Report
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
------------------
Chapter 36: The God of the Blue Mane Tribe (2)
"We're here. It's that."
Going deeper into the forest, Arandel pointed to something out of place and said.
"That's..."
"Certainly not something you'd expect to find in a place like this."
Hamel and Benjamin, who had followed him, swallowed their exclamations.
A fist-sized ebony stake, barely noticeable, was embedded in a crevice in the rock, wrapped in red cloth covered in tiny writing.
It was clearly the work of humans.
As Hamel approached the stake, he frowned slightly.
Arandel was right.
"I can sense divine power."
"There are more of those scattered throughout the forest."
The stake emanated a powerful force similar to the sacred artifacts of the church.
A strong, cold energy.
Batu, the God of War.
It was undoubtedly his energy, the one who led dozens of celestial legions.
But why was his power devastating this land?
Hamel approached the stake to examine it.
"Be careful!"
Arandel shouted urgently, and Hamel stopped, barely managing to pull back his hand.
Crackle!
Blue sparks erupted, and his fingertips tingled.
If he had gone any closer, they would have been scorched black.
"...Thank you."
Hamel muttered in surprise.
Arandel shook his head and said,
"Two of our tribe members have lost their arms to that thing."
Divine power fundamentally doesn't harm humans.
Like the Azure Flame, it's a power meant to benefit humanity.
However,
'There are also powers that are not.'
Hamel approached the stake and examined it more closely.
The red writing was part of an incantation containing the power of evil destruction.
Examining the stake, made by cutting out a part of the Batu Scripture, Hamel noticed something strange.
The direction of the power, meant to destroy evil, was subtly twisted.
The technique itself was distorted to recognize this land and nature itself as enemies.
This wasn't something an ordinary priest could do.
'As expected...'
This was the work of an Inquisitor.
In other words, it was the consecration of the Inquisitors, those who sought out and captured heretics, tortured them, and eradicated them.
"Did you find something?"
At Arandel's question, seeing the expression on Hamel's face, Hamel nodded briefly.
"This is similar to the techniques used by Inquisitors."
"Is that so? Then...?"
Arandel's expression was filled with expectation.
Because Hamel had easily identified the problem.
Indeed, now that he had grasped the problem, solving it wasn't that difficult.
Since the prayer was distorted with divine power, all he had to do was restore it with divine power.
But...
"...I'll try."
It wasn't easy for Hamel at all.
All he could do was invoke divine power through prayer; he had never performed a miracle that could be called consecration or benediction.
Hamel clasped his hands together and began to pray devoutly.
After a while, a faint divine power lingered around him.
"Oh!"
The warmth was so clear that even Benjamin, an ordinary person, could feel it.
But...
"...?"
5 minutes passed…..
10 minutes passed…...
Then 15 minutes passed…...
"..."
There was no change in the stake.
"Um... Lord Hamel?"
At Benjamin's call, Hamel slowly opened his eyes.
Then he answered calmly,
"It seems difficult to dispel this with my prayer."
"...Is that so?"
Arandel's expression darkened rapidly.
Hamel hurriedly said,
"There's still another way."
"Really?"
At Arandel's delighted response, Hamel nodded confidently and cut his hand.
Everyone was surprised by his sudden self-harm, but only for a moment.
Hamel clenched his fist, letting drops of blood fall onto the stake, and recited a prayer.
"Oh righteous fire of Ehurshica, that purifies iniquity."
Azure flames ignited.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the flames that blazed brilliantly as if to consume everything.
"Ohhh!"
"This is the Azure Flame of the youngest exorcist..."
Both Arandel and Benjamin let out exclamations of admiration.
However, their admiration soon turned into groans and sighs.
"Hmm..."
"Ahem..."
The reason was simple.
The stake and its seal were still perfectly intact.
"..."
An awkward silence fell.
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Hamel found it hard to bear the atmosphere.
So, unusually, he made an excuse,
"As expected, the powers of the same good god don't affect each other."
The Azure Flame was the righteous power of destruction, imbued with divinity.
On the other hand, the seal on the stake was a power influenced by good, not evil.
It made sense that the Azure Flame wouldn't work.
It was an excuse, but it was certainly a correct analysis.
"...Ah, yes."
The two replied, even more awkwardly.
Their gazes towards Hamel were now tinged with pity.
As the atmosphere grew even quieter, cold sweat trickled down Hamel's forehead.
This wouldn't do.
He didn't know why, but he felt like his position would be jeopardized if this continued.
Thinking so, Hamel gritted his teeth.
There was only one thing he could do in this situation.
"Oh Batu, who governs war, honor, and duels."
Hamel suddenly stepped forward, reciting the scripture written on the sealing paper.
"...?"
The people's expressions were filled with questions at his sudden action.
But it didn't last long; their expressions soon turned to shock.
"Lead your 777,000 holy celestial armies and descend quickly to destroy these wicked beings and benefit the world."
Hamel, reciting the correct, undistorted scripture, suddenly reached out towards the stake.
There was no unusual phenomenon.
Blue electricity crackled, and Hamel's hand began to blacken and burn.
"Lord Hamel!"
