SWNOVELXO Chapter 8 - My Lord God
Chapter 8
My Lord God
『 Translator – Divinity 』
The holy war was stopped, and the encounter with Bella was successfully concluded.
There was a major crisis of identity confusion in the middle, but thankfully, it was resolved somehow.
And now.
–Rattle. Rattle.
I was inside a luxurious carriage made with magic engineering, being cared for by Belladis.
‘This is uncomfortable.’
Although the damage I sustained from taking the Black Sun bastard’s attack had healed on its own…
The feeling of blood-soaked clothes clinging to my skin was extremely unpleasant.
I wanted to change clothes, or at least wash up.
But the situation wasn’t allowing it.
“…”
Silence had fallen ever since we entered the carriage.
A soft warmth supported the back of my head, and a pleasant fragrance lingered around my nose.
And a burning gaze piercing my face.
Since there was only one other person besides me in the carriage, the owner of the gaze was obvious.
‘Hey, you.’
It had been an hour since my act of unconsciousness began.
Our Bella was still silently looking down at me.
It was a moment of truly heavy attention.
I had no choice but to manipulate the status window with my eyes closed.
「Thanks to your efforts, the holy war has been successfully stopped!」
「Rewards are being distributed.」
「Reward: Constellation Community Activated」
「Through this community, you can communicate and interact with other constellations who are observing the world.」
‘Oh.’
Just as I was thinking about how to deal with the Incarnation of the Black Sun, a good reward list was presented.
It was even a new community window that I hadn’t seen in the game.
Checking the tab immediately, I was greeted by a structure similar to the community window I used with other users.
「Contact another constellation to activate the community window.」
Another constellation.
There was that guy making a fuss in the message window, wasn’t there?
I chose his name without hesitation.
「Would you like to send a friend request to constellation ‘Incarnation of the Black Sun’?」
‘Hey.’
「’Incarnation of the Black Sun’ reacts.」
‘Accept the friend request.’
And with that, the friend list was activated.
From today onwards, the Incarnation of the Black Sun and I became friends.
Could this truly be called an equal relationship?
If I wanted to, I could turn his religious order into ruins in a single day.
The important thing is that I now have a means to easily and quickly contact him without having to directly worry about him.
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: Wh-what is this?」
‘Huh?’
Just then, his message started popping up in the prepared community window.
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: Y-you, what have you done to me?!」
‘What have I done?’
I allowed your existence to continue, stopped the holy war…
Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead?
A feeling of resentment welled up.
‘Should I just take it back?’
「…No!」
The Incarnation of the Black Sun hurriedly stopped me.
Yes, that’s how you should act.
It seemed that the Constellation Community meant a way to directly communicate with constellations.
Until now, he only sent noisy warnings through the message window, but now it felt like we were having a proper conversation.
I could do this with other constellations too, right?
‘So.’
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: …?」
‘Shouldn’t we have a conversation now?’
A very important fact.
I still haven’t properly grasped how this world works.
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: I-I’ve said everything I have to say.」
‘What? What did you say? Besides whining for help, is there anything else?’
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: …」
‘Elaborate a bit more.’
Most of the religious order’s facilities are deactivated, and my kids are preparing to wreak havoc all over the world.
I’d like to go and see for myself, but I only have one body.
No matter how overpowered the system is, there’s a limit to the amount of information I can gather at once.
The holy war against the Black Sun has stopped for now, but the faction I’ve established is vast enough to encompass the entire world.
That’s how much effort I put into playing at one point.
According to the information obtained from the system and that constellation, my religious order is currently in great turmoil.
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: I don’t know the exact details, but…」
The Incarnation of the Black Sun racked his brain, leaving a few words here and there.
「I know that while you were concealing your existence, other constellations who were waiting for an opportunity made their move.」
‘Other constellations?’
「I-I don’t know much either. I heard it through the grapevine.」
The constellations who know me wouldn’t do such a thing, so are they newcomers?
‘Huh.’
