Chapter 578
The will of the gods belongs to the realm that humans cannot fathom.
The gods see further than we do, and they see wider.
and.
It may be a prejudice or misunderstanding that has arisen from the long history of faith that the gods must be for the sake of human beings.
The good that gods think and the good that humans think may be different.
If the destruction of mankind is good to the gods, then they might want it.
So, the gods might wish for the destruction of humans.
Ludwig couldn’t help but be dazed at Rowen’s words.
There are believers and priests who abandoned Tuan and Ars.
However, it is not only those who have left that have changed their minds.
Those who remained could only endure if their thoughts changed.
I had to change my way of thinking to keep my faith.
“That, like that… … . If the gods want that… … . Why are you helping people?”
“It’s just an assumption, and that’s not the truth.”
The will of the gods is an incomprehensible realm.
“I’m just doing what I can in my place.”
Rowen doesn’t know what the gods will be, but she does her best.
If you want to perish, then you have to perish.
If this thing reaches a good ending, you just have to wait for it.
“If everything is the will of the gods, this act must be part of that will. So I just play the role I think.”
It doesn’t mean that I’m okay with doing anything because my actions will be included in God’s will.
It means doing the best you can.
Wandering around the refugee camp, purifying, and pouring water into the bottomless pot.
The mindset is that of a madman, but the behavior itself is no different from that of a saint.
However, in the end, there is also a risk of self-justification that it is okay to do anything.
The logic that all my actions belong to the will of the gods is to return the responsibility of everything I do to the gods.
Ludwig felt both unpleasant and noble at the priest in front of him.
“Personally, I hope that all of this will lead to a good ending, but if that is not the case, it will be inevitable.”
It’s close to resignation, but it doesn’t give up on action.
If the gods want destruction, they must accept the destruction without resenting the gods.
It was pure faith without even a single doubt.
“I am… … . I do not know.”
Ludwig couldn’t understand the gods, of course, and he couldn’t understand Rowen, who had extremely pure faith.
Rowen smiled brightly at Ludwig.
“It’s a confusing time, so it’s only natural to feel confused.”
fortunately that
The point was that Rowen was not a fanatic who became angry when others did not understand or affirm his beliefs.
“It is cold. Shall we go back now?”
“ah… … . yes.”
Today’s task is finished with this.
Somewhere on the way back, Ludwig and Rowen heard the sound of horses hooves.
Not one or two, but the footsteps of a group of warhorses.
Ludwig and Rowen pressed themselves to the side of the road to avoid the warhorses approaching from afar.
A group of guards approach the main road of the refugee camp riding dozens of warhorses.
The guards patrolling the area do not ride horses.
And Ludwig could see bloodstains on the mane of the warhorse, the armor of the guards, and the helmet.
It is a sign of battle.
People on the street hide in shacks. Rowen looks at the scene and says.
“It’s a subjugation team.”
“ah… … . They… … ?”
“Yes, I am very glad that the monster problem is gone thanks to them.”
What Ludwig wanted to do.
A subjugation team that handles monsters outside the ecliptic.
Ludwig didn’t say a word, didn’t cast a glance at the refugee camp, and stared blankly at the guards subjugation squad riding quietly on their warhorses.
I’d rather do that. Killing the monster didn’t require any thought. As if they only needed to be involved in the punitive force, they seemed distant from the duties of normal guards.
It doesn’t have to be a subjugation task.
Things that don’t need to worry.
It would be nice if I could continue doing the same thing as today.
Thinking so, I had no choice but to look at the back of the subjugation party.
“Shall we go?”
Rowen quietly pulled Ludwig’s sleeve.
* * *
Rowen and Ludwig returned to the guards and reported that the cleanup was complete. Now it would be possible to lift the blockade of the plague-prone area.
But what use is that? Ludwig could not erase such thoughts.
Priests are in short supply, and epidemics continue to break out.
Even if it’s not a contagious disease, people die from the slightest chill in the cold.
Ludwig also seemed to understand Rowen a little bit.
She is a person who cleans up the refugee quarters and drives out contagious diseases.
That it didn’t solve anything, she knew best. In her desperation, Rowen said she could only bear it if she thought there was meaning in all of this.
But she couldn’t figure out how this despair could reach a good outcome.
