Chapter 14: Chapter 14 - A Dangerous Proposal
Chapter 14 — A Dangerous Proposal
The chamber remained silent long after Commander Lucien left.
Nobody moved immediately.
Nobody even breathed normally.
The tension he carried lingered like invisible smoke.
I leaned back against the cold stone wall and finally exhaled properly.
"...Well," I muttered softly, "that went horribly."
Dorian laughed once under his breath.
"You’re alive."
"Low standards."
"Appropriate standards."
Honestly fair.
Elena slowly lowered the silver barrier around us.
The divine light faded from her hand, but she still looked tense.
Her blue eyes remained fixed on the doorway Lucien used earlier.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Worried.
I studied her quietly for a moment.
"You okay?"
Elena blinked slightly.
Almost like she forgot I was there.
Then she nodded once.
"Yes."
Complete lie.
Very obvious lie.
Interesting how even saintesses still used the universal human strategy of pretending everything was fine.
Dorian walked toward the table near the wall and crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"This situation escalated faster than expected."
Understatement.
I had entered this world less than a week ago.
Now major churches were already investigating me personally.
Honestly?
Speedrunning divine politics was exhausting.
The merchant looked toward me carefully.
"You handled yourself better than most newly awakened authorities."
I frowned slightly.
"That didn’t feel like handling."
"That’s because you don’t understand how dangerous Lucien is."
Interesting.
Elena nodded quietly beside me.
"He’s one of the youngest commanders the Eternal Light ever promoted."
Young elite religious warrior.
Of course.
This world really did run on fantasy novel logic.
Dorian continued calmly—
"Most minor gods panic under his pressure."
I glanced toward the doorway.
"He didn’t seem hostile."
Elena and Dorian exchanged a brief look.
Then Elena answered carefully.
"That’s what makes him dangerous."
Ah.
Professional type.
Not emotional.
Those people were always the scariest.
Dorian leaned against the wall casually.
"Lucien only acts when he’s certain."
The merchant’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"And now he’s curious about you."
Wonderful.
Exactly what I needed.
More attention.
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
"I’m starting to understand why gods stay hidden."
Elena quietly looked toward me.
"You still think of yourself separately from gods."
The room became silent briefly.
Because honestly?
She wasn’t wrong.
Even after everything that happened—
divine core,
faith,
miracles,
actual goddesses—
part of me still felt like an ordinary guy from Earth pretending his way through cosmic nonsense.
Maybe because deep down...
I still was.
Dorian suddenly pushed away from the wall.
"We need a plan."
Ah yes.
Planning.
Good.
Much healthier than panicking.
Probably.
The merchant walked toward the center of the chamber.
"The Eternal Light won’t attack immediately."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Politics."
Of course.
Everything always becomes politics eventually.
Dorian explained calmly.
"You’re not corrupted."
Fair point.
"Lady Seraphine acknowledged your existence publicly."
Another fair point.
"And Lucien himself witnessed your authority directly."
The merchant smiled faintly.
"That means the Church must proceed carefully now."
Interesting.
So public recognition from another goddess created protection.
Divine legitimacy.
Honestly?
Religion here functioned more like competing nations than mythology.
Elena spoke quietly—
"But eventually they’ll demand alignment."
I blinked.
"...Alignment?"
Dorian nodded.
"They’ll offer integration into a major divine structure."
Ah.
Corporate acquisition.
Again.
"Translation," I sighed, "they want to control me."
"Exactly."
At least everyone here was honest.
Mostly.
I walked toward the small window overlooking the village.
Rain still fell softly across Erald.
Villagers moved through muddy streets carrying lanterns while my accidental shrine near the center square continued glowing faintly.
Some people were actually praying there.
Still surreal honestly.
Dorian stepped beside me.
"You have three options."
I looked toward him.
"Only three?"
The merchant smiled slightly.
"For now."
Fair.
He raised one finger.
"Join a major church willingly."
No.
Absolutely not.
The moment they learned I understood concepts beyond this world’s technology level, I’d become either controlled or dissected intellectually.
Second finger.
"Remain independent."
That sounded suicidal.
"Which invites conflict eventually," Dorian added immediately.
Yep.
Thought so.
Third finger.
"Create your own faction."
Silence.
The rain outside suddenly sounded much louder.
