CHAPTER 683

【 PRAY TO THE GODDESS 】

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A pitiful trickle of experience points was added to his EXP meter, yet it no longer held any appeal for Yeye.

His entire body began trembling uncontrollably as he stared at the blood still dripping from the tip of his sword.

Killing demons and hunting magical beasts felt completely different from killing a person.

If it had been a soldier, that would have been one thing.

But this was an old woman.

An elderly woman old enough to be his grandmother.

Even though he knew that all of this was only a game, its fully immersive realism, capable of perfectly replicating the five senses, combined with the values instilled in him over many years, still delivered an immense shock to Yeye, who was only fifteen or sixteen year-old boy in reality…

“B-Brother Wind…”

“They… they seem… not to be soldiers…”

The boy’s voice trembled.

“I know…”

From beside him came the low voice of FacetheWind.

This veteran player lowered his gaze to the clothes that had dropped after he killed an enemy. The excitement he had shown at the beginning had long since faded, replaced by a grave, almost somber expression that lingered on his face.

Although he was not as visibly disturbed as Yeye, his mood at this moment was no less heavy. The weight of what had just occurred pressed silently on his chest.

Elven Kingdom had been operating in reality for over a year, while nearly five years had passed within the game itself.

Over countless days and nights, players had long ceased to regard this place as merely a game for casual entertainment, and they no longer viewed the vivid and lively NPCs as nothing more than sets of data.

This was especially true for veteran players.

They formed bonds with NPCs through friendship, became close companions in battle and daily life, and even developed mutual affection with them…

If the game had included a formal romance system, there would likely have been no shortage of players who became romantic partners with NPCs, blurring the boundary between player and game characters even further. 𝙧ÂɴÔ฿Ěś

Perhaps it seemed laughable to outsiders…

Perhaps it appeared absurd to people in the real world…

But only those immersed in the game truly understood that Elven Kingdom was no longer just an ordinary game to them.

This place was their second home.

An irreplaceable spiritual haven.

Unconsciously, veteran players had stopped treating in-game characters the way NPCs were treated in other games.

Every character here had their own story, and every one of them was a living, breathing existence.

Even if… they were enemies.

The elderly orc shaman who fought alone for his tribe until the very last moment, the Lionheart King Imsh who bled his race dry and ultimately died standing, the half elf Ouros who willingly fell into darkness for the sake of the Goddess, all of them had left a deep and lasting impression on the players.

There were countless similar figures scattered throughout the game. Behind every NPC lay innumerable stories, some moving, some bittersweet, and some steeped in quiet tragedy.

For this very reason, upon realizing the true identities of the soldiers attacking the city, even an adult like FacetheWind could not help but feel weighed down by a profound sense of unease.

Everything that happened in Elven Kingdom had its reasons.

Not only were there reasons, but there were also consequences.

The people besieging the city were not beings spawned out of thin air like the enemies in other games. They were part of the game’s vast and interconnected ecological system…

Undoubtedly, they too had families, homes, and lives of their own within the game. Somewhere beyond this battlefield, there were places they belonged to and people who waited for them.

Thus their deaths would inevitably bring corresponding repercussions.

Because of this, FacetheWind found it difficult not to imagine the stories behind them.

If they were soldiers, that would have been one thing. The moment they became soldiers, they should have been prepared to die in battle, having accepted the risks that came with war.

But these people clearly were not.

“They should be villagers from nearby towns…most likely the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled.”

Observing the attackers’ clothing and appearances, the elven warrior let out a soft sigh.

“Villagers? Why would these villagers attack this city? Could they all be believers misled by that evil god? Or perhaps their minds are being controlled?!”

Yeye asked in return.

Now that he knew who these people truly were, he found it difficult to raise his sword against them again.

The boy quickly sheathed his weapon and activated his skill, [Eye of Faith.]

The moment the skill took effect, Yeye immediately saw the glow of belief surrounding the villagers. But it was not the deep red that symbolized heretical faith. Instead, most of them radiated a dull green, the color of the faithless.

The few red glows that did appear were bright and uplifting, a pure and steady light belonging to faith in righteous gods, rather than the harsh, corrupted hue of evil cultists.

“They are not believers of an evil god…”

The boy murmured.

Without hesitation, he continued by casting a life-based divine spell of spiritual purification toward the “soldiers” who were still climbing the city walls. It was a spell he had deliberately learned after he got his priest subclass.

Yet, after the warm, purifying light faded, the villagers attacking the city showed no reaction at all.

