The Protagonists of the Novel Escaped

====================

Zebeline, who visited the villa as if it were her home, had been completely silent.

I heard that a cardinal from the Holy Kingdom was dispatched.

It seemed there was no spare time to welcome the high-ranking priest who came from far away.

What reason could the cardinal, known as a powerful minister of the Holy Kingdom, have for moving? I lounged on the sofa, speculating about the reason the cardinal visited the Valtarian Empire.

Hmph, hmph…

A child’s humming echoed.

A girl with light green hair was sprawled out on a fluffy carpet, engrossed in her coloring book. With colorful colored pencils, she was filling the blank paper with vibrant hues.

What the heck is she drawing?

It was hard to tell what Luinong was creating, as her drawing skills were a complete mess.

“What the heck are you drawing?”

“Max!”

Oh.

She was deliberately making a mess.

She captured Maximilian’s inner psyche perfectly.

Nodding at Rue’s reply, I admired the masterpiece completed with colored pencils.

“Edan!”

Bang!

The door burst open violently as if it would fall off its hinges.

The unannounced guest was none other than the princess who had provided the villa of the Valtarian Imperial Family to the hick from the Hohenberc family.

“What’s going on…?”

“The Earth Mother has delivered a divine oracle!”

“……”

“Really!”

That’s about as unbelievable as the news that Ludmilla was actually a seventeen-year-old beauty.

A divine oracle? The Earth Mother delivered one?

That was downright absurd.

I couldn’t even muster a chuckle at how ridiculous it was.

Who spread such fake news?

If the fanatics, who were like zealots of the Earth Mother, had heard, they surely would have imposed some physical punishment.

“The cardinal Hordamet who delivered the Holy King’s personal letter reported it to the emperor!”

“…Did they really deliver the oracle?”

Surely, the cardinal representing the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t outright lie to the emperor of the empire.

The oracle might actually be true.

I shot up from the comfy sofa in shock.

“W-What on earth does it say?”

“I don’t know either. I just got the fact that the Earth Mother has delivered an oracle.”

The Gael Holy Kingdom cited the Earth Mother’s oracle as reasoning to request an alliance conference with Emperor Barbarossa.

Would the emperor accept the request?

With an 80 to 90 percent chance, he probably would.

The Valtarian Empire was a devout nation that worshiped the Earth Mother Gael, just like the Holy Kingdom.

“The last conference was held… three years ago.”

“That’s right. All the kings from the continent gathered in the imperial city to declare the Third Racial War.”

The oracle from the Earth Mother was bound to have a greater impact than the declaration of the racial war.

How dreadful.

This truly was a hellish situation.

“Edan!”

Dun dun dun!

How should we deal with this?

Just then, a silver-haired girl in pure white vestments burst in.

She seemed to be rushing in to deliver urgent news, nodding at Zebeline to indicate that she had already heard the news about the oracle.

“Saintess, what oracle did the Earth Mother deliver?”

“I don’t know. I just heard it a moment ago.”

Even the First Saintess was clueless about the unexpected oracle from the Earth Mother.

Was it to prevent leaks?

Or was it a strategy to maximize impact by using a one-on-one meeting with the emperor?

Only the Holy King Boern likely knew the content of the oracle delivered by the Earth Mother. The cardinal dispatched to the Valtarian Empire was merely a messenger to convey the personal letter.

“What’s going on?”

I lifted Rue, who approached with colored pencils and paper.

Nothing’s going on.

Trying to maintain a positive outlook, I responded, hoping Rue wouldn’t share in any fears.

“It might be an oracle related to Edan. Maybe…”

“…”

To the all-powerful creator deity, a warmonger is nothing but a mere pest.

Surely, they must know his identity.

The Earth Mother might reveal the identity of the warmonger through the oracle.

Zebeline’s speculation was a reasonable assertion.

“This isn’t something to be decided hastily. We still don’t know anything for certain.”

We could either confront it head-on.

Or just elope like everyone else.

It wouldn’t be too late to flee after the oracle from the Earth Mother was revealed.

Damn it, the Earth Mother delivers an oracle right after something happens in the Boemon Kingdom… Could it be related to the Saintess Party? Please, I hope not.

There were too many potential secrets that could turn into fatal flaws.

A disciple serving the Disaster God of War.

And the Saintess Party, aiming to resurrect the Disaster God of Death.

If any of those got out, the aftermath would be catastrophic.

The future would be determined based on the will of the Earth Mother.

*

The only well-known saintesses were the First Saintess Zebeline and the Second Saintess Beatrice.

