Chapter 226: Chapter 194: Faust.

“Uurrgh.”

How creepy … I glared at Ellaine’s two spell rings, grimacing as I noticed two eyes appearing within the jewel-like catalysts. I cast [Shine], banishing the eyes just as I had done up until now. I knew this spell could damage dark elemental monsters, but I did not know it was also a demon pacifier.

Night had come, and it was probably quite late in the night right now, based on looking at the position of the green glowing moon. Under Aurena’s directions, I have been flying through the air using my rocket boosters after confirming Ellaine was alive but infected by something demonic. At first, since the sun was up, I was able to fly at a pretty decent pace, but once the sky darkened, fatigue began to take over.

I couldn’t stress enough how much scale-dust I was using to maintain my flying. During the afternoon sun, I was able to balance my scale-dust regeneration with my usage using solar energy and eating as much as I could with [Unheiliger Engel]’s help. However, now that it was night, I had to slow down considerably, otherwise I would probably crash land from an empty stomach. The number of calories I was burning with this, jeez.

Also, I didn’t want to call her fat, but carrying Ellaine while she had her armor on was pretty tiring. My shoulders felt so stiff. She was still unconscious and the random twitching didn’t happen too often, but carrying her around would have been a drag if this wasn’t an emergency.

As for the twitching itself, Aurena had informed me the demon’s mana had infected her rings, staying inside them in a dormant state until it had gathered enough mana to rebuild a consciousness. I wanted to remove the rings, but they wouldn’t budge. The demon did not allow it. Outside of cutting Ellaine’s fingers off, having Aurena fix her up was the only solution.

So far away …

<Just a bit more, Hestia. Enough complaining.>

Haaaaaaaa … You know, considering you’ve been giving me directions this whole time, it really devalued the time you didn’t speak with me. Honestly, this feels like an administrator speaking with a player in an MMO, I spoke with Aurena.

<You know I am usually unable to actually hold a conversation with a mortal as long as with you. I enjoyed our talks here and there, but I am not supposed to do it as often. Your soul was fortified for the task, so I was simply abusing such privilege … Also, I knew you didn’t want to speak with me.

It was my fault, all right? I shouldn’t have shouted … I felt guilty for directing my rage at Aurena when the demon first broke out of its prison. I had thought she had lied that it couldn’t break out.

<I cannot intervene in every single matter, Hestia. In a sense, I am tiptoeing the line just to speak with you right now. Even we gods should respect the divine laws we set up, for if not we, who would?>

No, that’s not what I meant. I mean—You know what, I don’t want to start this up again. How far are we?

Aurena’s silence on the matter told me she agreed. Instead, she continued with her directions, <Close enough. You should be able to see the large mountain protruding from the woods by now.>

The moment she pointed it out, I actually was able to see something standing out on the horizon. As I didn’t want to attract too much attention I was flying low, near to the trees, but now I was ascending closer to the clouds to get a better view.

What I saw was a large, snow-blanketed mountain so steep the peak looked like an eagle’s talon. It seemed so unnatural, making me question if this was a natural occurrence. It was as large as the Avitor Peaks, but it was definitely weirder looking.

However, while the top seemed strange, what lay below it returned to normalcy. Gone was the small amount of snow on the top, as grass and trees covered the rest of the mountain, up until I saw a majestic looking castle built directly under the mountain’s “fang.” In the serene moonlight, the white palace gleamed a pristine white befitting the opulent lives of the Artorian noble society. Most likely, the whole citadel was made from fairnite, not only for the looks, but to protect it from magic.

Griffonpeak, the capital city of the Kingdom of Artorias. That has to be the home of the royal family.

Long white towers peering into the sky connected through walled bridges to the main palace. The palace itself was decorated extensively, as if it was like the crowning achievement of the wealth and history of Artorias and its predecessor, Leosfalt. Walls protected the palace’s entrance with a gate leading to two additional layers of the whole castle.

On the second layer, a military-looking building, probably a garrison, and an impressive-looking building with a griffon knight statue built before it was located. I could see a large empty field placed in the corner of the layer in addition to a horse stall and… a building-like nest? There was also a mansion built in this layer.

On the bottom layer, multiple smaller houses far less decorated than the other layers stood. They weren’t shabby, but they didn’t look too special compared to the former. Common sense told me those belonged to servants and other personnel. I was happy to see the royal family weren’t treating their servants like trash, at least.

Of course, while the castle was admittedly splendid-looking, the scars of war were still there. At the entrance of the lowest layer, the end of a fairnite bridge could be seen, but the middle of it was completely missing, almost as if it was destroyed. The broken edges were cut off and polished, looking as if it was intentionally left in such a broken condition. I knew the elves during the War for the Faefolk left Griffonpeak in a terrible state, but the reconstruction seemed to have not included the bridge. How were people supposed to visit the palace?

