Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 32

Ch.32 Apostle of the Goddess of War

The world is filled endlessly with kingdoms and territories, Cults, and countless powers.  

The network formed by intertwining beliefs, ambitions, histories, and vested interests possesses a complexity that human reason cannot possibly comprehend.  

Alliances and betrayals are forged and broken in the blink of an eye, continuously surging like the very breath of this world.  

Thus, to Sion, it wasn’t particularly surprising that a Cult would request help from another Cult.  

‘What’s so strange about that?’  

Yet Master Garfenn’s reaction was far from ordinary.  

“It seems quite serious…”  

“Is it really that bad?”  

“Yes. I’d understand if they were instead trying to invade Elim and seize their land.”  

“I see.”  

Garfenn stared into space for a moment, then stood up.  

“Normally, a Cult only asks another Cult for help when they’re on the verge of collapse. They must be in truly dire straits.”  

Collapse.  

It meant the Cult itself would completely vanish.  

Even Elim, which had nearly crumbled, had not reached complete annihilation. It had survived because Garfenn was there, and Bishop Gustein had, albeit in solitude, preserved its lineage.  

But annihilation meant there would remain not a single person who remembered the Goddess or offered prayers.  

‘Not a single believer left…’  

Sion only belatedly grasped the weight of those words.  

“The annihilation of a Cult is tantamount to the death of a Goddess.”  

“Is that really true?”  

Sion, rarely seen sweating cold sweat, felt a chill.  

If believers disappeared, would the Goddess also cease to exist?  

“The Goddess herself said so. Though I’m not sure whether she said it to frighten me or not.”  

Lady Achille, standing beside Garfenn, shook her head.  

[It’s not a lie—it’s the truth. A Goddess exists to guide humanity toward better paths. But if she is forgotten by them, her reason for existence vanishes. The reason Goddesses cling to their believers so desperately is because their very lives depend on it.]  

The Goddess added:  

[That’s also why Evil Gods attack and try to eliminate humans. It’s easier and faster to destroy the Goddess by eliminating her believers than to attack her directly.]  

After hearing this explanation, Sion felt his insides freeze, and he rushed off to pack his belongings.  

If the situation was truly this perilous, he needed to go immediately and help.  

“Hmm.”  

Watching Sion walk away, Garfenn asked the Goddess a question.  

‘How serious could it be?’  

[The Wildflower Cult, wasn’t it?]  

‘Yes.’  

[It was a Cult that never expanded its influence. They didn’t make enemies, didn’t seek power—just quietly lived, tending flower gardens and holding mysterious rituals among themselves. If such a Cult has fallen into crisis, they must be facing something truly terrifying.]  

The Goddess’s voice carried a quiet, subdued worry.  

Indeed, they were like wildflowers by the roadside—Goddesses and a Cult so quiet they didn’t even have a name widely known.  

The fact that such a Cult was in danger meant they were likely involved in something far more serious than it seemed.  

[It’s best to hurry. Helping a weak Goddess and her Cult is also part of my duty.]  

‘Of course, my Goddess.’  

Garfenn began packing as well. Sion returned after saying goodbye to Ruina and his siblings.  

And there was one more companion.  

“I’m bringing you along as a porter.”  

“Ah, yes, sir!”  

“Please take care of us, Tier.”  

“Of course, Sir Sion!”  

It was Tier, a candidate knight of the War Cult.  

***  

The Wildflower Cult truly lived up to its name.  

Without a sacred site or central headquarters, they lived quietly in tiny hamlets, like unnamed flowers blooming in a field.  

Because of this, finding someone from the Wildflower Cult was as difficult as catching a star from the sky.  

People who avoided worldly troubles and conflicts, living only to tend flowers, were nearly impossible to encounter.  

“Romphard… Even I, who somewhat acted as a guide, am hearing this place name for the first time.”  

Tier clicked his tongue upon hearing the destination.  

Garfenn and Sion felt the same.  

“According to the letter, we walk north from Foils for about three days, then follow the river upstream, and we’ll find it.”  

“With such urgency, couldn’t they have given more specific directions?”  

