Chapter 28: Chapter 22.2: Julius, Certified Lady Killer and Goblin Slayer (Part II)

Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 22: Julius, Certified Lady Killer and Goblin Slayer (Part II)

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I was lying on the sand of a nostalgic beach while watching the endless ocean in front of me. Unlike the last time I was here, I was fully conscious that this was a dream…

How do I know?

“She’s so unfair! She’s always going on with the ‘no playing around until you do this or do that’... I want to relax dammit!” Thiasis was venting to me about something that happened back in my homeland…

Yeah, I currently have a teary half of a goddess using my lap as a pillow while she complains about how unfair things have been on her. That is why I am aware that I am currently inside of a dream.

Normally you would think that she was complaining about Lia, her other half, but that is not the case… Thiasis is currently complaining about the Demon Queen, in other words, my biological mother…

In Thiasis’ words, my mother has become a tyrannical monster who makes everyone around her overwork themselves to the point of exhaustion… Thiasis even said that even my own father is also being overworked to the point of fainting by my mother.

“It is not so bad as she puts it. Thiasis is just too lazy for her own good.” Lia said nonchalantly while admiring the ocean just like I was.

“That would make you lazy by extension!” Thiasis complained and started pouting.

“Invalid argument. If I was as lazy as you, we wouldn’t even be on this break.” Lia launched a powerful counterargument with a deadpan tone…

“Ugh… I try my best, okay!?” Thiasis looked visibly hurt by Lia’s retort.

“Last time I checked, trying your best is not sitting on the couch, eating snacks while I do all the hard work.” Lia looked at her other half with a sharp glance.

Sigh… Watching them fight is really tiresome… It is like looking at someone who is shouting at their own reflection in a mirror…

“That’s an accurate way of putting it.” Lia nodded in agreement after reading my mind.

“Can you then stop fighting, please? I was really looking forward to talking to the two of you again.” I pleaded with the split Goddess.

“Since you asked so nicely, I will keep my frustrations with your mother for another time…” Thiasis averted her gaze for a second. Her previously annoyed expression quickly morphed into a wide smile. “So you do admit you were looking forward to seeing me…? That really makes me happy, you know?” Thiasis’ crimson eyes had a certain mischievous sparkle in them…

“When you suddenly lose the goddess that speaks to you every day in your head, you’re obviously going to start missing them.” I said to Thiasis with a somewhat teasing tone while looking very intently at her crimson-colored eyes.

“Awww! You’re so sweet!” Thiasis quickly raised her upper body and wrapped her arms around me to give me a warm hug.

“You also have several questions that you would like us to answer.” Lia added in her usual monotonous and somewhat icy tone.

“Boohoo! Just forget about that and let’s laze here together! I want to enjoy my break!” Thiasis immediately complained as she started fidgeting while still hugging me…

“Sigh… I guess our time being split must come to an end if I want to answer his questions…” Lia let out a big and heavy sigh before suddenly standing up. “It will only be a minute, Julius.” She looked at me before touching Thiasis' shoulder.

“Wait! Don’t make us merge all of a sudden! It is not really necessary! I promise I will…-” Thiasis was unable to finish her sentence as she was suddenly engulfed by a powerful white light.

“Too late for that.” Lia spoke in a casual manner as she also was engulfed by that very same white powerful light.

Thus, my ability to see was stolen from me temporarily due to the blinding white light provoked by the Goddess…

“Ugh…” I groaned while covering my eyes.

“Sorry for the wait! I am once again complete!” Lia spoke enthusiastically as grabbed my cheeks with her soft hands.

I slowly opened my eyes… My gaze was met by Lia's, who looked exactly the same as before. Crimson eyes, extremely long pitch-black hair, and gorgeous facial features that could leave anyone mesmerized by the mere sight of her…

“Hehe! You don’t need to compliment me that much!” Lia seemed extremely happy after reading my thoughts once again. “Alright, let’s leave compliments for another time, shall we? You have questions, I have the answers!” Lia smiled confidently.

I guess the first question I have is…

“Why is my mother making you work that much? Did something bad happen?” I asked with a serious tone.

