Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 155

The Gods Are Many

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Western part of the Human Empire.

A region once known as the Kingdom of Germania.

In that place, now just a province, stood a city.

Latbach, once the central city of a count.

Snow fell from the sky above it.

Tung, tung, tung—

A chisel struck wood, carving a groove.

The carpenter, Ludger, blew into the groove and examined the cut.

“That’s it.”

A porter waiting beside him loaded the timber onto a transport wagon.

“Looks like we’re done for today, right?”

At Ludger’s question, the porter counted the materials stacked on the wagon.

“Yes, that’s it. Good work.”

“Good work? It’s nothing compared to what you guys do.”

He turned his gaze beyond the city walls.

A tower under construction stood there.

A fierce wind blew through the city center, snow swirling in its gusts.

The temperature felt unbearable without layers of outerwear.

The porter chuckled at his concern.

“It’s our job, after all.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s your job.”

Ludger shook his head.

“Still no word on what that tower is for?”

“I heard it’s a defensive tower. I don’t know more than that.”

“Hmm.”

Too tall and flimsy to be a defensive tower.

Building such a tall tower in a world with gunpowder weapons?

Ludger knew the tower was 52 meters tall.

It wasn’t even being built inside the city.

It stood alone, far outside the walls.

“I heard they’re planning to build walls around it later.”

“They’d better. That way, it can be used as an outer fortress.”

Though he doubted it would make much difference.

Ludger swallowed the rest of his thought.

“Merchants say they’re building the same thing on the northern border.”

“The north? On the border too?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t get it.”

He scratched his head.

Ludger didn’t dwell on the tower.

He was just curious why they were suddenly building a tall tower outside the city.

‘Well, they must know what they’re doing.’

The administrators and the Empire had never done anything pointless before.

There must be a reason.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Ludger watched the porter pull the wagon away, blowing on his hands.

“Cold.”

A long, white cloud of breath escaped his lips, scattered by the wind.

“Damn cold.”

His hands, briefly warmed, quickly turned cold again.

He rubbed his hands vigorously against his thighs to generate friction.

But it didn’t feel warm at all.

“What’s with the weather?”

The temperature had suddenly plummeted.

He would have understood if it were early winter.

But this kind of cold at the end of winter?

He grumbled, tidied up his workshop, and headed to the church.

Today was the day for worship and mandatory education.

“Peace be with you, Brother Ludger.”

The priest greeted him at the church entrance.

He wasn’t feeling peaceful after grumbling, but he smiled.

“Yes, peace be with you, Father.”

“We are always with the Father.”

The priest asked with a smile.

“Have you seen Brother Werner, by any chance?”

“Werner?”

Werner was the name of the tanner next door.

“Oh… haven’t you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“He’s been sick in bed for a few days. But his wife is fine, so I thought she would have told you, Father…”

“Ah, I see.”

“Seems like a lot of people are getting sick these days because of the weather.”

The priest’s expression momentarily hardened.

But Ludger didn’t notice the change.

He was looking up at the snowy sky.

When he looked down, the priest had returned to his kind smile.

“I must not have heard. I’ll have to check again.”

The priest said that and left the church.

‘Why is he going outside the church to check?’

Ludger tilted his head, watching the priest’s retreating figure.

Was he going to see Werner in person?

“Let’s begin the service.”

The questions were cut short by the call of other priests.

“Everyone, please come inside.”

Ludger glanced at the church entrance one last time and entered the chapel.

The church in the center of the city was originally a temple of the Horbid faith [a fictional religion].

Now, there was no trace of Horbid worship.

But he clearly remembered what it looked like when it was a temple.

‘Who would have known it would turn out like this.’

When a civil war broke out in the Kingdom of Germania, the priests of the Horbid faith disappeared. After a brief hiatus, new priests were appointed.

‘Those were the current priests, the priests of the Public Church.’

Public Church priests disguised as Horbid, or Wolf Church, priests. Their identities were revealed not long after, but most of the city’s residents did not resist, even knowing the truth.

Unlike the Wolf Church priests, the Public Church priests were not stingy with privileges or wealth. Their presence made the lives of the citizens more prosperous.

“His Majesty said that humans can correct their mistakes. That humans are those who realize and correct their mistakes.”

Prosperity is not a prerequisite for faith.

Would faith arise just because a cult gives favors?

The decisive reason was the miracles performed by the Public Church priests.

“If anyone is injured, please come forward.”

Gorin, a blacksmith’s apprentice, stood before the priest.

He had his right hand wrapped in a yellowish cloth.

When the priest unwrapped the cloth, severely burned skin was revealed.

