The next day, I received a report from Rin and the others that everyone’s level had surpassed 15.

“That’s quite smooth progress.”

“Yup, we’re all working hard to catch up with you, Lark-kun.”

After Rin energetically stated this, Asura and Leticia also showed their determination. They said they were going to go outside the royal capital of Leblanc to defeat monsters, and left the castle with high spirits. 

Well, it looks like I’ll be training alone again today… 

As I was heading to the training area in the courtyard, suddenly the surroundings darkened. When I looked up at the sky suspiciously, I saw Shafal flying toward me. Shafal landed directly in the courtyard, letting three humans down from his back, then transformed into human form himself.

“Lark, I apologize for making you wait. I’ve brought my minions.”

“Eh? Those people are your minions? Were they all humans?”

“No, no, these fellows can also transform into humans.”

Saying that, Shafal pointed at each person, introducing them one by one. First was a man with silver hair and dog-like ears. His name is Kelvin, and he’s apparently the chief of a monster race called the “Silver Wolves”. Next was a man named Noah with transparent, blue hair. He was said to be a representative of the “Water Dragon” tribe. Finally, there was a muscular macho man named Gedda, who apparently commanded the “Ogre” tribe.

“I’ve gathered many of their subordinates on my mountain, so you can start a war whenever you want. With them, we can obliterate the Holy Kingdom in three days.”

Having finished introducing everyone, Shafal concluded with a boastful statement.

“Shafal, could you come here and bring your head to me?”

“Huh? I don’t particularly want my head stroked, you know? But if you insist, I won’t mind.”

“Anyway, just squat down for now.”

Although Shafal looked puzzled, he obediently squatted down and presented his head to me. I struck him with a full-force knock on his head.

“It hurts! What are you doing!!”

“What the hell are you thinking!! Apologize!! Bow your head to everyone here and apologize for hastily gathering them without proper cause!!”

As I shouted at Shafal, who was holding his head and protesting, Kelvin stepped in to mediate.

“Oh, p-please calm down, Lark-sama! Shafal-sama gathered us out of consideration for you.”

“I understand that, but here’s the thing, Kelvin-san. I have no intention of starting a fight with the Holy Kingdom, let alone starting a war.”

“Is, is that so? When Shafal-sama came to us, he said, ‘The one who has become my contractor this time is going to war with the hated Holy Kingdom. Lend him your power.’ So we thought you were preparing for a fight…”

Hearing the polite words of Kelvin, who was surprisingly well-mannered for a monster, I calmed down a bit and bowed my head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any such intentions. It’s all Shafal’s rash assumptions and desires… Anyway, since you’ve gathered here, I can’t just send you back so soon. I’ll talk to the king about Kelvin and the others and get permission for you to stay.”

After saying that, I spoke coldly to Shafal, who was crouched down in pain.

“You, reflect on what you’ve done in seiza pose until I get back. Kelvin-san, could I ask you to keep an eye on this useless dragon?”

 (seiza)

Leaving these words behind, I headed for Diblo. On my way there, I noticed that the soldiers were bustling about for some reason. Just as I was wondering what was going on, I was stopped by Chancellor, who happened to pass by.

“Lark-kun, go to the king at once. Hear the details from the king himself.”

“Eh? Yes…”

I had a bad feeling about this, so I headed to the room where Diblo was working at a brisk pace.

“Diblo-san, may I come in?”

I knocked on the door and entered the room. Diblo was looking very serious.

“You’re here, Lark-kun…”

“Well, Chancellor-san told me to come here urgently… What’s going on?”

As I asked this, Diblo opened his mouth with a difficult look on his face. “…We received word that Guldo Voltoris was apprehended by the Holy Kingdom last night and taken to the capital. It seems they attacked him while he was asleep.”

“What――!?”

My face turned pale in an instant. I felt a dizzying lightheadedness and used nearby furniture to support my wavering body. My heart was pounding furiously. Diblo continued to provide more details.

