How the Cult Saves the World

I tried to calm my heart. Then, cautiously, I asked Sevenus, "Brother, is it absolutely necessary for you to go on this mission?"

I was even suggesting seeking help from other territories. But Sevenus was resolute.

"Of course."

His unwavering gaze bore into me.

"Sercion is quite close to our own territory. However, it's distant from the other regions. While Sercion might request aid from other territories, there's nowhere faster than us to reach Sercion."

Sevenus' expression remained stoic, but his eyes sparkled more than ever.

"If we don't assist them promptly, the damage in Sercion could be catastrophic. We might even risk harm reaching Holden."

His words were irrefutable. I bit my lip.

"By the Gods, I almost forgot about Sercion."

While I had played the game from Terdius' perspective, I knew little about Revelof Holden's life.

Our eyes met. Sevenus' gaze, emotionless yet always concerned for his younger brother. Even though he was an NPC in the game, I didn't want to witness him losing his sanity.

But Sevenus had already completed preparations, including the farewell ceremony with the knights. Holding him back was impossible. It seemed he sensed my turmoil too.

"Levi, are you worried?"

"...Yes."

Of course, I was worried. After all, he was family.

"Don't fret, Levi. Have you forgotten who I am?"

Sevenus patted my shoulder as if reassuring me, then smiled and continued.

"I'll return safely."

Damn. He even added that clichéd line, like a flag signaling impending doom.

With those words, Sevenus' bad ending was all but confirmed.

---Since arriving in Rovel, I'd sensed an unsettling energy, but now a rift had opened nearby.

Meanwhile, Kyros seemed to have noticed the rift's existence. Lost in thought, I pondered.

Sercion was a small territory, slightly removed from Holden's domain, governed by Sercion's lord.

Given its size, Sercion had fewer knights to defend it compared to Holden.

To make matters worse, the vicinity of Sercion was plagued by frequent monster attacks due to a nearby mountain range.

And, of course, it was during one of these monster surges that the rift had opened, further depleting Sercion's already scarce knight numbers.

Predicting monster attacks was possible, but rifts were true disasters. Their occurrence depended on the whims of the Gods, making them unpredictable.

"Of course, they couldn't have prepared extra knights in advance for the rift."

Sercion had requested reinforcements from the nearest Holden once the rift appeared.

If the original story followed the same path, Sevenus would lose a leg and descend into madness.

Damn it, what am I thinking?

Lost in deep contemplation, I stood there after Sevenus left. Kyros broke the silence.

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---Wait, even if I'm a newbie God, surely there's a solution, right?

Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I hurriedly asked him, "Kyrros, do you know how strong the energy of the rift is?"

---Hm. It's not as powerful as Bahano. If I had to compare, it's similar to Bayas. But weaker than that.

Bayas was the village where the 92nd child of the Maseen had been defeated, Shalom. If it was weaker than that, then Sercion's rift might be in a state where hidden route variables weren't applied.

As far as I remembered, that should be the case.

---My little bird, why are you asking about this?

"I think I need to follow Sevenus."

---I see. You're worried about your brother.

"Yes."

Even though Sevenus and I weren't particularly close, he was still family. Now that I knew what future awaited him, I couldn't just stand by.

When I mentioned that I would go with him, Kyros hesitated for a moment and then spoke slowly.

---I, too, worry about those who will suffer due to the sudden rift. So, Levi, go and rescue your brother and the people of Sercion.

As soon as his voice trailed off, the system window appeared.

[Sub-Quest Triggered!]

[Sub-Quest

<For the Only Brother>

<For the Only Brother>

Objective: Move to protect Sevenus Holden and the citizens of Sercion, who worry the divine Kyros.

Goal: Seal the rift in Sercion, protect Sevenus Holden.

Success: ???

Failure: -]

[Will you accept?]

[Yes/No]

I gaped. This quest didn't exist in the original story. It was purely Kyros' directive for me.

I accepted the quest and replied, "Yes, Kyros."

After accepting Kyros' quest, I immediately contacted Zain.

Waiting in the temple's abbot room, Zain and Troy returned from cleaning the Bahano Temple, holding cleaning tools.

"Master? What's suddenly going on?"

"What's the matter?"

Zain and Troy sat across from me on the sofa, curious.

"We're heading straight to Sercion. A rift has opened there. By Kyros' command, we'll seal Sercion's rift."

I briefly explained the situation to them, including Sevenus' sudden departure.

"Hmm. If it's the Master's will or Kyros' command, we should follow."

"What you're saying is a bit strange."

"I'll help too."

Troy, unaware of Sevenus' relationship with me, looked nonchalant, but Zain regarded me with an odd expression.

At that moment, Kyros manifested in his puppy form.

"Levi, before you leave, let me share my power with you."

