—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The place that Ermel, the Saint of the War God, and High Priest Hestia had decided as their next destination was where the Lycanthropes and Celestials were consecutively located.
They had no need to display the high-handed tone that Ermel had first shown to Hestia toward them.
The Lycanthropes—a race with wolf heads and humanoid bodies.
From the continent of Baugalak, which was the continent of those Lycanthropes on the Geherhen continent, Great Warrior Gail had quickly approached before Hestia.
“Oh! Has the War God’s temple finally been completed! Of course we must pay our respects!”
No sooner had Gail’s words ended than other Lycanthropes had rushed forward.
“We have also sent urgent news to Lord Berkan! Lord Berkan will also come to the Astes Empire as soon as time permits. We will definitely arrange his schedule to visit the War God Temple then!”
The Lycanthropes who had witnessed Yuma sweeping away the four gods and three hundred subordinates—literally an overwhelming spectacle—had already become deeply captivated by Yuma’s strength.
To Yuma, who had transcended the human species by far and even achieved god-slaying, the lions who worshipped the strong could not help but be enchanted.
Three days ago, after Yuma had saved their lives—or more precisely, had saved the Geherhen continent—they had already been offering prayers to Yuma.
Gail had continued his admiration.
Although saliva had continued to spray like rain from the mouths of the giant lions along with their worship of Yuma, those thickly pouring droplets had not particularly bothered Hestia and Ermel.
“You have achieved divine awakening as the War God…! I expected it, but seeing you truly become the War God brings new emotions!”
These different races who praised the god they worshipped together with one heart.
A few drops of saliva that had sprayed from such Lycanthropes’ mouths along with their worship could be laughed off.
Including Great Warrior Gail, all 10,000 Lycanthrope forces still remaining in the empire had promised before Ermel and Hestia that they would all head to the War God Temple.
Thus, definitive non-human believers had been added.
The Celestials’ reaction was not very different from the Lycanthropes’.
Of course, due to the Celestials’ characteristics, their attitude of reaction had belonged to the dry side, but the atmosphere was one where everyone acknowledged Yuma as both a god-slayer who had killed gods and the first god of the middle realm.
The man with snow-white skin, Garenmon, and all the Celestial archangels had knelt and bowed toward Hestia and Ermel.
They had shown courtesy to the priests of the god.
Hestia had felt something in her brain.
Though Hestia could not define what this sensation was in her mind, it was definitely dopamine.
Rising dopamine…!
From the Celestials’ excessive courtesy, dopamine levels more intense than when she had awakened her talent for the sword had descended upon Hestia’s body.
“Good…! Everyone to the temple!”
After finishing evangelizing to the Lycanthropes and Celestials as well, Hestia had retraced all the places she had traveled with Yuma.
Hestia had thought of the Mullen tribe beyond the sea.
“Ah! I must also inform Tasha and Yerkur!”
At Hestia’s words, Ermel, who was beside her wearing pure white saint’s robes, had slowly nodded her head.
“Those people worship the sea, they don’t worship any specific god, so they should be able to harbor faith toward Lord Yuma.”
Ermel had assessed coolly.
Numerous blueprints had been drawn in Ermel’s mind.
‘Temples.’
Commoners had difficulty coming to the War God Temple.
Even if entry was permitted, their time was insufficient.
So Ermel had thought of building temples in the heart of the capital.
‘Multiple places.’
Not only the capital but also small and medium cities, outer regions.
She had intended to enable all imperial citizens to worship the name of War God Yuma.
‘I’ll have to move quite busily for a while.’
Vitality had begun to overflow from Ermel’s two eyes.
Endless enthusiasm had welled up for her main work activity after a long time.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A week’s time had passed frantically.
Before Yuma’s eyes was Brigitte, the empress of this land, the Astes Empire.
Brigitte and Yuma’s blue eyes had met in the air.
Brigitte had slowly parted her rose-pink lips.
“Yuma, it would be better to announce your achievements on a large scale. And about the evil gods who are coveting all continents of this Geherhen continent—no, the middle realm. To inspire people’s faith.”
Brigitte had made her judgment.
She had heard news that half of the Carmac continent, which could be considered relatively close to the Geherhen continent, had been invaded.
And she had heard that the very distant continent of Silmaria had already been grasped by the hands of beings even worse than necromancers who raised up even the corpses of the dead to hunt the living.
‘Probably that too is the work of gods.’
Brigitte had continued speaking.
“You said they weren’t gods belonging to the Eight Evil Gods. Then they must be gods under them… We must instill wariness in everyone on the continent. The fact that all continents are in danger is the correct truth without even a bit of exaggeration.”
Brigitte had smiled bitterly.
“Do you know? The action I take immediately after opening my eyes every morning is offering prayers about you, Yuma.”