But there were countless saintesses in the Holy Kingdom.

Candidate Saintesses.

The girls living in the celibate Saintess Academy were referred to as candidate saintesses.

Girls selected from across the continent were so beautiful and adorable that it was almost questionable whether their appearances were the standard for saintess qualifications.

Like dolls made by outstanding artisans, the beautiful girls cherished their purity and faith, waiting for the day they would shine in the world.

Hah… this is such a headache.

A girl with luscious violet hair muttered.

Strangely, the seat she was sitting on was an ornate throne adorned with the softest velvet.

How could a mere candidate saintess sit on a throne that was fit for the leader of the Holy Kingdom?

If an outsider witnessed the scene happening in the Saintess Academy, they would undoubtedly question it.

“Y-Your Grace…!”

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

Fifty or so candidate saintesses bowed low to the ground in worship.

The girl seated on the throne waved her hand dismissively while crossing her legs.

“Enough with the stiff introductions. Just call me ‘sister’ comfortably.”

Her casual and cheerful voice reminded one of the playful types you’d find in any neighborhood.

There was not a shred of dignity.

Taken aback by her overly familiar demeanor, the candidate saintesses were left speechless.

Observing the scene, a dark-skinned man groaned as he rubbed his face.

The only person allowed entry into the celibate Saintess Academy was the Holy King Boern of the Holy Kingdom.

“Isn’t it a bit difficult to follow the divine will after suddenly delivering an oracle and descending upon us by borrowing the body of a candidate saintess…? It’s too hard to keep up with the will of the holy one.”

“A mere human would find it tough to grasp the heart of the creator deity.”

To say these were decisions from the great creator deity sounded way too spontaneous.

It was more like the behavior of a physically mature young lady.

In other words, it meant her mental age fell around the twenty-year mark.

If the divine powers, stripped of their thrones by the creator deity, had witnessed this, they surely would have sighed in despair.

The Earth Mother Gael displayed an exaggeratedly emotional nature compared to other divine beings.

“Are you alright?”

“She was quite a pretty girl, but… she can’t take any more.”

Gael reached out his hand.

His delicate, fair fingers trembled slightly.

The overwhelming divine status of the creator deity was too vast for the body of a candidate saintess to handle. As his trembling hand intensified, Gael put on a wry smile.

“I guess I’ll have to switch to a next body.”

If used to its limit, she could hold out for about a day.

But Gael deeply adored his beloved candidate saintess who worshiped him.

He could give up easily.

There were plenty of bodies available for possession.

The Holy Kingdom had nurtured candidate saintesses in the Academy to prepare for the day the Earth Mother would descend on the mortal plane.

Thanks to the zealotry of the fanatics, Gael fulfilled his personal desires while alternating possession of the beautiful candidate saintesses.

“Wow! This girl is super pretty too! Especially her skin like white jade, I love it!”

“…”

Gael, possessing a candidate saintess from a prestigious family, thumped her cheek and shouted.

What am I, a little girl playing with dolls?

Boern had to break out in a cold sweat over Gael’s questionable hobbies.

“I’ve heard recently that the disaster gods are swarming like maggots, right? Even though they’ve been thoroughly exterminated, they keep popping up.”

“The Valtarian Empire has eradicated most of the remnants, so there’s no need to worry.”

“I’m not worried. The biggest pests were dealt with ages ago.”

“…I’m talking about tyranny and famine.”

The Earth Mother Gael was a gracious god toward his devoted followers.

He made no distinctions between status and bloodlines. He bestowed grace upon all believers equally.

That’s why Gael absolutely wouldn’t tolerate the arch-villains threatening his beloved followers.

Long ago, he proved his endless affection for them by punishing the disaster of innocence that could potentially end humanity’s existence.

“When the Undying Demon King manifested as the Disaster God of Death… Over a hundred thousand children were swept away. The disaster god of death amplified, annihilating everything around.”

“Truly a heartbreaking tragedy.”

He sought to immobilize the Disaster God of Death, turning it into a puppet like tyranny and famine.

But he ultimately failed.

This was due to the betrayal of the Saintess Party commanded to hunt it down.

They stole the magical core that housed the status of death and fled.

Because of that, Gael’s plans were disrupted, and he quickly sought an alternative.

“If it were the usual, I would have tried to utilize a nasty pest that wasn’t even born of this world… but why on earth did my beloved Beatrice choose to sacrifice herself to save that thing?”

I don’t get it.

Yup, I’m really clueless.

Gael muttered, repeating his characteristic phrase.

---