Karnak, Monarch of Death

”So to summarize...” Karnak asked with a doubtful look. ”You’re saying that when people pray and enough faith accumulates, a new god or goddess is born?”

The young dragon clicked his tongue. ”Tsk, tsk. I already said it was not such an arrogant notion...”

Still, unless one examined the matter deeply, it was not entirely wrong to interpret it that way. It was ultimately a matter of how one defined the concept of a god.

Karnak continued, ”Doesn’t that seem strange? That sounds like saying if you create a religion, a god will appear.”

There had been countless heretical sects and cults throughout history. Yet among all those cults, not once had a truly new god or goddess ever appeared.

”There is nothing strange about it.” Grateria smirked faintly as he replied. ”Countless protests arise across the world. Yet how often do the protesters’ wishes actually change the world? Why do you think that is?”

”Well, because enough people have to unite their will and turn it into action...” Karnak, answering absentmindedly, shrugged. ”I see. I understand now.”

Both the Black God’s Cult and the Twilight Order had already spread widely enough to rival the seven goddesses church. Meanwhile, most other cults had never risen beyond the level of mere superstition.

”So if it fails, it’s a cult, but if it succeeds, it becomes a religion.”

”In fact, even the seven goddesses church that now dominates the continent was once considered a cult and heresy during the era when the five great deities were the mainstream faith. But now, is that still the case?”

From the perspective of Milia, a priest, such words bordered on blasphemy, but she had no grounds to refute them. After all, they had been spoken by Grateria, a being who had lived for thousands of years. Moreover, she had seen proof of Grateria’s words with her own eyes. How could she possibly refute that?

Dios spoke up. ”Then what exactly is grace?”

He could understand that the Black God and the Twilight Goddess had gained a form of existence similar to the seven goddesses. But grace?

The power wielded by priests of the seven goddesses church had always been divine power. He had never seen anything like grace used as an ability.

At that, Grateria spoke with a tone of mild surprise. ”Human mages have come surprisingly close to the truth.”

Within the field of magical studies, there existed a certain theory: That human faith gathered together to form divine authority, and that the sharing of that authority among humans was the true nature of divine spells.

Thus, some argued that the fundamental power formed by collective human faith should be called grace, while the distributed power used by individuals should be referred to as divine power.

”Of course, that is not entirely correct. Power does not simply arise because human faith gathers.”

However, when faith accumulated, a channel through which that power could be drawn did come into existence. The communication channel was the goddess. Those gathered before it seeking power were priests, and the prescribed procedure to draw forth that power, the prayers offered to the goddess, served as the method. Through the channel known as the seven goddesses, the transcendent will lower itself to communicate with mortals.

Sometimes it granted fragments of power. Occasionally, through oracles, it attempted to convey its intentions to humanity. That was why oracles were always so vague.

If a human tried to communicate with an ant, even the simplest and most direct attempt at communication would still feel endlessly ambiguous from the ant’s perspective. Thus, the seven goddesses themselves were the very will of the channel that sought to communicate with mortals.

But the Black God’s cult and the Twilight Order were somewhat different. ”To put it metaphorically, one could say that in their case, there is a dedicated clerk sitting behind the communication window.”

A visitor approaching the window merely received limited resources that were handed to them.

”But the dedicated clerk at the window could draw upon the resources inside far more freely.”

It was an ant capable of communicating with other ants at their level, yet also able to rise to the level of humans and communicate with them as well. A false god, born as a human, yet elevated through the reverence of others to a position touching transcendent will. That was a false god.

”The power of that false god is what you call grace. It is the power of god wielded by a human.”

***

Serati organized her thoughts. In other words, Tesranach was wielding divine power through the Black God’s Cult, and she herself had become a false god through the Twilight Order? Even so, she still could not understand why it had to be her.

”Is it because I’ve been running around showing my face everywhere as the so-called Saintess of Twilight?”

At Serati’s muttered remark, Grateria spoke quietly. ”In truth, false gods have existed before. In fact, everyone here is already familiar with one.”

