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Chapter 259

-It brings back memories. Back when I was still human. I was an adventurer then. Staying in one place was boring, so I wandered around seeking new experiences.

Here, there is a place closest to paradise in the world.

Nowadays, you can’t sleep at night because the ground shakes no matter where you go, but originally, this place was extremely quiet and serene. Occasionally, you’d hear the sound of wind tearing through your ears, but other than that, there was no sound at all.

-Why else would I have crawled all the way to the North Pole to meet the Demon King? It might be a bit of a stretch, but I can confidently say I’ve seen a lot. There aren’t many who’ve been to more places than me.

There is no threat here except for one thing.

You can’t even see ferocious beasts like wolves or bears. Other monsters, like orcs, are already rare on the continent, so they naturally don’t exist here.

Even goblins, monsters with the best environmental adaptability, capable of digging holes and living in small mountains, don’t exist here. You don’t have to worry about someone taking your life or stealing your belongings while you sleep.

No assassin or thief would wander into such a place, and even if they did, they’d probably die or flee before encountering anyone.

There are no taxes, no tyranny, and no conscription. Tax collectors and recruiters don’t even glance this way. Getting caught up in war is something you can’t even dream of. No matter how much the world shakes, this place remains serene until the end.

The North Pole.

The North Pole, the pinnacle of cold.

It’s obvious why no one lives in such a good place.

The only flaw of this frozen paradise is the environment.

There’s nothing else to worry about. If you want to live here, you only need to worry about the environmental factors. That one concern overshadows all the other advantages.

-Originally, I never set foot in the North Pole. It was obvious I wouldn’t survive. Even the North Pole is a place where you live on the edge of life and death every day. I didn’t dare go further to the North Pole, and even if I had the chance… I didn’t have the courage back then.

“Who would’ve thought I was usually brave?”

The girl who scolded me looked at the meat stew warming over the campfire and made a strange expression. No matter how long it boiled, the stew showed no signs of bubbling; instead, the top began to freeze.

“Why is this happening? Did you do this?”

Black smoke rose in puffs from the surface of the freezing stew. For a moment, I thought it was some great alchemical potion, but the ingredients were definitely food.

-What? Don’t blame me for everything bad that happens. What do I gain from ruining your stew? I’d just get scolded.

It’s illogical, but this is an illogical place. When you light a fire, the stew doesn’t warm up; the top freezes, and the bottom burns.

Of course, you can’t eat that. As we got closer to the North Pole, the cold became more intense. The Bluebird’s feathers protected us, but not the stew.

“This looks completely inedible.”

Now, even dog food is out of the question. Not a dog, not a wolf, but a wolf shapeshifter, Roka, looked at the half-burned, half-frozen stew and made a face.

In the North Pole, even eating is not easy.

“Should we throw it away?”

“We have to. Eating that would be tasteless, and it might upset your stomach. No, it definitely will.”

“Eek!”

“Wait, Roka! If you spill something that hot here…”

Before I could finish, the child kicked the pot over. Frozen stew pieces scattered everywhere, and Roka froze in shock.

Even if she had been hit directly, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but it was unexpected. The child glared at the Evil God and growled.

“Isn’t this prank too much?”

-It wasn’t me! Why are they blaming me? Do I look that easy to them, one of the Five Great Gods of the Continent?

“…This is normal in the North Pole. It’s so cold that hot water freezes instantly and explodes.”

Especially here, close to the North Pole.

Even in other cold places, similar phenomena occur. It’s not common, so these kids probably haven’t seen it before.

In extreme cold, boiling water sprayed into the air scatters like blooming ice flowers. If it were water, it might look pretty, but with stew, it feels like playing with food.

The stretched-out stew pieces will remain here for a long time, neither rotting nor decaying. Maybe even long after we’re gone.

I often think that a human’s lifespan is so short compared to geological time. What would someone think if they found these pieces later?

Roka unknowingly left evidence of our existence in the North Pole.

“You look easy to me.”

“Then, not easy?”

-These guys, really…!

Despite losing a meal, the three of them were full of energy, arguing loudly. Turning my gaze, I saw Azahadaka. After losing to the Demon King, she became quieter.

She didn’t seem depressed, just thoughtful. With her mouth closed, she exuded a dignified dragon-like aura. Though it was already too late.

[I’ve thought about it before, but this cold isn’t ordinary. The North Pole’s cold is too deep and intense to be just environmental.]

As if noticing my gaze, the dragon turned her eyes to me and shared her thoughts.

[At first, I suspected magic, but if it were that, I would’ve noticed. Even if it were dragons, one or two wouldn’t be enough to cool the entire North Pole. At least dozens would need to combine their power.]

“You seem to have an idea.”

[There’s only one being in the world who could do this. Only the Ancient God can perform such mysteries.]

I couldn’t help but glance at the Evil God arguing over there. It seemed her past stories about the North Pole weren’t lies.

[But why would the Ancient God do this? They rarely intervene in the world against the natural order. They are nature itself, so going against it would be self-destructive. That’s why they usually just observe.]

“Do you know much about the Ancient God?”

[Hmm, you humans probably know this much. The Ancient God is nature itself, but not entirely. They are a consciousness born from the Law of the Universe, not entirely identical to it. The Law is immutable, but the consciousness within it isn’t.]

The dragon, who roamed the sea of stars, seemed to know much more about the Ancient God, the universe itself, than we who are bound to this land.

But even she didn’t know everything, often speaking vaguely. About the Ancient God, even the great dragons could only make educated guesses.

[The Law of the Universe exists as a law, and for it to act recklessly is against the natural order. When the Ancient God actively uses their power, it’s against the natural order. What is against the natural order? It’s going against the universe’s rules.]

[The law breaking the law. It’s like going against one’s own origin. No matter how small, once the Ancient God intervenes and changes something, the burden is unimaginably huge. That’s why the Ancient God is invincible but also mortal.]

[But in a way, that’s why we can live. If the Ancient God had no constraints and moved as actively as now, could small beings like us withstand their movements? I don’t think so.]

She sighed and pointed below us, at the still-shaking glacier.

[What’s below us is just a big lump of flesh. It has no malice, not even proper intelligence. But even against such a thing, neither you nor I have a solution.]

[Let alone the Law of the Universe… Even the smallest law is much bigger than this thing. If these things ran wild, the universe would have already collapsed, and we’d be dust. Even the stars in the sky wouldn’t stay in place.]

I nodded, understanding more than I did before. So, the Ancient God had such great constraints.

Yet, with such constraints, the Ancient God intervened here, making the North Pole colder.

Originally cold, but much colder. Beyond what’s naturally possible.

They must have paid a huge price, yet they did it.

Why? For what? Would we know if we went to the North Pole?

I don’t know, but one thing is certain.

We won’t know anything without going there ourselves.

Forsaken Priest of The Hero’s Party

Forsaken Priest of The Hero’s Party

용사파티 버림받은 사제
Score 8.2
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2022 Native Language: Korean
The Priest of a nameless God, Kyle. Forsaken by the ones he once called his companions.

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