Chapter 071 …

As I said that, I took out the veil I had carefully tucked into my pocket and put it back on, covering my face.

The translucent veil that blocked my view also hid the expression on the man in front of me.
That made me feel a little more at ease.

“I believe that the conflict between Senta and the Empire has lasted too long for a sudden ceasefire or reconciliation to be realistically discussed.”

Right. Becoming a god-slayer, becoming an adversary of gods… things like that.
That was still too early. Something for later. Much, much later.

At times like this, when every step must be taken carefully, it’s more important to focus on the present rather than looking too far into the future.

“That is certainly true….”

“But when faced with the same suffering and great disaster, people inevitably join forces.”

“Suffering and great disaster…? What do you mean?”

“There is one fact I can reveal only to you.”

What I was carefully setting up now was something that would actually happen to Senta.

In the game’s story, Senta is suddenly attacked by the undead.

After about 150 years, a large-scale undead invasion arrives, followed by attacks from monsters.
Senta suffers devastating damage.

When their rival Senta is already staggering like that, the Empire doesn’t miss the opportunity.
The Empire quickly finishes its war preparations and invades Senta.

Pressed by the imperial forces they had been confronting, Senta slowly walks the road toward destruction.

By the time I eventually kill the Demon King, Senta has already become a colony of the Empire.

For now, I just needed to stop that first step.
If Senta were destroyed here, the one in trouble would be me.

Come to think of it… those undead… did they appear because the God of Life is absent?
Hmm. But they’re technically things that never died in the first place… maybe the God of Death just isn’t doing his job properly…

No, stop thinking about such huge matters.
If I went down that path, it wouldn’t be deduction anymore—it would just be writing a novel.

“Wh-what kind of matter is it…? Ahem. Since the conversation might be long… shall we find a better place than this carriage?”

As I set the mood, Senta’s second-in-command stammered and looked flustered.

I nodded readily.

“Yes, if that would make you more comfortable. But I would prefer that only you know this information.”

“O-only me? What about His Majesty the King…?”

“If this information were delivered to the king, he would surely ask how it was obtained. And it could easily escalate into a national issue…”

I trailed off.

“And then the truth behind the kidnapping incident might also come to light….”

That was a lie.

The real reason was that Senta needed the second-in-command to know so that they could appropriately gain the strength to deal with the disaster.

Right now I was walking a tightrope.
If Senta grew too strong, that would also be troublesome.

And because of the things I had already said at the banquet, I needed to subtly create divisions among Senta’s high officials. That way I would have room to maneuver later.

Still, Senta had to become stronger in order to check Lumensia.

If the Empire gained even more power, that would be a problem, so I needed to give some support to Senta, which was competing with the Empire for first or second place.

So I would secretly deliver information about the disaster I knew—
not to the king, but only to the second-in-command.

That would create internal tension while still allowing Senta to overcome the disaster that was soon approaching.

The second-in-command seemed to understand my intention and nodded energetically.

“If that happens, the matter could grow quite serious. Understood. However… depending on the content, may I at least inform His Majesty the King? He will likely advise against taking drastic action himself….”

“Yes, of course. How could I dare prevent words from reaching the ruler of a nation? As the leader of the great nation of Senta, it is only natural that he should know everything happening beneath him in order to govern effectively.”

I already knew the second-in-command would tell the king anyway.

Even though I made various excuses telling him not to, if something truly serious happened he would run straight to the king and report it.

The man before me wasn’t even registered as one of my believers, so there was no reason he would obey my words.

Usually someone in the position of second-in-command would monopolize such information and carefully balance their own power against the king’s authority.

But the man in front of me lacked that kind of ambition.

He had no dreams of becoming king or rising to great power.
He was the type who simply struggled to maintain his current position.

And in order to keep that position, he would immediately hand over this information to the king.

At most, he probably just wanted to do this job well, earn the king’s recognition, and save the people.

That much was clear both from the game’s story and from his current attitude.

Which is why I will also inform the third-in-command.

To the second-in-command, I would deliver the information as a Saint, allowing it to subtly reach the king’s ears.

