Chapter Season 2 725

Translator: Alpha0210

The Amakan Desert is one of the most dangerous places on the continent.

More living creatures inhabit it than the Snowfields of the Far North, but that does not mean the environment here is any less harsh.

Numerous nations and peoples exist across this vast desert, but in truth, intelligent beings control only one-tenth of the land. The remaining nine-tenths either teem with monsters or are covered by environments so extreme that living creatures simply cannot survive.

The harsh environment and dangers lurking on every side... If that were all there was to it, the Amakan Desert probably would not be nearly so famous.

There was once a time when every place outside the cities, and the proven roads connecting one city to another, was unknown territory, when straying from an established route was little different from death. One day, a merchant caravan was caught in a sandstorm and blown far off course. Naturally, most people assumed every last one of them had died, but....

About a month later, a handful of the mercenaries who had been escorting the caravan returned. On their backs were dazzling treasures magnificent enough to leave anyone gaping.

Only then did people realize that the Amakan Desert was not merely a place filled with danger.

Ancient nations had once built brilliant civilizations there, and the ruins they left behind still remained scattered throughout this desolate land.

Once that became known, the danger no longer mattered. Mercenaries, adventurers, and explorers now had more than enough reason to flock there. Of course, the words ‘confident in their abilities’ had to come before all three.

Adventurers shared information among themselves, gradually drawing more detailed maps and exchanging opinions about which monsters absolutely had to be avoided. It was not particularly effective.

By the time one group of adventurers returned from the desert, they would invariably have discovered whole swarms of monsters unlike anything seen before. On top of that, most expeditions simply vanished, so pitifully few returned with useful information, let alone treasure.

As more time passed, certain places began to be designated as locations that even those blinded by fame and fortune should never enter.

There were three in total.

The ‘Inescapable Pit’, the ‘Endless Desert’, and finally, the ‘Labyrinth’.

The Inescapable Pit is located in the western region of the desert and refers to a vast hole in the sand ten kilometers in diameter.

It is only a few dozen meters deep, but once someone falls in, physical ability alone can never get them back out. The sand constantly collapses downward, and grotesque insects and monsters lurk beneath it. Unless a mage is present, falling into it essentially means death.

The ‘Endless Desert’ lies in the central region. Its exact size has never been determined, but there is little reason to venture into the heart of the Amakan Desert in the first place.

It is completely dead land, containing nothing but sand. There are no oases where water can be obtained, no cacti beneath whose shade one might briefly rest, not even monsters. On top of that, illusions created by the shimmering heat make it extremely difficult to escape once someone sets foot inside.

The final location is the ‘Labyrinth’.

Of the Three Forbidden Zones of the Amakan Desert, this was the one adventurers were most familiar with, and it was also a place people entered relatively often.

It is a super-giant labyrinth in the northern region. The walls forming the maze rise as high and solid as mountains, and even magic powerful enough to be used on the scale of war cannot so much as scratch them.

There is only one entrance, and an exit has yet to be found. No one knows how such an enormous labyrinth was built, or what purpose it serves. Judging by its immense size, some merely speculate that it might once have been a playground belonging to the Giant Race, who vanished long ago.

They were half right.

The Labyrinth was indeed a kind of playground, but it did not belong to the Giant Race.

At the center of the Labyrinth.

In a place no human had ever set foot, there stood a pyramid. What distinguished it from an ordinary pyramid was the ritual altar at its summit, along with four chairs.

Three people were seated in the chairs.

A young man, a young woman, and an old man.

All three remained silent as they felt the desert’s scorching wind against them, until the young man spoke first.

“I don’t understand why this place is always chosen as our meeting spot. Isn’t it too desolate?”

“Isn’t that what makes it better? We don’t have to go around eliminating witnesses one by one.”

“Besides, this place is relatively central to each of our dwellings. In other words, it is the easiest place for us to gather.”

“Hmph……. Maybe it’s central for the three of us. There’s someone who practically lives right around the corner.”

The woman added with a bored expression.

“And yet there’s still no sign of her.”

“There is nothing strange about that. Lamia has a large body, so moving is difficult for her.”

“She can move through the sand anyway, so what does her size matter? And call her Noxtantine here.”

“Right.”

When the man nodded, the woman gave a small snort of laughter.

“Should we kill some time until she gets here? There are a few bugs wandering around the Labyrinth right now. Five groups of humans, two of dwarves, things that smell like beasts, and... there are monsters too? Greedy things, every last one of them.”

“There is no need to bother with them. More importantly…….”

[Noxtantine is dead.]

All three turned their heads at once when the voice suddenly rang out.

They were surprised, but that surprise did not turn into caution or hostility.

