Chapter 101: Prospect
The next morning I got up early and headed to the Great Goddess Isister’s room on my own. I wanted to report about the appearance of the “evil god with mottled hair”.
「…There’s a high possibility that that being is an evil god. 」
After listening to my story, the Great Goddess Isister spoke with a difficult expression on her face.
In fact, I thought that I knew what kind of being it was, based on the characteristic hair. I hoped this information would be useful. However, it seems that many evil gods exist, one could say that they are as many as the gods from the God’s realm. I didn’t know the name of that evil god, nor did I know the name of the evil god residing in Exfolia. Therefore, the Great Goddess Isister wasn’t entirely sure if they were the same being.
「In addition to interfering with my foresight, that dark being also intervened with your spirit Listarte, even though you are currently in the God’s realm. That evil god has a tremendous power. Even if that evil god can’t harm you or Ryuguuin Seiya directly, you mustn’t lose your vigilance.」
「I…I understand. 」
After I bowed deeply in respect, I left the Great Goddess Isister’s room.
—
When I arrived at the Cafe De Celseus, I saw that Seiya, Kiriko and John Dae were already there with their belongings. I wanted to tell Seiya about my encounter with the evil god.
「Listen, Seiya. You know, I went to talk with the Great Goddess Isister about… 」
But, on this moment, I heard a bustling sound! An earth snake jumped out of my dress from my chest!
「Whoa!? What on earth!? 」
「There’s no need to tell me about it. All of your conversations with Isister were wiretapped by that earth snake.」
「Wiretapped, you say!? Did you know that’s a crime!? 」
「I’m not always eavesdropping. But, I wiretapped you because there was a small possibility that Ceremonic’s curse could still be lingering in you. That’s why I ended up hearing about the conversation you had with Isister.」
「Re…Really? A…Anyway, if you were listening to everything we said, then you must know what we talked about, right…?」
「I heard that the “evil god with mottled hair” in Exfolia could be the evil god that appeared in your sub consciousness. I didn’t hear anything new or special to be honest.」
「Ehh!! Then, Seiya, what’s your opinion about it!? 」
「Of course, there’s a high chance that your assumption is correct. That evil god can sense our movements and besides that, he managed to empower the Grand Lion, Oxelio and even Ceremonic…No normal monster is capable of doing that. That evil god is like a supervisor who doesn’t go to the frontlines but gives his instructions. The only problem is that we can’t create any countermeasures because that evil god resides in an altogether different dimension.」
Then, Seiya grabbed his luggage and carried it to his shoulders.
「Anyway, let’s head to Exfolia for now. First, summon the portal and direct the exit towards the Light of Hope.」
「Un…Understood… 」
I called John Dae and Kiriko afterwards. Now that the Cursed Sphere was gone, the portal opened directly to the square of the “Light of Hope” underground settlement without any problems.
Seiya and I, along with Kiriko and John Dae, dived into the portal.
—
「Hmm. I can’t believe this. Is this place below the ground? 」
「There’s such a big town in the underground…! 」
John Dae and Kiriko screamed in excitement when they saw the houses lit up by the light of the magical stones and the people who farmed in the fields.
The people who lived in this underground settlement were originally the inhabitants of Galvano. However, when the beast men ruled their town, these people hid themselves in this secret settlement with the power of Eich, a powerful earth magic user. Seiya defeated the Grand Lion, who also ruled this land. Yet, they had to keep living in the underground under the instructions of this cautious hero.
The inhabitants of the Light of Hope noticed our arrival. When they looked slightly at the Killing Machine, I put the hood over Kiriko’s head immediately, so that they won’t make a fuss about her. Before long, a large crowd of people surrounded us. Among them was the young Eich, the settlement leader, and Brut.
「Hero. Long time no see. 」
Seiya began to speak only about the main points of what happened so far, without exchanging greetings with Eich.
「In addition to the northern Machine Emperor Oxelio, the Emperor Ceremonic, who ruled the southern land, was also destroyed. You can finally go to the surface now.」
The people who were listening to the conversation between Seiya and Eich were astonished. I could only hear them say “Whoa!” from their mouths. I noticed that some people were even crying. Naturally. After they got attacked by the beast men, these poor people had to live a long life in the underground without real light. Now, they could finally return to the surface.
