- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 139
“Alright then, rest up for the next few days. The supplies should be ready in three days,” said Earl Engel with a nod and a smile. “You’ll be able to set off then.”
“Understood!” Thor replied, preparing to take his leave.
But as he turned, a thought struck him, and he hesitated.
“What is it? Is there something else?” Engel asked, looking at Thor with a hint of curiosity.
“Father, do you know anything about the Titan language?” Thor asked hesitantly, taking a few old parchment scrolls from his cloak.
He’d remembered these scrolls and thought it would be worth asking his father if he could decipher the Titan language. Recent events had nearly made him forget about them altogether.
“The Titan language?” Engel’s expression grew serious as he took the scrolls from Thor’s hand. “I can manage a rough translation.”
“Really? You can read it?” Thor’s surprise was mixed with excitement; he’d hoped for a vague answer, never expecting his father could genuinely translate it.
“Don’t get too excited. I can only make out parts of it,” Engel cautioned. “The only true expert is back in the capital.”
He had studied under that person in his youth, but even so, his knowledge of the Titan language was limited. Still, the fact that these scrolls had come from his son, likely from the northern province, gave him a sense of urgency as he examined them.
“This is… a secret ritual?”
“A ritual of the Titan God?”
“The Great Titan God.”
“This is… radiance, and here, this is…?”
Engel’s focus deepened as he examined the scrolls. But as he continued reading, his brow furrowed, growing more tense as he read the second scroll, which seemed to contain nearly identical content.
“The Titan God…” Engel murmured, frowning. “Could this really be an oracle of the Titan God? But that’s impossible—the Titan God’s authority rests with the Behemoth, so why would it appear here?”
“And there’s something else off about it…”
Engel muttered to himself, his expression becoming more puzzled. Then, a sudden thought struck him, and he turned sharply to Thor.
“Thor, where did you find these?” Engel’s voice held an uncharacteristic urgency.
“These were seized from an orc tribe in the northern province. Why? Is there something wrong with them, Father?” Thor asked, taken aback by Engel’s tone.
“An orc tribe…” Engel murmured, his expression shifting as he paced the room, visibly disturbed.
Thor watched his father’s reaction with growing concern, but before he could ask anything, Engel called out to the hall.
“Charlie!”
Moments later, the door opened, and the family steward, Charlie, entered the room.
“Yes, my lord?” Charlie greeted him with a respectful bow.
“Has the Cult of the Heretic Gods resurfaced recently?” Engel asked, looking intently at Charlie.
“Yes, my lord. Just a few months ago, the cult attacked a detachment the kingdom sent to the northern province. However, they were ultimately repelled by two dukes,” Charlie replied respectfully.
Engel’s face turned grim as he listened to Charlie’s report.
“You may leave—and also, call Michael here for me.”
“Yes, my lord,” Charlie said, bowing as he quickly exited the room.
Once Charlie had left, Thor turned to his father with a look of concern.
“Father, what’s going on?”
“Thor, listen carefully,” Engel said, his tone grave. “Temporarily abandon your territory. Send word to your men to withdraw immediately. I’ll cover any reparations.”
Thor’s brow furrowed, stunned by his father’s unprecedented seriousness. Anxiety filled his heart, but curiosity burned just as brightly.
Engel, noticing Thor’s expression, seemed to snap back from his thoughts.
With a heavy sigh, Engel said nothing further. Instead, he walked over to the bookshelf and retrieved a thick book.
“Read this—you’ll understand,” he said softly, handing the book to Thor.
“What is it?” Thor asked, puzzled, but he took the book and looked at the cover.
His expression shifted in surprise.
“The Day of Divine Revelation?”
The black cover was plain except for two blood-red words.
“Open it,” Engel urged.
Thor nodded, taking a seat as he began to read.
Engel watched him quietly, waiting as Thor became absorbed in the text.
The only sound in the room was the rustle of pages turning.
As he read, Thor’s heart stirred with increasing intensity. This book was a chronicle—a history of the entire continent. Yet he’d never come across anything like it before.
It recounted events from a hundred thousand years ago.
Compared to the present day, a hundred thousand years ago was practically a mythic era.
In that age, the gods had not yet disappeared from the mortal realm.
The entire continent—humans, orcs, dragons, elves, dwarves, magical beasts—all the great races lived together. And each race had a powerful divine entity guiding it.
These entities were the true rulers of the continent.
