"......What?"
This time Carla asked back instead.
As if to say, what kind of joke was that, where was the punchline.
But her awkward smile soon withered under Frondier’s gaze, and her pupils swelled with anxiety and foreboding.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Poseidon cannot grant divine power.
Because right now he is bound to the sea.
"Poseidon doesn’t even know what situation the gods around him are in at the moment. The idea that he’d share divine power with a single human is outright impossible."
And in fact, Poseidon has no reason to hand out divine power.
Gods give power to humans because they are not in this world right now.
'If, like Poseidon, they openly existed in this world, they could just roam as they pleased without giving anyone power. They’d gather believers far more efficiently than by granting divine power. On the Falind continent, they could personally exterminate the monsters outside the walls, too.'
It’s only because Poseidon is currently bound that he cannot do so.
Most gods grant divine power to humans in the World of Salvation to assert their existence and influence.
Originally, the prevailing belief was that gods helped humans to subdue the monsters outside—but from Frondier’s perspective, it’s hard to see that as pure goodwill.
"B-but Poseidon really did bestow divine power on Karon..."
Carla sounded bewildered.
It seemed certain that Karon had received power from someone.
Poseidon is bound to the sea, and yet there now exists another Poseidon who gave Karon divine power.
From Frondier’s standpoint, a clear answer presented itself to reconcile these two different situations.
"He’s a fake."
Frondier concluded.
"The Poseidon we met at sea, and the Poseidon said to have given Karon divine power—one of them is a fake."
At that, Arald narrowed his eyes.
"...I find it hard to believe that the Poseidon we met was fake."
"So do I."
Everyone here except Carla had seen Poseidon with their own eyes. That colossal frame, that pressure, the divine authority that lifted a vast ship without even a flick of the hand.
Even Frondier and Elodie—who could be counted among the strongest on the Falind continent—clearly felt his rank.
He was undoubtedly a god. Not some clumsy imitation. A divinity perhaps at or above Belphegor, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
"In that case, that one is the fake—the one said to have given Karon divine power."
"A fake giving divine power?"
Carla, baffled by Arald’s words, asked—but Frondier nodded.
"There’s something I learned recently."
Frondier recalled the not-so-distant past.
'Right. When that purple shimmer rose from Antero, I was convinced it heralded a god’s descent.'
But what appeared was a demon.
Even Frondier, who could see the shimmer, couldn’t tell gods and demons apart.
No one else could possibly notice.
"To the human eye, divine power and a demon’s contract look exactly the same."
In fact, the phenomenon of Pandemonium occurring when divine and demonic powers collide means the two structures are nearly identical.
"...A demon is impersonating a god?"
Even as Carla said it, she pressed her lips shut as if to stifle a shiver.
As though the words she had just spoken weren’t her own.
To that question, Frondier fell briefly into thought.
Up to this point, the reasoning seemed plausible. At least, it was the only possibility he could think of now. Carla’s statement was essentially the conclusion Frondier had reached.
But if that really were so—
"Is that truly possible?"
Frondier asked Riri.
"Why are you asking her that?"
Carla took issue, but now was no time to answer her.
Riri’s face was like someone who had just come out of a theater after watching a third-rate film.
With her features twisted in distaste—as though speaking the words themselves offended her—she said slowly,
"......It’s possible, yes, but—"
"It’s madness."
Arald finished for her.
"A demon imitating a god isn’t a question of possibility. Any demon might think of it. Even without realizing that divine and demonic powers resemble each other, a demon could wield power that looks godlike—if they’re of sufficient rank. But that would be—"
"...Blasphemy."
Frondier said, and Arald nodded.
A demon imitating a god.
If the gods learned of it, demons would never avoid war with them.
This would be a greater blasphemy than the replicas Frondier creates.
Demons would be handing the gods a casus belli that needed no declaration of war.
"In that case, we’re beyond worrying about whether Palma falls into civil war."
"Indeed. It would be a war between gods and demons—and we’d have to fear humans bursting like shrimp in a whale fight."
In an instant, the scale changes.
Arald spoke with a graver face than ever.
"As I’ve always said, demons have no king. That stems from demons’ extreme individualism. Their sense of bond and belonging is weak. It’s impossible for such demons to win a war against gods. They won’t unite; they’ll scatter."
"If that’s true, then the gods should’ve defeated the demons long ago. Why not start a war whose victory is guaranteed?"
Gods and demons were said to have been at odds for ages. Wouldn’t that make them all the more eager to end it quickly?
Arald shook his head.
"Why do you think the gods don’t mete out divine punishment to monsters, Sir Frondier?"
"...Huh?"
"Humans think divine punishment descends through prayer and piety, but you know the truth. If they wished, the gods could eradicate monsters at any time. There are countless ways."
