The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped - Chapter 174



174 – Beyond the New Era (1)

An unprecedented upheaval occurred simultaneously across the continent.

The disappearance of divine power.

Urgent reports flooded in, stating that blessings and radiance were no longer manifesting.

Upon receiving the news, the cardinals of the Holy Kingdom desperately sought to uncover the cause. The void of divine power would soon lead to the abandonment of faith and the downfall of the Holy Kingdom.

They must pray to the deity.

They needed to discover why the merciful grace had been withdrawn.

“What a bizarre calamity…!”

“To think divine power has vanished, truly an outrageous event has unfolded!”

Humans pray to the divine because there exists a reward of merciful grace. The reason countless nations on the continent revered the Holy Kingdom was due to the presence of its protection and divine power.

A void had emerged.

As the grace of the One God dissipated, so too did the blessings vanish without a trace.

That meant—

All the priests of the Holy Kingdom had been reduced to mere mortals.

The seasoned Holy Knights, boasting practical experience and unmatched martial prowess, remained intact. However, with the disappearance of the divine power they had trained alongside, a disaster struck, causing a drastic decline in the combat effectiveness of the Holy Knights.

This was an unprecedented occurrence.

Could it be that the One God had departed from this world?

It was due to humanity’s original sin.

The folly of humans, repeating greed and slaughter, had triggered the extinction of faith.

Countless gossipmongers and bards continued to chatter, yet the exact cause remained undisclosed. Even as the faithful gathered in the sanctuary to offer prayers, only a profound silence flowed in response.

“Your Eminence the Cardinal!”

“Please, tell us the truth!”

“I have heard that the Seraphim Belashiel has fallen to the calamity of innocence! Is this related?!”

The flood of suspicion breeds doubt.

The Seraphim had been defeated and gone missing.

As the calamity that the upper echelons of the Holy Kingdom had concealed was revealed, internal strife ensued.

With the disappearance of divine power, their devout faith was called into question. The faithful of the Holy Kingdom, engulfed in confusion and doubt, held the upper echelons accountable for the concealment of the truth. They believed the cause of the One God’s departure lay with the cardinals.

Turning away from the revealed falsehood, the priests withdrew.

In the face of rising anger, the Holy Knights chose to stand by.

It was a kingdom that had solely relied on the grace and faith of the one true God, so the collapse and division of power began to unfold rapidly, as if it had been thrown into an abyss. As the situation continued to worsen despite any response, the cardinals sought help from the Second Saint and the heroes residing in the House of Hoenberg.

* * *

I’m sorry.

You’ve worked hard all this time.

Daughters of the Divine,

Break free from your confining cage and live while savoring the bounty of the earth.

The voice of the one true God reached all the aspiring saints who were praying in the cathedral.

It was a farewell that presented the promise of a free life. The aspiring saints, touched by the gentle maternal voice of the one true God, shed hot tears, feeling like the abandoned daughters they were.

“Thank you for your hard work… From now on, the Order of Saints will be dissolved.”

Boern approached the aspiring saints who were praying before the shining statue.

He announced the dissolution of the Order of Saints.

Following that, he presented two choices to the aspiring saints who had grown as vessels of the one true God.

A life of freedom.

To live a new life while receiving a lifelong pension as a former aspiring saint.

A life as a saint.

To officially become a saint and serve as a guide for the kingdom and its faithful.

Most of the aspiring saints chose the option of freedom that the kingdom had first presented. Given that they had to live a restricted life, forced into asceticism and moderation, it was only natural to choose the freedom that had come like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In contrast, some aspiring saints, like Jebeline and Beatrice, chose to remain in the kingdom to become benevolent saints. They had entered the Order for unfortunate reasons but later developed a genuine longing to be saints.

“Wahhh…! Sniff!”

“Don’t cry, sister. The Earth Mother has only left for a while.”

The twin aspiring saints burst into tears.

The other aspiring saints were the same.

Faced with the sudden farewell, the girls embraced each other or held hands, sharing their joy and sorrow.

“Your Grace, what has happened to the Earth Mother?”

An aspiring saint with flowing red hair asked. The Earth Mother Gael had been particularly fond of this woman among the aspiring saints.

Boern smiled with a heavy heart in response.

“The Earth Mother has fallen asleep. She has devoted herself wholeheartedly to her beloved faithful all this time… Though she hasn’t shown it until now, she must have been more tired than anyone else.”

“…I see.”

