss uniform?

‘Then let’s go right away.’

——————————-

The security forces office looked as busy as ever.

Since there were only people whose faces I didn’t know, I stood and looked around wondering what to do, but when I saw a familiar face, I went in that direction.

This is the man in uniform I talked about when I first came here.

“Hello. I came from the supply world.”

“Ah! Nice to meet you, soul bottle. Didn’t you remember that you didn’t even introduce yourself until after you sent it last time? The head of the security forces is called Hygenic.”

“So what did you call me for? Is it your job as an inspector again?”

“No, it’s not that, but it’s related to what happened at that time.”

Obviously, I submitted a report about the story with DeHeble and even the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office as evidence, but I don’t know what the problem is.

“I don’t mean to criticize you, so sit back comfortably. Since our affiliations are different anyway, there is no reason to be so formal. Those of you who are out there are just citizens that the security forces need to protect. Rather, I called you because I have something additional to ask you.”

“Yes, of course.”

The treatment is quite friendly and I like it.

“Wait a minute… Oh, this is so annoying, really!”

A sudden rush.

Even though Hygenic was busy, he was trying to organize the documents on his desk, but he got so angry that he swept them all up, dropped them to the side, and brought out some tea.

‘Is this a manifestation of acute stress in office workers?’

“… Are you under a lot of stress?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. When I saw it, I got a little angry for a moment so I stopped. Anyway, if I were to tell you the story that brought you here, it’s about the newly emerged believer of God who I worked with at the time.”

Speaking of a newly appeared god and his followers, this is the story of Thistle, who previously went to the cemetery together.

“Did that person cause an accident?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Then I’m glad.”

I wondered if any testimony was needed, but that wasn’t the case.

Hygenic takes a sip of tea and continues talking.

“Soul disease Do you know about the incarnation?”

“Incarnation? I don’t know the details.”

“Then I’ll tell you. There must be a lot of similar words like Hyeonsin, Gangsin, and Advent. Except for the wise man… since it is a slightly different concept. To put it simply, it is a story about God directly descending to earth.”

“I’ve heard of Descent of the Devil.”

When I hear the word Advent, I think of a demon named Asmodeus.

“Is that so? It’s a big deal. Then we can talk more comfortably. Since it’s a similar case, we can compare. It wouldn’t have been something to say carelessly in front of the priests of the church.”

‘There are military chaplains among these as well.’ Hygenic said and looked around. It seems that he also has no desire to be stigmatized by the Gaia Church.

“However, unlike demons, ordinary gods do not descend if possible. It may be a bit blasphemous, but spiritual patients don’t have any religion or believe in God, so let’s talk about it openly. Just a moment.”

While Hygenic was talking, he seemed anxious and pulled the cloth screen with his hand to cover the table.

It was probably created as a substitute for a partition or as a place to rest for a while.

Hygenics started talking with his paws resting on his chin.

“We humans become stronger by sacrificing feats, but you and other races use different methods. Although they are not completely different and there are similar cases, there are some who do not consider their gods as a big deal or rather become strong in ways that have nothing to do with gods.”

It reminds me of Gilbertan and Dheble, who tried to become stronger by killing others. And I am also similar to them. By killing someone, you increase your soul capacity.

“The difference between the descent of the devil and the advent of God is that as soon as the devil appears on earth, he absorbs all kinds of themes related to himself and descends much stronger than when he was in hell. On the other hand, unlike the devil, the advent of God reveals his weakness.”

“Theme?”

“Actions related to tradition are called themes. For example, let’s say there is a devil who is famous for being related to appetite. The demon then descends and absorbs all appetite-related items nearby. The will to get food right away, the act of cooking food, and even the smallest of related actions become a source of power and are converted into power for the devil to wield.”

‘That’s why the devil’s descent is so scary.’

If we listen to what was further said, it is said that it applies not only to humans but also to all living things nearby.

Even the desire of grasshoppers to eat dew and the desire of trees to receive sunlight are used as sources of strength.

Therefore, when the devil descends, it is so strong that it cannot be easily put to sleep.

“If that’s the case, why is God weak?”

