The Holy Maiden Yulicia of the Piggero Church witnessed a black flash burst in front of her.
When her vision returned to normal, a gigantic crow appeared before her. Having encountered this crow before, she recognized it as their deity, Malphas.
Yulicia’s eyes were filled with grotesque black feathers that could hardly be called sacred from anyone’s point of view. Yet, her gaze remained unwavering.
She embodied the appearance of a devoted believer.
Yulicia understood that this desert, sprawling like a horizon, was not the Divine Realm she had been summoned to, but rather an illusion created by Malphas.
The black beak of Malphas slowly opened.
=…Is everything you just said, true?=
Yulicia felt the ripples in Malphas’s tone.
She pretended not to be flustered, but it was clear that she was grappling with considerable anxiety.
“Yes, it was our church member embedded in the information guild that resides in the Wirend Kingdom who discovered and relayed these facts. The God of War Yuma… It appears he is dispatching someone to investigate in the Astes Empire, a nation practically ruled by him. It seems they have captured one of our lower members.”
=The God of War Yuma… If he has caught wind of the church and my existence, he will certainly try to eradicate us.=
Yulicia sensed the undeniable fear hidden in Malphas’s words.
=And he will also look for ways to target me….=
Malphas inadvertently revealed his fear to Yulicia. The ripple effect starting in his mind was significant.
“I will inform you again when their investigative net seems to be closing in.”
=Good, command all active church members outside to cease operations temporarily.=
“Understood.”
Yulicia bowed her head deeply.
Following Malphas’s will, she could return to reality from his visions.
From the start, she believed it was risky to mention the existence of the Astes Empire’s mage, Cloney, so she decided to lay some groundwork first. She judged it better to reveal Cloney’s existence in the next encounter.
Yulicia agreed with the idea that Cloney should stay outside the church for about three days to gauge the situation before making an entrance.
So, instead of immediately following Yulicia, Cloney was currently resting in an inn located in the capital, Kard, a bit distant from the city of Valte, where the Piggero Church was situated.
The Piggero Church was in a tavern located in the capital of Kard, slightly distant from the kingdom of Virent.
-We’ve arrived in the Virent Kingdom.-
Duke Yuma’s response echoed in Cloney’s ears.
-Is everything alright?-
-Yes, the Holy Maiden of the [Piggero] Church mentioned it’s somewhat dangerous for her to enter the church immediately, so she suggested staying outside for about three days.-
Even Yuma thought that sounded wise.
-Then if I leave tomorrow, it won’t interfere with my plans.-
To successfully draw Malphas down to the Intermediate World and immediately kill him, it was indeed time for Yuma, Bell, and the others to set off.
-If anything happens, send a message right away. No, even if nothing happens, contact me every night.-
Cloney smiled brightly and sent the message back.
“Seems like he’s worrying a bit too much.”
Like a parent leaving their kid in a rough neighborhood.
Lying on the bed, Cloney raised her right hand and began to manipulate her mana.
Swish…
Golden strands moved through the air, following her fingertips.
If she skipped even a day of magic practice, it felt like she was sinning, so she couldn’t afford to miss a single day of training.
‘Apostle.’
Now that she had become a god’s apostle, she could clearly say she had become a part of the powerful war god Yuma. In such a situation, it was unacceptable for Cloney to not be of clear help.
‘I need to be helpful.’
A strange light flickered in Cloney’s golden eyes.
*
Divine Realm.
The [Malicious God of Creation], Malphas, was seething with rage.
‘…How dare they.’
A so-called ‘fake god’ who had become a god by disrupting the world’s order, rather than being a true god since the beginning, was searching for the church he had painstakingly established in the Intermediate World?
‘I’ll devour them whole.’
If his heart had its way, he would descend to the Intermediate World in his physical form and kill Yuma directly. But that was nearly impossible.
All gods who had descended from the Divine Realm to the Intermediate World had been slaughtered.
By the war god Yuma, a single deity.
-Don’t do anything useless.
The words of Eltnis, the God of Void, echoed continuously in his ears.
-Even if you descend in that physical body, you can never kill him.
It was a raw fear and anger too stark for one in a transcendent position like a god to experience directly.
