The Southern Continent is a stranger to harsh winters. It knows only a peaceful summer, bathed in bright, warm sunlight. This eternal summer, which lasts all year round, is never sweltering; it is a perfect, gentle warmth. Farmers reap a bounty every year without fail, and the blessed land overflows with abundance and joy.
The living beings of the Southern Continent, dwelling under that balmy sun, served the benevolent light and worshipped Rebrua, the Goddess of the Sun. Those born into such grace naturally came to adore the sun without the need for coercion. It was a natural progression for those born into plenty to live satisfied lives until the day they died.
Of course, not everyone worshipped only the sun.
There were three major orders representing the Southern Continent:
The Sun Order. The Star Order. And the Crusader Order.
* * *
I didn’t know much about the Southern Continent.
However, I knew for certain that one of its most developed industries was tourism. “A place you must visit at least once before you die”—that was how most described it. The Southern Continent was, in name and deed, the greatest resort on the entire continent. As a premier tourist destination, the “ports”—the first places travelers set foot—were usually impeccably maintained.
In truth, even if it weren’t a tourist attraction, cities that serve as “hubs” for ports or warp gates are typically kept clean and aesthetically pleasing. Since these places see constant traffic from outsiders, the image of such cities becomes the image of the nation and the continent itself. I remembered a book I once read called Travels in the Southern Continent , where the author described their first impression of the place as “fantastical.”
But the scenery currently entering my vision was…
“It’s a disaster.”
Yes, it was a total mess.
“The situation seems more serious than I thought.”
“Indeed. We almost couldn’t find a place to dock,” Zeppelin Gold said, scratching his head.
The first land we stepped upon was Vicente, a port city in the Holy Empire. I didn’t know what this city was originally like, but if I had to describe my first impression based solely on what I saw now, “shambles” would be an understatement.
It looks like a storm swept through here.
Among the buildings of Vicente, not a single one appeared intact. Rows of houses stood with collapsed roofs and shattered walls, their debris left abandoned in the streets. On the neatly paved roads, I could see dark bloodstains and charred bits of flesh. A foul stench permeated the air. Families dressed in rags sat huddled on the ground, and countless children wandered aimlessly without parents. People who were blind or missing parts of their faces crawled along the stones, begging from passersby.
“A gruesome sight.”
“It’s a common scene in a country at war. It’s quite sad, really. It wasn’t like this the last time I visited,” Zeppelin Gold spoke with a heavy voice. “I’ve come here for business and for travel; it breaks my heart to see a place I have so many memories of falling apart like this.”
Beyond the collapsed buildings and broken people, a tall statue loomed. The copper statue had been crafted into a specific form, but strangely, the female figure was missing its head. In place of the head, a dull, drab cross had been driven into the neck. On the chest of the headless woman, words were written in red blood.
[Deus vult]
I didn’t know what it meant.
As I narrowed my eyes at the statue, Zeppelin Gold spoke.
“The work of the Crusader Order. They’ve gone completely mad. To desecrate the sacred relic of another order like that…”
“A sacred relic of another order?”
“That statue is the symbol of the port city Vicente. The Statue of the Sun. It was carved in the likeness of the Goddess Rebrua. To tear off the head of such an icon, plant a cross there, and even write that phrase…”
“Can you read what’s written there?”
“I can. There are quite a few people in the Southern Continent who don’t speak the Continental Common Language. That is the local tongue. To translate it…” Zeppelin Gold rubbed his chin. “It says, ‘God wills it.'”
God wills it.
To write such a phrase on the sacred relic of another order… That wasn’t the act of a normal religious group; it was something only a pack of fanatics would do.
“It’s the slogan the Crusader Order puts forward. The god they serve is one of the Seven Chief Gods, the ‘Son of Sin and Punishment.’ Right now, the Crusader Order is shouting those words all across the Southern Continent, claiming they are the chosen Crusaders. They swing their swords while insisting they are delivering the rightful judgment that God desires.”
“Is that even allowed? I can’t imagine the other orders serving the Seven Chief Gods and Nine Goddesses would just stand by. Doesn’t saying ‘God wills it’ essentially mean they don’t recognize any order other than their own?”
“Of course it’s not allowed. But what can be done?” Zeppelin Gold gave a bitter smile. “The Seven Chief Gods and Nine Goddesses aren’t likely to intervene directly in such matters. It’s violent, but it doesn’t technically violate the Primeval Law. They aren’t denying the existence of other gods, nor are they directly insulting them; they are simply clashing with other orders based on the doctrines written in their own scriptures.”
Violent, but not against the law.
Those words stuck in my ear.
“Of course, it is unreasonable. The balance is skewed. The Star Order is a group that pursues peace and coexistence, seeking forgiveness and salvation. The Sun Order views asceticism as practice and considers self-improvement a virtue. The Star Order has no combatants, and most of the combatants belonging to the Sun Order have become monks, leaving this land to live as wanderers.”
“…”
“In contrast, the Crusader Order possesses its own army—from the holy knights called Crusaders to Inquisitors and priests capable of performing powerful miracles. They even have a pretext for their violence.” Zeppelin Gold’s voice echoed. “The doctrine of the Crusader Order is ‘Sin requires appropriate punishment.’ And at this moment, the Crusader Order, which has ignited a massive war in the Southern Continent, is putting forward the bizarre justification of ‘just judgment against the wicked who stole our holy sites.'”
