I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm

I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm – Chapter 66

*Munch*

A sweet taste tickled Ruglace's tongue as his teeth sunk into a large piece of roasted corn.

The taste was a welcome distraction to the rowdy crowd that surrounded the young man in every direction.

Tyra was really understating how many people there would be...

He had heard rumors of how populated Rygard was, but the crowd that stood around him in this large, open space was almost entirely comprised of those from outside of the plateau. 

How many Oracle candidates can there really be?

This was a question he'd been asking himself repeatedly as more and more people in the same position as him were added to the gathering in the village center.

Although he looked toward the woman next to him with shakey eyes reflecting this same question, she only sighed at his expression.

"There is no need to be so nervous. You were the best candidate I could have selected," Tyra stated plainly.

"Even if you say that, you did not tell me there were so many other chosen people! If I knew there would be so much competition, I would not have bothered to waste so much time traveling!"

Tyra dismissed his whine, "You had months to change your mind before we even started traveling to the temple. It is too late to back out now."

"Scouts from Duckmere, please line up!"

A sudden shout from an aide echoed from the top of the temple's steps, catching the attention of the massive crowd. Soon, a small group of presumed Oracle candidates and their scouts made their way to the base of the temple.

Such a scene only took his attention for a moment, as it was an occurrence that had been repeated for hours at this point. One by one, these pairings were summoned into the temple to speak with the priest for a seemingly varying amount of time before returning back to the mossy village center to continue their feast.

They do not seem very shaken up at all...

The candidates' comfort was a bit of solace that Ruglace could hold on to as he watched them settle back into the crowd after their talk. Regardless of how his conversation with the priest would go, he didn't expect it to be something unpleasant based on their reactions. The generally kind reputation of the priest himself comforted him a bit, as well. 

"I only agreed to come here because I thought I was needed to save the world, but it looks like there are a ton of other people who could do it instead," Ruglace grumbled, "I could have built so many houses by now..."

Tyra lightly flicked the side of his head, "I would say that you lack confidence in yourself, but it sounds like you lack confidence in me for choosing you."

"I did not say that! You have to admit your words were a bit misleading, though," Ruglace defended as he rubbed the spot where the woman flicked.

Since she proceeded to ignore his complaints, Ruglace begrudgingly went back to munching on the food on his plate, graciously supplied by a team of cooks upon his arrival to Rygard.

The chicken is pretty good, but I do miss having fish...

Such a meal was the specialty of his home on the gulf. Although they sometimes enjoyed chicken or even the rare quasi-ducks which were more of a pain to hunt than they were a joy to eat, fish were his go-to meal every chance he got.

As he stared at the chicken skewer on his plate and tried to imagine it morphing into a roasted fish, another call sounded from the temple.

"Talonscar is up next! Scouts from the northern villages, please join the line!"

Ruglace's eyes widened as he watched the new group joining behind the last pairing of the candidates from Duckmere. 

"See! Look at those guys! I am clearly not needed here!"

The Oracle candidate dramatically pointed toward this new group comprised of what could only be described as true huntsmen. Many were donned with thick muscles seemingly intentionally revealed behind a sleeveless and open vest made from mountain chicken hide. Every single one of them was equipped with some variation of spear and covered with at least one piece of jewelry fashioned out of the teeth or talons of the beasts they hunted as a form of trophy.

Tyla followed his gesture, likewise staring at the huntsmen with a blank expression, "... Y-you were still the best candidate."

"You almost choked on your corn when you said that! How am I supposed to believe you when you do not even believe yourself!?"

The woman coughed up a kernel that was stuck in her throat as Ruglace argued. Eventually, she replied in the same monotone voice as usual.

"I was tasked with finding the best candidate near Woodrath, so that is what I did. Everyone was assigned an area in the world to look through... some just had more potential options than others."

"So you admit it!"

"No, I still believe you can be chosen as the Oracle," Tyra shook her head, "As I said when I first asked you to join me, strength is not the only quality I was looking for. Those huntsmen are from the area where Oracle Rynn was born. It is an area where they face beasts from a young age... there is no doubt that they are strong, but we do not know much about them beyond that."

"Well, they could also have whatever qualities you want along with that strength."

"They might, but that is not in our control. The decision is up to the priest and the creator of the world. I am sure the creator of the world's decision will be the best one, so there is no point in arguing. Just keep eating while we wait to be called in."@@novelbin@@

Ruglace could only groan at her rebuttal.

