《Evil God Average》 Chapter 1 - A Simple Wish Chapter 1 C A Simple Wish The part about my appearance that I like the most is my hair. Its black hair thats common to Japanese people, but I dont slack up on the maintainance, and when I comb through it its smooth too. That it wouldnt be an exaggeration to call it the representative example of glossy black like the wet feathers of a crow is something that Im secretly proud of. Then conversely, if you were to ask me what part of my appearance I hate the most, then Id immediately reply that its my eyes. Im often told by the few friends I have that even though Im a bishoujo in every way, the looks of my eyes completely wastes it. But in my opinion I quite like those eyes of yours. Theyre muddy like they hold all the evils of the world, those eyes of yours. its not bad enough to warrant being told this Probably. Even though there wasnt a single light in this pitch black place, I could clearly see this boy with long black hair. He was a perfect bishounen, or so Id like to say, but he had eyes as cruelno, eyes even crueller-looking than mine. Before I knew it, I had found myself in this place, and he who had appeared there one-sidedly declared to me, Im going to have you go to another world. Dont wanna. I dont care about your opinion. Jerk. Inside, Im annoyed enough that veins should be bulging, but my expression didnt change. I dont really like my own lack of expressiveness if I do say so myself, but right now Im thankful for it. Its obvious that picking a fight head on with somebody clearly abnormal is really too risky. Being told Im going to have you go to another world. in this clearly abnormal place, I wonder if this means that this boy is a god or something like that. But still, I dont get it. Why me? I quite like those eyes of yours. Theyre muddy like they hold all the evils of the world, those eyes of yours. Theyre not bad enough to warrant being told this. And I dont want to hear that from you. Another vein swelled up on my forehead. Only in my mind, though. But to think that you could stay sane even facing me directly. You really do have what I expected you did. Was there a possibility that Id go insane? It seems that it was a really casual close call. Well, since this is happening because of my own circumstances, Ill help you out a little. Physical ability, the power of magic, and an item box are the default, so Ill grant you one more wish aside from those. Leaving physical ability aside, magic and an item box? Just where on earth am I being thrown into? And moreover, even if you suddenly say wish It can be anything, you know? For example, I could make your chest larger. Are you saying that Im flat? I cant really deny it, but thats none of your business. Honestly speaking there was a part of me that was swayed by that, but I get the feeling that if I nod then Ill have lost in various ways. And moreover, asking to modify the body that I got from my parents is unfilial. Then, could it be you dont wish for anything? Make my eyes and atmosphere normal please. Eh? Is it okay to do that to the body that you got from your parents? you ask? Thats that, and this is this. Having a small chest isnt really a good or bad thing, but my eyes and atmosphere have actually caused me harm. Since I was small, because of these eyes and this atmosphere, people around me have been pointlessly afraid of me. Even though its not like I was going to do anything to them, once our eyes met, everybody looked away. Even when I approached a famous delinquent senpai, he bolted away. There have even been times when yakuza-ey people with punch perms dogezad before me. Normal? Its fine even if its not special, but Id like you to at least make it average. Hm~mm, well whatever. Ill grant that wish of yours. Well then, off you go. Together with that line, from the boy before my eyes came an aura of darkness that was so black that it swallowed everything else. My body was enveloped by that aura, and I felt my consciousness receding. Ahh, its too late now, but if possible Id like one more thing. At least give me some clothing. Chapter 2 - An Average Conclusion Chapter 2 C An Average Conclusion Before I knew it, I was in a forest. The surrounding thick trees and flowering plants grew densely, and although I could tell from the light seeping between the leaves of the trees that it was daytime, the place was still dim and dark. After finding myself face down on the ground, I lifted my face and looked around. Confirming that I was alone, I stood up. I brushed away the dirt and leaves that were stuck to the front of my body. In the end, that god(provisional) didnt give me clothes. Would you normally throw out a naked maiden even as a joke? There are lots of stories about being thrown into another world in manga and novels, but Ive never heard of treatment as terrible as this. I cant even enter a town like this, and I cant carelessly use the highway either. Or more like, Im really glad that Im in the middle of the forest. For now, even if theres nobody around, Id like to at least find something to cover myself up with, but I clearly have nothing on me. Even when I looked around, I couldnt even find a leaf big enough to cover up with. While I was at a loss, I suddenly recalled what that god(provisional) said. If I remember correctly, besides my wish, he gave me physical abilities, the power of magic, and an item box item box? If it has storehouse powers like the things you often see in games, then mightnt there be something inside? But, I dont know how to use it. Well, for now Item box. When I gave chanting the name a try, I found a half-transparent display screen appear before my eyes. Short Dagger Leather Robe Ooh, it had things inside. They clearly sound like beginners items, but at this point I dont really care. There was the clothing that I so desperately wanted. I have to get it out no matter what. I tried touching the corresponding area but it was only visible and untouchable. It seems that I cant interact with it like a touch panel. When I tried thinking Robe, come out~ I found that a dark brown robe suddenly appeared from my shadow. Huh? This shadow was my item box? It seems like an incredibly villain-ey action, but lets leave that aside for now and put on the robe. It feels rough and cheap, and Im still just as naked inside so its all breezy. But for now Ive managed to cover myself, so I let out a sigh of relief In my mind. Since I could calm down now, I decided to investigate the display before my eyes. Because I took out the robe, the contents only listed the short dagger now. As a test, I picked up a stone by my foot, and while thinking about putting it away, I dropped it above my shadow. The stone was completely swallowed up by the shadow, and the display now had the addition of A normal stone. Next I thought about closing the item box, and the display suddenly vanished. With the display closed, when I concentrated on bringing the stone out, the stone appeared from the shadow. When I thought about putting the stone away again, the stone just sank into the shadow. Hmm, it seems that even without the display open, as long as I know whats inside, I can bring it out. Since I dont know what might happen, I decided to bring out the short dagger and hold it in my right hand. From whats happened so far, it looks like this is a world with a game-like system. In that case Status. Just as I expected, a display different from the one before appeared. Name: Anri Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 17 Job: Mage Level: 1 Title: Child of the Evil God Mana: 3031504 Skills: C Evil God Aura (Lv.5) C Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5) C Divine Enchantment (Lv.7) C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.6) C Darkness Magic (Lv.6) C Item Box (Lv.4) Equipment: C Short Dagger C Fur Robe There were so many things I wanted to tsukkomi that I didnt know where to start, but first of all theres one thing Id like to say. You got it wrong. My name is the surname Yasuzato. Its not the given name Anri. Wanting to do something about this unilaterally revised name of mine, I tried touching the area on the display, but just like the item box menu from before, I couldnt touch it. Even when I concentrated and thought Change~ nothing happened at all. After some trial and error, I found that I couldnt do anything about it, and giving up, I turned my gaze to the other entries. My race and sex, and age are fine, and as for my level I havent really done anything so being Lv.1 is natural. I was arbitrarily made into a mage, but I dont think of myself as the physical type, so its not like I have a problem with this either. But the value of my mana points or whatever is weird. No, well, I dont know the average value for this so I cant say for sure, but it looks like the numbers are clearly abnormal. And moreover, theres something even more worrying. Child of the Evil God? Why do I have such a sinister title attached? The only god I know is that god(provisional) that threw me into this world. Was that guy an evil god? Well, the guy had even more stagnant looking eyes than me, so no matter how you look at him he doesnt seem to be something holy, so if you told me that Id believe it. When I turned my eyes to the title, that area went into a close-up and showed an additional explanation. By the power of the Evil God, a divine child who has been conferred the blessings of darkness. * * What the heck does that evil god want to do by giving me such a chuunibyou setting? * * Now then, lets leave the escapism at that, since its about time to turn my eyes to the problematic area. Under the skills column are Evil God Aura and Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority. Taking mystic eyes to be a change to my eyes, and aura as atmosphere, I could tell that these corresponded to the things I wished for. But Im sure that I asked him to make it normal. And despite that, for some reason it ended up like this, so I cant accept it. Turning my eyes to the skills column, I had the additional explanation appear. The repulsive aura emitted by the Evil God. Emitting this aura alone has no physical effects, but those within the area of effect will experience terror. Lv.5 is the level of an average Evil God, and has enough power to send a dragon running frantically. Additionally, because humans have a weaker sense than monsters, the effect on humans is lower. Type: Passive Skill On/Off: Unavailable High/Low: Unavailable However, the effectiveness will fluctuate based on the users mental condition. * Mystic eyes that confer terror upon those that meet its gaze. Lv.5 is the level of an average Evil God, and has enough power to have a Demon King dogeza and beg for his life. Type: Passive Skill On/Off: Unavailable High/Low: Unavailable However, the effectiveness will fluctuate based on the users mental condition. ..* Lv.5 is the level of an average Evil God an average Evil God average Wha-, who the heck said to make me normal with an evil god as the standard!? Arent I done for? This is obviously worse than in my old world. Honestly, Im afraid to look in a mirror. Having come to this, considering that Ill be kept at a distance by the people around me, it doesnt seem like Ill be able to live properly from now on. My hands and knees collapsed to the ground in my mind. After being depressed for a while, I pulled myself together, and turned my eyes to the remaining skills. I swore in my heart that one day I would smack that evil god though. Things touched will be granted the divine protection of the Evil God. Its a high level mana bestowal skill, and though the mana bestowal is temporary, the divine protection is eternal. The target can be both organic or inorganic, but in the case of enchanting a living being, the target is required to accept. Lv.7 is the level of an intermediate god. Type: Passive Skill On/Off: Unavailable High/Low: Available When used consciously the target can be instantly enchanted, but the unconscious passive use requires contact for an hour. ..* Grants high resistance to poisons, confusion and other such abnormal statuses. At Lv.6 even a Demon King class attack can be rendered powerless. * A system of magic that uses the great power of the darkness. A system exceptional at reducing the power of the opponent and attacking. The effectiveness will fluctuate based on time of day, and displays its maximum power at night. Lv.6 is the level of a Great Demon King. * A storage space with enormous capacity. Only non-living things can be placed inside. Additionally, things stored in the item box will not be bestowed divine protection. Lv. 4 has the storage space of a house. * The item box is fine, but everyone else is as sinister as it gets. The abnormal status resistance seems decent at a glance but I cant help but see this line-up of skills as things a boss monster would have. I cant really imagine divine enchantment from the description, but the divine protection of an evil god is probably nothing decent. I think Ill have a look at my status again What the heck is with all this? It screams last boss ..* Fur Robe has been granted divine protection. ..* ? I suddenly heard a voice from somewhere, and in the next instant, my body was engulfed by darkness. Well, more accurately speaking, not me but the robe I was wearing. When the darkness cleared away as though being sucked in, what I found there wasnt a dark brown robe but a jet black robe that gave off a feeling of being high class. Moreover, under my robe theres even a dress As expected theres no underwear though. If I guess based on the voice from earlier, could this be the effect of the divine protection skill? According to the skill explanation, when its used unconsciously I need to be in contact with something for an hour. I dont have a watch so I cant accurately tell the time, but it seems like its been that long since I took the leather robe out of the item box. At any rate, Im thankful. Thanks to that, Ive gone from an exhibitionist naked-robe style to a more decent outfit. Im sorry for thinking that there was nothing dece ..* Short Dagger has been granted divine protection. ..* Just like the time with the robe, darkness gathered around the dagger in my right hand. When the darkness cleared, there in my hand was a sinister jet black tantou. Equipment: C Tantou of the Wicked Demon [New] C Black Clothes of the Evil God [New] [New] A tantou that possesses such terrifying cutting ability that it can tear through even steel armour like paper. Additional effects of poison, paralysis, confusion, sleep, muteness, instant death. Is a cursed equipment that can not be removed. [New] The robe granted to a high level priest of the Evil God. Immune to four elements, absorbs dark element, and on top of having resistance against the light element, the physical defence is also high. However, while equipped, user takes damange from healing magic. Is a cursed equipment that can not be removed. * It really was nothing decent. Chapter 3 - A Common Development Chapter 3 C A Common Development A suspicious girl clad from head to toe in pitch black walked wordlessly through the forest Its me though. I experienced various shocks, but dwelling on them wont get me anywhere, so I decided to do something else for now. At any rate, what I really want right now is reach a human settlement. Based on what Ive seen from the skills earlier, I cant really feel hopeful. But even so, if I stay here, my only choice is to starve to death so theres no helping it. In the skill explanation it said the effect on humans is lower so I have no choice but to bet on that. Moreover, I was worried about the curse of the tantou and robe, but what they meant was if you drop it, itll return to you after certain amount of time and even if you try to equip something else, itll fly off. I gave putting the tantou in my item box for a try, and found that the putting away part was possible. But after thirty minutes it flew out on its own and settled itself into my right hand. And moreover, while my hand was empty I tried to pick up a branch about the size of a wooden sword, but this time the tantou immediately flew out and knocked the branch out of my hand. Because it looked like it was jealous, I ended up finding it a little cute. Also, it was fine if I picked up a small branch that wouldnt become a weapon. As youd expect, even if nobody was around I didnt feel like stripping, so I havent tested the robe yet but its probably the same. But this means that I wont be able to wear other clothing. I dont have a habit of dressing up, but Im against having only the one suit. Lets sincerely pray that theres a way of dispelling the curse. Because I didnt have shoes, I had no choice but to walk barefoot. At first I walked timidly, afraid that rocks or sticks would cut my feet, but mysteriously there was no pain. It might be that the physical ability that the evil god spoke about isnt just athletic ability, but includes toughness and stuff as well. Once I considered that this unknown body of mine might not be human, the dread surged forth, but Ive decided not to think about it for now. But wow, my field of vision sure is terrible. Because of all the thickly grown trees, theres nothing but blind spots. I dont show it on my face, but inside Im scared that an animal will suddenly jump out from the shade of a tree and attack me. No, if its just a normal animal then that might still be better. From the fantasy-ness of this world, its plenty possible that a monster or something will appear instead. The aimlessly wandering girl is suddenly surrounded by a pack of orcs and goblins. The pitiful and unfortunate bishoujo was made into their plaything and Mn, impossible, huh? Despite myself, I accidentally thought up such an impossible delusion. If I could have such a heroine-like development, to begin with, it wouldnt have been odd for me to have had a steamy romance in my old life. But Ive never even gotten close to getting a boyfriend, and it was all underlings arbitrarily pledging their loyalty to me. Mn, thinking about it again, its impossible, right? Even considering my skills, I cant imagine anything except a scene of orcs and goblins waiting upon me. I dont want to experience such a shocking event either, so lets hurry up and get out of the forest. I was making good progress through the foliage when suddenly the trees around me disappeared. I could see a roughly 20 metre clearing between the trees. Though it wasnt paved, it was probably a road, and along the flattened dirt of this road that stretched to my left and right were a number of wheel, hoof and foot prints. And on the right hand side was a carriage that had stopp- stopped? Feeling doubt about a carriage that went out of its way to stop in the middle of the forest, I looked more closely and found that around the carriage were about ten men, clearly nobody decent, surrounding the carriage with swords and clubs in hand. Wai-, could that carriage possibly be in the middle of being attacked by bandits? And of all things, right here, right now, as I leave the forest? Why do I have to encounter such a cliched development? It couldnt be that this is some scheme of that evil god, could it? There are still a lot of things I dont understand, but for now I have to think about what Im going to do. For now, I have three choices (1) Anri-chan with her strong sense of justice, rushes to the aid of the carriage, driven by her sense of righteous indignation. (2) Anri-chan who obeys the strong, butters up the bandits and attacks the carriage together with them. (3) Anri-chan who follows the creed of letting sleeping dogs lie, decides that she didnt see a thing, and runs away. Before I knew it I was using my revised name Incidentally, Im picking choice (3) of course. Eh? Isnt this where youre supposed to pick (1), you ask? Dont joke around, I have absolutely no intention of fighting. As a cultural clubs-type person right down to the bone, I really wish that you wouldnt hope for such sports clubs-type stuff from me. And moreover, nonchalantly strolling in front of that group of brutes would be like a sheep jumping into a pack of wolves. For the same reason Ill say no to (2), and to begin with, Im not so inhumane that Id support the bandits. Even (3) is inhumane, you say? No, no, telling a feeble level 1 girl to fight more than 10 bandits should be whats inhumane. To you inside the carriageprobably a princess, or a merchant or somethingsorry, but please just accept this as your own bad luck, and dont get me wrapped up in this. I quietly began moving back into the forest so that the bandits and the person in the carriage wouldnt notice. Going by novel cliches, right now would be the moment that I step on a branch and draw attention to myself due to the sound, but Im not going to make such a mistake. Even while keeping my eyes in their direction, Im paying attention to my feet Geh-, our eyes met. Hii!? The bandit furthest back; in other words, the man closest to me, looked in my direction and let out a shriek. Hey-, oi. W-, What is it? A-, A woman? No Like a chain effect, the other men who looked in my direction backed away. No, you say? You know, I am technically a woman you know? Biologically speaking. At about 30 metres in between, the bandits and I wordlessly faced each other. A strained silence filled the area. Unable to bear the silence, I unconsciously thought anything is fine, just say something so I opened my mouth. But that instant, the strained tension erupted. UWAHHHHHHHHHHHDDDDD!!! S-, SAAAVE MEEEEEEEEEDDDDD!!! W-, WAIT FOR MEEEE! At that moment, the bandits fled in all directions. Completely dumbfounded, I just gazed at their retreating figures. ..* When I snapped out of it, the bandits were already long gone, and only the stopped carriage was there. Wait, I didnt notice earlier, but looking closely theres still one man by the carriage. I thought that it might have been a bandit who was late to escape, but he was wearing clothing different from the bandits I just saw. He was probably the owner of the carriage, and was just about to be attacked by the bandits. It was just barely in time, but it seems that things ended without him being killed. Enexpectedly, I ended up saving him. But I wonder whats wrong with him. From what I saw of the bandits response from earlier, theres no doubt that the skill works just fine on humans as well. Meaning that the chance that this man is afraid as well is high. Honestly speaking I just want to pass on anything thatll gouge at my heart any more, but I might be able to come into contact with him amiably, so passing up this chance is a waste. Indeed. I didnt do a thing and the bandits just ran on their own, but you could say that to this guy Im his saviour. If I speak to him amicably, Im sure itll be okay. Thinking this, I approached the man. Oops, Id better put this tantou in my item box so that I dont accidentally provoke him. Also, smiling is important for developing friendly relations. Smile, smile. However, when I desperately put on a smile, the already pale mans complexion grew noticeably worse. Did I fail somehow? Tilting my head in confusion, the man flung the leather bag in his hand towards m-HEBU-!? S-, SAVE ME GODDDDDD!!! It seems that something metal was inside the leather bag, so something hard and heavy smacked into my face. While I was confused at this sudden abuse, the man frantically jumped onto the coachmans spot and pulled the reins, and hurried the carriage away. The carriage ran away like it was sliding, and travelled down the forest road just like that, before finally disappearing. Still holding the leather bag that dropped from my face into my hands, I just stood frozen there. It hurts. Chapter 4 - Relief Chapter 4 C Relief After experiencing that heartrending event of being run away from by both bandits and their victim, I stood stock still for a while, but I pulled byself together and decided to have a look at what was inside the bag that was flung at me earlier. Just as I had guessed from that painful experience earlier, the inside of the bag was stuffed with gold coins. I dont know what the currency in this world is worth, but there are quite a lot inside, and I think it might be a fair amount. The pain was proportional though. When I counted the contents more carefully, I found that there were 5 gold coins, 48 silver coins, and 114 copper coins. To be hit in the face with such a heavy thing, you did well in getting out unscathed, me. Im not sure, but its probably that the carriage owner from before was just about to beg the bandits for his life with this money. And then I appeared, and he threw it at me without checking what was inside Thinking about it again, Im really getting a little irritated. Though it wasnt intention, I was his saviour, but he threw something at me and ran away, so my anger is justified. And so, Ive decided to keep this money as reparations. It doesnt seem like Ill have a chance to give it back after all. Having tidied this matter up in my mind, I put a few silver and copper coins into the pocket of my robe, and toss the rest into my item box leather bag and all. Now then, what am I going to do from now on. From what I saw of the reactions earlier, even if I arrive at a town, I think the possibility of them letting me in is low. Its still better if they just get scared and run; if things go badly, I might even get attacked. But staying away from civilisation like this is impossible. I dont have any survival skills, and even if I did, its dubious as to whether they would work in this other world. In the end, I have no choice but to get to a town somehow in order to survive. Cant I control these annoying skills somehow? Wait, hang on? The bandits and the carriage owner looked scared after they met eyes with me. In other words, cant we say that the fear is limited to the effect of the mystic eyes, and the aura alone doesnt have that much of an effect? I accidentally thought of them as a set, but the weakened effect against humans was only written for the Evil God Aura, and it didnt necessarily affect the Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority. If the Evil God Aura doesnt seem like itll be that much of a problem, and only the Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority are an issue, then there are still ways I can cope. Since making eye contact is the activation condition, the effect wont activate if I make it so that our eyes dont meet. Fortunately the robe has a hood, so if I pull it down enough that it hides my eyes, Ill just be a person with a slightly eerie atmosphere at least I hope thats how it is. I cant deny that theres a lot of wishful thinking mixed up into there, but given that I dont have any other choices, Ive decided to follow my original plan and look for a town. First of all is the problem of which way I should head for now, but Lets go this way. Ive decided to go not in the direction that the carriage escaped in earlier, but to go the opposite way. I think there should be human settlements in the direction that the carriage came from as well as where it was going, but I dont know which is closer. The probability is an even 50:50. In that case, considering just in case that I meet with that carriage owner again, it seems like it would be nothing but trouble, so lets go in the opposite direction. And like that, I once again began to walk. I dont have a watch so I cant tell the time accurately, but I think after walking for about two hours, the forest ended and I reached a wide grass plain. If it was the me from before, then I would have been unable to move from the exhaustion long ago, but because of the reinforcement of my physical abilities Im not even sweating. The highway stretched out through the plain, and in the far distance I could see a town. It was surrounded by a wall, and seemed to be quite a big town. Its just what I can see, but it seems that Ill need to walk for another hour to get there. After looking about the plain and confirming that there werent any dangerous looking animals, I headed to the town. When I got close to the town, I could see that at the end of the highway was a small building set as the entrance, and in front of it stood a few people and their carriages. I quietly added myself to the end of the line, and listened as best I could for information. Since I know nothing about this worlds common sense, I dont even know the procedures of how to get into town after all. The merchants riding their carriages showed the gate guards a card, and their carriage underwent a check before passing through. As for those walking on foot, some of them showed a card just like the merchants, and some of them paid money and received a wooden card. Those cards are probably identification papers of some sort. But though there seem to be those that dont have them, in that case it seems that they pay a silver coin before being let through. Im worried as to whether this flawed system will be alright, but to me its convenient. While squeezing a silver coin I had in my robe pocket, I waited for my turn to come. Next Just one person? Yes. It was my turn now so I walked before the guard. Inside, my heart was pounding, but I didnt let it show. Thankfully, because the hood was pulled down enough to cover my eyes, it seems that they didnt get scared. A woman huh. Do you have ID? I dont. Then pay a deposit, and well issue you a temporary ID. The deposit is 1 silver coin. Not a toll, but a deposit huh? I wonder if theyll give it back when I leave. I took out a silver coin from my robe pocket, and handed it over. We have certainly received it. When you leave the city, return the temporary ID and well return the deposit. Even if you get an official ID when youre in time, dont throw away your temporary one. Got it How would I go about getting an official ID? Did you just come from a country village or something? The fastest way should be to register at the Adventurers Guild and get an Adventurers Card. Theres also the church, and the Merchants Guild, but the former is no good unless youre a resident or a believer. As for the latter, only merchants can enter so it probably doesnt have anything to do you with, miss. Well, no matter how you look at it, I doubt I look like a merchant. Since our eyes arent meeting I dont know what kind of expression hes making, but this guard is quite kind. The Adventurers Guild, the church, and the Merchants Guild; for now I know that the town has at least these establishments. Well then, this is your temporary ID. Make sure not to lose it. Yes. Putting the wooden card away in my robe pocket, I went through the gate. The town was mostly round in shape, and the road stretched from the gate I entered, through to the central plaza, then all the way to the gate at the opposite side. I dont know what map direction it is, but from the words of the people walking around me, the gate I entered through was the eastern gate, and there were apparently also western and southern gates. The northern side doesnt have a gate, but the estate of this townswhich seems to be named Riemelgoverning lord. The road Im walking down now, and the one that perpendicularly intersects it at the central plaza seem to be this towns main roads. There are stalls and shops lined up along the main roads, and most residences are a little further in from the main roads than the shops are. While walking I had a peek at the stalls and shops, and checked the value of the currency. The items in the street stalls didnt have price tags, and it seems that you need to ask the owner for the price. On the other hand, the prices in the stores are displayed on wooden tags. Two of this fruit thats about the size of my fist is one copper coin. One piece of bread ranges from one to two copper coins. The dress-type clothing thats worn by the people walking around in town is 15 copper coins. A longsword about a metre long is 1 silver and 50 copper. Wooden shields are 50 copper, while bronze shields are about 1 silver, marked down to 90 copper. It seems that 100 copper coins has the same value as 1 silver coin. Right now I havent seen a place that uses gold coins yet, so I dont know how much its worth. The things at the front of the shops are probably cheap goods, and the more expensive goods that would use a gold coin are probably further in the store. Just looking at the foods sold, 1 copper coin seems to be worth about 100 Yen, but because the prices are varied, it would probably be better just to avoid thinking about how to simply convert it. Concluding my price investigation, I entered a clothing shop to buy the things that I needed to buy before anything else. High waisted panties were 6 coppers each. Babydoll-like underwear were 10 coppers each. Low-heeled boots were 9 coppers a pair. I bought three of each underwear type, and a pair of boots, so in total it was 57 coppers altogether, and when I paid with a silver coin, I got 43 coppers in return. I couldnt find a bra. In order to defend my honour I should say this to let you know, but what I couldnt find wasnt just my size, but bras altogether. Lets pretend that I didnt see those bustier-type underwear hanging in the store. Since I couldnt put on the underwear in a place like this, I patiently bore with this breezy sensation for a while longer, and put on only the boots. Between not wearing them and getting found out that I wasnt wearing them, which is better I wonder Its a hard question, but Ill go with not being found out. By the time I left the clothing store, the sun had set a lot, and the beautiful evening sun lit up the town. The stores in the area were beginning to close up sa well, and people were leaving for the road home. It seems that this is a town that has an early night. Thinking about it, there are no street lights, so once the sun sets the town will become dark. The only places that do business at night are probably only taverns and slightly indecent shops. Id better quietly find myself a place to sleep or else. Having decided that, I began walking down the main road as I searched for an inn. While I was relying on the pictures on the signboards to search, I found a few inns. Most of them seemed to have taverns on the first floor and guest rooms on the second, and most of them had a signboard with a bed and a signboard with a mug lined up alongside each other. Amongst those I didnt choose one, and instead decided to try and find an inn without a tavern. Its just that taverns and the like just kind of smell of trouble, after all. Oh, a guest? Welcome, this is an inn. An obasan around 40 years old spoke to me after I opened the dor. Speaking of which, I havent really noticed it up until now, but for some reason it seems that we can understand each other. How much is one night? One night is 1 silver, breakfast is 5 coppers, dinner is 10 coppers, and a tub of hot water is 5 coppers. Hot water? Ahh, in place of a bath? I wonder if getting in the water isnt mainstream. Its a bit of a shock. Five nights, with the food and water too please. Saying that, I handed over 6 silver coins. Got it, your room is on the second floor, the final door on the right. This is the key. Do you want to eat straight away? Yes, if thats possible. Right away. Ill prepare it now so wait in whichever seat youd like. After I received the key with a wooden plate attached, I sat in a sat to the side of the dining room and waited for the food to come. After I finished eating, I received the tub of hot water, and climbing the stairs, I entered the room they gave me. By the way, dinner was bread, stew with plenty of vegetables, and fruit for dessert. It was simple, but delicious. Opening the door with the key I received, I found that it was a room about 6 tatami, with a bed and a table set. After entering and locking the door, I placed the hot water tub on the floor, and flopped onto the bed face up. The ceiling with its wood grain entered my vision, and this unfamiliar sight really drove home that I was in another world. Because of how desolate I was feeling, tears involuntarily blurred my vision is not what happened, but its a fact that my heart is filled to the brim with anxiety. It seemed that I would fall into an endless loop of depression, so I got up because I felt like I would fall asleep if I continued lying there, and after checking once more that the door was locked, I took off the robe and dress I was wearing, and placed them on the bed. I soaked the cloth that I received alongside the tub of water, and then wrang it out, and wiped myself clean starting with my hair, then my upper body, and finally my lower body. Once I was more or less refreshed, I put on the underwear that I just bought, and put on the dress that I had tossed onto the bed. Im about to go to sleep, so it should be fine even if I dont put the robe on. The blanket is thin and its a little cold, so I draped the robe on top though. Its an hour where the sun has only just set, but perhaps because lots of things happened and I was tired, my eyelids felt heavy. Theres nothing to do anyway, so I should just hurry up and sleep already. Thinking this, I crawled into bed. Chapter 5 - Holy Place Chapter 5 C Holy Place The light shining into the room brought my consciousness back. It seems that today I woke up before my alarm clock woke me up. Since I finally woke up feeling nice for once I didnt want to hear that piercing sound, so still lying down, I reached out my hand to stop it before it rang. While groping around for the alarm clock that was always by my pillow, my hand touched something hard. I tried to grab it from above and press the button on the alarm clock when a sharp pain at the base of my thumb sent me jumping right up. Tss-!? When I looked at my pained right hand, I found that at a cut ran vertically down the base of my thumb, and blood was oozing from there. In confusion at the sudden event, I looked at where I had stretched my hand towards earlier, and found that in place of my familiar alarm clock was an ominous black knife lying there. After looking around the room still confused, I remembered that this wasnt my room. A six tatami room with a simple table set, and, completely at odds with the rest of the room, a jet black canopy bed. Right, I was thrown into another world, and made it to this room. Mn? Thats weird, theres something that feels off about this. No, I mean, being thrown into another world is off to begin with, or rather its beyond a level you can just call feeling off, but leaving that aside, it feels kind of like last nights scene was a little different, or rather While I dragged off the jet black robe that was hard to see atop the black blanket, I frantically tried to work this mind of mine that wouldnt work well having just awoken. Wai-, black? Right, the thing thats off about this scene is the bed and blanket. Last night when I went to sleep, it was supposed to be just a simple wooden bed, with white sheets and a white blanket. And at some point it changed into a pitch black canopy bed It couldnt be that I was kidnapped? No, but the room seems to be the same as the room that I fell asleep in last night. Still unable to process the situation, the knife from before entered my vision. Earlier I was wondering why such a knife was in here, but thinking about it carefully, I realised that it might have been the curse. I put it away in my item box, but because of the curse of being unable to unequip it, it probably flew out while I was sleeping. Meaning that its going to be like this every night? Today it ended with just a scratch, but if I dont do something about this Ill probably be seriously injured before long. While licking my wound, I was at a loss as to what I would do from now on. Having remembered about the knife, I realised what had probably happened with the bed as well. While I was sleeping, the divine enchantment had probably activated. There might have been a voice just like the time with the knife and robe, but unfortunately I was sleeping and apparently missed it. In other words Ive done it now. Because of the skill, it seems that I accidentally demonically remodelled the bed. I, wonder if Ill have to reimburse them. Its become luxurious, so I wonder if they might forgive me. Despite running into trouble first thing in the morning, I put on my robe and shoes. Lets just deal with it later. After having breakfast I left the inn. I roughly asked the inn obasan about the placed I wanted to go today, so all thats left is to walk about and search for them. My goals are two places; the Adventurers Guild and the church. I want to register at the Adventurers Guild for a Guild Card. I dont have any intention of proactively going on adventures, but it seems like various things will get annoying without ID after all, and I want to maintain a way of earning money too. My purpose of going to the church is to dispel the curse. I experienced trouble this morning too, but I really would like to hurry up and get rid of the curses on this robe and knife. Im aware that the idea of removing curses = church is largely influenced by the games Ive played, but given that I cant think of anything else theres no choice but to try. Since the curse really exists, I think there should exist a method to dispel it too after all, and even if the church cant do it, if I talk to them about my problems theyll probably teach me how to approach it. A helping hand to the lost lambs. The church was apparently somewhat closer to the inn, so Ill head there first. Apparently the inn I stayed in is in the western side of town, but the church is in front of the estate of the rulers residence in the northern side, and the Adventurers Guild is near the eastern gate. Turning left at the central plaza, I walked northwards along the road that intersected the east-west road. After walking for a while, I could see a large building before me. Thats probably the estate of the lord of this town. In that case, does that mean the church is that building whose distinguishing feature are the spires? I arbitrarily had the image of church = cross but thinking about it carefully, thats only limited to the Christians of my old world, and the churches of this world have no crosses. Upon walking as far as the entrance, I could see beyond the open doors a dignified room that you could call a holy temple. Benches were lined up, and there was a podium further in, and a person who appeared to be a priest was currently preaching. Enshrined inside was a divine looking statue of a goddess, and people were sitting on the benches and offering prayers towards that statue. Mn, theres no mistake that this is the church. But still, with such a pure atmosphere, it seems that I can hold some hopes for getting this curse dispelled. With lightened steps, I headed towards the entrance and went through that do-MIGYAH-!? The moment I tried to head through the door I collided face-first into the invisible wall that was there. Taking a staggered step backwards because of the impact I took to the face, in front of me was a crack in space. Whats, with this? Finding it strange, I timidly gave it a poke, when the crack widened from where my finger was, and with a light -pan- sound, something that was surrounding the church ruptured and disappeared. Ah. Could this possibly be that? A barrier or something? A barrier charged with holy power in order to ward off foreign enemies Wai-, no, no, then why did I get repelled? And moreover, with just a light poke it so easily broke too. When I happened to glance that way, I found that everybody in the church was looking at me, frozen up. It seems that the sound of the barrier breaking earlier resounded inside too, and they were paying attention to my every action. Um~mm, I think that the possibility of the barrier breaking is only at a not completely non-existent level, but I realised that from an outsiders point of view, it looked like I had obviously destroyed the barrier. Now that its come to this Strategic retreat. I desperately made a smile, and tilted my head in confusion before quickly leaving the scene. I dont hear any screaming behind me, I dont hear any screaming behind me. That my hood had been thrown off when I bumped into the barrier was something that I only realised after I made it as far as the central plaza. Frantically putting my hood back on, I decided to take a breather at a cafe by the plaza. While sipping the black tea I ordered, I thought about what just happened. It seems possible that the church had some kind of holy protection cast on it, but why did I have to get repelled by it? Im a human, and not a devil or anything Wai-, is this because of the Child of the Evil God titlee!? Mn, I cant think of any other reason after all, and it probably isnt wrong. Do people with this title get treated as non-humans? So troublesome. Like I thought, I really do want to give that evil god a punch. With things as they are, it would probably be better not to go near the church for now. I had my face seen without a hood on after all, and I accidentally met eyes with them so with the effect of the mystic eyes, it wont turn into anything good. It seems that for now I have no choice but to give up on the curse removal as well. While drinking my black tea, I let out a deep sigh. Chapter 6 - Promise Chapter 6 C Promise The door opened with a creak, and I passed through it into the Adventurers Guild. Looking from the entrance there was a bulletin board on my left, and there were a number of papers that seemed to be requests pinned to them. On the right side were a number of round tables, and chatting adventurers who seemed to be in parties. And in front of me was the counter, with a young receptionist staff member who was speaking with an adventurer. At the counter, besides the person speaking to the reception, there were also about two people lined up behind them, and I decided to line up behind them too. My turn finally came, so I walked forwards to the counter. Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. How can I help you today? Id like to register. Understood. To register you will have to pay 1 silver coin. Will that be all right? I nodded and drew a silver from my robe pocket, and handed it over to the receptionist. Well then, please place your hand atop this card. After saying that, the receptionist brought out 1 unmarked card and placed it on the couner. I did as I was told and placed the palm of my right hand above the card. After leaving it there for about a minute, the card shone. Thank you, that will be enough. Being told that I removed my hand from the card and found that the card that should have been plain up until just now was now marked with letters. It seems that part of my status has been written here. Name: Anri Race: Human Sex: Female Age: 17 Job: Mage Level: 1 I-, Im glad it was only a part. If my title or skills were written here, it might have caused a huge fuss. Ill be transcribing whats written on the car Oi, oi, this little girl wants to become an adventurer? Its the end of the bloody world. Cutting off the receptionist oneesans words was a voice from the side. When I reflexively looked that way, I found that one of the adventurers talking by the tables earlier was now standing there, and walking our way. Hes a large man at around 2 metres, and has a fierce and filthy, thickly bearded face. Could this be a picking a fight with an OP protagonist event? Oi, oi, Gartz. Youre seriously picking a fight with another newbie? Doing this everyyy singleee time. You sure dont get bored, huh. Wai-, this happens all the time? It seems that I was just being overly self-conscious. Im so embarassed that my face is burning up with shame. Oi, how bout saying something. Dont just stand there wordlessly forever with your face hidden. Saying that, the bear of a man that picked a fight with meGartz, pulled away my hood with his hands. !? Gartz who was looking right at my eyes stiffened up, with shock and horror frozen on his face. Fortunately, his large build was hiding me so it seems that the other people werent affected by my mystic eyes. The next moment, something flew up from below and settled into my hand. HII-!? When I had a look, I found there the ominous jet black tantou that I got used to yesterday. It seems that the time limit for leaving it out of my hand has passed. Seeing me who looked like I was preparing a weapon, Gartz let out a shriek and fell on his backside. Like that, he backed away to get away from me. While watching that, I managed to get the hood on and hid my eyes just in time. Oi, whats wrong!? Perhaps noticing Gartz strange behaviour, one of his comrades who was sitting at a table behind us rushed over to Gartz and placed a hand on his shoulder. !? UOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHDDDD!!! Ga-!? What the fuck are you doing!? Gartz had turned around when a hand was placed on his shoulder, and letting out a roar of terror, he stood up and bolted. Some adventurers besides Gartz companion tried to stop the rampaging Gartz, but Gartz shook them off and jumped out the door. I can hear shrieks and angry yells from outside but, ummm, this isnt my fault, right? Decided that it didnt happen, I turned around and found that the receptionist ojousan was frozen with the card in her hand. Not going to copy it? Heh? Ah-, please excuse me. Ill immediately copy it over! She transcribed the details from my card into what seemed to be a register of names. And its finished. Umm, what did you do to Gartz-san earlier? Nothing really. Taking the card back, I gave a curt reply. Its the truth that I actually didnt do anything, and it was all an act of fate, but it seems that the receptionist isnt really buying it. Even if hes carried off my cursed tantou in the chaos and is affected by the status effects, its not as if Ive attacked him after all. Umm, do you require an explanation on the requests? Yes please. Even if she hadnt accepted it, perhaps sensing that it wasnt a good idea to poke her nose into it, the oneesan changed the topic to pretend it didnt happen. I was grateful for that too, so I accepted. The things posted on the bulletin board to the left are request papers. Please rip off the requests that youd like, and bring them to the reception along with your Adventurers Card. Once the request is complete, please present the proof and your Adventurers Card, and we will hand over the reward. There are also some requests with time limits, so please take care. Once the time limit has passed, you will have failed the request, and will need to pay a penalty fee. Hmm, so far its all normal. Only, nothing is written on the request paper except the contents of the request, the reward, and the time limit, huh. Speaking of which, there doesnt seem to be ranks written on the Adventurer Card either, does there. Are acceptable requests divided by rank? They are not; you can fundamentally accept any request. We do warn you if you pick a request thats too impossible, but we will not force you to comply. In other words youre responsible for yourself, huh. Requests are mainly divided into three types; subjugation, collecting, and guarding. Do you requite an explanation of each? Those are fine. As youd expect, at least that much can be understood just by the names. That concludes the explanation. Will you be immediately accepting a request? After giving a nod, I peeled from the bulletin board a request that I had my eye on, and placed it on the counter together with my Adventurers Card. Umm, lets see, the medicinal plants collection request. The minimum number is five leaves, and are 30 copper altogether, but even if you collect more it isnt a problem. This is a permanent request by the guild, so theres no time limit. One leaf is 6 coppers, huh? Its probably in-between the buying and selling price of the stores. Eh? Arent you going to accept a subjugation request, you ask? Its scary, so dont wanna. It doesnt matter where you collect them, but they grow in large numbers in the eastern forest, so that would be the most reliable place. Got it. I collected my Adventurers Card and turned around. All of the adventurers who were peeking at me averted their eyes together. Whats with this? Bullying? It didnt seem that itd be a good thing for me to say here like this, so I left the Adventurers Guild. I bought a sandwich from a stall to eat for lunch, and headed town from the eastern gate. I returned the temporary ID that I got when I entered town yesterday, and had them return my deposit. After walking for an hour I reached the forest, and around the time I collected 10 leaves, the sun had set so I returned to town. Unusually I didnt meet any trouble, and passed the day without being attacked by monsters, but I only realised that this was something abnormal much later. Chapter 7 - Job Change? Chapter 7 C Job Change? Scanties are a type of underwear in Japanese that corresponds to low-cut panties, or particularly short panties. For research purposes, please search for ƥ. Please feel free to envision the design of your choice. Its been three days since Ive been tossed into this world. On the first day I had my hands completely full with just getting to town, and on the second and third days I earned money by doing the Adventurers Guilds collection request. Even with only two days experience as an adventurer, Ive realised one thing already. I cant live doing only collection requests. Because the day I registered I did something like go to the church, the day ended with just the medicinal herbs collection quest, but the next day I had time so I accepted two requests. The reward I got was just barely 1 silver coin, and just spending a night at the inn used that up. If you include the food expenses then Im completely in the red. Because I have the compensation moneylets go with thatfrom the first day I wont be immediately troubled, but my spending exceeding my income is just a matter of time. There should also be novices besides me who wont touch the subjugation requests, but I wonder how those people live? While I was wondering this I gave asking the receptionist oneesan a go, and found that those people were those that lived in this town and didnt need to pay inn fees, or people who lived together in a cheap inn room. In other words, my lifestyle doesnt match my income. In that case you might tell me to drop the level of my lifestyle, but for a modern person thats too rough even as a joke. Honestly speaking, to me, even the inn Im staying right now is at a level that I cant fully accept as high. And moreover, as a maiden Im against sleeping together even for a little with people Im not in a relationship with; for the moment lets leave aside the issue of whether theres a man out there who would actually attack me. And given this, I have no other choice but to increase my income. With collection requests, I know that no matter how how hard I try itll be difficult to increase my income any more than this, so the only choice left is to accept subjugation requests or bodyguard requests. Im not really up to either of them, but if I had to pick one then Id go with the subjugation request. Since picking a bodyguard request would require direct communication with the client, its clearly not suited for I who cant work in the hospitalities industry. Moreover, anyone can see that if I accidentally met eyes with them while we were on the journey, itd turn into a huge fuss. To begin with, I doubt that Id even be hired as a guard with my eyes hidden like this. Subjugation requests require you to subjugate the designated monsters, and bring back a part special to them. The monsters that have subjugation requests sent out are ones that cause some sort of harm, or those that pose some sort of risk. The clients are mostly those that have suffered harm, the Adventurers Guild, the Merchants Guild, or the lord of the town. A subjugation request for goblins which become annoying once they grow in numbers is a permanent request put out by the Guild. Since its subjugation, you have to kill the target, but honestly speaking thats a heavy burden for me. Ive never even killed a bug before is not what Im saying, but in all my life Ive never knowingly killed an animal before. I think all modern people are similar in this. Honestly speaking, suddenly accepting a subjugation request is something that needs courage, and Im scared that Ill fall into a helpless panic and get killed instead. But I happened to hear about a beginners dungeon south of Riemel. Dungeons are generally labyrinths that take the form of caves, and inside are countless monsters and traps, and finally sleeping treasure. Activated dungeons are controlled by a dungeon master, but the beginners dungeon that I mentioned already had its dungeon master subjugated, so apparently its fallen under the jurisdiction of the Adventurers Guild. Because it was subjugated when it had just formed, it was a short dungeon with only three floors, and because low level monsters like slimes and kobolds spawned endlessly, its apparently being utilised as a training ground for those new to subjugation requests. Additionally, the term Beginners Dungeon is the popular name amongst adventurers, and nobody remembers the official name. Of course, even if its under the jurisdiction of the Adventurers Guild, the things it releases are real monsters, and its not as though theres absolutely no threat to your life at all. But the beginners dungeon with its limited monsters has a higher level of safety than an actual subjugation request, so you could say that its the ideal spot for training. Since I couldnt find enough courage to accept a subjugation request, Ive decided to try training in the beginners dungeon for now. If this is no good, then Ill have to look for another way to increase my income. After walking for a little under two hours from the eastern gate was the entrance to the dungeon by the lake shore. Giving a sidelong glance at the sign that said Only authorised personnel are permitted entry C Adventurers Guild, Riemel Branch, I timidly step foot into the entrance of the dungeon. Having said that its under the jurisdiction of the Adventurers Guild, its not as though the inside has been modified, and its a cave that goes into the bare rock itself. While holding the tantou in my right hand, I began carefully searching. Speaking of which, Ive heard that as long as you keep your left hand along the wall, even if you get lost youll eventually make it to your goal. I might get lost after all, so Ill do that, at least until monsters appear. Having walked around inside the cave for perhaps an hour, searching the dungeon while cutting down ferocious monsters that attacked me with a single swing of my dagger is not what happened. No, well, despite having walked around the cave for almost an hour, for some reason I havent been attacked by a monster even once. On the contrary, I havent even seen one. I considered that it might just be how it is, but I immediately refuted that idea. This is clearly unnatural; like this, it would probably be completely useless as a training grounds for the Adventurers Guild. At this rate Id just be walking around for nothing, so I decided to think about it while taking a break. The truth is that I actually vaguely know the reason why, but I just dont want to acknowledge it. If I acknowledge it, therell be some real trouble later. Having said that though, its also a fact that running away from reality forever wont get me anywhere either. I need to gather my courage and face reality. Its because of the Evil God Aura isnt it, this situation? The effect is a lot weaker on people than the mystic eyes so I forgot, but the effect on humans is lower is in other words, on things other than humans, it demonstrates a strong effect. Theres no way that an aura thatll send a dragon running frantically wont frighten slimes and kobolds. Since the first floor loops around if you walk far enough, if theyre always running away from me then I can understand why I would never meet them. Speaking of which, even when I was first thrown into the forest, and when I was searching the forest for the collection requests, Ive never been attacked by monsters in the places that Ive visited, but thinking about it now that was clearly unnatural. Because of the Evil God Aura, the monsters probably ran away without me knowing. Being unattacked by monsters is something good in and of itself, but at the same time it means that I cant complete a subjugation request. Since subjugation requests are targetted at monsters that attack people to begin with, having the enemy turn tail and run from you is probably beyond expectations. Being the case, it means even if I go out on a subjugation request the monsters will just run away from me from afar with the exception of monster nests in places like caves with dead ends, but I cant imagine that such a convenient request will come by often. Im stuck. The reward for collection requests is low, and if Im unsuited for subjugation and bodyguard requests, then raising my income will be difficult. Do I really have no choice but to drop the level of my lifestyle? The dungeon core of dungeon Lakeshore Cave has been granted divine protection. Mn? Gained control of dungeon Lakeshore Cave. Gained title Dungeon Master. Acquired skill Dungeon Create. The fundamental structure of the dungeon will be modified based on the dungeon masters attribute. Dungeon name has been changed to Holy Land of the Evil God. Wai-, hang on. No, seriously, please hang on. Shocked at the sudden event, the surrounding scenery underwent a complete change before my eyes. The ceiling that had seemed reachable with your outstretched hand grew several metres taller, and the sides grew far, far wider. The walls that had been bare rock had changed into walls of black brick, and the torches that had been placed here and there changed into ominous candlesticks and shone with eerie purple light. Drifting around me was a thick and eerie dark green fog, and I could hear a malice-filled roar that seemed to resound from the depths of hell. This place that shouldnt have had a single kobold now had countless wraiths and golems swaggering about. Mn, its been splendidly changed from the beginners dungeon from just now to a place with a last boss-ish atmosphere. From the fact that the monsters arent attacking me, together with the voice from just now, Ive more or less guessed it already, but Ill check just to make sure. Status. Name: Anri Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 17 Job: Mage Level: 1 Title: Child of the Evil God, Dungeon Master [New] Mana: 3031504 Skills: C Evil God Aura (Lv.5) C Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5) C Divine Enchantment (Lv.7) C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.6) C Darkness Magic (Lv.6) C Item Box (Lv.4) C Dungeon Create (Lv.1) Equipment: C Tantou of the Wicked Demon C Black Clothes of the Evil God C Babydoll of Depravity C Scanties of the Succubus C Pumps of Darkness Mn, unfortunately it seems that I wasnt just hearing things. My titles and skills have increased. I ended up becoming a dungeon master. The ruler that lords over a dungeon. Can use the dungeon core to manage the dungeon, and eliminate intruders. The elementary skill for a dungeon master. Used by the ruler to expand or maintain the dungeon. A dungeon core is required to use the skill. The level depends on the number of floors the controlled dungeon has. Lv.1 is for 1~5 floors. From the voice earlier, and what I can see from the explanation, theres something called a dungeon core in this dungeon, and those that control the dungeon through that are the dungeon masters. And the beginners dungeon had its dungeon master subjugated, but perhaps because the dungeon core was left as is, or perhaps for some other reason it reappeared. In other words, I dont know for how long exactly, but in a dungeon with no lord, as long as you have the dungeon core you can control the dungeon, and because of my divine enchantment skill the effects spread via the dungeon and the dungeon core figuratively fell into the palm of my hand Is this for real? This is bad, seriously bad. It seems like the dungeon master of an endlessly growing dungeon would be subjugated, so if this gets found out my life will be targeted. And now that the place that should have been a beginners dungeon got turned into this, theyll immediately notice the abnormality. Now that its come to this Lets pretend it never happened. Mn, thinking about it carefully, even if the abnormal change of this dungeon is made public, I can just put on an innocent face and live in town. After all, I havent tested to see if other people can see it too, but as long as the skills and titles on my status screen arent seen by anyone else, theres no way that anyone should know that Im the dungeon master. Chapter 8 - Moving Chapter 8 C Moving Hello, its Anri. This is a bit sudden but I was driven out of the inn. Strictly speaking, my five days at the inn were up, and when I asked to extend it I was refused. I hadnt noticed it myself, but the innkeeper obasan was terribly afraid, so we probably accidentally had eye contact at some point. And though I did think that this would happen before long, being driven out this early was beyond expectations. And the fact that I wasnt forcefully driven out, but that they entreatied me Im begging you, please leave pierced my heart, so Im pretty depressed. Perhaps I should be looking for a replacement inn, but the shock was just so great that I cant find the motivation for it. And in a way, it might be perfect timing. Since I havent solved the problem of balancing my income and expenses, you could say that this is a good chance for me to think about really doing something about it. Its just that if I dont think about it like that, I wont be able to go on, though. While taking a breather in the central plaza caf that I ordered a black tea in last time, I thought about my plan for now. There are two general paths that Im considering. The first is that Ill guarantee some other income source, and the second is doing something about the shelter issue that takes up most of my expenses. I considered the former when I signed up to the Adventurers Guild too, but because it was too hard I ended up giving up. In both personality and skill abilities Im devastatingly unsuited for the hospitalities industry, and its not as if I have the know how either so jobs in production are impossible. Theres basically no path for me to take in trying to earn money except for adventuring. Alchemy using my divine enchantmentbuying cheap things and selling them after enchanting them with divine protectionis something I considered as well, but because theres a high chance that the weapons and clothing I enchant turn into cursed items, to begin with I wouldnt be able to sell it, and even if I could sell them, itd be an extremely eyecatching thing to do and would probably bring me trouble. As for the latter, finding a place to live is difficult too, and since I only have 5 gold with me I dont have enough to buy a house, and because renting a house and staying at an inn both have the risk of being driven out, I wouldnt be able to settle down. In the first place, living in an environment with other people means that Id always have to be careful so that I absolutely wouldnt meet eyes with anyone, so to begin with it was impossible. Ideally itd be a place with nobody around, not rented, but owned by me and also has a fairly decent living environment. Since Im stating my desires, itd be best if it comes with a way to make money as well. As if such a convenient place could exist, was what I wanted to say, but the truth is that if I dont care about what methods I use, there actually is such a place, which is why Im so troubled. Do I take principles, or do I take profits? That balance has probably already tipped in my heart. You cant deal with an urgent problem without sacrificing something in return. Mn? A samurai pretends he has eaten well when he has no food, you say? Im not a samurai, so theres no problem. Gathering my thoughts, I headed to a store to stock up on food. Three hours later, with a large amount of food stuffed into my item box, I came to the dungeon from the other day. Ive twisted my ideals and chosen the path of profits, in order to live in the dungeon. a place with nobody around From the town, it takes two hours to get here on foot, and there are no oddballs that have taken up residency here not rented, but owned by me I am the dungeon master after all has a fairly decent living environment Its not that great now, but I can expand it and remodel it as I please comes with a way to make money as well Therell probably be plenty of easy targets with money from now on The demerits are obstructions to my peace and the pain to my conscience but the former can be fixed by strengthening the dungeon, and as for the latter, even in the worst case scenario, Im going to compromise and make it a rule in my heart not to let anybody die. Having made up my mind like this, I entered the dungeon. I could grasp this vague and delicate feeling of it feels like I can do this for some reason with my ability as the dungeon master. For example, since the dungeon is the area ruled by the dungeon master, as long as its within the dungeon I can move where Id like, and although this is limited to when Im inside the dungeon, I can see and hear all the places inside the dungeon. I used teleportation to move to the room with the dungeon core. In a small room of about 6 tatami, a blue crystal of about 50 centimetres was floating in the air. This was probably the dungeon core. I touched the dungeon core with my hand as I muttered. Dungeon Master. Name: Holy Land of the Evil God Attribute: Darkness, Death, Pestilence Floors: 3 Mana: 1532 My own status was the same, but the dungeon status couldnt get any more sinister. Ill pretend that I didnt see the name and attributes, and look at the other entries. Having three floors means that it probably took over the beginners dungeon as is. A lot of the fundamental structure has been changed, but I guess the separation into floors hasnt changed. It seems that the mana value is the amount of mana thats been accumulated by the dungeon, and it seems that using this I can expand or maintain the dungeon. There are two ways to accumulate mana in the dungeon core; either when the dungeon master personally fills it with mana, or when invaders die in the dungeon and their mana is sucked away. The dungeon core serves as a piggy bank too, and if the dungeon master puts in mana every day, they can utilise mana above their capacity. For example, an average dungeon masters mana value is 10 to 20 thousand, and since it costs 1 million to add a floor, at that rate theyd eternally be unable to add floors to the dungeon, but if they store it in the dungeon core then regardless of their capacity, if they store 10,000 each day, a simple calculation will tell you that itll take them 100 days per dungeon floor. But actually putting all your mana into it would probably be bad, and youll probably need to use mana for other things as well so it wouldnt go so simply, and youd need a longer amount of time to add a floor. Having learned all this information from the dungeon core, I smiled bitterly. As expected, it seems that a mana value of 3 million is abnormal. Just having a nights sleep will restore most of my mana, so each day I can add three floors, meaning that in 100 days I can add 300 floors. No, I mean, even if I add that many floors its just going to get impossible to manage, so its not like Im going to do it though. Mm~mm, I want to stop saying mana value of ___ and give it some kind of unit. Maybe points? Anyway, I poured 3 million mana points into the dungeon core, and used 2 million from that to add two layers. It seems that the floor with the dungeon core automatically stays the furthest down, and right now its become the 5th floor, with a new 3rd and 4th floor above it. I made the 3rd and 4th floor orthodox and typical labyrinths, but I used the remaining 1 million points to remodel the 5th floor into a base. I divided it into a few rooms and created a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, storeroom, and an office with the dungeon core in it. While I was at it I used mana to create a pseudo-sun and established a day/night cycle. There was an off feeling about having the light come from directly indoors rather than from outside a window, but Ill probably get used to it before long. Whats left is to use one of the larger rooms to create an indoor vegetable garden itll probably be a while before any harvests though. Because I was remodelling as I liked, the 1 million points were used up in a blink, but for now Ive made it look like the bare minimum for a residential section. At the end, I instructed all inhabitants to intercept intruders, but I made sure to give a strict order not to kill them and only knock them out. With normal monsters thered probably be dissatisfaction and a chance that theyd ignore the orders and go with their instincts, but the inhabitants of this dungeon are all non-living monsters with no sense of self, so theyll probably obey my orders absolutely. Because I used a huge amount of mana, Im feeling sleepy, but somehow overcoming it with willpower, I headed to the bathroom. Its the first chance in a while for me to get in a bath, so I cant fall asleep until Im satisfied with the bath. I was really thoroughly soaked in the first bath Id had in days, and while still in the water, I fell asleep. Chapter 9 - First Purchase Chapter 9 C First Purchase This marks the final chapter that Ive promised you guys. So expect no more chapters. I mean, it doesnt mean I wont do them, but dont expect any! Because they wont come! Although I might post some. But they wont come! So youd better not expect any! This is a teaser! And Im doing more teasers which might turn out to be even more amazing to some of you, so yeah! Holdest thy tongue! A kantoui؞^£ is a Japanese type of clothing thats basically a simple cloth with a hole for putting the head through, worn like a poncho. According to a certain Chinese text, Japanese people were wearing these at the end of the third century. Former adventurer, Dungeon Master Anri here. I fell asleep while still in the bath so I thought I would catch a cold, but I turned out as healthy as ever. If I had to name a problem, it would be that the curse apparently activated while I was asleep, and I ended up soaking in the bath with the tantou and robe equipped. I cant change, so Im stuck with being soaking wet like this Well, if I walk outside for a while itll probably dry off, but because Im soaked down to my underwear it feels gross. Am I going to be unable to bath for more than 30 minutes? Pulling myself together, I took out food from my item box and after having a simple breakfast, I teleported to the entrance. Leaving the dungeon, I headed towards town. Having made a decision to become a dungeon master, the problem of shelter is now gone. Because of the curse I cant change, and I can only worry about the problem of clothing without being able to do anything. Whats left is the problem of food, and although I did buy a large amount yesterday, and Ive established an indoor vegetable garden as well, the food stores can only decrease, and itll be a while before I can harvest. Even if I could harvest them, Im not a vegetarian so itd be tough for me to live only eating vegetables. Meaning that Ill be forced to make a shopping trip in town once in a while, but theres one problem with this; I dont know how long Ill be able to come and go here. With the events with the church and the Adventurers Guild, a group of people probably already have suspicions towards me, and once the transformation of the dungeon is known, it wouldnt be strange even if there were people who linked the timing together. Thinking about it like that, it would probably be better to assume that one day itll become difficult for me to come and go here. Considering that Ill be unable to enter and exit the town, I want somebody I can entrust the shopping to, but unfortunately I have nobody to rely on. Dont say lonerised! I know I am. Even if I were to hire someone, theres nobody I can trust and leave everything to, so theres only one choice left that comes to mind. Showing my Adventurers Card and entering the town, I headed towards the slave dealer. I first found out that this world had slavery right after I reached town. I had an image of slavery being illegal and shady, but it was in normal shop in a place relatively close to the main street and the memory of being shocked but that is still fresh in my mind. Based on the information I heard from other peoples conversations, as well as some guesses of my own, the slaves of this world are apparently separated into four types; people whose statuses had been dropped to slavery as punishment, the crime slaves; people from a defeated country who were taken as war prisoners, the war slaves; people who had fallen to slavery as security for a loan, the debt slaves; and finally people who were born to two slave parents, the birth slaves. There are various reasons why they separate the origins of the slaves, but theyre all unrecognised as humans all the same, and bought and sold for money. The slaves are forced by a contract to their master to absolute obedience. In this world where magic exists, absolute obedience doesnt mean just a rule, but being compelled to obey the commands of their master. Even if you ordered kill yourself, no matter how much they tried to refuse, their body would move on its own and they would suicide. Slaves are treated as possessions, so no matter how a master treats them, the master wont be punished. Because theyre fundamentally expensive, I dont think people would kill them on a whim too often, but thats not an absolute. The most expensive slaves are young females, followed by men with good builds. As someone born in Japan, Im opposed to the slavery system, but a person who wont betray me no matter what could be said to be the most suitable. * * * Welcome. Will you be purchasing a slave today? When I entered the shop a neatly dressed, tidy-looking man asked me that at the very beginning. It seems that hes the shopkeeper here, but he was so different from the arbitrary image I had of slave traders being fat men that I was at a bit of a loss as to how to react. When I nodded, he guided me to one of the tables set in the shop. The shopkeeper sat down right opposite me, and our business talk began. Our shop has all sorts of slaves prepared. What kind of slave could it be that you are looking for? In the first half of their teens, and a female ah, and on the verge of death. The moment I stated my request, the shopkeeper froze, and looked my way. Because I cant look at him in the eyes, with my eyes still hidden, I replied with silence. Theres no doubt that it was the third condition that he reacted to, but of course I have proper reasons for saying it. The first is the price; Id feel reluctant about ordering around people my elder, and since Id need courage to eat and sleep together with someone of the opposite sex, I want a girl in the first half of their teens, but in that case the 5 gold I have with me might not be enough. If its somebody who doesnt have long because of illness or injury, then even if theyre a girl in their early teens, I thought that the price would be lowered greatly. I wasnt sure if they even sold someone like that to begin with, but there are apparently uses as human shields against strong monsters, and the experimental materials for mages though. The second reason is that even if I bought a slave here and left the shopping and my daily life to them, theres the problem of that slave being afraid of me. From the point of keeping my secrets, Id need to have them live in the dungeon with me, but if were living together then its probably impossible to not ever meet eyes with me. Even though with the absolute obedience to their master, a slave cant go against them, in the end theyre only bound in their actions. If I ordered them Dont be afraid of me. they would just be unable to act afraid, and it wasnt as if the fear itself would disappear. Ive come up with one countermeasure, but for that to work I need them to accept me at least once. If theyre not somebody grasping at straws on the verge of death, they wont meet the prerequisites. Of course, there arent many slaves like that, but we do have some. I must trouble you to come downstairs with me. Would that be all right, miss? Nodding in reply, I followed him into the back of the shop. It seems that if you were looking for a normal slave then the shopkeeper would pick some that satisfied your requirements and bring them out, but for a cases like mine they wouldnt be able to be brought, so theyd go see them like me. After descending some narrow stairs, a jail came into view, the illuminating torchlight interrupted by the cell bars. Inside the cells were a number of females. All of them were completely naked, but while some were lying on plain futons, others were sitting with their backs against the stone wall. According to your requirements miss, it should be those in this area. If any catch your eye, I will give a detailed explanation but I interrupted the shopkeeper who was turned to me and speaking by lining up beside him, and at an angle where he wouldnt see my face, I removed my hood and looked over the women in the cage. I could separate the responses into three. Those who trembled and averted their eyes, those who didnt react and just unmovingly stared into space, and just one who, though frail, was looking in my direction without budging. I stepped forwards towards the only one that showed a different response, and stared beyond the bars. That girl was sitting just by the bars, sitting powerlessly against the wall. Her long blonde hair was dirty and dull, her ribs could be seen, her limbs were withered away, and she looked like she could take her last breath at any moment. Even her face that would have surely been pretty if she was healthy had sunken cheeks, and was just a shadow of what it probably had been. But even on the verge of death, she registered my presence, and had her blue eyes turned to me. This girl is? Her name is Tena, and shes 14 years old. She was born in a village a little distance from Riemel, and is a debt slave, but on the way here she was attacked by a fatal disease and she probably only has a month left to live. Theyre cruel words to say before the person in question, and Tena trembled when she heard them. However, at the same time this was proof that she hadnt yet given up on living. Despite knowing that her life was about to end soon, without giving up, she was still clinging to the desire to live. If its me, then I might be able to save her. After dropping those words, I could see that her blue eyes that were looking at me were shaken. She was meeting eyes with me, but she didnt show any sign of being afraid. Its probably that because she spent each day attacked by a fear of death stronger than the fear given by my eyes, her sense of danger was numbed. I dont have any proof, but if youll believe and accept me, then take this hand. In front of the bars, I held out my hand. For a while, Tena looked at my face, and the hand I was holding out, but in the end she timidly held out her hand and met mine. How much? The cost is 5 silver coins. While lightly grasping this thin hand that seemed breakable even with my feeble strength, I asked the shopkeeper behind me for the price, and got that kind of reply. Having said that she is on the verge of death, I couldnt tell whether that price was high or low for a human, but with her potential, if shes healthy she would probably be worth 100 times that. The shopkeeper probably felt a lot of doubts about my words and actions, but perhaps because of his awareness as a professional, he didnt ask me about it. Got it. Then Id like you to dress her in any random clothes; Ill pay for the extra. No, if its just simple clothing for slaves, then its complimentary. He summoned a tough-looking assistant man who opened the cage and carried Tena out. Well hand her over once weve washed the body and given her clothes. Well need you to finish the paperwork in the meanwhile, so please come back to the seat from earlier. I followed the shopkeeper at his prompt, and left behind the underground jail. * Sitting down when I returned to the shopfront, I entered the necessary details into the contract sheet, and paid 5 silver coins. We have certainly received it. Finally, theres the registration of the slave, and the paperwork