Sion pointed out sharply.  

For a plea for help, it seemed lacking in sincerity. They must be in dire straits or have some special circumstances.  

“Well, perhaps they had no other way to explain it. I’ve heard they’re a Cult that hides themselves completely.”  

Garfenn replied calmly.  

The Goddess agreed as well.  

Sion and Tier’s frustration seemed to stem purely from their ignorance of the Wildflower Cult.  

“Still, what if we arrive and get lost on the way? We might be too late!”  

“Yes, Master. Maybe we should find a guide in Foils…”  

Their enthusiastic responses brought a smile to Garfenn’s lips.  

The Goddess felt the same.  

The fact that new blood had entered the War Cult, making it lively and bustling like this, was a deeply moving thing for Garfenn and Achille.  

“Don’t worry about it. Once we get near, the path will guide us naturally.”  

“Do you mean the Wildflower Cult will take action to guide us?”  

“Yes.”  

Sion’s guess was correct.  

They wouldn’t be without any measures.  

“More importantly, our Goddess is guiding us. What is there to fear?”  

“O-of course!”  

Tier startled, showing embarrassment.  

He had unintentionally made it seem as if he doubted the Goddess.  

“You still don’t trust Lady Achille, boy?”  

“N-no! Not at all! I just meant—”  

Tier panicked, desperately trying to explain his innocence.  

Garfenn enjoyed teasing the new disciple.  

Unlike Sion, whose reactions were dull, Tier was fun to tease—his sincere heart and earnest efforts made him a particularly lovable believer.  

“Alright, once you’re done eating, it’s time for training. As members of the War Cult, your combat skills must never fall behind.”  

Garfenn said while sipping tea that eased pain, his fierce face softened by a gentle smile. He gestured with his chin toward Sion and Tier.  

“Tier, start by practicing the basic movements of gripping and swinging a weapon as I taught you. Try both the sword and the axe—find which one suits your hand better.”  

“Yes, Master!”  

Tier had brought both weapons. Since the sword felt slightly awkward in his hand, Garfenn had advised him to try various weapons.  

“Yah! Yah!”  

Tier went to a corner and repeated the motions.  

It was a boring, monotonous basic training, but he didn’t slack off.  

The desire to grow stronger to protect his younger sister drove Tier forward.  

His motivation resembled Sion’s, which was why Sion liked Tier.  

“Sion, come sit here.”  

“Yes.”  

Sion sat facing Garfenn, but Garfenn shook his head, indicating otherwise.  

“Turn around. I need to see your back.”  

“Oh, yes.”  

Sion turned his back to Garfenn. The posture resembled a father and son during a bath, one scrubbing the other’s back.  

“Here. Can you feel anything at this point on your chest?”  

Garfenn poked Sion’s back with his finger, slightly above the heart.  

“Yes, the sacred energy I’ve recently acquired gathers around there.”  

“That’s right. Once sacred energy settles in the heart, it accumulates there.”  

“I understand.”  

Garfenn explained how to accumulate sacred energy.  

“Pray every day and give thanks to the Goddess.”  

“I already do that.”  

“But it won’t accumulate unless your heart is sincere. That’s why it’s also the most difficult method.”  

Sion nodded in deep agreement.  

Faith wasn’t something that could be born overnight. If it were that easy, everyone in the world would be saints or priestesses.  

“The other way is through devotion to the Goddess and accumulating merits.”  

“I’m confident in that.”  

“It’s what you do best.”  

Sion accumulated sacred energy by achieving overwhelming merits.  

When merits were earned, they returned as divine power from the Goddess, and she converted that power back into sacred energy.  

Accumulating merits returned Divine power, and the Goddess converted that power into sacred energy.  

“Accumulating sacred energy is fundamental, but do you know what you need to do to become an even stronger paladin?”  

Sion, with his back turned to Garfenn, paused in thought.  

“Handle it properly, I suppose?”  

“Well, that’s obvious.”  

Garfenn explained carefully. Though there was no systematic theory, his accumulated experience was as vast as the ocean.  

