Chapter 92: Side Story 15: A Proud Dragon, a Worried Goddess, and an Ambitious Inferno.

As Hestia was about to have her first meeting with Peolyncian humans, another meeting was being held up above the skies, in one of the realms of the gods. In this realm, the ground you walked on was made from soft clouds surrounded by unending light sources illuminating this place every second, banishing every shadow the moment it appeared.

In a specific area within this white world, extravagant furniture was placed for the sole occupant of this place. So refined was the furniture that most would believe its owner was either wealthy or a high-ranking noble. Royalty, even.

This was the world of the Goddess of Light, Aurena, and it was currently hosting a tea party.

“Problems and more problems, and I can’t intervene as they are not breaking any taboos,” a somber black dragon spoke out, stress contorting his face in a deep frown.

“That is, after all, our roles as gods. We observe and maintain the balance of our world, while our followers change the status quo,” a beautiful, youthful woman responded to her titanic tea partner, fluttering her light blonde hair and pure white feathered wings as she gave out a teasing laugh. “Elder Plesia would probably stop you if you even tried to break them, you old grumbler. Over 2000 years, and you still haven’t accepted this part of the role.”

"His duty is the most taxing I believe, although I cannot sympathize as I have never been pushed this far due to a lack of genuine worshipers," a sharp-eared man said in defense of the giant dragon, documenting every word spoken by this meeting's participants on his right arm. "Magic and the pursuit of knowledge will never die out as long as this world possesses mana and the desire to better yourself. Which means my source of power is infinite as the depths of the unknown."

As light-hearted as the atmosphere was in this radiant home of the Goddess of Light, the talk itself was far from it. The giant dragon continued to mull over the recent events that have occurred under his command.

“My first attempt failed disastrously because I underestimated the girl for being a newborn, while a random coincedence decided the outcome of the second. Now, the girl has escaped, and her escort party was injured during the ambush,” the black dragon, Kargryxmor, retold the occurrences he witnessed through the eyes of Asterios, the Boltreaving wyvern. "I don't understand, why did that girl flee? Shouldn't she seek me for protection? Even that leviathan told her to do so, but even then? Does she have no wish to speak with her parents? Her siblings? Her gran  — ahem, her god?”

“Kargryxmor, did you not mention that the girl’s name was ‘Hestia Atsuko?’ She also just got her last name, too. Please, use it as it would make my job far easier. Don’t you agree, Goddess Aurena?” the elven man suggested to the dragon god, not raising his head from his arm as he kept writing.

“Oh, yes I do, Istari. I am planning on making her my Champion, after all. As young and inexperienced as she might be, we must show her the necessary respect. Effort and achievements deserve the minimum of courtesy,” Aurena replied, shifting her white wings as she turned to address the dragon. “So, Kargryxmor, where is she now? Do you know?”

The great dragon let out a small sigh before materializing a blue globe of the world and resumed his report, “The attack from the grimgarians, God Marsven’s descendants, took place in the southeast part of the Belzac forest. From what little I could see, Hestia should have entered a cave in the direction of a human kingdom. Mhmm, this one, here. You are the God of Knowledge and Magic, Istari, enlighten us.”

On request, the elven man observed where the great dragon pointed at and then tore the skin off his arm, unwrapping it like a bandage until it transformed into parchment. “… From the most recent information, this land is currently called the Kingdom of Artorias. This piece of knowledge was given to me about 1 second and 23 milliseconds ago, by a human male with the [Peddler] Job. I must give my thanks to the God of Mercantilism the next time I meet him for sharing this.”

The god of dragonkins observed the eccentricness of the God of Magic and Knowledge, silently mumbling, “Use the damn administrative window, you idiot.” Watched the high elven god wrap the skin back onto his arm, leaving no signs of it ever being anything else but fair elven skin, was always a surprise, no matter how often he had seen it.

Ignoring the eccentric elf, the dragon turned his head back to the goddess of light, "Goddess Aurena, I still cannot form a connection with Hestia and she will likely evolve before I can tell her anything. I apologize, but it would seem like I will have to delay our meeting with her.”

Kargryxmor was vexed at his current predicament. Never had he thought that a single mortal would give him this much trouble. Not only has Hestia killed three wyverns with relative ease, but she was able to flee from three B rank wyverns, who were significantly stronger than her pure stat-wise.