They knew who the voice belonged to, and they knew its owner enjoyed making sudden appearances like this.

[Have you been well, my Kin?]

A sacred white aura poured endlessly from the being standing with the sun at his back. He did not have so much as a thread of clothing on his body, yet the sight inspired no lust. Instead, their hearts stirred as though they were witnessing some transcendent miracle.

Those gathered here called themselves gods, but whenever they encountered that being, they were reminded that he, not they, was infinitely closer to a true god.

“Lord? Why are you here…… No. More importantly, what did you just say–”

“Noxtantine is dead? That was an amusing joke. It doesn’t suit you, Lord.”

[I do not joke about such matters, Hella.]

At that, the woman, Hella, stiffened.

“…You’re serious? Who the hell did it?”

[That is what we must now discover.]

Lord murmured.

[I would have the three of you investigate ‘Sarman’.]

“That won’t be difficult, but…… why aren’t you doing it yourself, Lord?”

It was a simple question, not an attempt to shirk responsibility.

The killing of one’s own Kin was a matter treated with the utmost gravity even among their race, and whenever anything similar occurred, Lord had always been the one at the forefront of resolving it.

[I have something else I must attend to. Recently, strange occurrences have been taking place one after another across this continent.]

“Are those leftover lizard bastards causing trouble again?”

[No. They are no longer our match.]

Lord fell silent for a moment before speaking.

[I will tell you the details at our next meeting once I have confirmed them. My beloved Kin, take care. Whoever did this will not be an easy opponent.]

“Understood. Then…… what do we do about the meeting?”

[I shall participate instead. In Lamia’s place.]

“That works out nicely. There was something I wanted to ask you anyway, Lord.”

[Speak.]

Hella slowly let out a sigh.

“How much longer do I have to keep up this ridiculous act? I’m following your orders because they’re your orders, Lord, but to be honest, I don’t understand what purpose it serves. Is there anything to gain from pretending to be a god that Mortals can turn to?”

[Of course there is, Hella. Do you perhaps doubt my judgment?]

“N-No. Of course not. Sorry if it sounded that way.”

Hella hurriedly shook her head.

Lord responded in a benevolent voice.

[I am not blaming you. Perhaps I have not been considerate enough. Yes…… perhaps my explanation was insufficient.]

After a brief pause, Lord continued.

[Religion is dangerous.]

“Why?”

[Because it gives people with no connection to one another a common bond.]

Hella still looked puzzled, and the man beside her, Las, sighed inwardly.

Hella might have been the one posing as the supreme deity of Sevierism, but in truth, she was hardly suited to such a role. Her emotions fluctuated wildly, and she could not stay focused on anything for long. One might call her moody and capricious.

That was also why she failed to grasp Lord’s true intentions.

Of course, Lord had never once become angry with his Kin, so he continued speaking in the same mild tone despite Hella’s slow response.

[There is no race left on this continent that poses a threat to us. Once we finish dealing with the dragons, this vast land can finally be called our garden in its entirety.]

A handful of demons in the Demon World were powerful enough to contend with Demigods, but they were exceptions, since they could not remain in this land for long anyway.

[Even so, there are circumstances in which we could find ourselves in danger. Our numbers are simply far too few.]

“No matter how many there are, they’re all just bugs. I don’t care how many bugs there are, they aren’t frightening.”

[True. But if there are millions of those bugs, it is only right to be somewhat cautious.]

“…Is that so?”

[Every possibility must be considered. Will there truly never come another moment when we are exhausted, sunk in deep sleep, or caught off guard? If insolent creatures seeking to harm us were to appear at precisely such a moment, we might find ourselves facing the worst situation imaginable. The now-dead Lamia has already proven that fact…….]

“…….”

[That is why religion is dangerous.]

“Why?”

[Look at the continent. Every intelligent being aside from ourselves is incomplete. Despite possessing enough intelligence to communicate with one another, they are forever fighting. Over race, ethnicity, culture, resources, territory, beliefs, and religion.]

“…You’re saying they’ll destroy themselves if we simply leave them alone?”

[They are not quite that foolish. Such bloodshed causes them to lose many things, but in certain areas it also drives their development to extraordinary heights. Even so, it would be impossible for them ever to achieve complete peace.]

“…….”

[There is no need to overthink it, Hella. The reason I intend to control religion is simple. These beings will wage war merely because the color of their skin differs, yet if they believe in the same god, they can easily develop a sense of kinship with one another.]

That sense of kinship might one day lead every race apart from the Demigods to join forces……. The possibility was remote, but it was precisely what Lord feared.

Of course, Hella still looked puzzled.

Lord shook his head.

[Within the next five hundred years, I intend to eliminate religion from this continent entirely. It is an unnecessary element in our garden.]