「The above town is protected by the golems I’ve created. So, you don’t need to worry about any external threats. The golems will protect you from the monsters. Moreover, Eich. This underground settlement mustn’t be destroyed. You must left it intact as a shelter for the case of an emergency.」
「I understand. I appreciate your consideration for us. 」
「Well then, let’s go the surface now…Lista. 」
I summoned the portal in the Light of Hope. When Seiya went through the portal, all of the inhabitants followed after him.
—
Half-destroyed houses came into our view. Galvano was left devastated by the beast people. Even so…
「Light…! The sunlight…! 」
「We’re finally liberated from the domination of the beast men…! 」
「We can live in the surface once again…! 」
The people from the Light of Hope were cheering with happiness after they went to the surface. Next to me, I noticed that Brut was rubbing his eyes.
「Oh my. Are you crying? 」
「Of…Of course not! The sun is too dazzling! 」
Uhhh, he put up a brave front! I thought that he was a cheeky guy, but I guess he had a cute side as well!
Nonetheless, Brut wasn’t the only one. Everyone, both young and old, were shedding tears of great emotion. Such sight impressed both John Dae and Kiriko.
「I don’t think my heart can take this anymore… 」
「I’m glad that they were able to come to the surface at last! 」
After a while, the inhabitants surrounded Seiya and me.
「Hero! Goddess! Thank you! Thank you so much! 」
「I should give you my utmost gratitude! 」
Thinking deeply about it, I still remember the first time we met with the inhabitants of the Light of Hope. Seiya and I were violently abused by them during that time. But now, they had tears of happiness and appreciation towards us.
…I’m truly glad it ended up this way…!
The liberation of the people from the Light of Hope was also the pivotal aspect where Seiya’s hard work was fully rewarded.
I was so impressed by all of this that I almost cried alongside them. However, Seiya snapped his finger with a serious face.
「…Iron Dome. 」
Soon, I heard a huge rumbling sound! A large rock wall with 360° in diameter raised to the sky from the town’s border, and fully covered Galvano in a second!
「…Ah? 」
I was taken aback after I saw the formation of the large dome! The sunlight was completely blocked, and Galvano had turned into a dark world!
「What!? It’s dark again!? 」
「Wha…What happened just now!? 」
「Mom, I’m scared…!! 」
The inhabitants shouted aloud because of the sudden darkness! I also shouted at Seiya!
「Seiya!? Why did you create the Iron Dome!? Can’t you see that it got even darker than it was in the underground!?」
「The sudden sunlight after a long underground life is not good for their eyes. So, I blocked the day’s light.」
「No, that’s not it!! If you do this, the purpose of coming to the surface is meaningless!!」
「Everyone was crying. Can’t you see that their eyes were burnt by the sunlight?」
「They didn’t cry because their eyes were hurt!! They cried because they were blissful!!」
Then, Seiya shook his head slightly.
「I don’t understand them. What a troublesome people. 」
「You’re the one who’s troublesome because you don’t understand anybody!!」
The inhabitants were heartbroken because of the sudden darkness. But, before long, all of them regained their spirits once Seiya’s Iron Dome shrank back.
「All right. Everything is okay here. Lista. Let’s go to Tarmine next. 」
「Ye…Yes… 」
As Seiya instructed, I opened the portal that led to Tarmine.
We left the town of Galvano with a smile after we said our goodbyes to the delighted inhabitants of the Light of Hope, including Eich and Brut.
—
After arriving in Tarmine, Seiya gave John Dae some instructions.
「John Dae. Go call Queen Carmilla. 」
「I’m okay with it, but for what reason? 」
「I’m going to have a meeting with the Queen now. 」
After giving an order to John Dae, Seiya headed to the conference room in the royal palace. Kiriko and I followed Seiya.
There was a large rectangular table in the conference room used to organize the military strategy of the kingdom. Seiya sat on the upper seat. While Kiriko and I sat on chairs placed at the corner of the table.
