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The scene was miserable. He could tell that someone hadn’t destroyed the place by sheer force alone.

“By the time I got there to assess the situation, it was already…,” said Marquis Peiltris, fully armed, speaking calmly. “But don’t worry. We’re already tracking the culprit. We’ll catch their trace in no time.”

“Their trace, you say…?” Davey muttered.

There were two soldiers and a knight lay dead on the ground. Inside a cage, Duke La Lili was hanging by the arms with his head sagged down lifelessly as if his soul had left him.

Swoosh!

Davey swung the door open and rushed inside, placing his hands on the Duke’s body. There were no visible wounds—it was as if his very soul had left his body hollow.

He stood in front of the Duke for a while. Eventually, he noticed something subtle on the ground in front of the Duke’s body.

‘Hair? Could this be from the person who killed him?’

Davey picked up the bluish strand, rubbing it between his fingertips in silence.

“Your Highness?”

“It’s hair.”

“Hair…? What do you mean?” The Marquis answered in a confused tone.

‘Wait, he can’t see this?’

Feeling perplexed, Davey glanced behind him. He noticed that Grand Duchess Kathryn was also looking at him with a puzzled expression.

“...”

‘How can they not see this when they both have a vision beyond any ordinary human?’

Davey then got up as he continued to roll the strand between his fingers.

But then, the divine power Davey had consumed through Predatory AssimilatIon naturally merged with the hair. It began to dissolve.

Psss…

The hair scattered into nothingness, as if he had never been holding onto it in the first place.

“...”

"Your… Highness?

“Their trace…” Davey murmured. Marquis Peiltris continued to look at Davey with a confused face.

“We’ll track down the culprit in—”

“No, I’m not talking about their trace.”

Davey was referring to the damned being that was aiding Thanatos, helping her to cross the line even though she hadn’t abandoned her levels of godhood. He didn’t think it was them in the beginning, but it just boiled down to him denying the fact that there was only one traitor. He had hoped Eclipse had been wrong, but deep down, he knew that was just a wish of his.

“Your Highness?”

“Gather the soldiers. I’ve found the culprit.”

Following his words, the fallen soldiers and knights began to move again, as if their hearts began beating again.

‘Suspended animation…? I have no doubts now,’ he thought.

“Pardon?!”

They looked up at Davey, stunned.

“D-Did you say you’ve found the culprit? Who is it?!”

“First, clean up the villa. I’ll explain later.”

“Uh, yes, your Highness… Right away.”

The Marquis still seemed uncertain, but refrained from asking more questions.

* * *

The underground mountain ranges of Tartaros. At this only path connecting the Demon World to TIronis, a strange being inhabited deep within it.

“Inhabit? Couldn’t you use a better word than inhabit?”

“Be quiet if you don’t want to lose every last strand of hair.”

Tak tak tak!!

The black skull laughed, chattering its teeth together. “It was much better before.”

“That’s just a preference of yours. Anyway… Goddess Freyja, grant mercy to this one who is full of greed.”

“Mercy…”

Davey was talking to none other than Saintess Iro. She was a black skeleton and the former Saintess before Saintess Lena.

“So, what brings you here?” Iro asked.

“Why are you a skeleton again?” Davey asked.

“The dead should stay dead. I passed on everything I had to my successor Saint Lena, so my job is done!” Iro chattered.

Davey knew nobody would’ve been able to guess that this damn bald skeleton was the former Saintess. She did teach some strange things for a Saintness, and so Davey could only imagine how Saintess Lena would have problems as well while she learned from her.

“Do you have the statue?” Davey asked.

“The statue?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes. We always pray to it every morning… Are you trying to perform possession, by any chance?”

Saints and Saintesses could receive divine grace through certain statues. Receiving divine grace itself didn’t help much, generally. However, there were stories that those on the same level of a Saint or Saintess could receive revelations from them, or even be able to meet God directly in their dreams.

Of course, anything beyond revelations were deemed impossible, but Davey couldn’t care less. Goddess Freyja had called him here, and that was all the reason Davey needed.

The beastfolk village beneath the underground mountain range, where Iro had brought the abandoned races to live, was still peaceful and calm. Although the inhabitants were nervous about Davey’s sudden appearance, they did not reject him—likely due to what Iro had said.

Afterward, Iro led Davey down the underground stairs, revealing a carefully carved statue of the goddess. The temple was bathed in warm holy power, proof that she was a being that was receiving the miracles of Goddess Freyja. Davey thought she lived up to the reputation of being the previous saintess who had received Goddess Freyja’s grace.

