Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz) - Part 1 (Chapters 1 to 200)

Chapter 154: A Hearty Breakfast

The three adventurers and Alphonse hired an open-top carriage, heading toward the heart of the Slane Theocracy's capital city.

Before reaching the city center, their eyes swept over the towering church spires and ornate eaves, catching sight of six massive statues in the distance. The statues stood back-to-back, faces outward, encircling one another—a monument to the Slane Theocracy's faith, the Six Great Gods.

EeDechi recalled that in the center of E-Rantel, there was also a giant statue of Ainz. Seems like these folks all had similar tastes. The only difference was that Ainz's statue was entirely golden, while the Six Great Gods' statues each bore a distinct color.

The God of Life was white, the God of Earth a earthy brown, the God of Water blue, the God of Fire red, and the God of Wind green. But the one that stole the show was a pitch-black statue, its dark face carved into the skull of an undead, grim and solemn.

"That black statue—why does it look like an undead?" EeDechi pointed at it from afar.

"Divine Envoy, you don't know?" Alphonse sounded surprised. "That's the statue of Surshana, the God of Death. Black is his favorite color, so it's his signature hue. Haven't you seen the God of Death's form in the divine realm?"

"Ahem, well," EeDechi looked away, "truth is, Surshana and I are pretty tight. This statue? You guys in the Slane Theocracy built it based on legends. It's not what Surshana really looks like."

"But..." Alphonse's eyes widened, "these six statues were built at the founding of the Slane Theocracy, under the direct supervision of the Six Great Gods themselves."

"Oh... is that so?" EeDechi's mind raced, and she quickly spun a story: "Up in the divine realm, Surshana told me he wanted a cooler look. So he sent me down to the mortal world to tell you guys to spruce up his statue—y'know, maybe slap on some makeup, dye his hair, that sort of thing."

"But the God of Death is a skeletal undead god... he doesn't have hair..." Alphonse's confusion deepened.

Barrett jumped in, cutting her off: "Sorry, Divine Commandant, our Divine Envoy just came down from the divine realm on a sun chariot pulled by flying horses. She's feeling a bit carsick, and her memory's kind of fuzzy. Hope you'll forgive her if she's not remembering everything clearly."

"I see..."

...

As they got closer to the massive statues of the Six Great Gods, the group stepped out of the carriage. At the base of the statues' stone steps, dozens of flowers were scattered haphazardly. Lilies, tulips, roses, hyacinths, and more—a chaotic mix of types.

"Are the flowers on the statues put there by the officials?" EeDechi asked.

"Not at all," Alphonse said. "The flowers are placed by the people and devotees themselves. We only have a few folks assigned to clear away the wilted ones. For over six hundred years, the flowers at the statues have never stopped coming."

As he spoke, a little girl with wobbly steps broke away from her mother's arms. She placed a single wild chrysanthemum on the stone platform beneath the statues, then clasped her chubby hands together, bowing in prayer to the six silent, towering figures.

Besides the flower-placing girl, a few white-robed monks knelt before the statues, softly chanting prayers. It was clear the Slane Theocracy was steeped in religion, its people bound by deep faith.

After the three adventurers took in the street sights for a bit, they followed Alphonse into a narrow alley at the corner. A young boy with pale golden hair was waiting for them. Dressed in casual clothes, his gentle green eyes were strikingly clear.