The only thing that can cover the harsh truth is a sweet lie.

Surely, the Earth Mother must have desired that as well.

You wouldn’t want to see your daughters in sorrow any longer.

Thus, Boern forced a smile as he looked at the would-be saints, tears streaming down their faces.

After hearing the response from the High Priest, the would-be saints began to leave the sanctuary one by one. The girls, having chosen to escape the suffocating cage and live a new life, walked forward with resolute steps.

“…Truly, you have left. You really do have a knack for leaving people bewildered until the very end.”

After notifying the daughters of the Divine,

Boern returned to his office, resting his chin on his hand, letting out a sigh soaked in loneliness. His gaze, filled with mixed emotions, was directed toward the spot where the mischievous deity often enjoyed tea time.

Sadness and self-reproach.

Various feelings swirled in his mind.

The oracle bestowed upon the young priest, who had been living a quiet life in the outskirts, raising children. Because of it, a priest of common birth was elected as the leader of the Holy Kingdom, destined to spend half his life in that role.

‘Why? Simply because I took a liking to you. Wouldn’t it be better for a well-read country bumpkin to be the leader than the pigs who worship greed and abandon faith?’

The cheerful voice, devoid of any ulterior motive, echoed in his mind.

Though it had been thirty years since that time, the memories were as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.

It had been tiresome.

And yet, on the other hand, he felt grateful.

Before his election, the Holy Kingdom was in a dark moment, facing decline under the cardinals and priests who revered wealth and power. If the corruption and downfall of the Holy Kingdom had been left unchecked, countless faithful who had worshipped the One True God would have turned away from their faith and given up.

Perhaps a lackey was needed to shoulder the difficult and complex tasks.

However,

for him, the oracle of the One True God was a merciful grace and salvation.

He reformed the Holy Kingdom, leading many believers onto the path of the seeker.

Boern, who took genuine pride in this, still felt gratitude toward Gael, who had bestowed upon him this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Thank you… truly, for all your hard work. Gael.”

My god, my benefactor.

And my long-time friend.

I was genuinely happy to have you.

Leaning back in his chair, Boern let out a wry smile as he recalled the figure of his departed benefactor.

* * *

The headache that struck upon waking was a punishment for the overindulgence of a glutton.

Then,

why is it that—

even without drinking, I feel maddeningly painful and dizzy?

I felt a piercing migraine, as if a sharp needle was relentlessly stabbing me, as I lifted my body from the bed. I raised my right arm to press against my temple, but it was an impossible attempt.

“Ethan!”

As I looked around with my disheveled hair, confirming that I was in my own bedroom, the door burst open, and the princess with luscious blonde hair rushed in.

Rudmila.

I gazed into her red eyes, filled with worry and confusion.

“Are you okay? Is there anywhere that hurts? Is there anywhere that’s painful?!”

“Well… not particularly.”

I said, waving my drooping sleeves.

My right arm.

It had been torn away from my shoulder, hanging limply.

Regeneration was impossible.

It had been burned to a crisp from multiple explosions.

A wave of confusion and emptiness washed over me regarding the loss, but there was no regret. It was simply astonishing that I had survived being swept away by the searing heat of electromagnetic cannons, thermobaric bombs, and the currents of a hydrogen bomb.

“Ethan! Ethan!!”

Following the red dragon, the white dragon had also invaded.

Perhaps wanting to confirm my safety with her whole being, she suddenly leaped onto the bed.

With a thud—.

The girl with fluttering silver hair fell into my arms.

I wiped away the tears streaming down Jebeline’s snow-white cheeks as she burst into tears. Then, I offered a reassuring smile to Rudmila, who was on the verge of tears.

“How many days have passed?”

“Ten days. It has been ten days since then.”

“…I suppose I overexerted myself this time.”

“Indeed.”

I had spent ten days in a vegetative state. After sustaining a fatal injury that cost me my right arm, it was only natural that Rudmila and Jebeline were anxiously worried.

An arm.

I had lost one of my limbs.

I had succeeded in the coup that marked the end of the era of the One True God. If the loss of my right arm is a divine punishment bestowed upon the usurper who brought an end to the age, then I must accept it as a necessary sacrifice.

“The end of the world has completely vanished. It’s certain, as it comes from the intelligence of the vampire who returned from reconnaissance.”

“I see. It’s a relief that it wasn’t a meaningless struggle.”

Did she realize the meaning behind the gaze?

Ludmila nodded and replied.