Chapter 57 – Lull

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Even anger and tears required energy.

The people who had been so loud and raucous were tiring out one by one.

Even the bewilderment of learning that the gods of the pantheon had attacked them could not overcome the pull of sleep.

These were precarious times where the world was crumbling, and a good night’s rest was precious.

“Zzz… Snort! Cough, ahem…”

“Star Creation… I know nothing of it, Your Grace… *smack smack*.”

Watching everyone toss and turn in their sleep and mumble to themselves, they looked purely innocent.

The representatives who had been holding things together among the survivors were no exception.

The underground shrine at the bottom of the dimly lit stone steps.

Even Hwen, who had been scolding people with her strong voice, was now slumped against the wall, nodding off and jerking herself awake.

She was so drowsy she had no idea which direction the Starflower tucked into her arms was facing.

But she was forcing herself to stay conscious for one reason.

It was a single-minded desire to stand guard beside Bartol, who was rummaging through the ruins of the shrine.

“…Old man, are you still not done? How much longer do I have to wait?”

“You can go lie down.”

“Of all the nerve. You’d have been grabbed by the scruff and dragged into a brawl without my help, and now you’re acting all self-sufficient.”

He had been the only one to overhear the conversation between Bearing Responsibility and me.

Bartol swept the dust-covered shelf with his hand and let out a long, heavy sigh.

“I need to sort out my thoughts.”

“Hmm. Well, he was someone you used to serve.”

Hwen’s interest was fading.

She began nodding off even more passionately, as if making up for her lack of sleep.

Only then could I approach Bartol.

“Bartol, if you’d like, I can make you forget.”

The answer from the old priest who had been harassed by the angry crowds demanding answers was simple.

Bartol had chosen, until the very end, not to share the truth. Or perhaps it was closer to say he could not.

Humans were no longer needed by the gods.

Given the weight of influence that statement from Bearing Responsibility carried, it was a rational decision.

The very real worry that the people might feel betrayed by this and devolve entirely into demon-worshippers came through clearly.

Not just from the taste and smell, but from his trembling voice.

“Your Greatness… Godfather of Stars.”

Bartol gripped a clump of dust on the shelf tightly in his fist.

“Are we not needed?”

“No. The ‘living’ that the Sun God spoke of referred to beings who possessed both intellect and spirit. That was you. As long as you lived, the Sun God could not move freely.”

“What does that… mean?”

It was true that I had a fondness for people.

I was also a gamer who placed great importance on keeping as many survivors alive as possible.

Of course, Last Comet offered appropriate rewards for the challenge of keeping survivors alive.

Perhaps it was not a game at all, but a learning simulation…

“The Sun God is overwhelming. The demons feared his power and imposed many constraints upon him when he sought to borrow their strength. The Sun God, brimming with confidence in his own power, accepted them all.”

…Think about why the defeat condition in Last Comet was the extinction of all survivors, and the answer became simple.

“You, the survivors, are a kind of seal. But at the same time, you are also a trap that the Sun God has prepared.”

“A trap?”

“A trap to nullify the constraints placed on the Sun God himself as quickly as possible.”

As long as the living remained in the world, the Sun God could not interfere with the land directly.

The demons knew this too, but in the midst of their war against their own kind, they could not afford to spare the living.

And the Sun God was deliberately creating a harsh environment to ensure the living died from a multitude of causes.

For the demons, this was maddening.

Even without them lifting a finger, people were dying left and right on their own. To leave that alone would be madness.

To stand against the Sun God’s descension, drawing ever closer by the moment, they had to consume just a little more, every chance they got.

Even knowing full well that the very war to seize more souls was hastening the Sun God’s return.

Most of all, the three laws forced upon the world — none of them could have predicted those would ensnare the demons themselves.

Bartol turned to look at me, his eyes wide.

“The soul of the slain belongs to the slayer. Could it be…”

“Those who died without being exposed to a demon’s attack are all claimed by the Sun God.”

Having heard this full explanation, Bartol clicked his tongue in astonishment at the Sun God’s meticulous cunning.

“Why must he hate us so? How could the once benevolent Sun God employ such cruel methods?”

“Pleasant Oblivion told me that dark memories had, in the end, driven the Sun God to madness.”

“Dark memories…”

Bartol dwelt particularly on those two words from among everything I said.

That was also precisely why I had offered him the choice.

“If you wish it, I can make you forget.”

“…”

“For a priest who once served the gods of the great pantheon, what darker memory could there be?”

I could sense a hesitation in the head that slowly bowed.

Hwen, who normally would have added a word or two, was now slumped against the wall, asleep.

It was a moment he had to decide entirely on his own.

After a brief reflection, Bartol raised his head again.

“Then, Your Greatness, I will live cherishing this truth for the sake of your victory.”

“You do not need to cherish it. The authority of Pleasant Oblivion already belongs to me.”

“To serve only the god who came after the great pantheon — I believe I must.”

In the midst of his melancholy, there was a thread of hope.

Watching his resolute spirit, I felt a mixture of pity and pride surge within me. Then the words Pleasant Oblivion had said just before fading away came to mind.

Dark memories invited madness, while bright memories summoned courage.

It seemed Bartol already had a bright memory settled in his heart.

Laughter came naturally.

“If you rummage through that same shelf again, you’ll find the pen and ink you were looking for. The paper will be right beside it.”

“What?”

“Once you had found everything, hurry back. You should help Hwen get a proper night’s sleep.”

I had said everything I needed to say.

Respecting Bartol’s choice, I stepped back.

I watched only long enough to see the look of surprise on his face as he found pen, ink, and paper on the shelf he had just wiped clean with his own hand, then I left.

