Chapter 168

In this world, you can gauge the tier of an individual based on the color of their magic.

Ordinary folks are represented by blue, while those who understand the principles of the sky, like Rize or Rod, are in the indigo realm.

Then you have strong beings like the Gumiho or dragons, ‘divine beasts,’ as well as ‘spirits’ that have existed since ancient times.

They are incredibly powerful, falling just beneath the regal hue of purple, which is synonymous with the gods.

They can manipulate space at will and display abilities that transcend common understanding.

However, among those, the beings referred to as ‘holy spirits’ or ‘apostles’ are especially mighty, even within the indigo tier.

After all, they’re the strong ones who guard the side of the divine.

“You must feel wronged too. My kid confessed first, and now they’re getting struck by lightning.”

“··· ···”

“But what can you do? If you’re not into them, you’re not into them. Honestly, I’m not really into you either. More about your… other qualities. You know what I mean, right?”

And that being is now tapping my shoulder, trying to ‘persuade’ me.

Let me emphasize again, it’s ‘persuading’ not fighting. They were chatting with me while sitting side by side on the altar.

The atmosphere initially seemed like a fight was about to break out. The pressure from the suddenly summoned holy spirit was no joke.

But the spirit acted completely differently. They nudged me to sit beside them with a light tap, encouraging the conversation to continue.

And it wasn’t just them. Kara was sitting beside me, listening intently to this not-quite-consultation.

“Um…”

“Hmm? Do you have something to say?”

“It’s not that… I just don’t know your name…”

We were in a setting that felt like a fight could erupt any second, yet we hadn’t even exchanged proper names.

Kara was swept up in the atmosphere and just plopped down on the altar. Heinkes had momentarily gone up top, after all.

“Right, did I mention my name?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“My name is Leikart. Easy to remember, right?”

Leikart chuckled softly, his smile a bit naïve-looking.

But his appearance definitely didn’t match. He had a massive build like a bear and sported a rugged beard, looking like a real man.

Leikart was truly a being of immense power. He could use lightning more freely than anyone.

“Leikart… you can’t mean the Thunder Lord?”

“Been a while since I heard that. You know me?”

“Of course I do. I’ve read about you. You’re the first person among humans to use lightning.”

Kara’s eyes sparkled as she learned his name. Leikart just smiled, pleased.

The title of Thunder Lord is no joke; he was once a king who made significant contributions to establishing a civilization.

With his powerful lightning, he built a nation that soon flourished into a mighty empire.

That empire is the Granada Empire. This is why the Granada Empire adopted Gulrak as its state religion.

“Anyway, let’s get back to the topic. I noticed you have a lot of other women around you. You can barely manage your own life—can you handle more?”

“··· ···”

Returning to the matter at hand, Leikart spoke to me. That stung a bit.

The reason I couldn’t dispute what he said was that it was all facts. I wasn’t being threatened or anything.

If I had been threatened or heard some nonsense, I would’ve argued back immediately. But Leikart had the kind of charisma you’d expect from a king who founded a civilization.

‘Did he rely on fists more than words when he was alive?’

I suddenly had that thought. Even though his appearance suggested an imminent fight, he was acting quite rationally.

Seeing it wouldn’t work with fists, he was trying to resolve it through conversation. Maybe Gulrak sent a spokesperson with that in mind.

“Let’s be honest. You’re planning to get physical with that girl later, right? Am I wrong?”

“······?”

“Uh, um, Lord? I didn’t mean that…!”

Kara was visibly flustered by his bluntness. I was equally surprised.

But Leikart was unfazed. He continued without a hitch.

“There’s no way you’re going to mix things up and then run away, right? If you’re a man, you’ve got to take responsibility. You’re not just going to toy with my girl, right? If that’s the case, I’m going to stop you.”

“No.”

“Good to hear. But think it over. Once love turns into obsession, it’ll be a pain for you and everyone else.”

That was some solid advice. There’s a high chance that could happen in the distant future.

After resolving the whole story and going back to Earth, could I really leave without any regrets?

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the gods will send me back to my original life. But I’d be fighting like hell to return.

I don’t know how my relationship with Kara and others would play out by then, but it would certainly leave some lingering emotions.

‘No. If they hadn’t summoned me here in the first place, none of this chaos would’ve happened.’

What kind of conscience-dodging god is this? Leikart’s words are right, but the root cause lies with the gods.

If they hadn’t brought me here, I’d be living a perfectly ordinary life.

Yet I have no clue why they did it. Surely, there must be a reason for pulling me into this mess.

“Hey.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Why am I here?”

So I straight out asked. I didn’t care that Kara was beside me.

She must have come to her own conclusions anyway. Leikart, being an apostle of the god, would know.

Leikart, after pondering my question for a moment, finally spoke.

“I can’t tell you that right now. But I can say there’s a reason.”

“Sounds like divine conscience being shoved down my throat.”

“What?”

“Just ask Gulrak.”

As expected, it’s a god I can neither like nor dislike. Gaia, who remains quiet, is the same.

Chaos… let’s just skip that. There must be a specific reason why they chose me as a follower.

In the meantime, Leikart scratched his head and glanced up at the sky, seeming to talk to Gulrak.

Then he looked back down at me and said in his deep, rumbling voice.

“He says it’s not the direction he wanted either.”

“Oh really?”

I pondered. So, was the one getting mad in my dreams not Gaia but Gulrak?

Maybe Gulrak is orchestrating this whole setup so that I don’t get too attached.

Thinking that way makes it a bit more understandable. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still pretty pissed.

“Excuse me.”

“Um?”

