***The city of Hemelin, several eras ago…***
Deep below the bowels of the mountain peak that eventually became the temple district of the great city of Hemelin were columns of dwarves, donned in their exquisitely designed armors, and armed with their elaborately carved war hammers and battleaxes. Still, what immediately set them apart from the other similar throng of dwarves reminiscent of the classic fantasy stores of old were the high-powered firearms complimenting their melee weapons, and the technologically advanced accessories on some of them, like night-vision goggles.
"…"
Illuminated by the haunting blue-white glow of the magic crystals that can be mined in that part of Equality, the dwarf army remained in a statue-like silence as the last 'giant' and the current dwarf saint passed by their lines, accompanied by the only human in that certain part of the world.
"Are you alright?" the human, Louis, asked the Lady Helgath when he noticed she could barely keep with his pace.
"Y-Yes," was the giant's gentle, yet labored, reply. Everyone in that chamber could tell that she was just pushing herself; the blue-white light illuminated her pale face.
The human could only look at her, as the latter's sheer size made him unable to do anything. Nevertheless, Louis tried to buoy her spirit, "I'll be with you, Your Holiness. The effects of losing the god-powers is worsening; if you will, pass those to me, so it will be easier for you."
"But you won't become a god for me, Louis!" the giant countered.
"I…" there was a hint of surprise and sadness on Louis' face, as he continued, "I…can't take it. At least, not when I know I'm the one who caused you people to lose their faith in you!"
The holy lady smiled, and with her big fingers, gently caressed the human's cheeks. "I do not blame you for my failure," she told him, reassuring Louis that everything was fine. "As what you told me in your stories before, societies will eventually move from faith to science. I guess, with how it is going, the dwarves are fated to lead the other worlds shed their reliance on people chosen by the heavens…and we saints will be put on the footnote of history."
"I never want that, if it means I'll lose you," Louis reiterated.
"I'll be okay," the Lady Helgath chuckled. "Think of it like I'll change bodies; isn't your 'isekai' stories have similar plots?"
The human sighed, and averted his face away, as he knew his eyes were about to burst into tears. Nevertheless, the holy lady saw through him, and said, "You can always aim to be a god, see? With how much you helped my people, I'm sure they would quickly worship you once you ask them. And when you're finally acclaimed, you can always heal my sickly body with the power of the Human Saint."
"God and religion are things I forsook long ago," Louis shook his head. "I don't have the right to become god, nor possess your god-powers, if I don't believe in those in the first place. Well, that is, until recently. I can't deny what I see, but still…"
"That you are aware of your mistakes is proof that you deserve to lead the dwarves, and the rest of the worlds into a new era."
"Your Holiness, I'm only willing to bear your god-powers so you can get it again in the end. Once I'm old and dying, come back to me; I'm sure you'll find the god-powers of the Dwarf Saint stronger than before."
"Please don't say that…"
"Your Holiness," the human never hid his determination to refuse. "You've seen how fickle our hearts are, both humans and dwarves. They are now 'worshipping' me as some sort of a 'living god' because I simply gave them technologies that greatly benefitted them. But the question remains: what will happen if the dwarves eventually found another person to help them? They quickly dropped you for me; it won't be long before they abandoned me once someone else comes with better knowledge. And you know a human's life is short; even with god-powers. I'll just be a holder for you, while your 'other self', and your servants find someone worthy of becoming a deity. For the meantime, regain your strength…your dwarf guards will watch over you."
"Louis…"
"Please listen, Your Holiness. I love you, and the last thing I'd like to happen is to see you suffer because of me. I'm willing to carry your 'cross' if I can still see you, alive and well, in the end."
"But you'll be old, or dead, when I wake up once again!"
"It doesn't matter; what's important is that you'll live," Louis, though he may be small relative to the Lady Helgath's size, touched her for one last time. Then, he took a deep breath and said, "Your Holiness, whenever you're ready!"
A period of somber silence followed, as the human and the giantess stood before the stone altar where the latter would be put into slumber. Then, knowing that she couldn't sway the human's heart anymore, the Lady Helgath closed her eyes, chanted a magic spell that made her smaller than her usual size, and kissed Louis. The dwarves who witnessed the event saw the transfer of the Dwarf Saint's god-power—represented by the emerald green light—from their holy lady and into the human she loved.
When the ritual was complete, the dwarf saint reverted to her giant stature, and climbed the stone altar…never looking away from Louis. Likewise, he didn't take his eyes off her; the human knew it would be the last time he would see her.
