Chapter 131
Chapter 131. God Hunter
With the death of the Stag of Endless Branches, he learned for the first time that a being possessing divinity could also die.
Aelia Invicta had severed the head of one who possessed divinity with the golden-shining Holy Sword Solara, and that head was now held in her left hand.
The head of the dead Stag God still looked perfectly intact, as if it were alive even now…… except for the fact that antlers had sprouted all over it.
“It's huge.”
Looking at the grotesque stag head, as large as a human torso, Piruka said.
“Yul helped hunt this one as well. You know that, right?”
“Right. You said we should split the spoils.”
“This head? I don’t need it.”
When Yul said that, Piruka tilted his short head.
“Tzzbit? Why? Aren’t you someone who fights for profit?”
“What would I even do with the head?”
“It’s imbued with divine power, so you could forge it into a weapon or something…….”
“Do I have to?”
“Hm. Then why did you attack it?”
“It attacked me first.”
“……Your principles are unique. If someone attacks you first, you kill them, and you also kill for profit.”
“If someone rubs me the wrong way, I’ll beat them like I want them dead too.”
“Tzzbibi…….”
Piruka immediately shut his mouth.
“Then if you don’t need the head, I’ll take it?”
“Sure.”
Yul nodded at Aelia’s words. It was something useful to them, but for Yul, whose body could change at any time, it wasn’t particularly necessary. If he needed horns, he could simply make them.
“If we sell this in the Ivory City, we could eat tons of meat, right?”
“Tzzbit. Meat isn’t the important thing! Another achievement is being established right now! Perhaps you will be called a God Hunter by future generations. Tzzbibit.”
“Hero sounds better than hunter.”
“Either way, if that happens, you’ll fulfill one of the conditions your master mentioned. The one about achieving six accomplishments.”
Two unreal beings walking across the pure white snowfield.
“Six accomplishments? What do you mean?”
They seemed to be chatting casually, yet the conversation sounded like something out of a heroic legend.
It was clear that the master they mentioned so often was no ordinary human.
“My master told me to establish six accomplishments before sending me down the mountain.”
“Your master told you to achieve accomplishments? What have you done?”
“Uh, well, what did I do again?”
While Aelia scratched her head, Piruka spoke beside her.
“Tzzbit. You destroyed the Wicked Cave of Moldorov. Then you hunted the Twilight Spider Ilraxenril, and you defeated the demonic dragon Argin. Now that you’ve slain the Stag of Endless Branches, that makes four accomplishments.”
“That’s impressive.”
Just hearing about them, they were creatures that sounded like they belonged in myths. Had Aelia and Piruka really been going around dealing with such beings?
“To think there were so many creatures living in the Arctic.”
“The Arctic you speak of…… perhaps it is because this place is Sacred Land. Tzzbit.”
“Sacred Land?”
“Some say it is the land where a new world was conceived.”
“Ah. That makes sense. If a new universe of Cakeworld were to be born, it would begin in the Arctic.”
“……?”
He had heard that the South Pole of this world was connected to the Arctic of the Second Layer.
If a new universe were born in Cakeworld, the current layer would become a vast flat planet, and in the Arctic, a gateway to another universe would open.
“Th-there’s such a secret to the universe? Oooo!”
After hearing Yul’s explanation, Piruka looked briefly astonished. Wonder quickly filled his eyes.
Meanwhile, Aelia simply blinked blankly after hearing the story.
“Cake? Is that something you eat?”
“It’s the name of a kind of bread. It’s sweet.”
“Sounds tasty.”
Since the name of this universe was also Cakeworld, it really did sound like the name of some bakery.
“Tzzbbit! One who knows the secrets of the universe! Give me more knowledge as well!”
“I just heard it here and there myself. There’s not much for me to explain.”
There was no particular reason to explain it all to this mouse, and doing so would be a hassle anyway.
“Piruka likes things like knowledge and ancient languages. I don’t know why.”
“It is the knowledge of the universe! Why does the sun exist and why is the moon there?! Why is it hard to enter from outside the Eures Keynes Realm? Where does sacredness come from?”
Yul slowly looked around and then started moving first.
“Ah! Wait! Come with us! You don’t know the way!”
“Let us go together! Tzzbitbi!”
* * *
The further north they went, the colder it became. He had adjusted his body to some extent through evolution, but it was starting to become difficult to endure.
“It’s seriously cold.”
“Oh, right. Don’t you have something like magic armor? I’m protected from the temperature with my holy armor, and Piruka is protected by his fur.”
“I’ll just make something.”
Yul used Telekinesis to form a barrier in the air.
Shaping Telekinesis into something like fingers was actually more difficult; manipulating it broadly like a surface was easier.
‘Hmm.’
To raise the temperature with Telekinesis, he would need to vibrate molecules, but his Telekinesis didn’t have that level of control.
‘According to thermodynamics, compressing air generates heat. But since there’s wind blowing in from outside, I need to spread the barrier evenly to block it.’
If he set up a Telekinetic barrier, it would act as insulation and prevent outside air from entering, but maintaining compressed air was difficult.
It felt like trying to play a drum with each limb moving to a different rhythm.
“Hmm. This is hard.”
“Then do you want to use this at least? It’s cold.”
“A cloak? Can I use it?”
“I have my armor, so I…… don’t look this way!”
