Chapter 94: Paul, Your Son is God-rank? (Patreon)

The bustling capital of the Milis Holy Kingdom.

At first… everyone had been furious that the daughter of the Temple Knights captain had actually ended up with a promiscuous piece of trash. As believers of the Milis Church, they held firmly to the doctrine of monogamy. Naturally, they felt nothing but rage and hatred for Paul, that trash of a man!!!

But!!! What was that declaration just now??

Paul, father of a God-rank mage??

Did that mean Paul was being persecuted by the God-rank mage's enemies??

But no matter how he was being persecuted!!! This was the capital of the Millis Holy Kingdom!!! Even a God-rank mage… could he really trample the dignity of an entire nation at will??

While the Milis believers seethed with anger, the Pope of the Milis Church, spurred by the declaration, urgently began issuing summons to everyone in the church's upper ranks.

Meanwhile, Carlyte Latreia, leading Paul along, walked down the street, and he was truly conflicted. Release Paul, or not??? If he let him go… well, it was hard to say. If he didn't, might he end up taking the blame in the end? But still… was Paul's son really that damn impressive? A God-rank mage!!!

Carlyte Latreia turned and moved up beside Paul. He asked in a low voice, "Is your son really a God-rank mage??"

Paul answered uncertainly, "Father-in-law, honestly, I'm not sure either. Before the Fittoa Region Teleport Incident happened, all I knew was that his strength had reached Saint-rank."

"Saint-rank. How old was he?" Carlyte Latreia pressed.

Paul answered honestly, "To be frank, I was shocked by the news too. He is gifted, no question, but reaching God-rank, still…"

Before Paul could finish, Carlyte Latreia jabbed him with an elbow and asked sternly, "How old was he when he reached Saint-rank?"

Having been elbowed, Paul stopped hedging and answered obediently, "Five."

Carlyte Latreia nodded and asked again, "And now? How old is he now???"

"Going by the timeline, he should be thirteen now," Paul answered.

Hearing that, Carlyte Latreia fell silent in thought.

There were seven ranks of strength: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, God!! A boy who had reached Saint-rank as a mage at five, and who was now thirteen, had had a full eight years since.

And in those eight years, he'd had the mighty Greyrat family behind him. He'd also gone through the Teleport Incident, which had surely sharpened his strength further. That he might have reached King, even Emperor? Carlyte Latreia could believe that!!

But God, under those circumstances??? Surely that was a joke???? King was a level of strength countless people longed for and never reached. Emperor was already the stuff of legend!!! And God was a realm far beyond what most people could imagine!!

He drew a deep breath. Honestly… Carlyte Latreia felt this might be an opportunity for him too!! If the matter of this God-rank mage was confirmed, then he, as the maternal grandfather, could leverage that connection. Might he rise to a higher station himself??

He glanced at Paul, who wore the black hood. After a moment's thought, he decided not to take it off. Instead he asked, "Do you think there's any chance he becomes a God?"

Paul answered earnestly, "I don't know."

"…"

Carlyte Latreia sighed and thought it over. In the end he decided to send Paul and the others to his own home instead of taking them to the church palace for trial.

That way, when the Pope questioned him later, he would have something to say. At the same time, it amounted to protecting Paul and confining him, but not truly confining him. At the very least, Paul and the others could move around his courtyard more or less freely.

On the most basic grounds, he could say that he, as the grandfather, had simply brought Paul home. However others chose to read it, the optics were flawless. It was an excellent choice for the Milis Religion, for the Millis Holy Kingdom, for Paul and his unmet, outrageously swaggering God-rank grandson, and for himself!!!

With that thought, Carlyte Latreia did exactly that.

But… the moment he reached home, a messenger from the church was already waiting with word: the Pope wanted him there at once.

After a few words of instruction to his family and Paul, Carlyte Latreia hurried off to the temple with his Temple Knights.

…

…

Void World…

Hitogami (Human God) lay on the ground, watching everything through remote vision. Sulking, he rolled around on the white floor.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!"

"To use such a despicable trick!!!"

"Are you Hitogami (Human God), or am I?!!!"

"Damn it!!!"

"You bastard!!!"

"Fine, why don't I just let you be Hitogami (Human God) instead!!!"

After rolling around in a huff, Hitogami (Human God) sat up from the floor.

Of course, what he'd just said was a joke. But the way Rudeus countered every move he made… had left Hitogami (Human God) at a loss for how to proceed.

Striking at Rudeus's friends and family through Hitogami's powerful believers had failed. Stirring up a crisis among his friends and family had, in all likelihood, been dealt with as well.

Wait… stirring up a crisis among his friends and family??

Maybe there was no need to be so aggressive. As the saying goes, boil the frog slowly. For now, he would quietly work on the not-so-clever little Norn.

As for the surface… he would let Rudeus believe that Hitogami (Human God) had given up making any move for the time being.