novelraw Chapter 118 : Chapter 118
Chapter 118 : Chapter 118
Chapter 118: Asking the Black Sea, Four Questions (6)
“What do you mean by that?”
Eleanor tilted her head.
“I don’t understand. A monster, you say? Are you insulting Lord Cthanid?”
“Ah, that’s……”
Monika mumbled her lips.
Should she have approached this more carefully? The people of Portsmouth must be relying on their faith in Cthanid.
Even so, she didn’t want to change her mind. It wasn’t just because the statue of Cthanid was bizarre. In the first place, the appearances of the Main Gods were just as strange. A boy whose insides were made of cogs, or a sea that expanded infinitely—from a human’s perspective, they just felt absurd.
“……I had a feeling it was like a monster.”
Monika said in a small voice.
It was just a feeling. A feeling that it might be a monster.
That was why it was rather difficult to retract her thought. Even though there was no particular basis for it, she couldn't shake off the anxiety that had taken root in her mind.
“I am offended, Lady Monika.”
Thump.
Eleanor’s footsteps were imprinted on the sand.
Eleanor stood facing Monika. The sea breeze cooled Eleanor’s breath.
“I, Eleanor Portsmouth, am the miko of Lord Cthanid. Insulting Lord Cthanid means you are also scorning me. It is difficult for me to overlook Lady Monika’s words.”
“I understand.”
Monika readily accepted it.
Since she had said it knowing it was an offensive remark.
She felt it was necessary to observe Eleanor’s reaction.
“But it’s a bit unsettling. The Holy Numeros Empire is a nation that recognizes freedom of religion. Even so, most of its subjects believe in the Platinum Round Table Orthodoxy.”
Monika was right.
The Holy Numeros Empire recognized freedom of religion. This was because there was no need to force a belief. The identities of the Main Gods who created Epezeria were clear.
“It must be because they are considered gracious. Unlike the distant past when the existence of gods was debated, we can now look up to gods who truly exist.”
“Lord Cthanid also truly exists.”
Eleanor said in a calm tone.
“Don’t you know? The Main Gods are merciful. They willingly participate in the myths created by their creations. Lord Cthanid’s name may not be recorded in the scriptures of the Platinum Round Table Orthodoxy, but he too exists as another facet of one of the Main Gods. The Main Gods have decided it to be so.”
Eleanor’s words were also right.
The Main Gods did not favor a single religion. This was because they were beings who responded to the faith of all, not just one religion. Even if one did not believe in the Platinum Round Table Orthodoxy, if they held faith according to the system constructed by the Main Gods, they would willingly respond. It was just that only the Platinum Round Table Orthodoxy had a system for utilizing the power of the Main Gods.
“That is why there is still a diversity of religions in this world.”
Isn’t that so, she asked.
Eleanor whispered to Monika.
“Monika, that’s enough.”
Suddenly, Demian tilted his head toward Monika.
He brought the side of his hand to his mouth and whispered.
“I also thought the atmosphere in the temple was strange. But it’s no use interrogating without evidence.”
“……I know.”
Monika let out a sigh.
Then, she opened her mouth toward Eleanor.
“I apologize if you were offended, Lady Eleanor. I am a student of the Department of Theology, and while my faith isn’t particularly deep, I felt it was necessary to be suspicious.”
Religions could not be unified.
Nor was there a need for them to be unified.
Religion, more than just prioritizing the existence of an absolute being, was a spiritual fortress built on cultural identity and diverse values. There were other nations that ultimately denied the existence of the Main Gods, and each race had a different way of understanding them. In addition, there were warlocks who used faith……,
“Because I’ve also heard about religions that treat monsters like gods.”
Monika said, clenching her prosthetic arm.
The monster used in Monika’s prosthetic arm, the Porginay, was also an object of worship in the distant past. Since they couldn't kill it, they revered it.
Even in an age where it could be easily killed, the faith remained. In the southern rainforests, a minority of the natives living there still worshiped the Porginay. As the goddess of nature, stubbornly so.
“For now, I shall try to understand.”
The silent Eleanor opened her mouth.
Smiling only with her eyes, she fixed her gaze on Monika.
“Lady Monika, but please keep this in mind.”
I have no parents.
Eleanor whispered as such.
“It’s because I was born from the sea. The miko of Lord Cthanid is a child born of the sea. They are discovered on the coast every 50 years. That is why my surname is Portsmouth. I am a being sent down to this village as Lord Cthanid’s representative.”
No, that can’t be.
Monika didn’t believe it.
She had never heard of such a miracle. It would be impossible in the first place. Just as not even the God of the Underworld could fully resurrect the dead, the beings the Main Gods created through the process of creation were nothing more than very primitive creatures. Prokaryotes evolved into eukaryotes through the process of evolution, and eventually evolved to the stage of forming humankind.
“So Portsmouth does not worship monsters. How could a monster create a human?”
Eleanor continued speaking, unconcerned.
Without a hint of wavering, with a face full of faith.
