Exile… huh.
Thinking about it, I never really heard the reason behind it.
To be more precise, I didn’t even think to ask.
I only viewed outsiders as beings that needed to be eliminated.
So, my conversation with Hecate could be a turning point, opening a new chapter. Unlike the original story, there was too much I didn’t know about hunting the outsiders.
It also bothered me that I couldn’t figure out why they were exiled.
From the looks of it, I could guess why some gods were banished, but… not all of them would be the same. I needed to find out the reason for the exile of every god except Kalon.
Knowledge was power, after all.
“I don’t know. All I know is that the only god left in this world is Kalon and that the outsiders are targeting this world.”
To be honest, I was itching to end this troublesome fight quickly, so I didn’t care about much else. Plus, it was honestly annoying.
“This isn’t the first time the outsiders have attacked. You must know this well, being a descendant of the Quartz family.”
“Yeah.”
“During the last war, many gods either died or became tainted. The Kalon faction almost lost all of their members.”
Was there even a faction? I mean, there’s no way one god could chase off all the others.
No matter how strong Kalon is, he couldn’t possibly drive away dozens, or maybe even hundreds of gods, all by himself.
“The tainted gods or those who opposed him had no choice but to leave this land as the price of defeat.”
“And which side were you on?”
“I didn’t really join any faction.”
So, she was neutral. But then why was she exiled?
“Being neutral can sometimes be more annoying than being an enemy. I wasn’t really interested in the war…”
I get the gist. Kalon just swept away those who were a nuisance, right?
The sun god has quite a dirty side too.
Honestly, his actions have been shady from the start.
Suddenly possessing someone for no reason, and only after clearing a dungeon does he allow me to access the status window. Plus, every time I try to make contact with the outsiders, he tries to interfere.
…Wait a second.
“Kalon might be watching me.”
This conversation felt like it shouldn’t be overheard.
Maybe Kalon already…
“Don’t worry. I’ve diverted Kalon’s gaze. He won’t overhear this conversation. Just in case, I’ve put up a barrier…”
Can I trust that?
“I can’t blame you for not trusting me. Would you believe me if I swore on my name that I wasn’t lying?”
Swearing on her name…
I don’t know how impressive that is, but if a god swears, it must be guaranteed truth. The problem is if I end up opposing Kalon, my relationships could get tangled up like a ball of yarn.
“I’m not sure if there’s any merit for me in this.”
“I-I don’t understand what you’re talking about…”
“Don’t think too deeply, young witch. Just follow the big young one.”
Glancing at Elisa, she nodded with a confused expression. She seemed to not grasp what was going on, but at least she was willing to follow me.
“Anyway, it seems like the current situation is very complicated.”
And the choice was handed to me.
It seemed that my decision would determine the future of this world.
Just like how the original protagonist’s choices changed the world.
“I’m just giving you one more option.”
“Thanks to you, my head is starting to hurt. I thought if I just dealt with that guy, life would be easier.”
After I said that, Hecate looked at me with a strange expression, as if questioning whether I really thought such a thing was possible. I eventually asked her a question.
“Is it that I can’t end this situation just by taking him down?”
“Maybe yes, maybe no. I don’t know everything. But please don’t forget that Kalon is a god with a strong desire for power.”
For someone with such desires, it seems like the Quartz family is living pretty well.
I mean, it’s not easy to call their situation living well, considering they’re stuck at the boundary between life and death. Maybe it’s because they’re a family that Kalon can’t easily touch them, which is why they’re still alive.
“Keep that in mind. But I want to ask you one thing. Why do you want to help me?”
“Because I don’t like Kalon.”
…That’s a pretty understandable reason.
If she was neutral and got kicked out, she’d have some grudge, wouldn’t she?
“Let’s stop this discussion here, and may I ask something I’m curious about?”
“Of course.”
“I want to know about that guy. No one has given me any information at all.”
Hecate paused to think, staring blankly at her teacup, and after a while began to speak.
“He has tremendous power, but his personality is like that of a child. He acts on whatever interests him and tosses things aside when he loses interest.”
Just hearing that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
I guess that’s why the other gods dislike him coming around. But why is such a being interested in this world?
Is this world really that intriguing?
“Don’t think about the reasons. To that god, reasons are just excuses to justify their actions. Just like a human stumbles upon an ant hill while walking, gets bored and kicks it over, it’s all just for amusement.”
“So I have to go through all this hard work just for such a trivial reason?”
Fine, embroiled in events since this is a game world, but the outsiders getting involved is just too much.
“That’s right. But it shouldn’t take too long. They’re warming up over there too.”
“What a horrible thing to say.”
I just wish they would disappear already.
“Y-Yohan! I don’t understand any of this…”
“To put it simply, there’s a god targeting this world. Kalon is trying to stop that god, but just stopping won’t solve everything. We need to either drive it away or exterminate it.”
“Y-Yohan?”
Elisa stared up at me wide-eyed, shocked by the suddenly larger scale of things. I rubbed her head to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. I easily took down a dragon. There’s no need to worry about one more.”
“That’s a good mindset. There’s no need to be scared.”
“I want more useful information though.”
“The being itself is merely a child with powerful strength. Once their power rises, they can be easily dealt with.”
That’s certainly good news, but rising in power means I have to take down the gods.
If I take out Kalon too, that would leave only Hecate… or wouldn’t it?
Is she trying to position herself as the sole god? The reason she’s friendly with me might be because she wants me to take out all those gods.
Just thinking that made my head hurt.
Can’t things be simple? Why does it have to be so complicated?
Exiled gods. Hecate. Kalon. And that guy.
Whether it’s four factions or more, numerous powers are trying to kill each other for conflicting goals… Honestly, I don’t really feel the need to take sides here.
I mean, as long as this world runs reasonably stable, I wouldn’t care who seizes its dominance.
As long as it doesn’t cause harm to my blissful harem life, I could live with that guy ruling.
However, it’s a given that he would be a hindrance to my happiness, so aside from everything else, my priority is still to take him down.
“…This is becoming increasingly inconvenient.”
“Living peacefully is tough.”
“H-Hecate…”
Elisa, who had been quietly listening to us, finally called out Hecate’s name softly. Hecate’s gaze naturally turned to Elisa.
“What is it, young witch?”
“W-Why did you call me? This feels like a conversation I shouldn’t be hearing…”
I was curious about that too.
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t a conversation for Elisa to be part of. It was too heavy a topic for a mere female student.
With a gentle smile, Hecate responded to Elisa’s inquiry.
“In order to defeat the outsiders, we need assistance. I’d like to assign that role to you, young witch.”
…You’re entrusting something to Elisa?
“I don’t want to put her in danger.”
“I’m just asking for her help.”
“Isn’t there a risk of mental corruption if she makes contact with the outsiders?”
“I’ll take care of that.”
“Give me a compelling reason as to why it has to be Elisa. Otherwise… I can’t accept your proposal.”
This is something I need to wrap up on my own. I have no intention of dragging Elisa into this.
Honestly, using this as an excuse just to get close to Elisa is a possibility too.
As I strongly opposed this, Hecate nodded to herself as if to say, “I see how it is,” and then replied to me.
“It’s inevitable that the outsiders will approach the young witch.”
…Summoning a demon.
That word suddenly came to mind after a long time.
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