Chapter 59 – EPISODE 59 – DIVINE REVELATION (2)
G.o.d.
A transcendental being.
Unlike in their past lives where there were many arguments of whether it exists or not, G.o.ds existed in Pleiades.
But strictly speaking, the G.o.ds of Pleiades were far from the omnipotent G.o.d that they knew in their past lives.
They were clearly powerful beings with well-defined limits.
They were called immortals, but it was possible for them to disappear.
‘If I had to be completely honest, you could say that they possessed stupendously strong supernatural powers.’
But still, these G.o.ds were G.o.ds.
They were the targets of faith and were great existences that human beings dare not to approach.
‘There are three main kinds of G.o.ds in Pleiades.’
First was the heavenly creator called Lú, the G.o.d who created the world.
However, he or she was close to a conceptual existence, whose existence was even questioned.
It was the four archangels who led the heavenly realm, and not the creator G.o.d Lú.
‘The angels were called G.o.ds.’
They were originally angels and not G.o.ds, but due to human ignorance, they became beings worshipped as G.o.ds.
Among them was Solari, the sun G.o.d, who was their representative figure.
Originally, the heavenly archangels only saw humans as livestock that needed rearing, but Solari, the seventh archangel, was different.
She regarded humans as young children or younger brothers and wanted to guide and look after them.
‘Solari wasn’t alone. There were many angels who joined her will, and they descended to the human world and were worshipped as G.o.ds by humans.’
But it was all a story of the past.
Because of the long-standing war with the demons, these G.o.ds on earth ceased to exist.
‘The last one were the outside G.o.ds.’
They were transcendental beings who existed in the third world, which was neither heaven nor h.e.l.l.
However, their influence in this world was insignificant.
It was not an exaggeration to say that the degree of their influence was at a level where people only knew that outside G.o.ds existed.
‘And the wild G.o.ds (barbarian G.o.ds).’
They were beings that do not belong to any of the three kinds listed so far.
‘At present, neither the Sälen Kingdom nor the Argon Empire recognize the existence of wild G.o.ds.’
For political reasons, both countries somehow recognized wild G.o.ds as fictional existences created by the primitive folk religions of the barbarians.
‘Even those who acknowledged their existence only thought of them as spirits who possessed strong powers.’
And Jude also thought similarly.
The reason was simple.
‘Because they do not appear in the original story.’
These wild G.o.ds were occasionally mentioned in manuals, settings books, item descriptions, and so on, but they never made a direct appearance.
‘There was a theory that they all died because of Belial, the overlord of corruption…’
In any case, that was all a story after the great invasion of the northern barbarians.
There was a possibility that at the present moment, which was a point in the past before the event occurred, they were still alive.
‘No, they are alive.’
In front of him right now, there was a being who proclaimed himself as a wild G.o.d.
Great Storm.
The wild G.o.d of the wind who was worshipped by the Great Storm tribe.
“You seem to be thinking of something rude?”
Unlike when he first appeared, Great Storm’s manner of speaking was slightly less serious, perhaps because he looked like a boy.
Jude said hurriedly in denial.
“No, it’s not. I was just so surprised that I couldn’t think of anything else.”
In fact, it wasn’t completely a lie.
Because he was really that surprised.
He never thought that Great Storm would really appear. And in this way too.
“Hmph, you’re a smooth talker.”
The boy somehow reacted like Cordelia before he made a rock rise from the ground by pointing several of his fingers and then sat down on it as he said.
“Well then, I am Great Storm. You have diligently and continuously used my name as an excuse.”
He talked mischievously with a raised chin, as he flatly played innocent with his eyes and facial expression resembling that of a rascal.
‘First of all, I don’t think he’s really upset.’
If he was really angry, he would have tried to punish them first for using the name of a G.o.d in a deceiving manner.
“Uh…ahem, ahem, it’s an honor to meet you, Great Storm. My name is Cordelia Chase. This is my fiancé, Jude Bayer.”
As Jude was in the midst of hesitation and unsure of what to do, Cordelia stepped forward and spoke.
Great Storm smiled in satisfaction at her polite manner of showing respect.
“But the girl knows what manners is, I like it. If you meet a G.o.d, you shouldn’t blankly look at them but reveal your names first. Girl.”