will be done. When he said that, with good timing came the man with Tena in his arms. She was wearing a kantoui if you could call it that; it was a simple outfit made of a cloth with a hole for her head. It wasnt tied up with a belt, so her naked young body could be seen from the sides. Seemingly having been washed, her blonde hair had also regained a lot of its colour, but even so the aura of death that floated from her entire body crushed out any of her appeal. Laid on the floor, there was a collar that hadnt been there before around her neck. Please touch her collar with your hand. Following the shopkeepers words, I stood up from my chair and reached my hand out to the collar on Tenas neck. The collar made of some unknown stone-looking material hadnt a single seam, and looked like it couldnt be taken off. After touching it for a while, the collar shone with light. Is this the same make-up as the Adventurers Card? Tena has been enslaved. Just like the times I enchanted something, or the time I became a dungeon master, I heard a voice from somewhere. With this, shes become your slave, and has absolute obedience to you. Because she cant walk, would you like us to call you a carriage? I dont need it; Ill carry her. Saying that, I ignored the shaken shopkeeper and assistant, as well as Tenas voice, and grabbing her arms, I placed her on my back. She twisted her body to try and get down, but in the end, perhaps finally giving up, she calmed down. Im not sure what kind of expression the shopkeeper was giving me when I left the store. She was light. They did say she was 14 so she was certainly younger than me, but perhaps because of malnutrition, she was more petite than her age, and was one or two heads smaller than I was. To add to that, she was thin enough that her ribs were showing, and she had so little weight that even the powerless me could easily carry her. Somehow that lightness made me sad. Having said that though, no matter how light she might be, I still have to carry her all the way to the dungeon by foot, so itll probably be tough for both of us. After leaving the shop, I entered an alleyway and walked a little, and after finding a place where nobody was around, I let her down to the ground. Tena who was sitting on the ground looked up imploringly at me as I stood next to her, and in reply I took a step back from her and removed my hood. You swore to believe in me. Yes. For the first time, words came out of her mouth. Hearing her answer, I thrust a finger at her forehead. If those words of yours are true, then accept this. Saying that, I used my skill consciously for the first time. Divine Enchantment. Divine protection has been granted to Tena. Divine protection has been granted to Slave Clothing. Together with those words, Tena was engulfed in gathering darkness. When the darkness cleared, Tenas appearance had completely changed. The blonde hair that was dull even after being cleaned was now radiantly sparkling, and her sunken cheeks and fleshless limbs were now full, and the softness characteristic to a girl had returned. There was a black pattern where I poked her, like a sideways letter S, and her blue eyes had turned to deep crimson. Her clothing resembled the kantoui as well, but it had morphed into something resembling a blackened version of an ancient miko outfit, decorated with ornaments. More than anything, her atmosphere of near death had disappeared, and the brilliance of a bishoujo returned to her. Mn, seems that it went well. Though its that of an evil god, its still a gods divine protection, and a game-broken skill that changes beginners equipment into things that youd find in the final dungeon. I expected that even a fatal illness could be cured in an instant with it. That even her clothing would change was a little beyond expectations, but if its cursed sorry. Eh-. Ah- Dumbfounded at the transformation to herself and her outfit, Tena stared wordlessly at her hands and clothing. While she did so, she realised that despite feeling sharp pains just by breathing before, there was now no sign of her illness at all, and tears began to spill from her now red eyes. To Tena who thanked me again and again as she clung to the hand I had thrust out earlier, I swallowed down the guilt of distorting her life and future for my own convenience, so that it wouldnt show on my face. Tena whose tears had stopped after continually crying for a while had paled upon thinking back at what she had just done. Seeing Tena peeking at my face, I was secretly relieved that even if she had become healthy again, she didnt show signs of being afraid of me. I wonder if shes gained resistance to my magic eyes and aura because of her divine protction. Stand. Y-, Yes-! I didnt intend on saying it so strongly, but Tena bolted up, and stood at attention waiting formy next words. It seems that theres no terror from the skill, but I got the impression that she was nervous to the extreme. I want you to live at my home and do the housework and shopping. Eh? ? I wonder why did she react to me like she was doubting me? Dissatisfied? T-, That would be absurd! Only, umm is just that much fine? Ahh, I see. Certainly what I just asked her to do could normally be dealt with by simply taking applications for servants so theres no reason to go out of my way to buy a slave. Slaves exist to be forced to do things that servants cant, or wont do. Only, I dont have anything else I particularly want her to do for me, so it cant be helped. If the master was a man then he would probably add serving him at night to that, but Im a woman so that has nothing to do with me. Just that is fine. But, I live quite far from town, so shopping is quite a task. Understood. Tena tilted her head in wonder about where I lived, but she probably hasnt even imagined that I live in a dungeon, huh. Explaining would be difficult, so Ill just have her see it for herself. After buying shoes and underwear for her, I had Tena register at the Adventurers Guild before leaving town. Chapter 10 - Hikikomori Lifestyle, Begin Chapter 10 C Hikikomori Lifestyle, Begin Just to make it absolutely clear, I dont ever recall my hobby changing from trying my best to translate fun things into English & reading discussions about these series because I want to see what others think, to delivering timely and professional service to entitled douchebags, at zero cost!. Its been four days since the slave girl Tena has begun living with me. At first she was just shocked about everything, but even she seems to have finally gotten used to it. Rather than gotten used to, it might just be that shes abandoned thinking about the outrageous and abnormal though. It seems that she helped her mother with the housework in the village, so she can do most chores, and the things I cant do like the cooking or cleaning Ive completely left to her. No, I mean, I should say this just in case, but its not as though I dont have ability in cooking and cleaning. Its just that when I pick up a knife to cook the tantou will knock it out of my hand, and when I try to put on an apron the robe will flick it away. Even when I thought to just clean up the area around me and picked up a broom it was no good; it seems that brooms are treated as weapons. Inidentally, when it comes to laundry, I cant change my clothing, so she just does her own. Fortunately, perhaps I should say, it seems that because of the activation of the divine enchantment, although its only at first, the clothing seems to undergo a status restoration after a certain amount of time, so filth and tear doesnt remain. Tenas a slave, but right now my only order as her master is Dont do anything thatll put me at a disadvantage. She seems to hold an absolute devotion to I who cured her illness and saved her life, so even if I dont go out of my way to order her, shell work eagerly. While giving a sidelong look and watching her work, I chanted Status.. Name: Anri Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 17 Job: Mage Level: 1 Title: Child of the Evil God, Dungeon Master Mana: 3031504 Skills: C Evil God Aura (Lv.5) C Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5) C Divine Enchantment (Lv.7) C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.6) C Darkness Magic (Lv.6) C Item Box (Lv.4) C Dungeon Create (Lv.2) Equipment: C Tantou of the Wicked Demon C Black Clothes of the Evil God C Babydoll of Depravity C Scanties of the Succubus C Pumps of Darkness Kin: C Tena The new kin column was added with Tenas name listed there. I checked with Tena, but it seems that only I can see this status screen, and Tena cant see my status. Also, Tena tried chanting Status. but she apparently couldnt see anything. When I focused on Tenas name on my status menu, her status was newly displayed. Tena herself cant display the menu, and whether its because she became my slave, or because of the divine enchantment is unknown, but it seems that her status is treated as part of mine, and I could see her status. Name: Tena Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 14 Job: Mage Level: 3 Title: Slave, Disciple of the Evil God Mana: 60532 Skills: C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.4) C Darkness Magic (Lv.4) Equipment: C Miko Outfit of the Evil God Subordination: Anri I decided to accept her Slave title as something that couldnt be helped, and Disciple of the Evil God was probably because of the divine enchantment, huh. Her mana value is as high as 60 thousand points, but considering that the average dungeon master has 10~20 thousand, its probably a value thats exceeded the human realm. Its unclear now what her mana value was before the divine protection, but it seems that she doesnt have any knowledge of magic herself, so I can guess that this value came about because of the divine enchantment. In fact, the person herself didnt realise but she actually had a natural talent for magic the chance that its something like that isnt zero, but, well, theres almost no mistake that its because of the divine enchantment. Even her skills; theyre the same system of skills as mine after all. The Miko Outfit of the Evil God is the kantoui modified by the divine enchantment, but the fact that she has nothing else in her equipment doesnt meant that she wasnt wearing underwear or shoes, but rather that apparently normal clothing with no defensive properties arent counted as equipment. Its not as if Ive gone and ordered her to go commando. The time when I bought shoes and underwear for Tena she was feeling extremely obliged and was hesitant about it, but I forced her to wear them for the sake of my mental stability. Ive heard that normally there are no masters who would give such things to their slaves, but wearing a miko outfit in the nude is just such a sexual deviant-esque get-up that I wouldnt be able to calm down with her around. Additionally, it seems that the Miko Outfit of the Evil God isnt particularly cursed, and Tena can change clothing normally Its discrimination. Tena. Yes, Anri-sama. When I called out to Tena who was placing a teacup before me, Tena immediately replied to me. By the way, at first she called me Goshujinsama [tl: esteemed master] but I couldnt calm down so I got her to call me by my name instead. I said that she didnt need to attach the -sama, but this was apparently where she drew the line, and because she stubbornly resisted, I gave up. Tena was about to stand behind me in waiting so I told her to make her own share of tea and sit down opposite me. Tena was bewildered about sitting down together and tried to decline, but I had something to talk to her about so I somehow got her to agree. Even though she should have been raised in a village, why is she so skilled in serving others is hopeless mystery. Do you want to see your family? To the question I suddenly dropped, cutting to the point, perhaps it was unexpected because Tena stiffened up. I heard that Tena who was a debt slave was taken away by slave merchants as security for a loan. Thinking that she might want to return to the village since she was forcefully separated from her family, I decided to ask her what she thought about it. As for me, Id be troubled in various was if she wasnt here so Id like to avoid her leaving, but I dont really mind her returning to her village for a little while, so if she wants it then I intend to let her. Well probably be acquainted for a long while after this, so I thought that I should be considerate so that she didnt built up dissatisfaction. It would be a lie if I said that I didnt. Then, But honestly, I dont know what kind of face I should make if I meet them. I think my family feels the same way. Well, thats just about right. The family that sold the girl for money, and the girl who was sold for money; even if it was something they couldnt help, its obvious that its complicated. Got it. Then if you feel like meeting them after you sort out your feelings, then say so. If its a few days, then I dont mind. T-, Thank you very much! Her eyes were teary, but Tenas smile was really charming. Now then, since shes living here, its for Tenas sake as well that strengthening the dungeon is my top priority. Over four days Ive been slightly modifying the dungeon, and each day Ive added a floor, so at present it has 9 floors. I have no intention of increasing it endlessly, but because I want a dungeon as impregnable as possible to guarantee our safety, I plan on expanding it to 30 floors. I dont want to think about fighting myself, but Ive left 1 million mana points remaining for emergencies, and each day I spend 2 million points on strengthening the dungeon. 1 million points are used for adding a floor, so that leaves 1 million left for remodelling and reinforcing. On the first day I spent points on adding rooms to the residential area, and adding furniture. I needed a room for Tena to use as well. It was a residential area with nothing but the bare minimum bed and table, but now, its finally got the appearance of a home. At the very least, just by having a bath the lifestyle circumstances are higher than the inns in town though. On the second day, I established a teleportation circle on each floor. As the dungeon master I can free move through the dungeon, but Tena cant do that. Since Im having her go to town to buy things and the like, I need a way for her to easily reach the entrance. Luckily I was able to make it so that it was only usable by people whose mana had been registered beforehand, so invaders wont be able to use it. Additionally, on the floors besides the residential area, I created two teleportation circles; one that goes one-way towards the entrance, and one towards the residential area for non-living things only. The former is for when defeated invaders want to go home, and the latter is especially made to send down loot from fainted intruders. On the third day, I worked on adding to the monsters that appeared. Originally it was only wraiths and black steel golems roaming about, but I added skeleton lords and chaos elementals as well. In order, theyre; spirits of the dead that are not only impervious to physical attacks, but use powerful magic; a 3 metre tall steel lump of a doll; a skeleton that can easily swing a greatsword; and a lump of miasma that can absorb every attribute except holy. Of course, Ive made sure to forbid the new monsters from killing people as well. Both of them are non-living things, so theyll obey my orders absolutely. On the fourth day, I put traps on each floor. The point was to avoid death, so of course I didnt put any dangerous traps that would kill people instantly. They were mainly things like bear traps, pitfalls, paralysis gas, sleeping gas, and one-man teleportation circles. Incidentally, the last one is the nastiest. Its a small sized magic circle so its function is limited to the one floor, but itll suddenly send only one person in a party somewhere else. If I surround them with monsters once theyre alone, it probably wont even be a fight. And with todays new floor, the dungeon has grown to 10 floors. Since 10 is a nice number, Ive decided to place a room when you descend from the 9th floor with a boss guarding the entrance to the residential area. Monsters that dont appear endlessly and need to be brought forth or summoned individually are boss monsters. Spending the entire 1 million points on bringing forth a single monster, I ended up stationing the No Life King. He looks like a skeleton-type monster with a luxurious robe, and a crown on his head. Giving off a thick aura of death from his entire body, that majesty of his is truly fitting to be called the king of the undead. Since I had already gone to the trouble, I used the few remaining points to add a throne worthy of him to the boss room. With this, if I turn the entrance to the residential area into a hidden door, even if there are mighty warriors who make it this far, they might do me the favour of mistaking him to be the lord of this dungeon. Now then, with this, it finally looks like a real dungeon. Of course I still intend on strengthening it more, but even at the moment, we can deal with invaders up to a certain extent. Chapter 11 - A Dungeon With Few Customers Chapter 11 C A Dungeon With Few Customers I am now accepting commissions for bear pictures such as this one. They will all look mostly the same, and will cost 30 AUD each. Leave me an email in your donation message, and Ill send you the work when it is done. On the 8th day since I began administrating the dungeon, the first adventurers finally visited. While I was enjoying my after-meal tea in the residential area that was now on the 12th floor due to the additional floors, I heard the sound of the intruder alarm. Also, the No Life King is still stationed on the 10th floor. I stationed him there as a boss to protect the residential zone, but once I considered that Ill be adding more layers later, it seemed that the 10th floor was a nice clean place for a midboss, so I decided it might be good for him to continue controlling the floor. Incidentally, even though theres a midboss, theres no end boss. I mean, I have no intention of fighting after all. Im having the No Life King as a boss room that you need to pass through no matter what if you want to take the stairs from the 10th to the 11th floor, so Im having him stay there. Also, it would be boring to be able to simply challenge a boss, so I decided to prepare a puzzle that you had to complete by correctly arranging the stone slates left around the same floor, like the puzzles you often see in RPGs. If you put the sun, moon and star type slates into the pedestal at the very end of the 10th floor, the wall is set to open up and let you into the boss room. Just to make sure, I added the message Thee who wouldst come in challenge before the throne of the undying one, arrange correctly the skies. on the pedestal. I get the feeling that its basically already solved with this, but its for aesthetics sake. ..* Now then, enough about the 10th floor. I need to have a look at the intruders this time. Still holding the black tea that Tena steeped for me, I headed to the office. There was nothing but a chair, small table and pedestal in the office, with the dungeon core set above the pedestal. After I sat down on the chair, I placed my hand to the dungeon core and used my mind to bring up the information on the intruders. A window opened and showed the inside of the dungeon. In the image of the first floor were 2 adventurer-looking men, and when I looked to them, their statuses appeared. Name: Lufree Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 25 Job: Swordsman Level: 14 Title: None Name: Benet Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 16 Job: Swordsman Level: 4 Title: None I didnt know all this time because nobody except Tena and I had been in the dungeon before, but it seems that I can use the dungeon core to see the status of intruders to the dungeon. However, unlike our statuses, I couldt see the skills or equipment. But still, for a duo, there seems to be quite a difference in age and levels. Unlike Lufree who was wearing metal armour, Benet was equipped with light weight leather gear. Both of them had longswords in their hands, but the sword that Lufree was using was giving off a more remarkable aura as a sword than the one Benet was holding. I could see a difference not only in age, but in their equipment too. I wonder if its a case of a veteran supporting a beginner while he gains experience. Thinking about it carefully, if the news of the dungeons transformationg hasnt spread yet, then these two came here with the intent of challenging the Beginners Dungeon, and it looks like that assumption was correct. The fact was that they had stopped in confusion at the entrance, over the change to the dungeon. But in the end, it seemed that they decided to see what the inside was like, and the two of them carefully made their way into the dungeon. ..* Before the pair who had cautiously made their way from the entrance room, appeared a wraith and black steel golem, one after another. The two of them stiffened up in shock, but Lufree, the more experienced of the two, regained his senses more quickly and shouted something towards Benet while raising his sword into a guard. However, Benet was frozen with fear, and couldnt react to that shout. The wraith fired clumps of shadow, and though Lufree immediately jumped to the side and avoided a direct hit, Benet didnt react and was thrown against the wall by the impact. While worrying about Benet who was sliding down the wall, collapsed, Lufree brought his sword into a guard again without any carelessness. At that point, the black steel golem closed in and swang down its fist. Lufree dodged to the right whilst diagonally diverting the blow with his sword, before swinging the sword in an arc towards the left side of the golem. However, the result of that was the cruel scene of his good sword being broken in an instant. Lufree who had swung his sword was dumbfounded by the broken half of the sword that flew through the air. At that point, the black steel golem swang the fist that had been blocked horizontally, and with the bewildered Lufree unable to parry, he took a direct blow to the chest and was sent flying roughly 5 metres into a wall, before falling to the ground. Lufree tried to somehow get up, but at that point, the wraith once again fired clumps of shadow, and Lufree who was collapsed on the floor was unable to immediately move, and after being struck in the side by the clump, he was once again sent flying. This time he had apparently completely lost consciousness, and didnt get up. The black steel golem neared the unconscious two and collected their items and gold, and after dragging them to the room with the dungeon exit, threw them inside. Also, because the room with the exit is like the residential area in that monsters are forbidden from entering, the black golem couldnt go inside. The teleportation circles from each floor also head to this room. After tossing the unconscious intruders away, the black golem picked up the collected items from earlier, and began walking towards the 1st floors item-use teleport circle. The items that he collected will probably be sent directly to the residential area that Im now in. For now, I can probably count this times invaders as repelled. In fact, even though I did give orders not to kill anyone, it was still scary to watch. They should have held back enough, but even so, as long as they were attacking, the possibility of somebody dying due to being hit in a bad spot wasnt zero, after all. As long as the invaders have a certain degree of power, I reasoned that they would probably be able to react to avoid taking fatal injuries, which is why the possibility of somebody dying by accident was supposed to be quite low, but because there was somebody who was obviously a beginner this time, it couldnt help that I was worried. Having only just remembered about my now cold tea, I finished the rest before leaving the office and heading to the room next door with the item-use teleport circle. While walking down the hallway, I considered the adventurer duo from earlier. They were probably lying in the 1st floor room with the exit right now, but they realised that the dungeon has changed. Once they regain consciousness and return to town, theyll probably report the transformation of the dungeon to the Adventurers Guild. When that happened, I can think of two reactions the Adventurers Guild will take. The first would be to send in high level adventurers to survey it, and the other would be to make an announcement and publicly solicit people to conquer it. Only, because it would be difficult to conquer the dungeon without knowing the level of difficultly, I expect that theyll send an investigation team at least once. Unlike this time, itll probably be fairly high leveled adventurers being sent in. I was prepared that this might happen at some point, but now that its here, it feels like Ill be crushed by the anxiety. When I entered the room with the teleport circle, the swords and items had just been sent in. Repelling adventurers, and then stealing their items Without even having to think deeply about it, its the same as what a robber does. But for challengers to a dungeon, getting only their weapons, items and gold stolen and being returned to the entrance with their lives even after collapsing is exceptional service. Had this been any other dungeon, they woud have definitely died, so although Im not going to ask them to be thankful, I hope that theyll think that it was at least better than what couldve been. Also, that I stole their weapons but not their equipment is not because of compassion, but rather because I cant stand the stink. In this world where people dont typically take baths, the smell that you get from the armour worn over many days by men who dont wash themselves is, something that makes my hair stand on end just imagining it. The spoils of war this time were 2 longswords (though one was broken), 3 silver coins, 25 copper coins, 4 medicinal grasses, and 2 adventurer carwai-, adventurer cards!? Oh crap, as youd expect, taking these away is pretty bad, and to begin with, without adventurer cards or money, the two of them wont be able to return to town, so my expectations have gotten messed up in various ways. When I teleported to the entrance room in a panic, I confirmed that the two of them were still unconscious, and quickly returned their adventurer cards. While feeling relieved that my follow-up made it in time somehow or other, I teleported back to my original room. I have to make sure to order the monsters in the dungeon not to take the adventurer cards, later. Two days after the first intruders, the dungeon alarm rang out once again. It seems that adventurers dispatched by the Adventurers Guild to survey the dungeon are now intruding. The duo that I beat up had entered in the early afternoon 2 days ago, and had returned to town and reported to the Adventurers Guild. After deciding on the course of action, the whole of the next day they gathered people and prepared, and so today they sent out the survey team Mn, the timing matches up. I quickly headed to the office, and just like last time, sitting on the chair I held my hand to the dungeon core. In the image shown of the 1st floor were 4 men. Name: Vaif Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 32 Job: Swordsman Level: 25 Title: None Name: Banard Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 29 Job: Swordsman Level: 22 Title: None Name: Theodore Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 29 Job: Mage Level: 20 Title: None Name: Esel Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 26 Job: Scout Level: 19 Title: None It seems that the party this time is quite well balanced. Moreover, even the lowest level Esel is higher level than Lufree from the other day. Its probably the highest level party amongst the people that the Riemel Adventurers Guild could immediately mobilise. As expected, the veteran scout who took the vanguard was checking for traps and enemies, and they were carefully and safely exploring. Even when they encountered a black steel golem along the way, they were a party with clearly divided roles, for example the swordsmen holding up a strong defence, while the mage used earth magic to destroy the ground beneath the golem and stopped its movements. After they smoothly explored the 1st floor, they found the stairs to the 2nd floor and headed downstairs. On the 2nd floor, at first their exploration had been going well too, but for some reason it seemed as though their enthusiasm suddenly dampened halfway in. Standing on the spot, they energetically argued with each other, but I feel impatience from their expression. I didnt know what they were talking about, so I couldnt tell what was going on except for the fact that something inconvenient for them had happened. Its extremely convenient that I can watch what happens in the dungeon like a movie, but being unable to hear sounds is inconvenient, so if I can do something about it, Id sure like to improve this. After that, they continued exploring, but Esel who had his concentration messed up stepped on a paralysis gas trap, and except for Theodore who was in the back, the other three were paralysed. Because of two black steel golems who seemed to use that gap to attack, the party was wiped out all too quickly. Chapter 12 - The Robbing Evil God Chapter 12 C The Robbing Evil God Im surprised that nobody has criticised me yet for trying to sell expensive bear drawings. Could it be that I rooted out all the humourless people with that 200USD half-chapter thing? Or is it just that my bear pictures are unexpectedly good? After driving out the survey team-looking people, starting from two days later, the number of intruders suddenly jumped up. On a normal day, 3~5 parties will come to raid us. And because I got fed up with hearing the alarm each time, I changed the settings so that it would only ring once they reached the 4th floor. At the moment, 80% of the intruders are defeated on the 1st floor, and most of the remainders fall on the 2nd. The only party that made it to the 3rd floor was the survey team from the other day who had come to challenge it again, and nobody reached the 4th floor. GYAHHHHHHHH! G-, God dammit To in a place, like this Also, regarding observing through the dungeon core, it needs quite a bit of mana, but I managed to reform it so that I could hear sounds too. The result was that I found out the reason that the survey team s pace suddenly got worse on the 2nd floor. Apparently theres miasma floating in this dungeon. Certainly now that you mention it, I do get the vague feeling that that word was mixed in amongst the attributes for the dungeon, but I want to believe that in the end its just the characteristic of the dungeon and not something thats my fault. Miasma or whatever kind of sounds stinky, so Im absolutely denying it. What a sinister dungeon. The dungeon master has gotta be a pretty dangerous guy. Yeah, we gotta brace ourselves. By the way, based on what I heard while eavesdropping on them, there are apparently lots of different types of miasma, but the miasma in this dungeon doesnt do physical harm like a poison, but apparently has an effect on your mental state. Speaking simply, it amplifies fear, and is a troublesome thing because although this dungeon is one that you need to progress through really carefully even at best of times, the miasma increases your mentral strain right away. In the end its just a mental effect and cant do anything to you physically, so apparently youll be alright as long as you keep yourself together, but the act of bracing yourself in itself brings about mental strain, so its a nasty one. Kuh-, the miasma is too thick! Itll get dangerous if we go any further! Were only on the 2nd floor yanno!? If its like this on such a high level, just how terrible are the lower levels!? Perhaps as an effect of being linked to the exit, the miasma is thin enough that theres almost no effect, but in comparison to this, the 2nd floor and below has thicker miasma by the level. Is it really because Im on the lowest level? No, no, the Evil God Aura is supposed to have a weak effect on humans, so its probably something else. Thats why Im not in the wrong. ..* Proportional to the amount of invading adventurers, the amount of collected items have increased too. Honestly speaking, its taking quite a bit of time to sort the items that were collected. Even at a glance there seem to be some things I didnt really understand mixed in there, so I had to throw them into the item box and check the name and after I did all this, it ended up taking a surprising amount of time. And even though I did the work with all my might, sadly, despite the amount of time it took to organise everything, there were a lot of things that I didnt need. For things like mass-produced swords, no matter how many dozens of them I had there was no use for them, so I think Ill have them brought to town and sold for money, but if people who should have lost their items in the dungeon saw them while shopping, it would definitely be suspicious so I cant. In that case, I could just stop collecting them, but now that Ive already started doing this, it seems that itll give birth to some weird speculations in the public if I stop halfway, so Im hesitant to do so. I should have told them just to collect the gold. Im sick of seeing swords already. Aah Im done, my consciousness A-, All I want just my sword this sword that took me two years of saving up for, cant And so, Ive decided to try putting them in treasure chests. Using the Dungeon Create skill, I created and installed a treasure chest creation box. The treasure chest creation box is a wonderful thing that places the things inside it into treasure boxes randomly around the dungeon. The treasure chest creation box is something thats used to lure in prey, since normal dungeons steal mana by killing intruders. Placing things like strong weapons or expensive gems into the treasure boxes, they lure in prey using greed. In my case, I throw in nothing but unnecessary things like weapons, so its almost used like garbage collection though. But still, having said that theyre unneeded, weapons or whatever can be sold for fairly high prices, so its not as though it doesnt attract customers. Moreover, once the news spreads that you can get back the things you lost in the dungeon from these treasure chests, itll be possible to sell things under the pretense that we found them in the chest. Well, if we do it too much, as youd expect things would get suspicious, so we can only sell a few at a time though. Also, I wasnt really sure about having only these unneeded consolation prizes, so for roughly every ten, Id mix in one with enchantment. They might be cursed, but looking at just my tantou, the stats should be good. T-, This sword is!? Wed better report this to the church, or else, huh? I am back, Anri-sama. Welcome back. Tena had returned from selling things in the city. Also, since the number of adventurers dropping by had increased, I created a backdoor for Tena to come and go through. I might be a little prejudiced, but about half of all adventurers are rough-looking men. If it were in town then it might be another matter, but I can easily imagine that if they met a girl like Tena in a place with few people, shed definitely get mixed up with them in a bad way. Of course, since I cant say that shell be absolutely fine in town, I instructed her to buy a robe for herself to use in town, and not show her face too much. I have put the ingredients I bought in the food storeroom. Thanks. And so, how about the thing I asked for? Yes, please have a look at this. I asked Tena in an indirect manner like that, to go have a look and see how the Adventurers Guild was treating this dungeon, while she was out shopping. When I asked her about the result, she presented me one sheet of parchment. This was written on it: Request: Suppress the dungeon master of the new dungeon south of Riemel, the Wicked Cave of the Robber Reward: 30 gold coins Requirements: Present the dungeon core Time Limit: None Wicked Cave of the Robber? Did they discover some other new dungeon? It seems that the Adventurers Guild has named this dungeon as such. Wai-, theyre talking about this dungeon? Thinking about it, neither the adventurers nor the guild have any way of knowing the official name of this dungeon, so if you had to ask if it was obvious that theyd give it its own name, then yeah, its obvious I guess. But still, by robber Well, I mean, I certainly do take the items and gold of the intruders, so its not as though you cant call me a robber, but even though I thought that wed have a more positive image than other dungeons, the impression they have of us is cruel. Unlike other requests, this one does not need to be accepted, so as long as you meet the requirements, it seems that you can receive the reward. This paper has been distributed to all parties. Rather than a request, I wonder if it wouldnt be more accurate to say that its basically a bounty already. That Id have a bounty on my head is not something I could even have imagined when I first came to this world is perhaps not something I can say, since the moment that I saw the skill explanations. A reward of 30 gold coins is quite a large amoutn, so I can assent to the sudden surge of intruders. If the conquering of the dungeon doesnt progress, then the guild will probably raise the reward, so the intruders will probably keep increasing from now on. If this was a normal dungeon, then the intruders would die once they fell anyway, but as long as you dont have a series of terrible coincidences, you wont lose your life in this dungeon. In other words, unlike other dungeons, as long as you dont give up you can try again, so even if the number of intruders increases, there wont be much decrease. I need to strengthen the dungeon to stop them from breaking through to the lowest level, at any cost. Having decided this, I decided to return to the office. Chapter 13 - Cornered Chapter 13 C Cornered Sacred Goddess implies a saintly woman-type, goddess The alarm that represented intruders rang out. This sound that I hadnt heard for the long while since I changed the conditions for the alarm to people invading the 4th floor, sent my right tension up. When I sat on the chair on my office and looked at the intruders on screen as usual, I found a party of 4 being shown. Two of them were female. When I checked the intruder partys status I found a shocking entry. Name: Arc Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 25 Job: Swordsman Level: 38 Title: Hero of the Holy Sword Name: Zio Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 28 Job: Swordsman Level: 33 Title: None Name: Frey Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 24 Job: Mage Level: 33 Title: None Name: Widdi Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 19 Job: Cleric Level: 31 Title: None Hero? I was shocked at the title held by the ikemen swordsman with the short blonde hair who was walking as the vanguard. No, I mean, since its a fantasy world like this, having a hero might not be all that strange, but now that hes here in front of my eyes, I cant help but be shocked, as youd expect. Moreover, the fact that its shown as a title must mean that hes formally recognised as a hero by something. I dont know if its a god, or a country, but even though theres been close to 100 intruders so far, nobody else has had a title. But not only the hero who doesnt fail to live up to his name, the other party members also have levels that are clearly a cut above the rest. Could this possibly be a desperate pinch that Im in? Ive already increased the dungeon to 27 floors, but Im worried about whether that will be enough to stop them in the end. Lets say that they do manage to reach here, what would I do? What would they do? When I see the sharp looking shining sword that the hero is holding, an unpleasant sweat runs down my back. While praying that he wouldnt reach me, I continued to monitor their exploration. The effect of the barrier is about to run out, so Ill recast the barrier, okay? Yeah. Counting on you, Widdi. Widdi who was dressed in a nuns outfit gave her proposal, and they all stood still in the large room. After Widdi chanted her spell, for an instant, all of them were wrapped in a white light. The light settled after a moment, but if you looked carefully, you could see that their whole bodies seemed to be faintly shining. With this, well be protected from that troublesome miasma for a while longer, hey? Now that weve come as far as the 4th floor, its gotten very thick after all, so if we didnt have Widdis barrier, our progress would not be very good at all, would it? Huhu, Im glad to be of use. Because we have the protection of Arc-samas Holy Sword, it might have been meaningless though. Nah, it helps. Even if we have the enchantment of my Holy Sword, I dont think it would feel too good being enveloped in this evil miasma. Well, sorry for being evil. But still, monks had a way to defend against the miasma? This is some important information. The enchantment on Arcs Holy Sword is on my mind as well. But still, this dungeon was only just made, right? Just how many floors down does it go? Usually it would take a number of years to grow, huh? It seems that because they stood still to reapply to barrier, theyve decided to take the chance to rest in that room. While paying attention to the surroundings, they sat down in the room and began chatting. Well about that, it seems that when the dungeon master of this dungeon was originally subjugated, this place was only 3 floors deep. The guild believes that the current dungeon master took over that dungeon and used it as the basis for this one. Even so, considering that this floor right now is the 4th one, theres no mistaking that this place grew in a short time, huh? Yeah, you have a point, Frey. But well, I really doubt that its in the double digits after all. I dont know when this dungeon master took over this dungeon, but even at the earliest estimate, it wouldnt even be a month after all. Well, no, its 27 floors. Its more convenient for me that theyre optimistic, so Im not going to tell them though. The dungeon master huh? Whats wrong, Frey? Well, I was just wondering what kind of guy the dungeon master is, you see. The impressions of them is just too randomand while youre thinking about how they release this terrible miasma, at the same time all their traps are non-lethal, so Seeing the glamourous mage oneesan fall into thought, Arc asked her the question, and she voiced her doubts. Certainly if you consider it from an outsiders point of view, perhaps it cant be helped that they see it as random. Its not like Im releasing this miasma because I want to after all, and from my perspective, I did try to make everything consistent, though. Speaking of which, Ive heard that there still hasnt been one fatality in this Evil Cave of the Robber yet, hey? Even when you get done in by the monsters and faint, they only take your weapons and items and throw you by the entrance apparently. Ahh, I see. So thats why its robber isnt it. Even so, we cant let our guards down. The monsters that appear here are all strong foes that will easily wipe us out if we lose focus after all, and even if the traps are non-lethal, theyre dangerous and can throw us into a crisis in an instant. Also, if by some chance I had the Holy Sword stolen, I wouldnt be able to face our Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama. I dont think that beings of evil would be able to touch the Holy Sword, but yes, that is true isnt it. Sacred Goddess Sophia, huh? Is that the name of the god worshipped in this world? Speaking of which, the time when I went to the church in Riemel, I get the feeling that there was a statue of a goddess enshrined further inside the church hall. I didnt have time to pay attention to it at the time so I dont remember the details though. In my old world I didnt believe in god, but as long as that evil god exists, it wouldnt be strange for god to exist either or rather, Id hate it for there only to be that evil god, so I hope they do exist. Well, since the monk really can use their power, I think the power of gods exists at the very least. Going by Arcs title and the conversation just now, could it be that he received the Holy Sword from that goddess? From the name Holy Sword it probably has holy power, and in a dungeon with lots of undead, you could say that its something you could call its natural enemy. Considering that I was rejected by the churchs barrier, Ill probably go through a harsh time if I meet with that sword too. Of course, even if it this wasnt the case, Id still pass on being cut down though. Well, I dont know what kind of guy they are, but theres no doubt that their personality is totally messed up, hey? Ahaha, definitely. They seem to be a money-grubber, so they might even be dressed up like an upstart rich guy, you know. Im sure they definitely look like a fat, ugly lump of meat. Huhu, youre right. Youuu-. I-, I want to hit them Im sure they meant it as some meaningless chatter, but no matter what, isnt saying those things about a maiden just too cruel? Boiling mad, I sent the monsters current on the 4th floor towards them, and at the same time, I poured in my mana and increased the spawn rate of the monsters on the 5th floor and below. Without knowing about the angry me on the other side of the screen, the hero party wrapped up their break and began exploring again. I was wondering how they were avoiding traps without a scout, but apparently the hero senses them all beforehand with nothing but intuition. Or it might be the enchantment on the Holy Sword or something. From what Ive heard of their conversation, that possibility seems high, but its quite an all-purpose sword, huh? Or rather, I get the feeling that its already gone beyond the category of weapons. As expected of a high level party, perhaps I should say, even the attacks by the monsters whose numbers I increased were easily driven back. The skeleton lords were cut down by Arcs Holy Sword, the black steel golemss metal fists were blocked by Zios shield too. The wraiths were blown away by the flames and blizzard that Frey shot out, and even the chaos elementals were purified by the light magic that Widdi fired. Although the hero party wasnt completely uninjured, they progressed smoothly through the dungeon without any major injuries, and it took them roughly 2~3 hours to conquer each floor. Right now theyve reached as far as the 7th floor, but since its already basically night time, it seemed that they were tired as youd expect because I could see that the energy in their movements had dulled. In particular, the female members who were the rear guard with low stamina were tottering enough that it seemed like they would collapse. No, if you look carefully, only the hero seemed to still be fine. I cant tell if its the enchantment on the Holy Sword, or if its just how he is though. How bout we rest a little, Arc? Noticing that the girls were tired, in one of the wider rooms, Zio suggested this to Arc. Hmm, yeah. Its been already been half a day since we entered this dungeon. I had no idea that itd be this deep, so I didnt prepare camping gear, but lets take turns sleeping and guarding. At Arcs words, Frey and Widdi sat down, deeply relieved. I-, Im saved. Hah Hii When it came to Widdi, it seems that she couldnt even speak. Even if they get through a floor every two hours, it means that theyll take more than two dayss to get to the 27th floor where I am. Without having expected and prepared camping equipment beforehand, conquering this dungeon will probably be tough. Considering that, it doesnt look like theyll be conquering the dungeon on this run. I was a little relieved. Also, this is completely off topic, but I decided to place a toilet in the room of each floor. They were the first people to explore the dungeon for very long, so I hadnt noticed this problem. Thanks to that, I caught sight of the horrible scene of the blonde ikemen hero doing his business Ill say it just in case, but I didnt peep through the gaps in my fingers or anything like that. It was even graver when it came to the women; seeing the bishoujo nun tell the party with a bright red face, close to tears, that she had to use the bathroom really made me sympathise with her, so I made the decision to create the toilets. Their chatter during their break pissed me off, but even so, the feelings of sympathy as another woman won out. A dungeon this kind doesnt exist anywhere else, you know? For now, they probably wont be moving until morning, so I decided to sleep as well. Chapter 14 - Natural Enemy Chapter 14 C Natural Enemy An ishibitsu is a Japanese funerary urn made of stone. Theyve been around for at least a millenium. Picture of an ishibitsu with its lid: When the day broke, I put on the robe that I had draped around my body, and headed to the bathroom. For now, since the forced equipping doesnt happen as long as Im touching it, when I go to bed, I drape the robe around me in place of a blanket. After washing my face and getting rid of my drowsiness, I headed to the dining area that was part of the kitchen, and found that Tena was already in there preparing breakfast. Morning. Ah-, good morning, Anri-sama. When I called out to her, she replied back energetically. When I sat at the dining table, my breakfast was carried over to me in an instant. Toasted bread and fried egg with salad and soup; a healthy breakfast. If I had to be greedy, then Id have liked a Japanese-style breakfast, but since theres no rice nor miso, even demanding it wouldnt help. Tena set down the same meal on the other side of the table, and then sat down as well. Because she kept firmly refusing, it took quite a bit of effort to get her to eat with me, but now its basically how we spend every breakfast. Im not a noble, so its tough on me to have somebody stand behind me while I eat breakfast by myself. Itadakimasu. Itadakimasu. Nomnom, yummy. Its a simple meal, but Tenas cooking is generally delicious. Ive decided not to ask Tena yet what her life in the village was like, but judging from her personality, she probably earnestly helped her parents. Speaking of which, Yes? What is it? Does Sacred Goddess Sophia ring any bells? Sacred Goddess-sama? Well, of course, but When I gave that question a try while eating, I found out that apparently, the deity worshipped in the standard religion for this world, the Sacred Light Faith, was the Sacred Goddess in question. She was apparently the deity that created this world, fights against the Evil God as the Goddess of Light, and guides the people through divine protection and divine revelations. Those who receive particularly strong divine protection become heroes, and becomes those that defeat the Demon King, the being born from the Evil God to bring calamity to humanity. U-, Um of course I swear loyalty, to you, Anri-sama! Sacred Goddess-sa-, I mean, the Sacred Goddess means nothing to me! I dont really mind if you just keep calling her Sacred Goddess-sama. Perhaps because she misunderstood my silence while I was thinking, but Tena followed up on her words in a fluster. Although it was the cost of saving her life, I did give something like the divine protection of an evil god to Tena, so I had decided that I needed to tell her that the power came from an evil god, and did so. I left out the part about coming from another world, though. Only, unfortunately Im just a human who was given too much power by an evil god, so its not like Im particularly opposed to Sacred Goddess-sama or anything, and as long as it doesnt harm me, Id rather her try her best to beat the crap out of that evil god, really. Do you know anything about the Hero? Hero-sa- I mean, the Hero? Ive heard that the Hero is a special person whos received divine protection, and fights with the Demon King to defeat him. Also, if I remember correctly, when Obaachans Okaasan was a child, there was a great celebration across the nation because the Hero had defeated the Demon King. Eh? The Demon King has already been subjugated? I dont know about the average lifespan in this world, but I think that Tenas great-grandmother being a child was fifty years ago at the very least. Going by his age, the Hero thats invading this dungeon should be a different person. In that case, why was he given divine protection? Could it be that theres another Demon King? Are there lots of Demon Kings? No, at the very least, I have only heard of one. Only, the priest that came to the village to teach us said that even if the Demon King is defeated, he eventually revives. I see, the Demon King defeated 50 years ago has revived, and to defeat that, the [current] Hero Arc was chosen to face him? Do you know where the Demon King is? I dont. People say that in the Demon Race Territory, theres a Demon King Castle, and hes in there. Demon Race Territory? Ah-, yes. The western part of this continent is controlled by the demon race. The eastern side are divided into a number of human countries, but they say that all of the Demon Race Territory is controlled by the Demon King. After that, once I asked in more detail, I found that Riemel apparently belonged to the Kingdom of Fortera, and was right in the middle of the continent. Being in the middle of the continent has a nice ring to it, but if the east and west are divided up between the human race and demon race, then being in the middle makes it the front lines. I wonder if on the way to the Demon King, the Hero party heard about this dungeon and dropped by here. Or more like, I wish they would avoid detours like this and just go fight the Demon King already. Hurry up and go. After finishing breakfast, I asked for just some red tea from Tena who had begun washing the dishes, and holding my tea cup, I headed to the office. When I checked the screen, I found that the Hero Party had already packed up their simple camp, and begun exploring again. The floor theyre on right now is the 7th floor, so if they progress smoothly, I expect that theyll make it to the 10th floor room that the No Life King is protecting in the evening. Honestly, as a fighting amateur, I have no idea whos stronger, but if my boss loses, Ill have a lot Ill need to think about. Since they thought that this dungeon would have less floors, they came in here unprepared and I dont think theyll make it to where I am, but next time theyll probably come to conquer this place, completely prepared. It wont matter if they cant win against the No Life King, but if it seems that they can beat him, then the chance that theyll reach me eventually is high. Ill need to come up with various measures before they arrive here the next time. Uneffected by my nervous surveillance of them, they steadily made their way through the dungeon. The Hero party who had arrived at the 10th floor following my expectations were, contrary to expectations, stuck before the 10th floor boss room. What they were tilting their heads in thought about was the puzzle pedestal that I had installed there for aesthetics sake. Thee who wouldst come in challenge before the throne of the undying one, arrange correctly the stars. huh? Just what the heck could it mean? There are many undead in this dungeon, so I believe that the Undying One refers to the boss of this dungeon. Widdi replied to the puzzled looking Zio. Right right, having you think that makes me really happy. And having you go home satisfied after defeating the No Life King would make me even happier. I see. Then in other words, if we want to fight the dungeon master, then we have to arrange correctly the skies, huh? I wonder what arrange correctly the skies means. They probably mean the celestial bodies, huh? I think thats what these marks on the pedestal represent. Ah-, speaking of which, I had the symbols for the sun, moon, and stars, but I didnt think about whether or not that would translate properly in this world. Well, they did guess that it referred to the celestial bodies, so maybe theres no problem. How are we supposed to arrange these marks? They dont bloody move. Seems that putting mana into it doesnt work either, huh. Eh? No, no, I know that you guys only have one of them, but youve still got one of the stone slabs, you know. Could it be that they forgot? Or could it be that they didnt see the marks on the slates properly? Arc-sama, has the guidance of the Holy Sword not given any clues? Sorry, nothing really N-, No! I apologise for asking too much! So even that cheat-sword that even saw through traps cant deal with this stupid puzzle, huh? Im feeling this odd mix of relief and pity Even the Holy Sword from Sacred Goddess-sama cant do a thing? Seriously? Its a pretty hard question, hey? As someone whose specialty is using my body, this kind of thing is a bit much for me. Dont say things like that, and think together with everyone! Huh? Things seriously dont look good. I put that thing there as a bonus question for aesthetics sake, but once they butted heads with it, they got seriously stuck. Collecting the slates from around the 10th floor is annoying, but I thought solving the riddle itself wouldve only taken 2 seconds, but Hey, dont try and slash the pedestal! Its not an ishibitsu either, so stop trying to look for a lid to take off! Cut it out, meatheads! Its not good. I havent the tiniest idea how to get the dungeon master to come out. I thought this place would be a shallow dungeon, so we didnt prepare enough. Its frustrating, but lets withdraw for now. T-, To withdraw right before the dungeon master-! Eh-? Theres no way youll come all the way here only to go home without fighting the boss, right? Itll trouble me too in various ways if I dont find out if you guys or the No Life King are stronger. Hey-, wait! Dont seriously go home! At least put back the slab you took, you thieves! Chapter 15 - Last Boss Battle Chapter 15 C Last Boss Battle Another few days have passed since the shiver-inducing hero party invasion. Their actions which betrayed my expectations in an odd way, and the anti-climax coupled with the tension gave me an intense sense of wasted energy. To damage the dungeon master without even fighting The Hero is fearsome. Those muscleheads can just stay as hero(lol)es. But theres one thing that I realised. In my old world, solving puzzles in dungeons was a matter of course, but in this world, that isnt the case. I unexpectedly drove off the hero party, but thinking about it, the dungeons level of difficulty rising means that the level of my safety rises, so its something I should welcome. And so, Ive decided to try remodelling the 11th to 20th floors by adding puzzles and gimmicks. While recalling the tricks in an RPG I played long ago and using it as reference, I gave adding in various things a try. Quizzes, moving floors, rotating floors, rail carts, switches that you need to press in order, places where you need to fall into the hole on purpose or you wont progress, invisible floors, 2 containers that you have to balance the water levels for, corridors that will infinitely send you back to the start unless you follow a certain path Mn, I might have gone a bit over the top. Well, it is something Im betting my life on, so theres probably no need to hold back. At the very least, that Hero Party probably wont reach the bottom floor for their entire lives. Ah-, of course Ive replaced the stolen stone slabs too. Just as I finished remodelling, feeling satisfied, the sound of the alarm resounded in my ears. Another person has gotten to the 4th floor Wai-, it couldnt be that the Hero Party is already back, could it? Thinking that, I looked at the screen, when I found that a beautiful girl with long silver hair flowing behind her was reflected on the screen. The girl who wore a red outfit that gave the impression of being a mix of a dress and a set of armour wasnt using a sword, and instead ripping apart black iron golems with her bare hands. Name: Leonora Romariel Race: Demon Race Sex: Female Age: 16 Job: Magic Boxer Level: 24 Title: Demon King Successor Demon King? First the Hero, now the Demon King!? Is this dungeon cursed or something? Wai-, looking carefully, it wasnt Demon King but Demon King Successor. Since its a successor, could she be his daughter or something? Its my first time seeing somebody from the demon race, but ignoring the fact that shes an incredible bishoujo, theres no difference with humans appearance-wise. But that power is on a different level. So far there have been other intruders of her level, but however you look at it, she seems even stronger than the Hero Party from the other day. It seems that for a level, each race has their own strength, and it seems that even on the same level, their strength can differ based on their race. To begin with, a person who can make it to the 4th floor by themselves is totally estranged from the human level 20s. Terrifyingly, shes erasing the wraiths with her bare hands even though physical attacks shouldnt work on them Wai-, thats impossible. Ah, could it be that shes attacking with mana clad around her hands? In that case, I can assent to her being able to touch a spirit. Either way, its not the act of a human though. Hmph, is this it? Miss Leonora muttered to herself as she dusted her hands against her dress armour. Seeing that majestic and dignified attitude of hers, if it wasnt for the fact that I saw her Demon Kings Successor title, I might have mistaken her for a battle maiden. Going from just this, it seems that this dungeon master that calls themselves the Evil God isnt a big deal, huh. Before long Ill reach them and beat them down, and make them regret picking a fight with our demon race. Pardon? It seems that Im getting some incredible hatred for something I have no idea about. Call myself the Evil God? When did I do something like that? Shes the first demon Ive ever met, so theres no way I have any memory of picking a fight with them. Unaffected by my confusion, she found the stairs that led to the 5th floor and continued down. The energy she had in advancing was incredible, and she made way downwards at the incredible speed of 1 floor an hour. All the monsters she met on the way were destroyed with just one blow as well, and she didnt slow down at all. I hadnt even imagined that somebody would hit the 10th floor today. Hmhmph, did you think a childs game like this could stop me? Unlike a certain Hero(lol), she cleared the 10th floor pedestal puzzle. Hmm, whats with this? Even though she broke through my puzzle, I want to thank her. Lets not mention that it made her agonise for close to an hour. Upon putting the 3 stone slabs into the pedestal, the wall in front of her split into 2 halves, and opened the way to the audience hall. So it is finally time to meet you. Miss Leonora stepped into the audience room without hesitation. At the end of the luxurious red carpet lay an elevated throne, upon which say the King of the Undead. Welcome, my guest. You are the first one to have reached here. I see. So youre the No Life King mentioned on the pedestal? It seems that you have what it takes to be arrogant, huh. To Miss Leonora who was standing right in front of the throne and gazing at him, the No Life King spoke to her magnanimously. This was the first time that Miss Leonora looked nervous. Indeed, the one before you is the one who governs many retainers, the King of the Undead. Even in the face of a Demon King, I have no intention of kneeling. It seems that you know what I am. I originally planned on just beating you down, but Ive changed my mind. You can just quit being a dungeon master, and serve I who will one day inherit the throne. I said that I would not kneel. Do not push your luck, lass. Despite speaking quietly, the tension between the two reached its climax. Then Ill make you submit by force! Come. Adding the daughter of a demon king to my retainers would also be amusing! The air of tension that had continually built up was ripped apart when the two fired their magic, and a fierce battle began. The battle was fierce to the extreme. When the No Life King shot darkness bullets, Miss Leonora dodged them, and when Miss Leonora let out flames to occupy him, the No Life King used his summoned zombies and skeletons as a shield. High level undead like dullahans and spectres were also summoned and surrounded Miss Leonora, but with mana wrapped around her hands, dense enough that it was visible, she mowed them down without hesitation. It looked like Miss Leonora had the upper hand, but as the battle dragged on, that situation changed. The No Life King and his retainers werent living so they didnt get tired, but even if Leonora was a demon, she was still alive, meaning that she had a limit to her stamina and a long fight was something she ought to avoid. When there was a gap in her concentration because she was out of breath, one of the dullahans arms that had been cut off grabbed her ankle. Because of the unexpected hand, Miss Leonora lost her balance and fell diagonally. The No Life King who excelled at coordinating with his retainers did not overlook this opening, and fired the largest darkness bullet thus far at Miss Leonora. Because she was on the ground, Miss Leonora couldnt avoid it, and being hit dead on she was sent flying for almost 10 metres before hitting the ground. Gu Uu It seems that this is as far as you go. Perhaps to confirm his victory, the No Life King leisurely walked towards Miss Leonora, who was lying face down in agony. Gotcha! However, perhaps her laying down was an act, because the moment the No Life King entered her range, Miss Leonora raised her body and created a flame at her hand. Hmph, cease your futile What!? Although he was in her range, he probably could have dealt with any number of spells created in desperation. However, Miss Leonora exploded the flame magic that fired from her hand on purpose. The out-of-control flame burnt even her own right arm. She jumped towards the No Life King who was frozen from the shock, and with her fist still wrapped in flame, she hit him. Take this! I-, Impossi ble Unable to react to the unexpected attack, the No Life King suffered a direct hit to his chest. The high-pitched sound of his bones breaking rang out, and on top of that, the flames that clad Miss Leonoras arms lit up the robe he was wearing. The No Life King fell backwards, but Miss Leonora who had staked everything on that one punch collapsed forward as well. Laying on the ground, she somehow managed to succeed in putting on the fire on her arm. Hur- -! It seemed that pain shot through her because she stifled a scream as she got up. Even speaking conservatively, with wounds all over and a heavily burnt right arm, youd be right in saying that she was battered, but even so, she was dignified and beautiful. Miss Leonora walked towards the No Life King burning on the ground, and looked down on him. The undead around her had also crumbled because of their lords defeat. To think that you burned yourself to defeat me. Youre a mad girl. As if I did this because I wanted to. I planned on making you submit without destroying you, but I didnt have that leisure. You can feel proud for having driven me this far, O King of the Undead. Haughty to the end, you are Well thats fine n ri sa apo gies The No Life King eventually crumbled away, and only his crown fell to the ground, but that too eventually became dust. Miss Leonora quietly overlooked it. The next moment, the sound of applause rang out through the throne room. Chapter 16 - Filing for Reparations Chapter 16 C Filing for Reparations Hearing the sound of applause ring throughout the throne room, Miss Leonora snapped around, turning her gaze towards the sourcetowards the throne. On the throne that the No Life King had been sitting on earlier was an eerie patchwork doll. Well, its a doll made by me though, since I had the time. I tried making it with Tena as the model, but for some reason Ive always been bad at sewing, so it didnt come out the way I wanted. I tried getting Tena to have a little look to see what she thought of it, but I seriously made her cry. Was it that big of a shock that a doll like that was based on her, or was it simply because she was afraid of it? I still dont know. I thought about throwing it away or rather, I did throw it away, and countless times too, but itd return before I knew it. Mn, seems like its cursed. Its because it took me an hour to make it, so I accidentally enchanted it. I used teleport to place it on the throne, but to be honest there isnt much meaning to the doll. I apparently earned the girls resentment sometime somewhere, so I wanted to try talking to her, but it was scary to meet her directly, so I decided to talk to her through the dungeon core using its voice reception system. But in that case she probably wouldnt know where to face when talking, so I left something random as both a target for speaking, and as my representative. Once I talk to her, my existence will be revealed, but well, even in the worst case scenario, from what I can tell from the battle, if I prepare a number of No Life King level monsters, I should be able to manage somehow. What the hell are you? Im the dungeon master of this dungeon. The doll is just something to represent me, so theres no point in attacking it. If you want it, Ill give it to you after our talk is done. You think anyone would want such an ugly doll? Well, thats right I guess. Id be extremely happy if somebody took this cursed doll away though. Even if I give it away, theres a high chance that itll come back though. But still, the dungeon master, you say? The No Life King from just now wasnt the lord of this place? That was the 10th floor mid-boss. I see. So the lord that the undead king obeys is you, huh? That bastard. Even though he was spouting great lines about not kneeling to even the demon king, to think that he was a dog in the end. A dog, huh. Besides leaving the defence of the 10th floor to himit might have been a her thoughI more or less left him alone, so even now Im not sure if we had something like a master-servant relationship. Well, that doesnt matter anymore. More importantly in other words, the arrogant bastard that Im after is you, then. Miss Leonora glared at the doll. Even though she was all beaten up from her deathmatch with the No Life King, that dreadful gaze of hers projected on the screen made me shiver Not. She probably intended on glaring at me through the doll, but the camera for the dungeon core isnt in the doll but looking at her from an angle instead, so it didnt really feel like I was being glared at. I want to know what youre angry about. Hmph, asking the obvious! Ive come here to give the death penalty to the fool who calls themselves the Evil God! Evil God? ? Why is that what youre getting confused about? Its rumoured amongst the people in town that the Evil God lives in this dungeon, you know! The heck? Youre the first person Ive spoken to as a dungeon master. I have no memory of calling myself something like the Evil God. What? Even if I did have the chance to give my name, I have absolutely zero intention of calling myself the Evil God. But still, Im kind of worried about the rumour in Riemel. Why is it being spread that Im the Evil God? But if there wasnt something to start it off, I dont think such a rumour would appear though. You didnt give your name? Nope. I-, I see When I cleanly denied it, Miss Leonora started to have a cold sweat. Becoming fidgety and restless, her gaze began wandering here and there. In other words it was a stubborn misunderstanding? When I pointed that out, she reacted with a start, and her unrest intensified. Almost like a small child frightened by their parents scolding. Umm I you could say that theres not no chance that thats what happened, or rather The No Life King that I spent 1,000,000 mana points on. Gu- Thats I didnt tell a lie. I can create three each day, so its not really a big deal though. Reparations. I dont really mind, but her reactions are interesting, so Ill try pressuring her a little. Miss Leonora groaned with a sour expression at my words. I-, It cant be helped Ill make it up to you, but, what should I do? Work as the 10th floor mid-boss in his stead. Wha-!? Are you telling me to submit to you!? Ah, crap. Did I get a little carried away? Just now her face turned red and showed her indignation. A temporary hire. Its fine even if we arent master and servant. But It seems that Miss Leonora is extremely picky about master and servant relationships. I said that earlier as half a joke and want to take back my words, but if I say Just kidding. at this point, shed get angry, huh. Got it. Mn? The No Life Kings job. Ill do it in his place. Geh-, if you really did that Id be troubled, you know? However! I have no intention of working under somebody whose face Ive never seen! Ill only agree after meeting you directly and making a judgement! This is something Ill absolutely not budge on! In other words, she wants to have an interview with me? A ploy for a sneak attack? Doesnt seem so. She seems bad at that sort of cunning. Well, once she meets me shell probably get let down and lose her intention of obeying me. Im level 1 after all. Got it. In that case Ill head down now, or so I wanted to say, but she cut me off and declared with a determined expression. Alright, in that case Ill immediately head down to the lowest floor. Wait there for a little! H-, hey Unaffected by me trying to stop her in a fluster, Miss Leonora made way into the path behind the throne. It seems that shes the type of person who becomes really hard to talk to once shes decided on something. No matter how strong she might be, even by the quickest estimates itll probably take her 2 days to get down to the 31st floor. On top of that, the 11th to 20th floors are puzzle-solving floors that you cant brute force your way through, so if she gets stuck on one, itll take forever. Do I have to keep waiting for her all that time? Having said that though, going by how she looks, she doesnt seem like shell listen to a thing I say at this point. It cant be helped. Ill have her continue until she feels satisfied, and once she gives up Ill give her an invitation. Miss Leonora had managed the splendid accomplishment of reaching as far as the 10th floor in a day, but as expected, from the 11th floor onwards, she fell into a slump of 1 floor per day. Day 1, the 11th floor quiz floor. A floor where youd be given 10 questions with 3 choices each, and progressed by getting them correct. If you made a mistake, youd be forcefully sent to the beginning of the floor and forced to redo it all. Aahh, even though I finally got as far as 8 questions!? Unfortunate. Youre returning to the start. YOUDDD!!! Day 2, the 12th floor moving ground floor. When you stepped on a panel with an arrow, youd automatically be moved that way, and flying was forbidden. Unless you carefully planned out where youd get on, you wouldnt be able to progress like you wanted. On a game screen where you could look down from above, it was a puzzle that youd immediately be able to figure out with just a little thinking, but it might be quite difficult once its all spread out in front of you. Arghhhh, even though I could see the stairs right in front of me-! Slow and steady wins the race. Day 3, the 13th floor rotating floor. Its a gimmick where the floor rotates everywhere. All of the rooms were circular and the exits were all equally spaced apart, so once you got spun around, you wouldnt know which way to go. And while you were there, if you span too much I, I veel zick. As a fellow warrior[samurai], Ill shut my eyes and ears to this. Ah-, when was it that I said that I wasnt a samurai again? As youd expect it was really too pitiful, so I teleported in a cup of water for her. Day 4DDD Isnt it about time to give up? D-, Dont joke with me. I-, I can still go on So she said, but however you looked at it, she had lost quite a bit of spirit compared to before. Even looking on as a bystander, you could tell that her spirit was about to break. By the way, because Miss Leonora assumed that it would be a shallow dungeon, she came in almost completely empty handed, and of course she didnt have a single ration with her. I found that I couldnt just watch her challenge the quizzes while her stomach growled, so I sent in bread and soup. On the first day, Miss Leonora was stubborn and wouldnt eat the food, but once the second day came, perhaps because she couldnt bear the hunger, she reluctantly ate. T-, To begin with, whats with this!? This mountain of tricks! Anti-musclehead measures. Who are you calling a musclehead! You, once I get to the lowest floor youre going to get a good punch! I wonder if I should stop sending food. Wha-!? S-, Starvation tactics are for cowards! I dont want to hear that from somebody who didnt bring any provisions. To begin with, theres no other dungeon that provides reception as good as 3 meals a day, so Id like her to be a little thankful. By the way, theres something Id like to ask, but, how just many floors does this dungeon have? Ah-, has she finally realised? Honestly, I think she should have asked this to begin with though. Knowing how many floors there are would provide a hint on how to conquer the dungeon so I cant really make it public, but if its just her then I guess its fine. From our conversations so far, I can tell that she isnt the sort to spread this around after all. 31 floors. Thir-!? Miss Leonora paled, speechless. Despite having advanced through the dungeon while enduring hardships, she still hadnt even reached the halfway point, so I guess its natural. Having said that, even if the 21st to 30th floor exist, they still arent finished yet, so the hardest part of the dungeon are the middle floors that shes on right now, but I dont think Ill tell her. Giving up? Gu- Certainly at this rate, I cant help but agree that itll be difficult to reach the bottom floor, but if I dont make it to the lowest floor, I wont be able to see you, right? When I spoke to you on the 10th floor, I had planned to head to where you were. What!? Then, my three days of toil were Its what you reap for deciding not to listen. Being poked where it hurt, Miss Leonora fell into silence. I get it. Its frustrating, but Ill give up on getting there. Seeing her say that with a reluctant expression, I patted my chest in relief. It looked like conquering the 11th floor and down had amassed quite alot of resentment, so if she made it to the bottom floor by her own strength Id probably get beat up, so I was secretly trembling with fear. She probably isnt shameless enough that shed beat me even after giving up and then being invited here. From the very beginning, I didnt intend on having her act as the midboss, but having talked to her for these three days, I know that shes a pleasant person, and Id be happy if we could build a friendly relationship. Got it. Ill prepare a teleportation circle for you so get on it. At first I had planned on inviting her into the residential area, but just in case by some chance negotiations got violent, I decided to meet her somewhere else. Well, judging by her personality, I dont think thatll happen though. The 30th floor boss room is just the room right now with no boss in it yet, so its just right. By the way, Ive already deployed the 20th floor boss. I summoned a living armour made of orihalcon and tried enchanting it with divine protection while I was at it, but it turned into something brutal. I was thinking of placing on the 30th floor a dragon thats so common to fantasy worlds, but since I was doing it anyway, I might as well make it the strongest one, I thought, so Im saving up mana in the dungeon core right now. Eh? Wasnt I limiting the monsters to non-living ones so that I wouldnt kill anyone, you ask? Well, heroic warriors who could make it this far will probably be fine. Mn? I thought that non-living monsters would be safe since they wouldnt disobey me without an ego, but when he was defeated by Miss Leonora, the No Life King spoke, didnt he? I wonder why. I moved to the 30th floor and then sat down properly on the throne. Neither my personality nor clothing have any trace of dignity, so I have to try my best to look even a little more proper. Speaking of which, Ive established thrones like in the 10th floor boss room, and in the 20th and 30th as well, but thinking about it carefully, neither of the bosses are the right size to sit on a chair made for humans They ended up being useless. Well, theyre serving me like this now, so maybe they were useful after all. While I was thinking about things, the large doors opened with a groan. The teleport circle that Miss Leonora used brought her to the room before this one, so shes properly arrived. When I turned to look at the entrance, I could see a girl with silver hair in a red armoured dress. I waited for her to enter the room, but she showed no signs of moving at all. Could it be that she cant enter unless shes given permission? Or so I was wondering, but she eventually slowly made way into the room. From my point of view, she was pale enough that I was worried for her, and I could see sweat was running from her face. She walked slowly and after a few minutes arrived at a place 10 metres away from me, when she stopped still. Itll be hard to talk like this, so Id have liked her to have come closer, but well, its not a distance that we cant hear each other, so I guess this is fine. Nice to meet Please excuse my actions! you? She suddenly dogezad at me. Speaking of which, I get the feeling that the explanation for the mystic eyes said something about being strong enough to have a demon king dogeza. A terror strong enough to make the daughter of the demon king dogeza as well perhaps? Um, I deeply apologise for my many acts of rudeness! If its something I can do, I will do anything! So, please please have mercy on my countrymen! Why did it turn into a scene where I looked like I was going to attack the Demon Race Territory? I havent the tiniest intention of doing that, you know. No, you really need to I beg of you, please punish me alone. listen to me. I got irritated at the conversation going nowhere, and unconsciously pulled out my tantou and threw it. The cursed tantou pierced right in front of her eyes, and Miss Leonora let out a voiceless scream. Raise your head, and stand. H-, However Just do it. I spoke a little overbearingly and forced her to stand. Miss Leonora snapped up and stood still at attention. Im not angry. Eh? I have no intention of punishing you either. T-, Truly!? Miss Leonora who seemed truly relieved even had tears form at her eyes. Im not mad at whats happened up until now, but rather, its the back-and-forth we had just then that annoyed me, you know. And also, about the 10th floor boss R-, Right! Of course I shall carry out my duties with all my heart! You dont need to do it. Pardon? The other day I said it half-jokingly, but if she actually did that, Id be troubled. If the daughter of the demon king did something like work as a mid-boss, Id be liable to make enemies of both the human race and the demon race. As for the 10th floor boss, I can just create a No Life King again. Or rather, after Miss Leonora continued down to the 11th floor, Id already created a new one and deployed him already. Mysteriously he knew my name from the start, but I wonder why. In exchange, theres a favour Id like to ask. W-, Whatever you would like! I want you to be my friend. F-, Friend? It was from beyond the screen, but the three days that I spent talking to her was quite enjoyable. Its a shame that shes frightened because of my skill, but even so, Id like to think that theres room to get along enough that she wont run away even so. In the worst case scenario, since I already know that we can talk to each other normally once separated across the screen, both considering my feelings, as well as her position as the daughter of the demon king, if possible Id like to get along with her. U-, Understood! Please allow me to humbly become your friend. Were friends, so you dont need the keigo. Unders Got it. My first friend in this world, GET. I didnt threaten her into it. I didnt, right? TL Note: so Ill try pressuring her a little. The pressuring is actually repeatedly attacking with questions etc. to press her for an answer. Chapter 17 - Girls’ Talk Chapter 17 C Girls Talk I recently found out that jashin(evil god) is translated by Google Translator (CN>EN) as Cthulu. Remember that Sacred Goddess comes with the implication of Holy Woman-esque Deity. The kukuku here is probably stifled laughter, and not My name is Leysis Vi Felicity Sumeragi.