The myriad spirits under Dawn had never imagined that after the death of God's Eldest Son, the one who would inherit the throne would be God's fifth child—the Lord of Thorns.
The first day God distanced Himself from the myriad spirits.
The weapon He left behind transformed into His former likeness, governing the myriad spirits in His stead and becoming the second king of the earth.
But a king, after all, was not a god.
Even God's Eldest Son, who possessed unrivaled power in the world, would still eventually depart...
On the day the Eldest Son departed—the throne hung high above the world, and the mortal realm was once again filled with war...
All living beings waited for the birth of a new king.
This wait lasted for a very, very long time...
Until the appearance of the Fifth Son.
The Fifth Son was born from the thoughts left behind by God.
Unlike His older brothers—His body was extremely frail, just like a severely ill youth...
So weak He did not seem like a child of Dawn at all.
He possessed neither the Eldest Son's matchless strength, nor the Second Son's indestructible body, nor the Third Son's shrewd plotting and schemings, nor the Fourth Son's absolute beauty...
Thus, the myriad spirits questioned His qualifications...
And no one was willing to crown Him.
‘Time will prove everything.’ He had said.
And the truth developed exactly as He said—time proved His qualifications.
When Dawn rose once more.
He had already, all by Himself, stepped over countless thorns to reach the side of that throne.
At this moment, the myriad spirits acknowledged Him.
But just when the myriad spirits thought He was about to ascend the throne—He stopped.
He said: ‘The more barren and empty a person's wisdom is, the more they require external embellishments. For me, only this is enough.’
The Fifth Son did not choose to sit upon that high throne. Instead, He bent down and snapped off a branch of thorns beside the throne—crowning Himself with the thorns as a crown, completing His coronation.
From that moment on, His name changed.
The myriad spirits no longer called Him God's Fifth Son, but instead referred to Him as—the Lord of Thorns.
‘Governing a kingdom requires not only strength, but even more so, wisdom...’
He proved Himself to the myriad spirits.
As it turned out, relying solely on wisdom and thoughts could also govern a kingdom well.
‘When all is said and done, wisdom will eventually prove itself.’
...
‘No wonder thorns serve as the symbol of the Church of Dawn.’
The more Ogre flipped through 《The Divine Words of Dawn》, the more interesting he found it. He discovered that these fabricated stories actually had some literary merit.
There was a vague, profound meaning wrapped within them.
‘However, if such a benevolent and kind god truly existed, that would be great,’ Ogre sighed in his heart.
His father had told him that there were no gods in this world.
But Ogre hoped that gods could actually exist...
‘If the divine words are true, there should be a place in this world to accommodate the deceased...’ Ogre flipped forward through the pages of 《The Divine Words of Dawn》 in his hands.
In the chapter “On God and His Eldest Son,” it had been mentioned that God's Eldest Son built the throne to guide the souls of the deceased heroes so they would have a place to reside.
“Gelin...”
Macar had finished his porridge at some point and walked over from his seat.
“Hmm?” Ogre tilted his head.
“I'm sorry for bringing trouble upon you!”
Macar bowed deeply to Ogre to express his apologies.
‘What's the use of this bowing...’
Ogre's mouth twitched slightly. To this day, he still couldn't quite understand why such a form of apology existed in human society.
Making such a grand gesture felt like it wasn't even meant for the parties involved, but rather as a show for onlookers.
Fortunately, there weren't many people here.
In Ogre's eyes, a slight bow and a verbal apology were more than enough—shouldn't the most important thing be how to make amends or change? Although, Ogre didn't even know why Macar was apologizing to him.
“I-It's... fine...” Ogre just wanted to read his book in peace.
“Brother Carl...” Eve set down her spoon and trotted over to Macar's side.
Having been focused entirely on Macar earlier, this was the first time she looked at Ogre's face head-on.
“You!!! You are... Gelin?!” Eve's carefully made-up eyes widened significantly in an instant.
She had never imagined that a girl could be born so peerlessly beautiful and holy.
At this moment, she suddenly understood Macar's behavior from before...
Because just now, her own heart had also skipped a beat.
Beauty was the ultimate answer.
“Mmh...” Ogre nodded.
Since his face was already exposed, it didn't matter if one more person saw it—anyway, he was going to slip away eventually.
How did that saying go?
The first time you're not used to it, the second and third times you're still not used to it, but by the fourth time, you get used to it.
“I apologize to you on behalf of Eve's rudeness, and... for that matter regarding Friar Fula,” Macar stood up and said.