From what he’d seen through shared sight with Noir, many white-robed people from the Holy Kingdom had been scouring Reconmetys for me. However, they recently acquired information from somewhere that I was staying in Leblanc, and moved the majority of their forces there. In the moment their guard was lowered due to the decrease in personnel devoted to Reconmetys, they had managed to abduct Father using teleportation magic.

“…”

“According to information we received this morning from those conducting espionage activities in the Holy Kingdom, it seems that Guldo-san was taken to the castle in the holy capital, Miraretia… Lark, about what we do next—”

“Damn it!” “!”

In my anger, I released my magical power, causing a crack to form in the floor beneath me. I knew this could happen. If I were their target, Father, my family, could be in danger… But my faith in Father’s abilities backfired on me. Moreover, our opponents are, at least nominally, gods who govern this world.

I had been holding onto the unbidden hope that they wouldn’t harm innocent humans unnecessarily.

“Diblo-san, I’m sorry. I can’t hold back anymore. If Asura and the others come back asking about me, tell them something urgent came up, please.”

“Wai—Wait, Lark!”

Ignoring Diblo’s attempts to restrain me, I pushed him away with magic and exited the room, heading towards the courtyard where Shafal and the others were waiting. When I got there, I noticed Shafal sitting properly, keeping his promise.

Seeing the change in me, Shafal, with a puzzled expression, asked, “What happened?”

“Shafal, I changed my mind about our previous conversation. We’re going to war.”

“What! Lark, what on earth happened!?”

I explained to the bewildered Shafal and the others what had just transpired.

“The Holy Kingdom would go to such lengths…”

“Tch, that’s why we need to eradicate that damned country.”

After hearing my story, Noah and Gedda expressed their anger towards the Holy Kingdom. Alongside them, Kelvin also showed a look of disappointment towards the Holy Kingdom. Only Shafal kept his emotions hidden, maintaining a solemn expression.

“…Alright, I understand. Let’s get going right away. I’ve already prepared everything.”

With that as our signal, we left the castle. Along the way, Diblo, who had chased after us, tried to stop us. I shook off his hand and we walked to the entrance. We climbed onto Shafal, who had turned back into a dragon, and headed to the Silver Dragon Mountain. When we arrived, a large number of monsters had gathered, well over a hundred in total.

“We water dragons are dragon species, so of course, we can fly. Leave the transportation to us.”

I nodded at Noah’s words and once again signaled Shafal to take off from the Silver Dragon Mountain. The monsters each mounted a water dragon and followed behind me.

“Shafal, how long will it take to reach the holy capital from here?”

“Well, if it were just me, I could reach it in about thirty minutes, but if we’re adjusting to the speed of the water dragons behind us, it would take around two hours.”

“Alright, I understand. Then, I’ll go see the gods for a bit.”

Saying so, I pulled out a prayer statue from the “Useful Box”, closed my eyes, and concentrated hard. In less than thirty seconds, I was in the divine realm, with Samady standing in front of me.

“Lark-kun, I’m sorry. I allowed such a folly as kidnapping your father… “

“There’s no need for you, Samady-san, to apologize. All the fault lies with the god of the Holy Kingdom.” 

“…Lark-kun, you really intend to go to the Holy Kingdom, don’t you?”

“Yes, seeing Father kidnapped was the last straw. I’m sorry.”

As I lowered my head, Samady slowly shook his head. “There’s no need for you to apologize, Lark-kun. As you said, the god of the Holy Kingdom started all of this out of selfishness.”

“…You won’t stop me?” “No, I think it would be pointless to try to stop you. Besides, I also believe that she deserves a bit of punishment. While we do allow the gods of this world a bit more freedom than those on Earth, there are limits. I don’t remember allowing her to interfere to this extent.”

While saying so, Samady maintained his smile, but his voice held a tinge of anger. Samady cleared his throat and continued speaking, “Once we arrive in the Holy Kingdom, feel free to let loose. I’ll lend you a hand as well.”

At that moment, I heard Shafal’s voice in my head. It seems we have already arrived at the Holy Kingdom. Time flows differently in the divine realm, so it felt almost instantaneous. I said goodbye to Samady and returned to the original world.