“What kind of justification is that?”
“Actually, from a religious perspective, it’s not an incorrect pretext. There are several holy lands recorded in the scriptures of the Crusader Order. The paths their god, the ‘Son of Sin and Punishment,’ walked while wandering the Mortal Realm in the past, the lands where he performed miracles, and the place where he suffered on the cross before returning to the Celestial Realm… all of those are holy sites recorded in their scriptures.”
“…”
“Since they are officially recorded in the scriptures, they can be called holy sites. The problem, however, is that the ‘Son of Sin and Punishment’ spent over ten years in the Mortal Realm, and the almighty Chief God traveled to a great many places. If all those locations were recognized as holy sites and ownership was handed over to them, the Crusader Order would end up owning more territory than any single nation in the Southern Continent. Furthermore, since these holy sites were scattered all over the continent and included key strategic points for various countries… realistically speaking, it was impossible to give them all up.”
As Zeppelin Gold continued, the sounds of wailing from all around grew louder.
“So, the nations of the Southern Continent allowed the priests of the Crusader Order to stay at those holy sites, and the nations themselves took charge of maintaining them. The Crusader Order didn’t make much of an issue of it back then. They knew they were being shown great consideration.”
“Then why did they suddenly use that as a pretext?”
“Because it’s a convenient one. Honestly, in my eyes, they’ve lost their way as religious people. To the point where I can’t understand why God doesn’t rebuke them.”
The wretched people on the streets. Their misery was laid bare.
“In the end, they started this war out of greed. They are using the recovery of holy sites as a pretext to unify the power of the Crusader Order, strengthen the Pope’s authority, and ultimately swallow the entire Southern Continent under the guise of God’s will. They want to establish a Holy Empire of the ‘Crusader Order’ that is far larger and more powerful than the current one. Like the Sky Empire of the Central Continent, they want a giant empire that rules an entire continent.”
“…Is that even allowed? Do the Seven Chief Gods just watch this happen?”
“I wonder about that too. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Son of Sin and Punishment allows this behavior, or why the other gods don’t step in.” Zeppelin Gold let out a long sigh. “Well, it’s not like we can understand the will of the heavens.”
It was a situation hard to accept.
Liam was the one who spoke to me about it.
「They are preparing for the coming age of chaos. The authority of the Seven Chief Gods and Nine Goddesses grows stronger based on the number of followers who serve them and the faith they send. The Chief God the Crusader Order serves is a being who wouldn’t care if they used his name, as long as it makes him greater.」
He doesn’t care as long as he becomes greater.
Then what about the opposite? There are fifteen other gods in the world besides him. Why are the other fifteen staying silent? As I held that question, Liam spoke before I could even voice it.
「It is because of the nature of the gods. The Goddess of Stars and the Goddess of the Sun cannot move because of the doctrines they created themselves. The doctrine of the Star Order is to forgive and love everything. The doctrine of the Sun Order is to endure harsh trials as asceticism and to overcome dangers on one’s own rather than leaning on others. Because of these doctrines, the Goddess of Stars cannot help her followers, and the Goddess of the Sun cannot directly aid her own either.」
“…”
「And the other gods who aren’t directly affected have no reason to step in. By nature, the Seven Chief Gods and Nine Goddesses are aloof bystanders who are extremely reluctant to interfere in the Mortal Realm. They don’t want to break the balance by intervening for no reason, and above all, if they just stay still, the influence and authority of those two goddesses will drastically diminish… why would they bother helping?」
Liam gave a smirk.
「The Celestial Realm where the Seven Chief Gods and Nine Goddesses dwell is not as noble as the myths record. They are not beings who mingle to coordinate world peace or dedicate themselves to the seven races. It will be easier to understand if you discard your illusions about the gods, young descendant.」
Discard your illusions about the gods.
That expression fit perfectly. I nodded in agreement with my master’s words. Then, I looked at Zeppelin Gold.
“So, what is it I need to do here?”
“There’s only one thing. Didn’t I tell you when we first made our contract?” Zeppelin Gold grinned. “You are going to become a hero here, Lord.”
Grinning, Zeppelin Gold pointed toward the distance.
“First, let’s make a deep impression on the people of the Southern Continent.”
In the direction he pointed was the statue—the Statue of the Sun, with its head torn off and a cross driven into its neck.
“The public loves to cheer for the victory of an underdog. Furthermore, a hero doesn’t stand on the side of the strong; they stand on the side of the weak, crushing unreasonableness and providing a thrill.”
“…”
“Let’s show those Crusaders and their army, who are lording it over civilians, what a real sword is, Lord.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Crushing unreasonableness. That was something I quite enjoyed.
“Are the Crusaders strong?”
“Could you tell me what your standard for ‘strong’ is?”
“Use me as the standard.”
At my words, Zeppelin Gold laughed once more.
“Lord.”
“Yes.”
“Here, you are a wolf that has appeared among a flock of sheep.” Zeppelin Gold’s eyes flashed with a golden light. “Show these greenhouse flowers of the Southern Continent what it means to have survived the Iron Kingdom—the harshest land in the West—with nothing but a single blade.”
