Chapter 292: I Didn’t Mean To, But
Narin reiterated, "Golden Bird is enjoying a tour of Fabirang. According to the current schedule, Golden Bird will be visiting each of Apostle Toolbo's inventions at the Central Museum of Fabirang before having a dinner meeting with the mayor of Fabirang. What you are seeing now is a reproduction of the Helix Wing, specifically the early version used by the Madman Toolbo during his ascension."
"Hmm, I see... Honestly speaking... No, let me rephrase that. Narin, what do you think about Golden Bird's touristic activities? The current situation seems quite serious, doesn't it?"
Narin quickly responded, "Yes! I think it's a good thing."
"...Do you have a reason for that?"
"Yes! I'm not sure how to convey the atmosphere here, but..." Saying this, Narin glanced back and forth. "Since Golden Bird's arrival, this place has been like a constant festival. Although crowds are eager to catch a glimpse of Golden Bird from a distance, a minimum level of order is maintained. People on other continents may express anxiety following the Fall, but that's not the case here, at least not in this place. People say the gods have lost their divinity, but from what I see, at least here, it doesn’t seem that way."
Following Narin's words, Maloko's expression visibly softened. "I see. Okay then..."
Just as Maloko was about to continue, Narin interrupted, "Oh, finally."
"Pardon?"
"Oops, sorry. Folded Wing Golden Bird has finally arrived to see the first invention of Apostle Madman Toolbo in the largest section of the Central Museum of Fabirang. Director, please hurry, we can't miss this."
As Narin dashed toward a part of the museum, the camera followed. Maloko cleared their throat. Just before the camera showed something slightly uncomfortable for public broadcasting, the screen cut off, and Maloko reappeared.
"...Yes. That was Narin Eose. Coming up next, we have a debate on the topic of the old gods and the Pantheon gods. The participants will be..."
Ding!
Startled by the sudden bell sound, May Gonta blinked.
Her grandmother’s friend said from behind her, "Ah, looks like the oven is done."
May felt as if she had just woken from a dream. During work, she had only heard bits and pieces of the story and hadn't fully grasped what was happening in the world. Many others probably felt the same.
'I can’t believe the gods have descended to the world.'
For someone born and raised in the Empire, it was inevitable to grow up hearing tales of the gods, and the same was true of May, largely because her grandmother was a well-known devout believer in their region. May's grandmother had seen the god Dancing Shadow God, the protector of Zarin and the Elves, at a festival in her childhood, and she always spoke of that moment.
Once, when May asked her grandmother how she endured the difficult times of war, her grandmother's answer was quite ridiculous.
"May, when people die, they go to the Prairie of Beginnings. Then, you get to see Dancing Shadow God’s face again. So a long life is nothing but a long wait for that moment, and you can't help but live with excitement. That's the source of my strength."
After that, May found it hard to openly talk about her grandmother being a devout follower.
"The meal is ready. Can you wake your grandmother up?"
"Oh, yes."
As May was about to stand up and the participants in the debate began their introductions, suddenly, there was static noise on the screen.
"...A blackout?"
Her grandmother's friend shook her head.
"...No."
The screen changed. The words 'Orazen’s Public Broadcasting' in the top left corner disappeared. What appeared was a dark shadow.
From beyond the shadow, a voice spoke, "...We are..."
The shadow gradually became clearer. It turned into a face.
"...The masters of the old world."
In the Empire, if asked to draw a face, various kinds of faces would be drawn, typically reflecting one's own species. Therefore, May could narrow down the species the face's owner could be.
'Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, or Human...'
It would be difficult for a Lizardman or an Orc to differentiate between them, but the so-called Minnow species recognized each other well. The lines were too bold for an Elf, the beard too sparse for a Dwarf, and there were too many wrinkles for a Halfling.
May concluded, 'It's a Human face.'
Although Human, there were noticeable peculiarities. The face seemed stern and rigid. It would be uncomfortable to face whoever it was at a dinner table. However, the emerging shadow didn't look like a simple Human. The shadow had large wings like a Garuda on their back. Not just one pair, but three pairs of broad wings, and a halo shining behind the head.
The voice said, "...We shall reclaim the world that was once ours."
Based on the declaration, these were clearly the old gods mentioned in the special news broadcast. Yet, to May, their words sounded strangely off.
‘The world belongs to the gods, is that what they mean?’
The gods weren’t the ones who lived in Avartin. The gods resided in the pantheon, and Avartin belonged to the mortals. The residents were the owners of the land.
"...So I say. Listen, mortals." An unnamed old god spoke, "...Blessings shall be upon those who have the courage to capture the false gods pretending to be us."
