The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

90 – 90. Sole Deity (2)

—-

He plans to annihilate the entire envoy of the Sole Deity along with the Star Palace of the Baltaria Imperial Palace.

It was clearly a bluff.

It must be a scheme to make him retreat like this.

He held the apprentice priestesses dedicated to the Sole Deity as hostages. It couldn’t be anything but a despicable method befitting the followers of the calamity god of war.

Gael gritted his teeth, glaring at Edanant.

“You plan to blow up the Baltaria Imperial Palace like this? If a massive explosion occurs, many casualties, including the humans residing in the palace, will surely follow.”

If it wasn’t a bluff.

What if he followed through with it?

Gael, the Earth Mother, is a compassionate goddess who genuinely loves all her worshippers.

That’s why he could only tremble at Edanant’s threat of mass slaughter and coercion.

“Am I making it seem like I’m just casually joking around?”

Click.

Edanant brandished the detonator as he spoke.

At that moment, Gael let out a silent scream internally and took a step back.

“W-Wait…! Are you really going to detonate it?!”

“Of course. Considering the misfortunes you’ve suffered today… I feel like pulling the trigger right now.”

The standoff between Gael and Edanant resembled a terrorist and a negotiator.

He’s serious.

Please reconsider.

In the midst of the tense silence in the opulent Star Palace, a crisis unfolded urgently. No one could have guessed that the apostle of the calamity god and the Earth Mother’s host were on the brink of a volatile moment.

“Rier is magnificent!”

“Stop!”

As the apprentice priestesses of the Temple of the Sacred Maiden, who had grown as beautifully as precious gems in a jewelry box, were about to be tragically sacrificed, Gael instinctively let out a scream.

No.

I can’t sacrifice my children…!

Even for the sake of justice, sacrificing beloved worshippers was something he couldn’t accept. The external threat of the calamity god’s insect and the like could be sacrificed as much as needed, but sacrificing his own followers was out of the question.

“That bastard…! The look in his eyes is genuine! He intends to blow up the Baltaria Imperial Palace with a suicide bombing!”

His golden eyes emitted a dangerously wild gleam.

It’s sincere.

I will truly self-destruct.

Click-.

The trigger of the detonator made a dizzying metallic sound.

Half-pressed.

A little more pressure, and the explosive strapped all over the body would detonate simultaneously.

It’s not exaggeration or pretense.

The pressure of a hostage drama that would decide the life and death of many hung heavily on Gael.

“Why did you choose me as the hero? Be honest.”

“T-That’s…”

“At first, I thought maybe it was to annihilate with the Saintess Party when I received the mission… but upon further thought, something didn’t quite add up. If the aim was truly annihilation, wouldn’t I have first disclosed to the kings of each country that the Saintess Party intended to resurrect the elixir of death?”

“…”

It doesn’t add up.

It seemed too amateur to aim for the calamity god of war and the annihilation of the Saintess Party.

What’s the real aim?

Recalling the covenant proclaimed by King Boern, Gael doubted the sincerity.

As if to prove that his longstanding suspicions were correct, Gael’s eyes flickered with doubt in the interrogation.

The only god who saw through the thoughts of the Apostle of War revealed a trembling anger, expressing emotions of wrath.

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“Annihilation? I would never sacrifice Beatrice!”

“…”

“My goal is singular. To prevent the world’s end using the foreign substance that’s entered through you. That way, I can save Beatrice.”

“…This is just a scheme from a kid’s mind.”

Is this a common trait among the gods belonging to the pantheon?

Gael sincerely loved his followers in the mortal realm. Just like Brojan cherished his creations, the Louin, like precious jewels.

But boundless affection always gives rise to tragedy.

Just as Brojan had confined the Louin in paradise due to excessive protection, Gael constantly sought to intervene in the mortal realm by asserting the position of the only god to save the followers of the Saintess Kingdom.

“If they were of Rielle’s generation, they would have lived for thousands of years… But their mental age is barely that of a high school student. How on earth did they expel all the gods and seize the throne of the only god?”

There was no trace of godly majesty.

Gael’s thoughts drifted to the girl in the flower-filled mausoleum, reminiscent of the Lady of White Blessings.

He even felt that perhaps the author who serialized “The Lady of White Blessings” had created Gael of the Mortal Realm as their persona.

After all, authors tend to sneak their own inclinations into their works.

—

The Alliance Conference ended without incident.

The covenant of the Mortal Realm quickly spread among the kings who attended the assembly.

A new hero emerged in the Saintess Kingdom.

Soon, the Demon King of Death would be resurrected from the cursed land.

The crowds who received the covenant remembered the terror wielded by the Demon King of Death and expressed their fears.

