The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

89 – 89. Sole Deity (1)

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The prophecy of the return of the Demon King of Death.

The declaration of the birth of a new hero.

The proclamation of the Earth Pact at the Alliance Conference struck awe into the hearts of kings from various nations.

This cannot be happening.

We must prepare for the prophecy as soon as possible.

The intense reactions of each individual turned the silent assembly hall into chaos. Even the Emperor of the Empire, with a contorted face, shouted at the hero of the Holy Kingdom.

“What treachery are you plotting, Holy One!”

“Why are you so enraged, Emperor of the Empire? The compassionate Earth Deity is worried about the wretched humans and has prophesied the impending crisis.”

Using fear to manipulate faith.

The Holy Kingdom always wielded influence using the sanctity of the Sole Deity.

The Emperor of the Empire could not be unaware of this.

Likely, this time would be no different.

He would likely incite war under the pretext of the Demon King’s resurrection.

Barbarossa glanced at the smirking Bayern with a meaningful smile and clicked his tongue.

“Despite successive wars leaving the entire continent littered with corpses… the compassionate Earth Deity still complains of insufficient sacrifices?”

“….”

The Emperor’s words reached the pinnacle of skepticism and cursed blasphemy towards the sanctity of the Earth Deity.

But the hero did not offer any rebuttal.

How could mere mortals comprehend the divine?

The devout leader who heard the voice of the Sole Deity accepted the will of the divine without hesitation.

“I heard that the Saintess Party had entered eternal rest after defeating the immortal Demon King…!”

“The Demon King is returning! What on earth has the Saintess Party done!”

The fear of the calamitous god of war, who once ruled with deathly fear, still lingered. Therefore, the kings of various nations suspected the public deeds of the Saintess Party, recalling the terror of death.

It will return soon.

It was natural for the kings, who had enjoyed hard-earned peace, to feel fear.

And-.

Attention shifted to the new hero declared by the Earth Deity.

* * *

If it is for the divine, a little hypocrisy is unavoidable.

Disgust welled up.

The Sole Deity’s schemes were truly vile.

To appoint a disciple serving the calamitous god of war as a hero of the Holy Kingdom. It was a deceitful act even towards the devout followers who worshiped them.

What is the underlying intention?

If he were to reunite with the vessel of the Earth Deity, he would grab him by the collar and demand an answer.

“Edanant…! Edanant!”

“…Yes.”

As soon as he stepped out of the assembly hall, Rudmilla hurried over with an anxious voice. It seemed as though she had overheard the grumbling voices of the kings and learned of the Earth Pact.

Through Rudmilla’s worried expression, one could infer the situation.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course, I am.”

While forcibly swallowing his anger and confusion towards the Earth Deity, he replied.

He showed a calm demeanor, clenching his fist in case Rudmilla’s concern deepened.

“Like Maximilian, you were chosen by the Holy Sword, so naturally you were selected as the hero of the Holy Kingdom. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“But you…”

As Rudmilla began to speak, she trailed off, letting out a sigh.

She knew.

The situation had spiraled out of control.

If he continued to be dragged along by the Earth Deity, he would eventually face the worst scenario of confronting the Saintess Party trying to resurrect the calamitous god of war.

Of course, he had no intention of blindly following the damn will of the Sole Deity.

Even if it meant resorting to extreme measures to bring the calamitous god of war into the present, he would definitely stop it.

“Would you mind if I took a walk around for a moment?”

“Of course.”

It was a request bordering on coercion.

To ask for company in guarding the assembly of kings from various countries.

Naturally, one would refuse.

But surprisingly, Rudmila accepted willingly.

As she entrusted her troops to her subordinates and took her first steps, I was momentarily shocked watching her retreating figure. I had never dreamt that she, who valued duty above all, would display such audacious irresponsibility.

“Out of the blue, a new hero from the Empire of Glory… Quite an unexpected turn of events.”

“I think I understand why the Empire of Glory kept its secrets so well.”

As a rule, the impact of incitement increases dramatically when triggered abruptly.

To incite the trust of the kings gathered at the alliance meeting. Truly, a cunning and treacherous move like that of a raccoon.

“By now, the kings at the alliance meeting must be eagerly searching for you.”

“hahahaha, then I am monopolizing the attention as the heroine of the trust.”

Perhaps to alleviate the heavy tension.

Rudmila joked playfully with a kind smile.

Monopolizing…

Not an incorrect statement.

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In my eyes, only the beautiful princess with flowing blonde hair was visible.

“What should I say to Jeblinna….”

“Edant.”

With a heavy sigh, I thought of Jeblinna.

Instantly, Rudmila’s gentle smile turned fierce.

I made a mistake.

Daring to speak of the White Dragon in front of the Red Dragon.

Rudmila’s sensitive reaction, as if I had touched a nerve, made me break out in a cold sweat. Eventually, Rudmila grabbed my hand and spoke with a dignified voice.

