I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

33 – 033. Blessing (3)

It started with curiosity, simply an action with no particular thought behind it.

“Can’t my voice reach you?”

*Think*. Figuring out the identity of this voice wasn’t surprisingly difficult.

But ‘why’ and ‘how’ immediately followed. Until now, I possessed the [Divinity] trait, yet I’d never once heard their voices.

‘Is it Keres?’

There are quite a few gods in the world of ＜Silvering＞. From the start, the Order, the Papal See itself, felt like a polytheistic alliance, worshipping multiple deities.

Among them, ‘Keres’ was the only god in the original work who attempted contact with the player. Unlike the other gods, who were indifferent to the human world, she had a tendency to actively intervene.

‘…I hear you.’

After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I murmured internally.

Immediately, the voice echoed again.

‘Nice to meet you. My name is Keres, Goddess of Life and Death. This isn’t the first time I’ve spoken to you.’

…Not the first time?

‘Could it be?’

Thinking it over, there was a detail that clicked.

Just before I possessed this cursed world, a phrase and voice appeared on the monitor. If my hunch was correct, it seemed Keres had called me here.

‘I know you have a request.’

The formless goddess’s voice was utterly calm. And, her words carried a clear purpose.

A request, a request. Well, it wasn’t wrong.

I already knew what to say to the goddess, Keres, that I’d happened to stumble upon.

‘Ariel, please fill her empty source of life.’

‘Understood.’

‘……?’

I was dumbfounded at the immediate reply.

It was as if she’d known I would make that request. Keres then added something else.

‘However, there is a problem.’

‘A problem?’

‘Right now, this world is scorched by the flames of war.’

‘…….’

It wasn’t a topic I particularly cared about. Why would I know about stories before the prologue?

As if sensing my thoughts, the goddess spoke again.

‘And as a result of the war, the god’s symbol, the ＜Holy Grail＞, has been scattered across the world.’

‘That can’t be…?’

‘It is. Ariel, breathing life into that sweet child isn’t difficult. If… if we retrieve the Holy Grail, the symbol of life’s power.’

Keres’s short explanation. I fell silent, lost in thought.

I questioned what outcome this deal, or whatever it was, might bring.

‘A deal with a god….’

Originally, the gods of ＜Silvering＞ weren’t beings that had much to do with human life.

If you saw a young child struggling in the back alleys, succumbing to a plague, anyone would think the same.

Some worship them, others deny their very existence. A kind of deformed ecology, you could say.

Which meant.

Gods… aren’t justice. They’re merely immortals, each with their own desires and purposes. That’s why I couldn’t help but be more cautious about any deals with them.

‘I have a few questions.’

‘Yes, please speak. I will answer to the best of my ability.’

‘First, the Grail, where is it?’

‘It’s closer than you think. The Abyss of Hell. That’s where the Holy Grail of Life lies dormant.’

‘…….’

The Abyss of Hell?

My brow furrowed for a moment.

The Abyss of Hell was similar to the ‘dungeon’ located deep beneath this very Papal Palace.

A literal hell, the Abyss of Hell connecting the Demon Realm and the Intermediate Realm, was a dreadful place where demons and monsters lived together.

So, why did such a terrible place exist beneath the Papal Palace, the heart of the Holy Order?

…It wasn’t that the ‘Abyss of Hell’ opened after the Papal Palace was established. The Abyss of Hell was here to begin with, which is why the Papal Palace was built here.

Anyway.

‘I have one more question.’

I understood that the Holy Grail that proved Keres’s power was nearby. Now it was time for the next question.

‘Please, speak.’

‘Why was I… brought to this world?’

‘…….’

For the first time in our conversation, Keres fell silent. As if it were difficult to answer, after a long pause, the goddess spoke in a low voice.

‘That is a difficult matter to speak about right now. But I promise you, this ‘current’ deal with me will not harm you, nor any children of the human realm.’

‘……I understand. What’s the deadline?’

“The faster, the better. Pope Sullivan, that child is so virtuous, she’s practically called a living saint. But those around her are definitely not of the same character. They might even advocate stopping her life support.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll take that as acceptance of the deal. I look forward to speaking with you again. [Successor].”

*Shhhkkk…*

With that eerie sound, the voice was gone.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

The golden light of dawn illuminating the altar of the chapel was fading, a sight that caught my eye. It was like seeing the goddess Ceres, who had come for me, retreating.

Then, I noticed countless pairs of eyes fixed on me.

“The choosing of the Grail wasn’t the end, but a conversation with a god…!”

It was the father of the world’s church, Pope Sullivan, who spoke.

“…?”

Indeed. The ownerless Grail was filled to the brim with clear water. I hadn’t even known this was happening. Naturally, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

“Welcome! What a joyous occasion this is. Another chosen one of God has appeared.”

In the strangely solemn atmosphere, Pope Sullivan, an aged elder, approached first.

His clothes were adorned with excessively extravagant accessories, and he held a short, cross-shaped staff in his hand. That was what signified his status.

“…It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

After Lancelot and Maria, he was the third big shot I was encountering.

＜Pope＞ Sullivan, a true saint of this era. He loved the weak, and would never yield to the strong.

“I am Pope Sullivan. Please understand, this is so sudden I was quite unprepared.”

“It’s not a problem at all. I’m grateful for you opening the doors of the Papal Palace.”

“Heh heh! How about we move to another room? Since this is fate, how about some tea…”

“I’m sorry.”

“…?”

It might seem rude, but I didn’t have much time.

So I shook my head and spoke. The old, grizzled Sullivan’s bewildered gaze immediately fell on me.

“My name is Frey. I am the chosen one of the god you mentioned, and a friend of Ariel, who has lost her life’s source. I want to see her now.”

“F, Frey?!”