The dwarf army then held their weapons and banners high, though there was no wind to unfurl those. Though many of their kin lost their faith in her, they were the ones who remained true in the end, thus, were given the honor to 'stand guard' at their holy lady in her eternal slumber. Seeing that the dwarf saint had settled down, Louis chanted the magic spell that slowly wrapped the Lady Helgath in a warm, and gentle embrace of sleep.
As her consciousness escaped her, the dwarf saint heard Louis…
"Your Holiness, if ever you find me alive when you wake up, please put an end to my life. I love you forever…"
----------
***The present day, the Stadtholder's estate, League of the Valley Cities, Chersea…***
"That is the story that my father kept repeating to me," the Stadtholder prince of the League of the Valley Cities, Giuseppe Uhrian, revealed to his audience: the Human, Beastman, Demon and Elf Saints. Led by the Lady Madelaine, they would regularly drop a visit in his household, as they wanted to be kept updated with news of Kuro's whereabouts. In the days where there was nothing to report, they would listen to the old dwarf's stories and adventures of his childhood, his past before eventually settling and becoming a 'human' noble in Chersea.
"I'm surprised that even with all the god-powers of Seirna, you still hid the truth of the Lady Helgath's whereabouts from her!" the Human Saint quipped.
"Well, even if the Lady Helgath—as my 'niece,' Martelle—is greatly weakened, the fact remains that she's still a saint," the dwarf halfling pointed out. "It's easy for her to mask her thoughts, much like Your Holinesses. And by extension, my mind as well. After all, we dwarves are not too trusting with everyone…saints included."
"Makes sense," Ruro said, nodding. "I won't trust Seirna easily as well."
"We're already here, and the Lady Seirna is helping Kuro in Equality," the Lady Hinwe pointed out. "It's useless to work against each other at this stage, when we're trying to survive the Seductress, isn't it?"
"You must be fun at parties, milady," the Beastman saint quipped.
"I think I am? The human nobles enjoyed my presence last time in Kuro's palace," the Elf saint replied, oblivious of Ruro's swipes.
"She means you're too serious, Your Holiness," Natasha whispered to her.
"Uh…that's good, or bad?" the Lady Hinwe's eyes fell on the Human Saint, and Maddie answered her by shaking her head. So, the Elf saint glared at Ruro.
"I'm just joking in everything I just said, Your Holiness," the wolf saint countered. "Though, of course, with a dash of sarcasm."
"In any case, do tell us, Your Highness," Natasha asked, bringing everyone back to the earlier topic. "Why did the Lady Helgath choose to pass her consciousness to a golem, instead of completely slumbering?"
"The Lady Helgath—as my father always remember her—loved adventure; she was influenced by the stores told by him. You see, the Golden Hammer was a 'hiker' back in his world, often going to places and traveled widely. As such, the Lady Helgath actually looked forward to her 'sleep' as some sort of a 'vacation' from her 'rule' as the saint. In fact, my father claimed that she really wanted to 'give up' her god-powers to him, and live as a 'free' dwarf than be burdened by the cares and concerns of her people. Only his 'respect' for her kept Her Holiness from doing the unprecedented."
"Wow…she really hated the idea of becoming a saint?"
"Not really…though, dealing with the dwarves—who are always motivated by greed—I think she's bound to get tired."
"That's heavy…"
"What, Your Holiness?" the prince looked at the Demon Saint as if she said the most outrageous thing he heard. "Are you telling me that the Lady Helgath is not a mortal?"
"Well, in my defense, the Lady Helgath and I barely talked before," Natasha countered. "I only knew her as a sickly giant, who got the god-powers because the previous dwarf saint thought she deserved to live longer. I didn't know her issues went deeper than her physical condition."
"Forgive me, Your Holiness, but I never know that part of her story," Prince Uhrian bowed.
There was somber silence in the dwarf prince's private study, as the saints reflected on their peer's reason. As she experienced similar treatment before, it was the Lady Hinwe who later broke the ice…
"Honestly, miladies, I can understand the circumstances of the Lady Helgath…" she admitted. "Look, outside we may look regal and dignified, yet in the end, we are still those simple girls who wanted to live their lives. It's just a pity that the dwarf saint was the first to fall victim to the whims of her people, before me."
"Well, the burden of the sainthood is too much to bear, really…" Natasha quipped.
