Chapter 20: Chapter 20 - Departure From Erald
Chapter 20 — Departure From Erald
Nobody slept that night.
Not the villagers.
Not the knights.
And definitely not me.
The moon hung high above Erald while cold wind passed through the damaged village square, carrying the smell of rain, broken stone, and burnt spiritual energy.
Workers and villagers spent the night repairing what little they could.
Collapsed roofs.
Cracked walls.
Destroyed carts.
Every broken building felt like a reminder.
The hunters came because of me.
And worse?
They would come again.
I stood alone near the edge of the village sometime before dawn, staring toward the eastern mountains where the hunters had vanished earlier.
The night sky here still felt strange to me.
Too clear.
Too alive.
On Earth, city lights drowned most stars.
But here?
The heavens looked endless.
Like entire civilizations hid somewhere beyond them.
Ancient gods.
Other worlds.
Broken pathways.
The prophet’s words replayed endlessly inside my head.
"He already knows."
The old Technology God knew about me.
Or at least sensed me somehow.
That realization unsettled me more than the hunters did.
Because enemies were understandable.
Ancient forgotten gods connected to my authority?
Not understandable at all.
The blue divine core inside my chest pulsed softly again.
Almost rhythmic now.
Like breathing.
I frowned slightly.
Ever since the vision earlier, the core felt... closer somehow.
Less like foreign energy.
More integrated.
That honestly worried me.
Footsteps approached quietly from behind.
I didn’t need to turn around.
Elena.
Her presence had become strangely recognizable already.
Soft divine energy.
Calm breathing.
And somehow—
a feeling of quiet stability.
Dangerous combination.
"You should rest," she said softly.
I laughed quietly.
"Pretty sure my life lost the right to use the word ’rest.’"
Elena stepped beside me.
Moonlight reflected beautifully in her blue eyes.
God, this world really was unfair sometimes.
Saintesses apparently came with automatic cinematic lighting.
Neither of us spoke immediately.
We simply watched the mountains together.
Then she quietly asked—
"Are you afraid?"
Straightforward question.
I appreciated that about her.
No manipulation.
No fake comfort.
Just honesty.
So I answered honestly too.
"Yes."
The cold wind moved gently through her silver hair.
"Good," she said softly.
I blinked.
"...Good?"
Elena nodded once.
"Fear means you still understand consequences."
Interesting answer.
Not comforting.
But strangely reassuring anyway.
I looked down toward the village below us.
Workers moved through torchlight repairing homes while Lucien’s knights organized patrol routes carefully.
Efficient.
Disciplined.
Honestly impressive.
"I keep causing problems for everyone around me," I muttered quietly.
Elena remained silent briefly.
Then answered—
"No."
I looked toward her.
"The problems already existed," she continued softly.
"You simply forced people to notice them."
The words settled heavily inside my chest.
Because honestly?
That sounded painfully true.
Technology on Earth did the same thing constantly.
Expose weaknesses.
Destroy old systems.
Force change whether society wanted it or not.
The original Technology God probably understood that better than anyone.
Which was exactly why the ancient gods feared him.
Elena suddenly looked toward me carefully.
"You’re thinking about him again."
"...Is it that obvious?"
"Yes."
Rude.
Accurate again somehow.
The saintess leaned lightly against the stone railing beside us.
"For what it’s worth..."
She hesitated briefly.
"I don’t think you’ll become like him."
That surprised me.
"Why?"
Elena looked toward the village.
Toward the damaged homes.
The frightened people.
Then quietly answered—
"Because you care too much."
The blue core pulsed softly again.
Warm.
Unsteady.
I looked away quickly before my brain started doing dangerous emotional things.
Romance during divine crises felt deeply irresponsible.
Unfortunately my emotions clearly disagreed.
Footsteps echoed behind us again.
This time heavier.
Commander Lucien.
Of course.
The universe refused to allow peaceful moments longer than two minutes.
The commander approached calmly with his usual professional expression.
Though honestly?
He looked more tired tonight.
"You leave at sunrise," he said directly.
No greeting.
Classic Lucien.
Elena straightened slightly.
"You already prepared transportation?"
The commander nodded once.
"A secured route toward the western sanctuary."
Dorian suddenly appeared from the shadows nearby.
Honestly this man moved like a side character secretly plotting tax fraud.
"Secured," the merchant repeated skeptically.
"After tonight, that word feels optimistic."
Lucien ignored him expertly.
Impressive skill honestly.
The commander looked toward me carefully.
"The council requested immediate evaluation."
There it was again.
Evaluation.
Like I was some dangerous artifact instead of a person.
I crossed my arms slightly.
"And if I refuse?"
