novelraw Chapter 125 : Maid in God
Chapter 125 : Maid in God
Maid in God
At Edwin's answer, I tilted my head.
"Did you say 'from the very beginning'?"
That meant Edwin had been pretending to have lost his memory from the start.
"Yes, from the very beginning."
But why?
Questions rose in my mind. I stared intently at Edwin, suspecting I might have misheard, but he wore a calm expression as if discussing the weather.
Could this all have been a trap?
A trap to spite our adventurer party, 'Dungeon God'.
If he's a prince, he'd have heard a lot of things here and there.
Maybe, joining hands with other high-ranking folks, he'd planned to bury the cocky 'Dungeon God' adventurer party with this opportunity.
But, would royalty really come in person for that?
That, too, was questionable.
Besides, didn't he almost get killed by that mysterious group called the 'Seven Abyssal Brands?'
"Why did you pretend to lose your memory?"
I spoke up to try to understand the prince's intentions.
Even as I ran multiple scenarios in my head to maintain a calm facade regardless of what came out of his mouth, I couldn't help but feel afraid.
"Answer me, edwin. Why did you pretend to lose your memory?"
At my question, edwin wore a faint smile.
If he meant to execute Barkal, he'd have used the security for that.
If he wanted to target me, the security here would have sufficed as well.
"You're being cautious."
As if reading my mind, edwin began to speak slowly.
"You're probably wondering what my scheme was in pretending to have amnesia, aren't you?"
Of course. Why wouldn't I worry about that?
Instead of answering, I chose silence. Edwin continued speaking.
"The truth is."
I listened closely to his words.
"I almost died."
What?
I stared at the mumbling Edwin.
Suddenly, he spoke as if struck by terror.
"That barbarian... Barkal."
He pointed at his own head and the wounds.
"He hit me way too hard."
Hmm.
"I nearly lost consciousness. No, to be precise, I lost it several times."
Sincerity echoed in Edwin's voice.
"So to survive, I said I'd lost my memory."
He'd hoped that saying he lost his memory would stop Barkal's violence.
"But... he kept hitting me anyway..."
Watching Edwin mumble on as if complaining to himself, I let out an incredulous sigh.
* * *
It turned out Edwin pretended to have amnesia not for any particular reason, but simply because he was in pain.
Once I realized that, I felt the tension seep out of me.
Still, I couldn't shake off my worries. After all, Barkal was the one who beat him up, and I hadn't yet asked why he'd come looking for me.
"Adventurer party Dungeon God."
Edwin mumbled as he looked at me.
There was a clever glint in his eyes, but at the same time, an innocent childlike air—as if he was still not quite an adult.
"I really wanted to greet you in person like this, so it's nice to meet you."
He reached out his hand, extending it for a handshake.
Greetings at this point? The thought crossed my mind, but who knows what might happen if I don't shake that hand.
He didn't seem to harbor any ill will, but for now, I decided to play along.
"I'm Dmihtan Elvar, leader of Dungeon God."
"I'm Edwin. Edwin von Kerval, third prince of this kingdom."
As we shook hands, the cleverness in Edwin's eyes vanished, leaving only pure childish glee.
"There's something I really wanted to say."
What is it?
"You really are a barbarian, but you don't seem like a barbarian at all! Not your speech, nor your behavior—there's intelligence there!"
It was as if he'd seen a talking monkey—Edwin was genuinely impressed.
I wanted to pour the truth on him, but it was probably best to hold my tongue.
A little white lie, as they say.
"I really wanted to meet you like this, but everything got complicated, didn't it?"
"Did you come here because we refused the medal?"
Thinking about reasons why Edwin came to us, that was all I could think of.
I asked, but he only shook his head. So it wasn't about the medal?
"I really did want to give the medal, but if you're going to refuse it, so be it. What's the point of giving something the recipient doesn't want?"
Honestly.
Honestly, I really did want that medal.
Getting an annual grant of 100 gold coins—who wouldn't want that?
But you have to take a holy water bath, and so I had no choice but to bail.
"First, I need to apologize."
Edwin let go of my hand and bowed his head.
"I used you all."
What was he suddenly talking about?
"You used us? What do you mean by that?"
"You saw them too, didn't you? The Seven Abyssal Brands' assassins who burst into the Inn."
Right, I saw them.
To be honest, the reason I brought Edwin here so far was because of those 'Seven Abyssal Brands' guys.
The Abyss.
Something to do with the Rune of the Abyss.
"They are a religion that worships the Abyss."
