Chapter 46

Friegoss, reading the contents written on the vellum, let out a hollow laugh.

“Wow, the priest is quite popular, huh? Even imitators are showing up.”

Ignoring Duberv, who was mocking him by pretending not to know something he already did, Friegoss pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Surprisingly, it’s not bad. If this Mutuk fellow has unified the entire south, that means we just need to defeat this one person.”

To the north and northwest, centered around Pohelrnia, lies the territory of the Titan race.

To the west is the Elven Forest, known as Elven Road.

To the east is the vast sea between the eastern continents.

To the south are groups of humans not belonging to Pohelrnia, beyond the Takla Desert.

While there may be small human settlements scattered throughout the unverified western continent, if we were to subordinate the humans beyond the Takla Desert, then effectively all the large human populations on the western continent would fall under Pohelrnia.

“There are rumors about witches who have strange abilities under Mutuk.”

At this point, Friegoss and Alia exchanged glances.

Though no words were spoken, Alia shook her head in denial.

“The succubi that crossed over from the eastern continent are only us. I think there are almost none left on the eastern continent.”

In a world where land deities and Roa truly exist for humans, rather than being a simple superstition, it is a realm where mediocre myths can roam freely.

The existence of the wicked witches, who are said to use magic, devour children, and maintain their youth, which Kyle spoke of as a merchant, was merely a rumor and actually did not exist in Pohelrnia.

‘…After all, when I flew on a broomstick, all sorts of rumors spread.’

As stories about a witch riding a broomstick swirled in the public, victims of all sorts related to witches began to emerge.

The subject of the rumor—herself—was being treated as a guest in the palace without a care.

Every time something went wrong, it became the witch’s fault, and even women who had affairs or thieves caught stealing would claim they were under the magic of a witch as an excuse.

Thanks to that, she had become the cause of all sorts of sins she hadn’t committed.

It was truly absurd, but rumors of this era often followed such patterns.

However, this was only the case among the common people.

The witches under Mutuk seemed to be somewhat famous enough to have their rumors spread, indicating they likely displayed something before people that warranted such talk.

“A fraud or not even human at all.”

Since they considered the latter, both Friegoss and Alia looked at her.

If asked to name the entity most fitting to the conditions of a witch from the perspective of humans, it would be a succubus.

They are beautiful, lewd, emanate an evil aura, and use shadow and illusion magic.

Lamia, for example, had even made a pact with a dark spirit.

They could easily be seen as a wicked being and had enough strength to easily overcome a human without any special training.

“Though the odds are low, they might be those who have realized it themselves.”

But really, this possibility was low.

In this world, males are generally physically stronger than females, and, like Duberv, certain talented humans might find it difficult to become stronger than men merely by the accumulated energy they possess without realizing it.

One must know how to store, refine, and utilize energy within the body to become a martial artist or possess abilities comparable to one.

If there were humans who could do that without his help, they would undoubtedly have already distinguished themselves among humans prior to Friegoss.

“This doesn’t really concern me. Let you humans handle your own affairs.”

The Titans themselves are a race that does not exist in nature and are actually a subordinate species of the Elder Roa, having a potentially devastating impact on the balance of nature.

While 20 individuals wouldn’t pose a significant problem, if they continued to increase, it would be necessary to understand the reason and address it.

This was the duty of a harmonizer.

Damaged nature does not recover easily, so they could not afford to follow the same path as the eastern continent.

But the matter of southern humans was a separate issue.

Ultimately, it’s a dispute over human territory.

For seven years, Friegoss had taught energy manipulation, known conceptually as mana here, martial arts, and techniques to certain humans.

But that was as far as it went.

The establishment of the Ikju Religion (New Orthodox) was politically motivated, designed to be mutually beneficial for future relations between Elves and humans, but beyond that, he did not interfere with humans.

All seven expeditions conducted by Friegoss were solely actions taken by him, his soldiers, and the succubi.

“I’m not that shameless.”

“With six harmonizers and an army that has learned martial arts. And your immediate disciple. You understand you already possess strength that exceeds what can be typically expected of a human in this era?”

I turned to walk away as I spoke.

“I don’t know what exactly the identity of the witch is, but if you have such power and still fail to achieve your goal, it means you don’t have the qualifications to become a king and unify humans.”

I returned to my throne and fiddled with a chunk of jade as I issued the dismissal order to everyone.

“I think the discussion is over. I’m tired; everyone leave.”

◈ ◈ ◈

Friegoss, Alia, Duberv, and the six harmonizers stepped out of the Room of Worlds at Araya’s dismissal order.

As Friegoss and Duberv exited the Room of Worlds, they freed themselves from the giant weight that had pressed down on their bodies and minds.

“…This place really is ridiculous.”

Friegoss silently agreed with Duberv’s muttering.

After seven years of learning under Araya, they had stepped into the domain that Araya referred to as the second realm.

