END OF THE MONTH BONUS CHAPTERS!
There was no way the calamity could have been resolved in just one day. The moment his ominous feeling became reality, Ban immediately rushed out of the inn and faced the truth. The people of Siol, completely unaware of the existence of the calamity’s seeds blooming abundantly near the underground waterway core, were simply rejoicing that the waterways were filled with water and painting a hopeful future.
“Banan-nim must have fully recovered her strength! Even the well we used for drinking water had almost dried up, but when I checked today, it was completely full.”
“Mom, the water is so clear. Can I dip my feet in?”
“It looks like boats will start running again from today! I saw Riden earlier, running around excitedly. How frustrating and difficult must it have been for a boatman to not be able to pull his boat all this time?”
As if the scorching sunlight was no longer frightening, the people of Siol who had been hiding inside buildings were now chattering with bright faces. Only Ban, in contrast, looked down at the waterway near the inn with a face pale with shock.
Just yesterday, the bottom had been exposed with not a drop of moisture visible. Although the game hadn’t covered the tragedy that befell Siol in detail, there had been events that could be inferred. It had been strange from the start that a city blessed by a god had become so grotesquely ruined…
‘What if Banan became corrupted?’
The horror emitted by the Blue Tears was all the more terrifying because it didn’t immediately show symptoms upon contact. Of course, if it was water near those bizarre calamity flowers, the probability of contamination was high, but even so, it wasn’t a destructive reaction visible to the eye right away—rather, over time, little by little, little by little… the body would melt away and the body would deform. So even if Ban came forward and told everyone not to go near any water in the city right away, it wouldn’t work at all.
Moreover, if Banan had been bewitched by the Blue Tears and caused this situation, it was obvious which side the people of Siol would trust and accept more—the god or humans.
As Ban stood frozen in dismay, simply staring at the waterway, Orma finally let out a faint sigh and grabbed Ban’s wrist. Ban, who had shown no reaction when the tiger brat noisily asked, “What should we do? Is this acceptable?” finally raised his head as if awakening from his reverie at his god’s touch.
“Let’s go.”
“…Pardon?”
“Whether the calamity has been resolved or not, in this situation, it’s right to just leave this city.”
Though it might sound callous, from Orma’s standpoint it was an entirely reasonable statement. In less than a day, the entire city had filled with water. Whether it was something Banan did while bewitched by the calamity’s seeds, or whether the calamity had been resolved through some incredible method… there was nothing Ban, a mere human, could do.
Orma had firmly resolved not to give in this time even if Ban pleaded with his pretty face and batting eyes, but Ban simply stared at him blankly for a while with vacant eyes before speaking.
“…I think I need to meet God Banan.”
“I said let’s just go, so why Banan again.”
“When do you think the city filled with water?”
“What?”
“It would have taken some time for the entire city to fill with water. So was it right after we returned from the sanctuary? Or at night after the sun had completely set? Or perhaps this morning?”
“Why does that even matt—”
“I drank water before going to bed too. I even bathed last night… Can we really say with certainty that those waters have nothing to do with Siol’s current situation?”
At his calm words, Orma blinked stupidly before soon grinding his teeth. …So he was saying that he himself might have been infected by those calamity seeds or whatever. Exasperated by his apostle’s novel and brazen threat, Orma was fuming when even Jaena chimed in, hopping around anxiously saying, “I, I drank it too! I bathed this morning too!” and Orma finally burst out shouting.
“Aaaargh! Fine! Let’s go right now! Banan, Banan, damn Banan!”
If he was going to go anyway, why did he need to shout… People were staring because they dared speak the god’s name so carelessly. Ban smiled awkwardly before belatedly reaching out as if to embrace his god, patting his back soothingly.
Orma-nim is the best… You understand my heart, don’t you… Merciful Orma-nim who even worries about his apostle… Only after the words he’d pulled out thoughtlessly made Orma’s eyes turn fierce did Ban obediently shut his mouth.
* * *
“The god has forbidden anyone’s entry.”
The priest who had allowed entry yesterday without much fuss now firmly shook his head even at Ban. Thanks to the mask covering half his face, it was difficult to read his expression or see through what was happening inside the sanctuary. Before Ban could even ask whether they knew about the city’s situation or if this was truly Banan’s doing, he meekly nodded and withdrew with words of understanding.
Watching this from behind, Orma was about to step forward in disbelief when Ban stopped him.
“Wait a moment, Orma-nim.”
“If you were going to turn back so meekly, why did we even come here?”
“Well… Just now, the priest said this. That he forbade anyone’s ‘entry and exit.'”
“So?”
“Isn’t it strange that he forbade ‘entry and exit’ rather than just visits?”