I'd already heard this from Miriam.
A religion made up solely of lunatics who worship the Abyss.
That's what the Seven Abyssal Brands were.
"Those sneaky bastards are hidden everywhere. I'm sure there are cult members of the 'Seven Abyssal Brands' hiding within the royal palace too."
It's very likely.
Given the 'Disguiser' group and all, it's best to assume sneaky types have their claws in everything.
From the start, their form isn't fixed, so it's better for me to gather information that way.
"So, to root out that guy, I used you."
"What method did you use?"
"It's simple. I told only three people that I was sneaking out of the palace today."
He said, then started naming their positions and names.
I didn't recognize any of the names, but hearing it like this, I could understand the method.
"Did you tell each of them a different destination?"
"Ohh."
Edwin was impressed at my words.
"Yes, I told each of the three a different destination."
As expected.
That means there was someone Edwin told he was heading to 'The Great Haven.'
That guy must have contacted fellow 'Seven Abyssal Brands' members, so he'd automatically be the suspect.
Only that person would know he was heading to 'The Great Haven.'
"Why are they targeting you?"
At my question, edwin shrugged.
"I discovered their secret."
A secret?
"The goal of the Seven Abyssal Brands."
Edwin spoke, as if making a grand declaration.
After that, he began walking. I quietly followed him.
Apparently, we were headed to his personal study, which was quite spacious. As expected of royalty.
Just as I had that thought, edwin stopped walking.
He pointed at a spot where a map of the continent was hanging.
"They're creating a god for the Abyss."
A god for the Abyss?
Edwin's statement was truly shocking.
But, after thinking for a moment, it was easy to imagine what twisted lengths worshipers of the 'Abyss' might go to.
In 《Dungeon God》, among the so-called 'gods,' there are some fools, but plenty whose power makes the word 'absolute' not an exaggeration.
The reason is faith. Because of 'belief.'
And, there are many kinds of 'belief.'
Even 'fear' of an existence is a kind of 'belief.'
If a 'god' of the Abyss were to appear, the impact would be enormous.
But wait.
"Hmm?"
I checked the pins on the map Edwin had put up.
Red pins.
I spotted some in 'Lagmor Mountain' and Iushil—these were all dungeons that had undergone 'Abyssification'.
Further down.
A black pin caught my eye.
That place...
"The Red Wolf Tribe's..."
A region known for its red earth and empty canyons. How could I not recognize it?
That's where I first woke up.
Met mutant cultists like Thrag.
Almost died there too.
"That's right."
As if he'd heard my muttering, edwin nodded.
"My informants say that one of the Seven Abyssal Brands' strongholds is there."
"How can you be sure of that?"
"To explain, let me show you this first."
Like a teacher about to teach, edwin picked out one of several messy books on the table and showed it to me.
An old and worn book. You could call it an 'ancient tome' without exaggeration.
On its cover was written, "Why is it a god?"
"The contents are simple. The 'god' isn't something sublime as we know it, but a stage reached through human transcendence. That's what the book says."
He meant to reveal a shocking secret, but honestly, anyone could guess that without reading some fancy ancient tome.
In this world, 'gods' weren't here since the primordial days.
If they had been, new gods wouldn't have continued appearing, nor would special 'classes' be discovered.
My guess is that 'god' is a supernatural being formed by the gathering of many wishes and thoughts.
Mortis, too, became a god because of the many people's wishes focused on a single ruined tree.
As for Thrag—well,
How did you become a god, anyway? Honestly, wasn't it just luck for a petty guy like you?
* 〈Thrag opens his eyes wide.〉
* 〈Mortis smirks quietly.〉
* 〈Thrag swings his fist.〉
Shut up, you idiots.
Anyway, it means even 'gods' were humans once upon a time.
"But the point is, to reach that stage, an ordinary body isn't enough, according to this book."
"You mean the vessel has to be big to become a god?"
"Exactly! That's it."
"And what does that have to do with the Red Wolf Tribe?"
"... Evidence of attempts to create the Abyss god's vessel. Such signs have been discovered nearby."
The goal of the Seven Abyssal Brands is to create a god of the Abyss.
And they're making a 'vessel' for that god among the Red Wolf Tribe?
What the hell does that mean?
I was about to say something to Edwin, when suddenly a person came to my mind.
The Seven Abyssal Brands assassin who committed something like suicide upon capture.
The 'tendon' of the Abyss that came out of his body.
And the barbarian who'd stuffed his body full of those 'tendons.'
Barkal's older brother, Darsan.
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