Lazy but the strongest in the dimension

Draft Notice (2)

Caldona Church Headquarters

The Holy Caldona Empire was founded upon the teachings of the goddess and has been striving to eradicate heretics ever since.

In particular, the Mage Union was considered the main enemy of the Caldona Church, as they worshiped the Demon God and summoned demons to wreak havoc across the continent.

Just as the church was keeping a close watch on the Mage Union, a conflict broke out in the border region.

The border city of Valence in the Caldona Empire was devastated, and the enemy turned its residents into undead, expanding their forces.

This was nothing less than a direct challenge to the Holy Empire.

The emperor, the pope, and all citizens of the empire were enraged, and a unanimous decision was made to declare an all-out war.

The Holy See decided to dispatch a large force of paladins and papal troops, and they were now awaiting deployment.

It was at that moment that the Saintess received an oracle from the goddess.

Pope Johann VI wore a grave expression.

“Are you certain this was an oracle from the goddess?”

“If I were to lie, my divine power would disappear, and I would be condemned to the fiery pits of hell upon my death.”

“Haa… But the one chosen is…”

“I know. It’s Prince Valen of the Count Linus family.”

“Isn’t he infamous as the laziest man in the empire? He’s never shown any real talent. When I last saw him, he looked like he couldn’t even twist a chicken’s neck.”

“I’ve met him personally, so I know.”

“And yet, the goddess bestowed an oracle upon him?”

“Yes.”

“Haa…”

The pope held his head in his hands.

If this weren’t an oracle, there would be no reason at all to entrust a holy order to such a slothful man.

Even though the church was not an organization that pursued worldly gains, the pope’s power ultimately stemmed from military authority. There was a reason why “Holy” was attached to the empire’s name.

Johann VI harbored a vision of one day unifying the pope and the imperial family into a theocratic society. In such circumstances, weakening the church’s power would be detrimental.

Of course, he agreed that the Mage Union, which was under the control of the Demon God, had to be eradicated and that the imperial family and the church had to join forces. However, entrusting a holy order to a young man who found even moving to be a chore seemed questionable.

The Saintess quietly spoke.

“It is His will.”

“Is He putting me to the test?”

“It does seem like a test of Your Holiness’s faith. The church is not what it used to be, after all.”

“Hmm…”

The pope let out a heavy sigh.

There had been a time when priests lived solely to fulfill their sacred mission, following the will of the goddess. However, in recent times, power had become concentrated among the clergy, and the goddess might have disapproved of this shift. This could very well be a divine test.

Doubting Prince Valen was, in itself, an act of blasphemy.

“Very well. If it is the will of the goddess, then as her servant, I have no choice but to obey. If she grants him great power, even that lazy prince will fulfill his role.”

“A wise decision.”

“By the way, what kind of person is Prince Valen? I have only seen him once.”

“He isn’t particularly bad in terms of character. He doesn’t have any vices, nor does he oppress his people. But he doesn’t practice good governance either.”

“So he’s just a loafer.”

“That’s the perfect description, but such a title no longer suits him. He is now the hero who will stand against the threat to humanity.”

“Hahaha… The will of Caldona is so profound that human minds cannot fathom it.”

“It is as He wills.”

The pope nodded.

The decree had already been sent to Prince Valen. The draft order, stamped with the imperial seal, had likely stated that this was an order based on the oracle. There was no turning back.

“By the way, will the Saintess be joining the battle as well?”

“I will assist the hero.”

“There’s no need for a saintess to step forward.”

“This was also part of the oracle.”

“Hah, is that so.”

The pope had no choice but to comply.

All matters of the church were decided by the oracle. To the pope and the cardinals beneath him, upholding the oracle was more important than life itself.

They simply regarded it as their mission to follow the will and intent of the divine.

“May the blessing of Caldona be upon you.”

The pope made the sign of the cross.

Sylvia left the pope’s office.

She felt her heart pounding.

She still couldn’t forget the moment the oracle was given.

[He alone can stop the threat to humanity.]

“Why is that?”

[He has already accomplished mythic feats and is prepared for divinity. This life will be his last as a mortal before he ascends to godhood. He is ready to attain divine status, just as I have. However, he still needs time.]

“A future god has descended to the mortal realm?”

[This matter is considered of great importance even in the divine realm. He has accumulated achievements in another dimension, giving him an unusual history. I do not know which aspect of existence he has chosen to embody, but from the overwhelming divine power that burst forth upon his descent, I can at least confirm he is not an evil god. That is why I must aid him. I consider him my companion.]

“What must I do?”

[Assist him. Remember, he is the only hero capable of protecting this world.]

Sylvia snapped out of her recollection.

The world knew Duke Vallen only as a lazy man, but she was aware that he was on the verge of completing his divinity.

One could say he was already stepping into the realm of demigods.

According to the oracle, he had already achieved mythic feats in another dimension and was undergoing the final steps to become a god. Accompanying such a figure was truly an honor for Sylvia. After all, even the goddess Caldona herself had acknowledged him as a companion.

Perhaps by assisting him, Sylvia could also find a path to divinity or sainthood.

Because this was a closely guarded secret even in the divine realm, she had kept it hidden from the pope. If such information were to leak, the entire continent would be thrown into turmoil, and demons would stop at nothing to kill Duke Vallen.

“Even if that happens, I must protect him.”

Sylvia clenched her fists.