Then abruptly, the transmission was cut off. An uncomfortable silence followed.
Her grandmother's friend looked anxiously at the dark screen, and May approached and said, "Uh, it must have been a broadcast accident, right?"
"It was an old god."
"Really? Were old gods Humans?"
"Not Humans. They are called Angels."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Yes, right. Now I understand why they chose our world. To make us feel that we can't possibly oppose them, they intentionally took on such forms."
May couldn't comprehend what was being said. What was important was that her grandmother's friend looked somewhat uneasy.
May moved closer and took the stranger Elf's hand. "Are you okay?"
The Elf looked up at May. May momentarily thought she had gotten too close.
"Thank you... I'm sorry, but I don't think I can join you for dinner."
"What? But grandmother was looking forward to it."
"I think she'll forgive me since I made the meal. I'm the best cook in our group."
May wondered if they also taught cooking classes. But indeed, May thought that was a possibility. Just the smell of the cooking was enough to satisfy May.
"If she's too disappointed, I promise to make her a flower crown again."
"A flower crown? Would she like that?"
"Would she not? She loved it last time."
The screen turned back on.
Maloko shouted, "Breaking news!"
Wiiioouuuu!
Almost at the same time as Maloko's loud shout, sirens blared throughout the city of Zarin.
Maloko said, "There is an anomaly happening across the Empire! Please be cautious! The old gods are appearing! Citizens of the Empire, please move to a safe place. I repeat, citizens of the Empire, do not just watch idly, please move to a safe place."
Maloko disappeared, and the scene from a closed-circuit transmitter appeared. Given that the Orazen’s Public Broadcasting logo was still visible, it didn't seem like a broadcast accident.
Maloko's voice continued, "Please note. This is a phenomenon currently happening in the outskirts of Orazen."
On the screen showing a dark forest. There was a distant pale light, from which something appeared in the sky. It looked like the Sky Castle. However, it looked distinctly different from the Starkeeper's current form. It resembled the Sky Castle from before the Starkeeper's time, back when it was the capital of the Union Kingdom.
From this Sky Castle emerged a being with the appearance of an Angel, spreading wings and making a grand entrance.
"Those are the old gods."
The old god slowly turned around and looked directly at the screen via the closed-circuit transmitter. The moment the old god raised a finger, the screen went dark.
Thud, thud, thud!
Startled by the sounds of someone knocking on the door as the screen went off, May jumped.
Her grandmother's friend reassured her, "It's okay. Don't worry."
"Pardon?"
As her grandmother’s friend moved toward the front door, May tried to stop them. However, the Elf lightly waved her off and opened the door.
The view May was accustomed to from her third-floor villa was now unrecognizable. The hallway, stairs, and even the plaza below the villa were densely filled with soldiers. Moreover, several tactical helicopters hovered in the sky, unnoticed due to the loud sirens. May was terrified by the absurd scene.
The soldiers, dressed in the light green pattern uniforms fitting for Zarin's greenery, wore epaulets May also recognized. They were Zarin's pride, the Aid Knights.
The masked commander of the knights saluted and said, "Humble knight at the service of our master, Dancing Shadow God."
"It would be better to leave out ‘humble'."
"...I apologize for the indiscretion."
"It's time, isn't it?"
"Regrettably so. We didn't want to intrude, but our enemies have gotten close."
"It's as per the scenario."
The Knight Commander nodded. "Under the grand plan of Night Sky, the apostles are secretly moving. The enemies shall not dare to touch even a fingertip of Dancing Shadow God."
"I know. Let's hurry. I hope everyone is safe."
"If that is your wish, it shall be so. We will escort you."
Eldar slightly raised their head, smiling with their eyes at May.
"I must leave now."
"Wait, are you...really...?"
Eldar didn’t deem that a response. It was not a question that needed answering.
Eldar instead mumbled in front of the Knight Commander as if making excuses, "Actually, I didn't plan on this, but as soon as your grandmother saw me, she collapsed. Turns out, she remembered my face from when I used Hierophany and blessed her during a past festival. I didn't expect someone to remember me. I was so surprised that I couldn't leave her with a sprained leg. Well, actually...I'm not even sure if her leg was really sprained."
"Did Grandmother perhaps..."
"She’s a bit mischievous, isn’t she?" Eldar dismisses it with a wave of their hand. "Still, it's okay. I had a pleasant time too. Really. Thank you for holding my hand."
Eldar smiled and then stepped out of the doorway. For one last time, Eldar turned around and waved.
"See you again, friend."
May waved back slowly.
'I won't even know what to say to grandmother now.'
It couldn't be helped. May realized that she, too, had fallen into the same kind of love as her grandmother.
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