Chapter 241


    TL/Editor: raei


    Status: 5/week mon-fri


    Illustrations: none


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    "I summoned you here."


    The voice, initially hazy, grew increasingly clear.


    It was a sign that Ian was adapting to this world.


    "Hmm. So this painting book really was drawn by you, Hrundal?"


    "..."Hrundal hung her head, unable to speak...


    Ian found this new side of the goddess rather surprising.


    Come on, you drew it yourself.


    Why be embarrassed now?


    "Um... is there something else? But the main character is clearly you, Hrundal..."


    Before Ian could finish, Hrundal shouted with a red face.


    "N-No! The woman in the drawings isn''t me...! Just...! Someone who looks like me!"


    "?"


    Ian tilted his head but decided to go along with it.


    Though anyone could see it was Hrundal... if she said it wasn''t her.


    "Absolutely not! It''s not me, so don''t get confused! What woman would draw such lewd pictures using herself as a model!"


    "Ah. I understand."


    "Hmph. Good that you understand."


    Though the woman in the pictures wasn''t Hrundal, supposedly.


    She seemed to admit drawing them herself.


    "So Hrundal drew this?"


    "...Yes. I drew it."


    Hrundal shamefully acknowledged her work.


    Even for a goddess, drawing R-rated manga seemed embarrassing.


    "It''s just... something I drew to pass the time."


    "But you draw plenty of normal pictures usually."


    Ian tilted his head slightly at her flimsy excuse.


    Hrundal hastily added:


    "It''s like... an artist''s instinct, you could say..."


    "What kind of instinct?"


    "When you only draw clothed people all the time, sometimes you get the urge to draw naked ones... Ah. You wouldn''t understand."


    Naturally, Ian didn''t understand.


    Though Ian might be talented in both liberal arts and sciences, he wasn''t an art major.


    But drawing nude figures and drawing erotic manga seemed quite different...?


    "Anyway. You wanted to draw some spicy art, something like that?"


    "..."


    Hrundal just nodded silently with tightly closed lips.


    Ian couldn''t help smiling at how oddly cute she looked.


    "I understand. That could happen."


    "Thank you... So about that."


    This was Hrundal''s main point.


    "When you visit the Ice Pceter. Would you return that [painting book]?"


    "This?"


    Hrundal nodded.


    "No one''s touched it in so long I''d forgotten about it... But Ian, now that you''ve brought it back into the world, I''m worried."


    "If you were going to worry, shouldn''t you have just not drawn it in the first ce?"


    "...You really don''t understand an artist''s heart at all."


    When Hrundal red at him with crossed arms, Ian quietly averted his gaze.


    He''d better not push further or the goddess might get angry.


    "I''m not asking empty-handed."


    "Oh?"


    "This painting book has a bit of my divine authority in it. Can you guess what it is?"


    Ian nodded.


    He had a rough idea.


    The power to bind souls was Hrundal''s divine authority.


    "The power to capture souls."


    "Only half right."


    Hrundal smiled as she spoke.


    "My authority also includes the ability to create spaces where those souls can rest and live."


    "Oh?"


    "And most spaces are recreated based on that soul''s memories."


    Hrundal waved her hand, summoning souls.


    The souls of Bjorn and Junken.


    She retrieved the two warriors'' souls to her Ice Pce.


    "See? Commanding souls is nothing to me."


    "That''s amazing."


    "If you bring me the painting book, I''ll lend you some of my power."


    When Hrundal snapped her fingers, a quest window appeared before Ian.


    [Quest: Bring the [Goddess''s ck History] to the Ice Pce!]


    [You''ve obtained an item connected to Hrundal''s past that she wants erased! If you bring it to her, she promises a reward!]


    [The following reward will be activated upon epting the quest]


    [Divine Authority: Sanctuary]


    [Provides souls with a peaceful sanctuary. Souls gifted with sanctuary will trust you deeply]


    [You can enter the sanctuary world yourself if you wish.]


    [Warning: Your sense of self may be hazy in the sanctuary world!]


    Ian carefully examined the quest window.


    Hrundal''s reward was, in short, creating a mini afterlife.


    A very effective authority for a necromancer.


    ''Should ept it?''


    Ian decided to grant Hrundal''s request.


    The [Holy Painting] was a treasure in some sense, but Ian couldn''t really say he needed it.


    In this medieval fantasy world where culture was in shambles, it would sell for a high price...


    But in the end, it was just erotic art.


    If he could get new magic (or authority) from Hrundal, returning it made more sense than keeping it.


    Besides, he remembered how Hrundal had helped him in various ways.


    "Alright. I''ll return it."


    "Hehe. Thank you."


    After concluding their deal, Ian habitually looked around.


    By the way, this ce looked exactly like the real Ice Pce.


    Was that because it was reconstructed from Hrundal''s memories?


    "But Hrundal, this looks exactly like the world in the painting book. Does that mean the main event will happen soon..."


    "Th-That won''t happen! I''m in control here!"


    This was a temporary space Hrundal created to meet Ian.


    Though the interior(?) matched the painting world, she could control all the characters moving around.


    Unless Hrundal wanted that kind of event to happen, no main event would happen.


    ''Hmm. This kind of feeling.''


    This was probably how the [Sanctuary Creation] ability Ian would get from Hrundal would work.


    Being a goddess, Hrundal could control the space freely...


    But if Ian entered alone, events would likely proceed as scripted.