「Miss Lista. What is the purpose of this meeting? 」
「Huh? Actually, I don’t have any clue about the purpose of this meeting. 」
Eventually, the Queen appeared with John Dae and sat in front of us. After looking at everyone seated around the table, Seiya finally opened his mouth.
「By defeating the northern Machine Emperor Oxelio and the southern Emperor Ceremonic, one can finally say that the Radral continent is free from the danger of invasion. It has become reasonably safe now. Therefore, I’m going to talk about the future…」
Seiya stood up from his chair and walked towards the world map of Exfolia exposed in the wall. He stood right beside the map while looking at us. He was like a teacher at school.
「We’re going to fight against the last emperor in Exfolia. 」
I spoke directly to John Dae, who sat in front of me.
「Is that so, John Dae? 」
「Yeah. Now that the Beast Emperor, the Machine Emperor, and Curse Emperor are gone, the Death Emperor Silshete is the last right-handed man of the Demon King.」
「The Death Emperor Silshete, you say. It means that if we defeat him, only the Demon King will remain!」
「Hey, you there. You’re noisy. Shup up and listen to me. 」
「Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll be careful from now on… 」
He really looked like a cautious teacher who reprimanded me severely for speaking aloud in the classroom…Wait a minute!! What the hell was this student thing!! I was a goddess, correct!?
Without knowing my frustrating feelings, Seiya pointed to the map with his sheath as if he were using a pointing stick like a teacher.
「The Death Emperor resides in the Aerith continent, which lies across the sea from the western side of the Radral continent. Further north from the Aerith continent, is the remote Gastreid continent, where is located the Demon King’s castle. Originally, after I got the permission from Isister, I planned to use the portal to Aerith continent to defeat the Death Emperor. After succeeding that mission, I’d head north to the Gastreid continent.」
Soon, Seiya’s eyes transformed like sharp knives.
「But, per my information, it seems that Artemaeus is hibernating to accumulate more power. If that’s true, then I’d like to use this chance to defeat him for good.」
The Queen looked surprised.
「In other words, are you going to defeat Artemaeus before the Death Emperor!? 」
「Yeah. In fact, when I knew that Artemaeus was accumulating power, I considered this strategy immediately. But, Tarmine was in the imminent danger of invasion. So, I couldn’t advance with my plans until the defense of Radral continent was acomplished.」
I swallowed a lot of fresh saliva into my throat.
Se…Seiya had been thinking about such a bold strategy! And…This may be a pretty good strategy! Even the evil god might think, that based on Seiya’s cautious personality that we’ll go after the Death Emperor first, and then leave the Demon King for the last battle!
After a moment of silence, John Dae began to giggle a little.
「Interesting! That’s a drastic strategy coming from a person like you! 」
The blood from the former general was bursting with excitement.
「If that’s the case, then do you plan to invade the Gastreid continent now!? 」
However, Seiya shook his head.
「Just listen to rest of the story…Can’t you see what’s going on with this part of the map?」
Seiya drew a circle with his sheath on the Gastreid continent where the Demon King was located, and the Aerith continent where the Death Emperor resided.
I stared fixedly at the map, but I didn’t understand the meaning of Seiya’s question. Everyone kept silent, except Kiriko, who murmured after looking at that part of the world map.
「Two continents…They’re not too far from one another. That geographic area looks similar with the sea between Radral continent and the southern continent…」
Then, Seiya nodded positively.
「That’s correct, Kiriko. The Gastreid and Aerith continents are only separated by a small sea. If you have a ship, you can go back and forth in a few days. I have the desire to aim at the hibernating Demon King, but if I leave the Death Emperor alive and go to the Gastreid continent, then there’s a high probability that he might attack us coming from the south to the north unexpectedly. Summing up…」
Seiya spoke the final verdict words.
「After I defeat the Death Emperor, I will defeat the Demon King. 」
John Dae and I were astounded by Seiya’s final decision.
「Well…you see…So, you’re going to stick to your original plan after all…!! 」
「Tha…That’s right…!! What kind of meeting is this…!? 」
「It’s called “the meeting that announces the prospect of being invaded and not being invaded…”」
「I doubt that a meeting like that even exists in the first place!! 」
I screamed at Seiya, but the Queen just said “easy, easy” to us.