“The burn is severe. How did you get hurt like this?”

“I lost focus for a moment…”

The priest carefully took Gorin’s hand.

“Ugh.”

Pus flowed from the skin melted by the heat.

Ludger had experienced minor burns and knew the pain.

With that level of burn, it would be a lifelong disability.

“Father, have mercy.”

The wound disappeared at the priest’s words.

Light emanated from the priest’s hand, which was holding the burned hand.

The wound peeled off like a husk, revealing soft, white skin.

“Oh, oh…”

Everyone, including Gorin, rejoiced.

A sight they had seen many times and would see again.

Yet, the miracle of God was wondrous.

God had manifested His power among them.

“Thank you…!”

“Do not thank me. I only pleaded to the Father; everything is His will. So, convey it to the Father with your heart.”

The priest smiled and sent Gorin back to his seat.

He had changed a person’s fate, yet the priest received nothing.

‘How much would the Wolf Church priest have received?’

No, could they even have healed it in the first place?

The priests of Horbid could also perform miracles.

But not all of them performed miracles.

Only those above the rank of bishop were good enough to show others.

Moreover, it was not a miracle that inspired reverence in the citizens.

“Is there anyone else? If you have even a slight pain, don’t hesitate to come forward. The Father does not discriminate against you.”

Such a sight did not exist in the Horbid Church.

The priest only healed a few nobles for a price.

They never showed mercy to commoners or slaves, absolutely never.

The only time they showed miracles to commoners was in very special cases.

Even then, it was not for healing but for oppression.

This mighty power belongs to Horbid,

you must obey Him.

‘Great Emperor.’

Faith welled up in him when he thought of them.

He prayed earnestly while listening to the hymns.

Although the Emperor, the God of Humanity, had never answered his prayers.

Those He had created were performing miracles beside them.

That alone was enough to satisfy him.

“Do not leave after the service. There will be education.”

As the service ended, the administrator went up to the platform and announced.

He was the ruler of Latbach, no different from the owner.

A manager dispatched from the center after the count, who had been the city’s owner, was executed.

But no one regarded him as a mere manager.

He was also a being created by the Emperor, like the priest.

‘This person is the same being as the priest.’

But they were the same yet different beings.

The priest always wore a smile and embodied benevolence.

The administrator had never shown a smile, and his appearance was rarely seen.

He rarely left his office except for worship.

To see him, one had to attend a trial or a council meeting.

He was present but unknown to the general public.

But he was more closely connected to the citizens than anyone else.

Because he managed everything in the city.

‘He is as different as heaven and earth compared to that pig bastard [referring to the previous count].’

What was the city like when the corrupt count ruled?

Crime was rampant, making it dangerous to walk the streets even before sunset,

tax collectors exploited people to the point where becoming a slave seemed better,

and many committed crimes to survive.

The city itself was nothing more than filth.

‘The Emperor’s administrator has cleaned up the filth.’

Crime had disappeared to the point where there was no worry about traveling at night.

The actual tax rate was less than half, and the prices of necessities had stabilized.

The wealth of the nobles and priests was distributed, and extreme poverty disappeared within the city.

Bathhouses, theaters, taverns, and other recreational facilities were provided for the citizens.

All of this had changed since the administrator took office.

If he were a lord, the people would have praised him.

But the administrator was not a special being.

He did not exist only in this city.

He was just one of the familiars [beings created by the Emperor] dispatched throughout the Empire, including neighboring cities.

‘The Emperor creates superhumans who are human but not human, and sends them to us to rule, so there is no place in our lives where His influence does not reach.’

He heals the wounds of those who believe in Him and sends the descendants He created to achieve righteous governance. Who would have faith in a wolf when there is such a being?

‘Emperor, please rule us forever.’

Ludger once again paid his respects to the Emperor.

Deng, deng, deng, deng——

The bell rang, signaling an emergency.

Those who were listening to the education raised their heads sharply.

The outer wall’s spire announced an enemy invasion.

“Go to your assigned positions!”

At the same time as the priest who was conducting the education shouted, Ludger jumped up and ran to the outer wall. He was a carpenter, but he had been mobilized in the lord’s battles several times and was familiar with combat.

“Get up! Quickly!”

He was the first to reach the wall, except for the garrison.

“…Huh.”

And he gasped.

The number of enemies in his eyes was vast.

There was an undead army of at least hundreds of thousands.

They were approaching the city.

“Good heavens.”

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Saaaaaa——

The sound of the soul’s flow, inaudible to the ear.

The soul left the corpse and settled in me.

My soul grew a little.

