episode_0147

“Hero?”

Latera spoke cautiously to Siron. I want to get out of here quickly, but he was just staring at the pillar of light as if he had no intention of getting out.

“Are you a warrior?”

“…”

However, contrary to her wishes, Siron did not respond to the subsequent calls. He narrowed his eyes as if he was still deeply troubled… then stroked his chin and rolled his tongue around in his mouth.

“When are we going out? You’re leaving, right? Right?”

Latera, tired of seeing this, tugged on the hem of Siron’s clothes.

“Please answer me.”

“…Wait. I’m thinking about it.”

“What are you thinking about for so long?”

“Thoughts on why those bastards threatened to harm themselves.”

“…A threat?”

Latera blinked her wide eyes and then tilted her head.

“Did something happen outside? Perhaps there was a check to prevent outsiders from entering Braham?”

“It’s not like that. Instead, they kindly escorted me and treated me to free dinner.”

Incomprehensible words.

Latera tilted her head again. Judging from Siron’s expression and the tone of his speech, it was clear that a problem had arisen from outside, but it didn’t necessarily seem like that from what he said.

Siron put his hand into the pillar of light and continued speaking.

“Let me tell you, it’s complicated. If you’re really curious, read my thoughts.”

“…Don’t you hate me looking into your mind? I don’t want to do something the hero doesn’t like…”

“I don’t think I can explain my thoughts properly either.”

Siron said as he observed the hand he had inserted into the pillar of light. I only put my hand in and out for a moment, but there was still a thick soup-like consistency in my hand.

“I feel it. I feel like the guys who broke in here and the guy who treated me to food and personally took me to the hotel are the same gang.”

“Um…”

“They even said that if I didn’t do anything useless, the paradise where they could eat well and live well wouldn’t fall apart.”

Siron thought again.

They say that the residents of Braham can use the divine power of dogs and cows, and that Kylie’s body has become more damaged since the intruders came.

If you put them all together, there were a lot of things that fit together enough to make you confident that Braham’s higher-ups had planned and executed something.

After mulling over his unpleasant feelings, Siron turned his gaze to Latera.

“If you leave here, will this pillar of light go out? ”

“There is not even a single possibility of that happening. This pillar of light was emitting even before I existed here.”

“…What if you get out of here? Who manages the warrior’s house? They say intruders keep trying to come in.”

“Don’t worry about that either! If I leave here, they will block the road so you can’t come here at all.”

Latera’s eyes lit up and she pounded her chest.

“The reason intruders have been able to come here so far is because the firewall was loosened a little to allow warriors who have not yet arrived here. But now that I’m leaving here with the hero, there’s no need to leave a side road to get in here anymore.”

“Then this pillar of light is also cut off in the middle?”

“Well, I guess not.”

“Why?”

“I can’t give you a definitive answer, so I can’t make a definitive answer, but I do know what role this pillar of light plays.”

Latera lifted her head and blinked.

“This pillar of light serves as a guidepost for the warrior, but it is also said to play a role in preventing not only apostles but also demons from approaching. Well, I heard this from a senior, so I can’t prove whether it’s true or not.”

“So, the external effect of the pillar of light remains the same whether you go out or not?”

“…right?”

Latera looked at Siron blankly and answered a little late. His face had become more and more distorted from earlier, and I began to suspect that he had said something wrong.

“It’s not because of you.”

As if to dispel Latera’s worries, Siron patted her shoulder and let out a hot breath. But still, for some reason, I can’t manage my facial expressions well.

‘You bastard. In the end, taking out Latera and the Braham collapsing had nothing to do with each other, right?’

To summarize Latera’s claims, even if she eventually leaves, the light to protect the warrior’s house will not stop. Although unpleasant feelings arose at the fact that it was being operated using Kylie’s body as fuel, I tried to ignore it in my head and said that there was nothing I could do about it.

What is important is that Assad, or Braham’s superiors behind him, made a fuss about something that could not happen and threatened Shiron.

‘They’re talking nonsense about revelations and all, and making people anxious.’

Lucia had a confident appearance when she first met Assad, but on the way back to the hotel, that side was nowhere to be seen. The way he was worried that what he was trying to do might be wrong was so pitiful to see from the sidelines that he ended up saying things he didn’t mean.

‘I have to pester those bastards just to be able to stretch my legs forward and sleep comfortably.’

Siron did not like the idea of following the superstition of revelation, but he thought this could not be helped. Isn’t it a revelation because it somehow comes true?