I guess it really is up to the creator of the world, anyway. Even if he does not pick me, I can just go back and keep building... but losing so much time on such a long trip is a bit annoying.

With his nerves finally starting to settle down, his eyes drifted toward the temple as he took another bite from his chicken skewer.

The temple is really as amazing as I heard. I did not know it was even possible to build a structure so large... though I guess it only makes sense that the creator of the world could do this much.

He continued to chew with his eyes locked onto the massive, white marble structure.

It seems to be made from some type of stone that I have never seen before... it has such an interesting design, too. There is no way a house made of stone could blow down in a storm. Maybe I could build one myself with the strength of an Oracle? Something the size of the temple could easily fit an entire village's worth of people!

Although his thoughts started to run wild as he gazed at the magnificent Greek-like structure featuring building techniques eons ahead of his time, the difference between his own capabilities and the skills needed to make such a temple seemed to become more evident the longer he looked. 

Does such a material even exist in this world? I have never seen such a large, white rock near the sea. Even if the creator of the world could guide me to it, do tools that could carve stone so precisely even exist? Even as an Oracle, there is no way I would have the strength to carry so much back to my village...

The rumors of the Oracle's strength were indeed great, but even Ruglace doubted it would be enough to pull off such a feat.

And that roof... how does it even stand? Stone is so heavy yet there seems to be nothing holding it up beyond the walls! Is the stone making up the roof really one massive flat piece? How else could it be held up with only the walls?

A sigh escaped his lips as he longingly gazed at the temple's entrance.

Maybe it has some internal support? I really want to see inside of it... 

Time seemed to pass quickly as the Ruglace continued to marvel at the structure while the remaining candidates mingled amongst themselves.

Eventually, however, a call from the temple's entrance brought him back to attention.

"Scouts and Oracle candidates near Woodrath are up! Please line up at the temple!"

Woodrath... he said Woodrath, right?

"Come on, it is time for us to go," Tyra stood up, reaffirming his thoughts.

"A-alright."

Ruglace could feel his heartbeat increase with every step he took toward the temple; the composure he had when looking at the structure from a distance was left behind along with his finished plate. It was only when he got in line with the other small group of Oracle candidates and scouts from his area that his heart rate began to level off. 

"This is insane..." Ruglace couldn't help but let out such a subconscious mutter that didn't go unheard by his scout.

"Are you talking about the temple or about meeting the priest?"

"Both, I guess."

"Do not be nervous," Tyra quietly reassured, "It has been a while since I have seen him, but Priest Brung is said to still be as kind as I remember."

Ruglace sighed as a candidate left the temple, quickly replaced by one from Woodrath who took his place inside, "Hopefully you are right..."

The two stood in silence as Ruglace tried to distract himself by looking at the temple's marble pillars. His anxious walk to the line left him at the back of it which gave him plenty of time to admire its details up close.

Of course, his time to enter eventually came and Ruglace was forced to follow Tyra up the temple's steps and through its large entryway.

"Hello!"

A sociable greeting entered his ears the moment he stepped inside; the person speaking wore a humble set of clothing made from chicken husk, not too much more intricate than what Ruglace donned himself. Although far from being middle-aged, Ruglace wouldn't have been surprised if the priest had a son about his age.

"Ah- Tyra, is that you!? It has been so long, you are so big now!"

The priest warmly approached the two of them and quickly began conversing with his scout.

Well, he definitely seems nice. I guess they were more familiar with each other than I thought.

As the two caught up in a manner resembling a grandparent seeing their grandchildren after a long holiday break, Ruglace took the chance to look around the place. Before he even got to study the ceiling, however, his eyes quickly locked onto the massive statue towering on a platform at the back of the temple.

His body initially flinched at the massive figure's outstretched hand seemingly pointing directly at him before he came to the realization that the figure was stone and not an actual massive human.

"That... is really made out of stone? How is that possible?"

The statue looked almost indistinguishable from an actual person, with him being able to make out even the individual hairs on its head from such a distance. Even the wrinkles on its odd clothing seemed natural; it was as though a real person had been turned to stone.

While Ruglace continued to stare in disbelief, the priest approached the distracted candidate's side and spoke.

"That is an amazing statue of the creator of the world, is it not? The other visitors today had the same look as you when they saw it."

Ruglace could only nod his head, "That... is the creator of the world? But he looks so young!"

"He acts young, too, so it fits well," the priest grinned slyly.

