All preparations for establishing the new state had proceeded smoothly.
It was true that suspicious eyes were being cast from the central government and other provinces.
It was also true that they were growing impatient with the southern province that refused to send any reply, and were considering authoritarian measures.
But this was the Holy Kingdom of Quolia—an aged nation bound hand and foot by a stagnant system and unwritten customs.
In every action they took, the southern province, which at least maintained a semblance of unity, would move faster, and by the time they finished scrutinizing every step, they would be forced into reactive measures after the fact.
And that day came.
The day of rest ordained by God.
Because it had been announced in advance that the Saint had an important proclamation, the area around the Grand Cathedral of Holy Amritate was overflowing with crowds—so packed that not only the cathedral's front plaza but even the surrounding streets were completely filled.
Soarina appeared on the cathedral terrace and began to speak in a voice that, by some miracle, reached every last person in the crowd.
"I have something to tell all of you.—I, Soarina, together with Saint Fenne, have succeeded in slaying the Ruinous King Ira Takuto, as foretold in the 'Scripture of the Ancient Saint.'"
A wave of murmuring swept through the crowd.
The Scripture of the Ancient Saint was information known only at the level of common rumor.
In other words, not all believers were aware of its existence.
Therefore, only a small number truly understood the weight of those words. But the phrase "Ruinous King" was more than enough to deliver a tremendous shock even to those who knew nothing else.
Throughout recorded history, God and His believers had fought against countless enemies.
In recent times things had grown calmer, but in the age of myth, terrors beyond imagination had run rampant, and the fact that they had been obliterated by the glory of God was known to many through the scriptures.
A reenactment of that mythic age had taken place in secret, and the terrible seeds of destruction had been plucked out by Saint Soarina and her companions.
That was how the people understood it.
"It was by no means easy. The Ruinous King possessed overwhelming power—had he been left alone, it was inevitable that he would have grown beyond even our ability to contend with. To have struck him down on the spot can only be called a miracle."
Voices of deep emotion rose from the crowd.
No one existed who doubted the truth. Such was the overwhelming radiance of the Holy Woman, and moreover, it was considered that those who would even contemplate uttering falsehoods to the crowd were simply not chosen by the Holy Woman in the first place.
"All is by the will of the Divine."
The air became thick with praise for the two Holy Women and prayers to the divine.
The crowd placed absolute trust in the Holy Woman Soarina, who in but a brief time had rebuilt this Southern Province and even felled the being called the King of Ruin.
"Indeed, this is by the will of the Divine. Until now, I have corrected the corruption festering in this province and executed those wicked souls who defied the Divine's intent. Simultaneously, I have toiled for the people, striving to make this province a better place. Therefore, I understand this current event as a trial from the Divine, and equally, as divine guidance to build a nation that embodies its will."
Listening closely, her argument was logically flawed.
But does any religion ever possess flawless logic? There is always something fanatical at its core, and conversely, it is precisely because they share a set of values that cannot be explained by reason or logic that religions exist at all.
In the end, the only response to Soarina's words was a thunderous ovation and acclamation.
"To realize a warm peace where no one needs to fear tomorrow..."
The people's fervor reached its apex.
It was a pure, unvarnished fact that the corruption of certain clergy had weighed heavily upon the populace.
Through the Great Purge she had carried out, much of that corruption had vanished, and truly devout clergy had taken those positions, yet the people still lived in fear.
Fear that those bitter, agonizing days might return.
Fear that those scheming, manipulative, wicked clergy might once again lord over them and oppress them.
"By the merit of eliminating a threat to the world, and of vanquishing the King of Ruin in accordance with the Divine's will—"
That was precisely why her words were what the people had been waiting for more than anything else.
"Here and now, I declare our secession from the Holy Kingdom of Quolia and the establishment of a new divine nation, the René Divine Radiance Kingdom! Holy God Aros! Please, guide us, your faithful!"
The crowd erupted in acclamation, shouting praises to the divine from every mouth.
In that instant, the people witnessed a miracle.
=GM:Message===
Exercising Game Master authority.
*Oh, what could this mean.
*As if to bless Saint Soarina's proclamation, light poured down from the heavens.
―――
A great wave of murmurs rose from the crowd.
The light, solemn and divine, pierced through the clouds hanging in the sky.
