Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 134

Player Who Became a Constellation – 134

134

In Valhalla Palace, Loki, seated on his throne, looked up.

His gaze fixed on the red carpet stretching before him.

“…”

A single sheet of paper and a pen rested there.

Fragments of light coalesced in the empty space, rapidly taking shape.

Bones materialized, followed by leather garments, tattered robes, and light armor.

It was a ‘resurrection’ scene, the re-forming of a stealth-type undead.

These were the undead Loki had dispatched to Azellanris, the Holy Order’s capital, not long ago.

They had returned with their memories intact.

The undead, now fully formed, knelt before Loki, heads bowed.

Then, they guided the pen across the paper, writing a report.

A detailed account of the events within the Holy Order.

Having completed their report, the undead presented it to Loki.

Loki scanned the document and crumpled it in his hand.

“…So, they were there after all.”

It confirmed his suspicions.

The transfer scroll possessed by the Black Inquisitor of the Holy Order.

And the rumors of the Holy Emperor’s confinement within the palace around the time the giants vanished.

Coupled with the unexpected winter that had gripped Azellanris.

It was evident that Thrym was transforming the city into terrain favorable to himself.

Loki rose from his throne.

As he approached the Gate of War, Nord soldiers swung the doors open.

Aum, who had been waiting outside, followed Loki.

“What has happened?”

“The giants are in the Holy Order’s capital.”

“Then…”

“From now on, we begin the giant hunt.”

“…”

For Aum, who was privy to some of the details, it was still a staggering revelation.

To think that divine beings like Loki and Helga existed, and that they were plotting the world’s destruction.

It seemed like something ripped from the pages of a dark fairy tale.

And how had the Nord become the army tasked with preventing such a cataclysm?

Loki glanced at Aum.

“The preparations…?”

“Everything is ready.”

Loki headed towards the balcony overlooking the city square.

On the balcony, the Black Inquisitor and the Missionary who had perpetrated the terrorist attack in Asgard were bound, while countless Nord and foreign envoys watched from the square below.

Loki’s appearance ignited a roar of cheers from the square.

The foreign envoys winced, covering their ears, pale at the sheer volume of the Nord cheers, which seemed to vibrate the very air.

Their gazes shifted to the bound Black Inquisitor.

“I-Isn’t this dangerous?”

“To restrain the Black Inquisitor like that… Of course, even if they caused trouble, this is…!”

“…It’s blasphemy. How can they treat the Inquisitors, who are essentially representatives of God, in such a manner…!”

Loki raised a hand, silencing the murmurs of the foreign envoys.

The Nord cheers died down instantly, and the envoys fell silent.

Loki, standing on the balcony, fixed his gaze upon the assembled foreign envoys, his eyes burning with an inner light.

The envoys who met his gaze quickly covered their mouths.

They feared their words might have been overheard.

Loki snatched a sword from a nearby guard and plunged it into the Black Inquisitor’s stomach.

Without pause, he sliced the body in half.

“…Wh-What!”

“Good heavens! Such barbaric…!”

The foreign envoys recoiled in horror.

Was he staging a public execution? But instead of a clean beheading, he was proceeding in such a gruesome manner…!

As everyone stiffened, anticipating the diplomatic fallout from Loki’s actions, Loki focused on the Black Inquisitor.

“Aaaaaaaagh!”

The Black Inquisitor screamed and writhed.

Black blood and Worm Pest [a parasitic infestation] gushed from the severed stomach, along with the organs.

Then, the body began to regenerate.

The separated upper and lower halves were being reconnected by worms.

The envoys’ eyes widened in disbelief.

Even from a distance, they could see the severed stomach rapidly reattaching itself.

Loki addressed the foreign envoys.

“You called us barbarians and heretics? Then what are these people!”

Loki gestured towards the recovering Black Inquisitor, a sneer twisting his lips.

“The ones you revered possess this demonic power!”

Loki released the Black Inquisitor’s restraints.

And shoved the Black Inquisitor off the balcony.

A sickening ‘thud!’ echoed.

The body burst upon impact, neck bones snapping.

Yet, with a grotesque sound, the dying Black Inquisitor’s body began to regenerate.

The foreign envoys, witnessing the scene up close, covered their mouths and stumbled backward.

They could see the wriggling Worm Pest spilling out.

“Kuh… You heretical bastards…!”

The foreign envoys were horrified by the Black Inquisitor’s words, confirming his infection with the Worm Pest.

“He has… a self?”

“He’s not a Wight [a mindless undead]?”

It was the first time they had witnessed someone retaining their self-awareness even after being infected with the Worm Pest.

The fact that it was the Black Inquisitor made it all the more shocking.

“…That is the current Holy Order.”

The foreign diplomats looked up at Loki.

The envoys were intimidated by the overwhelming dignity in his gaze.

“This is the true face of the nation chosen by the god you revered! Behold! The sight of them wriggling and alive even with their stomachs torn and necks broken…! Beings who have forsaken their humanity to live by relying on those disgusting worms!”

“…!”

“They spread the Worm Pest to destabilize the continent and lined their own pockets by selling holy water as a cure!”

Loki’s eyes narrowed as he pointed to the bound Missionary.

“And they spread plagues to those who defied them!”

“…!”

“There are witnesses. They say that these people vomited bottles filled with Worm Pest in the market streets.”

The Holy Order had been arrogant.

They had been complacent, believing the Worm Pest would destroy Asgard as it always had.

And that complacency had created ‘witnesses.’

“Is that all? They tried to dominate the continent by controlling the supply of holy water! What an inhumane act!”

Loki also jumped off the balcony.

