Surviving without God

Gunther entrusted Revmael to Parco Draven’s care and stepped out of the tent. Most of his companions were currently absent—they had gone into the surrounding terrain to gather ingredients. The key component of “Sanity” was a rare herb that grew only in ravines near water or on southern slopes. Since the terrain there was extremely rugged, ordinary soldiers could not handle it, so nimble knights and experienced platoon fighters had been sent instead. Even Albern Arder had volunteered to accompany them, showing initiative.

“Guests... in a place like this?”

After several minutes of hurried movement in that direction, Gunther realized who Rev had called “guests.”

“Could it be...?”

The wind carried a powerful sensation of mana. Soon after, two unfamiliar flags came into view.

A massive shield and a fortress wall. The banner of the 2nd family—Greints. A black wolf and a short sword. The banner of the 4th family—Camaril.

The Round Table knights—the main force Albern had spoken of—had already arrived. Despite the absence of the 3rd family, the army was formidable. Gunther could feel the presence of hundreds of soldiers waiting nearby. The number of elite knights sent by each family exceeded twenty. His eyes narrowed.

“Strange. I heard they were supposed to link up with us before the barrier around the Barkel domain.”

He quickened his pace, and voices began to reach his ears.

— No, seriously? From a logical standpoint, that’s complete nonsense...

— You think I came all this way to joke? I saw everything with my own eyes and came straight here.

— I hope you’re not brainwashed...

— For God’s sake, Albern. It’s me, Camaril.

At first, Gunther thought they were arguing, judging by the shouting. But no. Albern, Seril Barkel, and Servan Barkel, in a state of extreme agitation, had crowded around the newly arrived knights, bombarding them with questions. Meanwhile, the platoon members stood off to the side with rather sour expressions.

— ...Sir Moonless!

Noticing him, the three rushed toward him almost simultaneously.

— What happened...

— They say the barrier surrounding the Barkel estate has disappeared! — Servan blurted out.

Gunther froze. But Servan didn’t stop there:

— And that’s not all. The Apostle and the priests—all of them vanished! They left those under control behind and simply withdrew! If we have enough of Sir Moonless’s medicine, we can save everyone!!!

Gunther was speechless.

“A sudden retreat?”

It made no sense at all. Why would the cult abandon a battle they were on the verge of winning?

— Strange. They have no reason... to make such a decision.

Albern, just as excited, answered him.

— I don’t know, but I assume...

His face flushed to match his hair.

— Perhaps they somehow learned that we can cure brainwashing. We thought that would make them resist more fiercely, but... it had the opposite effect! Afraid of meaningless losses, they tucked their tails and fled! They must have realized that as long as we have your concoction, “Sanity,” victory will inevitably be ours.

[The Drug-Addicted Saint smiles with satisfaction]

[She casually remarks that the Cult of Repose has always been easy prey for her]

Seril added a few words of her own. She confirmed that the main force had verified everything firsthand and rushed here at full speed to deliver the good news.

— It’s all thanks to you, Lord Gunther. To achieve victory without even engaging in battle... this is the ideal victory described in tactical manuals.

Seril and Servan were nearly embracing. Though they tried to maintain composure, they were at their limit. Their family’s lands had fallen, the kingdom had been in danger—and now, with everything resolved and their loved ones safe, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over them.

However, Gunther could not share their joy or accept this “victory” so easily. His gaze shifted to two knights slowly approaching. The woman walking in front extended a gauntleted hand in greeting.

— So you are “Sir Moonless.” I have heard much about you from Albern. I am Roen Greints.

A towering warrior with a massive shield and a short sword on her back. As befitted the heir of the 2nd family Greints—who commanded numerous heavy cavalry and infantry—she was so large she stood eye-to-eye with Gunther. Within the Round Table, their family was called “Steel,” a symbol of power alongside the Arder family.

[The Silent Fortress is watching you]

Behind her came the representative of the Camaril family. His greeting was much lighter.

— Hello. I am Werner Camaril. A pleasure to meet you.

He had an androgynous appearance—it was not immediately clear whether he was male or female. Instead of heavy armor, he wore leather gear that maximized agility. He looked more like a rogue than a knight. The 4th family Camaril was the kingdom’s “shadow” family, responsible for intelligence and espionage.

[The Fang of Night is watching you]

Neither of them displayed the arrogance Albern once had. However, Gunther remembered that in the Knights’ Council, the plan to aid “Night Raven” had barely passed, 3 to 2. And it was these two families that had voted against it.

Shh—

Gunther slipped a hand inside his coat as he accepted the greeting.

— A pleasure. You may call me Moonless.

Then he took out a vial.

— First, drink this. Then we’ll talk.

A glass vial filled with a golden liquid. The knights exchanged puzzled looks. Gunther smiled.

— It’s an excellent remedy against brainwashing. Everyone here has already had some.

[The Drug-Addicted Saint grumbles that he sounds like a market vendor...]

***

In short, the two were not under control. After drinking “Sanity,” they repeated the same thing, and none of the symptoms typical of cult victims appeared.