“Hmm. All right.”

Hella nodded despite not fully understanding.

[…I would like all three of you to go to ‘Sarman’. Just in case, move while concealing your presence as much as possible. The Central Temple was Noxtantine’s dwelling, so it would be best to reveal your Rank only to the humans there and obtain information from them.]

“Understood.”

[Then I wish you success, my Kin.]

With those final words, Lord vanished.

Hella watched him disappear and exclaimed in admiration.

“That always looks so convenient. Lord’s Spatial Leap.”

“Perhaps we’ll be able to use it too if we raise our Rank.”

“You think? Isn’t that an Authority unique to Lord?”

“Riki can do something similar too, even though it doesn’t seem to have much to do with Authority.”

“Ah. True.”

Hella nodded.

“Anyway, things just got annoying. It’d be easier to destroy the whole town and be done with it……. But Lord said otherwise, so I suppose we have no choice.”

A dark crimson light flickered in her eyes.

“Then shall we go find out which insolent little bug dared kill one of our Kin?”

***

Lukas had never felt awkward dealing with people.

There had often been people who made him uncomfortable or ill at ease, but even with them, Lukas had always instinctively known how to conduct himself.

Which meant this woman was a type even he had never encountered before in his life.

“This looks delicious too!”

Bright, cheerful, and positive.

It might have been a common enough personality, but surprisingly, no one like her had ever been around Lukas before.

He had walked right past the skewer she offered without even acknowledging it, then ignored everything she said afterward, yet her attitude never changed. She continued trailing after him with a beaming smile.

“Thanks for helping me, but I want to be alone, so leave me be.”

“Yep.”

She answered readily enough, but she was not particularly good at doing as she was told.

The only thing she changed was widening the distance between them by about two paces. Apparently, she still intended to keep following him. When Lukas turned to stare at her in disbelief, she wore a strangely triumphant expression. Her face seemed to say, I did what you told me, didn’t I?

The moment he saw her face, Lukas forgot his current situation for a moment and could not help letting out a small laugh.

The woman’s name was Pale, and there were more than one or two strange things about her.

For one thing, she seemed to have an enormous fondness for food, yet she was remarkably slender. And while she had a hearty appetite, she apparently was not very possessive of food, because she constantly offered what she had to Lukas.

He had felt a little bad about refusing the first skewer, so he accepted a few things afterward. That only encouraged her to start feeding him as though she were determined to fatten him into a pig.

“I’m good. I can’t eat another bite.”

“Yep.”

They wandered through the streets, occasionally exchanging inconsequential words. Pale did not speak to him unless she was offering him food. Sometimes she seemed perceptive, and other times she seemed utterly oblivious.

Yet for some reason, Lukas felt as though some of the heaviness clinging to his heart had been washed away.

Perhaps his expression had improved a little too.

“You don’t look very happy.”

Apparently not.

Pale tilted her head and asked,

“Did something bad happen?”

“It did.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

“…….”

Lukas hesitated for a moment, but he was probably never going to see her again after today anyway. Sometimes there were secrets that could only be told to a complete stranger.

“A friend of mine died.”

Unable to bring himself to say that he had killed his friend, Lukas continued in a subdued voice.

“He wasn’t supposed to die like that.”

“Is that why you’re sad?”

“Sad? No. I…….”

Was he sad right now? Even that was still unclear to him.

Lukas worked his mouth soundlessly a few times before speaking.

“Right now, I hate the bastards responsible for his death so much I can barely stand it.”

Including himself.

Pale, who had been listening quietly, spoke.

“They sound like really awful people. Want me to teach them a lesson?”

“…I appreciate the thought.”

“I’m serious. I’m super strong.”

As she said it, Pale bent one arm and flexed her bicep.

He had briefly forgotten, but she was dressed like a mercenary. Even so, she did not have the body of someone who had trained seriously. And judging by her fairly rusted scabbard, she might simply have dressed this way to keep people from looking down on her.

Lukas slowly shook his head.

“No. It’s fine.”

“If you change your mind, tell me anytime.”

“All right.”

“Then is that the only problem?”

“…Not exactly.”

Maybe it was only his imagination, but both his body and mind felt a little lighter.

Lukas continued quietly.

“I suppose you could say I’ve lost confidence.”

“Confidence?”

“There are too many things I have to do, too many things I can do. At first, I thought I could handle all of it, but maybe that was arrogance. These days it’s so exhausting that I often find myself wanting to drop everything.”

“Then just drop it all.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because…….”

Lukas fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“…There’s no one who can shoulder what I have to do in my place.”

“I see.”

After a brief silence, Pale replied as though it were no great matter.

“Then if there were someone who could do it in your place, you could run away.”

*****

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