Chapter 169 – Goddess of the Hearth – [Four]

In the end, no major decisions were made during the meeting. They simply agreed to prepare thoroughly so they could fight whenever the other side attacked.

And two days passed.

Unexpectedly, the Sun Ship requested dialogue first.

Sir Benoit, who had descended from the Sun Ship, said.

“The Commander-in-Chief wishes to see you. Angel.”

Seo Yun was surprised at the mention of the Commander-in-Chief. She had speculated that the power of the meteorite might have been insufficient to resurrect an Epic Level Paladin, but it seemed they had managed to revive even him. It was clear that fighting them would be no fun at all.

“Alright. Then…”

In the end, Seo Yun followed the Paladins. Upon entering the Sun Ship, the Crusaders’ Commander-in-Chief, Lord Cairo, was waiting.

The face of that Vampire hybrid looked even worse than when he had died and been resurrected once before. He looked at her with a weary expression and opened his mouth.

“They say you’re the Hearth Goddess’s Angel. Is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

Seo Yun answered casually. When she had spoken with Lord Cairo before, she had used formal speech to maintain dignity, but now that those memories were gone, there was no need for that.

And it seemed Lord Cairo already knew his memories were gone.

“I heard… that you and I were acquainted before?”

‘Acquainted’ is a bit much, but we did have a few important conversations. I even gave you something like a prophecy. I even told you the whereabouts of the Sun God who descended to the Mortal Realm.”

Lord Cairo studied her intently and then groaned. It seemed the magical eye he possessed informed him that her words were true.

“I… don’t remember. At all.”

“So, is there something you want to ask?”

“More than wanting to ask, there’s something I want to confirm. Yesterday, Sir Marshall… criticized me. He never thought highly of me from the start, so him being angry at me wasn’t surprising in itself, but…”

Lord Cairo paused and then continued.

“…He called me insane. Said I died and was resurrected for incomprehensible reasons, and don’t even remember that fact. Is that true?”

“It’s true.”

Lord Cairo groaned again, as if confirming this was also the truth.

“They say the Crusaders, including me, were wiped out. How on earth did we die?”

“You attacked Pygma Mule and were annihilated.”

“That Ancient Lich? That’s hard to believe easily. Why would we… attack an enemy we still couldn’t handle…”

“Because you had to.”

“Had to?”

“Yes. To save the people of the world.”

“So, was there meaning in that hopeless charge?”

“Plenty.”

Seo Yun explained how the Sun Ship’s destruction of Pygma Mule’s Ghost Ship prevented the notorious bombers it carried from blanketing this land, how that allowed people to hold out against his army, and how many people in this land survived because of it.

Lord Cairo muttered.

“Is that true?”

“You can tell it’s true, can’t you?”

“I see. In that case… I can accept it with satisfaction.”

“Accept what?”

“A proper death. I can accept it gladly.”

Seo Yun raised an eyebrow.

“You’re going to die?”

“I suppose I must. It seems these so-called Sun Knights, resurrected for unknown reasons, are even attempting plunder. This might perhaps be a punishment for my frequent arrogance.”

Lord Cairo said that he couldn’t understand his own actions of ignoring even the Sun God’s command to stop and trying to collect that damned tax. He had disobeyed the God’s commands more than once or twice, but it was clearly absurd to disobey a divine command over such a trivial matter, and he felt even stranger that no one had objected.

“And now I’m convinced we have been resurrected and become someone’s puppets. As Undead granted an impure life, it’s not much different from becoming a Mage’s slave, so according to the doctrine that forbids resurrection as Undead, we must die.”

After hearing the story, Seo Yun closed and opened her eyes. Then she spoke.

“That’s not necessary.”

“This isn’t the time for kind words, Angel. Right now, we are trying to plunder your village.”

“You can just leave this place without doing that.”

“Even if we leave, we’ll return? Even now, my mind is filled with the impulse to collect that damned tax from your village and leave…”

“Do you think you can’t overcome that impulse?”

“Probably. As one who has seen noble individuals succumb to a Vampire’s impulses numerous times, I don’t rate mental fortitude that highly. As things stand, I’ll likely end up following my inner impulses.”

“I’ll help make that impulse disappear. Furthermore, I’ll help you escape being a puppet.”