“Think of sacred energy flowing through the body’s main channels—like the large pathways from the heart to the limbs and head.”  

“Channels.”  

Sion nodded, recalling the vague sensation he had felt when using sacred energy.  

The description of sacred energy flowing through channels seemed accurate.  

“From now on, except when you’re sleeping, you must keep sacred energy flowing through your body at all times.”  

“C-can that even be done?”  

Sion asked.  

“It can. Think of sacred energy as the bloodstream of your body, or as the Goddess’s milk. Let it saturate your entire being with grace.”  

Sion thought the explanation sounded a bit excessive, but he accepted it.  

It was precisely such belief that had made Garfenn a true apostle of the God of War.  

“When you get used to that, what happens?”  

A faint smile flickered across Garfenn’s expressionless face.  

[Indeed, my Sion always grasps the essence.]  

‘Yes, truly intelligent.’  

Garfenn explained while massaging Sion’s shoulders.  

“You become adept at handling sacred energy. Naturally.”  

“R-right?”  

“And your body becomes one that is suitable to receive the Goddess’s blessing.”  

“A body suitable to receive blessings.”  

Sion turned the word ‘blessing’ over in his mind.  

He had been told he received the ‘Divine Guardian’s Blessing’ from the Goddess.  

Apparently, the cloak he wore protected his body from arrows and the like.  

Now, hearing Garfenn’s explanation, it seemed that continuously circulating sacred energy through the body would allow him to receive an even greater blessing.  

“It means you literally receive a portion of the Goddess’s authority. Don’t you wonder what powers the Ruler of the Battlefield possesses?”  

Sion’s eyes sparkled, a rare sight.  

“I’m truly curious.”  

“So am I.”  

“What?”  

Garfenn looked slightly gloomy.  

Throughout his life as an apostle, he had never properly received the Goddess’s authority. At best, he had only received weak powers.  

Of course, with Garfenn’s skill and Achille’ basic protection, he was still one of the strongest in the world—but regret remained regret.  

After all, the situation of Achille and the War Cult had not yet improved.  

In truth, Garfenn had spent his entire life repaying debts, leaving no room for such luxuries.  

[I’m… I’m sorry…]  

‘It’s alright. I don’t hold it against you.’  

[Really?]  

‘Of course, merciful Goddess.’  

[G-Garfenn… my child…]  

‘It’s fine. I truly mean it.’  

Despite his words, Garfenn clearly showed his disappointment.  

The Goddess, feeling awkward, could only hide herself in the corner.  

“Anyway, grow stronger quickly, Sion.”  

“Yes, Master.”  

“The world is in chaos. The Wildflower Cult is on the verge of extermination, and worshippers of evil gods are openly running rampant…”  

Sion briefly stared into the campfire, steeling his resolve.  

‘I must grow stronger quickly—for the Goddess, for my siblings, and for my master.’  

One cannot stop the clouds from drifting across the sky.  

But a house with a roof to shelter from wind and rain can be obtained through effort.  

Sion decided his first step was to grow stronger.  

This was the War Cult’s own way of preparing for the storm.  

“…”  

Sion naturally closed his eyes and sank into training.  

Garfenn quietly stepped aside to let Sion train in peace.  

***  

It was about three days after Sion’s party had left Elim and passed through Foils.  

They reached the riverside mentioned in the letter, and as they traveled upstream, a very small village appeared.  

They entered a tavern to rest and eat. For such a tiny village, the shop was surprisingly noisy.  

“There are a lot of people here, unexpectedly.”  

Tier muttered as they sat in a corner. The place was so chaotic that it took time for the staff to notice them.  

Just as they had ordered simple food and begun to catch their breath—  

“It’s really strange. Is it even possible that so many people are getting lost around here lately?”  

“They can’t even leave the village.”  

“Even if they go out, they wander for hours and end up back here.”  

A peculiar conversation from the next table caught their attention.  

Swish.  

Without being told, Sion approached them and asked,  

“Could you repeat that story, please?”  

“Huh? What? When did you get here?”  

The boy’s sudden appearance was as strange as the dreamlike tale they were telling.

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