By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 13 - Chapter 14

Chapter 8, Episode 14: Worry of the Jamils

The next morning, after we sat down for breakfast, I confessed to the other three members of our travel party that I was a child of the gods. Even if they’d suspected it already, they were at least surprised that I decided to break the news to them now.

“I’m sorry I kept it from you,” I said.

“No need to apologize. If you were going around sharing that information lightly, I would have been gravely concerned. Besides, everyone has secrets, big or small, for reasons of their own. We, for example, never told you that we suspected you were a child of the gods,” Reinbach started.

“A relationship where you can trust each other and share everything is a wonderful thing to have, but there can be a long journey to get to that point. You have every right to choose with whom to share your secrets and when, Master Ryoma. Thank you for choosing to share them with me now.”

“That makes me feel a lot better,” I said. Reinbach and Sebas seemed ready to treat me the same as they always had. On the other hand, I was still scoping out Sever, who had remained silent, a sour look on his face.

“Whatever it is, Sever, spit it out,” Reinbach urged him.

“Yes, sorry... I don’t want to bombard you with questions, but I do need to clarify one thing. Do you have any intention, Ryoma, to use your powers as a child of the gods against this kingdom?” Although he spoke quietly, Sever’s question put far more tension between us than what I had felt during our match.

Clearly he would see through any lies or nonanswers. And that wasn’t a problem for me. “Not in the slightest, at this point. I would like to maintain my lifestyle as long as I can, so I have nothing to gain from starting fights with the royal family or the kingdom at large. Titles and power don’t interest me either. Honestly, I don’t care about all that.”

The tension between us faded. “That’s what I thought. My apologies. That question was burning in my mind.”

“Only natural, considering your career,” I said.

Then Sever promised not to divulge my secret to anyone. Not even the royal family. Now that he was retired, he wasn’t obligated to report information like this. “However, if His Majesty has gathered any information on you, our silence won’t make much difference. The king will reach out to you sooner or later.”

I suspected as much. Chances are, there’s nothing I can do to prevent the king from finding out. If he does have a way of identifying children of the gods, how does he do it? 

It was really bugging me that I didn’t know what his method was.

“A way to identify if someone is a child of the gods...” Sever repeated. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Neither have I. If I had, I would have used it on you,” Reinbach chimed in.

“When His Majesty called off the investigation, I wondered if he knew somehow that My Lady was not a child of the gods. With such an abrupt conclusion, I believe he had good cause for it,” Sebas said.

“Did His Majesty act any differently before he called it off? For example, did he ask unusual questions or carry any unfamiliar tools?” I asked, just spitballing. The group collectively shook their heads.

“We’d have noticed if he was acting obviously out of the ordinary,” said Remily. “At least one of us kept an eye on Elia at all times, doubling as her bodyguard. Especially whenever Elias interacted with her.”

“A small item that he could keep up his sleeve, possibly,” said Sever. “No one would have searched His Majesty’s person for any reason.”

“True, but if he had such an item, he could have tested her at any time. When the investigation first began, His Majesty pored over documents himself. If he faked that dedication, I’ll be damned. So, he might have found a way during his search...” Reinbach contemplated.

“A peculiar event I recall is that His Majesty made My Lady cry.”

He made Elia cry? “Did he take her blood or something?” I asked.

“Nothing like that. His Majesty took very good care of her, so he often played games when they saw each other. Accordingly, His Majesty poked her cheek in jest a little forcefully. My Lady was uninjured, of course, despite her wailing. Only shocked by the unusual force in the physical contact. It was a memorable anecdote to me, but I can’t imagine it bears relevance to how His Majesty concluded the investigation.”

“I see...” I muttered. If the king had utilized some tool from Earth or something else that would only make sense to someone from Earth, there was a chance that all of my travel companions had not thought anything of it. There was just too little information for me to even make a guess as to the king’s methods. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

“Heard enough already? If we keep talking, one of us may recall something else,” Reinbach offered.

“Food’s almost warmed up. And I was just curious about whatever method he might’ve used; after all, I might end up on the receiving end of it. Even if the king couldn’t tell for sure, he could have made the declaration for political reasons. He was right, so if there’s a way—” I couldn’t finish my sentence, because the adults were staring at me more intently than when I had revealed my big secret. In particular, powerful emotion roiled behind Reinbach’s and Sebas’s eyes.

“Is that true, Ryoma?” The gravity in Reinbach’s voice finally made me realize that children of the gods were treated like bombs in this country. They could bring about great profit with proper application, but could also trigger mass destruction if rubbed the wrong way. Since Reinbach had no way to determine whether or not someone was a child of the gods himself, he was never completely sure if the king had been right. Some part of him must have always longed for concrete proof that his granddaughter was no ticking time bomb.

“I’m sure of it. She apparently did inherit King Masaharu’s gifts, but nothing more,” I said.

“Master Ryoma, not to doubt your claim, but can you tell us how you know this?” asked Sebas.

“There aren’t any documents or anything. What if I showed you this?” I produced my Status Board from the Item Box and pulled up a particular item before handing it to Sebas.

“These are...!” he started.

“What is it?” Reinbach asked.

“Master Ryoma has two titles significant to this matter: Beloved Child of the Gods and Oracle.”

“Incredible,” Reinbach muttered. “When you say that Elia is not a child of the gods...”

“I asked the gods about it. Do you remember when I went to the church to have this card made, shortly after we met?”

“Sure I do. That’s when you spoke to them?” Reinbach asked.

“I was told a little bit about you all, starting with how I was lucky to meet you. Besides, there is only one child of the gods at any given time. There were times when there were multiple, I was told, but I should be the only child of the gods now.”