At Seo Yun’s words, Lord Cairo raised an eyebrow.

“You said we weren’t even that close to begin with. Is there a need for you to care for us like this?”

“There is.”

“Why?”

“You probably don’t remember, but last time you all helped us. And afterwards, I said something like this too.”

“What did you say?”

“I said since we received help this time, to call me if you ever need help later. It seems now is my turn to help.”

“Is there a way to help?”

Seo Yun nodded.

“There is.”

Then she met Lord Cairo’s gaze for a while. After a silence passed, Lord Cairo opened his mouth.

“I’ll trust you. So first, you said to leave this village?”

“Yes. By the way, have you collected many Meteor Fragments?”

“Quite a lot, enough to make it difficult to balance the ship’s center of gravity.”

“Leave all of them in this village. The impulse filling your head was implanted by the main body of that object.”

At Seo Yun’s words, Lord Cairo frowned and gritted his teeth. He had an expression as if enduring something, and Seo Yun guessed that the infamous impulse had assaulted him again.

And Lord Cairo is an Epic Level Paladin, a Superhuman with 11 points in Spirit. As always in the novel where he was the protagonist, this time too he overcame it.

Lord Cairo rose from his seat. He headed directly to the Sun Ship’s storage and, using his power to manipulate objects, threw all the sacks inside out the window.

“What are you doing, Commander-in-Chief?”

As the other Paladins panicked and tried to rush out, Lord Cairo stood blocking the Sun Ship’s entrance. Then, in a voice that sounded like that of a drug addict, he commanded.

“Prepare to set sail.”

“But out there…””Seeing how obsessed everyone is, including myself, I can see why this is something that should indeed be discarded. Since the Commander-in-Chief has given the order, prepare to set sail immediately!”

Fortunately, it seemed the crew of the Sun Ship considered the Commander-in-Chief a more plausible authority figure than the meteorite. As they moved, albeit with expressions full of discontent, Seo Yun stepped outside the Sun Ship.

The people of Happy Village were waiting for her. When Seo Yun relayed the words she had just exchanged, Oh Haengun asked.

“So the Sun Ship has decided to leave?”

“Yes.”

“Seo Yun, are you really a diplomatic genius? Somehow, whenever you talk with that Lord Cairo fellow, it feels like all the troublesome issues get resolved…”

Seo Yun shrugged her shoulders.

“And speaking of which, in exchange for the Paladins leaving, I agreed to solve their problem.”

“Their problem?”

“Being controlled by the meteorite.”

“How are you going to solve that?”

By ascending as the Goddess of the Hearth. If I make the meteorite stop functioning, then everyone, whether NPCs or ordinary people, will be freed from its bondage and become free.

She didn’t voice that thought and gave a vague answer instead.

“Well, there is a way. Anyway, because of that, I think I’ll have to be away from the village for a while.”

“How long?”

“Hmm, quite a while?”

“Your friends’ wedding is soon… Can you be back by then?”

Oh Haengun frowned, and Seo Yun smiled awkwardly.

“I’ll try.”

It wasn’t a lie. She desperately wanted to witness their wedding.

From that Celestial Realm.

Seo Yun urged that if she didn’t return by then, the wedding should proceed as scheduled, and if Gaeulbi and Han Siwoo tried to postpone it, they absolutely must not. Oh Haengun nodded, and with that, the conversation ended.

The Sun Ship finished preparations for departure. William and Sir Marshall boarded the ship with them, saying they would keep watch.

Before the Sun Ship left the village, Lord Cairo muttered in his usual tired voice.

“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do even if we leave the village like this. If we’ve already fought the decisive battle with Pygma Mule, then what on earth…”

And then Seo Yun spoke.

“Travel around and help people.”

“Help people?”

“Yes. There are still many people in difficulty. Help them. And if possible, help the people here later too. On my behalf.”

With his unique ability, he would have sensed that the last words were not just empty talk but sincere.

Lord Cairo looked this way and silently nodded. Soon after, he boarded the Sun Ship. The Sun Ship rose into the air.

Watching the Sun Ship fly far away from the village, Seo Yun thought.

A single Level 15 Hearth Priest would be far less helpful to the world than the Sun Ship and its crew. Probably to Happy Village as well.

That evening, Seo Yun gathered her former and current team members together for the first time in a long while.

