The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

81 – 81. Powder Magazine Peninsula (2)

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The black space devoid of all colors induced a nauseating sense of alienation.

Naturally.

For the calamity deity of war had descended upon the mortal realm.

Just receiving the audience of the esteemed visage already induced cold sweat. And there was an oppressive weight so heavy that even breathing felt burdensome.

Lifting their head with great tension.

The girl seated on the throne of corpses flashed a benevolent smile.

-For a strict deity of judgment, you seem quite prepared. I commend you.

Her flowing red hair evoked the image of flames engulfing the battlefield.

Moreover, her pupils boasted a dense blackness akin to gunpowder.

War.

A fiend destined to bring humanity to ruin someday.

The battlefield where sharp cries and countless bullets rained down, the deity of calamity who turned the desolate, shattered corpses into a throne.

I gazed up at the figure of the beautiful maiden.

“How have you been all this time?”

“Not bad. It was a bit dull after the inter-tribal war ended… luckily, it became interesting again.”

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Was she referring to the conflict between the Empire of Valtaria and the Socius Faction?

Or perhaps the fierce battles still raging across the continent.

Either way, it was dreadful.

I felt a sense of unease in Rielle’s genuinely cheerful laughter.

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead. I’m in a good mood now. I even appreciate the sincere offerings from loyal apostles.”

The items transported in the carriage provided by the Glorious Kingdom were gold and silver treasures.

Gold coins gleaming brightly.

Noble jewelry adorned with various beautiful gemstones.

It was enough to satisfy insatiable greed.

As if to prove a point, Rielle openly showed interest in the treasures of gold and silver. The deity of calamity was indeed characterized by intense greed, a behavior instigated by ambition and avarice in war.

“I’m curious about the remnants of the tyrant’s essence and the essence of famine… I want to know what happened to the essences that were vanquished in the distant past.”

“Hmm.”

Was it due to the ominous prophecy that one day the essences would descend upon the mortal realm to bring about the annihilation of humanity?

Many heroes who feared the realization of the prophecy endured great sacrifices to vanquish the essences. And Gaël, the Earth Mother who revealed the method to vanquish the innocent essences, was elevated to the position of the sole deity.

“What an amusing tale. The lofty deeds of vanquishing the essences to protect humanity have now turned the culprits into harbingers of the world’s end….”

A bitter smile escaped.

It was a contradiction.

From start to finish, everything was contradictory.

The sacrifices and efforts made to protect humanity sadly brought about the end of the world. As the essences were vanquished, the world gradually lost its sustainability.

“Tyranny and famine are probably being glorified as the scapegoats of the Earth Mother, that damn puppet of a woman.”

“What?”

What on earth did that mean?

A puppet?

Were they not vanquished or sealed?

Surely, tyranny must have been vanquished by the heroes of the Empire of Evelas. And famine was said to have been sealed by Belashiel, the daughter of the Earth Mother and the Archangel of Justice.

But that was not the truth.

Everything believed until now had been nothing but a skillfully crafted illusion by someone.

Though the deities of tyranny and famine had been left as specters of the distant past, they had not met an eternal end. I listened intently to Rielle’s explanation, exhaling heavily.

“If the innocent essences truly disappeared, the concepts of tyranny and famine would have completely vanished.”

“….”

“Yet even now, tyranny and famine are rampant across the continent. Foolish crowds still endure tyranny, while those robbed of tomorrow’s hope by plagues and natural disasters struggle with famine.”

“…That’s true.”

With arms crossed, lost in thought.

Rielle watched silently, a look of interest on her face.

“Why didn’t Daejimo seal away tyranny and famine?”

-It’s safer to devour them as marionettes with their very nature completely eradicated, rather than sealing them somewhere in the world. Daejimo is a coward who values their own safety above all else. They must have set up numerous safety measures in preparation for the moment the forces are unleashed.

Many, including myself, have been deceived by Daejimo.

And tyranny and famine are under Daejimo’s control.

How far should one believe?

I glanced at Rielle with a meaningful expression, my gaze filled with suspicion.

-Oh! How audacious, Edanant. Dare to doubt the trust? If you don’t want to face celestial punishment, make sure to offer those sweet macarons as you did last time!

“Did you really enjoy them that much?”

-Well… They tasted like cheap sweetness, but it wasn’t all that bad.

“When we return to the empire, I’ll shower you with piles of macarons.”