「Somehow, after I heard him say, “after I defeat the Death Emperor, I will defeat the Demon King”…I thought that his decision was the right one. It’s definitely better to fight through an exact order than to use one or two tactics that would make us regret.」
John Dae asked Seiya after a deep sigh.
「…Ah. Then, are you going to the Aerith continent where the Death Emperor is now? 」
「No. I’m going back to the heavenly world. 」
「Ehhhhh!? Are you going to the God’s realm once again!? What was the meaning for us to come to Exfolia now!?」
「The purpose of coming to Exfolia was to liberate the inhabitants of the Light of Hope from the underground settlement, and tell the Queen about my plans for the future. After this, I’m going to train in the heavenly world to prepare for the battle against the Death Emperor. Do you have any complaints?」
「I don’t have any…but, wha…what a bothersome man you are…!! 」
John Dae was frustrated. Yeah, I understood him well. I knew exactly what it felt like.
Still, I did as Seiya asked me to do and I opened the portal to the God’s realm. Then, John Dae, with his pissed rotting face, began to follow us.
「Oh my. John Dae, are you coming with us as well? 」
「Eh!? “Are you coming” you say…I’m not your comrade anymore!? But, we’ve been together all this time…My…My Queen!! You don’t mind that I’m part of the hero’s party, correct!?」
「I’m fine with it. But, does the hero and the goddess really need you now? 」
Then, John Dae gave me a strong look.
「Go…Goddess!! Now that I’ve come this far, I want to devote myself to save the world!! The Death Emperor probably has the same attributes as the Curse Emperor!! I’m not entirely dead but I’m strong against curses, so I’m pretty convenient, no!?」
「Eh. What should I do? 」
I felt that Kiriko pulled the hem of my sleeve.
「I…I think that we should bring Mister John Dae with us! 」
「Kiriko…! You’re right! We’ve been working together as part-timers in the God’s realm!」
「I know that about you two. But, John Dae has a really bad smell. 」
John Dae shouted aloud after he heard my reluctant words.
「The…Then, I should carry a scented tea with me from now on!! 」
…Hmm! John Dae was willing to spill some tea onto his head for the sake of coming with us! John Dae was so desperate that I burst out laughing!
「Ahahaha! It can’t be helped though! What do you think, Seiya? Are you willing to take John Dae for one more trip?」
John Dae didn’t like my attitude towards him. So, he spilled some harsh words against me.
「You know what! I may have a bad smell coming from my rotten flesh…But, you smell bad as well because you have a nauseating body odor!!」
「What!? Wha…What the hell are you saying to a lady, you hypocritical undead!!…Kiri!! I never stink, do I!?」
「Yes! I’m a machine, so Miss Lista’s bad odor is almost unimportant to me!」
Ugh…So, I did have bad body odor! The same thing happened in Geabrande! Kiriko was a pure young girl that couldn’t lie, so it must be true…But, anyways, why did I have a bad body odor even though I was goddess myself…?
Kiriko encouraged me after she saw how depressed I was.
「But, when I’m with Mister John Dae, I don’t care about Miss Lista’s smell! 」
John Dae’s rotten smell seemed to be stronger. I smiled at John Dae with a devilish grin and placed my hand on his shoulder.
「John Dae. Let’s go together. 」
「No, what the hell is wrong with you!? I’m not your deodorant, you know!? 」
Seiya sighed after he witnessed our arguing.
「To be honest, I’d rather leave you two behind because you both stink so bad. But, I must take Lista with me because she is a goddess, and I also want to use the decayed body of John Dae for something I have to do in the heavenly world…」
「The…Then, Mister Seiya? 」
「Yeah. It can’t be helped. Kiriko. I’ll take them with me. 」
Kiriko spoke with a cheerful voice.
「I’m glad! Miss Lista! Mister John Dae! We can go together! 」
「Ye…Yes. Great… 」
「Tha…That’s right. Well…It is great…I guess. 」
Before I knew it, Seiya placed John Dae and me in a lower rank than Kiriko herself.