He had decided to formally apologize only after asking Maqi about it.
“I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things,” Eve lowered her head obediently.
Only now did she realize how ridiculous her previous behavior had been.
A girl like this didn't need to compete with her for anything; others would only fight over her.
“Alright, don't make Sister Gelin feel uncomfortable,” Maqi stepped in front of Ogre at this moment.
‘Actually... you're the one making me feel a bit more uncomfortable,’ Ogre thought, looking at Maqi's back.
“Well... Miss Gelin, I might not be able to take you out in the future,” Macar spoke of the new order he had received.
On the way over earlier, Friar Fula had emphasized to him several times—he was absolutely not allowed to take Ogre out again.
“Mmh...”
Ogre could guess even with his toes that after returning from this outing, Fula would definitely tighten control over him.
If not for this, he wouldn't have chosen to confess the “truth” to Fula.
“Well...” Macar cast a somewhat awkward glance at Eve beside him...
He was a little lost as to how to manage their interactions going forward.
He felt like whatever he did would turn into a hassle.
“How about... I teach you swordsmanship tomorrow...” For some reason, those words suddenly slipped out of Macar's mouth.
“Brother Carl...” Eve tugged on Macar. She was deeply worried right now that Macar would fall head over heels.
If Maqi knew what was going on in Eve's mind, she would probably laugh out loud—he had already fallen a long time ago.
“Didn't you want to learn swordsmanship from me a long time ago?” Macar smiled at Eve. “I'll teach you in a bit.”
“Okay,” Eve finally agreed, nodding.
‘A Paladin's swordsmanship...’ Ogre smiled, not knowing what exactly he was thinking about.
“Brother, how can Sister Gelin learn swordsmanship in her state... you really just do whatever pops into your head.” Maqi had thought her cousin was finally getting a clue.
As it turned out, he was still a blockhead.
“I... I can... learn,” Ogre nodded.
“Well, it's fine if you don't want to learn. If you don't, Miss Gelin, you can just watch from the side... Huh? What did you just say?” Hearing Maqi's words, Macar realized how sudden his behavior had been.
Just as he was about to smooth things over, he realized Ogre had just said—he can?
“Sister Gelin, can you... even lift a sword? My brother was just joking earlier, you don't have to take it seriously,” Maqi was also stunned.
She hadn't expected this delicate, weak girl to actually be interested in swordsmanship.
Would Ogre really be able to handle practicing with a sword?
“It's fine. It's good to learn a little for self-defense,” Macar chuckled and winked at Maqi—it wasn't like he was going to put her through a grueling training regimen.
It was simply an activity to pass the time.
After all, he hadn't managed to get any books, and with Eve here...
Under these circumstances, Miss Gelin would definitely feel awkward and bored.
Most importantly, there was the absolute order from Friar Fula—he could not stray too far from Ogre.
To protect everyone under these circumstances...
...a sword must be in hand.
Who knew if anything would happen to the village after Friar Fula left tomorrow? It would be troublesome if an accident truly occurred.
“Well, alright then...” Maqi wasn't sure what her cousin was thinking either...
But thinking about it carefully, if there was no real training and he just taught her a couple of moves, maybe it would be fine?
Heh, when the time came, she would definitely show off in front of Sister Gelin and make her admire her immensely.
“However, I'll be the one to teach Sister Gelin,” Maqi said, patting her rather modest chest.
Ogre held up his book and smiled politely. “Mmh...”
Perhaps it wouldn't be so boring this way.
...
With Macar's issues resolved, everyone gathered again for a much more sumptuous dinner. Before long, night arrived.
‘As expected, I'm still not full...’
Ogre closed 《The Divine Words of Dawn》, which he had just finished reading, picked up the oil lamp, and walked over to the window.
‘I still need to go out and find something to eat.’ Thinking of this, Ogre touched the seal on his forehead that was currently not visible.
He was somewhat unsure whether going out tonight would be discovered by Fula.
‘Forget it... I'll wait until Fula is gone tomorrow before grabbing some food. Being a little hungry is no big deal.’
Ogre had no real worries right now.
His only worry was his half-full stomach...
It felt as if everyone silently assumed he didn't eat very much.
He couldn't continue his training on an empty stomach...
‘If I had known, I should have prepared more fruit.’
Ogre blew out the oil lamp, closed the window, walked over to the bedside, and patted his flat stomach.
If Fula was still around tomorrow... he would stop caring about his disguise.
