Chapter 126: The Holy Lord's Kin

Layer upon layer of fire swept through everything with a violent roar. The searing flames rolled and churned without end, spreading their burning path throughout the entire Soma Familia.

Roland watched the sparks burst forth and tear through the air in fierce friction, his laughter growing more and more unrestrained.

At last, this divine power had begun to reveal its true form. Only now could Roland say that it had transcended the realm of mere spells and reclaimed its own noble essence.

“Boom—!”

The deafening explosions continued amid the crushing waves of wind pressure, throwing the surrounding ruins into the air. The earth looked as though it had been hammered by a giant, a dense expanse of flowing radiance spreading across it. Everywhere the eye could see was submerged beneath a crimson tide.

The blazing fire continued to erupt, scorching the earth and boiling the air. In an instant, all that filled Lili’s vision were brilliant flowers of flame, nourished by the land and the atmosphere, blooming magnificently across the miserable ruins.

The commotion also stirred a noisy uproar behind the flames. Panicked cries rose one after another, answering one another from every direction.

“Not bad.”

Roland shrugged, thoroughly satisfied with the result.

In theory, the standard way to deal with the Soma Familia would have been to teach them a lesson, then wait for Soma to come to his senses and negotiate a deal for the divine wine.

But did they deserve such consideration?

Ever since he had begun to gradually restore his power, Roland had become far gentler. Yet that gentleness was merely the composure born from confidence. Like a human watching ants fight, his arrogance had only been buried deeper.

Before long, a crowd surged forward. They tried to suppress the flames while gradually surrounding the area.

Even an ordinary person could sense the madness and wicked aura in their eyes. In such a hostile environment, that sickly atmosphere was even more pronounced.

Yet the man walking at the very front possessed a remarkably rational gaze.

Chanis Lustra was one of the few Level Two adventurers in the Soma Familia. Known by the epithet “Keeper of the Wine,” he was, as the captain, the true authority within the familia—more so than Soma himself.

Chanis frowned as he looked at Roland standing amid the firelight. He quickly recognized both Roland and the inhuman-looking Aster and Lili standing behind him.

“Roland, the hero who defeated the Sword Princess. I have long heard of your reputation, but may I ask why you have come? Was the destruction of the Soma Familia’s base meant to serve as your gift at our first meeting?”

He forced a somewhat grim smile onto his face as he surveyed the ruins around him.

The more he looked, the more horrified he became.

There was no doubt that damage on this scale had been caused by magic. Considering Roland’s legend, it was hardly strange for such a hero to possess this kind of power. Chanis had never expected the rabble behind him to pose any threat to Roland. As a Level Two adventurer, he alone could contend with these monsters whose minds had been stolen by divine wine. Roland, the man who had defeated the Sword Princess, could probably wipe them all out by himself.

“You have already gone to the Guild, registered as an adventurer, and joined a familia, correct? We certainly cannot compare ourselves to you, but we are still members of one of the gods’ familias. If you leave now, we naturally will not hold these losses against a hero. But if you insist on continuing this dispute until it amounts to a declaration of war, then we will have no choice but to seek the Guild’s protection and defend our rights.”

If Roland had still been an unaffiliated outsider, Chanis would never have dared speak to such a celebrated figure in this manner, even with several more times his courage. But after hearing that Roland had joined a small familia and become an adventurer, that he had begun integrating himself into Orario, Chanis had decided to use the city’s existing powers against him.

The Guild was responsible for maintaining order. If Roland belonged to a powerful familia, Chanis could only swallow his resentment. But since Roland’s god was not particularly influential, Chanis intended to shift the dispute toward the deity behind him.

“Such an unprovoked provocation,” he continued. “Without a proper reason, if this truly reaches a divine council, I doubt your patron god will fare well.”

“Only the weak need reasons for what they do. I do whatever I please.”

Roland gave a mocking laugh, his expression becoming even more casual.

Chanis’s face stiffened, his expression gradually freezing in place. He felt as though something dangerous had locked its gaze upon him. A deep chill spread from the marrow of his spine all the way into his heart.

As Roland advanced toward him step by step, Chanis still drew his weapon.

“Please stop there, or we will have no choice but to attack! Besides, we have connections with the Apollo Familia—”

Before Chanis could finish, a sigh interrupted him.