“…Hmm, I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Lark. We’re already hovering over the Holy City of the Holy Kingdom, but there’s a barrier. Can I destroy it?”

“Yeah, go ahead. We’ve got permission from God, so let’s make a grand entrance. Oh, but no killing. Even if they resist, just knock them unconscious.”

At my response, Shafal unleashed a breath attack like a white heat ray. The barrier of the Holy City shattered with a thunderous noise, clearing our path. At the same time, I felt Father’s magic emanating from the city’s center. I signaled Shafal, and we headed there. That’s when a troop of what seemed like mages below us started attacking with magic.

“We, the Ogres people, will handle them.”

Gedda said that, so I decided to leave it to him.

“Thank you. Please, subdue them without killing.”

“Leave it to us. We will overpower them with our strength.”

With that, Gedda transformed back into an Ogre and jumped off Shafal. Looking behind, the rest of the ogres followed and began to drop one by one. Looking down in surprise, I saw Gedda and the others land safely. They truly were remarkable creatures. Ignoring the barrage of magic, Gedda approached the mages and knocked them away one by one. The other ogres were supporting him. As I had requested, they seemed to be subduing the mages without taking their lives.

After confirming Gedda and the others were fine, we flew towards the distant castle. As we continued, the number of soldiers increased, and the amount of magic flying towards us began to grow. To prevent stray spells from damaging the buildings, I asked Kelvin and Noah to lead the monsters and subdue them before major damage occurred. As long as we have Shafal, we should have enough power to rescue Father.

I watched as Kelvin, Noah, and the other monsters dropped to the ground, then Shafal and I headed for the castle. Upon reaching the castle, we found another barrier, stronger than the one protecting the Holy City. However, it was pitifully shattered by Shafal’s breath. Continuing, Shafal also destroyed the impressive outer wall of the castle, and we entered.

Inside, there were several soldiers.

“Who are you?!”

“We are your enemies!” I quickly replied and blew the soldiers away with a wind attribute magic.

More soldiers appeared one after another, but Shafal, having transformed into a human for maneuverability, and I continued to repel them. That’s when I felt Father’s magic coming from below. Was he imprisoned underground? I broke the floor with magic without using the stairs, descending directly.

“Father!”

“L-Lark…?”

Father was locked in an underground prison cell and had suffered severe injuries. I blasted the iron bars with magic, approached him, and healed his wounds with holy attribute magic.

“Father, I’m sorry… Because of me…”

“Ha… It’s my fault I got caught… I let my guard down… So… don’t… make such a sad face…”

Father gently stroked my head with his blood-soaked hand, and then closed his eyes. He seemed to have lost consciousness due to the released tension and fatigue.

“This country remains as ugly as ever!”

Shafal punched the walls of the underground cell, spitting out his contempt.

“Yes, it’s an ugly country. Don’t ever think you’ll be forgiven just because you say this is God’s command,” I responded, anger saturating my words. Shafal twitched at my statement.

“Lark… You’ve been hiding that much power, haven’t you?” “Eh… what do you mean?” “You should check your own status.”

As instructed, I checked my status using the “Appraising Eye.”

【Name】Lark Voltoris
【Age】13
【Race】Human
【Gender】Male
【Status】Enraged – Divine Protection activated (Protection of Goldra)
【Level】56
【SP】550
【Strength】5577 (+54)
【Magic】6442 (+61)
【Agility】5966 (+30)
【Dexterity】4222 (+20)
【Luck】51

【Skills】”Cooking: 4″ “Usefyul Box: 3” “Daily Life Magic: 2” “Appraising Eye: 3” “Sewing: 2” “Concentration: 5” “Faith: 5” “Magic Control: 3” “Incantantionless Chant: 4” “Synthesis Magic: 4” “Presence Detection: 3” “Physical Enhancement: 4” “Martial Arts: 4” “Swordsmanship: 4” “Short Sword Technique: 3” “Poison Resistance: 1” “Mind Resistance: 3” “Hunger Resistance: 1” “Fire Magic: 4” “Wind Magic: 4” “Water Magic: 3” “Earth Magic: 3” “Light Magic: 3” “Dark Magic: 1” “Thunder Magic: 3” “Ice Magic: 2” “Holy Magic: 4” “Null Magic: 2” “Alchemy: 2”