“Well… You could say that… Hahaha…” Lia averted her gaze and laughed in a very awkward manner. “But, I guess it is better to show you how things currently are instead of telling you…” Lia’s awkwardness soon changed into determination.

Lia then snapped her fingers and used her powers. Soon, everything around us started to change ever so slightly… There were dozens of footprints in the sand, armor, weapons, and even a fallen palm tree just a few meters away from us. Even the previously peaceful and calming atmosphere of the beach had become extremely tense and uncomfortable.

I suddenly found myself sitting on Lia’s lap for some reason…

“Look… The reason why I have been so busy is up above.” Lia pointed at the sky while using her other hand to move my head in the direction she wanted me to look at.

“Wha… What is that…?” I muttered while looking at the sky wide-eyed… The sight of the thing up above gave me goosebumps…

Far in the distance in the clear blue sky, there was an enormous unnatural cloud, painted in a mixture of golden and white. On an instinctual level, I started to feel an inexplicable fear that I had never felt before… It was almost like I was in front of something similar to an eldritch horror… 

I was on full alert thanks to that cloud… I unconsciously pointed my hand towards the cloud and started to cast a spell to defend myself from the incoming danger.

“There. There. It is just a copy of the real thing. Nothing will happen to you here.” Lia caressed my cheek and used her powers to calm me down. “That ‘cloud’ is actually a swarm of angels.” Lia ruffled my hair as she explained what the mysterious cloud was.

“Angels…?” I immediately remembered the story that Lia had told me previously. “Are they working for Agmos?” I asked Lia.

“Yes and no. Those angels serve the God of Justice, who is an ally of Agmos. He is currently laying siege to our homeland.” Lia spoke with a comforting tone despite the seriousness of her words.

“Is everyone okay!?” Acting on emotion, I quickly expressed my worry about my biological parents.

I barely know what my parents look like because of the dream and the memories Lia gave back to me. I don’t remember the place where I lived, those who were close to me, or the name of my homeland… But I can’t help being worried after remembering the overjoyed faces of my parents when I was born…

“Everyone is alright.” Lia whispered in my ear. “After all, I’m protecting them with all my might.” She leaned her head against my back the moment she said that.

Suddenly, the golden swarm of angels pounced towards us with a ridiculous speed… Almost like a meteorite fastly approaching the ground, the swarm was about to crash on this very beach…

However, just as the golden swarm got close enough for me to actually start fearing for my life again, it was stopped by an invisible wall…

The moment the swarm of angels crashed, a shockwave was sent all across the invisible wall, producing ripples in the air as if the invisible wall was a protective elastic membrane... Not only that, but I could also see several falling figures dropping from the swarm into the ocean. Those angels were being burned by some strange black flames...

“Five octagram magic circles made using the geography of the archipelago around us in order to make a powerful barrier in the shape of a dome. I don’t want to pat myself in the back that much, but this is my finest work ever. My magnum opus, if you will. I’m confident that even the God of Magic himself would have a hard time breaking this barrier.” Lia was extremely proud of herself. She even puffed her chest and everything…

According to a book I read about magic for beginners, there are several other ways to cast spells. The most commonly known methods are the Voiceless Method, the Runic Method, the Incantation Method, and the Drawing Method.

The book didn’t dwell that much into them and barely mentioned their differences because those topics are for more advanced magicians.

I asked my Mom (Lilia) about it, and she said that it was true. That I would have to wait for a bit until I was a bit more experienced since these methods can become very dangerous if you don’t have the previously required knowledge to use them, which is why my Mom agreed to teach me those pre-requirements and then the methods in the future.

For the record, my mother, my sisters, my auntie, and I all use the Voiceless Method to cast spells and use magic, which is apparently the most difficult one out of the three, since it requires the user to have a deep understanding, a powerful imagination, and great control over mana to provoke the desired effect.

Although, if I’m being honest, it doesn't feel that difficult to me. It must be because my Mom is a good teacher.

Anyway... As for the Runic Method… You have to draw runes and then fill them with mana in order to cast spells. The thing about this particular method is that you need to learn the Runic Language in order to be able to use this method. I was able to have a look at the drawing of a Rune since the book had some examples in it, and quite frankly, it looks slightly similar to the runes used by the Vikings. Only slightly, but I can be sure if they mean the same because I don’t know how to read either of them… Well, I can recognize a few from the ones of Earth but that’s it.

