TGS - Chapter 167
Chapter 167: Shattering the Barrier
For some time now, Horst was either on the run or preparing to be.
He hadn't known a day of peace since fleeing Bananna.
Fear of the enemy, uncertainty for the future, nostalgia, resentment, constant vigilance, and a lingering thought for his only son.
These emotions were a constant, tangled mess in Horst's mind.
Horst dared not venture inland. Aside from the coast, every other city was within territory controlled by the Princess. If he fled there and his identity was exposed, he would likely be captured at once and handed over to Alyuin.
So, he could only drift between the coastal cities.
Initially, Horst was warmly received by the nobles and officials in whichever city he found himself. But as news of the dire situation in Bananna spread, the way they looked at him began to change.
When Bananna fell and the Kasnie army marched on the next city, Horst fled faster than anyone.
Thus began his life on the run. The Kasnie forces conquered cities with astonishing speed. Disguised as a wealthy merchant, Horst often had to flee again before he could even catch his breath in a new location.
After this happened time and again, even the few men who had remained loyal to Horst began to look at him with a hint of contempt.
Their gazes infuriated Horst, but he was helpless to do anything about it.
Life, power, and face—these were the things Horst had always valued most. For power, he had murdered his own cousin who had treated him so well. For face, he had worn a mask for a decade. But when his life was on the line, both power and face had to be set aside.
The only one whose expression remained unchanged was Niwei, the commander of the Royal Guard. Of course, there was no longer a Royal Guard to speak of, but Niwei still followed Horst, serving as his protector.
Finally, on the day the last city on the coastal defensive line fell, Horst decided to flee back inland under the guise of a wealthy merchant. He would maintain this identity until he could reunite with his son and brother—he had already heard that Romuer and Taz had successfully broken out.
Unfortunately, plans rarely survive contact with reality. A single, slightly delayed escape was all it took for them to be cornered by the Kasnie army arrayed outside the city. Before such a large force, his small group was utterly powerless.
Had Horst truly been just a wealthy merchant, he would have been killed on the spot, his possessions seized as spoils of war.
To save his own skin, he had no choice but to reveal his identity. He did indeed survive and was quickly escorted back to Bananna.
Inside the Lord's Manor of Bananna.
Horst was placed under house arrest in a private room. The Kasnie did not mistreat him; on the contrary, they supplied him with fine food and drink as they awaited the arrival of their prince, Kaimon, who was coming to "visit" him.
"Your Majesty Horst, I've long heard of your great name."
Kaimon looked at the haggard man before him, greeting him cordially in fluent Solancian.
But to address him as "Your Majesty" at a time like this was less a sign of respect and more a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Inwardly, Horst was terrified, yet he managed to maintain a calm and composed demeanor. He might have been lacking in other areas, but his acting skills were second to none, so much so that even Kaimon couldn't see the cowardice beneath his stern facade.
However, one judges a man not only by his appearance and expression, but also by his deeds.
How could a man who had been on the run for so long, who had revealed his identity to the enemy just to save his own life, possibly be so fearless in the face of danger?
Kaimon stared at his captive for a long moment before breaking into a good-natured smile.
"The things Talu made for you—were they effective?"
Talu was the Perfumer's name.
Horst's eyes widened. "It was you..."
"He is one of ours," Kaimon admitted readily. "Had I known Talu was so gifted in the research of poisonous incense, I never would have sent him to Solancia. It's a real pity, thinking back on it now."
"So, Your Majesty Horst, while I may not know every single detail of what you've done, I know the general outline. There's no need to put on a righteous front for me."
Horst said, "What are you trying to say? I have nothing left. Even if you interrogate me, all you'll learn is the state of the royal city from years ago. It's completely useless now."
Kaimon shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. "You yourself are far more useful than any information."
He began to pace slowly around the seated Horst.
"Your son has been quite heroic on the battlefield. Just like your brother. Not like you at all."
"Your Majesty Horst, if I were to parade you before the front lines for your son to see, would he cease his attacks? And what of your brother?"
Horst's expression slowly darkened.
Kaimon patted his shoulder with a smile, said nothing more, and turned to leave the room, as if his entire visit had been merely to offer a friendly suggestion as to Horst's fate.
Meanwhile, in Surinia, Lotus witnessed the arrival of the army that had hastily retreated from Bananna.
It had to be said that Taz's decision to lead his troops in a breakout rather than defending the city to the death had been the correct one. The forces he brought were enough to add another layer of security to the City of the Sun God.
For this reason, even though Taz and Romuer were the kinsmen of a traitor and participants in the rebellion, the God-Concubine did not have them detained. Instead, she sent messages to both Digebia and the royal city, requesting instructions on how to handle the two men.
Digebia could not provide a specific response, as the Princess had left the country to hunt down the Sanur Tribe and had not yet returned.
From the royal city, however, the temporary leaders all proposed accepting Taz's troops. The greatest enemy at present was not them, but Kasnie.
This aligned perfectly with God-Concubine Naimaer's own thoughts. And so, Taz and Romuer remained, their soldiers quickly integrated into the city's defenses.
