Chapter 274 - An Unexpected Helper (3)

‘No way...!’

Henry was stunned by this unexpected revelation. How could he be the same as a Chimera? It was a hard pill to swallow.

Henry’s expression was blank; he looked as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer. .

Seeing the look on Henry’s face, Herabola said, “I know it’s hard to accept, but you have to, Henry. You managed to come back because of otherworldly powers. That’s why you managed to defeat that apostle. You two had similar amounts of divine power.”

“...”

Even though Herabola continued with his explanation, Henry was still unable to say anything due to how shocked he was.

How was he supposed to make his peace with the fact that he was similar to a Chimera, a vile monstrosity made up of multiple creatures?

Regardless of Henry’s reaction, Herabola continued, “This means you can take on the apostles, but of course, I don’t know how long that power will last, since I know the apostles won’t just stand idle. I’m sure Arthus has already felt the danger and took some action.”

Herabola was essentially saying that this would ultimately be a battle of divine powers. This wasn’t about how much physical power one had, but how much of it would be effective against the opponent. This would depend solely on how much divine power each side had.

Henry hadn’t been able to attack Arthus back then because of the huge gap between their divine powers.

“By the look on your face, it seems that your curiosity has peaked.”

Amused at Henry’s dumbfounded expression, Herabola smirked.

However, Henry quickly came to his senses. He wasn’t nearly as fragile as Herarion. He regained his composure and resolutely made up his mind.

“You asshole! No matter the case, how can you compare me to a Chimera and consider me to be on the same level as them? Never mind that. Regardless of anything, I’m alive. My heart beats once again, so I’m not the least bit ashamed of the monster I’ve become.”

Henry made up his mind not to label his resurrection and the power he had accumulated as either good or evil, reminding himself of the promise he had made at the start of his second life.

“That’s the spirit!” exclaimed Herabola, praising him. “This is the Henry that I know. I was worried that you’d go crazy and fall into a spiral of self-loathing.”

“Don’t say such nonsense.”

“Haha, that’s a good attitude. Anyway, let’s hear your second question.”

“Yes, about that. My second question...”

Henry had received so many answers to his first question that he wasn’t sure he had anything else to ask. He had learned pretty much all he wanted to know from Herabola’s previous answer. Moreover, he was still recovering from the shock of realizing that he was very similar to those Chimeras, so his head was still spinning with various thoughts.

Seeing that Henry couldn’t get the question out, Herabola said, “It looks like you have a lot on your mind. Then, let me guide you to the question you should be asking. Henry, even if you take all of our divine objects, you won’t be able to defeat Arthus.”

“...What?”

“You heard me. You might be able to deal with the apostles who are protecting him, but you won’t be able to beat Arthus himself.”

“Why not? Is that also because of his divine power?”

“You’re right. Those apostles have but a fraction of Arthus’ divine power. He’s Janus’s chosen one, his sole worshiper.”

“Then how do I deal with him?”

“It’s simple. You need a deity to acknowledge you as their chosen one, just like Arthus has.”

“As their chosen one? But like I’ve said earlier, I...”

“I know, you serve no gods. You’re a wizard after all. You’ve only believed in yourself and magic all your life, so you obviously won’t gain faith overnight.”

Even though Henry was fortunate enough to possess some divine power, or like Herabola put it, otherworldly powers, there was a big difference between being fortunate and actually having faith in a god.

Herabola was very much aware of that difference, which was why Henry was puzzled.

“You know me so well, so how can you tell me to worship a god just like that?”

Henry wondered if Herabola was joking again.

Herabola laughed out loud, “Hahaha! Even though you’re supposed to be the smartest person on this continent, you can be a real idiot sometimes.”

“What?”

“Think about it carefully, you fool. If Arthus is Janus’ chosen one, his sole representative, you just have to find a god who accepts only one representative. Find a god like that and become their chosen one. Then you’ll be on ”

“What the hell are you talking about? I told you I’m not religious, so how am I supposed to know where that kind of god exists? And how should I even search for one?”

“That’s for you to figure out. There are a lot more gods in this world than you think, and they’re watching us all the time from everywhere.”

“They’re watching us?”

“Well, of course. You already know at least three of them, right? La, Janus, and Irene are the gods that the female saint worships. Think about how many gods you’ve heard about in your lifetime.”

Herabola’s final piece of advice was like an open ending to a story, letting Henry put the last pieces together.

Before Henry could protest again...

“Well, it looks like time’s up. My father has spent enough time with his grandson.”

“What? Herabola! I’m not done yet!”

“Henry, I’ve given you plenty of advice, so I think you can figure out the rest on your own. Just don’t forget to pay me back for lending you my divine objects. And by the way, faith is not as complicated as you think. You just have to believe with your heart. Anyway, I’ll leave my son in your hands then.”

