Hell Mode: Volume 7, page 24
“What are you saying?”
“Everything was so that my plan would reach fruition today. That’s what I’m saying.”
As Gushara spoke, something fell onto the platform from inside the tattered robe he was wearing. A dull, metallic sound echoed through the silent plaza as the item rolled off the platform and onto the ground. The Great Pope looked down in shock and saw the sooty bottom of a large silver tray. There was no way that the person tied to the stake could have had such a thing.
“This is the divine vessel of Freyja, the Goddess of Fire.”
Hearing Gushara’s words, the Great Pope felt the color drain from his entire body.
“What?”
“Thank you, Great Pope. I trusted that you would surely gather for me the fools who believed that I was God’s messenger!”
The Great Pope looked up and saw that Gushara’s face was no longer that of a human.
“You fiend!” the Great Pope shouted. He moved backward with agility that was unimaginable compared to his previous stumbling movements, distancing himself from the stake.
Immediately afterward, flames as black as night overflowed from the silver tray. They quickly spread across the stone pavement of the plaza, where there was nothing to burn, and spread not only to the execution stand but also to the torches and the holy soldiers acting as executioners who were standing next to them.
“Auuugh!” the two holy soldiers screamed as they burned up and were turned into dark cinders.
Confusion erupted in the crowd. The throngs of people tried to flee the area before the slowly spreading pitch-black flames could reach them, but they were blocked by each other from all sides, hindering their movements. They pushed and shoved each other, flailing wildly, but that only further slowed them down.
All the while, the ominous, pitch-black flames gradually spread. When the fire finally came into contact with the fence surrounding the plaza, the Great Pope cried out, encompassing the square with a golden light.
“Away with the wicked! Sanctuary Road!”
“Gwaaauuugh!” Gushara’s scream could be heard through the blaze.
“I refuse to let you do as you please, Gushara!” the Great Pope roared from several meters above the ground.
The crowd looked toward where the voice had come from. There, they saw the light of the Extra Skill Sanctuary Road pouring out in all directions from the body of the Great Pope, who was floating in the air and surrounded by golden light. It enveloped the silver tray, instantly extinguishing the pitch-black flames.
As some turned to face the screaming Gushara, the fire surrounding the stake went out and the body of the man, still tied to the stake, was engulfed in pale-blue flames. The crowd witnessed how the wounds they had sustained during the chaos were healed in the blink of an eye by the golden light emitted by the Great Pope, and they moved slowly, fearfully, away from the square.
“O Great Pope! You truly embody the miracles of the great Lord Elmea!” the cardinal, who was trying to protect the people around him by casting a defensive wall spell, cried out.
“Heh heh heh. What wonderful power. I expected nothing less from the Living Miracle. But the power of man is nothing before the power of God!”
Despite the pale flames burning him, Gushara laughed fearlessly, freed himself from his restraints, and descended from the pillar sitting atop the pyre. His tattered robes had already burned off, exposing his pale skin. He stood on his tiptoes and lacked heels; he had long, multijointed fingers; and his skin looked slimy to the touch despite being bone dry. Though he resembled a human, it was clear that he was anything but.
“A monster? No, a Demonic Deity.”
While the Great Pope was busy regretting that he had not realized who his opponent really was before seeing his true form, Gushara placed his hand over the silver tray. The pitch-black flames, which had nearly been snuffed out, rekindled, and like before, spread to the surrounding area. As they did, they pushed away the golden light of the Sanctuary Road.
The Great Pope touched the necklace that hung from his neck. “Lord Elmea, please lend me your strength!” As he prayed and released the necklace’s power, the golden light of the Sanctuary Road regained its power and again drove back the flames.
“Ah, so you had Elmea’s miracle. But you should know that this is only a fraction of God’s power!”
The flames increased in strength, repelling the golden light and spreading out once again. Seeing this, the Great Pope knew that he had been defeated.