The Pope’s mouth slightly gaped open. The cardinals in red robes around him also seemed to have been unaware of my identity, their surprised expressions quite remarkable.

“You are… you’ve come all this way for that child? To save her from the brink of death…?”

Sullivan looked at me with listless eyes, as if he had finally grasped the situation.

“Noble one. Has the Goddess… shown you a way to save the poor child?”

“Yes.”

I answered shortly. The way to save Ariel was quite simple. Go down to the Vatican’s underground, and retrieve that thing called the Holy Grail.

Of course, it was an adventure I never even experienced in the original game.

The ＜Divine Order＞ route is split into two paths for a reason.

First, the ＜Paladin＞ route has you traversing the continent, vanquishing demon-kin, and defeating a huge embodiment of evil… The story ends with you conversing with God for the first and last time in the Vatican’s chapel.

Next is the ＜Priest＞ route.

The Priest route might seem boring at first glance, but it was known for leaving a lingering feeling of quiet emotion and afterglow. It was a concept play with the feeling of planting hope and love in the sick and suffering.

Then… what I’m stepping on now, is this a kind of hidden route?

“That method… what is it?”

Amidst that thought, Pope Sullivan asked. There was no need to hide it, I spoke lowly.

“The Goddess wishes for me to descend into the crack of Hell and retrieve the Holy Grail.”

*Gulp*, someone’s swallowing sound echoed through the chapel.

“……The, the Grail Knight. The Grail Knight has appeared!”

“Hoo-o-ck!”

“Good heavens! Does that mean…?”

Something’s…

The cardinals’ reaction, excluding the Pope, was strange. They were looking at me with blank stares, as if possessed by something.

*Shudder*.

“War. It’s definitely war.”

Someone muttered in a low voice.

And.

“Holy War—!”

“It’s an expedition to Hell! The Goddess desires war!”

“This is a divine fury!”

“Is this the beginning of Deus Vult…?!”

The ensuing howling cries made me realize my mistake.

‘I threw out a useless bone to these crazy fanatics.’

That Pope Sullivan is a man to be respected doesn’t change. But, as Keres foretold, the people around him were very different in feeling.

“Everyone, calm yourselves. The Goddess doesn’t desire such a war.”

I let out a deep, heavy sigh and quickly added,

If we leave it like this, they’ll be raising paladins and troops to descend into the hellish rift. Some sort of traffic control seemed necessary.

“…What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Just the retrieval of the ‘Chalice.’ Simply recovering the ＜Chalice of Life＞, which symbolizes the power of the goddess Keres.”

“aaagh!”

“Damn it! Son of a—!”

Madmen.

The cardinals, as if terribly disappointed, let out long, dejected sighs. Taking this as his cue, Sullivan spoke quickly to me,

“First, how about we go see that child? You don’t have to worry about those blockheads.”

“…Understood.”

I nodded immediately at Sullivan’s somewhat urgent words.

Behind me, as we left the chapel, a long, unreadable sigh echoed.

* * *

The place where Ariel was located was a room deep within the Papal Palace.

“Normally, access by outsiders is strictly controlled. I would appreciate it if you kept this fact to yourself.”

“I will keep it in mind.”

Sullivan, standing before the firmly shut door, spoke softly.

I nodded obediently. Truth be told, there wasn’t anyone I could tell this to. Maybe Lancelot or Maria at best?

*Creak—!*

Was there some kind of security system installed?

With a gesture from Pope Sullivan, the large door slowly opened.

Thud, thud.

The room felt like it was circulating fresh air. On one side of the room, pure white sunlight poured in, and the inside boasted a flawless, clean atmosphere.

And then…

“Ariel…”

In the center, I could see one person lying limply.

Without meaning to, I felt a sense of my breath being choked off for a moment.

Ariel la Helios.

She, who had previously given me a bright, though somewhat awkward smile, was now lying with her eyes closed. Her skin, already pale, looked whiter than ever, inexplicably causing my heart to sink.

“That child…as you know, she has lost her life source. The fact that she hasn’t stopped breathing is a miracle. Her life, originally short because of the blessing, is now in a more critical state after losing the source of her life.”

“……”

Approaching Ariel, I couldn’t speak, overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions.

‘……Fucking hell.’

Was this anger? Or annoyance? Or maybe even sadness?

I raised a hand and carefully stroked her small palm.

Though I was someone far removed from sentimentality, it was a reckless, impulsive action.

But then.

Squeeze.

“……!!”

A startling thing happened. Ariel’s palm, which had seemed devoid of consciousness, gripped my finger tightly!

“H-huh!”

Even Pope Sullivan seemed shocked by the sudden event, letting out an astonished gasp.

“P-Pray….”

The shocking event didn’t end there.

With a voice that was cracking, Ariel called out my name faintly.

“Ariel.”

Ariel, her complexion pale, had managed to weakly lift her eyelids. Even the most oblivious person could tell she was in a perilous state.

“Why…. didn’t you, keep…your promise…?”

Ariel murmured with a sad expression. I, standing before her, couldn’t speak for a long moment.

“……That’s.”

After a brief pause, my voice, as it finally left my lips, trembled pitifully. Pathetically, absurdly.

“Because it wasn’t a promise I made. It’s not in my memory.”

“Idiot…… liar…”

Thump.

The hand that had been gripping my finger fell. Having regained consciousness for a moment, Ariel closed her eyes again. Luckily, her pulse and breathing were faint, but still present.

Swish.

Her desperate appearance was suffocating. I quickly turned away. I realized once more. Like Ariel… I was running out of time. There was no time to dawdle like this.

“Hey now?”

Pope Sullivan’s voice naturally reached my back.

“I’m going.”

“……Going? Where to, you say?”

Stride after stride, I turned my head slightly. There, with a bewildered expression, was Sullivan.

“To hell.”