“I see...” Relief washed over Reinbach, whose eyes were glistening.

Sebas held out a handkerchief for him, although he looked to be on the verge of tears himself.

“And...forgive me for being blunt, but I assume your biggest concern is that Elia might be capable of the calamity magic that King Masaharu wielded,” I said.

“You’re not wrong, but there’s a little more to it...” Reinbach replied. “Did you know that King Masaharu was regarded as a tyrant?”

“Tyrant?” I couldn’t help but repeat it. That was news to me.

“Although it’s distant history, many people hesitate to criticize the royal family, so I’m not surprised you didn’t know.”

Reinbach went on to give me the full story of King Masaharu.

First of all, he wasn’t born a royal, but an orphan. The kingdom was on the verge of losing a brutal war, desperate for any hope of turning the tide. That’s when Masaharu’s extraordinary magical prowess caught the king’s attention. Claiming Masaharu as his illegitimate son, the king hoped to add the child of the gods to the kingdom’s arsenal.

A royal claiming an orphan was unheard of, and the king most likely had no intention of passing on the throne to Masaharu. However, all his legitimate heirs died on the battlefield or were assassinated by agents of enemy nations. The king himself suddenly passed away almost as soon as the war was won and peace was established, before he could sire another heir. As the only member of the royal family alive, Masaharu inherited the kingdom.

“There must have been a lot of pushback,” I guessed.

“Naturally. Historical documents note that Masaharu assassinated the king and possibly some of the legitimate heirs. On the other hand, Masaharu contributed greatly to the kingdom’s victory. People regarded him as a war hero. Nobles at the time thought keeping Masaharu on the throne would be an easier way to rule than finding an excuse to rob him of the crown. In the end, they officially acknowledged him as king,” Reinbach said.

“Long story short, they wanted Masaharu as their puppet,” Remily interjected. “Despite his incredible powers, Masaharu was known as a timid man who never questioned an order before he sat on the throne.”

Once he took the throne, he was on top of the ladder. Amassing treasure and armies for his personal use, regulating the use of specific spells, and drastically rewriting laws were some examples of his tyranny Reinbach and Remily gave me. Worst of all, any dissent was silenced by the force of his magic.

“The best those nobles who sought to puppeteer Masaharu could do was oblige their new king’s tyranny while trying to mitigate the damage to the kingdom. There was no defying a war hero who turned the tide of battles with nothing but his own magic...” Reinbach explained.

“We don’t want Elia to fall into a similar path as King Masaharu. While his calamity magic may pose the greatest threat to our kingdom...I’m most afraid that Elia will end up isolated with no one she can trust. That she will turn into someone who has to force others to follow her by force,” Reinbach confessed.

“As for his calamity magic, it’s very unlikely that Elia can cast it,” I said.

“What did you say?” Reinbach asked.

“I doubt Elia can cast calamity magic. Well, calamity magic is apparently not some special spell that requires a particular talent or place in a bloodline. It’s the same as the spells you use every day. Technically, everyone who can cast a spell has the potential to use calamity magic,” I explained.

“Calamity magic is no ordinary magic...” Reinbach countered. “Take the legend of how these valleys were formed, for example. Masaharu’s spells are recorded in history to have incomprehensible power—”

“Only due to his immense amount of magical energy. King Masaharu had a particularly vast store of it, even among the children of the gods,” I said. “If the legends are to be believed, I am nowhere near the spellcaster he was, even though we’re both children of the gods. Sincerely, I doubt I could ever cast spells like him, and I’d expect the same from Elia, who has about as much magical energy as I do. If anything, she might have a slightly better chance of casting such magic than the average spellcaster.” I tried to explain in as certain as possible terms.

Reinbach must have reached his limit. He lowered his head, holding Sebas’s handkerchief to his eyes. “Excuse me. Just a moment.”

“I’ll accompany you,” said Sebas.

Having excused themselves with trembling voices, they both returned to one of the tents that still stood.

Silence fell over the rest of us until Sever said, “Thank you. Even as a mere friend of hers who took part in the investigation, I feel the weight taken off of my shoulders. I can only imagine how relieved Reinbach and Sebas are.”

“They always help me out, so it’s the least I can do,” I said.

“Even so, that was information we failed to obtain after putting blood and sweat into our research. Besides, even though we had already suspected you to be a child of the gods, you could have kept your silence about the Oracle skill or about calamity magic,” Sever added.

“I didn’t expect or even hope for something like this either,” Remily said. “Knowing you were a child of the gods alone would have made me happy.”

“I could have kept that information to myself,” I admitted. “But to do so at the expense of someone who’s helped me greatly... That wouldn’t sit right with me.”

Regret would stain any peaceful life I could hope to attain, not to mention how awkward I’d feel every time I saw them. Even now, I had the urge to kick myself for not noticing sooner and for focusing too much on how I felt... If I had still been on Earth, I would have gotten into a spiral of self-degradation. By comparison, I was practicing much more positive thinking here. And I’d only gotten this far thanks to the Jamils. That’s why I wanted to help them in any small way I could.

Sever and Remily seemed happy with my decision too.

“It was wonderful news to us, so I have no complaints—as long as you’re happy with your decision, Ryoma,” Remily said.

“Me neither,” said Sever. “But you should choose who to tell and what exactly to tell them very carefully. If any trouble arises because of it, we will help you.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that. If it does, I will take you up on your offer,” I said.

When Reinbach and Sebas came back out, they thanked me and gave me adamant promises to help me in my future endeavors.

Whatever the future holds for me, I have people who’ll lend me their strength. As long as I hold on to these relationships, I’ll make it through anything, somehow.