The fact that there were two saintesses was surprising, but it made sense since one of them was basically an undead. Davey couldn\'t help but think that Iro must’ve had overwhelming abilities to maintain such a harmonious balance with Lena considering the two were in such stark contrast.

“Oh, by the way,” Iro said, “a demon crossed over from the Demon World to Tionis recently.”

“What?”

“I heard they were looking for someone special.”

“Who? Do I know this demon?”

“I can’t remember their name… They were a succubus. Yusi? Something like that. It’s forbidden for them to cross over at the moment, but this one insisted.”

This meant that Iro had let them pass, but he figured it wouldn’t be a problem as he trusted Iro with the way she assessed demons. She then tilted her head while making bone cracking sounds.

“Well, it seems like you probably don’t want me here. I’ll get going,” Iro said.

“Yeah… That’d be nice.”

“It just seemed like you’re upset about somethinnggg~.”

“Is the reason you talk like that because of that stupid-head Saintess of Valchas?”

“Isn’t it cute?”

Looking at Iro cupping her bony cheekbones with her skeleton hands out of embarrassment made Davey feel…

He just ended up sighing “Yeah, cute… I guess.”

Tak tak tak!!

Iro continued to chatter, clearly thrilled to see Davey after so long. But after a while, he still kicked her out. Even as he kicked her out, she wouldn’t stop talking, and Davey couldn’t help but wonder how a skeleton without a tongue could speak so much.

“Goddess Freyja—the primordial being who presides over this world…” Davey recited respectfully and quietly.

“We have much to discuss, you damn old spinster.”

He then released divine power. He knew she would have a lot to say to him, as well.

Shine!!

The effect was overwhelming. The scene before him turned completely white. In an instant, the space had shifted, expanding into a vast firmament.

He recognized this place. It was the same space he’d entered when he first received the gem—the space that transformed according to the state of the Goddess Freyja.

But now, twilight was fading in the space.

Shine!!

Soon, a being with enormous wings appeared before him, slowly opening its eyes. She resembled Rinne but with hair flowing down to her calves, and her eyes were darker. Unlike Rinne, who often boasted that the small wings on her back were her attractive trait, this being\'s wings were vast and indeterminable in size.

She was the primordial existence. Though she didn’t have a physical form, she had once possessed Rinne’s body, so her appearance was strikingly similar to hers.

“You probably already know what I’m going to say,” Davey said.

She then opened her eyes fully, locking onto Davey’s. Though she looked like Rinne, she wasn’t her. She was the absolute transcendental force governing this world.

In other words, God.

She was Goddess Freyja.

“Let’s get straight to the point,” Davey began. “Duke Neto La Lili. Why did you kill him?”

She remained silent. It was already strange enough that she was willing to meet him, so Davey had never expected the conversation to be easy.

“Should I rephrase the question? The power of the Special Ones depends on the strength of their soul. Why did you enhance his spirit and push him to break a taboo? Do you know how many people died because of that?”

She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again, lowering her gaze to her left. Davey turned to where she was looking, only to see the soul of Duke Neto La Lili, burning in a vivid blue.

“Last question,” Davey continued, frustrated by her silence. Her eyes returned to him, unwavering.

“Goddess Freyja, why did you betray me and help Thanatos?”

This was the question that he wanted to ask the most; the question that made him the angriest. Though he had once been a Saint who had fallen from grace, he had never betrayed her. Not even once had such a thought crossed his mind. But she had betrayed him.

A god with levels was immortal and had the authority to intervene and create. But there were limits to what such beings could do, bound by their own levels. However, Thanatos had already crossed that line, with the sole reason that she had attached herself to Eclipse.

Even for a god, there were things that should and shouldn’t be done. What Thanatos had achieved couldn’t have happened without the aid of something absolute.

“At first, I thought Thanatos had something I didn\'t, as the back side of the coin should be the main part of this period of time. I thought her hatred after being trapped in the Abyss despite being her turn had turned the situation to how it had turned out.”

But Davey later realized that wasn’t the case. No matter how much time passed, or how deeply her hatred grew, some things were simply impossible. What couldn’t be done, couldn’t be done.

“I’ll ask you again. Why did you help her? What did you want to accomplish? You helped me, then turned your back on me next. You strengthened me, then got in the way. You tried to absorb me, as well. Were you the one who brought me into the hall in the first place?”

Again, she didn’t answer him.

“Fine. If you won’t answer, I’ll show you just how twisted your little lamb can be.”

Just as Davey was about to unleash the full force of his Predatory Assimilation and power of taboo, her energy surrounded him. He reflexively tried to resist, but this was her domain—here, everything was within her control. She slowly approached and placed a finger on his forehead.

