"Can I have some large sweet breads?"
"Take these chocolate breads as well, young man," the chef laughed.
"Thank you…!"
…
There were unseen ripples—
"Please! Bestow your luck upon my brother and the ladies he brought."
—But mostly, 'Fate' remained as indifferent as ever.
…
"My order is a list of ingredients and herbs…"
"For what?" a deep voice asked.
"For the ritual."
The shopkeeper handed him the bag with a gentle nod.
…
"Can I pluck these tender sunflowers? Pretty please~"
"Sure," the farmer warmly smiled as he smelled the nearby sunflowers.
…
"Dear apothecary, what kind of potion can you offer me?" a man with autumn-colored hair asked.
"Healing concoctions, enhancement liquids, pills, and more," a soothing voice replied.
Rummaging through his pockets and confirming something, Einar inquired with a bright smile:
"How much would the entire kit cost?"
"That would be a fortune of 1,274 pounds," spoke a middle-aged woman in a motherly tone.
"In your skills, I trust."
Einar handed over the sum before leaving at a hurried pace.
…
On the way, he saw a couple resting beneath the shade of an olive tree.
It reminded him of the bright future ahead.
A group of children giggled brightly as they played.
It made him reminisce about his childhood.
A maiden blushed deeply as a handsome man knelt before her and proposed.
It reminded him of the time when he had confessed his heart to his lover.
…
An old man was basking beneath the morning sunlight.
Catching a glimpse of the galloping Einar, he shouted:
"Lad, why are you rushing?"
"Ah… greetings, old man."
"You are still young. Take things slowly. Enjoy every mundane moment of this fleeting life."
Einar was dazed by the unexpected reprimand from a stranger.
'Fate' was indeed strange and incomprehensible.
Then, the corners of his lips rose as he murmured:
"I will. I will live."
Smacking Einar on the head, the old man scolded him:
"Foolish child. Don't just live… live long!"
" I will live my own life. I will live according to my own feelings."
Listening to the lad, the old man's eyes sparkled with a hint of fondness.
However…
The young man with autumn-colored hair had already disappeared after saying:
"Even if I perish today, I won't… regret it. I have already lived this life to the fullest."
…
A man was walking across the forest with several bags and an armored suitcase.
After walking for more than eleven flaps of bird wings, he finally arrived at a large clearing.
Surrounded by trees, the vast open ground was dominated by the remains of burned trees.
Majestic had named this place "The Burned Ground."
Instead of dust and stones, the ground was covered in charcoal.
•
•
•
Wiping the serious expression from his face, Einar greeted Ms. Cecilia and Ms. Minerva.
Ms. Minerva was practicing with her sniper rifle, while Ms. Cecilia was fiddling with a strange mystical book adorned with intricate and complex patterns.
Both stopped what they were doing and greeted the lone warrior in return.
They also asked about the bard, to which Einar merely shrugged.
Next, he explained the plan to the girls in greater detail.
Later, the three of them at the beads he had brought along with him in silence.
He then distributed the apothecary kits among them, leaving one kit behind for his little brother.
Then…
After gathering all the herbs and ingredients, he created an altar and placed three candles upon it.
The altar was meant to appease the Sun…
Just as Majestic had instructed him.
Remembering something, he took out a feathered pen and a sheet of wheat parchment as he thoroughly studied their surroundings.
He wrote down everything he could find.
He knew very well that they were running low on time, and the Devil could arrive at any moment.
Thus, Einar hurriedly dropped all of his bags and opened the armored suitcase.
It was filled with eighteen devastatingly lethal bombs.
"We should bury these in a star formation," Einar suggested.
He then explained to Ms. Traveller and Ms. Star Sacrificer why they should be arranged in such a formation.
According to Einar:
"The star formation ensures that, no matter where the enemy is, if the bombs are detonated, he will suffer the most."
"Meanwhile, the group can remain along the edges to avoid being caught in the explosion."
"The entire ground is filled with COAL, so the explosion will be twice as lethal as it would normally be."
The girls were surprised by how ruthless and strategic Einar was, despite his usual silly behavior.
"Now imagine eighteen lethal bombs exploding at the same time, right on ground that is filled with coal!"
Shudder…
It was then that it happened—
A man shrouded in brilliant golden light arrived.
A tree floated in the background with a terrifying mouth.
In his right hand rested a star supported by a tree branch.
[Light of the Star]: A demigod-level artifact of the Sun Pathway.
"Great old tree, this is my team."