Creeeak…
A gigantic black claw scratched the ground as if tearing it apart.
“They must be trying to eradicate Piggero… regardless of whether I descend or not.”
Was he really going to just sit by and watch the well-crafted [Piggero] crumble?
Malphas couldn’t help but ponder.
He struggled hard to come up with a solution, but not much came to mind.
Directly descending in a physical body was, even to him, a risky move. Even if he did descend, he couldn’t immediately think of anything he could do.
A profound sense of powerlessness, and even stronger anger.
Malphas was engulfed in these uncharacteristic emotions as he continued to think deeply.
How could he deal a massive blow to the God of War, Yuma, who had put him in this pathetic state?
That was all he could think about.
He was completely absorbed in it.
*
“This way.”
Following Garoon’s guidance, they stepped into the [Piggero] temple hidden deep within the forests of Valte City.
The sight of the temple with its orderly gray and white design caught their eyes.
Cloney admired the scenery of the [Piggero] temple in her mind.
As expected, the temple of a long-standing organization was not so shabby.
As they entered, two men approached them.
They were rugged-looking men clad in black leather armor.
Cloney looked at the men with an indifferent expression.
In contrast, Garoon gazed at the men with a face full of fear.
As the younger brother of the second Holy Maiden, Elfin, Garoon had been able to train. He had reached the level of a Sword Expert beginner, but that level did not guarantee his safety within the [Piggero] organization.
Of course, Cloney possessed unmatched power that no one in [Piggero] could contend with.
She was a 7th Circle magician. Even if all the combatants in the [Piggero] organization charged at her, she wouldn’t feel threatened.
“Garoon, who is this person?”
Vincent, the chief of the offering service and execution, scanned Cloney up and down.
“U-uh, she’s a guest brought by Holy Maiden Yulicia.”
Garoon’s flustered voice echoed among the people.
Just as Cloney was about to speak to ease the awkwardness, Yulicia’s voice resonated from behind them.
“She is indeed my guest, Vincent.”
Yulicia approached with a benevolent expression, her long robe flowing gracefully. Vincent and his three subordinates stepped back in unison and bowed their heads. They were paying their respects to the Holy Maiden.
The three followers stepped back, bowing their heads in unison. They were showing respect to the Holy Maiden.
“May I ask what brings you here, esteemed guest?”
Yulicia nodded.
It was fair to say that half of those in the temple followed her, while the other half followed Vincent.
There was no need to create a risk factor prematurely.
Sooner or later, though, they would have to.
Yulicia calmly replied.
“I’m a convert. I’m trying to change my religion.”
“Oh, understood. If you have such a noble intention…”
Cloney entered Yulicia’s quarters, following her lead. Looking at Yulicia, Cloney spoke up.
“Are you fully prepared in your heart?”
At Cloney’s question, Yulicia nodded.
“Yes, I’m planning to speak out about it tomorrow.”
“Great! I’m confident I won’t get caught either.”
Yulicia couldn’t help but laugh at Cloney’s nonchalant response.
“I’m actually eager to learn how you can be so composed.”
At Yulicia’s words, Cloney’s lips curved slightly as she replied.
“They should have arrived at Wyrend’s capital by now. It seems like all preparations are complete.”
‘Those people’ naturally referred to Duke Yuma and his party, who were coming to the cult to kill Malphas.
“I have one last question.”
At Cloney’s words, Yulicia slowly nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“Are you planning to possess the Holy Maiden’s body?”
To invoke a god.
“Yes.”
“Can you handle that?”
Will you not crumble?
If a god were to be invoked into a human body.
Cloney recalled the words Bell had delivered. On the way back to the capital. The nun who had exploded and died before her eyes.
“It’ll be tough.”
Yulicia spoke calmly.
But there was no other way.
*
The next day.
Yulicia wasted no time.
Standing at the Seat of Prophecy, she spoke without hesitation.
“The God of War Yuma’s pursuit is getting faster.”
Low words followed.
“And one of those who followed the God of War Yuma, the mage Cloney, has lost her faith in him and is wandering. I’ve persuaded her to join us.”
Yulicia’s golden eyes shone.
“What if we strike first at the God of War Yuma using Cloney?”
