The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped - Chapter 169



169 – 169. The End of an Era (1)

The time had come to end the brief respite.

Hesitation and regret surged momentarily, but I had to shake them off decisively.

“Take care.”

What more words were needed?

I didn’t want to drag out the time.

I delivered a short farewell to my comrades, thoroughly excluding any flowery language.

“Are we… really going?”

“Yeah.”

The girl with beautiful pink hair bit her plump lips as she asked.

I let out an awkward smile at Beatrice’s appearance.

“So, you’re planning to hunt down the Earth Mother. That’s the only way to prevent the end of the world.”

“It’s time for me to finish what you couldn’t.”

I would eliminate the existence of the one true god, the symbol of goodness, and restore the balance of the scales to its original form. That was the only way to save the world from the ominous gray.

The innocent’s calamity is the natural enemy of the one true god.

To usurp the throne of the one true god, the power of calamities was essential.

Thus, the Saintess Party resorted to the extreme measure of resurrecting the death calamities they had sealed away in their attempt to usurp. Although the usurpation ended in failure, it certainly held meaning.

“Ethan, we’ll help too.”

“It’s troublesome if you treat me like an old man already.”

Madve and Felix stepped forward, expressing their intent to join the fight.

I shook my head at that.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I must decline. This is… something I have to finish myself.”

It was enough.

The role of the Saintess Party was over.

I didn’t want to drag my comrades, who had accepted sacrifice without hesitation, back into this.

While I had secluded myself in the Marquis Hohenberg’s territory to focus on rehabilitation, the Saintess Party still suffered from the aftereffects left by the calamities. Maximilian, who had sacrificed his vitality and lifespan to seal the minions of death, was in a state where he could barely move.

“I wanted to… say I’m sorry to you all.”

“Pardon?”

“I didn’t realize the depth of your worries about the end of the world. As soon as I heard the news that you had disappeared without a word, I foolishly suspected you. That you had run away for love…”

“R-Run away for love?! How filthy! What do you think we are!”

I scratched the back of my head in apology.

At that, Beatrice shouted back with a face flushed bright red.

In contrast, Maximilian and the other lovers of the Saintess showed an awkward reaction, as if they had indeed considered running away for love among themselves.

“I thought you’d be enjoying a sticky romance with your lovers at a quiet resort where the horizon stretches endlessly. I’m sure not just me, but others thought the same.”

“Shut up! Be quiet!”

“The news that the Saintess Beatrice, who defeated the Demon King, had eloped with her lovers was splashed across the continent for days.”

“aaah!”

A saint who committed a love escape with four lovers.

She finally learned of the existence of the fake news that had spread so widely across the continent that there was no one who didn’t know about it.

In response, Beatrice clutched her head and let out a scream filled with shame.

“I can’t get married now!”

Whispers from behind her.

The meaningful glances sent her way by the family servants every time they faced her.

A fallen woman.

Reduced to a disgraceful daughter who committed a love escape.

She had only tried to save the world after the grand finale… Beatrice murmured in a powerless voice.

“I misunderstood you all this time. I’m sorry.”

“It’s, it’s okay! Actually, it’s not okay at all…!”

As she apologized with a voice full of sincerity, Beatrice received a response soaked in despair.

And the saint’s lovers shrugged their shoulders, genuinely satisfied.

“Thank you. For fighting for me all this time.”

Saint. Hero. Swordmaster. Mercenary King. Sage.

She expressed her gratitude while looking at her most precious companions.

In response, a variety of reactions flew back, from smiles to awkwardness.

“I’ll find a way to extend your lifespan, so for this time, just wait patiently, big brother.”

“Understood.”

Big brother.

At the first time she called him that, Maximilian smiled faintly.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

With one last farewell, she turned her head away from her companions.

* * *

The land where the era of the One God began.

No one knew the beginning of the divine.

No one should set foot here.

Only when the unbroken mystery of the divine continues can the mystery of the sacred be completed.

Until the age of myths comes to an end, only the innocent calamity that waged a full-scale war against the Earth Mother would know of its existence. The land where the era of the One God began was a shameful place defeated by the Earth Mother.

The city of creation.

Lively.