Oh, right, the answer is obvious. Gargoyles, griffons, and hippogryphs.

The Kingdom of Griffons. Why shouldn’t they just fly up to the palace, especially the royal family who were arvisans. I also heard from Ellaine of how the Lecartiglio Duchy introduced a griffon and hippogryph carriage service to the kingdom. The image of griffons carrying carriages was funny to think about.

<The temple is over there. Close to the inner walls.>

That said, Griffonpeak was still a city, at the end of the day. While Firwood and Cedaraille had a pretty similar architecture where the home of the lord of the city was placed in the middle surrounded by the noble district, Griffonpeak looked a bit different to me. Aside from a few landmarks, like a giant colosseum, a university-sized area which most likely was the royal academy, a giant gothic-style church, a statue of an arvisian man, and a pretty spacious merchant district, it was kind of hard to describe the rest of the city.

If you asked me, the castle was already mesmerizing enough under the moonlight, so marvelous that it outshined the rest of the city. It was like looking at a masterpiece beside some well-made but mundane art.

<I have made the necessary preparations. Immediately enter the temple and move to the altar room, Hestia. You know what to do afterward.>

Got it. Last sprint, Ellaine, hold on!

I knew I was kinda breaking the law by bypassing the gate and sneaking into the city, but this was an emergency and Aurena herself told me to do so. Still, the commotion it would cause if somebody saw me. Using my sneaking skills, I flew higher to avoid people seeing me around the outer and inner walls. Once I was close to the temple, I slowed down my scale-dust boosters, landing in an area obscure from any guard’s or grey-robe’s sight.

Once I was back on the ground, my legs lost their strength and I dropped to my knees. I was feeling a little light-headed and it felt like my muscles didn’t want to move at all.

“Tch, can’t I just go to sleep? Flying long distances is too much.”

I still hadn’t recovered from my fight with Asterios, as I felt extreme lethargy weighing down my muscles, not to mention my growling stomach and my mental fatigue caused by worry. Fortunately, neither [Exhausted] or [Starving] has appeared yet, but I was not in good shape. I was too tired to march right in and act pompous.

Using [Detection Sensor] and [Silence], I might not have been as good as Saori when it came to sneaking around, but it still felt easy to bypass any guard’s wandering eyes. Only problem was, Aurena was not telling me where to go. The Griffonpeak temple of the Church of Aurena was far larger than the Firwood one, and although it still had a simple interior design, I had no idea where the altar room was. There just wasn’t a map.

Hey, Goddess Aurena, whe— Huh? A signal!

A signal suddenly appeared out of nowhere on my [Detection Sensor] from thin air. From my experience sparring with Saori, I knew very well how [Silence] and [Odorless] allowed you to disappear from a detection skill’s power. A skill would neutralize a rival one if its level was similar or higher. If this signal appeared out of nowhere, a rogue or assassin was trailing me.

But inside a temple! Urgh, as if, whether they were priests or not, most of the top brass belong to the nobility. Just like Theodore, the High Bishop of Firwood, having spies and similar was normal!

Fuck. Somebody with a high detection skill to detect me and enough high-level stealth ones to trail behind me.

Currently, I was in a corridor and the signal came from a room behind me. Hiding anymore would probably cause me some issues. At the end of the day, the church and I weren’t enemies … yet. Until Aurena’s plan fully began, I should probably play nice with them.

With Ellaine in my arms, I calmly walked towards the signal, which was currently standing still. After a few more steps, a woman’s voice suddenly came from behind the corridor’s door. “Champion Hestia, pardon me.”

My eyes widened. The voice had a very distinctive accent, it was definitely not an Artorian from the Greenveil Duchy. Furthermore, it was neither dwarven nor elven as well. When I was wondering who the person was, the door opened up and a figure in a full set of brown and black armor appeared. Two black khopeshes were hanging sheathed on their hips while a spear and bow were being carried on the figure’s back.

In my opinion, the style of armor and clothing looked a bit similar to a middle eastern medieval warrior, giving me a good idea why the voice’s accent was so foreign to me. I could see the symbol of Aurena on the figure’s chest, similar to the emblem Yorshka had. Was this person a knight?

I looked into their eyes before speaking. Their head was covered with a helmet and their mouth was hidden behind a sash, but the gap between them allowed me to see their frowning brown eyes and … black mascara? At this point, I believed this person was a woman and the owner of the voice, mostly due to her body figure and the small part of her face I could see.

Annoyed that I detected you? Yeah, me, too. She wasn’t frowning a lot, but I could see she was a bit baffled that I was able to detect her.

She gave me a deep bow before beginning to speak, “I apologize for trailing you without introducing myself, Champion Hestia. I am Anivh, a Knight of Aurena. Saintess Eshe was made aware of your arrival, so my lady had sent me to greet you.”