Thud…

The undead that filled the field no longer moved.

Only the stench of decay vibrated on the gentle breeze.

“Do you see it, Calliope?”

At my question, Calliope looked around.

To see if there was a necromancer creating and controlling the undead.

When the undead were used in Mycenae, they were always present.

Perhaps there was a necromancer in this situation as well.

Only perhaps.

“I don’t see it.”

Of course, that would be the case.

The movements of the undead just now were clumsy.

So clumsy that even the necromancer of Mycenae felt skilled.

A group of corpses that were not even in formation and were just wandering around.

It was a movement led by instinct, not by instruction.

It was just a movement to feel life and chase after it.

“What’s the damage?”

“There are several wounded and injured among the city’s defenders.”

“All humans, I presume. Not familiars.”

“Yes.”

I rode my horse past the field littered with corpses.

The heads of the fallen corpses were facing the city in front.

“The undead arose from within.”

“From within?”

“Yes. The underground cemetery.”

Minister of Military Affairs, Gerhard, approached me and reported.

I looked at the hill made of corpses piled up on the wall.

Even if the corpses were not commanded, there was such a problem if there were many.

If you catch them one by one, you can make a hill.

This city also had its walls breached because of that.

And there was internal chaos on top of that.

“I ordered the cemetery to be destroyed immediately after the occupation, but there was not enough time. A significant portion of the cemetery remained intact and appeared in various parts of the city through underground passages.”

So the damage increased.

I shook my head.

What would have happened if I hadn’t stationed some of the familiars and the Imperial Army?

The city would have fallen before I arrived.

The undead do not treat prisoners, so everyone would have died.

“Good work.”

Despite my praise, Gerhard’s expression hardened.

He looked displeased with the unexpected damage.

“You said that the culprits of this incident are the old gods.”

“Yes, their magic is what raises the dead.”

“How can they do that? They are not here like necromancers, so how can they send magic from that far away to raise corpses all over the peninsula?”

“That’s why they are called gods.”

Just as Rod and I sent consciousness from a distance.

The only difference is the scale, and there is not much difference in terms of distance.

“They are not one. Not even three or four. There are hundreds.”

“Hundreds…”

“If they gather their strength and try to send it, where can’t they send it?”

They must be huddled together now, casting magic.

To bring eternal winter to the southwestern peninsula,

to awaken and use those who should rest in peace,

and at the same time to create diseases to kill the living.

“Are there any in the army showing signs of illness?”

“There are those who are suddenly complaining of symptoms since this morning.”

“That is also their trick. They can even create diseases that did not exist.”

I looked at the temple in the middle of the city.

In this world, temples were always in the center of the city.

Because magic exists in this world.

It also means that secular rulers are inferior to gods.

Whirr—

Fire broke out from the temple spire.

The fire burned as if there was a fire in the spire.

It was the power of the relic I had given to the Public Church priest.

The priest unleashed the magic of the relic and started a fire.

“Is that the tower, Your Majesty?”

Gerhard asked, looking at the spire with me.

It was the power of the relic that destroyed the undead inside and outside the city.

When the magic of the relic was unleashed, the magic of the old gods was driven out of the city.

The undead who lost their magic collapsed, the souls they held were absorbed into me, the dark clouds cleared, and the temperature began to rise little by little.

I felt the magic within me flowing into the relic.

A vast amount that could not be compared to what the priests used.

“No. The tower that Rachel is building is different from that. What you are seeing now is just my magic contained in the relic manifesting like fire.”

The relic had clear limitations.

It only affected the area around the city.

It could not cover the entire farmland, and it did not reach the forest at all.

The range was far from enough to secure the human living area.

“The tower that Rachel is building. She calls it a holy tower. It is a kind of magic amplification device that can amplify and spread the magic of the relic widely. If it is made and used properly, the performance will be sufficient.”

“Even with twelve?”

Twelve, the number of relics I made.

I shook my head.

“What I said was individual performance. Twelve is not enough to cover the entire Empire. However, there is no choice because the number of towers that can be built right now is limited.”

Too many resources were put into each tower.

Orichalcum [a mythical metal] was naturally included, and rare metals were included, so artisans who could handle metals were also needed, and magicians who could engrave magic on the tower, etc. In terms of cost, it was better to build a city.

“It would be a problem even if you made it.”

“Yes?”

“Magic consumption is too severe.”

It was not a problem right now.

It would be okay to activate all twelve at the same time.

The problem is when the number of towers continues to increase.

What if it goes beyond double, triple, or quadruple?

The burden would be considerable.

“Is there no alternative to the tower?”