She called Seong Juri and Lee Jongho, Jeon Sangguk and Park Taeyang and Gaeulbi and Han Siwoo, and treated them to a meal.

“What is all this?”

The food Seo Yun prepared was samgyeopsal. Those gathered here seemed surprised by the fact that such precious food was laid out, and that Seo Yun was eating with them.

“Where did you get samgyeopsal? Did you find some frozen somewhere?”

To Lee Jongho’s question, Seo Yun answered.

“I made it by wishing upon a Meteor Fragment.”

Gaeulbi’s eyes widened.

“Meteor Fragment?”

“Yeah.”

“Why would you do that? What a waste!”

Gaeulbi screamed as if shrieking, and Seong Juri muttered.

“It certainly is a waste. Aren’t Meteor Fragments going to become items far more expensive than diamonds of the same weight once the world normalizes? Californium? I heard they could become even more expensive than that…”

That was correct. The Meteor Fragments distributed bit by bit to those who contributed to the village were considered the most valuable assets.

And for good reason, as they were items that granted wishes. Even if used only to create a specific mass of matter in a very simple way, they could generate astronomical monetary value.

While everyone had become destitute with the world in this state, those who possessed the fragments held onto the hope that they could sell them and secure a fortune once civilization was reestablished. It wasn’t for nothing that they were willing to fight even against the Sun Ship to protect them.

“So what? It’s my item, I can use it as I please.”

“But still… you shouldn’t use it so recklessly…”

Gaeulbi kept grumbling, and Seo Yun thought to herself.

Seeing how they treasure the Meteor Fragments like that, I guess I can give the remaining fragments as a wedding gift. When I leave the village, I’ll just leave a note saying I’m transferring them all to that couple…

Meanwhile, Park Taeyang was watching her expression. The kid diligently flipped the meat and then carefully picked up two pieces, offering them to her. Seo Yun smiled and asked.

“For me to eat?”

“Yeah, uh-huh…”

“Alright, I’ll eat well. Taeyang, you eat a lot too, okay?”

Park Taeyang nodded slowly. Around his neck hung Oh Haengbok’s old necklace. It was a Magic Necklace that increased Spirit by 1 point, retrieved from what the Vampire officers had and given to Park Taeyang.

Thanks to that, Park Taeyang’s Mental Stat was now 5, the average for an adult. Whether it was because his Mental Stat increased or because of all he had been through, much of Park Taeyang’s abnormally immature demeanor from before had faded.

Seo Yun stared intently at Park Taeyang with a smile on her face, and Park Taeyang, seemingly embarrassed, stopped chewing the meat and averted his gaze.

Seo Yun smiled again and turned her head from him to look at Seong Juri. Watching the plump girl drinking alcohol with Lee Jongho, she asked.

“Juri, didn’t you not drink? I thought your parents wouldn’t let you.”

True to her grumpy Dwarf nature, Seong Juri immediately retorted.

“That was back then. I’m an adult now, why wouldn’t they let me?”

“Huh, you’re an adult now?”

“Can’t you count?”

“No, it’s just you still look like a kid to me…”

“Who are you to talk, looking the youngest… A girl tinier than me saying such things, I can’t even argue if you’re making fun of me for being short because I’m a Dwarf.”

Come to think of it, had that much time passed? Seo Yun blinked slowly and looked at the boys and girls gathered here.

No, it wasn’t boys and girls here now, but young adults.Lee Jongho, as a Warrior Player, looked so worn out that he already appeared like an old man, and Jeon Sangguk, who had long retired from being a Player, was the same. And Han Siwoo… his face hadn’t changed much, but he had grown astonishingly tall, to the point where his seated height was similar to Seo Yun’s standing height.

They’ve already grown so big. Seo Yun laughed once more. She picked up a piece of pork belly, downed a glass of soju, and muttered.

“It would’ve been nice if Jihyeok were here too. To eat pork belly together…”

Lee Jongho picked up the conversation.

“Come to think of it, Jihyeok, didn’t you make pork belly using a Meteor Fragment when you first met him?”

“Huh, did he tell you that?”

“He did. He talked about it like it was something to boast about.”

“So he said that, huh.”