They continued to charge at the players in a frenzied, chaotic surge, their faces twisted with despair, fear, and helplessness. Their movements were contradictory, tragic, absurd, and deeply pitiable, as though driven by a force beyond their comprehension, only to meet meaningless, inevitable deaths.

Not being extraordinary beings, they could not even touch the players’ clothes, let alone inflict harm, yet the sight of them, so human and vulnerable, weighed heavily on Yeye’s heart.

“If they are neither the believers of an evil god nor under mind control, then why are they still rushing to their deaths?”

Yeye asked, his voice laced with confusion and a growing sense of unease. His eyes followed the villagers as they fell one by one, unable to understand the logic behind their blind charge.

“Stop standing there in a daze and keep fighting! This is probably exactly how the enemy intends to shake our resolve!”

FacetheWind’s voice came from the side.

Although his expression was just as grim, the older man did not falter or stop his attacks.

As Yeye watched the helpless villagers fall beneath the veteran warrior’s blade, a flicker of unfamiliar confusion crossed his features.

“B-Brother Wind, isn’t our mission to save the people of Maple Leaf Territory and spread the Goddess’s faith? Then how come—”

“—Because this is war.”

FacetheWind cut him off, his voice low, accompanied by a silent sigh.

“In war, there is no good or evil. Since they have chosen to oppose us, they are our enemies,” he continued, his gaze unwavering even amidst the chaos. “Not to mention, this is still a game.”

Though the words were directed at Yeye, they sounded more like a reminder to himself.

Taking a deep breath, the veteran warrior turned to look Yeye in the eyes.

“If you cannot stomach this, then just immediately withdraw right now and handle logistics instead. The wars here in Elven Kingdom are indeed rather hardcore, but… war is cruel by nature.”

“I know this may be hard on you, but rest assured, this is only temporary. Once you log out, you will feel much better.”

Yeye opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Before he could speak, however, Nana, who had been silent all this time, spoke first.

“I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m going to log off.”

With that, she turned and walked down from the city wall.

Yeye was momentarily stunned and quickly chased after her. After only a few steps, however, his attention was drawn by the voices of several militiamen.

“Grandpa Hans! Grandpa Hans, please calm down! Calm down! It’s me, Fearn!”

A human youth in his early twenties was holding an elderly man with graying hair, his face full of anxiety, while the old man’s eyes were bloodshot as he struggled violently…

Yeye recognized the young man named Fearn.

It was said that he had originally been a villager from a nearby village. After his parents passed away, he came to Augsburg City to make a living, only to be caught up in the war and conscripted by the Red Maple Kingdom as a soldier.

However, after the players captured the city, he soon converted to the Goddess of Life’s faith under their guidance, thus becoming a devout believer, and even volunteered to serve as a militiaman helping the players defend the city…

Yeye had once received help from him as well. When he and Nana had been unable to find the blacksmith’s shop while exploring Augsburg City, it was Fearn who had enthusiastically guided them there.

“Kill me! Let me die! Kill me!”

The elderly man in the young man’s arms struggled incessantly, his voice hoarse and his expression filled with despair.

It was obvious that he was one of the “soldiers” who had just climbed onto the city wall.

“Why? Why are you doing this? Calm down! You still have Sabina and Marcus waiting for you!”

The young man Fearn pleaded.

At his words, the old man immediately burst into loud sobs.

“She’s dead! Sabina has already been killed by them! If I don’t go and die… then Marcus will be killed by them as well…”

“Waaah… kill me! Little Fearn, I beg you, let me die! Please let me die! Only then can little Marcus live!”

Watching the crying old man and the panicked young man, Yeye’s eyes widened, utterly at a loss.

At that moment, a player clad in divine-grade equipment suddenly appeared behind the old man.

He gently pointed a finger at the elderly man and murmured an incantation, causing the old man to fall into a deep sleep.

It was All-Stars Achan.

“Brother Achan!”

Yeye called out instinctively.

All-Stars Achan glanced at him and gave a slight nod, then returned his attention to the elderly man.

He lifted the old man’s sleeve and examined his wrist, frowning slightly.

“Honorable Elf, what exactly happened to Grandpa Hans? He’s not like this… he was never like this before! And what does he mean by wanting to die?!”

The young man Fearn asked anxiously.

All-Stars Achan replied with a grave expression:

“It’s a blood contract.”

“A blood contract?!”

“That’s right. Looks like he was forcibly bound by a blood contract to die during this siege. Moreover, it is a two-way blood contract. If he does not die, then the person on the other end of the contract will die instead…”

All-Stars Achan said in a low voice.