***

The noisy city had fallen fast asleep.

Even those who were awake were nodding off, and the only exception was the angel Ceciel.

Ceciel had worked hard enough.

I had only now been able to tend to her after she had been knocked flat by Bearing Responsibility and was groaning in pain.

So I took special care and breathed breath laced with star dust over her wounds to comfort them.

Whooooo….

But Ceciel remained curled up as she was.

Her drooping wings wrapped around her own body, her back turned to me.

I wondered what was the matter, and she told me herself.

“…He called me a mayfly.”

“What?”

“He said I die like a mayfly. That I’m a mayfly that runs without even fighting.”

“You’ve reflected and improved. This time, you didn’t run from Bearing Responsibility.”

“…”

So it seemed my title of Godfather of Stars had literally made me a father figure.

I had expected it to some degree, but…

Without warning, I was now consoling an angel who was tens, if not hundreds, of times older than me.

“Ceciel, I will pay you more attention so that you can properly use your full strength. You have potential. At the very least, I hold in high regard that you have not lost your will.”

“…”

“If I didn’t, I would never have taken you under my wing.”

“But my halo is still bright yellow.”

“What does the color matter, honestly.”

“…What if someone had heard you say that. The angels of the Cycle Church will point fingers and say they’re the cowards who ran without fighting, that bright yellow halo is their mark.”

The truth often inflicted deeper wounds.

Ceciel’s heart, broken by running away, had turned into something like rough sand.

“Before coming here, I once met an angel with a platinum halo.”

“…”

“It was an angel of the Armed Church. Severely wounded, but still powerful. But it was threatening young children to coerce them into human sacrifice. Manipulating their parents into offering up their own children by telling them there was no other choice.”

“The very idea!”

That was the moment Ceciel, who had been slumped and listless, snapped upright.

In order to meet eyes with the risen Ceciel, I also raised myself up.

“Ceciel, you refused Anniel’s proposal. You chose the difficult, winding road over the easy, fast one. That is why I accepted you. I can lend you strength, but I cannot lend you will.”

Whooooo…

The breath I exhaled once more was not to heal wounds.

In the upcoming assault, Ceciel would need to pull her full weight.

The very Ceciel who had begged for strength was now taken aback, looking left and right at the golden dust settling into her body.

“This, this is more than you needed to give…”

No, this was exactly the right moment to give it.

“The stars would set soon. We had to keep watch in place of the exhausted people.”

The stars had finished their work and were slowly setting.

The Black Sun would rise soon.

I had thought about making one more star to prepare for that moment, but…

“God Who Makes Stars, do not fixate solely on the making of stars.”

…The advice of Bearing Responsibility and Tinting Leaf echoed in my mind.

Tinting Leaf had awakened a power within me called “Constellation.”

Bearing Responsibility had only said that I would understand once I seized his Elysium.

I had hoped a lingering thought might at least tell me, but it seemed he had already reached his limit, and not even a lingering thought remained.

But I could not let those words pass by as empty.

After thinking long and hard about what to do with the souls drifting curiously inside me, I reached a conclusion.

“I should keep them with me for now.”

“What?”

“The souls Bearing Responsibility’s Elysium had been holding.”

“Ah, I see.”

The word “mayfly” was clearly lodged in her head something fierce.

Watching Ceciel sigh in relief, looking as though she were grateful, was almost pitiable.

Even so, when the coming assault arrived, there was no one as reliable as Ceciel.

…The problem lay elsewhere.

***

The dark violet radiance was unusually quiet.

Not a single monster with its eerie cry to grate on nerves could be seen.

There was not even a shadow lurking near the adjacent forest, let alone any presence at all.

And yet I could clearly feel the gaze of the Black Sun, staring directly down at me.

It was not attacking anywhere else, either. It simply stared at where I was and took no action.

The people who had been startled upon hearing that the Black Sun had risen were left thoroughly puzzled.

“What? No assault this time either?”

“It must be because Star Creation is here.”

“Star Creation! Continue to lead us forward! Long live Star Creation!”

The people attributed the absence of an assault to me.

They assumed that a god who smashed any threat that drew near had driven the attackers to give up.

Only Hwen and Ryugen, with their experience in the military, maintained a cautious attitude.

“Something feels off…”

“It is like the feeling when two sides have taken their positions and are facing each other in a standoff. Star Creation, this may be the mistaken concern of a humble human, but…”

“Don’t worry. It is a burden I will carry in full. Ensure the people do not let their guard down and get caught off guard, but also allow them enough rest.”

“As you will.”

At first, I wondered if perhaps they were planning to strike when we were moving.

If so, it would only be right to prepare thoroughly.

I gave the people, exhausted from the long journey, ample time to rest.

Until the Black Sun, having waited long enough, made the first move.

But the Black Sun’s patience was far greater than expected.

“It didn’t come today either?”

“It was three whole days since we came to Tyrium. I guess the monsters had figured it out. That messing with Star Creation meant getting destroyed!”

“Is that really true… Then, maybe we could just settle down and stay here?”

“You’d have to ask Star Creation about that.”

Hopeful and optimistic voices from all around.

But the Black Sun was still watching, waiting, staring down at me.

And I had some experience fighting the Black Sun, if only indirectly.

Thanks to that, I could surmise what it was scheming.

A windfall.

The Black Sun was conserving its strength to break its constraints.

…To strike the people the moment I submerged into the deep sea to attack Blood-Soaked Mud.

“Make them shine brighter, shine longer.”

I looked up at the sky, turning over Bearing Responsibility’s final words in my mind.

The sun I would one day have to bring down — despite its overwhelming advantage, it was plotting and scheming, waiting for my challenge.