Chapter 58
The Arrow That Left the Protest (17)
What on earth is this…
Not just the strategy team, but no being on the continent of Ganasia had ever entered here—this was Probel.
And yet, I had stepped in with all the clumsy poise of a rookie.
I hadn’t expected the door to open at all, so I froze with one foot inside the sanctuary, completely off balance.
The first visitor looking like this… it was ridiculous.
I couldn’t even think about straightening my awkwardly twisted legs; I just gaped and met Eco’s eyes.
Eco, staring blankly at me, suddenly cried out with delight:
“You’re special, unnie!”
‘Thank you, Eco….’
But as an adult, I simply couldn’t accept not knowing how I had even gotten in here.
I awkwardly straightened my legs and walked past the door.
The pillars that had only been faint silhouettes from outside the dome were now clearly visible.
Six pure white pillars stood in a circle, supporting the dome’s ceiling.
If I had to compare it to something, it looked like an ancient Greek temple.
At the center, a small altar shone with golden light.
On the altar stood a golden mannequin.
The golden glow flowed from head to toe like liquid, subtly shifting, and two thin horns rose faintly from the top of its head, shining gold like the rest of the body.
The light was dazzling, yet strangely soft and warm rather than oppressive.
Whether viewed head-on or upside-down, the figure radiated an undeniably sacred aura.
“Oerisa…?”
“I’ve been waiting all this time.”
Oerisa’s soft voice answered me.
The voice, gently echoing through the dome, radiated a divine presence impossible to approach.
Eco, seemingly frightened, clung to my right side.
“You’re not in your true form now, child.”
Now that I noticed, I had been wandering around wearing the “all-purpose mask” I’d splurged on.
‘Oops… isn’t it proper to remove the mask when meeting a god directly?’
I hastily removed the mask and placed it in my inventory.
When my long hair, neglected for days, fell over my back, Oerisa smiled as if satisfied.
“How lovely you are.”
“That’s… thank you.”
I had meant to reply casually as usual, but I quickly composed myself out of respect.
Ah, maybe it’s because this isn’t a god from my world. I recognized the sacredness but couldn’t speak politely.
And maybe it was because I had entered the sanctuary far too easily; everything felt completely absurd.
Eco, who had been quietly clinging to my side, cautiously stepped forward.
With innocent curiosity, she asked:
“Are you really God Oerisa?”
“Welcome, little sprout…and the gatekeeper.”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t understand the answer at all.
It was fine that Eco was the “sprout,” but how was I suddenly the “gatekeeper”?
I held Eco, who excitedly grabbed and shook my clothes, and asked without hesitation:
“Why did I suddenly become the gatekeeper?”
“That’s strange, child. You have fulfilled the qualifications to become the gatekeeper.”
When did I ever do that?
I had never taken a test for gatekeeping, nor had I earned any kind of certificate.
“What qualifications?”
“The one who can open the gate between two races. You saved one life, and then another, so it’s only natural you have the qualification.”
“Wow.”
I couldn’t help but exclaim.
‘Unbelievable.’
I had no idea I had already completed the “gatekeeper” keyword!
I had saved Clara, trapped inside, and Eco, moments from being struck by an arrow, and even Anton, who had nearly died for a companion.
Looking back, I had rescued humans, beastmen, and hybrids alike.
Apparently, “gatekeeper” meant someone who extended a hand fairly to two races.
‘And that someone is me.’
I had literally stumbled backward and caught… no, this was like capturing Seojihyuk-level luck.
I really am a Babel Kid.
“God, God… then can you stop everyone from fighting now?”
Eco, who had been cautious a moment ago, now stepped out from behind me to ask.
“There was an object engraved with an ancient oath, and that—”
“Paroxia? I brought it with me.”
“…I see. But Paroxia had been tainted by darkness—”
“I fixed that too.”
I pulled out Paroxia, who had been quietly napping in my inventory, and presented it.
The compass, once blackened and lost in mist, now shone warmly under Probel’s sacred energy.
I remembered how much gold I had spent in the magic tower just to find and repair it.
Eco, brimming with curiosity, tiptoed to look at the compass, so I handed it to her.
“It’s really pretty…”
Eco inspected Paroxia from every angle, marveling innocently, while Oerisa remained silent.
After a long moment, Oerisa finally spoke softly:
“Thank you, gatekeeper.”
“They said you can revive the oath if blessed—is that true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“See, Eco?”
I stroked Eco’s head, and she looked up, smiling with pure joy at the thought that no one else would fight.
“You must wait until the sun rises and sets, and until the sun rises twice on another day.”
“…So that means two days?”
Oerisa nodded.
Being a god, she spoke metaphorically, which was a little frustrating, but two days was acceptable.
After all, restoring Paroxia didn’t complete the 51st-floor scenario.
‘Restoring Paroxia and dealing with Agemor are entirely separate matters.’
