Summoning

It was immediately after I learned from a system message that the flame that burns forever was related to the gods.

I searched for stories concerning the flame and the gods, but nothing in particular turned up.

"How can this be?"

To be precise, there were very few stories about the gods themselves.

Whenever I searched for what little existed, most of it was connected to the god Romper.

It was nearly impossible to find even the original texts of stories about gods other than Romper.

"It's as though someone deliberately erased them. Every trace has disappeared."

Come to think of it, I realized that I had never heard anything about churches other than the Romper Church.

There was no way there was only one church on the continent. There should have been quite a few.

Why had only the Romper Church been so prominent?

'It's not as though the Empire ever persecuted religion or anything.'

Could all the gods have attached themselves to Mirne, who had so many privileges hanging off her?

But if that were the case, there should have been related traces or records about them.

It was strange that there was absolutely nothing of the sort.

"If they really were erased... who could have erased them?"

Was it the Great Prophet? But could that have happened?

At the time, the second sword capable of killing gods did not yet exist.

'Or was it during the Great Empire? Did they kill the gods back then? Because of Mirne? To prevent Mirne from receiving the gods' help... did they kill every god who would have stayed by her side? Did they spare Romper because there was a possibility that he would become the god of a Holy Kingdom?'

The more I thought about it, the only conclusion I could reach was that I was making wild guesses.

It felt as though I was forcing the process to fit the result.

But there were so few clues about the gods—almost unnaturally few—that they drove me to think that far.

"Was that why the Romper Church began evangelizing so excessively in the south? Because other churches truly didn't exist, and they were trying to create an entire religion from scratch?"

"According to the investigation, no religious activity was detected in the south either. Everyone knew about prayer itself, but they did not direct their prayers toward any particular object."

"...So that was why the Romper Church was naturally absorbed into the Empire. No one had a particular religion they believed in."

"That's right."

Could the Western Continent have had no particular religion at all apart from the Romper Church?

Wouldn't there at least have been some form of folk belief?

To think there was truly nothing.

'I wonder whether many gods exist on the Eastern Continent.'

Then was the Eastern Continent different?

I would look into it, but it did not seem likely that the dwarves' pact was connected to the Eastern Continent.

'It makes no sense for only the dwarves' pact to be particularly connected to the Eastern Continent. If that were the case, there should have been hints of it all along.'

The reasonable conclusion was that the gods had disappeared from the Western Continent for some reason.

Then what on earth was that reason?

There was only one way to find out as quickly as possible.

'Ah, I really hate this.'

++++++

[ The World Tree complains that I have only just come. ]

[ The World Tree says that being neglected isn't so bad. ]

[ The World Tree asks me to occasionally draw its sap with a sword wreathed in hot flames. ]

[ The World Tree says its sap is effective in many ways, and that I used it very often. ]

"...."

I knew that the villainesses occupied the position of helpers who supported the Crown Prince.

In that sense, the World Tree was, in a way, the helper who wanted to support the Crown Prince more than anyone else.

In reality, the Crown Prince had drawn the World Tree's sap with a sword and drunk it.

He had also used its roots to store the memories of his regression and help himself during the next cycle.

He had received the World Tree's help for a variety of purposes.

There was no denying that the World Tree was a villainess who was enormously helpful in many ways.

But.

[ The World Tree asks why I am simply staring at it. ]

[ The World Tree gets excited, wondering if being ignored and neglected is next, and says this is something new. ]

There was a corresponding penalty.

It was difficult to call it a penalty; perhaps it should be called a mental attack.

Not a single one of the messages could be taken lightly.

Every one of them was lethal.

Since I was the one asking for a favor, I drew my sword, just as the Crown Prince had.

Thunk.

I thrust the sword deep into the World Tree and wrapped it in flames.

Normally, the moment Sol Bellos's flames touched it, it should have quickly burned.

But I could feel that the World Tree was using my flames as fertilizer instead.

[ The World Tree says it has been a really long time since it felt flames. ]

[ The World Tree gushes out its sap in uncontrollable joy. ]

[ An indescribable happiness takes root in the World Tree. ]

"...."

Moreover, I could visibly see how happy it was.

It started with its branches trembling, then its roots thrusting above the ground in real time.

Then they grew thicker, and a report suddenly came in that the Great Forest was rapidly expanding.