“Yeah, that guy Jihyeok talked about it as if it were some cherished childhood memory like being taken to an amusement park by his parents. He went on about how he’d repay that favor someday, but in the end…”

A somber atmosphere briefly flowed. Seo Yun stared blankly at the pork belly for a moment before suddenly speaking.

“Since we’re on the topic, shall we make a toast for those who aren’t here?”

“Those?”

“Jihyeok, Mister Kim Ak, and Rayeon, all of them.”

Come to think of it, three people had already left this small team. They decided to mourn them for a moment.

Everyone got up from their seats, grabbed bottles of soju, and headed toward the village cemetery.

Kim Ak was of course buried here, and Kim Jihyeok, who had died in the neighboring village, was also buried here. Everyone bowed their heads before their graves.

“Wait a moment, I’ll bring that bitch Rayeon…”

After a while, Seong Juri returned from somewhere with a statue. It was a sculpture of a woman in a gorgeous dress.

The Statue of the Goddess of Beauty. She placed it between Kim Ak’s grave and Kim Jihyeok’s grave and muttered.

“Rayeon, are you with these two? If you’re together, take good care of them, okay?”

Beside her, Lee Jongho also muttered along.

“Yeah, Rayeon. Please look after them well…”

Their prayers were no longer surprising.

By now, the truth about who the new Goddess of Beauty was had become common knowledge. The fact that qualified Players could challenge the position of the Chief God, which existed in the setting, was also no longer a secret.

The fact that someone could become the Goddess of Beauty should have remained a secret, as it could lead to a terrible situation if leaked, like some Vampire Lord taking the seat.

But now, wasn’t the only remaining Chief God the Goddess of the Hearth? That Goddess, who had little presence even in the Immortal Kingdom, didn’t matter who became her. Seo Yun had spread all those facts to publicize Seo Rayeon’s achievements.

With the memorial, the pork belly party disbanded. After everyone left, Seo Yun remained standing before the graves.

From behind her, Gaeulbi’s voice was heard.

“Seo Yun, you’re not thinking something strange, are you?”

What is this chimpanzee suddenly talking about? Without turning around, Seo Yun asked.

“What thought?”

“You know what I mean! That Ascension thing!”

Seo Yun’s eyes widened. How did she know about that now?

“Why are you suddenly saying such things…”

“Your behavior suddenly became strange! Throwing a pork belly party using precious Fragments… acting like someone about to leave, aren’t you? Did you host some kind of last supper or something?”

“No, just because I threw a little party, why are you saying such things?”

“I asked Uncle Haengun, and he said you’re leaving the village soon? When I asked why you’re leaving, he said to help the Paladins controlled by the Meteorite… Isn’t there only one way to help those guys?”

Seo Yun cursed inwardly. Damn it, this chimpanzee usually lacks empathy to an extreme level, but only has sharp intuition at times like this.

After a brief struggle, Seo Yun finally conceded.

“Lately, there have been a lot of minor problems, right? This one was especially big. It’s also been proven that the meteorite’s malice still lingers… We can’t keep living in anxiety like this.”

“So you think ascending will solve all these problems at once?”

“Won’t it?”

Gaeulbi raised her voice sharply.

“No! Even if the problem gets solved… why should you be the one to do it? You have no such responsibility, and no one is forcing you to do it! Why are you suddenly exploding with a martyr complex all by yourself… Answer me! Why should you do it?”

“There have been different reasons each time. Because the price of becoming an angel must be paid. Because it seems only I can do it. Because this Dark Fantasy is so damn shitty…”

After a moment of organizing her thoughts, Seo Yun continued.

“…And the conclusion I’ve reached lately is this.”

“What is it?!”

“Because I think I should do it.”

It didn’t seem to be a very satisfactory answer, as Gaeulbi glared at her. Seo Yun spoke.

“You see, me… Since the world became like this, I’ve seen all sorts of filthy bastards, but I’ve also seen many truly good people.”

“Why are you talking about this now—”

“I saw an ugly outcast struggling desperately to clean up his own mess… I saw a timid man reborn as a great Warrior. I saw how a Taekwondo Master, who bore no responsibility for any of it, accepted his own fate. I saw what choice a pair of twins with strange personalities made in the end.”

“Seo Yun.”

“Fate… Is that too grandiose an expression? To put it differently, well, they did what they had to do. Not because others told them to, but because they themselves thought it was the right thing to do. I’ll do the same.”