To think they prepared such a big event to keep me from getting bored, I’m already excited.
While I was leisurely fiddling with the settings window, I felt Belladis’ presence.
“…Aah.”
A sigh filled with sorrowful emotions.
I wanted to open my eyes and see what she was doing, but I couldn’t abandon my act at this point.
Belladis Locheria.
In the game, my heart melted at her unique aegyo.
She was always cold and blunt to others, but to me, she would show her own emotions with a faint smile.
The so-called gap moe.
And now, she exists perfectly in this world.
Even though she’s right in front of me, I can’t talk to her, I can’t touch her.
‘Why can’t I enjoy this?’
It’s all because of those Black Sun bastards who cause trouble with their very existence.
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: …」
“Lord God, my Lord God.”
The back of my head was quite soft and warm.
It was Belladis’ special thigh pillow.
A seat prepared just for me, something no one else in this world could enjoy.
“Please open your eyes and look upon this humble servant. And…”
Bella pleaded so earnestly, not knowing what to do.
“Punish this disgusting mongrel.”
‘…What?’
My thoughts froze at her sudden self-deprecating remark.
–Drip. Drip.
It was around that time that water droplets began to fall on my forehead.
‘…Tears?’
“Even though I promised to dedicate my whole life to the Lord God, even though I made a blood oath…”
Belladis’ voice was now filled with sadness.
“Sob…! Rebuke me for not recognizing my master, and even daring to bare my fangs…!”
She was grieving.
Belladis, who was always smiling in the game…
She was shedding tears because of me.
‘This isn’t right.’
What I wanted to create was a dramatic encounter, a miraculous moment.
Not the tears of the character I adored.
–Swipe.
I felt a cool sensation on my cheek.
It was Bella’s hand.
“H-How much it must have hurt. My ignorant mind can’t even begin to imagine. It’s… so terrifying.”
Bella, who had returned to her usual self from a faithful follower, spoke.
Unlike earlier, when she had to forcibly show the appearance of a strong follower in front of others…
Now, it was just the two of them inside the carriage.
That’s why she could let her guard down.
‘Ah, it’s because of you.’
In this situation, all I could do was completely shift the blame to someone else.
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: Wh-what did I do…?」
‘If you guys hadn’t attracted attention, I wouldn’t have been attacked, and this would have ended peacefully. Agree?’
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: No, the holy war was unilaterally started by your side—」
‘Huh? Talking back? Want the curse back?’
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: That’s so unfair…!」
At this rate, I would be seen as the bad guy, so I just made the Incarnation of the Black Sun cry too.
「Constellation, ‘Incarnation of the Black Sun’ is shocked by your tyranny!」
「Due to the constellation’s reaction, you gain a massive amount of Faith Points!」
Bad guy, bad bastard.
How dare you make our follower cry?
「Follower, ‘Belladis Locheria’ deeply worships you in her heart.」
“I love you deeply in my heart. I love you, my Lord God.”
「Follower, ‘Belladis Locheria’ deeply loves you in her heart.」
“Just seeing you like this in reality makes my heart race as if I’m walking on clouds. I feel like my mind is going haywire…”
「Due to the follower’s prayer, you gain a massive amount of Faith Points!」
‘No.’
This wasn’t what I was aiming for.
Bella continued her confession.
“But… I-I shouldn’t dare… should I? How dare I, a lowly mongrel who didn’t even recognize her master and put him in danger. I can’t do that, can I…”
‘No, it’s okay to stay like this.’
“And everyone there saw that disgrace. I’m going to be punished, sob…! There’s no reason for me to live anymore…!”
The tears that were falling like drizzle now poured down like a shower on my face.
The sensation of my face becoming wet with my follower’s tears suddenly cleared my mind.
If I left her alone, she would erode her self-esteem to the depths of the abyss.
‘It’s time…’
At this point, I needed to forcibly stop her self-blame.
You must have had a hard time while I was gone.
It’s strange to say this after abandoning her, but it wasn’t my intention.