I stared at him slowly.
"...You say that like it’s reasonable."
Dorian shrugged.
"Historically? It happens."
Elena crossed her arms tightly.
"Usually after decades of preparation."
The merchant looked directly at me.
"But Kaiser’s authority evolves unusually fast."
That again.
Everyone kept saying it.
Honestly it was starting to worry me too.
Why exactly was my authority growing this quickly?
The answer probably connected back to Earth.
To humanity.
To technology itself.
Billions of people relied on technological systems every single day back home.
Even if Earth lost spiritual energy...
human belief in technology never disappeared.
Phones.
Computers.
Networks.
Medicine.
Machines.
Modern civilization practically worshipped technological progress subconsciously.
Maybe remnants of that conceptual belief still clung to me somehow.
If true...
that was terrifying.
Because it meant my authority’s potential might far exceed ordinary gods.
A dangerous thought.
Very dangerous.
Elena suddenly spoke softly.
"You’re thinking too loudly again."
I blinked.
"...What?"
"You make that face whenever dangerous ideas appear."
Rude.
Accurate again somehow.
But rude.
Dorian looked amused.
"That sounds concerning."
"It is," Elena replied immediately.
Traitor.
I sighed deeply.
"Fine. Hypothetically speaking..."
Both of them focused on me instantly.
"...If someone wanted to build an independent faction..."
Elena already looked worried.
"...how would they survive?"
Dorian smiled slowly.
Ah.
Businessman detected opportunity.
"You’d need three things."
The merchant raised one finger.
"Believers."
Obviously.
"Second: territory."
Makes sense.
"Third..."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"...value."
Interesting answer.
I frowned thoughtfully.
"Value?"
"Something powerful enough that other factions hesitate before destroying you."
Ah.
Mutually beneficial existence.
Like trade cities on Earth.
Or economically important nations.
Dorian continued calmly.
"Faith alone isn’t enough for survival anymore."
Interesting.
The world’s divine system was modernizing politically.
Religion becoming infrastructure again.
The merchant gestured toward my phone.
"But innovation?"
His smile widened faintly.
"That changes everything."
Elena looked uneasy beside me.
"You’re encouraging this too much."
Dorian shrugged casually.
"I invest in potential."
Yep.
Definitely a businessman.
The saintess stepped toward me quietly.
"Kaiser."
Her voice softened slightly.
"You don’t understand what founding a divine faction means."
I looked toward her.
"Then explain."
Elena hesitated briefly.
Then answered carefully.
"Gods influence civilizations."
The room became quieter.
"A new divine authority changes history."
Those words hit differently.
Because suddenly...
this no longer felt like survival alone.
Technology had changed Earth completely.
Wars.
Medicine.
Communication.
Economics.
Culture.
If my authority truly evolved here too...
then eventually entire nations might transform around it.
Not because of magic.
Because of progress.
And progress always changes power structures.
I leaned against the window thoughtfully.
"What happens if nothing changes?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
Then Dorian quietly said—
"The strong remain strong."
Fair.
Elena looked down slightly.
"And weaker territories slowly disappear."
Ah.
Like Seraphine.
Like Erald.
Faith erosion.
Declining gods.
Fading civilizations.
I finally understood why Seraphine approached me cooperatively instead of fearfully.
She didn’t just see danger.
She saw possibility.
The room became silent again.
Then suddenly—
a loud knock echoed from the main hall outside.
Everyone immediately tensed.
Another knock followed.
Urgent.
Dorian frowned.
"That’s not Lucien."
Chief Rowan’s nervous voice echoed faintly outside—
"Elena! Kaiser!"
The saintess moved toward the door immediately.
"What happened?"
Rowan sounded panicked.
"There’s... someone at the shrine."
Not unusual.
Except his voice was shaking.
Dorian noticed too.
The merchant’s expression sharpened.
"What kind of someone?"
A pause.
Then Rowan answered quietly—
"...A prophet."
Silence.
Complete silence.
I looked between Elena and Dorian.
Both suddenly looked serious.
Very serious.
I frowned slightly.
"...Should I know why that’s bad?"
Elena slowly turned toward me.
Her blue eyes unusually tense.
"Because prophets only appear after receiving divine revelations."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Dorian muttered softly under his breath—
"Oh, this is becoming a disaster."