Thus, Surinia now possessed a defensive strength that utterly belied its appearance.
Compared to the imposing border fortresses, this exquisite city of white stone gave the illusion of being an easy target. But anyone who mistook the City of the Sun God for a pushover would be the one to suffer devastating losses.
The Temples of the Sun and Moon, built facing each other, silently witnessed it all.
Within the Temple of the Sun, tall, pure-white pillars stood in silence. Unseen by mortals, three deities were perched atop different columns, half-floating, half-sitting, as they gazed down upon the bustling crowds below.
Their eyes were particularly drawn to Taz's army, which had just marched past the temple gates.
"Still no movement from the barrier," Suriel said.
Anmila said, "I thought the fight would start sooner. Once we win, we won't be so constrained."
The massacre at the Moon Temple in Digebia had little real effect on Anmila.
A god's power stems from legend and faith. While the connection between a priest and a deity is slightly stronger than that of an ordinary believer, the loss was not enough to diminish her divine power.
Still, the Moon Goddess's expression was grim.
Even if gods cared little for individual mortals, there was a difference between their own followers and others. Moreover, this involved an entire temple's congregation—it was a group, and it was a massacre.
"When the barrier breaks, I will kill the Sanur gods first."
Anmila's mind was made up, her cool face showing a murderous intent identical to that of her statues.
Lotus gazed toward the city gates, her thoughts drifting to the lands of the Sanur Tribe.
Alyuin had been gone for over a month. Lotus wondered how she was faring. Was she still tracking her quarry across the wastelands, or had she achieved her goal and was already on her way back?
The messages from the water spirits were all formulaic reports like, "The human princess is safe today," or "The human princess is in good condition today."
If it weren't for the fact that a blue heron could not appear in the arid wastelands, Lotus would have sent her messenger directly to save herself the constant worry.
A god in love...
Lotus sighed softly.
Anmila misinterpreted the sigh and turned to ask, "Are you worried?"
Lotus hummed in question.
"You look like you're worried about Alyuin," Anmila said bluntly.
Lotus did not shy away, admitting freely, "Yes, I am thinking of her."
The word she used for "thinking" had a subtle connotation in the Solancian language. It meant to miss or long for someone, but was a term used almost exclusively between lovers. It was less a simple "thinking of" and more a deep, romantic yearning.
The Sun God, who had been gazing down below, immediately snapped his head up, staring at her in astonishment.
Anmila, still oblivious, corrected her earnestly. "Is that the right word? I don't think that's how humans express it."
Lotus smiled. "I used it correctly. Alyuin and I are together."
Anmila could only manage a stunned, "...Ah?"
Suriel slowly closed his gaping mouth and praised her with genuine sincerity. "So that's how it is. No wonder En said you wanted to help her become a human god. It all makes sense now—I mean, that's wonderful."
Even as he said it, the Sun God's gaze still held a trace of shock, as if to say, So you're that kind of god.
The Sun and Moon deities had learned from En about Lotus's plans to alter the myths. He had asked if they minded appearing in stories related to Alyuin, and naturally, they had not.
Weren't there already countless human myths that bore no resemblance to reality? It was merely a matter of borrowing their names.
Now, learning the truth behind it all, Suriel was both shocked and curious, feeling as though he had missed out on a great deal of gossip.
Anmila's face was, as usual, devoid of expression, cool and detached. Only her eyes were truly expressive. Now, her silver gaze was fixed on a point just above and before her, her stare somewhat vacant as she thought or recalled something.
Recalling.
Lotus suddenly had a bad feeling.
And sure enough, after a moment of recollection, realization dawned on Anmila's face. "I see. I understand now. That wasn't a fight. You didn't want to kill her."
"...That's right," Lotus said.
Wasn't that a fact they had established long ago? So much for the Moon Goddess having a poor memory. How could she remember that now?
Suriel, listening in, was overcome with curiosity. "What? What fight? Who wanted to kill who?"
Having corrected her understanding, Anmila now naturally regarded the scene she had witnessed as a matter of Lotus's personal privacy. With an impassive face, she mercilessly ignored the Sun God. This allowed Lotus to breathe a small sigh of relief.
In the future, no matter what intimate acts she engaged in, whether under the light of the sun and moon or not, she absolutely had to activate her god power field!
Lotus resolved this for the second time.
Just then, the air around them instantly grew still.
The divine power that had once formed the giant god power field surged unconsciously, resonating with a power of the same origin from afar, heralding an imminent attack.
In that moment, the whole of Solancia seemed to tremble with a force imperceptible to mortals, then just as abruptly, it stopped.
The light overhead distorted slightly, as if shards of transparent glass were shattering and scattering in midair.
The three deities rose from their pillars, all previous expressions replaced by solemnity as they gazed south from on high.
To the south, at the edge of the vast, invisible barrier that stood above and below the surface of the sea.
Anmila said softly, "They are attacking the god power field."
A few short breaths later, Lotus said, "The barrier is broken."
With the complete shattering of Solancia's barrier, the divine war had begun.
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