Wow... are they really close enough for the priest to joke around like that? 

Although re-evaluating his impression of the world's creator, Ruglace stifled the question and instead pointed toward the statue once more.

"What is that in his arm? It is nothing like any chicken or quasi-duck that I have seen."

The priest smiled once more, "That is a common question. Despite my pestering, the creator of the world only says that it is his friend."

"His friend?" Ruglace stared at the unfamiliar creature as if studying it, "Does his friend not get upset when we eat things like chicken?"

"I have not heard- oh... hold on."

The priest went silent for a moment with an awkward smile, as Ruglace was left in confusion. Eventually, however, he opened his mouth again.

"Interesting. They apparently had a recent disagreement about eggs, but the creator of the world says not to mind it."

Ruglace's eyes widened and he took a step back, "W-wait. You are speaking to the creator of the world right now!?"

"Of course. He is the one who will be asking you questions; I am just the person asking them on his behalf."

The young man quickly looked over at Tyra in a panic, but was only met with her blank expression as usual.

What else did you not tell me, you stone-faced woman!? Actually, can I even call you that!? The statue shows more emotion than you!

Although he desperately wanted to retort, the pressure of the moment forced him to swallow his words.

"Now, then. We have a lot of other people waiting, so let us get started. To formally introduce myself, I am Priest Brung and I will be asking you some questions to help the creator of the world make a decision on who to choose as an Oracle. We are looking to find someone who can lead us through the upcoming invasion."

"N-nice to meet you, Priest Brung... I am Ruglace."

"It is nice to meet you, too, Ruglace," the priest smiled, "Tyra told me a lot about you while you were admiring the temple. You seem to be pretty experienced with building; the creator of the world actually was just looking over some of the houses you made and he is extremely impressed. Forgive me if I am understanding this wrong, but he says you were able to make some sort of stone foundation for the homes? Did you come up with that technique on your own?"

He saw my houses!?

Ruglace took a second to compose himself before replying, "Yes. My father was a famous builder from my village... he designed the style of homes that most of the nearby areas use. His houses were pretty good for withstanding the winds of the storms, but he underestimated how soft the ground would get in the heavy rain. I figured if the logs making up the houses' frames were wedged in stone instead of dirt, they would not shift so much in a storm."

"Well, the creator of the world is very intrigued. He has many more questions about what you made, but I will skip those since we are low on time. Tyra told me that you have been spending all of your time making these homes and only asked for simple meals as compensation."

Ruglace shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I have my own reasons for building... it is not as selfless as it may seem."

"Volunteering to make so many is a very kind thing to do, regardless of the motivation. Would you mind telling me why you are working so hard?"

The Oracle candidate let out a melancholic sigh at the priest's curious question.

"A few autumns ago, there was a pretty bad storm that hit our village. Up until this point, our home that my father designed had stood through every storm that hit... since our home was the first one he built, we had no idea about how the soil had been slowly shifting with every rain shower that passed through. Sadly, we did not figure this out until the roof collapsed. My father was able to hold up a log just long enough for my mother and me to escape... but he could not make it out."

A heavy silence enveloped the temple while he solemnly recounted the events.

"After that, I wanted to make sure no one had to go through that again. It is only a matter of time before the other homes my father designed also fall to the storms," Ruglace looked up at the priest, his eyes changing from sorrow to determination, "I need to fix them before that happens."

The priest met his gaze warmly, "I am sorry to hear about your loss... your father sounds like he was a great man. You know, if even the creator of the world says your reason is selfless, I think you can take more pride in what you are doing."

Ruglace reflexively looked down in embarrassment as the priest changed the topic.

"So onto the next question. Being an Oracle means you will be at the forefront if an invasion were to happen. Do you have any sort of fighting experience?"

"No... not at all."

"He has experience using an axe," Tyra interjected from the background as the priest nodded.

"That makes sense considering how you have been building homes," the priest scanned over Ruglace's figure with his hand on his chin, "You definitely have some muscle from your work; the creator of the world says you have a good figure."

"T-thank you?"

The priest grinned at his shy reaction, "Tyra is a bit pushy so I should probably ask this. Are you really interested in becoming an Oracle?"

"... Yes, I am," Ruglace answered. Although there was a brief pause before his reply, his statement was resolute, "My main passion is in building, but if I am needed to fight off these invaders, I will do whatever I have to do to save the world.