And as they hailed the new hero who emerged as the archenemy of the Demon King, they began to anticipate with hope.

“Isn’t Edanant the hero of the Baltarian Empire, who defeated all the Apostles of War? Surely he will also thwart the Demon King’s resurrection!”

“Indeed, the Mortal Realm has spoken, so it must be true!”

The kings gathered on the outdoor terrace of the Imperial Palace praised Edanant.

He defeated the mine and saved the Platinum Princess.

He protected the Emperor of the Baltarian Empire from the Apostles of War.

Edanant’s achievements so far had sufficiently proven his noble qualities as a hero. Therefore, the kings praised his feats, exuding such confidence that it almost felt complacent.

‘Unaware of everything…!’

Normally, she would have nodded approvingly at the praises for Edanant, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

But this time was different.

Leaning on the balcony and gazing at the scene, Ludmilla twisted her mouth, revealing her discomfort.

It was because she foresaw the catastrophe that the covenant of the Mortal Realm would bring.

‘Edanant and the Saintess Party will face an unfortunate future where they point sharp blades at each other. The mastermind behind resurrecting the Demon King of Death is… none other than the Saintess Party.’

From Edanant, she heard the news that the missing Saintess Party suddenly aimed to resurrect the Demon King of Death from the netherworld. She didn’t hear the reason behind it.

Edanant, appointed as the hero of the Saintess Kingdom.

The Saintess Party trying to reverse the Demon King of Death they had vanquished.

They must kill each other.

With the decree of the only god, an inevitable fate had befallen them.

The sacred only god knew Edanant was serving as an apostle to the god of war.

He knew.

It was because he knew that he decreed the cruel covenant.

To handle both the god of war and the Demon King of Death in the war.

Ludmilla deeply cursed the cruelty of the only god who thoroughly made Edanant a sacrificial lamb.

Even if she were to fight against Maximilian… Edanant would end up burdened by the curse of carnage. Covered in the blood shed by her comrades.

Why in the world.

Why should Edanant be subject to a divine curse?

I don’t understand.

No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t comprehend the will of the sole deity.

Edanant, who had saved countless crowds while fiercely defeating the brutal cult forces, should have been blessed, not cursed.

However, for some reason, the merciful sole deity seemed to only bestow cruel curses, refusing to even tolerate a hint of happiness.

It was irrational.

Where could there be a greater injustice than this?

Edanant, who should have been happier than anyone for being recognized for her past deeds, felt her heart gradually sinking into intense hatred.

Yet, even so, she did not cease to detest the groundless hatred that compelled curses upon her beloved lover.

“…lowly insects.”

The intense hatred eventually turned into a chilling voice that flowed out.

Hatred and contempt.

Arrogance that looked down upon all creatures other than oneself.

She harbored a deep-seated animosity towards the royal crowds in the Huang Castle, who praised the groundless while celebrating the selection of new heroes, without even knowing the details.

Disgust rose within her as she watched the kings leisurely envisioning a golden future while raising their goblets.

-Despise endlessly. Hate and detest endlessly.

A voice echoed.

It was the same voice that Rudmila had heard when she was chosen by the red dragon.

But something was different.

The reverent and sublime voice of the red dragon, which had overflowed with sanctity, had now warped into vile anger.

No-.

It was certainly not a distortion.

It was the essence returning to its original form, which had degraded into a puppet of the groundless.

“…!”

She felt a piercing headache cutting through her mind and a nauseating twist in her stomach.

Her head was spinning.

She was on the verge of collapsing at any moment, her steps faltering.

Driven as if by something, Rudmila burst into the dressing room and forcefully shut the door behind her.

“What in the world…”

Rudmila, breathing heavily, raised her head.

Eventually, she witnessed her own reflection in the dressing room mirror.

Eyes tainted black.

Crimson irises flashing like blood.

The transformation that had manifested Edanant’s divine presence on her mortal body was evident in her now blackened eyes.

Staring at her own eyes turned black, Rudmila was at a loss for words, her lips trembling.

-You have finally been freed from that damn witch’s curse. It must have been because of your continued contact with Rier.

The reflection of Rudmila in the mirror disappeared.

In its place, a grotesque monster enveloped in red scales revealed itself.

Nine eyes.

A mouth grotesquely split from side to side.

The monster even had three elongated heads.

There was no trace of the dignified appearance of the guardian dragon symbolizing the Valteria Empire. The red dragon released from the groundless deity’s curse was now displaying its original grotesque form.

“Disappear…! Immediately!”

Rudmila slammed the mirror.

As the horrifying figure vanished, her eyes, once blackened, returned to their original state.