This meant only one thing: the Apostle of Repose and the priests who had been consuming the Barkel domain had truly vanished overnight. And this had happened right before the fall of the inner castle. No matter how often Luthien behaved strangely, this was beyond reason.

“To carry out such a large-scale brainwashing operation, they must have made enormous sacrifices...”

But the most absurd thing came next.

Ding!

[Congratulations! The Apostle of Repose threatening the Barkel domain has retreated]

[Act 2, Chapter 1: “Into the Abyss of Repose and Justice” — Completed!]

[MVP — Gunther Sirhe]

[Calculating Clear Rank...]

[Expected Death Count: 0, Actual Death Count: 0]

[Clear Rank: B]

[Reward for clearing Act 2, Chapter 1 granted]

— Karma: 50

...Act 2, Chapter 1 had cleared on its own. The clear rank—an unprecedented “B.” And the reward—a mere 50 Karma. This happened even before the results of Act 1, Chapter 5 had been finalized. Such an insane pace could not help but confuse Gunther.

“The Drug-Addicted Saint is definitely skilled, but... is a clear supposed to go like this?”

Everything felt wrong. A vague sense of unease ran down Gunther’s spine. But there was no way to uncover the truth right now.

In the end, they decided to join with the main force and head straight for the center of the Barkel domain. They needed to prepare for any residual threats and assess the scale of the damage. Perhaps they would find some clue there.

Gunther sighed and, out of habit, looked for a switch to turn off the light in the tent... but remembering he wasn’t in Border City, simply blew out the flame.

Fuu—

Darkness immediately filled the tent. But Gunther couldn’t fall asleep right away. His head was full of thoughts, and...

— ......

The quiet breathing from the adjacent cot was distracting. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the silhouette of a small girl curled under a blanket emerged. At that moment, a fragment of an old memory surfaced.

“Big brother, I’m scared to sleep alone.”

Trying to drive away the memory, Gunther spoke involuntarily:

— Your main body... why did it leave the Barkel estate? It had no reason to retreat. What was it thinking?

Only after saying it did he realize asking a copy was pointless.

— ...Hmmm.

However, the double slowly sat up. Her steady breathing broke, and in the quiet of ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the tent, a drowsy voice sounded:

— Asking about the thoughts of the main body is pointless.

— What?

— Because it has no thoughts.

Gunther did not immediately grasp the meaning.

— ...No thoughts? 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

— Yeah. It only does what it’s ordered to do.

...It sounded like a strange paradox. A being with immense power, capable of brainwashing thousands, yet itself nothing more than a mindless executor of orders from “above.”

Of course, from the game’s lore, Gunther knew most Apostles were like this. But he hadn’t expected the Apostle of Repose to fit that pattern. In the game, it had always been treated differently.

A mysterious entity. There were few routes where the player faced it directly, and even then, it usually acted as a narrative device with only a few lines. No dedicated raid, no unique model. In the Valloren route, it was the same—it seemed like the puppeteer behind everything, yet the moment the balance shifted, it would retreat to the Theocracy.

“Since it’s the fastest way to recruit followers, the Theocracy protects it carefully.”

But after retreating, its trail always disappeared. Aside from rare mentions, it remained in the unknown. That had spawned countless fan theories.

“Did it retreat to the Theocracy again this time?”

If only the “Compass” ability had reacted, he might have guessed something, but it had remained silent these past days. As Gunther sank into his thoughts, a quiet voice reached him again:

— I heard people outside celebrating. They were very, very happy.

— ...Who?

— That big sister who speaks strangely, and that big brother who pretends to be an adult.

She meant Seril and Servan. After the news about the Barkel estate, they had practically been dancing around the camp. The girl tilted her head in confusion.

— Why are they so happy? I’ve never seen adults act like that.

Gunther answered plainly:

— Because they got back what they cherish. They’re happy they can see again the people they thought they had lost forever.

Their joy was understandable. If someone brought Suhyeon to him right now... forget dancing—he would carry her all the way to the Barkel estate himself. Rev studied Gunther’s face carefully and asked another question:

— Cherished people? What does that mean? Who decides that?

Her voice was childlike, but the question was strangely sharp. Gunther fell silent for a moment. Suhyeon had been the same. Being far smarter than her brother, she often cornered him with questions like this. Searching his memory, Gunther spoke in a tone that had unconsciously softened:

— ...They are the people you share time with. The ones you share both joy and pain with. The ones bound to you by shared memories. Those are what we call “cherished.”

In the darkness, the girl slowly nodded.

— Then I’ll never understand that.

After those words, silence filled the tent. Gunther didn’t even notice when he fell asleep. The feeling that sleep would not come shattered instantly before the steady breathing of the girl beside him. It was warm and calm. Just like when he used to sleep back-to-back with his sister in their tiny room.

...And so, deep darkness quietly settled.

.

.

.

Morning came. The group set out once more, heading toward the heart of the Barkel domain.

...Still unaware of what awaited them there.