Chapter 55

"Is it about the extermination of one of the Four Great Creation Gods, the Water God Levi, and the kidnapping of Pope Sateria…?"

I imagine my face must have been twisted.

If we were to do such a thing, it would certainly spark a war between the Kingdom of Dinel and the country of Levarus.

I also understood why Peter had marked all the applications I submitted without any conditions.

He must have used this major issue as leverage to throw at me.

While I don’t fully understand Peter’s intentions, this is certainly not a request I want to accept.

It might be cowardly, but I don’t want to interfere with the fate of a country or the lives of people.

The extermination of Levi would undoubtedly be the fuse that ignites the conflict.

Actually, the extermination of Levi itself might not be a big deal.

“Are you telling me, Peter, that you want me to be the trigger for war?”

“…Rather, it’s a measure to prevent war. Levarus was originally a lawless land where several sects fought each other. It was the Water God Levi and the Four Great Priests who unified them… but that was not a natural unification of the people towards a legitimate god. Instead, it was a mere military rule under the banner of a legitimate god. It seems that the Water God values his throne far more than the people.”

…Rings had proclaimed that the fragmented sects naturally united under the legitimate god, restoring the country’s functions. But if Peter’s words are true, that’s a gross exaggeration.

The more I learn, the more suspicious this country seems.

I had already thought it wasn’t a proper group, given that two of the top Four Great Priests were Marius the Beast and Nereglyph the Fox Elder. Both of them were the kind of people who could shake hands with a smile with those they had betrayed and tormented.

“The New Levi Sect led by Sateria acts as if they have unified the sects within the country without bloodshed… but the reality is far worse. Internal conflicts still persist. If the two major figures, Levi and Sateria, were to disappear, Levarus would lose the luxury of continuing to harass the Kingdom of Dinel across the border. The country would revert to a state of civil war as factions fight for the new leadership.”

That’s a bitter outcome, but I don’t have the power or will to shape the future of Levarus.

“…On the contrary, if we leave it as it is, the Kingdom of Levarus might interfere. And when that happens, the first to suffer will be the Farge territory near the border.”

I can’t end the centuries-long civil war and save Levarus.

The most I can do is help the Spear God retire from this world after losing his spear. Even that would only bring new conflicts to Levarus.

“But why would the war-torn Levarus attack the Kingdom of Dinel?”

“Levi’s target is probably not the kingdom itself, but the kingdom’s guardian, Kudur. Whether it’s out of resentment for past defeats or to maintain his authority, I don’t know. There is a man who anticipated the unsealing of Kudur. It seems that Levi is being used as a pawn to drain Kudur’s magic.”

“…So there’s someone pulling the strings behind Levi?”

Levi is one of the Four Great Creation Gods.

Is there really someone who can control such a god and use him as a pawn against Kudur?

Moreover, this person indirectly controls Levarus through the absolute ruler, Levi.

“Could this person be the shadow ruler of Levarus…?”

Peter shakes her head.

“He’s not that simple. He has taken control of the Four Great Nations, which were said to be governed by the Four Great Creation Gods for a long time, and is now targeting the Kingdom of Dinel. It’s possible that even the Kingdom of Dinel itself is in his hands. He is more accurately described as the shadow ruler of the world. I wanted to unseal Kudur to eliminate that man.”

The Four Great Nations are targeting the Kingdom of Dinel.

The high-elf priest, Deb, also mentioned that the Sky Kingdom was targeting the Kingdom of Dinel.

Could this be the work of the person Peter is talking about?

To manipulate the proud and exclusive high-elves so freely is clearly not something trivial.

“What…?”

“Duke Jurem. He’s a famous figure, so you must have heard his name.”

“Duke Jurem!?”

After a series of large-scale events, a fairy tale character appeared.

I didn’t expect the name of Duke Jurem, a character from occult stories who was present at many historical events, to come up.

“Duke Jurem’s goal is to exploit the weakness of high-level spirits, who recover magic slowly, and use the Four Great Nations to wage a war of attrition against Kudur, the kingdom’s guardian.”

The immortal and mysterious Duke Jurem’s determination is terrifying.

To control the world and continuously attack Kudur, who is a guardian, just to defeat him is too much to fathom.

But it’s an effective strategy.

Kudur, being a super-high-level and artificial spirit, has an extremely slow magic recovery rate.

Moreover, Kudur is not as cruel as he claims to be.

He would not allow unnecessary deaths in a country that is being used as a pawn.

That’s why Kudur initially acted coldly and threateningly.

The mythological stories being filled with terrifying content is probably for the same reason.

“I don’t want to move Kudur if possible. The Water God Levi and the others are traps set by Duke Jurem to exhaust Kudur. Even if you use Kudur, don’t do it unless you can finish off Levi. It would be endless and play right into Duke Jurem’s hands.”

“……”

I listen to Peter in silence.

“Well, Abel? Can you consider it for the sake of the Kingdom of Dinel?”

“…Please give me a little more time to think.”

I bow to Peter.

Even if there are no other options, I can’t easily accept being a tool of war.

I need a little more time to convince myself.

“Alright, I’ll wait as long as it takes. This is really important, so I’ll wait for your answer in this territory.”