The Incantation Method, as its name implies, requires you to chant in order to cast a spell. This is by far the most common and easier method to use since the purpose of the chant is to aid the user to get a proper mental image of the spell the user wishes to use. This is also the most dangerous method to use in battle, for obvious reasons.

And finally, there’s the second-most difficult method and the most powerful of them… The Drawing Method. This method combines both the Incantation Method and the Runic Method since it requires the user to draw a circle and engrave runes into it as well as recite a certain incantation for the sake of activating a spell. Depending on how complex and how big the Magic Circle is, the greater the power the spell will have.

And judging from the size, how complex it sounds, and how easily it repelled the swarm of angels, Lia’s spell must be something out of this world…

“Amazing… You’re amazing, Lia…” I couldn’t help but show my astonishment and admiration for the Goddess behind me.

“Thank you for the compliment! I certainly wouldn’t mind a few more!” Lia gave me a quick hug before snapping her fingers again.

The atmosphere of the beach became a calming and comforting one once again, as the golden swarm of angels, the weapons, the armor, and the fallen tree all disappeared as if they had never been there.

“I’m sorry that I had to leave you for a bit, but both your mother and I have to take care of the angels attacking us.” Lia apologized to me while still giving me a warm hug. “Sigh… And please ignore my complaints from earlier… While it is true that everyone is being overworked due to the siege of the angels and the God of Justice, your mother is the one who is overworking herself the most…” Lia spoke with an extremely sad and regretful tone.

I was at a sudden loss for words… I didn’t know what to say to the deity that seemed so full of regret…

“She’s doing her best to solve all the problems I mentioned in our previous meeting for the sake of having you back home one day…” Lia spoke with an increasingly bittersweet tone. “She barely eats and she rarely has a full night's worth of sleep… I’m worried that at this rate she might collapse and get sick because of everything going on… Even though I have been repeatedly telling her to take care of her health, she just doesn't listen…” Lia expressed to me her genuine worry about my mother.

Hearing those words was all I needed to hear in order to formulate my next question…

“Lia, could I get all of my memories about my mother back now? Even if they are mundane, boring, or even depressing, I want them back. If they are dangerous for me to have at the moment, then you can just give them to me later.” I spoke to Lia with determination.

“Julius…” She looked at me with a visible pain in her eyes before her expression turned serious… “Like I had said before in our previous meeting, I don’t want to overwhelm your mind. I can give you back ten memories daily at most, but any more than that would be like torture. If I were to unlock all of those memories at once, you would feel like your brain was thrown into a mixer and then turned into mush. It will hurt you a lot and I refuse to do that.” Lia shook her head vigorously.

That does sound painful… However, I can’t just back down after being told that my mother is not taking care of herself…

“Bummer…” Like a petulant child, I pouted to express my disappointment. “If that is not good, could I at least talk to her?” I looked at Lia with my tactical puppy eyes.

She simply averted her gaze, while having a faint blush on her cheeks…

“That is not possible either… I don’t want Agmos or the God of Justice to find out about your location. Since you and I are basically connected literally on a spiritual level, there’s no problem talking between us like this since our connection is formed in my Divine Realm, which is outside of the material plane. However, if I were to connect your mind and hers, the connection would be formed in the material plane since that’s where the two of you currently are. That means that any god, angel, or mortals could pry into your conversation, which is a risk we absolutely cannot take.” Lia seemed to be ashamed, but she was firm on this.

“So that’s also no good…” I said with even greater disappointment than before…

What can I do now…? I can’t stand knowing what is going on with my mother and not being able to do anything about it…

“Don’t look so disappointed, Cruxy… I can still pass her the message next time I see her.” Lia immediately tried to cheer me up with the most logical solution. “What do you want to tell her?” She asked.

As soon as I heard Lia’s suggestion, I felt extremely relieved… I immediately took a deep breath and thought carefully of what I wanted Lia to tell my mother…

“Lia, when you see her, please tell her: 'Stop being an idiot, I don’t want to become an orphan, so take care of yourself and don’t worry about me… I am fine and feeling well at the moment'.” I told Lia my message for my mother, the Demon Queen.

