Chapter 26
I wonder how I ended up playing this Game.
Was it the vicarious thrill of experiencing a god's perspective, even if just for a little while?
Or was it the exhilarating action and the affection I felt for my Religious Order?
‘It’s a little more complicated than that.’
It had to be something more fundamental, more primal.
Stimulation.
The Game I played, ‘Ragnarok,’ was actually pretty easy.
If things went south, I could just reset, and the controls were simple point-and-click.
So why, out of all the Games out there, did I choose this one?
‘Seriously, how pathetic.’
Back when I was playing, as the player, I looked down upon the world of Dianon.
Humans and other races divided the vast land into their own territories.
And even within those, they were further fractured into factions based on the Constellations their Religious Orders followed.
Down there, people in the data were constantly dying because of the Constellations' whims and games.
They lived on, oblivious, unaware that their turn was coming soon.
All I did was a single tap, a moment of attention.
That alone was enough to restore peace to a village, or even a nation.
They were successfully protected from the forces of the Constellations that threatened their existence.
The sense of accomplishment from that cost-effectiveness was truly satisfying.
Just like now.
-Keeek! Keeiiiik!!
-Grooooan...
Watching the army of undead advance on the Kingdom's forces, even though everything was now real, the feeling within me wasn't primal human fear.
It was the fresh stimulation of the picture I was about to paint.
“Something’s definitely changed.”
No matter how much I played the Game, I never confused it with reality.
Yet here I was, calmly observing the situation as if I were a real Constellation in the Game.
「The world still needs your attention, Father God.」
One of the System messages that popped up when I first arrived here.
I don’t know what its intentions are, but for now, I'm willing to play along.
‘It’s fun.’
My brain, already marinated in dopamine, was ready to embrace every moment as a new form of entertainment.
Compared to the tiresome power struggles between humans, this primal stuff was much more interesting.
“Hmm, first things first.”
From the white room where I overlooked the world, I checked the Map to find the main character of this stage.
The invading undead army, and the ingredients to stop them, were all in place.
Undead, Holy Sword, Holy War, experience event.
And the most important keyword, the key that should be at the center of it all…
‘Baby Hero.’
The Hero unit I had ascended to a higher concept by sacrificing Elite Summoning Tickets.
“There she is.”
Dragged away by the guards, she was currently being held in their building for protection.
Suddenly appearing without a guardian…
The guards, unsure what to do, had simply stuck her in an empty room.
“She doesn’t look well.”
Zooming in for a closer look, the girl seemed to be suffering from something like the flu.
「Descendant of the Lost Star: When the Hero's talent manifests, she must come into contact with the Holy Sword as soon as possible.」
“What kind of bothersome detail is that?”
「Descendant of the Lost Star: It's to prevent her from abandoning her assigned mission.」
Ah, so…
They put a physical limitation on her to prevent her from running away?
“Shady bastard.”
As I cursed, the chat went silent.
It seemed even he had nothing to say to that.
「Black Sun's Incarnation: Shady bastard!」
Ignoring the Black Sun Incarnation’s chiming-in, I used 'Summon' again, targeting the room where the girl was.
-Whooooosh!!
The scenery of the white room sharpened, transforming into a drab medieval office.
As the environment shifted into reality, the gaze of the sky-blue-haired girl, slumped over a desk, turned towards me.
“...?”
“Hello.”
I greeted her with a smile. She looked at me with a bewildered expression. Then, the cloudiness in her eyes cleared.
“Ahh…handsome…oppa…”
Already delirious with fever, the Baby Hero greeted me hazily.
‘Is this right?’
No matter how I looked at it, I didn’t like Star-son’s methods.
What did this child do to deserve this?
“Are you very sick?”
“I…hurt…Heehee. My head is spinning~”
“I see.”
“Yeah, and I’m cold. Hey, oppa. Can you hug me?”
Her only protection against the cold was the thin clothing she'd been wearing from the start.
Left alone in the room with no blanket or heating, and no one to care for her, her condition could only worsen.
‘Damn it, Star-son. Is this really okay?’
Feeling indignant, I opened the skill tab.
“Come here.”
Hugging the shivering, frail body was a bonus.
I couldn’t have done it if she wasn't a Follower, but now that she belonged to my Religious Order, I readily allowed it.
Even then, the Hero child seemed colder, wriggling closer to me.
I opened the skill tab and cast a simple Blessing to lower her fever.
「Casting ‘Intermediate Blessing’ on Follower, ‘Hero.’」
Hero? What kind of name is Hero?
The more I interacted with her, the more pitiful she seemed.
“Ah, amazing…”
“What is?”