Silence.
Lucien studied me for several seconds before finally answering—
"Then things become difficult."
Corporate politician answer again.
Honestly consistent.
Dorian sighed dramatically.
"I truly hate sentences phrased like threats disguised as diplomacy."
Lucien finally looked annoyed.
Small victory.
The commander’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"The council fears instability."
I shrugged lightly.
"Pretty sure instability fears me too at this point."
Again no reaction.
God, these people needed hobbies.
Lucien looked toward the eastern mountains.
"The hunters will return eventually."
His voice became quieter.
"And next time they won’t underestimate you."
That part definitely sounded concerning.
The blue static interference earlier worked mostly because they didn’t expect it.
Now?
They’d adapt.
Which meant I needed to adapt faster.
Dangerous thought.
Very dangerous.
Dorian suddenly spoke thoughtfully—
"The bigger issue isn’t the hunters."
Lucien frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The merchant’s eyes moved toward me carefully.
"News."
Ah.
Right.
Rumors.
Religion plus politics plus mysterious new god equals catastrophic information spread.
Dorian continued calmly—
"A forgotten authority returning after centuries?"
He smiled faintly.
"Every major faction will investigate."
The commander didn’t disagree.
Interesting.
That alone confirmed how serious this situation had become.
Elena looked toward Lucien.
"How much does the council know already?"
"Not enough."
His gaze shifted toward me again.
"But that will change soon."
The blue core pulsed uneasily.
Honestly?
I really hated becoming the center of cosmic attention.
The prophet’s words echoed again inside my mind.
"Civilization changes."
That was the true fear surrounding Technology.
Not destruction.
Transformation.
I suddenly realized something important.
Every god in this world represented something relatively fixed.
Fire remained fire.
War remained war.
Nature remained nature.
But technology?
Technology constantly evolved beyond previous limits.
Meaning my authority theoretically had no ceiling.
No natural endpoint.
Holy crap.
No wonder the old gods panicked.
Dorian noticed my expression immediately.
"There’s the dangerous-thinking face again."
Traitor.
Elena actually smiled slightly beside me.
Absolutely unfair teamwork.
I sighed deeply.
"Do either of you realize how concerning it is that my facial expressions apparently predict disasters now?"
"Yes," both of them answered instantly.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
The eastern horizon slowly brightened faintly.
Dawn approaching.
Lucien looked toward the growing sunlight.
"We move soon."
The commander hesitated briefly.
Then unexpectedly asked—
"What exactly did you see during the prophet’s vision?"
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Even Dorian became serious again.
I remained silent for several seconds.
Because honestly?
I wasn’t sure how to explain it.
Finally I answered quietly—
"Civilization."
Lucien frowned slightly.
I continued slowly.
"I saw worlds connected through technology."
The blue core pulsed softly.
"Not kingdoms."
I looked toward the endless sky.
"Entire worlds."
Silence followed.
Heavy silence.
Because everyone understood the implication.
The original Technology God didn’t merely rule a planet.
He built systems spanning realities.
The prophet earlier called it "the pathways."
Ancient routes between worlds.
And somehow—
my awakening was reopening them.
Lucien’s expression darkened subtly.
"That level of expansion would destabilize every divine structure currently existing."
Exactly.
Technology naturally connected things.
People.
Nations.
Worlds apparently.
And connected systems inevitably changed power balances.
Dorian quietly muttered—
"No wonder the old pantheons erased his history."
Elena remained unusually quiet beside me.
Thinking deeply.
Then softly asked—
"Would you want that?"
I looked toward her.
"The pathways."
Her blue eyes held mine steadily.
"Would you reconnect worlds if you could?"
Dangerous question.
Because instinctively?
Yes.
Of course yes.
Technology solved problems by increasing connection.
Communication.
Trade.
Information.
Understanding.
Earth itself transformed completely once humanity became globally connected through networks.
If worlds could connect too...
civilizations would evolve rapidly.
But evolution also created conflict.
Dependence.
Control.
The old Technology God probably began with good intentions too.
And look how that ended.
I finally answered honestly.
"I don’t know."
Elena nodded slightly.
Like she expected that answer.
Lucien looked toward the village below one final time.
"Uncertainty may save you."
Interesting statement.
The commander turned and began walking back toward the square.
Then paused briefly.
Without looking back, he quietly added—
"The council expected a monster."
His golden eyes shifted slightly toward me.
"So far..."
A brief pause.
"...they may have found a human instead."
And with that—
Commander Lucien left.
The dawn sun slowly rose above Erald’s mountains, illuminating the damaged village in pale golden light.
A new day had begun.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
I was leaving the only place that felt remotely safe.