They had expected to enter the realm of superhumans who transcend humanity, but inside that room, the overwhelming presence felt from all sides made them feel small.

If they felt this way, what must happen to other humans who enter that place?

While they understood the truth behind the creation of the Ikju Religion, if humans who had instilled their faith through religious propaganda were exposed to that overwhelming presence,

would they truly come to believe in the existence of deities?

“Creating a fanatic would be incredibly easy.”

“Watch your words, Duberv.”

“Isn’t that right? In reality, this scam—”

“This isn’t just my personal feelings; I’m telling you this for the sake of your safety as Araya’s greatest disciple.”

Unlike the previous argument, her voice was calm.

Due to Alia’s demeanor, Duberv refrained from provoking her as usual and fell silent.

“There is a great sin called ‘Kisime Myeogju’ (deceiving the teacher and extinguishing the lineage) in the relationship between a master and disciple of martial arts. It implies deceiving and despising the master and their teachings.”

“What do you mean…”

“One of the deities of the Ikju Religion, the one who created Araya, the deity El Prigion truly exists. He resides in Elven Road.”

“…Isn’t that a made-up story? The nonsense about being born from a tree.”

“El Prigion is an Elder Roa. He is a being that cannot be judged by your shallow comprehension as a trivial human.”

“I have seen him in person. During the seventh expedition headed west.”

Friegoss, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, finally spoke.

“You saw him? The World Tree?”

“I met him outside the forest, guided by my teacher Palas.”

“…What was he like?”

“He was a large, warm, and kind person.”

“…That sounds very strange.”

Listening to the two’s dialogue, Alia turned her gaze toward Duberv and continued to explain.

“Duberv. To deny the Ikju Religion means to deny Araya’s mother, the Earth Mother Deity El Prigion, who sits in the position of authority. This implies a disregard for the respective deities and casts doubt on the authority of the divine messenger. It’s also a dismissal of Araya.”

“…Is that so?”

At that moment, Alia’s expression turned triumphant as she added,

“By the way, my father, the Sky God Ul Kanadiel, is the husband of the Earth Mother Deity El Prigion.”

“…What?”

“I am Araya’s stepsister, and our generations are the same. Duberv.”

“…Huh?”

“I was too flustered by your rude behavior earlier to speak, but it seems necessary to teach you etiquette towards someone senior.”

“…Haha.”

Feeling cold sweat trickle down as Alia’s energy sharply intensified, Duberv quickly unleashed his Qigong and fled.

“I’m busy with my work at the Thief Guild!”

“Hey, stop there!”

Alia and the harmonizers prepared to chase after Duberv, who ran out toward the Grand Temple, but they were stopped by Friegoss.

“Leave him be.”

“…Your Majesty.”

“Duberv’s earlier comment wasn’t incorrect. If he gets hurt, even by accident, the control of the Thief Guild could be compromised, and all the repercussions would fall on those beneath him. Though our methods differ, he is still helping people in his own way.”

“…But.”

Alia looked displeased, casting a disgruntled glare at Friegoss.

Friegoss gently pat Alia on the head and smiled.

“You lose your composure when you get involved with Duberv.”

“…Is it displeasing to you?”

“Well… perhaps it is.”

Friegoss continued, stroking his chin.

“I don’t feel good when you show emotions towards other men besides me.”

In an instant, Alia’s face flushed, and simultaneously the harmonizers, including Lamia, began whispering among themselves.

Though their whispered conversations didn’t reach Friegoss, Alia seemed to hear them and glared at the harmonizers, who merely smiled slyly.

Friegoss glanced at the garment he had brought to give to Alia.

“What a waste—I had prepared it, but it ended up being useless. Are you comfortable in clothing like this? It looks too big and uncomfortable.”

“Oh… that’s…”

“Do you have an idea as to why?”

Alia spoke with a slightly awkward expression.

“…Five years ago, after finishing the first martial arts event, Araya had a brief growth spurt.”

“…A growth spurt?”

“Yes, she was very happy that her first growth spurt had finally arrived.”

Thinking back, hadn’t Araya said she was ten years old when they first met?

Due to her old soul and the power she exerted, it was hard to feel that way.

“Indeed, but what does that have to do with this?”

“After her growth spurt, Araya sent people to Elven Road for new clothes. She said they would continue to grow, so they should be of ample size.”

“Is that a problem?”

“It’s not unusual to make clothes larger for a growing child. The issue is that the brief growth spurt stopped quickly, and since the material of the clothes is extremely precious even for Elves, they reportedly unraveled the threads of her previous garments to remake them.”

“……”

“I mention this hesitantly, but it seems that afterwards, she felt ashamed to ask her siblings on Elven Road for help again, so she has been wearing the same clothes ever since.”

“…I’ll arrange to send someone to Elven Road later.”

“…Yes.”