"Perfect," the priest nodded satisfied, "Well then, I think that concludes the questions. We will announce who is chosen once the creator of the world has spoken to each candidate, so please enjoy your time in Rygard until then. It was nice meeting you, Ruglace."

"Ah- that was it?" Ruglace flinched, a bit taken aback.

"Sadly, yes it was," the priest smiled, "We have a lot of candidates to get to, we can only spare enough time for a few simple questions. The scouts gave us most of the main information we needed."

"Alright then. Thank you... it was nice meeting you too, Priest Brung."

As Ruglace began to awkwardly make his way toward the exit, a sudden call from the priest stopped him in his tracks.

"Hold on- we have one last question for you, Ruglace!"

"Hm?"

The priest's narrowed eyes met his own as he turned to face the voice, "Do you hold the creator of the world responsible for what happened to your family?"

Ruglace's expression shifted from one of worry to one of confusion, "What? Of course not! It is not like the creator of the world is the one making the storms... he was resting after the last invasion but we still had them."

"Good, I am glad you realized such a thing."

Following his straightforward reply, Priest Brung waved him out of the temple after some quick words of goodbye to his scout.

"That was not what I expected it to be," Ruglace couldn't help but mutter as he descended the temple's steps.

"I told you it would just be a conversation," Tyra stated flatly following beside him.

"You did, but you did not say I would be talking to the creator of the world!"

"I said you would talk to Priest Brung, which you did."

"... You really need to work on explaining things fully," Ruglace sighed as they continued walking back toward their spot in the village center, "Do you think I have a chance at getting picked? Priest Brung seemed to like me, but that conversation was really short..."

"You did fine, but we will have to wait and see. It is up to the creator of the world, not Preist Brung, after all."

"I guess you are right."

With tired eyes looking over the remaining crowd who had yet to speak with the priest, Ruglace could only sigh as he sat back down on the mossy ground. 

Hopefully, he does not take too long to make up his mind... 

.

..

...

Woosh~

"Mmm..."

It was near dawn, two days after Ruglace finished his meeting with the priest when he was awoken by a gust of wind that blew across the village center where he and the other Oracle candidates had been camping. 

With a groan, Ruglace groggily opened his eyes as small drops of water began to fall on his laying body.

Although he quickly wiped his face, they were instantly replaced with drops that fell with more intensity.

Shouts began to arise from the stirring crowd as the gusts of wind grew more vigorous and the rain transitioned to what could only be described as a downpour.

Is this... a storm!? No- there is no way! I heard that Rygard hardly got any big ones-

The sight before him was contrasted heavily against the rumors he heard; it seemed to be a storm comparable to some of the biggest he faced back at his village.

The sky rapidly darkened as Ruglace quickly looked around for shelter- his eyes immediately falling onto the massive stone temple in the distance.

There should be enough room in there for everyone!

Although he wanted to run for cover, he stopped to look for Tyra who he quickly found still sleeping soundly on the moss by his side.

This girl is really sleeping through this!?

With a look of disbelief and a click of his tongue, Ruglace hurriedly shook her awake.

"Tyra, wake up! There is a storm- we need to get in the temple!"

"Mmm... it is too early~"

"What do you mean it is too early!? This is-!"

"Everyone! There is no need to panic!"

A sudden shout cut through the wind and interrupted his quarrel. Ruglace turned toward the voice, his eyes widening as he saw the sound coming from a familiar figure at the entrance to the temple.

Priest Brung!?

"I have a special announcement to make- the creator of the world has chosen his Oracle!"

He chose to do this now!?

Although he retorted in his head, he couldn't help but listen intensely despite the raging storm and flickers of yellow in the clouds above him.

The priest paused, seemingly scanning the crowd until his eyes locked onto Ruglace's. With a smile on his face, he pointed at the candidate who still had his arms mid-shake on Tyra's shoulders.

"Ruglace from Woodrath- congratulations! You were selected to be the new Oracle!"

"... Huh?"

Before he could even process the priest's words, a yellow beam shot down from the sky, piercing him through the chest.

A warm sensation filled his shocked body, while the crowd joined him in a stunned silence. Even the storm itself seemed to be frozen in awe with the rain and winds rapidly starting to dissipate as quickly as they appeared.

"Yo! I figured I should fill you in on one thing."

An energetic voice in his head caused Ruglace to flinch.

"You're right about me not making the storms at your village, but that doesn't mean I can't make them," the voice continued after a brief pause, "I was actually a bit famous for it back in the day~"