At the end of his words, he clicked his tongue. Cordelia seemed to have caught his fancy, but not Jude.
Instead of being shaken, Jude showed his manners as he politely said.
“O Great Storm, I ask of you to listen to our story.”
“Tell me.”
His response was within Jude’s expectations.
Great Storm did not reveal himself to punish them.
‘If so.’
Jude took a deep breath and steeled himself.
From now on, he had to deceive, no, tell a white lie to a wild G.o.d, and not just a fairy queen or a witch.
“Beyond the border in th-”
“Wild lands. That’s what we call it. Not the land of barbarians.”
Great Storm made a comment one step ahead of him, and Jude resumed after expressing his thanks.
“I’ve heard of stories that danger was approaching the wild lands.”
“From whom?”
“From the fairy queens and the soul of a witch in the south.”
To begin with, there was no connection between the fairy queens and the wild G.o.ds as far as Jude knew.
However, instead of specifically pointing out who they were in case Great Storm didn’t knew of them, he showed the Fairy Steps and Fairy’s Bonds he received from the fairy queens.
Although his outfit had changed because he was in a dream, the two items were still in his arm.
“Hmm…setting aside the fairy queens, but a witch’s soul?”
“Yes, it is the soul of a great witch who fought against Asmodeus, the overlord of l.u.s.t, for many years.”
“What did they say?”
“They told us about the threat of demons that were approaching the wild lands. In particular, the witch’s soul told us about an organization called the Devil’s Eye who seemed to have done something harmful to Red Gale, the chieftain of the Great Storm tribe.”
Great Storm furrowed his brows at Jude’s explanation.
And Jude was certain of it then.
‘It’s coming through.’
As expected, Great Storm didn’t know who the witch’s soul was or what she did.
But there was a mixture of truth in Jude’s words.
Devil’s Eye.
They were doing something harmful to the wild lands.
Red Gale was dying from an illness of an unknown cause.
“So that’s what the witch’s soul said.”
“Yes, and my fiancée here, Cordelia, is the witch’s successor, who inherited some power from the witch’s soul. Because of this, the witch asked me and Cordelia to go to the wild lands to stop the plot of the demon followers.”
At Jude’s words, Great Storm turned to Cordelia, who blinked her eyes and quickly nodded.
“Yes, that is correct.”
After she answered a little stupidly, Cordelia’s face reddened, but Great Storm felt that appearance to be rather trustworthy, so he said while scratching his chin.
“Then, to sum it up, is it something like this? The fairy queens and the witch’s soul warned of the dangers in the wild lands. In particular, the witch’s soul even told you about my tribe and told you to go and help.”
“Yes, that is correct. On our way to the wild lands, we heard of a story about someone with the blood of the winter elves…a girl from the Great Storm tribe, who was caught and held in the slave auction house, so we rescued her. She is Red Wind.”
“Hmmm…”
Great Storm scratched his chin again and Jude inwardly smiled.
Because there were no holes in his story.
On their way to meet the Great Storm tribe, they saved a girl from the Great Storm tribe.
Can he even find any faults in their story?
Jude waited for a while before he hit the nail on the coffin.
“We had willfully used Great Storm’s name to win over Red Wind, who had become distrustful after being caught and turned into a slave. I kindly hope you will forgive us.”
Jude deeply bowed from his waist, and Cordelia, as if by telepathy, bowed her head at almost the same timing.
At the courteous apology of the two, Great Storm made a groaning sound before nodding his head.
“All right, well, because I’m a little benevolent, I will forgive you two for now.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Thank you, Great Storm.”
Jude and Cordelia promptly expressed their grat.i.tude to Great Storm who decided to actually forgive them.
And Jude took it even one step further.
“O Great Storm, this humble one dares to ask of you to listen to a little more of my words.”
“What is it?”
“I would like to repay your kindness for forgiving our great sins. I hope that you will allow me and Cordelia to fight for the Great Storm tribe. I would like to become a warrior of Great Storm.”
It sounded like he was saying that he wanted to volunteer, but the truth was completely different.
‘Our self-proclamation becomes official.’
