Chapter 99
‘What the—what’s going on?’
The sword that had been silent until now suddenly went into a full-blown panic, chattering nonstop.
– Wh-what?! This isn’t normal! I’m sensing Chernobog’s aura! (●o○;)ノ
Here?! Why?! How?!
‘That’s my line! Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?!’
The sword hidden at my waist buzzed violently, vibrating through my clothes like it was about to explode.
– This is bad, Master! Really bad! Chernobog must have found a contractor! 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡!!
‘Wait—Chernobog, as in the enemy of Bielobog, the god of light I made a contract with? That guy can have contractors too?’
The sword began trembling even harder, practically wailing.
– Waaah! Master, you haven’t even completed your proper initiation yet! 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡
You’re still not even a Super Ultra King God Emperor—uh, what was it again? (ﾟヘﾟ)? Anyway!
If that evil, wicked Chernobog just goes BOO!, you’ll go KYAA! and melt into dust in the netherworld!｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡
‘You don’t even know what that phrase means, do you? You just parroted it halfway and forgot how it ends.’
– Ugh… and you don’t even have any comrades who can use divine powers of other kinds…! 。ﾟ(ﾟﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡
‘Stop crying about my tragic social life and explain! Crying isn’t going to summon allies for me!’
After a lot of blubbering, I finally managed to get a coherent explanation out of the overdramatic sword.
Bielobog—the one I made a contract with—was the benevolent God of Light.
He created divine barriers and protected humanity from monsters.
His domain was the surface world, the realm of humankind.
Chernobog, on the other hand, was the God of Darkness, Bielobog’s opposite.
He was the creator and progenitor of monsters, ruling over the underground world—also known as the Netherworld.
The reason monsters sometimes broke through the ground and invaded the surface was all part of Chernobog’s scheme to take it for himself.
Naturally, the two gods were mortal enemies. When the First Emperor drove the monsters underground and raised the great barrier, that marked Bielobog’s victory.
The only reason I could form a contract with Bielobog was because of that ancient pact—the descendants of the First Emperor, the royal family, were the only ones born with the right kind of light power to do so.
And until the barrier completely collapses, neither Chernobog nor Bielobog can directly interfere in the human world.
They can only act through their contractors.
– sniffle… So Chernobog can’t just make contracts with anyone, either… (´；ェ；`) sniff…
Normal humans can’t handle the power of darkness—and they shouldn’t. But sometimes, a few rare humans can accept it…
‘But if Bielobog is the god of humanity, how can humans still make contracts with Chernobog?’
– Normal people can kill other people too, right? It’s the same thing… There are always a few awful humans who take the side of the worst monsters… ʕ ´•ᴥ•̥`ʔ
‘I see. So that means it was Chernobog’s contractor who messed with this drink?’
– Yup. The energy is faint—if you weren’t wearing the Veil of Gloriana, I probably wouldn’t have noticed.
I glanced around.
This wasn’t the ceremonial chamber itself—just a hallway leading to it.
Cronen had probably stopped me here on purpose, away from prying eyes, just to hand me that drink.
From afar, I could see the sacred flame flickering and hear the soft chants of a prayer ceremony. Cronen would return any moment now.
‘So… what happens if I drink it?’
– …
‘You said my relic can purify poison, right? But what if it’s divine energy from the opposite god?’
– If you’re stronger than that other contractor, you’ll be fine. o(；△；)o
‘And if I’m not?’
– Then… yeah. Really bad.’
Figures. One disaster after another.
To safely complete my initiation, I’d apparently need to gather people who could channel every kind of divine power.
Yeah, right—what was this, collect all the Divine X-Balls?
I sighed and asked the suddenly quiet sword again.
‘So as long as I don’t drink it, I’m fine?’
– Y-yes… as long as it doesn’t get into your body or touch an open wound, you should be okay… (╯•﹏•╰)
‘Alright then. I’ll manage somehow.’
– It’s too dangerous, Master. Really… If Chernobog’s contractor is involved in this— (๑ŏ _ ŏ๑)
I smiled at the worried sword. It looked oddly downcast today.
‘Guess there’s no one else to do it but me.’
– Huh?
‘Honestly, I thought there’d been some kind of mistake. I mean, why would a grand god choose me as a contractor? I don’t even remember the ritual properly—just went along because you insisted. But if the one I’m supposed to fight is a terrifying god of monsters, well… only the royal family can do it, right?
Brian—he’d probably crawl to Chernobog, screaming “I’m the king of monsters!” and beg for an army. Adrian has to become emperor someday. And me… well, I’ve got some, uh, ties to the Castrain family. So yeah, it all makes sense now!’
– Wait, Master, what exactly “makes sense” here?! (◔д◔)
‘That there’s no one else. So I have to do it.’
There was nothing to agonize over.
There was no point in running away now.
I once had a friend who went on a teaching practicum.
During a field trip, one of her students almost got into an accident—and she instinctively jumped in to protect the child. She ended up hospitalized.
When we went to visit her, everyone praised her for her courage. She smiled shyly and said:
“It’s not really that big of a deal. There are firefighters who rush into burning buildings, police officers who fight criminals, doctors who risk their lives during epidemics… I just did what a teacher should do. Even if I’m only a trainee, to those kids, I’m still their teacher. I couldn’t turn away. I just… couldn’t run.”
That’s the kind of person she was.
My parents were the same.
If they saw a child crying on the street, they’d stop and help find the parents.
If a fruit seller dropped their basket, they’d kneel and help pick everything up.
That’s the kind of people I grew up with.
I’ve seen too many who only ever asked, “Why should I bother? No one appreciates honesty. Everyone just looks out for themselves.”
My old boss used to say things like that all the time.
But me?
If I see a lost kid crying, I want to be the kind of adult who crouches down and asks, “Are you hurt? Want a snack? Where’s your mom or dad?”
I don’t want to live as the kind of adult who can just walk past.
So if someone tells me, “If you don’t act, the world might collapse,” what choice do I have?
If I run, I’ll go down with it anyway.
“Thank you for waiting.”
Cronen returned, freshly changed, his polite smile still brittle around the edges. His new robe looked almost identical to the last one.
I glanced at him sidelong and smiled.
“Yes, you did take your time. I got a little bored, and my feet hurt too. But surely, you didn’t mean to leave me standing here with nowhere to sit, did you? That would be terribly rude, wouldn’t it?”
His face twitched, struggling to stay composed. Poor man. Serves him right for trying to poison me.
“…Let us proceed, Your Highness.”
He gestured stiffly and turned away.
I followed him at an unhurried pace, the sound of sacred chants swelling ahead of us.
O Lord, deliver us.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
O Lord…
The hymn rose and echoed like a song as we walked toward the altar lit by divine flame.