Siron raised the corners of his mouth and rummaged around in his arms. I confirmed five years ago that I could retrieve stored items from here.

“Latera.”

“Yes, warrior.”

“Are you reading my thoughts?”

“Why do you keep encouraging me… I don’t read it.”

“It would be good to read.”

Siron took out several jars of oil from his pocket.

“Then don’t interfere with what I’m trying to do.”

Shake!

The glass coffin containing the body is opened roughly.

Slurp – Slurp – Sticky and slippery oil pours over the pale corpse.

“Ji, what are you doing now?”

“I am following the revelation of the Lord. I don’t believe in or like superstitions, but I guess revelation is more useful than I thought.”

Siron grabbed Latera and Seira and fell about ten steps. Latera was dragged around with question marks on her face.

Then Siron took out a match and lit it. The sparks that escaped his hand touched the body.

Grumble!

The entire glass tube was engulfed in huge flames.

“Yes?”

Latera, who was almost hanging in the air, suddenly turned her head. There, Siron, with his eyes greatly distorted, was smiling bitterly.

“It’s better than being used by those bastards. Kylie would want this too.”

I was worried that it might not be effective due to Kylie’s overwhelming abilities, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. Siron stayed in his seat blankly until the pillar of light disappeared.

“Let’s go out.”

*

Desert Kingdom David.

The nights here, where most of the country is a desert, are busier than any other country.

Because the temperature that dries out the mouth continues until the sun sets, it is difficult to engage in proper activities during the day.

Some people say that magic can be used to lower the temperature, but even if magic exists, the number of people who can use it is significantly small.

Proportionally, it’s about one out of five at most. David’s enthusiasm for education is much lower than that.

But it was not divine power.

Although limited to Braham, divine power could be utilized as fully as magic in everyday life by individuals, even without talent. Not only does it heal minor wounds, but the light emitted from the cathedral illuminates the streets at night instead of expensive ether.

For that reason, education, administration, transportation… work that required manpower was done after sunset, and the Foreign Affairs Division, which served as a link between David and Lien, had a work environment that was not much different from there.

“Um…”

Raihan Karam, a second-class foreign service officer belonging to the Foreign Service Division, sat at his assigned desk and looked at the official document that had just been distributed.

[This year’s cathedral expansion progress and next year’s new road construction plan]

[Official document regarding requirements related to import and export of ether]

Provincial office that manages all administrative affairs of Braham. The documents that fell from there were so thick that it was difficult to read them in just one day, but they could be summarized and represented with very simple numbers and symbols.

[The number of cathedrals is expected to increase from 1,204 to 1,232]

[The proportion of ether dependence is scheduled to be reduced from 3.4% to 3.1%]

‘This year, as usual, it decreased…’

Raihan sipped his palm tea as he sorted out the documents he was flipping through.

The prospect of an increase in the number of cathedrals and a decrease in the proportion of ether imports, a fuel entirely imported from outside, was something that most of Braham’s citizens would welcome, but Raihan, even though he was a citizen of Braham, was not entirely at ease.

That’s right, the place where Raihan works is the diplomatic division that acts as a link between Lien and David.

It will be obvious that as resource dependence increases on Lien, who produces most of the ether consumed on the continent, the importance of Raihan’s work will increase, and if this continues to decline, Raihan will lose his job.

This was clearly not a good thing for Raihan.

As long as you are a resident of Braham and don’t have to worry about making a living, it usually doesn’t matter much whether or not you have a job… but Raihan is different.

He felt great pride and accomplishment in his work.

‘If things continue like this, it won’t be long until I get kicked out naturally.’

Raihan sighed and looked at the seat next to him. The place where Raihan and his colleagues would have been working just a year ago is now empty. He was happy to finally be free from labor, but Raihan did not want to live the life of a livestock completely raised by the state.

pop!

Puff puff poop!

Was it a time when you were thinking about self-actualization for a long time? A loud noise was heard outside the window.

“…What did you just say?”

“Well? Should we fight?”

There was also a commotion in the office. The employees who were working came out in droves to see what was going on outside, and Raihan also stuck his head out of the window.

There was static darkness, but there was also noise and confusion.

The sound of iron boots hitting the stone floor is moving towards somewhere.

Raihan moved his head in the direction of the sound that was getting further and further away. There, unlike the dark streets, brightly lit buildings sparkled like a cluster of stars.