Kalgos rolled his eyes inside the sword spirit.
He tried to figure out how to overcome this situation, but no answer came to mind.
Richard, who soon stood up, gripped the hilt of the White Ghost’s sword and stared down at Kalgos for a long while.
A murderous glint slowly began to swirl in his eyes.
He seemed ready to smash the White Ghost without bothering with any explanations.
Kalgos grinned wickedly.
『Keh heh… Father.』
『If you break this sword, you know what will happen, don’t you?』
「This place is stifling enough for me, so I won’t say any more.」
He had once been the Plague Legion Commander of the demon realm, standing at the very peak.
He had no reason whatsoever to care about the mood of his fallen father.
Kalgos thought as much.
Even having lost most of his power and being confined within the sword, groveling was beneath his dignity.
“What are you doing there, anyway?”
Richard’s voice sounded as if he genuinely couldn’t comprehend what was happening, making Kalgos’s eyes widen roundly.
『Is there actually something you don’t know?』
『Not only are you not omnipotent, it turns out you’re not even omniscient after all.』
『And yet you still act like a god?』
「Kehahahaha!」
Grrrk—
Richard ground his teeth hard enough to nearly shatter them.
His entire body trembled with light.
Calm down. I need to calm myself.
Reflecting on his own complacency, Richard also worked his mind to grasp the current situation.
‘This guy doesn’t have any ability to manipulate souls. This might be a variable caused by the White Ghost’s properties as a demon sword.’
The demon sword, which gained the name White Ghost for housing a hundred spirits.
Now, Kalgos appeared just like the spirits that had been trapped inside the White Ghost.
“What did you do with the other spirits?”
Krrr…
An unpleasant laugh leaked from the sword spirit.
“I asked you. What did you do with the spirits that were inside?”
Only after Richard glared fiercely did Kalgos open his mouth.
「Buuurrrp.」
A loud, satisfying belch.
After smacking his lips a few times, Kalgos fell silent.
***
“Haah.”
Sleep was completely gone.
I left the campsite and sat myself down on a broad boulder.
For what felt like the umpteenth time, a sigh escaped my lips.
“Crazy bastard.”
In my hand was the wooden box.
Inside, pressed down with a hundred thousand prayers and tightly wrapped with sleeping Adele’s vine, was the wooden box.
Within this box are the White Ghost and Kalgos.
Even as I shoved him inside the box, that bastard kept provoking me.
“Even after losing nearly all that overwhelming power and dignity…”
He truly was mad from the very core.
Recalling that moment, I gripped the box even tighter.
“…Should I just destroy it?”
To be rid of future trouble, I might have to shatter the White Ghost—even if it meant erasing that guy’s soul for good.
However.
Even that wasn’t something I could decide lightly.
If—just if—breaking the White Ghost was what would actually free Kalgos?
This wasn’t a choice I could make on a whim.
“For now, I’ll keep watch like this.”
The box was now completely sealed, so Kalgos wouldn’t be able to pull any more tricks for the time being.
“He’s no help at all, not from start to finish.”
As I tried to organize my tangled thoughts, the sky gradually grew brighter.
One by one, the knights woke up and greeted me warmly.
“Saint, what’s gotten into you today? You’re always such a sleeper.”
“Some bastard kept waking up this heavy sleeper.”
Grinning, I patted the knight on the shoulder and buried the box deep in my luggage.
After finishing our breakfast, we set out again toward the capital.
I decided not to tell Adele or the Temple Knights about the White Ghost.
There was no need to plant unnecessary anxiety in them.
Besides, who knew what kind of nonsense Kalgos’s sly tongue might stir up.
“Saint?”
As I walked silently for a while, Aaron called out to me.
“What are you thinking about so deeply? Look, you can see the capital.”
Following the direction of his pointing finger, my gaze shifted.
Through the lush trees, the silhouette of the Baren Royal Castle slowly came into view.
***
Richard’s party passed through the main gates of the royal capital and headed straight for the castle.
As they crossed the city under the escort of the royal guards, citizens came out and cheered for them.
The energy in the air was even more vibrant than when the Hor Church had first set foot here.
“Richard, my lord—heroes of our Baren. I can’t even begin to express the gratitude I feel.”
The King, who welcomed Richard and the Temple Knights, wore a brighter expression than ever before.
His once-bent waist now exuded dignity, and the depth in his eyes was worthy of the title of a reigning monarch.
He offered a guest chamber for Richard and his companions to rest in.
Then, he requested a private audience with Richard.
“I am truly grateful. Thanks to you, our Baren has found the strength to rise once again.”
Ignoring all decorum, he bowed his head in thanks, but Richard stopped him.
“It is all thanks to the grace of Hor upon Baren. Why would you bow to me?”
“The deeds you performed were, indeed, Hor’s grace upon Baren. Thank you, truly.”
The King recited Richard’s achievements one by one.
It was a little burdensome for Richard himself, but it was also a vow that Baren would not forget its benefactor.
“…And, the Trantis Marquess has organized a diplomatic envoy and departed for the Prot Kingdom. Though Baren’s shadow has lifted, darkness still lingers on the continent—they, too, will need Hor’s blessing.”
