There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 163

“Could it be because of that massive light we saw earlier…?”

Everyone silently agreed with Theodore’s bewildered question.

The ground shimmered with light. A profoundly sacred light.

“Oh, Miwa and all the gods. Thank you for saving us.”

Elaine offered a prayer of gratitude to God at the wondrous sight.

‘I’m alive.’

A wave of relief washed over Philomel.

“It must be divine grace!”

Theodore was right. What being other than a god could perform such a miracle?

But unlike Elaine’s prayer, it probably wasn’t Miwa. Because Miwa would be in another world.

‘Wait, a god…?’

If not Miwa, then another god?

A vague idea sparked in Philomel’s mind.

“That’s going a bit far.”

Suddenly, a voice cut through the air, seemingly from nowhere.

“It was my doing, not Miwa’s.”

“……!”

Nasar, who had reflexively gone on alert, was surprised to recognize the voice.

“Your Majesty!”

Justis stood behind Philomel, a serene smile on his face.

“The Emperor……”

“If it’s the Emperor, could it be His Majesty, the Emperor of the Velleroth Empire?”

Belatedly, surprise rippled across Elaine and Theodore’s faces.

“Is that really His Majesty, the Emperor?!”

“Wh-Why is he here…?”

Philomel quickly explained the situation to them.

“His Majesty was secretly visiting the Grand Temple.”

Justis continued to watch Philomel with that relaxed smile.

‘……No.’

However, a strong sense of déjà vu washed over Philomel. It was a feeling she had experienced since their first meeting.

“And he probably purified the land and saved us from the crisis.”

What he said earlier was likely true.

A flicker of doubt crossed Elaine’s eyes.

“I know His Majesty’s divine power is strong, but to purify this much land?”

Theodore muttered quietly.

“Even the High Priest could only purify a small portion……”

The questions were justified. It was beyond human capability. If he were human, that is.

“Because His Majesty is not human anymore.”

Philomel directly confronted the being in the form of Justis.

“Am I wrong? Great God Veleron.”

The man’s eyes widened with interest at Philomel’s words.

People’s expressions hardened at the sudden mention of a god’s name. The two priests reacted particularly strongly.

“G-God Veleron?”

“Come to think of it, there’s a legend that the Emperor of Velleroth can wield the power of the Sun God!”

The man finally spoke.

“Yes.”

An overwhelming sense of intimidation emanated from that single word, silencing everyone.

“I am Veleron.”

The god had manifested, using the Emperor’s body as a vessel.

Sun God Veleron.

The god who became the king of the gods and watched over this world after Miwa fell asleep.

Also famous for the story of mating with a human long ago and fathering the founding emperor of Velleroth.

Philomel carefully observed the man’s eyes.

‘Red.’

Looking closely, the center of his sea-colored eyes held a flicker of red, like a burning flame.

Similar to the jewel embedded in the Ring of Crimson Flame. It was said that the jewel was made by processing the huge ore that God Veleron left to the founding emperor little by little, so could that be the reason?

The blessings bestowed upon the descendants of his child were not the only gifts.

Veleron had promised to intervene himself when their country faced a crisis. Therefore, the emperors of Velleroth had been handed down the secret method of summoning the gods.

“It is better to think of it as non-existent. Because you can’t use it recklessly anyway.”

When Philomel had once asked about the secret method, Justis had replied like that.

The Emperor didn’t seem to have any intention of passing on the secret method to Philomel.

‘Actually, even if I knew it, I wouldn’t be able to use it because I don’t have divine power.’

Even Philomel was certain of one thing: there was a corresponding price to pay for summoning a god.

That was probably….

“Good heavens! Is he really God Veleron?”

Philomel snapped out of her thoughts at Theodore’s exclamation.

The two priests were ecstatic to have a god in front of them.

“The god I revere next to God Miwa is God Veleron!”

“M-Me too! I learned the myth of God Veleron most impressively when I was an apprentice priest!”

“Huh? Elaine, didn’t you say before that God Veleron was no good because he had a wife and had an affair with a human?”

“Shut up!”

Elaine, whose impious past was revealed in front of God, began to tremble.

“I-I’m sorry. I-I did say that… but I didn’t know much back then……”

Theodore, realizing his mistake, also began to beg.

“E-Elaine is the most diligent priest in the Grand Temple! Punish only me if you are going to punish someone!”

“Keuh.”

A stifled sound escaped.

“Hahahahahaha!”

God Veleron burst into laughter.

After laughing for a while, he said.

“It’s okay. Would I punish you for such a thing?”

“Th-That’s a relief……”

“However, just know this one thing: gods basically pursue free love, so the concept of an affair is vague.”

The added words seemed like a slight justification.

“But humans are still fun.”

The moment Philomel saw the Emperor smiling kindly while saying that, goosebumps rose on her arms.

‘Who are you?’

Doing that with that face caused cognitive dissonance [a state of mental discomfort arising from conflicting beliefs or attitudes].

In fact, the reason Philomel had first realized his identity was because of an expression that the Emperor would never make.

“Ah, this is not the time!”

Elaine, shaking off the overwhelming emotion of welcoming the god, shouted.

“God Veleron, please save the others as well! It is said that the contamination has reached the relic storage.”

Theodore also clasped his hands together.

“That’s right. The largest number of people are gathered there.”

Veleron waved his hand.

“It is done. Would I have left those who believe in me behind?”

“Does that mean……”

“I have almost purified the land where humans have set foot with my power.”

Theodore cheered, and Elaine sighed in relief.

“Let’s take this opportunity to defeat the evil god! The great God Veleron, you can do that, right?”

“That is……”

The Sun God trailed off at Theodore’s question.

“Veleron.”

Philomel stepped forward.

“How much longer does His Majesty the Emperor have to live?”

The god’s eyes, resembling a burning flame, shone.

“Oh. You knew that the price of using my power is lifespan.”

“……I just guessed.”

In the Celia War in Imperial Year 132, the Empire was fiercely attacked by the Continental Allied Forces.

The one who saved the country from the brink of destruction was the emperor of that time who summoned the Sun God. And he died a few days after winning the war.

‘It’s not difficult to guess that the price of summoning is lifespan.’

Justis had chosen the last resort in a situation where no hope could be found.

Veleron opened his mouth.

“I cannot directly tell you how much lifespan is left in this body. Because it is a leak of heavenly secrets.”

But, the god continued.

“Even if you pour out all of your remaining lifespan, trying to destroy Ieries as it is now is close to gambling.”

The two priests despaired.

“That can’t be……. Even the great Veleron can’t do anything.”

“From the beginning, was it a wrong idea to try to deal with such an opponent on our own?”

Philomel felt the same way.

“No, it’s too early to give up yet.”

The god pointed to Philomel.

“Don’t you have a hero?”

“But how can I……”

“It’s a bit much to talk about the details here.”

Veleron looked around and then reached out to Philomel.

‘Does he mean to hold it?’

The moment she took the god’s hand.

“Uwaaaak!”

Philomel’s body floated up. Veleron picked her up and rose into the air.

“Lady Philomel!”

Nasar shouted in surprise, but his figure gradually became smaller. This was because the two of them quickly moved away from the ground.

“God, what is this……!”

Philomel clung to the Emperor’s body, afraid of falling.

The Sun God laughed cheerfully.

“The sky is the perfect place to talk alone.”

No matter how I think about it, this god was very different from what I had imagined.