“Speaking so rashly only reveals your weakness.”

The next moment, it was as though an invisible hand had closed around Chanis’s throat. He slowly rose into the air as suffocation and weakness surged through him. Yet he could not even struggle. His entire body was as immobile as a fly sealed in amber.

Roland walked calmly up to him and nodded.

“Level Two. Your head is still barely useful. After enhancement, you should make a passable temporary tool. Discarding you would not be a great loss. You will do.”

As he listened to those bizarre words, fear became increasingly visible on Chanis’s face. What kind of magic was this? Even among Level Twos, he was by no means weak, yet before Roland, he could not even make a sound to beg for mercy.

Thus he floated before Roland like a trophy of war hung upon a noble’s wall to display military accomplishments, allowing the other man to examine him with the same gaze one might use to select an object.

“Since you are to serve as the main hitter, you will need a little more weight.”

A mass of purple demonic energy appeared in Roland’s hand. It gently pierced Chanis’s eyes, and visible mutations began to spread across his body.

Then, before he could completely lose consciousness, a black tide surged upward and swallowed him whole.

The other members of the Soma Familia were even more helpless. They seemed to have lost all strength and collapsed onto the ground. At some point, a pitch-black mire had already begun to draw them in, slowly swallowing them as it seeped into their bodies.

“Ah…”

The bizarre sight left Lili’s legs trembling, and she let out an involuntary cry of alarm. Her face was filled with bewilderment.

She stared at Roland with fear and confusion, yet she did not flee. Instead, she walked directly up to him.

“Did you kill them all? If so, that is a serious problem. We must leave immediately. Lord Soma may not usually concern himself with such matters, but there is no way he will remain uninvolved in a situation like this. If we clean up the traces, we might still buy ourselves some time. We should go at once…”

Though she was still young and her methods leaned toward pragmatism, the girl named Lili had evidently already accepted her status as an accomplice.

“That would be such a waste…”

Roland smiled frivolously and continued.

“I merely granted them new life.”

As if to prove his words, the black mire once again churned, releasing one enormous bubble after another. Dark figures rose from within. The madness that had once clung to them had vanished completely, replaced by an indifferent arrogance that regarded everything beneath them.

From the bubble nearest Roland emerged a being that could easily have been mistaken for a monster and slain without question. Green scales covered his entire body, his hands had become vicious claws, and yet his features still faintly resembled Chanis.

The gloomy captain familiar to Lili showed no anger whatsoever. He looked at Roland with reverence and slowly knelt before him.

Even in the presence of his own god, Lili had never seen him display such respect.

“Lord Roland… No. From this moment onward, the entire Soma Familia will be under your control. Aside from those needed to handle daily affairs, everyone else will begin hunting adventurers according to your wishes. As for the income from the divine wine, we will hand that over to you as well.”

“Hmm…”

Roland nodded noncommittally.

“Set the matter of the wine aside for now. Take me to see it.”

“Yes.”

—

In the spacious room, cabinets large enough to cover entire walls stood beside the windows. Within them were tender plant shoots and transparent wine bottles.

The god named Soma seemed entirely unaware of the explosions outside or the sound of the door opening. Without even turning his head, he silently continued blending the bottle in his hands.

As long as there were still ingredients before him with which to make wine, he would pay no attention to anything happening beyond the room.

With every movement, a mesmerizing fragrance of alcohol slowly spread through the air. Behind him stood a great many finished products.

“Although divine wine occasionally finds its way onto the market, those bottles are mostly rejected inferior batches. True divine wine is only ever tasted by members of the Soma Familia, aside from the small amount I occasionally sell to other gods.”

In the outside world, the Soma Familia’s divine wine was an extremely valuable commodity and widely praised. Countless adventurers and gods pursued it, trading away the valis they had worked so hard to earn for a brief moment of indulgence in a cup.

Even the rejected batches, whose flavor and effects were far inferior to the genuine article, could produce such results. It was no wonder the Soma Familia had developed to its present scale.

But Roland paid no attention to Chanis’s explanation. He stared intently at Soma’s movements. Although Roland possessed the talent of a superlative bartender, there was no doubt that this fallen patron god’s skill in the craft far surpassed his own.

They both possessed mortal bodies, yet Soma used techniques and combinations approaching the level of art, displaying the qualifications of the divine realm.

“Whew… What an unexpected harvest.”

Roland exhaled deeply and casually picked up a bottle beside Soma, removing the stopper.

In an instant, a rich and extraordinary fragrance filled the entire room. It carried a faintly alluring, almost coaxing quality. The moment Lili caught the scent, her face paled, and she seized Roland by the hem of his clothing.

Roland shook the bottle and, under Lili’s astonished gaze, drank it all in one swallow.

The next moment, an incomparable intoxication swept through his consciousness. It was as though every worry and sorrow had drifted far away. A supreme pleasure, like standing atop the clouds, filled Roland’s mouth before gradually spreading throughout his entire body.

With wine like this, who needed hypnosis or coercion? Even if the worst evil in the world were mixed into it, ordinary people would never resist such temptation. They would obediently drink it and lose themselves to their craving.

In a certain sense, this resource was of no small importance to Roland.

“And this feeling is strangely familiar… Could the Blessing simply be the process by which talented mortals gradually draw closer to the gods?”

Because a superlative talent inherently exceeded the boundaries of common sense, Roland could perceive the gap between himself and the skill required to produce such divine wine, even while inhabiting a mortal body.

It was the best proof that possibility could take tangible form and interfere with reality.

“So the Blessing is even more valuable than I imagined.”

Roland gazed at the empty glass in his hand, still reluctant to let the experience end. He snapped his fingers, and immediately a shadowy ninja carrying a tray brought him his stockpile.

A plate of sugar cubes that looked like industrial products.

Roland casually picked up two and tossed them into his mouth. The rich, cheap sweetness combined with the lingering fragrance of the wine, producing an almost burning sensation. He narrowed his eyes in comfort.

“Cheap candy really does pair well with divine wine.”

Then he turned toward Chanis.

“From now on, preserve all the divine wine in storage and provide ample ingredients. Since he enjoys brewing, let him brew to his heart’s content.”

Roland glanced at Soma, who remained completely oblivious to everything around him, tucked a bottle of wine away, and led the others outside.

“I want this wine to become popular throughout the entire world…”

“But, Lord Roland…”

Chanis looked troubled.

“The supply of divine wine is limited. At Lord Soma’s current production rate, it could spread throughout Orario at most. Beyond that, we would be unable to keep up.”

He was not lying. The Soma Familia had always wanted to amass wealth, but Soma’s production speed was limited. Even if they gave up their own allocation, it would barely be enough to satisfy Orario’s consumption.

“You fool. I am not trying to make people addicted. I merely want them to drink it. It does not matter if they never buy a second bottle. Dilute it with water to reduce the amount. As for the price…”

Roland thought for a moment, then named a remarkably cheap figure.

“With profits that low, making it popular will not be difficult. But the number of consumers will probably rise even further, making it more difficult to supply.”

“Then mix some wine into the water.”

Before his transmigration, Roland had been deeply impressed by the way certain major milk brands handled their products.

“If that is the plan, then it should work.”

Chanis calculated calmly for a while before finally giving an affirmative conclusion.

“Good. Go and do it. I want this malice to spread rapidly throughout the entire world.”

Roland’s voice grew increasingly expectant. After Chanis departed, he turned toward Lili, who stood there with a look of utter astonishment.

“Now it is time to fulfill your wish.”

She had gone from a pitiful girl who merely wanted to change familias to one of the hidden masterminds behind the subversion of the world. She must have been experiencing a complicated mixture of emotions. Still, intelligent children were so easy to work with. Even now, Lili remained perfectly obedient.

Seeing this, Roland casually picked up a bowl and slowly poured Soma’s divine wine into it. Then, under Lili’s gaze, he gently dropped in a single bead of chaotic black sludge.

“Drink, Liliruca. This is your destiny.”

“But, Lord Roland… What is the price?”

Lili accepted the bowl and stared at the clear liquid. Not a trace of the black sludge could be seen, and the surface reflected her own face as though she were seeking some kind of answer.

“Everything. From this moment on, you belong to me.”

Roland smiled as he gave her the answer.

“I see…”

As though reassured, Lili stopped hesitating and drank the clear divine wine in a single draught.

Amid the burning sensation of the sacred script across her back and the blissful feeling of floating beyond the world, only Roland’s final words remained in her consciousness.

“Welcome to the Great Lord Familia.”

(End of Chapter)