---

First, check how much time has passed while hibernating.

I pulled out the pocket watch from my embrace and checked the year… Hmm, has about 300 years passed?

Thanks to sleeping for quite a long time, my mind feels clear. This kind of refreshment can only be experienced after a lengthy hibernation!

So, shall we go see Asherat and hear what happened while I was asleep?

With that, I moved along with Arthur, who was waiting in front of my room.

Well, to be exact, Arthur was closely following behind me.

Feeling a bit burdened by Arthur, who was trailing me like a shadow, I turned around and asked,

“How long do you plan to follow me?”

“I will follow you wherever you go, Master.”

“No need for that, you know?”

Arthur was sticking closely to my back as if he were my escort.

While I understood that there was good intention behind such behavior… it was incredibly burdensome.

“Don’t you have your own duties now that you’ve become a god? Like, stop following me and go do something you should be doing…”

“It’s okay. There’s nothing urgent I need to do right now.”

Arthur casually replied. Seriously… what a troublesome guy.

“Ugh…”

My words didn’t even make a dent in him.

It can’t be helped, despite being quite burdensome, I guess I have no choice but to take him along.

I let out a small sigh and headed toward where Asherat was, with Arthur in tow.

Even after 300 years, the corridor was unchanged from when I fell asleep.

There wasn’t a speck of dust, and the passage of time felt non-existent as I opened the temple’s door and stepped inside.

“Alright. I’ll wrap up today’s prayers here, and the negotiations with the other gods are scheduled for dinner, so I’ll check on that later… Ah!”

“Hi, Asherat. You seem busy today too.”

Asherat, buried under a mountain of paperwork and working frantically, noticed me.

“Goddess! Are you awake?”

“Yeah. Just woke up.”

“Just now?! Hey! Sword Emperor!! I asked you to let me know when the Goddess wakes up! I trusted that you’d be at the Goddess’s door and let me know!!!”

Hmm? I see… So that’s why Arthur was by my door.

After all, Asherat wouldn’t have left Arthur at my door without a reason.

He wouldn’t even be able to enter the temple without my permission or Asherat’s. The fact that Arthur is in the temple means he must’ve received Asherat’s approval.

By the way, Sword Emperor? Is Arthur actually called that? I mean, he’s good with a sword for a human but calling him Sword Emperor seems a bit much.

Or… did he push himself to practice swordsmanship to a level worthy of that title? Now that’s interesting.

“I’m sorry. Protecting my Master is more important.”

“Protecting the Goddess… You just want to follow her around, don’t you?”

“…I won’t deny that.”

No, please deny it a little.

“Ugh… You truly are a headache of a human. Anyway, Goddess. It’s good that you woke up. Things have been getting a bit overwhelming.”

“Let’s talk about work later. Can you tell me what happened while I was asleep?”

Can’t we just postpone work for a bit? Why do I have to discuss work right after waking up?

“Um… Well, let’s do that. As for the incidents while the Goddess was asleep…”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

First of all, several countries have emerged on the ground.

While the Romania Empire prospered, it didn’t cover the entirety of the world.

Considering the vastness of the land, the Romania Empire was merely a nation for a portion of humans.

Countries began to rise in the east of the continent too, with some places even outside the reach of the Romania Empire, and in the barren northern plains…. many nomadic tribes emerged.

Due to all these numerous nations, the Romania Empire gradually weakened. It’s safe to say it feels confusing with all these new countries springing up around it.

Some nations began to raid across the borders little by little, while others entered peacefully for trade, and with an increase in countries to contend with, the might of the Romania Empire saw a bit of decrease.

In the past, maintaining public safety was manageable with just the knight orders, but now it’s a bit burdensome, hence the increased forces for border defense.

During this gradual weakening, various matters occurred within the royal family, leading to an incident that split the throne into two.

The emperor had three sons, but since the eldest was the most outstanding, he became the crown prince.

Because of this, the second and third sons lived life distanced from power… until the eldest son lost his life in a battle against a formidable monster.

The emperor, who was devastated by the death of his beloved son, began to drown in his sorrow and neglected state affairs, drinking instead.

In the meantime, a power struggle ignited between the second and third sons.

Various nobles got involved in that power struggle, leading to problems from external forces, and after the emperor, who was supposed to mediate between his two sons, succumbed to drinking and dying…

The Romania Empire was split in two. Into the North Romania Empire and the South Romania Empire.

It essentially meant that the massive empire had been cut in half.

If you look at the exact shape, starting from the northeast and crossing to the southwest, you’ll see.

The northern and western parts of the Romania Empire became the North Romania Empire, led by the second son, while the south and east became the South Romania Empire, following the third son.

Ah, and the emblem that symbolized the emperor flowed to North Romania Empire, with the black going to South Romania Empire.

As for the crown… I’m not sure. I heard it just mysteriously vanished amid the chaos.

Aside from that… as you might know, Lucius Altirius III, the former emperor of the Romania Empire, gained faith and became a god… Yes, the guy behind the Goddess.

Honestly, he begged for days in front of the temple, asking to serve the Goddess as her disciple. That guy.

What? What kind of god is he? Um… from what I can gather, he seems to be the guardian deity of the Romania Empire and the god of the sword.

I don’t know the specifics of what his divinity entails; that guy hasn’t revealed it all.

In any case, after the Romania Empire was split, the human emperor became a god, and many nations sprang up, leading to wars both big and small. That’s about the gist of it.

Yes. That’s what happened while the Goddess was asleep for 300 years.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

That’s how Asherat summarized it.

Hmm. The Romania Empire was split? Due to internal strife?

What is this, some Eastern Roman and Western Roman nonsense?

And.

“Arthur. You’ve got no thoughts about your realm being split in two, huh?”

Why is he sticking with me at a time like this?

His realm, the land where his descendants live, has just been split in two!

He’s the guardian deity of the Romania Empire, right? Shouldn’t he protect that land?

“It’s not that I have no thoughts, but… what can I do? It’s my descendants’ choice.”

There were various emotions crossing Arthur’s face as he said that.

Sadness about his ruled land being divided, pity over the situation where his descendants are pointing swords at each other due to internal strife, and a slight hint of anger.

A complicated mix of emotions entangled within him.

“Honestly, if it were a problem caused by external invasion, I might have lent some aid… but in this case, it’s civil strife.”

“That’s true.”

“Even though I possess the divinity of being the guardian deity of the Romania Empire, it’s a sword that can only be leveled against those who threaten the people of the Romania Empire. In a civil war between the Romania Empire, I have no means to assist at all.”

“Indeed…”

So, being the guardian deity of the Romania Empire instead became a restriction.

Well, it can’t be helped, I guess.

“Anyway, those are the events that transpired within the Romania Empire while the Goddess was asleep. Other races had their fair share of events too, but… that’s not something I paid much attention to, so I don’t know.”

“That’s enough for me.”

I can find out about other races later.

Alright then.

“I’ll take a quick look around the world before returning, so please handle things well, Asherat.”

“Huh? Wait! Goddess?!? Goddess?!?”

“Master?!”

With that, I stepped out of the Divine Hall, leaving behind the voices of Asherat and Arthur, heading toward the surface.

Now, let’s take a tour of this world 300 years later.

 

---