Chapter 101: Prospect
The next morning I got up early and headed to the Great Goddess Isister’s room on my own. I wanted to report about the appearance of the “evil god with mottled hair”.
「…There’s a high possibility that that being is an evil god. 」
After listening to my story, the Great Goddess Isister spoke with a difficult expression on her face.
In fact, I thought that I knew what kind of being it was, based on the characteristic hair. I hoped this information would be useful. However, it seems that many evil gods exist, one could say that they are as many as the gods from the God’s realm. I didn’t know the name of that evil god, nor did I know the name of the evil god residing in Exfolia. Therefore, the Great Goddess Isister wasn’t entirely sure if they were the same being.
「In addition to interfering with my foresight, that dark being also intervened with your spirit Listarte, even though you are currently in the God’s realm. That evil god has a tremendous power. Even if that evil god can’t harm you or Ryuguuin Seiya directly, you mustn’t lose your vigilance.」
「I…I understand. 」
After I bowed deeply in respect, I left the Great Goddess Isister’s room.
—
When I arrived at the Cafe De Celseus, I saw that Seiya, Kiriko and John Dae were already there with their belongings. I wanted to tell Seiya about my encounter with the evil god.
「Listen, Seiya. You know, I went to talk with the Great Goddess Isister about… 」
But, on this moment, I heard a bustling sound! An earth snake jumped out of my dress from my chest!
「Whoa!? What on earth!? 」
「There’s no need to tell me about it. All of your conversations with Isister were wiretapped by that earth snake.」
「Wiretapped, you say!? Did you know that’s a crime!? 」
「I’m not always eavesdropping. But, I wiretapped you because there was a small possibility that Ceremonic’s curse could still be lingering in you. That’s why I ended up hearing about the conversation you had with Isister.」
「Re…Really? A…Anyway, if you were listening to everything we said, then you must know what we talked about, right…?」
「I heard that the “evil god with mottled hair” in Exfolia could be the evil god that appeared in your sub consciousness. I didn’t hear anything new or special to be honest.」
「Ehh!! Then, Seiya, what’s your opinion about it!? 」
「Of course, there’s a high chance that your assumption is correct. That evil god can sense our movements and besides that, he managed to empower the Grand Lion, Oxelio and even Ceremonic…No normal monster is capable of doing that. That evil god is like a supervisor who doesn’t go to the frontlines but gives his instructions. The only problem is that we can’t create any countermeasures because that evil god resides in an altogether different dimension.」
Then, Seiya grabbed his luggage and carried it to his shoulders.
「Anyway, let’s head to Exfolia for now. First, summon the portal and direct the exit towards the Light of Hope.」
「Un…Understood… 」
I called John Dae and Kiriko afterwards. Now that the Cursed Sphere was gone, the portal opened directly to the square of the “Light of Hope” underground settlement without any problems.
Seiya and I, along with Kiriko and John Dae, dived into the portal.
—
「Hmm. I can’t believe this. Is this place below the ground? 」
「There’s such a big town in the underground…! 」
John Dae and Kiriko screamed in excitement when they saw the houses lit up by the light of the magical stones and the people who farmed in the fields.
The people who lived in this underground settlement were originally the inhabitants of Galvano. However, when the beast men ruled their town, these people hid themselves in this secret settlement with the power of Eich, a powerful earth magic user. Seiya defeated the Grand Lion, who also ruled this land. Yet, they had to keep living in the underground under the instructions of this cautious hero.
The inhabitants of the Light of Hope noticed our arrival. When they looked slightly at the Killing Machine, I put the hood over Kiriko’s head immediately, so that they won’t make a fuss about her. Before long, a large crowd of people surrounded us. Among them was the young Eich, the settlement leader, and Brut.
「Hero. Long time no see. 」
Seiya began to speak only about the main points of what happened so far, without exchanging greetings with Eich.
「In addition to the northern Machine Emperor Oxelio, the Emperor Ceremonic, who ruled the southern land, was also destroyed. You can finally go to the surface now.」
The people who were listening to the conversation between Seiya and Eich were astonished. I could only hear them say “Whoa!” from their mouths. I noticed that some people were even crying. Naturally. After they got attacked by the beast men, these poor people had to live a long life in the underground without real light. Now, they could finally return to the surface.
