Chapter 31.2. Yggdrasil

-???’s POV-

Not very much, but they did not look like devout believers whose doctrine is to save people. Each seemed to be thinking only of themselves.

“Fu, my five apostles, it’s great that you’re still in good health.”

However, the Guru behind the curtain showed no sign of concern.

“The reward this time is 1.2 billion; 600 million is for the Yggdrasil. The rest will be divided equally among the six.”

“Where’s the equality in that? Are you the leader of a comic band?”

Seeing one man click his tongue, the Guru laughed like she was teasing him.

“No matter how much money you have, it’s not enough to support the cult. That was the deal from the beginning, wasn’t it?”

“We have subordinates to feed too…”

Some express their dissatisfaction by shaking their bodies.

“Hmph. I have tens of thousands, and you have tens. I think it would be good to have more for me.”

“As per our original agreement. I don’t mind.”

“……. You’re right. We gotta keep our contract.”

Finally, the conversation ended, and things quieted down slightly. If devout believers had seen this scene, they might have been outraged by their attitude toward the Guru.

But to them, it was business as usual.

“A paid top executive. Not something a devout believer could see.”

“I don’t think powerful magicians will conveniently become your followers.”

“They have basic money and power. They won’t bother to join any shady religions.”

“In that case, we’ll need to give them more money and power than they currently have.”

The Guru laughed and continued talking. Yes, these top executives were hired by the guru. They were neither loyal nor devout followers. There was no reason for a powerful magician who possessed money and power to come to the emerging religion, Yggdrasil.

These five are corrupt. They had a magical power, but did not know how to make money, were not smart, used by the powerful, or criminals.

Giving them large sums of money and providing them with connections to those in power, the Guru hired these five as top executives.

“So, what I gathered this time was nothing else. Hrungnir obtainer the [Crown of Clay].”

At the Guru’s words, one large-built man puffed out his chest, while the others looked on in admiration. The man called Hrungnir opens his mouth with a smile.

“Oh, yes, that’s right. I have exchanged it for that crappy fake elixir. …I was going to kill them all and take it from them when they refused to trade. I thought it would be a worthwhile fight, but it turned out to be a bore.”

Carelessly, he pulls a rusty crown from his pocket and tosses it on the floor. The Guru’s attendant, looking flustered, picks up the crown and reverently brings it to the Guru.

“That’s fine. You’re a mess. I’m sure there’s a big chance you killed around so roughly because you didn’t get what you wanted.”

“If you make fun of a magic tool user, you’ll get hurt, you know.”

“No shit. So, is it real? It’s going too well, I’m afraid. I feel like we’re getting bamboozled.”

At Hrungnir’s words of concern, the Guru, who has the crown, nodded and sent mana into it. The rusty forehead crown glows, and the rusty parts disappear as if melting. The room was illuminated and radiated a mysterious power. However, the light gradually subsided and returned to the original rusty forehead crown.

“Hmmm… It seems I don’t have enough mana. It looks like it’s been neglected for a while, so I guess I’ll have to pour mana into it daily.”

The Guru clicks her tongue and hands the Crown of Clay to the attendant. The attendant nods, accepts the Crown of Clay, and hands it to Hrungnir.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s like a dirty, clogged water pipe. You have to run the water over, and over again to clean the dirt and clean it out.”

“Wow, thanks for explaining it so clearly. Does that mean I have to keep the manna flowing?”

“There is no doubt that it is genuine, but there is something wrong with the mana. That’s all you can do.”

The Guru shrugs and Hrungnir looks disgusted.

“It’s a pain in the ass! Leave it to someone else.”

“It’s a divine weapon I intend to let you use until I revive the Demon God. It has a powerful power, but if you don’t like it, I’ll leave it to someone else.”

“Tsk. It can’t be helped. There will be more rough stuff to come. I’ll pour mana in my spare time.”

While clucking his tongue at the Guru’s words, Hrungnir put away his crown in his pocket. A Sacred Artifact cannot fully draw out its abilities unless only one’s mana gets poured into it. Hrungnir had no choice but to accept it.

When he saw that he was satisfied with the situation, the Guru continued her story.

“According to the books, there are four Sacred Artifacts that remain. Each of you must devote yourselves and collect all the sacred artifacts.”

“Ha. We will all do our best to revive the Demon God.”

The executives nodded their heads as they bowed deeply.

“The Demon God will back ……. It will be a restraining force against other countries.”

“How much can you sell a set of Sacred Artifacts?”

“Powerful Sacred Artifacts Analyze”

“In the meantime, give me the reward money for the Sacred Artifacts.”

“If we rebuild the world, a happy world awaits us…”

Everyone united their hearts and pledged their efforts to the Guru to revive the world-destroying Demon God.

There is more than one idea that they’re oriented toward. They are determined to act to revive the Demon God.

In the novel, most of these discussions are not described. To portray the discussions as scenes for the sake of looking good, these five were represented as if they were pious fanatics.