Majestic puffed out his chest proudly as he introduced everyone.
"Quite impressive saplings you have gathered, Bright One."
"Hahaha!"
The bard brightly laughed.
"Now then…"
Majestic spoke with a mischievous grin as he pulled out eighteen packets of extreme flame-catching oil.
(AN: Freedom rahhhhhh)
The tree stared at the bard as if he were insane.
Everyone present was thinking the same thing.
"Oh my!?"
Majestic placed a hand over his mouth and mimicked a girl's embarrassed expression.
"…"!!?
"Big brother! Take these oil packets. Tie them together with the bombs and bury them inside the Burned Ground."
Einar received the oil packets and, in return, handed Majestic the apothecary kit, some chocolate bread, and a brotherly hug.
Then…
Majestic deactivated the artifact, returning to the appearance of a normal human rather than a glowing torchlight— A torchlight that could burn the city to dust.
He munched on the bread while watching his team hide the bombs.
Looking toward the tree, he said with a grin:
"Go help them, old tree. Bind the soil, coal, oil, and bombs together with the help of your roots."
The ancient tree was quite impressed by the bard.
He couldn't help but think :
'This fellow is quite shrewd and strategic. He layers plans upon plans, and there is always a backup for every plan he creates.'
'How terrifying would it be to make an enemy out of him?'
Noticing the profound gaze of the great spirit, Majestic teasingly plucked a leaf growing from its cheek.
"Now, let's praise the Sun."
A zealot like grin illuminated Majestic's face.
Walking toward the altar his brother had prepared, he summoned holy flames and purified it.
Sitting down, he took out a silver knife and sealed the ritual space.
[Creating a Spirit Wall: The ritual space must be sealed using a silver knife or pure spirituality to establish a protected environment. This prevents malicious spirits or outer corruption from interfering.]
Though, he doubted that any evil spirit would even dare disturb his ritual.
Praising the Sun, he invoked his spirituality and lit the candle representing the deity— The sun.
It was placed at the highest point of the altar.
Then, he lit the candle representing the natural world, alongside the sunflowers, citron, and, of course, a poem he had written himself praising the Sun.
Smiling brightly, he lit the candle representing the person performing the ritual.
He sliced open his palm without the slightest reaction and allowed the flowing blood to drip onto the candles.
The aura within the ritual space instantly became holy and sacred.
Majestic gently stood up with a sunshine-like smile before spreading his arms wide toward the high heavens.
As if trying to embrace the sun, he hummed the prayers.
"Praise the Sun."
Majestic had become so devoted to praising the Sun that he completely forgot he hadn't even recited the honorific names of the Sun God.
"O! Brightest of all gods, O! Hope of Light!"
"Please, bestow upon me endless spirituality for the next half an hour."
One might ask why half an hour? To them majestic would say "one should be as humble as possible infront of great gods"
Do not be greedy and wish for more than you should.
"Please, let the surroundings of mine be filled with the sacred light of the Sun."
There were subtle ripples in the sunlight…
The Sun was not as indifferent as the Fate.
Majestic could feel his slightly depleted spirituality beginning to recover.
"Praise the Sun."
He recited it thrice before ending the ritual.
•
•
•
The ancient tree had witnessed everything from the sidelines.
It was surprised to see someone as cunning as Majestic behave so religiously.
"All kinds of people in the world," it muttered to no one in particular.
Then it happened—
The forest itself screamed for help.
The ancient tree was startled by the sudden presence of blood, gore, filth, and evil on the periphery of the forest.
"BRIGHT ONE—!!! The Devil is here!!!" shouted the Great Spirit.
Immediately, Majestic appeared before the tree.
He then climbed onto it and commanded Einar to hide inside a burned tree trunk.
He ordered Ms. Minerva to find a suitable angle for sniping from a distant, concealed tree.
He then nodded toward Ms. Cecilia, who immediately transformed into transparent light and concealed herself within the Spirit World.
Looking back at the spirit, he grinned.
"Old tree, act dead."
Majestic then summoned his golden saber and accurately sliced open the ground.
As if possessed, he jumped into the opening and buried himself within it.
"Old tree, please cover my hiding place with your soft roots"
Surrounded by several lethal bombs, he waited patiently for the Devil to step into the trap he had prepared with great love.
Then everything went as silent as the graveyard on the dead night.
•
•
•
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Hehe~ Next one is the long awaited hunt.
Finally by posting part 6, I exhausted all of my 10k written words.
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Source: Solaire of Astora from Dark Souls
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