“I-I see …”

A Saintess? Here? Also, they know I was a Champion! That was when I remembered Aurena mentioning she made some preparations, but I thought those preparations involved destroying the demon infecting Ellaine.

“Uuurgh!” Suddenly, Ellaine began to groan again. Her arm wasn’t twitching yet, but it was a sign the damn infection was coming back up.

“I am not sure what is happening, but seeing as you are a knight, you must be a guard for this Saintess Eshe, correct? The greetings can wait for later. This is an emergency. Please, could you tell me the way to the temple’s altar room? I need to get there immediately!” I raised my voice a bit in a panict.

She bowed once again. “The Goddess has already informed Lady Eshe. Please, follow me.” Anivh spread her arms forward, gesturing to me to hand Ellaine over. However, I declined. I was not allowing somebody else to hold Ellaine until this problem was sorted.

Following the lady knight through the candle-lit corridors felt really awkward as neither of us talked, leaving the church completely silent except for our footsteps. We did pass a few church guards on their night shift, who gave me confused stares, but Anivh shut them up with an icy glare. After entering through another door, we finally reached a room filled with the six altars of the Origin Gods.

Furthermore, there were three other people in the room.

“High Bishop?” Ignoring the other two, I was firstly focused on an ever sleepy-looking, lilac-haired man in the white robes of a priest of Aurena. This man was none other than the High Bishop of Firwood’s temple and the brother of the lord of that town—Theodore.

“It is a pleasure, Lady Hestia. I had thought you would arrive here by the beginning of SpringSun, but you are about two weeks late.” There was no warm smile, just a sleep-deprived head nod in acknowledgement.

“Why are you still awake? It’s in the middle of the night.”

“I was working on documents.” Even after leaving Firwood’s temple, he still had to work during these ungodly hours? “However, I did have some company, though. According to decorum, whether under noble or church etiquette rules, it would have been more appropriate for you to speak with this young lady first, Lady Hestia.”

Theodore stretched his hand out, directing my eyes to the two other individuals. The first was a large man in the same outfit as Anivh, although he had a single khopesh, a shield on his left arm, a bow, and a two-handed scimitar. The other person was a brown-skinned woman in her late twenties wearing a brilliant white robe with red flower embroidery. Anivh moved to stand behind her.

Is she?

She curtsied. “Champion Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, newest blessed of the Goddess of Light, Dragon Princess of Kargryx, and otherworlder like the Heroes of Aurena, I am the most recently appointed Saintess of Goddess Aurena, Eshe. It is an honor to finally meet you, Lady Hestia.”

“I-it is my pleasure.”

Never would I have thought to meet one of Aurena’s blessed here, as I heard nothing about this from our Goddess. This was somebody who embodied Aurena’s tenets enough to become a Saintess, not a Champion, and was trusted enough to learn of the fact I was not only a dragon and a princess, but also an otherworlder.

She then clapped her hands, pointing me towards the brilliant altar made from fairnite in the middle of the room. “I have heard the word of our Goddess about your predicament. Please, Goddess Aurena awaits you, we mustn’t delay your meeting for a second more. High Bishop Theodore, my knights, and I shall await you outside, Champion. We shall let nobody disrupt this divine meeting.”

The room was cleared. Manatech light bulbs were lighting up the whole room as moonlight gushed through the stained windows. While the situation with this Saintess was worth thinking about, the first thing I had to deal with was Ellaine’s situation. The twitching hadn’t stopped and I could see her pained expression.

I set her down before Aurena’s altar, activated [Shine] once more to calm her arm down, and then clapped my hands together. As my mind envisioned Aurena, praying to her for an audience, I closed my eyes. As my mind drifted away, somebody suddenly tugged on my arm, causing me to open my eyes to a cloudy world of white. This was Aurena’s divine realm.

“H-Hestia?” I turned around, only to be greeted by a translucent figure of a girl with blue hair and a recognizable face. “P-pardon, but are you Hestia?”

“Ellaine!” In the realm of the Gods, only our souls could visit them. As it was the manifestation of ourselves in our physical bodies, certain features were retained, for example, Ellaine’s face and blue hair.

In my excitement to see her soul not being tarnished by that malevolent evil, I hugged her. As I experienced when I first visited Aurena’s realm, there was still a “physical” sense of touch in this place.

“Hestia? It’s y—You’re so warm,” she said. “I’m so glad, I thought you were somebody else.”

It was to be expected. As I let Ellaine go from my embrace, I looked down at my soul once again. An aura of fire was wrapped around my ghostly figure, forming into draconic scales all around my body. Last time, my soul was filled with holes and lost fragments, the manifestation of my fractured memories, but this time, more holes were filled with scales and my soul even had a tail this time.