“Fitting. I also called her an idiot the other day.” Lia let out a chuckle as I finished telling her the message. “I think your words will make her realize how much of a fool she is… Thank you, with this, I think that you and I can rest assured.” Lia smiled warmly as she expressed her relief.

I do hope she listens to me. Just thinking of that woman who looked so overjoyed the day of my birth doing something so reckless for my sake makes me feel like I have a knot in my throat…

"..."

"..."

After that exchange, for a few moments, the two of us just stared at each other without saying a word… It was pretty awkward…

Luckily for me, Lia would quickly take care of the awkward atmosphere with her bubbly and enthusiastic personality.

“So, you have more questions, right? I will answer each and every single one of them!” Lia said happily, ignoring the heavy atmosphere from before.

"I want to know everything about the Status System." I said to Lia while still thinking of our previous topic…

Looking back now, I was really an idiot for not asking Mom, Dad, Auntie, or even the twins for more details of the game-like system.

"Don't be too harsh on yourself. Even if you did ask, they would have told you the same answer." Lia ruffled my hair. "They would all have said: 'The Status is a gift from the gods to us mortals.' Which is not wrong but it has a far deeper reason for its existence." Lia explained in a very friendly manner.

"I see… It is a good thing I have the Goddess of Knowledge by my side then." I turned my head and smiled warmly at her.

"That's right, so you better be grateful about it!" Lia said jokingly. "Anyhow, since we are going to talk about the Status System, we can use this opportunity to talk about Demons and the Dark Races as well, since their origin is intertwined with the origin of the Status System." Lia immediately showed me a very serious expression.

"I will gladly listen!" I prepared myself to listen to her story.

Lia nodded and smiled after noticing my enthusiasm.

"Alright! Our story begins 5000 years in the past, just a few months after Melius was sealed…" Lia made a short pause. "There was a very particular God who had the appearance of a wise old man. He was born with a long white beard, wrinkles, and a wooden cane in his hands. This particular God reigned supreme while using magic, however, for some reason, he despised his appearance." Lia closed her eyes.

"Was he the God of Magic?" I looked at the Goddess with a curious expression.

I have done some reading about the Gods during my free time. If they are like they are described in the books, then I should be able to recognize any of them easily.

"Precisely. This story is centered around the God of Magic, Basalto" She smiled once again.

You are reading story Echoes of Fire and Shadows at novel35.com

"Why did he hate his appearance and what does he have to do with the Status System and the Demons?" I asked Lia.

"Don't be impatient… I'm getting there." She said with amusement. "Anyway… He hated how he looked with a burning passion, but he was also curious about how mortals lived. For those reasons, he decided to reincarnate himself in the body of a new race he had been working on with the God of Life, Ydum. This race was an attempt to make a more 'perfect' version of mortals, in their own words." Lia didn't seem that convinced by the last part.

So the God of Magic reincarnated himself… That's weird and incredibly interesting as well!

"Did they succeed?" I inquired.

"In making a perfect version of mortals? No. It is frankly impossible to make something that is so beautifully flawed into something as boring as a perfect being. Just like us gods and other mortal races, demons are far from perfect and I prefer it that way." Lia seemed visibly tired and upset for a moment. "However, Basalto was successful in reincarnating himself. Though, for this to happen, he had to split his soul into three equal parts. One fragment held his emotions, another held his powers, and another one his knowledge and memories." Lia suddenly started drawing figures in the air with her finger using mana.

Those figures suddenly came to life… There were three figures, each representing a fragment of Basalto's soul… A  bright red heart for his emotions, a blue flame for his power, and a dark green book for his knowledge and memories.

For a moment, I was astonished by the sight, but then I grew incredibly excited about the prospect of trying this magic out on my own.

"It really helps that you catch on to things quickly." Lia patted my head after reading my mind again… "Moving on… Basalto's fragment that contained his emotions was the one that became a mortal." Lia changed the drawing of the heart with a single movement of her finger. 

The heart was quickly replaced by the silhouette of a person.

"The fragment that holds his power was turned into a system to maintain the balance of the mana and magic within our world." Lia moved his finger once again, making the drawings morph into something completely new.