With a ground-shaking thud, Loki approached the wriggling Black Inquisitor, retrieved a vial of holy water from his pocket, and sprinkled it.

“Kkyaaaaaaak!”

With a bizarre shriek, the Black Inquisitor’s body convulsed in agony.

The wriggling Worm Pest died, and the regenerating body melted away.

“…G-Good heavens!”

The envoys stared at the potion Loki held.

“It’s the Holy Order’s ‘holy water.'”

“…!”

“The sacred water, purified by the priests. They have degenerated into such terrible demons that they die even from the holy water they created.”

Loki spread his hands, his voice ringing with righteous indignation.

“Behold. Who has defied the will of the Azellan Constellation! Who are the heretics who have made a pact with the devil! Is it our Asgard? Or…!”

Loki pointed to the corpse of the Black Inquisitor, now reduced to a pile of bones.

“…Is it these fallen Holy Order bastards whose bodies melt and die in holy water?!”

The envoys’ gazes were riveted on the Black Inquisitor’s remains.

They sweated as they stared at the smoking, putrid corpse.

Holy water shouldn’t melt humans. It should heal wounds and cure diseases.

But the Black Inquisitor was dissolving, reacting like an undead creature.

‘Come to think of it…’

The civil war within the Holy Order.

It was rumored that the Pope had rebelled against the Holy Emperor, accusing him of ‘creating the plague.’

It was just a rumor, lacking any concrete evidence.

But now, the evidence was before their eyes!

One of the frozen envoys spoke.

“The heretics who betrayed the Azellan Constellation… were the Holy Order?”

At those words, the other envoys exchanged surprised glances.

Soon, a murmur spread through the crowd.

“To blaspheme God…!”

“…That rumor was true! The Holy Order created the Worm Pest and tried to dominate the continent!”

“We must inform the home country!”

The envoys moved with renewed purpose.

The citizens from other countries were enraged.

The plague that had terrorized them had been unleashed by the Holy Order they had trusted!

“Cunning demons…!”

“They have defiled the name of God!”

“They are heretics!”

“They are demons!”

“They are the evil that plagues the continent!”

Loki smiled inwardly.

Humans show awe in the face of overwhelming force, but they fight back when their lives are threatened.

Until now, the countries of the continent had feared and obeyed the Holy Order, but now they would seek to destroy it.

The Holy Order was already crumbling from within due to the civil war.

And with the Holy Emperor confined to the palace, the balance of power had shifted.

Now that they had a common ‘enemy,’ they would unite and strike.

The envoys hurriedly prepared to return to their home countries.

Aum, watching from the balcony, let out a hollow laugh.

‘…Is Lord Loki planning to use the continental countries to strike at the Holy Order?’

With the Holy Order discredited, suspicion would fall on the Holy State, plunging the continent into chaos.

Kingdoms would fall, and innocent people would suffer.

‘Surely Lord Loki knows this.’

Yet, he showed no hesitation.

To him, others were merely pawns.

“From this moment on, Asgard declares war on the Holy Order. We will judge them and laugh at their arrogance!”

Joy flickered in Loki’s eyes.

‘…Of course, we will only watch and step in at the end.’

Loki wanted the other countries to weaken the Holy Order, occupy its territories, and pave the way to the capital, so Asgard could swoop in and capture Thrym and Surtur.

To claim all the glory.

The envoys from each country returned home.

They reported what they had witnessed in Asgard to their kings.

Some embellished their accounts.

Their memories were distorted, and their stories grew more fantastical with each retelling.

As if they had returned from the depths of hell.

“They were demons! They had bat wings and spewed black blood containing the Worm Pest from their mouths! The king of Asgard purified them with holy water!”

“We fought too! It was fierce! But we defeated them! The demons fell before our might!”

“We can do it too! We can defeat the Holy Order!”

“Your Majesty! Please make a wise choice…!”

Others reported the events accurately, expressing their doubts and urging caution.

“We cannot be certain that the Holy Order is responsible for the Worm Pest.”

“The timing is too convenient. As soon as rumors spread about their research into the Worm Pest, this incident occurred in Asgard.”

“It felt staged, designed to place all the blame on the Holy Order.”

“They are likely trying to manipulate the countries of the continent into attacking the Holy Order.”

“The decision rests with the king.”

The kings of each country reacted differently to the reports.

“Th, those demons…! It’s blasphemy! How dare heretics rule…! To arms! To war!”

One king foolishly rushed into war without questioning the report.

“…Let us observe for now. We must seek alliances with other countries. The more chaotic the situation, the more carefully we must proceed.”

Another king acted with prudence.

“Well, they have ruled the world for too long. Good. This is an opportunity to seize their territories, wealth, and everything they possess. I will make my mark on history with this opportunity.”

And another harbored ambition.

To them, the truth was irrelevant.

The ‘profit’ the country could gain was paramount.

But one thing was certain.

The faster they acted and achieved victories, the greater the ‘benefits’ would be.

Those who hesitated would be left behind.

The Hannes Empire incident served as a cautionary tale.

In the end, most countries felt compelled to express their intention to participate while cautiously monitoring each other’s actions.

The Holy Order remained silent, offering no explanation for the events in Asgard.

The Holy Emperor remained secluded within the palace.

Priests occasionally stepped forward to address the events in Asgard, but their words carried little weight.

And soon, a rumor spread.

Asgard, its dependent state Ronia, and its ally, the Kron Empire, had amassed their forces and were preparing to march on the Holy Order.

The other countries grew impatient.

If they delayed, the glory would be seized by barbarians, and their share of the spoils would diminish.

In the end, three months after the incident in Asgard….

“…We cannot allow the barbarians to claim all the credit!”

“To arms!”

The war with the Holy State officially began.