As he spoke, his expression gradually grew heavier.

“These people were forced to serve as cannon fodder.”

“T… that’s impossible!”

The young militiaman’s face turned deathly pale.

Then he clenched his fists tightly.

“These evil… damned nobles!”

He gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Yeye was equally stunned, then could not help but ask,

“Brother Achan, then… can this blood contract be broken?”

“It is very difficult…”

All-Stars Achan shook his head.

“From the moment a blood contract is formed, it will only disappear once it has been fulfilled, or once the contract itself is destroyed.”

He sighed softly.

Hearing this, however, the young militiaman’s spirits lifted.

“But… you said it is very difficult, which means there is still a way?!”

All-Stars Achan nodded.

“Yeah, there is a way.”

He took a deep breath and said,

“In the entire Elven Forest, there is only one being capable of nullifying a blood contract, the Goddess of Life, Her Grace Evé.”

“I remember the past, We also had elves who encountered similar situations like this. It is said that in the end, it was the Goddess herself who purified them and helped break the blood contract.”

“So… the only option is to pray to the Goddess and seek her response.”

༺⟐༻

Outside Augsburg City, at the encampment of the Red Maple Kingdom’s army.

Otto stood on a hillside, his posture rigid as he alternated between watching the unending stream of “soldiers” surging toward Augsburg City and extending his hand to examine a dark gray emblem again and again.

The emblem had been given to him by Anos. It was a divine artifact which was capable of sensing and gathering life force and souls within a twenty-kilometer radius, before funneling them directly to the artifact’s master, the God of Dusk and Twilight, Anos.

However, as Otto stared at the emblem, his brows gradually knitted together, a trace of confusion and puzzlement flashing through his eyes.

After pondering for a moment, he turned his gaze toward the tall, thin noble behind him, Viscount Wells, the current head of the House of Wells.

“Karl, how many people have been sent up so far?”

Karl’s face went pale.

When he met Otto’s gaze, fear and reverence mingled unmistakably in his eyes. His body trembled as he stammered, his voice barely steady, “Y… Your Majesty, roughly… roughly about… twenty thousand…”

Otto frowned slightly, his fingers tightening around the emblem in his hand.

“There are no more people?”

“Y-Yes, there are indeed no more. The allocated time is short, and together with the prisoners we captured, as well as the villagers we seized from nearby settlements, this includes everyone aged forty and above. There is not a single soul left to be seen in the surrounding villages.”

Karl hesitated as he spoke, choosing his words carefully before finishing his report.

After speaking, he grew even more hesitant and carefully asked, “Um… Y… Your Majesty… are we… are we going a bit too… too far?”

Otto shot him a cold glance.

“What?”

Karl opened his mouth, then swallowed.

“N… nothing…”

Otto withdrew his eyes and once again looked toward the city. As he observed the slow progress of the battle and the severely insufficient amount of life force reflected on the emblem, his frown deepened further.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke.

“Send the younger villagers as well. Tell them that if they do not go and die, their elders will die, and their children will become sacrifices as well.”

Karl was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.

He hesitated, then spoke haltingly, “But… but Your Majesty, haven’t their elders already been sent to die?”

Otto did not answer. Instead, he cast a cold, silent look at Karl, causing his heart to pound violently in his chest.

Before Karl could say anything else, the Pope of the Church of Twilight, who had been accompanying them all along, quickly spoke up,

“Viscount, those young villagers do not know that their elders have already been sent to their deaths. Therefore… if you tell them so, they will fight desperately.”

Karl opened his mouth but in the end no words came out. He could only nod fearfully, steel himself, and withdraw to carry out the order.

After some time had passed, a new wave of commotion arose at the front of the army formation as a large number of villagers were pushed forward once more.

This time, their average age was noticeably younger.

Signs of unrest quietly emerged among the villagers, but all of it was swiftly suppressed by the soldiers surrounding them.

Under the coercion of fully armed guards, the villagers picked up swords and spears with trembling hands and once again charged toward Augsburg City, reigniting the siege with fresh new cannon fodders.

However, as he watched the fighting unfold on and beneath the distant city walls, and as he looked at the emblem in his hand shimmering with a dim, eerie glow, King Otto of the Red Maple Kingdom frowned more deeply than before.

“Strange… the amount of soul power is acceptable, but why is the accumulation of life force so slow?”

“Could it be that only the lives of extraordinary beings can be used as sacrifices?”

He muttered in confusion, his brows knitting tightly together.

And just as Otto was lost in thought, a violent surge of energy suddenly erupted from the direction of Augsburg City.

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