    "It was nice meeting you. Ian. Go back and do what you need to do."


    "I''ll visit soon, Hrundal."


    Ian bid farewell to Hrundal and returned to the real world.


    #


    Ian smoothly traveled through various domains to reach Dranheim.


    Though monster or bandit attacks seemed likely, Ian and Belenka had be experienced travelers and skillfully avoided trouble.


    "This is quite the major city too."


    "Indeed."


    A city built along sheer mountain ranges.


    That was Dranheim, holy ground of knowledge where the Imperial University resided.


    While Belenka marveled at Dranheim''s magnificent appearance.


    Ian was rtively less impressed.


    From afar it looked like quite arge mountain fortress but...


    Could this really be called a major city?


    Having known metropolises with poptions over ten million, Ian couldn''t help finding medieval major cities rather boring.


    "I hear the poption''s already passed 10,000."


    "Wow... that''s amazing..."


    "Right? A city with ten thousand people! Isn''t that incredible!"


    "..."


    Ian suddenly felt humanity''s dazzling rate of progress.


    Just a thousand years ago, a city of 10,000 was considered major!


    "Wee to Dranheim!"


    Like other major cities, gatekeepers checked the identities of people entering and leaving.


    Upon entering the city, Ian saw chaotically sprawling roads and haphazardly constructed buildings.


    "What a hectic ce."


    Ian agreed with that.


    Though used to modern enormity, the medieval era had its own kind ofplexity.


    "Make way! Make way! Carriageing through!"


    "Leather for sale! Cloth too~!"


    "Chicken skewers! Bread! Get them cheap!"


    Ian nodded as he passed through the busy market (after buying chicken skewers).


    Yeah...! This is what a living town should be like!


    Hey! Those Imperial countryside domains! Everywhere you look it''s wheat fields, wheat fields, wheat fields...


    Nothing but farmers and cows and horses walking around!


    Leaving the countryside with only farmers working thend and barons managing them (more like a vige chief), it felt like his eyes were opening.


    "This seems like the kind of ce that would have a university."


    It certainly did.


    Ian headed toward where the Imperial University was said to be, following winding roads.


    Being built in the mountains, all buildings pursued extreme space efficiency in their design.


    ...The Imperial University was no different.


    "Huff... huff..."


    Ian climbed the steep hill while dripping sweat.


    The nightmares of his university days began creeping back...!


    Why the fuck were all these universities stuck on hilltops?!


    "Oh. This must be the Imperial University."


    Belenka, rtively unfazed, looked around the Imperial University with a slight smile.


    The Imperial University looked quite different from modern campuses.


    The most striking difference was... almost no buildings had roofs.


    "...This is a university?"


    Ian stopped short of imagining a lush green campus.


    The university buildings were... mostly open-air amphitheaters!


    "Feels like I walked into the theater department by mistake."


    "? What''s that strange field of study?"


    Ian struggled to adjust to this exotic university setting.


    sses weren''t some jester''s performance. What professor would teach in an amphitheater?!


    "Come now! Everyone gather round!"


    "Oh, the professor''s starting ss!"


    But watching students rush over in crowds, Ian realized.


    ...They really did have sses in amphitheaters!


    These Imperial University students were hip as fuck.


    "Ian, let''s go too."


    "Uh... okay."


    Though Ian couldn''t adapt to this shocking open-lecture style, he followed Belenka to attend ss.


    Being an amphitheater, anyone could just walk in, sit down, and be a student.


    The jester... no, professor on stage spoke:


    "Now! Today we''ll discuss mathematics!"


    "Ohhh! Mathematics!"


    Mathematics?


    Who just said mathematics?


    When Ian''s eyes went wide, Belenka sensed an inexplicable intensity from him...


    "Now! I have a stick here! We''re going to calcte Earth''s circumference with this stick. Does anyone know how?"


    Ian roughly understood the medieval university''s teaching style.


    The professor posed questions, and students who knew the answers would respond.


    "Calcte Earth''s circumference with a stick?"


    "I got it! We connect sticks equal to our stride length! Then wander the world measuring the whole way around!"


    "..."


    Ian quietly listened to the students'' discussion.


    As expected of university students, their answers were creatively terrible...


    When no correct answer emerged, Ian slowly raised his hand.


    "Oh! Yes! You there, handsome young man! Go ahead!"


    "I''m Ian Eredith. To measure Earth''s circumference with a stick, I believe we need one assumption."


    "Assumption? What''s that?"


    Ian carefully answered, considering medieval people''s perspective.


    "The assumption that Earth is spherical."


    Right. This was medieval times.


    These foolish medieval people wouldn''t yet know the world wasn''t t but spherical...


    "Hahaha! No need to worry about that!"


    "?"


    "You might not know, but this world is actually round!"


    "???"


    "It was discovered back in the Golden Empire era. Hahaha!"


    Some students who''d done advance studyingughed at the ignorant(?) Ian.


    ''Heh. He thought Earth was t.''


    ''What a hick. Must be his first time in this ss.''


    Ian was too dumbfounded to close his mouth.


    Belenka, thinking Ian was shocked, offered gentlefort beside him.


    "Don''t worry about it, Ian. I thought Earth was t too."


    "..."


    Being treated the same as Belenka(...) Ian felt freshly wronged.


    Wait? Why were medieval people this smart?!


    ---


    [raei: lol the university I went to was also up a mountain...]