I Am the God of Games

With the help of the registrar, the recruitment went smoothly.

After that, Marni and company did not linger further, immediately leaving the refugee camp in the snow.

It had to be said that the registrar had a high degree of reputation among the refugees, to the point where almost no one opposed the seemingly suicidal act of traveling in the snow.

The city guards of Wickidor saw this, but did not move to stop them. To the lord of the city, the fact that they lost a hundred refugees at once was probably a big relief…

Almost half a day later, their group of refugees only managed to advance around three kilometers.

The piled-up snow was different than the texture of sand. On stepping into the snow, it would immediately cover up to half the calf, and the snow would melt a little due to their body heat and become sticky, causing the refugees to only be able to move forward at a snail’s pace.

A majority of the refugees had already started panting tiredly, and after expending heat in physical effort, the vast amounts of energy expended made them feel even colder. It was like even their thoughts were frozen.

Even though they had Marni’s oat cookies to sate their hunger, most of the refugees were cold and tired, and wanted nothing more than to lie down then and there to sleep—Granted if they really did something like that they would probably never be able to wake up.

Marni and Leah had the blessings of the System so they were fine, but since they were born in this world, they completely did not think of making tools like sleighs to make the journey easier. Looking at the terrible state of the refugees that looked like they would rather be slain on the spot rather than continue walking, they did not know any way to help out.

In fact, this was the result even after the registrar who had chosen the cleric class continued to cast healing spells on them.

Granted the elderly man had learned swordsmanship back when he was younger, but since he was old and frail now his physical stats wouldn’t be able to be comparable with those of younger people, so of course he couldn’t choose the physically heavy warrior and ranger classes. The mage class seemed like it was a good choice, but after a lot of thought, the registrar still chose to become a cleric which seemed to be the most devoted class, in order to make up for tossing his faith aside. It was a good thing he had chosen to do so too, as there might have been some refugees that would have met with an untimely fate.

If it goes on like this, the journey that would normally take barely more than a day couldn’t have been completed in three days.

“Mister, are the oat cookies enough?” Leah asked worriedly.

“If we stretched it out, it could probably last two days…”

Marni was also stumped. There were quite a number of refugees that brought along their families, and they had to rush in the cold weather so their energy was used up extremely quickly. If the food was not enough, the refugees would soon not be able to move.

“In that case, we can only carry out our plans in advance. Let’s preach to the refugees now.” The young princess said solemnly, “Only through becoming believers would the path forward be bright!”

“Would that be alright, Your Highness? We are too near Wickidor, maybe the other churches would notice…?” the registrar asked in concern.

“If we keep on being afraid of possibilities, then we won’t be able to do anything!” Leah looked to Marni. “Do you do it or should I?”

“You already said that I don’t look like a preacher, I think you should do it, Princess…” Marni said, shaking his head.

The young princess didn’t bother to refute, jumping up and landing daintily onto the top of the carriage before taking a deep breath.

“Everyone, listen to me!”

The young princess stood in the harsh winter, her expression resolute and unflinching as the howling wind lashing at her golden hair and thin clothing—her clear and resonant voice attracting the gazes of the exhausted refugees.

“You might not recognize me, so let me introduce myself! I am Leah Yakaran, the First Princess of Tierra!”

The young princess’ words were too surprising, causing the refugees to start mumbling among themselves.

“The princess? How is that possible!””Wasn’t the royal family wiped out?””Didn’t the registrar say that we were on our way to become laborers? Why is the princess here all of a sudden?”

The confusion and shock plunged the refugees who had gone through scores of plights into uncertainty and panic.

“Silence! I vow on my name as the registrar of Tierra, Vanke Noreki that this is truly the princess of Tierra!” The registrar immediately stood out and stopped their discussion. “Her Highness’ speech isn’t done yet, so I beseech you to calm down!”

Leah spared a grateful nod toward the registrar, while the latter nodded back with an encouraging smile.

“I know that all of you are the citizens of our fallen country Tierra! Those evil invaders brought the cinders of war and strife into our kingdom, causing our country to fall, stealing our peaceful, tranquil and happy lives. They took everything!”

“We are no different! Stuck in the past, unable to face the harsh reality in front of our eyes, feeling desperate and unsure about the future, giving up in despair and stopping the struggle, thinking that it would be alright as long as we continue living…”

The refugees listened to the young princess’ words as they lowered their heads in grief, her words striking a chord in their hearts.

But then, her tone suddenly shifted, her voice becoming brighter as her eyes started to shine with hope.

“That was until, the god that we believed in responded to my prayers.”

All the refugees were confused by her statement.

The god that they had believed in? Wasn’t it the God of Games that the other churches said didn’t exist?

How could a god that doesn’t exist respond to your prayers?

“They said that no tomes had records of this god’s existence, that His divine order was too vague and coincided with other gods, that He didn’t help even when Tierra was on the verge of extinction… Many people have doubted the existence of the God of Games, to the point where you have thrown away your faith, haven’t you?” She didn’t rush to reply their questions, continuing on, “Because He didn’t help you while you were in your darkest days, because He didn’t respond to your prayers…”

Many of the refugees made an awkward expression at being pointed out.

It was true that a great majority of them had thrown away their faith after Tierra had fallen.

It was not a sin, but only a helpless choice made so that they could live on.

“But now, I can tell you with complete certainty…”

Leah’s firm and devoted voice rang true in each of the refugee’s ears through the harsh winds.

Xi Wei saw this entire scene unfold, and he seemed to glow even brighter.

“Interesting! How could I not help add some special effects…”

“The God of Games exists!”

As Leah declared these words like an anthem, a bright ray of light like the break of dawn shone through the flurry, shining onto the young girl like a spotlight on a stage. Neither the howling wind nor the raging snow could penetrate this area that was covered with light.

Her golden hair was further accentuated and shone like the sun in the halo of light as the snow around her melted instantly, green shoots sprouting through the bare and desolate ground around the carriage. Somehow, it seemed like spring had come in the harsh winter frost.

At this moment, the image of the young princess that looked holy and venerable as she was shrouded in light was deeply carved into the hearts of everyone present.