At the moment Great Storm allowed it, Jude and Cordelia would become real warriors of the wild G.o.d Great Storm.
‘We’ll be actively moving in the wild lands anyway.’
In order to reach a happy ending, the two needed to stop the Devil’s Eye and the Angry Bull tribe.
Then, wouldn’t an official warrior be better than a self-proclaimed warrior?
If they got a proper certification from Great Storm, their activities in the wild lands would be much easier.
‘And if we become official ones, he’ll give us something.’
There was no way that a being named G.o.d would just appoint them as warriors and solely profit from it.
“Ummm.”
Great Storm narrowed his eyes at Jude’s request and made a grunting sound.
He didn’t have a good feeling about it, as he was sure that Jude was up to something, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
‘It looks bad if I just send them back.’
Because it was true that the demon followers were starting something in the wild lands.
In fact, it was the reason why Great Storm appeared to Jude and Cordelia.
‘Ummm, I feel like they’ll squeeze me dry.’
But he couldn’t do much about it.
Great Storm nodded his head after some careful consideration.
“Okay, I will grant your request. From today onwards, you two are my warriors.”
It was at that moment that Great Storm declared it. An intense light suddenly rose from Jude and Cordelia’s right upper arms.
It was for a moment, but a deep pain followed it.
As they endured the pain that was like a hot iron touching their skin, Jude and Cordelia quickly rolled up their clothes to confirm it and saw a tattoo on their right arms.
The pattern of a thunderbird surrounded by the wind.
It was the emblem symbolizing the wild G.o.d, Great Storm.
And the moment they confirmed the emblem’s existence, Jude and Cordelia thought like rotten water.
‘Aren’t there any special effects?’
‘No options?’
Because they didn’t feel any immediate changes.
Jude and Cordelia looked at each other and checked each other’s emblem afterwards. And they soon realized it again.
‘Different?’
‘It’s different?’
Jude’s was silver, while Cordelia’s was golden.
The two simultaneously looked back at Great Storm, and he said with a smile.
“This is my emblem. Show it to my tribesmen and they will recognize you as my warriors.”
‘No, this one’s more important.’
‘What’s the difference between silver and gold? The golden one’s better, right?’
Jude and Cordelia enthusiastically spoke with their eyes, and they continued talking as if ignoring Great Storm.
“Now that you two have become my warriors, there is something I would like to entrust to you.”
It was the real reason why Great Storm appeared in this place.
If this was a game, it was the moment a quest was about to begin.
However, Jude and Cordelia were more interested in the emblem they acquired right now rather than the quest that was about to start.
It was all the more so since it was split into silver and gold.
‘Shall we just ask?’
‘Are you going to cut him off from what he’s going to say?’
It was the moment they exchanged glances.
Great Storm finally figured out why the two were so fretful and said with a guffaw unlike that of a boy’s.
“What, are you curious about the emblem’s power?”
““Yes.””
Great Storm laughed again when Jude and Cordelia immediately answered at the same time.
“The wind will be on your side from now on, as it is an emblem enchanted with the wind that I control.”
‘Is this something that increase wind attributes?’
‘Can we control the wind?’
While Jude and Cordelia were trying their best to interpret it, Great Storm continued to speak.
“In the silver emblem, there is the protection of the wind barrier. When used, the wind barrier will spread out and block projectile attacks. In the golden emblem, there are the protection of the wind barrier and the blessing of the wind. If you use the blessing of the wind, you will be able to freely control the surrounding wind for a while.”
Even if he was a wild G.o.d, it doesn’t change that he was a G.o.d.
The protection of the wind barrier alone was useful, but the blessing of the wind was a very great ability that had a lot of room for application.
“Wow! Thank you so much!”
Cordelia brightly smiled in delight as she re-examined the golden emblem on her arm, and Great Storm smiled in satisfaction too at the pretty sight of such Cordelia.
But Jude was different.
‘How come?’
Cordelia’s was golden but Jude himself was silver.
Was there a numerical limitation?
In times like this, don’t they just give you the same thing?
Just like the Winter Fairy Queen that fairly gave the winter protection.
Jude’s questions were reasonable, and that was why Great Storm could also easily guess Jude’s thoughts. He then said with a smile.