Ban interpreted the priest’s words to mean that it was closer to forbidding the ‘entry and exit’ of everyone, including the priests, not just visitors to the sanctuary. Considering Banan’s intentions and the situation, there was no way to think positively or optimistically about it, so an even more serious future unfolded in his mind.
But… still, Banan was a god, right? He had seen Banan touch the Blue Tears yesterday, but still, she was a god—could she be bewitched by that calamity? Besides, it wasn’t as if she didn’t know its danger…
“So what are you going to do now? Give up?”
Thinking back, although Ban had made a fuss using his own body as a hostage, in any case, his apostle could be resurrected, couldn’t he? The thought belatedly occurred to Orma that if contaminated by the calamity, he could die and be revived in a healthy body again.
Well, as for the noisy tiger brat, he could do as he pleased. At least if Ban was fine, Orma was okay with everything, so he wanted to leave this place right away. But as expected… his apostle, unnecessarily upright and steadfast, shook his head.
“I’ll have to use another method.”
“Another method?”
“I know a place where priests don’t guard the entrance. We can secretly enter through there.”
Setting aside how Ban even knew how to sneak into the sanctuary, Orma let out a long sigh at the chilling energy he felt around the sanctuary.
This was why he hadn’t wanted to get involved with Banan. Like falling into a quagmire, like rolling in mud, a cold and sticky sensation kept seeming to grab his ankles. A dizzying scent that seemed to pierce his head kept stimulating his mind, repeating a voice that remained faintly like an echo.
“…I’ll be it, so run far away while I count.”
“It’s okay, my dear. It’ll only take a moment. It’ll be over soon.”
“My dear, meeting you was the most precious and happy gift of my life…”
Damn it, events from times he couldn’t even remember kept coming to mind.
The incident when his mother, left behind in the burning, ruined castle, had weighed so heavily on his mind that he kept looking back even while breathing in the acrid smoke. This eerie feeling now resembled chillingly the day after the rain had fallen and everything had ended, when he’d returned to that place and stared blankly at the corpse burned beyond recognition.
That time when he hadn’t wanted to know the truth, hadn’t wanted to see it with his own eyes. On the finger of the corpse whose body and head had been separated, as if to confirm the kill, was the ring she’d received when accepting some wandering knight’s proposal. Orma carefully retrieved only the ring set with peridot that resembled the beautiful princess’s eyes, then silently left that place.
The mother he had loved so dearly had died like that. The body that had warmly embraced him and affectionately called him “my dear” had long since rotted and been scattered into the earth. So there was no need for him to feel this shitty feeling while thinking of a god with whom he had no relationship whatsoever…
Orma finally managed to exhale only after walking with Ban to the end of the secluded space at the back of the sanctuary, connected to the forest.
“…Are you alright, Orma-nim?”
“This place is strange.”
Yes, strange. This unpleasant smell of blood mixed with floral fragrance seemed to keep provoking him. It evoked such a bizarrely painful sensation that it made his head throb, bringing out and reminding him of memories he’d buried long ago.
Could Banan have been in this state too? Was this what it meant to bewitch even a god? Orma stared blankly at Ban, who approached him with worried eyes.
“Banan-nim said that the scent emitted by the Blue Tears is a calamity’s scent that only gods can smell. It seems to be starting to affect Orma-nim as well… This won’t do. Jaena-ssi, please take Orma-nim back to the inn first.”
“No.”
What was this even supposed to be? What were these trifling things? Ever since coming to Siol, Orma had been helplessly swept along. Now he was so irritated he couldn’t stand it. Whether it was the calamity or Banan, he couldn’t tolerate being manipulated by them so pathetically. Being only on the receiving end didn’t suit his nature.
Frowning, Orma slowly raised his head to look at the sky dominated by harsh sunlight. Pure black began to spread from beneath the feet of Orma, who had made his decision, starting to cover the world.
Swoooosh… A sudden gust of wind from somewhere shook the forest wildly as if foretelling what was to come. Whether it was the scorching sunlight or the calamity’s flowers trying to bewitch with their strange fragrance like rippling waves—the darkness spread widely without sparing anything, placing everything beneath its master’s feet.
Then, power so disgustingly brilliant mixed with the darkness and slowly floated up. The mysterious authority mixed with black and gold spread even to the sky, gradually pushing back the sun that had drawn too close.
And finally, the black birds that had been flying near the sun were called one by one, their eyes gleaming with gold, covering the sky in pitch black. When the supreme power added to this forcibly caused an eclipse, even Ban witnessed the bizarre and majestic atmosphere he’d only seen in the game.
The faint sound of a bell announcing the hour rang out in the distance through the silence, and Orma smiled wickedly at Ban and Jaena, who had been watching his authority in breathless silence, and said:
“Let’s go.”