In fact, if Hestia hadn’t had her companions help her in the fight against the first [Drifting Snow Wyvern], or if it had gone all-out right at the start with a death-match mentality, the dragoness would have never stood chance, even if she had gotten [Lightning Magic] during the battle. The mobility and experience differences between the two combatants were too huge. It was just the dragoness’ luck the wyverns were ordered to not kill.

The God of Dragon was also the God of Oaths, considering any promise or duties bound by a mutual contract to be extremely important. Oaths were worth risking your life to fulfill, in his opinion. He was dissatisfied with himself, as such, unsure if he had overlooked a more efficient option.

Kargryxmor had always been a person who considered performing the task himself was the only way to ensure it would be done right. He was headstrong and wished to jump back to the mortal plane to speak with Hestia directly, as having to rely on somebody else to fulfill this important task was causing him unrest.

However, he couldn’t, for he was bound to the rules of being a god.

A god’s role in the world was to observe and encourage them to improve by themselves. After all, worship forced onto mortals was nothing but crude. Pure faith, created by allowing people to maintain autonomy and find out their own path in life was more preferred. While some of the subordinate gods disagreed with this, the more experienced Origin Gods had already seen their fair share of different worlds and universes.

Although it wasn’t completely forbidden for gods to mingle amongst the mortals, it was explicitly forbidden for them to meddle in events. They were allowed to eat food, watch plays, or just observe children grow up over the years. However, the moment they tried to influence the people there, Goddess Plesia would punish them.

In the realm of the gods, no authority was more terrifying than the Goddess of Water.

Aside from that, it was also practically impossible for gods to speak with mortals, in the first place. Their divine aura and words could destroy a mortal’s soul completely, and as such, there were protective measures put in place. Only the blessed, the chosen of the Gods, were able to even listen to a single word of their patron god.

As such, these Saints and Champions were considered important religious figures. They could interpret the words of the gods, meaning outside of the religious leaders of the different Origin God Churches, they were the highest authorities in this respect. Although most wouldn’t abuse this privilege, since the gods chose their blessed carefully, those who would were most of the times high-ranking members of the clergy.

This was why the “Heroes of Aurena” were considered lower than the two saint candidates amongst the students.

Aurena listened to Kargryxmor’s report with a gentle smile which grew into a teasing one after taking a sip from her tea. “… You say that, but aren’t you also proud? Compared to our last meeting, you seem far less stressed out. You haven’t burst into anger despite how much I have joked around.”

Kargryxmor instantly fell quiet, jaw agape, hesitating to respond back. He was assessing if Aurena’s words were another of her plentiful jokes or if they were genuine. Looking inside himself to analyze the many different feelings circulating in his head, he couldn’t believe Aurena was speaking the truth.

“Why should I be proud?” he thought for a second, but that was when he remembered everything he saw through his worshipper, the female lizardman Apsala. Due to her prayers during her time in Belzac forest, he knew everything that went on around her. That meant he witnessed all of Hestia’s feats Apsala witnessed or any that Caszcur had told her about.

He could keep track of Hestia’s status window and her growth through the blessing he gave her, but never was he able to see all the trials and tribulation the young girl had to go through. The struggle to survive, all for her one dream to become an idol; he only had learned all of it later on.

Aside from her fight with the three C rank wyverns, Kargryxmor was never able to observe her first month or her fight with the orcs and the garm matriarch. He was astounded when he saw how valiantly she fought against the ice wyvern, displaying the culmination of her life in the Belzac forest.

However, what made the black dragon even more elated was Hestia’s creed. Nothing was more exciting for this old dragon to see than knowing that his choice for a granddaughter was correct. Although she wasn’t a paragon of his dogma, he could proudly say Hestia was an “Imperial Dragon Princess of Kargryx.”

Hestia’s fervent belief that promises had to be upheld fitted his mentality perfectly. It made his heart race one of his direct descendants was acting exactly how he envisioned for his race to act after he ascended to godhood: a guardian for the world.

As a dragon, he took pride in the fact a dragon whelpling from his bloodline was able to grow strong enough to defend herself from most threats, all by her lonesome. This was all her work. As a god, he felt satisfaction that she was turning into a wonderful Champion for his Origin God, despite all the hardships to get her to actually speak with him.

