Chapter 78

The second prince of the Arcad Kingdom suddenly fell from the sky, and it took a miraculous six months for him to recover.

Though his shattered limbs were healed without proper treatment, a miracle indeed, the matter of the second prince was not deemed particularly important.

“Pilgrims… they ain’t comin’…”

“Ugh. We’re almost out of medicine, but what in the world is going on?”

“Hmm… I haven’t a clue.”

The first to notice were the commoners, seeking out pilgrims to recover their exhausted bodies even just a little.

For those who worked tirelessly, the rare joy was the healing provided by the pilgrims.

The pleasure of their weary and battered bodies being renewed must have been a sweet reprieve for the common folk.

“What? The pilgrims aren’t coming to the neighboring village either?”

“What’s going on?! Village Chief! Village Chief!! Get out here!!!”

“Ah, I don’t know either! Why the pilgrims have stopped coming, I haven’t a clue! I don’t!”

In a situation where the wanderers who had roamed the world since before anyone could remember now no longer arrived, the absence of these healers left an ever-growing void.

“What should we do? The fever won’t go down…”

“Ugh. There’s nothing to be done. We must head to the neighboring village.”

“But that’s another country’s village. Is it really safe?”

“Safe or not, the child is this sick, we must try something! Damn… if only the pilgrims were here…”

The first affected were the sick.

Without the pilgrims who treated illness and injury, it was a grave issue for them.

They and their families were left with two choices: travel to another country to save their loved ones, or abandon them to die.

Of course, traveling to another country wasn’t safe either.

This was an era where terrifying monsters appeared if you strayed from the path, and now there were no pilgrims journeying to protect travelers.

Yet despite the risks, some did flee to other countries.

There were those who carried their sick children on their backs, and others who loaded their immobile parents onto carts to move.

Little by little, the people began to leave for other lands.

Just days ago bustling with activity, as empty houses began appearing in the village, naturally worry spread among those who remained.

“Village Chief, already half the village is gone. It looks like the whole town will soon be deserted. Do something!”

“Ugh… word from merchants says the same thing is happening in the cities.”

“In the cities too?”

“Yes. Some cities are even showing signs of plague. This is the end times. The end.”

“If the cities are suffering too… What will become of this country?”

But they didn’t know.

The departure of the pilgrims was merely the beginning.

“The crops… they’re not growing…”

“The time for sprouting has already passed. What in the world is going on?”

“It’s not just farming. Hunting’s a bust too. I set several traps but caught nothing.”

“Fishing’s the same. We used to catch over ten, but now we catch none.”

Birth had turned its back on their land.

Nothing new was growing, nothing bore fruit.

All the animals that could move fled far away, and the plants that couldn’t stayed dormant to endure the harsh period.

The humans of Arcad Kingdom could harvest nothing.

“This way, we’ll all die! Damn it!”

“Strangely, the neighboring country seems fine, but why is ours like this?”

As those who remained in the village struggled through their difficult lives…

“Big trouble! A plague has started spreading in the city!”

“What?!”

“They say it’s already beyond control! It’s only a matter of time before it reaches our village! I’m leaving!”

“Damn… there’s nothing we can do. If you want to live, we must go to another country!”

“Hold on! You guys! What do you mean you’re leaving the village?!”

“You call yourself a Village Chief? With no pilgrims and a spreading plague, do you think this village can hold out?”

“But… I am the chief appointed by the king…”

“Buts and excuses! What has your precious king done to help us get into this situation?! If you don’t want to die, prepare quickly! At least moving together we can fend off monsters!”

Death grew merciless toward their people.

Famine and disease harshly ravaged the Arcad Kingdom, and the numbers of those starving and dying from illness steadily increased. Those who sought survival traveled to other countries.

Of course, the journey wasn’t safe, but many humans escaped the kingdom driven by their will to live.

And such news reached the capital of the kingdom not long after.

“What did you say…?”

“The exodus of the commoners keeps increasing. At this rate, Arcad Kingdom will vanish.”

“How… how can such a thing happen…?”

“The most direct cause is the pilgrims of the Temple of Life not coming, and next is famine so dire. Crops don’t properly sprout, hunting fails, and livestock don’t bear young.”

A thorough divine punishment destroying an entire nation. The king trembled as he faced this reality.

The crown passed down through generations, symbolizing the qualification to rule this world.

How joyful he was when he placed this crown upon his head. It felt like owning the world itself.

Why does the god inflict such a cruel trial?

The king lamented.

The king grieved.

The king wanted to remove the crown.

But not yet.

“Surely, when the second prince fell from the sky and was severely injured… wasn’t there something said by a departing pilgrim?”

“Yes. According to the guard’s report, Second Prince disrespected the Goddess of Life and incurred divine retribution. Afterward, this fact was kept secret, known only to that guard and us.”

“What are your thoughts?”

To the king’s question, the retainers gave no answer.

Rather, they knew.

To save this country, the second prince must perform a penitential pilgrimage.

A harsh pilgrimage, much like the pilgrims of the Temple of Life.

But they couldn’t bring themselves to say it.

Second Prince Orcus. The reckless Orcus.

Born as the youngest, cherished especially by the king.

Thus believing everything in the world belonged to him, the problem child of the kingdom.

If the second prince doesn’t set out on pilgrimage… eventually Arcad Kingdom will surely vanish.

“Is there truly no recourse? No other method? Is there no way to appease the Goddess of Life?”

Naturally, there was no answer.

The Goddess of Life was originally a compassionate deity. So merciful as to care for other humans through her obedient pilgrims.

What exactly did Orcus do to anger such a goddess?

Even though the answer was clear, it couldn’t be voiced. The king sighed deeply.

And then…

“I’ve heard the entire story.”

A man entered the meeting room.

“As it stands, this country will perish!”

Everyone knew the story repeated again by the man.

First Prince Shtur.

The rightful heir to the throne of Arcad Kingdom, and the one destined to ascend.

“My lord, you must choose. To disappear with the kingdom, or send your foolish younger brother on pilgrimage.”

“Shtur…”

“My lord, father. Time is running out. How long will our stored food last? How long until the treasury runs dry buying more food? A wise decision must be made.”

With calm voice, the First Prince spoke. King Sharcal clutched his aching head.

“Are you saying this out of jealousy for your brother?”

“Jealousy…”

Shtur replied.

“At one point, I did envy my younger brother favored by our parents. But once it became clear he had offended the Goddess of Life, I stopped envying him. Why envy someone who doesn’t even realize their own wrongdoing?”

At Shtur’s words, the king sighed.

“No matter what… he’s still your brother…”

“From the moment he sinned against the goddess, I can no longer call him my brother. Look at how his mistake is destroying this kingdom.”

The king had no response.

That the second prince brought about the kingdom’s downfall was an undeniable fact.

“And sending that fool on a penitential pilgrimage isn’t the end. While we still have strength, we must gather all the people and attempt relocation.”

“Relocation?! Are you saying we abandon the homeland we’ve lived in for generations?!”

“We don’t know when the younger brother’s pilgrimage will end, or how many years it may take. Even if that fool finishes his journey, if all the people of this country are dead by then, it will be meaningless.”

“Perhaps we must abandon even the name of this country. Leaving this land, forsaking the name of this nation, perhaps we must discard everything to survive.”

At the First Prince’s words, the ministers showed expressions of resignation.

Otherwise, only destruction awaited.

The king, looking decades older in an instant, slowly removed the crown from his head.

It felt like all this was his fault.

Like it was his mistake for not properly overseeing his foolish child.