How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World-Chapter 453: Kingdom of Gerios (4)

The final scribe of the Kingdom of Gerios, Milek Malto, left behind a desperate record that shocked everyone.

The world had already been destroyed once—by a war of the gods, no less.

Even more unbelievable was the claim that the last surviving mortals had seeped into this land from the ruins of destruction.

A parade of truths that were too absurd to believe. Were they truly real, or merely lies meant to sow chaos?

Yet, considering that he continued writing until his dying breath, it was more likely to be true.

There was no reason to leave behind falsehoods, even after death.

Though, the claims were so outlandish that they bordered on blasphemy.

“……”

While the archaeologists stood speechless in shock, Deimos closed his eyes and sank into deep thought.

The world had been destroyed by a war of the gods, and the surviving mortals had settled upon this land.

As a devout follower of Luminous, he simply could not accept this record. Did it not mean that Hirt, Luminous, and Mora had waged war against each other?

That was impossible. Hirt was the mother of the twin siblings, and Luminous and Mora did not hate each other. On the contrary, they shared a strong bond.

Perhaps their relationship had been poor in the distant past, but what was recorded here was not a mere “battle”—it was a “war.”

What is war? It is not just a single skirmish but a fierce conflict between groups, driven by their own causes.

Even if Luminous and Mora had fought with the intent to kill, it would have been a battle, not a war. The number of participants required for a true war was far too great.

The most plausible explanation was that it was a religious war between the followers of Luminous and Mora.

However, unlike Luminous, Mora sought to avoid conflict whenever possible.

Even when demons and dark elves faced persecution, Mora merely sheltered them from threats rather than urging them to fight.

Deimos slowly opened his eyes, hidden beneath his thick eyebrows, and looked ahead.

Benphis and Delphine were still glancing at him anxiously, seemingly just as shaken.

“…Keep reading.”

“Are you sure?”

“It sounds like utter nonsense, but there must be a reason why it was written.”

It was too absurd to believe immediately, so they needed to keep reading.

At Deimos’s calm yet firm request, Benphis and Delphine exchanged glances before returning their focus to the scroll.

Truthfully, they wanted to continue reading as well. It was just that Deimos was watching them so intently.

“The Kingdom of Gerios explored the world using its ability to read the heavens and the stars.

They believed that if they traveled westward, they would eventually reach Alvenheim, the nation of the elves. But the land they arrived at was far beyond their expectations.

It was the ancient homeland of the beastkin.”

“As we explored this land, we encountered numerous paintings—images from before the invention of writing. These images depicted myths of ‘creation’ that we had never known.

And those myths told only one truth: that this world was not created by ‘nature’ but by ‘the sea.'”

It felt as if the myths and faith they had believed in all their lives were crumbling beneath them.

Even children knew that this world had been created by the goddess of nature, Hirt.

But to claim that the world was not created by nature, but by the sea? That was impossible to believe.

The sea had always been regarded as a cursed land, a demonic zone created by monsters, a place never to be approached.

A growing sense of unease swelled within Deimos as he struggled against his own denial.

He should seize that scroll and cast it into the ocean right away, but… freeweɓnøvel.com

He was curious.

Why had the gods buried this truth?

What kind of record had been left behind that warranted such suppression?

While Deimos was lost in thought, the archaeologists, filled with a mix of excitement and dread, continued reading.

“The sea created nature, and within that nature, light and darkness were born. Beneath the light and darkness came day and night, and beneath them, countless lives flourished. The gods, each possessing their own powers, were no exception.

They governed this newly created world with their divine authority.

Humans, beastkin, dwarves—the first races of mankind—built civilizations under the protection of the gods.”

“But then, an unforeseen event occurred.

The ‘Outer Gods’ took an interest in this newborn world and paid it a visit.

Though they did not invade directly, they brought something even more dangerous—their ‘culture.'”

“…Outer Gods?”

Deimos furrowed his brows.

As if the confusion wasn’t enough, now an even greater mystery had emerged.

The archaeologists were just as puzzled, but they decided to read through the entire record first. They could analyze it later.

“The culture they introduced had the greatest influence on none other than the Creator—our Father, the Sea.

Like the world ruled by the Outer Gods, He desired a world where gods no longer reigned.

For humanity to truly advance, the cage had to be shattered.

Thus, He issued a command to all gods:

‘Cease ruling over the world.'”

“Many gods protested. Among them, the God of Light and War, and the Goddess of Darkness and Peace, opposed it most fiercely.

As the twin siblings of Nature and the Sea, and the gods with the greatest authority, they stood at the forefront of defiance.”