To the third-in-command, I would approach while pretending to be a god, helping him gain power appropriately.

I closed my eyes, pretending I was tired and wanted to rest.
The second-in-command kindly even covered me with a blanket.

With my eyes closed, I opened the status window for the first time in a long while.

I hadn’t checked it properly since the World Tree incident, and I also needed to confirm the relic reward.

[Owned Skills]

• Weakness Detection Lv.2

• Baptism Lv.2

• Divine Aura (Passive) Lv.1

• Scales Lv.1

• Punishment Lv.1 (Auto)

• Telepathy Lv.2

[Points: 75]

[Faith: 209]

[Owned Relics]

• Cup of Asclepius | +5

• Necklace of Ranoop | +4

• Ring of Kaldir | +4

My stored faith had nearly run dry from upgrading the defensive relic to +4.
Though once I returned, a few healing gestures would refill it anyway.

I checked the most important window: number of believers.

[Target Believers: 2000]
[Current Believers: 1507]

[Time Remaining Until Next Penalty]
67:44

Almost two days and half a day… I need to gather 500 people in that time.

If it were the beginning, that would feel hopeless.

But now that I held the title of Saint, it was definitely achievable.

Even if I received the penalty…
two times might still be manageable.

[Unrecovered Relics: 3 / 9]

[Time Limit to Recover One Relic: 45 Days]

The relic recovery period is fairly generous too.

Maybe it listened to what I said inside the World Tree, but the status window had become a bit less rude.

Let’s check the relic reward.

[Random Skill Tree Unlock Ticket ×1]

Just like before, it was another random skill ticket.

There’s no skill I urgently need right now.

The skills unlocked at my current level weren’t immediately useful.

They were things like Mind Control, Life Drain, Ritual, and Sanctuary Declaration.

Most of the rest were skills I already had.

If I judged based on the system’s other skills:

• Mind Control would literally control someone’s mind, but like Weakness Detection, it probably wouldn’t work if the target’s level was high.

• Life Drain was unnecessary because I already had healing relics.

• Ritual probably helped gather faith points or strengthen believers.

None were urgently needed.

The only one that interests me is Sanctuary Declaration.

Its effect was completely unknown.

Maybe it was used for defense or offense.
Or maybe it was some kind of area-wide buff.

But investing just out of curiosity feels risky. My 75 points are already a bit tight.

Better to level up more first and buy a skill once new ones unlock.

[Ascetic – Cernuan Lumiere | Lv.7]

My level went up already.

The last time I checked, I was probably still below level 5.

When did it rise this much?

Was it because I obtained relics and filled my skill slots?
Or from fighting the snake?
Or from healing so many people?

I still can’t grasp how the level system works.

Even if I shouted into the void, the status window wouldn’t tell me anyway.

It seemed the system had also added my title, probably after the last update.

They bother making tiny patches like this but won’t give me any clues.

I should give up expecting any real help from the system.

I opened the Telepathy window.

The target I intended to connect with was Senta’s third-in-command.

In the game’s story, he was extremely ambitious—
the pro-Empire faction leader who eventually handed Senta over to the Empire.

[Search Target: Unar Bashelrim]
[Connect?]

I would contact Unar Bashelrim.

[Connecting…]

Good thing I remembered his face and name back then.

When I first entered Senta and greeted the high officials, memorizing those faces turned out to be quite useful.

[Connected!]
Your thoughts will now be transmitted to the target.

“Unar Bashelrim. A god reveals this only to you. Soon Senta shall face a trial of nature.”

I lowered my tone as much as possible and spoke slower than usual.

Voice mattered here.

Calmly.
Without any emotion.

“G-god…? What… No… Am I hearing things? Gods… really existed? I thought it was just imperial propaganda…”

Good. Exactly as expected.
I never thought he’d believe immediately.

“The stones you built will crumble.
The language that once sang will fall silent.
Thinking beings will crawl upon the ground, wailing.
Blood and tears will form rivers, and even if you pray then, the heavens will remain cold.
For Senta, only dust and silence shall remain.”