「The above town is protected by the golems I’ve created. So, you don’t need to worry about any external threats. The golems will protect you from the monsters. Moreover, Eich. This underground settlement mustn’t be destroyed. You must left it intact as a shelter for the case of an emergency.」
「I understand. I appreciate your consideration for us. 」
「Well then, let’s go the surface now…Lista. 」
I summoned the portal in the Light of Hope. When Seiya went through the portal, all of the inhabitants followed after him.
—
Half-destroyed houses came into our view. Galvano was left devastated by the beast people. Even so…
「Light…! The sunlight…! 」
「We’re finally liberated from the domination of the beast men…! 」
「We can live in the surface once again…! 」
The people from the Light of Hope were cheering with happiness after they went to the surface. Next to me, I noticed that Brut was rubbing his eyes.
「Oh my. Are you crying? 」
「Of…Of course not! The sun is too dazzling! 」
Uhhh, he put up a brave front! I thought that he was a cheeky guy, but I guess he had a cute side as well!
Nonetheless, Brut wasn’t the only one. Everyone, both young and old, were shedding tears of great emotion. Such sight impressed both John Dae and Kiriko.
「I don’t think my heart can take this anymore… 」
「I’m glad that they were able to come to the surface at last! 」
After a while, the inhabitants surrounded Seiya and me.
「Hero! Goddess! Thank you! Thank you so much! 」
「I should give you my utmost gratitude! 」
Thinking deeply about it, I still remember the first time we met with the inhabitants of the Light of Hope. Seiya and I were violently abused by them during that time. But now, they had tears of happiness and appreciation towards us.
…I’m truly glad it ended up this way…!
The liberation of the people from the Light of Hope was also the pivotal aspect where Seiya’s hard work was fully rewarded.
I was so impressed by all of this that I almost cried alongside them. However, Seiya snapped his finger with a serious face.
「…Iron Dome. 」
Soon, I heard a huge rumbling sound! A large rock wall with 360° in diameter raised to the sky from the town’s border, and fully covered Galvano in a second!
「…Ah? 」
I was taken aback after I saw the formation of the large dome! The sunlight was completely blocked, and Galvano had turned into a dark world!
「What!? It’s dark again!? 」
「Wha…What happened just now!? 」
「Mom, I’m scared…!! 」
The inhabitants shouted aloud because of the sudden darkness! I also shouted at Seiya!
「Seiya!? Why did you create the Iron Dome!? Can’t you see that it got even darker than it was in the underground!?」
「The sudden sunlight after a long underground life is not good for their eyes. So, I blocked the day’s light.」
「No, that’s not it!! If you do this, the purpose of coming to the surface is meaningless!!」
「Everyone was crying. Can’t you see that their eyes were burnt by the sunlight?」
「They didn’t cry because their eyes were hurt!! They cried because they were blissful!!」
Then, Seiya shook his head slightly.
「I don’t understand them. What a troublesome people. 」
「You’re the one who’s troublesome because you don’t understand anybody!!」
The inhabitants were heartbroken because of the sudden darkness. But, before long, all of them regained their spirits once Seiya’s Iron Dome shrank back.
「All right. Everything is okay here. Lista. Let’s go to Tarmine next. 」
「Ye…Yes… 」
As Seiya instructed, I opened the portal that led to Tarmine.
We left the town of Galvano with a smile after we said our goodbyes to the delighted inhabitants of the Light of Hope, including Eich and Brut.
—
After arriving in Tarmine, Seiya gave John Dae some instructions.
「John Dae. Go call Queen Carmilla. 」
「I’m okay with it, but for what reason? 」
「I’m going to have a meeting with the Queen now. 」
After giving an order to John Dae, Seiya headed to the conference room in the royal palace. Kiriko and I followed Seiya.
There was a large rectangular table in the conference room used to organize the military strategy of the kingdom. Seiya sat on the upper seat. While Kiriko and I sat on chairs placed at the corner of the table.
「Miss Lista. What is the purpose of this meeting? 」
「Huh? Actually, I don’t have any clue about the purpose of this meeting. 」
Eventually, the Queen appeared with John Dae and sat in front of us. After looking at everyone seated around the table, Seiya finally opened his mouth.
「By defeating the northern Machine Emperor Oxelio and the southern Emperor Ceremonic, one can finally say that the Radral continent is free from the danger of invasion. It has become reasonably safe now. Therefore, I’m going to talk about the future…」
Seiya stood up from his chair and walked towards the world map of Exfolia exposed in the wall. He stood right beside the map while looking at us. He was like a teacher at school.
「We’re going to fight against the last emperor in Exfolia. 」
I spoke directly to John Dae, who sat in front of me.
「Is that so, John Dae? 」
「Yeah. Now that the Beast Emperor, the Machine Emperor, and Curse Emperor are gone, the Death Emperor Silshete is the last right-handed man of the Demon King.」
「The Death Emperor Silshete, you say. It means that if we defeat him, only the Demon King will remain!」
「Hey, you there. You’re noisy. Shup up and listen to me. 」
「Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll be careful from now on… 」
He really looked like a cautious teacher who reprimanded me severely for speaking aloud in the classroom…Wait a minute!! What the hell was this student thing!! I was a goddess, correct!?
Without knowing my frustrating feelings, Seiya pointed to the map with his sheath as if he were using a pointing stick like a teacher.
「The Death Emperor resides in the Aerith continent, which lies across the sea from the western side of the Radral continent. Further north from the Aerith continent, is the remote Gastreid continent, where is located the Demon King’s castle. Originally, after I got the permission from Isister, I planned to use the portal to Aerith continent to defeat the Death Emperor. After succeeding that mission, I’d head north to the Gastreid continent.」
Soon, Seiya’s eyes transformed like sharp knives.
「But, per my information, it seems that Artemaeus is hibernating to accumulate more power. If that’s true, then I’d like to use this chance to defeat him for good.」
The Queen looked surprised.
「In other words, are you going to defeat Artemaeus before the Death Emperor!? 」
「Yeah. In fact, when I knew that Artemaeus was accumulating power, I considered this strategy immediately. But, Tarmine was in the imminent danger of invasion. So, I couldn’t advance with my plans until the defense of Radral continent was acomplished.」
I swallowed a lot of fresh saliva into my throat.
Se…Seiya had been thinking about such a bold strategy! And…This may be a pretty good strategy! Even the evil god might think, that based on Seiya’s cautious personality that we’ll go after the Death Emperor first, and then leave the Demon King for the last battle!
After a moment of silence, John Dae began to giggle a little.
「Interesting! That’s a drastic strategy coming from a person like you! 」
The blood from the former general was bursting with excitement.
「If that’s the case, then do you plan to invade the Gastreid continent now!? 」
However, Seiya shook his head.
「Just listen to rest of the story…Can’t you see what’s going on with this part of the map?」
Seiya drew a circle with his sheath on the Gastreid continent where the Demon King was located, and the Aerith continent where the Death Emperor resided.
I stared fixedly at the map, but I didn’t understand the meaning of Seiya’s question. Everyone kept silent, except Kiriko, who murmured after looking at that part of the world map.
「Two continents…They’re not too far from one another. That geographic area looks similar with the sea between Radral continent and the southern continent…」
Then, Seiya nodded positively.
「That’s correct, Kiriko. The Gastreid and Aerith continents are only separated by a small sea. If you have a ship, you can go back and forth in a few days. I have the desire to aim at the hibernating Demon King, but if I leave the Death Emperor alive and go to the Gastreid continent, then there’s a high probability that he might attack us coming from the south to the north unexpectedly. Summing up…」
Seiya spoke the final verdict words.
「After I defeat the Death Emperor, I will defeat the Demon King. 」
John Dae and I were astounded by Seiya’s final decision.
「Well…you see…So, you’re going to stick to your original plan after all…!! 」
「Tha…That’s right…!! What kind of meeting is this…!? 」
「It’s called “the meeting that announces the prospect of being invaded and not being invaded…”」
「I doubt that a meeting like that even exists in the first place!! 」
I screamed at Seiya, but the Queen just said “easy, easy” to us.