Clouds draped in golden light surrounded the sanctuary of eternal night.

Most of the mysteries had been unveiled by countless adventurers brimming with passion and curiosity. Yet, the land where the era of the one true god began still existed as an enigma, uncharted on any map.

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“No wonder no one has found it.”

The jagged mountain peaks seemed to touch the edge of the sky.

A city stood atop them.

It arrogantly overlooked all traces of history that humanity had built.

Gael.

It was a place that suited the arrogant one true god perfectly.

Passing through the golden clouds that obstructed entry like a fortress, I arrived at the city of creation. In stark contrast to the biting cold raging outside, the city of creation overflowed with a warm ambiance, as if it were a completely isolated space.

‘Thank goodness. I was worried about suffering from altitude sickness.’

I glanced at Elizabeth as I thought this.

Currently, the deity of death was embodying Elizabeth.

Black eyes. Red-tinted irises.

The features revealed by the apostle possessed by the god of disaster spoke volumes.

“War, lift your head and look to the sky. I see a heavenly realm filled with weaklings.”

“……”

As I gazed at the transparent sky adjacent to the city of creation, a vast expanse of the city was unveiled.

The heavenly realm.

The domain of angels who followed the one true god.

The present world and the heavenly realm were divided in such a way that they could not be traversed by ordinary means. That’s why the cardinals of the Holy Kingdom performed grand rituals to summon the archangel Belashiel.

But—.

In the city of creation, no laws applied.

At any moment, the angels of the heavenly realm might cross the boundary and enter the city of creation. Upon witnessing the hazy silhouette of the heavenly realm, Ludmila and Jeblin immediately displayed their wariness.

“Returning to this cursed city brings back old memories. It was quite fun back then… A fierce competition for the throne of the one true god erupted almost daily.”

Ahaha—

The deity of death broke into a chilling smile on Elizabeth’s face.

Ludmila, watching him, showed a reaction of concern.

“Follow me. That woman is likely waiting in the temple located at the center.”

It felt awkward and unfamiliar.

The title of ‘Jim.’

And the stiff etiquette ingrained in the archaic manner of speaking.

As Ludmila and Jeblin exchanged glances, Edanant shrugged and followed the harbinger of death, who had taken on the role of guide. Indeed, as she had anticipated, the closer they moved toward the center, the more the divinity of the One God began to feel painfully intense.

‘The traces of battle are everywhere in the city.’

Giant claw marks.

Pits that seemed to have been struck by a barrage of shells.

Ruins caused by the flames of war and the chaotic heaps of debris scattered about.

In stark contrast to the beautiful spectacle that the outskirts had once boasted, the center was filled with signs of the gods’ conflict. It was difficult to advance due to the ruins and piles of stones blocking the way.

“Gael.”

When the tall spires of the temple began to come into view,

Edanant, stepping into the heart of the city, uttered the name of the One God.

In that moment—

A tremor shook the ground, and the current of divinity surged forth.

“Welcome. Outsider from beyond.”

Mystical hair shimmering with various lights.

Eyes adorned with sacred patterns.

Without a doubt.

It was the true form of the One God.

The beautiful visage and unique features, far removed from the realm of providence, confirmed it. The One God, who had until now used the prospective saintesses of the Holy Kingdom as vessels, had finally revealed its true self.

Whoosh—

With a dazzling radiance, white feathers fluttered.

“You have come to usurp the throne of the One God, just as was proclaimed then.”

Usurper.

The eternal nemeses that have threatened humanity.

With thick lips quivering, it revealed its tangled thoughts.

“War. Tyranny. Famine. Death.”

The natural enemies that had been sought to be eradicated by all means and methods had returned to challenge this land once more.

Is this also the causality of fate?

Round and round, they had returned to the starting point.

Once again, they were to fight for the place of the One God against the harbinger of innocence.

As I gazed upon the one who unified the scattered calamities, I felt the binding of fate. Even having reached the pinnacle that encompasses all deities, it seems I cannot escape the yoke.

“Prove it. That you are the usurper who will end the age of the One God.”

A radiance symbolizing absolute faith blazed forth.

In defiance, the calamities began to swallow the light.