The blue flame disappeared, becoming barely visible blue-colored lines all around us.

"As for the final fragment, it became the root of the Status System." Lia was looking quite intently at the figure of the book she had made.

As soon as Lia muttered those words, my own Status suddenly popped out without me thinking about it…

"The purpose of this system was to give equality of opportunity to all beings in this world. A system that would reward hard work, no matter the views or the talents of an individual..." I could feel a bit of nostalgia in Lia's voice.

"Wouldn't this also affect those who follow Agmos? It really feels counterproductive to give them such a thing..." I said to Lia with a slightly concerned tone.

"I know why you would think like that, but you can be at ease. The Status System affects everyone in the Material Plane. Though, despite what you might be thinking, it is far more beneficial for us than for him and his allies." Lia suddenly grinned from ear to ear. "You see… Agmos and his allies mostly use angels to do their bidding. Angels are usually born in the Divine Realms of the Gods, which are dimensions separated from the Material Plane and created by the divinity of their god. Because of this, they cannot be affected by the Status System! Us Gods are also unaffected, which means that only mortals are receiving the benefits of this!" Lia made a double peace sign as she finished her explanation with a proud expression on her face.

Ah… I get it now… Things are actually a lot better than they seem.

"So you're implying that I can increase my strength in a steady manner just by leveling up while angels and Gods can't do the same? This is very convenient..." I said to her while remembering the golden swarm from before.

"Precisely!" Lia nodded vigorously. 

I see… But that does raise a question… doesn't that make training pointless? I'm not referring to practicing with a weapon or things like that, since you can still raise the level of your skills by repetitive actions and practice, I mean actual exercising. Running, jumping, weight lifting, and all that stuff…

If you just raise your level, your stats should naturally go up, right? If my strength is raised just like that, then what would be the point of using dumbbells?

"Wrong! If you just level up for the sake of leveling up, you'll get out the lowest of the low of your potential, meaning that your stats will barely increase. However, if you were to exercise your body, your spirit, and mind, you'd see an explosive increase in your stats!"  Lia shook her head with the same vigor from before as she told me how wrong I was.

"So if I endure harsher training regimes, I should get incredibly strong with time, right?" I smiled awkwardly at the Goddess since I was ashamed of my assumptions.

"Don't overdo it, okay? You can still get hurt if you make one wrong move." Lia warned me while patting my back. "But yes, that would be the basic principle. If you read a lot of books, your intelligence stat should be raised considerably. If you gamble frequently, your luck should increase. If you are a masochist, you would have an enormous pool of HP." She added.

"I guess I'll continue my training with my Dad then." I nodded to confirm that I had understood everything. "Is there anything else I need to know? Could you perhaps tell me what happened with Basalto?" I couldn't help myself but look at the Goddess with sparkling eyes as my interest in the story she was telling got the better of me.

"Sheesh, aren't you a curious lad?" She spoke with a teasing tone. "There's not much to say about the status system since it is pretty basic. I know you're aware of this, but the Status System is obviously based on the ones used in RPG games. Your Titles are basically the achievements you have gained and Jobs are simply a way to get more specialized and powerful Skills. Then there’s your general statistics, or Attributes, which are your physical and mental prowess in the form of numbers." For some strange reason, she decided to start poking my cheek with her finger…

So if I pick the jobs of either Magician or Healer, I should get some exclusive skills. That sounds really tempting… Though I don’t really know which job I would want to choose at the moment…

That does raise the question, how do I know which jobs are available to me and how do I get one?

“So, how can I get a job? Do I send you a resume or something?” I smiled at her while trying to be clever.

Unfortunately for me, my clever joke was not well received by Lia. She merely responded by pinching my cheek.

“Oww!” I let out a small yelp the moment she did that…

“That was a bit lame, Julius.” However, her expression didn’t really match her words, as she looked slightly amused. “I’m sorry to break your bubble, but as a child, you have a few restrictions implemented on your Status about how strong you can grow. Firstly, you cannot get a Job until you are ten years old and secondly, you cannot go further than Level 20 until you reach that same age. This is because of several incidents that happened when the system had just been implemented. Let’s just say that a lot of children ended up accidentally taking the lives of their families because they couldn’t fully control their strength.” Lia stopped pinching my cheek and started poking my other cheek…

"Not gonna lie… That’s actually really morbid, you know?” I looked at her with a bemused expression. “How did Basalto come up with it? The game-like system, I mean." I looked at her with increasing curiosity after quickly changing the topic.