Upon giving a firm response, Rielle, who had been perched on a throne of corpses, happily kicked his feet around. Borrowing the appearance of a child, he seemed to have regressed in mental age as well.

Instead of gold treasures and jewelry, wouldn’t it have been enough to offer only macarons?

Next time, I shall offer only macarons.

“…Wait.”

-Why the hesitation, Edanant?

As I pondered for a moment,

an unconscious question that I must ask Rielle suddenly surfaced.

“Then what about the god of death, what happened to them?”

-Of course, they are alive.

“No…! I witnessed their annihilation! They undoubtedly perished!”

-As I mentioned, Edanant. Immortal forces do not perish. They simply vanish from the world temporarily.

I watched closely.

The final fate of death being erased by Daejimo’s divine reverence.

The king of the white night.

Had the immortality of the demon lord not been severed by that?

The author who penned the work declared in the final chapter that the ultimate evil met its end at the hands of Maximilian and Beatrice. Therefore, I simply could not accept Rielle’s words.

-That deceitful woman has deceived you… No, deceived you.

Why.

Those words felt like a dagger to the throat.

But no further questions were allowed. The oppressive, looming shadow that had swallowed the colors of the surroundings began to fade slowly.

“Edanant.”

The god of death, sitting on the throne of corpses, spoke.

“Release the immortal forces turned into marionettes. Even if it means breaking the world established by the sole god… it must be shattered to prevent the world’s end.”

“Though my resolve is firm… I do not know the whereabouts of the forces, nor how to release them.”

-Forces are bound to be drawn to each other. You will meet them soon. Perhaps you already have.

“……”

The dialogue came to an end.

The god of death disappeared.

Only the pile of corpses, which had served as the throne, remained.

Standing there stiffly, my mind felt hazy as if I had dreamt.

But through the vanished treasures of gold, I realized it was no dream.

* * *

Rudmila feared that the Societas faction might invade the Valtaria Empire. Due to the successive attacks by the Societas faction, anxiety reached its peak.

Did Daejimo help.

Even though the capital was briefly left unattended, nothing happened.

Upon hearing the report from the paladin, the princess let out a sigh of relief and turned away. Even though she had come all the way to the Boemon Kingdom, there was a hint of darkness in her complexion, perhaps due to the regret of not meeting Edanant.

“Ed… Edanant!”

“…Rudmila?”

As the wings of the red dragon spread with flames flickering,

Rudmila turned around hurriedly and miraculously came face to face with the returning Edanant.

It was an unexpected reunion.

As Edanant appeared, the regret that had been weighing on Rudmila’s face brightened up.

“Are you hurt?! Did the knight Maximilian… and your brother engage in a battle!”

“Rumors spread fast. It’s already circulating in the capital.”

Even if it was a battle to the death.

It was a bit exaggerated.

No,

It was greatly exaggerated.

If the war maniac and the hero had fought in earnest, the kingdom of Bomon would have vanished from the map without a trace. Edanant, despite sighing at the exaggerated rumors, looked at Ludmilla, filled with worry, and gave her a faint smile.

“I’m fine.”

“You, you really… always causing worries!”

The princess pouted her lips, showing a discomforting expression.

Edanant showed a puzzled look.

“I had no intention of causing concern. But in the end, it turned out that way.”

“After the incident at the Black Castle, now the hero Maximilian appears… It seems to be a series of accidents.”

After confirming Edanant’s safety, Ludmilla turned away. It was an expression of discontent, indicating she didn’t want to see the man who always caused her worries for a while.

I have to somehow ease her anger.

Instinctively sensing danger, Edanant reached out both hands and embraced Ludmilla from behind.

Rustle.

Their clothes brushed against each other as their bodies overlapped.

Ludmilla showed a startled reaction.

“E-Edanant…!”

“I’m sorry. I keep causing you worries.”

He didn’t expect it to go this far.

With Edanant’s bold expression of affection, Ludmilla’s face flushed in an instant.

Her red pupils trembled faintly.

She seemed on the verge of exhaling fire from her mouth, concentrating heat on her face and chest.

“Ah…! Uh-uh! Uh, ah!”

Ludmilla’s shoulders tensed up.

And instead of hot flames from her mouth, a strange sigh poured out incessantly.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired saint, who was observing the scene, cautiously reached out both hands.

In her slender hands, a thunderbolt with crackling sparks was brewing.

The remarkable princess