‘I thought she would be happy like Lisia.’
It’s my fault for not considering the personality of each follower.
“Ugh…”
First, let’s start the engine.
“….!”
Bella flinched and trembled as I showed signs of waking up.
It seemed like she was afraid of what was about to happen.
Even though I had no intention of doing anything.
“Be- Bella…?”
Opening my eyes with a hazy gaze, I saw Bella’s face looking down at me from right in front of me.
How can her face shine even from this angle?
I want to go around shouting, “This is my follower!”
“Oh, Father God…!”
She had already placed my head on her thighs and didn’t know what to do.
I was very sorry, truly sorry…
But I lifted my head from Belladis’ thighs and sat up properly.
“Where am I…?”
First, let’s pretend I don’t know.
“Th-this is the carriage of our religious order, Lord God…!”
“Ah.”
“Are you hurt anywhere, ugh…”
Belladis hurriedly checked my complexion and then hesitated with guilt.
First, I needed to relieve her of that guilt.
“Hurt, ah…”
Pretending to examine my wounds at her concern, I smiled as if to say I was fine.
“It’s completely healed. I’m fine now.”
“I-I’m sorry. Please, punish me…”
“Why? Belladis handled it well.”
“I didn’t recognize my master, and I even put the Lord God in danger. That sin… is unforgivable…!”
Belladis, trapped in a deep self-loathing, couldn’t even meet my eyes, exuding a gloomy atmosphere.
「Warning! Follower ‘Belladis Locheria’ is falling into a state of self-loathing.」
「A penalty will be applied to the follower’s stats.」
‘I know that.’
Checking the status window that popped up so annoyingly, I saw minus figures attached to her stats, just like with Lisia.
I absolutely can’t stand to see my follower’s stats decrease with my own two eyes.
After all the effort I put into raising them…
「Warning! If the penalty persists for a long time, there will be a permanent stat decrease.」
‘That’s absolutely not allowed.’
“I’m a worthless piece of trash…!”
“Bella.”
Unable to bear seeing Belladis shedding tears again, I called her name with a firm tone.
“…?”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“But…!”
“The ones who fed you false information and put the religious order in danger—”
The reason I lifted the curse on the Black Sun.
The reason I deliberately allowed that bastard’s faction to continue existing.
“It was all the Black Sun’s doing, wasn’t it?”
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: What…?」
‘If I saved you, you have to work.’
The price for forgiving them is simple.
Just keep being the target of blame, as you always have.
“B-But…”
Bella looked at me with wavering eyes.
She was shaken, but couldn’t easily shake off the guilt.
It seemed like her feelings for me were truly heavy.
“As much as Bella likes me, I like Bella too.”
“…?!”
Doubt spread across her gloomy face, which looked as if it was about to burst into tears.
And then, her eyes filled with surprise, she met my gaze.
‘Yes, this is it.’
Give as much as you receive.
The most essential element in managing followers.
What I’m talking about is the most basic of business basics.
I put on a business smile and tried to calm Bella’s turbulent heart.
“Seeing Bella, whom I adore, in so much pain, it hurts me too.”
“L-Lord God!”
“The place where I was hit doesn’t hurt at all, but my heart aches so much.”
“Eek…?!”
Expressing my feelings honestly, the vampire follower didn’t know what to do out of guilt.
“How dare I, how dare I…”
Hmm.
“Well, then there’s no helping it. The constellation will die.”
At my words, Bella made a face as if the world had ended.
Well, who told you to hold on?
Making me resort to the last resort.
“Ah, aah. No, Lord God. I was wrong… Please don’t leave.”
“Shall we stop now?”
“Yes, yes.”
A faithful follower clinging to the gently offered hand of reconciliation like a lifeline.
“Okay, good.”
To put an end to this strange squabble, I gently pulled Bella’s shoulder.
“…?”
Unable to even think of resisting, she entrusted her body to the pulling force.
And the place she landed was…
“…?!”