"What? We like video games just as much mortals do. The God of Magic was a pretty avid RPG player, so it is natural that he would take inspiration from his games." Lia kept entertaining herself by poking my cheek… "As for what happened with Basalto…" Lia suddenly stopped poking my cheek and seemingly took a moment to compose herself.

She didn't seem to want to talk about what happened next… Maybe, I shouldn’t drop this for when she feels more comfortable talking about it

"It is not like that… It is just a bit painful to do so." She said after reading my mind… "Basalto granted his own wish. He lived and died like a mortal man. He committed many sins, lived with regret, and yet he died happy..." Lia closed her eyes to think about that person.

He died happy huh… Naturally, those words made me think about my own death and my desire for retribution…

However, before I could get lost in those thoughts, Lia spoke to me again.

"You see, Julius… Basalto reincarnated himself because he wanted to understand mortals better. In a time when I remained silent, he was the advocate of all the mortal beings in this world. He wanted to protect you from the influence and the conflict of us deities…" Lia looked at the endless sea in front of us with extreme sadness. "However, when he became a mortal, he learned the harsh reality and powerlessness common people suffer." Lia's gaze felt really nostalgic and pitiful.

She suddenly took a deep breath before she continued with the story.

"Just a few years after he reached adulthood, the place where he lived was attacked by a nation that doesn't exist today. His home was sacked and burned to the ground, the flames consumed all he cared about… But…" Lia stopped yet again, tears almost forming in her eyes. "He survived. He was consumed by a deep and powerful hatred that no other mortal would be able to hold within them… The night where his home was destroyed, was the night where the first Demon was born. A True Demon and the original Demon King…" Lia immediately cleared her newly formed tears and started talking with a more serious tone, yet I could still feel the pain in her voice.

Wait a minute… The original Demon King, in other words, my ancestor was an actual God…? 

Is that why I have a talent for using magic? That would totally make sense…

Although I really wanted to inquire more about that, I couldn't stand looking at the Goddess who seemed to be so sad...

Before Lia could continue with her story, I quickly held her hand and tried to comfort her... She immediately accepted it and grasped it tightly.

"You don't have to continue if it is too much, Lia…" I was really worried about her.

While I was obviously flabbergasted to find that the God of Magic was the original Demon King (and my own ancestor on top of that), I was way more worried about Lia to even express my surprise.

"Thank you, but you don't have to be worried about me. I just get a bit sad when talking about him, since we were close friends..." Lia squeezed my hand before showing me a cheerful expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I couldn't stop being worried about her just like that…

"You don't need to be such a worrywart, Julius." She suddenly pinched my cheek… "Where was I…? Ah, right… He became the first Demon due to his powerful negative emotions. He unleashed the true power of the demon race, which far exceeded the expectation he and the God of Life had on their creation." Lia once again started drawing something in the air with mana.

It had a strange shape, but it was clear that it was some sort of landmass. A country perhaps? The country where he lived?

I couldn't remember a country with that shape in the maps that I had seen previously… This wasn't country was not a part of Hresviae.

"It was not a country, but rather a whole continent." Lia corrected me after reading my mind once more... "In his rampage, he attacked each and every single country in that continent, turning those who also had personal retributions against those countries into demons and members of new races he had also created when he was a God. Vampires, Werewolves, Fenrirs, Ogres… He created an army of his own and burned the whole continent to the ground." 

The drawing Lia had made was suddenly engulfed in flames made by her own mana.

"That place is now known as the Forbidden Continent. A place where life was completely extinguished and where it might not even bloom again... Such a place is located to the far south of the continent of Hresviae." She closed her eyes and then quickly dispelled her mana, making the drawing disappear. "By the end of his rampage, when his rage and bloodthirst ran cold, he found himself filled with regret in that arid landscape devoid of any life. He was happy that he had gotten his revenge, yet he felt guilty and regretful that he had involved innocent people in his personal feud. He often would tell himself that he was no better than the ones that took everything from him." Lia spoke about Basalto with pity.

