Chapter 139

I just made a guess, but the reaction I got was dramatic.

“What, what?! A god with the body of a monster?!”

Pfft! The person sitting in front of me spat out their tea in one go. The tiny droplets flying toward me seemed to slow down for some reason.

In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to do this, but now it felt possible. I wrapped my hands in Divine Power and gathered the flying droplets into the center. The small droplets merged into one large droplet, which I then returned to Lady Kisea’s teacup.

The current Ranga King was so flustered that he didn’t even seem to notice what I was doing. His eyes widened, and his words came out faster.

“Tch, tch! No matter how you look at it, for a person to do something so crazy… It’s scary to think it might be possible. It seems like you might be right.”

He stood up abruptly, moving around with a nervous expression. He even trembled, crossing his arms as if genuinely frightened. After all, no one has ever seen a monster god before.

Maybe the Primal Demon King Grimudo would want to see it, but others wouldn’t. Of course, neither would I.

“I also think it’s quite possible. The Three Divine Gods don’t want another god to be born. Epirna wouldn’t be unaware of that, so if she’s aiming for the divine throne, she must have her own preparations.”

The Empress chimed in. She had been quietly sipping her tea, which had no sugar or milk, when she suddenly spoke.

“Sophie Well. The Imperial Palace has suddenly gone quiet. What does this mean?”

“Your Majesty, I’m not sure…”

“Then shouldn’t you find out? It seems the major clashes have stopped, but I’m not sure if His Majesty is safe. I’m truly worried.”

“I-I’ll go to the throne room to see His Majesty and return.”

The knight quickly ran off in that direction. Indeed, the Imperial Palace was now silent. No more shockwaves could be heard; it was just quiet.

Whether the Temple achieved its goal, or the Empire successfully defended itself, or if they both stabbed each other to death, no one knows. But given how much time has passed and no one has appeared here, the winning side must be in disarray right now.

“Monsters are beings created by Grimudo. Epirna is no different from being his collaborator. But Ranga King. Why are you targeting Epirna? You’ve already reached the level of Master, so even if it’s not the plains, there are plenty of places that would want you, right?”

“Any faction on the continent would welcome a Master to aid them. You could have gone anywhere and taken a position, so was it really necessary to go this far?”

“What I’m saying is, was it necessary to drive out Epirna even with the Church Country’s help? Or do you want to take her place and become the new Beast King? It’s hard to believe it’s just ancestral grudge; you seem to hold a deep hatred for Epirna.”

As the Empress said, it’s a conflict between the Church Country and the Empire, disguised as a struggle for the throne.

It was hard to understand why Ranga King, already a Master, would involve himself in such a dangerous affair with the Church Country’s support, driven by such animosity toward Epirna.

His expression grew heavy.

“Petrification.”

“Petrification?”

“The Petrification Monster, the Cockatrice, turned most of our tribe into stone. I barely escaped. My parents are still standing there, turned to stone. Do you think that’s not enough?”

“I understand. A sworn enemy, then.”

With that level of hatred, it’s understandable. No, it has to be.

But petrification… There’s no record of anyone being restored from petrification, so it’s ambiguous.

If it’s not considered death, maybe it’s possible to restore them. I’ve never tried healing someone who’s been petrified, so I can’t be sure…

“If it’s petrification… Can’t the Master do something about it?”

Roka seemed to think so too, her eyes shining as she looked at me. Ranga King waved his hand dismissively.

“Once you turn to stone without being able to resist the petrification, it’s just a statue. Using Divine Power on stone won’t restore it. I’ve already tried. So…”

“No. There’s a possibility. This priest here cured my daughter’s leprosy.”

A startled expression flashed across Lady Kisea’s eyes. She looked at me with trembling eyes. Roka added,

“That’s right. The Master even fixed Chancellor’s… you know, his… um, issue. If it’s not death, can’t he fix anything?”

“What, what?! Fixing that?! What kind of skill does that blind fool have?!”