Duke Vallen must have his reasons for acting the way he did. The fact that he had successfully deceived so many people thus far was proof enough.

She even suspected that he might be a divine being from another realm who had sensed the threat of the Demon God and crossed over.

Dinner Time

Tonight was a family dinner.

Even if it weren’t a formal family gathering, I had no choice but to be present.

After all, I had received an oracle commanding me to take part in the conflict. Naturally, my family’s attention was focused on me.

My family was rather small.

Our patriarch was Count Gauss von Reiners.

He was a deeply devout man who had received divine revelation and ascended to the rank of a Great Knight. Whenever he had the chance, he would go out to hunt heretics, and he was highly regarded both in the imperial court and within the church. His faith was as unyielding as his hatred for evil, and he strove to govern justly.

Compared to my father, my mother had a much more timid nature, but her faith was equally strong. She had married into our family from a marquis household, drawn by my father’s religious devotion.

My older brother, Kaion von Reiners, was an ambitious man. I wasn’t sure just how devout he was. One thing was certain—he was the heir to our domain. Ever since childhood, I had made it clear that I had no interest in governing the land. I only ever asked for a small fief, a handful of attendants, and the freedom to be lazy. My brother had agreed to this arrangement.

Naturally, I had no religion.

I couldn’t care less about the gods of this world. I only hoped they wouldn’t bother me.

But it seemed the gods were focusing their attention on me.

My father spoke.

“In a week, we will march to war. Lead the 1st Knights and 3,000 troops from our domain. I will issue orders to Commander Malik.”

“Well, that’s fine.”

My meal was being fed to me by the maids.

The plate was filled with tenderly cut meat, but even the simple act of moving my arm felt tiring. Usually, at family meals, I would be the one to take up the fork and knife, but today was an exception.

It seemed that the shock was so great that my family understood.

“All of this is the will of Caldona, so you should follow it.”

“I don’t understand. I haven’t lived righteously, but I haven’t lived wickedly, either. My dream is simply to live a carefree life on a small fief, fishing and sleeping as much as I want.”

“It is arrogance for a mere human to try to comprehend His grand will. Such arrogance must always be avoided and carefully guarded against.”

That damn nagging…

To my devout father, the fact that the oracle had been directed toward me was a tremendous joy.

My mother, on the other hand, could only worry.

“I believe Caldona will protect you. Still, you must be cautious. You never know when a sword might fly toward you on the battlefield.”

“Don’t worry. Caldona will protect me.”

Every time Caldona’s name was mentioned, my hands trembled.

It was because of that crazy goddess that I was going through all this hardship.

I didn’t have much of an appetite right now.

Drrrrrk.

I stood up from my seat.

I staggered for a moment, and Andrew, who had been waiting nearby, quickly caught me.

“I’ll be on my way now. There’s much to prepare if we are to depart in a week.”

Hahaha! “So you’re going to train. That would be impossible without Caldona’s miracle.”

My father looked at me with a satisfied smile.

As I was being carried by Andrew, the cursing didn’t stop.

“Damn this bitch. What did I ever do wrong?”

“Young master, who exactly are you cursing?”

“Huh? That woman.”

“……!”

I raised my middle finger and pointed it toward the sky.

I was cursing Caldona, the one who had delivered the oracle.

She didn’t know that I had chosen laziness as my virtue. To become a god, I had to build up the virtue of laziness.

A normal person would never have chosen laziness as their virtue. The problem was that fatigue had seeped into my very soul, and I wasn’t thinking clearly, and the goddess had overlooked this.

Had she known, she would have just let it be. If not, she was probably desperately trying to prevent me from becoming a god.

“Y-Young master! This is a huge problem. You must remember that this is the Holy Empire!”

“Who cares? I’m going to die on the battlefield anyway. What does it matter?”

And in the next life, the amount of virtue I’ll have to accumulate will double. So, I can’t even kill myself. I’ve tied myself into a mess here.

I muttered to myself.

Normally, I would be too lazy to speak, but not now. No matter how annoying it was, cursing helped me feel better.

Before going to sleep, I planned to complete my body modification.

Body modification was the process of adjusting my physical body to match the level of my soul.

Erna’s help was essential for this.

She was a goddess on the verge of fading away, but she still had the power to modify a human body.

If I die, Erna dies too.

For her to be resurrected, I would have to accumulate virtue and ascend to godhood. Only then could she receive a mythical karma and regain her strength.

Are you ready?

“I’ll probably die just thinking about it. My laziness stats will drop, right?”

That’s probably an unavoidable issue.

“Shall we begin?”

I had been hesitating for three hours.

I repeatedly sat down and lay down, thinking that I needed to undergo the body modification. I did this about ten times.

In the end, I had no choice but to proceed with the body modification today, and I finally made up my mind by dawn.

Then, let’s begin…

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Why are you like this again?

“I think I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Do you want to die? Why are you acting like this when you’ve reached the level of a demigod? Do you have any idea how many times I’ve tried to get you to start, only for you to back out? Do you want to listen to nagging all day again?

“Fine! I’ll do it! Stop nagging, or I’ll bite my tongue off and die. Do you know what happens then?”

Sigh, why did I have to pick someone like this…

“Are you trying to court me? Want to marry me? Shut up and let’s get started. Or do you want me to just fall asleep?”

Crack!

“Ugh! Damn it! You should have said something!”

This time, there was no warning before it started.

Suddenly, an overwhelming force surged through me, coursing through every part of my body.