“W-what did you see, Yul?! Show me what you saw as well! Tzzbit…… tzzbibibibibibit!”
Somewhere, it sounded like a white mouse had been stomped on.
Whatever leather Aelia’s cloak was made of, it was incredibly warm.
“Then this should be enough.”
Yul spread a wide-range Telekinetic barrier, forming a shield that raised the surrounding temperature.
“Oh. It feels warmer around us.”
“And there’s no wind either. Fascinating. Tzzbit. It’s a good spell.”
The group headed further north, where it grew even colder.
After walking for quite some time, a white afterimage began to appear beyond the snow-covered land.
“We’re almost there. That’s the Ivory City.”
“…….”
Below a cliff lay an enormous city. Geographically, it was a basin.
Towers made of ivory and various buildings between them came into view.
“This Ivory City was created when an ancient giant hunted Orogon Quiris.”
“Orogon Quiris?”
“A massive mammoth. I heard it was as large as the Frost Dragon Mountains. Of course, that might be an exaggeration.”
“Hmm. It might have actually existed.”
“You believe that?”
“There are crabs the size of volcanoes beneath the sea.”
“Really?”
“Oooo. New knowledge.”
It was said that the giant who killed a mammoth the size of a mountain range had used its ivory to build this city.
Yet, it wasn’t inhabited only by giants—various other beings seemed to live there as well.
“This Ivory City, built by ancient giants, is now mostly devoid of them. Different kinds of people have gathered here to form a city.”
“It’s overwhelming in scale. Do we need a pass to enter?”
“It seems outsiders need one? At least, we don’t.”
‘Hm? Grass is growing.’
Even in this cold, all kinds of grass were growing inside the basin. Every blade of grass carried traces of magic. They were all spirit herbs.
Inside the Ivory City lived all sorts of strange races capable of enduring such temperatures.
There were centaurs covered in thick fur, one-eyed humans, rabbit beastfolk, top-heavy humans with smooth skin, and even enormous giants.
Surprisingly, there were also humans who looked like Northerners.
It feels like stepping into a fairy tale.
As they entered the city, everyone’s gaze gathered.
More precisely, it was directed at the massive stag head in Aelia’s hand.
“It’s the Stag of Endless Branches.”
“It’s dead……?”
“The Stag God is dead?”
“It’s Aelia! Aelia Invicta killed the Stag God!”
“A Hero has slain a god……. Heh. You really live long enough to see anything.”
Under countless gazes, they followed Aelia as she stepped into a building.
Inside was a man with blue skin. Aside from that, he looked human, but he had one extra eye on his forehead.
‘A tavern?’
Various races were chatting noisily around them. But the moment Aelia entered, the noise abruptly stopped.
“Ryollo, we’re here.”
“Aelia? That head is…….”
“We found the Stag God in Yungdheim.”
“……To kill a god. Impressive. You’ve achieved something great.”
Just as Piruka had said, killing a god was treated as an extraordinary accomplishment here as well.
“But Aelia, since you’ve killed a god, a great curse will befall you.”
“It’s fine. The Holy Sword will block it about six times.”
“Heh. What do you plan to do with that head?”
“Turn it into meat.”
“Hahahaha. In all my life, this is the first time I’ve seen a god’s head turned into ordinary meat. Very well. I’ll prepare as much as I can…….”
Ryollo hung the stag’s head on the wall. A god’s head—it would never rot.
“I get Piruka, but who’s the human next to you? He looks different from the Northerners.”
“Don’t be surprised. He’s from outside the Realm.”
“……There are humans outside as well?”
“Of course there are.”
“How surprising. Ah, now that I think about it. About ten years ago? Hunters from Yungdheim said there were humans who came up north to a Northerner village. So it was true.”
In Snorheim, they had known nothing about this Ivory City.
‘The Northerner village knew about the hunters of Yungdheim, so did those hunters drift all the way to the Ivory City?’
That would explain the imbalance of information.
“Ordinarily, humans from outside can’t enter here. Unless they’re brave hunters of Yungdheim.”
“I can see why. The moment I crossed the boundary, my head started pounding, though it stopped soon after.”
“I see. Well, since this is fate, how about a drink? Here, it’s on the house.”
Ryollo handed Yul a very strong drink. It smelled similar to fermented mare’s milk.
“What kind of drink is this?”
“It’s made from centaur milk.”
“Pffft!”
“Why? The impurities are removed during fermentation.”
“I’ll pass.”
Yul quietly set the cup down. Somehow, the centaur nearby made him uneasy.
“Anyway, are you looking for your next accomplishment, Aelia?”
“That’s right. Find me someone who’s done something bad.”
“There is one. This time, you’ll have to go to the Ice Lake…….”
“Ice Lake!!”
“I hate lakes. Tzzbibit.”
After giving them some appropriate information, Ryollo turned his head.
“And what about the human from outside?”
“My name is Yul. There’s something I want to ask.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to ask about the World Tree and the Frost Dragon Mountains.”
“Hmm. Then you must be talking about the Northern Grand Duke regarding the Frost Dragon Mountains. But you’re not an elf—why are you interested in the World Tree?”
“I’ve become rather deeply connected with elves.”
Perhaps the cause of the Rejection Phenomenon that appeared among the sea elves had something to do with the World Tree they spoke of.