Chapter 42 Operation Deception (5)
Soup, whoo.
I quietly repeated an inaudible deep breath.
The most important point of this deception operation is my remaining mana.
Penelope’s Cloth is certainly a great item with a lot of mana, but that doesn’t mean it allows you to do this nonsense indefinitely.
He led Heldre’s distraction and gave him a fatal blow, but there is no chance that such an attack will be possible again.
Just maintaining the shape of Excalibur and Mjölnir is a bit overwhelming. It seems that the smoke on my face is still being eaten.
by the way,
“Hey, save me! Please! I will do anything!”
Heldrera begging.
It was a refreshing experience for me too, but it wasn’t very pleasant.
Heldre is portrayed as quite strong in the game.
Of course, he is knocked down by Constell’s teachers, so it’s difficult for the main character, Astor Evans, to face Heldre properly. It’s a lot later than now.
Therefore, in the game, Heldre is portrayed as a very mysterious figure because he does not see the process of his downfall.
Heldre’s fans were there as he knew that he injured many of Constell’s teachers and collapsed after resisting to the end.
That he begs for his life. To bend the pride of the ‘zodiac’.
“Heldre.”
I called his name and asked what was bothering him.
“What about the divine power?”
“… … .”
Heldre bowed his head. His expression was invisible, but his trembling head showed anger and humiliation.
Heldre did not use divine powers.
All 12 members of the zodiac have divine powers. If you don’t have the divine power in the first place, you can’t enter the zodiac. There is a difference between magic and aura that cannot be overcome.
However, Heldre did not use his divine powers. Even after his arms flew away.
Of course I know why.
“You have been abandoned.”
“… … !”
God’s heart is capricious.
Sometimes they don’t give power to anyone, and sometimes multiple gods cling to one person.
Like Heldre, it is sometimes given and taken back.
Of course, I don’t know why. In the game, it is said that Heldre fought back to the very end, is that possible without God’s power?
“… … It wasn’t abandoned… … .”
Then Heldre spoke out in an angry voice.
“God has not forsaken me. You are still living with me.”
“Then why—”
I kept my mouth shut. Something rose around Heldre’s body.
long time no see Features visible only to the player. purple haze.
“… … !”
Right.
definitely by your side
Originally, players considered that purple haze as evidence of a character’s ‘corruption’. When that haze rises, it’s because the characters usually show a travesty.
But there is something I witnessed during the Golem Incident.
In the haze rising from Edwin, I saw ‘Hephaestus’ manifest.
In other words, the haze is not the evidence of ‘fall’, but rather the evidence of the manifestation of God.
In other words,
[Nice to meet you. Frontier de Roach.]
The frozen time experienced during the Golem Incident.
And maybe the only voice I can hear.
The haze took shape and appeared as a woman.
[Greetings.]
And the woman bowed her head gracefully.
[My name is Hestia.]
Hestia.
The goddess of the hearth, the guardian deity of the home. He is considered the most docile deity in Greek mythology.
… … To be honest, I don’t get along with Heldre at all. Just as Renzo, the ‘eater of chaos,’ has the war god Ares as his divine power, I thought Heldre would appear similar to him.
After all, in the world of Etius, is it different from the image of God that I generally know?
[It’s a face that doesn’t suit me.]
Are you really new? Catch my inner feelings easily.
“Yes. I wonder why he gave Heldre divine powers.”
I said in still time. Hephaestus was speechless when he stopped time, does that mean Hestia is a higher god?
[The reason is simple. Because I love humans.]
Hestia spoke in a calm and clear voice like hers.
There was still no way of knowing whether the benevolent figure was sincere or a contrived lie.
“What does it mean?”
[Because I thought that helping him was the best way to save humans.]
“… … It’s a monster invasion.”
Hestia nodded her head.
[The gods can tell a rough outline of what qualities a human being will have when he is born, and what kind of destiny he will walk. So I helped Heldre. Heldray is the biggest player in the monster invasion.]
“… … Before that monster invasion, Heldre was a vicious criminal, and Heldre now dreams of a revolution that will overthrow the Imperial Palace.”
[Even if you tell me about the laws and crimes created among humans, it is difficult to answer. All I can say is one thing. The humans Heldre saved are many times more numerous than the humans he killed, and that number is more overwhelming than anyone in the modern world.]
… … Hestia who loves humans.
We love and seek regardless of whether we are evil or good, and the more, the better.
So, he gave the power to Heldre, who saved the most humans.
It is truly God’s way of thinking.
[But I do not agree with the revolution. In that future, there is nothing but a bloody and gruesome death. So I tried to suppress Heldre as much as possible.]
It is said that Heldre changed people after the wall was built.
It is said that he was equipped with kindness and mercy from a criminal who knew nothing but blood. People thought it was because he became the ‘Zodiac’, but was it actually Hestia’s work?
“Isn’t that repression to no avail?”
[I do not intend to forcefully change his mind. That’s why he’s not a human, he’s just a puppet of God. So I left him. Now I borrowed his body to incarnate, and now he can’t borrow power from me. I just hand over my powers when I want, according to what I decide.]
doesn’t give you power
If so, it means that Heldre carried out the revolution without Hestia’s help.
Is Heldre’s humble appearance a reaction to his lack of confidence?
But in the game, Hestia probably lent his powers during the last fight. Hestia now doesn’t know.
[I don’t have time, so I’ll explain briefly.]
Hestia said.
Perhaps she will tell me the purpose of her appearance to me.
[As the human world is dizzy, the situation is not so peaceful here where the gods are.]
“It’s not peaceful… … .”
Hestia nodded at my murmuring.