Frondier had suffered as much from gods as from monsters or demons.
If the gods had aimed at monsters instead of Frondier, they could have done to them what they’d done to him.
But the gods don’t.
"Just as humans need gods, gods desire human faith. The more humans yearn for gods, the stronger the gods become."
"...So to make humans desire gods, they leave monsters alone on purpose."
"Yes. And it’s the same with demons."
Just as gods don’t eliminate monsters, demons aren’t eliminated either.
Demons covet human souls, and because of that, humans yearn for gods, and therefore gods do not erase demons.
A miserable balance for humans—but a balance nonetheless.
"However, if a demon imitates a god, that crosses the line of that balance. It’s something the gods could never tolerate."
"Because human faith would flow to the demons instead."
In other words, while it may be possible for a demon to imitate a god, the moment they do, war becomes certain—so demons don’t do it.
Yet in Palma, it seems to be happening brazenly. At least, from Frondier’s perspective.
"Then what is the demon impersonating Poseidon in Palma thinking?"
"I don’t know. Perhaps it’s confident it won’t be found out—or naïvely believes it won’t come to war."
Found out or not, it already has been.
To think it wouldn’t be noticed because Poseidon is bound to the sea—that’s far too naïve.
And naïveté is far from demonic nature.
'They think it won’t escalate to war... Do they really believe that?'
Insulting Poseidon alone is not an insult against all gods?
Poseidon may be enraged, but if he’s bound and can’t act anyway, then they’ll use him as long as they can.
Is that their calculation?
"......If the one who granted Karon divine power is truly a demon," Elodie said then,
"how are we even sure those two are really Hera and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Aphrodite?"
"......!"
Everyone gaped at those words.
"...You’re saying those two might be demons as well?"
"If so, hoping it won’t be discovered would be what’s strange. Same with avoiding war."
Going further, it might be that a considerable number of figures in Palma who believe they received divine power have actually made contracts with demons.
"This, at least, is hard to declare either way. We’ll have to verify it."
When Frondier said that, everyone nodded.
Whether Poseidon, Hera, or Aphrodite—they needed to see for themselves to be sure.
'If the one impersonating Poseidon really is a demon, it won’t be some nobody.'
At the very least it would need enough power to make humans believe it was Poseidon—meaning its own power must be quite strong.
It was highly likely to be one of the 72 Demons. One of those who could do something “Poseidon-like.”
They also needed to check Hera and Aphrodite’s side.
"Then I’ll verify the fake Poseidon. Elodie and Riri, I’ll ask you two to handle Aphrodite and Hera."
At that, Elodie’s chilly eyes turned to Frondier.
"Why? They say they’re the two greatest beauties in Palma—why don’t you go?"
"...I’m getting more and more pegged as some woman-crazed man, and I told you I’m not."
It was precisely because he expected a comment like that that he’d volunteered for Poseidon.
Frondier looked at Carla.
"Therefore, I’m requesting vacation time."
Carla sighed.
"What do you mean therefore. Just telling me doesn’t make everything happen."
"You’re the principal—can’t you make it happen?"
"Frondier, you’re the kind of man who’s dangerous with power."
Carla scratched her head, thinking of something.
"I’ll approve vacation for one of you—either Elodie or Frondier."
The two of them had only just arrived as new instructors.
Two instructors who started together taking vacation at the same time would look suspicious—and increase the burden on those remaining.
Even so, Carla added,
"If verifying this isn’t urgent, it would be better to move during the break. You can verify both at once then."
"...That’s true."
War wouldn’t break out immediately.
Even if there was some madman who truly wanted to cause it, the steps would have to progress—and those steps would be visible even to Frondier.
'In that case, there’s no need to take vacation... Wait.'
With that in mind, something came to him.
Frondier asked,
"Then may I take vacation?"
"If you tell me in advance."
Carla nodded, and Elodie asked,
"Where are you planning to go?"
"Before I verify whether Poseidon is a fake, there’s something I have to find out first."
"Something you have to find out first?"
"Poseidon gave me a task, remember."
"...Ah."
The command Poseidon gave Frondier like an oracle.
Find Heracles.
"I heard a sighting report about him from one of my students."
While absorbing the knowledge of books in the library, Jenita had let something slip to Frondier.
A recent sighting of Heracles.
Having pinned down the location, he had to at least go and see, even if the reliability wasn’t high.
"If that guy shows up in the middle of all this racket, things will get annoying."
"...If it ends at annoying, we’ll be lucky."
Naturally, if Heracles really did appear somewhere unexpected, Frondier’s entire attention would be drawn to him. Nothing else would go smoothly.
"The scale of this story is so absurd I can hardly keep up."
Carla shook her head, her face even more tired than before.