-type kukuku. Speaking of which, are you the daughter of the Demon King, Leonora? Mn? Yeah, thats right. The current Demon King is my father. I invited Leonora, who had signed the friendship contract, down to the residential area and had tea with her after having her take a bath. She cleaned up that dirt and blood stained appearance of hers and we moved to the living room and drank the black tea that Tena brewed. She was stiff at first, but perhaps because she gradually got used to it, we progressed to being able to call each other by the name. Only, she wont meet my eyes. It seems that the Evil God Aura has an immediate effect on beasts and monsters whose instinct is strong, but to demons and humans whose reasoning is strong, the effect is equally weak. On the other hand, the effect of the mystic eyes apparently works just fine, and when our gazes meet, shell immediately dogeza. I wonder if I should count myself lucky just that she isnt running away. Im paying attention so that I dont accidentally meet eyes with her. I heard that the Demon King revives once he dies, but is that true? As if thats possible! I got told off. Asking her in detail, I found out that the Demon King doesnt revive, but is apparently just passed on as a title. The previous Demon King from a few decades ago that Tena mentioned is probably Leonoras grandfather. Even when they get defeated, the next generation steps up to take their place, which is probably why weird rumours spread amongst the humans. If youre the Demon Kings daughter, then youre the princess of the demon race Why are you in a place like this? Although its near the Demon Race Territory, this is clearly in human territory. It seems weird to me that shes here. The Romariel family has a custom of having the Demon King Successor go on a journey by themselves in order to become an adult. I wasnt headed anywhere in particular, but I was thinking that I wanted to have a look once at the Human Race Territory, so I came here. Its a custom that Ive heard of someplace else. But still, to even think of being a princess who marched into enemy territory by herself, she sure has fire. I thought that the Demon King was in the Demon King Castle. No, that way of thinking isnt wrong. Because the Demon King has a lot of influence, from the moment he ascends the throne, he cant freely go out anymore. Thats why while Im still only a successor is probably one of the reasons for the custom as well. I see. So this is also the last period where they can ignore responsibility, huh? Its like going on a trip after graduating from uni Hm, maybe thats a little different. How long is your journey? It isnt really fixed. I dont have any plans of coming back until I have some kind of achievement though. Achievement? Like defeating the Hero thats the enemy of the Demon Race, or maybe winning over someone useful as an ally I guess. I suddenly understood Leonoras circumstances, as she made an extremely displeased expression for some reason. Did you come to this dungeon for that reason too? Gu- Thats right. I was thinking that Id hand down punishment on the fraud Evil God, and depending on the circumstances, Id make them into my underling. I see. I dont know what kind of position the Evil God holds amongst the Demon Race, but at the very least, its someone that you wouldnt be forgiven for selfishly impersonating. Having said that though, its unbearable being attacked due to a misunderstanding even though I never called myself the Evil God, so Id like her to do some serious reflecting. Then can I ask you this instead, Anri? I nodded to her question. You said that you were given that power by the Evil God, but I wasnt sure if she would believe that I came from another world etc. so Ive kept that part from her just like Tena, but as for being a human that was given this title and these skills by an evil god, Ive already told Leonora. Honestly speaking, the person himself didnt call himself the Evil God. Im just guessing based on the names of the title and skills. Hmm Leonora sank into thought about something after I replied. When I wordlessly prompted her for an explanation, she averted her eyes and began speaking. No, its not that Im doubting your words, but the Evil God shouldnt really exist. ? The people of Riemel and you used the term Evil God. Dont you call it that because he exists? Certainly, there exists the word and concept of the Evil God. But the deity known as the Evil God doesnt exist. Is this some kind of riddle? What she said doesnt really exist doesnt sound quite like shes denying the existence of gods. It seems that Leonora said that with the belief that gods exist, but the Evil God doesnt. The Evil God is an imaginary god created by the human race. An imaginary god? That evil god was imaginary? I actually met and talked to him though. Yeah. Anri, how much do you know about the gods? I heard that the God of Light that created the worldSacred Goddess Sofia, battles against the Evil God that tries to destroy the world, and leads the people through divine protection and revelations. I heard about this from the rumours, but hearing it again really is shocking. Shes kind of looking at me really pitifully, but she wont look me in the eyes, so Im just guessing through. Only, I dont have any information source about the myths of this world except for what I heard from Tena, so Ill be troubled if Leonora looks at me like that. Very well. Its a bit of a long story, but Ill tell you the true myths passed down in the demon race. Itll apparently be a long story, so I called Tena and had her brew some more tea. Since shes bringing it over anyway, Ill have her listen to the story as well. I wont be able to compare it to the myths that the humans have by myself, after all. The world was created by the one and only god, the Creator God. The Creator God created various animals as the inhabitants of the world, and finally, with the Creator Gods own form as the basis, they created humans. Up until here, Tena hasnt objected and has been nodding along. There were various myths in my old world, but creation myths were all relatively similar I think. The human race received the favour of the Creator God, and prospered to the extreme, but that immediately reached the limit. In a world with no natural predators, there grew to be too many humans, because they couldnt gain enough food. So the balance of the food chain collapsed? Without any natural predators, that seems certainly likely, but this is quite scientific for a myth. The Creator God gave food to the human race who entreated for help, but at the same time, worried about the situation, the Creator God took countermeasures. They created the natural enemies of the human race in order to bring the world to harmony the demon race. The demon race was born, and fulfilling its duties, it opposed and attacked the human race, decreasing their numbers. With the demon race who was stronger than humans, yet less fertile than humans, as the natural enemy of the humans, peace was born. That cant be Tena was stunned at the story that was so different from the myths that she knew, but certainly, with a small-numbered strong foe standing on top, youd get the food chain back into balance, and makes more sense than the human myths that I heard form Tena. However, the Creator God was tormented by their own actions. There was no choice but to torment the beloved humans for the sake of their prosperity The result of that self-contradiction was that the Creator God split themselves into three parts. Most of their power was separated into preserving the world, while their remaining power and mind was split into two. The two parts of the divided mind became the God of Light and God of Darkness, and they split the things that they governed into twothe sun and the moon, the day and the night, the human race and the demon race, or so it is. Tena couldnt even form words. Its probably already quite divorced from her common sense. Thats the myth passed down in the demon race. Those called gods comprise only the God of Light and God of Darkness. There is no god known as the Evil God. Certainly, if you take the demon races myths as true, then the two gods are beings born from the Creator God, and arent separated by good and evil, or right and wrong. The God of Darkness sounds exactly evil, but itd be like the Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto in Japanese myths. To begin with, the Sacred Goddess was something that the human race themselves attached to the God of Light afterwards, to strengthen the gods authority. And for that sake, they proposed a fictitious Evil God as the enemy, and so the God of Light ended up fighting against it. Couldnt they have just had the God of Light fight the God of Darkness? Its just a guess, but I think that as youd expect, they didnt have the guts to go against the God of Darkness himself. Um, excuse me, I heard that the Evil God that the Sacred Goddess battled against governed darkness, but Ahh, its obvious that if they didnt clearly say anything, the idea that the Evil God was the god of darkness would come up. Thats why the demon race finds both the words evil god and the worship of the Evil God something detestable. I see. So they hate it because its something that shows contempt for the God of Darkness that they worship. Is that why Leonora was going to punish the swindler who called himself the Evil God? But theres something she said thats been on my mind. They worship the Evil God? Even though its fictional? Its fictional, but only a handful of humans know that, even though its something that the human race created. Even if its a fictitious story, as long as the people up top spread it around, its natural that people will think of it as the truth. Its a weird fact, but there are apparently humans who worship the Evil God in earnest, you know. There were Satanic cults and demon worship in my old world too, so I guess theres nothing weird about such people existing. I cant sympathise though. I understand what the Evil God is now. I dont know what the guy I met was, though Yeah. Even if we debate it now, it wont be anything but a guess. For now, Ill just think of that evil god as the Evil God(?). I understand about the God of Light and God of Darkness, but what about the Hero and Demon King? The Demon King is a being that the God of Darkness brought forth to lead the demon race. And the ones brought forth by the God of Light for the sake of the humans afraid of the Demon King threat, are called the Heroes. Isnt this putting the cart before the horse? According to what Ive heard, the threat of the Demon King is someone who plays a key role in making sure that humans dont increase too much, so its supposed to be problematic if you eliminate the threat. Perhaps sensing my doubt, Leonora gave a bitter smile as she began to continue. I know what you want to say. If the Demon King or demon race are defeated, then theyre right back where they started, and in that respect, the Creator Gods goal and God of Lights actions create a contradiction. By separating from the God of Darkness, the God of Light specialises in favouring the humans after all, so thats why things ended up the way they are. I see. Then what does the demon race think of the Hero? From the demon races point of view, even though theyre attacking humans to carry out the role given to them by god, gods underling ends up attacking them, so if you had to ask if it was unreasonable or not, then it was unreasonable. The God of Lights wishes dont matter. To us, the only god we worship is the God of Darkness, after all. The opinion of the demon races is that the Hero is just a strong opponent. I see. Speaking of the Hero, they came to this dungeon the other day. What? What were they like? I told Leonora about the Hero(lol) party that invaded this dungeon the other day. When I told her that they were muscle-brains that ran away even though they came as far as the 10th floor, she held her sides, bursting into laughter. Pff-, ku-ku-ku T-, They got depressed over that puzzle and gave up, going home? AHAHAHAHAHA-! It looked like the even the Holy Swords guidance couldnt solve the puzzle. I-, Im begging you, dont make me laugh any more M-, My sides are splitting I-, It hurts ku-ku-ku-!!! Seeing her continue to laugh in tears, I started to feel like a little mischief. You were stumped for an hour too, though. PFFT-!? Y-, You were watching!? The moment I commented, Leonora turned shocked and bright red, and averted her eyes. What she was ridiculing the Hero(lol) Party for came back like a boomerang and pierced her. F-, From what I hear, that Hero seems to be an Orthodox Hero, huh. Ah. Shes trying to distract me. I could poke at her some more, but her words have me wondering, so Ill leave it for now. Whats an Orthodox Hero? Are there different types of Heroes too? Yeah, its a classification that our demon side came up with. Has that made the idea unfamiliar to the humans? Amongst the demon race, those called Heroes amongst the public are separated into three types. The people of this world who gain the divine protection of the God of Light are the Orthodox Heroes, the ones summoned from another world are the Summoned Heroes, and the ones who arbitrarily declare themselves heroes are the Self-Proclaimed Heroes. From least to most troublesome, you have the Summoned Heroes, the Orthodox Heroes, and the Self-Proclaimed Heroes. Are Other World Summonings something that happens often? Or maybe there are other people in this world that are in the same situation as me. I dont have any intent of going out of my way to find them, but if we met by chance, itd be nice to have a chat, huh. But still, isnt the order that Leonora gave kind of strange? You didnt get the order wrong? The Self-Proclaimed Hero sounds the weakest, but Yeah, they are. Hm, if you arrange it from strongest to weakest, its still Summoned Hero, Orthodox Hero, Self-Proclaimed Hero. The chance that someone summoned from another world has powerful skills is high, so there are lots of them that are stronger than Orthodox Heroes. So its normal even in this world that summoned people have OP skills, huh? Speaking of OP skills, mine probably count in a way, but honestly speaking, Id like to pass them over to someone else. Then why is the Self-Proclaimed Hero the most annoying one? Even though theyre weak, they pop up one after another without end. Whats more, most of them arent much different from hoodlums, you know? Going around killing, raping, stealing as they please, theyre no different than bandits. Theyre the highest priority target amongst we demons. Ahh, I guess it makes sense that self-alleged heroes with no qualifications would be massive attention seekers and self-centred, huh. I see. Then what about Summoned Heroes being the easiest to deal with? They have powerful skills so when you fight them theyre strong, but to begin with theyre not people from this world, after all, so they dont have much reason to fight. Most of the time you can avoid them by using their weak point, or by winning them over. Theres even the statistics that when the Demon King is a woman, or when they have a little sister or daughter, the Hero changes sides over 80% of the time. Thats terrible. But well, I guess people wholl agree after being suddenly kidnapped and told to fight would be in the minority, huh. By the way, I have a request. Mn? What? Now that weve finished discussing the basics of the Heroes, I remembered that there was something I wanted to ask of her. Please teach magic to Tena and I. Since Ive already made friends with somebody who seems like theyd be able to use darkness magic, Id like to take this chance to have her teach us. Both Tena and I only have the skill without any knowledge, so it was just pearls thrown before swine. To give an example, its like somebody with pro baseball level batting skills, but zero knowledge of the game, I guess. If darkness magic was also like the dungeon master skills in that I could just use it somehow, things would be a lot easier, but it seems that not everything can go so well. Or it could be that being able to just somehow use dungeon related abilities isnt because of the skills, but because of my title. Its not as if I wont teach you, but darkness magic is specific to the demon race, you know? You are technically humans, arent you? That technically was unnecessary. Its fine. We have the skills. What? Ah, is that also a skill that the Evil God gave you? Then fine, I dont mind. Alright! Instructor, GET. With this, I too make my debut as a mahou shoujo; Jashin Shoujo Terrible Anri starts n- ever. I dont think Ill have a chance to use magic in the future either, but theres probably no loss in learning it for self-defence when the time comes. If I had to say, then rather than me whos a hikikomori, its more necessary to Tena who goes out to town, though. * * * Whats more, three hours later, that Leonora ended up sitting on the floor, hugging her knees with a distant look is not my fault. I-, I even lost to Tena Umm, Im sorry? Thats okay. A student is someone whos supposed to surpass their teacher, you know. Well, we only beat her in magic though. Chapter 18 - Mad Feast Chapter 18 C Mad Feast Ive turned the entrance part of the dungeon into a fairly large hall. Because its also the place that I chuck all the unconscious adventurers of all the other floors to, Ive made it into a place with extra room. Enough room that people could hold a bit of a gathering there. When you add on the fact that monsters cant enter the room with the entrance, as well as the fact that there would be nobody reckless enough to go out of their way to come to a dungeon at night, it means deep in the night, that there wouldnt be anyone to get in your way. But that doesnt mean you can hold your damned sabbaths here. Leonora who had become my friend the other day promised to visit again before continuing her journey, but the rumour she heard in Riemelthat the Evil God was living in this dungeonwas on my mind, so I had Tena head to town to investigate. The result was that I discovered that there were two sources to that rumour. The first was 1~2 months ago, when around the time that the dungeon transformed, there was an attack on a church belonging to the Sacred Light Church. In the middle of broad daylight, some being attacked the church, easily broke through the barrier that should have repelled evil, and then left with a sneer. The second was a certain piece of equipment found in this dungeon. The sword blessed by the Evil God contained a terrifying curse and power, and was guessed to have been directly enchanted by the Evil God. Because of these two facts, a rumour about the Evil God living in this dungeon began to be spread. I have no idea what those two incidents are about. Absolutely no idea, I said. * I dont know how far the rumours spread, but at the very least, its apparently been spread enough that Evil God worshippers have gathered in large numbers. This is something that Im realising keenly enough that Im getting a headache because of what Im seeing on screen. There was a bonfire lit in the middle of the room, and whats more, I dont know where they brought it from, but oddly they have a large cauldron on top of it. There was a suspicious liquid boiling inside the cauldron, and it was surrounded by a faint pink smoke. Im seeing this through a screen so I dont know how it smells, but it isnt hard to imagine that theres a strong odour spread throughout that room. Surrounding the bonfire were close to a hundred people looking the way they did when they were brought into this world, and displaying shameful behaviour. There were those dancing madly with all their heart, as well as those embracing each other and indulging in each others bodies nearby. Perhaps the smoke thats filling the room is some sort of drug, but everyone seems to be in ecstasy. Truly a mad frenzy of a feast, befitting of being called a black sabbath. It definitely doesnt feel like I can stay sane watching this scene, but as the master of this dungeon, I have to properly observe them. Im definitely not peeking on them because Im hugely curious. As the feast went on, their excitement grew even further, until it finally reached the climax. Amongst the screams, only one person remained clothed and stepped forward into the centre of the room. He was a young blonde man, who looked to be in the early half of his 20s, and with a handsome face, was clad in a priests outfit. When he stood in front of the cauldron, he raised his right hand before the followers before him. That moment, the frenzied feast stopped all at once, and a tense silence filled the room. We now begin the ritual of offerings! To the young priests voice, shouts of joy that surpassed even the feast thus far spread through the room as though tearing apart the silence. In the midst of this abnormal atmosphere, four large men carried forth a stone table, and placed it before the young priest. Since they said offerings, are they going to perform a sacrificial ritual? Usually goats are sacrificed, right? Judging from the atmosphere I can see on screen, Im getting a bad feeling, though. As though confirming my premonitions, what they brought forth was a girl of about 8 years old, dressed in a plain outfit. With chestnut hair that reached her shoulders, the girl had her hands bound before her, and a gag stuffed in her mouth, and was being forcefully brought out in front of them. And then, perhaps realising that she was going to be attacked, with tears in her eyes she frantically tried to resist, but it was just the strength of a young child after all, and she could only offer a meagre resistance. When she was brought to the stone altar, she was stripped of what she was wearing, and with her hands pulled out above her head, her hands and legs were bound and fixed to the altar by a rope that ran along under it. NnnnnnDDDDDD!! The girl tried to kick and struggle, but the rope tightly stopped her, and the best she could do was twist her body a little. While looking down at the girl, the young priest brought out a dagger from his pocket. To that deadly weapon that glinted in the light, the girl shook her head as though saying no, no, but there was nobody there that cared. O god of ours, please accept our humble offering. Having said that, the young priest aimed the overhead dagger at the girls heart, and unwaveringly brought it down, and wai-, thats no joke! I was being overwhelmed by this unreal spectacle, but suddenly coming back to my senses, I flusteredly activated the transfer circle above the altar, and teleported the girl to where I was. After an instant of light, the bound and gagged girl was lying down in front of me. It was some pretty close timing so, feeling worried, I checked how the girl was, but there was no blood coming out of that young chest of hers. I was touching the centre of her chest to check it out, but perhaps because of the fear of almost being killed, her heart was currently pounding away. However, I could at least feel a definite heartbeat. It seems that I made it in time. ..* While I was feeling relieved, the high pitched sound of something breaking reached my ears. Wondering what it was, I turned around, and what reached my eyes was Tena standing at the entrance to the room, and fragments of porcelain scattered by her feet. It seems that Tena had intended on bringing me tea, but accidentally dropped and broke the tea set. I was going to tell her to clean it up seeing as she showed no signs of moving for some reason, but seeing the expression on her face made me swallow my words. A-, Anri-sama Shock, anger, grief, despair with an expression filled with those mixed emotions, she was looking my way, stiffened up. I have no intention of scolding her that badly just for breaking a tea set though. W-, Wh-, Who is that child? Her words reminded me that it wasnt just me in her gaze, and that she was looking at the little girl who was the other person in the room. Seeing the girl who was looking up at me with tearful eyes and a terrified expression, I suddenly and calmly came back to myself, and tried looking at our situation from an objective point of view. A little girl of about 8 years old was stripped nude, with her hands and feet bound and her mouth gagged with tears in her eyes. And seemingly looming over that girl was I, who was touching her slim chest. I-, Its a pervert Wai-, thats wrong! Having understood how I looked, I tried to explain to Tena in a fluster, and turned towards her. I can expla- -! Before I could call out to her, Tena burst out of the room in tears. Wai-, stop. Dont run. At least tidy up the broken tea set. Its become quite a headache. If I dont properly explain things to Tena later, itll become a fixed impression that not only am I into other women, I have a preference for little girls. I also have to do something about this girl thats bound and lying on the floor. But what I really need to urgently deal with before anything else, is the sabbath with the vanished sacrifice. Because it was something I did in the spur of the moment, I have to fix it up somehow. Whats more, I dont want something like this to happen again either, so I need to do something about that as well. And so, Ill be undoing your bindings later, but sorry, Ill need to have you lying on the ground for a little longer, girl. When I looked at the screen, the followers were naturally in a great uproar about the sacrifice that disappeared the instant it was killed. There were also people who were terrified because of this unforseen incident happening during a holy ritual. But when the young priest with the dagger turned around and raised his hand, the uproar quieted down. Have you all not seen it yourself!? Our god has accepted our humble offering. After the followers quieted down for an instant, they raised an explosive cheer. After the young priest gave a satisfied nod, he turned back to the altar and waited there silently. He was probably thinking that the god they worshipped would show a response, and was continuing to wait there, hoping for a reaction. In this situation, itll get troublesome if I dont respond, huh? I really just want to ignore this and go to sleep, but if I do that, I cant predict what these guys will do. Now then, what should I do? After having snatched the girl myself, I doubt theyd listen if I told them at this point that I didnt need sacrifices after all, and if I gave the girl back, shed probably be killed. Having said that though, if I praise them well done, then the possibility that theyll continue to do this from now on is high. Untasty. After thinking about it, I decided to compromise. Its a tactic where I tell them that I didnt like the sacrifice they gave me, and next time to bring something else. Ah-, I forgot to use the cursed Tena doll. Well, I guess thats fine this time. Eh-? Ah- Please excuse us! Umm, did it not suit your esteemed palate? Humans, demons, unpalatable. Oxen, pigs, chickens, goatsanimals recommended. U-, Understood! U-, Um I am truly sorry to trouble you, but is there no mistake in that you are our god? Perhaps they felt something wrong with my lack of Evil God-ness, but it seems they were doubting me a little. But telling me to play the Evil God well is unreasonable, so I hope theyll cut me some slack on that. Indeed. Oohhh! Receiving your words is the acme of honour! Although it did not suit my palate, it is true that you have done me service with your offering. As such, I bestow this staff. I enchanted a staff that I got from a mage that invaded, and teleported it atop the altar in front of the young priest. Im a fake Evil God, but the enchantment is the real thing, so I can probably dodge most of the suspicion if I hand this over. T-, This is!? T-, To think that I would be granted a divine weapon-! After the young priest reverently picked up the staff that I left on the altar, first he was shocked, then he cried tears of joy. Continue to be zealous in your faith. Understood-! Seeing the young priest bow deeply beyond the screen, I felt relieved at having somehow dealt with it. I saw onscreen that the young priest had held up the staff and was giving a speech to the followers, but I dont care anymore. Even if this happens again, theyll just be sending me food, so Ill just think of this as a good bargain. * Ive dealt with the issue of the sabbath now, so I undid the bindings on the girl who was still lying on the floor. I was wondering why she was so silent, but apparently she had passed out from the terror. I think she was still conscious when she was teleported in here, but I wonder when she fainted. While wondering about this, Tena who had burst out from the room earlier entered the office. Tena? Wondering what was up since Tena showed no signs of moving, I called out to her when with a determined expression, she suddenly took off the miko outfit that she was wearing. Stripped down to her underwear, amongst the youthfulness of her age, was just the slightest hint of seductiveness. Perhaps because she was shy, that white skin of hers, illuminated by the lamp in the room, was tinged faintly red. Um Anri-sama. If you really want to no matter what, then I Hearing her words, I unconsciously stretched my hand towards her * and shot her in the face with a darkness bullet. Im straight. Theres no sign of any men around me though. After having returned to her senses, Tena cleaned up the broken tea set and taken some basic care of the girl, I explained to her what happened and somehow managed to resolve her misunderstanding. Having properly understood the situation, Tena turned bright red and apologised, but I wont forgive her. I do think that her misunderstanding couldnt be helped given the scene that she saw, but Im not happy with how she acted afterwards, so Ive decided not to let her off so easily, and punish her instead. Even if I say punishment, its not like itll be anything weird; Im just going to have her sit in seiza for an hour. Is that all? you might think, but to people of this world who arent used to seiza, staying in that unfamiliar posture should be quite a tough punishment. As proof of that, after an hour passed, her legs were numb enough that she couldnt stand, and she was suffering on the ground. Seeing this made me feel a little mischievous, so I lightly poked at Tenas leg. Hii-!? Tena gave a sensitive response as her upper body jumped up, but apparently moving her body made her numb legs tingle, so she writhed about like a caterpillar. Deeply impressed by this wonderful reaction, I continued to poke at Tena who was trying to escape. -poke poke- Ah-! Sto-! Y-, You cant! Please dont poke mee! -poke poke- This is kind of fun. * And so, what will you do with that girl? Perhaps because the numbness had finally gone, Tena was standing up now, but her face was still tinged red, and her eyes were oddly teary. Because of her reaction I accidentally got into teasing her, but if I do it any more I think shell dislike me for real, so Ill stop it here. By girl, she was probably referring to the sacrificial girl that she had taken care of just a while ago. Tena gave her a bath and a change of clothes, and she was now sleeping on a bed in the bedroom. Ill return her to her parents. Obviously. I dont know where they abducted this girl from, but considering both the issue of proper morals and the issue of avoiding troublesome things, returning her to her parents should be the best answer. But, that girl seems to be a slave I unconsciously froze at Tenas words. Slave? Yes. She was wearing a collar. She was wearing, a collar? I was in a rush, so I dont remember it well. But now that you mention it, I do get the feeling that the clothing that she was originally wearing was the kantoui for slaves. Crap. If shes a slave, then this changes things quite a bit. If one of the cultists from just now was the master that bought her, then it was their right to decide what to do with this girl, and actually, I who saved the girl just became a thief. If she was abducted then I thought I could search for her parents, and maybe find them, but if she was sold as a slave, then I dont have much chance in that either. Theres nothing I can do. And so, what do you plan on doing? Tena asked me this as though trying to finish me off, when I had sunken into silence. What do I do? ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* Hii-!? When our eyes met, the adorable girl with chestnut-hair gave a spasmed cry, and hid behind Tena. Its a spectacle that Ive gotten used to over these last few days, and the girl in question is the sacrifice from the other day. We managed to find out that her name was Lili, and that she had lost her parents in an epidemic, but apparently she didnt really know anything more than that, and we still dont know where she came from, or how she came to be a slave. In the end, I couldnt think of any ideas, so I decided that wed raise her in this dungeon for a while at least. From what weve heard, it seems that itll be impossible to return her to her parents. Lili, Anri-sama isnt scary, you know? Incidentally, the one who found all this out was Tena, not me. Lili had apparently grown attached to Tena who had taken care of her, and always follows her around. In contrast, shes afraid of me, and just as you saw just now, even when I try to talk to her, she immediately runs away from me. While seeing the two of them getting along like sisters, I sighed. Chapter 19 - Starvation Tactics Chapter 19 C Starvation Tactics The goals of the intruders who come to this dungeon are varied, but if I had to roughly classify them, theyd be those looking for money, and those looking for fame. If you succeeded in conquering a dungeon, youd receive quite a reward after all, and if that dungeons level of difficulty was high, then your name and fame would spread. With the spread of the Evil God rumours, I was worried that my income sourc- I mean, the number of adventurers would decline, but I really didnt have to worry because they began to increase instead. Apparently even the guild was getting frustrated with the lack of progress with the dungeon capture, and increased the reward. Drawn by the promise of 100 gold coins, each day an average of 10 parties would come to the dungeon in challenge, and after using up all their strength in the top floors, theyd be thrown out to the upper floors. At present, nobody has reached the redeployed No Life King yet. * However, since 3 days ago, the intruders suddenly stopped coming. * I was spending each day toiling away at assorting the weapons and armour since they were always being collected and sent in, but suddenly nothing was coming. Wondering what was going on, I had a look at each of the dungeon floors, but they were filled with only monsters, and not a trace of an intruder. On the first day, I was being optimistic and thinking Well, I guess there are days like this too.. On the second day, I began to think Somethings wrong.. And then today, on the third day, having decided that there was something abnormal about the situation, I decided to have Tena secretly search around the dungeon. ..* Anri-sama, its terrible! The area around the dungeon has been sealed off! Having come back into the dungeon through a back entrance after I told her to check the surroundings, Tena came flying in with a changed expression. Sealed off? Who did, and why? Did the Adventurers Guild create a blockade because of the dangers of this dungeon? But there hasnt been a single death yet, and in a sense, this is the safest dungeon in the world. I dont think thered be a reason for the guild to do such a thing. I do not know! There are people gathered near the entrance to the dungeon and working on some kind of project, and among them are people creating a blockade and forcefully turning back the adventurers who are coming here from town! A project near the dungeon entrance? At the very least, as long as theyre forcefully turning away adventurers, it probably isnt something the Adventurers Guild is doing, and if it was the Guild, they could just withdraw the reward after all. Its no good. Just hearing what Tena said doesnt help me understand the situation at all. Thinking that I might figure something out if I had a look with my own eyes, I got off my fat butt. Just as I was about to teleport into the rear exit, I remembered that Leonora taught me darkness magic and I now had a means of observing things from a distance. If I used that, there wouldnt be a need to go all the way outside Wai-, in that case, does that mean that I didnt need to send Tena out either? This was supposed to be a good chance for me to go outside for the first time in a while, but it seems that my hikikomori lifestyle got extended. It feels like Ill get fat from the lack of exercise. Ah-, the fat butt that I mentioned earlier isnt a physical description, so dont misunderstand. I was talking about the possibility of getting fat in the future, and by no means am I fat right this moment. As you can see, even my stomach is -squish- ah- I teleported a crow that I made of mana to the back entrance of the dungeon. I wasnt using the dungeon cores screen, and instead was using a mirror made from darkness magic that showed me what the crow heard and saw. Though it had the benefit of not necessarily being limited to the dungeon, in exchange there was a need to move the crow from place to place which wouldnt be instant, so it used more mana than my abilities as a dungeon master. But as for the mana expenditure, going from how much mana I have, it really isnt much, so I dont really mind all that much. After flying out from the back entrance and soaring into the sky, the crow moved to a place where I could see the dungeon entrance, and stopped on a tree. In the mirror that reflected the vision of the crow were people working on something or other around the dungeon entrance, just like Tena said. The entrance to this dungeon is on a small hill by the side of a lake that you can reach by following one of the highways to the end. Around the entrance, theres a bit of flat ground, but because nobodys really maintaining it, its a mess of grass and weeds that grow as much as they want. No, perhaps it would be better to say that it was a mess of grass and weeds. It probably happened during these last 3 days, but the grass was mown, the few trees that should have been growing here were cut down, and the space was just like an open plaza now. And in that place were people measuring the ground for something, as well as carried in materials here and there. Its almost as though theyre building something, but to think theyd construct something near my dungeon of all places. Harvin-sama! We have finished measuring the land. Well done. Tell the results to the planning team, and then have a rest. Sir! Ah-, amongst the people working was somebody that I recognised. The person firing off instructions to the people around him was the blonde priest that had been in charge of the sabbath the other day. Which means It cant be that the ones doing the construction are the Evil God Cult, can it? Im kind of getting an incredibly bad feeling about this. It seems that the adventurers are trying to forcefully break through the blockade! !? I will head there immediately, so hold on! They can not be allowed to interfere with the construction of the temple devoted to our god! Understood! Geh-, I knew it. It seems that my bad feeling was immediately proven to be correct. I was just trying to act like the Evil God when I told them to be zealous in their faith, but building a temple is probably too zealous. Just how much money are they planning on investing in this? He looks like hes in the early half of his twenties, so I was finding it weird that he was the group leader, but could it be that the young priest comes from a rich merchant or noble family? To begin with, what do they want from the Evil God anyway? From what Leonora said, the Evil God doesnt even exist in this world, so although I dont know how many times theyve held a sabbath like the other day, they probably havent gotten anything back from them. All theyre really doing is making useless endeavours. Wai-, is it my fault!? Up until now the (fake) object of worship hadnt shown them any responses, but if they then received words and a treasure from offering a sacrifice, then I can assent to their rampage right now. Youre the leader of these fuckers!? Were adventurers here to challenge the dungeon, so why the fuck are you getting in our way!? Blasphemous fools who would challenge our god, in Her place, I shall hand down your death penalties. I swear on this divine weapon granted as the proof of our faith, that I will not let anybody pass! The adventurers were climbing over the barricades, while the young priest was standing in their way. A critically tense atmosphere filled the whole area. Shit, youre fucking insane! Oi, lets clear these fuckers out! AAHH! Fool, fool, FOOLDD! I am the agent of your divine punishment, Sect Founder Harvin! En garde! But wow, that priest sure is into it. Fucken eat this! A pathetic effort! When the adventurer had tried to cut him down, the young priestHarvin, met their blade with the staff in his hand. The moment that their two weapons collided, following a high pitched sound, part of the adventurers sword was sent flying from halfway down the blade. I-, It cant be Behold the might of our god! After sending the dumbfounded adventurer flying with a yakuza kick, Harvin held up the staff in his hands to the heavens. Black lightning ran along the staff, and shot out towards the adventurers. GUAHHHHHHHHHDDD! G-, God damn it A number of people could bear it without collapsing, but Harvin ran towards them and brought down his staff. IMMEDIATE! GUGYAH-!? PUNISHMENT! GOHU-! PUNISHMENT, PUNISHMENT, DIVINE PUNISHMENTDDDD! -! The adventurers couldnt move well because of the lightning damage, and Harvin knocked them out one by one. By the time he stopped, his breathing rough, all of the adventurers were lying on the ground. OOHHH! As expected of Harvin-sama! Our Sect Founder! The surrounding followers looked at him with reverent eyes. Nobody else is commenting on it, so Ill be commenting but, even though hes a priest, he was actually a melee class this whole time!? He used a lightning attack, but there was no chanting, so that was probably the power of the staff. Harvin himself used nothing but hand-to-hand combat. Even though I completely thought that he was a mage or a cleric, so I gave him a staff This is fraud. Wai-, couldnt I have just looked at his status? All by the guidance of our god. The rest of you must strive further in your devotion. Sir! Im not guiding you, Im definitely not guiding you. At the very least, I wouldnt do this sort of thing. Now then, please toss them outside the barricade or something. Understood. Having told them to throw out the unconscious adventurers, he returned to giving instructions on the construction of the temple. But still, Harvin was stronger than expected. As youd expect, hes weaker than Leonora, but if the Hero(lol) was careless, wouldnt Harvin be a match for him? At this rate, no matter how many adventurers come, theyll probably just be eliminated and wont make it to the dungeon. I dont know how long itll take to finish the temple, but at the very least it seems that the time required will be in the order of years. If I lose my income source-, I mean, the adventurers, then Ill probably run dry before the temple is finished. Even if the temple is completed before I do run dry, all itll do is stop more adventurers from coming, so in the end its the same. S-, Starvation tactics are for cowards-! I tried borrowing Leonoras words, but these guys arent doing that on purpose, and out of goodwill instead, which makes it all the more terrible. If I play the Evil God again and told them to stop, then I think theyd listen, but I cant think of a good reason for telling them to stop the temple construction. Im beat. I cant think of anything. Oh yeah, its at times like this that the Hero is supposed to appear, right? I want him to crush the plot of these detestable cultists, and take back my peace and quiet. Where the heck did those guys go, anyway? While entrusting a thread of hope to that Hero Party coming back and crushing the ambitions of the cultists, I looked resentfully at the progressing construction. tl note: this is how I pictured Harvins fighting style: Chapter 20 - The Battle of the Evil God Temple Chapter 20 C The Battle of the Evil God Temple Anri, are you in!? I turned in shock towards Leonora who had suddenly burst in while I was having tea with Tena and Lili. Because we accidentally met eyes, she turned blue from the effect of the mystic eyes, and began to dogeza on the spot. When I averted my eyes in a fluster, I asked Tena to brew some for Leonora too, after she had finished helping her up. S-, Suddenly going through a horrible time like that. I-, I said I was sorry. No, well, its my fault for looking at your eyes though. Leonora sighed, after having sat down to some tea and catching her breath. We introduced her to Lili as well, who hadnt been here the last time she stayed. Lilis shyness of strangers came into play and she hid behind Tena, but once she realised that Leonora was harmless, she was very quickly able to speak to her normally. Even though Ive been living with her for days now. This is unfair. Also, it turns out that the reason Lili kept running away from me was because of the miasma filling the dungeon. It took me a while to notice since it had no effect on Tena and I, but even if I call this place the residential area, its just something I decided arbitrarily and its still inside the dungeon so of course theres miasma here. Apparently the combo attack from my Evil God Aura and the fear inducing miasma makes me seem ridiculously terrifying. Of course, since the miasma is a characteristic of the dungeon, its not something I can stop even if I wanted to. Thats why I settled the problem by tampering with the circulation so that itd suck out the miasma from the residential area and blow it into other areas. The miasma in the other floors might have gotten worse by the same amount, but well, I guess that cant be helped. Having understood the problem and expelling the miasma from the residential area, Lili finally stopped running away from me. Even so, whenever our eyes met, shed run away as youd expect though. And so, whats up, all of a sudden? From how you were acting earlier, it seems like you have something to say, but? Yeah, thats right. While I was travelling I heard a disturbing rumour, you see, so I came back here in a fluster. A disturbing rumour? Just hearing that was disturbing enough, and now Im scared to hear the rest. Speaking of which, didnt I hear the Evil God rumour from Leonora as well? Theres a rumour spreading that there are Evil God Cultists gathering around Riemel town, you see. Ahh, so its about that. I unconsciously relaxed. Sorry to Leonora who journeyed all the way back here to tell me, but if thats what this is all about, then I already know. The Hero(lol) Party let me down and didnt come, and though the construction of the temple that was arbitrarily set outside the dungeon entrance is still going slowly, its making progress. Its certainly troublesome, but its nothing life-threatening, so Ill just relax and take my time to come up with a countermeasure. But still, going by the way she said things, could it be that Leonora didnt see the stuff around the dungeon herself? Since I told her about the back entrance as well, if she came in from there, it makes sense that shed arrive here without passing through the blockade. Mu, so it was true after all? In that case, the rumour that I heard is seeming closer and closer to fact. That wasnt the disturbing rumour? No, the fact that Evil God Cultists are gathering is nothing more than the precondition. You see, the disturbing rumour I heard is about the Order of the Sacred Light being gathered to subjugate the gathering cultists. Order of the Sacred Light? T-, That cant be-!? ? It seems that Tena knows something since she turned pale, but as expected, perhaps Lili was too young to know, because seeing Tena she just tilted her head in wonder. You seem quite relaxed, huh. Even though you should know quite well what this means. Uh, no, whats the Order of the Sacred Light? Hearing my question, Leonora and Tena fell forward powerlessly. Y-, You You dont know of the Order of the Sacred Light? Ive been thinking this for a while, but are you really a human? Anri-sama The Order of the Sacred Light is just as it sounds; a knight order formed by the call of the Church of Sacred Light. Only the Pope has the right to call them, and it comprises knights from various countries. In other words, something like the Crusaders of this world? Also, Leonora sure is rude. Its inevitable that I dont know about this world. It seems that you dont understand, so Ill say this as well, but the state religion of all the human nations should be the Faith of Sacred Light. Becoming the target of the Order of the Sacred Light is in other words becoming the enemy of the entire human race. NANI? The degree of danger just shot to another level. From what I hear, certainly the Evil God Cultists are the enemy of the Church, but didnt things get blown up way too quickly? Although its true that cultists are gathering, is all of the human race joining forces just for a group thats only a few hundred at best? When I asked this, Leonora nodded as though it were natural. Certainly, it does feel unnatural that they would mobilise on this huge a scale just for the Evil God Cultists. It makes sense that we should view them as having an objective beyond this, I suppose. An objective beyond this? The investigation of the rumoured Evil God, and then the subjugation, or sealing of it, I suppose. I see. If it wasnt just the cultists, but the Evil God as well, then I can assent to this exaggerated mobilisation. To get attacked by all of humanity like this, this Evil God person sure has it rough too, huhh~ I think you already understand, but its you, you know? I know its me, dammmit. At least allow me some escapism. Im not the Evil God. That isnt the problem right now. Whether or not its true, if the human race recognises you as such, then its the same thing. Certainly, whether or not Im the Evil God, as long as the top brass of each country and the Church recognise me as the Evil God, it wont change the fact that Ill be their target for elimination. But why Im being recognised as the Evil God is a mystery. The leaders of the countries and Church should know that the Evil God is imaginary. Mu, now that you mention it, thats true According to what I heard from Leonora earlier, the Evil God was a fictitious enemy created to give authority to the Church of Sacred Light. Normal people or those in lower positions are one thing, but the higher-ups know that the Evil God doesnt exist, so theyd probably just laugh at rumours of the Evil God appearing. Or perhaps its because they know that it is fictitious. It is not strange to think that the subjugation will be easy since its just a fake and self-styled Evil God. And whats more, fake though it may be, as long as ordinary people and believers think that its the real thing, they can heighten their authority by subjugating it. Even though I dont recall ever calling myself that. But I also think that Leonoras train of thought is correct. Its nuisancing others, but as long as the people believe that its true, regardless of whether it is or not, they probably wont be able to leave it alone. And so, when will the Order of the Sacred Light be coming? I dont know that much, but if you consider them as being gathered and prepared from various nations, at the very least a few months, and perhaps it might even take a year, depending. As youd expect, once it gets to this massive a scale, they cant mobilise that easily, huh? It was quite a headache of a topic, but the fact that I still have room to think is great luck. I really cant relax with the situation as it is, but since I have time, Ill carefully figure out which choice is best. ..* ..* ..* There was a period when I thought like that too. Leonora. T-, This isnt my fault, you know!? Using the crow from last time, the surroundings of the dungeon were projected onto the mirror. And on that mirror were the marching forms of soldiers on the highway that led towards the dungeon. Meeting the cultist barrier, the soldiers stopped to set up a camp, but they kept arriving one after another, and the difference in power was ridiculous. It hasnt even been half a month This isnt what you said. L-, Like I said, this isnt my fault. To begin with, isnt this strange!? Why were they able to mobilise soldiers so quickly!? Leonora exclaimed with vigour and anger, but it felt like she was just trying to direct the blame away from herself. Well, I had her stay in the dungeon out of worry, so I have no intention of blaming her though. Like she said, it certainly is too early, no matter how you look at it. No, wait. Can you make the image of the soldiers bigger? Leonora asked me this, as though having noticed something. I gave a nod, before moving the crow closer to the formations. Leonora stared hard at the soldiers reflected on the mirror, but finally, she gave a nod, having seemingly assented to something. I see. I understand the trick now. The ones marching right now are all soldiers from the Kingdom of Fortera. The Kingdom of Fortera is, if I remember correctly, the country that this place belongs to. All of them are soldiers of the Kingdom? Wasnt the Order of Sacred Light a coalition force? Or could it be that these guys are something other than the Order of Sacred Light? Theyre probably the vanguard. The allied forces will take time to assemble, so they probably intend to have the soldiers that can immediately mobilise do the scouting and planning first. Given Forteras location, theyd get here quickly after all. I see. I dont know if its something that Fortera wished for itself, or if it was pushed into it, but for the role of vanguard, its natural that its Fortera. According to Leonora, the location of the Kingdom is adjacent to the Demon Race Territory, so in a place like that, it wouldnt be strange to have a standing army to a certain extent. In that case, they wont attack us immediately, right? If theyre devoted enough to play their role, that is. Leonora spoke hesitantly. As though asking for the true meaning behind her words, I gazed at the beautiful face of the girl with the flowing silver hair. She averted her eyes. From Forteras point of view, this is something they should like to tidy up before the main force of the Order gets here. As long as this is the Kingdoms territory, then by all rights, this is a problem that should be dealt with by the Kingdom itself. Although the Evil God may be the enemy of all of the human race, if a problem within their country is dealt with by the Church or the Order, they will come to owe them a favour. I see. If they owe them a favour, then in later negotiations theyll be at a disadvantage, so its natural that they;d want to avoid that. Whats more, looking at the scene from earlier, its clear to anyone that they appear to have enough power to deal with it even without waiting for the main force. Would it not be difficult for them to sit still for months without doing anything? Certainly. I dont know exactly how many soldiers Fortera has, but they should have thousands even by a conservative estimate, and if Im unlucky, they might even have over ten thousand. And on the other hand, the cultists have stopped with the construction and taken up positions, but they only have a few hundred Theres nothing to even discuss. On top of that, if this is the standing army of the Kingdoms military, then theyre all professional soldiers, but the fighters among the cultists number only a few dozen at best, while the rest are normal people. No matter how hard the merry Sect Founder tries, its impossible for him to overturn this difference in war potential; hes truly a drop in the bucket. Theres no way to shake the military superiority of the Kingdom after all, and even I think it would be completely meaningless to wait for the Order. On the contrary, if they waited in this situation, wouldnt they be liable to be slandered as cowards? Theres a good chance that they will attack once their camp is complete. What will you do? What will I do? Thats what I want to know. I didnt think theyd come so quickly, so I havent thought of anything. Im a normal person who likes to put off the unpleasant. (When it comes to food alone, Ill save the best for last though.) I was told that there would be a few months until this happened, so I thought it would be fine if I thought about this stuff next month. I guess there are about 3 rough choices that I can make. (1) Fight: For ye fools who hath roused me from my repose, I award ye with death! (fight to the bitter end) (2) Surrender: P-, Please just spare me my life! (naked dogeza) (3) Escape: Cya, Totssan! (making a break for it) For now, lets think in a direction where I wont be doing (2). I have no intention of doing a naked dogeza after all, and even if I did, what lies after would probably just be a tragic fate. (3) is looking ridiculously attractive, but the problem is where I should run to. It seems that Ive made an enemy of the entire human race, so I guess the only place I could escape to is the Demon Race Territory. I wonder if I cant use Leonoras connections to give me asylum. I looked towards my only ray of hope, Leonora, but it seems that she interpreted my glance as asking for her opinion, because she continued speaking. It does certainly seem that with the difference in numbers, youll lose in a head-on confrontation, huh. Were it me, I think that using the geography of the dungeon to fight a siege battle would be effective, though. Ah. Seems like its no good. Shes completely in the mood to fight. When she asked What will you do?, I guess she meant How are you going to fight?. Speaking of which, although she was better than the Hero(lol) Party, Leonora was actually quite a musclehead too. Im thankful just that shes staying by my side in a situation like this, but if I asked her to give me refuge in the Demon Race Territory, it feels like shed abandon me in scorn. If I cant hide in the Demon Race Territory, then (3) is impossible as well Is there only (1)? But feeling pain, and being killed, and while Im at it, killing someone as long as Im in no danger, are things Id like to avoid though. No, thinking about it again, defeating the main force of the Kingdom or the Order isnt my goal, so I guess there isnt a reason to fight them head-on? Now that its come to this, the best result for me would be to have them think of me as powerful and withdraw their troops, as well as holding back on making a move against me in the future. Even if I use brute force to drive away the Kingdoms forces today, if I continue to get attacked in the future, there wont be any point. Ill put on a flashy performance and make our side look stronger than it is, and make them think that its impossible to fight me This is the best way. Its nothing but a bluff though. If the idea that Im impossible to fight against begins to spread, then peace negotiations should be possible. Negotiations are impossible for me, so I plan on pushing this onto somebody else though. Fortunately, I have an idea of something flashy enough. When I told Leonora about what I thinking, she immediately went to prepare. Honestly speaking, I didnt think Leonora would be very happy about it, but she was surprisingly willing to help. Although she was speaking like that before, even she should understand that frontal attacks are no good. If its just the Kingdoms army in front of us then it might be another matter, but if the Order of the Sacred Light comes along later, well be crushed by their numbers. The only chance at overturning this situation is right now. Now then, lets begin my one in a lifetime gamble. ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* There was a period when I thought like that too. is a Baki reference lol The whole scene is something like, Boxing is an incomplete martial art because it lacks kicks huh? There was a period when I thought like that too. Note: Lupin (of Lupin Third) often refers to Zenigata as Tottsan, a form of address that is usually translated as Old Man or Pops Chapter 21 - Evil God Average Chapter 21 C Evil God Average Holding my hand to the dungeon core, for the first time in a while I added a floor. However, what I was doing this time was different to what Id been doing up until now. So far, Id just been adding floors normally, and since this was a cave-type dungeon, the floors were added underground. In contrast, this time what I was doing was adding floors contrary to the nature of this dungeon. The first time I needed to pay 30,000,000 extra, like some sort of harassment, but with that, I could build floors both below and above ground. Aahh, even though Id finally saved up that much. The dragon I wanted is moving away from my reach. After adding a special floor one time, after that I was able to add on more surface floors just by using the normal floor-adding function. The surface floors werent just rooms, and so I needed to choose how to have the exterior as well which was a bother, but since most of the settings were already set, I finished it quickly. Leonora was standing next to me with a cramped expression, but I paid her no heed and finished processing the final floor. There werent any changes to that room, but with this, I felt that I would be able to give a good performance, and so I turned to look at the scenery reflected on the mirror that I had left beside me. The Kingdoms soldiers who had completed their formation, the cultists who were ready to martyr themselves in opposition of the Kingdom; all of the people there were frozen in shock and awe, with their eyes fixed on that one spot. On the thus far empty clearing that had been created to serve as the base of the temple, suddenly appeared a gargantuan building, as though piercing the heavens. That mostly black palace was designed with an exquisite balance of holiness and dreadfulness, and the building itself was like a work of art. Everyone there had surely realised it instinctively; that this was the temple in which the Evil God lived. Thats right. On the top of the 5th surface floor, I established a temple. Because it requires too many mana points, to begin with no other dungeon master would build a surface floor in an underground dungeon. Because of that, people dont know that the act in itself is possible, so its probably quite flashy enough. If they misunderstand this as a power I have because Im the Evil God, then itll be even more effective. For the cincher, I brought Leonora and Tena up to the top floor with a teleport. From the balcony of the spire, I could see the dumbfounded and frozen figures of the Forteran Army and Evil God Cultists. Leonora, Tena, if youd please. Yeah, got it. Understood, Anri-sama. Leonora and Tena began chanting magic together. Ive asked the two of them to help set the stage for my show. What Leonora chanted was a spell that forcibly changed the battlefield to nighttime, in order to heighten the effectiveness of darkness magic. What Tena chanted was a foothold creation spell used for aerial battles. An area of a few kilometres radius with the temple at the centre was engulfed in the shadow of night, and in the midst of it all with Leonora and Tena in tow, I walked off the balcony into the air. Normally doing this would send me tumbling to the ground, but right now because there was a staircase of black smoke that Tena created, I slowly went down the stairs. Because my foothold was fluffy and unreliable, even if I knew that I wasnt going to fall, scary things were still scary. Inside, my heart was beating faster than it ever had since I was born. If possible, Leonora, Tena, either was fine, so Id have preferred to have held someones hand, but that wasnt possible in this situation. The stairs continued all the way to the ground, but I stopped at a landing situated halfway down, and once again overlooked the surface. In my vision, the various soldiers and cultists were all looking up at me without exception. Now then, its time for the finishing touches. I quietly closed my eyes, and began moulding my mana. Lets use all of the mana that Ive preserved by even asking Leonora and Tena to set the stage, and shoot it into the sky as one big, flashy firework. Ill have them think that theres a massive difference in power, and make sure they never dream of attacking me again. My eyes flashed open, and my chant * * * Wha-, huh? The Forteran Army isnt even here. Whered they go? * * * With the stage missing the people I was supposed to perform to, unsure of what to do, I froze up. Um, Anri-sama? It seems that things have already ended. If youre looking for the Forterans, they ran away right after they saw you, you know? What did you say? Wai-, then what do I do about all this mana Ive moulded? I ignored stuff like the maximum limit, so its about to explode, you know? Come now, how long are you going to stand there? Lets return already. Whatever, gunna fire it. It was supposed to be a harmless firework, but because I stopped the chant its turned turned into just your normal attack magic, but it should be fine as long as I fire it somewhere without towns and stuff. Wha-!? What do you intend to do!? Sorry, it cant be stopped now. I-, Idiot! STOOOOOOOOOOPDDD!!! (-) Chudooon. (eyes closed, facing up to the sky) * * * * * * * * * Candidate Anri has exceeded the required faith and fear levels. Race has been changed from Human Race to Divine Race. Job has been changed from Mage to Administrator. Title has upgraded from Child of the Evil God to Evil God of Fearful Trembling. Gained title Third Administrator. Gained skill Administration. * * * * * * * * * Huh? * * * * * * * * * Why did things turn out like this? No, I mean, its my fault for acting without thinking so its nothing except reaping what I sow, but even so, who could have predicted that something like this would happen? It might be pointless to say anything after all this time, but the reflection that Im doing is even deeper than the ocean. Im reflecting, so Cant you forgive me already? No. Stay in seiza. Youre heartless. ..* After I interrupted the showdown between the soldiers and cultists with my once in a lifetime farce, despite feeling shocked at the sudden voice, I somehow managed to keep a hold of myself and returned to the dungeon, but what awaited me was punishment from the furious Leonora. Overwhelmed by her threatening attitude, and spent the last few hours in seiza, without even being allowed food or the bathroom. But the fact that for some reason Im not getting hungry, and that Im fine without going to the bathroom even once, is a mystery. Incidentally, the reason that I was being punished like this by Leonora who shouldnt have even known what seiza was, is because it was Tenas suggestion. Tena you definitely held a grudge over that. And that being the case, just imagining what awaits me after this is enough to send a cold sweat down my spine. Although Im a Japanese person whos used to seiza, as youd expect, after bearing with this for hours Ive already lost the feeling in my legs, and just trying to move a little sends prickles throughout my body. If I get poked in this state -tremble tremble- ..* Also, regarding Leonoras anger, becoming an Evil God was not why she was mad, and it was instead because I fired the gathered mana in a random direction. At first I had planned on just using a harmless and flashy spell to threaten the soldiers, but I ended up losing focus due to the soldiers that had run away before I knew it, and having lost my timing, the mana that had gone beyond the limit was on the verge of going out of control. Since I couldnt hold it back properly, I had no choice but to fire it, but thered be damage if anything was hit by that no-longer-harmless mana, and so with at least that much reasoning left, I fired it into a direction with no towns. ..* And well, of course there were no towns. Because it was in the direction of the Demon Race Territory. ..* Having realised what Id done, Leonora began using magic to check with the Demon Race Territory and how much damage was done, while beginning to lecture me at the same time. She really didnt need to do such a good job of multitasking. I wish she would just focus on confirming the damage. Are you listening, Anri!? Im listening. I was thinking about something else, but at the very least, it did enter my ear. While Leonoras lecturing was entering my left ear, and exiting my right, I stealthily chanted status under my breath. Name: Anri Race: Divine Race [New] Sex: Female Age: 17 Job: Administrator [New] Level: 1 Title: Evil God of Fearful Trembling [New], Dungeon Master, Third Administrator [New] Mana: 27193018 Skills: C Evil God Aura (Lv.5) C Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5) C Divine Enchantment (Lv.7) C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.9) C Darkness Magic (Lv.9) C Item Box (Lv.9) C Dungeon Create (Lv.7) C Administrator (Lv.5) [New] Equipment: C Tantou of the Wicked Demon C Black Clothes of the Evil God C Babydoll of Depravity C Scanties of the Succubus C Pumps of Darkness Miko: C Tena * Uwahh Um~mm, uwahh Its no good. I cant find the words. Just why have things turned out like this? I knew it when I heard the voice, but seeing it again is rough in various ways. ..* The Evil God who governs the Fear authority. The one who takes the third seat of the administrators of the world. The basic skill of an Administrator. Manages the laws and environment of the world. Level defines the reaches of ones jurisdiction. Lv.5 is the level where ones jurisdiction encompasses everything except the World System and the authorities held by the other administrators. ..* If Im the third seat, then that means there are another 2 people (2 gods?), so if the legends that Leonora told me were correct, then they should be the God of Light and God of Darkness. By the fundamentals of the World system, could they be talking about the power of the Creator God that was tasked with maintaining the world? Thinking about it, these statuses and titles, skills, and the abilities of the dungeon are probably part of this system. Even after being turned into a god, Im not exempt from its management after all, so I cant think of what else this could be. * Name: Tena Race: Apostle Race Sex: Female Age: 14 Job: Miko [New] Level: 1 Title: Anris Miko Mana: 187530 Skills: C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.6) C Darkness Magic (Lv.6) Equipment: C Miko Outfit of the Evil God * I even smuggled Tena out of the realm of humans with me. Sorry. As a bonus, she was released from slavery and became my miko. * And that ends my report. I see. Got it. If anything happens, contact me. Understood. It seems that Leonora knows how the Demon Race Territory is now. When I looked at her pleadingly, she averted her eyes whilst telling me what happened. Fortunately, nobody was harmed. Thank goodness. In my mind, I let out a sigh of relief. I wasnt seriously listening to her lecture, but that was because I couldnt concentrate from the worry. I mean, even like this, I actually did worry. If somebody was hurt because of something stupid like that, I wouldnt be able to apologise enough. However, apparently one mountain was half-destroyed. Are you serious? Certainly, by the time it was about to explode, there was a terrifying amount of mana packed in there, but to think that it was enough to smash a mountain. But well, I guess thats fine, as long as nobody was hurt. In the worst case, I could probably fix it with the skill I was granted after all. While thinking about this, a shadow fell over me. Wondering what was up, I looked upwards and found that Leonora was standing in front of me with her head hanging. I couldnt see her eyes because of her silver hair, but I could see that her mouth was clenched and twitching. The atmosphere feels kinda dangerous. It seems that you havent been listening to me, huh? I was listening. Then try repeating it back to me. Im sorry. Tena. It looks like Anri wants a foot massage. Understood, Leonora-san! Help out too, Lili. Mn. Im seriously sorry!? Wha-, wait. Thatll be seriously bad right now. Dont wriggle your fingers as you sidle up to me! PikyaaaaaaaaDDDDDD!!! * * * * * * * Tena was laughing with a brighter expression than Id ever seen. * Lili who was playing together with Tena, as well as Leonora who should have been angry, seemed to be having fun as well. ..* Even though I became something like an Evil God, they didnt treat me any different. ..* Its a scene where I have no dignity at all, but I think that this is really happiness. ..* Although I was supposed to be able to live an average lifestyle, I ended up as average with Evil Gods as my standard, and in the end I even became a real Evil God, but, * if I can be with these girls, then Im sure things will be fun. ..* Im just a novice Evil God, but in order to continue laughing with these girls, Ill at least give it my all to become an average one. * * * * * * * How does this spot feel, Anri-sama? Tingly. Alright, time for me to help out too, Anri. Really, just forgive me already Thank you very much for reading. Now that Anri-san has become an Evil God, Evil God Average First Half C Book of Evil has finished. Also, after this I will be writing Book of Evil C Side Stories where the events up until now will be told from other points of views. The reason is because when writing in 1st person, there are just things that Anri-san cant see, and so it wasnt depicted enough. Where those guys went, what those guys were thinking at the time, things that werent clear in the main story will come to light, maybe. And after that, well be jumping into the second half, the Book of God. entering my left ear, and exiting my right Actually the other way around, but sounds weird in English. Side Story 01 - A Certain Innkeeper’s Reception Side Story 01 C A Certain Innkeepers Reception The side stories will primarily be from the perspective of other characters, and unlike the main story, the tone will be more serious and more horrific. However, having already read the main story and knowing full well how things are actually progressing, I think that the readers will instead read the stories with a grin and find them fluffy instead. I cant imagine that there are any people out there with weird reading habits like reading the side stories before the main story, but if you do exist, you were beyond my expectations, so please go ahead with this in mind. There will be 11 side stories in total, and the length of each one varies. Lets start with a bit of a jab. Oh, a guest? Welcome, this is an inn. Around the time when the sun was about to set, hearing the sound of the door opening, I turned and greeted the customer. They looked suspicious; clad from head to toe in a black robe, but having worked in an inn for many years and having seen countless customers before, I could immediately tell from her figure that she was a young girl and so I wasnt particularly suspicious of her. If a young girl walks around with her face showing shell meet a lot of trouble after all, so its natural to protect herself. Now then, for some reason it feels a bit colder in here but Well, Im sure its just my imagination. How much is one night? One night is 1 silver, breakfast is 5 coppers, dinner is 10 coppers, and a tub of hot water is 5 coppers. Its a little more expensive than other inns, but I think our rooms and food make up for it. We arent connected to a tavern so it isnt noisy, and there arent any rough customers either, after all. Five nights, with the food and water too please. With those words, I was handed some silver coins. One, two, three Mn, there are certainly 6 here. Most customers pay by the night, but she seems to be quite used to spending money. I hadnt even told her how much it was yet, and shed already calculated it herself after all. She must be the daughter of some major merchant, right? I dont think its the case, but it couldnt be that shes a noble, right? The robe shes wearing is quite well made, though. No matter how much better our inn might be compared to the others, this isnt a place that a noble would stay. Got it, your room is on the second floor, the final door on the right. This is the key. Do you want to eat straight away? Yes, if thats possible. Right away. Ill prepare it now so wait in whichever seat youd like. After handing her a key attached to a wooden plate, I went to the kitchen to tell the innmaster to prepare a persons share of dinner. ..* ..* Because the girl I mentioned didnt seem to be a very talkative person, we never even chatted so I didnt know her name. Seeing as she always keeps her robe on whether shes going out or eating dinner in her room, Im sure she has some circumstances. Id be lying if I said that I wasnt interested, but it isnt good to pry into the business of the customers after all, so Im not going to ask. But still, although she told me not to clean the room or change the bed sheets while she was staying there, she isnt doing anything weird in there, is she? Im a little worried. Eating breakfast, going out, and then returning at night. The girl continued to repeat this, but after a few days, there was a time when she came back earlier than usual. Although she was silent, she would at least reply when you called out Welcome back, but that day for some reason as soon as she entered the inn, she immediately headed for the stairs. Wondering what was wrong, I looked towards her, and through the gap in her robe, I saw her face for the first time ..* ..* ..* !? W-, What the heck was that!? Her face was more beautiful than expected, but more importantly what was with those eyes!? Anger, hatred, disgust, disdain, bloodthirst, resentment, anguish, grief, despair; those black eyes were filled with every negative emotion imaginable. In my years working here Ive seen the eyes of all sorts of customers, but this was the first time in my life that Id seen eyes like those. No, those arent eyes that a human would make. Theyre the eyes of something much more sinister and terrifying. The moment I saw them, it was like my heart was in a vice-grip. Aahh, how terrifying ..* Aahh, just what kind of customer are we hosting. If possible Id like them to leave right this instant, but theyve already paid for two more nights. If I could return that money then I would do so this instant, but if it flew into a rage and attacked Theres just two days left. Just two more days. Its been fine so far, so it should be fine for two more days. Thats right, isnt it? ..* ..* After that one day that was different, the thing that looked like a girl went back to normal. Fortunately it seems that she didnt realise I had seen her face. I was so afraid that I almost couldnt do it, but so that it didnt show its true colours, I had to talk to it like normal, after all. If it knew that I had suspected its true form, I cant even imagine what itd do to me. Please deliver me from evil. And like that, I somehow managed to pass the two days. ..* ..* Aahh, its finally gone That thing that looked like a girl was talking about extending its stay, so after pleading with it, I somehow got it to accept my refusal. To be honest, the whole time I was afraid running a cold sweat from worry of being attacked, but it seemed to have sensed something because it obediently left. Completely exhausted, I collapsed backwards into a chair. Theres no doubt that these last two days have taken three years off of my lifespan. I took a rest on the chair for a little while, but pulling myself together, I decided to go clean the room. If possible, I want a decent customer next. ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* Wai-, what is this!? Whats this black canopy bed!? Side story 02 - A Certain Sister’s Terror Side story 02 C A Certain Sisters Terror Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is a great personage who created humankind. ..* I was standing at the back of the chapel behind the seats, as part of mass. Beyond the seats next to the statue of Sacred Goddess-sama was Reverend-sama, who was in the middle of preaching to the people. Right now he was preaching about the reason why we should be thankful to Sacred Goddess-sama, you see. When Reverend-sama preaches, his voice resounds through the quiet chapel, and it feels like your soul is being cleansed. Thats why I loved mass. ..* Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is always watching over us. ..* Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama is the esteemed god that created our world, and is a kind and merciful personage who protects we humans from the Evil God that tries to destroy the world. The Church of Sacred Light sings praise of Her exploits, and exist to convey this to the people. Of course, we do not only teach others, but in accordance to Her will, we are a wonderful organisation that also extends our hands to the needy through food, establishes orphanages, mediates for warring nations, and tries our very best for the sake of peace for humankind. My family was poor, and so we struggled to feed ourselves each day, but the Church of Sacred Light saved us. Because I wanted to save somebody else, the same way that I was saved, I joined the Church as a nun. ..* Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama loves we humans, and protects us from evil. ..* Although the church in Riemel is not very large, as a town close to the Demon Territory, were seen as the last stronghold against the demons. Because of that, apparently an archbishop even came all the way here when this church was being built, and along with a number of people, they laid down a complicated barrier for us. Even a normal church wards off evil through the power of Her blessing, but this church is protected with a particularly strong power. Even if by some chance our town was in danger due to an invasion from the Demon Territory, this church wouldnt be so easily invaded. When Reverend-sama told me this, I felt incredibly reassured. ..* Please thank Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama for her compassion, and send her your prayers. ..* With Reverend-samas words, the people all brought their hands together in prayer. Still standing there, I was about to close my eyes and pray with them ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* When at that moment, a -bang- resounded within the chapel as it shook. No, it wasnt the building or the floor that shook. With a sound, it was the space itself that shook. A clamour spread through the people due to the sudden shock. Everybody, please calm down! Reverend-sama tried to stop everybody, but he couldnt get them to calm down. I didnt understand what happened, but I decided to follow his example and decided to try and calm everybody down. However, at that moment, I noticed something behind me and so I turned around. And when I did, an abnormal scene unfolded before me. The church is always open so that anybody can enter at any time, and the door is left open even during mass. Because of that, because I was standing at the back of the chapel, when I turned around I could see what was happening beyond the door. It was the scenery outside that was abnormal; of all things, the scenery was cracked. Beyond the crack was your everyday Riemel, but because that townscape was the same as ever, it made the crack ever more strange. I was dumbfounded by the scenes sudden change to another realm, but before long, it became clear to me that there was a crack in something transparent that covered the church. Perhaps because they noticed my behaviour, Reverend-sama included, everybody in the church turned their eyes outside. Something covering the church? It couldnt be the protective barrier that Reverend-sama spoke of, could it? No, but in that case, why was it cracked!? ..* ..