‘Souls adapted to their corporeal vessels,’ Aurena had told me. Ha, in other words, I was becoming less human and more dragon.

While I was wondering about the growth of my soul, Ellaine asked, “Where are we, Hestia. And why do you look so different? Why are we also naked?”

“The answer is simple, Ellaine, you two are in my realm.” The clouds underneath us moved, turning us around to face a blond-haired woman in an opulently decorated room. Her white feathered wings shuffled a bit as she greeted us and asked us to join her at her table.

“Who—Wait … WAIT! Hold on, hold on, hold on, a-are y-you—” Ellaine’s teeth jittered as she spoke, stumbling over her words as she stared at the angelic woman with widened eyes. In complete disbelief, it almost looked like she was about to faint.

“Yes, my dear, I am the Patron Goddess of the humans, Aurena. I welcome you, child, to my realm.”

“Ahhhh! Goddess Aurena, I am eternally thankful!” Dropping down on her knees, Ellaine smacked her hands together and began praying extremely loudly, fully expressing how much of a follower she was of Aurena.

… Hold on, Ellaine is having a discussion with her? She can hear her?

Noticing my confused face, Aurena shook her head, properly guessing my question.

“Unless you’re a blessed or somebody with a fortified soul like yours, we gods purposely obstruct our voices and weaken our aura. They would otherwise blow up, as I told you before. The reason why Ellaine is here is because of that demon trying to tempt her soul.”

“A-a demon?” Ellaine eyes widened like a goldfish, before Aurena began explaining what had happened after she fell unconscious from the Asterios fight. Horrified, her head snapped to her arm.

“Don’t be too afraid, she’s just a devious, slimy, tricky, annoying, pitiful, malicious, deceitful, destructive, lecherous—” As Aurena kept on shooting out insults over insults, Ellaine’s arm suddenly twitched a bit, reminding me of what happened today. Ellaine wasn’t groaning or in pain, but it still made me stand up. “Haaaaa, enough you damn pest. Show yourself already! I know you can, Klea’Hatma!”

“Ooooh, ahahaha, quite forceful when this is our grand reunion, dear?” As if Aurena’s word was a chant, a black gas suddenly came out from Ellaine’s arm, forming into a ball with tentacles and eyes. Without a mouth, words entered my mind. “Come now, such a harsh greeting for us two acquaintances. Why not allow me to massage your stiff shoulders to make this talk more comfortable, E’—”

“I am Aurena!” The divine realm shook like an Earthquake with Aurena’s demanding shout, rocking Ellaine and my soul, making us groan from the sheer force she was exuding. As the clouds were about to open up, revealing something shining underneath them, Aurena suddenly calmed down and mended the pain we felt. “I apologize, Ellaine, Hestia. This nuisance does not know her place despite only being a demi-god. Klea’Hatma, I am a goddess of Peolynca now. I am Aurena! I do not care what relationship we had in the past, in this world, you shall address me with that name!”

“A demi-god!” Ellaine and I blurted out the moment we recovered, staring at the ball with different feelings. While Ellaine looked at it with fear, all I was feeling for this monster was anger.

As if it noticed my emotions, it began to cackle. “Hiehiehahaha! Come now, what is that sort of expression, little girl? Is that how you thank the savior of your weak friend over here? Tch, tch, tch, I thought the two of you would be thanking me. Come on, sprinkle me with praise! I want to hear your admiration for me.”

“Savior? For what?” I demanded to know while Ellaine stayed quiet.

“What do you mean? Oh, come now, I’ve been living with your whole group for a while now ever since my awakening in that hell hole. Ooh, the times you all were having fun, oooooh, how much I wanted to join you!” Her voice turned into a growl at the end, showing little restraint as her one eye quivered in excitement. “But, yes, without me, Ellaine would have turned into a corpse by now. Admittedly, it was to save my own life, but that doesn’t change the fact you wouldn’t be here with us if I hadn’t used my ability to shield you from that wyvern’s attack.”

“Urgh!” Ellaine flinched, grasping her head as she began to groan. “I-I remember it now. I remember it now! Your voice! I heard your voice at that moment!”

The demon’s tentacles wiggled in joy. “Correct, dear.”

“When that blade was coming down at me, I heard you speak in my head. Y-you came when I asked for somebody to save me. You appeared and accepted my plea, you made t-that thing come out of my arm!”

“Correct, dear. At their most desperate, mortals wish for the most tempting offers, disregarding all the consequences laying before them. Don’t cower so much, it was—”

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“SHUT UP, YOU BITCH!” Unable to endure Ellaine’s fear for any longer, I smacked the black ball quiet and moved in front of Ellaine. “Don’t think you’re getting off scot-free, you fucking freak!”