“The God of Light and War argued that they must create their own world.

The Goddess of Darkness and Peace supported this view.

They believed that if humanity were left to its own devices, the damage would not be suffered by humanity alone, but by ‘Nature’ and ‘the Sea’ as well.”

A world where gods did not rule.

To Deimos, such a world should neither exist nor be possible.

It was because of the gods that civilization had advanced as far as it had. Without them? Humanity would have remained no more than apes.

It was thanks to the gods that people united and built great civilizations.

This so-called “culture” was nothing but a mistake.

“But the Father of the Sea remained resolute. He believed that the mere existence of gods was an obstacle to humanity.

That only by their disappearance could mankind achieve true progress.

That it was the duty of the gods to make such a sacrifice.

Is it truly wrong for a parent to sacrifice themselves for their children?”

“In response, the God of Light and the Goddess of Darkness stood their ground.

It was their duty to intervene when humanity went astray.

The world of the Outer Gods had shown that without gods, humanity would commit endless sins, only to find themselves trapped in an unending cycle of destruction.

Is it truly wrong for parents to discipline their children when they misstep?”

Conflicting ideologies clashed.

The culture of the Outer Gods had sown a great rift.

And at the end of that rift…

There was only one possible outcome.

“The Father of the Sea raged.

To Him, the God of Light and the Goddess of Darkness were nothing more than tyrants, clinging to power for their own selfish desires.

He failed to see that, in his own way, he had become a tyrant himself.”

“The gods divided into factions.

And in the clash of ‘beliefs,’ the victors were… the God of Light and the Goddess of Darkness.

Yet, it was a victory for no one.

The Mother of Nature fell into deep sorrow.”

A war among gods, so deeply human in nature.

The introduction of an alien culture had birthed new ideologies, and those ideologies had festered into something that blinded even the divine.

“Humanity could not withstand their war.

The sea surged, swallowing the world.

Day and night disappeared.

Nature, in her grief, refused to shelter anyone.”

“And yet, she did not abandon them…”

As Delphine read on, she suddenly stopped.

The next part of the scroll had been burned away.

“The name… is missing,” she murmured.

Deimos exhaled.

Perhaps that was for the best.

Some truths were never meant to be revealed.

Those who come to know truths that should remain unknown do not meet a good end. This is an unwritten rule, a kind of truth in itself.

“…Are we going to be okay?”

Benphis asked Deimos in a trembling voice. Simply knowing the dark side of the gods was enough to be judged.

It wouldn’t be surprising if divine punishment struck them down at any moment. The fear of death was universal.

“If we go to the temple and take an oath of silence, we should be fine.”

Fortunately, Deimos was known for his gentle nature even within the Saviors.

If he were more extreme, he might have called in the temple knights standing guard outside and executed them on the spot.

After all, there was a reason the phrase “exterminate to the last” existed.

Perhaps the archaeologists were aware of this as well, as their trembling hands carefully handed over the scroll.

The moment Deimos received it, he began examining its contents.

It was written in an ancient language, making it impossible to decipher, but the mere fact that this record existed was already a major problem.

If this information were to leak out…

‘Luminous, who cannot lie, would have no choice but to acknowledge it.’

If that happened, the very foundation of divinity would be shaken, triggering a series of unprecedented events. That had to be prevented at all costs.

Even if the gods had committed sins, it was also an unchanging truth that they had greatly benefited humanity. Some things were better left unknown.

Deimos carefully folded the scroll and made the sign of the cross.

“Do not doubt.”

Now, the only thing left to do was to throw this scroll into the sea. That would conclude the oracle.

With that thought, Deimos immediately turned around and walked down the long corridor, heading toward the surface.

The temple knights, who had been standing guard outside and had heard nothing of what had transpired, followed him silently. The tense archaeologists trailed behind them.

And lastly…

“…”

The dark elf, Siris, who had overheard all of the truth, followed them quietly, without making a sound.

Even after finding one book, Elena continued to investigate her surroundings.

A civilization that had been founded even earlier than Alvenheim? It was almost impossible to believe.

Of course, there were differences in the dating methods between the Kingdom of Gerios and the present era, but one particular question had arisen, and she needed evidence to prove it.

However, finding even a single piece of evidence was a grueling task.

The rising sea levels had wiped out most of the ruins, and the palace was currently being examined by Deimos and his group.

In the end, aside from the one book she had found at the start, there was nothing else of value, and she had no choice but to give up.

“I should’ve stayed behind too.”

“Still, that book alone is valuable enough, isn’t it…? Plus, we learned that the Kingdom of Gerios valued shipbuilders.”

