Chapter: 204
Evil God-chan’s analytical skills rival or even exceed my own. Even though her insight has been scaled down to 7%, honed from years of experience and intuition, it remains formidable. She can catch glimpses of our and Pinkvalez’s poker faces.
Thus, Yuna, whose expressions and emotions are synced like Bluetooth, could be read as easily as flipping a palm.
Evil God-chan posed a few questions and, just by observing Yuna’s expressions, arrived at the answer.
That I was once a woman who set the continent ablaze and had seduced the Northern Duke.
The result was…
“Hahaha──!!”
“Stop.”
“Huh, ahahaha──!! Hiiiii…!”
“Cut it out, damn it!!”
This laughter had persisted for a full ten minutes. That little bastard.
Evil God-chan continued to laugh, undeterred by the fact that I was throwing a fit out of anger and shame. She was rolling around, clutching her belly with laughter, and I felt like her lifespan had just increased by ten years. Isn’t it said that laughter adds to your lifespan?
On the contrary, mine was definitely being shortened. I was about to die from irritation.
As I crumpled a handkerchief, expressing my anger like a noble lady, Pinkvalez merely gave a light tap on my shoulder before speaking up.
“Why are you reacting so strongly? You confidently declared you could seduce men. Wasn’t that a subtle brag?”
“She gets heated when teased; it’s not fun for her. You, however, are fine. Anything you do is entertaining and lovely.”
“…That’s quite troubling to hear. Please give me a heads-up next time.”
Why would I need to give a heads-up to something like that?
With laughter still echoing, Evil God-chan wiped a tear from her eye and leaned closer to me.
“So, so? Any feelings left for the Northern Duke?”
“What about it?”
“I was just wondering if you felt jealous since a daughter he fathered has shown up right in front of you.”
“It was never that kind of relationship. I was friends with ‘Daisy,’ I’m a guy, and I’m a bit unsure if she’s even his blood relative.”
It makes sense, considering that ‘Daisy’ had cut ties with me because she got engaged to the Northern Duke.
Given the timeline, she wasn’t single anymore; she must have been starting a family around that time.
How could he possibly have a daughter like this?
Evil God-chan laughed, questioning if she dubbed the Northern Duke ‘Daisy’ because she couldn’t remember names, asking how a nickname could be so flowery.
I seriously considered giving Evil God-chan a headlock.
At that moment, the Yuna who knew me back then jumped into the conversation. When I was new to illusion magic, I still had many shortcomings, and she would often help with hologram maintenance and stabilization.
So she knew about the Northern Duke as well. After a brief calculation, she tilted her head, raising a question.
“Well, that doesn’t add up time-wise, does it?”
“Indeed. That noble lady looks like she’s at least fifteen. When did I create the Dragon Heart?”
“In the year 445. Dragon Heart graduated and went inactive in 448.”
“Well, it’s now 453, which means if ‘Daisy’ got married right after and had a kid, that’s only eight years. A twofold time gap barely qualifies as a discrepancy.”
There’s definitely something off.
If this contradiction means that the noble lady is a fraud posing as a member of the Northern Duke’s bloodline, that could easily explain it. But I don’t believe that’s the case.
There is a clear connection between Northern Duke ‘Daisy’ and the noble lady. The sky-blue hair is undeniable proof of Northern blood; and through some questions and answers, I’ve verified a few more things. For instance…
The information I received from ‘Daisy,’ or whether the mahogany bookshelf she had in her estate still remains.
The noble lady answered all of them correctly. She even surpassed tricky questions. So, this unfortunate girl who was kidnapped by that mad holy knight definitely belongs to the Northern Duke’s family.
Then what accounts for this, at the very least, eight-year time gap?
Is it simply that she developed rapidly during puberty?
Could it be related to her coming all the way down here with two aides?
But, despite all these questions, they aren’t what’s important. As ‘Daisy’s friend, I feel obliged to do her daughter a favor. But that’s it.
I’m not giving up on my family travels to help out. It’s purely auxiliary.
If she wants, I’ll drop her off at a nearby town with some travel expenses, or we should contact the Northern Duke’s house while keeping her safe with us.
While I was focused on the person in front of me, Yuna seemed to be pondering something broader. She murmured.