* My eyes were held captive by the crack in space, but eventually I noticed that beyond it was somebody standing there in a black robe. The crack coincidentally covered their face, but they seemed to be a girl in her teens. The girl was standing right in front of the crack. I was about to call out in warning, Its dangerous there, please stay away!, but before I had the chance to, the girl raised her right hand and softly touched the crack before my eyes. It was the next instant. That crack spread out all at once, until I could see nothing but, and with a -pan- sound, something immediately shattered and vanished. ..* ..* Eh-? I-, It cant be The protective barrier that the archbishop set was-!? Although I was dumb from disbelief, I could certainly feel it disappearing; the aura of sacredness that had been always present. ..* ..* And because the crack was now gone, the face under the robe was now visible to me. The moment our eyes met, it felt like I was being strangled by some feeling of oppression, and I found myself unable to breathe. It wasnt only me. Reverend-sama and everybody else behind me stood frozen, unable to even speak. The thing that looked like a girl glared at everybody in the church in silence ..* ..* ..* ..* Before curving its lips into a sneer, and turning to leave after muttering something. ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* Because the thing that looked like a girl had walked away, we could finally breathe again. The emotional strain on everybody was huge, and everybody sank to the ground in exhaustion. Because there was no way to continue the mass like this, we stopped it and instead immediately made warm soup for everyone. Honestly speaking, I felt like I was going to collapse myself, but I needed to prepare the soup. ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* Although its face was beautiful, theres no doubt that it was a retainer of the Evil God. No, since it so easily destroyed the archbishops barrier, Im sure that it was the Evil God itself. That it left after doing nothing but destroying the barrier was surely a malicious announcement that it could attack at any time. The Evil Gods ghastly smile had told me so. I couldnt hear what the Evil God muttered at the end, but it was surely some horrifying curse. Just what will happen to this world, and what will happen to us? ..* Aahh, Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama. Please deliver us from evil. TL: I actually had a lot of trouble with this. I really hated writing Reverend-sama, but calling him the reverend doesnt give the sense that she knows him well (as a member of the same church). At the same time, no name was given, so I couldnt replace shimpu-sama with Father ____ either. In the end I resorted to the awkward sounding Reverend-sama, but I still feel it was the best choice, so please forgive me. Side story 03 - A Certain Adventurer’s Disaster Side story 03 C A Certain Adventurers Disaster After receiving our rewards for reporting the completion of our quest, we sat round a table in the guild to take a break. The quest we turned in was the subjugation mission of forest wolves Was a pretty difficult job for us. Forest wolves are pack monsters that live in the forest, but recently theyve been growing too large in number and have been attacking merchants that use the forest roads. Thats why the lord of this area sent out a request for their subjugation. Each forest wolf aint so strong by themselves, but they always move in a pack and attack after surrounding the enemy, so theyre a pretty annoying foe. In the forest your vision is limited, so forest wolves are a monster you need to take care with, but for some reason they appeared close to the entrance to the forest yesterday, so it was easy to hunt them. Seems that something scared them. I was worrying about it, but I still have no idea. Still, things were easier than expected this time, ey? Well yeah, the wolves were at the entrance to the forest for some reason. Whats more there wasnt any teamwork at all. Apparently my companions were thinking about the same thing. I decided to join in. Didnt feel like they were hunting for prey. Speaking of which, didnt they look scared of something? They nodded in agreement. Yeah, I got that feeling too. Could it be that they were running from some strong monster that took up residence in the forest or something? Hell if I know. But it sounds possible. Basically the only times that monsters migrate are when there are too many of them, too little prey, or when theres a strong monster that moved into their territory. Since they moved so suddenly this time, and they looked scared too, the chance that its the latter is pretty high. Cant be that a dragon or something moved into the forest, right? Haha, pretty sure that aint happening. Ive been an adventurer for pretty bloody long, but I aint never seen a dragon. Heard that they exist deep into the Demon Territory though. Well at any rate, itd probably be better to be careful if we head into the forest again for a quest. Yeah. Aint nothing matter more than your life. Once youre dead, youre dead. An adventurer is a job where your life completely hangs on your skills and yourself, but even so you get novice brats that dream of being heroes and get themselves killed trying to do the unreasonable. Veterans like us try to teach them what the world is like whenever we can, but people like that are endless. Right, just like that kid over- Hey. ..* ..* Ill be transcribing whats written on the car Oi, oi, this little girl wants to become an adventurer? Its the end of the bloody world. When I went to have a look, I found someone hidden from head to toe in a black robe, applying at the counter to be an adventurer. But even under that robe I could tell at a glance that they were a dainty, green-arsed brat, and whats more a woman. This brat of a girl is going to be an adventurer without even forming a party? Its bloody suicide! If I leave her alone, in two or three days shes just gunna be a seed-bed for a goblin nest. Before I knew it, Id left my seat and cut into the conversation. Oi, oi, Gartz. Youre seriously picking a fight with another newbie? Doing this everyyy singleee time. You sure dont get bored, huh. Cant be helped that my companions are all astonished that Im doing this again, but Im not gunna sleep well knowing that brats are getting themselves killed left and right. Its for their sake as well that I grill them a little and have them work underneath us. The lass mightve been afraid of me or something, cause she just stood there without saying anything. Looking at her again, she sure is bloody tiny. Oi, how bout saying something. Dont just freeze wordlessly with your face hidden. Saying that, I pulled off the little girls hood. ..* ..* !? The moment I saw her face, I spontaneously stiffened. The moment our eyes met, I thought I was gunna die. Her eyes were so dark and stagnant that Im pretty sure even demons couldnt compare. The next moment, just as I seemed to feel a prickling pain on my arm, the girl was fucking holding a sinister black tantou. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Shes gunna kill me! HII-!? I reflexively let out a pathetic cry as I fell on my arse. Before I knew it, the thing in front of me wasnt a human woman anymore. It was a monster spurting out some black sludge from its whole body. I backed away, trying to put even a little distance between us. 磥磦! And when I did, I heard a somewhat incomprehensible cry. Turning around, I found that the same fucking monsters were reaching out their tentacles to me. !? UOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHDDDD!!! ? 磦磦! I tried my best to hit the thing, but there didnt seem to be any effect. Far from it, before I knew it all the monsters had fucking surrounded me and were charging in at me at once. I somehow managed to shake them off and got myself outside, but even there the place was filled with the things. What the fuck is going on with this town!? I dont even know who I was screaming at, but I started to run to escape this town of monsters. ..* ..* ..* ..* When I came to, I was laying on the ground. Holding my hand against my painfully throbbing head, I got up and looked around. Apparently I was in a field outside of Riemel. Although I was close to town, it wasnt as though there werent any monsters. The fact that I didnt get eaten while lying around here was just good luck. Anyway, it wasnt like I could get anything done here, so I decided to head back to town. I get the feeling that Ive forgotten something incredible, but I cant remember what it was. ..* ..* It was right afterwards that I was told that I had hit the guards and forcefully broken out of town, and starting from the entrance to town, I was stuck with being accused by a bunch of people about stuff I have no recollection about. ..* Just what the fuck have I been doing!? He seems to be a ruffian, but is actually a good person. Side story 04 - A Certain Slave’s Salvation Side story 04 C A Certain Slaves Salvation Is in a sense one of the few (almost) completely serious chapters in this story. Its a little depressing, so readers who are bad with it are advised to skip this chapter and read only the final three lines. In the dark dungeon filled with despair, she was the only one who extended her hand to me. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* This year was a bad harvest. The crops in the field had shrivelled, and unable to even provide a good meal, they had no worth on the market. We had just a little bit saved up, but even so it wasnt enough for a family of five to pass the winter with. When the slave merchants came to the village in their carriages, there was already nothing else we could do. I have a father, a mother, a brother two years older than me, and a little brother one year younger. Because they needed the manpower of the boys, it was inevitable that I was the one sold. Although I say sold, that wasnt exactly correct. Strictly speaking, we entered a contract of debt with the slave merchants. The slave merchants gave my father a loan, and I became the security. If my father couldnt pay back the money, I would be sold as a slave. But from the beginning, we all knew that there was no chance of paying them back. It seems the slave merchants intended this as well because they told us that if we gave up on paying them back right away, they would give a better price. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* While averting his eyes from me, father told the slave merchants right there that he couldnt pay them back. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* I had hoped that something fortunate would happen after this misfortune, but it seems that Sacred Goddess-sama wouldnt permit such naivety. Misfortune followed the misfortune, and on the carriage back to town, I contracted a fatal illness. It was tough to even raise my body, and my chest throbbed with pain. There were times when I even coughed blood. There were two other slaves weak from disease, and out of worry of infecting the healthy ones, we were tossed into a heap on the carriage that held the luggage. The chances of being sold were lower because we were going to die, so the food we were given were less than the other slaves, but I couldnt really find the appetite either. By the time the carriage finally reached Riemel, I was already at deaths door. *imouto* In the slave merchants shop, the three of us were put into the same cell. It was a cell for slaves on the verge of death like us. Because it was a waste of money, we werent even allowed to wear clothing, and everybody just sat around the way they wanted. Even when we were first put into the cell, only half of the slaves in there made any response, and when I saw these people whose hearts had died in despair first, I felt heart chill over. That was my future, and it wasnt a far off one. *imouto* I was told by the slave merchants that slaves on the verge of death were sold off to be killed. Human shields against monsters for adventurers or bodyguards, or material for magical experiments. And although they werent many, there were also those who simply wanted to satisfy their desires, and bought cheap slaves to use to death. If we were sold, we would be killed. On the other hand, if we stayed unsold like this, then before long as well *imouto* A body wracked with pain being corroded by disease, and a heart that was corroded by despair that went beyond that. Days where it seemed like my heart would die first passed by. Customers came in before our cell a number of times, and the number of slaves in the cell decreased. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* One day, the slave merchants brought another customer. Still leaning against the wall, I hazily had a look. Most of the customers so far had been male, but although I couldnt see their face under the black robe, this time they were probably a woman And whats more, somebody who only seemed a little older than me. After the slave merchant said something to them, that woman stepped forward and took off her hood herself. The moment I saw her eyes, my heart that should have been on the verge of death, the verge of stopping, was for some reason trembling. This girl is? Her name is Tena, and shes 14 years old. She was born in a village a little distance from Riemel, and is a debt slave, but on the way here she was attacked by a fatal disease and she probably only has a month left to live. I unconsciously flinched at the slave merchants words. Although I knew that I didnt have long to live, hearing somebody else talk concretely about how much longer I had made the fear of death well up in me. *imouto* I dont want to die *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* If its me, then I might be able to save her. Eh? It took a little while until I properly understood what the woman had said. Save me? Is she going to save me? I looked at the black eyes that were staring in my direction, but they were serious and didnt look like she was lying. And for some reason, when I look her in the eyes, my heart cant stay calm. I dont have any proof, but if youll believe and accept me, then take this hand. With her words, the woman stretched her arm into the cage and held her hand out to me. I looked at her face and her outstretched hand, dumbfounded, but I decided to trust in my agitated heart and took her hand. It was a fact that I wouldnt be saved at this rate anyway, so I decided to follow my heart. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* They cleaned my body, and I was able to wear clothes for the first time in a while. I was in chaos from all the things that had happened while I was in a daze, but when they put on the collar for slaves when they dressed me, I was finally conscious of the fact that I was being sold. Because I was too weak to even walk, one of the servant men carried me into the shop and laid me on the floor. Please touch her collar with your hand. Doing as she was asked, the woman that bought me stretched her hand out to the collar on my neck. After touching it for a while, the collar shone with light, and I heard a voice from somewhere. You have been enslaved to Anri. It was in that instant, that the womanAnri-sama, became my master. *imouto* With this, shes become your slave, and has absolute obedience to you. Because she cant walk, would you like us to call you a carriage? I dont need it; Ill carry her. I was slow to react to the surprising words, so by the time I had realised, Anri-sama had already picked me up and placed me on her back. In what kind of world does a master carry their servant? I tried moving my sluggish body to try and get down, but she was holding onto me tightly so I couldnt. Because she didnt seem to have any intention of letting me down, I stopped struggling. But still, although she was a woman and so she wasnt particularly big, Anri-sama was surprisingly strong. No matter how light I had become from growing thin, I shouldnt have been so light that a woman could easily carry me. But still, just why did she buy me? There arent many uses for a slave on the verge of death, but no matter what, I couldnt imagine her to be a person who wanted a slave for those purposes. *imouto* Just as I was wondering where she was carrying me to, Anri-sama entered an alleyway and placed me down in an empty plaza. Without knowing why I had been brought here, I just looked up at Anri-sama dumbly. You swore to believe in me. Yes. The first words I had spoken in a while came out hoarsely, but it seems Anri-sama somehow understood me. She pointed her finger at my forehead. Divine Enchantment. You have received divine protection from Anri. Together with the voice from before, I was engulfed in something black. It wasnt uncomfortable or painful, but I could definitely feel something inside me changing. When the blackness disappeared, my appearance had completely changed. The clothing that had just been a hole in a cloth was now a high-class fabric decorated with ornaments, and the arms and legs that shouldve been nothing more than skin and bones had the meat return to them. Eh- Ah- With no idea of what had happened, I was looking at my limbs and clothes when I suddenly noticed that the pain that had been always been plaguing me was gone. It was like the pain that wracked me even just breathing had all been a lie. The comment that Anri-sama had made in the dungeon, I might be able to save her came to mind. It wasnt a lie She saved me Thank you very much! Thank you very much! While crying and feeling relief at having my life saved, I held Anri-samas hand as I continued to thank her. After crying for a while, I paled at what I had just done. As a slave, I had clung to my master as I bawled. I might be sold out of anger for my disrespect. I dont want to think that Anri-sama who saved my life would do something like that, but it isnt anything strange to be sold because you angered your master. Stand. Y-, Yes-! Since Id already done something terribly rude, I immediately obeyed and jumped straight up, so that I wouldnt ruin her mood any further. Speaking of which, how long has it been since I was able to stand on my own? While thinking about stupid things like that, I waited in fear for her probable declaration of my abandonment. I want you to live at my home and do the housework and shopping. Eh? There were two things I couldnt comprehend about her response, so I accidentally let out my voice. The first was that instead of being scolded like I thought, she went and left a task for me. The second was the contents of the task. Dissatisfied? T-, That would be absurd! Only, umm is just that much fine? Because she seemed to condemn me, I shook my head in a fluster, but I couldnt help but voice my misgivings about the task. People go out of their way to buy slaves because the jobs that are need to be done are terribly difficult, or things that normal people didnt want to do. But despite that, Anri-sama just asked me to do jobs that normal servants did, and werent at all the jobs that were left to a slave. Just that is fine. But, I live quite far from town, so shopping is quite a task. Understood. Far from town? I wonder where Anri-sama lives. After that, Anri-sama kindly bought me shoes and underwear. Both were of a quality that you wouldnt give to a slave, so in shock I tried to refuse, but because she told me that I definitely had to wear underwear, I did as I was told and gratefully accepted them. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Anri-sama. In the dark dungeon filled with despair, she was the only one who extended her hand to me. I still dont know what on earth this person wants from me, but she saved me from certain death, so Ill follow her to the ends of the world. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Wai-, isnt this place a dungeon!? Well yeah, Im a dungeon master. !? Side story 05 - A Certain Guildmaster’s Melancholy Side story 05 C A Certain Guildmasters Melancholy Abnormalities in the Beginners Dungeon, you say? Yes. There was a report from Lufree-san. When I skimmed through the report that made it to my office, I couldnt help but tilt my head in wonder. The Beginners Dungeon is a dungeon closeby to Riemel, and although the dungeon master was already subjugated. Because of that, the dungeon is now dormant, but not dead. It was originally a shallow dungeon with only 3 floors after all, making the monsters all weak. Because of that it was left under the jurisdiction of the Riemel Branch of the Adventurers Guild as a training ground for beginners. Although dungeons without a dungeon master wont grow anymore, as long as the dungeon core isnt broken, itll continue to produce monsters and set traps, so it was a pretty effective training ground. The atmosphere and interior of the dungeon have changed, and the spawned monsters are stronger? In the past, the only monsters that spawned in the Beginners Dungeon were slimes and kobolds. But from what I can tell having read Lufrees report, wraiths and black steel golems appear now. Lufree was close to becoming one of the leading adventurers, but he reported that he couldnt match them at all. The revival of the dungeon master No, it would probably be better to see this as the birth of a new dungeon master, wouldnt it. Dungeon masters are born when the naturally occuring dungeon cores form a contract with a monster, animal, or perhaps human or demon. Dungeon masters steal the mana of prey killed within the dungeon, and use that mana to develop the dungeon. If left alone, they can grow infinitely. Because of that, dungeon masters become subjugation targets. Left alone its quite likely that they could swallow a town or city before you know it, after all. The dungeon core in the Beginners Dungeon was presumably in good shape, so its probable that somebody or something came into contact with it and became the new dungeon master. But what worries me is the fact that the spawned monsters are powerful, and that theres an ominous aura coming from within the dungeon. Both of these factors point to the new dungeon master being a considerably powerful being. A powerful monster, or a demon. Call in Vaifs team. *imouto* *imouto* Pretty rare that you expressly call us over, ey, Guild Master? The next day, I went to meet the 4-man adventurer party that had responded to the request. Theyre the top rankers of Riemel Town, and at present, theyre the highest ranking party that I can mobilise. I want to task you all with the investigation of this incident. After saying that, I handed Vaif the report from Lufree. After Vaif had a look through it, it was passed around the party. An abnormality in that Beginners Dungeon, huh? And why did you go out of your way to call us? Call it my intuition. I have a feeling that things will get complicated. My, my. Your intuitions always been pretty good, after all. Investigating the level of risk this Former Beginners Dungeon posed was of utmost priority. If Lufree who is basically a core adventurer wasnt even a match for them, then unless its a fairly powerful team they wont be able to determine how dangerous the dungeon is. Thats why I couldnt be stingy. Please investigate with attention to details. Understood. Leave it to us. *imouto* *imouto* So, this report was the result? It shames me to say it. After reading the report from Vaif, I spoke to Vaif who was in front of me. Unlike the time when I dispatched him, his party members werent present. It seems they were quite depressed with the results of their investigation. I wasnt particularly criticising you. You fulfilled the objective of determining the dungeons risk, so it doesnt matter that you failed the request. Only, the results are much harsher than expected. Not even in my dreams did I imagine that Riemel Branchs top rankers would be beaten on the 2nd floor. Powerful monsters, difficult to deal with traps, and whats more Miasma? Yeah, a troublesome one that affects the mind. Its impossible to go deeper without countermeasures. Miasma is an aura released by evil beings, and while some corrode the body like poisons, some are like this one and cause negative influences on the spirit. Its known that when it comes to dungeons, the nature of the dungeon master will be spread throughout the dungeon. In general, dungeons with miasma are home to high-ranked dungeon masters, and this is particularly true for dungeons with miasma that affects the mind. Clerics with lots of practice can form barriers, and items consecrated by the Church of Sacred Light can protect against the miasma to an extent, but it doesnt change the fact that its a troublesome problem. But still, you did quite well in surviving a wipeout in the dungeon. Well yeah, normally youd be eaten by monsters and die on the spot after all. I did mention that in the report just in case, but Apparently, after they fainted, only their items and weapons were taken, and before they knew it, they had been tossed into the dungeon entrance. This report was consistent with the one from Lufree the other day. Honsetly speaking, I dont understand it. I do believe that its basically settled that theres a new dungeon master in the Former Beginners Dungeon, but the purpose of a dungeon should be to kill prey inside and steal their mana. Knocking them out, stealing their weapons and items, and then returning them alive This is the first case of its kind. Well? What are you gunna do? Even if we agonise over the dungeon masters plan, it doesnt seem like well figure anything out. Just like Vaif said, it would probably be best to think about what we should do next. Its likely that he personally wants to re-challenge the investigation that left him in humiliation though. Lets see. I am thinking of spreading news of a request for countermeasures against a new dungeon. The reward should be about 30 gold coins. 30 gold coins!? No, certainly that much might be necessary. Honestly speaking, its an extravagant sum for the subjugation of a completely new dungeon, but I dont think this is too much. Despite being shocked, Vaif as well immediately agreed. As long as even Vaifs team, top rankers in this branch, had trouble making progress, there isnt any choice except to hope for manpower from elsewhere. With this much money, we can probably expect people from all across the country to challenge this dungeon. As long as were sending out a request, we need to think of a name for this dungeon, dont we. Its already a different dungeon to the Beginners Dungeon. Hmm, how about The Wicked Cave of the Robber? Fits it perfectly. In light of the fact that it releases a fiendish miasma, as well as the fact that its purpose can only be assumed to be stealing weapons and items from adventurers, this was the name we gave it. Now then, while I send out the request, Id better contact the Adventurers Guilds in other towns as well. It seems things will get busy from now on. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* That of all things, I would incur the wrath of the Evil God because of that name, was something that I hadnt even imagined at that time. Side story 06 - A Certain Mage’s Grief Side story 06 C A Certain Mages Grief The Wicked Cave of the Robber? Yes, it was in the Guild announcement. Apparently its a new dungeon, but the reward for the subjugation of the dungeon master was 30 gold coins. Thirty gold coins!? While sitting around a table in the inns tavern, we reported to each other the results of the information gathering when we split up into two groups in town. A capture request for a new dungeon? But still, for a newly formed dungeon, thats quite a sum attached isnt it. Thats probably just how dangerous they think the dungeon might be though. Apparently a bunch of parties have already challenged it, but didnt make much progress. Not only are there a bunch of strong monsters wandering about, theres even talk about it being filled with miasma. Miasma? Its annoying stuff, but as long as we have Widdi we should manage somehow. Shes young, but Widdis power as a cleric is greater than the average bishop. On a good day, she can even rival an archbishop, so a barrier put up by her should be able to hold out the miasma. Well? What are we gunna do? Hmm. If everyone agrees, I was thinking that wed challenge it. Its a bit of a detour though. I thought a little bit about what Arc said. Were the Hero Party, and on our way to the Demon King in the Demon Territory, we just stopped over here in Riemel for a little, so going to capture the dungeon would definitely be making a detour. Having said that though, thinking about Arc and Widdis personalities, they probably wont be able to leave this town alone after all, and in high level dungeons, you can get strong weapons and items as well. Whats more, although were not lacking in travelling money, it definitely never hurts to have more, so the reward is looking pretty good as well. Okay. Sounds good. Im in too. I agree as well. After I agreed, Zio and Widdi followed, and with our unanimous decision, we were now headed to challenge the new dungeon. *imouto* *imouto* I had heard about how difficult the dungeon would be beforehand, but honestly speaking, I didnt think it would be this hard. The miasma floating around was thick enough that Im pretty sure wed be in trouble without Widdis barrier, and the monsters prowling about were quite strong as well. On top of that, ever since we decided to take our break after the last barrier renewal, the monsters have been attacking more vigorously than ever, and sapped us of our stamina. Huuu, these monster attacks have been pretty crazy, havent they. Isnt it because we badmouthed the dungeon master and angered him? I grumbled in complaint while repulsing a monster for the Nth time, and Zio frivolously replied. It certainly does feel like theyre being sent here on purpose, huh. Arc agreed as well, but Widdi alone didnt join in. Far from it, for some reason she was trembling with her head hanging. Widdi? Oi, whats wrong? You okay? Seeing that something was up, we all called out to her, but Widdi just wouldnt reply. But after a while, she finally gave her response with a bright red face and teary eyes. U-, Umm I-, I need to use the bathroom I chased the men away with an ahem. *imouto* *imouto* High-ranked adventurers though we may be, we cant beat biology. Its been quite a while since we entered the dungeon, and Widdi was apparently at her limits too. After making sure we were far enough that the men couldnt see, Widdi immediately squatted against the wall. The monsters wouldnt care about our circumstances so there was no way to let Widdi go off on her own, so as a fellow woman, I went with her to stand guard. Its awkward, but theres really nothing we can do. There arent any toilets in a dungeon after all, so it cant be helped. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Or so I thought, but apparently this dungeon just got weirder and weirder. Once we went down a floor, the very first room had the entrances to a mens and womens toilet. They were even meticulous enough to leave a sign plate. Suspicious. Def suspicious. Pretty suspicious. Whyy! Had it been on the last floor then I wouldnt have had to do something so embarrassing-! Widdi was groaning in complaint for a different reason than the rest of us, but thinking about it normally, this is as suspicious as it gets. Its clearly unnatural to have a toilet in a dungeon. The chance of it being a trap are high. Its high, but Arc, could you check to see if its a trap? the truth is, I think Ive just about hit my limit as well. If there are no traps, Id like to use it. The divine protection on Arcs Holy Sword can check for traps, so I had him check for any problems. Uu To think that Id use the blessing of the Holy Sword to check the safety of a toilet. Sacred Goddess Sophia-sama, please grant me your forgiveness In the end, he apparently didnt find any traps, so I gratefully used it. Widdi was glaring at me hatefully, but I paid it no heed. *imouto* *imouto* When we reached the 10th floor, we hit a snag in a certain room. In the middle of that room was a large pedestal, and words were carved into it. Thee who wouldst come in challenge before the throne of the undying one, arrange correctly the stars. huh? Just what the heck could it mean? There are many undead in this dungeon, so I believe that the Undying One refers to the boss of this dungeon. Mn, that sounds right. I was thinking what Widdi said. I see. Then in other words, if we want to fight the dungeon master, then we have to arrange correctly the skies, huh? I wonder what arrange correctly the skies means. Geez, Arc sure is the same as ever. Even if you say I see, we still dont know the important part. They probably mean the celestial bodies, huh? I think thats what these marks on the pedestal represent. On the pedestal, apart from the words were three square holes, and some kind of marks carved inside them. A mark that was a circle with jagged teeth around them, a mark like a wide arc, and a jagged mark with five points. How are we supposed to arrange these marks? They dont bloody move. Seems that putting mana into it doesnt work either, huh. Zio stuck his right hand into one of the holes and tried to move it sideways, but it didnt seem to budge at all. It doesnt look like something you can solve with brute force. Having said that though, it doesnt seem to be a magical contraption either. Arc-sama, has the guidance of the Holy Sword not given any clues? Sorry, nothing really N-, No! I apologise for asking too much! Widdi had entrusted a gleam of hope with Arcs Holy Sword, but apparently that wasnt working either. Seeing Arc reply apologetically, Widdi frantically apologised. Even the Holy Sword from Sacred Goddess-sama cant do a thing? Seriously? Its a pretty hard question, hey? As someone whose specialty is using my body, this kind of thing is a bit much for me. Dont say things like that, and think together with everyone! Its a problem with Arc too, but Zio is the type to do things by force without being very good at thinking. Having said that, pushing all the thinking work to Widdi and I would be troubling. After that, we tried things like cutting at the pedestal with the Holy Sword, or trying to move the pedestal itself, but even after trying various things, we werent any better off. Its not good. I havent the tiniest idea how to get the dungeon master to come out. I thought this place would be a shallow dungeon, so we didnt prepare enough. Its frustrating, but lets withdraw for now. T-, To withdraw right before the dungeon master-! Well, I guess it cant be helped. Weve reached a dead end after all, and just like Arc said, its also a fact that we werent prepared enough. Nobody imagined that a new dungeon would be this deep, so we only brought basic camping gear. It cant be helped. We decided to give up and head back for the surface. *imouto* *imouto* After that we decided to head back for Riemel to gather information, and a certain rumour reached our ears. It was that the real Evil God was lurking in that dungeon. The Evil God? Honestly sounds like a fake, but But its also a fact that it wasnt your average miasma in that dungeon. We realised after checking for ourselves, but the miasma in that dungeon wasnt something normal. It was at a level where you could believe it if somebody said the Evil God was in there. Whats more, the monsters spawned were quite strong as well. What shall we do, Arc-sama? Widdi asked Arc, but he was at a loss for once, and sank into thought for a while. Honestly it pains me to say it, but I dont think we can beat the Evil God as we are. The Evil God is the being thats said to create the Demon King, so theres definitely no mistaking that hes stronger than the Demon King. Right now we dont know if we can defeat the Demon King, but at the very least, we dont have much hope in defeating a being called a god. Thats true. Yeah, pretty sure thats too much. It pains me to admit it as a follower of the Church of Sacred Light, but Being a cleric, Widdi was making a bitter expression, but if we failed in vain here and became unable to defeat the Demon King, it would just be putting the cart before the horse. In the end, Arcs duty as the Hero was just to defeat the Demon King, and we the Hero Party were there to support him in that role. For now, well keep that dungeon in mind, and head to the Demon Territory first. If we safely defeat the Demon King, then at that time well come back here and challenge it again. We all nodded back at Arcs strong declaration. But still, despite all the work we did, all we got in the end was this weird stone slab? Geez, what a bloody waste of time. Speaking of which, what on earth are these things? Speaking of which, we certainly did pick up this items on the 10th floor. There isnt any mana coming from it, and it only looks like a normal stone slab. I dont know either, but it was something found in the dungeon said to house the Evil God. It might actually hold some incredible power. Theres a chance that itll become our trump card in the fight against the Demon King. That would be nice, but Now then, now that were done with our detour, I guess tomorrow well be beginning our journey towards the Demon King Castle. I guess Ill pray that we make it safely back to this town again. Arc held the up Stone Slab of the Moon to the sky. But nothing happened. TL: Todays a weekend, so Im busy with stuff around house as usual. Only managed to get one chapter out, and at 3:43 AM. This also marks the final re-translated chapter, so now theres just 9 to 11 left, all new territory. Well, for you readers at least. Side Story 07 - A Certain Undying King’s Loyalty Side Story 07 C A Certain Undying Kings Loyalty It felt as though something was pulling me. Is this a summon? Fumu, it has been a long while since I have been called forth. As I recall, the last time was by a court magician from somewhere, although he now serves as my retainer. If chance permits, this time I desire a summoner to be somebody worthy of me. I ama king. With countless retainers under my management, I am the King of Undead. The summoner though they may be, a king does not kneel. If they are an incompetent fool who tries to subordinate me, I shall immediately give them their last breath, and add them to my retainers instead. With an enormous mana as the compensation, my body was able to materialise. I see. If they are able to use this much mana without issue, then at the very least they have ability. And thus, I manifested myself. What I saw through my empty eye sockets was a room somewhere. Before me was a blue crystal enshrined on a pedestal, and next to it was a human girl clad in blac!? ah As an undead, I no longer possess a heartbeat. However, in that instant, there was no doubt that I had experienced that long-lost sensation of having my pulse quicken. Even this body that needed not to breath had become speechless due to the shock. AAH, AAHH, AAAHHH I know. The overwhelming power in those dark and ominous eyes, and more than anything, that atmosphere. Although she had taken the form of a human girl, there was no doubt. This personage was, this personage alone was the god that I ought to worship. The god that I had worshipped back when I was a human, and yet died before witnessing. It was a memory sunk deep into the oblivion of time, and yet, as I now recall, the reason that I gained this undead body was for the sake of my dream of one day gazing upon my god. oh The impatience of trying to find something to say had slipped out of my mouth. Im Anri. I want to leave the defence of this floor to you. While I was unable to form words, God spoke to me. Anri-sama! So this was the name of my god! Whats more, to think that she would entrust a mission to me! Lets get along. After saying that, Anri-sama, placed her hand against the blue crystal and teleported me. Although I was unable to speak a single word in the end, at the very least, I knelt and deeply bowed during the teleportation in order to demonstrate my loyalty. The days where I waited for intruders upon the throne that Anri-sama granted me continued on. This throne was something that Anri-sama had gone out of her way to create for me in the room that I was in charge of. I was in joy, and my loyalty was renewed, but I found myself lacking the chance to demonstrate my loyalty. The floor I was entrusted with protection was the 10th floor. Most intruders fell on the 3rd floor, and almost nobody made it this deep. The other day, a party had finally made it to the 10th floor, but for some reason they retreated before the door to my room. I was only able to sense their presence, and do not know why they retreated, but, hmmm, in that case, could it be that they sensed my presence and avoided battle? It was quite a wise decision, yet, at this rate I will not be granted the chance to demonstrate my loyalty to Anri-sama. So theyve come. However, that changed. The chance I had been craving had finally come by. Although they spent a while doing something or other before the door, in the end the door opened, and an uninvited guest entered. The one who entered was a young girl with silver hair, but having come this far, it was impossible that she was weak. And moreover, this aura I see. So she was a kin of the Demon King. Welcome, my guest. You are the first one to have reached here. I see. So youre the No Life King mentioned on the pedestal? It seems that you have what it takes to be arrogant, huh. Arrogant? I see, so I was arrogant. Indeed, before I met Anri-sama, you could say that I was arrogant. I hadnt admitted that there was anybody above me. Of course, I have long since abandoned such thoughts. Indeed, the one before you is the one who governs many retainers, the King of the Undead. Even in the face of a Demon King, I have no intention of kneeling. Indeed; I have sworn loyalty to Anri-sama. I also abandoned the thought of being peerless. However, even so, I remain the King of the Undead. The only one I will bow to is Anri-sama alone, and though she may have the blood of the Demon King, I will absolutely not yield. It seems that you know what I am. I originally planned on just beating you down, but Ive changed my mind. You can just quit being a dungeon master, and serve I who will one day inherit the throne. I said that I would not kneel. Do not push your luck, lass. You shall regret those haughty words. Then Ill make you submit by force! Come. Adding the daughter of a demon king to my retainers would also be amusing! It felt as though something was pulling me. After I was defeated by the daughter of the Demon King, my body had crumpled, and yet for some reason, although it should have faded, my consciousness remained. And my consciousness was now being drawn somewhere. It was a feeling unlike the summoning from the other day. It was almost as though Right, almost as though I was being assimilated with something else that was being summoned. And then I once again materialised. Like the exact same scene from the other day, I caught sight of the god that I had pledged my loyalty to. Was this Had Anri-sama resurrected me? Aahh, what deep compassion she has for somebody who was defeated and unable to fulfil his mission. Anri-sama ? I immediately dropped to my knee, and showed my loyalty. In the past I had displayed embarrassing behaviour due to my shock, but because this was my second time, I was able to take action. Anri-sama seemed to be bewildered by something, but she immediately spoke to me. I want to leave the defence of the 10th floor to you. Understood. I shall use my all to defeat the enemy for you. I received the same order as previously. I blundered once, but never again. Also just in case, take this. With those words, Anri-sama stretched her hand towards me, and touched my forehead. Chapter 16 Revival Flag ? Complete Strengthening Flag ? ON Side Story 08 - A certain Demon Princess Side Story 08 C A certain Demon Princess The large doors opened. What lay before my eyes was a large room similar to an audience room, and at a place further into it on a platform a step higher than the ground, was a throne. On the throne sat the one who was likely the ruler of this place; a girl with black hair. Clad in a black robe, that girl gazed straight at me as I stood by the entrance, and even from a distance, I could clearly feel her gaze. The moment that our eyes met, the instincts in my body screamed at me to run. Sweat suddenly began to drip, and I could feel myself grow pale. Im sure that right now Ive gone beyond pale, into pure white. My arms and legs began to tremble on their own, and as my teeth chattered, I could hear the sounds making as though it were happening to somebody else. And by the time that I noticed all this, I finally understood what this feeling was. Fear. No, since I was feeling this because of an absolutely unopposable being, perhaps I should call it terror and awe. In the face of this weight of presence that exceeded even my father, His Majesty, I could do nothing but atrophy like a powerless rabbit. This is bad this is bad this is bad Ive disrespected an unfathomable person. Moved by some irresponsible rumour, on top of invading their territory, I went and defeated their gate guard, the No Life King. If somebody went and did that at the Demon King Castle, we definitely wouldnt forgive them. Wed definitely soak them in a bloodbath, and if the enemy was a country, then wed even be willing to go to war. Country? The moment I noticed this, I was hit by an impact like a strike to the head. Thats right. The situation is already at a point that wont end with just me. As someone with the blood of the Demon King, the things that Ive done could very well be taken as the outlook of the entire Demon Race Territory, no, rather, taking it that way would be natural. I regret the rash actions that Ive taken, but its already too late. This is a being who is powerful enough to make the daughter of the Demon King feel awe; I cant even imagine what a disaster it would be if this power turned towards our country. I need to appease their anger here no matter what. To do so, I must not hesitate even if I need to offer myself to them; that is the responsibility of those born with the blood of the Demon King. I was still frozen at the entrance, but if I stay standing here, I will be in danger of upsetting them. While suppressing my desire to escape, I stepped into the room. With each step that I took, the pressure that I was thrust in front of continued to grow. While enduring this trial that felt like forcing myself against a river current, with a sense of duty and terror flaring up, I desperately moved my feet forward. Just the walking alone wore down the strength of my body, and of my will. At a place a short distance from the throne, I stopped moving. Its no good I cant go on anymore Thankfully its close enough to speak, so Ill just talk from here. My actions so far have probably given them a bad impression; my first words will probably be very important. Nice to meet Please excuse my actions! you? I placed both hands and knees on the ground, and deeply bowed. Its a posture of expressing ones greatest apology that a summoned hero once told us aboutthe dogeza. Wha-, oh no! I accidentally cut off their words. This is rude in itself. Hmph! At this point I have no choice but to rain apologies down upon them. Um, I deeply apologise for my many acts of rudeness! If its something I can do, I will do anything! So, please please have mercy on my countrymen! A-, Again!? Uuu, what terrible luck I have No, you really need to I beg of you, please punish me alone. listen to me. -!? Coupled with those cold words was a knife that was thrown, stabbing into the floor before my eyes. In terror, I let out a voiceless scream. This is bad. Ive angered somebody that I absolutely couldnt displease. Raise your head, and stand. H-, However Just do it. Being firmly told that, I sensed that staying in this posture any longer would have the opposite effect, so I snapped upright. I was going to try and explain myself for displeasing them, but before that, she spoke to me first. Im not angry. Eh? I was trembling with fear about what she would say to me, but what came were words I hadnt even imagined, so I accidentally made a foolish sound. I have no intention of punishing you either. T-, Truly!? She spoke her words blandly, but being told that like a small child being taught, I finally realised that she wasnt hostile. Because the relief was so great, tears came out. With this, my country wont be destroyed. And also, about the 10th floor boss R-, Right! Of course I shall carry out my duties with all my heart! You dont need to do it. Pardon? In order for my country to escape retribution, I had prepared myself for what I thought would be inevitable, but I completely avoided it. No, I mean, it helps to not have to serve her, but now Im anxious about whether thats really all right. In exchange, theres a favour Id like to ask. W-, Whatever you would like! S-, So it really wouldnt end so easily. It seems that she wants to make me do something in exchange. No, certainly, having the matter end with just me is still a cheap price to pay. The cause of all this was because of my rash and blind conduct, so no matter what kind of humiliation or pain, I have to make peace with it. Now then, what is it? What do you wish of me!? I want you to be my friend. Huh? Frehnd? Aah, friend? wai-, friend!? F-, Friend? S-, She wants to become friends with me? What on earth is she thinking about? I am not proud, but in the 16 years since Ive been born, I have never had a single friend. Even if she tells me that she wants to be friends, I dont know what to do. It isnt my fault; being born as the Demon Princess meant that from the beginning there was no change of building up a relationship of equals. It is definitely not because of my appearance or my demeanour. That is what I would like to believe. Oh, no good. Either way, I have no choice but to accept their request. Honestly speaking, I would feel far more relieved had they told me to become their subordinate, or had they whipped me, but U-, Understood! Please allow me to humbly become your friend. Were friends, so you dont need the keigo. Unders Got it. We moved to Anris residential area on the 31st floor, and I received a warm welcome. She told me that she was a human at the same time that she introduced herself, but honestly speaking, unbelievable. Its unbelievable, but her adventurer card says that she belongs to the human race as well, so I have no choice but to believe. The person herself said that she received the skills from the Evil God, and since the feeling of terror softened once she moved her gaze away, I could confirm that the skill was the cause. Apparently apart from her gaze, she also has an aura that brings about fear, but that one is only at the level of giving you chills, so there apparently isnt a problem. We ended up being able to speak to each other normally as long as our eyes didnt meet, but at any rate, this is my first friend, so I wasnt sure about how close or distant we were supposed to be. However, even I know that being dunked in the bath by a friend youve only just made is not normal. And well, I was worried about how I was smelling since I was all dirtied with blood and sweat from searching the dungeon, but being told that so frankly really pierced my heart. But its also the truth that I was thankful. I wouldnt have thought that Id get to have a bath in a dungeon. The baths that Im used to are tubs that you filled with hot water, about a size you can wrap your arms around, but when I saw that the bath here was shockingly half of the room, and was always filled with water even without going out of your way to fill it up, I ended up dumbfounded. I took off my armour, and then took off my dress and got nude, before sinking into the bathtub. Huu. I reflexively leaked a sigh. The feeling of the warmth of the water sinking into my body couldnt be topped. Because various things happened, it seemed that more weariness had built up than Id expected, and my consciousness accidentally dimmed. The sound of a knock brought me back from my nap, and I raised my almost submerged face in a fluster. Whoa, whoa. I almost drowned. I dont know how long I was out of it, but from the pruning of my fingers, it seems that it wasnt short. Please excuse me. Together with those words, a beautiful blonde girl entered the bathroom. The knock from before was probably her. The girl wearing the strange black outfit is named Tena, and was introduced as Anris follower. Ill leave your change of clothes here, if thats all right. Yeah, thank you. It seems that she brought me a change of clothes. The dress I was wearing up until now was quite dirtied, so I was actually wondering what Id do. I hadnt really minded up until I got into the bath, but now that Im all clean, wearing dirtied clothes again would feel bad, so Im feeling that I should just accept it and be thankful. I can wash the clothing you were wearing but, will you be all right with that? Yeah, thanks. Can I ask you to do that for me? I feel bad having her do everything from beginning to end for me, but Ive never done anything like laundry before, so I had no choice but to rely on her. Tena picked up the dress and armour that Id been wearing, and left the bathroom. I accidentally fell asleep while in the bath, so having not properly cleaned myself yet, I began washing myself from the hair down. After that, I relaxed in the bath some more, before finally decided to get out with regret. Using the towel that had been placed besides my change of clothes without me noticing, I wiped down my body, and after drying myself, I put on the clothing ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* Wai-, Im supposed to wear this clothing covered in frills!? The truth is, Leonora-sama was frilly all throughout the girls talk. Side story 09 - A Certain Founder’s Faith Side story 09 C A Certain Founders Faith When I was young, the world seemed filled with colour. At the time, I had never doubted the flowery lifestyle I had been born into as a noble. I wasnt the eldest son so I couldnt inherit the household, but because our family was high ranked I assumed that I would be wedded into some other family, and in fact that was what my father was thinking about. In the Kingdom of Fortera, the nobility were split into three rough factions. The first was the Royalist Faction; a gathering of nobles that pledged their allegiance to the king and royal family. The second was the Feudal Lords Faction; a faction that pushed for the benefits of nobles, and occasionally opposed the Royalists Faction. Finally, was the Church Faction; a gathering of nobles with deep connections to the Church of Sacred Light, and took a neutral stand in the scuffle between the other two factions. The power of the nation was roughly divided into 4 parts Feudal Lords, 3 parts Royalists, 2 parts Church, and 1 part for all the other factions, as well as those individualistic nobles that didnt join any factions at all. Because my family was a powerful family within the Church Faction, I had joined the Church of Sacred Light when I was young, and often met with people from the Church. When I was young I had just simply believed in what I was taught, and worshipped the Sacred Goddess, but as I grew older and came into contact with the Church more and more, I began to see reality. Widespread bribery and debauchery, fat ministers who thought only about exploiting the believers; a vulgar situation unlike the public image. By that time, I was old enough to know that there wasnt any meaning in screaming this is wrong. The upper echelons who were foremost in this injustice would surely pay me no heed. The nobility in the Church Faction werent pious either, and were a group of nobles who wanted to use the Churchs backing to gain profits, and people who actually had faith were the minority. It was obvious that trying to expose this unfairness would just fall upon deaf ears. Being afraid of isolation, I decided to keep my feelings locked in my heat. And before long, my faith had left me. My colourful world had been a grey world painted in falsehoods. ..* ..* Now that I had found it bothersome to deal with nobility or the Church, although I kept up appearances, I would occasionally sneak out of my house. Having said that though, it wasnt as though I had anywhere I wanted to go. I just wanted to see a world with colour, and so I spent my time walking around town dressed like a commoner. Unlike the world of nobles or the Church, the town still seemed filled with colour. It was around this time that I hid my identity and registered as an adventurer. To begin with, as a noble of the Church Faction, I had been brought up in the use of a mace. Because of that, I immediately distinguished myself in the Guild. Before I knew it, I had made companions to do the requests with, and as I spent each day having fun, the colour came back to the worldup until my companions died from wounds during a request. They were heavy wounds, but by no means were they heavy enough that they wouldnt be saved. If they were carried into a church and received the healing of a cleric, they should have been able to live longer. The problem was that the bishops that could use high level healing magic were all occupied with the Noble Faction, and healing for just an adventurer was left for later. Once you excluded the bishops, the Church only had young clerics, and you couldnt hope for proper healing from them. Had I used my family name, I might have been able to give them priority, but at the same time it would mean exposing my background and it was clear that I wouldnt be able to spend time with them like we had been. In order to save my companions, I had to cut my ties with them; because of this decision, I couldnt come to a decision. By the time I had finally decided to expose myself, my companions had already stopped breathing. The world once again returned to grey. For my own conveniences, I had abandoned my companions. Because of that, I couldnt live the way I had been anymore. I lamented and regretted, but my companions wouldnt return. I stopped showing up at the Guild, and spend my days drinking cheap liquor in a tavern. One day, a man I knew from the bar invited me to a certain gathering. The group didnt have a name, but having originally been close with the Church, I immediately realised who they werea gathering of those who worshipped the god that the Church referred to as the Evil God. The past me would probably have scorned them and stayed away, but having half given up on myself, I participated in the gathering. And then I came across my second, and final faith. In the gathering, they talked about the injustice of the Church of Sacred Light, as well as the God that opposed the Sacred Goddess. The former were things that I had always thought about, and kept hidden in my heart without talking to anyone about. Having found a place where people sympathised with me for the first time, I rejoiced. As for the latter, although the Church of Sacred Light had spoken about that god as well, they taught that that God was an evil being that wished for the meaningless destruction of the world. No, Im sure the truth was that the Church of Sacred Light simply couldnt tell why they wanted to destroy the world. When the people of the world fall into depravity, the true God will save them through destruction. To the depraved Church of Sacred Light, its obvious that such a god would be bad news for them. Because the Church, as well as the Sacred Goddess they worshipped concealed their depravity, they persecuted this god as the Evil God. I had found a being truly worthy of my faith. While secretly using the authority and assets of my family, as well as my connections with the Church that I shunned, I elevated myself within our Faith. ..* ..* There was a rumour that the god that we worshipped had descended to a certain dungeon. It was information I had obtained from the Church of Sacred Light, but because this was a matter of importance to them as well, it was hard to think that these were lies. If it turned out to be true, we needed to welcome God at all costs. Having been recognised for my contributions to the cause, I had been left in charge of this area, and so I directed my fellow believers to Riemel where the dungeon was. ..* Because the believers of the Sacred Light would get in the way if they found out, we decided to split up and head for the dungeon entrance, and meet up once it was time. Fortunately, there didnt seem to be any adventurers visiting the dungeon at night, so there was nobody but us. Because there was a large room on the 1st floor, we decided to hold the ritual there. The believers set up the fire, cauldron and altar whilst I meditated until the ritual began in order to heighten my concentration. ..* After a while, all the believers had gathered, and the ritual began. We burnt an incense that uplifted ones mind, and heightened our concentration to call forth God. Because I was the one managing things I was wearing a priests outfit, but the other believers removed their bothersome clothes to cast off their ties to the world. There were also believers who lay with each other to offer that lust to our God. Feeling the surge of piety and that everything was progressing smoothly, I walked to the middle of the room, and raised my right hand. The frenzied believers immediately went silent, but they were as feverish as ever No, that feverish enthusiasm had increased. We now begin the ritual of offerings! Together with my shout, the believers all raised cries of joy. They prepared a stone altar, and lay atop it the girl that had been bought as a sacrifice. NnnnnnDDDDDD!! It pained my heart to see the girl struggling in tears, but this too was for the sake of our faith. I believe that her soul will be retrieved by our God to serve as the cornerstone of the new world. O god of ours, please accept our humble offering. With those words, I brought down the raised dagger towards the girls heart. I felt the feeling of cutting flesh that I had experienced in my adventurer days, together with a splash of fresh blood Thats what should have happened, but the next thing that I felt was the sensation of stabbing at something hard, and the sparks that came with it. The dagger than I had swung downwards had faintly marked the stone altar, and snapped at the tip. The girl that should have accepted the dagger with her body was nowhere to be seen. What-, just what was going on!? Where had the girl sacrifice gone? Although I had fallen into confusion from the sudden events, I immediately realised what had happened. The girl was tied up before me; she had no means to escape on her own, and there was no way I wouldnt have noticed had somebody else rescued her. If there was someone who could do such a thing, then it could only have been our God! We had always been faithful until now, but the power of our faith was insufficient, and so we had never received a response from God. However. However! This time, for the first time, God had shown a response to our ritual! Aahh, the rumours were true! Our God had truly descended! In my joy, I made an announcement to the believers. Have you all not seen it yourself!? Our God has accepted our humble offering. Perhaps my words had finally made them realise the situation because cheers of joy rang all around. Satisfied, I faced the direction that I believed our God was watching from, and waited for Their words. ..* ..* Untasty. However, the words that came to me were much too unexpected. Whats more, the voice was that of a female, still young. The sex of our God had never been recorded, but was She a goddess? No, I can worry about that later. If She wasnt satisfied, then as her faithful servants, we needed to apologise. Eh-? Ah- Please excuse us! Umm, did it not suit your esteemed palate? Humans, demons, unpalatable. Oxen, pigs, chickens, goatsanimals recommended. Oohhh, God of ours. Are you asking us to go buy you meat from the butcher? U-, Understood! U-, Um I am truly sorry to trouble you, but is there no mistake in that you are our God? I know quite well that it was insolence to ask such a thing, but I couldnt help but do so. We had been granted the humble chance to exchange words with the god who had been silent thus far. This was something I needed to determine, even at the cost of my life. Indeed. Oohhh! Receiving your words is the acme of honour! It was. It really was our God! I could feel my body being filled with joy and emotion. Although it did not suit my palate, it is true that you have done me service with your offering. As such, I bestow this staff. Together with this unexpected praise appeared a single staff atop the altar. A jet black staff that seemed to house all the darkness of the world; simple though it looked, it was a staff with a polished design, and even without touching it, I could feel an incredible power emanating from it. T-, This is!? T-, To think that I would be granted a divine weapon-! This overwhelming power was unmistakably a divine weapon. I took the presented staff in hand, and trembled from joy. Aahh, I was born all for this moment. Continue to be zealous in your faith. Understood-! Of course. You neednt even say it. My faith and devotion is all for your sake. Raising the bestowed staff into the air, I turned towards the believers and shouted. As of this moment, I declare myself as the Founder of our Faith who will guide everyone on their path! This staff bestowed from God is the proof of my faith! Those who object, speak now! It was as good as declaring a supersession within the Faith, but even the previous leaders of the Faith could not deny the truth that I had been bestowed a divine weapon from God. No, rather, I would not allow them to deny it. God told me to continue to endeavour in my faith; even if they were the Former Founder, I would not allow them to get in the way of my faith. As Founder Harvin, I declare that we will build upon this place a temple to worship our God! Now then, things are going to get busy from now on. ..* ..* Aahh, the colours of the world are brighter than ever! ..* ..* ..* Later on, the Former Founder and leaders from various areas reproached me for naming myself Founder, but as proof that God had directly acknowledged my faith, nobody could stop me from becoming Founder any longer. After all, apart from myself, nobody could hold the divine weapon, and even if I let it out of my hands, it would return to my side. There was no doubt that this was proof that I had been chosen. Oohh, God of ours! I shall follow you to the end! ..* ..* ..* TL: Theres a line that reads Фˤͽͬʿ뤳ȤǤꎚݤؤιȤߤӤޤ but Im assuming ꎚ(melancholy/gloom/Yin) here was a typo for (lust). Normally Id say this for sure, but then this is an Evil God and everything, and theres a tiny chance that Im overlooking some cultural thing. Side story 10 - A Certain Prince’s Despair Side story 10 C A Certain Princes Despair You-! This is plain harassment! General Godwin struck the round table in the center of the conference room with his fist. I understand how you feel, but calm down, General. His Majesty is here. F-, Forgive my rudeness! Chastised by the Prime Minister Lord Forgen, the angry General Godwin suddenly came back to his senses and apologised to my father in a fluster. Its fine. I feel the same way. Not just my esteemed father; it was likely that nobody gathered here would blame the Generals words. The reason was because the people here all held the same feelings. At present, the topic of discussion for the group called the Royalists Faction was that the Church of Sacred Light had declared an edict for the formation of the Order of the Sacred Light. It was an edict regarding the subjugation of a group of adherents of an Evil God cult that were gathered in a certain dungeon near our kingdom, Fortera. But no matter who looked at the situation, it was clearly an overreaction to form and mobilise the Order of Sacred Light just to subjugate a group of cultists not even numbering 1000. The Church of Sacred Light claimed that it was because traces of a being that appeared to be the Evil God was witnessed in the dungeon in question, and the formation of the Order was necessary for the sake of its investigation, and if possible sealing or subjugation. There was no lie more barefaced. Because the higher-ups of each nation knew that the Evil God was a fictitious threat created by the Church, after all. The Church wasnt seriously aiming for the subjugation of the Evil God either, and the other nations passed this suggestion knowing quite well that it was a lie. So it really was because of the proposal from the other day. That seems to be the case. There are no other reasons. The Church of Sacred Light is the largest religion in the Human Territory, and is the official religion of all nations. Because of that, the money that each nation donates to the Churchs headquarters, the Luxiria Theocracy is no small amount. Of course, our Fortera is no exception. However, because the crops and tax yields in our kingdom were anticipated to be lower than average this year, we declared that we would be reducing next years contribution to the Theocracy. There was probably no doubt that it was correct to interpret this edict as revenge for the contribution announcement. Although it was the formation of the Order of Sacred Light, in truth it was a coalition force of the knights and soldiers of various countries. With an edict from the Luxiria Theocracy, they expected participation from various countries, but because it was officially participation in order to fulfil their duties towards the Church of Sacred Light, there was no remuneration. If this was the invasion of the Demon Territory, then there would be de facto remuneration in the form of territory distribution, but because this time was the formation of the Order in order to solve a domestic issue, there would be no such thing. Of course, our kingdom has no responsibility to give out remunerations for this. But despite this, if a domestic issue of ours is solved by the military of other nations, well end up owing a debt, and would need to take this into account in future diplomatic exchanges. Revenge, and an example to the others, huh. You could certainly interpret this as a show of force through the difference in military power. The other nations probably understand the Churchs purpose in this edict as well. Not to mention that theyre sending this message as well: If you report that youll be decreasing your donation, this is what will happen to you. Its too late to change the donation back, isnt it. Now that the formation of the Order has already been announced, it is probably impossible. And to begin with, the reason we reported a reduction was because we couldnt pay it. You cant use money that you dont have. The meeting sank into silence. ..* ..* So, what will you do? We received a strong suggestion that as one of the nations involved we should scout out the location and set up camp, but Making us do subordinate work on top of harassing us, huh? Just how much do they intend on messing with our kingdom. Both scouting and setting up camp formations are certainly important for an army, but its difficult to gain achievements for doing it. The more achievements another country gains, the larger the debt our kingdom will owe them, so this too was a form of harassment. But this was a good chance as well. I shall lead the army and head for the battlefront. Your Highness!? Hearing my declaration, the people sitting around the round table all turned their gazes to me. Hmm, and your intention? Pretend to scout and set up camp, and just subjugate the enemy at the same time. We might be slandered for acting arbitrarily by the other nations and the Church, but this should be better than letting them gain large achievements and owing them a large debt. If we say that the young commander was anxious for merits, it shouldnt seem unnatural. I answered my fathers question with my plan. The other nations might be quite disgruntled because they had gone out of the way to prepare their armies, but as long as they hadnt actually headed for battle, they probably wouldnt be able to strongly demand anything from us. The Church of Sacred Light probably wont stay silent, but given that their official aim was the subjugation of the Evil God and cultists, they shouldnt be able to openly criticise us. But there should be no need for you to take the blame, Your Highness. As a member of the royal family, the other nations shouldnt be able to strongly reproach me. If any other commander does it, they may demand punishment. Even if they cant publicly condemn the Kingdom, its entirely possible that they would blame the commander personally for disobeying orders. Once you consider this, I cant leave the role to the generals. Perhaps because they understood my intentions, the Prime Minister and General reluctantly fell into silence. How is it, Your Majesty? Very well. I shall leave it to you. Having set up camp in front of the dungeon in question, I gazed at the Evil God worshippers before me. The enemy had also set up a military formation, but you could say that it was entirely crude. On top of the fact that they barely reached a thousand people, there were elderly people, as well as women and children mixed in, so they wouldnt even put up a proper fight. It was obvious that they didnt even have enough troops to set up an ambush, so I had faith that as long as I sent the soldiers forward, we would easily crush them. Honestly speaking, it was strange that having come to this they still hadnt run away and scattered, but was this also because of their disgusting piety? Having thought that far, I accidentally let a wry smile slip. Your Highness? No, its nothing. Finding my smile strange, General Godwin had questioned me, and I told him not to worry. Disgusting piety, huh? The fact that I cant understand those who would worship something like the Evil God hadnt changed, but after this incident, the piety that we the Forteran Royal Family had towards the Church of Sacred Light had fallen to rock bottom. Of course, there was no way we could reveal such thoughts to the citizens after all, and we certainly werent opposed to Sacred Goddess-sama, but at the very least, I had no intention of believing in the corrupted Church that was rampant with money-worshipping. Both as the prince, and as a person. Between the believers of the Evil God who were risking their lives, and the people who secretly demanded money under the flag of the Sacred Light, just who was better? When I started wondering this, I found it so funny that I couldnt help but smile. ..* ..* Lightly shaking my head, I switched gears. Both of them were the same. If they threaten our kingdom, then they must be eliminated. This was my duty as a member of the Forteran Royal Family. Look at the formation of these evil bastards, General! What a pathetic formation. Indeed. With the General by my side, I looked at the cultists in front of me before speaking in a loud enough voice that the knights and soldiers around us could hear. With an enemy more worthless than garbage, cant we subjugate them on our own even without the Orders main forces? Indeed, however we were instructed to scout and set up formation. Reciting our lines exactly as planned, it felt like I had become a clown. However, that didnt matter. What I wanted to become was a foolish and hot-blooded prince. We can end things if we attack now. There is no need for either scouting nor formations. Your Highness, that is But still, the General cant he do anything about that acting? Isnt he speaking in monotone? That is of no concern! Sitting here while the cultists lie before us will incur the wrath of Sacred Goddess-sama! All troops, commence mar!? ..* ..* Just as I was about to give orders, at that moment, the sound of an explosion resounded around us. At the same time, something seemed to rise before our eyes. !? As I was speechless from the confusion at this incomprehensible scene, that made itself known. ..* Everybody looked up dumbly at the scene. In a place that had been a simple clearing until now, suddenly rose an ominous, yet somehow divine feeling temple. ..* Were my eyes telling the truth? Wasnt this almost a feat of God? It couldnt be that the Evil God truly resided in this dungeon, could it? But no, the Evil God was supposed to be an imaginary being concocted by the Church. However, this scene was ..* Almost as though cornering us in our bewilderment, the abnormal scene continued. Night suddenly fell around us, and the surroundings were filled with faint light. I could feel that this series of abnormalities had caused chaos to spread through the soldiers. The General and I tried to call our to sooth the soldiers, but sooner than we could, a staircase of darkness stretched down from the top floor of the temple to the ground. ..* Neither I, nor the General, nor the soldiers nor the cultists did anything but turn our gazes to those stairs. No, strictly speaking it wasnt the stairs that we were watching, but the one descending them. ..* At a glance, they seemed to be a girl. With a relatively small figure with jet black hair and a jet black robe, they slowly descended the staircase with two girls in tow. Everybody had forgotten how to speak, and held their breath as they looked up at that figure. Finally, when that figure had reached a landing halfway down, we could see the face that had been invisible until now. A face with features beautiful like a doll, and a turbid gaze that seemed not of this world Glared at by those eyes, I felt goosebumps all across my body. In the midst of this silence, devoid even of the sound of breathing, I unconsciously muttered, Evil God. In that moment, the word Evil God seemed to spread like wildfire through the soldiers. RUNNN! The moment that somebody shouted that, our formation collapsed. Both the soldiers and the knights ran away in chaos. Given our positions, the General or I would normally have needed to stop that. But, we couldnt. And the reason was because both the General and I as well, had lost all thought of remaining there from the sheer terror. Together with the soldiers, we turned our backs to that temple as we ran towards town as fast as we could. ..* ..* ..* ..* I thought that the Evil God was just some fictitious being fabricated by the Church. I was sure that even this whole disturbance was just the theatrics of some fanatics. But I was wrong! If that wasnt the Evil God, then what else could it be! We were deceived! It wasnt that the Church of Sacred Light had created an imaginary enemy to fool the masses, but that they had pretended to the leaders of each country that a real enemy was imaginary. And the reason was probably because that the Evil God was an inconvenient truth to the Church. Could it be that even Sacred Goddess-samas esteemed power is no match for it? But no, something like that cant ..* ..* As though ridiculing me for reaching a dead end in my thoughts, as I ran, a black flash appeared behind me. For a moment, everybody stopped and turned their heads in that direction, but that flash flew off into the distance. The soldiers around me felt relieved, but I instead had trembled in terror. That light was most likely an enormous mass of mana that the Evil God had fired as a joke. It was good that it had been fired in a different direction, but had it been fired as us, or the town, or even the capital, then ..* ..* While praying in my heart that the Evil God didnt aim our way, I once again began my escape to town. With this, the side stories have reached the main story, but to tie the side stories in, there will be one more short story to go. Side story 11 - A Certain Evil God’s Sneer Side story 11 C A Certain Evil Gods Sneer Candidate Anri has exceeded the required faith and fear levels. Race has been changed from Human Race to Divine Race. Job has been changed from Mage to Administrator. Title has upgraded from Child of the Evil God to Evil God of Fearful Trembling. Gained title Third Administrator. Gained skill Administration. ..* ..* Ohh? Never thought that shed bud this quickly. As he saw through the screen that the thing he sent just the other day had already become a member of the Divine Race, he laughed. It was originally just a way to kill time. No, even now, it was still basically the case. It had all started when he had noticed by chance some faith that was floating around in a low-ranked world based on stories. It was faith towards his type, so he had considered devouring it, but following an idea he came up with on a whim, he sent in a something that seemed suitable as a vessel, and decided to watch and see how things unfolded. If things went well, it would mean the birth of a new member of his kin, while if things failed, it wouldnt be any real loss. It was pretty fun watching the process. Sending her in as a human was the right choice, huh. She might have gathered faith faster had she been sent in as an apostle, but he decided to just cram skills into her as a human and enjoy watching the show. Honestly speaking, he had crammed enough into her that it wouldnt have been strange for her soul to collapse, but you could say it turned out well because she was good material. When he had spotted that girl in a high ranking world, he had unconsciously sighed in wonder. It wasnt often that youd find a human with eyes close to his kinds. Now that a new administrator has been born, the other divines probably wont stay quiet. Im really interested to see what happens next. There were originally two administrators in that world. They would very soon know that a new administrator had been born. No, there was also the chance that they already knew. It was impossible to ignore a new administrator being born in the world they administrated, so it made sense that they would soon approach her somehow. And because there were many cases where members of his type were hated by others, so to begin with there was definitely no way things would happen peacefully. The world would probably be wrapped up in a power struggle between fellow divines. Aahh, Im looking forward to it. So looking forward to it. Power struggle though it might be, in the end it was just something that would happen in a low-ranked world, so even if it was something that involved his kin, he didnt plan on interfering. Even if she was destroyed in defeat, that was just how it was. Just one favourite toy being broken. It was all for his amusement, just simply killing time. But it was also the truth that it seemed like things would be quite fun this time. It was all thanks to the beloved daughter''[thing] that he had sent in. It was just a random idea he had come up with, but once he gave it a go, it had turned out to be the right choice. ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* Aahh, Im really glad that I created you. ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* As he saw through the screen his kin writhing around like a caterpillar as she had her legs poked by the people there, he laughed. If you manage to seize the power from the other two, maybe Ill give you a reward. ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* ..