The sensed divinity was clearly that of the deity of Eternity and Night.
Even in the game, it rarely revealed its presence, and not much was known about this deity’s divinity.
There was no known information about its power, so Aslan, while sensing the divinity, could not confirm it and continued to lead the traveling party.
As Aslan spurred his mount toward the fortress entrance, people within the fortress, enveloped by this divinity, moved busily.
Those who had been enjoying peace and living life suddenly shifted their stance to one of vigilance and watched the traveling party.
This scrutiny inevitably put the traveling party on guard, but Aslan remained silent, focusing solely on the sensed divinity.
It was undoubtedly the divinity of the deity of Eternity and Night.
Though unfamiliar and thus uncertain, Aslan was confident that this divinity belonged to the deity of Eternity and Night.
Of course, he hadn’t felt it before.
There were merely clues to notice.
Firstly, it was a divinity Aslan had never sensed before.
Thus, excluding those he’d experienced, it must belong to the remaining deity.
However, it wasn’t the divinity of evil deities.
Eliminating the divinities of evil deities and those he’d encountered or experienced left a candidate.
Among these, the deity whose domain directly influenced the sanctuary hovering above the fortress, associated with Eternity and Night.
In fact, the existence of the sanctuary alone made it obvious.
But…
‘Because I know nothing.’
Aslan thought deeply as he sensed the divinity.
Aslan knew nothing about the deity of Eternity and Night because it was almost never mentioned in the game.
While weapons related to this deity appeared in the game, there was no direct appearance or mention of its powers.
The sanctuary existed simply as a place where people lived and worshipped, without any special aspects.
However, one could infer from its name and deeds.
Eternity symbolized the endless sky surrounding Geladridion, and Night metaphorically represented the sea.
Considering this deity as one of the creator gods, and inferring from the domains of other creators,
the deity of Eternity and Night likely wielded powers over inanimate objects or lifeless nature.
Just as Fire and Metallurgy handled parts of lifeless nature like mountains and earth, another creator god handled living beings comprehensively.
Eternity and Night would encompass all of nature, including the sky and sea hidden metaphorically in its name.
Aslan felt the divinity enveloping the fortress and observed its intact appearance.
He saw the flourishing humans within.
The sight of humans living despite the exclusion zone cast by the Veil of Mercy and the death it produced.
A landscape they wouldn’t have reached if they couldn’t somehow prevent that death.
Therefore, Aslan was confident in his inference.
Unknown how the power was drawn, but somehow the sanctuary had used it to stop death.
‘This is the right path.’
Thinking this, Aslan stopped at the fortress entrance. The sentries stationed above stood alert, targeting the group.
Click, click.
The sounds of crossbows and bows aiming at the group.
Hearing this, Aslan deduced from their heightened caution that their lives had not been easy.
Thus, there was no need to provoke them.
Aslan remained silent, and the group followed suit upon seeing his demeanor.
Amidst the silence, someone suddenly appeared atop the main gate.
“State your identity!”
He looked like a typical knight.
Clad in plate armor with a surcoat draped over it, and a helmet tucked under his arm.
“If you do not state your identity and purpose, we will fire!”
Clearly, he was the leader of this fortress.
Looking up, Aslan recognized this and slightly frowned at an odd feeling.
His bearing and tone were peculiar.
Not aristocratic, but something else.
Despite his curiosity, Aslan spoke.
“I am Aslan, the Veteran of Combat, and these are my companions.”
The knight stiffened upon hearing Aslan’s name and said,
“I don’t recognize it. State your purpose!”
His puzzled reaction was curious. Aslan, nonetheless, reached into his cloak and pulled out a banner.
The banner given to him by a two-armed knight who lost them. The banner bore the emblem of Eternity and Night.
Seeing it, the knight’s eyes widened, and Aslan said,
“I met a knight who asked me to help this fortress and handed me this banner.”
“What… what happened to him?”
Upon closing his mouth, the knight turned pale and bit his lips tightly.
For death was a common ailment in Geladridion.
“Such…”
Grief flowed through his pallor as he glanced at Aslan.
“Our purpose is to assist you and everyone under your banner! Please let us in!”
The knight didn’t respond to Aslan’s words. He seemed reluctant to speak, gritting his teeth and shaking his head.
“No, I cannot admit you. The owner of that banner was my close friend and an excellent knight. He’s not the kind to fall so easily. So… I can’t trust your words.”
An illogical, unreasonable statement.
But Aslan did not argue. Instead, a voice whispered only to him from the Abyssal Blade.
“That knight could be made visible just to that man.”
Lewena’s subtle inquiry. Aslan closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, rejecting her suggestion internally. Lewena chuckled knowingly.
Instead, Aslan tossed the banner he held.
The knight reflexively caught it as it flew up to the wall, and Aslan said,
“Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. That knight asked for my help, and I intend to honor his request. If you won’t let us in, I’ll assist from outside.”
Ignoring the knight’s bewildered expression, Aslan signaled to his group, and they immediately retreated to move along the fortress wall.
Seeing their movements, the knight hesitated, realizing their sincerity.
They lowered tents from the carriage, unpacked supplies, and set up camp against the fortress wall.
Aslan pretended not to care but read the looks.
Helping them was indeed a goal, but it wasn’t the primary objective.
The real aim was to enter and reach the sanctuary.
To obtain the new function of Purity and the ancient arrangement hidden by the deity.
Thus, winning favor was entirely feasible.