So I would find a way to strike Agemor while Paroxia was being restored.
Eco gestured with her eyes to ask if she could help, and I nodded.
With a composed expression, she ran with Paroxia and handed it to Oerisa.
Then she ran back beside me, whispering in a tiny voice:
“God, you’re really soft and warm…!”
Our Eco could tell soft and warm without even touching. How adorable.
I smiled lightly, patted her, and turned my gaze to Oerisa.
Now that our next goal was clear, my stance was obvious.
No matter how much of a god Oerisa was, she was friendly and… very “beast-human” toward me.
“Since I became the gatekeeper, may I ask a few questions?”
I couldn’t just sit there while the answers were right in front of me.
Oerisa, unaware of my dark thoughts, nodded slowly.
Light spread around her like mist.
Unlike the corruption I had seen from Agemor, this mist was sacred and warm.
“Do you have horns because you’re a god worshipped by both humans and beastmen?”
“What a cute question. My form isn’t fixed in any shape. The world seen by that little one combined with yours results in this appearance.”
So she had chosen a form to harmoniously satisfy both sides.
Feeling a piercing gaze, I glanced down—Eco looked disappointed.
…Seriously, isn’t she curious?
Where did my small, cute beast-human friend go?
I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked away.
Anyway, that wasn’t the most important question.
I looked at the area where Oerisa’s eyes would be and asked:
“Why did you do nothing while the entire continent was falling?”
Oerisa, who usually answered without hesitation, stared at me.
No eyes, yet I could feel her gaze.
‘Did I anger her by asking?’
I worried for a moment if I shouldn’t treat a god this way, but Oerisa slowly spoke:
“When Agemor caused trouble, I was trapped here. I couldn’t leave or watch over Ganasia, and eventually my children came to hate one another.”
“Who trapped you, Oerisa?”
“That… I cannot know. It happened suddenly.”
Her gentle tone carried a strange bitterness.
I could feel the god’s pain, having to watch humans and beastmen fight for no reason.
Of course, I had a slightly different thought.
‘Aren’t gods supposed to be omnipotent?’
Oerisa seemed strong enough to make Agemor do chores, so who could have…
A word flashed in my mind like lightning.
The mastermind of this world was predetermined.
‘Babel!’
Oerisa’s power must have been a thorn in Babel’s side, who pushed Agemor to destroy dimensions!
Crazy Babel, sealing a god to destroy a single dimension… isn’t that insane?
…How far does Babel’s influence reach?
‘Should I just follow Babel, who wields such power?’
The thought occurred reflexively, but there was no need to voice it.
I decided to shelve it for now.
The Babel data I studied in the magic tower might hold clues.
After clearing the 51st-floor scenario, I could lie on my cozy bed and think it through.
I shook my head and thought of the next question:
“Can Agemor be killed?”
Oerisa paused, then seemed to move her mouth.
I should clarify—Oerisa doesn’t have a mouth. It just seemed that way.
I waited calmly for the answer.
It didn’t matter how much Oerisa cared for Agemor, or the relationship between god and god’s child.
This information was crucial for the strategy team, who needed to stop Agemor’s corruption.
Oerisa pulled Paroxia slightly closer and murmured:
“…Yes. That child abandoned godly duty and chased desire, so he is trapped in the confines of the body.”
Her tone was tender.
In fantasy, gods love life but are often ruthless; Oerisa was unusually gentle and compassionate.
I felt guilty, like a cruel human asking a mother if she could kill her child.
But I felt more gratitude toward Eco, regret toward Remy, and responsibility for the strategy team.
‘Now, I have to make the strategy team handle Agemor.’
I monitored the strategy team via shared scenario messages.
They were currently gathering in Reicam, splitting into two to scout the beastmen and human areas, using Reicam as a base camp.
‘Now I need to send them to the northernmost point to defeat Agemor…’
I thought about going myself and sincerely persuading them with tears, but I wanted nothing to do with the strategy team.
And asking someone else was awkward.
“You look troubled.”
“You too, Oerisa.”
As I thanked her for her warm concern, an unlikely but plausible idea struck me.
I tilted my head and asked:
“Could I borrow your form, Oerisa?”
“That’s difficult, but you could create a shape imitating me. Only the appearance, though.”
“So, I could make a doll that looks like Oerisa?”
That worked.
“Then could you make a clone for me? Keeping the glow and light as well.”
Oerisa flinched, surprised by the sudden request.
“Child, will that truly solve your problem?”
“Yes, completely.”
I’m not sure what she imagined I would do with it, but if I planned to prank using her form, she should be relieved.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that.”
I reassured her.
“Have you heard of avatar blind dates?”
“…Avatar? And blind dates?”
This innocent god had no clue what was coming.
I smiled slyly:
“Ah, don’t worry, I won’t actually go on a date.”