“Cardinal!” The Great Pope, without taking his eyes off Gushara, called out to the cardinal, who was outside the fence behind him. “Assist everyone in escaping. We can’t hold this place any longer.”
It was then that the realization hit the pope.
“I-I see... I understand now...” he muttered.
The cardinal deployed his defensive magic to protect the crowd from the approaching pitch-black flames. The golden light was suppressing them, but he could see that it was slowly losing ground. He knew that he had to retreat, but refused to abandon the Great Pope, and had put off making his decision. However, when the pope called for him, the cardinal turned toward the voice.
“Great Pope!” the cardinal cried out in despair as he saw the golden light gradually dimming and the Great Pope’s floating body slowly descending.
“Cardinal, raise your voice!” The cardinal stared back blankly for a moment as the Great Pope began to speak. “Remember the oracle given to us by Lord Elmea! Send a distress signal to the world! When you do so, a youth in gold will rush in from the heavens, bringing with him the light of hope.”
The Great Pope, who was now nearly touching the pitch-black flames burning on the ground, announced this loudly, helping the cardinal steel his resolve.
“Run, everyone! Flee to Neel!”
Following the cardinal’s instructions, the priests and holy soldiers who were present at the scene began to retreat. Most of the crowd had already started to move from the square to the streets, but some mysteriously remained; there were no means to save them for now. Escaping from Teomenia was likely to cause even more chaos, and now the only thing left to think about was getting as many people as possible out of the city safely. Fortunately, including the cardinal and some of the priests, there were people with Talents among the holy soldiers. He believed that the people could at least flee to the nearest city, Neel.
“Farewell, Great Pope.”
Hearing this sobbing cardinal’s voice behind him, the Great Pope smiled with satisfaction.
Gushara smirked. “Oh dear, they’re running away. How foolish you are, Great Pope, to rejoice at being abandoned by your subordinates.”
“Foolish? Ah, perhaps I am... But it’s precisely because I am such a fool that I can stay here and keep hope alive. Makkaron, it looks like I’ll be going first.”
The golden light surrounding the Great Pope’s body then disappeared. He fell into the dark blaze that had overtaken the plaza and dropped to his knees. In the next moment, the pitch-black flames climbed up his white robe and consumed him.
As if that were some sort of signal, the pitch-black flames flared up, enveloping everything that remained in the plaza.
“Yaaah!”
As the crowd fled, those who had chosen to stay shouted in unison. Their cry was not one of anguish or despair, but of joy. They were the leaders of the Church of Gushara. Because of their hatred of the Elmean religion, they had allowed themselves to be complicit in Gushara’s actions, and were even aware of his true identity.
The pitch-black flames activated the true effect of the holy water that permeated their bodies with its hideous magical power, transforming them into monsters—daemonic incarnations.
Gushara looked up at the clear sky and reported to the absent Demon Lord. “I, Demonic Deity Gushara, have fulfilled one of the conditions of the Demon Lord’s plan. Let us move on to the next stage!”
He turned his back on the city of Teomenia, which was gradually being engulfed in pitch-black flames, and walked up the long stairs leading to the church. Behind him, the mysterious necklace containing the miracle of the God of Creation fell from the chest of the Great Pope, who had been turned into a lump of charcoal in the shape of a human. A clear metallic sound rang out as it landed on the stone pavement of the plaza.
Side Story 2: Judgment of the Goddess of Arbitration, Falnemes
A hundred years prior to the birth of Allen and the rest of his friends, there was a country located on the continent of Galiat, where the Union was located, known as the Zenitex Merchant Kingdom. The country, which worshipped Merchant God Zehni, became a hot spot for commerce thanks to its position on flat land along a river. It went unnoticed that a cadre of money-hungry merchants eventually absorbed so much wealth that they managed to buy noble titles and wormed their way into control of the government.