“The descent of the devil is a descent made by projecting oneself from hell, and the descent of a god is a descent made up of the feats collected by believers. So, weaknesses are also materialized in reality in the material world. Because of this, there are those who try to catch a god who lives in a different realm from us the moment he descends to the present world.”

“What do I do when I catch him?”

“Capture the living god, extract its power, and use it as a weapon.”

‘Are the gods in this town only real idiots?’

It’s a ridiculous ending.

“I don’t see anything good about it, but it seems like the gods have some sort of advantage of their own. And yet, it seems like he’s trying to come down in person once in a while… Hmm. Gods who show off their humanity sometimes appear. So I got caught.”

I think Hygenics and I had some sympathies.

I don’t know where that is from God.

I imagined myself getting caught while drinking and being forced to donate blood until I die.

Even though you know that will happen, why do you want to come down?

‘Are you bored enough to take the risk of going out and having fun?’

“So, what I want to talk about now is about the manifestation, and the main point is that I am also having a bit of trouble and am asking you for help.”

“What’s going on?”

“Deshade, the god that Thistle serves, wants to descend. And I nominated you to help me with that.”

I definitely told Thistle that I would help him if he could help me.

However, I thought it was just an ordinary request, but I was a little embarrassed because I was nominated for a reason I couldn’t even imagine.

“That god is really amazing too. I heard that he is a god who appeared recently.”

“The survey said it’s been about 10 years.”

“Isn’t it fast? How long has it been since you were born that you want Advent?”

“I think so too. I don’t understand why he would want to come down when he could just live a leisurely life in the heavens, receiving deeds from his followers in the same way as other gods. Since he’s already a new god, he doesn’t have many great feats, so even if he appears, he won’t be able to display strong power.”

“Isn’t it because I’m very dissatisfied with heaven?”

Usually, the image of the celestial world in creative works is known as heaven, but in reality, there are cases where it appears like a very boring world. This world of heaven may actually be like that.

Hygenics said no and laid back.

“From what I was taught when I was young, I learned that the heavenly world is a unique domain that each god has separately. It is said to look like a palace, but in reality, it is said to be a story made up because even the priests of the church do not know much about it, so there is no way to know.”

“Well, what do we know?”

The world is not so easy that my thoughts fit perfectly. How would ordinary people on earth know about the other world called heaven?

“Anyway, you don’t have to meet right away. We have just finished a war, so please rest well and go tomorrow or the day after. However, since I need to build a good relationship with the new god, I only ask for polite conversation.”

“I understand. Let’s meet tomorrow.”

“Then, let’s spread the word to the Adventurer’s Guild. Well then, you can go now. And take some of this with you on the way.”

Hygenic went to the warehouse in the back and took out a box.

“Thank you for your support last time, and I am sending this gift as a way to ask you to do so more often in the future. Please convey my thanks to the officer in charge of supply.”

“Oh my gosh, you gave me all this.”

“Shh! Take it quietly.”

The box I took a peek at was full of alcohol.

Due to the frequent wars, the farming environment is so poor that it is difficult to expect high-quality alcohol, but looking at the label, it is imported from the empire.

“I didn’t know you knew how to drink.”

“Thank you for recognizing me. Our relationship has gotten so bad lately that it’s hard to get one.”

Since the relationship with the empire is usually good, trade becomes active as soon as it becomes quiet.

Broadly speaking, the human kingdom consists of the kingdom of Rushu, which is now unheard of, where Dheble is said to have come from, the central union of five kingdoms whose territory has been greatly reduced, and the southern empire.

And if you go a little further from the empire, there are places where other humans live, but the cases that make it to the center are only a handful.

Moreover, the alliance of kingdoms, which is almost ruined, is a place that even adventurers honestly do not like. In places where most humans live, they live as adventurers in the most prosperous empire.

Most of the people here are born in the Kingdom and have never left.

Among such human countries, the Empire had a wide plain even before the war broke out and the kingdoms came together, so there are many types of alcohol and the quality is good.

I was feeling a bit groggy, but I felt a little better after getting some good alcohol.

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes. Have a good time.”

‘You should drink it all for dinner tonight.’

So I made a reservation with Thistle for tomorrow and went back with drinks.