Gaeulbi’s lips trembled a few times. Then she spoke quickly.

“Still… wait. I told you before, right? About the plan.”

“Ah, I think you did mention something like that.”

“That plan, it’s still in progress. Want me to explain what it is?”

That guy and his plan talk again. Finding that petty scheme starting to feel somewhat endearing, Seo Yun gave an awkward smile.

“Later.”

Just then, Seo Yun’s bracelet glowed. Someone was requesting help… To assist them and to escape this troublesome situation, Seo Yun answered the bracelet’s summons.

“Seo Yun?”

Gaeulbi looked at her with wide eyes. Thinking this might be the last time, Seo Yun waved as she vanished.

The next moment, Seo Yun’s vision changed.

Along with it, all sorts of noises drilled into her ears. The bizarre roars of monsters and the screams of people.

Seo Yun looked ahead. The meteorite was wreaking havoc again.

A Gutworm, as massive as the one she saw a month ago and close to a natural disaster, was wildly thrashing its enormous body, causing chaos. From the hole in the ground it created while emerging, Kobolds wielding rifles were crawling out in droves.

People were running away from them, and Seo Yun, drawing her Flaming Sword, advanced in the opposite direction of the fleeing crowd.

The monster extermination ended roughly tens of minutes later. After Seo Yun tended to the injured and the dead, the people expressed gratitude to an almost burdensome degree. It was an extreme level of gratitude she hadn’t even experienced during her time as a firefighter.

“Really, it’s you again, Ms. Seo Yun. How can we ever repay such kindness…”

“If you’re grateful, please deliver this for me.”

Saying that, Seo Yun held out a letter (its contents stating she would hand over the Meteor Fragment she possessed to a certain couple) and the Bracelet of Support. The people she helped carefully accepted them and asked.

“Where should we deliver this?”

“To Happy Village.”

“Ah, that’s your village, Ms. Seo Yun. Aren’t you going back right away?”

“Yes. So please take care of it.”

Seo Yun said that and flapped the wings she had already unfurled. Her body rose into the air. Seo Yun spread her wings wide and glided off into the distance.

There was one last place she wanted to see.

Because it concerned her friend, Gaeulbi spent a lot of time investigating what becoming a god in the Immortal Kingdom meant. And no matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like a particularly good thing.

According to descriptions common across multiple Editions of the Immortal Kingdom Rulebook and Scenario books, becoming a god was a sacrifice.

In the Immortal Kingdom’s worldview, while there were many powerful Demigods capable of challenging gods, none ever challenged for a god’s position. Even a Vampire Lord, who could have his subjects worship his ascended self to gather Faith stably, stubbornly insisted on remaining in the Mortal Realm.

And for good reason. The Celestial Realm of the Immortal Kingdom was not a better place than the Mortal Realm. As described in various Immortal Kingdom rulebooks and novels, the Celestial Realm was a stark white wasteland. Since most of the gods who once resided in Heaven had died, the Celestial Realm was a desolate world inhabited only by the three Chief Gods and the few Angels who followed them.

Perhaps to emphasize that even the gods were unhappy in this Dark Fantasy, the descriptions of the Celestial Realm heavily emphasized in the rulebooks were all like that. A place of exile with no compelling reason to move to.

Gaeulbi did not want her friend to be exiled.

That night, Gaeulbi did not sleep. She waited for Seo Yun to return, but even when the sky grew completely dark, Seo Yun ultimately did not come back.

She felt a judgment that she might not return at all like this. Gaeulbi ran to the Chief’s tent.

“Uh… Eulbi, why?”

Fortunately, Oh Haengun was not yet asleep. Gaeulbi grabbed the Mage and said.

“You know Rayeon became the Goddess of Beauty, right?”

“I know. Why?”

Gaeulbi bit her lip and spoke.

“This time, Seo Yun is…”

And when all the explanations were finished, Oh Haengun stepped outside the tent. He blew the Chief’s Horn Trumpet.

Boooooooooooooooooooo… The resonant sound, longer than ever before, summoned not only the Players of Happy Village but also the ordinary people.

Before the villagers, Oh Haengun began his explanation.

An explanation about a certain girl, and about what the people here could do for that girl and for the village.