Anger. The same wrath I felt for Asterios crept up again, this time, it was directed at this shitty demon. I wanted to continue hitting the demon until it finally disappeared but I knew from the feeling I had when I touched it, that it did nothing. Momentarily, I remembered Aurena’s words, of how I shouldn’t be touching it, but I then remembered it couldn’t do anything to me in its current state.

When my wish to kill it grew, somebody’s voice answered it.

“She is right. Also, don’t compliment yourself too much Klea’Hatma. As if your existence alone would have saved the girl’s life.” It was Aurena. “Hestia. Ellaine. Do not let this feeble creature’s words rile you, for have you forgotten the necklace you received from the felgheist nightlord?

Huh? … Oh right!

The [Necklace of Vampiric Undying]! A necklace with the ability to save your life the moment your health was about to reach zero if you offer it some of your blood. It was a necklace we earned from the dungeon and it was also something I gave Ellaine.

“Ellaine, your necklace didn’t break!” I informed Ellaine, who had also remembered the necklace by touching the area around her neck. The necklace would have become useless once it activated but aside from saving Ellaine’s life, it would have also given her some precious health equal to the amount of blood she offered.

As the demon stayed quiet, Aurena continued, “There you have it. Nothing to be so proud about nor feel indebted to, you little opportunities. I had told you that I had a proposition for you if you arrived before me without any issues.”

“Proposition?” I wondered.

Aurena turned to me and sighed. “The modus oparandi for why all the other archdemon of sins had perished, while this little lecherous bug survived—it is undoubtedly Elder Marsven’s. Haaa, after some reflection, I understood the reason why he sealed her in that prison instead of doing his duty. However, that explanation can wait, for now, I must punish a demi-god. Former.”

Space suddenly opened up for Aurena’s hand to enter and to bring out a familiar-looking black orb. Although the last time I saw it was when it had a hand coming out from it, this was, without question, the same orb this demon came out from. Aurena simply glanced at the orb, then back to the demon before crushing the orb right in front of it.

Dark energy released through the shattered orb began to spread as the shards dropped on the ground, worrying me for a moment, but thankfully this was Aurena’s realm. The clouds underneath it began to shine like small suns, forcing the dark energy back. Like a fearful mouse, it tried to fight back against the light, but it was futile, for Aurena’s power was far too much. Like a dying flame, the darkness was snuffed out, leaving not a trace behind.

The demon was deadly silent. “… W-well, I didn’t think you would be this forceful, Goddess Aurena. I mean, I just awakened after a long sleep, we need to go slow first—Urgh!” White energy surrounded the demon, bringing it closer to Aurena where she could look at it eye-to-eye.

“With your main body destroyed, even for your race, you are practically dead. The vessels your mana is currently inhabiting are close enough to my altar that I can crush them right now and eradicate you.”

Yes! Do it, Goddess Aurena! I was actively cheering for her to destroy the last remnants of that fiend. Sure, the demon did save Ellaine; that was, unfortunately, fact. However, I didn’t plan on being grateful for someone whose only interest was to infect Ellaine, hurting her in the process.

“Well … six weakened gods versus seven of us demons; but we still lost. I guess it was too ambitious to think we could beat Goddess Plesia and God Marsven. Too bad the others didn’t survive for as long as I did, but it sure was a climax to mess with you six. I might not be as strong as my main body was, but this bit of mana can still become a threat for others. Ooooh, it would be a tragedy for me to die, but so be it.” The demon’s eyes curved upwards as if it was smiling. Was it taunting us or did it feel nothing for its impending death? Regardless, the results were the same.

“True, your very existence could become a threat to everybody as you are the archdemon of lust. Tempter of fate for the sake of your hedonism. You would do anything for your spontaneous needs.”

However, unlike the feeling I had for Aurena before, the atmosphere around her suddenly changed. From this strict and merciless attitude towards the demon, she changed to being more aloof with a dark glint of her eye as if she was scheming something. With a wide smirk, she suddenly opened up a translucent blue screen with her free hand, typing on it like a keyboard.

“But, you are nothing more than mana now. A disembodied spirit of long past glory and power; you will obey your god now, Klea’Hatma.” Aurena glanced at the screen for a moment, looking at words incomprehensible to me, before returning her stare back at the demon. Trembling, the iris of its eye shrunk, looking out in fear. “Ellaine. Hestia. I have a proposal.”

Here we go.

“A rather unconventional method, honestly, but entirely feasible now that I was granted permission by Elder Plesia. However, this all depends on if Ellaine wishes to commit herself to this path or not,” Aurena stated to us with a serious expression, worrying me of how drastic this choice was for us. “First option, I destroy the demon, but it would include your spell rings. I will cleanse your soul, and everything will be back to normal. Second option, I will cage the demon with a skill, and allow you to harness her power for yourself.”

“W-what?!” The demon and I shouted out in unison, expressing our shock at what Aurena suggested.