“Surely this isn’t a dream or hallucination… I can hear it so clearly.”

I could feel his thoughts rapidly stirring.

I deliberately remained silent.

Most humans imagine far more when faced with silence.

Even without me speaking, people naturally fill the empty space with their own assumptions.

“Hear this. Soon the northern border will collapse.
What walks on two legs there will no longer be life, nor will it breathe.
Rotten beings with decayed souls will surge forward, seeking fresh blood and warm spirits.
Flesh and blood will become their food.
And those whose souls are stolen will walk with the same steps and cries as those who harmed them.”

“Undead…? After centuries without them… now?”

“Hear this warning, you who possess ears.
Prepare for the fall of Senta!”

I intentionally didn’t end the connection.

I listened to his raw thoughts.

This was a common mistake for people experiencing telepathy for the first time.

I don’t know if it’s real or not… but considering recent events, it’s hard to ignore this. If I tell others, they won’t believe me. In that case… I won’t tell the king. I’ll invest in related industries and prepare for disaster. It won’t even cost much right now. If something happens, my standing will rise. If nothing happens, the loss won’t be that big.

Good. Exactly as planned.

No need to hear more.

I smiled inwardly.

Just as expected from someone so ambitious.

Even if he rose higher than I anticipated, it was still better than Senta being devoured by the undead and collapsing entirely.

Satisfied that Unar would move according to my plan, I ended the connection.

[Connection Ended]

Once the king hears the news, he’ll prepare some countermeasures. Senta probably won’t be completely overturned.

For now, that much information was enough.

Just a few words weren’t enough to relax yet.

After all, the first step was always the most important.

The beginning of Senta’s destruction had always been this undead invasion.

“We’ve arrived. Please rest here for a moment. I’ll secure a meeting room and have a servant notify you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

I gave a small bow and stepped out of the carriage.

Even after upgrading the defensive relic to +4, my body still felt sore.

At that moment, Calebrin, who had been riding in another carriage, walked toward me while yawning widely.

The book I had given him was tucked under his arm—
apparently he had been reading it diligently during the ride.

Doesn’t he get motion sickness?

He opened the book wide and enthusiastically began explaining things as we walked to the lodgings.

Of course, none of it made sense to me.

“So, so… first… when we return to the Empire… I need a laboratory… for research…”

Looks like I’d have something to do once we returned to the Empire.

Building Calebrin a secret research lab.

“Then I’ll inform Antonio about it.”

“Thanks.”

I answered with a smiling expression and escorted Calebrin to his room.

He kept trying to walk into the wrong room—probably because the environment had changed.

Normally Yelena guided him, but she wasn’t here anymore.

Come to think of it… Yelena, Kardil, and Erendor should return in about a day.

In my assigned room, I changed my clothes.

The clothes themselves were clean, but they were worn out in several places. Even the pants were badly frayed.

Getting Erendor to come to the Empire might be possible without help from the banquet faction.

If I went to Senta during the undead invasion and helped people there, then gave credit to Erendor or other important Senta figures…

Relations between the Empire and Senta might improve temporarily.

The banquet faction could take their profits during the chaos.

The now-powerful third-in-command would be able to control Senta.

And I would control that third-in-command to obtain what I wanted.

If I ordered him, Erendor would come to the Empire and bring the sword with him.

There would be no need to rely on the banquet group.

I pulled my long hair out from inside my shirt and combed it while looking in the mirror.

The slightly tangled white hair became neatly arranged.

But the reflection of Cernuan Lumiere in the mirror looked strangely gloomy.

I have no regrets, Cernuan. If anything, I’m a victim too. I never wanted to end up in your body.

Knock knock.

It seemed it was time to go.

I stood up and adjusted my clothes one last time.

When I opened the door, a servant bowed politely.

“I am El, the attendant assigned to guide the Ascetic.”

I smiled and returned the greeting.

“Please take care of me, El. I do have one small request… I would prefer if there were no mirrors in my room.”

“I will remove them after escorting you.”

“Thank you. May blessings be with you.”

Honestly, I just didn’t want to see that face.

So please don’t think too deeply about it.