"And to think, my master would bear all of these…" the wolf saint commented; she could only shake her head in disbelief, as the realization set in. "I mean, I'm still alive now because of the loyalty and love of the people I offended. Heh, I can't understand why many would like to become god, when just being a saint is already this exhausting and dangerous…"
Maddie, who was silent while others let out their feelings, finally said, "Isn't that love?"
The others just stared at her, as if waiting for the Human Saint to add more to what she just blurted out.
Seeing that they demanded more from her, Maddie obliged. "Kuro went through all the dangerous stuff and fought against nearly everyone, including my 'mother,' because he loves us. He can always back down, and give reason that Cherseans, Beastmen, Demons, and Elves were never his people, and this isn't his world. But for some reason, there he is, at the thick of the fight…protecting and sacrificing for us—his loved ones. Godhood isn't just a 'responsibility' we're pushing unto him; I sincerely think he deserves it because it's the highest honor we can give to Kuro for all the sacrifices he did for us."
"Eh, isn't it always true? Even in my world, adults reward hard-workers with more responsibility!" Natasha chuckled.
"Shut up!" the Human Saint rebuked her, though jokingly. "You're ruining my moment!"
"Well, as Maddie says," the demon saint agreed. "Sir G deserves it."
"And besides," the dwarf prince added, "I know that Your Holinesses won't stand idly while the man they love do all the work for them! This is the secret to a lasting marriage; the husband and the wife—"
"Ahem."
"I…I mean, th-the wives…yes, the husband and the wives are helping each other as a family, instead of competing for the attention, power and control of the household."
"Such nice words of wisdom, Your Highness!" the Lady Hinwe smiled at the halfling prince, albeit there was an air of sarcasm to it. "If I may ask, are you married?"
"My apologies, Your Holiness," Prince Uhrian bowed. "Your servant is yet to find the love of his life; it's just that, I guess, we single people observe relationships of our friends better than they are."
----------
***The city of Montserrant…***
The city's air raid alerts screamed first hour after the long sleep, sounded by the air patrols watching the skies above their homes and on the horizon. As the Cole Miners' Guild air forces had been on alert since their raid on Hemelin from few days ago, soon their planes were flying with their squads, ready to engage any enemy air armies heading to Montserrant. The militias were also wide-awake; armed with their new 'bolt-heaters' from Chersea, they took positions around the city limits, guns pointed towards the sky, and ready to send lead to their winged foes.
"Airships to the west!" came in the signal from the sky watchers from the ground. The cloud cover was thick at that time of the day, and the air squadrons were hampered by the unusually powerful winds blowing against them from the said direction. Nevertheless, as the enemy approached, the flyers had no choice but to give battle, or risk the danger of getting Montserrant bombed if they waited for the airships come to the safety of the skies above their settlement.
Meanwhile, the people from the ground left their homes to watch the upcoming spectacle, ignoring the blaring sirens and the pleas of the city officials to get them to shelter. The mood of everyone was that of excitement instead of fear and alarm; there were dwarves shouting the phrase, 'The Lord Kuro will protect us! The Lord Kuro will crush the enemies of the Holy City of Montserrant!'
And of course, only a fool would miss the chance to capitalize on that powerful faith, Seirna surmised. Watching from the tallest point of the city, she tracked the fighters of the Miners Guild engage the crusaders of the Golden Hammer in the dogfight. Squadrons of dwarven biplanes and triplanes shot at each other in the skies, and the airships supported their friends by peppering their foes with anti-aircraft fire.
"!!!"
From someone who was ill-informed of what was going on, it surely was a fascinating sight. Differently-colored flying machines duking it out against each other, with bright explosions and trails of smoke appearing occasionally, was met with cheers and applause. The dwarves of Montserrant, however, were hopefully unaware that it was their squadrons that were suffering a beating from the forces of the Golden Hammer. Luckily, amidst the shouting, the militias on the ground started shooting with their bolt-heaters.
The back-and-forth swinging of the advantage between the Cole Miners and the Church was nerve-wracking; fighter squadrons from Montserrant would force their enemies to fly lower, making them vulnerable to the anti-air units and their rifles. Once the crusaders got closer to ground, the militias would fire in unison—something to compensate for their lack of rigorous training in that weapon, and in the same fashion as the early armies of Chersea, Cherwind and the Demon Republic, piercing through the wooden and canvas body of the plane, causing the unfortunate warrior to crash along with their shredded vehicle.