Yuma had shaken his head.
Because he had not known at all.
“…There’s no need for that.”
Very natural shame had begun to rush in…!
Brigitte had chuckled.
“How could I not directly worship you who breathes right before my eyes?”
Brigitte had made a quite serious expression again.
“Anyway, I’m confident that making a public announcement about the evil gods’ invasions that have occurred until now is the right judgment.
Moreover, if we speak in detail about the demon realm invasion that almost all imperial citizens witnessed, we’ll definitely be able to draw out belief without difficulty.”
Yuma had slowly nodded his head.
In the end, the conclusion had been to explain about the dark clouds that had hung over the empire until now and to preach to all imperial citizens the truth that it was Yuma who had overcome them.
‘Though I don’t feel like it.’
Yuma had also thought that this would become the foundation for raising the middle realm’s divine power.
“As a first step, I’ll give a speech at the place where I received my appointment as empress… the Crossroads of Glory, then spread newspaper flyers on a large scale.”
Brigitte had smiled and carefully placed her hand on Yuma’s chest.
“You don’t need to appear. It’s better for a god not to reveal their true form originally.”
Yuma had agreed with those words a hundred times over.
‘Could you endure that?’
Given Yuma’s personality, after all his achievements were listed extensively, he would never be able to stand on a platform and say, “Ah— I’m the one who accomplished all of that.”
Gods were beings that shone when they were shrouded in veils to some degree.
“Ermel has started building temples so that people in small and medium cities and outer cities can also completely worship you.”
Brigitte had chuckled again.
“Since she’s regained her main work, she’s been working very diligently. How about officially appointing her as a saint?”
Brigitte had tilted her head and added a word.
“Didn’t she come asking for that to be done?”
Yuma had let out a light sigh.
“She did come.”
The shining face he had seen five days ago was still vivid.
The appearance of Saint Ermel who had walked toward him with silver light in her eyes and boldly declared—
“I will prove it with results.”
And Ermel had been accomplishing what she had declared.
‘Divine power is…’
Rising.
When he put divine power in his two eyes and thought about divine power, he could see how much divine power was flowing in this empire’s land.
Though the numbers were minimal, they were rising very steadily.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The front of the War God Temple had literally become a path of pilgrimage.
A path for serving War God Yuma.
People lined up densely in a single row.
Non-humans.
The empire’s nobles and non-humans within the empire had lined up endlessly.
Wilbeserk.
The massive territory that Yuma had received when he was appointed as Grand Duke.
Yuma had not yet been able to set foot in that land adjacent to the War God Temple, which had become Yuma’s temple from what had been Incrinew’s temple.
If he set foot there, the nobles and non-humans standing in line would immediately offer real worship toward him.
Originally, the War God Temple was also included in Yuma’s territory of Wilbeserk.
Therefore, the pilgrims had no choice but to show respect more devoutly.
Step by step, they had moved to enter in order of the nobles.
Among them were nobles who had directly encountered Yuma.
And among them was someone who had come from a very distant place.
The Rubert Count family that Yuma had rescued from the hands of Black Dragon Akreon.
Kaicen, who had become the new count of that count family, had come up to Wilbeserk to pay his respects to Yuma.
Beside Kaicen was his younger sister Luine, who had the same bright blonde hair as him.
Beside Luine was also someone.
The brown-haired boy, Haruk. He who had journeyed with Hestia.
The younger brother whom Hestia had cherished like a real younger brother.
He was now working in the Rubert Count territory.
All three were beings who had received great help from Yuma.
“Ohhh… They’ve properly expressed Lord Yuma’s appearance.”
At Kaicen’s words, Luine had nodded her head vigorously.
“It’s real.”
“That’s right,” Haruk had also agreed.
A gray, very massive statue.
The statue had even reproduced the long coat that Yuma often wore.
The War God with an expressionless face had stood firmly inside the temple.
This was a statue that Yuma had never seen because he had come only once before the temple was completed and, due to the somehow rising sense of shame, had never set foot there even once after the temple was completed.
Rustle…
The sound of clothing rustling had been heard from various places.
Everyone had bowed deeply at the waist and offered prayers.
Divine power had been rising very steadily.
Centered around Wilbeserk.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
When Empress Brigitte had headed to the Crossroads of Glory in the capital to explain about the crisis that had descended upon all continents of the middle realm, Yuma had decided what he had to do.
“Silmaria continent.”
The place that had suffered the most serious damage after receiving invasion from two gods.
He had decided to first clear away the gods that were in this place.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Finally, he’s moving
Right? Like, how many people died every single minute he was standing there embarrassed abour being worshipped?
In a desperate time like that I’d start to believe too. But since the very beginning up until now he has had a consistent trend of watching people die for a while before moving…