Lia stopped talking for a moment as if to gather her own thoughts before continuing. Only the sounds of the gentle waves crashing against the shores could be heard while the Goddess remained silent…

“He decided that he absolutely had to repent in his ways, and for that purpose, he had to change the ways of those he had guided into that carnage… That is when he officially became the King of all Demons and the Dark Races.” She made another pause, this one lasting merely a few moments. “He and his subjects sailed towards the continent of Hresviae and settled in an unpopulated area where they lived peacefully for several millennia. Basalto, or rather Bass, eventually became a wise leader, a devoted husband, and a loving father, yet… He prayed every single night to me, the Goddess of Virtue, and the Goddess of Death about how to make amends to get rid of his guilt… That’s when I came into contact with him again, though he was completely unaware of who I was, as his memories were not within that fragment of himself.” Lia then started to hug me really tightly, as if this was making her feel at ease…

“Lia…” Naturally, due to the amount of heavy information I had just received, I found myself at a loss for words. I couldn’t think of any words that could comfort her…

What can I even say to her…?

“Your presence and you listening intently to my story is comforting enough for me.” She whispered in my ear after reading my mind yet again. “Where was I…? Ah, right… In the short time I became reacquainted with this new Basalto, he managed to do some great progress into atoning for his sins. He made sure to teach his children and the citizens of his realm about the atrocities he committed and taught them to be better. He even started smiling more frequently. I was sure that he would be able to forgive himself eventually and that Skell would have mercy on him when the time came.” Lia suddenly became a bit more cheerful.

Lia’s arms were tightly wrapped around my stomach, while she rested her head against my back…

“However, the peaceful days of his kingdom were about to end as they came into contact with the natives of Hresviae.” Her cheerful attitude immediately took a sharp turn and became serious again… “First, it was the elves. Bass and the chief of the elves became good friends and allies. They started trading and welcoming each other into the other’s territory. As a result, the Dark Elves were born. After the elves, came the dwarves and the beastfolk. Both races were at first hesitant to even establish relationships, but in the end, they did as they saw how the elves and the demons were prospering due to their beneficial relationship. They weren’t best friends, but they got along just fine. But, as you can already imagine, things weren’t going to remain like that forever…” Lia sounded like she was feeling guilty about what was about to happen…

“The Thousand-Year War…” I muttered as I remembered the book I read with my sisters.

“Indeed… A conflict which was started by a petty kingdom of Humans when they came into contact with the Bass and the Demons.” She spoke in a very awkward manner.

Ah dammit… I didn’t want to say it but I was somehow expecting this to be the case…

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming the entire human race nor the innocent people at that time, since the actions of the humans had been carefully planned by Agmos because he knew I was in contact with the fragment of Basalto and helping him with his guilt…” Lia was struggling to contain her regret and her sadness.

So, he has not only fucked up my previous life, but he has also done it to my ancestors…? This guy seriously needs a dagger stuck to his heart…

“Basalto’s eldest son met a human woman and started courting her. Both quickly developed a lot of affection for each other to the point that they decided to get married. Basalto suggested that they should ask for the blessing of her parents, the rulers of the kingdom that started the war…” Lia made another pause… I was convinced that shit was going to hit the fan. “ All hell broke loose when the two lovebirds announced their engagement… Her father threatened to flail Basalto’s son right then and there and that he would kill his own daughter after suggesting such a thing. They both quickly escaped with a couple of servants to return to Basalto’s kingdom… However, a poisoned arrow fired by the girl’s own mother was nailed near the girl’s heart, killing her in just mere minutes, while Basalto’s son was unable to do anything but watch the life leave her body… History was about to repeat itself from that moment onwards… As Basalto’s son swore revenge upon the kingdom and burned it to the ground with his powers of a True Demon, just like his father had done in the past… This triggered the other human nations as well as the elves, the dwarves, and the beastfolk to declare war on Basalto’s realm…” I could only see Lia lower her head in shame as she was telling the story.

Tears quickly started streaming down her cheeks, before she continued.