Then, the airships of the crusaders would train their cannons on the militia positions and fire artillery on them.
Seirna, though it was the enemy, was impressed by the destruction they wrought in Montserrant. Though the Overseer Saint rendered the airships obsolete, they still presented a formidable threat in the aerial frontlines. And to her, it wasn't a welcome development. If the rebels suffered a great defeat now, the reputation of the otherworlder would plummet. She had to intervene now…
"!!!"
Pulling her rapier, the Overseer Saint spread her beautiful black wings once again, and barreled towards the fight. By then, the forces loyal to the Golden Hammer knew they were winning, and their morale—which was low—was slowly recovering as they shot down squadron after squadron of the apostates.
However, the appearance of the 'black lady' caused a sudden turnaround in the fortunes of the Church's air fleet. As soon as their scouts saw Seirna, terror enveloped the crews of the airships: everyone knew of what happened in Hemelin, particularly those airships that vanished without a trace after the attack of the 'black lady.' At once, the gunners pointed their guns at her and started firing, taking off significant pressure from the rebel squadrons and allowing them to pick-off enemy fighter pilots. The Montserrant militia supported her by concentrating their fire on the planes trying to take the holy lady down.
Meanwhile, the Overseer Saint, always ready for a 'show,' pulled some aerial maneuvers designed to impress the dwarves of Montserrant, and waste the enemy resources, too, before resuming her actual attack. When the Church's commanders, giving orders from the airships, realized her feint, it was already too late. Black flames quickly engulfed the flying behemoths, some of which reached the onboard powder magazines that caused even more spectacular explosions.
"…"
The mere sight of the destruction silenced even the noisy crowd below. Only the fanatic worshippers of the Lord Kuro summed everyone's sentiments…
"The Lord Kuro gave us victory over the faithless! Hail the black flames of justice and power!"
----------
**Kuro**
"Kuro! Kuro, wake up!"
Opening my eyes, I knew I was back in the deepest parts of my thoughts, where the former god of Chersea and Roman dictator, Gaius Julius Caesar, lived. The whiteness of our surroundings was already a giveaway, and as far I could remember, I was sleeping in the dark underground of Hemelin's outskirts. In any case, Gaius looked down on me with an anxious expression on his face, and from that alone, I could tell he wanted to tell me something urgent.
"What's up, Gaius?" I asked, trying to remain calm. There's no use in being an 'alarmist,' anyway.
"Good thing I can reach you now," he replied. "You've been too busy with other stuff that I can't seem to call you here!"
"But you're fine before!" I blurted out. "Don't tell me you're getting weaker now!"
"Well, that's exactly it," the former god shrugged as if it was normal.
"What?"
"Look, you're the one in that body, which was originally given to me," he explained. "And, unlike the popular isekai novels we both read, this is reality. We can't possibly live in one physical 'vessel'; one has to go, eventually."
"Meaning, you'll disappear?"
"You forgot what we've talked about in Cherflammen?" Gaius chuckled. "I did tell you I'll start to disappear once I gave you that body, right? Don't tell me you grew fond of the person who killed you? What's this, a case of Stockholm syndrome?"
I fell silent with that. While it was true that the former deity did something bad to me, the fact remained that I was used to his presence and loved many of his 'wisdom' and 'advice.'
"Oh, come on, now, Kuro," he gave me a head pat. "That's my way of repenting for my sins! Besides, even when you're a god, you'll still suffer from heartaches. Didn't that guy, Jesus, from your religion cry, too? So, this is one of those scenarios…and you better prepare for it. I'll slowly fade from existence—it's inevitable, and you'll be the sole owner of that body."
"Damn it, man…that's some heavy stuff." And I couldn't help but admire the bravery of Gaius. For him, it seemed like he didn't mind disappearing forever.
"Eh, when you lived your life, there comes a time when you'll want to simply fade away. I don't know, but it's exhaustion…maybe?" Gaius laughed, though there was a poignant look on his face. "Ah, more than me, there's something more urgent that you should pay attention to."
"Right," I braced myself to receive the worst. "What is it that you called me here?"
"It's about Seirna."
I froze when I heard her name. All this time, I thought the Overseer Saint never need help, but here comes Gaius. "W-What about her? Is something going on her side?"
"My powers are weakening, so I can't tell much," Gaius pointed out. "But you have to go back to that child as soon as you can."
"Well, we're doing something about it," I countered. "We're virtually trapped in this place, after all. Nevertheless, we're hoping to reach Temun within the five-day limit she told us."