"...If you're happy, then I'm happy too."

I forced my mouth open and slowly pulled out the blade.

Why on earth had the Crown Prince drunk the World Tree's sap coating the sword?

'Come to think of it, he really had just shoved it in and pulled it out, then eaten it, without any process like this.'

Now was the time to find out.

The World Tree's sap dripped from the blade.

It had no color at all, which somehow made it feel even more unpleasant.

I almost wished it had been the color of traditional herbal medicine instead.

"Phew."

I scooped a little into my hand and quickly tipped it into my mouth.

The moment I savored it, wondering what it would taste like.

"...?"

I realized that it truly had no taste at all.

If I had to describe it, I would say it tasted like water.

But.

"So that's why he drank it."

I felt a sense of recovery beyond anything words could express.

It was as though even my mental strength had been completely restored.

I understood why the Crown Prince, who had been exhausted during every regression, had kept the sap close at hand.

The World Tree's sap was a restorative that took care of the mind as well.

'And naturally, it must be exclusive to the Crown Prince.'

Otherwise, the Crown Prince, who wanted the Empire to prosper, would have already tried to mass-produce it.

If merely eating it healed the mind as well, why would he keep it all to himself?

Moreover, though I couldn't say for certain, I felt the Crown Prince's experiences settling more deeply into my body.

It wasn't simply that I was using my body based on memories.

It was more like the Crown Prince's memories truly felt like my own.

Anyway.

"World Tree, do you know where the gods have gone? No matter how hard I search for traces, I can't find them."

As soon as I finished cheering up the World Tree, I got straight to the point.

[ The World Tree is surprised that I reached that truth so quickly. ]

[ The World Tree says this is the most absurdly fast pace among all my regressions. ]

From what the World Tree said next, I was able to infer a few things.

"The fact that you didn't meet me during the process of regression is something you don't remember either...."

Then, ultimately, did that mean that meeting the World Tree and asking about the gods could be considered part of the latter stages of the Crown Prince's regression?

"Is that the kind of restriction that prevents you from telling me in advance?"

[ The World Tree affirms what I said. ]

[ The World Tree says the reason there are no gods is that someone killed all the gods. ]

[ The World Tree explains that because of that incident, the gods could no longer casually reveal themselves to humans. ]

"Someone killed all the gods? It can't have been all of them, can it? Romper alone proves otherwise...."

[ The World Tree says Romper is a different case. ]

"If it's a different case... is it because of Mirne? If Romper disappeared, the Holy Kingdom would disappear too, and then the story couldn't proceed as it originally did?"

[ The World Tree affirms what I said. ]

Then did that mean whoever it was had killed every god who was not connected to the male protagonist?

Why on earth?

'From my perspective, the only answer I can come up with is that they killed them to prevent the gods from favoring Mirne... but does that make any sense?'

When had the gods been killed, then?

I asked whether the World Tree knew anything about that.

[ The World Tree answers that it does not know about that part. ]

Even the World Tree could not tell me anything beyond that.

"At this rate, I find myself wanting to take the easy way out and think that the Great Prophet killed them."

The Great Prophet had predicted that Mirne would appear in the distant future.

He had identified the gods who would endlessly favor Mirne, then killed every one of them except those he could not kill.

Was there any possibility other than that?

Who else on the continent possessed the power to kill gods?

'I really have no idea.'

I briefly wondered whether I should eat the roots and dig further into even the Crown Prince's memories.

Then I realized that had only been possible once.

"Is there anywhere that even a trace of the gods remains?"

Had they really died so completely?

It was a thought that occurred to me, and I muttered it absentmindedly.

[ The World Tree says that despite everything, it can still sense the gods' presence. ]

[ The World Tree suggests that I take another careful look at the Kingdom of Maselin. ]

"The Kingdom of Maselin?"

I received an unexpected answer.

'The gods are dead, but their presence can still be felt?'

It was wordplay if I thought about it simply, but knowing that Mirne was effectively modding the world.

I thought that Mirne must possess something capable of dealing with the gods.

Then what should I do?

The answer was simple.

"I suppose I need to summon Mirne."

Despite being punished for rashly starting a war of conquest.

She had dared to hide something like Urkon Azgal?

"Come to think of it, I never gave her a proper punishment."

I needed to make her answer, one by one, for what she had intended to do with it.