Elena and Cindy chatted idly as they sat in the shade, taking a break. They were drinking tea that was magically kept cold.

Elena gulped down her tea to quench her thirst before speaking irritably.

“That’s what’s annoying. If they valued shipbuilders, then their shipbuilding technology must have been advanced. But there’s no evidence of that. At least a blueprint or something should have been left behind.”

“Wouldn’t there be something in the palace…? At the very least, there should be blueprints related to warships…”

“Are you messing with me? Do you really think they had a navy back then?”

“I’m not sure…”

“See? There are too many questions. It’s driving me crazy.”

That was the intricate charm of archaeology and history. The deeper you dug, the more questions arose.

Why did people act the way they did? What significance did these ruins hold? And ultimately, who were they for?

There was an endless pile of things to research, but with so few remaining ruins, even Elena found it difficult to piece things together.

‘Maybe I should’ve brought Isaac, even if it meant pushing myself a little.’

It wasn’t that Cindy was incompetent. It was just that Isaac was simply too brilliant.

Even though he dismissed his own knowledge as mere coincidence, he knew an immense amount for his age.

And sometimes, he had ideas that an ordinary person wouldn’t even consider—ideas so uncanny that he felt like he had come from another world.

If he were here, he would have suggested this and that by now, Elena thought.

Swoosh—

“Hm? Dear?”

“I came because there’s something I want to show you.”

At that moment, Eiker, who had briefly left to scout the surroundings, approached them. Elena looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

Whatever he had seen, it was enough to make his face stiff with tension. For Eiker to wear such an expression, it was no ordinary matter.

Sensing this, Elena stood up to face him. Meanwhile, Cindy, still sluggish from the heat, remained where she was.

“Did something happen?”

“It’s not that… but I want you to take a look at something…”

Eiker trailed off and glanced to the side, as if something was there.

Elena followed his gaze, but there was nothing in sight.

All she could see was the shimmering distortion of the air—probably caused by the scorching heat of the gray desert. Mirages were common here, so she didn’t think much of it.

“What exactly am I supposed to be looking at—”

Swoosh—

Just as she was about to speak, a bronze-skinned woman slowly emerged from the distorted space.

As expected, it was the dark elf, Siris, who had been secretly tailing Deimos and his group.

Elena, startled by the sudden appearance of Siris, took a step back in surprise. But then, she turned to Eiker with a bewildered expression.

“Who is this dark elf? Don’t tell me she’s the one the Queen mentioned?”

“Yes. The Saviors have been involved in some rather shady dealings.”

“…I see.”

Elena had heard of dark elves before, but actually meeting one in person felt surreal.

There had been rumors that Queen Arwen occasionally communicated with the dark elves, and it seemed those rumors were true.

Given that no one was better suited for infiltration than dark elves, Arwen’s decision was understandable. Elena acknowledged this with a nod.

“Fine. If the Queen chose her, I’ll trust her.”

“…”

“So, what is it that you have for me?”

“Here.”

With a curt tone, Siris handed over a scroll. Elena took it but continued to stare at Siris.

Had she submerged herself in the sea? There were traces of salt clinging to her body, likely from magic-infused water. She didn’t seem to have noticed it herself.

The scroll was the same—it had dried, but salt crystals were still visible in some spots.

Still, it was well-preserved enough to be readable. Elena carefully unrolled it and began reading.

Since it had been retrieved through covert means, it had to be something important.

“…Is this really true?”

“I only retrieved it. I can’t say anything beyond that.”

“But… no matter how you look at it, this is…”

Like the archaeologists before her, Elena found herself plunged into deep confusion.

She couldn’t even tell if this was truth or fiction.

Seeing her shaken expression, Siris spoke quietly.

“This was the scroll found in the deepest part of the ruins. The last scribe wrote this right before his death. It’s likely to be the truth.”

“…”

“Cardinal Deimos threw it into the sea so it would never be found. I retrieved it.”

“If that was the case, why not just burn it? Why throw it into the sea…”

Elena trailed off, shaking her head. That wasn’t important right now.

What mattered was whether the content of the scroll was true.

But it was such an unbelievable story that few would accept it.

With a grave expression, she stared at the scroll for a while before rolling it up again. Then, in a low voice, she spoke.

“For now, we should hide this somewhere no one can find it. No one will believe this if we reveal it now.”

“Then… when should we reveal it?”

After much contemplation, Elena finally spoke in a serious tone.

“There is one person. Just one.”

★★★

“Dunkirk evacuation… when was that again?”

And the person Elena had in mind was currently compiling records of World War II.