“By the time I realized what was going on… It was already too late… Agmos’ convincing yet venomous words had already spread into the hearts of most men, women, and children in the continent… I could only watch in horror as every single one of Basalto’s children died one after the other the more the war was prolonged. I was useless until the bitter end… I couldn’t do anything, because I knew that the moment I tried to intervene, Agmos and his allies would have all attacked me. So I simply limited myself to watching while Basalto desperately prayed for my help…” Lia suddenly stopped hugging me… She was clenching her fists with righteous indignation.

The more Lia talked, my hatred for Agmos just grew and grew… He was much more of a monster than I had originally imagined…

“Basalto’s prayers only ceased the moment his heart stopped beating… Even though I didn’t help him, he kept praying to me until the very end, when he died with a smile on his face… His death made something inside me snap… I no longer cared about the consequences or the small hopes I had of solving the Schism of the Assembly in a peaceful manner…” Lia’s tears were not of sadness, but of hate and extreme fury. “I saved the last remaining Demons and members of the Dark Races, as well as those who sympathized with them and took them into an archipelago that was on the opposite end of the world, where I raised a protective power using all the power I have, just so that no mortal could chase or harm us any further. Basalto’s wife was among the survivors… But not only that, it turns out that she was pregnant with her husband’s last child.” Lia quickly cleared her tears, her fists were still trembling due to her rage…

Lia turned her head and looked behind us… There was a castle in the middle of an enormous and prosperous city.

The two of us looked at the city in complete silence… I could feel how Lia’s anger was quickly subsiding… 

“Navar, Basalto’s daughter, and your ancestor… She was a really good girl, as well as a humble and capable ruler… She built this city from the ground up in her father’s honor and baptized it as Bassand, the capital city of Gliosis. Everything that was built in our homeland, it is thanks to that bright little girl.” Lia turned her head around and suddenly smiled at me... Although there was a lot of sorrow behind that smile, I could also feel a great amount of happiness. “In fact, as a way to honor her memory, your family made her given name into the family’s name.” Lia patted my head as she looked at the ocean with nostalgia.

I had a lot of information to process… But, It was clear to me that Lia had not forgiven herself for not helping Bass as well as the other events of her story… I do not think she’s guilty, as she basically had her hands tied. If her intervention made other Gods physically involved themselves in the conflict, things would have gone in a horrible direction… Maybe Lia would have ended up sealed like Melius and maybe there wouldn’t even have been any survivors…

I took my sweet time thinking over and over what I wanted to say to her in order to comfort her…

“Lia…-” As I turned around to face her and I called her name, I was embraced into a tight hug by the Goddess… She quickly covered my mouth with her hand to prevent me from talking.

Lia simply looked at me and smiled cheerfully, as if her previous emotions were nothing but an illusion.

“Julius, there’s no need for you to try to comfort me about this since I have already made peace with my feelings about all that mess…” Lia removed her hand from my mouth and then caressed my cheek. “As I said before, just having you listening to me and your presence are enough to comfort me. Although, I'm really happy that you were trying your best to come up with something to comfort me despite the uncomfortable and heavy topic.” Lia showed me a smile as warm as the sun itself…

“Are you sure that…-” I looked at her with worry, but I was not able to finish my sentence.

“I’m completely sure about it, Julius.” She answered with the very same smile from before after predicting what I wanted to say. “Though… There’s still time before our time together comes to an end this time… It would be really comforting if we could stay just like this, silently admiring the sky and the ocean until then.” Lia hugged me very gently, with a very cheeky attitude.

I definitely prefer seeing her like this… It really hurts seeing her like that…

“If that’s what you want, then let’s do just that.” I said to her as I closed my eyes after returning the hug.

“Thank you.” She simply thanked me, her head resting against my own.

And thus we spent what little time we had together in that very same spot, hugging each other while enjoying the view of the ocean and the endless sky in front of us until it was time to wake up…

After having my questions answered, listening to the story of my ancestor, and witnessing how Lia felt about the story, my determination only became stronger and my hate for the God of Deceit became bigger than ever before…

After this moment with Lia, I couldn’t allow myself to hesitate or doubt my own objectives for even a moment…

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Chapter 22: Julius, Certified Lady Killer and Goblin Slayer (Part II)

END

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