“Don’t be surprised, worm.” Aurena clenched the demon ball like a squishy toy, glaring at it as if it was an insect. “This was the offer I wanted to give you, only, with your real body? A larger risk to everybody’s safety, but I would show you mercy with freedom. A prized source of demonic power which I can reap with ease. Nostalgic, don’t you think? Turn the powers of those scum against them, or, have you forgotten I once ruled over you, Klea’Hatma?”

The demon ball quivered. “A-hiehiehie, of course not … Goddess Aurena. You just showed that power off well enough by destroying any chance I have to escape.”

Urgh! A chill ran down my spine as I saw the look on Aurena’s face. Cold, like a predator—No, like an alpha predator forcing their will on others without consideration.

“Hold on!” I interrupted their discussion. “Goddess Aurena, instead of speaking with that thing, can you please explain to us what you are planning? Control that demon? You just told us to be wary of that thing, and now you’re suggesting to us to bring it along with us? With Ellaine?”

“Hestia, you do know we Origin Gods do not come from this world, correct?” I nodded to her question. “Remember her first words to me—we know each other. If you want to have an example similar to your understanding, this archdemon here would be similar to a seraphim in Christianity. They are granted powers by us gods, acting as our agents to further our faith.”

Learning such a thing right now felt a bit overwhelming, but I couldn’t show that now. I had to press her further “Y-yes, all right, but that still doesn’t explain everything. She’s a threat to us, and what would happen if the demonkins got their hands on her? I thought you wanted me to stop the demonkins from ruining your religion, not make them stronger by giving them a demigod to help them!”

“Oh, when that happens, pop!” Aurena snapped her fingers, but nothing happened. “As I said, I will cage her like the little beast that she is. But, I presume you are worried she might break out of it, right? That is when she just dies.”

“G-Goddess Aurena?” Ellaine finally spoke up, looking sheepishly at the Goddess she had sworn her faith to. “W-why me? Why are you choosing me to do this? I’m … You should have seen me. I am not worthy of any of this. I am just a weak person in this party, a liability who nearly got killed … I am not someone who can be trusted wi—.”

Ellaine …

“Ellaine.”

“Y-yes!” Interrupting her continued self-deprecation, Ellaine looked up as Aurena stared down at her, having a far calmer, serene expression. Like a mother or older sister showing someone motherly love.

“Don’t put yourself down. Every mortal is unique and interesting, for that is what makes my duty as a Origin God so blissful. Yes, there are many who are robbed of their chance to bloom, whether it is due to their birth situation or violence. But that is why it makes me smile when those who start from the bottom, rise above everything. The Divine System was made by the Origin Gods to help the denizens of Peolynca, but I also know how it inconveniences humans. But, at the same time, humans have the potential to become stronger than even elves or dragons, one day. It is all about conviction and your ability to press through trials and tribulations. In this world, all of that is possible!”

Rise above everything? That sounds a bit like what happened to me in the Belzac forest.

“And Ellaine, don’t forget, you could have enjoyed a life of slow peace after making friends with Hestia. You didn’t have to accept the lifestyle of an adventurer, despite everything you experienced,” Aurena kept motivating Ellaine, bringing up one of her most important decisions. “You took the first step. And now, you must train to become the one you wanted to be. Don’t compare yourself to others, compare yourself to the you two months ago.”

“You’ve improved vastly, Ellaine,” I chimed in. “Not only as an adventurer, but also as a person. With Grimnir, he even took you on to become his artificer apprentice! Your road to the future is bright, and I haven’t even mentioned the skill shop! Don’t demean yourself! But … that is why I think you shouldn’t take that demon on. You don’t need that thing.”

“W-wait, wait, darlings! Don’t push me to the side just yet, I can off—” And Aurena pushed her to the side.

“That is why I am giving you these two options, Ellaine. As Hestia mentioned, if you keep on training, you can ascend your limits as a human.” Aurena then had Ellaine raise her arm, reminding me where that demon came from. “However, the reason why you are the only one who can use Klea’Hatma at this point is because her physical body was just destroyed. The small bits of her you see here is just her remaining mana, having taken some of yours to survive. They are bound to you, through this alone, and without you, it is impossible for her to grow anywhere stronger for what I am planning.”

I stepped forward, grimacing. “Could you be any vaguer? This is my friend you are talking about. You told me you weren’t about to hide things from me when we made our deal to become patron and blessed, respectively. I understand as a god you can’t say everything to maintain some distance from us, but this will also affect my job for you. Are you trying to make it harder for me?”

“I know, Hestia. I don’t plan to sabotage you, in fact, if Ellaine somehow manages to control Klea’Hatma, it would probably makes things easier for you.”

I frowned, even more confused than before.

“The reason… Ellaine, would you like to become one of my blessed?”