* TL: In Japanese, laugh and one way of saying sneer are the same. Ц and ͤ are both read as warau, so in the second last line, I wrote laughed to keep the repeat sounding good. In truth, its more like he laughed in ridicule. I made this decision because she obviously meant for the two lines to parallel each other. Had she wanted to strongly emphasise sneering, I think she wouldve used Ц(azawarau) or something. Volume 2, 1 - The Beginning of a Dark History Volume 2, Chapter 1 C The Beginning of a Dark History Ive heard a saying before about how its easier to destroy something than create. Its a somewhat paradoxical saying that emphasises the difficult of creating things. Whether its buildings, or artwork, or culture, when you create something, a lot of time and effort is needed to do so. *imouto* But if I had to add one more line to that *imouto* it would be that cleaning up after things that you accidentally create are also quite a pain. Including bad things that youve accidentally done. *imouto* And if I had to add one more line on top of that *imouto* it would be that if you leave it to somebody else because cleaning up is a pain, there also exists the fear of things getting worse. *imouto* The newly erected temple, the Forteran Army that was driven away, the Evil God Followers who ended up saved because of this, and more than anything else, I myself, who had become an Evil God. There were so many problems that I didnt even know where to begin, so I decided to create a rough order of precedence, and allocate people wherever I could. There shouldnt be anything wrong with this line of thinking. And to me, the point of highest priority was dealing with the fact that Id become an evil god, and all other matters were lower. Considering this once again, I still think this was correct. So thats why. Thats why *imouto* As our great godsAnri-samas, servant, I, Pope Harvin, hereby declare, the establishment of the Holy Anri Thearchy! *imouto* I want to believe that this isnt my fault. Also, Id like for you to stop with that name. Very much so. The Evil God Followers were taken in on the first surface floor of the temple, and I left their care to Tena and Leonora. Having said that though, I had no intention of worrying as far as the minor details, and the fundamental idea was to have them arrange themselves. And so, why did it turn into this? Even if you ask me that you know? I just passed on the message, Gather your followers over there. exactly as you said, Anri-sama, but After Tena and Leonora returned to the top floor of the temple, they told me about the details regarding the speech that the Merry Foundernow, the Merry Pope, gave beyond the monitor, but apparently Tena just passed on the message as is. So how did it have anything to do with founding a country? Youll probably need to ask him yourself But whatever the reason, now that hes declared as such, you cant so easily take it back, you know. I know. Whats more, although we declared that we were creating a country, in the end our situation was just that of insisting that it was true. Theres the fact that we werent being acknowledged by other countries as well, but that was because we hadnt created a country yet. We were just a temple sheltering 1000 refugees, without even a single house, so of course it that much was natural. But since that announcement had already been accepted by the followers, it was too late to say otherwise. Of course, I could use my position as God to force the decision to withdraw the announcement, but once I considered the chaos that would ensue, I couldnt so easily take the plunge. Why do they know my name? They begged me, Please, please tell us! so I ended up telling them, but was that no good? I replied to Tenas worried question with a shake of the head. There was the fact that I hadnt forbidden her to do so as well, and since there was the benefit of being more famous and familiar amongst the followers, I had no intention of criticising her. Because right after that announcement, my belly felt full. At the time I didnt know what was going on and fell into confusion, but apparently, because the announcement had made my name known, the effectiveness of their faith ended up rising, or so I concluded later on. Having become a member of the Divine Race, I didnt need to eat, drink, or use the bathroom any more, but in exchange, how full I felt apparently depended on the religious faith that the people of this world had towards me. I guess thats how it ended up. Right now I had faith, so I was happy with a full stomach, but if the faith towards me dropped too much, then Id be stuck with feeling hungry. Not only that, even eating food wouldnt fill that hunger, so until the faith towards me restored, Id continue to starve Considering this, forming a country might be convenient for me; mostly in the sense that keeping myself famous would fill my stomach. Although, far from solving any problems, the fact that problems had just increased gave me a headache, and Im worried about the reactions of the other countries too. I wish is to live peacefully, but I dont want to suffer and starve either. The ideal would be to maintain a deadlock where Id preserve just enough faith, while not being invaded by any countries. Having said that though, just being the Evil God Country would be famous enough, so At least change the name. Why? Isnt it a fine name? I think so too. And furthermore, the name is already well-known amongst the followers, and so, changing it now would be Its damned embarrassing. Embarrassing enough to roll about in agony on my bed. Also, why is an evil god-worshipping country prefixed with Holy? I seriously want to know. It isnt just the followers, you know. That guy has already sent out letters to every nation, after all. Why the heck is he so needlessly proactive!? If its already spread that far, isnt it impossible to change now!? Letting that country name become known across the land, what kind of shame torture is this? No, wait, wait, thinking about it carefully, theres a more important issue. Isnt sending something like We created the nation of the Evil God to every nation basically the same as a declaration of war? And in a situation where far from being a nation, were not even a village yet? Every country is going to come attack us. Although you cant let your guard down, for now youll be fine. I asked Leonora Why? with my gaze and she averted her eyes. Although Ive become a divine now, my mystic eyes are still in good health. Im just glad that they havent gotten worse though. The country right beside ours is the Kingdom of Fortera. Considering what happened the other day, theyll probably be cautious about invading. Well, I certainly did threaten the Forteran Army quite terribly. I guess they wont invade right this second. Having said that though, just as Leonora said, I cant let my guard down and its just a matter of time. For now, tell them that they can use the first three terrarean floors, Tena. Also, Ill leave the management of the country to that Pope. Yes, Anri-sama. I understand. Although Im worried about choosing the Pope, incredibly worried about choosing the Pope he was apparently the peacemaker in the cult, and there was no reason to change it. Moreover, I couldnt think of anybody else for the job. Incidentally, Im using the 5th and top layer as another residence, and prepared rooms for Tena and Leonora as well. As for Lili, shes still too young to be on her own, so shes sharing a room with Tena. However, Tena became busy recently, so Ive been looking after Lili a lot of the time. Perhaps that had some effect, because as long as I didnt meet her in the eyes, shed seem pretty attached to me. Im a little moved. The 4th floor is serving as a line of defence. But the actual stronghold is on the subterranean 31st floor, so its fine even if I abandon this place when the time comes. The dungeon core is still on the 31st floor, and I put a newly divided subcore on the 5th surface floor. In exchange for having a number of its functions sealed, like the ability to add floors, with the subcore I could check for abnormalities in the dungeon even without being on the 31st floor. Only, it didnt function as a backup, and if the main dungeon core was destroyed, then the subcore would break as well. I hadnt really decided on what to do with the 3rd surface floor and below, so I offered it for use by the management of the country. With this place as the base, theyll probably clear the land around the temple and build a town. Only, I dont really know much about that, so I left it all to somebody else. While I was at it, I pushed all the exchanges with the Merry Pope to Tena. No, I mean, I am sorry to Tena, but once I think about that guys vigour, Im afraid of meeting him directly. Incidentally, although theyre surface floors, theyre still part of the dungeon. I made it so that monsters wouldnt spawn, but I couldnt stop the miasma. Only, unlike the floors underground, it was open here, so I dealt with the problem by blowing it outside. *imouto* *imouto* Speaking of which, is it really fine for you to stay here, Leonora? Wed stopped the conversation so that I could tell Tena to give instructions to the Pope, but I suddenly had that wonder, and so I asked her. Shes helped me with a lot of things, but thinking about it carefully, isnt it bad to be receiving aid from another country? Yeah, no problems. My country is focused on this place as well, you see. They want know whats going on. In exchange for letting me stay here for a while, Ill help out. Thanks. When I thanked her, Leonora combed her hands through her beautiful silver hair, as her face turned a little red, and she looked away. I-, It isnt really anything to thank me for. Theyre orders from my country, right? Im something like a spy, you know. If you were seriously stealing information, thered be no need for you to tell me; would pointing this out to her be boorish? It was obvious that she was worrying about me. S-, Speaking of which, have you grasped the effects of becoming an evil god? About half of it. In exchange for not needing to eat, excrete, or sleep, I experienced the fact that I apparently needed faith. I dont know about my lifespan, but since Im a divine, Im probably immortal. My mana and skills and stuff all went up across the board. Also, although I didnt need to eat or sleep, it didnt mean that I couldnt, so I hadnt changed my lifestyle rhythm. I want to continue living life like a person to maintain my mental stability, after all. By no means is it because I wont get fat no matter how much I eat or sleep. I was scared about what would happen if I used my power as an Administrator, so I hadnt tried it yet. Also, I can change my clothes now. Hah? Even with curses on the tantou or robe, since I had become a divine myself, I had overcome them. But it wasnt like the curses themselves had been dispelled, so I guess it would be more correct to say that even cursed, I alone could equip or remove them. When I told her this, Leonora replied Sorry to say this while youre happy about it, but youve already become recognised as wearing those clothes. If you change too often, itll cause trouble. Why? Well, even if you ask why, if God kept changing their clothing, itd be unnatural, right? Certainly, Ive never heard of a god who changes their clothing all the time. Even when it comes to statues or whatever, its normal that they wear the same outfit. Even though Id finally been able to change It seems that Ill forever have nothing to do with fashion. Is this also the curse of the Evil God? Volume 2, 2 - The Situation in Various Countries Volume 2, Chapter 2 C The Situation in Various Countries Well then, please tell us the situation in all the other countries. On the monitor, Tena called out to the people assembled there. Sitting around the round table were the important members of the Faith, and of course, the Merry Pope was there as well. Ever since the country-founding announcement, I sent people out to see how the other countries would move, and the information they gathered was to be presented at this meeting. As for being there myself, with Tena already recognised as my representative, I left it to her and instead decided to watch on-screen from the top floor of the temple. Also, Lili was sitting next to me, reading a picture book and studying letters. In this world where the literacy rate and printing techniques were oddly high for a medieval European level, learning how to read was indispensable. Tena sat on a special chair that was placed at the highest part behind the round table, and overlooked everybody gathered there. Just like how my appearance didnt change when I became a divine, Tenas appearance didnt change either when she became an apostle, but for some reason I get the feeling that she was now wrapped in a kind of transcendental atmosphere. With beautiful blonde hair, a youthful but dignified face, as well as the black outfit with the mysterious atmosphere, it was like she was a princess or a shrine maiden from somewhere. Well, I guess shes exactly a shrine maiden. Well then, I shall begin. In regards to the movements of the Headquarters of the Church of Sacred Light, the Luxiria Theocracy, they immediately repudiated the announcement of our countrys founding. They are appealing to the other nations to agree. A commotion ran through the meeting due to the sudden report. Calm yourselves. Anri-sama is watching us as well. The Popes voice rang out through the noisy room, and the noise changed to complete silence. Well yeah, I am watching, but theres no need to say it. We knew from the beginning that this was how the Luxiria Theocracy would act. The issue is how the other nations will respond. How do things proceed on that front? A woman raised her hand at the Popes question. In regards to that, I will give the first report. Youre As I recall, the one in charge of the Kingdom of Fortera, werent you. Yes. The Kingdom of Fortera was the nation that originally owned the place that we were in, and as somebody who was a stakeholder, you could say that they were the most important nation to us. I was very curious to know what news the report held. The Kingdom of Fortera rejected Luxirias appeal. Furthermore, they raised complaints about the dishonesty of the current upper echelons of the Church, and created a new faction, taking a hostile position towards them. Furthermore, in regards to our countrys founding announcement, they did not negate it, and are taking a neutral position. The meeting became even more noisy than before. The Church of Sacred Light was the official religion for all nations in the Human Territory, and this was the first time in history that anybody had opposed it, so a commotion was natural. No, perhaps forming a new faction isnt actually defying the Church of Sacred Light itself. The name of the new faction is called the Origin Faction, and are based on being faithful to the teachings of the Goddess. What reaction did the Luxiria Theocracy have towards Forteras declaration? Their Pope stated his own feelings of regret, and they seek a withdrawal of that decision. When the Pope received the womans report, and asked that question of the man who first gave the report on Luxiria, he received a reply that you could say was natural. But if they were going to withdraw that decision, they wouldnt have made it to begin with, so it was already decided that the two would be hostile. The other nations also appear to be watching the confrontation between Luxiria and Fortera, and things are in a deadlock. Still, I wonder whats going on. From Forteras point of view, our countrywere a self-proclaimed country, butour country had stolen their land and declared ourselves a nation, so Fortera should have been the first person to deny us. Thats what I expected as well. And the result was that they were taking a neutral stand, and taking a hostile position with the headquarters of the Church as well. I dont understand why they would take a hostile position with the Luxiria Theocracy before taking one with us. Has the situation progressed? When I turned around towards the voice that called out to me, I found the person who should have been in the Demon Territory gathering information, Leonora. The moment I turned to look at her, she averted her eyes. It was an very smooth motion Shes gotten used to it, hasnt she. Welcome back. Thanks. I just got back. For information in the Human Territory, I can sort of leave it to the Pope and the others, but as youd expect, that wouldnt fly in the Demon Territory. Since were right in-between both territories, I cant neglect the Demon Territory either. Because of that, I asked Leonora to gather information there. As youd expected, I dont think shell tell me anything disadvantageous to her country, but were not hostile to the Demon Territory or anything, so just normal information is plenty. Right, and I should see what Leonora thinks about the information from just now. She is royalty, so she might know what a country is planning. Im worried about the fact that shes a muscle-head though. I see The discussion was still continuing, but since I heard the most important parts, I decided to take a break and discuss the situation with Leonora over tea. She crossed her arms, and sank into thought for a while. While patting Lili who was next to me, looking at the sweet bun with glittering eyes, I waited for Leonora to gather her thoughts. Hmm, three things come to mind. What are they? Leonora really is reliable. Im sorry for thinking that you were a muscle-head. The first is that theyre very simply afraid of you. I was stupid for praising you. No, well, I certainly do think that theyre scared of me, and as a guess that probably isnt wrong, but it was a pretty disappointing answer considering how much I was looking forward to it. While I was laying down on the table, Lili pat my head with her small palms. What a good girl. The second is that the Fortera and the upper echelons of the Church of Sacred Light had some kind of discord to begin with. Discord? Yeah. Earlier when the Forteran Army invaded, I told you, If a problem within their country is dealt with by the Church or the Order, they will come to owe them a favour. didnt I? In other words, the Church of Sacred Light knew that it would come to that, and yet they still tried to form the Order of the Sacred Light. It might that they simply put precedence over opposing the Evil God, but theres also the possibility that they had some kind of discord with Fortera. In other words, forming the Order of the Sacred Light was to put pressure on Fortera? Its nothing but conjecture, but yes. I see. Then if we take that as the truth, then certainly it does seem reasonable that the Kingdom and Theocracy would be quarrelling. The third is the relationship with the Demon Territory. ? What kind of relationship would that be? Seeing me tilt my head just a little, Leonora continued to speak. Even within the Kingdom of Fortera, this spot is the closest to the Demon Territory. Fortera is the frontline against the Demon Territory, but if a country appears here, that situation will change. It wouldnt be strange for them to determine that there are large merits for losing just a small amount of territory. Thats In other words, using us as a shield against the Demon Territory? If they did that, then it would certain explain their neutrality towards us. If they want to use us as a shield, then it wouldnt be good to have either an antagonist, nor a friendly relationship. The former would just make a new enemy in place of the Demon Territory, and the latter would mean that they wouldnt be able to push us to the enemy. And by taking a neutral stance with the Evil God Nationas long as they werent choosing to become our enemy, they would necessarily worsen their relationship with the Church of Sacred Light. And it was because they knew this in advance, that they revolted against the Luxiria Theocracy. That kind of thing? Both are possible, and it isnt the case that there can be only one reason either, after all. It might have surprisingly been the result of all three reasons combined. That might be it. For now, the fact that the most likely enemy Fortera, had now fallen into a deadlock with Luxiria was something very convenient for us. We should work to fix our appearance as a nation while we still can. Speaking of which, what about the Demon Territory? Ahh, theyre basically just watching. As the Demon Race, they arent fond of the Evil God, but that was because it was an idea used by humanity to demonise our Dark God. As a completely different person to the Dark God, theres no reason to be hostile to you. If it seems that through me, they can come to a mutual understanding with you, theyll probably be keeping this kind of relationship for the near future. I see. I felt relieved after hearing that. At the very least, it seems that for now, Ill be able to concentrate on the problems in the Human Territory. Feeling full, I rubbed my drowsy eyes while patting Lili on the head, and let out a sigh of relief. I suppose that just about sums up the situation in the other countries, and the management of our own. Finally, there is one thing that I would like you to convey to Anri-sama for me, Tena-sama. What is it? Mn? It seems that they wrapped up all the complicated stuff while I was resting, but the Pope began talking about something. The truth is, I have thought of a plan to make Anri-samas splendour known to the other countries as well. I would by all means like to verify the details with Anri-sama. What is he planning? Im worried. Terribly worried. Volume 2, 3 - Progression of Heresy Volume 2, Chapter 3 C Progression of Heresy In the beginning, Anri-sama created the world. Humans, animals, plants; all things that exist were created by Anri-samas hand. However, the foolish humans did not know. Sophia the Evil God was jealous of Anri-sama, and pretended that Anri-samas achievements were her own, and the people praised Evil God Sophia. Anri-sama who lamented over the world dyed in heresy, decided that she would purge the world with only her believers remaining. The believers of Evil God Sophia will surely burn in Hell for eternity. Only those who believe in Anri-sama will be able to go to the new world, and obtain eternal happiness. After reading the words on the paper in my hand, I looked up and found that the Pope was standing there with eyes shining with some kind of expectation. Seeing that subtly proud face, the fact that his good looks were its only redeeming feature kind of pissed me off. Leonora. Yeah. Faiya~ NOOOOOOHDDDD!? Leonora was standing next to me and had been peering in on it as well, and when I had her burn it away the Pope began to scream. I didnt want to meet him so I had Tena act as my representative, but he specifically wanted me to have a look at something, so I even went out of my way to build an audience hall on the 4th floor, but I didnt think that Id be made to read something like that. The reason I added this hall was because they were treating me as a god, so I couldnt easily head down to the 3rd floor and below, and since I didnt want to invite him up to the 5th floor, there was no other place but the 4th. Also, the reason I didnt want to call him up to the 5th floor was because I didnt want him to meet Lili. In his mind, Lili had been eaten by me, and as for Lili, she shouldnt want to meet somebody who tried to kill her either. Only, although I know that hes somebody who tried to kill a person Im close to, mysteriously I didnt feel any sense of repulsion. I think its because his personality is so intense that the first impression was drowned out. I wonder how Tena feels about this. She associates with him normally though. Why, Anri-samaDDDD!? Uwah- The Pope drew in with a flood of tears, and in my revulsion, I accidentally sent him flying with a shadow bullet. It was so sudden that I didnt hold back on my strength, or so I was thinking, but the Pope was just fine and immediately got up. I shouldnt be one to say this, but is guy really human? To begin with, these eyes that even cause the daughter of the Demon King to dogeza dont seem to have any effect on him Or rather, should I say that he even gets a little excited? It makes me want to avert my eyes myself. My apologies, I lost my composure. I am terribly ashamed, but could you please teach me what it was that was unsatisfactory? Even if you act all prim and proper now, its too late you know. And even if you ask me what was unsatisfactory, its actually harder to point out something good about it. Its the first time that somethings been so bad, that one of the less bad points is a good point. But well, if I had to pick the worst point, then Its needlessly antagonistic. And there are lots of parts that are disconnected from the truth. Even without antagonising them, the Church of Sacred Light might be hostile anyway, but that doesnt mean that theres a need to needlessly stir them up. Were lucky enough that theyre glaring at another country, so I dont want to provoke them and have their spearhead turned this way instead. And also, why did I end up the one who created the world? I have no memory of doing anything like that. Certainly, there are a few exaggerations mixed in. A few? So this is a few Or rather, before exaggeration, all I found were a bag of lies, but? However, we presently require something to gather people to our country. As such, I wanted to create a scripture. In order to draw interest, giving it a little impact would be better, wouldnt it? Please give me a break. Just imagining a nation formed from people gathered by that kind of scripture is giving me goosebumps. But in regards to the need for scriptures, I guess I cant help but agree with his idea. I dont want to starve either, so the idea of propagating the religion itself is something I agree with. Then in that case Ill write the scriptures. I might have been too hasty. The blank paper in front of me was causing me to hold my head in trouble inside. I accidentally said in front of the Pope that I would write itthe Pope gleefully leftbut, since then the brush in my hand has written absolutely nothing. To begin with, I only realised just now that theres no way the deity themselves would write the parts that worshipped and praised the deity, but its much too late. And also, even leaving that part aside, the rest of the contents are difficult too. Amongst the believers gathered in the temple right now, many of them were in despair because of the Church of Sacred Light, or the social class system. Because of that, I needed to write something revolutionary and reformist like destroying the current system, but in that case, Id had no choice but to write something antagonistic towards the Church or the other countries. And personally, just as I said earlier, I definitely dont want to antagonise the Church of Sacred Light or the other nations, so as much as possible Id like to head in a direction that doesnt provoke them. Anri-sama? Are you still awake? Tena When I sighed at how I was making no progress at all, I heard somebody call me from outside the room. Apparently after Tena had put Lili to bed, she came to see how I was doing. Overly exerting yourself is bad for your body, Anri-sama. I think it might be better if you went to bed Its fine. You can go to bed, Tena. Anri-sama It wasnt a lie. Im still totally fine. For some reason after I turned into a divine, I stopped needing sleep. Staying up a few nights wont hurt my health at all. Its completely unrelated to physical fatigue. If you dont plan on sleeping yet, then could I trouble you for some tea? Understood. I know that as an apostle, Tena still needs to eat and sleep. Because of that, unlike me, she needs to properly rest. Im happy that shes worried about me, but she needs to rest after shes done with the tea. After she left a cup of tea in front of me, I was going to tell her to go to sleep, but before I could, Tena spoke to me first. Are you not making progress? Perhaps realising that I was troubled, Tena asked me that, and I nodded wordlessly. A situation where you keep crumpling up the pages and starting over cant be called progress no matter how you look at it. What are you worrying about? I cant write something that endorses reform without picking a fight with the Church or existing countries. After saying it myself, the impossible requirements made my head hurt. The moment that you reform something, youd be picking a fight with the people who currently had benefits, so to begin with it was contradictory. Umm, why is it that reform is necessary? Why, you say? Well Because thats what the followers want. I was about to reply, when my mind suddenly came to a stop. Is that really true? Its certain that there were lots of people amongst the followers that were in despair because of the Church or the class system. But if you asked me if all members wanted reform, then I would have to say that I hadnt heard such a thing. What the betrayed and wounded wanted was something more vague than that; something righteous. If that wasnt true, then even without religion, theyd rely on something else in some other place. And as for something righteous, there was no need to forcefully link it to reform. From the beginning, there was no need to touch on troublesome topics like the current state of the religions or countries in the world. As long as I state ethics or morals; state the way things should be, then thats enough. It felt like a ray of light shone into my mind that had been hazy from agonising over this. It looks like youre fine now. It wouldnt do for me to be a nuisance, so Ill take my leave. Perhaps feeling relieved because she saw that I was fine, Tena gave a bow with a smile. I nodded back at her. Goodnight, Tena. And thanks. Good night, Anri-sama. Right. There was no need for me to put on airs. In the end, the scriptures were just the basis, and not the entirety. You could tell this just by looking at the way the Church of Sacred Light spread. Its fine just for me to write whatever I think. The religious stuff can just be left to the Pope and the rest to add on. Mn. It feels like I can write now. Pulling myself together, I turned to the page and began putting down my thoughts into words. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* An item designated as an S-Class Danger. Said to be filled with the malice of the Evil God, amongst the things in this world, it is a cursed item of particularly great strength. Those who have received this item will continue to suffer misfortune until they transcribe a copy and hand it to somebody else. Additionally, as even the copy contains the curse, it will propagate endlessly. Additionally, there is no means of destroying this item. A list of the misfortunes of the cursed lett I mean, the Black Scripture: You suffer a bald patch. You experience popping ears when heading to high places. It feels like somebody is pressing a finger between your eyebrows. You contract hay fever. You will suddenly suffer stomach pains in places where there are no nearby toilets. Each morning you will awaken to a leg cramp. You will unfailing stub your little toe on a shelf. You will unconsciously blurt out your real opinion. You will end all your sentences in evilgod. Volume 2, 4 - Light and Dark Volume 2, Chapter 4 C Light and Dark When I joined the Divine Race I conquered the curse, and so I was able to take long baths again. Up until now the curse would activate if I didnt leave the bath before thirty minutes was up and send my clothes flying into the bath, so I always had to bathe while watching the time. Now I could finally bathe as long as I wanted. Although I stopped sweating, I still got dirty, so I would usually bathe every day. More important than anything was the fact that getting into a hot bath was relaxing for the spirit, so it was essential that I did so. Phew Feeling the heat soak into my body, I unconsciously let out a sigh. After pouring some water on myself, I dropped into the bath. Waves went through the bath, and the comfortable vibrations swayed my body. I played around like that for a while, but because I had already been in for an hour, although I didnt get dizzy I still thought that it was about time to get out, so I stood up. And when I did, a man in a crimson robe suddenly appeared outside the bathtub without any warning. He was a tall man with long, light green hair, and although he had a handsome face, he looked somewhat ill-bred. Ahn? It was so shocking that I had forgotten to even hide myself and stood there stock still. In front of me, the man looked around the room, before finally noticing me. We continued to stare at each other wordlessly for a while, but the man finally lowered his gaze just a little, before averting his eyes with a scoff. *imouto* Still silent, I fired a relatively serious shadow bullet at the man. After preparing an emergency meeting room and round table on the 5th floor, I sat down on one of the three chairs. The other chairs were occupied by the peeper who intruded on my bath earlier, and a blonde woman wearing a full set of silver armour. Incidentally, although the man took my relatively serious shadow bullet, he was left without a scratch. Tena walked around the table and placed a cup of tea before each of us. Thanks. Were fine now, so you can leave. Also, tell everyone not to come near this room. Y-, Yes! Understood. Perhaps I accidentally let some of my urgency into my voice, because Tena leapt out of the room with great urgency. I felt a little guilty, but considering the situation, it couldnt help that I was nervous. *imouto* Not even in my dreams had I imagined that the God of Darknessand the God of Light would march in here directly together. *imouto* The man sitting to me left in a deep crimson sleeveless robe had introduced himself as Dark God Anbaal. Whether his long green hair, or the bared chest beneath his robe, his appearance just made him look like a member of a visual kei rock band, but because of his bad attitude, crossing his legs on the table, I couldnt see him as anything but a hoodlum. He saw me naked in the bath. He looked at my chest and sneered. I already had a pretty bad impression of him. When I considered that this was the deity that they worshipped, I began feeling sympathy for the Demon Race. Ill make sure to warn Leonora later not to be hasty. But the feeling of pressure I was feeling was the real thing, so I had no doubts that he was a god. He was the god that ruled over darkness so considering the attribute of my shadow bullet, it made sense that he was unharmed. On the other hand, the armoured woman sitting to my left who appeared in the bathroom to scold the Dark God for intruding introduced herself as the God of Light Sophia. Her beautiful blonde hair was tied into three braids, and from her appearance she looked like a calm woman in her twenties, giving off a clean and serious atmosphere but theres one thing Id like to say. Her appearance was way too different to the statue in the church; its fraud. If something like this is allowed, wouldnt it be fine for me to change my clothes too? I only saw it from afar, but I think the goddess statue in the church was wearing something like a nuns clothing. And in contrast, the woman in front of me was wearing a silver plate armour without a single gap, and no matter how you looked at it, she seemed like the martial type. She was like Joan of Arc. The fact that the person herself was quiet made things scarier instead. Honestly speaking, I was less afraid of the hoodlum Dark God than I was of her. She didnt seem the type who understood jokes, after all. In contrast, the Dark God was just acting tough and wasnt all that scary. When I turned my gaze to him, perhaps he noticed my gaze because he looked my way. The hell you lookin at? A peeper. Ah-, oops. I accidentally spoke my mind. Hah! You think you have anything worth peeping at? That thin body and he said, before wordlessly looking at my chest. I reflexively wanted to cover up with my hands, but I felt like I would be the loser if I faltered here, so I just boldly glared back at him. But of course, perhaps I should be saying as expected of a god because the mystic eyes had no effect at all, and he didnt even flinch. To begin with, the heck is a god even doing in the bath? When I glared at him, he blocked my eyes like it was annoying, and said that. Well certainly I dont have a metabolism, but that doesnt mean that I dont get dirty, so I thought it was obvious that Id clean myself but Do gods normally not bathe? I mean, Im fine with this peeper skipping his bathes or whatever he wants as long as he doesnt come near me, but if gods dont bathe, then could it be that she also Anbaal, it seems she still hasnt been released from a physical body. Its natural that she needs to clean herself. Dont think of her as the same as you and I who exist only as souls. The Light God cut into the conversation as though scolding the Dark God. And at the same time, she glared at me with an incredible glint in her eyes. Could it be that she knew what I was thinking about? Understood, Oneesama, you arent unclean. A brat with her shell still stuck to her arse, huh? Tsk, how annoying. The Dark God gave a languid sigh as though saying my my. But still, I wonder what they meant. If I take the Light Gods words at face value, then these two were just spiritual beings without a body. Seeing them sitting on chairs and drinking tea made it a little hard to believe, but since there wasnt any need for them to lie here, it was probably the truth. But in that case, what kind of position did that put me in? If theres anything you would like to ask, then I shall answer. Before we get into the main topic, it seems that you need to be informed of some background information first. Guess it cant be helped, ey. We arent getting anywhere at this rate. The Light God spoke to me who was having questions. Im concerned about what her main topic is, but for now Ill obediently ask my questions. Its dangerous to get into a conversation with people whose motives you dont know, but because I had so little information, I wasnt in a position where I could form any strategies. Whats the difference between you two and I? I decided just to ask what I had doubts about just now. We are all the same in that we belong to the Divine Race. However, because the ones formed from the divided Creator God, Anbaal and I, were divines to begin with, we were always souls without physical bodies. And in contrast, because you were somebody who became a divine from a human, you still possess your body. Once your soul becomes a divine, your body will be affected as well though, so it isnt as though your body is the same as when you were a human though. Me and that overly serious woman over usually exist without possessing any substance, but right now were materialised. But well, once your body is destroyed youll probably be just like us though. In other words, right now Im like a half-baked half-divine with a physical body, but once my physical body is destroyed, Ill be a complete divine just like them? I get the feeling that we just casually skipped through a fairly heavy conversation. But well, even if you still have a body, youre still a divine, so there shouldnt be any problems with exercising your powers. Exercising my powers? Could it be that shes talking about the Administrator skill that came along when I became a divine? I cant think of anything else that matches, so I think thats probably it, though. Yeah. Thats the main topic that we came aaaall the way here to talk to ya about. The Dark God pulled his legs back from atop the table, and after fixing his posture, he put his crossed arms atop the table and leaned in. The sense of tension in the room surged up. *imouto* *imouto* Today the reason we came here is to decide on our Authorities. Volume 2, 5 - The Meeting Unfolds Volume 2, Chapter 5 C The Meeting Unfolds Authorities are things that we Administrators govern there are Authorities for all things, phenomena and concepts. And to us, the Authorities are our power, responsibility and duty. Each Administrator has a main Authority with a bunch of Sub-Authorities, as well as Free-Authorities that dont belong to any, so that makes up all three types. The gods of Light and Dark explained to me about the Authorities that were their main reason for visiting me. I wanted to take down notes, but it wasnt the right atmosphere for that, so I decided to try my best to memorise it. An Administrators main Authority cant be changed cause of their attribute. Im Dark, that overly serious woman over there is Light, and as for you Seriously? Fear? Thats a pretty nasty one youve chosen, ey? I didnt choose it. I didnt choose it I say. I can assent to their Main Authorities being Light and Dark, but I cant accept that mine is Fear. In exchange for very few being able to choose a emotion-type Authority, they can gain faith through that emotion, you see. It seems that you are only absorbing the fear directed at yourself, though. It felt like something from people my followers was flowing into me, but that was the reason? Just exactly how feared am I? Mn? There was something concerning in her words just now though. Can I absorb fear directed at things besides me too? Obviously. Authorities are the right to manage the world, yanno. As long as you use their function properly, no matter who its directed at, youll be able to use it as faith. But well, emotions directed at yourself dont need any conscious work on your half, so I guess its that much more efficient, ey? I didnt know. I didnt know. I decided not to use my power as an Administrator because I had no idea what mightve happened, but is that why? As long as its linked to gathering faith''[filling my stomach] this is pretty important, so Ill have a look at it later. Anyway, the remaining ones are Sub-Authorities and Free-Authorities, but theyre decided among fellow Administrators. Mains and subs become the Administrators specialty, yanno? A specialised Authority cannot be used by other Administrators. On the other hand, free Authorities can be used by all Administrators. Then couldnt you just leave them all free? If that was all itd be aight, but you cant gather faith from free Authorities. And if you cant distinguish whose responsibility is whose, the response to problems gets slow, and its riddled with risk. I see. Thats why theyre power, responsibility and duty, huh? So in exchange for gaining power, you gain as much responsibility in exchange. Having said that, if all Authorities are specialised, then there would be none remaining for other Administrators to use. As a result, those that have a high degree of risk are used as Sub-Authorities, while the rest are left as free. Anyway, here comes the main topic; up til now, all the Sub-Authorities have been split between me and her, but suddenly this new Administrator pops up. So we need to choose how to divide the Sub-Authorities again. I understand why they came as a pair now. It was to hold an important meeting about how the world would be from now on. With the general explanation finished, after brewing some more tea, the meeting resumed. Also, since I would feel bad about calling Tena to such a dangerous place, I steeped the tea myself. The two were making doubtful expressions, but I wouldnt accept any complaints. Well then, guess well quickly get to it. First of all, Im taking Demon Race. No discussions. I too will not concede Human Race. T-, The way this is going is The so-called taking-all-the-good parts-to-yourself-and-leaving-the-newcomer-with-the-remains-newcomer-bullying-scene!? Are they going to say stuff like Goblins or Vulgarness would fit a person of low birth''[an embarrassment to the divines] like you. or You aint thinking that an accident like you could be on equal terms with us, right? to me? They carefully explained various things to me so I let my guard down, but thinking about it, theres no way that a human that messed up their territory by becoming a divinealthough I didnt wish for itwould be accepted by them. But I cant just take things sitting down either. If I lose this power struggle, then itll also mean that this country will be looked down on by its neighbours. Itll threaten the peaceful lives of Tena and the others too. I dont want to recklessly abuse my influence, but I need a minimum amount of power as a foothold. I need to be stubborn here. I wont accept Leaving the rest to you. I shall leave the rest up to you. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* this? *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* I do think that it is a difficult task, but I have faith in you. Well, just see this as training. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* T-, These guys Theyre planning on pushing all the work onto me? Right. Even if I take Leonoras story with a grain of salt, they were a pair that didnt care about the details as long as they were loved by their respective races. At the time, the conversation was about the Light God, but from what I can see it applies to the Dark God as well. The Dark God called her overly serious, but just what part of this is overly serious? Up until now, theyd be reluctantly working in order to protect their races, but now that there was somebody they could push all the work onto, they were planning to only take responsibility for the things they cared about, and were plotting to push everything else onto me. This isnt a joke. I want the bare minimum power to prevent myself from being invaded, but I dont want everything pushed onto me. What I want is to relax in peace; theres no point if my schedule is so busy Ill die. I need to be stubborn here. I wont accept this. Ah? Ah? Im being glared at. As I thought, the Light God is scarier. But I cant give up here. If youre pushing all the other Authorities onto me, then I can also destroy the humans or the demons with Epidemic. Are you fine with that? ! ! The moment I said that, the two gods stood straight up. I was being glared at just like before, but the pressure now was on another level. You have sure some guts, eh. The Dark God was gathering mana in his hands, but the Light God waved him to stop, and spoke to me. Did you say, that you would destroy the Human Race? The fact that Ill be able to is the problem. If one god has all the Authorities, theyll be unstoppable. I see. So you wanted to say that there is a need for the three of us to be in balance. You have a point. However The Light God stopped her sentence midway, before pulling out a massive sword as tall as she was, and slamming it into the table. A thunderous boom rang out through the room, and the round table was split in half. the next time you speak nonsense like that again, I will destroy you. Scary Yes, I will definitely keep that in mind. I raised my arms face-height in surrender, before stating my defence. It was just an example; I have no intention of doing it. I sincerely hope not. It seems that I somehow got her to sheathe her sword. Of course, I never had any intentions of destroying the humans or the demons to begin with, and it was because there was that risk that I wanted to give an example of why we needed balance, but from now on Im going to be careful not to say anything stupid about messing with the humans in front of her. I can sort of understand now why the Dark God calls her overly serious. But if shes going to be serious, then I wouldve preferred her putting that into a different outlet. After repairing the bisect tablethe one who broke it was the Light God, so why was I?we resumed the meeting. However, the discussion dragged on and we didnt make progress. Although I prevented everything being pushed onto me, both the Light God and Dark God were trying their best to push things onto somebody else. In the end, it became something like Even if one of us does something destructive, the other two can just cooperate and stop them. and we just kept pushing things onto each other. If I relaxed I wouldve just gotten things pushed onto me instead, so I also objected, but because of that, we eventually fell into a completely unproductive cycle of pushing things onto each other. The old and new, male god and goddess, positive attributes and negative attributes; a frenzied 2 vs 1 battle that continually changed positions continued on, and along the way we lost track of who was objecting to what anymore. Because we didnt need to eat or sleep, it just meant that the argument continued endlessly. Hahh Hahh Huu We are not making progress, are we? Seriously, you two are freaking stubborn. Even though we didnt even need to breathe, we glared at each other breathless. I wanted to tell him that he was just as stubborn as we were, but as the Light God said, we werent making any progress. Alright. Ive got an idea thatll definitely decide things. Hmm, please do say. Or rather, if you had something like that then say it to begin with. Dark God. Shut up. I only just thought of it, so it couldnt be helped. Well have a match, and the winner gets to decide on how to divide things. However, with the balance between the three of us kept in mind. Ohh? Aint that interesting. I see. Even if we continue the conversation, there does not seem to be an end in sight, so I think that idea is fine too. However, just what kind of match will it be? Naturally, I have no plans on simply battling it out. It wont be a game or anything either. Its clear that Id completely lose in both. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* The match will be a dungeon. Precepts for having an efficient meeting; as learned by Anri-san. 1. Decide on the length of the meeting beforehand An endless meeting is dangerous. 2. Make sure to have somebody in charge of the direction of the meeting. Without one, everything gets out of control. 3. Make sure to take minutes If everything is recorded, youll be self-conscious and pay more attention to what you say probably. Volume 2, 6 - On That Day, a Quake Ran Through the World Volume 2, Chapter 6 C On That Day, a Quake Ran Through the World Administration. I used my skill as an Administrator for the first time. When I activated the skill, a menu-like window appeared before me. Menu: Authority Activation M*nu: Intelligence Perusal M*nu: Divine Enchantment M*nu: Divine Revelation It was pretty simple for a gods power, but considering my talk the other day with the Light God and Dark God, the power of the Divine Race is probably concentrated in Authority Activation. Intelligence Perusal was just as the titles suggested, the ability to know about things that happened, and things that were happening. As youd expect, even a divine wouldnt be able to gather information on the future, and in the end the only information you could browse were on the past and present. Divine Enchantment was the act of handing out the power of a god to other people in the form of divine protection but apparently it was no different from the Divine Enchantment skill. If I really had to say it, then apparently it wouldnt bestow divine protection against my will, but I had no use for it anyway. In fact, I would prefer a way to undo the divine protections already out there. And so, this time the one that I would be using was Divine Revelationan ability for transmitting words to your followers. It was honestly pretty dull No, I mean, if its the Light God or the Dark God then it might be an ability that transmits their words across the continent, but most of my believers are inside the temple, so there isnt much point. I could use my powers as the dungeon master to transmit my will after all, and although I wouldnt be too keen on it, it wasnt as though I couldnt tell them directly either. Actually, let me revise that; it isnt there isnt much point but theres absolutely no point. But well, even if there isnt, the other two gods are using Divine Revelation, so (although Im not sure if I have any,) its sort of an issue of dignity. Thats why I had to take the same method. I picked the middle entry on the menu and muttered, Divine Revelation. What do you mean by dungeon? I dont really get it, but you better not be talkin outta your ass. The two gods gave me extremely distrustful replies. I know how they feel; right now Im regretting it, wondering to myself what the heck I was saying. If I had to give an excuse, the meeting was really long, so I was mentally worn out. But now that Id already said it, it didnt feel like a situation where I could take it back. Ill force my way forward. Before I joined the Divine Race, I created a 31-floor dungeon, that still hasnt been conquered yet. If the humans conquer it, then Light God Sophia wins. If the demons conquer it, then the win goes to Dark God Anbaal. If it remains uncaptured within a certain amount of time, then its my win. It was just a random idea, but I think it sounds surprisingly good. Leonora, and the Hero Party from a while ago; both were close to the strongest tier within their own races, and neither could conquer even half of the dungeon. I dont think a person that can conquer this dungeon exists in either race. Although, rather than pure ability, Im talking more about the level of meatheadedness. Theres also the huge benefit of not fighting the Light God and Dark God directly. Since Im lacking in direct combat experience, Ill be at a disadvantage no matter what, but if I use this method then my opponents will be the human and demon races, so my handicap mostly decreases. Ohh? Aint that sound interesting. You intend on involving the Human Race into our conflict? The Dark God seemed like hed agree, but the Light God showed disapproval at my idea. Because the Human Race is something to be protected for her, so she probably wanted to avoid exposing them to danger due to her own circumstances. Well, the Dark God should be the same in that aspect, but I guess its just a difference in personality. Its going to determine the management of the world, so its not somebody elses business. I understand. Very well. I agree. Anbaal, how about you? Im fine. Alright, both of them are on board. Whats left is to figure out the rules in detail. *imouto* *imouto* After that, we discussed things little by little, and worked out a set of rules. Unlike the discussion about the Authorities we had in the beginning, this conversation went much more smoothly. *imouto* - The match is in regards to who can conquer the dungeon Holy Ground of the Evil God. If the humans conquer it, then Light God Sophia wins. If the demons conquer it, then the win goes to Dark God Anbaal. If it remains uncaptured within a certain amount of time, then the winner is Evil God Anri. In addition, conquering is defined as being the first to touch the Proof of Capture on the 31st floor. - The winning Administrator gains the right to allocate the Sub-Authorities. However, they will do so with the balance of all three Administrators in mind. - The length of the match is 1 year. - The use of Authorities to directly aid or hinder the capture of the dungeon is prohibited. - During the duration of the match, Evil God Anri will not add additional floors. - During the duration of the match, Evil God anri will not summon additional monsters. However, a single dragon is permitted. - Evil God Anri will take all care possible that no fatalities will occur amongst the human and demon challengers. - Light God Sophia, as well as Dark God Anbaal will prohibit the Human Race and Demon Race respectively from committing acts of aggression or subversive activities against the Holy Anri Thearchy for the duration of the match. - Evil God Anri reserves the right to take an entrance fee from the challengers. However, the fee shall not exceed 1 silver coin per challenger, per challenge. Such worldiness You a miser? Oi! I hear nothing. By Proof of Capture, you mean that? How do I say this Your taste is pretty fucked, huh. It isnt like that by choice. I stationed the Proof of Capture on a pillar-shaped pedestal that was in the first room that you arrived at, coming down the stairs from the 30th floor. Id hate it for them to come into the residential area and mess everything up, so Im planning on having them teleport outside after taking the Proof of Capture. You were awfully fixed on the dragon, but is there some kind of meaning to it? Dragons are romance. Various things happened causing me to put it off, but since I had plenty of mana, I wanted to summon the dragon that Id been dreaming of seeing. And also, it wouldnt be good for the dungeons image if there was no boss for the 30th floor. Im kind of getting the feeling that their gazes are getting more and more lukewarm, but its probably my imagination. Also, its set in the rules that nobody is allowed to attack or commit subterfuge against us in the confusion. Itd be troubling if they came and invaded after pretending to be here to challenge the dungeon, so it was also a necessary clause, but with this, I was able to postpone the establishment of the country as well. When it comes to creating a nation, I honestly dont think a 1-year grace period is anywhere near enough, but we dont have many people, so we should probably be able to get things together to an extent. Also, the fact that the Light God and Dark God also acknowledged us as a country is probably going to be really meaningful in our international relationships from now on. Through the revelation, I spoke to every believer in the country. About the Dark God that most humans werent aware of. About the power struggle that had begun between the Light God, the Dark God, and myself. About how in relation to that, people from various countries, as well as the demons would be coming here to challenge the dungeon. And about how our citizens were not to harm the challengers. Also, I decided not to go out of my way to touch on the fact that our power struggle was closer to pushing our workload onto each other. The other two were ordering their races to capture the dungeon with Divine Revelation, and Im pretty sure they did the same. It wasnt in the rules that my citizens couldnt harm the challengers so they technically could, but I cant say Id approve of that, so I decided to forbid it. Id be troubled if their actions ended up as a dispute after all, and more important than anything was the fact that this was our chance as a nation. Now that they had been directly instructed by their gods, the humans and demons were probably eager to challenge the dungeon. Since my dungeon fundamentally kicks out the fallen, its possible to challenge it again. In that case, it would be natural for challengers to live near the dungeon in order to challenge it. The nearest town is Riemel, but if there was an even closer place to stay, there wouldnt be any reason not to use it. If we open up inns near the temple, Im sure well have customers. I plan on taking the weapons, items and money of the losers just as Ive always been, so if I open up a shop, and a storage store, Im sure theyll be popular. The products for the store can just be things that weve taken from them. It might also be good to sell maps of the dungeon floors, and periodically change things up. Adding floors was forbidden in the rules, but modifying existing floors shouldnt be a problem. It depends on the pricing, but I should be able to expect a certain amount of income. Indeed; this match is a chance to acquire foreign currency. Or rather, to our nation that doesnt have a major industry, if we dont do something like this well never be able to be anything more than a self-sufficient village, no matter how much time passes. The management of the country Im going to leave to Pope and the others as always, but letting this wonderful chance escape would be a terrible move. Thats why at the end of the revelation, I finished with these words: From now on, our nation is to promote tourism as a Dungeon Town. Volume 2, 7 - Dungeon Restart Volume 2, Chapter 7 C Dungeon Restart Ever since the revelation the other day, we began constructing the town around the temple again as a matter of urgent priority, and I was busy maintaining the dungeon that I had left alone for a while. Ever since that day that I became the Evil God, not a single person has come to invade the dungeon with the temple built on top. Its not like I deactivated anything, so in that respect the dungeon was still ready for people at this very moment, but since I may as well, I decided that I would perform maintenance on various things just in case. Now then, with that as the preface, although this may be a little sudden, Id like to change to the event that Ive been waiting for. Indeed. Its time for the much awaited dragon summoning. Dragonthe symbol of the strongest being that stands at the top of the fantasy world. Sometimes as the strongest enemy, sometimes as the most reliable ally, sometimes as the god that rules the world C though the position may change, the dragon is written as the strongest. A majestic body and sharp fangs. Tough scales and claws that can tear apart any matter of being. And finally, great wings fitting of the ruler of the skies. With just one breath, they can blow apart a great army, and are sometimes able to make free use of even powerful magic. The strongest monster, the dragon, is such a being. You can roughly split them into the lizard-like western dragons, and the snake-like eastern dragons, but it really has to be a western dragon, I think. I think there are all sorts of dragon fans, so there might be people who disagree, but at the very least, right now Im the one doing the summoning so Ill choose the way I like. *imouto* Or so I was faintly thinking, as I performed the preparations for the dragon summoning. Its a dragon after all, so Im sure itll definitely be huge. It might be a little dangerous to summon it in the office where the dungeon core is. The truth is I made that kind of mistake during the summoning for the 20th floors orichalcum Living Armour, and I have bitter memories of having the room half-destroyed. I wont make the same mistake again. Instead of the immobile main core, I held the portable subcore and teleported to the 30th floor boss room to summon the dragon. Even if I summon it somewhere else Ill have to teleport it here anyway, so it saves time just to summon it here to begin with. *imouto* The room has been the same ever since the day that I met with Leonora here. The throne is human-sized and unsuited to the dragon Im going to summon, but Ill think about changing the room after the summoning to match it. Dungeon Create. I muttered so with the subcore in my hand, and a window appeared. I chose the summon entry from it, and from various monster categories, I picked dragon type. And when I did, a list with various pictures of dragons and their parameters appeared. Fire dragons and water dragons and earth dragons and wind dragons C I felt like grinning just by looking at the lineup, but I worked hard to keep cool. Since Im going to summon one anyway, Ill go with the strongest. Since the day I became a divine, my manas just been piling up without any chance to use it, so I can pick whatever dragon I want. It was possible to sort the list by the amount of mana used, so I looked at the one with the biggest value How cool. He looks strong. Ill go with him. Summon Dragon. Its not like I needed to say that, but it just came out of my mouth. When I began summoning, a gargantuan magic circle of 20m diameter appeared in front of me. When the magic circle flickered, an enormous amount of magic gathered above it, and space seemed to warp. And then, something giant began to show itself from that warp. That giant being let out a roar before my expectant eyes. PIKYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Why did this happen. Theres no better way to word my feelings. I just stood there dumbfounded, gazing at the tragedy before me. A majestic body and sharp fangs. Tough scales and claws that can tear apart any matter of being. And finally, great wings fitting of the ruler of the skies. A dragon with all of these things was cowering in a corner of the room, hiding its face against the wall. Literally the Japanese phrase, covering your head and leaving your bottom exposed. Black Dragon Vardneel. 500,000,000 mana points; an amount that surpasses just plain harassment, and is at a level where you just lose interest in summoning him to begin with. The most powerful and wicked dragon that had materialised in exchange for that ridiculous amount of mana let out a screech the moment he appeared on the magic circle, and as good as dashed away from me like a startled hare. Mn, its not as though I didnt have some faint idea that this would happen. Lately Ive only been talking to humans and demons, as well as divines who it didnt work on at all so I totally forgot about its existence, but the description for the Evil God Aura skill certainly did say has enough power to send a dragon running frantically. I acknowledge this. I acknowledge this, but it really is cruel. Even though Ive been looking forward to this always looking forward to this I was even uncharacteristically excited while daydreaming about what would happen once the strongest dragon had my divine protection. But looking at him, it seems completely impossible that hed accept me from the heart. And in fact, just taking a step forward from where I was standing had him tremble with a start, and frantically press himself further up the wall to escape. Ah-, hes finally showing his belly. Dont want. I dont want the strongest dragons submission pose. Im begging you, so dont destroy my yearning towards dragons any further. No matter how I thought about it, staying here wouldnt better the situation at all, so in disappointment I left the room. Instead of returning to the office, I just teleported to the temple on the 5th surface floor. There are plenty of things that I needed to do besides the dragon summoning, but Im feeling really discouraged. Laying down on the canopy bed in my room, I hugged my pillow and buried my face in it. Anri-sama? Hearing a lisping voice call out to me, I had a look without looking that way. Apparently Lili had been in my room reading a book. Shes sharing a room with Tena, but lately Tenas been busy and cant look after her, so Lilis been spending a lot of time in my room. I didnt notice she was here, so I showed her something a little uncool. I got up and was about to turn to Lili and reply, when I hesitated because I had no idea what to say. Perhaps she noticed because Lili closed the book she had been reading, and then trotted up to me from the table. Anri-sama, whats wrong? Are you sad? Apparently she realised my depressed atmosphere. She asked me that while patting my head, so my eyes grew a little hot. Its fine, there was just something a little sad. I soothed Lili, and patted her chestnut hair back. Lili narrowed her eyes comfortably. I was finding Lilis actions lovely, when I suddenly noticed that she still had her collar, and unconsciously frowned. She hasnt been blessed with my divine protection the same way Tena has, so shes still a human. Thats fine in and of itself, but the problem is that shes still a slave. When I became a divine, Tena joined the Apostle Race as well and was freed from her slave status. I considered that the same thing might happen if I gave Lili my divine protection as well, but theres the possibility that apostles are immortal, so I was hesitant to change her at her current age. If I can learn to use my Authorities decently, then I think Ill be able to release her from being a slave without changing her from a human, but its impossible at the moment. I removed my eyes from her collar, and spoke to her after changing gears. Are you studying, Lili? Yeah, I was reading the book. Good girl. Ill read it out to you. Really!? It would probably be better as study for her to read a book herself, but just a little bit as thanks for cheering me up should be okay. Finding it charming that Lilis eyes were glittering in excitement, I nodded in reply. It feels that my heart that had splintered from that shocking event was now being healed. What kind of book were you reading? This. Lili held out the book that she had been reading. I looked at the title of the book. The Girl and the Dragon No more. Volume 2, 8 - Invaders, or Rather, Customers Volume 2, Chapter 8 C Invaders, or Rather, Customers Welcome! There are various dungeons across the world, but there is probably none that welcomes people with such a line. If there was, then it would be plenty reason to question the sanity of that worlds inhabits. Incidentally, the invaders, or rather, customers havent reached the dungeon yet. What awaits them is a trial of ambushing assassins that block their way. Using my power as an Administrator, the Intelligence Perusal, I was peeking o-, I mean, observing them. Mister, I recommend our inn! No, come to ours! Weve got cute girls! Weapons, armours, we have everything! Please come to our shop! Youre missing medicinal herbs!? You mustnt go to the dungeon without being fully prepared! If you leave your things with us, you can fail in the dungeon without a problem! The storage store is this way! Wont you buy a map? without this the dungeon will be quite hard, you know! Indeed; the assassins known as touters. Before they reach the dungeon, the challengers are exposed to the mad scramble for customers by the workers at the inns, shops, and storage stores in front of the dungeon. At this point, 9 out of 10 will drop out. Well, I say drop out, but its not like they die or get seriously injured or anything. Theyre just a day late to the dungeon. But still, these salespeople are all really formidable merchants. Are they really Evil God followers? Or could it be that I overly motivated them with my revelation the other day? The small fraction of challengers that make it past the iron willed assassins, as well as the people that folded and come a day late can reach as far as the temple that serves as the entrance to the dungeon. Hearing the words Evil God Temple, most people would be pretty cautious, but we dont have gatekeepers or anything, and the doors are wide open. However, lurking by the door are the second round of assassins. And right now, a victim Ah, my tongue slipped. Sorry, a new challenger had freshly arrived. And as though completely natural, the second round of assassins appeared before then. Do you believe in Anri-sama~!? OWAH!? W-, who the heck are you. It was a blonde haired man in luxurious priests clothes the Merry Pope Harvin. Any head of state should be really busy, but whenever new guests come, he often appears. Anri as in the Evil God? Of course I dont believe in something like that! Hearing his reaction, I basically thought Well, yeah. but the Pope looked up at the sky like it was the end of the world. Oohh, what sin! Anri-sama! Please grant these pitiful lambs your mercy. Who the hell is a pitiful lamb! Please what? By the way, this is a bit of a digression but this is his fifth time screaming those words today. There have also only been five batches of challengers today. And each time, the Pope had grieved like it was the end of the world. The challengers all yelled angrily at his words, but he wasnt moved at all. I present this to you. A precious scripture copied personally by my hand. Please read this and learn of Anri-sama. While saying that, he took out a single book and handed it to the challenger. The man took the book by reflex, and accidentally accepted it. Indeed. He accepted it. The heck is Wai-, UOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!? Aint this the Black Scripture? What the fuck have you done! Apparently the infamy of the scripture that I wrote is already well-known throughout the other countries, and so the man realised what had been handed to him. Once somebody accepts the cursed scriptures, they continually meet with misfortune until they transcribe a copy and hand it to somebody else, and apparently through this method, the scripture was already slowly spreading through the surrounding nations. Its a book of morals on how to live properly though. When I showed Leonora the stuff I had written, the curse kicked in, which was how this whole thing started, but since I really do feel sorry for causing misfortune to befall others for no reason, I at least made sure to have the rules properly added onto on the back. Thanks to that, everyone immediately knew how to cope with it, and the recognition of the scriptures as a dangerous object quickly spread. But still, just how many copies has he written. This is almost the 20th book hes taken out of his pocket, today alone. ILL REMEMBER THIS YOU FUCKERRRR!!! Leaving behind a clichd line, the challenger ran out of the temple with the scripture in hand. Im sure hes gone to grab the things he needs to write a copy. And like that, through the second round of assassins, the challenger who had finally made it to the dungeon dropped out as well, and once again, today the Holy Land of the Evil God continues to boast of being impregnable. *imouto* *imouto* Wai-, isnt that bad? How is anything going to get done if everybody gets driven off at the entrance. Its great that the dungeon is impregnable and all, but Ill be troubled if the guests give up and never come again. The first round of assassinsthe toutersare fine since theyre just slowing them for a day, and arent driving them away. But the second round is no good. Divine Punishment. I teleported the tray from atop the table, to high above his head right above it. Haha, I truly apologise. I was a little too eager in my missionary work. I was conversing with the Pope across the screen, who now had a lump on his head. Im thankful for his missionary work, but the way hes doing things is terrible. No matter how you think about it, far from converting them, all its going to do is make them more hostile. Well, it might make them more fearful, so I might gain some faith through that instead though. Proselytising is fine, but chasing them away is forbidden. Rather than aiming for them when they come, it would be better to go for them when they leave. I see! In other words, it would be easier for them to accept you after they experience your mighty power, Anri-sama. I am in much admiration of your wisdom. No, thats not what I mean but Well, whatever. *imouto* Have all the visitors been human? Yes. At the very least, I have not seen any demons that have made it as far as the temple. I asked the Pope about the challengers thus far, but apparently he hadnt seen anybody from the demon side yet. But I had predicted this to an extent. Where we are now was originally part of the Human Territory, so it was enemy territory for the Demon Race. If a large number of them came here at once, there would be the chance of the neighbouring countries overreacting, so the demons have no choice but to proceed with caution. Whats more, looking at Leonora, the Human Race and Demon Race look basically the same. They dont have horns or wings or anything. I asked her before, but at best you can only tell them apart through hair and eye colour. If theyre mixed, then the characteristics would average out, but as two races that were created as enemies, romantic relations between the two are pretty rare, so we should be able to tell them apart. But well, apparently thanks to taking in Summoned Heroes and the like, theyre gradually becoming mixed though. My biggest worry would be a fight between humans and demons arising in the temple or the surroundings, but at the very least it doesnt seem to be a worry at this moment in time. Having said that though, the Dark God set off the demon side as well, so this peace definitely wont last forever. We need to stay on alert. Got it. Ill continue to leave it to you. Yes, understood. I shall convert them without fail. No, like I said Oh, my apologies. I was to do so once they left, wasnt it. Will things really be okay? Fumu. It is quite delicious today as well. Huhu, we have plenty, so please do ask for seconds without reserve. Nom nom. Tena and Leonora were off early for once, so Lili included, today we were able to eat together. Lately weve all been busy and havent been able to eat together, so it was a precious chance to do so. I see. It truly is delicious, isnt it. Hmm, aint bad, ey. Y-, Yes! T-, Thank you very much. If it wasnt for these guys, that is. why are they even here, these two gods. Even though they apparently didnt need food, theyre sneakily eating ours. What was pitiful was that Tena was quite nervous. Incidentally, Leonoras been sitting next to the Dark God and bravely tending to him, while Lili was sitting on the Light Gods lap and being fed. The Dark God is unsociable, but wasnt unkind to Leonora It really is the chest huh. Is it her chest? Leaving the jokes aside, the Light God was pampering Lili alone, and the Dark God was being kind to Leonora, so it was probably due to the patronage of their respective races. Their attitude towards Tena and I was clearly different. I dont think it would kill them to be a little kinder to us though. What is the matter? Hahhn? Perhaps because they noticed my gaze, the two of them spoke to me. Why are you here? Ive already given instructions to the Demon Race, so all thats left is to watch em. So aint it better to be close then? I am the same. And also, if I watch over them from up close, when it comes time, I will be able to save the lives of the challengers as well. Hang on a moment. I get that you want to watch over the match from up close since itll determine everything from now on, but I cant ignore that. Are you going to be here the whole match? Of course. Aint it obvious? Cant you go home? Is there some problem, Anri? Anri-sama? Guh-, Leonora and Lili have been taken by the enemy. I looked towards my final ally, Tena. The silent conversation we had, Do something. Thats impossible. was decided in an instant. If the followers of the Sacred Light Church and the members of the Demon Race knew that the Light God and Dark God were staying in the Evil God Temple, I wonder if they would go insane. While pondering things in a state close to escaping reality, I gave a deep, silent sigh. Volume 2, 9 - They Came Back Volume 2, Chapter 9 C They Came Back Is this really the dungeon from that time? There shouldnt be any mistaking the location, but Id heard the rumours, but it really is shocking, huh? It really was a dangerous place, ey? Through the Intelligence Perusal screen, I saw the party of four sidestepping the touters with noncommittal replies, before looking up at the temple. An ikemen swordsman with short blonde hair, a bishoujo nun, a voluptuous mage oneesan, and a swordsman with a good body. Indeed. The slab thieves came back. Sorry, I meant, the Hero Party. *imouto* Back when I was still a human, they invaded the dungeon, and reaching as far as the No Life Kings boss room, they challenge nobody, because they turned tail and went home; the muscle-brained Hero Party. Even though I had wondered when they would come challenge the place again, in the end they went off somewhere, but it seems that right now they were planning on tackling the dungeon a second time. These guys are your representatives? Yes. Aside from the relevation to all of the Human Race, I also gave them a mission through the Sacred Sword. I asked Light God Sophia who was sitting next to me and looking at the screen as well, and she replied with a smile. I could see how much she trusted them through her expression. Certainly, they are the most talented amongst the people she has to move. I dont know if hes the only hero, or if there are more of them, but I dont think theres any doubt that theyre the pinnacle of the Human Race. Considering that all the other challengers have collapsed before the 10th floor, I can agree that there isnt much point if the challengers arent at least their level of strength. But having said that, as somebody who knows how the last time went down, I just cant understand how she can be so confident in them. They didnt come even though all sorts of crazy stuff happened, so I thought they went on a journey somewhere, but? Yes, they entered the Demon Territory and made it close to the Demon King Castle. Yeah, basically to the front door after all, yanno? Even though they were about to challenge the last boss, you called them back here? How ruthless. As somebody who became a hero through the Sacred Goddess-samas divine protection, he probably couldnt refuse a direct request from her. But still, to think that you got a direct request from Sacred Goddess-sama, ey? Yeah, she told me that this was even higher priority than then Demon King Subjugation, so its probably pretty important. More important than the Demon King Subjugation its pretty hard to even imagine, huh? It was Sacred Goddess-samas esteemed words, so I think it must be a deep and thoughtful plan that we cant even imagine. Its true that its important, but somehow Im really starting to sympathise for these guys. Name: Arc Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 26 Job: Swordsman Level: 41 Title: Hero of the Holy Sword Name: Zio Race: Human Race Sex: Male Age: 28 Job: Swordsman Level: 35 Title: None Name: Frey Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 24 Job: Mage Level: 35 Title: None Name: Widdi Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 20 Job: Cleric Level: 34 Title: None I decided to try having a look at their statuses. As youd expect, I dont remember the details from last time, but I do recall that Arcs level was in the 30s, so theres no doubt that theyve levelled up. That was just how many fierce battles they had overcome to reach the Demon King, and just as they were about to challenge him they were called back. When I imagined their hardships, it felt like tears were going to fall. The Hero Party didnt overlook last times failure, and came completely prepared for camping, smoothly advancing as far as the 10th floor. But theyve already reached the 10th floor once before, so this much was within my expectations. The issue is what happens from now on. Will they finally overcome the puzzle that defeated them last time? Holding my breath in anticipation, I watched them reach the pedestal. What is that pedestal? Its a puzzle used to open the path to the 10th floor boss room, and unless you collect the stone slabs and put them in, the door wont open. Ahh, I see When I answered Light God Sophias question, Leonora who was sitting beside me, face-palmed. Speaking of which, she spent a whole hour on this too, huh. Incidentally, Dark God Anbaal wasnt here today. ? Hasnt the inscription changed from last time? Youre right, Frey. Although the latter half is the same as previously, the first half has changed, hasnt it. Yeah but more important than that is how were gunna get it open, right? Hows the Holy Sword, Arc? Give me a moment I see. Apparently we just need to collect the stone slabs hidden on this floor and fit them in. !? Hearing the unexpected conversation from beyond the screen, I let out a gasp, and turned towards Light God Sophia. And when I did, she averted her eyes. From what I saw, I immediately understood. This woman leaked the information she heard from me through her revelation. You cheater. I am hurt. Giving advice through revelations was never forbidden. Certainly, it is within the rules. Using Authorities is forbidden, but we never forbade the use of relevations. But that doesnt change the fact that it was unfair. But still, this might be bad. I underestimated them because I thought that these muscleheads wouldnt make it past the mid-floor puzzles, but if Light God Sophia supports them then its a different story. With an Administrators Intelligence Perusal, they can look at all the information in the world, so with her help, the Hero Party will break through the puzzles in an instant. Wait, hang on? Then why did she go out of her way to ask me? If she knew how to solve the puzzle, then she wouldnt have asked a question like that. In other words, even if she could see the puzzle itself, she didnt know how to solve it. In that case, as long as I dont tell her the solution, the usefulness of her advice will become limited too. Im not giving you any more hints. That is a shame. Light God Sophia replied with an expression that didnt seem to think it was that much of a shame at all. But well, she probably wasnt so optimistic to think that my tongue would slip over and over after all, so I guess she was just trying to make a gain at the beginning. Its also a fact that even without clear answers, just having a third partys advice should lower the puzzles difficult a lot. I had thought that the middle layers puzzle floors would hold out for a year, but now the lower floors might have their turn too. After an hour of touring the 10th floor to collect the slabs, the Hero Party returned to the pedestal. The four members had a slab each, and were lined up in front of the pedestal. Mn? Four slabs? Why are there four? I should have only placed three of them. Ah-, could it be that they continued to take care of that one slab that they ran away with last time? Ive already changed the marks and replaced the slabs as well, so the slab from last time isnt any use through. Now then, shall we put the slabs in already? Yeah, in these three holes Huh? We have four slabs, but Where does everyone else think the last one should be placed? There doesnt seem to be any other place to put it, huh. Apparently the Hero Party also noticed the odd number of slabs, because just as they were about to put the slabs into the pedestal, they began looking for another place to put a slab in instead. Of course, there isnt any such place. Seeing them search every corner of the pedestal without finding anything, and even beginning to search the inside of the room made me want to hold my head. And then, as though it were natural, Arc began to hold the pommel of the sword to his forehead. Probably looking for Sacred Goddess Sophias advice. Looking at this, once they go to the middle floors, wont she be stuck guiding them the entire time? It feels like I can see a large sweat drop forming at the back of her head. Sophia, tell them to exclude the slab from last time. Anri!? Are you fine with that? Hearing my suggestion, both Leonora and Light God Sophia raised voices of surprised. Its true that I was taking back what I just said, but they were just so slow that I couldnt bear to watch any longer. And whats more, the fact that another slab was mixed in was unexpected, so there wasnt any hint either, which is why I think just this much follow-up is fine. Also, it isnt as though I dont gain anything from having them advance forward. Seeing whether or not theyll be able to defeat the 10th floor boss should serve as a reference for how our match will go from now on. Or rather, I really dont want to let them get away a second time. It definitely wasnt because I felt sorry for her when I saw her flustered at how to answer. Understood. Then I shall take you up on your words, Anri. After Light God Sophia advised Arc through a revelation, he explained the situation to his companions before throwing away last times slab and placing the remaining three into the pedestal. Hey-, just because you dont need it now, doesnt mean you should just throw it away there. Wont that just confuse other people? The Hero Party unknowingly left a confusing gift for the future latecomers, before stepping through the newly opened doors to the throne room. Id better take that slab back later, or else Volume 2, 10 - The Black Tyrant Volume 2, Chapter 10 C The Black Tyrant Thee who wouldst come in challenge of the Black Tyrant, arrange correctly the stars. Just as the new words said, waiting for them inside as they stepped into the throne room was the Black Tyrant GUOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!! Black Dragon Vardneel. The roar from his giant frame was enough to instil physical pressure, and assaulted the Hero Party. With an overpowering strength that pressured you just from being there, he was truly befitting of the word tyrant. I would have really preferred that you showed that majesty before me too. A-, A dragon!? What size! No good, everybody please take your formations! Its coming! Anri? Wasnt the boss of the 10th floor the No Life King? I switched them. Since Leonora knew who the old floor boss was she asked me that question, but the answer was really simple. I thought about it for a while after the dragon summoning, and I decided to switch the dragon to the 10th floor. But it couldnt be helped, right? After seeing the dragon lay belly up, there was no way I would want him to guard the 30th floor thats basically our final stronghold. Im sure anyone else would feel the same. Incidentally, I kept the enchanted Orichalcum Armour as the 20th floor boss, and moved the former 10th floor boss, No Life King, to the 30th floor instead. Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say the former No Life King. After he received my divine protection, he ended up evolving into something else. What a thing for you to have summoned! That is Black Dragon Vardneel The wicked dragon said to bring calamity to the world! Mn? Light God Sophia asked me that with a frantic expression, but I just reflexively tilted my head in question. I dont know about bringing calamity to the world but I did choose the one that needed the most mana points, so I suppose it shouldnt be surprising even if he had such an anecdote. Well, it isnt surprising, but at the same time thinking about how hes been ever since I summoned him, I just cant match him with the image from the anecdote. To begin with, why is she even so panicked? He certainly does have high specs, but its nothing that a divine cant handle. He shouldnt be so strong that an Administrator cant handle him. That may be true, but just how many casualties do you think will come about until we stop him! I see. I suppose its quite like her to be worried about harm to the Human Race. But As long as hes in my dungeon, there wont be any damage. Ah. Now that Anri mentions it, he doesnt seem like hell be able to leave, either. Right. Just like Leonora said, Black Dragon Vardneel basically cant leave the dungeon of his own power. No, rather than leaving the dungeon, with that huge size of his, he cant even leave the room. As for ways for him to leave, its basically just having me teleport him. As youd expect, it really would be too pitiful to keep him locked in the room forever, so I was thinking of taking him out on walks on occasion, but even if I did take him outside, I wouldnt be letting him roam wild or anything. So there really isnt any need to worry about casualties. An awkward silence filled the room. Light God Sophias face was slightly red. Now that shes calm and has a proper understanding of things, she looks embarrassed about how panicked she was just now. It seems that the battle is about to begin. Ah. She changed the subject. Frey blasted flames at Black Dragon Vardneels face, who was flying about with a nimbleness unsuited for his size. Because of the magical resistance, there was basically no damage, but as youd expect he probably couldnt ignore a direct flame to the face, so his speed lowered just a little. With that opening, the four of them avoided his direct attack. In the next instant, his large frame flew through the area that the Hero Party had just been standing. Had they not retreated, they would have been sent flying and probably taken massive damage. Eat this! Before the Black Dragon turned around to face them, Zio slashed his sword down on Vardneels shoulders. However, a metallic -KIN- rang out, and the sword was easily repelled. Tsk, how tough Oop. Perhaps irritated at the slash despite the lack of damage, Vardneel swept his foreleg across, and Zio immediately jumped back to evade. Doesnt look like my sword can cut him, ey? Then how about my Holy Sword! With the foreleg now in the open after its attack on Zio, this time Arc slashed at it with his Holy Sword. Unlike Zios, the Holy Sword wasnt repelled, and cut into the Black Dragons scales, splashing just a little blood. GYAOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! I managed to cut him, but he really does have amazing defence, huh. The Black Dragon screamed in pain, before snapping its sharp fangs at Arc. Like Id letcha! Zio hit the Black Dragon in the face with his shield this time, as it was about to bite at Arc. There was no damage, but being hit from the side had changed the course of its bite, and its jaws closed without catching Arc. Thanks, you saved me! No worries. It doesnt seem like Ill do any damage, so Ill focus on harassing it. You concentrate on attacking with the Holy Sword! Got it! Zio threw away his sword, and held the shield in both hands, whilst beginning to hit the Black Dragons attacks to harass it. With the openings that Zio created, as the only one who could do damage, Arc cut at the Black Dragon. The backline supported with flames, and they slowly but surely damaged Vardneel. But perhaps growing impatient at them, Vardneel took in a deep breath, and roared. Together with the roar came an explosive wind pressure that assaulted the Hero Party. GUOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! UWAHH!? Ku-, SHIT! Last time there had been a lot of distance between them, so the roar had only broken their postures, but this time they had taken it at point-blank range. Arc and Zio were blown away with ease, and smacked into a wall a few metres from where Frey and Widdi were. Arc-sama!? Zio!? Frey and Widdi ran up to them, and began healing them with medicinal herbs and recovery magic. Giving the Hero Party a sidelong glance, the Black Dragon began to take an even deeper breath than before. I-, It cant be A dragon breath!? Frey and Widdi both grew pale, but with Arc and Zio collapsed, they couldnt avoid it. With determined expressions, the two of them began chanting magic. !!! From the large jaws of the dragon flew a black flame wreathed in purple lightning. Frey had used fire magic to try and reduce the damage of the breath even a little, but her fire magic was swallowed by the gargantuan flame in an instant. Widdi had deployed a barrier around them to protect them, but it showed only a meagre resistance, before being smashed to pieces by the dragon breath. It seemed that they were in dire straits after being enveloped in the dragon breath, but Arc and Zio had recovered enough to throw themselves at Widdi and Frey respectively, to try and put even a little distance between it. The dragon breath collided with the floor that they had been on just a moment ago, and the four of them were blown away by the shockwave. Although it was a shockwave, its power was tremendous, and after being slammed against the floor, although their lives were not in danger, they could only groan, unable to stand. On the other hand, the Black Dragon turned towards them, and began leisurely drawing near. O-, Oi Isnt that bad, Anri? Anri! At this rate, they will be!? Its fine. Watching the screen, both Leonora and Light God Sophia were frantic. Light God Sophia had even drawn out her greatsword, and from her expression it seemed like she was about to jump in any second now. Calming the two of them, I sent my voice to the other side of the screen. Vnee, sit. The response was dramatic, and Black Dragon Vardneel who had been walking towards the fallen Hero Partypet name Vnee, immediately sat down on the spot, with a proper posture. Heh? Hah? Both Leonora and Light God Sophia let out stupid sounds and stiffened, but I decided to ignore them for now, and created a magic circle to teleport the Hero Party out of the dungeon. After confirming that they had been sent out without issue, I turned around and found Leonora beginning to dogeza. She had grown used to averting her eyes from mine, but because she was distracted this time, it seems that her reaction was slow. What was what? Even if you ask me that Light God Sophia spoke to me, still in a daze. But there was no way to respond except that it was the fruits of my training. Unlike undead and living armours, Vnee is a living being, so naturally he needs food. Im the one that feeds him, but since I was going out of my way, I decided that I may as well try my hand at training him. Each and every time I went to his room, he would dash away into the corner of the room, but we have become close enough that hell respond to my commands now. For now Ive managed to teach him sit, down, and wait. handshake would crush me, so Im not going to do that one. You are treating the most wicked dragon as your pet? Well, its Anri after all. For some reason both Light God Sophia and the no-longer dogeza-ing Leonora gave tired sighs. I wonder if I should give Vnee a collar. *imouto* *imouto* Ah-, I forgot to collect the Hero Partys items and money. TL: 1) I occasionally replaced Black Dragon with Vardneel, because its a lot more awkward sounding in English. To begin with, we need a the all the time. 2) Vnee is read as vu nii. Volume 2, 11 - The Kings That Sit in the Four Heavens Volume 2, Chapter 11 C The Kings That Sit in the Four Heavens Hmph, so this is the temple of the Evil God or whatever, huh. A new challenger stood at the entrance to the temple. That in and of itself was something that happened every day and wasnt particularly noteworthy, but the challenger this time was different to all the others. He was a fearless-looking man with short pointed hair, and a large build, but he had characteristic silver hair and red eyes were just like Leonoras the characteristics of the Demon Race. The believers in the temple had apparently noticed as well, because unlike with the other challengers, they watched him from afar. Because of their contact with Leonora, the followers had become more or less used to the Demon Race, but as youd expect, it was different with somebody theyd never seen before. Name: Ijido Race: Demon Race Sex: Male Age: 31 Job: Mage Level: 26 Title: None I checked his status, but he really was a demon after all. And whats more, there was a part of his status that concerned me. Aah, so theyve finally come, ey. Nu To think that it would be him of all people. With something at the tip of my mind, I tilted my head in wonder, while Dark God Anbaal and Leonora reacted next to me as they watched the screen. Leaving Dark God Anbaal aside, I was worried about Leonoras unpleasant expression. Do you know him? He is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, but he has always been courting me, you see. So they had them too. The Four Heavenly Kings. What kind of people are the Four Heavenly Kings? Mn? You want to know about the Four Heavenly Kings? My father, His Majesty the Demon King has a great many subordinates, but amongst them the most powerful four high-class demons are called the Four Heavenly Kings. Each of the Kings govern a different element; that manAdamantite Earth Fiend Ijido is Earth, you see. By the four elements, does she mean earth, water, fire, and wind? Even if she says govern, its not like theyre divines, so she probably means that they specialise in magic of that element. The others are Winds Fierce Gale Knight Renarve, and Waters Bloodfrost General Vikuto. It seems that this time only Ijido came though ? Isnt that only three? Since theyre called the Four Heavenly Kings, and she said they governed the four elements, youd expect there to be four of them, but she only named earth, water, and wind. Its weird that there isnt a Fire. No, umm me Huh? Mii? Thats the name of the last King? Like I said, the last one is me The one that governs Fire, Magic Flame Princess Leonora. Leonora replied in embarrassment. Speaking of which, aside from darkness magic she was good at fire magic too, wasnt she. The Demon Kings daughter is a Heavenly King? It seems abnormal that a member of the royal family is a subordinate though. So you were one of the Four Heavenly Kings. From now on I shall call you Magic Flame Princess Leonora. Im begging you, so please dont. Its pretty embarrassing. Seeing Leonora turn red in embarrassment made me feel like bullying her a little, but if I went too far she might hate me, so I decided to be prudent. And so, just how strong is he? A while ago I saw that his level was about the same as Leonoras, but I wanted the opinion of somebody who actually knew his strength. He is on par with me, but since hes of the earth element, I suppose I should say that hes focused on defence. If we fought one on one, I would probably win. The personality doesnt match, but he is somebody who can show his true worth when paired up with somebody who excels in offence. Right, when I looked at his status earlier there was something gnawing at me, but I finally know what it was now His job. Leonora is a magic boxer, and is an all-purpose type that is fine with both physical combat and magic. Because she was somebody who could play both frontline and backline, she was able to do something as amazing as conquer the dungeon solo. But in contrast, the man on the screen was a mage It doesnt suit his second name of Adamantite Earth Fiend or whatever, but if you think about his job alone, then he should be somebody in the backline. Thinking about it normally, it doesnt seem possible for him to solo the dungeon. I was wondering if he had some secret trump card, but from Leonoras explanation, that didnt seem to be the case either. What kind of magic is earth magic? Unlike fire and water magic which bring forth phenomena, earth and wind magic mostly manipulate things that already exist. For earth magic, the ground, and for wind, the atmosphere; that sort of thing, I suppose. The primary method of combat for earth magic is cladding the caster in an armour of rocks, creating shields form the ground, and creating golems from earth I suppose. I see. A magic that displays its power best when fighting on the ground, huh. It seems like a skill that would make the choice of battlefield extremely important. But in that case, theres something that Im confused about. The dungeon is created by bricks, but can you use earth magic on them? Its probably impossible. With Leonora stating so clearly that it was impossible, I didnt know what my next words were supposed to be. Supposing they were normal bricks, then I think it would be possible, but the ones in the dungeon are fundamentally indestructible you see. It shouldnt be possible to manipulate using earth magic. If it was a dungeon made from the bare earth then he might be able to make do though. In other words, doesnt that mean that hes completely useless in this dungeon? Hes a mage so he isnt suited for close combat magic, and he cant use anything except his specialty earth magic. He is also a demon, so although I havent seen him use it, he should be able to use darkness magic as well. Only, many of the monsters in this dungeon are undead, so the effect of darkness magic is weak. Well, honestly isnt it impossible for him? He is technically a coworker, but for her to say that so easily You must really hate him, huh, Leonora. It felt like my face was going to spasm, so I was trying to keep myself expressionless, while I turned to Dark God Anbaal instead. Didnt they pick the wrong guy? Ahh? Like I know. All I did was tell the current Demon King to go conquer the dungeon. I didnt say a thing about who to send. In other words, the Demon KingLeonoras father made this kind of selection? Youd expect him to be able to grasp the ability of his direct subordinates, but why did he do something like sending such an ill-suited person? If the Four Heavenly Kings are equal, then he could have just dispatched one of the members with abilities suited for conquering the dungeon. Searching for an opinion, I once against turned to Leonora, paying careful attention not to look her in the eyes. Shitt, WHY!? WHY ISNT MY MAGIC WORKING!? Fumu, Esteemed Fathers intention, you ask? Lets see, perhaps he wanted to sacrifice the most useless guy. I get the feeling that Leonoras remarks are ununsually poisonous today. Just what kind of courting did he do? But if calling him a sacrifice means that theres something to be gained through this, then I have to wonder. Honestly speaking, it just looks like they dont have any intention of seriously conquering this dungeon but Wai-, could it be that I was right? If the demons werent assertively trying to conquer the dungeon, but were instead just acting like they were fulfilling their duties by sending in one of the Four Heavenly Kings, then I can assent to this. Its true that considering the details of the time that I became a divine, the Demon Race should be quite afraid of me, so it might be natural that they cant quite get into conquering this place. I did half-destroy a mountain after all. But Leonora if thats true, then you making that remark here is a big problem, you know. So what? That guy decided to ignore my instructions or something? Eh-!? T-, T-, T-, That would be unthinkable! Right C if the demons arent assertively trying to conquer this dungeon, then theyre going against Dark God Anbaals orders. Hearing his words, and realising this, Leonora immediately turned blue. Then what? Eh-, ah-, umm Right! Its scouting! It may be true that it is impossible for that guy to conquer this place, but he was sent here as a scout in order to raise the chance of victory for the main force sent later on! While panicking and wiping her cold sweat, Leonora somehow managed to give an excuse to Dark God Anbaal. I get the feeling that she had so much vigour that it felt less persuasive instead, but she probably doesnt have the composure to think about that right now. Well, thats fine then. Im not sure if he was just overwhelmed by her vigour, or if he actually bought it, but Dark God Anbaal accepted her words and backed down. Its unclear what the Demon King was really thinking when he sent Ijido here by himself, but now that she made that sort of declaration to the Dark God, theyll need to invest some real war power into a later force if they want to prove to him that they werent disobeying. GUAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!? Ah-, the small fry got done in. Hmph, I was just coincidentally on my off-game yesterday. Who on earth is he even making his excuses to? Ijido who had easily collapsed yesterday, had come the next day to challenge the dungeon again. Normally a fallen challenger takes a while to rest, so I couldnt help but admire his sturdiness. Also, unlike yesterday when he challenged the dungeon, this time Ijido was accompanied by 10 earthen dolls of about his size. Theyre probably the golems made from earth magic that Leonora mentioned yesterday. Certainly, even if you cant use the ground in the dungeon, you can solve the problem by using magic before you enter it. He probably also reflected on his failure yesterday, and came up with some sort of plan. But still, I didnt expect to see the this feat of controlling 10 golems at once. As expect of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, perhaps I should say. If he can produce golems from the earth without end, then leaving aside when hes inside a dungeon, its easy to imagine that hes quite a powerful combatant outside. Hah! If I can just use my magic, then a dungeon like this is a piece a cake. Its impossible. He might be able to use magic, but his mana wont hold if he continues to use it. At best, hell just run out of mana on one of the floors and come to a stop. As usual, Leonora immediately cut him down. Seriously, what the heck did he do? Im a bit scared to ask, but I really do want to know. It seems like you hate him quite a bit, but what kind of courtship was it? What kind of courtship, huh? He said stuff like Be my woman. while looking at me with filthy eyes, and touching me all over the place, you see. I dealt with it, but honestly speaking I was unbearably angry. Sexual harassment, huh Its true that I cant think of that fondly either. But still, Leonora is the daughter of the Demon King. He has some guts to do something like that to a member of the royal family. I guess you can call him quite a big-shot in a way. Gufu- Ah-, looks like hes already run out of mana. That was unexpectedly fast. It was all just a test up til now. This time Im serious. Today, he managed the achievement of challenging the dungeon three times in a row. I dont know whether I should praise him, or whether I should be astounded. He started saying things that sounded like a childs excuse, but honestly, what the heck is giving him all this encouragement? Also, in exchange for yesterdays golems, this time he had a big sack on his back, and looked like Santa Claus. I was wondering that on earth he had in there, but the answer to my question was made clear once he encountered some monsters. Hah! Eat this! Throwing out the contents of his sack, a large amount of earth spread out. And then, after his chant, the earth rose up into a humanoid form. I see. Yesterday his mana wouldnt hold because he was always manipulating the golems, so this time hes going to carry it when he isnt using it? Its a simple idea, but it does seem like hell be able to maintain his mana this way. Its super simple though. And also uncool though. Anri! I need a favour! As I was watching Ijidos moving struggle, Leonora threw open the door and entered the room. Livid with anger, it was like anger was coming out from her entire body. And then, when she say Ijido on the screen, that flared even more violently. Leonora clamped her hands on my shoulders, and without making eye contact, glared strongly at me. I need a favour. Smash that guy to the bone. Owowowow!? Hey-, Leonora, youre gripping me too hard. Did something happen? It seems that she hated him to begin with, but today was too different than all the other times so far. Wondering what was up, I tried asking Leonora. I asked my homeland you see, but apparently if Ijido manages to conquer the dungeon, then Esteemed Father would accept our engagement. I see. Is that why hes been so abnormally fired up? If not only you could obtain the woman you wanted, but on top of that could obtain the political power from marrying the Demon Kings daughter, then I can understand why you would be desperate. I can only think of the Demon Kings statement as something he said with full knowledge that it was impossible, but it seems that in her anger, Leonora lost the ability to judge things calmly. As somebody born to the royal family, I have no intention of denying a political marriage. I wont deny it, but even so, what I hate I hate, and I cant imagine that marrying that guy will benefit the country. So please, stop that guy. Putting even more power into the hands on my shoulders, I heard creaking noises. I wouldnt be able to bear with my shoulders being broken like this, so I nodded again and again in panic until I somehow got her to release me. Even if I left him alone, I dont think that hed be able to conquer the dungeon, but I need to do something to make Leonora accept it as well. Steeling my heart, I took out a single book of scriptures, and teleported it in front of him. Mn? The heck is this? Namu. Wind: Ijido fell, huh. Water: Hmph He was the weakest amongst all four of us. Fire: Not even making it as far as the boss is a shame to we demons Or rather, he isnt dead, you know. Hes just worried about his bald patch, and hiding away somewhere. Personally, I would be grateful if he stayed there forever, though. Volume 2, 12 - A Moment Before the Storm Volume 2, Chapter 12 C A Moment Before the Storm The next day, the regrettable Heavenly King became a new victim, and the odd lull in dungeon capturing continued. Of course the normal customers were constantly coming, but special challengers like the Heroes or the Four Heavenly Kings werent coming. As expected, the difficulty level of this dungeon was apparently too high for normal adventurers, because not a single person made it to the 10th floor. To begin with, the very first condition of challenging this dungeon is having some way to deal with the miasma, so from that point alone the number of challengers was limited. Apparently dealing with this dungeons level of miasma is difficult unless youre a fairly experienced cleric. Although, I cant imagine that the Light God and Dark God will stay quiet like this, so it would probably be better to consider this the calm before the storm. And since I had some time to relax and calm down I noticed the problem: *imouto* *imouto* Why on earth am I even having this match? I had wanted to avoid having all of the Administrator work pushed onto me, but the moment that we agreed that balance was needed, it wouldnt have really been a problem if I had a little bit more work than the others. No, rather, once you consider this country, having more influence would be better, so you could even say it would have benefited me to have a bit more. But instead, I went too far with reflexively pushing back onto Sophia and Anbaal, and everything got confusing. Thinking about it now, it was just needless effort. But still, I really would hate having everything pushed onto me, and still want to win if possible. Thinking about it, I might have quite a large side of me that hates losing. At the very least, I still have no intention of giving up my win. Only, since things have finally calmed down, I decided to deal with a number of things that Id been neglecting. *imouto* First of all, what I wanted to do before anything, was change my clothes. Even though I finally escaped from the equipment curse, I was told by Leonora that as the symbol of a religion, I shouldnt change my clothing too much. Because of that Ive continued to wear the same clothing. But considering how different Sophias real clothing is compared to her statue, I started to think that it wouldnt really matter even if I changed, so today I decided to change my clothes. And while I was at it, since I wasnt using my tantou either, I left it aside and decided to keep something less crazy with me for self-defence. I only realised afterwards that after an hour, it would transform from the blessing anyway. After it was bestowed my divine protection, the clothing changed into a jet black shoulderless dress with black rose decorations; a design that was a little bold and adventurous for me. I had wanted to wear something other than black once in a while, but after the divine protection, it just changed to pitch black again. Im pretty sure that my clothes would change to black no matter what the original colour was, so I had no choice but to reluctantly give in. For self-defence, I had chosen a fan to replace the tantou. Status. Name: Anri Race: Divine Race Sex: Female Age: 18 Job: Administrator Level: 1 Title: Evil God of Fearful Trembling, Dungeon Master, Third Administrator Mana: 42039845 Skills: C Evil God Aura (Lv.5) C Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5) C Divine Enchantment (Lv.7) C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.9) C Darkness Magic (Lv.9) C Item Box (Lv.9) C Dungeon Create (Lv.7) C Administrator (Lv.5) Equipment: C Fan of Calamity C Dress of the Black Death Rose C Babydoll of Depravity C Scanties of the Succubus C Pumps of Darkness Miko: C Tena Mn, it properly changed. Mn? Its been a while since I last looked at my status, but I get the feeling that the mana points have gone up quite a bit. Could it be that a gods mana points rise and fall with their faith? I cant think of anything else that might have caused my mana points to rise, so its hard to think of it as being anything else. Im not going to care about the names of the fan and dress anymore, so Ill leave that alone. *imouto* It matches you, Anri-sama. Fumu, not bad. It suits you, Anri. Anri-sama, so pretty. Since I finally got to change, I went and showed everyone, and all of the girls gave me a positive reply. Heh. As expected, Anbaal looked a certain part, and snorted in ridicule. I expected as much from him, so Im not really that angry. Oohh, how splendid. We must let the world see your esteemed form. Right, since this is a wonderful occasion, let us construct a statue of you the height of the temple! Please dont. The second thing that I had wanted to do was change the settings for my Authorities. Sophia and Anbaal told me before that if I set my Authority of fear correctly, then I could gain faith even if the fear wasnt directed at myself. Id been busy with various things and never got the chance to try it, but it is something important linked to the fullness of my stomach, so I want to collect faith from as many avenues as possible. Administration. When I activated the skill, the same menu as last time appeared. Menu: Authority Activation M*nu: Intelligence Perusal M*nu: Divine Enchantment M*nu: Divine Revelation Thinking Authority Activation in my mind, another window appeared. Main : Fear Sub : Undefined Free In the Main Authority column it had Fear, and since I didnt have a Sub-Authority yet, it was undefined. Since there are a lot of Free Authorities, thats probably why they didnt show it here. I chose the Fear under Main Authority, and the display changed. Faith Collection: Inactive Emotion Adjustment Apparently there were only two things I could do with the fear Authority. Speaking of which, I do get the feeling that Sophia mentioned how emotion-type Authorities couldnt do much. Going by the name Emotion Adjustment, I suppose I can increase or decrease the fear emotion. Thats fine in and of itself, but the problem is the range of targets. If you consider Administrators as the administrators of the world, then if I stupidly tamper with it theres the chance that Ill mess with the emotions of every living being in the world. Just one mistake could turn the world into a dystopian hell of terror where everyone is controlled by their emotions, so I decided not to mess with it. Right now the important one is Faith Collection. Since its inactive right now, thats probably why Ive only been getting the faith from the fear directed at myself. I changed the status of the Faith Collection. ? I had expected that I would immediately feel full after changing it, but there was basically no change at all. No, I mean, it does feel like it increased a tiny bit, so I cant imagine that it was a failure. Whats going on? Even though I was supposed to be able to collect faith from all the fear in the world, why is there so little cha- Wai-, it cant be. No, no, that cant be. Im sure theres some mistake. It cant be that to begin with, almost all the fear in the world was directed at me right? That cant be. If it was, then Im confident that I would feel more depressed than ever since coming to this world. *imouto* Well, although I said since coming to this world, thinking about it again, I havent ever been depressed since being tossed into this place. If I had to find something, then basically just the time with Vnee. Normally youd want to go home after being forcefully sent to another world, but strangely I never felt homesick. Thinking about it, even before I became a divine, I get the feeling that I almost completely stopped thinking about my old world For some reason thinking about it made my head hurt, so I changed gears, and dealt with the third thing that I had wanted to do. Number three was dealing with the two gods that had continued to stay in my temple; Sophia and Anbaal. Although I say dealing with, I had given up on driving them out on the very first day, and I cant imagine theyd be admirable enough to pay rent either. To begin with, they probably dont even have money. So instead, I decided to make them useful some other way. The most valuable thing they have is their influence. Because the Light God had revealed to the public the existence of the Dark God, as well as the fact that the Evil God was a completely different being, the headquarters of the Church of Sacred Light, the Luxiria Theocracy, suffered a major blow. Whats more, the Origin Faction that originated in the Kingdom of Fortera began to spread through the neighbouring countries as a result. Also, even if Sophia is interested in the prosperity of humanity as a whole, she isnt interested in the disputes within the religious factions, so apparently she wasnt thinking of intervening. As for how to use their influence in the best way for this country, it would probably be the mediator between the other countries. Even if its obviously impossible with the Luxiria Theocracy, if its the Kingdom of Fortera who declared neutrality, even having diplomatic relations would be possible. For the demon side, right now we arent hostile to each other, and since theres a link thanks to Leonora as well, if the Dark God certified it, then the possibility of dealing with each other normally is high. And so, mediate for us. I am fine with that, but So troublesome. It seemed like Sophia would cooperate, but Anbaal made an unwilling expression. But apparently he just found it plain troublesome, and wasnt against the idea of mediating itself. Its the hotel fee for staying here. Tsk, aight, aight. Ill tell em. Alright. Diplomacy GET. At least, thats the plan. The Human Race and Demon Race are enemies so they cant deal with each other directly, but they might be able to trade through us. There are probably lots of things that you can only get in either territory, and as long as there isnt any hostility, there would probably be merchants who would want to trade too. Well probably get a great profit margin as the middleman too. Speaking of which, theres something Id like to ask you, Sophia. Ask me? What is it? Would it be possible for you to get rid of Lilis slave status? I had thought that perhaps I could get rid of it myself once I had the right Authority, but then I realised that Sophia could do it immediately. Release her from her status? As I have the Authority for the Human Race, it is possible. If possible, Id like you to remove it. I see I understand. Very well. The master does not seem to be anywhere in sight, so this should not trouble anyone, and I like her as well, so I shall do so afterwards. Thats great. I think one of my problems has been solved. Yanno, you said that your believers think that you ate this brat, yeah? If they think shes dead, then the master aint gunna complain. But still What? Anbaal looked my way with a meaningful expression. Nah, I was just thinkin that considering youre a man-eating god to them, its surprising that your followers havent run away. I cant deny it. Normally people would be scared about being put in the same cage as a man-eating tiger. But well, the only one who speaks to me directly is the Pope, so maybe the other followers dont really feel a sense of reality about me, so they dont feel the danger. As for the Merry Pope, far from being scared, I get the feeling that hes say It would be the acme of honour to be eaten by you, Anri-sama! Please go ahead, and enjoy me from wherever you please! or something. Im not going to eat him, okay. Volume 2, 13 - Immature Volume 2, Chapter 13 C Immature Apparently the calm before the storm has ended. The opening to the storm began with a party of 6 challengers invading the dungeon. In terms of numbers the party size was a little large, but by no means were they the biggest yet. But this was definitely my first time seeing a mixed human and demon party. Specifically speaking, it was a party of 3 humans, 3 demons, with 3 male demons, while the human side had 2 male and 1 female. Because one of the humans was a person Id already seen two times before; Hero of the Holy Sword, Arc, I felt it odd that his party members had changed and inspected their statuses. What I found were shocking names. Hero of the Holy Spear, Lionel, and Hero of the Holy Bow, Orlaine. To think it would be an all-Hero party. Incidentally, Lionel was a frivolous looking young man with long blue hair, braided only on the left, whilst Orlaine was a girl with light purple hair that came down to her shoulders. Starting to get a bad feeling, I checked the demon side, and as expected, the names on this side were all big-shots as well. The Wind member of the Four Heavenly Kings, Fierce Gale Knight Renarve, along with fellow Heavenly King of Water, Bloodfrost General Vikuto. Finally, Demon King Eligor Romariel. Living up to the name knight, Renarve was a calm young man with short silver hair, whilst Vikuto was a long-haired intellectual-looking man with monocle, and an air of hidden cunning to him. And the man whose identity was obvious from a glance at his title A rough looking older gentlemen, the Ojisama who was both Leonoras father, and His Majesty the Demon King. In regards to the fact that he was a short-haired man with a good build, he was the same as the regrettable Ijido from the other day, but the difference in presence was obvious. An impossible party with three Heroes, the Demon King, and his two close associates; theres basically one thing I want to say about this. So immature. It aint against the rules. We just used revelations to gather them, after all. I know. I dont think its breaking the rules or anything. Thats exactly why I called it immature. It isnt against the rules, but the winner is the one who gets their hands on the Proof of Capture. Even if its a mixed party, only one of them can be the winner. We understand this. However, nothing will begin unless the dungeon is conquered first. Once they get to the 30th floor, they can just decide the winner among themselves. I see. So since they thought that at this rate nobody would be able to conquer the dungeon, until the party passes a certain number of obstacles, theyll be temporarily working together? In the end theyll need to battle it out to decide on the Proof of Capture, but until then, it makes sense that they would join the strongest of each faction together. But the atmosphere kind of dangerous, you know. I called it a 6-man party, but they were separated into the Hero side and Demon King side, and were currently glaring at each other. Rather than calling that a party, I cant see it as anything but enemies. Ahhh Well, cause theyre Heroes and the Demon King, yanno. Something of that level cant be helped. I did give them the order not to quarrel until they captured the dungeon though. They are mortal enemies after all. As you would expect, it cannot be hoped that they would get along. Well yeah, thats true. You cant expect the Heroes and the Demon King to get along. If it was a Summoned Hero with no ties to this world then the story might be different, but they were all Orthodox Heroes. The situation was that they were just barely working together, if unwillingly, because of the orders from the two gods. In terms of ability, theyre at the top of the humans and demons in this world, but I think theyll need teamwork to conquer the dungeon. Finishing my conversation with Sophia and Anbaal, I looked towards the one other person here. Is that your dad, Leonora? Yeah, thats right. My father, as well as His Majesty the Demon King. I heard that the main force would be coming to conquer the dungeon, but to think that Esteemed Father himself would be Apparently Leonora hadnt heard either that the Demon King himself would be coming here. And the other two are the Heavenly Kings I heard about earlier? Yeah, Winds Fierce Gale Knight Renarve, and Waters Bloodfrost General Vikuto. Renarve is a knight serving as Esteemed Fathers Royal Guard Captain, while Vikuto is the Prime Minister in charge of government affairs. So they have jobs outside of being the Four Heavenly Kings I see. What about you, Leonora? Me? I am away from the country at the moment, but I serve as Esteemed Fathers assistant. However, in my case, rather than doing my job, the meaning is closer to learning the things required for when I succeed the throne myself. Speaking of which, she was the next Demon King, wasnt she. In that case it isnt strange that she was learning about that sort of stuff while she was young. While thinking about that, I suddenly remembered the last Heavenly King who hadnt been mentioned yet. What about Ijido from last time? Farming and civil construction. Its amazing how different the level of intensity is. No, I mean, I get that its important too, but the feeling of misplacement amongst Royal Guard Captain or Prime Minister or Demon Kings Aide is no joke. Well, hes apparently bad at everything except earth magic, so I suppose it cant be helped though. Speaking of which, all these important people just left the country, but is it okay? Im sure that Esteemed Father has taken that into account probably. Will things really be okay? Being the Dream Team if nothing else, the progression down the floors was faster than any other party so far. The divine protection of the three Heroes blocked the miasma, and the demons had high resistant to it to begin with, and so it presented them no problem either. Additionally, although the Hero side and Demon King side were conquering the floors together, they never spoke once. The tension in the party was high, and I could tell that sparks were flying within the party even from beyond the screen. However, Lionel alone paid no heed to the atmosphere, and continued to make moves on Orlaine. The room up ahead has a dragon. Be careful. They reached the 10th floor in no time, and since Arc already knew the trick to the stone slabs as well, they managed to open the door without hesitation. Perhaps because Arc had already told the party members about the dragon, when they entered the room they prepared for combat without surprise. But as usual, the Hero side and Demon King side were not really cooperating, and each side took up positions one side of the Black Dragon. Rather than a party of 6, they were closer to two parties of 3, each attacking from either side. Lets go, Lionel! Orlaine! Yeah, leave it to me. Please leave the support to me. The Hero side had Arc on the frontlines, Lionel as the middle, and Orlaine in the backlines as support. Do not fall behind, you two. Understood, Your Majesty. Please leave it to me. On the other hand, Ojisama was on the frontlines, Renarve was playing the hit and run, whilst Vikuto was playing backline support. Up until now, Ojisama had been mowing down enemies barehanded, but now he had summoned a black greatsword in one hand, and had the other hand wreathed in flames. Just like how Leonora was a magic boxer specialised in fire magic, her father was probably a magic swordsman with fire magic. Shall we test the waters? Take my strike! He lightly held the greatsword clad in flames with one hand, and running up to the dragon he struck it. The force of his attack was incredible, and the Black Dragon that should have had the overwhelming size advantage was sent flying back a few metres. Falling behind him would be a shame to we Heroes! How very true! With Ojisamas one mighty blow, the battle began. The backline support Orlaine and Vikuto fire a light and ice arrow respectively, and through the gaps created by the middleline Lionel, Arc and Ojisama attacked. The Black Dragon tried to put up a fight with its claws and fangs, but Renarve played his role in attacking it when it did, and cut down its attacks. Renarve was said to govern over wind, but rather than using his wind to attack, he instead seemed to primarily use it to support his movement and bring the speed of his sword to the extreme. As long as I am here, I shall not allow you to point your fangs at His Majesty! Not bad, Renarve. I cannot lose to you. *imouto* Although the Hero and Demon King sides werent cooperating with each other, it seems that splitting into two groups and attacking from both sides was effective because the Black Dragon was confused with how to cope, and was helplessly toyed with. The roar is coming, fall back! Got it! Kuh-! Too weak! The Black Dragon seemed to fire a roar in panic, but seeing through the preparation of the roar, Arc, Lionel and Renarve retreated and took almost no damage. Far from being hurt, they immediately closed the gap and took advantage of its opening to attack. As for Ojisama, he never even flinched and swung his greatsword face on. Now! There are openings everywhere! On top of that, the mouth that the Black Dragon had opened to roar had light and ice arrows fly around into it from the back. GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!? Receiving the painful attack, it screamed. It swung its limbs and tail around in rampage, but there was nobody here weak enough to be struck by its attacks of desperation, and the result was that it was attacked even more. *imouto* The Black Dragon gradually weakened, with bloody wounds everywhere. Because of the earlier arrow attack, the insides of its mouth was wounded, and now that it could not even use its trump card, the dragon breath, it already had no chance at victory. So even the dragon lauded as the most powerful and wicked dragon was at a disadvantage against the impossible dream team of the Heroes and Demon King, huh. No, perhaps it was largely because of the battlefield. Had the place been outdoors, then there wouldnt have been any way for the Heroes and Demon King to deal with its one-sided aerial attacks with its dragon breath. That he wasnt able to make use of his strong point because of the dungeon was my failure. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Enough. You can stop now, Vnee. I couldnt bear to watch the wounded Vnee anymore, so I told him to stop. The thundering room immediately became quiet. Arc and the others stopped their attacks as well, and looked around the room. Let them through. After saying that, Vnee stood still for a while, but he eventually moved into the corner of the room and stared at them in silence. That voice, could it be the Evil God? Ojisama asked that question, but I didnt reply, and just remotely opened the doors that were supposed to open once the boss was defeated. Go ahead. Hearing my words, they looked at Vnee for a while, but perhaps giving up, they eventually began heading to the stairs. Let us go. The road ahead is long. Understood. It feels somewhat uncomfortable stopping halfway but I suppose it cant be helped. *imouto* Time for us to go too. Yeah. That dragon wont attack us from the back or anything, right? With this, the first barrier has been broken, hasnt it. Finally a third done, ey? Looong way to go. Hmmmn, am I supposed to be happy here or sad Seeing the mixed party head to the 11th floor, Sophia and Anbaal let out sighs of relief. In contrast, Leonora seemed to have some complicated feelings towards it. Sophia, if possible Id like you to heal Vnee. The Black Dragon? Well, I do not particularly mind. Hearing Sophia give the OK, I felt relieved inside. With undead or living armours they could recover once I poured mana over them, but as a living thing, I needed healing magic to heal Vnee. Since I cant use anything but dark magic I couldnt use healing magic on him, but if it was Light God Sophia then I thought it was possible. I forced him to do something unreasonable, so I want to heal him quickly. Well then, I shall heal him. Please. When I left it to her, her figure disappeared and then appeared onscreen. Seeing Sophia suddenly appear, Vnee growled in vigilance, but Sophia paid no heed, and used magic after raising her hand towards him. As youd expect from the magic of a divine, even though Vnee had been that badly injured, he was completely healed in almost an instant. While Vnee was bewildered at having his wounds healed, Sophia turned her back to him and teleported back to the office. It is done. Thank you. I gave my thanks to Sophia who had spoken casually. In fact, she helped me out quite a bit. Had she not helped me, I wouldnt have had any other method except using a lot of medicinal herbs to make medicinal soup, and then force-feed the stuff to Vnee. When I told her this, both Sophia and Anbaals faces cramped. Please desist in your pet abuse. Thats seriously harsh, yanno. Anri, how about being a little kinder to him. Im offended. I was just worried about Vnee. Adamantine Earth Fiend Ijido looked this way. It seems he wants to become friends tl: the above is a line from DQ when a monster wants to join the party Volume 2, 14 - Puzzle Hell Volume 2, Chapter 14 C Puzzle Hell I wasnt employed in my old world so I can only guess, but I wonder if the enquiry divisions of call centres were battlefields of neverending calls. No, the correct answer for that question is left! Like I fucken know! How bout you think for yourself a little! AHH!? Why did you go left! Eh? I told you to go left, you say? Well, there are times like that too. Tsk, aight, aight. Ill have a look so wait a bit! While giving a side glance at Sophia and Anbaal who were being bombarded by questions, I sipped my tea. You two sure are busy, arent you. This is your fault, isnt itt!? Aint this your faultt!? They got angry. The floor that the mixed party was currently tackling was the floor that Leonora struggled with as well; the 11th floor Quiz Floor. Its a simple floor where youre given 10 questions with 3 choices each, and the answers give you the right path to take, but if you make even a single mistake youll be sent back to the beginning. Because of that, you need to get all 10 questions right. Ever since they broke into the 11th floors, theyve been asking Sophia and Anbaal questions without end, and their angry yells have been flying about the room. But well, its not like I dont understand. After all, the Hero side had completely left out anybody who specialised in knowledge, and was a line-up filled with battle specialists. As for the Demon King faction, Renarve was a combat type, and you could say that Vikuto was the only one who was really good at thinking problems. Im not quite sure about Ojisama, but at the very least, he didnt seem to be doing too well with the quizzes. This party is overwhelmingly lacking in brain power. Has my choice to choose all battle specialists ended up in vain? Those guys are basically all meatheads after all. My condolences. Whats more, they werent joining their forces at all, and the Hero side and Demon King side were tackling their own quizzes. So the discord between them really is huge, huh. However, perhaps because their gods gave them strict orders to cooperate, they did seem to at least try and head in the same direction. There was a tacit agreement that when one side solved a question, the other side would follow them, and they progressed this way while competing against each other as well. Fumu, the answer to this question is this way, I believe. Tsk, like well lose! Wai-, Lionel-san!? That way is wrong isn- AHH!? Starting from the beginning again, huh? Bastards, one of you restrain that fool! Uh, umm Sorry. Oh? They look like theyre getting along unexpectedly well. Compared to the Quiz Floor where they got the wrong answer again and again and were sent back to the end each time, with the Moving Floor, as long as you could see the place from above it was a lot easier, so with the advice of the Light God and the Dark God, they progressed without too much difficulty. Right, they progressed without too much difficulty. They. Behind the scenes of the smoothly progressing mixed party was the tear-inducing efforts of Sophia and Anbaal. R, R, D, D, U, D, R, D, U. D, L, L, D, U, R, D, D, U. D, R, D, D, U, L, D, R, U. R, U, D, D, R, U, R, R, D. D, L, L, R, U, D, D, L, L. R, R, R, R, U, D, R, R, D So the bottommost one is the exit, huh. Yes. With this, the entire room has been mapped. Sophia and Anbaal C drawing a rough sketch of the dungeons large room, and mapping the rooms arrows one by one. With the map they drew in the middle, the two of them glared at it from either side, and began wracking their brains. So ya get on here, and it sends ya right, then down No good, just goes right back. In that case, if you start from here So this one was a failure as well. Seriously such a bother. Cantcha just jump over it? If they could do so, then they would have done so long ago. While following along the arrows on their map, Sophia and Anbaal were discussing the right path, but they werent making much progress. Damn, that looks tough. Want some tea? Like I said, isnt this your faultt!? And yes please. Like I said, aint this your faultt!? Thanks, gimme some. Seeing the two angry gods ask for tea anyway, I made them some. Since they were tackling a problem that was using their brains, I decided that sugar was important at times like these, so I gave them a little more than usual. But well, its a question to begin with whether or not divines even need sugar. Here. Thank you very much. Ahh. They each gave their reply as I passed them their cups, and then they turned back to the maps before taking a sip. GEHO-!? BUHA-!? In the next instant, they spat out the tea in their mouths. Gross. S-, So damn sweet!? You, just how much sugar did you place in our tea!? A lot. I used about half of the sugar jar for their two cups. More importantly, is your map okay? Eh? AAAHH!? The map that we spent so long to make Tsk, hurry up and wipe it dry! Sophia and Anbaal frantically wiped the map that was wet with the tea from their mouths, but the arrows were blurred, and it didnt seem usable any more. Uuu, will we need to draw it all again? Sif Im gunna Oi, this is half your fault, so help us out. Cant be helped. I was wondering why on earth I needed to give advice on how to conquer the dungeon I made myself, but this time really was partially my fault, so I decided to help with just the map drawing. Or rather, if you just gave us the damn answer, we wouldnt even need to do this. No way. I dont remember it. On the floor where you needed to get on a mine cart to reach the door, or the floor where you needed to turn the right switches to open the door, thanks to the Light God and Dark Gods efforts in drawing out diagrams, the mixed party was able to advance smoothly. But on the other hand, when it came to puzzles that you couldnt solve even if you looked at them, as youd expect, the two gods were greatly troubled. The 19th floor was exactly of that sort; there were two containers, and you needed to fill the water in them evenly. Of the two containers that were 10 units of water each, one was filled to the brim while the other was completely empty. Here, you needed to use the 3 unit bucket and the 7 unit bucket, and even out the two containers to 5 units each. If you hit a switch, it would return the water to its original levels, so you could repeat it as much as you wanted. Um, is this fine? Its fine. I asked Tena to prepare two sets of containers just the right size. The actual size of the containers were different to the ones on the 19th floor, but because they were scaled properly, they were plenty for solving the puzzle. Across the monitor, the Heroes and demons were wrestling the same problem, and made mistakes when drawing water to move them and stuff. I left the four containers in front of Sophia and Anbaal, and had Tena fill one with water. Why must we do something like Dont say it. Its damn depressing. Apparently having already noticed that it was the type of puzzle they were bad at, Sophia and Anbaals expressions were grave. However, the two of them who had begun tackling the puzzle, sighing all the while, immediately noticed something wrong and made a puzzled expression. This scent is Wai-, oi! Aint this alcohol. Right; Tena had filled the containers with not water, but alcohol. Noticing the smell, Sophia and Anbaal began to become oddly restless. This world was the same in that alcohol had an inseparable relationship with religions, and wine was offered at mass. Ive never drunk any before so I dont know, but apparently it was common knowledge that divines liked alcohol. Thats why I thought to test it out, but I saw that the two were obviously distracted by it and couldnt concentrate on solving the puzzle. Seeing them, I realised that it would be a long battle, so I decided to have a break. Tena, could I trouble you with some more tea? Yes, understood. It wasnt like I couldnt steep the tea myself, but the tea she made was better tasting, so I asked her for more. Before long, I sipped the cup that she passed to me, and let out a long sigh. Um, Anri-sama? Why are you cooperating with the two of them? It would be better for them not to capture the dungeon, wouldnt it? Perhaps so that the other two couldnt hear, Tena asked me in a small voice. Certainly, just considering the match, there wasnt any reason for me to help the two of them and the mixed party; rather, you could say it would be better for me to obstruct them. I disturbed their concentration with the alcohol, but it was just a slight prank that you couldnt really call obstructing them. Either way, I felt that it was just a matter of time before they solved the problem anyway, but the biggest reason was that I was thinking about the future. Its because having my relationship with them deepen is completely linked to our future. I succeeded in gaining a one year grace period, but you could also say that I only gained a year. We concentrated our efforts on rushing to build the shops around the temple, and this country was continuing to rapidly develop. But no matter how positive we were being about it, we hadnt reached what you would call a country. At best we had finally evolved from a village to a town. It was probable that even a year from now, we wouldnt reach the level of a country. In that case, if we messed things up, there was even the risk that the moment the one year was up, we would fall into the dilemma of being invaded by the other countries. In order to avoid that, there was the need to deepen our ties with the other countries to the extent that they wouldnt invade, but the best way to do that was to have Sophia and Anbaal as the mediators. I did already ask them to do so, but the closer our relationship began, the lower the chance of a foreign invasion. Because of that, I wanted to become as close as possible. Well, thats not the only thing though. However, even if there wasnt that plan, it was true that just talking to them was quite fun. In my old world, I was an only child, so if I had an older brother or sister, would it be something like this? Or so I ended up imagining. Would it be easier to see as arrows? You enter from the top and leave from the bottom. There were a number of rooms like this, all connected. By the way, since anybody could figure it out just by trying the top arrows one by one, please dont bother with it, and since I am not really taking answers for the water container question either, please kindly refrain from writing the answers in the syosetu impressions tab. tl: they actually said right, left, up etc. and not R, L, U but it looks a lot neater in kanji, whereas in English is would just be a diarrhoea of letters, so I used single letters instead. Volume 2, 15 - Armour of the Evil God Volume 2, Chapter 15 C Armour of the Evil God Observing the dungeon capture was basically an everyday routine to me now, but the people joining me always changed. I basically watched every single day, but the most frequent observers after me were Sophia and Anbaal, and then Leonora, Lili and Tena. Today there just happened to be more people than usual, and almost everyone was gathered and sitting on chairs in my office while watching the screen. Lili was sitting on Sophias lap, while Leonora was waiting on Anbaal next to him just like last time. And Tena was standing behind me or so Id like to say, but unfortunately she had something else to attend to, and wasnt here. How strange. Even though this is supposed to be a Home Game, it feels like Im the Away Team. So Esteemed Father and the others have made it to the 20th floor today, huh. Took damn long, huh Yes, honestly Perhaps feeling cornered by the last few days of puzzle solving, Sophia and Anbaal looked a little worn out. Well, members of the Divine Race shouldnt be tired from just that much, so it was probably my imagination. Good work. Phew. Hahh. Hm? I was sure they were going to say I dont want to hear that from you! or a reaction like that, but the two just gave deep sighs and didnt react any further. It seems that they were a lot more dejected than expected. So Anri, there is a boss on the 20th floor as well, is there not? Of course. If I remember right, wasnt it a living armour or somethin? Mn, thats right. Compared to the 10th floor boss, sounds a lot more ordinary, dont it? Really? Was it ordinary? Whenever I look at it, I really cant feel that way. By the way, although theyre called Living Armour, there are actually two main types. There are the living armour animated by a remaining grudge that are closer to undead, and then the living armours that are animated by magic that are closer to golems. Also, theyre titled living but neither are actually living organisms. The one stationed as the 20th floor boss was the latter; a Living Armour similar to a golem. The mixed party vigilantly stepped into the boss room when the door automatically closed behind them. Orlaine was preoccupied with the shut door for a moment, but quickly turned her focus to what was in front of her. Thats The owner of this room, I suppose. In the middle of the empty room a few dozen metres in front of them stood something with eye-catching presence. Sitting with one knee raised, it was a huge set of jet black armour with a height of five metres. Oi, wait a moment. How the heck is that a Living Armour. Mn? Watching the boss in the middle of the screen, Anbaal questioned me with a spasming mouth. No, I mean, yeah, I dont wanna admit it but its a Living Armour, but no matter how you look at it that aint normal, right? It has not retained its original form, but that is orichalcum isnt it. Not just that. She freaking hardened the thing to hell with divine protection. The two of them were mostly correct. The 20th floor boss was an orichalcum-type Living Armour that I gave my divine protection to. Anbaal said freaking hardened the thing to hell but all I did was give it divine protection the way I usually do, so I didnt do anything special. When I summoned it, it was a set of white armour a little bigger than the size of a human, but because of the divine protection it turned black and more than doubled in size. On top of that it was an orichalcum type to begin with so it already had high strength and magic resistance, but these rose as well. The result was the 20th floor bossArmour of the Evil God: Anril Armour. As they approached it, the Anril Armour stood up, and raised its sword and shield. Although the movements were smooth, they were somewhat mechanical. Now that its entire figure was clear after standing up, the mixed party became even more vigilant. Although it wasnt as strong as the Black Dragon, even so it was plenty big enough to be called gigantic. And being gigantic meant that it made for an even bigger threat. Brace yourselves, Renarve, Vikuto. With some bad luck, it may even be above the dragon from before. Yessir. I understand. I see. This may become quite a tricky one. The Demon King side were the first to ready themselves for combat. At Ojisamas warnings, Renarve and Vikuto both kept an eye on the Anril Armours movements, whilst taking up combat positions so that they could deal with whatever happened. Lets go Lionel, Orlaine! Ill leave the support to you guys. Gotcha. Understood. Please leave it to us. The Hero side took their formations as well, with weapons at the ready. Seeing their weapons, I suddenly had a question, and turned to Sophia. Speaking of which, what are the Holy Sword and Holy Spear made of? They are also made from orichalcum. They have my divine protection as well, but it mainly focuses on the protection of their users, and does not increase their power very much. The sword that the current Demon Kings using is the same. But well, I wasnt really thinking about their safety or whatever, so I focused it on power though. Its kind of turned into an Orichalcum and Divine Protection Fair. Theyre all the same in that theyre orichalcum with divine protection, but since the focus of the blessing was different, that will probably become important. The divine protection on the Anril Armour was focused on defence so from what Ive heard, itll probably be hard for the Heroes to do any damage with the weapons theyre holding. The key to this match will be Ojisamas Demonic Sword, due to the offensive divine protection on it. Renarve and Vikutos attacks probably wont even damage it. Kuh-! So hard! Unfortunately, it appears that it would be best that we focus on supporting Your Majesty. Renarve had aimed for the opening created when the Anril Armour blocked Vikutos ice arrows, but he grimaced at the feedback from the impact, and immediately withdrew to avoid the counterattack. After attacking just once they noticed that their attacks had no effect, so the two Heavenly Kings immediately switched to harassment and support. Hah! With the support of the two, Ojisama began to attack. The strike succeeded in wounding the Anril Armour, but despite the fact that Ojisamas attack was enough to force back the Black Dragon, the Anril Armour simply stood on the spot and countered with a swing of its greatsword. Kuh-!? Promptly taking the blow with his Demon Sword, Ojisama was sent flying through the air, and twisting his body, he landed. Are you all right, Your Majesty!? I am fine. More importantly, what a troublesome opponent. Unlike the dragon, it is not a living being, and does not falter in the face of attacks. It doesnt seem that the Hero side are managing to do much damage either. At a loss as to how to continue, the Demon King side exchanged their opinions while they continued to distract it. On the other hand, just as Vikuto said, the Hero side werent making any progress either. So hard! This is even more troublesome than the dragon! Even my Holy Spear can only make scratches like that!? It vexes me to say this, but my Holy Bow doesnt seem like it will damage it. Orlains Holy Bow itself was orichalcum, but was not something you used to directly attack, and made use of mana to attack with light arrows. No matter how even the bow might have been in material, it was something that used magic attacks, so it wouldnt make much impact on the Anril Armour. Arcs Holy Sword and Lionels Holy Spear were doing damage at least, but they were by no mean large wounds. Vikuto, do you have no plans? Lets see From what I can see, the enemy seems to react automatically to our attacks. The proof is in the fact that it reacts to every attack from Renarve and I without fail, even though we do no damage. I believe that our best option may be in having the two of us distract it, while Your Majesty attacks through the openings in its counterattacks. I see. Then we shall go with that. Understood. After promptly deciding on their strategy, the Demon King side ran into action. Vikuto shot an ice arrow towards the Anril Armours head, and it raised the shield in its left hand to block. Aiming for the opening below the shield, Renarve immediately ran by its feet and slashed. Of course, the slash did no damage at all in the face of the Anril Armours defensive power. But the Anril Armour reacted to the attack, and countered by swinging a sword down at Renarve. OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!! Aiming for that large opening, Ojisama jumped in as Renarve retreated with wind magic, and he swung his Demonic Sword with all his might. The attack struck against the Anril Armours torso, and succeeded in causing the biggest wound yet. Fumu, it seems like this will work. Perhaps realising that it would be dangerously to aim for another attack against the Anril Armour that didnt hesitate from taking damage, Ojisama decided on hit-and-run tactics and temporarily retreated. In the end, the Anril Armour only reacted mechanically, so as long as you attacked, it would continue to earnestly respond to you. Because of that, just by repeating the tactic from earlier, Ojisama was able to stack up damage. Although they werent coordinating, the Heroes attacks served as perfect distractions as well, and the number of wounds on the jet black armour continued to increase. *imouto* At first I wondered how things might progress, but the situation appears favourable, doesnt it. Yeah. As long as they keep repeating this, theyll probably win. Well, as expected of Esteemed Father and the rest, perhaps I should say. ? Sophia and Anbaal were watching the mixed partys valiant struggle as though they had already won, and Leonora agreed while looking my way in worry. Lili didnt seem to know what was going on, and tilted her head in wonder. So na?ve. I had used a revelation, and gave orders to a certain person. *imouto* Mu? The first to notice was Renarve. Next, both Vikuto and Orlaine noticed as they were watching from afar, and then finally Ojisama, Arc and Lionel. The movements have changed? Up until now, the Anril Armour had reacted even to ineffective attacks like Renarve, Vikuto and Orlaines, but now it had begun ignoring them and instead changed its target to the damaging Ojisama, Arc and Lionel. That wasnt the only change. With sword still in hand, the Anril Armour raised its arm, and from it a number of shadow bullets assaulted the party. Kyah!? Whoa! So close! Impossible! An armour with no will using magic!? Impossible! That armour? The mixed party was shocked that the Anril Armour fired darkness magic. Using the openings from their frozen surprise, the Anril Armour swept its greatsword towards Arc and Lionel. Gugu Uwah!? Fuck! Gahu-!? The Holy Sword and Spear managed to stop it for just an instant, but the large difference in power and size sent them flying a few metres away. Lionel was unfortunately sent flying towards a wall, so he ended up crashing into it. *imouto* Oi, the fuck you do? There is somebody inside that armour, isnt there. With the change in the Anril Armours behaviour, Anbaal and Sophia sent questions my way. Sophias guess was right. The Anril Armour is an armour set thats animated by magic, but there are two ways it can do so. Up until now it had been on autopilot mode, and was following a set pattern. Because of that, its behaviour was mechanical. In contrast, right now it was using manual mode and was being directly piloted. Because of that, it was able to adapt its behaviour to the situation, and it was able to use magic too. However, the people able to pilot it were limited, and unless they were my kin, it was impossible to move it. Speaking of which, Ive been wondering why I havent seen Tena around but it cant be Tena-oneechan? Right. The reason Tena wasnt participating in our peeping party was because of that. As a member of my kin who could use darkness magic as well, Tena easily met the requirements needed to pilot the Armour of the Evil God: Anril Armour. Shes gentle and not really suited for combat, but to begin with we werent killing in this battle, so in that regards, I could rest easy with her as the pilot. The only problem was that she didnt have much combat experience, but unlike a direct battle with her body, this time she was piloting the armour, so you could even say it was better than she didnt have any battle experience. A skilled warrior might have been bewildered by the huge difference in feeling, but there was no need to worry about that with Tena. This does not bode well. The movements are completely different from a while ago. Yes. Using the same tactics will not work. It ignores Vikuto and I. So we cant distract it any more, huh. Unless we do even a little damage, it will probably not work Saying that, Vikuto glanced in Arc and Lionels direction. Since Renarve and Vikuto couldnt damage it enough to distract it, they needed somebody who could damage it enough to allow Ojisama to get a real hit in. And the only ones there who could do something like that were the Heroes. Your Majesty Nu I suppose it cannot be helped. With Vikutos silent suggestion, Ojisama nodded with a reluctant expression, and approached Arc and Lionel without failing to watch out for the Anril Armour. Oi. Demon King? Noticing that the Ojisama had approached and called out to him, Arc replied in wonder. I shall only say this once. We need your power to defeat him and advance. Lend us a hand. Dont fuck with us, who the hell is going to Arc? Lionel had reflexively refused, but before he could finish, Arc held up a hand to stop him. What do we need to do? Oi, Arc!? You already get it too, dont you, Lionel? We cant beat that thing alone. Thats Unable to react to Arcs persuasion, Lionel fell silent. It was truth that although the Anril Armour wasnt impervious to their attacks, they could only leave scratches at best. No matter how many times they attacked by themselves, it was impossible to defeat the Anril Armour. Aah, damnit! I got it. Ill help out too! Hmph. In the end, Lionel folded, and they faced the Anril Armour again, Arc and Lionel at the front, and Ojisama at the back. Leave the offence to me. You lot bring out an opening with his attacks! I dont have a damn choice, so Ill do it, but just this once, got it! Lets go! Huh? They suddenly started getting along? While I was watching the drama unfolding onscreen with a faraway look, Sophia began letting out a a voice of admiration from behind me. I had no idea Anri. You gave them a trial in order to reconcile them? Oh? So ya do have a good idea from time to time. You sure thought it through, Anri. Anri-sama, youre amazing. Eh? Nono, what kind of merit would that hold for me? Or so I wanted to say, but seeing Lilis pure eyes of admiration, it became really hard to. Without thinking a thing, I just continued to stare at the screen. While I was doing so, a frantic and cornered voice arrived at my ears. Anri-sama, I cant anymore! I cant hold on any longer! The owner of the voice was Tena, who was currently being exposed to fierce attacks from the Heroes and Demon King. Of course, the one taking the attacks was the armour outside so Tena herself wasnt injured, but once the Anril Armour broke, shed be in danger as well. Well done. You can come back now. Either way, it didnt seem like she would be able to stop them anyway. After judging so, I teleported Tena from inside the Anril Armour to the office we were in. I-, I thought I was going to die Stroking the slightly teary-eyed Tena on the head, I turned to look at the screen and found that the Anril Armour was quickly being wounded now that it had returned to autopilot mode. It was only a matter of time before it broke. The middle floors were broken through as well. I finally had my back to the wall. The only ones left were the lower floors, so I was a little anxious now. TL: I think youve already guessed, but the name of the Living Armour is basically a stupid pun on unreal, and perhaps a stupid pun on mithril. Also, generally if the stuff at the top and bottom of page is in italics, its me, Estelion. Volume 2, 16 - Boss Rush Volume 2, Chapter 16 C Boss Rush The top floors of the Holy Land of the Evil God were built as an orthodox dungeon. The monsters and traps were normal, and more annoying than the dungeon itself was the miasma, but it wasnt as though there were fatal traps, and as long as they were properly prepared, it wouldnt be impossible for a high level adventurer party to conquer them. Following that, the middle floors were completely different and were floors that focused on solving puzzles. In exchange for a huge decrease in monsters and traps, various puzzles lay in wait. Unlike the top floors, it was impossible to break through with simple battle power. A dungeon like this was the only one in this world, and the lack of know-how on how to conquer it was one of the reasons for the heightened difficulty. Then what about the lower floors that awaited beneath it? It didnt have ferocious traps; on the contrary, there wasnt a single one. It didnt have complicated puzzles either. The miasma was something that became stronger the deeper you went, but that was it. However, even compared to the upper floors and middle floors, the difficult of the lower floors were far higher/. The reason was extremely simplethe monsters were strong. The monsters that appeared in the top and middle floors were stronger than those in other dungeons, but they were a miscellaneous lot that would respawn infinitely, so no matter how strong they might have been, there was a limit. But on the other hand, the monsters that appeared on the lower floors were What is the meaning of this, Anri!? This aint what we agreed on, yanno! Seeing the lower floors on-screen, Sophia and Anbaal came screaming at me. What are you talking about? Are you intending to play the fool? I was speaking of those monsters Arent they unique monsters! According to the rules, you were only allowed to summon a single dragon. Boldly breakin the rules like this. You sure got guts, huh. The reason they were angry was because they saw the strength of the monsters on the lower floors. Vampire Lord, Dragon Zombie, High Spectre, Ogre Zombie The screen depicted an abnormal scene where high level undead that might normally be bosses in other dungeons were appearing as regular monsters. Of course, they were miscellaneous monsters that spawned endlessly, and it goes without saying each of them was a unique monster without exception. During the duration of the match, Evil God Anri will not summon additional monsters. However, a single dragon is permitted. AAHN? Thats right. Did we not clearly decide on the rules already! Right; the rules meant that I wasnt able to summon unique monsters. With Vnee as an exception though. But if you were asking if I broke the rules, then that wasnt the case either. Im not breaking the rules. Eh? Watcha mean? Im not breaking the rules, because the one who summoned those wasnt me. Right. In the end, the rules only stated that it was against the rules for me to summon. It stated Evil God Anri in the writing. The rules didnt forbid somebody other than me to summon unique monsters. Because of that, somebody other than me summoning unique monsters was still consistent with the rules. Wha-? Are you saying that there is somebody other than you who can summon that many monsters? The 30th floor boss, my other kin. Your other kin, you say? Right, it was the former 10th floor boss No Life King after I gave him my divine protection and made him my kin. To begin with, as the king of all undead, he had the ability to summon lower class undead, but even after he evolved into something else due to my blessing, that ability was in good health. Rather, you could say that it was strengthened. He could even summon a Vampire Lord who should have been the same tier as him back when he was still the No Life King, and he had these undead stationed between the 21st and 29th floors. It is true that it wouldnt be strange for a divines kin to be capable of such a thing, but dont you feel that you are being a little sly? Im not breaking the rules. Well yeah, ya arent, but Sophia and Anbaal still looked a little dissatisfied, but they reluctantly accepted it since it wasnt breaking the rules. *imouto* But still, that is quite the gathering of fairly high-class undead, isnt it. The 30th floor boss is an undead, so thats natural. No matter how our match goes, its basically settled that your patroned race is gunna be all the undead, ey? By patroned races, Sophias is the Human Race, Anbaals is the Demon Race, and mine is Undead huh? I dont particularly like undead or anything, and zombies and rotting ones like that are actually something Im bad with, but since it fits the image of an Evil God, I cant find any words to reply with. Ill think about it. Yeah, do so. But Anbaal. As long as the undead are not high-class, almost all of them lack a will. Will the faith she gathers from them not be quite trivial? Well yeah, but it aint a big deal. Once she combines it with Fear, it aint bad, right? Undead themselves are pretty feared, after all. I see. That is certainly true. Personally, I would prefer not to be more feared than I already am but being feared gets me more faith, so my feelings are a little complex. Having thought that far, I remembered a question about faith that I had been wanting to ask Sophia for a while now. I remembered it since you mentioned faith, but are you okay with the humans that turned into my followers? Shes in charge of the Human Race and theyre the basis for her faith, but the Pope and the humans of this country worship me instead. Wouldnt she look unkindly upon it? Or so Ive been wondering. It would trouble me if they increase too much, but just a portion of them is fine. Moreover, rather than being faithful towards you, they were closer to rejecting faith towards myself, so the responsibility lies with me. I see. Then thats great. Its true that they werent originally faithful towards me, but rather that they were rebelling against the Church of Sacred Light, and I just sort of hijacked it. As the darkness thats naturally born from light, although their beliefs were in the form of rejection, you could say that they did believe in Sophia in a way. Guess since ya had the right attributes as a divine, it worked out. Tough stuff. Well, I did have some problems when you first popped into this world though. Eh? Hearing this for the first time, I accidentally let my voice leak out. They noticed me from that long ago? You knew about me? Well of course we did. From a long time ago, visitors from another world have not been particularly rare, but even amongst them, you were by far the most different, after all. Most of them had the light attribute, but you And it wasnt even a simple darkness attribute, yanno? To begin with, even though basically all the visitors have appeared on a magic circle on our end, you completely ignored that and forcefully came in here, so you stood out. I was just sent in here. Its not like I came here of my own will. I was just forcefully sent here by that Evil God. We understand that much. At the very least, when you had first arrived in our world, you did not have enough power to cross the walls of the worlds. Just as we were thinking that wed just watch ya for a bit, ya suddenly turned into a divine, so we were pretty anxious at the time, yanno? That wasnt my intention either. It was all things that couldnt be helped. After that I was on guard more, but all ya did was gather followers, or create a country, or spread a scripture, and nothing particularly suspicious. There were some points of doubt, but it was fact that there was a new Administrator. It would not have done to ignore the issue of Authorities so we decided to come into direct contact with you. Youre telling me this now because you trust me more? Well, at the very least we have confirmed that you yourself have no schemes. Personality sucks though. Quiet, Anbaal. Also I dont want to hear that from you. From the way you said that, you mean that somebody other than me is scheming? The intention of the one that sent you in here is unknown, after all. Did you hear anything from them? Nothing at all. Being asked that by Sophia, I searched my