Silence.
When Kaiser told Mariya Yuri of Voban's goal, the room they were in fell into utter silence.
Mariya Yuri's face turned pale, and she unconsciously recalled the incident from four years ago.
That experience, even now, was something Mariya Yuri could not forget.
To be blunt, the reason Mariya Yuri feared Campiones, feared God-Slaying Demon Lords, was inextricably tied to that incident.
Otherwise, even if she wasn't as confident or proud as Erica, it would still be difficult to develop a fear of them from the heart without having witnessed firsthand how terrifying Campiones were.
Only those who had truly witnessed a Campione and a Heretic God would understand just how terrifying they were, and how insignificant humans were in their presence.
Especially Campiones—sometimes, they were even more lawless and unrestrained than those Heretic Gods who emerged from myths.
If a Campione truly set their mind to cause chaos, the impact they could bring to the human world might surpass even that of the Heretic Gods, who were like natural disasters.
Mariya Yuri had seen all this with her own eyes and knew just how unruly Campiones could be.
To summon a god, a king's authority had gathered dozens of Hime-Miko, conducting a god-descending ritual regardless of the consequences or the effects. In the end, after the ritual, two-thirds of those Hime-Miko had lost their sanity and suffered severe trauma.
Though Mariya Yuri escaped unscathed, she was still deeply affected by that day and considered it a psychological shadow even now.
And now, the other party was planning to do it all over again, and had set their sights on her...
"Why..."
Mariya Yuri really wanted to know—what made her so special that someone would hold her in such regard.
"Because you are exceptional," Kaiser said matter-of-factly. "Summoning a Heretic God is an extremely difficult task for humans. Unless there is some necessary catalyst, it's very hard to succeed."
Don't be fooled by the fact that Kaiser had successfully summoned gods twice before and assume that summoning a Heretic God was easy.
If not for True Longinus and the Truth Idea capable of accomplishing various miracles, Kaiser would have never managed to do such a thing.
Even he had failed outright when trying to summon a Heretic God for the third time, after two prior successes.
So, summoning a Heretic God was incredibly difficult—even the successful summoning of Melqart by Verethragna at Sardinia had been due to Verethragna's unique nature.
Verethragna was a Heretic God whose essence was battle and victory, and he was a god of war. As long as he sought an opponent, wished for enemies to fight, such opponents would appear.
If it had been another god, lacking the essence of conflict or the nature of a war god, summoning a Heretic God would have required the correct method.
Four years ago, Voban's successful ritual had only been possible by relying on the alignment of heaven, earth, and man.
Utilizing a special celestial phenomenon and the energy of the ley lines, combined with the willpower of dozens of Hime-Miko and a powerful ritual, Voban was able to summon a Heretic God.
"Now, after four years of reorganization, the constellations have once again aligned in the same pattern, a special celestial phenomenon is about to form, and even the ley lines have normalized, providing ample energy to summon another Heretic God."
As he sipped his tea, Kaiser spoke in an unhurried tone.
"To successfully hold the ritual, that old man naturally needs to gather Hime-Miko again."
"And having learned from four years ago, he certainly won't want to recruit those inferior candidates who would collapse during the ritual."
"Rather than gather a bunch of scattered half-baked talents, he might as well pick outstanding and exceptional Hime-Miko. That's probably what that old man is thinking, right?"
Thus, Mariya Yuri had been targeted.
Because among the one-third of Hime-Miko who survived that time, Mariya Yuri's talent had been the most outstanding.
Even Kaiser had taken notice of her talent—so it was only natural that old Voban would too.
Perhaps in terms of combat strength, Mariya Yuri couldn't compare to the likes of Erica, and might not even match ordinary knights. But in terms of her uniqueness as a Hime-Miko, she was undoubtedly one of the top in the world.
Her Spirit Vision, almost equivalent to precognition, surpassed even that of many gods well-versed in this field.
Therefore, as long as that old man Voban remembered the events of four years ago—remembered Mariya Yuri's performance in the ritual—he would definitely be moved, and cast his gaze upon this country.
"How could this happen..."
Understanding the whole situation, Mariya Yuri slumped dejectedly to the floor.
Could it be that the incident from four years ago was going to happen again?
Back then, so many people were sacrificed and so much destruction was wrought—what would happen this time?
Could she... survive by sheer luck again?
No—it wasn't just that.
Once a Heretic God was summoned, disaster would descend upon the world. Even if Marquis Voban stepped in, it would still bring tremendous devastation.
That man wasn't someone who would care about the presence of weak humans. Even if he had to fight in a densely populated city center, he wouldn't hesitate in the slightest.
By then, the ones who would suffer would not only be the Hime-Miko, herself included, but thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people!
And worst of all, since the target was her, the battlefield might very well be chosen in this country—possibly even in the city she lived in.
If it really came to that, would her friends, her family, and her neighbors all be in danger?
At this possibility, Mariya Yuri couldn't help but tremble in fear.
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Mariya Yuri looked up at Kaiser.
"Could it be... the reason you're here is also for this?"
Mariya Yuri couldn't help but question Kaiser.
She hadn't forgotten—this new king before her was also extremely interested in Heretic Gods. He had even obtained divine information from the History Compilation Committee and traveled all the way to Sardinia for that reason.
Under such circumstances, if he knew Marquis Voban planned to summon a Heretic God here, would this new king really remain uninvolved?
After all, four years ago, when the King of Swords from Italy intervened and seized Marquis Voban's prey, she, Mariya Yuri, had been present.
This made Mariya Yuri have no choice but to suspect whether this new king was planning to imitate the Italian one.
If things turned out like that, it would be truly terrible.
Unfortunately, Mariya Yuri guessed wrong.
"I do want to fight gods, but not to the extent that I'd do anything to make it happen," Kaiser glanced at Mariya Yuri and said indifferently, "Of course, if you think I'm lying, I don't mind doing something like that either."
Hearing that, Mariya Yuri shook her head like a rattle drum.
"Pl-please don't do that! It's my fault! I shouldn't have doubted you!"
Mariya Yuri bowed down again, just like before, begging Kaiser for forgiveness.
And then, she heard Kaiser's next words.
"Of course, if I had to say it, I do share one goal with that old man Voban," Kaiser looked at the kneeling Mariya Yuri and finally dropped the pretense, smiling as he said, "I'm here for you too."
Mariya Yuri immediately looked up in shock.
Seeing this, Kaiser simply stepped forward, bent down, and reached out his hand, somewhat playfully lifting Mariya Yuri's chin.
"You didn't mishear. I'm here for you."
Gazing into Mariya Yuri's evasive, frightened eyes that dared not resist, Kaiser showed an amused smile.
"Become mine, Mariya Yuri."
"As long as you swear allegiance to me, I will protect you."
"Even if Voban comes in person, he won't be able to take you from my hands."
These words were not spoken with arrogance or dominance, but as if stating a simple fact—natural and casual.
"I..."
Forced to look into Kaiser's eyes, their faces very close, Mariya Yuri's delicate body trembled slightly, and her mind was instantly thrown into chaos.
"Don't think I'm taking advantage of your plight, okay?" Kaiser said with a smile. "The fact that I'm personally asking you already shows a lot of respect for your decision."
"Otherwise, if I truly wanted you, one word from me would be enough."
As long as he expressed the desire for Mariya Yuri, even without saying anything else, the History Compilation Committee would come knocking on his door as intermediaries, wash Mariya Yuri clean, and deliver her with both hands.
Sacrificing one person to win over a Campione—this was a deal no faction could refuse.
Moreover, Mariya Yuri wouldn't even be a true sacrifice—just sold to Kaiser.
If their Hime-Miko could become the consort of a Demon Lord, the History Compilation Committee's problem of how to deal with Kaiser would be instantly resolved.
Mariya Yuri understood this logic.
Humans could not defy gods.
Humans could not defy Campiones either.
If the king before her truly wanted her, one word was all it would take—there was no need to come here personally and ask her to swear loyalty.
Just as Kaiser had said, he wasn't exploiting her situation—this was merely a matter of timing.
Suddenly, a spear appeared in Kaiser's hand.
"Clang!"
With a metallic sound, the spear stabbed into the floor and stood upright before Mariya Yuri.
Startled, Mariya Yuri then recognized the spear's origin.
It was Gungnir—the Eternal Spear.
"Swear upon this spear."
Kaiser said so.
According to myth, anyone who swore upon the Eternal Spear would see their vow fulfilled.
To swear loyalty upon this spear—if one dared betray that vow, the result would be to be pierced by a meteor falling from the heavens.
"Will you serve me? Or be coveted by that old man Voban?"
"The choice is yours."
Having said that, Kaiser no longer spoke.
Mariya Yuri stared dazedly at the spear before her, momentarily unable to react.
After a long time, the girl trembled as she slowly extended her hand toward the spear...
Only then did Kaiser smile.
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Author's Note: 200 stones for extra chapter!
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