“Right now, I am monopolizing you. Didn’t I say that?”

“Yes, you did….”

“So focus on me. Don’t worry about others. Especially the First Saintess!”

“….”

She appeared incredibly mature.

And at the same time, showed a childish jealousy like a young girl.

Any aspect of her was endearing.

Was it already engraved in stone?

Every time I saw Rudmila’s various sides, I couldn’t help but feel that according to the Emperor’s intentions, a wedding might be held by the end of this year.

“Today at noon… I think I saw the manifestation of the Earth Mother’s avatar.”

“What? Is that true!”

I mentioned the prospective saintess of the Empire of Glory we encountered while strolling with Elizaveta.

More precisely, it was the Earth Mother’s avatar possessing the body of the prospective saintess.

The sole deity of the continent.

The supreme being at the pinnacle of all creator gods.

When I mentioned the Earth Mother, Rudmila reacted vehemently. Given that the majority of nations, including the Valtaria Empire, worshipped the Earth Mother as the sole deity, it was natural for her to widen her eyes in astonishment.

“It’s not certain. I only sensed a small amount of divine power from the prospective saintess suspected of being the Earth Mother’s avatar.”

“But haven’t your intuitions always been accurate?”

“I’m not so sure to be that convinced. I have been wrong before.”

“Hmm….”

I hoped my intuition was wrong.

Whenever my intuition proved right, it always led to unfavorable outcomes.

However, as Rudmila often mentioned, since intuitions coincidentally hit the mark frequently, I couldn’t afford to overlook the caution regarding the Earth Mother’s avatar. Moreover, due to her deep interest in Elizaveta, she was bound to reveal herself once more.

“Oh.”

“Why do you say that?”

Was it simply being captivated by Elizaveta’s beautiful dragon form that sparked her interest?

Or perhaps,

Could there be another reason.

Numerous questions pressed on my mind, accompanied by a foreboding sense of impending doom.

***

Would there truly be a vessel capable of containing the divine essence of the sole deity?

No,

A near-perfect avatar would never exist.

Excluding Beatrice, who had betrayed the deity she once worshipped.

Despite rigorously selecting and training pure maidens specialized in divine power as prospective saintesses in the Sanctum of Saintesses, they ultimately failed to create a flawless avatar. Therefore, Gael asserted that, except for Beatrice, there would be no vessel capable of embodying his divine essence perfectly.

However, meeting the 3rd princess of the Baltaria Empire shattered his prejudices.

Elizabeth von Baltaria.

The rival of Beatrice, who stood between Maximilian.

Focusing solely on Beatrice’s growth, who was the most suitable host, Gael had forgotten Elizabeth’s existence. Admitting his mistake, Gael treated Elizabeth as a substitute for Beatrice.

“If only that damned interference hadn’t occurred in the middle…!”

If only he had held onto the beautiful princess’s hand, the possession would have been successful.

An intruder intervened.

The culprit was a variant who carried the souls flowing in from the outside and the calamity god of war.

Edanant von Hohenberg.

Threatening the throne of the Sole Deity.

The means to ruthlessly destroy the Sole Deity’s garden.

The dilemma was sparing him, as Beatrice, who was cherished like a forbidden leaf among the beloved followers, tearfully pleaded for him. Even if it meant forever earning Beatrice’s hatred, he should have dealt with him.

“Dare you challenge the Sole Deity twice. Know your place, outsider from the outside.”

“Originally, the first time is always the hardest.”

The apprentice priestess with flowing orange hair took a step forward.

A young man with gray hair stood in her way to oppose her.

“If you activate divine respect here, it will reveal that you are a disgusting and repulsive worshipper. So stop the useless show and retreat from the world. You belong in the dark and lonely abyss. Consider it my final mercy that I did not expose your identity by presenting the Sole Deity’s trust.”

“…”

It struck a chord.

That was his fatal weakness.

As Edanant fell silent as if at a loss for words, Gael smirked with satisfaction.

However,

Regrettably, the enemy before him was a venomous creature that would even astonish the Sole Deity.

“If I detonate myself here, all the apprentice priestesses who have adored me like a forbidden leaf will surely meet a gruesome end.”

“…Suicide?”

The Star Palace where the envoy of the Sole Deity resided was not far away.

If Edanant, armed with explosives all over his body, were to detonate himself, the palace, along with the Sole Deity’s followers, would undoubtedly turn into an unrecognizable pile of ashes with even a small piece of flesh being hard to find.

“You’ve been foolishly trying to hide your identity all this time, haven’t you? As long as there are no witnesses, that’s all that matters. How dare you try to deceive me with the Sole Deity’s trust? How about experiencing it once yourself, damned Sole Deity.”

Edanant spoke while stretching out both hands like a philosopher who had realized the truth.

Gael, swallowing his astonishment, stepped back.