I listened to that entire story and tried to understand it.
In the end, I shook my head.
“...I still don’t understand what you’re saying.”
There were a few things I could speculate about. Especially the talk about the statues—I needed to check that as soon as possible.
If my thoughts were right, those statues weren’t just modeled after the heroes; there was a possibility they looked exactly like them.
'The heroes I’ve seen with my own eyes—Merlin and Jeanne d’Arc. If I look at their statues, I’ll be able to be sure.'
Especially Jeanne d’Arc. Merlin had been an illusion created by Nimyue, so there could have been some embellishment.
But Jeanne d’Arc would have looked exactly like herself. Seeing that in person would let me draw at least some conclusions from my own speculation.
Also, Loki being on humanity’s side wasn’t entirely impossible if you thought about it carefully. I myself had received help from Hestia in the past.
Hestia had said that the gods had split into two factions. I didn’t know what their disagreement was based on, but among the gods, some were on my side. A very few, but still.
But the other things Sigurd had said were not easy to understand.
And right now, there was something more urgent.
“I came here to learn how to kill gods.”
From now on the gods would continue to target me, and I had no way to attack them. They possessed humans.
At that, Sigurd’s face became sorrowful.
“Humanity really has forgotten so much. Have you even forgotten Mistilteinn?”
“...I do know about Mistilteinn. But that weapon is currently—”
“In a temple, I assume.”
“...Yes.”
I nodded.
That was why, despite knowing where Mistilteinn was, I hadn’t been able to go get it.
Mistilteinn was known as a weapon that kills gods, but in the game it hadn’t had that kind of reputation. Because gods weren’t enemies.
It was only because of Aster’s divine power and because it was Baldr’s greatest weakness that most players tried to get their hands on Mistilteinn.
Mistilteinn’s performance had been good, but ultimately it was to eliminate Baldr’s weakness. I was the same.
Aster learned the location of Mistilteinn according to the revelation of the main quest. Beneath the Parthenon Temple. A place even the residents living nearby, and even the gods, didn’t know about. He obtained Mistilteinn inside a hidden secret passage.
However, to reach the place where Mistilteinn was, you had to push through tremendous miasma, and only divine power could resist it.
Aura and defensive magic were all pierced through, and healing magic was useless. It was arranged as if only Aster, who possessed Baldr’s divine power, could obtain it. Since Aster was the protagonist of the game, players accepted this without feeling any wrongness.
But thinking about it now, it had been set up so that a human without divine power could never obtain it.
“It’s beneath the Parthenon Temple. The miasma there is so powerful that you can’t set foot there without divine power. I’ve never tried using Ecleksis on it, but I doubt I could withstand it.”
“Mm, if it was made to keep the gods from approaching, then that would make sense. It would include the Giants as targets as well.”
“And the fact that it’s a temple at all is dangerous. The moment they see me, a god might descend even if they have to overexert themselves.”
A temple was literally a place where believers prayed to a god. Of course, those prayers weren’t meant for descent, so the power was lacking, but with enough people and the right place, if they forced it, descent was possible.
It was just that it required such overexertion that they avoided doing it if they could. But if they could kill me, they probably wouldn’t hesitate.
At that, Sigurd asked in surprise:
“Are you really such a threat to the gods as a human?”
“...It’s a bit strange for me to say it myself, but probably.”
After I said that, a thought occurred to me.
Divine power couldn’t be blocked with aura or magic, not even with Ecleksis. It couldn’t be healed with healing either.
But if that was the case—
“...Sir Sigurd, this is just a thought, but.”
I took out the ring of the circle, the Golden Apple, from inside my clothes.
The moment he saw it, Sigurd’s eyes widened.
“This is...! What is that?”
“...For someone who doesn’t know, you look awfully surprised.”
“No, it feels familiar. But it’s not something I have in my memories.”
I see. I understood what that meant.
I explained the Golden Apple to Sigurd. That it mixed together things from various mythologies.
Then I said:
“If it’s this, do you think it could suppress that miasma?”
Sigurd thought deeply before answering.
“It might be possible. But if what you say is true, then this ring doesn’t heal, it devours, doesn’t it? Have you thought about what happens after that?”
“Of course I’m worried about that, but if there’s a way, I think we have to try.”
Sigurd sank into contemplation with a low “Hmm.”
There was no doubt that the Golden Apple was an unstable factor. It had been devouring diseases, curses, and harmful magic all this time.
What bothered me especially was that even before I’d obtained it, this item had surely been devouring those things all along. I didn’t know where its limit lay, but it might already be close.
“...If it’s to stab a god’s heart, it’s worth the risk.”
Sigurd spoke. He was thinking the same as I was.
“But be careful. In human history, people have always suffered great pain from unstable factors. Cases where they suffer completely unforeseen hardship are extremely rare. For the most part, they already knew, already predicted it, and yet grew careless and met tragedy. That’s why humans regret things.”
“...I’ll keep that in mind.”
His words had weight. I bowed my head deeply.
I had gotten the information I’d come for. It was far more than I’d expected, and my head hurt, but I would sort it out one piece at a time.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yes. I would have liked to bring you with me, Sir Sigurd, but too much time has passed...”