Eating his fill was the most important thing.
As a Martial Apprentice, eating a bit more was only natural.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just then, a sudden knock came from the door.
“Hmm?” Ogre hummed softly and stood up.
“Sister Gelin, it's me,” Maqi's voice called out from behind the door.
‘Maqi... what does she want with me?’
Ogre was somewhat puzzled, but he opened the door for her anyway.
“Hey, Sister Gelin, I'm sleeping with you tonight.”
Once the door opened, Maqi, dressed in her pajamas, walked naturally into Ogre's room holding a quilt.
Ogre: “Eh?”
What kind of play was this? Was she pulling a night raid on him?
“My brother is such a blockhead. He insisted on sleeping separately from Sister Eve, so I gave up my room to her,” Maqi explained.
‘Why... aren't you sleeping with Eve, and coming to find me instead?’
Ogre's body stiffened for a moment—how was he supposed to meditate tonight?
“Heh, the bed in your room is a bit larger anyway. You don't mind, right?” Although Maqi asked if he minded, her movements were incredibly swift.
Lighting the lamp and spreading out the quilt was done in one smooth sequence, leaving Ogre absolutely no chance to explain himself.
Well... who told Ogre to be a “semi-mute”?
Looking at Maqi, who had already finished spreading out the bedding.
Ogre opened his mouth, truly not knowing what to say anymore—
Who even asks a question like that!
“Hmm? Sister Gelin, you don't take off your clothes when you sleep?” After folding the bedding on the large bed, Maqi finally turned her head to look at Ogre.
The light had been too dim just now, so she hadn't realized that Ogre hadn't changed out of his clothes.
“Why are you still wearing your formal clothes?”
With that, she reached out her hand, planning to help the obedient girl in front of her change.
“Don...”
Ogre dodged instinctively, using his physical advantage to slip past Maqi's grabbing attempt.
His speed made Maqi think she was hallucinating for an instant.
“Ah? Gelin, you can't possibly sleep with your clothes on all the time, right? That's so uncomfortable, and it's bad for your development... Huh? How did I miss?”
Maqi opened and closed her left hand. It felt as if she had just reached out but failed to catch the young girl.
Was it an accident?
“I... I'm... cold,” Ogre stammered, covering his clothes with his hands.
Only then did he remember that he was, in fact, a boy.
What kind of joke was this? If he took his clothes off, wouldn't he be exposed instantly?
“Are you cold?” Maqi muttered to herself, and only then did she remember that the little girl in front of her was just an ordinary person.
“Okay, maybe you are. I'll go grab a set of thick pajamas for you. You won't feel cold if you hold onto me when we sleep in a bit.”
Maqi looked around the room but couldn't find a single pair of pajamas. “My brother is really so careless. He didn't even prepare pajamas for you. What if a little girl like you freezes...”
Ogre: “...”
In other words, he still had to change his clothes soon.
How could that be allowed!
Just then, footsteps echoed on the attic stairs once more.
“Gelin, I almost forgot to prepare cotton pajamas for you,” Aunt Mima's voice drifted over.
“Is the door open... Oh? Maqi, why are you here?” Mima walked up carrying a thick piece of clothing.
The door happened to be wide open at the moment.
“Thanks, Mom! Great minds think alike. How did you know I was just about to head downstairs to grab some clothes?” Maqi smoothly took the thick pajamas from Mima's hands.
“Did Gelin ask you to come?” Mima asked out of curiosity.
“Of course! Alright, Mom, I'll take good care of Sister Gelin. I'm not like my unreliable cousin Carl.” Maqi tossed the pajamas onto the bed and then pushed Mima out of the room with a smile.
“I was wondering why you hadn't come over to my room...” Mima muttered before leaving with a smile, closing the door behind her.
During all this, the two of them gave Ogre absolutely no opportunity to write down an explanation...
“I...”
As the door clicked shut, Ogre's raised hand had not even lowered yet.
‘I haven't even agreed yet!’
For the first time, Ogre realized what it meant to shoot oneself in the foot. He had only pretended to be semi-mute to enjoy convenience and peace.
In the end, he hadn't saved much convenience or peace at all.
Instead, trouble was arriving by the basketful.
“Alright, Sister Gelin, time to change,” Maqi turned around and smiled at Ogre.
She then untied her hair band and walked toward Ogre with her loose, flowing hair.
“Come on, don't be shy. We're both girls—let Big Sister see how much you've developed.”
Rate on N.U.