“W-what? WHAT!” Ellaine’s soul form quivered, looking as if she was about to explode. “N-no! Never! I’m not worthy! I’m not worth it at all!”

And without warning, she flew into a hysterical outburst.

“You’ve seen what happened! I almost died! I couldn’t even do anything against that beast, being so useless I caused Master Grimnir to protect me from an attack! Now, I’m supposed to be the holder of a demon? One of the seven demons who once brought horrors down upon our world? And not to mention, become one of the Goddess’s blessed? Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!”

With her repeating “Impossible” over and over again, I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer to me, to the point it would be impossible for her not to look at me. “Calm down, please!”

Her soul was trembling like crazy and she was stuttering, attempting to reply back. However, I pushed my hand in front of my mouth and told her to breathe in and out. Caressing her back, I was trying to stop her panic attack.

“W-why?” Ellaine eked out after her soul calmed down. “I am nobody special. I-I can’t.”

Aurena shook her head, denying her claim. “Every person is special in their own way. That is what makes a mortal’s life so special, dear. I have watched many lives burn and flicker in my role as a goddess. I know what potential is, and you, Ellaine, have shown your worth by standing here, before me. Stand with Hestia, to fight.”

“But I nearly died. If this happens again in the future, I would ruin it all! The enemy will get the demon and it would be all because of me. Because of my arrogance, thinking I could even come close to Hestia, Saori, Tasianna, and Master Grimnir—”

“Then push yourself back up when that happens!” Aurena raised her voice, astonishing Ellaine. “Do you believe the talented figures in history or of today have succeeded without failing? The subordinate gods I command, for example. It isn’t about how often you fall, it is about how often you rise back up when you do. By your own admission, you shouldn’t be here, but you are. There is a will growing inside your, and you require it if you wish your dreams to become true.”

Ellaine stared up at Aurena with a conflicted look, seemingly not persuaded. I didn’t exactly know what Aurena was planning, but at the very least as her friend, I had to help her get out of this depressive moment. This was my job in this encounter.

“Ellaine, everybody has to start somewhere. Strength and power doesn’t come to you out of nowhere. You have to earn it. Through blood, sweat, and death, if you must.” I drew her attention back to my past. “The Belzac forest was not kind to me. It broke me, turned me feral so I could survive. I experienced many of death’s looming presence, but I survived through all of them, always standing up after it happened. But I didn’t do it alone after a while. I did it with Saori and Tasianna supporting me.”

That was right. I was at an all time low after the garm matriarch fight and when I couldn’t control my [Battle Frenzy (Moderate)]. However, in both cases, I had somebody there for me. Someone I could lean on.

Saori appeared in my life after the garm battle, giving me hope in the form of a friend, and later, somebody I could call family. And this friend with Tasianna later on saved me from denying my right for happiness, by helping me get out of my slump after I wasn’t sure if I could control my body or not. I broke my oath to never cry before my debut … but I didn’t regret it one bit.

“If you think this adventurer’s life is yours, then you can’t allow yourself to stop now, Ellaine. Just one or two setbacks? Fuck them, I say. Reflect and learn from your mistakes as long as you are alive!” I preached my survivor mentality to her. “We have time, and I and the whole of Aurora will be there to support you whatever you wish to do from now on. You just need to decide.”

“… I—” Ellaine was still unsure, although from the way she clutched my hands, I knew she was contemplating it.

“Ellaine, hear me.” Aurena gestured for us to listen to her. “My offer for you to become my blessed isn’t final. You do not need the responsibility if you wish, but I still require you..”

“You need me?”

“Yes, because due to your connection to Klea’Hatma, you are able to hear and speak with me as if your soul was personally blessed by me from birth. Have you not realized how long it has been since we started conversing?”

Now that I thought about it, Aurena did mention how I couldn’t be around her for too long last time. Ellaine was still participating in this discussion without an issue.

“It is because the demon is helping your soul. Fortifying it but also translating my words for you to understand. After all, a mortal’s soul is too fragile to hear us speak,” Aurena stated. “Not to mention, do you not think she is the best source you could get on the powers of the demonkin?”

… Oh right, insight into our enemies!

“There are human books on how the powers of the seven demonkin types work, but none can go into full detail because they are not demonkin. Klea’Hatma, though, understands all you need to know. For your Divine Quest, I beseech you, Hestia, to fully understand the powers of the seven sins.” She then raised the demonkin up to her head, holding it in front of her left eye. “As you know, I cannot intervene in too many mortal matters. If a demonkin were hiding their aura, you wouldn’t be able to detect them, but I could. Sadly, I cannot speak up against it, similar to your fight with Asterios. Kargryxmor couldn’t even tell him to stop, even if it was his mistake.”

That’s why. Y-yeah, I guess she has a point.