There were a few things that concerned him though. Why did she suddenly talk about making the lizardmen her followers? How did she retain her memories despite her rebirth? Why was another [Otherworldly Reincarnator] with her and how did she get into this world?

There was also the issue with Hestia’s parents. He had considered informing them of their hatchling’s birth and safety, but he also remembered her mother hated him like the pest, and the father, Kargryxmor’s son, would disagree with the plan he and Aurena wanted Hestia to fulfill. Both would drag Hestia back to Kargryx without question, and would force her to stay there until she was an adolescent.

At first, he believed it would be best for her survival, but after seeing Hestia flourish all alone, he didn’t want to clip her wings. He wanted to see her fly higher. What she could achieve without the overly cautious watch of a dragon’s parents. In addition, he didn’t want to stop her dream prematurely.

He was sure Hestia’s mother would despise him even further for this, but he was willing to wait. He wanted Hestia to turn mentally and physically strong enough to persuade her parents when the time came. However, for now, the young dragoness still had her own issues to overcome. The catalyst for her growth was still needed.

… But those issues could be dealt with later.

“Ahhhhhhh, YES! I AM!” the dragon god roared with euphoria, shaking Aurena’s realm. “Gahahahahaha, she’s just perfect! That girl should only be seven months old now, but she’s showing so much promise. I can’t hold back but roar. YEEEEEEEEEEEEES!”

Kargryxmor was infamous for being the emperor of the skies during his mortal life. His mere presence was enough to quieten even the most cantankerous of beasts. He was known as an SSS rank monster, a monster of unreachable heights for a mere mortals.

This very tyrant was now wagging his tail like an excited dog who’s waiting for his owner to open the door after being away for a whole day. He was creating a maelstrom with his beating wings, moving them around like an overly excited bird.

Kargryxmor, the God of Dragonkins and Oaths, was acting like an excited grandfather.

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“There were complications during her birth, the main cause of her being born as a G rank dragon whelp. Her egg carrier even somehow died for no reason! Losing her egg in that gigantic forest! But she survived it all, and she’s about to reach rank B!” Kargryxmor’s unnatural excitement was quaking everything. If there were any angels around, they most likely would have fallen unconscious from the sheer pressure. “Arck, considering her mutation, my and her mother’s bloodline must have mixed well together. Still, if only she hadn’t inherited my weakness to water and ice! Wouldn’t she be so much more powerful? Still, she might be the first of my direct descendants in a long time who had made me… incredibly proud of being her ancestor. Ahhh, I only wished getting her to me wasn’t so difficult.”

“Hmmm, this meeting has certainly proven to be more interesting than I would have thought,” Istari stated bluntly as he nodded at the words written on his arm.. “I was already excited to be around my ‘Apocrypha,’. But this might be the first time anybody had witnessed the almighty SSS rank dragon, Kargryxmor, behave like this in public. This meeting has been too fruitful, hehehheheh.”

His apocrypha, his muse — Aurena.

“Hiehie, oh my, Kargryxmor your behavior is certainly adorable. You have waited too long for a worthy spawn, I see,” Aurena remarked with a mischievous laugh. “Then, I can confidently tell you that our little dragoness has made it to the human kingdom Artorias. In fact, she has already made contact with some of my worshippers. It should reassure you to hear that she has also reached level 30, ready for her evolution.”

“Agh, she has? There will be little chance for her to take my [Young Black-Wrath Dragon], then. She still has a bad impression of me…” Kargryxmor said with a frown, all his excitement gone. “There is also the issue with those B rank wyverns. I sent that lightning wyvern a Divine Quest, but I can’t send him a System message. The wyvern priestess he communed with is spiritually well linked with me, but even she cannot listen to more than two words at best. ”

Kargryxmor was worried that Asterios and the two ice wyverns would venture into the kingdom of Artorias. He knew the Boltreaving Wyvern took his oath to him very seriously, uncaring of the fact it would bring him to human territory to fulfill it.

Kargryxmor gave him a Divine Quest with a reward too enticing to give up. Asterios wanted to level up so he could evolve, and this was his best chance to achieve that. Callous of human life, this lightning wyvern wouldn’t relent until he captured Hestia and bring her to Avitor Peaks.

He had to bring Hestia to them somehow.