Originally, death had merely been the absence of life, and darkness merely the absence of light. But when faith accumulated again and again, death and darkness took form, and a new channel of communication was created.

”The God of Death, Astra Shunaph,” continued Grateria.

Karnak frowned deeply. ”I never founded any religion.”

”But did you not cover the entire world in hatred and fear, forcibly subjugating the consciousness of all?”

”I did.”

”And did you not make every living and dead being recognize you as the sole master of the world?”

”That’s... true?”

”If that is not a religion, then what is?”

”Does it really work like that?”

With a faint laugh, Grateria looked around at everyone. ”Why do you think Astra Shunaph is so powerful?”

The concept of death, which had once been nothing more than absence and an ending, was carved into the world through Karnak and made tangible. A new communication channel, death and darkness, was formed, and in that place, the false god known as the Monarch of Death took his seat.

That was why Astra Shunaph had been so overwhelmingly powerful. He had already touched the very law and principle of death itself.

Varos turned to Karnak in shock. ”Young master... were you really a god?”

Karnak blinked blankly. ”Now that you mention it... Was I actually a god?”

They had always used the phrase God of Death like an idiom, but to think it had been literal?

Grateria immediately snapped back. ”A false god! At most, you were a false god!”

Varos scratched the back of his head, pretending nonchalance. ”Well, false or real, if you use a god’s power, that makes you a god, doesn’t it...?”

In any case, Astra Shunaph had unquestionably existed in a realm beyond mortal reach. And the same held true for the dragon emperor. He was a being who stood between the realm of false gods and the mortal world, one who protected and safeguarded, transcending even the lifespan of his species and living for thousands of years. But he had not delved into divinity as deeply as Astra Shunaph had.

”That was the reason the dragon emperor was defeated, and the reason he became Tesranach.” Referring to himself as if he were a third party, Grateria continued. ”I have already told you what Tesranach did afterward, have I not?”

He spread the faith of the Black God throughout the world of the past, disrupted the faith of the seven goddesses church, and gathered grace. All to steal the destiny of the Monarch of Death and create a communication channel of his own, so that he might become the master of that channel.

”However, there was one problem Tesranach failed to foresee.” A wry smile briefly crossed Grateria’s face. ”Once the board has been laid out, if another person performs the same act upon it, the same result may occur.”

A sect known as the Twilight Order emerged. It became the opposing force to the Black God’s cult and began to erode Tesranach’s faith. As its influence grew stronger and spread wider day by day, a communication channel known as Serakal of Twilight was eventually opened.

Since the channel itself did not possess a will, grace began to flow toward the one qualified to become its master. It gathered in the one most trusted by Death, and the one capable of communicating with the world.

”Who do you think the master of death trusted most and gave his heart to?”

Serati blinked blankly, then turned toward Karnak. ”Did you ever give your heart to me?”

Karnak looked just as flustered. He had never even considered such a thing. ”Well? Did I?”

Surprisingly, others such as Leven and Milia seemed to understand.

”From the outside, it certainly looks that way.”

”It’s true that you trust her far more than anyone else.”

Serati still found it hard to accept. That alone?

But when she thought about it, she realized that she was practically the only person he ever truly listened to. ”Wait a second. Then what about Sir Varos? If those are the conditions, shouldn’t it be him instead of me?”

”He does not meet the second condition.”

It had to be someone capable of communicating with the world. More precisely, someone who possessed ordinary emotional sensibilities and a conscience, someone capable of understanding people. Someone who could empathize with why others laughed, why they cried, why they felt joy or sorrow.

”What kind of condition is that?” Drel muttered in disbelief. ”With requirements like that, wouldn’t almost anyone qualify?”

But Karnak and Varos immediately understood.

”That condition’s way too difficult.”

”Exactly. I’m out.”

Serati let out a deep sigh. Right... those two definitely wouldn’t qualify.

Wasn’t their current sorry state precisely because they lacked such basic qualities?