“Herabola!”

Flash!

Henry called out to Herabola one last time before everything faded to black.

“Archmage...?”

As Henry sat up, he locked eyes with Herarion, who cast him a look of dismay.

Henry frowned and raised his hand to his forehead.

‘Damn it, Herabola! Way to end the conversation!’

Herabola had given him an answer, but Henry still couldn’t put the pieces together, which annoyed him.

Seeing Henry frowning, Herarion carefully asked, “Um... Archmage? Are you okay?”

“Ah... I’m alright, but you look quite well, Your Majesty.”

“No, I also passed out, but I just happened to wake up before you.”

“I see, but this is...”

Just as Herabola had told Henry, Herarion had also passed out. After coming to his senses and taking a look around, Henry realized that he was not beyond the cracked wall where he had collapsed.

Seeing Henry confused, Herarion said, “The door to the tomb has closed. It seems that my ancestors have let us out.”

“...Your Majesty, whom did you meet inside the tomb?”

“I met my grandfather.”

“I see... Well, I met your father.”

“My father?”

“Yes, and...”

Henry put his hands in his pockets, just as Herabola had told him to, and inside it he found a bunch of objects that hadn’t been there before.

There were ten rings, and after Henry took them out, Herarion exclaimed, “Archmage, these are...!”

Henry cut in, “In exchange for these, Herabola, your father, asked me to take care of you. He also said to return them back to his tomb after I used them.”

Hearing this, Herarion was slightly moved. With shaky hands, he held the ten rings Herabola had lent to Henry.

“I can sense the immense divine power in them... They really must be the rings my father wore.”

On the surface, they just looked like ordinary gold rings, but Henry decided to take good care of them because they were actual divine objects.

However, despite having received these precious rings, Henry was still dissatisfied with Herabola’s advice.

‘Herabola, if you want to tell me something, tell me all of it, not just a part! Why’d you give me such useless advice...’

Herabola hadn’t thought that their meeting needed to be prolonged because he had already told Henry everything he needed to know. All that was left was for Henry to figure the rest out on his own...

Henry thought Herabola was acting foolishly.

‘He’s being such a fool. If I can’t deal with Arthus, his son will also suffer the consequences.’

Henry couldn’t figure out what was going on in Herabola’s head.

“Ah right, my grandfather told me to give this to you, Sir Henry,” said Herarion.

“Your grandfather?”

It seemed that Herarion had also received something from this grandfather.

Herarion pulled out a small, oval object.

“An egg?”

It looked exactly like an egg, but Henry couldn't figure out what it was.

‘Why would he give me this?’

Herarion’s grandfather, Hedajaon, was the first emperor of Shahatra, but he was much older than Henry, so they had never met.

Henry couldn't figure out why such a man would leave this egg-like thing for him and not his grandson.

After taking the oval object, Henry asked, “Is there anything else your grandfather left for me?”

“Just a message. He said he was sorry that you had to deal with his troublesome son.”

“Troublesome son?”

Hedajaon considered his son, Herabola, troublesome? Henry tried to guess what Hedajaon meant by that.

‘Judging by Herabola’s relationship with Herarion, he seems like the classic father who always cleans up after his son’s mess... So, Hedajaon, just what exactly are you apologizing for?’

Henry stopped pondering on it because he felt like he wouldn’t come up with an explanation. He stood up and said, “In any case, I managed to learn more than I thought. Shall we return to Monsieur then?”

“Yes!”

Even though Henry had learned more than he had thought he would, he still didn’t know exactly how he would deal with Arthus. In any case, he at least knew how to deal with the apostles and Dracan, so he decided to have some hope.

‘Then I suppose I’ll spend the rest of the month looking for a god that will help me defeat Arthus.’

Henry had a new goal.

*

- Kyaaa!

Most of the demonic beasts from the Shahatra Mountains had made it over the ridge.

Excited to see the new world, they went on a rampage, their victims being the villagers in the mountains, who were going about their daily lives.

“W-what is that?!”

“R-run!”

“Aghhh!”

The unleashed demonic beasts rampaged through the villages, slaughtering and devouring everyone and everything. They were completely berserk, and it wasn’t only the strong beasts that were like that. Those that were weak compared to other demonic beasts were still incredibly strong down here among the humans.

Beyond those mountains, there weren’t any other monsters, just humans and animals. In other words, it was a world of the weak in which any demonic beast would thrive.

The lesser demonic beasts had turned from weaklings to vicious predators as they descended into the area populated by humans, killing and eating more and more of them.

The more the people died, the more the demonic beasts expanded their territory, seeking new prey. They kept hunting until they reached a new territory, namely Charlotte Heights.

This territory was ruled by a different kind of beast.

The fight between the predators of the mountains and that of Charlotte Heights had gotten one step closer.