"No," the former god was resolute. "If you have to march out of Hemelin right now, you should do it. From what limited information I have, everyone's hard work is in danger of getting undone because of her desire for vengeance against the dwarves."
"H-Huh? You mean this is about the Seductress' threat?"
"It's the only threat that we have right now, yes? Of course, I'm referring to that!"
"Damn, what's going on her side?" At this point, it was more of a question to me, and never expecting an answer.
"Who knows? That's why I'm urging you to go!"
There was silence, once again. I've been thinking of how to escape from Hemelin right now, for the road leading out of the dwarf settlement were full of checkpoints, and the airship towers were closed-off as the soldiers of the temple guard swept the city and its outskirts for us.
"Hey, Kuro."
"What?"
"Have you asked that golem about the ancient giant roads?"
"Ancient giant roads?" I stared at the former god. "That's a thing here?"
Gaius smirked, "Dude, this land originally has two races: dwarves and the giants. Have you forgotten about it? The Lady Helgath belonged to the latter; of course, she's aware of such things! Where do you think these giants—when they were still alive—walked?"
Well, more than having forgotten about the giants, there was no sliver of thought in my mind about them recently. I was too focused on our situation, I failed to account other stuff that could've helped us. But wait…
"Lady Martelle didn't even mention the existence of those!" I told Gaius.
"The golem is hiding it from you," he casually quipped. "Of course, don't forget: I'm the former god of this world, so I know even the deepest secrets of anyone that has lived when I was in-charge. Besides, those roads were not supposed to be 'secret,' technically; it's just that…well, you know, some people wanted to keep stuff in the garbage bin of their minds."
"You know her reasons for hiding it?"
"Not exactly, since I'm getting weak, thus, my ability to read minds is disappearing. But I may have an idea why…which is connected to the reason the Lady Helgath became the last of her kind. Nevertheless, ask the golem about it; I believe she's the one who should talk to you about her people's history, provided you can convince her."
Now it's getting interesting. I did read before those giants once lived among the dwarves, and that they disappeared long ago…leaving the Lady Helgath the last living giant. Nevertheless, I'm intrigued by this place's ancient history, so I'd like to delve upon those when I have the chance.
Knowing and understanding the past of the person you intend to convince is an effective way of getting her to your side…
"Well, that's my help for you today; hit the road via the giants' network, and evade the dwarf patrols above," Gaius gave me a fist bump. "And that's one minute! See you in the next video!"
I couldn't help but blurt out, "Wait, that's only one minute?" Then, my visions went dark.
----------
Keeping Gaius' advice in mind, I talked to Lady Martelle about the giant roads.
"W-Wait!" Though she tried to hide it, the mere mention of that place made the dwarf lady's face pale. "H-H-How did you know about that?"
"I saw it in a dream." Which was an obvious lie. However, I was confident that Gaius was consistent in 'hiding' his tracks, so even when I think of thoughts that led to him, it'll be hidden from the prying eyes of the saints.
"That's bullshit!" Lady Martelle blurted out; she also slammed her fists on our breakfast table, that Lily let out a small scream because of surprise. "Someone told you about it! But, then again, not even Prince Uhrian knows of its existence…only Louis saw it personally! Who the hell told you about it?"
"Calm down!" I countered, raising my arms in case she let her fists fly. "It's just some damned roads! I saw it in a dream; we can use those road networks to escape from here! What's keeping us from doing it?"
The dwarf lady fell silent, though she never took her glare away from me. The Iron Princess, meanwhile, continued on her meal…but I could see her steal glances at us. Perhaps she's afraid to intervene now that Lady Martelle's raging mad.
"You…" Lady Martelle growled in-between her heavy breaths. "You have no idea of what you're getting into, Kuro."
"Well, I'd take the gamble anytime; we need to get to Temun as soon as possible."
"There are other ways to do it. I'd run through the gauntlet if I have to, just to avoid using the ancient giant roads."
"Well, why don't you?" I was sarcastic, tired of her exaggeration while actually doing nothing about our situation.
And I guess, Lady Martelle saw through my mind. I was not intending to hide it, anyway! Once she realized my sentiments, the dwarf lady said nothing, but she stood up and went for the door.
"If you're crazy, then I'd indulge you, human," she said to me. "Pack up your things now, and let's go. But don't come crying to me when you uncover the ugly truth of this world…"