Leven spoke up, recalling another possibility. ”What about Lapicel? Wouldn’t Lapicel meet those conditions as well?”

Lapicel, who had been listening quietly, showed surprise . ”Me?”

Meanwhile, the others nodded in agreement.

Well, that’s true.

Lord Karnak does seem rather fond of Lapicel.

He even went to rescue her personally.

This time, Grateria also agreed. ”She possessed the qualifications as well.”

It was simply that Serati’s qualifications were overwhelmingly greater. ”As I mentioned earlier, did you not distribute her portrait throughout the entire world?”

When most followers of the Twilight Order prayed, what they actually worshipped was Serati’s face. Having already fulfilled all the necessary conditions, this had driven the final nail into place.

Thus, while Tesranach pursued the destiny of darkness and death as the Monarch of Death, Serati, without realizing it, began to follow the destiny of twilight, the transition from light into darkness. And in that process, a portion of the grace meant for Tesranach began to flow toward Serati instead.

”If Tesranach had simply been a being who wielded the power of the dragon emperor and the Monarch of Death, such a thing would never have occurred.”

But he had unified those powers through the Grace of the Black God. That was why he had been able to steal the destiny of the Monarch of Death. However, at the same time, it had exposed his own destiny as well.

”And so, from this point forward, this is what must be done.” Grateria turned toward Karnak and the others, then spoke with solemn gravity. ”Let the entire world praise the Twilight Goddess.”

With the Saintess of Twilight at the forefront, they would gather the world’s faith and increase her grace. This would allow them to seize the Shadow of Doom from Tesranach’s subordinates and convert it into her grace.

If that was done, the once-insurmountable gap between them and Tesranach might be reduced to a distance within reach.

”For now, this is the only way to oppose him, O Saintess of Twilight.”

Though hope had finally appeared, Serati could not bring herself to rejoice. ”But this...”

She, who had once been nothing more than an ordinary aura user from Derath City, was supposed to become the incarnation of a goddess and the savior of the world?

”You’re basically telling me to scam the entire world, aren’t you?”

”There should be no major problem.” From within Floke, the dragon emperor smiled gently. ”After all, many religions begin in just this way.”

***

Recalling what had happened back then, Serati stared intently at Alius. There’s no way I can explain all of this in detail.

She sighed inwardly. Do I really have to pull this stunt again?

Facing Alius, who was watching her with suspicious eyes, she deliberately put on a deeply moved expression and began to speak.

”It all began several months ago...”

***

It had happened while she was praying alone, burdened as always by anxiety over the chaotic state of the world. Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared before her eyes.

—Serati Allen...

It was a gentle yet powerful voice. Overcome with awe, Serati dropped to her knees.

—I am Serakal, the Goddess of Twilight. The world is being swallowed by darkness, and now, through you, I shall bring salvation to this land.

Trembling with fear, she protested.

—I am nothing more than one who wields a sword. How could I possibly accomplish such a task?

—I will be with you. Do not fear and follow me. Your faith and courage shall lead the world toward hope.

In that instant, she realized her calling. It was to save the world in the name of Twilight. That was the very reason she had been born into this world.

—My child... do not fear. Step forward... I shall be with you....

***

”And that is why I now stand here.”

Serati finished speaking with a solemn expression. Her face was filled with determination and passion.

Behind her, the others exchanged whispered messages.

—Wow, Sir Serati’s acting has really improved.

—Acting is an essential skill for any good swindler.

Alius, however, had completely bought into it. So that was how it happened!

As had been said many times, he was the kind of person who trusted someone fully once he had chosen to believe in them. Besides, the story made sense. After all, wasn’t a miracle something that defied reason by its very nature?

”Sir Serati, no, Saintess of Twilight.” Moved to the core, Alius traced the sign of blessing and recited a prayer of benediction. ”I pray that Hatoba’s blessing be with you. Please become a ray of light in this dark world.”

Only Serati felt weighed down by guilt. I’m so sorry...