“No. If you don’t build the tower, you will just be caught up in the countdown.”

The dead rising is not a big problem.

If there are no corpses, the undead will not occur.

If you repeat the subjugation a few times, it will end at some point.

But what about temperature changes and epidemics?

Temperature change was especially a problem.

“If you are not going to have a short-term battle, you must build the tower.”

“According to what you just said…”

“I will not be able to supply enough magic to the tower.”

I wrapped Mersephone, who was trembling in front of me, in a coat.

Squeak——

A bird circled above me.

Was it because I was talking about Rachel?

It was a familiar sent from the Public Church.

And then the pendant vibrated.

“But, there is a way everywhere.”

Familiar and Tiamar [a powerful entity].

Reading the two thoughts, I nodded.

There is no alternative to the tower, but there is another way to maintain the tower.

“There is an intruder.”

I said earlier. The old gods are many.

It is difficult for hundreds of voices to make one sound.

Someone will try to make a different sound and move differently from the group.

The intruder is them.

‘If magic is lacking, you have to increase it.’

How did my soul increase?

Hunt them all

– It’s an opportunity. Eat them.

Tiamar of the pendant whispered to me.

– If you don’t have enough magic, just increase it.

I looked at the temple spire outside the city.

The fire that was burning on the spire had subsided.

Instead, the sun rising behind the spire was shining.

I recalled the magic consumed when the relic shone.

– You can’t do it now. You can’t handle everything alone.

As she said.

I certainly have a vast amount of magic.

But I had to do more than the magic I had.

Someday, even the vast magic will be exhausted.

– So, just eat them.

Tiamar laughed.

– You don’t even have to go find them. They came on their own?

The familiar sent by the Public Church told me.

The administrator and priest of Kraiba City have disappeared.

‘Immediately after reporting abnormal magic flow in the jurisdiction.’

I was sure of the reason why the two familiars disappeared.

– They moved. They invaded your territory.

Familiar can communicate with thoughts.

Disappearance that even thoughts cannot reach means death.

Kraiba is a city in central Wallachia.

There are very few factors that can be invaded from the outside.

But what could be the reason why two familiars disappeared?

‘Old gods, they invaded my territory.’

The administrator and the priest must have been killed by them.

– Are you going to let it go like this?

Tiamar whispered softly, as if tempting me.

– If you fight them and win, what are you going to do after that? They don’t die. Would they be called gods for nothing? Why did the Father seal them?

Because they don’t die.

Because they come back to life even if they are killed.

Rod rather sealed them to take away their power.

Hoping that a being who could kill them would appear in the future.

– If you eat them, you don’t even need to seal them.

‘Well.’

– What do you mean, well?

It is impossible to just take away the magic and make it mine.

You have to absorb other souls like when you took the soul of the throne.

What kind of influence will appear when you take the huge soul of the old god?

‘Look at your main body. After eating the old god, Akakosk, you became a being that is neither Tiamar nor Akakosk. Is there any guarantee that I will not be like that too?’

Not just Tiamar.

The guardian of the World Tree, Aleon, was also like that.

He absorbed the magic of the old god in the roots of the World Tree.

Not the soul of the old god, but the magic contained in the roots.

Even so, the soul was altered and the personality changed.

– You’re okay. Because you are different from me or Father.

‘Different from Rod?’

– You are fine even after accepting the soul of the throne. Don’t you feel it? The magic that flows in you is impure and difficult to handle, but it does not affect your mind.

Is it the effect of the Iron Man trait?

Nothing could affect me mentally.

Maybe I’m just tired and mentally exhausted.

There was no mental contamination that Vladna Aleon experienced.

– Just now, you absorbed the fragments of souls left in the undead. Did you feel any change then? Other than the fact that your magic increased.

There was none. I just thought that my magic had increased a little.

– Right? That’s it.

Tiamar’s thoughts fluctuated.

A joy as if she had found something she wanted.

– Me and Father can’t do that. We can’t absorb even a very small soul as easily as you. Not to mention the soul of the throne.

“······.”

– You were not affected even when Vlad’s ring tempted you. You were like that even when you were with me, and even with the soul of the throne. Then, can’t you eat just one soul that is a little bigger?

Rod could not kill the old gods and Tiamar.

Because he knew that even if he killed the body, the soul would remain and revive.

Rather, he kept the body alive but weakened it by imprisoning it in the abyss.

Hoping that a being who could kill them would appear in the future.

‘Do you want me to continue Rod’s legacy?’

– That’s right.

Tiamar answered firmly.

– Eat them all. So that no one but you can be called God.