memories, but couldnt remember hearing anything in particular from when I was sent in here by that Evil God. He didnt tell me what to do in this world either. Considering that he did not contact you before, nor after you became a divine, should we perhaps consider it as a mere whim? Well, cant hurt to be cautious, ey? Indeed. Got it. Its true that I dont know anything about that Evil God. I dont know if Ill ever know why I was sent into this world, but Ill bear it in mind. The monsters that appeared on the lower floors were all high-class undead. And the strength of each one was on par with the old No Life King. Considering that No Life King was more or less on par with Leonora, the party was facing a group of enemies that all had the strength of a Heavenly King. If it was just one battle, then the mixed party with both the Demon King and two of the Four Heavenly Kings would probably have the advantage. But once they repeated the fighting over and over, they would eventually grow tired, and it was clear as day that the disadvantage would fall to the challengers. Thats what I thought. After crossing swords with the monsters and then leaping back in retreat, Ojisama spoke to Arc. It seems that the weapons used by you lot would be more effective on these. Arc. What? My name. Not you lot, but Arc. Ojisama looked at Arcs expression with a dubious expression, but perhaps eventually sensing his intention, he gave a manly smile and brandished his sword. Hmph, very well. Then Arc, this will be the opposite of the time with the Living Armour earlier. I shall cut open a path, so you put them down. Leave it to me! Arc and Ojisama Cant be helped. Ill support ya. Hmph, somebody of your calibre is going to support me? Heh! Arent you the one bumping into me by accident?! I would not commit such a blunder! Lionel and Vikuto You were, Miss Orlaine, werent you. M-, Miss!? I shall take care of all the enemy attacks, so I would like to have you concentrate on attacking. Yes! Orlaine and Renarve Each of them paired up, and began attacking the enemy in combination. Certainly, making use of the Heroes Holy Weapons against the undead was the best strategy. But who on earth could have predicted that these two groups that should have been hostile until just a few days ago could work together this well. Seeing them get along so well was instead making me worry about the future. They look so close that in the worst case, Ojisama might even say something like Hmph, falling in a place like this is pathetic. Were you not going to defeat me? and save the Heroes in a pinch. Or maybe on their journey together they would realise the existence of the mastermind, or some great evil, and stand together as companions to defeat it or something Wai-, isnt that exactly this situation? No, no, whether its mastermind or great evil, neither of them fit me no matter how you think about it, so it has to be different. Leaving my public image aside. While I was thinking about such things, the mixed party pushed back against the pressure of the monsters. Ojisama opened a path with his flames, and Arc leapt in with determination and cut at the Vampire Lord. Weaving skilfully through the gaps created by Vikutos ice arrows, Lionel stabbed at the Dragon Zombie. Renarve parried the High Spectres magic with a sword clad in wind magic, and protected by him, Orlaine hit it with light arrows. It was a scene worthy of being sung in legends or myths. Alright! Found the stairs! Jump in in turn! Our objective is not to defeat the monsters, but to advance ahead! You guys can go right ahead, leave the rearguard up to me! Renarve, Miss Orlaine, please go ahead first! Understood! Y-, Youre calling me Miss as well? Geez, understood! This was only the 21st first floor, and with all the floors up until the 29th, the road ahead was still long. Normally, seeing them struggle so much on the first floor, you wouldnt imagine them reaching the bottom floor no matter what. But for some reason I basically expected that they would reach there. It seems that I might finally need to prepare myself for the worst. Its a rule that the early game bosses appear in the end of the dungeon as normal monsters, after all. No Life King-sama? Hes still in the middle of warming up. Volume 2, 17 - Imperial Death Volume 2, Chapter 17 C Imperial Death Its the last boss fight. Please play your choice of BGM. The large doors creaked as they opened. With nothing to block it, the overwhelming sense of presence from inside the room increased, and the mixed party faintly trembled before the door. Let us go. With the Demon Kings voice, the party came back to their senses, and their vigilance naturally made their steps slow. Ahead of them was a throne on a platform a step higher than the rest of the room, and upon it sat the lord of the room. Sitting on the luxurious throne and waiting for the Heroes and demons was a skeleton clad in a jet black robe. He was much smaller than the Black Dragon and Armour of the Evil God, and could only be taken as the size of a normal human. However, the people gathered in that room withered in face of the pressure greater than any of the previous foes. The party advanced as far as just before the throne, but he merely sat there and gazed at them with his dark, eyeless sockets, and showed no further reaction. Because of the feeling of pressure that he released, the party found themselves unable to speak first, and waited wordlessly. In that tense silence that discouraged even clearing their throat, when the party was about to reach their mental limits, the skeleton spoke first. In a voice that may well have invited death upon anybody with a weak mind, a low voice that seemed to shake the soul, he welcomed them. Welcome, my guests. You are the first to have reached here. That line was similar to his previous one, but the only one who knew that was Leonora and myself. You What are you? Fumu. In the past I may have answered a King, but at present I am nothing more than a single servant of my GodAnri-sama. Anri Evil God Anri? The skeleton had quietly replied to the Demon Kings question. Hearing my name, the expressions of the Heroes turned grave. So we can take it to mean that youre the boss here, right? Indeed. I have been appointed by my God as the guardian of this room. Therefore, I cannot allow you to proceed beyond here. Hearing the skeletons words, their vigilance heightened, and they prepared their weapons. Hu- !? Whats so funny!? The skeleton laughed at them, and Orlaine gave an exaggerated reaction. It told of her nervousness. Not funny, but joyous, Young Miss. Young-!? T-, Then joyous about what? As I stated earlier, you are the first ones to have reached this floor. Although it was an honour to be appointed as guardian of this place and I had not an iota of dissatisfaction, it is also the truth that I found it vexing to have no opportunity to display my loyalty to my God. And in this moment, that opportunity has finally arrived; what could this be but joyous? Having said that, the skeleton stood up, flicked back his jet back robe, before spreading his arms wide. Let us exchange our names; I am Imperial Death. A retainer and kin of my exalted GodAnri-sama, as well as the one appointed as guardian of this room. The skeletonImperial Death, gave his name, and in response the Heroes held out the weapons that could be called their symbols, and the party members named themselves one by one. Hero of the Holy Sword, Arc. Hero of the Holy Spear, Lionel. Hero of the Holy Bow, Orlaine. Demon King, Eligor Romariel. One of the Four Heavenly Kings, Fierce Gale Knight Renarve. Likewise, Bloodfrost General Vikuto. Imperial Death gave a satisfied nod in response, and displayed his intent to fight. Now then. Come. To demonstrate my loyalty, I shall be your opponent with all my power. Im going to attack! Please leave the support to me! The first move was taken by Orlain and Vikuto, who had begun to attack from afar. They released as many arrows as they could at once, and they rained down towards Imperial Death. However, he raised his right hand, and a round barrier appeared, easily blocking the rain of arrows. An opening! Seeing Imperial Death defend against the arrows, Lionel rushed up and aimed for the torso with his Holy Spear. No matter how overwhelming he might have been, Imperial Death was still an undead. In that case, the Holy Weapon that was effective against undead should have dealt him huge damage. Lionel had attacked with that belief, but the strike was all too easily stopped. I-, Impossible With his right hand still maintaining the barrier, Imperial Death blocked the incoming Holy Spear with just his left hand. No, more accurately, he stopped it with just the index finger of his left hand. The brittle-looking finger bone blocked a strike from one of the strongest weapons in the world; seeing that seemingly impossible scene, not only Lionel, but everyone in the room froze. Did this mean that Imperial Death himself boasted greater defence than the Armour of the Evil God? If you wish to aim for an opening, then you ought not shout your intentions to do so. Saying so, Imperial Death reached out and grabbed the Holy Spear, before casually waving his hand. His strength was impossible to imagine from a mere skeleton the size of a human, and together with his Holy Spear, Lionel was sent flying parallel the ground. UOOHHHHHHHH!? Kuh-, make it in time! Renarve immediately reacted and ran towards the flying Lionel, before catching him. Had Renarve not been there, Lionel would have hit the wall dozens of metres away, and become unable to fight in that instant. Guh-, sorry! It is no big deal. Lionel thanked Renarve for saving him, and Renarve shook his head with a smile. Watch out! Would I let you! While Lionel and Renarve exchanged their short lines, they heard a voice from somewhere else. Wondering what had happened and turning around, Renarve and Lionel found that right next to them, something black was flying their way at incredible speed. The other voice had come from the direction of the Demon King and Arc, who were attacking Imperial Death with their swords. Realising that they were saved by a hairs breath because Imperial Death had been attacked when he was about to fire, Lionel and Renarve got up and ran to join the two engaged with Imperial Death. Sorry, you saved me! My apologies, Your Majesty. Because Arc and the others were fighting at close range, Orlaine and Vikuto had stopped their attacks and watched for an opening. Because of that, Imperial Deaths free right hand turned to the two he had been fighting with. However, with Renarve and Lionel joining the frame, the situation began to change. Perhaps because he really could not handle a four-on-one close combat battle, Imperial Death released mana from his whole body, and blew the four away to gain some distance. Speaking of which ? Just as Arc and the others were about to close the distance to attack again, Imperial Death spoke before they could. Having lost the timing to attack, they could now do nothing but lend him an ear. Although I said that I would be your opponent with all my power, if I remain barehanded it would hardly be truth, would it. What-!? In front of the surprised party, Imperial Death held his right hand out. The party watched with bated breath. Under his hand, a black pole of some sort came out from his shadows. Grasping it in his right hand and swiftly pulling it out of the shadows, Imperial Death held the weapon with both hands. It was a single-edged scythe, that was about as long as he was tall. A skeleton clad in jet black robes, holding a scythe It was the very image of the grim reaper from the legends. It might have seemed ironic that the undead emperor who rejected death was taking the form of the reaper that invited it, but it was probably partially because of the image I had when I gave him the divine protection. I have kept you waiting. Shall we continue? Hearing this, the party couldnt make any careless moves. The overwhelmingly powerful barehanded enemy was now holding a weapon. Nobody in the room was foolish enough to not be vigilant about that. Whatever is the matter? Will you not come? Then I shall move instead. With those words, Imperial Death suddenly disappeared. Wha-!? Where did he go? They frantically searched for him, but couldnt find him anywhere. Then in the next moment, in front of the backline support Orlaine and Vikuto, Imperial Death suddenly made his appearance. Impossible! It cant be!? Cutting through Vikutos promptly made water barrier as though it was paper, and smacking away like a twig the Holy Bow that Orlaine tried to shield herself with, Imperial Deaths swinging scythe cut deeply into the Orlains shoulder and Vikutos abdomen. KYAAH!? Guh- !! Orlaine! Vikuto! The other tried to run up to the two who had collapsed with a cry, but before they could, Imperial Death disappeared once again. Kuh-, he disappeared again. Incredible speed is not, what hes using. Short distance teleportation? Yes, although this ability is limited to use in the dungeon. Hearing the words from behind himself, the Demon King immediately cut backwards without even turning his head. Mu-, this will not do. The one who advised against speaking when attacking an opening was I myself, wasnt it. Blocking the Demon Kings swing with his scythe, Imperial Death laughed wryly as he disappeared. Kuh-, this is bad! At this rate, itll just be one-sided attacks. Take up a circular formation! We will remove our blind spots! Following the Demon Kings instructions, Arc, Lionel and Renarve gathered together, and they stood back-to-back so that they could defend against attacks from every angle. Where. Where will he attack from? The four searched in vigilance, but Imperial Death wouldnt appear at all. Although they grew tired of waiting, they desperately tried to concentrate, when a voice called out to them. Remove all blind angles huh. Not a bad idea The party turned to the voice, and found that Imperial Death was seated back on his throne, with his right hand aimed towards them. However, just because I am holding a weapon, does not by any means suggest that I cannot use magic, you know. !? Scatter! Faster than they could react to the Demon Kings voice came a mass of darkness from Imperial Deaths hand, flying towards where they were gathered. They immediately jumped down on the spot, but Lionel who was closest to the throne was hit, unable to dodge. GUAHHHHHHHHHH-!? Uwah!? Kuh Nu Lionel was hit terribly hard, and collapsed on the spot with a groan. Although the other three avoided a direct hit, they still received damage from the aftermath. Kuh-, what strength! He certainly is far stronger than any enemy before. Even if we continue to fight, our defeat will probably be inevitable. Your Majesty, and also Arc-dono I will try to block the next attack. Can I leave the offence to you? Renarve!? Understood. Arc raised a shocked voice at Renarves determined suggestion, but the Demon King agreed with a stern expression. Are you finished with your discussion? Well then, let us continue No, perhaps it is about time to end it. You all fought well. I shall remember this fight for eternity. Muttering this quietly, Imperial Death once again disappeared. Up until now, they had frantically searched for him when he vanished, but this time they just wordlessly concentrated, swords at the ready. Also, Renarve had closed his eyes quietly, and spread wind magic through the area. There! Renarve thrust with all his might towards the disturbance in the air flow. Although Imperial Deaths skull made a shocked expression, as he had appeared right before the attack, he calmly dealt with Renarves attack and swung his scythe. If he had retreated then he could have avoided any large damage, but instead Renarve chose to stand there and block the scythes attack with his body. What-!? Guh- Now! Renarve gave the signal even with his expression twisted in anguish, and Arc responded. AHH! Imperial Death tried to respond to Arcs swing of the Holy Sword, but Renarve had gripped the scythe, and unable to block with the scythe, he let go of it and stopped the Holy Sword with his arm. Your aim was fine, but I see you lack power Nu? Imperial Death had laughed after blocking the Holy Sword, but after seeing that Arcs expression was not one of despair, he raised a quizzical voice. Then I shall add to that power. The Demon King ran up, and smacked his Demon Sword onto the Holy Sword pressed against the skeleton arm. The impact caused the Holy Sword to push deeply into it, and snapped the arm beneath it. NU, OOHHHHHHH!? The Holy Sword with two peoples strength had snapped Imperial Deaths arm, and continued to swing down. The flash of the sword had failed to reach the enemy, but it cut into his robe, and black cloth danced through the air. Kuh-, he evaded it? But it is a fact that we have pressured him. There is nothing to do but continue to attack Mn? Arc and the Demon King had jumped back to observe their enemy, but seeing Imperial Deaths lack of reaction, the two made puzzled expressions. Looking carefully, he was looking at the ground a small distance away from him, and paid no heed to Arc or the Demon King. Although he was much too filled with openings, that instead begged suspicion, and the two could not attack. Wondering what was happening, he followed Imperial Deaths gaze, and found that something black was lying there. r What? Noticing Imperial Deaths quiet murmur, the Demon King raised a voice of question, but Imperial Death continued to stare at the floor, completely motionless. The black thing on the ground was part of the robe that had been cut earlier. Cur O-, Oi? Hearing the deep, ominous voice that seemed to come from Hell itself, the two of them reflexively flinched. CURCURCURCURCUR! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU CUT THE ROBE BESTOWED BY ANRI-SAMA! !? !? Imperial Death began to fly into a rage, and the two of them stiffened at his intense anger. And then, floating into the air, Imperial Death began to release incredible pressure. But although I say pressure, it wasnt the type that seemed to put force on the surroundings, and instead the surroundings seemed to be drawn into an invisible something. Continually sucking and concentrating, that something started to be dense enough to see It was miasma from all across the dungeon. The miasma was thicker the deeper it was in the dungeon, and on the 30th floor that was close to the very bottom, the air was filled with the thickest miasma. And that miasma was now being drawn into a single undead. Imperial Death took that concentrated miasma into himself, and his figure changed into something ever more sinister. Looks like we stepped on the tail of a dragon, huh. So this is as far as we go In front of the two exchanging their words of resignation, Imperial Death placed the concentrated miasma around his scythe, and he swung. (-) Chudooon. (eyes closed, facing up to the sky) The scene was such a tragedy that I couldnt bear to look, so I closed my eyes, shielded my ears, and accompanied it with a sound effect in my mind. Wondering if I could open them yet, I had a peek, and found on-screen the tattered Arc and Ojisama lying on the floor. With the collapse of the final party members, the party was now wiped out. Wondering why there was no reaction, I looked at the people in the room, and found that everyone had their mouths hanging open in a daze. Since it was a climax, everyone was here today, but every single one of them was dumbfounded. Seeing this, I decided to stealthily head to the exit. Stop. But my efforts were fruitless, and I had the nape of my neck violently caught by Sophia. What on earth is that? What, you ask? Its the other kin that I told you about earlier. When I replied as such, Sophia gave a deep sigh. No matter how I look at it, that is no regular kin. Isnt he already close to reaching the realm of a divine? That has to be foul play, right!? There was no rule like that. No, I have to agree with her, yanno? That aint something a human or demon can stand up to, right? But even so, Im not breaking the rules. To begin with, why does somebody who just became a divine have a kin that became something like that? Shes got a point, yanno. Unless a kin with terribly strong faith spends a few hundred years like that, then they basically aint gunna turn into something like that, but Well I dont know why hes like that either. I thought things would turn out like this. Since he completely ignores words like prudence or restraint, I thought that Sophia and Anbaal would get mad if they found out about him so I was really depressed when I realised that the mixed party had made it this far. But theres no option left to me except talking back. Its true that it wasnt breaking the rules, so there shouldnt be a problem. Side-stepping Sophia and Anbaals questioning, while avoiding Tena, Leonora and Lilis stares, I silently came to that conclusion all by myself. Mixed party was defeated! Anri obtained Holy Sword, Holy Spear, Holy Bow, Demon Sword! Volume 2, 18 - Conclusion Volume 2, Chapter 18 C Conclusion The mixed party achieved the record of reaching the lowest floor yet, but the last stronghold and 30th floor bossImperial Death, defeated them and they failed. Also, because they were defeated within the dungeon, there was no reason to exempt them from the rule of taking their weapons and items even if they were the Heroes and Demon King, so the Holy Sword, Holy Spear, Holy Bow and Demon Sword were properly collected. Of course, the other items and gold were as well. And that moment could be said to be the moment that it became impossible for them to conquer the dungeon. The source of the Heroes strength were the Holy Weapons that held Sophias blessing, and now that they had been taken away, the Heroes lost most of their strength. As for Ojisama, it wasnt as though he was that dependent on his weapon, but as youd expect, there was a huge difference in fighting strength once he didnt have the Demon Sword. With their blessed weapons gone, they had already lost the power needed to conquer the dungeon. *imouto* And like that, it spelt the end to the match. *imouto* Incidentally, since Sophia and Anbaal demanded the weapons, I was just keeping a hold of them temporarily, and it was decided that I would return them after the match. Now that I had collected them, they were mine, so I could have ignored the two, but apparently now that the Holy Weapons had Sophias blessings they had the function of flying back to the owner when they called for it, and there was nothing more dangerous than weapons flying about the dungeon. For now I had a hold of them, and tossed them into a room locked from the outside, but from the sounds inside the room you could tell that they were rampaging about. The Heroes were probably continuing to call for them without giving up. I personally want to return these troubling weapons as soon as possible. Considering the situation, I wouldnt be able to sell them after all, and I couldnt use them as dungeon drops either. The Demon Sword didnt have that function and so it was behaving, but if I was returning the Holy Weapons, it wouldnt be fair not to return the Demon Sword. And whats more, apparently the Demon Sword was passed down each generation, and would one day be passed down to Leonora, so as a friend I felt that I ought to return it. But well, I really dont have any obligation to give them back, so it should be fine if I demand some compensation, right? In only thirty minutes, it would be a whole year since the match began. In order to check up on the Proof of Capture that I placed on the 31st floor, we all gathered there. The Proof of Capture is Dont tell me its that? Seeing the Proof of Capture, both Tena and Leonoras expressions cramped. Speaking of which, Sophia and Anbaal already knew, but I never told these two. There was a round-table-shaped pedestal in the middle of the room, and on top of it was an eerie patchwork doll. This was the Proof of Capture that I left here, and was the proxy I used when Leonora first came here; the cursed Tena doll. Also, since I became a member of the Divine Race myself, I conquered the cursed equipment problem, but that didnt mean that the curse on the doll itself was gone. Because of that, if anyone but myself or my kin Tena touched it, the doll would be their present C curse and all. Or at least that was my plan. Its not like I was thinking something treacherous like Conquer my dungeon huh? Curse you! or anything. It was a nuisance though, so I did hope that somebody would take it away though. There is only a little time left, isnt there. Tsk. Hii!? Although it basically spelt their defeat when the Heroes and Ojisama lost their weapons, Sophia and Anbaal never declared defeat. But at this point, as youd expect they had no choice but to give up on victory. Sophia seemed discouraged, but Anbaal was clearly in a bad mood. Because Anbaal was being too obvious with his irritation, Lili got scared and hid behind my back. No invaders are ever going to reach here in time, so I suppose your match is set, huh. Congratulations, Anri-sama. Hearing Leonora and Tena congratulate me, my victory finally felt real. In order to pick up the Proof of Capture as a victory trophy, I headed or at least I tried to head towards the pedestal, but I stacked it. Having lost my balance and begun to fall, I looked back and saw that Lili was standing on top of my dress hem. Apparently when she hid behind me in fear of Anbaal, she stood on my dress by accident. Unlike the robe that I used to wear, the dress was pretty long, and if I wasnt careful, it could get stepped on. As though being pulled from behind, while I was falling I reflexively reached out to grab the table in front of me, and somehow managed to avoid falling right to the ground. Are you all right, Anri-sama!? I-, Im sorry Tena hurried over to help me up. And Lili you dont have to apologise, so please get off my dress. Oioi, the hell ya doin? Well, it seems that you managed to avoid falling. Anbaal and Sophia called out to me in astonishment. The hem is longer than your old clothing, so if you arent careful itll be dangerous, you know. Also, you sent the doll flying all this way. It happened in an instant so I didnt realise, but when I grabbed at the table earlier, apparently the cursed Tena doll had been sent flying by Leonoras feet. Saying that, she bent over and picked up the doll. *imouto* *imouto* Ah. Seeing that, Tena let out a sound. Everybody in the room heard that, and following Tenas gaze, we moved our eyes to Leonora. Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah. Everybody let out the exact same, stupid voice. Eh? Ah. Leonora was perplexed by everybodys gaze suddenly turning to her, but she followed our gazes to what was in her hand, and after realising what it was, she let out the same sound. AAAHHHHHH!? In the midst of this room filled with cries, the teleportation magic activated, and Leonora disappeared. *imouto* *imouto* Leonora, you idiot *imouto* *imouto* I cant accept this. Moving to the round table in the office, that was the first thing I said. The winner is whoever has their patroned race touch the Proof of Capture first, aint it? There aint any basis for you to complain. Its true that since Leonora is a demon, its Anbaals win based on the rules. But I cant accept an accident like that overturning the outcome of the match. To begin with, it all began when he scared Lili. What do you think, Sophia? Lets see. It is true that it was a sloppy way to decide things, but according to the rules, I do not think we can help but acknowledge Anbaals victory. From her point of view, no matter whose victory it was, she would still be the loser, so I suppose it cant be helped that she wasnt interested in changing the rules. I knew myself that my opinion was at a disadvantage. But, it was a little no, it was very frustrating. A-, Anri I was wrong, so cant you forgive me already? No. Continue your seiza. A voice called to me from the corner of the room, but I replied a little coldly. It was Leonora, and a little while ago I had her sit in seiza to reflect on her actions. It was partially my fault as well for having the doll fall from the table, which is why I dont intend to scold her all that harshly, but even so a large part of it was her carelessness, so I wanted her to reflect. Then leaving the seiza aside, could you at least take away this doll? No. Hold onto it for a while. On top of Leonoras lap as she sat in seiza was the cursed Tena doll. Originally the curse of the doll made it so that once you threw it away, it would suddenly come back to you at some point, but perhaps the curse began stronger while I left it alone, because now it leveled up, and would quickly toddle back to you when you let go of it. Thanks to that, Leonora couldnt get rid of it even if she wanted, and had been holding it the whole time. Well, you can settle things with her however you like. But no matter how it happened, wins a win, yanno. Know when ta give up. Fine. At Anbaals reminder, I reluctantly accepted my defeat. It was frustrating though. *imouto* *imouto* And so, guess I better hand out the Authories, ey. Saying that, Anbaal sat down at the round table, and a countless number of letters appeared around him. Next, the same thing happened around Sophia. These are the Sub-Authories we have. There aint anything new we oughta add to them, so well just be handing over a fraction of the ones we already have to ya. Specifically, what fraction will we be handing over? Lets see How bout 2/5ths. Each of them separated 2/5ths of their Sub-Authorities, and our ratio became 6:6:8, Sophia:Anbaal:myself. Then Im the only one with more. Unfair. As long as it is to an extent that there is no disruption to the balance, there should be no problem. Its true that we had the match because they wanted a little less, so I didnt intend to complain about the distribution being unfair. What I was complaining about was that only I was getting more. The one who won the match was Anbaal, so it should have been fine if he just increased both Sophia and mine, so I couldnt accept that he targetted only me. Why is it just me? Youre the newbie, so dontcha need experience. Im giving ya work outta the goodness of my heart, so be grateful. I glared at him, but Anbaal ignored me with a nonchalant expression. Or rather, thats definitely a lie. Theres definitely no mistake that this was revenge for the hardships he had with the dungeon capture. But it was in the rules that the winner would be deciding the ratios, so since it wasnt large enough that it destroyed the balance, even if it was frustrating I wouldnt change a thing even if I made a fuss. Well then, how bout we go from my Deadly Sin Types. Lessee, Ill give ya Gluttony, Greed, Lust and Envy. Hah? By Deadly Sins is that the Seven Deadly Sins? So they had the same concept in this world too? But still, the selection he handed me sure was cruel. Id better protest. Im not that big of an eater. If a divine who doesnt even need food eats three meals a day, aint that gluttonous enough? Being told that, I couldnt even go Guu in frustration, but lately havent you and Sophia been eating three meals too? Then about Greed No, no matter how ya look at it, it suits you perfectly, right? Well, I did take an entrance fee, so I guess that cant be helped. But the last two definitely do not fit me. Lust and Envy dont match me. To begin with, it just helps if you have a reference, so it doesnt even really matter, yanno? Thats way too different from what you said earlier. Or rather, if the Deadly Sins are the same as the Seven Deadly Sins, the only ones left are Sloth, Pride and Wrath He definitely kept those because he thought they were cool, that guy. Also, thats not following the ratio. If you say 2/5ths then dont hand me over half. Well then, I shall hand you some from my Virtue Types. I will give you Moderation, Thrift and Endurance. Whoa, whoa, its weird once you mix it in with the Deadly Sins. You cant have both Gluttony and Moderation after all. Also that means she left behind Diligence, Chastity, Compassion, Humility; all the good sounding ones for herself. While I was in blank amazement at how unreasonable it was, the letters floating around Sophia and Anbaal flew towards me. Do not want. Do not want, I said. Well then, next are the Living Being Types, huh Wait, please wait. At this rate, something outrageous is going too A few hours later, ignoring me as I lay burn out over the table, Sophia and Anbaal left the room with satisfied expression after completing pushing Authorities onto me. Um, Anri-sama Are you all right? Im not. Raising my head in bother, I looked at the words floating around me. They were completely random. Governing over such a hodgepodge of Authorities, I dont even know if I can be called the Evil God anymore. In the end, Anbaal said Since you made this whole bloody mess, this suits ya just fine. and left the word Chaos in front of me, so I was completely angry. *imouto* Gained title Odd God. *imouto* I heard the Systems voice for the first time in a while, but Odd God? What the heck is Odd God. Youre supposed at least make it Chaos God, right!? *imouto* How on earth am I supposed to get rid of this irritation. Ummm C-, Can I stop with the seiza soon? And while I was thinking that, what reached my ears was the voice of Leonora, who had been sitting in seiza for the entire time. It seems that the numbness in her legs had just about reached the limit, and just stirring a little would send incredible stimulation down her legs, so she was stuck frozen solid unable to move. Speaking of which, the reason this happened was half her fault, wasnt it. Finding a place to point my sword, I smiled darkly inside, before reaching my fingers out to her legs. There are two chapters left until the main story is finished. TL: Odd God, or is read as henjin C it sounds exactly the same as for the word (weirdo), so its basically the same as calling her a weirdo. Volume 2, 19 - The Evil God’s Temptation Volume 2, Chapter 19 C The Evil Gods Temptation When I came to, I was in a pitch dark place with not a single source of light. Being a place that I had memory of, I checked my clothes in a fluster. Thank goodness, Im still wearing them. The sound of clapping reached my ears, and when I turned that way, there stood the person I expected. A boy with long black hair The Evil God that sent me into this world. Yo, s been a while. With his usual mocking smile, the Evil God spoke to me. What do you want? So cold. Even though its our touching reunion. This isnt a joke. At the very least, Im not touched in the slightest. Thinking about it, all of the hardships I went through this year were mostly because of the Evil God in front of me. Truly a god of misfortune. Being called into this place with this kind of timing gives me nothing but a bad feeling about this. Well whatever. The reason I called you here today was just as my earlier applause indicated C I wanted to offer my gratitude and reward for your achievements so far. Gratitude and reward? Hearing these unexpected words, I accidentally asked him again. And what does he mean by achievements so far? First is my gratitude. It was terribly fun watching you do things. It was just a whim of an idea, but Im really glad I sent you into this world. Jerk. I had faintly noticed it, but it seems that I really am a toy to this Evil God. To begin with, why did you even send me there? If youre asking why I sent a servant in, then it was to make use of the floating faith to create a kin. As for why it was you, well, you seemed like youd be interesting. In other words, the fact that I joined the Divine Race was all predetermined? Nah, youre wrong. Its true that I made it easier for you, but even I didnt know if you would become one or not. I was actually pretty surprised you know? To think that youd become a divine that quickly. Even I didnt expect it. Hearing his reply, I felt a little relieved. If all my actions so far were just dancing on the palm of his hand, honestly speaking, it would have been a major shock. And, what would you have done if I hadnt become a divine? Nothing really? If that time came, then I was gunna think about it then. If you became one then great, I thought, but its not like I absolutely needed you to become one. I got treated pretty casually, but Im not particularly angry. Is there some merit to creating kin? I have Tena and Imperial Death as kin, but theyre useful because theyre my allies. To the Evil God in front of me, I may be his kin, but I dont intend on serving him, and I dont intend on doing anything for him either. Just what kind of merit would there be in creating a kin like me? The number of your kin and their quality is like a status symbol, you know. Its better to have more than less, better to have divines than apostles, and better to have chief gods than stray gods. Theres more value that way. In that sense, given that you have the hegemony in this world, youre pretty valuable. Have the hegemony? Was he talking about the match with Sophia and Anbaal? I lost though. Well, there were some developments far beyond expectations, but in the end you gained a lot of Authorities, so its fine to say you have the hegemony in this world. Whats important is the result, not the process, so I dont care who you guys decided won and lost. Its true that because I lost the match and had a lot of work pushed onto me, I had the most Authorities of us three gods. And so, since I saw you working so hard, I thought that Id give you a little reward. Like I said, reward? Yep. So anyway, about the reward in question if you want, I can turn you back into a human, and teleport you to Earth. *imouto* !? *imouto* Hearing these completely unexpected words, I caught my breath. I can turn back into a human? And not just that, I can go back to my original world? Not a bad offer, right? Either way, itd normally be an impossible reward. If you dont take it now, there wont be a second time, okay? The Evil God spoke as though pressing me for an answer, but my mind was in so much chaos that I couldnt really comprehend his words. I tried desperately to calm myself down, and voiced my doubt. Even though your objective was to create a kin, is it okay for you to turn me back into a human? From our conversation just now, his goal was to create high quality kin, and I achieved that by turning into a divine. But now he was saying that he would turn me back into a human as a reward, and I could only see it as putting the cart before the horse. I say turning you back into a human, but strictly speaking its splitting your Divine Self and your Human Self I guess. Just leaving the Divine You is plenty as my kin. I have no idea how hed even do something like that, but looking at how casually he said it, he probably really can. Ill be able to return to being a human? If the Divine You stays in this world as my kin, I dont really need the Human You. Like I said earlier, if you want, Ill teleport you to Earth. Not only returning to being a human, but Ill even be able to return to my old world Up until now, I tried not to really think about it, but the moment I heard his words, it brought up the memories of my family and friends in my old world, and immediately the feelings of nostalgia and longing However, itll be a one-way transfer of course. After I teleport you to Earth, I wont accept you wanting to come back here. It felt like cold water had been poured over me. Wait, thats Of course, I cant teleport anybody other than you to Earth. If you choose Earth, then youll be saying goodbye to the people here. If I return to my old world, then I wont ever be able to see Tena, Leonora or Lili again. If I cross over to another world, you could call that much obvious, but that reality stabbed deeply into my heart. My friends and family in my old world, or the people that I met in this world? If I chose one, I had to abandon the other. I closed my eyes and in my mind I weighed the two on a scale. The people I spent many months and years with in my old world, and the people I had a short, but meaningful time with in this world. It was painful to choose either one, and I couldnt come to a decision. *imouto* Thats how it should have been. But despite that, the scales in my heart tipped with unnatural ease in one direction. *imouto* It really is strange. Even a while ago when I heard that I could go back to my old world, mysteriously the nostalgia didnt gush out. Something was weird. Something important and defining was wrong. Right. I cant just eat up this Evil Gods words. That was the mistake I made last time too. I still dont know if he intentionally misinterpreted my words, but everything began when he granted my wish in a warped way. This time it was his suggestion, but there was plenty of risk that he meant something different than what I thought. Now that I was calm, I thought back on the conversation thus far, and checked to see if there was anything weird. Now then, which world will you pick? Earth, or thi Why? Eh? Discovering what was wrong, I cut off his words. Why did you not say *imouto* return you to your old world, and say teleport you to Earth instead? The constant mocking smile from the Evil Gods face disappeared, and he turned expressionless. Thinking about it, from the moment that we met, he never once mentioned taking me from somewhere else. I had naturally thought that I had been taken right after the last memories of my old world, so I hadnt particularly noticed. Also, I was supposed to have been suddenly taken away from my friends and family, and then sent to another world, so normally youd expect that Id want to return, but for some reason I never had that feeling, and even when I heard that I would be able to meet them, I didnt feel any longing. And there was one more thing. Right now, I was wearing clothes. Even though last time I was naked. I cant imagine that the Evil God in front of me was the type who would go out of his way to strip me, so that naturally brings up the question of why I was naked the first time. *imouto* *imouto* Tell me one thing? Is the me in my old world doing well? *imouto* *imouto* Huhu, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! When I questioned him, the expressionless Evil God suddenly roared with laughter. Ahahaha, Im beat. Its my loss. Good job noticing, hey? Even though plenty of the humans Id met so far couldnt accept it even if they noticed the possibility. Aah, his words just verified everything. I wasnt born in my old world Yeah, youre a flesh and memory copy of a girl born in the old world that you call Earth, and you were something that I created. Its easier to create kin who end up as divines that way, you see. Incidentally, the girl that was your original is living life normally and doing just fine. The reason I was naked last time was because I was literally naked as the day I was born. It wasnt that I was taken there, but that I was born there, so of course I had no clothes. In other words, even if I went to my old world or rather, even if I went to Earth There wouldnt be anywhere that you belonged, and nobody would be waiting for you either. My original on Earth was already there, so of course. Even if I went there, at best Id just be treated as a doppelganger. If I hadnt noticed and chose to teleport to Earth, what would you have done? I wouldnt have cared, and wouldve teleported you to Earth just as you wanted. That was so close I almost got trapped by an option that would turn out terribly no matter what. Why did you try and trap me like that? I asked the Evil God as I glared at him. Even if I glared at him, naturally the effect of my mystic eyes werent even a gentle breeze to him. Guess you could call it the final test before your reward. Reward Is that thing still valid? But since I only just avoided that nasty trap, I cant help but look at him with suspicious eyes. No, no, this time Im serious. His level of credibility was already zero, but for now I decided to hear him out first before choosing, so I prompted him to continue. Having said that though, the reward is the same as before. The second half is gone though. What I heard earlier was change me back to human, and teleport me to Earth. If the second half was gone, then did he mean that he would grant me just returning to a human? Of course, its a reward so I wont force you. Ill give you the choice, so you can choose whatever you want. Certainly, it was a reward worth considering. When I first became a divine it didnt really feel real, and I tried not to think about it, but over the last year the difference between god and human has been getting big. Leaving the Apostle Race Tena aside, Leonora and Lili are both going to age, and eventually die, but only us two are going to be left behind. If I said that I didnt want to spend time together with everyone as a human, then it would be a lie. But because of what happened just now, I couldnt just simply nod either. Doesnt it have any demerits? Leaving aside differences in interpretation aside, if I asked him questions he would answer, and up until now he had never lied before. I proactively questioned him to see if there was anything out of place in order to pick the better option. Demerits? Lets see Mn? The Evil God looked like he was thinking, but he seemed to notice something, because he turned his gaze to my side. I was lured by his reaction too, so I turned to face that way but in the darkness I didnt see anyt no, wait, just as I noticed a streak of light running vertically, a strong light suddenly shone in from there. Getting a bad feeling, I reflexively moved my body away from the line of light. And when I did, in the very next instant, a beam of light shot in from it, flying past me far into the distance. Anri! Are you all right!? I thought I was going to die Where the line of light used to be was a hole from which Sophia charged in with sword in hand. Honestly, I dont even know what would have happened to me if I hadnt evaded it. Aint ya doin just fine? I almost got blown away. Its true that I dont have a single scratch though. I replied to Anbaal who appeared next, but it seemed that he didnt know what I was talking about. Anri-sama, are you all right!? Are you okay!? !? Hii!? Next, Tena, Leonora, and Lili jumped into that dark space as well, but the moment they met eyes with the Evil God, Leonora immediately fell into a dogeza, and Lili hide behind Tena and clung to her. But well, if they cant deal with my eyes, then it cant be helped that they cant deal with his. Though I am late, I hastened to your side. Please command me as you will. Last to appear was Imperial Death, clad in a jet black robe, and standing between the Evil God and I. His scythe was already in hand, and he was prepared for battle. *imouto* *imouto* It seems that everybody ran here worried for me but things were basically over already. Although you were pretty close, to think that you even chased her in here. For now I calmed everybody down, and we sat around a table the Evil God prepared to continue the conversation. After explaining what happened so far to everyone, the Evil God let out that line. We had Anris kin Tena, so we were able to find this place by following the master-servant bond. After that was just a bet on whether or not we could open a hole though. I handed my power over to that overly serious woman, and with two gods worth, we finally got in here. Im glad that they did that much to reach me, but I wished that they would remember that following the link meant that I was at the other end of the hole. Leaving her friend and kin over there aside, to think that you two would go that far to save her. Of course. It would be troubling for us without her. We finally got a person to push- to entrust the work to after all. If she suddenly disappeared, wed be troubled, yanno. When they jumped in they seemed seriously worried for me, but although that wasnt the only reason, lets leave that all aside. Im a little shy. About the thing earlier, if I turn back into a human, whats going to happen to Tena and him as my kin? Tena turned into my kin from when I gave her the divine protection, but when I turned into a divine she turned into an apostle with me. Imperial Death became my kin when I gave him my divine protection as the No Life King, but at the time he wasnt this outstanding. I think he broke through the barrier when I turned into a divine too. Both of them were affected my by change into a divine. In that case, what would happen if I returned to being a human? Your kin will end up choosing either the Divine You or the Human You. If they picked the Divine You, they stay as they are. If they pick the Human you, theyll probably return to from before you became a divine. If I choose the Human Me, will I lose my connection with the Divine Me? What about the other way around? They wont be directly related, but it wont change the fact that the Human You is a part of the Divine You. Once your life as a human ends, your soul will unify with the Divine You. In that sense, no matter which you pick, there wont be much of a difference in a hundred years. In other words, its the difference between whether we continue to live as divine and apostle, or whether we live a lifetime as a human first? From a glance there didnt seem to be any demerits, but since he had zero credibility, I decided to ask the observers. Was everything he said true, Sophia? I have never seen a precedent, but I believe the theory is correct. Normally becoming a human from a divine would be impossible, but as somebody who turned into a divine from a human, and who still retains their flesh body, you are an exception. If I were to add another comment, the Divine You separated from the Human You would become a purer existence as a divine. We dont understand kin as being a status symbol, but having a purer kin should be more valuable for him. Hearing that and turning to the Evil God, he immediately averted his eyes. It seems that he purposefully avoided mentioning the merits for himself, but if it was just that much, you couldnt call it a demerit for me, so I guess it didnt matter? If I choose to return to being a human, what will you two do? I I asked Tena and Imperial Death. Tena seemed at a loss as to how to reply. I wanted to live with her, but I thought that it was something she should decide on herself. I think I really will choose the Human Anri-samaafter all. I think that I would be useful in helping her with her everyday needs after all. I see. What about you? After hearing Tenas reply, I turned to Imperial Death next. I shall serve the Anri-sama as a God. As an undead to begin with, I feel it would be better than serving by the side of the Anri-sama as a Human. He replied unwaveringly. To begin with, he was somebody who worshipped the Evil God, so it was probably an obvious choice. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Now then, guess thats settled. Its about to time to ask you what youve chosen. Are you going to live as a God, or as a Human? After hearing the wishes of my kin, I was asked for an answer by the Evil God. I Next up, the final chapter. Also, it will not be a multi-choice ending. There is only one route. TL: Odd God, or is read as henjin C it sounds exactly the same as for the word (weirdo), so its basically the same as calling her a weirdo. Volume 2, 20 - The Regular Anri Volume 2, Chapter 20 C The Regular Anri I want to live as a human. To begin with, what I wanted was to live in peace. I had already come to terms with turning into a divine, but if I was told that I could take back my life as a human, as I thought, I really did want it. From what I heard, it was just a temporary thing and I would eventually become a divine, but I can just think of it as a bit of time to have fun before the real thing. If I can spend time with Tena, Lili and Leonora, then there isnt any reason to choose otherwise. I see. Well then, Ill separate you, so stand over there. I obeyed his words, and stood up from the round table, moving a little distance away. Well then, here we go. Together with his words, I closed my eyes in preparation for the shock. But there wasnt any shock like I expected, and instead I felt something leave from all around my entire body. Okay, done. Opening my eyes at his words, in front of me stood a person who was my spitting image. No, rather than saying that, I suppose it might be better to call them the other me. I opened my mouth to say something to the me who I had pushed the position and responsibilities of a god onto, but before I could, something strange happened. O-, Oww For some reason my limbs had a dull pain. For some reason it hurts. I wonder if its growth pains. When you turned into a divine you stopped growing, but now youre getting a whole years worth. When I muttered, the Evil God explained it to me. Its true that I didnt grow while I was a divine, but I was a whole year older in that time. Normally I should have grown a little. If I suddenly made up for it all at once, it wouldnt be strange for it to hurt. Its not a sharp pain, but a dull one. Are you okay, Tena? Tena who had become an apostle was the same in that she stopped growing. No, since I was closer to fully-grown, it should have hurt for her even more. Getting worried about her, I called out to her, and she answered while enduring the pain. Y-, Yes My limbs and chest hurt, but I can bear with this much. Chest? Now that I looked closer, Tena certainly was holding her chest in pain. Why? Even though I didnt feel anything at all I found everyone giving me a lukewarm and slightly pitiful look, so for now I decided to hold my chest as well The gazes became even more lukewarm. Why. It still hurt, but it was feeling a lot better, so I decided to continue our first encounter. I looked again at the Me as a God standing before my eyes. Her face, stature and clothing were the spitting image of me, but she really did seem to have a different sort of presence somehow. The girl in front of me was a purer divine, so I suppose that was natural though. Ive ended up pushing everything onto you, but Dont worry about it. In the end, your memories and feelings will end up back with me. Go enjoy your life as a human. Both of us were me, so a fight might have been inevitable, but hearing Me as a God say that made the guilt ease up a little. Got it. Anyway, theres something Id like to discuss ? The Me as a God looked blankly at me. I wondered if this was how I looked to everyone else, and started feeling a little embarrassed. Give me money. This was probably the first time Ive been stared at by myself, huh. But I need to properly explain myself. When I was a divine, eating was nothing but a hobby, and I didnt need to pay money for clothes or shelter either, but now that I was a human again, I wouldnt be able to live without it. The Me as a God would probably continue to live in the temple, but if I was going to enjoy my lifetime as a human, then I couldnt just stay holed up in the temple forever. Because of that, whether I was buying my own home, or staying at an inn, money was needed. Whether our fortune right now belonged to the Me as a God or the Me as a Human was difficult to say, but the money earned by the Me as a God was greater, so Id be at a disadvantage if I didnt take action right now. I needed to win this negotiation right here. She opened her mouth. 7:3 Who gets the 7? Me of course. Thats way too unbalanced. To begin with, you dont even need that much money as a god. 5:5 Thats taking too much. It was money earned as the Evil God. 6:4 The battle of negotiation continued for a while, but mn, as expected of me. She was a tough foe. In the end, it was agreed that I would be taking 4/10 of our fortune, and in exchange I also got the Holy Sword, Holy Spear, and Holy Bow. Having said that though, now that the match with Sophia and Anbaal was over, Id be giving them back to the Heroes with conditions attached. I gained the right to giving the Heroes conditionsordersyou could say. You truly are a Well, shes the one with tha Greed Authority after all. Anri-sama Ahahaha, you really are funny. While we were absorbed in negotiating, the people around us gave incredibly astonished stares. Incidentally, Leonora was falling into a dogeza as usual, while Lili still hid behind Tena. Now that there were two people with mystic eyes here, apparently it became difficult to avoid. There are two Anri-samas!? Have my prayers borne fruit? Calm down. And what the heck were you praying for. No matter where I decided to live, as long as I looked just like the Me as a God, various problems would occur if I didnt meet the Pope first, so I went to meet him, but the very moment that he saw there were two of us he went as said that. Well, I say meet, but in a sense we already knew each other, so it was mainly telling him the circumstances, but it felt like I was going to be exhausted from the very beginning. I see. I understand the situation now. In other words, the Anri-sama as a God will continue to bless the temple with her presence, while the Anri-sama as a Human will be living in the worldly realm. Worldly r- In the sense of separating the world that the humans lived in from the world of the gods, it wasnt an incorrect expression, but Im not sure how to feel about using worldly realm to describe a place thats just a floor below this one. Now then, where will you be living? If necessary, I could prepare a room on the 3rd floor, but I sank into thought for a while. Living in the temple wasnt an option. If I did so, then nothing would change. Having said that though, as a person who looks just like the Evil God, the risk of living in this town would be high in various ways. Even if I took it as a as long as nobody finds out, theres no problems issue, it would probably be better to be safe than sorry. I suppose the best idea might be to build an estate or something a little distance from town. Thankfully I had the money needed, as well as the workers. Ill build an estate outside of town and live there. Could I trouble you to prepare the architects, and a place for me to stay until the construction is finished? Understood. I shall immediately make the preparations. Please use the room on the 3rd floor until the construction is complete. Having said that, the Pope hurriedly left the audience room and left. Now then, guess its about time to leave. Got it. If anything comes up, contact me. Ive got my luggage after all, and Ive got the 40% of the money too. Im all ready to depart. Well, though I say depart, until the estate is finished Ill still be staying in a room in the temple or in an inn in this town though. If it was just for that long, then I get the feeling that it wouldnt matter even if I just stayed here, but I think it would be best to make the distinction after all. It wouldnt be good to prolong things and stay here. Also, in regards to the Holy Sword, the Holy Spear, and the Holy Bow, for a while we dealt with their rampage by keeping them in a sealed room, but thinking about it, it would just be fine if I chucked it into my item box, or so I realised. Well, Im leaving with them now so its too late to matter though. I left the room, and called out to the three waiting for me. Tena, Lili, Leonora Are you ready to leave? Yes, everything is fine. Yes. Yeah, Im fine too. These three were going to leave the temple with me. But since Leonora was originally in this country as a point of contact with the Demon Race Nation, rather than living with us, the plan was to go back and forth between the estate and the temple. Having left the audience room, I took the stairs down from the 4th floor, and headed into the 3rd floor. This was a floor open to the followers, so up until now I basically never stepped foot here. I thought about the chaos that would occur if the god they worshipped casually descended, so I opted not to come here, but now that I was a human again, there probably wasnt any problem. The only follower who had met me directly was the Pop, so its impossible that they all knew exactly what I looked like. There might have been people who saw me when I became a divine, but it was a year ago and they saw me from afar too, so there shouldnt be any problems there either. Speaking of which, are you still carrying that doll? Well, its because you wouldnt take it away from me Cant you do so already? Leonora had been carrying the doll ever since. It was already something normal in everyones minds, so I secretly felt that it might be fine to continue like this. Also, even if she told me to take it away Its impossible. I cant take it off you anymore. Hah!? What do you mean? The only one who can remove it is the Me as a God. Now that Im a human again, I cant take it off you. Right. The only reason I overcame the curse was because I became a divine. Now that I was a human again, I couldnt do anything about the doll anymore. Mn? Just now I feel like I overlooked something really important. Wait, then does that mean I have to stay like this forever? If it was the Me as a God then they could probably take it off you, but we only just left the temple, so I wont go back there for now. It suits you, so why not just stay that way? Please spare me Leonoras shoulders drooped, crestfallen. But well, if I feel like it, Ill contact the Me as a God and have her take it away. If I feel like it, that is. *imouto* While we were chatting, we made it as far as the large doors of the 3rd floor entrance. What lay beyond here was in a sense the first step into a new life. With a little expectation and anxiety in my heart, I opened the doors. Beyond the doors was a large room, and a few people moving about. They heard the sound of the door open, and in reflex, they stopped what they were doing to look our way. I unconsciously winced at having lots of gazes on me, but since I was a human again meaning they werent particularly focused on me, I pulled myself together. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* But in the next instant, everybody in the room fell into dogeza together. Why? Or so I wondered, but an idea immediately came to me, and I checked my status in a panic. Status. *imouto* Name: Anri Race: Human Race [OLD] Sex: Female Age: 18 Job: Mage [OLD] Level: 1 Title: Evil Person of Fearful Trembling, Dungeon Master, Weirdo Mana: 3031504 Skills: C Evil God Aura (Lv.5) C Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5) C Divine Enchantment (Lv.7) C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.6) C Darkness Magic (Lv.6) C Item Box (Lv.4) C Dungeon Create (Lv.7) Equipment: C Fan of Calamity C Dress of the Black Death Rose C Babydoll of Depravity C Scanties of the Succubus C Pumps of Darkness Kin: C Tena [OLD] *imouto* So the skills really did just get left behind I thought that these unsuitable Evil God skills that were planted in me to turn me into a divine would disappear as well, but I just returned to how I was before I became a divine. Or rather, thinking about it, Tena is my kin, so it made sense that I would still have my divine enchantment. I should have noticed earlier. But more importantly, the return of my titles was really half-assed. Evil God of Fearful Trembling(а) turned into Evil Person of Fearful Trembling(а), and Odd God(; henjin) turned into Weirdo(; henjin). Didnt they do nothing but replace God() with Human()? Or rather, who the hell are you calling Weirdo. Still irritated, I struck at the status screen with the fan in my hand, but of course it just passed through, and the words didnt change. At that moment, I suddenly noticed that I had a fan in hand, and started to get a bad feeling. I placed the fan down, and picked up a paper-knife from atop a nearby desk. And in the very next moment, the fan leapt up from the ground, and knocked the paper-knife from my hand. Aah, I knew it It seems that because I returned to being a human, the curse that I should have conquered went back to how it was before. Am I going to return to the lifestyle of wearing nothing but the one outfit again? Anri, whats wrong? Seeing me troubled, Leonora still with doll in hand, spoke to me in worry. Right, so that was what I felt was out-of-place. If I couldnt undo the curse on the doll, then of course the same thing would happen with my equipment. Is this my punishment for saying that Leonora should hold onto the doll for a while? Curses are like chickens; they always come home to roost. This was a pretty weird curse though. *imouto* I spent a while after that with my head in my arms, but in the end there was nothing I could do about it, and decided to just think of it as going back to what was normal before. More importantly was the issue of what to do with the people around me still in dogeza. Normal people would just run away when they see my eyes, so did the fact that they were in dogeza mean that they were more emotionally strong than average? Or could it be that because they spent all that time in this country that they got used to the power of the Evil God? Either way, given that floors 1 to 3 were open to the public, and the 3rd floor was the top floor among then, these people were probably important members of the Thearchy. If it was them, then I had thought that it might be fine to tell them about the Me as a God issue that I just explained to the Pope, but since there were a lot of people here, I couldnt say for sure that there wouldnt be rumours spread. In that case, there was one answer Strategic retreat. The ancient Chinese had the 36 Strategems, and the best of them all was the retreat. While everybody is still facing down in their dogeza, well fake it and pretend that it wasnt us. Its not too late to play it off as their imagination I wish. Thankfully this was still inside the dungeon, so I could use teleport. I had really actually wanted to physically take the first step into my new life, but it couldnt be helped. Having concluded as such, I activated the teleport circle, and together with the three of them, I immediately moved to the temple entrance. Thankfully we teleported somewhere out of sight, so the worry about being surrounded by people all of a sudden ended without a problem. D-, Dont just suddenly teleport us. That surprised me. Uu Leonora, Tena and Lili complained to me about being suddenly teleported, but it couldnt be helped in that situation. I paid them no heed, and had a peek through the temple entrance. It wasnt as though there was nobody around at all, but there werent too many people. If we walked out now, we wouldnt be noticed. Lets go. Honestly Yes. Understood. With Leonora, Lili and Tena, I passed through the temple door. *imouto* *imouto* It was just about noon, and the high sun shone down brightly on our surroundings. It was warm, but there was a cool wind blowing, so it didnt feel too bad. Breathing in the first fresh air in a while felt incredibly refreshing. *imouto* Huh? Could it be that this was the very first time Ive been outside since becoming a divine a year ago? No, no, that kind of thing cant be cant be actually, it might be. *imouto* Shuddering at the realisation that Id become a hikikomori, I suddenly noticed something odd in sight, and turned my attention to it. There was some kind of construction going on next to the temple, and it looked like some kind of huge building was being built. But it looked somehow different to normal buildings. It wasnt all that wide, but the height was about half of the temples. Whats more, since they were in the middle of construction, it seemed like it was going to be even taller. Tena, do you know what that is? Amongst the four of us, the one most knowledgable of the Thearchys situation was Tena, so I decided to try asking her. Tena tilted her head at my question, looked towards the construction site from just now, and then nodded before replying. Eh? Aah, that construction job over there? Mr. Pope said that he was erecting a statue of you, Anri-sama. He seriously went ahead with that!? If that thing gets built I wont be able to hide my ties to the Me as a God no matter how hard I try. No, but, the only one who really knows my face is the Pope, and if the workers havent seen me, the statue shouldnt look all too alike I heard that Mr. Pope designed the blueprints himself, you know? I had the chance to see it as well, but the drawings were splendid and looked exactly like you, Anri-sama! That person is quite good with drawing too, isnt he. Yeah, that drawing certainly was amazing. Dont suddenly display your talents in needless areas. I want them to stop this very moment, but from what I can see, the Evil God Statue has advanced too far to call it off already. A plan as large as that was basically a national project already, and if I called it off halfway, I wouldnt be able to avoid affecting various parts of the Thearchy. I heard that the completed statue is planned to be as tall as the temple. Im sure that there is a good chance it will be visible even from the neighbouring Kingdom. Ive decided. Before the statue is complete, Im going to get as far away from it as possible. And then Im going to live in hiding. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* I thought that this time for sure, I would be living a normal life as a human, but it seems that I really am destined for drama. *imouto* Even so, even back when I turned into an Evil God, I tried my best in order to smile together with everyone. *imouto* So thats why now that Im a human again, theres no reason that I cant try my best as well. *imouto* One day, when I return to the other me, so that I can tell her that I lived my life to the fullest, *imouto* Ill continue to walk ahead, not as the Evil God, but as the regular Anri. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Speaking of which, Anri, what is that? The original Black Scripture. I accidentally brought it with me. She erected an estate on the border between the Kingdom of Fortera and the Holy Anri Thearchy, and lived there together with Tena and Lili. Additionally, those that knew of the estate referred to it as the Black Rose Mansion, but because the plans were left to the Pope, it ended up as an outrageously large palace. Although some troubling issues would occur from time to time, on the whole, she was able to spend the life peacefully as she desired. In addition, she had kept with her the authority as Dungeon Master when the two were separated, so the Anri as a God was troubled, but she had not yet noticed. Because the Evil God Statue made her face widely known, recently she had taken to wearing a mask. Why does it feel like people are staring at me? *imouto* She served Anri after she returned to being a human, and continued to look after her everyday needs. Although she had always been hesitant at meeting the family that sold her to the slave merchants, she succeeded in bringing herself to meet with them, and they reconciled. A while after she had begun living at the Black Rose Mansion, she met a single young man by chance, and ended up involved in the turmoil that followed. Anri-sama, Ive made some tea. *imouto* She lived together with Anri in the estate. Lately, she had begun to imitate her sister-figure, Tena, and started to learn housework. Perhaps because she was used to them, she could now look at Anris mystic eyes without running away. Anri-sama, Tena-oneechan, the food is ready. *imouto* With the achievement of establishing diplomatic relations with the Holy Anri Thearchy, she inherited the throne of the Demon King at a young age. She became the mediator for the two nations, and was adored by even the humans, who were originally the enemy. In addition, due to the fact that she was forced to continue holding the doll and was unable to part from it, she gained alias such as Doll Princess and The Truth Is, the Doll Is Her Real Body etc. I told you that was wrong, didnt I!? *imouto* As usual, today he was also merrily spreading the religion. He was extremely delighted by the completed giant Evil God Statue. Lately he had been planning to mass produce small-scale Evil God statues to distribute amongst the followers. Hu hu hu, it seems that the Grassroots Anri-sama Plan is progressing just fine. *imouto* In order to retrieve the Holy Sword from Anri, they were worked to the bone on the construction of the estate. Additionally, Arc was still in Anris grasp, the party members were wrapped up as well Since Arc had lost interest in the Demon King subjugation, they came to a standstill. I-, I cant stand any more construction work Agreed, Frey. She seeeriously worked us to the bone, huh? She was an amazing person, wasnt she *imouto* Together with Arc, Anri made them help with the construction work in exchange for their Holy Spear and Bow. While labouring together, a love between them did not bud at all, and it was just more of Lionels one-sided approaches. Heyy, how bout you go out with me already? Just give it up already, Lionel. *imouto* Passing the throne of Demon King to his daughter, Leonora, he lived as he liked as an adventurer. He continued to challenged the Holy Land of the Evil God dungeon. It seems that he was actually quite frustrated about failing to capture the dungeon. Mu, I thought that today would work out for sure, but *imouto* As members of the Four Heavenly Kings, they served the new Demon King, Leonora. I wonder if His Majesty the Preceding King is doing well. It would not be strange for anything to happen to that personage. *imouto* With his bald patch healed, he returned to work. Im not fucken bald! *imouto* *imouto* On the top floor of the Evil God Temple, she continued to administrate the world. On occasion, she would observe her human self. That mask, so cool *imouto* Even after the end of the match, for some reason they continued to live in the Evil God Temple. Their intentions were unknown, but thanks to that, Evil God Anris loneliness was lessened. I will not speak badly of you, so please stop your spying at once. Seriously. Damn nasty hobby. *imouto* He learnt come. Gurururu *imouto* Unit 1 continued to work hard as the 20th floor boss. The newly summoned Unit 2 was working hard as the guard-armour of the Black Rose Mansion. Also, unlike Unit 1, Unit 2 was made with a females armour as a base. *imouto* Because of the lack of invaders on the 30th floor, normally he served as Evil God Anris aide on the top floor of the Evil God Temple. Due to Tenas absence and the resultant lack of anybody to do the housework, the residents of the top floor were about to fall into a crisis in various meanings, but because of his existence as a being with hundreds of years experience, the crisis was averted. The cooking for the three Gods who ate despite the lack of need were prepared by him as well. Due to Tenas absence, the only ones left who could pilot the Anril Armour were Evil God Anri and himself, but in exchange, they came up with the idea of piloting the armour while riding atop Black Dragon Vardneel; the final form, Anril Deathrider. In addition, it goes without saying that he was stronger just by himself. I offer my Lord my eternal loyalty. *imouto* Today as well, he was floating about in the Interval. On occasion he would suddenly appear in the Evil God Temple, cause trouble for Evil God Anri and the others, and then get kicked out. Now then, what should I play with next? Volume 2, Side Story 1 - A Certain Religion’s Fall Volume 2, Side Story 1 C A Certain Religions Fall The founding of a nation that worships the Evil God, you say? Heavens The meeting between the higher echelons of the Luxiria Theocracy grew stormy. The cause was that the cultists that they had sent the Order of the Sacred Light to subjugate the other day had declared the establishment of a country. However, given how obvious it was that the meeting would grow wild after this announcement, the situation could hardly be called surprising. There was a square desk in the conference room, and sitting around the north, south, east and west sides were the top brass of the Theocracy. On the north side, furthest from the entrance, sat the members from the Papal Board, who controlled the affairs of the Theocracy, a Cardinal and two Archbishops. On the east side sat the members from the Magisterium, who governed the dogma of the Church of Sacred Light, a Cardinal and two Archbishops. On the west side sat the members from the Eparchia, who governed the parishes including matters of foreign diplomacy, a Cardinal and two Archbishops. Finally, on the south side sat members from the Presbyterium, who governed the training of priests and the like, a Cardinal and two Archbishops. And then behind the Papal Board, in the most prestigious seat, furthest back, sat the incumbent Pope. Together, these thirteen people composed the higher echelons of the Luxiria Theocracy, as well as the top brass of the Human Races greatest religion, the Church of Sacred Light. Each one had their own attendants standing behind them, and I too was one of them; somebody allowed to be here as the attendant to one of the Archbishops from the Presbyterium. However, in my case, the one who originally should have been here had by chance fallen ill, so I was actually here as a replacement. ABSOLUTE NONSENSE! Who would acknowledge something like that! To begin with, even the very existence of the Evil God is questionable! The ones who screamed were the members of the Magisterium. From the eyes of they who governed the dogma of our Church, the Establishment of the Evil God Nation was understandably difficult to accept. But what did they mean by the existence of the Evil God being questionable? Or so I might have wondered in the past. To begin with, the concept of the Evil God was something loudly insisted by those of the Magisterium, so doubting the existence of the Evil God was at odds with the claim they made themselves. But if you knew the circumstances of what happened behind-the-scenes, the meaning of their words would be immediately clear. *imouto* To think that the insistence of the Church regarding the existence of the Evil God was based on falsehoods *imouto* An imaginary enemy woven into the dogma to agitate the fear of the believers, and thereby increase their dependence on the Church Was their aimalthough the ones who implemented this were their predecessors from generations agosomething along these lines? Of course, to the high level members gathered here, that much was common sense, and as a result they couldnt simply accept the fact that the Evil God truly existed. There was a report regarding the sighting of the true Evil God from the Forteran Army in their spearhead of the Order of Sacred Light, but Ridiculous. Likely an excuse created by the cowards who fled after mistaking something else for it. There is no worth in trusting impious people who tried to haggle their contribution to the Church. Among them, the youngest member, an Archbishopthough already in the prime of lifegave the report from Fortera, but the Cardinal of the Eparchia ignored it as nonsense. Having said that, that Archbishop himself didnt seem to actually believe it, and showed no sign of displeasure at having his remark repudiated. Well, at this point, whether the Evil God is an impostor, or the real thing is not of importance, for what we ought to do has not changed in the slightest. Exactly as you say. Just the words country of Evil God worshippers is the same as declaring hostility against us no, against all of the Human Race. Hearing the statement from Cardinal of the Presbyterium, the Cardinal of the Papal Board agreed. And it seems that this was the same amongst all the members gathered here. Of course, including the Pope sitting at the back. As servants who serve Sacred Goddess-sama, we cannot accept such a declaration. Obvious though it may be, there appear to be no objections. The aged Pope rose from his seat, and made his declaration as he overlooked the gathering of leaders. Then, Your Eminence Declare our rejection of the announcement under my name. Further, call for the agreement of the other nations. As you wish. The Cardinal of the Papal Board accepted the edict from the Pope, and so ended the meeting. What is Fortera thinking!? Hearing Forteras reaction to the Popes earlier proclamation, an urgent, special meeting was called. To begin with, this kind of meeting was supposed to only be held at a certain time, once per year, and calling for a second meeting in such little time was extremely unusual. However, considering the circumstances, it could be said that calling a meeting was natural. Not only had the Kingdom of Fortera had rejected the Theocracys appeal and declared neutrality towards the Evil God Nations declaration, but they brought attention to the dishonesty of the Churchs upper echelonsin other words, the people in this room, and furthermore showed their hostility by declaring the formation of a new sect. It was not the case that nobody had ever opposed the headquarters of the Church, Luxiria, but an entire nation taking a position of hostility had never been seen before in history. Of course, were this simply a rejection of the Church of Sacred Light, then they would have antagonised the other nations who had the Church as their state faith, and ostracised themselves. However, they rejected not the Church of Sacred Light itself, but complained about the corruption of the current leaders, and formed a new sect based around devotions to the teachingsthe Origin Faction. Such an action was far more dangerous to the people in this room than simple opposition. The Origin Faction? Rejecting our dogma? What nonsense. It is likely mostly out of revenge for our earlier deployment of the Order. The Cardinal of the Magisterium openly frowned at the report. The report was the same as disgracing the Magisterium, so it was understandable. The Cardinal of the Eparchia seemed unhappy as well, but that was due to another reason. And so, what was the impact on the other nations? We tried to suppress the news, but it spread quite far. Too openly suppressing it would be liable to have the opposite effect, so we cannot help but act cautiously. I suppose that cannot be helped either EEI! So irritating! What the members of the Eparchia were agonising over was the information control of the announcement by the Kingdom of Fortera regarding the dishonesty of the higher-ups of the Church. From rampant bribery and abuse of power, to even the forgery of dogma C the many years of dishonesty were all made public at once, and the Eparchia were completely busy with suppressing the distrust from the believers. Of course, had this all been unfounded rumours, doing so would not have been so difficult. However, given that it was tacitly understood amongst the other countries that this was at least half-true, controlling the information was not an easy task. The Luxiria Theocracy with its small population and land held an advantage over the other nations due to having the absolute authority of being the home to the headquarters of the Church of Sacred Light. Putting things another way, with this advantage becoming unstable, they were liable to lose their superiority in an instant. For now, I suppose there is nothing we can do but urge the other nations not to join the faction created by Fortera. Indeed. Let us have the churches in the other nations manoeuvre. Directly dealing with the Kingdom of Fortera will need to be postponed, but I do not suppose we have a choice. If the sect spreads, it will become unmanageable, after all. Authority gives rise to rights, and rights give rise to authorities. With the old roots they have formed in various countries, manoeuvring with their connections should prove to be quite effective. Of course, Fortera understands this as well, and will likely move to suppress it. I suspect that a fierce power struggle will begin behind the scenes. However, when it comes to the number of personnel they can mobilise, I cannot help but say that the Theocracy has the advantage. As long as there is no major incident to overturn this situation, it will be difficult for the Kingdom of Fortera to gain the advantage. It is because they understand this, that the people gathered here were unhappy, but relatively calm. It-, It cannot be Why would Sacred Goddess-sama? One day, a little while after the previous meeting, the situation suddenly changed. An unprecedented situation where Sacred Goddess Sophia made a revelation to all of the Human Race, and in merely one night, the situation in all the nations took a complete change. The contents of the revelation included the existence of the Dark God, previously unknown to the Human Race; the Evil God, who was different to the one known by the Human