“That is unfortunate, but you cannot interfere here, Kargryxmor. You may try by informing that priestess, but they will simply send more wyverns into the kingdom of Artorias,” Aurena sternly warned the dragon god, informing him of the repercussions of any future decisions. “This also isn’t enough to warrant divine intervention. You must let it pass, observe as a god, and deal with the consequences later on. Hestia and my followers will have to weather the storm, despite how much I want to prevent it.”

Aurena’s carefree expression quickly turned into a scowl. She was the human race's patron goddess, so having to stand on the side as a mistake could mean the death of her previous followers. As callous as it was, it was only allowed for a god to directly interfere if a Divine Taboo was broken, or even her blessed wished for advice. In other words, Hestia had to reach her first for this information to reach her.

She had watched countless lives die for infinite amounts of reasons, tempering her through her 2000 years of being in Peolynca. Nothing brought her more anger than another god’s mistake bringing destruction towards her followers.

Aurena’s mischievous attitude towards Kargryxmor was always a foil for her to show her annoyance towards his failures without resorting to bursting out in anger. She found it inelegant, especially when the other party knew this fact.

“That is our role as gods,” Aurena said with a deep sigh. “Anyway, I thank you, Kargryxmor, for keeping me updated. Also, you too, Istari. Keeping our words documented will be useful for the future.”

With that said, the god of dragons and the god of knowledge dispersed into thin air, disappearing from this light-filled world, leaving only Aurena behind. Once she was sure she was alone, Aurena gave a long sigh and slumped on her chair.

“… I should have told him,” Aurena chastised herself in a serious tone, letting her teacup down. “As one of the two subordinate gods I could rely on, I shouldn’t have kept this to myself. As his goddess, I should have informed him that I had contacted our Champion. What is this attitude of mine? Childish!”

What Aurena was mentioning was the time she managed to send a system message to Hestia, despite how weak their connection was. She was elated to learn she could finally communicate to her planned Blessed, but quickly realized anything longer than what she sent would have caused grievous repercussions on the still young soul.

It was already plenty enough, since Aurena had specifically fortified Hestia’s soul to listen to a god’s words. While impossible since the reincarnation cycle in Peolynca was controlled by the Goddess of Death, Ilsaphone, Hestia’s situation was different. She came from Earth, and before she was reborn, Aurena could strengthen it without a care. The soul only needed time to adapt to this change.

“I know it wouldn’t have helped the situation. It isn’t Kargryxmor’s fault that his worshippers are stepping out of line,” Aurena mumbled. “The only way that would have prevented all of this was if our connection hadn’t been severed for some reason. I still question how Hestia was able to do this in the first place.”

If Aurena had made contact with Hestia before Kargryxmor sent out his wyverns, everything would have smoothly resolved itself. Hestia would have made it to the elves and Aurena could have made contact with her. It should have been that easy.

“Well… it’s still fine. After that display, I ought to keep Hestia away from Kargryxmor before I can have a talk with her alone. That big oaf is distressed that his faith is waning due to his descendants, so instead of looking at the bigger picture, he will most likely get Hestia to resolve his issue first. However, those demonkins must be dealt with first for the safety of Peolynca. Haaa… if only that race wasn’t considered a Peolyncian native, I would have already done everything by myself.”

Aurena suddenly let out another deep sigh, placing a hand on her cheek, “Uuurgh… I never would have thought she would go to the kingdom of Artorias first. This is… tch.”

With a small movement of her hand, a blue, translucent screen appeared before her — her admin window. “… The information my angels have compiled for me isn’t reassuring at all. I honestly am not willing to plunge Hestia into that land, especially with what Kargryxmor has reported.”

Argh, my desires are too akin to his. I wish to appear before Hestia and tell her everything over a cup of tea… Tch, Elder Plesia would not be pleased if I did that, Aurena mulled over her options with exasperation.

“Haaa… I think it might be time to visit Father to ask him for some of his wisdom. I haven’t met him in a while, he must feel lonely,” Aurena said with a cheerful smile. “I apologize in advance, Hestia. I do hope the conflict you will find there won’t be too much for you. Politically and militarily… however, this might be a chance for you to develop your [The Light] and gain a few followers, no?”

Aurena let out a repressed laugh and then continued looking through the footage she got from Lorena and Colwyn, two humans Hestia just met, “At least, I can keep an eye on you until we meet. Do make haste, Hestia. The more you become ‘famous’, the more eyes will look at you. You can’t stay unknown forever. No, you don’t want to stay unknown forever, right?”

