Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"What can you see from this... What is there to see?"

Stunned for a moment, Andrea recollected that there was nothing special about the people who had attacked them on the road for various reasons; neither their strength nor their identities were exceptional.

"Some barbarians from the Northern Lands, and some descendants of aristocrats who were stripped of their titles, is there something wrong with that?"

"Then, Andrea, why are the Divine Blood Nobles nobility?"

Responding with a question, Laine gently led her on.

"Because of their bloodline. Divine Blood makes it easier for them to excavate the strength within their bodies, and as long as the bloodline isn't too greatly diluted, nearly every one of them can become a professional. With strength comes status. And hereditary strength naturally brings hereditary status."

It sounded as though she were reciting from a textbook, but in fact, this was indeed what Andrea's father had told her.

She also remembered her father telling her that pure brute force doesn't equate to stable rights, but when strength can both create wealth and bring violence, then strength and rights are synonymous. This was why he turned a blind eye to the edicts from Olympia—his patronage of wizards and promotion of alchemy were not to oppose those Western powers but because he saw an opportunity in it.

The influence of the Deity Church penetrated the Mortal Realm, and in many places, it even held more authority than the King. Fundamentally, this was because Divine Arts were different from the nobility's Divine Blood; the latter could only bring about violence, whereas the former could also create wealth.

The holy water for healing injuries, the Divine Arts that made agriculture yield abundantly, the armor and weapons made in special ways... With these, the church became an irreplaceable institution.

Just like the current Athens, if the Church of Agriculture were to declare its withdrawal from the Kingdom, it's likely that the entire nation's food production would drop by more than thirty percent. And to get out of this situation, witchcraft and alchemy were the methods Theseus had thought of.

Here was another group capable of creating wealth and possessing strength. Of course, Theseus was not planning to replace the church with them; at this moment, all he wanted was a second option.

"Yes, Andrea, just as you said—hereditary strength brings hereditary status."

Nodding her head, Laine showed agreement.

"Even if they lost their titles, their bloodline itself signifies value. If they wish, they could continue to live a life beyond the reach of ordinary people. But, Andrea, haven't you noticed that there are so many descendants of Divine Blood in your Kingdom who have become bandits, and conversely, there is a scarcity of ordinary professionals?"

"What do you think is the reason for this?"

"...Because of the policies my father implemented."

There was no need to elaborate, as this was not a secret in contemporary Athens.

From the moment the King cancelled the aristocratic councils in various cities, maintaining only the one established in Athens, the intentions of this Legendary King had been very clear.

And at this moment, compared to the reality, Andrea felt that she indeed understood something more.

"My father acted too hastily, to the point that he couldn't attend to these trifles—or perhaps he didn't see these disgruntled nobles as a concern at all."

"But in reality, they are not without their threats, not just those we encountered on our way, but even during the kidnapping process, someone was leaking information and turning a blind eye to the cultists..."

By drawing parallels, Andrea felt she had gained a clearer understanding of human nature.

In this era, there were no sociologists or psychologists, and almost no one could be truly called a politician. Even the King of Athens was simply instinctively trying to maintain 'balance.' Bolstered by the Church of Knowledge, the state church which did not object, he drew in witchcraft and alchemy.

But if Theseus was asked to explain the principles behind this, he likely wouldn't be very clear himself.

"I understand what you mean now—so, I don't have to keep digging holes anymore, right?"

The first part of the sentence was serious, then Andrea suddenly changed her tone, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Laine.

"Of course... not."

Smiling faintly, Laine shook his head in refusal, then pointed ahead under the 'furious gaze' of the little princess.

"Let's keep moving, our journey is still long, and we cannot stop here."

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"You—hmph!"

With a clear snort, Andrea climbed down from the carriage, hung the shovel she had previously tossed aside next to it, and then returned to the driver's seat.

The carriage soon resumed its forward motion, and Laine leaned back in the compartment, pretending to doze off.

...

That night.

The sky was cloudless, the stars and the bright Moon kept company, illuminating the entire night sky.
Your next journey awaits at empire

Laine lay back on a large rock, gazing at the starry sky above him.

Andrea was sleeping in the carriage, and on this point, Laine did not quarrel with the Little Princess. Rather, he generally preferred not to stay in the carriage.

He preferred to contemplate things in such a silent environment, as if it made his thoughts more active.

There was no reason for it, neither physical nor magical, but that's indeed how Laine felt. However, today, he faced a difficult problem.

Because when he regularly sought Sacred Power from the Serpent of the Central Court, Laine received an additional piece of information.

As a stakeholder in the Nine Hells, the Serpent of the Central Court also felt the abnormal pass of the World Power. Others might still be guessing, but Laine knew why.

This proved that the Divine, far in the Alien Realm, had already started their plan. Hemenu's Destruction was completely on countdown, which also meant that Chaos World was likely to encounter various chaotic events... but the current problem was that Laine, as the part of humanity, had woken up too late.

He had not expected to accidentally hit a space-time bubble; in his direct plan, by the time the Divine part began to act, his human incarnation should have completed what needed to be done, just waiting for the big show to begin. But now, facing this situation, the problem became conspicuous.

He could not be certain what the All Gods who had felt the fluctuation of World Power would do, just as Laine was still not sure what Erebus was up to.

Laine lay back on a large rock, gazing at the starry sky above him.

Andrea was sleeping in the carriage, and on this point, Laine did not quarrel with the Little Princess. Rather, he generally preferred not to stay in the carriage.

He preferred to contemplate things in such a silent environment, as if it made his thoughts more active.

There was no reason for it, neither physical nor magical, but that's indeed how Laine felt. However, today, he faced a difficult problem.

Because when he regularly sought Sacred Power from the Serpent of the Central Court, Laine received an additional piece of information.

As a stakeholder in the Nine Hells, the Serpent of the Central Court also felt the abnormal pass of the World Power. Others might still be guessing, but Laine knew why.

This proved that the Divine, far in the Alien Realm, had already started their plan. Hemenu's Destruction was completely on countdown, which also meant that Chaos World was likely to encounter various chaotic events... but the current problem was that Laine, as the part of humanity, had woken up too late.

He had not expected to accidentally hit a space-time bubble; in his direct plan, by the time the Divine part began to act, his human incarnation should have completed what needed to be done, just waiting for the big show to begin. But now, facing this situation, the problem became conspicuous.

He could not be certain what the All Gods who had felt the fluctuation of World Power would do, just as Laine was still not sure what Erebus was up to.

"Huh—let's see."

"After all, the worst outcome won't be that bad."

After pondering for a moment, Laine still couldn't think of any countermeasure, so he decided to just take it one step at a time.

At least he wanted to see first, what move the All Gods intended to make.

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