【Special Abilities】”Enhanced Memory Capacity Improvement” “World Language” “EXP Amplification: 10x” “God’s Veil” “Divine Technique: Miraculous Sacred Light” “Summon”

【Blessings】”Samadyla’s Blessing” “Majilt’s Blessing” “Goldra’s Blessing”

【Titles】”Reincarnated One” “God’s Host” “Blessed One” “Believer” “One Who Reached the Limit” “God’s Chosen” “Teacher”

… Compared to the last time I checked, my stats had increased a little, and a few of my skills had leveled up, but other than that, nothing seemed off… Huh? What’s this? Upon closer inspection, the status section reads “Divine Protection activated.”

The divine protection of Goldra was a blessing that, even when I appraised it with the “Appraising Eye,” I never understood its effect. Thinking it could be a possibility, I appraised the blessing again, and sure enough, its effect was displayed.

“Protection of Goldra” Based on the number of enemies, a buff is applied to your stats. Also, if there are allies, they too receive the effect of the blessing.

I see… In other words, the more enemies there are, the stronger I become.

“The effects of Goldra-sama‘s blessing were activated,” I explained.

“I see, so you had the blessing of that god.”

“Because our opponent this time is a country, have I become incredibly powerful?”

“Hmm, I feel there might be more to it than just that… well, anyway, being powerful is good. More importantly, we need to quickly resolve this situation and take Guldo back home.”

“You’re right, let’s resolve this quickly and go home.”

I had Shafal carry my unconscious Father. Activating the body-strengthening magic, I jumped up through the hole we had descended from in one go.

“Now, the place where the so-called God of the Holy Kingdom resides… is here.”

Looking around, I find a room radiating an unusually divine aura. Despite our chaotic rampage, the walls surrounding the room remained unscathed.

As I opened the door, inside were dozens of soldiers dressed in white. Further back, a person who appeared to be the king of the Holy Kingdom sat in a lavish chair resembling a throne.

One of the men in white shouted at us, “Who the hell are you?”

“Who, you ask? I’m Lark Voltoris, the one you’ve been frantically searching for.”

At my response, the Holy Kingdom’s crew became agitated. Then, the king, who had been watching from behind, let out a shout with veins throbbing on his forehead.

“The damage your attack has done to my country is immeasurable. How do you plan to take responsibility?”

“Responsibility? I’m here to retrieve my abducted family. Isn’t that right, Shafal?”

“That’s right, we haven’t done anything to feel guilty about.”

“You’re kidding me!”

The king of the Holy Kingdom roared in fury. Ignoring him, I directed my gaze to the noble statue of a woman behind the king. That goddess statue must be the source of all this commotion.

“I don’t care about the king. Hey, damn god. You’re watching from there, right? Come down.”

“You bastard—”

The king reacted to my rudeness, but at that moment, the statue behind him began to glow brilliantly. As the light faded, a woman clothed in a divine aura appeared.

“Well done for coming, Lark Vortoriis.”

“Well done? You’re kidding right? Do you think you’ll be forgiven for what you’ve done?”

“Whether it’s good or bad, it’s troublesome if lowly humans like you decide. Am I not a god?”

The aura-emitting woman confidently spat out arrogant words. Behind her, the folks from the Holy Kingdom were making a fuss, “Goddess!”, “Please defeat these thieves!”

“No sign of remorse…”

“Hmm, but more importantly, Lark Vortoris. You’re here to become mine, aren’t you? I could even let you serve as my cook now.”

“…”

Hearing those words, something snapped inside me. The next moment, I quickly closed the distance to the goddess and sent a punch flying at her face.

“Guide people like a god should! Don’t manipulate human lives for your selfish desires!”

In the midst of the white-clad soldiers, the king, and even Shafal, who were all dumbstruck, the goddess knocked away twitched and didn’t get up.