"Th-this is madness!"
Benjamin and Arandel, realizing what Hamel was trying to do, hurriedly tried to stop him.
But it was too late.
His shrunken fingers, stiff from the burns, gripped the stake.
It was then.
"Oh Ehurshica, protect your servant. Grant me the power to correct this wrong once again with the flames of the Azure Flame."
Suddenly, Azure flames flickered from Hamel's hand, which seemed about to turn to ash at any moment.
"...!"
The Azure Flame.
The power that could even heal a severed arm.
It began to heal his burned hand.
"Oh Batu, do not let evil roam the earth, and do not let the lambs who serve you be tempted. Make the wicked beings tremble at the mere mention of your name."
Hamel didn't stop.
He recited the two scriptures alternately and tightened his grip on the stake.
Crack!
With a sound like roots being pulled out, the blue electricity began to weaken.
Then, Hamel gritted his teeth and muttered,
"Bring down the mace that tears, burns, and shatters evil!"
The next moment,
With a cracking sound, the sealing paper burst.
And the ebony stake was easily pulled out.
It no longer held any power.
"..."
Benjamin and Arandel stared blankly at Hamel.
Their gazes were filled with shock, relief, and realization.
'...I must never try to cheat Lord Hamel in a deal.'
'...If all the priests of the Empire are like this, I'll have to avoid fighting the lord.'
Unaware of this thought, Hamel muttered calmly,
"As expected, the simplest method is the best."
Hearing his words, the two just nodded awkwardly with a forced smile.
***
Arandel and the elite warriors of his tribe, the guardians of the forest.
And even Benjamin and the escorts of the trading company.
They scoured the forest, searching for and removing the stakes.
It took a little longer because only Hamel could handle them.
It was a painful task, but Hamel didn't delay even for a moment.
Two days passed like this.
Crack!
"It's done."
Hamel pulled out the last stake.
A total of eight locations.
It wasn't a small number.
Hamel looked fine on the outside, but he was quite exhausted.
'I'm tired.'
He just wanted to return to the territory with the company and rest as soon as possible.
"Thank you for your hard work. Let's go to Tarkasi."
Arandel said joyfully.
The problem that had been disrupting the spirit of the forest was solved.
The master of the forest would recover, and the conflict with the lord could be avoided for now.
Hamel asked Arandel,
"What are you going to do after this?"
"As promised, we will lift the blockade on the road and move the village deeper into the forest."
"It's a matter of time."
"I know, but... there's no other way. At least it will be quiet for a while."
Hamel was silent for a moment at Arandel's words.
Then he calmly expressed his thoughts.
"That might not be the case."
"What do you mean...?"
"I hear the price of iron has risen sharply in the Sorn territory."
Not only that.
The furnaces in the blacksmiths were constantly blazing, and the whole city was in a state of unrest.
Arandel's face turned pale as he understood what Hamel meant.
"You mean... the lord is preparing for war?"
"Rather than a grand name like war, it's more like a subjugation of the armed group occupying the road."
"Then could these stakes also be...?"
Arandel's face was filled with shock.
Hamel simply replied with an expressionless face,
"That's a possibility. In any case, staying in this forest any longer is not wise."
Even if it wasn't the lord, it was clear that someone had acted maliciously against the forest and the druids.
Arandel fell into deep thought at Hamel's advice.
But only for a moment. Arandel slowly shook his head and replied,
"I'm sorry, but we can't do that."
"..."
"This is our homeland and the very god we serve. Tarkasi cannot exist if he leaves this place."
It was the expected answer.
Hamel also understood what Arandel meant.
Therefore, Hamel simply nodded and added,
"I understand. However..."
Hamel stopped walking and looked at Arandel.
"If the day comes when there is no longer any reason to stay here, please come south and find the Heidern territory anytime."
Arandel's eyes widened at Hamel's words, then gently curved into a smile.
With a pleasant, hearty laugh, Arandel nodded vigorously.
"That's reassuring. Thank you."
"Yes."
Hamel simply nodded lightly and started walking again.
After walking for a while,
The group arrived at the clearing where Tarka was staying, the same one they had visited before.
"Oh god, we have returned."
Arandel bowed before the giant wolf and greeted him.
As if waiting for them, Tarka raised his massive body and greeted the group.
[Welcome back. You've worked hard.]
"How are you feeling?"
[Very good. I feel like I'm completely healed.]
Tarkasi answered Arandel's question with a pleasant chuckle, then his gaze stopped on Hamel.
He pushed his huge head forward and said,
[Priest, I must thank you. I didn't expect you to solve it so quickly.]
"Don't mention it."
Hamel lowered his body and shook his head.
[No, it's truly admirable. I must give you the promised reward, my benefactor.]
As Tarkasi gently approached Hamel and was about to open his mouth,
Slash!
A sharp sword strike sliced through Tarkasi's neck.
The sword, drawing a bold arc, was swung from below, and Tarkasi's neck, half severed, dangled and swayed.
"...Huh?"
Everyone who saw it doubted their own eyes.
Because the one who wielded the sword was none other than,
"That won't be necessary."
Hamel.
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