My arms.
A hug. A free hug for the follower.
It was a reward for lending me her thighs earlier.
“I absolve you of your sins.”
「The penalty on follower ‘Belladis Locheria’ has been lifted.」
Having come this far, Belladis no longer belittled herself.
Trembling slightly, she was immersed in the lingering emotions for a while.
***
After a brief moment of atonement.
My head was once again resting on Belladis’ lap pillow.
I gave because I received.
But I have to give again.
At Belladis’ insistent request, I had no choice…
I really had no choice but to entrust my head to her.
「Incarnation of the Black Sun: ….」
‘Why, what? Are you jealous?’
He must be jealous.
His religious order is filled with a gloomy, hopeless, and dark atmosphere.
He wouldn’t even dream of having a fluffy and warm exchange like mine.
Meanwhile, Belladis impulsively placed my head on her thighs, but she didn’t proceed to the next step and just remained in a hesitant attitude.
‘It doesn’t matter if you do as you please.’
Now that I’ve removed all the awkwardness, I don’t really feel any resistance.
While I was leisurely enjoying my healing time—
「Warning! A ‘neutral’ faction is approaching.」
–Thud!
‘Ouch.’
An abrupt stop accompanied by an incomprehensible message.
With the sudden halt of the carriage, I almost rolled onto the floor.
If it weren’t for the soft embrace that hurriedly caught my head, I would have fallen pathetically.
‘Oh.’
My mind went blank for a moment at the soft, heavenly touch.
I immediately opened the map and checked the situation.
‘This is…’
Around the green dots of my forces, which were smoothly moving away from the Black Sun’s territory…
Orange dots were now positioned.
-Orange.
The color between green, representing allies, and red, representing enemies.
In other words, it was a sign that they could become either allies or enemies depending on future actions.
‘What is this?’
“…Lord God. Just a moment.”
Carefully placing my head on the carriage seat, Belladis immediately went outside.
As soon as she left, I immediately raised my head and looked out the window.
“Ah.”
The flag flying high in the sky, and the emblem that emerged, was…
【Kingdom of Legardium】
It was the same emblem as the one I knew.
A faction that had a cooperative relationship with our religious order in the game.
‘But why?’
Why were they exuding an air of confrontation instead of welcoming our religious order?
Especially that man at the forefront of the forces.
The man wearing the kingdom’s dazzling armor and a serious expression…
He was quite an influential character in the game as well.
–Ricardo Valtar.
The Knight Commander of the Kingdom, and one who has risen to the position of Sword Saint.
A name that is always mentioned among the strongest in the world, and an NPC with truly formidable combat power.
Back when I was still a baby constellation, I received a lot of help from him.
Back when the religious order was weak and had nothing to boast of but the authority of a constellation.
We gained a lot from the quests with the Kingdom of Legardium.
“Ah.”
Thinking about those memories, I remembered something I had forgotten.
The Kingdom of Legardium is the only nation in this world, which is no different from a dark fantasy, that believes in light and justice.
The king who rules it is incredibly gentle, and they are simply good people.
There’s no perfectly pure group anywhere, but compared to other factions, they were very clean.
‘That’s why I often cooperated with them.’
However…
Until just now, my kids were marching to wipe out the Black Sun religious order.
Massacre, blood, and blood!
The Kingdom of Legardium, which values peace and tranquility, wouldn’t look favorably upon our advance.
No matter how high the accumulated likeability is, wrong is wrong, isn’t it?
“This is bad.”
Although it’s been resolved, they don’t know the situation yet.
Seeing the fierce momentum of my religious order, I could sense their full preparedness.
“By order of His Majesty the King! The religious order shall immediately disband and quell the seeds of discord!”
The Knight Commander standing at the forefront shouted.
He was a true knight, not intimidated even when facing my religious order.
“Hmm.”
But I’m disappointed.
We’ve helped each other so much, and now they’re suddenly treating us like enemies.
I had no choice but to step forward myself.