Chapter 578

The will of the gods belongs to an area that humans cannot fathom. The gods see farther and wider than us. It may be a prejudice or a misunderstanding that the gods must necessarily be for the benefit of humans in the long and long history of faith. The gods' idea of good and the human idea of good may differ. If the destruction of humanity is good for the gods, they may want it. Therefore, the gods may also wish for the destruction of humanity. Rudebih could only be confused by Rowen's words. There are also gods and priests who have abandoned Tu'an and Al's. But it was not just those who left that changed their minds. Those who remained had to change their way of thinking to maintain their faith. "Um, if the gods want that... why are they helping people?" "It's just a hypothesis, not necessarily true." The will of the gods is an area of incomprehensibility. "I can only do what I can do in my place." Rudebih does not know what the will of the gods is, but he does his best. If they want destruction, they can be destroyed. If this leads to a good ending, they can wait for it. "If everything is the will of the gods, then this action is also part of that will. So I'm just doing what I think is my role." This means that even if my actions are included in the will of the gods, it does not mean that I can do anything. It means doing the best I can. He wanders around the refugee village and purifies it, pouring water into the bottomless pit. Although the way of thinking is that of a madman, the action itself is no different from that of a saint. However, in the end, there is also the danger of self-rationalization that everything I do is part of the will of the gods, which ultimately returns all responsibility for everything I do to the gods. Rudebih felt both discomfort and sublimity towards the priest in front of him. "Personally, I hope all of this will end in a good way, but if it doesn't, it can't be helped." It was close to resignation, but he did not give up his actions. If the gods want destruction, they must accept that destruction without blaming the gods. It was a pure belief without any doubt. "I... I don't know." Rudebih could not understand the gods, who were naturally incomprehensible, and Rowen, who had an extremely pure belief. Rowen smiled at Rudebih. "It's a confusing time, so it's natural to feel confused." What was fortunate was that Rowen was not a fanatic who would get angry or deny others for not understanding or affirming her beliefs. "It's cold today. Shall we go back now?" "Ah... yes." Today's work was finished with this. On the way back, somewhere, Rudebih and Rowen heard the sound of horse hooves. The sound of a group of cavalry, not just one or two. Rudebih and Rowen stuck to the side of the road to avoid the approaching cavalry riding dozens of horses, and a group of refugee village guards came. The guards patrolling the area do not ride horses. "And Rudebih could see the marks of battle on the horses' manes, the guards' armor, and the bloodstains on their helmets. It was evidence of a fight. The people on the street hid in their shops. Rowen spoke as she watched the scene. 'It's a suppression force.' 'Ah... them...?' 'Yes, thanks to them, the monster problem has been resolved, which is fortunate.' It was the job Rudebih wanted. The suppression force that dealt with the monsters on the outskirts of Hwangdo. Rudebih was staring blankly at the sight of the suppression force riding quietly on their horses without even glancing at the refugee village. It seemed far from the duties of ordinary guards. It would be better to do that job. Killing monsters didn't require any hesitation. They only needed to be involved in the suppression force. It would be better if it wasn't the suppression force. A job that didn't require any hesitation. It would be great if he could continue doing what he was doing today. He could only watch the suppression force's back with that thought in mind. 'Shall we go?' Rowen quietly grabbed Rudebih's sleeve. * * * Rowen and Rudebih returned to the guard post and reported that the purification work was complete. It was now possible to lift the blockade on the epidemic area. But what was the use of that? Rudebih couldn't erase that thought. There weren't enough priests, and the epidemic continued to occur. Even if it wasn't an epidemic, people were dying from simple colds in the cold. Rudebih felt like he understood Rowen a little bit. She was the one who purified the refugee area and chased away the epidemic. She knew better than anyone that her work didn't solve anything. In despair, Rowen had to think that all of this had meaning in order to endure it. But she couldn't gauge how this despair could lead to good results. So she thought that maybe the gods would abandon humanity. If the gods had abandoned them, she could only maintain her faith in the thought that she should even be positive about that. Rudebih couldn't help but think that Rowen, who had seemed like a strange person, might have changed so much in the depths of despair. 'Maybe that's why...' That's why he asked about the Demon King. What kind of existence was the Demon King? Was he really an evil being? He asked that because depending on what kind of existence the Demon King was, he could gauge the will of the gods a little bit. 'Rudebih, would you like to go back to Hwangdo together? It's the same road anyway.' 'Ah, yes. If it's okay with you...' Rudebih felt like the priest, who seemed fragile, was like a candle that could be extinguished by a small winter wind. * * * The road back to Hwangdo from the refugee village area. In fact, Rudebih didn't do anything today. He just walked around with Rowen, watching the surroundings in case of any unexpected situations. But the fatigue was even worse than yesterday. The sight of the gruesome scene was the same as yesterday, but his mental exhaustion was higher. The gods may wish for the destruction of humanity. "The idea that the gods are for the benefit of humanity may be flawed," causing confusion for Rudebih. Rowen explains that they will be going to different areas the next day for guard duty, and Rudebih notices how tired Rowen seems. Rowen asks for Rudebih's help with her guard duty, and Rudebih hesitates, unsure if he can be of any help. However, Rowen reassures him that his magical abilities will be useful. Guard duty is not a dangerous task, and it is necessary work. It is the most positive thing Rudebih has been allowed to do at this point." "The reason why Rudebih admires the work of the guard duty team is because it is a task without any room for hesitation, just like the gods being for the benefit of humanity. Similarly, this task is also without any room for hesitation and is a necessary task for people. 'I should have permission from the guard captain... but I have no reason not to do it.' 'I'm so glad, Rudebih.' Rowen smiled brightly, and Rudebih awkwardly smiled back. However, today, even though they had talked a lot, among those words, did he mention that he knows how to enhance magical abilities? Rudebih had a small doubt about that."