“It’s a simple reason.”
The reason why he gave a golden emblem to Cordelia and a silver emblem to Jude…
“I’m a man, so I like a pretty, kind, cute, and honest girl much better than a deep-black cunning man.”
Jude blinked at his very honest answer, and Cordelia brightly smiled again.
***
“Well, it’s not just that, actually.”
As Jude had guessed, there was a limit to the number of golden and silver emblems, so it was impossible to give both of them a golden emblem.
“Somehow, I have a good wavelength with that girl. It’s quite strange, if I have to say it.”
‘Is it because they’re both storm?’
Great Storm and Yellow Storm.
Cordelia nodded repeatedly with a smile as if she had a similar thought.
“That’s right, Great Storm. I think I fit well with Great Storm.”
“Right? I think so too.”
It was a conversation between Cordelia and Great Storm, who had become more friendly.
Jude tried hard to swallow down the sense of alienation that he felt, and then proceeded to talk again.
“O Great Storm, would you tell us what you wanted to entrust us?”
“Ah, yes. I was talking about that.”
Great Storm clapped his hands and corrected his sitting position on the rock as he began talking again.
“As you had said, the demon followers seem to be doing something. Strange phenomenon are occurring in the various sacred grounds that exist in the wild lands.”
“In the sacred grounds?”
“Yes, each of us wild G.o.ds have our own areas. That area is called the sacred grounds (sanctuary).”
It could be said that the wild G.o.ds were similar to Korea’s local mountain G.o.ds.
They select a sacred ground within their area, and then build their strength in that sanctuary.
Because of that, they could exert enough power to be called a G.o.d within their area, but if they go outside their area, their strength will sharply decrease.
“There is a place in the nearby area that used to be a sanctuary. It’s a place where the wild G.o.d, Violent Avalanche, used to live. Instead of looking after a tribe, he became one with nature. Anyway, even after he disappeared, the power of the wild G.o.d remained, and it continued to function as a sanctuary.”
It was thanks to the sanctuary, which was full of blessings from the wild G.o.ds, that the barbarians could continue to live in the extremely cold areas of the wild lands.
“But I think something has gone wrong there. The energy of nature is twisted, and it seems like even monsters have begun appearing.”
It was a story that they knew somehow.
Great Storm continued his words.
“As I said for the first time, it seems that it isn’t just one or two sanctuaries that have a problem. In the midst of this, I couldn’t leave the sanctuary, so I sent some of the tribesmen to investigate, but the results weren’t good.”
None of the warriors who went to the Violent Avalanche’s sanctuary came back.
Normally, he would have sent Red Gale, the best warrior in the tribe, but it was impossible because he had been sick for several years.
“The distortion of the erroneous sanctuaries have begun to gradually affect my own sanctuary. So, children of the south, my warriors. Please investigate the Violent Avalanche’s sanctuary.”
Jude and Cordelia looked at each other.
In Legend of Heroes 2, the wild lands did not properly make an appearance.
Naturally, the quests related to the wild G.o.ds also did not exist.
Therefore, it was highly likely that what would happen onwards would be unknown territory even for Jude and Cordelia, the rotten waters of Legend of Heroes.
There was a fear in the unknown.
It was a fear that they could not know on what would happen next.
But even so.
‘It sounds a little strange, but it feels like a new expansion pack was released.’
Cordelia said with her eyes, and Jude agreed. His heart was pounding a little with excitement too.
And in fact, they had foreseen this.
Because the goal of Jude and Cordelia was to destroy the scenario in Legend of Heroes 2.
‘Furthermore…it’s not like we do not have any information at all.’
Although the wild lands did not appear on the stage, the Devil’s Eye and the corrupted barbarians clearly appeared in Legend of Heroes 2.
The information about them was in Jude’s head.
‘There’s got to be rewards too.’
A wild G.o.d was still a G.o.d.
Like how he gave them the emblems, he would give them appropriate rewards.
‘It’s simple.’
It was something that they needed to do anyway, so shouldn’t they do it unconditionally if they could get some rewards?
‘Let’s do it.’
This time, Jude said that with his eyes, and Cordelia agreed.
The eyes of the two headed to Great Storm.