Surviving without God

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud —

The ground answered first. The stone floor trembled, and the pre-dawn air vibrated in ripples. It was a roar, as if the earth itself had drawn in a deep breath and then exhaled everything at once.

The royal castle of Zeros. Through the wide-open gates, the cavalry of the knightly order surged out.

Thud-thud-thud-thud —

The pounding of hooves along the main streets. Not a trace of chaos, not a hint of hesitation. Rider and horse moved as one, transformed into a swift black arrow. Lowered spearheads and massive shields reflected the torchlight, casting flashes all around.

— U-ua-a...

The gathered people, the junior knights and soldiers, watched in a trance. The fear and anxiety that had pressed on their chests moments ago were mercilessly trampled by the thunderous pounding of hooves. From the head of the column came a fierce cry:

— Eradicate the madmen who dared threaten the peace of the capital!

A short intake of breath from the crowd. And then—a name, released as one unified exhale:

— Valloren!

The Knights of the Round Table. The forces that the ruling elite of this country had held back until the very end for their own safety. Now, without hesitation, they pierced through the narrow streets of the capital, rushing toward the government district.

— No-!

They rode away from the safety of the walls, straight into danger. Yet beneath their visors, a strange, almost blissful relief was frozen on their faces. The knights had finally returned to their true purpose. And that alone was enough to make their eyes shine with joy.

The Barkel twins and Albern, who had paused briefly before Gunther, tightened their reins, preparing to accelerate.

— Agent of the Night Raven... — Albern looked at Gunther intently.

He was seeing this man for the first time—a visitor from a distant borderland, his face hidden behind a mask. And yet, for some reason, he did not feel like a stranger. Above all, because of what Seril and Servan had said, and Parco, who had been sweating alongside them in Sector Seven until the very end. Albern’s trust in him had already surpassed anything from past lives.

— I wish you victory in battle. When this mad night is over, we’ll have a chance to speak again.

The Barkel twins, standing beside him, drew their swords with resolute expressions.

— Moonless, we’ll move out first. Take care of yourself. — Your partner in Sector Seven is fighting at his limit! He became an example to us... he looked like he was about to collapse, so hurry and help him! Leave the capital to us!

Before turning his horse, Albern shouted one last time to the gathered people:

— In the name of Albern Arder, eldest son of House Arder, I declare: the royal castle is open as a refuge! Anyone seeking protection—knock on these gates!

Cheers rolled through the crowd like a wave. The knightly order surged deeper into the city, while the flow of people moved toward the castle.

— ...

Gunther watched the scene with a feeling that was difficult to put into words. As if he had been lifted from the depths of hell back into the light. Hatred for humanity and faith in it clashed within him, and the violent swing of emotions shook his soul. But fortunately, this time, Gunther seemed to know where this “roller coaster” would stop.

“Well then... time for me to move.”

Gunther turned toward Sector Seven. Or rather, tried to turn.

“...?!”

Screeeech —

A metallic scrape. Gunther involuntarily looked into the empty air.

...The Compass needle was still pointing inside the royal castle.

Screeeech —

At that moment, when everything seemed decided, the needle frozen in a single direction looked disturbingly out of place. And then a realization flashed through Gunther’s mind. The final piece of the puzzle.

— Ah.

Right. Inside the castle...

The moment the forgotten fact surfaced in his memory, he changed direction without hesitation. Gunther dashed back through the crowd toward the royal castle.

Thud-thud —

The end was near. The path to absolute victory, holding its breath, was waiting for him there, inside.

***

— Temporary medical station, Sector Seven.

— Doctor! Over here! Please, quickly!

Parco moved without even answering. Pushing through the narrow passage, he dropped to his knees beside the stretcher. The child was barely conscious.

— Kid, breathe deeper.

The smell of blood and medicinal herbs, the damp stench of mold and unwashed bodies hit his nose all at once. Parco didn’t even flinch, gently brushing the child’s forehead. The symptoms were obvious. The divine essence of Seren Mayra was raging violently within that small body. Before, he would have been powerless. But now things were different.

— It’s going to be okay.

A dim light spread from Parco’s fingertips. It enveloped the child’s body and soon flowed back into his palm.

The Authority of “The One Who Takes and Divides” had been drastically strengthened at the cost of two thousand Karma. Now he could even interfere with an illness bestowed by Seren Mayra. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

— M-m-m...

The child’s groans, writhing in fever and pain, gradually subsided. Breathing became steady and deep. Hope finally returned to the faces of the parents watching.

— ...Ah.

Parco’s body swayed for a moment. His insides twisted, a strange heat ran across his skin. But he straightened immediately, raising his head as if nothing had happened.

— Thank you, thank you so much!

The parents bowed repeatedly, but Parco only waved his hand slightly. Instead of answering, he gripped the child’s hand once more.

At that moment, their hands met—soft child’s skin and his own, rough and calloused. And the instant that warmth passed between them, a memory surged into his mind without warning.

“Parco! If you’re hurting, you have «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» to say so—why do you keep enduring it alone? Huh?”

His homeland. A small village of woodcutters that wasn’t on any map. The forest there was so dense that anyone who didn’t know the paths would never find it. The trees closed overhead, blocking the sky, and even during the day it was dim like twilight.

They were poor, and few could read. People who didn’t measure time by numbers, but by the changing of seasons. And yet there were astonishingly many kind souls there. So many that taking in a wandering orphan wasn’t unusual.

A child who had once wandered to the edge of the forest. The village quietly and naturally accepted the boy, without knowing whose son he was or where he came from.

“Eat. It’s just herb stew... but it’s better than nothing.”

