Chapter 86: Holy Land (2)
Vrrrrrrrrrrr.
It felt like moving from one world to another.
Consciousness that had been submerged deep within floated to the surface.
Albus opened his eyes in bed and removed the connector, placing it beside him.
He sat up on the bed, staring blankly into space.
“This feeling…”
It was the familiar sensation of logging out from Rudera, something he did daily, but today, it felt a little different.
He had always thought of it as entering a virtual reality, a world of fantasy… but what if it wasn’t?
What if, instead, it was the process of connecting his soul to a newly created dimensional body?
No matter how much it affected reality, he had forced himself to believe it was just a game.
If not, he wouldn’t have been able to operate Rudera with a clear mind as he did now.
Ssshhh.
Albus got out of bed and stood up.
‘The guide’s reaction was strange.’
The usual guide had always followed Albus’s orders absolutely, reporting diligently whatever she did.
Since he had received considerable help from Carthesia in creating and maintaining Rudera, it was common for the guide to contact Carthesia under Albus’s command.
Thus, he naturally assumed she would send the prisoners to Carthesia.
‘But she didn’t report to me in detail and threw them directly into Rudera. She didn’t even know if that was possible.’
If it had been her usual self, she would have informed him of the possibility and asked for his decision.
Even in a dire situation, the feeling of unease was unmistakable.
‘…What if the guide did it on purpose?’
As Albus sorted through his thoughts, a terrible notion occurred to him.
‘The one terrorist who escaped… Considering the guide’s usual efficiency, capturing the remaining terrorists after their leader, Flame Emperor, was defeated should not have been difficult.’
Was the guide secretly plotting something outside her assigned role?
Was the guide trying to—
“—betray me?”
Albus fell silent for a moment, then shook his head violently.
“No. That can’t be.”
He was going too far.
The idea that the guide, of all people, would betray him was absurd.
“Still, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”
If the guide, for any reason, did betray him, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Since her creation, most of the work had been entrusted to her.
She held enough authority to destroy Rudera on her own.
It wouldn’t hurt to prepare a failsafe, just in case.
***
A bench at the academy.
“That was a close call.”
“Indeed… Without the GM sending an angel, who knows what would’ve happened.”
Wald and Perizet sat on the bench, waiting for Albus.
“The GM of Rudera…”
Wald murmured absentmindedly.
“Come to think of it, we were witnessing history yesterday, weren’t we?”
Then suddenly, he jumped to his feet.
“The new GM of Rudera! A god sent an angel to intervene in the affairs of the earth!”
If the academy attack was unprecedented, the divine intervention that resolved it was even more so.
For Wald, a fan of Rudera, it was extraordinary that the creator of his beloved game had sent a direct representative to the academy.
“I agree. Neither the Deus of the Holy Nation nor Alia of the Sacred Kingdom ever intervened. None of the so-called gods ever saved their followers in their time of greatest need. Only our GM brought true salvation!”
“Uh… yeah, I guess.”
Perizet’s reaction was a bit more subdued, despite listening to Wald’s fervent words.
“Only the GM is a true god. All other gods are false. The GM alone saved the sick. The GM alone saved the downtrodden. Only our Lord!”
“Whoa, hey! Stop that! We’re outside!”
Wald tried to hush her as she blurted out statements that would be considered blasphemous if heard by any priest or paladin from the Sacred Kingdom.
“No. Everyone who experienced yesterday’s events will think the same. Our Lord immediately sent an angel to save us. He loves us all equally.”
But Perizet grabbed his wrist and continued speaking.
“This academy is now His holy ground. It has become His land.”
“You’re right.”
At that moment, a voice unfamiliar to them chimed in from behind.
“Wah!”
Startled, Wald jumped.
“Only the GM is the true god and the one who shall rule over the continent.”
A beautiful blonde woman stood behind them.
“P-Princess of the Empire? What are you doing here?”
Wald and Perizet’s jaws dropped at the sudden appearance of the princess.
“The princess of the Empire…?”
The princess furrowed her delicate brow at Wald’s words.
“Forgive me! That was rude of me!”
He quickly bowed his head, fearing his careless words might cause an international incident.
“I’d prefer it if you called me king… The only king of the GM.”
“The GM’s subject greets the king.”
Perizet knelt, showing her respect.
“A subject of the GM…”
The princess’s gaze lingered on the tiger ears that perked atop Perizet’s head.
“Are you of the Brigand family?”
In the dueling tournament, the Beast King, who had sworn allegiance to the princess as the apostle of the GM, had solidified her position as the ruler of the beastkin.
To her, the Beast King was nothing more than a vassal.
“That’s correct.”
“I see.”
The princess smiled gently.
“He is one of the greatest subjects of the GM. He has been of great help to me.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“However, there was one mistake in your earlier statement.”
“A mistake…?”
“Yes. The GM’s love is equal to all His subjects. Except—”
The princess flashed a sultry smile.
“Except for me, Rebecca, His only king.”
Wald and Perizet felt a chill run down their spines.
An unsettling atmosphere crept over them.
“Faithful subject of the GM. I have something to ask you.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Were you present on the day the GM sent down His angel? Did you witness the angel?”
“Y-Yes, I did. I was there.”
“Then tell me.”
Perizet swallowed nervously under the princess’s intimidating gaze.
“What was the angel like? Describe everything.”
“Yes, of course! When the angel descended, a warm breeze enveloped the auditorium. It felt like—yes, like the light of the second miracle the GM had once bestowed upon us.”
“The light of the [Miracle]…”
“Yes! It was a warmth like snuggling into a cozy blanket, a feeling of safety. I knew in that moment that the GM was with me, that He was saving me.”
“Continue.”
“The angel easily subdued the terrorists. Their leader tried to resist with wicked flames, but the Lord’s angel protected us all. No evil could reach us. It was a moment when the GM’s omnipotence was revealed to the world.”
“I don’t like that.”
“Pardon…?”
Without warning, the princess grabbed Perizet by the collar, lifting her off the ground with one hand.
Perizet’s eyes widened in shock.
“Say it again. Whose victory was it? Who is the GM’s true representative?”
The princess’s crazed eyes bore into Perizet.
Normally calm and kind, the princess had never acted like this before.
But under the influence of the [Evil God GM], her mind had warped.
She was obsessively clinging to her title as the GM’s one and only apostle.
“W-Wait… I…”
Perizet’s body stiffened in fear.
“Speak! Now!”
As the princess’s overwhelming power threatened to crush Perizet’s body—
Thunk.
“That’s enough.”
A sudden hand gripped the princess’s arm.
“…Who dares interfere with the GM’s king?”
Turning to see who had stopped her, the princess’s eyes widened in shock.
“Lord…?”
“…Rebecca?”
Standing there was a boy, looking slightly surprised.
Though she had never seen him before, he felt strangely familiar to her.
The princess let go of Perizet and took a step back.
‘What did I just call him?’
Lord?
Why did I call this boy ‘Lord’ when it’s the first time we’ve met?
He’s just an ordinary human boy.
Her mind tangled in confusion.
***
Meanwhile, Albus, who had rushed over to stop whoever was threatening Perizet, was utterly stunned.
Standing before him was his apostle, who shouldn’t have been here, inside Rudera.