Dematerializing both her administrative windows, Aurena stood up from her chair, “May the light’s fortune be with you and guide your path with hope, banishing any shadow that wills to consume you, my Champion. Hiehie, good luck, Hestia~”

And with that, the Goddess of Light turned into a stream of light particles and vanished from her realm.

---

“… I can already imagine Sis’s irritated voice in my ears.” A giant menacing inferno tapped his finger on his throne of molten rock, impatiently scrolling through his administrative window. If this were a normal creation, it would undoubtedly be burned by his searing hot mana.

This was Danterno, the God of Fire, one of the six Origin Gods and also the brother of the head goddess, Plesia. Despite how different their governing element was, the two shared a strong bond of siblings, ignoring the differences between water and fire.

“But… I need her. What I need now is somebody sane, not completely consumed by the allure of the inferno, to rally my faith into a proper, established church. A Saintess or Champion… Tsk, I can’t let this chance pass me by! Danterno mumbled anxiously, tapping his window and throne restlessly. “All the others have a proper form. Created by the faith and image of their followers, but how do I look? Just a bundle of mana. No shape, just ‘cause my followers can’t even agree about that! Argh, and then the constant fluctuation of their numbers due to their recklessness! Why are all my worshippers so hot-headed, ahhhhhhhh!”

And the fire that was his head grew in size, erupting like an active volcano.

Once he cooled down, Danterno then looked at his list of gods, “There is also the issue with my subordinate gods. I gave them apotheosis ‘cause they showed promise and understood the value of strength and how to use it. To preserve until the end, never wavering, like an uncontrollable blaze! … But, what is this? Greed took them over the moment they got used to their new lives. Neglecting our pantheon’s growth just for themselves. Ignoring the bigger picture. How can anyone grow in strength when I, their leading god, cannot even reach the power of the fifth spot, Zephira?!”

Danterno was considered the weakest of the six Origin Gods without any debate. The gulf in power between Danterno and the fifth rank, Zephira, the Goddess of Wind, was massive. Danterno’s lack of talent as a leader and for management had caused a terrible blockage in his growth as a god of Peolynca.

Due to his divided faith, none of his followers were able to conclude on a form for Danterno, each praying to a different image of their inferno god. This has twisted Danterno’s divine form, creating a creature that wasn’t even close to the serene form of his sister, nor the other three goddesses, Zephira, Crustacia, or Aurena.

Even Marsven, the God of Darkness, was able to create a form reminiscent of a Peolyncian. The God of Shadows kept his follower’s affection at an arm’s length, but the opposite wasn’t true, as those truly dedicated to him adored him… A fact Danterno couldn’t dismiss.

“No, I can’t let this go! I, a being of fire, cannot accept being the weakest! I am destruction and power, renewal and purification. I rebirth life from the ashes of the old, all to maintain life in the cycle of the world. The sun and warmth granted the world life, so why and how am I number six?!” Danterno roared. “I must close the gap, any way possible! This isn’t even outlawed by Sis. Aurena will complain my appendages off, but I just need her to… share this girl with me. Mortals were allowed to champion multiple gods.”

Danterno then navigated to a footage he received from a goblin shaman, one of the warriors of the great grimgarian army of the ogre king. He observed and analyzed the footage to find the young dragoness Hestia and where she was fleeing.

He then conjured up a globe of the world, trying his best to pinpoint where Hestia should currently be. Usually, this would be a job for his angels and aides, but the God of Fire was ambitious and determined. He wanted to find the girl as soon as possible. He couldn’t wait any longer.

“… One of my worshippers is in the vicinity. Hmph, weakling. Mind and body. Do your god a service and find my new blessed for me!” Danterno spoke coldly, uncaring of the life of a mortal. To him, this one mage was just a means to an end — to acquire somebody who he would undoubtedly nurture and care for. “… But how do I assure he finds her? I can’t actually influence him without breaking the rules… or, can I? Just a tiny bit. So small, even Sis can’t detect it. The moment the dragoness gets into sight, I’ll grant her a blessing so powerful, she will no doubt serve me! Oh, maybe I can also give her another boon to sweeten the deal? Mortals like fancy stuff, after all.”

With a one-track mind, the God of Fire went back to his work. Fiercely resolute to do anything to have his faith grow.

“Fire consumes fire.”