So it made me think that the gods might abandon humans.
If the gods abandoned us, we could only keep our faith in the thought that we should affirm even that.
Ludwig couldn’t help but feel sorry for Rowen, who looked like a strange person, thinking that maybe he had changed that way in despair deeper than anyone else.
‘Maybe so… … .’
So did you ask
What kind of existence is the demon king?
Are you really evil?
I asked because I could guess the will of the gods a little bit depending on what kind of existence the demon king is.
“Ludwig-sama, shall we go back to the ecliptic together? It’s the same road anyway.”
“Ah yes. If you’re okay… … .”
Ludwig, a priest with a fragile impression, felt like a candle that would be extinguished by a small winter wind.
* * *
The way back to the ecliptic after leaving the refugee camp area.
In fact, Ludwig did nothing today. I just walked by Rowen’s side, observing the surroundings for a long time, preparing for any unexpected situation.
But the fatigue was rather worse than yesterday.
It was the same yesterday and today that I saw the terrible scene, but the mental fatigue was higher.
The words that the gods might wish for the destruction of humans.
Saying that the idea itself that the Five Great Gods are for human beings may have been wrong.
Those words were confusing Ludwig.
“Are you going to another district tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow I will come back to District 17 to see if the epidemic progression has really stopped. And I’m going to District 15. Next is District 6. And then… … . I’ll have to go check it out. Another place to go would have been added. The work continues.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Priests who can use the power of healing are far from the concept of being exhausted. Mental fatigue is unavoidable, but if you think about the people who are in a hurry today, you can’t act like that, right?”
“… … okay.”
Ludwig couldn’t help but know that even though Rowen didn’t tell her, she couldn’t even sleep properly.
Although it was out of the epidemic zone, the refugee camp was not much different.
The same despair is seen everywhere.
“Guard work. Aren’t you used to it?”
At Rowen’s words, Ludwig couldn’t bear to shake his head.
“Everything on my face… … . You can see it.”
“Yes, because they are so different from the other guards.”
Ludwig would have been rather eccentric to Rowen, since he would have been escorted only by guards who treated refugees like insects.
“Ludwig.”
“Yes, priest.”
Rowen looks at Ludwig.
“If it’s not rude, can I ask for my security tomorrow?”
“… … yes?”
Tomorrow Rowen would be going to another section, so he would be recruiting for another guard unit.
“You know. The guards… … . They kill people too easily.”
“… … ah.”
“It hurts to see that.”
Traveling around the refugee camps up until now must not have been without problems.
Rowen would have seen escort guards making extreme choices in extreme situations.
Ludwig is not used to this, even if he pretends to, and is reluctant to kill people.
He even showed signs of relief when he was told to run away with him if something happened.
Rowen enlists his escort, knowing that Ludwig will not go to extremes.
Ludwig hesitates.
In my heart, I wanted to nod my head, but I wasn’t sure if I would really be of help to Rowen.
“Nothing happened today… … . With a body like this, I wonder if I can protect the priest when I am really in danger… … .”
“You said you were confident.”
“… … .”
“Since you know how to enhance magical power, wouldn’t that be enough?”
It’s not a fight, it’s just holding it and running, isn’t it okay?
At Rowen’s words, Ludwig had nothing to say.
Manpower is precious, and Ludwig is, after all, a precious manpower.
And Rowen is also a valuable manpower.
The priest who purifies the plague, and the job of protecting the priest.
No matter how much it is a stopgap, it does not change that it is necessary.
It’s not about fighting dangerous monsters, as Bertus and others fear. The escort target rather wants to run away if there is a problem.
It’s not dangerous, and there’s little room for value judgment.
soon.
It is no exaggeration to say that it is the most positive thing that has been allowed to Ludwig at this point.
The reason he longs for the work of the punitive force is because it is something he has no room for worry about.
Likewise, this work is also free from worries and is a must for people.
“I need permission from the guard, but… … . I have no reason not to.”
“I’m so happy, Mr. Ludwig.”
Looking at Rowen’s bright smile, Ludwig smiled awkwardly.
however.
today.
Although we talked a lot.
in those words.
Did I mention that I know how to enhance magical power?
Ludwig is like that.
I had a small doubt.