Aslan arranged the tent while ignoring the knight’s gaze.
*
The range covered by the divinity was vast.
And this divinity acted as a shield against the cold and death of the exclusion zone spread by the Veil of Mercy.
Exactly as Aslan had guessed.
Normally, Ereta would have had to use her divinity every time they camped due to the cold.
But now, that wasn’t necessary.
The divinity enveloping the fortress protected their camp as well.
Although Ereta seemed regretful, even anxious, about losing her role.
“When Aslan kept it secret, I decided to keep it secret too.”
When Aslan tried to talk to her, Ereta deflected with that response.
But Aslan easily deduced her true feelings.
Ereta was evidently very anxious when she felt useless.
Currently, among the group, Ereta’s role was the easiest to replace.
Her anxiety stemmed from that.
With her job taken away, her unease surfaced.
But there was nothing to be done.
Ereta’s divinity recovered slowly despite being flexible enough to surprise Aslan.
Meaningless consumption was not an option.
Ereta understood this well and didn’t protest.
“The meal is ready.”
Even as the group gathered to eat, Ereta remained somewhat gloomy.
Aslan noticed her face and sat down.
“Aslan, here you go.”
“Oh, thank y—”
Receiving the stew filled by Lumel, Aslan winced at the aroma wafting up.
At first glance, it was packed with nourishing herbs recognizable even to Aslan.
The stew might apply a small boost to morale after eating.
Accepting the lingering, sticky gaze of Lumel, Aslan began eating.
The clinking of spoons and wooden bowls accompanied a brief silence until Richard spoke.
“What’s the plan now?”
“Phey can sneak in during the night and open the gates.”
Phey, who recently seemed irritable, rarely sounded like an elf.
Aslan shook his head at that.
“Such methods will only raise suspicion. I’d rather avoid them if possible.”
Phey quietly nodded, and Aslan glanced at Lewena.
Meeting his gaze, Lewena smiled faintly and pushed her hair behind her ear.
“I won’t use it. Truly.”
Relieved, Aslan nodded, then Lumel, who had finally served himself, blew on his stew and commented,
“We should prove we’re harmless so they’ll let us in. We’ve traveled far and need proper rest… and accommodations, perhaps.”
A transparent suggestion.
Angie, equally transparent, responded,
“Good idea. They’re human too; surely they’ll understand?”
Both aimed for the same goal.
Aslan was aware of this but felt a subtle regret for not supporting it.
While pondering how to respond, Tiamat interjected,
“It won’t happen that way.”
“Huh?”
Slurping the stew, Tiamat removed their eye patch, twitching the scarred corner of their eye.
“That knight who died earlier seems important here. If such an important person and a group were kidnapped, they must have suffered a major attack recently. I doubt they’ll warmly welcome strangers like us.”
“Ahh…”
“…”
That comment visibly disappointed Lumel and annoyed Angie.
Richard, noticing the overt reactions, awkwardly laughed.
“Well, at least it’s fortunate, isn’t it?”
Caught staring by the entire group, Richard nervously shrugged.
“Nobody got hurt or had problems getting here, right? I was quite worried since this is a fallen kingdom!”
“Perhaps it’s because we neutralized the exclusion zone with Ereta’s fire.”
Tiamat’s remark prompted Richard to exclaim,
“Oh! What if we mention that? They might let us in, right?”
“Not really.”
Embarrassedly laughing, Ereta replied.
She glanced at Aslan before continuing,
“There’s already divinity here, so we’re unaffected by the exclusion zone’s effects. That’s why Aslan told me to conserve my divinity instead of using it.”
Then, sipping her stew, Ereta wore a visibly melancholy expression.
Noticing Richard’s concerned look, she forced a smile.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry; actually, conserving divinity is better in the long run.”
Though clearly not okay, she insisted otherwise, so Richard silently slurped his stew.
Silence returned, and Aslan recalled something.
“Why can Ereta’s fire neutralize the exclusion zone?”
On reflection, it was strange.
The exclusion zone spread by the Veil of Mercy couldn’t be erased or neutralized even by spiders of judgment unless it was the end times.
Moreover, it wasn’t a matter of strength but of compatibility.
Since it was merely nascent fire, it shouldn’t have been able to counteract the cold capable of freezing the universe.
How was it possible?
Aslan didn’t know.
After pondering fruitlessly, he looked up to find the group watching him.
“…Ah.”
Realizing he hadn’t yet provided guidance, Aslan set down his empty bowl and clasped his hands.
“Soon, something unusual will happen.”
“Unusual?”
“Yes, I’m not sure, but the knight wouldn’t ask for help without reason.”
The group looked perplexed, so Aslan elaborated,
“Most importantly, the knight was noticeably startled when I showed the banner. Though he claimed not to recognize me, it seemed like he did. There’s something troubling him.”
“So we stay here?”
At Tiamat’s question, Aslan nodded.
“If we remain encamped here, they’ll surely make contact. We can wait until then. Besides, there’s no urgent matter, so consider it a rest.”
While saying this, Aslan glanced at Lewena.
Sitting on a rock faintly lit by fire, Lewena swung her leg, noticed Aslan’s gaze, and gave a subtle smile.
With that smile-laden face, she nodded.
Aslan thought,
Perhaps contact will come sooner than expected.
Glancing where he had looked, the shadow of a woman stretched long across the fortress wall.
When the shadow flickered slightly, the shoulder of a knight secretly observing beyond became momentarily visible in the moonlight.