“Are you cold? Oh, look how he’s shivering. At least take this.”

“I’ll teach you how to fell trees.” “Teach him to tell poisonous mushrooms apart first.”

Someone was his father, someone his mother... everyone was family. The whole village raised him.

“My dear, I think our Parco is a genius.”

“To think such talent came from our village...”

“Maybe some luck will come our way thanks to Parco? Ha-ha-ha!”

“Parco’s definitely unusual. He’s not someone who’ll disappear in a place like this.”

Where, when, had it all gone wrong?

Maybe when the villagers gathered their last scraps and sent him to a small academy in a nearby town? Or was it his fault—for accepting their help so thoughtlessly, raised in such warmth, even though he knew how hard their lives were?

...Or did it begin the day he met the priest of the Cult of Healing from Luthien, who came to the academy to preach?

“...”

Kindness must be repaid with kindness. That’s what the adults had taught Parco. Those same people who had never known proper treatment in their lives, who endured all kinds of pain with nothing but makeshift remedies.

He asked the priest to take care of them. Said that true believers would increase because of it. Promised that he himself would swear loyalty to Luthien and devote his life to service. Was it that foolish, naive faith that led him to bring outsiders into his village?

— A-a-a-a-a!..

— Parco, Parco, please kill me.

— Me first, help me...

— O-o-o-o-o...

Figures flashed before his eyes—people turned into experimental subjects by the Cult of Healing. Shadows with their skin stripped away, covered in ulcers, flesh fused together, no longer human, only groaning in agony.

Among them were the hands that taught him to fell trees. The shoulders he fell asleep on at night.

— Hh-a...

Parco gasped. His chest tightened, his vision blurred for a moment.

— Hh-a, hh-a...

No. This wasn’t a burning forest. This was the temporary medical station in Sector Seven. And he was no longer a helpless child, but an adult who could save people. Clenching his teeth, Parco moved again.

— Doctor, over here!

More stretchers were brought in, groans merged into a single hum, people reached out to him. Parco didn’t choose. Whether it was the curse of Seren Mayra or any other illness—if it was pain, he took all of it.

— D-doctor?

Dark red veins bulged beneath his skin. His vision clouded, the world warped as if sinking underwater. Something irreversible was happening inside his body.

— M-maybe you should rest a bit?.. We’ll take care of them.

Soldiers of the Public Security Bureau and healers looked at him in horror. But Parco did not stop.

He reached out, absorbed the pain, and moved to the next patient. His body grew heavier. His limbs filled with lead, and his consciousness slipped away.

But it didn’t matter.

Those he failed to save. Those he sent to the experimental table with a single word. Their faces still came to him every night the moment he closed his eyes.

Perhaps he had been walking toward this moment his entire life. A finale where, burdened with sins, he burned away carrying the pain of others. This was his punishment, his atonement, and the only salvation he allowed himself.

— ...Slow, aren’t you. Didn’t think you’d go this far. You’ve gathered every disease in Sector Seven onto yourself.

A low voice came from somewhere. Parco’s consciousness wavered.

— I already suspected something was off back when you asked to be beaten with a stick.

His vision finally went dark.

— ...

And yet he couldn’t close his eyes.

— Hold on to your consciousness.

That voice brought certainty. Even if the entire world pointed fingers at him, this one person would believe in him.

— We still have so much to do. You can’t die this early.

Someone gently caught Parco. The support was steady. The steps were firm and sure. The presence was calming, like the hand that once caught him as a child when he tripped over a root in the forest.

— The people are already healed. We can leave this place for now. We... need to go somewhere.

Parco entrusted himself to the man. In truth, he had no strength left to resist. Seren Mayra’s disease was spreading rapidly through his body. His pulse became uneven, an alien rhythm beating deep within his veins.

“...Is this the end?”

As they left the medical station, the cold night air touched his burning skin. In the distance, shouts, screams, and the clash of weapons still echoed.

— Almost there. Just a little longer.

The sounds of battle quickly faded. He felt them climbing a hill. The steeper the ascent, the harder it was to breathe, the farther the ground seemed beneath his feet.

And when he finally lifted his head—

— Ah...

Stars spilled from the sky. The night heavens were unnaturally close. Clear, without a single cloud, they burned against his skin with cold light.

And at the center of it all stood a sword.

— ...

A moment of silence. The man supporting him chuckled quietly.

— To be honest, I was planning to pull it out myself.

The one whose name he couldn’t recall muttered this, not taking his eyes off the sword.

— But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

“Not meant to be”? Parco didn’t understand, but there was no time to ask. He was gently pushed forward. Staggering, he took a step. A sword without altar or decoration. It was simply driven into the ground, standing in silence, as if it had been there since the beginning of the world.

— Go, Parco.

Parco dropped to his knees before the sword.

— Go... and save Valloren.

His hand touched the old, cold hilt. Parco gripped it with all his strength.

...Nothing happened. No lightning, no flash of light, no fanfare.

Only the sensation of the blade leaving the earth.

Parco pulled the sword free.

.

.

.

Ding!

[All diseases of Seren Mayra carried by party member “Parco” have been purified]

[He did not turn away from the suffering of others and carried it to the very end, until it was time to let it go]

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[Congratulations! The Luthien conspiracy threatening the holy capital Zeros has been thwarted]

[Kingdom of Valloren support level: 100%]

[Condition fulfilled: full support achieved in allied nation]

[Act 2, Chapter 1 — Completed!]

[Top contributors (MVP) — Parco, Gunther]

[Stage completion rewards will be calculated shortly]

[※ Due to results exceeding expectations, additional reward adjustments are being processed. Calculation may take some time]