Crunch!

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.

It was clearly the sound of someone biting into a star candy, but for some reason, it sent chills down my spine. The sound seemed to echo in my ears. Roka silently chewed on her star candy, and that was enough.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

Lady Kisea, her face pale, immediately apologized. I didn’t really want to see what expression the child was making.

“Ah, anyway, is it really possible? Can you be sure…?”

“I can’t be sure since I haven’t tried. But it’s worth a shot.”

Using Divine Power on a statue isn’t particularly difficult or strenuous. The hard part is the long journey to the Eastern Plains, but we were planning to go there anyway.

Suddenly, my thoughts turned to Roka’s sword. This person is a resident of the Eastern Plains. In a way, you could call them a native, so wouldn’t they know the person we’re looking for?

“Do you happen to know about Sir Urban? Roka and I were planning to go to the Eastern Plains to find him.”

“Sir Urban? Of course. He’s basically my dad’s friend. This sword was made by him.”

But… Lady Kisea’s trailing words left us all stunned.

“That man also turned to stone. When the Cockatrice attacked our tribe, he was there as a guest…”

“Wait, so Sir Urban hasn’t been in seclusion all this time?”

Even the Empress stood up abruptly. Was Sir Urban that famous that even she knew him?

I hadn’t heard of him while following Yurinel around, but I could roughly guess why.

People forget surprisingly easily. Only those who lived in the same era as someone remember them if they haven’t been active for a long time.

“It’s not so much seclusion as he turned to stone when I was young, so he couldn’t be active. If he hadn’t been petrified, with his personality, he’d probably still be making something.”

“I thought the legendary blacksmith Urban had gone into hiding, but that wasn’t the case. What a tragic thing.”

The Empress shook her head and looked at me and Roka.

“It seems you two are planning to go to the Eastern Plains with Ranga King. Then, before you leave, could I ask one favor? I can compensate you well.”

“That’s not necessary. What’s the favor?”

“It’s quiet now, but when the Imperial Palace was in chaos earlier… the shockwaves must have reached the Dragon Vein. But Ardein’s figure hasn’t appeared, so I don’t know if she’s alive or dead.”

The Empress sighed and handed me a pouch.

“Sorry, but could you go to the Dragon Vein and find my daughter? You already have a connection with her, so it’s better than sending Sophie Well. Here, I’ll give you the reward in advance.”

The pouch was so full of shiny gemstones that some were spilling out. I pushed the pouch back with an awkward expression. I don’t need this.

“There’s no need for this. I’ve met the Princess before, so it’s only right that I go see her.”

“As the highest authority in the Rose Palace, I see this kind of thing often. I have plenty of these. Take a basketful, and no one will notice. Here, take it. You’re going to find Sir Urban, right?”

That’s true. As I nodded, the Empress continued.

“If you manage to save him from petrification, you’ll at least need to pay for the services of a blacksmith. A blacksmith of Sir Urban’s caliber doesn’t come cheap. Anyway, take it. It’s my thanks for keeping this old woman company.”

“What about me?”

Ranga King, his eyes sparkling at the gemstones, cautiously asked.

“Wasn’t my story good enough to pass the time?”

“That’s not something someone who came to kidnap me should say.”

“I was going to escort you. These two are different.”

“Where’s the person who said tigers are greedy but wolves know satisfaction?”

The Empress frowned and handed over a smaller pouch. The original pouch had already been discreetly taken by Roka.

Ranga King chuckled as he accepted the pouch, and the Empress sighed.

It was a bit of self-deprecation, knowing her safety had been threatened by such a person.

“In return, you’ll go with them.”

“I took the money, so I’ll do the job. Don’t worry. Just tell me the location, and I’ll go right away.”

This guy. He likes money more than I thought.

I hope Roka doesn’t turn into a money-crazed wolf like this.

“With this, I can get a whole lot of star candy…”

Seeing Roka picking up a gemstone and examining it, it seemed it was already too late.