Chapter 738

Chapter 2 Departure

Of course, I am no deity.

In religious terms, deities are creators, redeemers, and illuminators; they are the source of truth, the sole sovereigns, the managers of the world and the universe. They are absolute, eternal, imperishable—not even this world, as described in the Church’s Book of Revelation, can be compared to such beings.

Being called a deity is not merely about possessing power beyond comprehension.

In reality, the true “deities” of this world are those from the Gideals clan from hundreds of years ago. They were bestowed with immense power and could bless humans with that power, hence they were referred to as “gods” by the early church—I once faced such existence alongside that dancer.

Now, I fear I might become one of them.

My current strength has clearly surpassed some boundaries, to the point where even I am somewhat unclear about just how terrible my capabilities might be if I were to exert myself fully.

Whether it’s the power of order or chaos, or even the flames of karma, during my rebirth half a year ago, I only tried a little and already corrupted the entire wasteland. The formidable knights had no resistance against the rampant chaos, and during that time, I hadn’t even seriously engaged.

I don’t know where my limits lie anymore.

But I feel—

Strength seems inexhaustible, boundless.

If there was a momentary lapse, I might destroy this world.

Whether it is truly like this, I probably won’t have another chance to verify it, nor do I have any desire to. It’s merely out of rationality that I restrain myself. At least until I confirm that my mental state is stable and there will be no new changes, and until I’m sure that I’m still within a safe range and won’t cause catastrophic disasters to those around me, I won’t return to West Continent.

Because there, there are people I care about and who care about me.

I cannot let myself harm them.

After thinking through these things, gradually, I suddenly realized that even if I lose emotional fluctuations and look down upon all beings like a deity, at least in the depths of my heart, there are a few figures who remain firmly rooted here. Even if I no longer think about them or feel moved, there is still a trace of concern—however slight.

I often think of them, sometimes even dreaming of them.

Father, Mother, Victoria, Lafayette, Percival, Pegasus, Chalman, Reckert, Sarah, Sophia, Daisy…

Even when I think of them, I don’t feel much emotion, but I still remember them.

Sometimes, I think about seeing them again.

And Carlos.

Since he was gravely injured protecting me and taken away by Lapulia half a year ago, I don’t know where he went… Later, I went to the tavern in White Town, searched for his hometown as he mentioned, and looked for many towns, but couldn’t find any news about the two of them.

Are they still alive?

They must be alive.

Perhaps…

They’ve already safely returned to West Continent.

After all, half a year has passed since then…

As I thought about these things, I organized the coins in the small package into two stacks. A silver coin accidentally rolled out, and after picking it up and putting it back, I noticed the short sword in its leather scabbard inside the package. Victoria’s face flashed through my mind—the perfect, cold beauty.

She…

Is she doing well?

This short sword named “Dragon Claw,” given by the Sage to his disciple Victoria, and then passed on to me, almost got lost in that flattened town.

Later, relying on my memory, I found Elina’s cellar within the pitch-black swamp area. I originally planned to take some documents from inside, but the Primordial Mud had already seeped through the cellar entrance.

The gap seeped in, spreading throughout the entire cellar. The bookshelves collapsed, and all the books were eroded away, but the “Dragon Claw” hanging on the stone bed wall was spared. I took it out with me.

It was also at that place that I watched Lapulea leave with Carlos, then saw the old man known as the Sword Saint descend from the sky. He didn’t discover me hidden in the cellar beneath the abyss mud. At that time, I wasn’t interested in meeting the strongest Pontiff Knight of the Order of Knights, rumored to be the most powerful.

If possible, I didn’t want to become his enemy.

After all, he was Carlos’s teacher, and also Vicky’s teacher. He was an old friend of my father and the lover of Grandma Bertha. Although, objectively speaking, the old man hadn’t truly interacted with me, he had connections with everyone around me. Moreover, if we really met, he might recognize me.

And it seemed he had cut down that dancer.

Later, I followed the trail of the battle and saw at least three villages affected by the aftermath of the inferno and sword aura. They fought fiercely, and at the end of the intense battle, behind the Yellow Mountain, a massive explosion left a deep crater. The power of the inferno seemed to have completely vanished there.

The old man eventually left too.

Just before he left, he inspected the ice walls I had conjured. Perhaps…

he might think of something.

Afterwards, the old Sword Saint, Carlos, Lapulea, all seemed to disappear. I inquired about their whereabouts to some extent, but no one found them. However, I inadvertently learned something intriguing.

I went to the upper reaches of the Red River.

There, I saw the abyss mud mentioned in Elma’s notes, which was about to engulf everything. I saw countless skeletons buried in endless sand, dying of illness or starvation.

The proliferation of this abyss mud seemed to have started over twenty years ago. Twenty years ago, a terrifying abyss monster appeared there, but ironically, it was not the Church that eliminated it.

It was the people of the Gate of Truth.

[The terrible black abyss erodes the earth, and the mighty warriors bathe in blood to extinguish it.]

This was the legend passed down by the people there.

However…

After the monster was eliminated, the abyss mud continued to spread slowly each year, but no one cared anymore. It is said that the Desert Church of Apolista has always been indifferent. The clergy only preached in the relatively prosperous northern East Continent, completely ignoring the poor people here.

As for where those warriors who bathed in blood went later…

I believe they all died in the siege twenty-two years ago.

In the past six months, my emotions, state, and will have been unusually stable.

There seems to be no more reason to stay in the East Continent.

So, taking advantage of the melting ice on the West Continent coast in early spring, when merchant ships became active again, I came alone to the port of Nogawa and chose an unremarkable cargo ship. I talked to a man who wasn’t very smart but had a kind heart, telling him I wanted to go to the West Continent to find my relatives. After paying the money, he let me board the ship.

After boarding, looking at the vast sea, thinking about the people on the other side of the sea—those familiar ones, those who missed me, and those who betrayed me, my enemies—I thought about these things, and actually, there wasn’t much turmoil in my heart.

However—

I still had to go back and take a look.

……

Soon, the cargo ship set sail.

The hull parted the waves, and the sails flapped loudly in the wind. Two crescent moons shone high in the sky, casting a thin night light. On the bustling deck, one ship after another departed from the harbor, heading toward the starry distance, beginning their long voyage.

What would it be like when we say goodbye again?