One of those money-hungry merchants was a man named Spachax, who was known as the Merchant King. After expelling the former royals and aristocrats, he changed the name of the country to Zenitex. Then, he expanded the borders of the royal capital and had his mansion built anew on the eastern hill where the royal villas had stood, making it the center of state affairs. The former royal castle was abandoned as a result, and the divide between the rich and the poor grew so extreme that markets and warehouses were the only things in the capital that were not mansions or hovels. The streets were filled with those who were too poor to live in the hovels and had no hope of getting out of such a life. All they could do was gaze up at Spachax’s beautiful mansion, so large that it could be mistaken for a castle, and its splendid grounds.
In one room of the mansion were about ten merchants who had been summoned by Merchant King Spachax—a regular occurrence. They were some of the wealthiest merchants in Zenitex. Around the perimeter of the golden statue of Merchant God Zehni, who took the form of a plump, smiling man, they offered up tributes of gold, silver, and jewels. Spachax looked contentedly at the offerings he had collected from the merchants and finally offered a chunk of gold, more precious than his own life, placing it on the altar. He then headed to the right, toward the center of the manor by a wall, where his jewel-encrusted throne sat.
Once he settled into his throne, the wealthy merchants also moved to their own luxurious seats, not forgetting to first kneel before the haughty Merchant King in unison. Their heads were so low that they practically rubbed against the brilliant carpet.
“It is all thanks to the power of the Merchant King that this mercantile nation has been granted the great honor of undertaking the repair work on Teomenia’s church,” one of the merchants said.
Hearing his words, the other merchants nodded, also praising the Merchant King.
“No, no. It’s all thanks to your donations. Besides, when the actual construction starts, you’ll each have a role that you must fulfill. I’m merely a merchant who asked for the favor of Lord Zehni.” Spachax gave a look of pride and arrogantly leaned back into his throne.
Indeed, it was he who had persuaded Elmahl to allow them to work on the church’s renovation. There was no way, he thought, that a mercantile nation could undertake the work without him. Once the construction started, he planned to have the wealthy merchants gathered here offer their goods at a bargain.
“And so, you must not hesitate to donate to Lord Zehni. If you offer up a great donation, he might pay you a visit.”
“I-Is that true?!”
“Of course. I was once like you, but through constant dedication, I was able to get close to Lord Zehni. In any case, how are the preparations for the Union summit going?” Spachax asked, changing the subject.
A summit meeting was held on the Galiatan Continent once a year as a way for the member countries of the Union to gather together. The venue changed every year among the members, and Zenitex Merchant Kingdom was to host the next one.
“Despite repeated notices, not only has the eviction of the area not progressed, but the residents rioted the day before yesterday, and the officials seem to be having a hard time,” a wealthy merchant entrusted with the land readjustment and establishment of the venue explained.
The candidate site for the venue was once a commercial district centered on the trading of timber, but it had moved following Spachax’s expansion of the royal capital’s borders. He had abandoned the entire district in the process, and the outraged residents strongly opposed Spachax and his faction for their decisions. This time around, they deliberately refused to be evicted, going so far as to launch a protest movement.
But Spachax only snorted. “Huh? Is that all? Just crush them.”
“Sir?” the merchant replied.
“I’m telling you to take out the trash. Why do you think we spent most of the offerings and donations to renovate the church? It was so we could get the Union to approve of slavery at the summit.”
Spachax had requested the order to rebuild Teomenia’s church to become the country to host this year’s summit. Elmahl, the headquarters of the Church of Elmea, which had worshippers all over the world, naturally had a loud voice within the Union. After receiving the recommendation and finally becoming the host country, the only thing left to do was to secretly approach the leaders of other member states and, at the next meeting, add the phrase “each country can allow slavery at its discretion” to the Union Charter. That was the Merchant King’s plan.
“Is it just for the sake of these impoverished people that I’ve been forced to stand still?” Spachax said so angrily that he practically spat the words out.