It bathed the Holy Cathedral of Amritate in an unreal, glittering splendor and sacredness never before seen, warmly enveloping Soarina.
What followed the fervor was an emotion of profound stillness.
It is exceedingly rare for God to manifest such a miracle.
Even when examining history, instances of God directly performing miracles are terribly few.
That is why a saint who can receive divine revelations is so important, and wields such immense authority.
The people were witnessing a miracle of God with their own eyes.
A nation whose founding was blessed by God itself.
Those who had just seen a page of legend unfold could only shed tears of overwhelming emotion.
Their emotion, living and dying alongside God—how immense must it be.
All in the crowd gave thanks for the fortune of being here today, and swore to tell this tale forever.
Even if that tale… came about through the hands of one who was not God.
On this day, a violent tremor shook the Holy Kingdom of Quolia.
The defection of the saints Quolia prided itself on—the Flower Funeral Saint, Soarina, and the Face-Hiding Saint, Fenne.
The defeat of the Ruinous King revealed by divine oracle, and the declaration of a new nation's establishment.
And above all else... the manifestation of divine miracles.
The wheels of history had begun to turn with vigor.
===Message===
A new nation has been declared.
[The Radiant Kingdom of Renea]
~Under the name of God, may peace be brought to all living things.
~Sorrow and suffering are now things of the past.
~True justice, the love of God, resides here.
―――
◇ ◇ ◇
"The Prophecy of the Ancient Saint"
"The Chapter of the King of Ruin"
――Fear the King of Ruin.
――That being is a calamity that will destroy the world, bringing death and terror.
――It is a raging flame, a cruel blizzard, a roaring thunder.
――It is blood, and blades, and screams.
――Fear the King of Ruin.
――It is far from you, and it is near to you.
――It is the shining sun, and it is the encompassing night.
――It is your enemy, and it is your friend.
—Fear the King of Ruin.
—He is the primordial darkness of the beginning, and he is you yourself.
………
……
…
At that moment, Takuto was offering nothing but profuse apologies to old Mortar, whom he had contacted through the system's telepathic link.
"No, really, I'm sorry! Don't be so angry with me… Yeah, yeah. Well, it was all part of the plan. Hey, seriously, stop crying! I'm fine! I'm totally fine! There's no problem at all."
Whether it was a Japanese instinct or something else, he bobbed his head repeatedly like a grasshopper, placating and coaxing the old sage through his litany of reproaches. Perhaps he genuinely felt he had done something wrong—the dignity of a king was nowhere to be found. After all, it was impossible to take a hard line when you'd reduced an elderly man to tears. There was such a thing as feeling too guilty.
Reflecting inwardly that this required a more thorough follow-up, the conversation—composed almost entirely of lectures and laments—finally began drawing to a close.
"Got it. Then once things have settled down, I'll contact you from this end. Until then, make the preparations just as I relayed to them."
It seemed he had been unable to answer the question Takuto had posed, but the orders relayed through the Elful sisters had been properly received. The preparations would likely proceed without delay.
Now it was their turn. Observe the situation on the ground and adapt as needed.
It would be time enough to reveal the answer when the moment came to act.
Takuto cut the telepathic link with Mortar and let out a small sigh.
"Well then."
He glanced back over his shoulder.
If the scene that filled his vision could be described in a single word, it was a children's playground. The monsters that had once occupied that spot had been shattered to pieces, torn apart, and carved to ribbons—one and all of them.
Blood and viscera splattered the area—mangled remains bearing lacerations and contusions from unknown methods of attack, with charred bits of flesh rolling across the ground.
A scene so gruesome that one could no longer tell what form any of it had originally taken.
Looking at it, all Takuto could discern was the presence of multiple creatures, evidenced by the splatters of red, green, and purple ichor, and he murmured,
"Bat-winged Couatl, Gazer, Devourer... That was TRPG Elemental World Fourth Edition, wasn't it?"
Only a handful of people in this world could grasp the meaning of those words.
Aside from Takuto, perhaps only Erakino and his Game Master.
A name the Witch of Sipping had never revealed even to her trusted friends for fear of leakage, now uttered by the lips of the one bearing a name of ruin.
Words that should never have been known, known by one who should never have known them.
"~ ♪"
Before long, humming a familiar tune, Takuto turned on his heel and walked on.
The deep, deep darkness had drawn right up to the side of the holy country.
Chapter 3, Part 1 — End