[I can’t explain in detail. Mentioning certain keywords calls other gods, so it’s dangerous for you too.]
“Can you give me a rough outline?”
At my words, Hestia closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to be thinking about something.
While avoiding keywords that could be caught by other gods, it was meant to convey the message.
[The gods had one problem that had not been solved for a very long time. A confrontational structure to solve that homework has been created since a very long time ago.]
“… … That’s how it affects humans.”
Hestia nodded her head.
I asked.
“Then who is Hestia-sama?”
[Let’s say I’m on your side. So far.]
Hestia, who loves humans, is still on my side.
If it were true that the gods were currently at odds, this would be a great piece of information.
[By the way, listen, there must be something you can do in this situation.]
“What can you do?”
I looked at Hestia with suspicion.
It was then that I and Hestia’s eyes met.
“… … ah.”
What kind of scenery I see in my eyes at the moment. It’s the same as when we encountered ‘Hephaestus’.
In the landscape, there was a figure of Hestia, who was always repeating the same work.
The scene in which her daily life flows quickly passed like a dream.
Lighting a brazier, looking down at the human world, and observing their lives with loving eyes.
A flame that never goes out in a brazier.
‘Hestia’s Brazier’.
I stored the brazier in the ‘workshop’.
[…] … really,]
Hearing Hestia’s murmur, I woke up from the scene.
It wasn’t accurate because of the haze, but Hestia seemed surprised.
[You can observe the past through the eyes of God. As Hephaestus told me.]
“… … .”
I couldn’t answer. Not that it’s not, I don’t know how I can do this.
Artemis’ bow and arrow. These are the weapons that Hephaestus saw and witnessed in the past.
The condition is, perhaps, to meet the God who manifested in the purple haze. However, having witnessed the past firsthand, I have no sense that I have done anything.
Rather, it feels like God’s past is being pushed into me at will.
[The time has come.]
Hestia, who spoke suddenly, seemed to raise her head slightly. like feeling something.
[Then be careful, Frontier. As you know, you have a lot of enemies.]
“… … It is comforting to know that some of the gods are on my side.”
In the haze that slowly vanished, she seemed to smile for a moment at my words.
And the stopped time begins to flow,
I looked at Heldre again.
‘… … great. I’m not used to it.’
The reality of coming back from facing God suddenly feels like waves are pouring in.
However, nothing has changed. Let’s carry on the operation.
“Mr Heldre. Then I make an offer.”
I said to Heldre. Heldre looked at me suspiciously.
While begging, he must have seen the odds of being able to live on his own low.
Of course, that thought was not wrong.
“All I want is your life. So it is impossible to do business with you.”
“… … What kind of proposal are you making?”
Heldre murmured in displeasure.
“I will give you a choice.”
“option?”
When Heldre asked, I grabbed Kian by the neck and lifted him up. Heldre’s gaze shifted to Qian.
“You seem to cherish your granddaughter.”
“… … Hey, wait a minute.”
Heldre guessed what I was going to do.
And that guess is probably right.
“I’m going to drop Kian here right now.”
“… … !”
I said quietly. I was trying my best to do that.
“I’m going to hit the falling Qian with the same thing it shot at you. I don’t think Qian will be able to avoid an attack that you couldn’t avoid.”
Heldre’s eyes widened. Looking at Kian, he had a generally similar expression.
“But you can stop it. You’ve already stopped it once.”
Of course, both arms were broken.
I smiled. I feel like I’ve become a great villain from before.
In front of the grandfather, his granddaughter and grandfather are putting their lives on the scales. Well, anyone can see that the villain is right.
“I’m giving you a chance.”
At my words, Heldre kept her mouth shut. chin protruded.
It was an expression of anger, but I can’t even understand the thoughts in my head.
“Until I drop Qian and fire Excalibur, there will be a gap. Do you use that gap to escape or protect your granddaughter? It’s your choice. By the way, attacking me is not recommended. Don’t forget the person by my side.”
At my words, Heldre turned his gaze to Osprey.
Osprey is already with me. His abilities should be enough to protect Heldre from attacking him in that state.
Heldre was silent for a moment.
“Then, does Osprit agree with that proposal? Doesn’t that guy bother me too?”
“sure. Right, sir?”
I smiled at Osprey.
Of course, nothing has been agreed upon in advance. But this proposal, Osprey, will look at the other side of my thinking.
“… … Sure. I am not going to get involved.”
Osprit said.
I stretched out the arm that grabbed Kian’s collar to the side. Although it is wearing an auror, it is quite heavy.
“Then, choose.”
After saying that.
“ah!”
I dropped the key without hesitation. Qian’s short sound, which could even be called a scream.
I pointed the tip of Excalibur’s sword in the reverse direction to Qian. Mjölnir pulled back hard. It was the same offensive posture as before.
We haven’t decided on a name for this attack yet, but it looks like hitting a chisel with a hammer. Shall we label it as ‘Jeong’?
“Ugh… … !”
Heldre sees it.
— ran away. without looking back. It was disappearing in the distance with a propulsion flight.
‘… … done.’
Of course, I didn’t have the energy to do the second ‘jung’. Instead I said
“Chief! Please follow Heldre!”
“Are you breaking your promise?”
“There is no need to attack! All you have to do is chase them so they don’t come back here!”
“——Really. I see.”
Osprit also flew in the direction Heldre disappeared in the propulsion flight.
And I canceled Excalibur and Mjolnir. It fell vertically towards the falling Qian.
What do I mean by dropping it off?
He was going to rescue Kian.
To die already, he still has a lot of places to use.
Did Kian faint? I didn’t notice that. She is being very quiet right now.