Chapter: 658
To cut to the chase, the society of gods isn’t much different from that of humans.
There are bad guys and good guys, weirdos and sticklers, weaklings and strong ones. It’s not just about individual preferences.
Their way of living is the same too.
There’s a clear hierarchy among deities, and a representative figure that encompasses many gods inevitably exists.
Think of it simply as a company.
There are deities responsible for martial arts like swordsmanship and spear arts, and there’s the god of martial arts representing them.
Under the god of nature, there are many classifications, and there are similarly many beneath the god of magic and the hopeless goddess I call the perverted crow.
If we relate it to a business, I’d say the perverted crow is like a branch president or something, right?
So, there’s no need to convince all the gods.
If you can just persuade that representative deity, the ones below will naturally follow.
They might even be more obedient than humans.
Gods are conceptual beings, after all. When a higher existence tells them something, they can’t just say “screw that.”
What a gruesome world where quitting equals death. Being a deity doesn’t seem all that great.
“LUUUUUCYYYYY!”
I slapped the face of the perverted apostle rushing towards me, and he spun a few times in the void before landing neatly on the ground.
“That felt great! Ouch! But I love it! This is real sensation!”
You can tell by the complete lack of decorum that the perverted apostle has given his personality over to a crow.
He’s just not ready to go to the realm where deities dwell yet.
For now, I’m planning to persuade him temporarily like this.
And I’m starting to think I made a good choice.
If the perverted apostle is my opponent, I can unleash my violence without worries.
“Calm down a bit, will you? What do you think your apostle would say?”
“They’d say you’re doing well, right? Our apostle loves touching Lucy!”
“…I can’t even.”
Even Ganshu shook his head and gave up on persuading him, so I had to resort to my last option. “Papa! Grab that guy!”
“Let’s talk first.”
Despite being subdued by Benedict, the crow still had a smile on her face.
“Benedict Allen! I really like you too! You looked so cool standing on the frontline!”
“I’m glad you think so, but I’d prefer to get to the point.”
“Got it, got it. Just make it sound nice for Prete. I want to be a cool god to the apostle.”
If that’s what you want, it makes me want to say, “Keep your mask on all the way,” but arguing wouldn’t mean anything, so I let it slide.
“So, Apostle of God, how do you plan to include even the weak gods? If it’s your request, I’d be inclined to listen, but I’d still like to hear the details.”
I recounted the events from the game as I had thought, causing the crow’s expression to turn serious.
“It’s an interesting idea, but can you persuade them? There are many religions harboring grudges against the Jushin Church.”
“You idiot gods should do your best! It’s you who clung on, crying you didn’t want to disappear, right? You should consider it lucky you weren’t kicked aside.”
With my mocking tone, the crow readily nodded.
“You’re not wrong. If the Apostle and Saintess are at the head of the Jushin Church, we’ll be happy to show leniency, so it’ll be our job to make it happen.”
“…Why are you pretending to be normal?”
“What do you mean? I’m always dignified!”
Asking the perverted apostle to explain again, the crow goddess took her leave.
[What’s happening?]
‘Am I the only one feeling uneasy? Grandpa feels something strange too, right!?’
[That person won’t back down this easily. They must have some plan.]
Among the clueless, this one seems smart!?
What kind of trick are they trying to pull?
What kind of perversion are they planning on?
“Miss, excuse me for a moment.”
As I was about to answer Erin’s polite greeting, I caught a slight curve in her eyes and pulled out my mace.
“You perverted crow! Don’t you have any pride?”
“Did you catch on already? You’re quick! But it doesn’t matter!”
Seeing the crow approaching with Erin’s body made me step back and quickly hop onto Benedict’s shoulder. Step aside! You evil thing! Give back Erin’s body!
“Benedict, I’d appreciate it if you could step back.”
“You can take me down, oh goddess.”
“I can draw five versions of Lucy smiling while calling me ‘Papa.’”
In an instant, Benedict’s shoulder twitched, but upon meeting my sharp gaze, he shook his head.
“Do I look like someone who would be persuaded by that?” “I can also make a Lucy doll that has the phrase ‘Papa fighting!’ on it.”
“…That. That might work.”
“Huh. Fine. When Lucy has her coming-of-age ceremony, I’ll personally make her a costume. Swearing by the name of the god, it’ll be absolutely fantastic.”
Seeing that he looked interested, I tugged on his earlobe. Only then did Benedict yell that no amount of temptation would be worthwhile.
“Firmly declining is really disappointing, but it can’t be helped. Fine, I’ll respect your wishes.”
“…Thank you.”
“And the proposals I made have already been agreed upon with Erin. I was hoping you would come along willingly, but it seems paternal love is greater.”
The crow, who had been laughing playfully, closed her eyes and opened them again only to reveal Erin’s gaze returning to normal.
I was tense thinking the perverted crow was about to play another trick, but seeing Erin show nothing but politeness eased my worries.
“Hey, Sloppy Erin. Why on earth did you give your body to the crow?”
“I intended to owe a debt to the god, but it seems you are feeling missing it, so it must have gone well.”
“Are you an idiot? Even if you don’t do something foolish, the crow still licks up to me, right?”
“I am powerless. I wanted to help you in this way, but it seems I overstepped.”
Seeing Erin bow her head in apology made me uncomfortable.
In the end, I sighed and told her to warn me before doing something stupid like this next time, patting her on the head.
“You really are foolish. Just saying you won’t style your hair would make her go wild. Why bow your head?”
“That kind of weapon should be used at more important moments.”
With her tone completely devoid of respect, I realized she didn’t seize control of the mansion for no reason.
“Puhaha. I like your attitude. Alright, Sloppy Erin. I’ll tell you something special. About the crow’s dark history.”
“That sounds interesting. I’ll listen closely, Miss.”
Every time I uttered a word, a blue spear kept popping up, so I pushed every protest aside and added more.
There’s nothing more fun than beating someone who can’t resist!
*
After the fight ended, Joy and Nevera easily made up.
In the end, the two just argued about whose master was better. With the two parties involved off to bicker, there was no reason for them to fight anymore.
So they waited for Erginius to return while having a serious discussion about magic.
Joy asked about several magic theories that she couldn’t quite grasp, and Nevera questioned the theory behind the authority of gods.
Both topics were near the limits of magic, and no one around could understand at all.
“It’s a violently intriguing theory typical of Lord Erginius. To think authority is just a phenomenon.”
“There’s nothing to criticize in the theory revised by the God of Magic. Truly magical in itself.”
Thus, as the two people who had been at odds naturally began to respect one another, Erginius returned.
Whatever he had discussed must have been intense because Erginius was fuming and storming until he finally cleared his throat upon seeing Joy and Nevera.
“After all is said and done, I’ve decided to fight with all my might. Until then, it’ll be difficult to speak of the conclusions drawn.”
“…Did you lose, Lord Erginius?”
“Disciple! Do you find your master so untrustworthy!? I’m just a person whose head has grown stubborn and is infuriated!”
Joy was curious about what kind of fierce debates had gone on, but Erginius did not answer her.
“More importantly, where is Lady Allen? I need to let her know the thoughts of the stubborn old man.” “Right after coming here, you sought me out. Did you miss me that much?”
“Compared to the stubborn old man, you’re better off.”
“Hey, I’ll need to tell the chicken coop queen. The loser has already gotten tired of you.”
“Such slander is troublesome.”
With Lucy’s playful laughter, Erginius let out a self-mocking laugh before discussing the conversation he had before quarreling with the goddess of magic.
*
“The god of magic is willing to endorse your plan.”
“Why? Please tell me he isn’t a pedophilic bastard too?”
“I can’t be certain, but likely not. The reason he stated he’d cooperate with you is simply that you’re the most rational and efficient person. The stubborn old man only evaluates everything based on possibilities.”
So it seems he thinks I have the highest chances of winning, and that’s why he’ll invest in me. Very rational.
I had intended to bring up all the dark histories if he tried to stand against me.
Even the moments I floundered not just when defeated by Erginius but also after.
Tch. That’s a pity, but it’s either that or move on. No need to threaten someone who’s willing to cooperate.
No, wait.
“Hey, you nerd. I know a lot of fun things.”
“…Please tell me it’s not about the stubborn old man?”
“Yep. A kid with no sense of camaraderie told me something fun. Why is it that among the islands in the North Sea…”
“GRAAAAHN!”
I was startled to look around after Nevera suddenly screamed, her face flushing as she shouted at me.
“You agreed to cooperate! You said you would follow my wishes, so what’s the problem!”
Seeing her face completely red, I could not help but grin.
Hehe. Hehehe.
This seems like fun to toy with.
Shall I play around just a bit?
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