“The Lord Hor will surely be pleased with Baren’s resolve.”
Richard replied with a gentle smile.
In fact, he was quite pleased.
The Trantis Marquess and the envoy had set out for the Prot Kingdom.
Evangelists of Snowfall were carrying out their missions throughout Baren’s territories.
Soon, among them, Intermediate Evangelists would emerge.
That wasn’t all.
Before long, even the Prot Kingdom would accept the hand of the Hor Church.
And not a single hand would need to be raised for it.
“But there’s one thing I’m concerned about.”
“What is it?”
“We all earnestly desire Hor. But then… couldn’t an evil man’s wish also be considered Hor?”
The King asked.
This was a question that had left Baren’s Evangelists wracking their brains as well.
If an evil person earnestly desires an evil wish, will it be granted?
What happens when good and good conflict with each other?
Is there truly a distinction between good and evil before a god?
A major flaw in the current Doctrine of Hope.
Richard was well aware of it.
‘Hor is the god that exists within each person, the manifestation of faith… wasn’t that what they said?’
A fundamentally flawed belief.
Take Aaron, for instance—he had actually received revelation from a real, existing god named ‘Hor’.
If the struggle between the Doctrine of Hope and the Doctrine of Reality continued, it would eventually devolve into a sectarian conflict, like that between the Northern and Southern Continents.
But Richard had no intention of correcting that religious misunderstanding.
There was only the line.
“We all have wishes. That is true for even the wicked.”
“But there is one thing you must keep in mind.”
A radiance shone from Richard’s body.
He looked at the King’s trembling eyes and continued.
“The Lord Hor pursues goodness.”
“A righteous wish is Hor. The evil wishes of evil men will not reach the Lord Hor.”
As the King seemed to gather his thoughts, his gaze deepened.
It was several minutes before he spoke again.
“Then, on what basis are good and evil distinguished? One man’s good may be another’s evil, might it not?”
To that, Richard gave a gentle smile.
***
“Chweeeek! Chweeeek!!”
Huger, looking exactly like Richard, snorted loudly.
In front of him was a generous slab of meat.
“My dwarf friends! Thank you, I’ll eat well!”
At Huger’s boisterous voice, the dwarves burst into hearty laughter.
“Sure, sure. Eat up!”
“He may look human, but he acts more like an orc.”
The dwarves muttered among themselves, yet exchanged glances with Huger and Narre.
They were the dwarves of the White Anvil Clan.
“So, human. Why have you come to our clan?”
Chieftain Hurkeum asked Huger.
“We heard a great human warrior would be passing through here.”
“A great human warrior?”
The dwarves exchanged puzzled looks at such an incomprehensible answer.
Honestly, they would’ve kicked out a human without a second thought, but they couldn’t.
Hurkeum’s gaze turned to Narre, lying flat on his belly.
A divine energy flowed from that snowy-white lion.
It was something the dwarves of the White Anvil Clan desperately needed.
“So, you use an axe, I see.”
“Chweek! That’s right! An axe just feels right in my hands!”
“Heh heh… As you know, we are dwarves. We’ll make you a fine axe, but we ask for one favor in return. Can you do it?”
Huger tilted his head.
It was rare for a dwarf to offer to make a weapon so readily.
“What kind of favor?”
Hurkeum’s stubby finger pointed at Narre.
“That lion, would you mind pulling a few of its fangs for us?”
“Absolutely not.”
Huger shook his head firmly.
A dwarven-made axe was a treasure he dearly wanted, but he couldn’t just pull out his innocent friend’s teeth for it.
Yet the dwarves looked quite desperate.
So Huger asked why.
“Because of the demon energy on the continent, every weapon we make gets tainted by it! We’re the White Anvil Clan, yet all we’re making are grimy things now!”
“Damn it! We can’t face our ancestors like this!”
The dwarves lamented.
Chieftain Hurkeum even clutched at what little hair he had left.
“Chweek…? And what does that have to do with his fangs? Hey, don’t come any closer!”
Sensing the unusual mood, Huger shielded Narre.
“That lion exudes an energy that’s the opposite of demon energy. And it’s quite powerful.”
“If we process those fangs into a hammer and anvil, demon energy won’t taint our weapons anymore! The hide would be great too, if possible!”
A look of desperation clouded the dwarves’ eyes.
To them, not being able to craft fine weapons was a calamity as grave as the end of the world.
Kwoooaaang—!
Narre let out a roar, clearly displeased.
Caught in the middle, Huger couldn’t help but think of Richard.
‘Right, before you head to Titan, stop by near the Right Mountain Range. You’ll meet some good friends.’
Richard had definitely said that.
But these so-called ‘good friends’ clearly weren’t Huger’s idea of such.
“A great human warrior! Now I’m playing Cupid for you guys again! Seriously!”
The dwarves, suffering from the demon energy.
Richard’s intent in sending Huger here was painfully obvious.
“Don’t go trying to pull out my friend’s teeth. I’ll tell you where to find a place with light. Chweek!”