Seeing that, one of the wealthy merchants hurriedly laughed and followed suit. “W-Well, as always, I’m impressed by your idea, Merchant King. I see that you intend to spread slavery to every nation.”
“What are you talking about? If other countries also adopt slavery, wouldn’t that prevent us from selling our products cheaply?”
By making good use of slaves, who did not receive wages, the cost of bringing products to market could be kept low, making it possible to sell them at low prices. This was true for crops, stone, lumber, ores, and even processed products. If they could do that, even if there was an expense for shipping, many countries would buy their exports.
“Many of the member countries of the Union were founded by people who escaped from the Central Continent during the era of the Dreaded Emperor. Even if slavery could be adopted, many countries would not do so. However, that is actually more convenient. They likely think that it will be fine because they won’t employ the policy.”
“I see. You’re truly a brilliant man.”
“You get the picture now, then? Of course, it’s better to have fewer opposing opinions, so we need to at least let our guests enjoy their stay in our country. To that end, we must clear that district and completely rebuild it. Once the church renovation in Teomenia is finished, we should start grading the ground so that we can immediately proceed with the construction.”
“Yessir!”
The wealthy merchants responded in unison, marking the end of their regular meeting for making offerings and reporting to Zehni. After the ten merchants left, the Merchant King remained in his room. Just as he relaxed his shoulders and took a breather, the golden statue of Zehni, surrounded by the offerings on the altar, began to slowly move.
“L-Lord Zehni!”
Spachax hurriedly straightened up as the golden statue of Zehni leaped from the altar in front of him and grew as its feet touched the floor. Spachax tumbled out of his throne and fell to his knees with such force that he almost rubbed his head against the brilliant carpet just like the wealthy merchants had earlier. Zehni, now the size of a human, looked down with satisfaction and spoke.
“You’re making money, I see. That’s excellent, oho.”
“Thanks to Libra, given to us by you, the great Merchant God, everything is going well. Soon, we will be able to start rebuilding Teomenia’s church.”
“That’s most excellent. Being such a dedicated follower, I expect you to pull it off successfully. So, are you preparing for a summit meeting or something of the sort, oho?”
“That’s still in the works. As expected, it’s quite a challenge to work the church and the venue at the same time.” Just as those words left Spachax’s lips, the smile on Zehni’s round face turned into a look of fury.
“How many times must I tell you that time is money before you’ll get it through your thick skull, oho?!”
“I-I’m sorry!” This time, when Spachax prostrated himself, he did rub his head against the carpet; he showed no hint of his status as a great merchant lord. “Then please, I beg of you. Please rethink this plan.”
“How could you be so leisurely?! You have no idea how coldly I’ve been treated among the gods! The renovation of Lord Elmea’s church and the venue for the summit meeting must happen simultaneously! Increase the influence of this nation and show the world that I exist, oho!”
“Th-The world?”
“Of course. What’s with that face? I gave you Libra, which allows you to see the truth of the world. But there are many who cannot handle it and end up destroying themselves. To prevent that from happening, I can give you some advice, but that depends on my mood, oho.”
Zehni’s cold words made Spachax shrink even more.
“I-I apologize for my impudence. I’d like to repay you for paying attention to a lowly human like me, who is good at nothing but doing business. I shall begin preparing the venue immediately!” Spachax bowed repeatedly as he spoke.
Looking down at Spachax, a smile returned to Zehni’s round face.
“Hmm, very well. Once that is achieved, we shall shame those who said that we are buying faith. I can practically imagine the looks of frustration on their faces, oho!”
The Merchant God gave a conniving smirk. Then, suddenly, a cold wind blew from behind Zehni. Spachax looked up and saw that there was a wall behind Zehni, and that the window on the wall to Zehni’s left was still closed.
“What’s this?” The Merchant God, who was looking down at Spachax as he muttered, had a look of surprise on his face. “This presence... C-Could it be...?”