“Klea’Hatma, on the other hand, has none of those restrictions. Elder Plesia assured me. She can sense demonkin and tell you if one is in front of you or not. If Saori’s reconnaissance is invaluable to you, then a tool to reveal an enemy must be equally as important … But, as I said before, this is Ellaine’s choice to make. You may accept my proposal or not. In either case, you will need to train. Controlling the ability of a demon will be difficult, especially with how much of a wild card Klea’Hatma could become.”

“… Uhm, may I say something?” the demon tried to speak up, but was instantly slapped by Aurena. “Ark!”

Ignoring the demon, Ellaine allowed herself some time to think. After what felt like a minute or two, she rose her head, posing a question to Aurena. “I do not know if I can control her, though.”

“Do not worry. I have my ways to cage her. Not to mention, Hestia, both [Shine] and [Sanctuary] from [The Light] are unique spells I made just for you. However, [The Light] is a title, not an empty vessel like [White Flames]. You cannot create spells with it … however, I made [Idol] compatible with the special holy magic of [The Light]. It was meant to aid you in fighting against demonkins.”

“You can’t be serious, I can make spells songs to create something similar to [Sanctuary]?”

“Yes, it was my intent.” Aurena placed a hand on her head, nodding as if she was proud of herself. “You can theoretically create a song which directly weakens demonkins and demons. Reduce the effect of their bloodline on their personality and also in general, make them more susceptible to you. That is [The Light]’s main function.”

Not only did [The Light] grant me powerful bonuses and potentially OP spells, but it also made fighting against demonkins easier? I mean, I haven’t fought a demonkin yet, but it sounded like something I could use to make my Divine Quest easier. It sounded like a good idea to do … but—

“Ellaine, are you sure? Maybe we can find some special skill in your SP shop. You might have a special talent we might not know! You don’t need this demon to help you in anything, I tell you. I am sure we can do this together,” I offered her another option if she wanted strength, even if it meant going back to the usual training we did before.

“… I’ve already checked. Nothing really caught my eyes,” Ellaine stated, smiling wryly. “But … I know, I know taking this power wouldn’t be all right. I honestly don’t believe I deserve such an honor. Such power. It feels like … I didn’t earn it.”

“… But you lust for power!” The demon shouted out, interrupting Ellaine’s answer. “Ahaha, I know I don’t exactly deserve to say anything here, dears, but … hiehie … it beats dying. Take me. Use me up like a wet rag and throw me away once I’m dry and useless. Ellaine. Use me. My knowledge on demonhood, my powers—you had a taste. Do not forget, we archdemons—Mhphm! Owww!”

“Silence.” Aurena squeezed her until her ghastly figure was hidden in the former’s palm. “Ellaine? What is your answer?”

“I …” Ellaine clasped her hands as if they were cold and breathed in deeply. “I will. For my Goddess, my party, for my country. If this is a power you wish to grant me, then I must accept. I will become who you envision me to.”

Aurena frowned for a moment, too quick for Ellaine to notice. Was she dissatisfied with this answer?

“Good. However, do not forget this one warning, Ellaine. While the demonkin can’t pose a threat by allying herself with the demonkin, she can still corrupt you. This is a loop in the arrangement I have made, and something Klea’Hatma most likely already figured out. I cannot intervene when she ‘guides’ your action. Give you tips. Do not forget, she is a temptor”

You want to feel special, Ellaine. You wish for this power so you may stand out more … Still, how can I not know how you felt? But, to accept something similar to a ‘Faustian Bargain?’ … I will have your back. If this is the path you chose, then so be it.

Aurena pulled up her administrator window as she flung the demon away from her like a dirty tissue. After pressing on a few buttons, she turned back to us. “Congratulations, Klea’Hatma, you may live for a bit longer. Hestia. Ellaine.”

“Yes, Goddess Aurena,” we both replied.

“I have sealed the rings from unleashing the demon’s full power. This should not restrict your ability to learn and make Klea’Hatma’s abilities your own; however, it is there to prevent the pest from breaking out and escaping.”

“Thank you, Goddess Aurena.”

“Don’t be so carefree just yet. Hestia, create that song immediately to aid Ellaine.”—She then swooped her hand to the side and the demon disappeared completely from her realm. Did she just destroy it?—“Klea’Hatma should not be able to hear anything else. Ellaine, I will want you one last time, but never accept anything the demon offers, am I understood? By accepting a deal with it, it can and will alter your personality. You think and act in ways you never consider before.”

We gulped but acknowledged Aurena’s advice.

“Good. Ellaine, I have cleansed the rings to the point you may remove them. You are their only users, nobody else can invoke her powers as long as I am alive.” Suddenly, light particles began to surround Ellaine, but, before we panicked, Aurena explained. “Ellaine, I must ask you to leave for now. There is something important I must finally explain to Hestia.”

The reason why I am here. My Divine Quest as a Champion will finally be fully revealed.