They were holy, powerful, radiant, and majestic.
They were the beginning and the end of everything.
But then, a hundred thousand years ago, the gods vanished from the world.
And countless races across the continent began to vanish along with them.
In the end, only humanity, orcs, elves, and dragons remained.
The gods themselves had long since vanished from humanity’s view, seemingly reduced to mere legends.
Even the mention of gods became something humans preferred to avoid, as though speaking of them was taboo.
Thor could sense the strange weight of it all as he read.
“Father?”
“This…?” Thor looked to Earl Engel, trusting his father to provide some answers.
And indeed, Engel did.
“Thor, you’ve likely noticed—ten thousand years ago, the gods completely disappeared!” Engel spoke with a somber tone, meeting his son’s gaze.
“Yes, it seems like they vanished mysteriously, with no record of how,” Thor replied.
“Exactly. No one truly knows how they disappeared, at least not most people. But you should know, gods don’t die easily.”
“Gods are eternal.”
“They have attempted countless times to return to the mortal world, and this is why the Cult of the Heretic Gods exists.”
“The ritual to summon the gods is called Divine Revelation, and each Revelation has led to great chaos across the continent. One hundred years ago, there was a Revelation in the Southmoon Province—over two hundred thousand humans were sacrificed.”
“Sixty-eight years ago, it happened in the Kingdom of Blazing Flames—more than four hundred thousand lives were taken.”
“If these scrolls you found in the orc tribe are indeed authentic, then the orcs, perhaps the entire northern province, may be preparing for another Revelation. This isn’t something you or even the entire Dresrosa family can face alone.”
Engel’s voice grew heavy, and the weight of his words made Thor’s brow tighten.
“Thor, write your letter immediately and recall your forces,” Engel continued, his tone as resolute as it was sincere. “I’ll make sure the family supports you to minimize your losses, and we can cover the reparation fees. Don’t worry about losing your title as baron.”
Thor slowly nodded, his mind settling from the initial shock. He took a steadying breath.
“Father, is there any record of these past Revelations with more details?” he asked. “For instance, those in Southmoon Province and the Kingdom of Blazing Flames?”
Engel paused briefly, then gestured to a bookshelf. “A more detailed record is on the second shelf, the third book.”
“Thank you, Father,” Thor said, crossing the room to retrieve it.
The book was significantly thicker than the one he’d just read.
With some quick searching, Thor found the relevant sections and began reading in earnest.
Engel waited in silence, giving him time.
After an hour, Thor closed the book and looked up, his earlier tension now replaced by a calm understanding.
This book contained detailed accounts of previous Revelations across various eras. Thor now had a better grasp of what Divine Revelation truly entailed.
“Father, the book doesn’t say how each Revelation was ultimately resolved.”
“And it seems that, in all these ten thousand years, not a single god has actually returned to the continent. Is that right?”
Engel nodded after a moment’s reflection. “Correct. What are you trying to say?”
Thor spoke after a pause, “This book documents a total of one hundred and three Revelation events, with only seventy-three of them being catastrophic. The majority of these severe incidents happened without warning, and most kingdoms were caught unprepared. The remaining thirty, however, caused minimal impact because they were detected early.”
“So, would it be correct to say that as long as Revelation is detected in time, the consequences are much less severe?”
Thor’s voice was calm as he shared the information he had found. The newfound clarity had eased his earlier tension.
Engel, who had been on edge, now paused as Thor’s words sank in.
“Father, take a look,” Thor said, handing the book to him.
After a brief hesitation, Engel accepted the book and began reading. With Thor’s insight as a guide, he soon noticed the difference in outcomes for the various Revelation events.
His eyes lit up with a sudden realization.
“It’s true,” he murmured, the light in his gaze intensifying.
“Father, if I managed to obtain these scrolls, don’t you think the kingdom could acquire them as well?” Thor continued. “And once the kingdom is aware, Revelation’s impact might not be as disastrous as we feared.”
Engel paced slowly, his mind racing.
At first, the mere mention of Revelation had struck him like a thunderbolt. In the northern province, the Dresrosa family’s influence was vast, and if they were to be elevated to marquis status, it would almost certainly be based there. The Frostmoon Province couldn’t support another marquis, so the northern province was their best chance.
If anything happened in the northern province, the family’s losses would be incalculable.
This realization had rattled even someone as composed as Engel.
(End of Chapter)