Shine!!

A burst of light erupted from her touch, enveloping Davey completely. The light was so intense that he remained silent for a long time, consumed by its brilliance. When the light finally faded, Davey found himself facing someone he had never expected to meet again—someone he’d vowed to stab with a bamboo spear if they ever crossed paths.

“...”

“It’s been a while,” the figure said in a calm voice, as though they had been waiting for Davey to arrive.

The figure before him was muscular, wearing pants made from animal skins with another pelt draped over their back and head. They were an absolute being exuding intimidating aura and were like the embodiment of the wild itself.

They were the absolute strongest among the heroes of the hall—a being who had smiled even after taking the giant, planetical level magic from Death Lord Rho Aias head-on.

There was no way for Davey not to recognize him. Without hesitation, Davey opened his Pocket Plane.

“You thief! Prepare yourself!”

Then, just as always, Davey summoned Longinus, his bamboo spear-shaped weapon, and lunged at him.

Hercules!

He was the greatest hero of the hall who had the most treacherous method of training. He was the husband of the small ancient dragon Eclipse. Despite Davey’s all-in attack, he couldn’t even leave a scar on him.

“The fact that we’ve met again like this means you’ve realized something. But it seems you’ve still got a long way to go,” Hercules said.

“Why are you here?” Davey demanded.

Hercules chuckled, looking at Davey through the animal skin covering his face.

“Why am I here? You already know the answer to that, don’t you?”

His voice, usually booming and full of energy, was surprisingly calm.

“...”

“I’m sure you know who the first hero of the hall was. And who created the hall.”

At first, Davey had thought the world itself had created the hall, but he realized that logically it made the least sense.

“Still, you’ve lived up to the reputation of being my disciple by surviving until the end. Even though you were on the verge of death more times than I can count, you made it through.”

“There were so many damned enemies out there. Even when I just wanted to live quietly, they kept coming at me.”

“Pahaha!” Hercules laughed heartily, clapping his hands at his complaints. Then, the surrounding space transformed into a vast forest.

“Do you remember this place?” Hercules asked.

“The second survival trial. I can’t even remember how many times I almost died here after being bitten by poisonous snakes and stung by deadly insects. I have nothing but bad memories of this place.”

“Well, that’s because you were still immature.”

“That’s why I tried to attack you with a bamboo spear the moment we met,” Davey muttered.

Hercules had the talent to provoke people with his words. Even though he looked like a person whose brain was solely made of muscles, the way he acted was extremely annoying and sly. There had been a time when he taught Davey a strange, grotesque way to breathe and threw him into the forest to survive. He had fought off snakes and eaten bugs in order to survive back then.

Hercules cheerfully handed Davey a piece of meat from the bonfire. Without hesitation, Davey took a bite of it.

“Why did Goddess Freyja grant that psychopath so much power?” Davey asked.

He thought about how Duke Neto La Lili had killed countless people. Since Goddess Freyja was supposed to be the Goddess of Affection, he figured she would display acts of such. But what she had shown through the Duke was what an Evil God would do.

“Davey. Humans are extremely arrogant.”

“Arrogant?”

“Why is evil simply judged as evil?”

“There’s a story behind every killing, sure. But he killed countless people for his own amusement.”

Hercules chuckled at his blunt response.

“Then let me ask you this. What’s the difference between you and him? You’ve killed plenty of people too.”

Davey stared at him.

‘He has to be joking, right?’

“Well, at least I never laid hands on someone else’s wife.”

Hercules roared with laughter, finding his answer amusing. After a long moment, he spoke again in a calm tone.

“From the goddess’s perspective, all humans are the same—bugs, animals, and even monsters. Everything is born abiding by the rules laid out by Goddess Freyja. Simply speaking, it’s like the food chain. But to think that humans are somehow exempt from this simplicity because they’re intelligent is a foolish thought.”

“So… what? She felt sorry for him? Did she not know how many people would die because of him?”

“Davey, she may have granted power, but it’s up to humans to choose how they use it. He happened to make that choice of his.”

“You don’t expect me to understand what you’re saying, do you?”

As twisted as the logic was, Davey couldn’t deny that it had a certain truth to it.

“And Davey, you were one of the reasons the goddess showed mercy.”

“Is it… because of my Predatory Assimilation?”

“The special ability that the Duke possessed was exactly the kind of power you needed. Didn’t you realize that?”

“I didn’t know.”

“Exactly. You likely didn’t.”

‘She corrupted him for my sake?’