「Somehow, after I heard him say, “after I defeat the Death Emperor, I will defeat the Demon King”…I thought that his decision was the right one. It’s definitely better to fight through an exact order than to use one or two tactics that would make us regret.」
John Dae asked Seiya after a deep sigh.
「…Ah. Then, are you going to the Aerith continent where the Death Emperor is now? 」
「No. I’m going back to the heavenly world. 」
「Ehhhhh!? Are you going to the God’s realm once again!? What was the meaning for us to come to Exfolia now!?」
「The purpose of coming to Exfolia was to liberate the inhabitants of the Light of Hope from the underground settlement, and tell the Queen about my plans for the future. After this, I’m going to train in the heavenly world to prepare for the battle against the Death Emperor. Do you have any complaints?」
「I don’t have any…but, wha…what a bothersome man you are…!! 」
John Dae was frustrated. Yeah, I understood him well. I knew exactly what it felt like.
Still, I did as Seiya asked me to do and I opened the portal to the God’s realm. Then, John Dae, with his pissed rotting face, began to follow us.
「Oh my. John Dae, are you coming with us as well? 」
「Eh!? “Are you coming” you say…I’m not your comrade anymore!? But, we’ve been together all this time…My…My Queen!! You don’t mind that I’m part of the hero’s party, correct!?」
「I’m fine with it. But, does the hero and the goddess really need you now? 」
Then, John Dae gave me a strong look.
「Go…Goddess!! Now that I’ve come this far, I want to devote myself to save the world!! The Death Emperor probably has the same attributes as the Curse Emperor!! I’m not entirely dead but I’m strong against curses, so I’m pretty convenient, no!?」
「Eh. What should I do? 」
I felt that Kiriko pulled the hem of my sleeve.
「I…I think that we should bring Mister John Dae with us! 」
「Kiriko…! You’re right! We’ve been working together as part-timers in the God’s realm!」
「I know that about you two. But, John Dae has a really bad smell. 」
John Dae shouted aloud after he heard my reluctant words.
「The…Then, I should carry a scented tea with me from now on!! 」
…Hmm! John Dae was willing to spill some tea onto his head for the sake of coming with us! John Dae was so desperate that I burst out laughing!
「Ahahaha! It can’t be helped though! What do you think, Seiya? Are you willing to take John Dae for one more trip?」
John Dae didn’t like my attitude towards him. So, he spilled some harsh words against me.
「You know what! I may have a bad smell coming from my rotten flesh…But, you smell bad as well because you have a nauseating body odor!!」
「What!? Wha…What the hell are you saying to a lady, you hypocritical undead!!…Kiri!! I never stink, do I!?」
「Yes! I’m a machine, so Miss Lista’s bad odor is almost unimportant to me!」
Ugh…So, I did have bad body odor! The same thing happened in Geabrande! Kiriko was a pure young girl that couldn’t lie, so it must be true…But, anyways, why did I have a bad body odor even though I was goddess myself…?
Kiriko encouraged me after she saw how depressed I was.
「But, when I’m with Mister John Dae, I don’t care about Miss Lista’s smell! 」
John Dae’s rotten smell seemed to be stronger. I smiled at John Dae with a devilish grin and placed my hand on his shoulder.
「John Dae. Let’s go together. 」
「No, what the hell is wrong with you!? I’m not your deodorant, you know!? 」
Seiya sighed after he witnessed our arguing.
「To be honest, I’d rather leave you two behind because you both stink so bad. But, I must take Lista with me because she is a goddess, and I also want to use the decayed body of John Dae for something I have to do in the heavenly world…」
「The…Then, Mister Seiya? 」
「Yeah. It can’t be helped. Kiriko. I’ll take them with me. 」
Kiriko spoke with a cheerful voice.
「I’m glad! Miss Lista! Mister John Dae! We can go together! 」
「Ye…Yes. Great… 」
「Tha…That’s right. Well…It is great…I guess. 」
Before I knew it, Seiya placed John Dae and me in a lower rank than Kiriko herself.
