By Zephyria 
As the fog was thick, the night in Cambio came very quickly.
As usual, the day quickly darkened, so I told everyone to rest and sent the group away.
And I remained alone in the room with Ruben, sitting at the table.
It was to pre-meditate the questions and answers that needed to be exchanged when facing the Fourth God. Since the god had promised to reveal the answers I desired with his own voice, today’s goal was to decide on the questions that must be asked with the wise child and even ponder potential answers.
It was unclear whether I was going to meet a god or take an oral exam.
The child said the light was too bright, so I lit only a single candle instead of the lamp artifact. Thanks to that, a soft crimson hue shimmered and glowed beautifully on the child’s white cheeks. To hide my captivated gaze, I lowered my eyes to the paper on the table.
Ruben, who had been pondering for a long time, tapping dots with a thin pen on his share of the paper, lifted his head and spoke.
“The God of Records only designated you. If that god does not wish for direct conversation with other humans, you must return remembering all of his answers. Then… too many questions will only cause unnecessary confusion.”
“….”
“Let’s try to remember exactly twelve questions. Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
Whenever we were left alone in such close proximity, Ruben always spoke in a very soft, whispering voice. His voice, which sounded like the rustling of falling snow or the rustling of leaves in the wind, was sweet to my ears.
Even though I had shown weakness in memorization subjects in the past, I didn’t want to be treated like an idiot by Ruben. I wrote the number 1 on the paper and waited quietly.
“The first thing we must ask… will naturally be about the words the Fourth God speaks himself. It will also be the story he most wants to tell.”
“…Mhm.”
“Can you bear the karma of killing a god? We must first ascertain this. Whether it means killing the Ninth God, or if another god must be killed. That’s the first one.”
“What’s the second?”
“In what form will the karma of killing a god manifest, that he warned us so preemptively?”
I paused my writing in block letters and lifted my head. As our eyes met, Ruben smiled kindly.
I reflexively opened my mouth.
“…If that karma is something I cannot bear…”
“There’s no need to give a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’ right away. You should acknowledge it and move on to the next question. A god is a god. You can’t win an argument with him, nor is there any need to.”
“…Yes.”
Though deeply anxious, I quietly agreed.
“Next, ask him if you are the only outsider.”
“…That…”
“We don’t know if the Thousand-Faced Devil truly crossed over, or if some of his disciples crossed over and are causing this. It’s possible no outsiders have crossed over, or hundreds of outsiders could be swarming. It would be good to know and prepare.”
“…Yes.”
The number of outsiders. I noted it down obediently.
Ruben also wondered about Wesley Kiadris’s true identity, the whereabouts of Vivian’s Divine Object, why the six gods were not directly saving the continent, where the First Goddess was now, and whether she truly intended to protect the continent.
He also asked if there was a way to remove the Contaminated Mana that covered not only Vivian’s capital but the entire continent, what the Ninth God’s true objective was, whether the Ninth God’s objective was achievable from the God of Records’ perspective, and what the secret marriage mentioned by the spirits and goblins truly entailed.
I drew arrows for each question and pondered deeply, writing down multiple potential answers that Ruben had contemplated.
During that time, I held onto one question I absolutely had to ask.
Why did the sacred statue, in the form of the God of Records, attack Ruben?
I could not forgive the god who had struck Ruben down, speaking of karma.
I knew Ruben resembled the First Human, but didn’t the statue’s gaze remain fixed on me throughout the attack? As if curious about my reaction…
Was it a baseless assumption?
Ruben, who had been chattering for a long time, gently took my hand. The tips of his fingers were cold again, so I clasped them with my own, holding them warmly. Ruben pulled my hand to his cheek and asked,
“Why. Are you tired? Shall we stop for the night?”
“…No, I am not.”
“You have something you want to say, don’t you?”
Something to say.
…Too many things. I gazed into Ruben’s eyes and then gently brushed his cheek with my thumb.
Would Ruben and I be able to sit together so peacefully and talk like this after this night passed? What kind of certainty did Ruben possess to be able to soothe me with such warm trust? I…
“…No. Nothing.”
“Okay. Let’s read three more times and then sleep. You’ll be tired tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
I felt suffocated, as if my insides were burning. I pushed the words “I love you,” which had risen to the tip of my throat, back into the abyss. Yes, now was not the time. Ruben must also be troubled by various things, and I didn’t want to burden him with my own anxieties. It wouldn’t be too late to say it after resolving this matter well.
I tried to console myself like that.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day.
From very early in the morning, Hugh Benson and Samantha Andrei arrived, accompanied by eight knights, including Elvin, and Mage Boulder.
Just by looking at their appearances, it was clear what criteria the knights had been selected by.
There were three knights with a sturdy appearance, including Elvin. They were the vanguard knights who would hold up their shields at the front and block incoming attacks.
There were three knights with typical longswords at their waists, including Samantha. They were the mid-rank knights who would observe from a distance behind the vanguard and take the lead in attacking when the time came.
There were four knights with similarly agile appearances, including Hugh Benson. They all wore flying dagger belts over their shoulders. They were the rear-rank knights who would support the vanguard and mid-rank, carrying out long-range attacks.
Samantha Andrei named each knight one by one.
“…and so on, there are ten of us in total, including myself and Lord Benson. We are trained to be able to move as one, either by grouping individuals in the same position, or by gathering personnel from different positions to attack an opponent from three directions simultaneously.”
It was a standard combination.
Samantha Andrei would not have hidden my realm. The knights’ eyes, as they looked at me, were filled with intense curiosity. I hid my embarrassment and greeted them first.
“…It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Michael Ernhardt. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”
A couple of them responded to my greeting with friendly smiles.
In the Central Plains, a person of Hwagyeong would be like a cloud floating high above, but in the Sierran Empire, they were treated as one of the pioneers who had reached a high realm before them.
Those who reached high realms did not withhold their teachings from those of lower realms, so their expectations of me were clear.
However, no matter how curious they were, the mission was imminent. Not a single one of them was so absent-minded as to engage in casual conversation. Samantha Andrei neatly organized the situation.
“If you have some free time later, please spar with us briefly.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Then, I will briefly brief you on the Combined Formation that these ten individuals can demonstrate. Lord Ernhardt, you will operate as a solo unit, but you only need to pay attention to your position in four specific combinations.”
A large tactical map was laid out on the spacious table that was originally used for dining.
Symbols such as circles, triangles, and squares, drawn by hand, represented the positions of each person and member. I asked a few questions and received a few answers. I learned the forms of six types of Combined Formations and their hand signals, and how to quickly identify and divide directions.
Mage Boulder also announced the types of magic he could cast and memorized a few of them in advance.
There were four types: Binding to immobilize the enemy’s feet, an instant-cast shield to block attacks from medium-sized monsters, a fixed shield that was used to block a Wyvern previously, and Ice Spear, which could show better power than usual if there was water nearby.
All preparations were complete.
Everyone at the Cambio villa gathered in the spacious front yard.
Rubel came out to the entrance to see us off. Just yesterday, Rubel had been groaning in pain in his sleep. Even though I knew he was trying not to show weakness to the knights departing on a long journey, I couldn’t help but worry.
The mission for the knights, including myself and Boulder, is as follows:
Reach the Lake of Memories while conserving stamina as much as possible.
Assist Mage Boulder in dispelling the Aries Dolo Magic Circle placed on the Lake of Memories.
If we encounter the God of Records and Lakes, ask the pre-determined questions to obtain answers.
In the event of monster occurrences, defeat them in a manner that minimizes impact on the surroundings.
If a large number of monsters appear, retreat and rendezvous with other knights from Cambio to defeat them.
If monsters of an unmanageable level appear, lure them towards Makabi Cliff and cause them to fall to their deaths.
In case of a dangerous situation, activate all emergency flare artifacts to evacuate the Second Prince to a safe location.
And finally.
“Whatever happens, ensure all personnel return alive.”
“Yes!”
At Rubel’s firm command, everyone responded with a resounding affirmation.
Marianne, standing beside him, looked directly at me and added,
“The mana density is high, so just in case, release your spirits before you go. Remember, you can summon them without speaking aloud in an emergency, right?”
“…Yes.”
“And take good care of our knights.”
A wave of scattered laughter erupted from various places at her words, which could be interpreted as concern for someone specific.
I also met Ruben’s gaze and smiled. I did so to show him a slightly more at-ease demeanor. After watching Ruben’s mouth curve upwards as if he couldn’t stand it, I turned away.