“If you still cannot believe my words……”
Eleanor stretched out her arm.
Jingle. The accessories wrapped around Eleanor’s body swayed.
“Follow me.”
Not you, Lady Monika, but you.
Whispering so, Eleanor extended her index finger.
“You said your name was Lord Demian, correct? Come with me.”
“Wait a moment.”
Monika opened her mouth.
Towards Eleanor, who was pointing at Demian.
“Why are you singling out Senior Demian? I’m the one who took issue with your faith.”
“It seems you have already made up your mind. It appears nothing will change no matter how much I argue.”
Am I wrong?
Eleanor asked as such, and,
“It’s alright, Monika.”
Demian said, wiping his mouth.
Demian’s complexion was dark. It was because he had been nauseated by the sight of numerous corpses.
“Staying here will only make me want to vomit. I will go.”
“No, I don’t like hearing you vomit either, Senior, but……”
It could be dangerous, you know, she said.
While Monika whispered into Demian’s ear,
“Go inform Professor Argento. We can’t leave the beach empty, so hurry.”
Demian replied as such.
In a small voice, so Eleanor wouldn’t hear.
Then, with a hardened expression, he put on a smile.
“Let us go, Lady Eleanor.”
“Alright.”
Eleanor nodded once.
Then she turned and took a step. As Demian and Eleanor’s footprints were densely imprinted on the sand,
“……This is bullshit, seriously.”
Monika muttered under her breath.
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it was. The being that the people of this village revered. The religion formed with such a being as its security.
That was why Monika had run.
Quietly, so Eleanor wouldn’t notice, in search of Abel.
* * *
At the same time, in the Temple of Cthanid.
As the loftily carved stone statue of the sea god stood firm,
‘……Cthanid.’
Abel had just set foot inside the temple.
He had told Roberta to get some rest. There was much to do besides looking after his students. Including the religion that supported this village, the one most wary of the bizarre scenery was none other than Abel himself. The whole village was ominous as if cursed, and he had countless experiences of actually stepping onto cursed land.
‘It seems very old.’
Abel thought, looking around the temple.
The clusters of barnacles found without fail, the stems of seaweed climbing the walls, and finally, the foul odor soaked in old dampness. The Temple of Cthanid was exceedingly gloomy.
‘The most alien aspect is…….’
Tap.
Abel placed his hand on the statue of Cthanid.
‘……the style in which the building was constructed.’
It could not be explained by any system.
It was as if this place alone was detached from the world.
The decorations that overused acute angles, and the four walls covered in bumpy marks, caught his eye. No building in Epezeria would have been constructed using such a method. A technology that seemed to mock the laws of physics had been incorporated into the temple.
“Lizer Leinhart.”
Thus, Abel muttered, looking up at the statue.
There was something he needed to confirm through Lizer.
“Did you know I would come?”
Behind Abel, Lizer’s voice was heard.
Lizer, too, had just arrived at the temple. Three or four spirits were flying around Lizer. As if frightened, they were shrunken small.
“I cannot command the spirits, but I can sense their energy.”
Abel said, turning to look at Lizer.
“Have you completed the trench search.”
“We found the post.”
Lizer replied to Abel’s question.
“Ernst seemed quite shocked. I don’t know the full story, but after seeing the post, he began searching with a bewildered expression. Through the senses of the spirits……”
Ernst was very sad, he said.
Lizer muttered, stopping beside Abel.
“Ernst’s grandmother was a soldier who was active during the Mirror War.”
Abel said with his arms crossed.
“The post in Portsmouth was constructed during the Mirror War, and he must have naturally been reminded of his dead grandmother.”
“I see.”
Lizer nodded.
He was smiling gently, but he seemed unable to empathize.
“I do not know much about the affection between family members. I only understand it with my head. So please, Professor, you comfort him. Ernst seemed like a good kid.”
“I will speak with him separately later.”
It was a difficult task for Abel as well.
To offer words of true comfort.
Not just Ernst, but Roberta too must be experiencing internal problems. He had headed to Portsmouth with the intuition that it would be so. Besides those two, Demian and Monika would also come to face their own problems. Abel had a duty to resolve his students' worries.
It was the most difficult duty.
More so than saving Portsmouth.
More so than subjugating the intelligent species that threatened this place.
“For now, let’s solve the easy things first.”
Saying so, Abel turned his back to the statue of Cthanid.
As the day grew dark, he took a step and whispered to Lizer.
“The banshee I killed this morning……, where is its corpse.”
“I put it in the attic.”
Lizer followed Abel.
“I’ve activated a spell to keep it from decomposing.”
Just as you requested, Professor, he said.
Lizer whispered with a faint smile.
“Good.”
Abel nodded.
There was the reason of guiding the students, but there was another reason for securing the banshee.
A dead monster, a time when people become scarce, and finally, Lizer’s spirits. All the necessary ingredients were gathered.
“It is time to have an audience with the intelligent species.”
Muttering as such, Abel moved forward.
The easiest duty was waiting for Abel.