"...Kyros!"

Troy's eyes sparkled like lanterns as he smiled at the adorable Kyros who had appeared before us. In response, Kyros floated through the air and approached Troy.

I silently observed Kyros transferring energy to Troy.

Then Zain stepped closer and whispered, "Master, is your journey to Sercion solely because of Kyros' command?"

I disliked how perceptive Zain was. It was as if he had finally caught on to a weakness I hadn't revealed in a long time, and he asked again.

"Is it because of your brother?"

"...Yes. Partly."

"But..."

Zain tilted his head.

"Your brother is a strong knight, fully inheriting the bloodline of the Lord. If anyone can handle the rift, it's someone like him, right?"

I remained silent. If it were an ordinary rift, Zain's reasoning would hold.

If it were a rift like the one that appeared in Rovel, with low-level monsters, Sevenus would likely survive.

However, the rift in Sercion was anything but ordinary.

As Zain had pointed out, it was a rift severe enough to endanger even the mighty Sevenus.

In other words, it was a rift where a superior demon, a child of the Maseen, would emerge.

"Even though the order is lower..."

If my memory served me right, this time the 99th child of the Maseen would appear.

For lesser or intermediate demons, even those without divine power could hone their skills to handle them.

However, those without any divine power couldn't contend with superior demons. That's why Sevenus suffered in the original story.

"...Regardless, I'll follow Kyros' wishes."

"Well, it works out. I wanted to use this guy too."

Zain held up the bow he had received from the dwarf village, grinning.

Meanwhile, as Troy conversed with the creature, Kyros, who had bestowed power upon him, now lay on the sofa, revealing a pink belly.

And Troy, with eyes filled with gratitude, knelt before Kyros.

'What is this... a cat worshiping a dog?'

I chuckled softly and stood up.

Before setting off, I donned a robe and flipped up the hood, then left the temple.

Once we were out of sight, I climbed onto Troy's back as he transformed into a black panther.

There was no time to be detained by the guards patrolling the territory's borders. Following my instructions, Troy nimbly scaled the narrow wall.

Startled by Troy's jumping ability once again, I gripped his fur tightly.

"Whoa!"

While I enjoyed the ride like an amusement park attraction, Zain's scream echoed from behind. Fortunately, Troy didn't crash to the ground.

"Master, which direction should we go?"

"Northeast."

I directed Troy toward the path leading to Sercion. Sercion's territory lay beyond the Cartel Forest, to the northeast. Once I indicated the direction, Troy sniffed the air beyond and correctly oriented himself toward the scent of the approaching demon.

"Ah, it's been a while here."

Not long after, we arrived at the Cartel Forest, a place we had visited during our previous Dark Wolf extermination mission. Although there was a path circling the forest, taking that route would undoubtedly make it difficult to catch up with Sevenus, who had already set off. So, we entered the Cartel Forest directly.

"It feels like we just fought wolves here not too long ago. Time flies,"

Zain remarked, seemingly lost in thought as we swiftly passed through the forest.

The once-familiar Cartel Forest now lay quiet. Occasional herbivores grazed in the vicinity. There was no longer any fog or Dark Wolves.

"Are there humans living in this forest?"

Troy, too, seemed to be lost in contemplation as he observed the passing scenery.

"Yes, our followers reside here."

"Did you ever imagine there would be worshippers in a place like this?"

"Yes."

As I reminisced, we soon emerged from the Cartel Forest.

From this point onward, a vast green meadow stretched toward Sercion. The only problem was...

'Where has he gone?'

I couldn't spot Sevenus leading the Holden knights anywhere. Perhaps they had already arrived due to the shorter distance between Holden and Sercion.

Thankfully, Troy's speed was significantly faster, and we would soon catch up with Sevenus if we continued at this pace.

The landscape blurred by rapidly. Despite the wind dislodging my hood, I paid it no mind. After all, I was traveling to Sercion as the High Priest of Kyros.

And not long after, the Sercion territory appeared beyond the wide meadow.

"We're almost there."

From a distance, Sercion looked much smaller than Holden's domain. It consisted of a small castle surrounded by several villages.

Although the size was modest, the orderly arrangement of buildings gave Sercion an appealing appearance. Well, it would have been beautiful originally. However, now a massive rift marred the sky above this lovely land.

"Look, the knights are visible."

At Troy's words, I raised my head.

Near the entrance to Sercion, a flag bearing Holden's emblem fluttered. However, I couldn't see Sevenus leading the charge. Dozens of mounted knights raced forward.

"We should prepare too."

Though we still had some distance to cover, Troy's speed would get us there quickly.

I retrieved a staff from my inventory. Zain, riding behind me, also drew his bow, the sound of it being readied audible.

And shortly after, we finally reached the crumbling entrance of Sercion.

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