Race; and the fact that the Human Race needed to conquer a dungeon in order for her to win the 3-way power struggle between the gods. Had the revelation been received only by a small minority then it may have been tidied away as lies, but now that the entire Human Race had received the revelation, nobody in this room had the power to make them believe it was false. And at the same time, this also spelt a major dilemma for the Luxiria Theocracy. By the hand of none the very Sacred Goddess that they worshipped, in part thought it might have been, their dogma was denied. Whats more, the part that was denied coincided with Forteras claims. If one part of Forteras claims were confirmed, then it would naturally make people suspect that the rest of the claims were true as well. The rest of the claims in other words, the claims regarding the corruption of the upper echelons of the Church of Sacred Light. Its very likely that all of the Sacred Goddesss followers believe that Forteras claims were correct. This is bad. At this rate We must urgently come up with some countermeasure. But even if you say that, what are we to do. In this situation, taking a firm measure against Fortera would likely backfire on us. Manouevring against the problem country has been forbidden as well. That Hearing the Cardinal of the Papal Board say that, the others in the room fell silent as well. Just as he said, making some declaration about mobilising the Order of Sacred Light would instead heighten suspicion towards them. Even the option of diverting dissatisfaction towards the Evil God Nation had been prohibited by none other than the Sacred Goddess herself. It cannot be helped. It seems that we have no choice but to admit to our mistakes in the dogma in regards to the Forteran claims about the Evil God. While the room was wrapped in silence, a voice called out from behind the members of the Papal Board. But, Your Eminence Now that Sacred Goddess-sama has affirmed Forteras claims, we cannot firmly object. Of course, we will deny the other claims, and must endeavour to abate the damage even a little. It was this moment that the Church of Sacred Light, that had thus far ruled humanity from the background, was forced to compromise, as well as the moment that they acknowledged a small, but substantial defeat. I am sure that the Kingdom of Fortera will not let this chance go, and will use this critical moment to persecute them. The winter had come for the Luxiria Theocracy, that had held its influence for a long, long time. And that concludes the report. Well done. Hu hu hu, the Sacred Goddess relevation has given us an advantage. While they are embroiled in their factional disputes, let us plan the strengthening of our nation, for it is the will of Anri-sama. By your will. Now then, the coming days shall be busy. We must not let up on our missionary work either. And the construction of that must go ahead. Volume 2, Side Story 2 - A Certain Scripture’s Pandemic Volume 2, Side Story 2 C A Certain Scriptures Pandemic I decided to try writing a third-person story this time. So this is the problem book. In a room in a certain country, a number of people gazed down upon a book with black bindings that lay atop a desk. Yes, Your Majesty. You must take care never to touch it with your hands. I know. The one referred to as Your Majesty was the king of that nation, and the people gathered in the room were also important leaders within the country. Just the fact that so many people were gathered in this room was in and of itself a sign of the extraordinary circumstances behind it. The Black Scripture, huh. It seems that theyve spread quite the troublesome thing. Their gazes were focused on the book called the Black Scripture. Although, the term Black Scripture did not refer to only the book in front of them. Just the ones we have been able to identify alone indicate that over a hundred of them have been brought into the country. If we include those unaccounted for, it is likely that they number a few hundred The one who gave the report was the skilled man who was supervisor to the Court Mages of this nation, as well as the Chief of Magical Research. As he spoke, he turned the cover of the Black Scripture. O-, Oi!? Are you fine with touching that!? The leaders in the room panicked at the Chiefs actions, but the Chief replied in a resigned voice, I have already touched it once, so Now that he had mentioned it, they noticed that for a while now, the Chief had been limping as if to protect his right foot. And now that they had realised this, they all looked at him in pity. Please look at this. Behind the flipped cover were the warnings of the book. According to the warnings, the book was a cursed item, and misfortune would befall those who had received this book. If they desired to avoid the misfortune, it was required that they transcribe the contents of the book, and hand it to another person, and unless they did so the misfortune would continue eternally. Furthermore, the curse would manifest in the transcribed copy as well. The Black Scripture A book written by the Evil God that was truly most wicked and foul. At that very moment it was making its terror known in countries where it had been propagated further. *imouto* In order to avoid the misfortune, one must transcribe the book, huh. Then it is natural that it has spread this far. Yes. Naturally, in order to avoid the misfortune, those who had accepted the book would transcribe a copy and try to push it onto others. To not do so was the same as being tormented by the misfortune for eternity, and was not something anybody would accept. Even if they prohibited this, it would merely lead to a revolt. Is it impossible to dispel the curse? It was impossible even for the Archbishops of the Church of Sacred Light. The curse that it contains is far too powerful. Having said that though, in contrast to the fiendishness of its propagation mechanism, the misfortunes were light enough to be called an anti-climax, and this gap had caused the researchers much puzzlement. The misfortune that a receiver suffered was randomised, and although the misfortunes differed, none of them were beyond the level of simple harassment. Even the limp on the chief was due to the curse of continually stubbing the little toe of his foot against shelves, and was not a particularly grave injury. However, it was also difficult to say that this was something that a person could ignore. Even the Chief had originally not planned to spread the harm to anyone else, but after stubbing his toe three times, he yielded, and pushed a copy onto the Vice-Chief. Because of that, at present, the Vice-Chiefs loyalty towards the Chief had dropped considerably. Can it not be stopped? That would likely be difficult. However, there is a way to guide the damage in a more preferable direction. It cannot be helped. At this rate, there is no option but to reduce the harm within our own country. It was difficult to stop the book from being pushed onto somebody else. However, it was not impossible to determine who the book was pushed onto. If they guided the harm outside the nation, the country would be saved for now, even without solving the root problem. It is likely that this will worsen relations with the neighbouring countries, but Of course, we will not disclose such a thing publicly. Hand them over to merchants leaving the country and the like, and have them independently carry them outside our borders. I see. Then it will also be necessary to prevent them being taken into our borders from other nations. Indeed. Prepare the arrangements urgently. Yes, Your Majesty. Understood. With the Kings order, the leaders all began to act. With this, the damage to the nation could probably be abated. Of course, the countries that had the books forced upon them would in turn force them on another, and so each nation would suffer the harm one by one. The result was that the nation unfortunate enough to suffer it last would have nowhere to force it onto, and would be forced to push it around within its own borders. Considering the state of the other countries, its clear who the final nation will be, huh. Your Majesty? Did you say something? Haha, I was simply thinking that it may be time to reconsider our association with the Theocracy. Considering the flow from the country that produced this, the closer one was the earlier one would suffer, and the further away one was, the later it would come. In that case, it was not difficult to imagine that the nation with the greatest antagonism with the country of origin would be the eventual target of this curse. As for which nation in particular, that much was already common knowledge. While around the world, the Black Scripture was being treated as an object of fear, there was one country alone that instead saw it with affection. The Holy Anri Thearchy; a newly established nation formed by a gathering of those who worshipped Evil God Anri. At present it was only a small nation that would be better called a town, but with each passing day, its influence grew. To the Thearchy, the Black Scripture said to be written by Evil God Anri was truly a scripture. Every person in the country had a copy, and it was a virtue to proactively transcribe them and proselytise in other countries. Of course, because the normal citizens of the Thearchy had no export route, the copies would be gathered together in the Thearchy, and sent beyond the borders all at once. Additionally, although the people of the Thearchy also suffered the curse at first, it was thought of as a trial from God. And in this Thearchy, two buildings linked to the Temple had been newly established. The first was the Orphanage; an institution for sheltering children who had lost their parents. Other nations had their own measures for orphans as well, but they were undeniably lacking, and so children with no place to go appeared no matter the nation. Gathering such children within the Orphanage, providing them enough food and a warm bed, and finally thoroughly educating them was the role of this institution. Together with things like writing and arithmetic, the children gathered in the Orphanage were also taught from a young age the splendour of the deity worshipped by the Thearchy, Evil God Anri (although she was not recognised as Evil God within the Thearchy). With strong piety towards Evil God Anri, as well as a vigorous education, they were also possible future elites for the Thearchy. The other institution was a building created for the sake of transcribing the Black Scripture. The desks, chairs, paper, and pens required for transcription were lined up neatly inside the building, and at the back were people on standby who turned the pages into books. This building was also the gathering place for transcribed scriptures, and gathered not only copies from within the institute, but copies from all across the country. The books stored in the Transcription Hall were gathered and counted, and each month the number of copies was announced on a board. The one who splendidly managed first place would be publicly commended by the Pope himself, but up until now that had never happened even once. The reason was simple C first place was being monopolised by a certain man. Hmm, Im in good shape today, arent I. Unwilling to hand over the position of first place was none other than the Pope himself. As long as the position of first was being taken by him, nobody else would be commended. Even at this very moment he was sitting in first place, and transcribing copies in the Transcription Hall, but shockingly, this man was transcribing a different copy with each hand. Normally the transcription process would be carried out while silently reading the original on the side, but when it came to this man, he had already memorised every word of the Black Scripture, and wrote from memory. In order to fulfil the act of transcribing, he did in fact have a copy there, but he was not looking inside. Even ignoring the fact that he had learnt the contents by heart, he was writing with both hands at the same time. Such a feat could be called nothing but skilled, but as a result, he boasted a transcription speed of over twice the average persons. As long as there was nobody else who could replicate this feat, the seat of first place would stay with him alone. Although there was the concern of who was governing the nation if he was doing nothing but transcribing, but it was because he was properly fulfilling those duties as well that made this so difficult to comment on. Pope-samaa, I finishedd one~ Me tooo~ Me tooo~ My, how splendid. Anri-sama is surely delighted. Boys and girls were sitting by the Pope and transcribing as well, proudly announcing their achievements to him. With this heartwarming scene before him, the Pope gave a gentle smile and praised the children. Yayyy~ Ill go write one moree~ I might get first place! Huhu, try your best. In addition, separate to the adult rankings was a childrens ranking that was properly functioning. Centred around the children of the Orphanage, they transcribed as a part of their upbringing. It was a ground-breaking arrangement that had them learn the teachings of the scriptures, while practising their reading and writing as well. The contents of the scriptures were morals regarding how to live properly as a person, so it was nothing unsuitable for a childs upbringing. The amount of sweets given out were dependent on the rankings, so all the children assertively competed in transcribing of their own accord. Huhuhu, building the Transcription Hall was truly the right answer. With this, the proselytising will surely advance even further. In addition, had all the nations worked together and used death row prisoners as sacrifices, they might have been able to solve the issue surprisingly simply. Volume 2, Side Story 3 - A Certain Owner and Pet’s Walk Volume 2, Side Story 3 C A Certain Owner and Pets Walk In the middle of my third-person challenge. Monstera term used to refer to living beings that possess above a certain amount of mana. However, strictly speaking, this definition was not accurate. The first reason was that humans and demons possessed mana but were not included as monsters. The second is that golems, undead, and other non-living creatures were generally included as monsters as well. All feared beings that cause harm to humans and demons were being labelled as monsters C this was probably the best way to describe the situation. However, even if they were feared beings that cause harm, although a few monsters did pose a threat by appearing near towns or villages, average people were generally unrelated to the majority of them. Golems and undead only appeared in specific locations like dungeons or ruins, and the other particularly powerful monsters tended to live in locations far from civilisation, rarely leaving. Of course, it wasnt the case that these monsters were avoiding settlements, but rather that settlements were built in places far from the territories of these monsters. With the exception of some adventurers, the beings that come to mind upon hearing the term monster were goblins, kobolds, or an orc at best, and from the point of view of normal people who lived their whole lives in town, even these monsters were rarely seen, and only heard of. To such people, particularly powerful monsters were creatures that existed solely in folktales, legends, and fairy tales. Of course, these people understood as well that such creatures did exist in the world. However, these creatures would almost never appear in the personal worlds that they each lived in, and were as good as non-existent. *imouto* Because of this *imouto* I-, I-, IT-, ITS A DRAGONNNNNNNN!? RUN! RUUUUUUUUUUN!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! *imouto* if a dragon were to appear in the skies above them, it was natural that panic would ensue. It all began earlier that morning. After breakfast time, Light God Sophia witnessed a strange spectacle during her continued stay at the Evil God Temple. It was the figure of the Evil God Anri making food. Well, that much was fine. Tena had left with the human Anri, so seeing the Evil God preparing food was not so strange in itself. To begin with, it wasnt that she couldnt cook due to a lack of technical skills, but rather that she couldnt hold a kitchen knife due to the curse. Now that she had overcome the curse, there was nothing to stop her from cooking. Being able to cook and able to cook well are entirely different matters, but for the sake of her honour, let us speak no further on the matter. Having established this, what was strange was not the cooking in itself, but the food that Anri was cookingapparently sandwichesand the fact that she then put them into a basket. To begin with, they had already eaten breakfast, so what she was cooking was for lunch. Cooking food for lunch despite only having finished breakfast, and then placing the food into a basket. The only thing imaginable was Umm Anri? Preparing your food like that, are you intending on going someplace? So asked Sophia, whilst believing it was impossible. It couldnt be helped that she found it unbelievable. After all, as far as Sophia knew, the black-haired, expressionless newcomer god in front of her was somebody who never went outside even once a year. A complete hikikomori. With such a person doing something that could only be seen as preparation for going outside, the abnormality of the situation neednt even be said. Mn, Im going to go out a bit. Ill be back before evening. Ive made you sandwiches for lunch, so eat them later. Hearing that, she followed Anris gaze and found other sandwiches sitting on a plate. They numbered about two peoples worth. Probably made for both Sophia and Anbaal. It was the case with Anri as well, but both Sophia and Anbaal were divines and thus relied on faith instead of food for sustenance. To the two of them, eating food was nothing more than enjoyment, but needless to mention Anri who had naturally grown used to a humans habits, even Sophia and Anbaal almost always ate three meals a day while they were staying in the Temple. Well thank you for that, but just where are you going? I havent decided yet. Just going for a walk, after all. I see. Anri replied that she was just going out without any goal in mind, but since it was healthier to go on a walk than to continue holing up in the temple, Sophia showed her agreement too. As an Evil God that threw all creatures in the land into an abyss of fear, there was probably no greater nuisance than wandering about on a whim, but Sophia believed that Anri was used to her eyes and aura by now, and would probably make do somehow. That this was an incredibly naive thought was something that she only realised after hearing Anris next line. And by then, it was too late. *imouto* *imouto* Well, Im off now. Time for Vnees walk. *imouto* *imouto* Hah? W-, Wait, stop right there!? Sophia froze due to the unexpected words, and faster than she could recover and call out to stop, Anri had touched the sandwich basket as well as another basket many times larger, before teleporting away. *imouto* By walk she meant Black Dragon Vardneel instead? Sophias mutter resounded through the empty room. *imouto* She plans on letting that Black Dragon out? Still in a daze, Sophia continued to mutter, but nobody was there to reply. And like that, due to the Human Races supposed guardian deity missing the chance to stop the tragedy, the worlds most powerful and wicked pet was released into the open. A massive body of over 20 metres danced through the air as though splitting the clear blue sky in two. The beats of its wings were powerful, and the explosive propulsive force gave rise to incredible speeds. Although it was still fine due to the fact that he was high up in the end, had he been flying close to the surface, the wind pressure alone would probably have blown everything away. Black Dragon Vardneel. The most wicked dragon, said to bring calamity to the world, was enjoying the skies for the first time in a while. Even since he had been summoned as a boss for the dungeon, he hadnt been allowed outside even once, and basically spent his time imprisoned in the small, cramped room. That probably made his sense of liberation even greater. GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!! The roar that he let out in his joy sounded like a joyful song of freedom. However, as for whether or not he was truly free, of course the answer was that he wasnt. The master that he feared the most in the world was present on his back, so it was actually a far cry from freedom. When he had first been summoned he had cowered at her aura, and because of the terror he lay belly up in submission, but after, he grew closer day by day due to the training, and by now he had stopped running up the wall when he saw her. Even so, if you had to ask if his fear had completely disappeared, then the answer would be no. The instinctual terror that he felt due to his masters aura was not so simply removed. Although he was not particularly intelligent, he knew by instinct just how dangerous it would be to anger the master on his back. Because of that, although he was rejoicing his freedom, he was careful to fly so that the feeling of riding his back was comfortable. *imouto* But despite his consideration due to fear, to put it simply, it was completely useless. S-, So cold The black-robed girl on his back shivered while desperately clinging to his back. No matter how careful he was being to avoid accidentally shaking her, given the altitude and speed, the feeling of riding his back was already as bad as it could get. And naturally so, because while the high altitude alone meant that the temperature was quite low, on top of that, she was being exposed to the intense wind pressure from his flying speed. As divines had high stamina she was able to bear it, but had she been a human it wouldnt have been strange for her to have frozen to death. In addition, unlike a horses back, the wide back of the dragon made it impossible to straddle, so she could do nothing but cling to the scales and the moment her hand slipped, she would be falling headfirst to the ground. I-, I should have just called this off Even if she regretted the walk now, it was much too late. She had envisioned a pleasant trip through the sky, but the reality was harsh. The path to become a dragon rider was severe. Also, although she had enough power to easily solve the cold and wind issues, sadly, Anri was still inexperienced as a divine, and the idea of using an Authority in this situation hadnt quite occurred to her. Lets hurry up and find a plain somewhere to land on. The plan was to find a wide plain somewhere and treat herself to lunch. She had prepared her own portion of sandwiches, and she had the Black Dragons lunch in the larger basket as well Although she actually held neither of them, and stored them in her item box though. However, at present she hadnt even the slightest care about lunch, and just wanting to land somewhere was all she could think of. As a result, no matter what kind of uproar was happening below her, she hadnt the composure to notice. And right this very moment, the fact that the people of a town were in a huge panic due to a dragon sighting, was something she had no way of knowing. Ah With the wind blowing in her eyes it was hard to see, but the moment that she saw a wide plain in her limit vision, Anri thanked God for the help. Despite the fact that she was a divine herself. Tapping on the back of the Black Dragon she was clinging to, she gave him instructions on where to land. Over there. Land over there. Guru? The Black Dragon with low intelligence naturally couldnt understand her words, but even so, he seemed to understand Anris intention, and after turning towards the grass plains, he lowered his altitude and speed to begin landing. Now that they were heading towards the ground and the wind and cold were receding, Anri let out a relieved sigh. *imouto* *imouto* That she would have to suffer the same ordeal to get home was something she only realised after finishing up her sandwiches. *imouto* *imouto* And taking the chance to mention it, the fact that more suffering was waiting for her in the form of Sophias lecturing, was something she hadnt expected at the time. Volume 2, Side Story 4 - A Certain Group of Heroes’ Manual Labour Volume 2, Side Story 4 C A Certain Group of Heroes Manual Labour On the second floor of the Evil God Temple, a group of six men and women were gathered before a certain room. The group comprised three men, and three women, and was in a sense the group that was least fitting to be here. Umm, is this the place? Yes. In accordance to Sacred Goddess-samas esteemed words, I believe there is no mistake. But still, this place, ey? Whyd Sacred Goddess-sama tell us to come to a place like the Evil God Temple, anyways? Beats me. Having said that though, if its to get Arcs Holy Sword back, of course we had to go. I need my Holy Spear back too, after all. I as well. Without my Holy Bow in hand, I really cant be said to be fit for the title Hero. They were Hero of the Holy Sword, Arcs party; Hero of the Holy Spear, Lionel; and Hero of the Holy Bow, Orlaine; a total of six members. However, ever since they failed to capture the Holy Land of the Evil God and had their weapons stolen from them, their titles now felt a little ironic. Holy Weapons that served as both the symbols of the Heroes and the source of their powersweapons blessed by Light God Sophia that chose their owners. Instead of wielders choosing their weapons, it was the weapons themselves that chose and acknowledged the wielders as their owners. And those acknowledged by these weapons became existences chosen by Light God Sophia, and gained the title of Hero. Arc, Lionel and Orlaine as well had become Heroes in this way. Because of that, they were Heroes only because of their Holy Weapons, and therefore it was because they were heroes that they ought to be holding their Holy Weapons. Just as Orlaine had said, having their weapons stolen was a fatal defeat for a Hero, and even if they were verbally abused, there was nothing they could say in return. It wont return even when I call for it Just what on earth has happened to my Holy Bow? Yeah, usually when we call for them they immediately come back, ey? In reply to Orlaines anxious words, the blue haired Lionel agreed. The Holy Weapons were the ones who chose the owners, and on top of absolutely nobody else being capable of using them, even if they werent in hand, they would immediately fly towards the owner once called for. Knowing this, when the Heroes had failed the dungeon and woken up without them, they had tried calling for the weapons countless times. However, the Holy Weapons would not return. When it came to Orlaine, until Arc and the others had stopped her, she called for the Holy Bow again and again until her light purple hair was a mess and her eyes were filled with tears, but there wasnt any effect. Im sure itll be fine. Sacred Goddess-sama told me that I would be able to recover my Holy Sword if I came here. In that case, the Holy Sword should be safe. It would be good if that was true The blonde haired Arc tried to cheer her up, but Orlaine hung her head, perhaps still worried. To begin with, as a frail girl chosen by the Holy Bow to be a Hero, she had strained herself to fulfil her duties. She was probably emotionally unstable due to the shock of losing the crucial Holy Bow. Its fine. I havent broken the Holy Sword, the Holy Spear, or the Holy Bow either. While the Heroes were talking, a voice called out from behind them. Thinking that they hadnt noticed somebody enter the room because they were too focused on themselves, the party turned around in surprise. And standing there was a black-haired girl clad in a jet black dress decorated with rose designs. The moment they saw the girls black eyes, a shudder ran through them all. The blood dramatically left them, and they had goosebumps all over their bodies. Their throats felt parched, and their teeth chattered. Around the time their limbs began to tremble of their own accord, their whole bodies started letting out a cold sweat, as though finally remembering to do so. It was impossible to beat this girl Even if they had their Holy Weapons, it was impossible to beat this girl. Up until that moment, the strongest foe they had ever met was the one currently on standby deep below on the 30th floor, but from this girl standing in front of them they could feel a power even greater than the despair-inducing Imperial Death. Their instincts, emotions and intellect the fear experienced by all of these seemed to crush for an instant the pure and strong hearts of these Heroes. But this was certainly not because they were weak of spirit. Had they been so, they would have immediately escaped the moment they met her eyes. The very fact that they still remained there was a testament to their strength. And how they responded was by dropping on the spot, getting on their hands and knees, and pressing their head against the floor. It was the pose of ultimate apology, passed down in the legends of the Heroesthe dogeza. Ah-, sorry. Because the people around her had gotten used to averting their own eyes, the girl had half-forgotten about her own mystic eyes and she reflexively muttered an apology in front of the resulting dogeza festival. The girlDDAnri, told them to get up while avoiding her eyes, as well as the gist of her mystic eyes. It was only a while after her first appearance that they were able to have a conversation. There was a small upset when Anri named herself as a relative of the Evil God, but after showing her adventurer card and having them confirm that she was a human, they didnt ask anything more. Normally a relative of the Evil God wasnt something that the Heroes could overlook, but because she was somebody they met at the place that the Light God had told them to visit, the fact that they couldnt do anything careless was one of the reasons they didnt inquire further. The second reason was that there was something even more important to them in her earlier words. Then, you have the Holy Sword right now!? The Holy Spear too? And the Holy Bow!? Hearing Anri mention the locations of the Holy Weapons, the Heroes reflexively let out cries of surprise. Please, return them to us! Arc held Anris hand in his two, and desperately appealed to her. Normally in a situation like this the two would be looking at each other in the eyes, but because they were making sure not to do so, it looked terrible comical from the side. The one who had been most shaken due to the loss of their Holy Weapon was Orlaine, but inside, it was Arc that was most anxious. And a big part of that was because unlike Orlaine and Lionel who did their work solo, Arc worked in a party. In the end, it was nothing more than a personal problem for Orlaine and Lionel, but to Arc it was causing inconvenience to his party members, so it couldnt be helped. Im fine with giving them back, but there will be conditions. Oi, oi, whaddya mean conditions? Zio showed his dissatisfaction towards Anris words. From his point of view, the mission of the Heroes was to protect the Human Race, so just the thought of being uncooperative was unthinkable, but that had nothing to do with Anri. Please tell me them. If theres anything I can do, I will! I will too! Cant be helped. Pisses me off, but just say it. The Heroes resolved themselves with tragic expressions, and Anri simply informed them of the condition. *imouto* Help me build my house. Hah? *imouto* The six of them were wondering if they had heard wrong, but Anris reply didnt change. After asking for the third time, the Heroes finally understood that she was serious, and Anri gave them a simple explanation of the situation. In order for Anri to move out of the temple that she was living in, she needed her house to be built, so in return for the Holy Weapons that she received from the Evil God, she wanted them to help her with the construction. So uh, basically construction work? Soz, but Ive never done that before. Dont think Ill be much help, yanno? I have professionals hired as well. Just helping with the heavy lifting and other simple work is enough. Lionel voiced his doubts, but Anri expected such a question, and replied with a nod. Heroes as labourers, huh The image is a little No, that doesnt matter! Its not like were doing anything bad, so if thats all we have to do its still cheap. Frey and Widdi showed their disapproval, but Arc replied as though shaking off the thought. He had been deeply anxious about what kind of job the Evil Gods relative would demand from him, so the construction work was quite the anticlimax. To a person like him who wanted to help those who needed it, he felt like it was something he would be fine with helping with even without the deal with the Holy Sword. Well, cant be helped, ey? If its just manual labour, I think I can do it too, after all. Eh? Wait, Zio. Its to get back my Holy Sword, so its enough that only I work, right? What are you being so distant for. Either way, we arent gunna be working until you get the Holy Sword back, so itd be better to get it back quickly, right? Well, its like Zio says. Widdi and I wouldnt be too useful for manual labour, but there should be other stuff we can help out with. Right, Widdi? Of course. Well help out as well! We wont let you work alone, Arc-sama. Everyone Seeing Arcs party reaffirm their bonds, Orlaine and Lionel looked a little envious as they looked on. Also, because of the sudden addition to her workers, Anri was mentally pumping her fist in victory. Well, thats how it is. Im fine with it. I am as well. Even if I look like this, I do work out, so I can do physical work as well! Both Lional and Orlaine agreed, and the six of them agreed to help Anri build her house. Thanks. The personnel involved in building the house are gathered in that room over there, so just follow their instructions. The planning stage should be just about finished. Yeah, got it. At this point, they all realised why they had been sent here. After watching Anri leave, the six of them fired themselves up, and opened the door before them. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* And then closed it. *imouto* *imouto* Oi, what the hell was that battlefield!? Zio let out anxious words after catching a glimpse of what was beyond the door. Indeed; it was a battlefield. A number of people were gathered around a model mansion in the middle of the room, and vehemently arguing, while a mountain of discarded blueprints lay to the side. When they saw the workers frantically run about as angry roars flew about the room, for some reason the six of them saw themselves overlapped with it, and chills ran down their spines. And that image became a reality. The door that they had closed on reflex was opened with a bang, and from inside the room came a blonde young man in a luxurious priests gown. You must be the workers that Anri-sama spoke of! Huhuhu, we have been waiting for you! The blonde man had handsome looks, but the dark bags under his eyes put it to waste. Probably on a high from pulling multiple all-nighters fuelled on enthusiasm alone, the man continued to talk happily as the dumbfounded six looked on. We were just starting to run short of workers! Quickly, quickly! Please come inside! With those words, the young manPope Harvin, took their rears at a speed invisible even to the veteran Heroes, and began pushing the six of them into the room. Hey-, hang on!? S-, Stop it! Hii!? T-, This isnt a joke, you know!? N-, No way, oi NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!? Having finally understood that it was no simple construction work, the six of them tried to escape in a panic, but the Pope paid no heed to the pitiful sacrifices, and forcefully pushed them in the room before closing the door. *imouto* Also, while Anri had no idea, the plans had at some point upgraded from house to palace and although the time the six of them needed to work had risen in proportion, it was already too late. Volume 2, Side Story 5 - A Certain Servant’s Return Home Volume 2, Side Story 5 C A Certain Servants Return Home You want to go back to your old village? It was a little while after they had settled down in the Black Rose Mansion that Tena had told Anri as such. Yes. I had always been hesitant about it, but in the end I really do want to meet with my family once. When she had first begun living with Anri, they had discussed this matter as well, but at the time she hadnt been able to settle her feelings yet, and they postponed the visit. It was natural that she held complex feelings about being sold as a slave, but with time, she was able to sort them out. And being the case, Anri had only one possible reply. Got it. Ill be fine here, so dont worry and go. There were plenty of things that shed be troubled with if Tena wasnt here to do the housework, but if it was just for a short while, then she would manage somehow, which is why Anri easily gave her consent. After all, it wasnt as though Anri herself couldnt do housework, and Leonora was here too. Even the young Lili had recently begun to help out around the house, so Anri judged there was no problem. And so, Anri tried to send Tena off, but Tena herself gave an unexpected reply. Umm If possible, I would like to introduce you to my family, Anri-sama, but is that no good? Eh? Had anyone else been in the room, they would very probably have tried to stop this, but for better or for worse, it was only the two of them in the room. It was a small village, a few days carriage from Riemel Town. Almost nobody visited the village, save the occasional merchants, or a pastor from the Church of Sacred Light, and in this village arrived a single luxurious horse-carriage. Before the eyes of the villagers staring in curiosity, opened the door of the carriage, and from there alighted two girls. The moment the villagers saw the face of one of the girls, they immediately formed a ring around her at a distance. The reason was simple; an angular black mask covered her eyes. Together with her entirely black dress with its bewitching design, there was nothing that could be more suspicious, and it couldnt be helped that the villagers were wary. Because of how much impact the girl had, the gazes of the villagers completely ignored the girl who they normally would have been concentrating on. Umm ? Tena? Arent you Tena!? Tena timidly raised her voice, and finally noticing her, the villagers let out cries of surprise. It was a small village to begin with, and everybody knew each other. All of them remembered the girl who had been sold as a slave. Once one of them noticed her, villagers tried to draw near her, one after another. But overwhelmed by the strange girl standing next to her, they couldnt come near and instead stood around a little distance away. So you were fine, Tena Yes, Roi-san. A man in the prime of his life called out to Tena, and with that as the impetus, all the other villagers began calling out to her as well. Thank goodness. Everybody was so worried for you. Muer-obaasan An old lady with a cane spoke to Tena in tears, and Tenas eyes became watery as well. Tena-oneechan! Im sorry, Epina. A girl around Lilis age ran up to Tena, hugging her, and Tena stroked her head with a gentle smile. And then, silence fell. All of the villagers were in joy at their reunion with Tena, but because the girl next to her was on their minds, they couldnt concentrate. All of them wanted to push the task onto somebody else, and nobody could say the words, but finally the man from beforeRoi, timidly asked, By the way, who is that person? Once again, all the gazes fell onto the girl, but she simply stood there calmly, showing no signs of being overwhelmed. Ah, this personage is my master, Anri-sama. A commotion ran through the villagers. After looking back and forth between the faces of the masked Anri, and Tena, complicated expressions appeared on their faces. The villagers knew that Tena had been sold as a slave. Being a beauty, even despite her age, had her master been a man, his intention would have been clear, and the villagers would likely have turned their hostility on him. On this point, the master in question was a young-looking woman, and Tena seemed to be fond of her as well. Tena was somebody close to them, and she couldnt have been sold to a better person. Normally, the villagers should have welcomed this. However *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* What on earth was that mask!? So wondered every single villager there. Whether her age, or her sex, she seemed to be the safest and most fortunate master possible for Tena, but just that suspicious mask on her face weighed on their minds. They wanted to ask why she was wearing such a mask. They wanted to ask, but once they considered that it might be disrespectful, in the end they couldnt bring it up. To begin with, looking at the carriage she arrived in, and the dress that she was wearing, there was no mistaking that she was a powerful person with a considerable sum of assets. If they incurred her displeasure, it was possible that a small village like this would be very simply crushed Having considered that, the villagers couldnt give voice to their question. The truth was that the girlAnri, was simply an adventurer in Fortera, to which this village belonged to, and leaving aside her substantial connections to the Holy Anri Thearchy, she actually had no official authority at all. However, the villagers had no way of knowing this. In the end, the villagers didnt bring up Anris mask, and the two of them headed towards Tenas house. After parting from the villagers, Tena and Anri came to a stop in front of a house. Even now the villagers were worrying about them at a distance, but the two girls hadnt noticed. The house was a cosy one built from wood, and it seemed as though quite some time had passed since its construction, because it was damaged here and there. This place? Yes, this is my this is the house that my family lives in. Tena couldnt bring herself to say my house. Her brows were curved in a difficult expression. She stood there in front of the door, and stared at the doorknob. Not going to go in? Ill, be opening it now. Anri gently prompted her, and as though finding her courage, Tena tightly clenched her hand before reaching out to open the door. However, before she could do so, a voice called out to her from the side. Tena? Standing there was a blonde woman in the latter half of her thirties, clad in simple clothes. Her expression seemed to say that she simply couldnt believe it, and she stared at Tena. Mum! Tena had hesitated at opening the door, but it seemed that her desire to meet with her family was stronger after all. Tena ran in tears to the woman, and tightly embraced her. Tenas mother was dumbfounded for a while, but eventually realising that this was real, she wept and hugged Tena back. Noticing voices in front of the door, the rest of the family went out to investigate as well, and after hugging each other in tears at the miraculous reunion, they invited Anri and Tena into the house. Sitting at the table, Tena recounted her experiences thus far. About being sold to the slave merchants, and almost losing her life to a fatal disease, and upon hearing her treatment until she was sold to Anri as a slave, Tenas family burst into tears. Tena Tena, Im sorry! Im so sorry! Tenas father lowered his head to the table and apologised, but Tena calmly shook her head. Its fine, Dad. I know that if I wasnt sold that day, I would have just starved to death anyway. And thanks to that, I was able to meet with Anri-sama and the others, so its fine already. When Tena said so, her father tightly held her hands from across the table, and holding his head against them, he cried. *imouto* After crying for a while, this time her father lowered his head to Anri. You saved Tena, didnt you. Thank you very much! Thank you very much! Thank you very much! Thank you very much! Thank you, Oneechan! Her father, her mother, her older brother and then younger brother all began thanking Anri in a bow. Anri had been spaced out, and sipping tea while watching the familys reunion without much involvement, but now that they all began focusing on her she fell into confusion and panic. Raising her hands towards them, she spoke. It wasnt really anything special. Anri said that and tried to downplay herself, but the familys looks of gratitude were unchanging. While the back and forth between thanks and modesty continued for a while, eventually somebody asked a certain question. Hey, hey, why are you wearing a mask? H-, Hey now! Because Tenas little brother was still young, he innocently voiced the question that the villagers couldnt. His mother tried to stop him in a panic, but it was too late. Why, you ask? Well There were two reasons that Anri was wearing a mask; the first was to prevent the effect of her mystic eyes from invoking, while the second was out of fear of the consequences of having the same face as a god. However, if she was to explain these things, then it would require her to touch upon her skills, as well as her relationship with the Evil God. Just a while ago when Tena recounted her experiences to her family, she introduced Anri as a daughter of a mage family who was presently conducting research in Riemel. By now it was too difficult to explain the truth. Well Well? Anri cut her words short as though in teasing. In reality she was simply troubled on how to answer, but from an outsiders point of view, it plainly looked like she was building up the suspense. Everybody in the room waited on Anris words. Even the mother that had tried to stop her sons rudeness a while ago seemed to be curious as well, because like the rest of her family, she was watching Anris every action. Well Well? Because Anri was being so suggestive with her words, even Tena who supposedly knew the truth found herself leaning forward in anticipation. With no way to take back her words, Anri declared the only reason she could come up with. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Because its, cool? Hearing that reply after all the suspense, everyone besides the youngest boy fell over with astonishment. Are you sure? Wouldnt it have been good if you stayed there longer? No, it is fine. Staying there any longer would have made the farewell difficult, so After saying farewell to Tenas family who kept inviting them to stay in their reluctance to part, Anri asked Tena that question. And also, right now my house is the Black Rose Mansion. I see. Alright then. After those last words, a gentle silence filled the returning carriage. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* U-, Um! I also think that your mask is cool, Anri-sama! Mn. Thanks. Even though it was supposed to be a moving reunion scene, because everybody was focused on Masked Anri, they couldnt concentrate. Volume 2, Side Story 6 - A Certain Demon King’s Dinner Gathering Volume 2, Side Story 6 C A Certain Demon Kings Dinner Gathering At present there were four girls living in the Black Rose Mansion. Anri who was the lord of the estate, Tena who was her kin as well as the head maid, Lili who was like a younger sister that helped with the housework despite her age, and finally Leonora who was a sponger. Among these four, Anri, Tena and Lili were permanent residents but in the end, Leonora was simply staying here temporarily. As the daughter of the Demon King and the successor to his throne, once her moratorium journey was finished, she would be returning to the Demon Race Territory. To begin with, there was no fixed date for the end of her journey, but she couldnt continue it forever. She herself had placed the conditions for return as obtaining some kind of merit. And objectively speaking, she had already accomplished this. She had helped with the establishment of a neighbouring nation, and had deep bonds with its VIPs. Additionally, this neighbouring nation shaved away land from the enemy nation, Fortera, and was constructed like a buffer. Furthermore, trade with the Human Race that had been previously deemed as impossible, was now possible through this new nation. She had gained plenty enough merit as a successor to the throne. As a result, it could be said that the message she had received was natural. Youre returning to your country? Yeah, theyre starting to press me, you see. At dinner, Leonora told Anri and the others about her motherlands inquiries about whether she was ready to return. Its pretty sudden. No, thats not really true. Theyve implicitly brought it up before. I had decided to leave it alone until they straight out said it, but as youd expect, I probably cant stay here much longer this time. I see Because it was akin to Leonora admitting herself that she still wanted to stay here, she flushed a little red with embarrassment. So when will you be leaving, Leonora-san? Lets see. Im planning on departing tomorrow. T-, Tomorrow, you say? Yeah. Were pretty far from the Demon Race Territory after all. Leonoras reply had shocked Tena. Certainly, this did seem quite sudden. But as Leonora had said, it would take a number of days to the Demon Race Territory. On top of that, it would take even more days from the border to the Demon King Castle. Because of that, it made sense that she needed to depart as soon as possible. And so, theres something I want to ask Wont you come with me to visit the Demon Race Territory? ? Us? Yeah. Im inviting you as a friend. Naturally, youre VIPs in a neighbouring country, and will be entertained as state guests. At present, Anri had no official power in the Holy Anri Thearchy, but realistically considering her connections, it wasnt necessarily wrong to call her a VIP. But in that case, they should have sent a request through the Holy Anri Thearchy, and not directly invited her like this. In the end, the truth was that Leonora was simply inviting a friend to her house. Leonora Romariel As the heir to the Demon Kings Throne, she had always been friendless. The next day, Anri and Leonora visited the Evil God Temple. Leonora had planned on inviting Anri, Tena and Lili, but Lili was still too young, and the long journey would not be good for her. Because of that, Tena was forced to stay back to look after her, and in the end only Anri would be going. Hey, Anri Are we seriously riding that thing? Its faster this way. Well, sure, but but, you know The two of them were here at the Evil God Temple to secure their means of transport. Going by foot or carriage like normal people would take almost a month there and back, but now that Tena and Lili would be waiting at the Black Rose Estate, Anri didnt want to take so long. And so, she had chosen the fastest method of getting there. And she could find that method here. Still, when Leonora had heard, she frowned unhappily. She had told them that she would be departing today, but she never mentioned how she would be getting there. After all, she only found out today. When Anri told her that they would be getting there in a day, she carelessly thought it would be teleportation magic or the like. That optimism had backfired on her. Thinking about it carefully, the divine race Anri aside, there was no way that the human Anri could have such a power. There werent any more appointed communications with her country, but it was still possible to send an emergency communiqu to let them know first. While Leonora was agonising over whether or not she should do it, it was already too late. Having given up, Leonora sighed and muttered her faint hope. Itd be good if this didnt cause an uproar at home, but Demon Race Territory, Demon Kings Castle Deep within the Demon Race Territory lay a castle. It belonged to the Demon King who reigned supreme within the Demon Race, and served as their supreme headquarters. Although the war between the demons and humans had continued for a long time, the battles all took place near the borders, and not once had a human invaded as far as the Demon King Castle. Despite this, its security showed no signs of negligence. Many layers of large security nets protected the castle, and if an enemy army was ever spotted, the demonic forces were ready to intercept them at a moments notice. One day, an urgent message arrived at the castle from one the net closest to the Human Race Territory. Your Majesty! Urgent news! How noisy. What is going on? Eligor Romariel, the incumbent Demon King, had been in his office when a guard suddenly stormed in. Just a moment ago, we received news from one of the border forts! According to the report, a gargantuan dragon is making a beeline towards this castle! A dragon, you say? Yes, Sire! An ominous, jet black dragon. The report silenced the Demon King, who had seemingly fallen into silent recollection of something. But before he could organise his thoughts, a question from the guard scattered them. What shall we do, Sire? If it is navigating the skies then our security nets will be of no use. Have the troops gather in the direction of the dragon! Also, have Renarve, Vikuto, and Ijido come as well. I shall also head there immediately. Giving a passing glance at the guard who hurried away, the Demon King began preparing his equipment. *imouto* By the time the Demon King had appeared in the castles eastern quadrant, the guards had already finished preparing. Troops with shields stood on the ground, and formed the vanguard to oppose the dragons aerial attacks, whilst the mage troops stood within the castle walls. The frontline troops were to serve as a decoy, and the mages were to concentrate their attacks while the dragon was distracted. Although they had suddenly been gathered here, the soldiers showed no signs of panic, and calmly arranged themselves. Their actions reflected the preparedness and level of training of the Demon Race. And the ones who directly commanded them were the Four Heavenly Kings who served as the Demon Kings close aides. Vanguard, how goes the preparation of your shields! They are ready, Renarve-sama! Mage Unit, I assume that all of you are here? Yessir, everybody is present! Violent Gale Knight Renarve was commanding the frontline, whilst Bloodfrost General Vikuto was in charge of the backline. On the other hand, Adamantite Earth Demon Ijido was using earth magic to form a protective wall for the decoy frontline. How is your wall coming along? Yeah, Im all done here. Ijido answered Vikuto with a smirk. After that, the Demon King came along. Have you all finished preparing? Why if it isnt His Majesty. Yes, we are all ready. The Demon King responded with a nod, before looking up towards the Eastern skies. Renarve, Vikuto and Ijido too, had their eyes pinned to the skies. By our fastest estimates, it should be arriving any time now. Honestly, on the day that our Princess is coming back Speaking of which, shes leaving for home today, isnt she. Indeed. We received her message last night. Your Majesty? Is something the matter? No, only, I feel as though I have forgotten something, and yet Once again, the Demon King fell into thought just as he did the time the guard interrupted. But once again, something interrupted him. This time however, that something was also the answer to his questions. !? We have a visual! Renarve spotted the incoming black mass and yelled to warned the troops. Is that it? Hm? Thats Dont tell me That dragon!? Hahh? The heck are you guys on about? Because the Demon King, Renarve and Vikuto were all familiar with that figure, they immediately guessed the situation. It was the Black Dragon that they had once battled in the dungeon known as the Holy Land of the Evil God. And if they considered Leonoras homecoming plans, it was simple to guess what was happening. On the other hand, only Ijido was panicked from having no idea what was happening. Renarve-sama, Vikuto-sama, please give us the signal to attack! W-, Wait a moment! You mustnt attack! Huh? Riding that dragon is The black shadow approached with incredible speed, and in no time transformed from a dot into a massive silhouette, and before long it easily crushed Ijidos prided wall and landed with a boom. The frontline soldiers hurriedly formed an arc before the dragon, but because their superiors had given no attack orders, they were standing there confused. However, that confusion was met with Vikutos next line. Princess Leonora! As though responding to his shout, a girl made herself visible from the blind spot on the Black Dragons back. But unlike Vikutos words, that girl was not Leonora. Naturally, everyone there had been looking at the Black Dragon. And because of that, you could call it natural that everybody there turned to look a the girl. The Demon King, Renarve, Vikuto, Ijido, everybody without exception looked at the girl. Or rather, they were forced to see her. Glossy black hair, and a bewitching black rose dress. Light armour at her chest, and noble features on her face. Yet, what made far more of an impression were her eyes. Those black, murky eyes, so ominous that they caused hallucinations, were now overlooking everybody on scene, and gripping their hearts with terror. It was because these troops were the elites of their race that they so deeply sensed her power. The Demon King had always been the strongest existence in their hearts. The mastodonian Black Dragon emitted an unbelievable sense of pressure. And yet the despair that the girls eyes elicited easily surpassed them both. And the Demon King and his adjutants were no exception. Leaving Ijido aside, all the other members knew that this girl would be coming, and they knew from Leonoras reports about the girls mystic eyes. But although they knew, they still found themselves unable to suppress the instinctual horror that their bodies felt. Given the circumstances, anybody faint of heart would have immediately fled in panic. The fact that they were not a single soldier less was worthy of praise. But their strength of heart instead cornered them. Their minds were telling them not to run, but their instincts were telling them to flee. The contradictory born from this wore away at their minds. And eventually, unable to bear with the terror any longer, all of them naturally took the same pose. It was a pose where they placed both hands and knees on the ground, and lowered their head to match; the posture of greatest apology, passed down since ancient times. O-, Oi, Anri!? Youve forgotten to put your mask on! Ah. Anris Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority fully demonstrated the average power that was capable of forcing a Demon King to dogeza. Things started with some trouble, but Anri put on her mask, and the dogeza festival came to an end. The gathered troops dispersed, the two girls were invited into the castle, and just as originally planned, they had dinner with the Demon King. The participants were Anri, Demon King Eligor, Leonora, and the Heavenly Generals Renarve and Vikuto. *imouto* *imouto* Around that time, Ijido was busy repairing the damaged eastern grounds. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Fumu, it seems that as long as one does not look directly at them, the eyes have no effect. Ive put a mask on, so there its all fine now. While drinking the soup from the full course menu, the Demon King chatted with Anri. Because her mask was the type that covered only the eyes, there was no problem eating her food. The mask was an extraordinary item, designed so that although things were invisible from the outside, she could see clearly from within. Because her mystic eyes only displayed an effect with eye contact, as long as she wore this mask, nobody would suddenly prostrate or run away from her. When you have that mask on, you seem just like a normal girl. I am normal. Heh. So a VIP of a thearchy who used to be an Evil God, and is still acquainted with the divines, is what you would call a normal girl, huh. Like this, the dinner continued peacefully as the Demon King and Anri enjoyed their chat together. *imouto* *imouto* Around that time, Black Dragon Vardneel had begun to help Ijido fix the ground. Making use of his huge body, he stepped down on the ground to harden it. *imouto* *imouto* Speaking of which, there is something I must thank you for. Thank me for? Umu. It is about my daughter, Leonora. Fath-! Your Majesty!? Leonora had been quietly eating dinner on the side when she panicked from the topic suddenly changing to her. I was unable to prepare Leonora any friends. Even if I ordered somebody to, they would only be a retainer. You could hardly call them a true friend. Father I wished to thank you for becoming her friend. It isnt something to thank me for. Im the one who asked. Heh, is that how it was. The Demon Princess, the Demon King, and the girl who was once an Evil God. Each of them had unique positions in the world, but for this moment, they were simply a girl, her father, and her friend who had come for dinner. *imouto* *imouto* While this was happening, Ijido and Vardneels cooperation had somehow succeeded in restoring the eastern grounds. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* It should be noted that though Anris mask was the best method of sealing her mystic eyes, nothing came without a price. In exchange for the powerful effect of its enchantment, it also came with a curse. Unlike the Tantou of the Wicked Demon, or the Black Clothes of the Evil God, it wasnt as though she couldnt take it off, but this maskthe Black Mask of Unsealinghad the annoying effect of unsealing the limiter on ones emotions. To put it plainly, it made it difficult to control ones feelings. Because of that, it had the result of blabbing out all sorts of things that one wouldnt normally. Im really glad that I met Leonora. I want to stay by her side forever. A-, Anri!? Muu Isnt that going a little far? Leonora is the heir to the throne, and so she must bear an heir, but And so, although you would feel nothing about saying such things while the mask was on, the moment that you took it off, you would be assaulted with shame. It was arranged for Anri to stay the night in the castle, but that evening she would end up writhing about atop her bed for quite a while. *imouto* *imouto* Around that time, Ijido and Vardneel had begun to drink happily together. *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* *imouto* Umm, would it be all right if I asked a question? What a coincidence, Renarve. I too had something to ask Waiting for a break in the conversation, the previously silent Renarve and Vikuto suddenly spoke up together. Mn? Whats the matter, you two? The two of them were looking at Leonoras chest together. W-, Whats with you two? Because they were so openly staring at her, by reflex she covered her chest with the thing on her lap. But what they were staring at was not her bountiful breasts, but the thing that she used to cover it. *imouto* *imouto* Why have you been holding that doll all this time? Huh!? So I was! Ive been carrying it all the time lately, so I forgot I even had it! Y-, Youre wrong This isnt by choice! There are some compelling circumstances behind this! What they were staring at was the doll that had been in Leonoras hands, and that she was now using to hide her chest. Ever since she had returned here, she had always been carrying it around with her, so naturally passerbys had all noticed and wondered. Because of her status however, it wasnt possible for them to casually ask her about it. To be specific, the doll that she was carrying was the Symbol of Capture from the battle of three gods, the cursed Tena doll. Ever since she carelessly touched it, Anri had left the curse alone as punishment. Because she forgot about it and left the temple, afterwards it was harder for her to meet with the divine Anri, and the curse was never lifted. Fumu, I did tell you to find some more womanly hobbies but is that your taste? Youre wrong! Youre wrong, father! The cursed Tena doll was creepy no matter who you asked, and couldnt be considered girly no matter what. Leonoras become so fond of it that she wont part from it. Fumu, I see But well, I will not do something as boorish as commenting on my daughters taste and past-times. I said that was wrong! Or rather, Anri! This is nine-tenths your fault, isnt it!? The rumours of the doll-carrying Demon Princess had quickly spread through the demons lands, and by this point it was already impossible to suppress the rumours. And this was how the legend of the Doll Princess began. TL Note: With the achievement of establishing diplomatic relations with the Holy Anri Thearchy, she inherited the throne of the Demon King at a young age. She became the mediator for the two nations, and was adored by even the humans, who were originally the enemy. In addition, due to the fact that she was forced to continue holding the doll and was unable to part from it, she gained aliases such as Doll Princess and The Truth Is, the Doll Is Her Real Body etc. I told you that was wrong, didnt I!? Volume 2, Side 7 - A Certain Pope’s Plans Volume 2, Side Chapter 7 C A Certain Popes Plans The Holy Anri Thearchy. A young religious nation formed from one of the corners of the Kingdom of Fortera, it had two national symbols. The first was the temple-cum-dungeon, the Holy Land of the Evil God. With five terranean floors and thirty-one subterranean floors, it was a massive labyrinth where each day, adventurers would risk their liv- risk their money. Even following the conclusion of the Three Gods War, the number of challengers saw no end. To begin with, a dungeon was a chance to get rich quickly for adventurers. Not only did this dungeons contain numerous treasures, if they defeated the dungeon master, further fame and fortune would result. Naturally, high risk accompanied that high return, but this particular dungeon boasted safety so great that to date, not a single person had ever died there. At the same time, it was also the most difficult dungeon in the world. As a result of the Gods of Light and Darkness ordering their respective races to conquer it, its fame or perhaps infamy had skyrocketed. Now, adventurers from across the world gathered to challenge it. Of course, you could say that for the merchants and inn owners in the vicinity of the temple, this crowd was a group of suckers. And so, the Holy Anri Thearchy whose main industry was tourism, continued to grow at an abnormal speed. As for the other symbol OHHH! Anri-sama! Our God! Please listen to our prayers! A blonde young man in luxurious vestments was kneeling in fervent prayer. And the one he was praying to was the figure of the nations patron god, Evil God Anri. Indeed. Figure. Not the person herself. The man was kneeling in prayer before a statue of Evil God Anri. Because worshipping an idol was not outlawed in this nation, praying to a statue was not particularly strange. However, the problem was the size of the statue in question. Its height rivalled that of the five story temple next to it. A statue swiftly constructed in the Popes zeal, the Giant Anri Statue. Incidentally, it goes without saying but the man currently praying to the statue was the very Pope who constructed it. Every morning and night, without fail, he would offer his prayers to this statue. This statue was surrounded by a fence, and drawing near it was strictly forbidden. This was a direct order from Evil God Anri herself, and even the Pope was not permitted to approach the feet of the statue. Because the Giant Anri Statue was based on Anri clad in her Black Rose Dress, standing at its feet would give them quite an eyeful. Because the Pope had carefully reproduced even the finest details. Phew, any morning where I can pray to Anri-sama is a refreshing one. Huhu, building this statue was the right choice. Wiping away his sweat, the Pope gave himself a thumbs up. Like he said, the nations reception of this statue was exceedingly positive. To begin with, the country was a gathering of devout worshippers, so they rejoiced at the construction of the statue, and even without this piety, the statue itself was brilliantly made. It was so brilliantly made that a certain girl could no longer walk about unmasked. Now then The one who had created the plans for this perfect statue was none other than the Pope, and now that the Giant Anri Statue was complete, it was time to move onto his other plans. Its time to bring the Grassroots Anri-sama Plan to the next stage. Aaannnnriiiiiisaaaamaaaaaa!!! Hearing the voice from outside, Anri unconsciously brought a hand to her brow. There was no need to even guess who the man running her way was. Rather, there could only be one person. Perhaps because meeting with the divine Anri was difficult, at every matter the Pope would come rushing to report at the Black Rose Mansion. Because he helped with the construction of this mansion, she would feel uncomfortable about being too cold with him and never turned him away, but it seemed that it mightnt have been the best decision. Pleaaseeeee haaaaaveeee aaaaaaa looooookkkkk!!! She could feel a headache forming. His reports could be roughly grouped into three: the status of the country, the status of the missionary work, and then miscellaneous reports. Amongst these three, the last one was the root of the most problems, as she had painfully experienced herself. And from how he was behaving now, it seemed that todays report would be one of the troubling ones. Please have a look, Anri-sama! Opening the doors and making himself seen, that was the very first thing he said. Whats going on? Under her mask, Anris face had cramped up, but she tried to sound as calm as she could. Huhuhu, it is finally ready! The main force behind the Grassroots Anri-sama Plan, the Miniature Anri Statue! With those words, the Pope produced a palm-sized sculpture. The design was the same as the dress-clad Giant Anri Statue, but despite its small size the details were delicately reproduced. Truly splendid quality. So high was its quality that any art enthusiasts in this world would have surely paid top price to obtain it. But to Anri who had knowledge of another world, she could only see it as a figurine. How is it? Is it not splendid? What exactly are you planning to do with this? The Pope had happily asked for her impressions, but she simply felt her face cramping up further. Naturally we will distribute one to every follower so that they may offer prayer whenever they want. In the future, I plan to have these sent beyond our borders as well. Finding that her hunch was dead-on, Anri shook her head and decided to stop his crazy plan early in its tracks. Having a figurine of herself distributed to thousands, tens of thousands of people was nothing but a nightmare to her. I wont all- The preparations are ready to produce a hundred a day. I suspect it will not be long before every believer has one. Youre already at the mass-production stage!? Because it had progressed so much further than she had imagined, Anri let out a rare scream of shock. But perhaps the Pope took her surprise to be pleasant surprise, because he smiled proudly. I cannot continue at such a snails pace. I must quickly prepare for manufacture of more designs! Well then, please excuse me! Wai- With that declaration, the Pope left as quickly as he had come. Left behind, Anri could only let out a sigh of resignation. Volume 2, Side 8 - A Certain Undying Butler Volume 2, Side Chapter 8 C A Certain Undying Butler Hahhh. On the fifth floor of the Evil God Temple, the divine Anri sighed. She then ran her finger along the window frame. There was dust. In a sense, you could call it the obvious result, but it didnt used to be dusty. The reason it was now, was because the human Anri had left with Tena. This is a grave situation. Among the necessities of life, clothing was still okay. Because her Black Rose Dress would automatically clean itself at certain times, far from washing her clothing, she didnt even need to change it. But food and shelter were different stories. If you didnt make the food, you wouldnt have any. Unfortunately, Anris cooking skills were not that great. Her food wasnt bad, but neither was it particularly good. There was no need to even mention the other two gods here. To begin with, members of the Divine Race sustained itself on faith, and did not need to eat like other beings. And because they neither needed to eat, nor were they capricious enough to learn on a whim, they had no cooking skills to speak of. There had to be some sort of drive or compulsion to obtain the skills to create something you didnt even need. Which meant that there was no reason for them to eat, except for pleasure. Naturally they wanted to eat delicious things for their enjoyment, but Tena who used to prepare it was now gone, so their meals had become heartbreaking. Of course, there was still the option of simply not eating, but now that they had tasted the joys of eating, it was a little hard to go back. Not only that, Evil God Temple or not, if nobody cleaned it it would naturally become dusty. After Anri became a divine, she could use brooms again now that she was free from her curse, but that didnt mean that she wouldnt stealthily escape when it came to cleaning the huge temple. The living area of the Evil God Temple could only be said to comprise the 5th surface floor, and the 31st subterranean floor, but even those two alone formed quite a large area. Even Tena would have found it impossible to manage. So then how did they used to manage? The answer was that it was because the place was still a dungeon. With the dungeon master skill, Dungeon Create, it was possible to restore the place at the expense of mana. Although you couldnt say it was impossible to replicate this with a divine Authority, the Authorities had the disadvantage of being too powerful and difficult to moderate. After all, they were essentially abilities used to govern the world. The agenda of todays meeting is to address our falling living standards. Well, I do not mind, but I shouldnt be talkin, but dincha pick the wrong gods for this? Three gods sat around a circular table, beginning a ridiculous meeting. Well, gotta say, cant argue with improving the food ere. Your food aint bad but, it aint particularly good either. I agree with him. Anri knew this herself, of course, but she did not find it amusing to have it told right to her face. So she argued back. Deadbeats cant be choosers. Why dont you two make something then. Cant. It is impossible for me. Anbaal and Sophia immediately rejected it. Even Anri didnt think they had an atom of cooking skill. She just wanted to say it. Because of that, she backed down with a sigh. Well? What are we gunna do now? It aint like I cant drag a few people who can do housework, back from the Demon Territory, but It may be best that you refrain from that. It may become a problem to have new humans and demons here. Ya think? Yeah. After all, theres this strange situation where all three rulers of the world are bunking together here Anri agreed with Sophias words. Very few people knew that Sophia and Anbaal were living at the Evil God Temple. If it was leaked to the world, other countries might even invade to secure the Thearchy for themselves. Which means, continued Anri, that its a matter of which one of the people living here can do housework. Considering the purpose was to put a lid on inconvenient information, it naturally excluded the believers, foreigners, humans and demons from the third surface floor down, as well. Which naturally meant that their options were extremely limited. Once you excluded the trio who left the temple with the human Anri, the only candidates left were the dungeon bosses. Vnee. No way. With its large body To begin with, it is quadrapedal. They didnt even have staff to select from. Of course there was no way the 20-metre long Black Dragon Vardneel could possibly do cooking and cleaning. The Anreal Armour. Still impossible. I must conclude the same way. It was the same for the 5-metre tall orichalcum living armour. It was a little better than Vardneel in that it was the right shape at least, but it really was too large for housework. To begin with, it had no ego, so cooking and the like was impossible. Imperial Death. Certainly, at least his size is of no complaint, but Think he can do it? All that was left was the last boss of the dungeon. Anri, Sophia and then Anbaal all thought of him in their minds. There was no problem with his size because he was the same size as humans and demons. His shape was fine too, since he was humanoid. But then, as to whether they thought he could cook and clean, the three gods really had no idea. Anyway, lets ask him. With those words, Anri decided to call Imperial Death there. Well then, please enjoy. Yeah. Yeh. I-, I shall partake. The three gods were overwhelmed by the sight before them. Just looking at how carefully made the various dishes were, they already seemed delicious. That alone was a good thing, but it gave them a massive shock that all this was created by an undead who looked basically like a skeleton. Particularly shocked was Anri, whose heart was in shreds from realising that she lost to him. Yummy. Pretty good. Quite delicious, isnt it. And the taste of the food did not betray its appearance. I am humbly overjoyed by your words. Imperial Death gave a bow, with refined movements that brought to mind a skilled butler. Not only that, but from start to finish, all his attention focused on Anri. Although he served food to Sophia and Anbaal as well, that was nothing more than giving face to Anri. All of his loyalty belonged solely to Anri. Considering his history, you could say it was admirable that he wasnt simply attacking the God of Light. Please entrust the cleaning to me as well. With that, Imperial Death spread his arms towards an empty space in the room. Come forth, my kin. Responding to the summons of the Emperor of the Undead, numerous undead appeared on the spot. Now, my kin. Polish every nook and cranny of this corner. For the sake of Anri-sama. With those words, the undead produced brooms and dust cloths from who knows where, and paying no heed to the dumbfounded gods, immediately scattered to clean. The large Evil God Temple was cleaned up at incredible speeds by the power of numbers. Skeletons swept the floors with brooms. Wraiths cleaned the walls with cloths. The whole thing was just surreal to watch, but there was no problem with the results. In less than a moment, the 5th surface floor and 31st subterranean floors were spotless, and now sparkled like they were newly built. How was it? said Imperial Death proudly. Anri could only nod up and down in a daze. Not only this. Allow me to also receive guests and pass messages along, manage your schedule, deal with the defence, deal with the finances, and all the other odd jobs. I-, I see Why was this lofty Undead Emperor showing off his housekeeping skills? Or so she wondered in her heart, but Anri still nodded. Incidentally, the reason he was so desperate was because there was nothing to do in his job as the last boss. Well then, please keep up the good work. Understood! I will serve you with all my body and soul! Keeping back his trembles of emotion, Imperial Death lowered his head politely and neatly, into a perfect bow. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** This was the moment that Imperial Death, 31st Floor Boss and Butler, was born. COMMEMORATION SS: AUTOBIOGRAPHY - ANRI AND HER HAPPY FRIENDS” COMMEMORATION SS: AUTOBIOGRAPHY C ANRI AND HER HAPPY FRIENDS Nothing to do. A mutter left my mouth. But it couldnt be helped. There really was nothing to do. The money I got from the me that I left in the Temple was quite a sum. Enough to live on for a while yet. Because of that, there was no need to work. Unlike when I was a dungeon master, there was nobody aiming for my life either. The peaceful life that I wished for was Although there were the occasional disturbances, it was mostly a peaceful everyday for me. It was basically everything I had wished for, so I do think it was being extravagant to complain about it now, but I really, really had nothing to do. Because I was just so free, I even tried things I would normally never even consider doing. I know. Ill write an autobiography. Later, when I calmed down a little, I realised that I should have thought about it a little more carefully. Far from being thrown into a world with only the clothes on my back, I was abandoned in a forest with not even a shred of fabric on me. Then I joined a guild, became a dungeon master, became a god, got into an argument with the God of Light and God of Darkness, and finally, after all that, went back to being a human. Thinking about it, you could say that my life was the perfect illustration of filled with ups and downs... Or so Id like to say, but considering my age, it feels a little early to be reflecting over my life like this. On the other hand, just this year alone was eventful enough to last me a lifetime. Thinking about it now, a lot of the events were actually headache inducingor rather, pretty much everything that happened was headache inducingbut considering how colorful (or perhaps intense) all my experiences were, Id say that at least my autobiography wont be lacking in content. Thinking that, I went to find the stationery that I used the time I was writing the scriptures, but when I did, I suddenly realised that I had overlooked a grave problem. What am I going to do about the enchantment curse? Last time, I wrote up some scriptures about living a virtuous lifestyle, but it ended up turning into a cursed book that was classified worldwide as belonging to the most terrifying class of dangerous items. It happened because of the divine enchantment skill that I was given when I came to this world. An annoying skill that allowed me to instantly enchant something with the divine protection of an evil god, but that would also activate on its own after about an hour of contact. If the target was a living being, then they would need to accept the divine protection, but if it was inanimate like a stationery set, then it would activate by itself. Even a book of morals turned into a cursed scripture, so I couldnt even imagine what my autobiography might turn into. I couldnt imagine it, but I could say with certainty that it would be nothing good. Learning from my previous mistakes, this time I was careful not to activate the enchantment. This is hard. I decided to avoid contact with the paper and write with my pen hand held up in the air, but it turned out to be quite hard. Normally I would write with my left hand holding the paper down, and with the pinkie of my right hand on the sheet, so writing like this ended up harder than expected. If you dont believe me, just try it. My hand wouldnt stop shaking, and my handwriting turned into squiggles. But it was obvious that giving up would be the same as screaming Second cursed book, here we come! so I continued writing as I corrected things over and over again. The heck are you doing? Leonora happened to wander in. She made an astounded look as she saw me seriously battling with the paper with my shaky hands, but I decided not to mind it. Admittedly, I want to ask myself the same question, but it feels like Id lose somehow if I gave up at this point, so Ive decided not to look back. A new game? No, Lili, Im writing very seriously here. It might look like some punishment game to an outsider, but I need to ignore that. Please dont push yourself, Anri-sama. Tenas kindness filled my heart so much that my vision blurred, and I couldnt see the paper anymore. ** ** With everybodys warm (and somewhat stuffy) encouragement, I somehow managed to finish my autobiography. Its title was This was a short, short story to commemorate the publication of Evil God Average. Today, on the 7th of September, 2015, the first volume was published by Takarajimasha. It is thanks to all my readers, and I am grateful. If you see it in the store, please pick up a copy. C Kitaseno Yunaki ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Incidentally, Anri-san was desperately writing with trembling hands, but she honestly could have just taken a break every hour, and the curse wouldnt have activated. C Kitaseno Yunaki Remember to buy the books! Ill immortalise you in my hall of fame! If there are enough people, Ill move the page to the front! C Grand Arbiter and 5th Holy Sheeprabbit, Estelion Sharlulu Asheel Vinchance Celenalia di ef FalufiluuLuufilaafee (The 35th) Volume 3, 1 - A Dangerous Evil God Statue Volume 3, