“Looks like I struggled more than I thought.”
“……”
“Your face is covered in wounds.”
Kurika offers his brand of consolation. If he knew how those wounds were made, he’d probably regret saying anything.
The battle with the Dragon God was certainly intense, and I did take a few spells, but I didn’t sustain any major injuries.
I pushed my body to the limit, but I had no visible wounds.
The wounds on my face were made by Sen.
I couldn’t help but be hit too, as the stray cat flailed its front paws all the way to the carriage.
When we finally arrived at the Royal Palace, she seemed to have calmed down a bit, saying, “If something like this happens again, I will kill you, big brother.” and then walked away.
Since she called me big brother at the end, I guess it’s safe to say Sen is accepting of joining the McLean family.
Anyway, I almost died, and it was undeniably dangerous, so I don’t feel the need to explain further.
“It’s inside. There’s already a guest, so be careful when you go in.”
Kurika subtly clears the way.
In front of me were two doors; one marked ‘Rin’ and the other marked ‘Ares.’
I originally planned to visit Rin first, but a strange noise seeped out from Ares’ door, so I decided to check it out.
“What’s going on!”
I wondered if Helios was up to his antics again, causing Ares to awaken to the end.
“……Ah.”
“D-Daniel, you’re back.”
“……”
I couldn’t help but drop my jaw.
I was instantly filled with irritation seeing Ares and Arni rolling around naked on the bed.
“Damn it, you guys! Can’t you just tone it down a bit? You’re doing that here at a time like this?!”
Bang!
I must have been too forceful; the door wobbled as if it would break. I initially thought about offering them some pity for the somewhat imprisonment-like life they were leading, but…
His girlfriend was already doing that.
“I went through a lot, cutting off the remaining wings of the Dragon God, and here you are enjoying your filthy sex life on the bed!”
As I yelled in frustration through the gap of the door, they shouted something back inside, but I ignored it and headed to Rin’s room.
When I knocked, a relaxed voice told me to come in.
Walking in, I found Rin with May in a room structured and furnished exactly like Ares’ room.
“May?”
It was so unexpected, I called out to her, and May immediately rushed over to hug me.
“I was waiting here, thinking you’d come straight to me!”
From behind, Rin seemed to realize she had become bait, making a pouty face.
“You came to see me, right? After saying hi, you can leave.”
“No way! Who knows if you two will go enjoy some filthy business with Ares and Arni if I leave.”
“……”
Yeah, only May would be this ignorant.
After carefully peeling May off of my chest, I turned to Rin.
“How’s your body? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. My ability’s power has diminished, but I feel like I can control it more effectively now.”
I heard that since I forced Rin into a rampage during the first playthrough, the Goddess of Death couldn’t interfere anymore.
Maybe that’s why Rin didn’t seem burdened when using her abilities. Even looking stable, she had prepared for any potential rampage by using the sealed dagger.
To minimize the damage and maintain control, Elise had already prepared mages underground in the kingdom for practice and preparedness.
In a way, Rin was already in the state of ‘The Earliest Apocalypse,’ acting as a buffer to prevent ‘The Following Apocalypse’ from coming.
“I’m glad to hear that. Just stay cautious. If your condition worsens, you might lose control.”
“Yeah, I’m being careful.”
While saying this, Rin subtly pointed to the side of the bed where she was sitting.
“Did everything go well in the Dragonkin’s land?”
At first, I hesitated a bit, but sensing a subtle pressure in her normally casual voice, I slowly sat beside her.
“I want to sit too.”
May chimed in immediately.
Rin made a genuinely annoyed expression, while May, with a mischievous grin, started teasing her back.
We talked for nearly 30 minutes, covering everything from what happened in the Dragonkin’s land to discussions about Zane’s beliefs, the future of the Dragonkin, and the Dragon Gods.
Having spent quite some time, I finally stepped out of Rin’s room.
May naturally insisted on following me, but Rin stopped her.
Rin’s serious expression as she told her to hurry and go made me slightly flustered.
Once outside, I met Kurika again in the corridor. He was sitting in the same position as when he first greeted me, but…
The mere presence of him felt like an impregnable fortress wall, instilling trust in me.
“Shouldn’t we intervene with Ares a bit?”
I asked lightheartedly, and Kurika responded with a faint smile.
“I suppose he must be very scared and shaking. If we fail to seal the apocalypse, I will have to kill that boy.”
It was only natural that if we couldn’t prevent Ares’ ‘The Following Apocalypse’ through the sealed dagger, that would have to be what we do.
Kurika continued calmly.
“Letting this slide is the only mercy I can offer, considering that I may have to kill a boy named Ares.”
Kurika quietly closed his eyes again, looking like a serious warrior preparing for the battles to come.
“Yeah, I see.”
No matter which playthrough it is, Kurika’s top priority is to save this continent. Thus, he tried to kill Rin, and if Ares went wrong, he would do so without hesitation.
It’s not that he lacks emotion or carries no guilt.
However, despite accepting all that, Kurika would wield his great sword.
In truth, Rin and Ares were also mere victims caught in the gods’ machinations.
Yet, if cutting their throats could save the continent, he would do it.
That’s why I have chosen Kurika.
“A long time ago, a human saint named Lucia told me something.”
“Hmm?”
Kurika looked at me with a puzzled expression, wondering what I was talking about out of nowhere.
“Recently, while I was in the land of the dragons, Dragon God Shakallim told me the exact same thing.”
“What was that?”
Realizing I wasn’t just chatting, Kurika slowly opened his eyes. His pupils glimmered like a crescent moon.
And those feelings felt like a kind of belief, bringing me comfort and calmness.
In response to Kurika’s question, I replied with a question of my own.
“Kurika, do you know what number the gods like the most?”
*
“Is this really Yggdrasil?”
Looking down at the flowerpot Eris was holding, just arriving from Yggdrasil yesterday.
A small sprout was blooming.
“You see, Yggdrasil was also preparing for the apocalypse.”
“Is this what it is?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
As I pointed at the sprout, Eris nodded vigorously with a satisfied expression.
“This sprout will grow quickly. Once it does, it will become the weapon to stop the falling sun you talked about, Daniel.”
“How?”
“……”
“This sprout is going to grow like Jack’s beanstalk and stop it?”
“……I wasn’t told that far.”
Though Eris often shows her ditziness, she seems quite meticulous about these things. She probably just brought this along because Yggdrasil didn’t give her any definitive answers.
“Anyway, Yggdrasil has given part of itself away.”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
The energy emanating from the sprout felt small but dense. Compared to Arianne’s Flower that blocks mana, it didn’t lag behind at all, and given that it’s still a sprout, it made me wonder how much power is concentrated in it.
“Anyway, it looks like it will take some time.”
“Yes, and I need to be here as well. I’m still a guardian, after all.”
“Okay, I’ll let Elise know.”
Seeing her hugging the pot like it’s precious, it didn’t look like she’d want to hand it over to anyone.
“By the way, did the dagger arrive?”
“……No, not yet.”
Hayun and Tana had gone to the dwarf guild to find another sealed dagger. I knew the distance wasn’t that long, but they still hadn’t returned.
It wouldn’t be considered fully ready to prevent the apocalypse until we had two sealed daggers.
As I was momentarily pondering what to do, I noticed Eris fidgeting and staring at me.
“What’s wrong?”
I thought something might be wrong, but Eris stuttered her words.
“Ah, no! It’s nothing!”
“What? Now you’re making me anxious. Is there a problem?”
“I said it’s nothing!”
Uh-oh?
Eris, with a flushed face, turned her body away. I wondered what was happening all of a sudden, but I couldn’t catch her again as she had already walked off.
Just then, I headed to Elise’s office to tell her about the sprout of Yggdrasil.
“Huh?”
The world tilted.
Everything felt blurry, like opening my eyes in the depths of the ocean, and a heavy pressure enveloped my entire body.
Suddenly, I struggled to breathe, and just as I felt the sensation of fainting…
My vision cleared once again.
The place where I stood wasn’t the elegant corridor of the Royal Palace.
Everything was white and transparent, a place so elaborate that the current continent’s technology could never create something like this, overwhelming in its diversity and sanctity.
“Wow! You’ve arrived!”
Turns out to be a familiar voice, and when I turned my head,
There stood a small girl who looked like she’d just reach my thighs, holding a doll that oddly resembled my face.
“Are you using the power I gave you well?”
With a wink and a playful tone, I recognized her.
“Goddess of Time?”
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