“I see. So my body has already turned to dust.”
Hahaha. Sigurd laughed. I didn’t know how that was funny.
“It’s all right. Just being freed from the pain is enough. Someday I’ll have to leave this place as well, but it’s not time yet.”
“...I see.”
I nodded.
“Then I’ll be going. It was an honor to meet you, Hero Sigurd.”
“Yes. Until we meet again.”
Sigurd had already lost his body, and I was going to leave this place.
So there was no way Sigurd’s words would come true.
“...Yes. Let’s meet again.”
And yet, for some reason, it felt like those words would become a promise.
And when I returned to the shore of Agoris—
A bizarre, ominous sight spread out before my eyes.
“...What is this?”
Elodie, Selena, Pielot, Riri, Arald, and all the demons under my command.
They were all assembled on the beach where I had emerged, watching me.
Especially the demons; all of them were kneeling on one knee.
Countless people who had been waiting on the beach for me to arrive. The sight of most of them kneeling was magnificent, but to me right now, it only felt ominous.
“What’s going on?”
I had never given an order to assemble.
Which meant they had gathered of their own will. Because there was something they had to tell me. But there was no way all of them would gather like this just for a simple report.
Emergency.
That single word flashed through my mind.
“Frondier.”
Elodie slowly approached me.
She looked at me with eyes full of resolve.
I asked her:
“Elodie, how much time has passed?”
Unlike when I had gone in, it was now dark night here.
Time here had flowed far too quickly during that short conversation.
I didn’t know if half a day had passed, or a whole day, or several.
In response to my question, Elodie said:
“We have to go to the Empire.”
“What?”
That wasn’t an answer to my question.
And yet, as if it were already a sufficient answer, desperation shone in her eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
“Frondier, listen carefully.”
Elodie clenched her teeth and slowly parted her trembling lips.
“...Mr. Atjie de Roach—”
***
On Elodie’s side—that is, from the perspective of the party excluding Frondier himself—they had heard the news one hour ago.
The report had been brought by the Zodiac, Monty, who had hurriedly flown here from the Empire. On his way, he had met Poseidon, and Poseidon had let him pass.
The reason Poseidon had let him through so easily was extremely simple and clear.
Poseidon believed Frondier needed to hear Monty’s report, and naturally, Frondier’s party had received that report from Monty before Frondier did.
And now.
Swoooosh─!!!
Unfolding enormous black wings and rushing through the sky, Frondier reached the continent of Falind.
He had always thought he would return someday, but not now.
Frondier flew to his mansion at full speed. He didn’t care about his remaining mana, and he didn’t care at all right now about being seen from the ground.
Tap.
Just like that, without any preparation or emotion, Frondier arrived at the Roach mansion.
It was deep night, with the stars seated in the sky, looking down. But the mansion’s lights were on.
“...You have arrived.”
The butler, Bikar, had been waiting for him at the front gate.
Seeing him, Frondier spoke.
“Report.”
At the sound of that voice, Bikar’s eyes trembled.
He quickly steadied himself and bowed his head.
“I’ll give you the location. The road that forms the shortest route between the Roach mansion and the Imperial Palace. The middle of it.”
“All right.”
Only hearing that, Frondier turned his body again. He intended to fly straight to the place Bikar had mentioned.
But just before he did, a thought crossed his mind, and Frondier asked Bikar:
“My father?”
That question.
At that single line, Bikar bowed his head even deeper than before,
“He is... in his room, but...”
And then, in a way completely unlike him, he buried his face in both hands.
“...It would be better... if you didn’t see him...”
At Bikar’s appearance and those words, Frondier felt all the heat leave his body. His face went stiff, as if sandpaper were scraping across his skin.
Leaving all of his warmth there, Frondier flew.
The road that connected the Roach mansion and the Imperial Palace, its center. Even with that vague description, Frondier knew the exact spot.
People were already gathered.
Tap.
When Frondier landed, everyone looked at him.
The demon who had deceived the Empire, the exile driven off the continent.
But no one said anything like that. If they had, their head would have flown.
As they watched Frondier approach slowly, people moved aside to open a path. Most of them were police or palace officials.
He stopped.
In front of Frondier was his mother, Malia.
Kneeling and weeping, Malia,
And a black-haired man lying face-down on the ground in front of her.
Malia reached out a hand toward the man. But her hand did not touch him. As if blocked by ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a wall, her hand stopped midway.
In whatever state he was in, no one could lay a hand on the man.
“...Fron... dier...”
Malia, her voice shaking with sobs, called that name with difficulty.
This was their reunion.
This was the scene of Frondier finally returning to his mother’s side.
Tear tracks were etched deeply into Malia’s face, and more tears flowed along those same paths.
The moment she saw Frondier, she had nothing left to hold herself together.
“What do we do...?”
By the time he heard that voice, Frondier was already looking at Atjie.
Atjie was sprawled on the road.
Dust and stone powder clung to his clothes, his hair, his face, and his eyelids, staining him dirty.
Atjie was still.
His eyes barely open, he simply remained still.