“What’s going on with the Northern Duke’s house, I wonder…”
“Tower Master, do you find something suspicious?”
“Hmm. Do you remember the think tank Irid gathered?”
I do remember. How delightfully they picked their materials. The participants had some unique traits: one magician from the Red Tower, Princess Elaine of Bloodstorm, and…
“The former cardinal, now a field priest, Julius… introduced himself. He shares the Northern Duke’s surname, and I suspect he might be a brother.”
Right, there was someone named Julius back then.
I had brushed it off as just a coincidence due to the similar names, but now it crossed my mind that he might actually be from the same family.
In the past, I immersed myself in research while completely cut off from the outside world, so I had no true understanding of the gravity of the position of cardinal. But now, with experience piled up, it’s different.
The Goddess is a powerful entity. And the church practically monopolizes divine power granted by such an entity, meaning the cardinal there must wield considerable authority.
Having briefly held such a position…
The current circumstances of the Northern Duke’s household suggest:
1. ‘Daisy’ is still the Northern Duke.
2. His brother was a priest who was dismissed after a catastrophe.
3. His eldest daughter is strangely out of sync with the timeline and is far removed from their territory for some unknown purpose.
When I put all these pieces of information together, there’s clearly an odd unease lingering. As his old friend, I couldn’t help but worry. ‘Daisy,’ what could you be going through?
Even though I abandoned my form as Dragon Heart, I still believe there’s friendship between us. We were friends.
Once I finish the pressing matters, maybe I’ll casually check up on her…
“Why, are you worried sick about your ex-boyfriend?”
“You really have some nerve. Prepare to witness the power of my joint destruction!”
“Ahh, nooooo──!!”
I proceeded to mercilessly apply the grip-strengthening headlock on Evil God-chan.
Perhaps it was a shocking sight, for the noble lady turned to Pinkvalez and asked incredulously.
“Is… is that okay? Can they really do that?”
“Ah, don’t worry. Lady Ervasilion. That girl is not what she seems. She’s quite close to being a captured demon. So, be cautious… By the way, do you like women?”
“Pardon?”
“Hey, Pinkvalez! If you’re gonna flirt with the lady, count me in! You’ve been neglecting me a little lately…”
And time passed.
===============================================================
We decided to take a short break in this village. The noble lady was in a rather weakened state, and we had some investigating to do as well.
So, we postponed discussing matters with the noble lady for a while.
Once again, we split into two groups. Yuna and Yuna were in charge of making food for the lady to help her condition.
Meanwhile, Evil God-chan and I searched the village.
Having sensed a trace of the queen from the fallen holy knight, there could be a hidden ominous altar or magic circle somewhere in this village. If we’re going to remove a weed, we must uproot it entirely.
“Is this it?”
“It looks like it is.”
Thud. Our feet came to a halt simultaneously.
The scent of the queen was ringing strong. I kicked open the door and stepped in, with Evil God-chan following closely behind.
It seemed to be a building previously used by the holy knight, but the interior had been crudely remodeled into something akin to a church. Ahead, an altar awaited, with a glass jar precariously placed atop.
As soon as Evil God-chan spotted the jar, she rushed out.
“…I’ll retrieve it, so wait, Mima!”
“? Wait a sec.”
Why is she jumping to ‘fetch it’ when I didn’t even ask her? This isn’t like her. Something’s off.
Snapping sound!
I snapped my fingers to signal Kin-Go-Ah. Whoosh! Dozens of threads unfurled from Evil God-chan’s choker, wrapping around her body in an instant.
Success! An easy full-body restraint. Evil God-chan, who had been sprinting, was caught in mid-motion and fell to the ground.
“Ugh!”
“What are you planning? Remain still! I’m going to inspect this thoroughly.”
I popped the lid off the glass jar. Just glancing at it, the information about the queen seemed right. But even if Evil God-chan is suspicious, I should check it further.
I squinted at it, examining the color closely. It was colorless.
“…D-Don’t! Don’t look!”
I also took a whiff. I could sense the enchanting and nefarious information typical of the queen. But there seemed to be a slight impurity mixed in.
If I taste it, I might be sure.
“Don’t you dare──!!”
Seeing Evil God-chan blush and wriggle, I halted my hand that was tilting the jar. My mind raced quickly.
Information about the queen. Back during the confrontation, I thought I wiped it all out through Yuna’s Subtract, yet some had remained, and if Evil God-chan consumed it like a pig…
Then when she realized I had forgotten about her, in rage, if she accidentally triggered Kin-Go-Ah…
If she dropped information related to the queen while losing control over her body, then…
If she knows that she had consumed the residual information about the queen but remains silent, fearing my wrath, then everything adds up.
Silence fell. I slowly turned my head to look down at Evil God-chan. She was giving a look like ‘Please don’t find my hidden test papers.’
While she had worn a mischievous grin while teasing me with my VTuber stories, now she was sweating and mumbling anxiously. When our eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze.
Even in this situation, her eyebrows were raised in defiance, trying to act innocent, but it appeared her heart was a whole mess, failing at that act.
With a gentle smile, reminiscent of a saint, I spoke up.
“You did, didn’t you?”
“…!!”
Jolt. Evil God-chan could no longer mask her agitation.
I broke into a beaming smile. Evil God-chan, with her keen intellect, seemed to have grasped the implication behind it.
“N-No, don’t you dare!”
“Nooouugh──!”
“Whatever you’re planning, don’t! I’ll kill you in your sleep if you do that…”
“──Hey, everyone!! Evil God-chan drew a map on her blanket at her age!! And the cultists worshipped it!!”
“Hey──!!”
I rushed out of the building, loudly announcing to the world as I tucked the glass jar under my arm. I had to share this joyous news with Pinkvalez and Yuna too.
Restrained by full-body binding, Evil God-chan couldn’t catch up to my speed, and even if she did, she couldn’t shut me up.
“How in the world have you lived so long, yet made a mess on your blanket?”
“⋯⋯I’m gonna kill you; you won’t die peacefully, you crazy mage!!”
“It seems your word as a mapmaker in another world isn’t scary at all.”
“Aaaaah!!”
Seeing Evil God-chan’s face turn almost as red as a tomato because of the embarrassment, I had no need for a side dish. Just nibbling on hardtack was enough to satisfy my cravings.
Lady Ervasilion’s expression became increasingly strange, though…
With this, today’s score between Evil God-chan and me was 1 to 1. A tie.
===============================================================
Now that the incident involving Evil God-chan and the map has transpired, I realized that the information she dropped about the Succubus Queen exists somewhere in this world.
She testified that it was leaked about a week ago in the Elmest territory, so it shouldn’t have spread too far. It’s likely still roaming within the territory.
We were on our way to fulfill the promise made between Evil God-chan and a boy.
However, an unintended side quest arose. Along the way, we’d also recover the queen’s information. It shouldn’t be a difficult task.
“Dedicated tracking spell complete.”
“⋯⋯You little monster.”
Since I had crafted a tracker.
Stomp, stomp. Pinkvalez pulled the wagon. I sat on the driver’s seat, fanning her with a fan, while the noble lady inside the wagon stared wide-eyed at the sight of a person pulling the wagon.
Next up, we’d go straight to Elmest territory.
While pondering the forest path that flashed by, I suddenly had a thought and pulled out a notebook to scribble notes down.
The queen has been impersonating the goddess to manipulate the holy knights. I doubt that such a ‘corrupted religious person’ would be limited to just one holy knight. There must be a few more.
And it’s highly probable they possess information about the queen. This brief journey would likely involve smashing the heads of the corrupted members of the goddess church.
It’s a small opportunity.
Using them as test subjects, I might be able to delve into the goddess.
At the top of the notebook page, I wrote “Goddess Analysis.” I left a line blank, then noted the number 1, recording what I had realized this time.
That even when a holy knight succumbs to the queen’s temptations, seeking indulgence, killing or kidnapping the innocent to sell, the divine power is provided. The divine punishment does not descend upon them.
Nation rulers are asked to exclude emotions. Thus, it’s not strange that those governing the world have winters in their hearts.
Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they regard all things as mere straw dogs.
In summary:
1. The goddess does not distinguish between good and evil. Or perhaps, she places a very low weight on the scales of good and evil.
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