It was around the time my head started to hurt from the tangled situation that a familiar voice pierced my ears.

Turning around, I found Rize standing confidently before us, having climbed up who-knows-when.

Behind her, other people, including Heinkes, were gathered. It seemed they had come looking for the commotion.

“May I ask what you were discussing? Apostle of Gulrak?”

As expected, it was Rize. With her own mastery in indigo, she saw right through Leikart’s identity.

Rize is in a position that fits the title of ‘apostle’ almost as well. Chaos chose her directly, and when it comes to her skills, she’s definitely on par with him.

She hasn’t ascended yet, so she’s not a holy spirit, but she’s undoubtedly a formidable being.

“You’re Chaos’s apostle. It’s nothing special. Just advising this kid not to get too close to my girl.”

Leikart’s tone had stiffened compared to before, a hint of caution evident.

While he was gentle with me, it was clear he was on high alert around Rize.

“Was it really just advice? Not a threat?”

“Hey, it’s not a threat. It’s genuine advice.”

I quickly intervened, sensing the tension in Rize’s voice. Leikart was indeed trying to reason with me.

Above all, if these two got into a fight, there wouldn’t be anything left around. The temple would likely be obliterated.

Leikart observed Rize quietly, then stepped down from the altar, towering high above.

Thud- Thud-

Soon, he stood before Rize. Her size was evident as she was in her saint form, not in her Gwonseong form.

Boom!

Ah, correction—it looked like they were now eye-to-eye.

If Rize had a muscle-carved body, Leikart resembled a muscular bear.

The intimidation factor was off the charts. I instinctively grabbed Kara’s hand as the tension simmered.

“Kara. Let’s step back.”

“Y-yeah.”

She seemed pretty nervous too, holding onto my hand. We quickly shuffled backward.

We found refuge behind Rize. To what extent would her back be broad enough to conceal the two of us?

At that moment, it felt incredibly reassuring. There’s no other place where I’d feel safer than behind Rize.

“I’m not here to fight. I’m here to persuade him. If there are any lingering feelings, it’ll hurt both of you.”

“Giving up the present for uncertainties about the future is foolish. If you don’t put in the effort, you won’t be able to shape your destiny.”

“True enough. But what if that destiny is already set? You’ve got a pretty good idea who this guy is.”

Leikart cast a sideways glance at Rize. She had me and Kara behind her, but she wasn’t looking at us.

It was more toward the back—where the other people were.

“The same goes for them. You kind of get what I’m saying, right?”

“I don’t. I’m not a holy spirit like you, Leikart.”

“You didn’t even say my name before, and you still know it? And you’re claiming you don’t know?”

“··· ···”

Rize didn’t reply. And usually, silence tends to confirm understanding.

“Alright. If persuasion fails, I’ll have to forcibly separate you.”

“That cannot happen. Don’t recklessly decide the fate of the Sivar brothers.”

“Hah, seriously…”

Leikart scratched his head, looking troubled. He let out a deep sigh and spoke in an annoyed tone.

“I didn’t come here to fight.”

Fizz!

At the same moment, a faint spark crackled in Leikart’s hand. A deep navy lightning bolt, even darker than regular blue.

But Rize wasn’t backing down either. As soon as she saw the spark, she clenched her fist and slowly raised it.

At the same time, Rize’s pristine white hair floated up, and the dirt and debris from the floor began to swirl.

Normally, this would be a terrifying moment, but I felt an odd sense of calm wash over me. Having someone who genuinely cares about me is a reassuring feeling.

“If dirt gets in my eyes…”

“··· ···”

“I won’t let it harm the Sivar brothers.”

Thump! Thump!

My heart raced upon hearing those words. It felt like my affection was driven more by my humanity than any romantic interest.

How could a person be so amazing? Even though I sometimes show erratic behavior, there’s no denying her human charm.

And I wondered. What exactly does Rize see in me that makes her jump in to protect me?

I couldn’t tell for sure, but she surely seems to be a remarkable person.

“······Ugh. Fine. Whatever you say.”

It was Leikart who retreated first. He raised his hands in a seemingly surrendering gesture, playing it off casually.

As he stepped back, Rize also gradually lowered her clenched fist. Thankfully, it seemed the situation was calming down.

“I can trust you. But I’ll ask one thing. Can you take responsibility?”

“Of course.”

“That word—you must keep it. And behind you…”

Leikart looked back at Rize and called me over. It was clearly directed at me, not Kara.

“Me? You mean me?”

“Yeah, you. Come over here for a sec. I’m not going to hit you or anything.”

I cautiously moved closer, and Rize returned to her saint form.

Thunk!

As I stepped closer, Leikart bent down and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

It was just a casual shoulder clasp, but the crushing weight felt like a giant boulder pressing down on me.

“As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, this girl is precious to both me and the gods. If you make her cry… you know? Chaos or anyone else, I’ll personally smash your head.”

“Y-yeah!”

“Good. And don’t do anything objectionable in the temple or on the altar. How would you feel if you saw your daughter engaging with her boyfriend?”

Whatever he was implying didn’t make much sense, but I answered yes, since it felt like my head would burst otherwise.

“And about nighttime activities… that’s under the condition that you let go of any lingering feelings, got it? This isn’t just me; it’s a condition set by Gulrak himself.”

“Y-yes…”

“Alright then. You may not grasp everything, but you listen well, so that’s good. Lastly…”

Leikart tightened his grip around my shoulders. Our heads were naturally drawn closer together.

I was wondering what kind of threat he was about to issue when he whispered.

“Don’t trust Gaia.”

That was some advice I completely couldn’t wrap my head around.

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