“When handsome oppa hugs me tight, my body feels so much better…”
“I see. That’s good.”
“Heehee.”
I checked on the Hero, who was giggling for some reason, again.
The fever had definitely subsided, and the health bar, which had plummeted due to the high temperature, was steadily recovering.
"What's your name?"
First, let's exchange names.
"M-My..."
[Follower, would you like to change the 'Hero's' name?]
"Elion... My friends called me Eli..."
"Oh, I see."
[Follower, the 'Hero's' name has been changed to 'Elion'!]
Changed it to a proper name—
"Eli."
"Yes...?"
"Are you feeling better now?"
Eli nodded her head in response to my question.
"Yes...! I'm completely healthy now! Thank you, mister...!"
"That's good. Then now..."
'Now, it's time to work.'
Glancing at the Map, the undead army would soon reach the Kingdom's walls.
They would be preparing for the siege on their own, but what I wanted was that fleeting moment before the two forces clashed.
"Eli."
"Hmm...?"
I made eye contact with Eli, who was comfortably nestled in my arms.
"Shall we play a game together?"
"A game...? Okay!"
That's right. Games are for kids.
And I happen to have a good game in mind.
"There are people who are struggling right now. Do you think you can help them, Eli?"
"Me...?"
It might be difficult for a child to grasp, but life isn't solely about self-interest.
"Yes, you have the power to save the world, Eli."
"R-Really...?"
Checking the Map roughly, my Shrine wasn't too far away.
'This much is fine.'
Still holding Eli, I used Teleport.
I felt a flinch of surprise from within my arms, but it quickly changed to positive curiosity.
Good reaction.
If she reacted sensitively to every little thing, it would make things difficult going forward.
What appeared before our eyes in an instant was...
A freshly fallen meteorite, emanating an unknown Divine Power.
[Conditions met. 'Holy Sword' can be activated.]
Not the one I already have safely stored in my inventory, but this little Hero's Holy Sword.
"Hmm...?"
Facing the meteorite, Eli expressed her curiosity about the unknown attraction.
"It feels... strange..."
"It's okay, it's okay."
I patted Eli reassuringly and approached the meteorite.
-Woooong.
The meteorite reacted more strongly to the approach of its owner.
To be precise, the holy sword nestled within recognized its owner's approach.
-Tick.
On the surface of the meteorite, so subtle you wouldn't notice unless you looked closely or were specifically aware of it.
The change, starting from a tiny crack, continued to manifest.
"Whoa...?"
Seeing Eli's surprised reaction made me anticipate what would happen next.
-Crack!
Then.
['Holy Sword' has been successfully activated!]
Breaking through the thick, hard shell, the miraculous holy relic sealed within revealed itself.
"Wow..."
Rather than being frightened by the unfolding phenomenon, the future Hero was purely awestruck by the physically overwhelming manifestation of the Holy Sword.
"Would you try lifting that sword?"
"...?"
It might seem too large for her small frame, but if it's a Holy Sword, the story changes.
The moment it's grasped, it adjusts its weight to the wielder and even alleviates the burden – cutting-edge System.
'Just you wait and see.'
What Eli needed now, to officially become a Hero, was just a little bit of courage.
"I'm a little scared, but if I'm with mister... Okay."
"Let's go together then."
Is this allowed?
It should be fine. I'm a Constellation, who's going to stop me?
With Eli timidly nodding, we approached the Holy Sword, brilliantly positioned atop the meteorite.
The closer we got, the stronger the pull of the Divine Power it contained became.
And so.
[Follower, would you like to bestow the 'Holy Sword' upon 'Eli'?]
"Ah...!"
The Holy Sword, grasped in Eli's hand, cried out joyfully at the presence of its owner.
-Fwaaaah!
Divine Power, announcing the birth of a Hero, spread throughout the surroundings.
It's a shame the environment was so barren.
Normally, flower petals would scatter and praises would pour down.
[Black Sun's Incarnation: Eek...!]
[Descendant of the Lost Star: Oh, how beautiful. Oh...]
Only two Constellations witnessed the birth of the Hero.
#
With the clash between the undead army and the human forces imminent, the Elder Lich was pleased with the impending situation.
"Today, we will offer their corpses as sacrifices and ascend to an even higher power..."
Seizing the opportunity that presented itself.
That was the core of this operation.
Both the Constellation and his subordinate, the Elder Lich, watched the situation unfold with satisfaction.
-Fwaaaaaah!!
At the surge of intense Divine Power and the presence of the Holy Sword descending from the heavens—
"....?"
The Elder Lich's jaw dropped.