“To be precise, she gave him a chance as well. But he crossed the line, and the goddess took him in and made him pay. That’s all there is to it.”

At that, Davey got up and threw the meat in his hand onto the grass. Then a massive centipede-like creature waved through, snatching the meat before scurrying away. It was a disturbing sight, but neither Davey nor Hercules paid any attention to it.

“Then what about the innocent people who died because of him? What have they done wrong to deserve such treatment?”

“Davey.”

“Tell me.”

So many people were hurt or killed because of the so-called kindness that Goddess Freyja had bestowed upon the Duke. But Hercules shook his head, rejecting his perspective.

“The humans, animals, bugs you’ve killed, the monsters that were fighting for food, and Destructionthat just followed their killer instincts—what have they done wrong?”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t agree to it. I’m a human.”

“Gods and humans are not the same, Davey. Don’t confuse the two just because gods appear human.”

Davey was momentarily speechless at his remark.

“It’s foolish to impose human standards on gods.”

“So I wasn’t the one being arrogant.”

“And yet, that arrogance is what sustains this world. Goddess Freyja has been protecting it solely as a transcendental being.”

“Then why did she personally take him? There’s still so much I need him to tell me. I came here to take that damn bastard back for interrogation.”

Davey had no intention of letting the Duke die easily. But Hercules’s next words made him pause.

“Because the one who made him like that was none other than Goddess Freyja herself. All of the evil beings you’ve encountered—each one has been shaped by mutual causality. Isn\'t that true?”

“Yes, in a way.”

“But the Duke—he was influenced directly by the Goddess. If you were smart, you’d already understand what that means.”

This wasn’t just another case of twisted mutual causality. The Duke had been granted grace by the Goddess herself. And because of that, she had personally taken his soul.

“Haaa. Fine. He was going to die one way or another, so it doesn’t matter where he died. But why are you here?”

“The Goddess must’ve decided it’s time. Davey, what do you think heroes and gods are?”

The question came out of the blue.

“Gods and heroes... A mighty force?”

“Hmm, I suppose that’s right,” Hercules replied, shaking his head as he tore into the meat.

“Enormously influential.”

“Well, that’s also true.”

Davey assumed he hadn’t given Hercules the answer he wanted.

“Then what else are they?”

“A hero is someone who saves many people. They protect the balance of the world and constantly sacrifice themselves.”

“...”

“The concept of god refers to a being that existed since the beginning. They control the world, protect it from chaos with their immense power, and guide its destiny. And yes, just as you are aware, they save countless lives. But their method of salvation doesn’t take on favoritism; they don’t discriminate between who is saved or who gets sacrificed. That’s just the way it is. It’s why they exist, their purpose.”

Hercules looked directly at Davey. He felt like he could understand what he was saying at the moment.

“So, what do you think? Aren’t heroes similar to gods in some ways?”

“Hercules…”

“The truth is both simple and complicated.”

Neltarid and Thanatos—they were beings created by the hands of Goddess Freyja. The significance of their existence was just like him, trying to be some kind of hero.

“I’ll tell you the truth behind the veil—why I’m here and what Goddess Freyja is really planning.”

“Please tell me it’s not something too grand.”

“Don’t worry. Everything can be resolved through your efforts,” he said in a low tone.

He paused briefly before continuing, “First of all, as you’ve suspected, both Goddess Freyja and I helped Thanatos.”

Clank!!

Davey stabbed his bamboo spear toward Hercules again.

“I swear, one day I’ll put a hole right through your stomach! I can\'t stand people like you!”

“Kahaha!” Hercules laughed heartily. His abs were solid as iron, deflecting the spear effortlessly.

“Why are you laughing?!”

“At least listen to the whole story before getting angry, Davey! Calmness is an essential survival skill!”

“Shoot first and ask questions later—this is the survival method I learned from you,” Davey retorted.

“Alright then! Come at me!”

Davey wasn’t the same as he once was. He was determined to settle the sorrows of his past.

He charged forward with everything he had. However, after a while, he found himself lying flat on the ground, breathless.

‘What a monstrous bastard,’ Davey thought.

“You’ve gotten a lot stronger! Even I have to stay on my toes now!” Hercules said laughing.

His laughter annoyed Davey so much. It was maddening to him.

But he didn’t smile for long.

“Are you ready to hear the rest? You might be more shocked than you’d think.”

“Just go ahead and tell me,” Davey sighed, still lying on the ground. “I’ll decide if I’m shocked or not.”

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook\'s Thoughts

Editorb’s Thought:

All the former Saintesses every year at the annual reunion potluck: