I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm

I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm – Chapter 39

We're already back here, aren't we?

As much as I enjoyed the view of Mr. Flippers' ice palace, seeing the same scenery for over two years was a bit tiring.

"What do you think, Mr. Flippers? Should we redecorate this place a bit?" I asked the penguin still in my arms.

"Squawk? Squawk!?" The penguin seemed to take offense to my suggestion.

"Your ice palace is fine! It's just that- ow! What are you pecking me for!? Let me talk first!"

"Squawk!"

"Fine! Pretend I didn't say anything then," I surrendered with a sigh.

I took another look around the dark room. Though it seemed the same as usual, it felt as though something was missing.

"Wait a minute... shouldn't there be-"

Just when I was beginning to question its absence, a red hue engulfed my domain.

"Squawk!?"

Mr. Flippers clung to my chest at the sudden change, while I looked toward the screen to see the words "Invasion Imminent" underneath a projection of Ferguson.

"That ogre sure took his time," I muttered.

Given how quickly everyone went back to their domains, I figured someone else would've tried to invade me before he had the chance to. Actually, the fact that no one did might be a problem... do I need to provoke them a bit more?

Aside from the anomaly that was Uunga, I didn't think my humans were ready to initiate an invasion. The only way for me not to fall behind was to have someone invade and have my humans fight a defensive battle.

As I was thinking such thoughts, I gradually felt the tension on the penguin start to loosen.

"Oh? You calmed down a lot faster this time. I had to drag you out from under your bed last time that thing went off," I teased.

"Squawk..."

"Yeah, right. How could you say you weren't scared when your head was buried in my chest?"

I glanced back at Ferguson's figure on the screen.

How is he more afraid of Levon than that behemoth? Well, whatever...

"Should we check out that Tier III prize now?"

"Squawk!"

The now rejuvenated penguin and I made our way over to my desk where I quickly turned off the invasion alarm.

"It should be around here somewhere, right?"

The stone statue of Mister Flippers and I vanished soon after I grabbed it from the Tier III prize box.

I didn't break it, did I? No, there's no way. Tatton definitely would've said something.

Sure enough, I soon noticed a display on one of my monitors which dispelled my fears completely. 

I immediately selected the 'statue' option, which opened another prompt window.

My eyes shook after reading the statue's description.

"... We hit the jackpot on our first try, didn't we?"

"Squawk~" The penguin responded to my mutter smugly. 

There weren't even words to describe how amazing such a prize was. In a competition where the amount of divinity correlated to an Oracle's strength, getting such a huge head start on its production was an absurdly amazing advantage.

Still, this paled in comparison to the statue's main function: the appointment of a priest.

One of the biggest perks of choosing an oracle was the fact that it enabled a line of communication between the ruler and their realm. The existence of a priest allowed for this connection to never break even after the battle phase concluded.

Of course, it could be assumed that the regulations put in place for Oracle communication would apply when talking to a priest, but this was hardly a downside compared to its enormous value.

My realm developed so much with only about fifty years of communication with Uunga. If I was able to talk to him for even just double that, there's no telling what my realm would look like right now!

It was hard not to get excited just by thinking of the possibilities my continued guidance could have on my realm, but although I wanted to think about what to say, I felt placing the statue took priority.

With anxious eyes, I clicked 'yes' on the prompt.

The view on my screen automatically changed to the side of my temple, which began shaking roughly.

"Raaaa!"

"Engu con radada!"

"Kon! Hun kon!"

My humans inside rushed out in a panic at the rumbling and soon stood staring at the temple from the village center surrounding it.

A marble figure began to appear from the ground at the back of the temple immediately following their vacancy. Starting with my snow boots, the statue was rapidly constructed until it perfectly resembled the miniature version I had grabbed from the chest a few hours prior. Unlike the miniature version, however, the statue in the temple was roughly 20 feet tall.

It's pretty wild to see a statue of myself. The quality is unbelievable too!

The marble figure perfectly dipected an image of me in my full winter gear holding Mister Flippers in my left arm and pointing toward the temple entrance with my right hand. There was an insane level of detail; every wrinkle on my clothing was apparent to the degree that it looked as though actual fabric had been petrified into stone.

I couldn't help but marvel at such a sight.

"Hey, do you see that?"

"Squawk?"

"The statue Mister Flippers is bigger than the actual one!"

"Squawk!?"

I endured an angry peck from the penguin and glanced back at the screen following the rumblings' conclusion.

Although the decision on whether or not to select a priest had a pretty obvious answer, I hesitated a bit before I decided to click 'yes'. Priests might not have any extra physical power when compared to my other humans, but they would still be who I relied on to accurately deliver my messages.

I had to make sure I picked someone who I could trust.

But how would I know who to trust?

The humans were all my babies in a way, yet they did not see me as their father. That basic bond between us was simply not present.

When I thought of trust regarding my realm, only one name came to mind: Uunga.

He's not really an option though... or is he?

I quickly scanned through the crowd of humans standing outside the temple who were still hesitant to return despite the shaking ceasing.

Uunga had a ton of children while he was living on the plateau. I would be shocked if none of these people were a descendant of his.

Following his passing, I kept track of a few generations of his, but sadly all of those children had long since joined him in the time I spent today at the Academy. Over five hundred years had passed in that time, after all.

Despite this, finding his lineage was not completely hopeless.

It was pretty much a precedent that the strongest of the plateau resided in the temple instead of a tipi. Given Uunga's strength even before becoming an Oracle, it would make sense that those with his genes were more likely to be in there, which boosted the odds of finding them even further.

My eyes soon focused on a man a bit taller than the others standing closest to the temple. While he was nowhere near as imposing as Uunga, there was a vague resemblance in their stature.

He's a bit braver than the rest and he's at a good age; not too young for his words to be brushed off nor old enough to need to be quickly replaced. Yeah, let's go with him.

There was no guarantee that the man was Uunga's descendant, but it ultimately did not matter either way. Such a qualification was only for my peace of mind, so I wasn't too concerned about my discernment.

Can't be rescinded... so even if the priest goes rogue, I can't do anything directly.

The original description alluded to this possibility, but seeing it under a warning label only amplified my worries.

Well, there's no way I'm gonna pass on this prize. The risk is more than worth the reward.

I selected 'yes' once again.

While this was going on, an initial group of humans hesitantly re-entered the temple and quickly noticed the massive statue now looking toward the entrance.

Their reactions were a mixed bag; some cowered in fear at the sight of the giant human, a few got into a defensive stance, and others just looked upon it curiously. The human I chose to be the priest was in that latter category.

After a bit of observation, those not petrified approached the statue with hesitant steps. A small ball of yellow light appeared on the statue's pointing finger and shot toward the human I chose to be my priest.

The priest candidate tried to leap out of the way but bumped into another human at his side and was unsuccessful.

"Fignis!?"

"Raaaa!"

Despite the other humans running around in a panic after seeing the launch of light, the priest stayed on the ground and examined his chest where the light hit.

"... Cagnis?"

Alright- it looks like it worked! That was a lot different from how it went when I chose an oracle though...

A wry smile appeared on my face as I watched the humans running in circles while the priest who got hit just sat there confused.

Should I use his language? That's what I did for my introduction with Uunga, but if I'm trying to act like a god, maybe it'll be best to skip that step.

I nodded at Mister Flippers and began to speak.

"Hello."

The priest immediately shot up at the sound of the unknown voice and he cautiously glanced around the still chaotic temple.

"You are looking really hard for someone so easy to see."

Still silent, the priest slowly shifted his gaze onto the giant statue.

"There you go. Yes, that is me you are looking at. Well, it is actually a depiction of me."

"... Who are you?" The priest hesitantly asked.

Good- the translation seems to be working fine.

The tension in my breath loosened a bit while I continued.

"I am the creator of this world. I have shaped the very ground you stand on and the feet on which you do so. After watching over you all for many years, it is now the time for me to reveal myself to the world."

"... The creator of the world?" the priest muttered, "Are you the one from the legends?"

"The legends?"

The priest nodded and continued.

"It is a story told to children about the man who shaped the village. He could lift trees with his strength and shake the ground with his steps. He spoke of 'the one who built the world' as the reason for his strength... is that you?"

I couldn't help but feel a warm sensation in my chest as he spoke.

Even without knowing that he saved my realm, Uunga still became a legend, huh?

I honestly didn't expect Uunga's stories about my existence to be passed down so reliably, but they seemed to come in handy with my introduction.

"It seems you know of me. I did indeed give him some of my power- without his help, this world would have certainly faced destruction."

The priest paused at my revelation before asking a question.

"Are you here to give me that power?"

"No, I am not- the time is not right. I need to save my power to protect this realm, so you will have a different role. The same threat that Uunga, the one who shaped your village many years ago, had faced is returning once more. I need you to relay my words and get my humans ready for battle."

I watched the priest tense up but nod with determination on my screen.

"What is your name, mortal?"

"... Angru."

"Well then, Angru, will you take on the role of being my first priest?"

"I will," his declaration was simple yet resolute.

"Good. Follow my guidance and relay my words to those around you. Only then can we hand down a world for your descendants to live in."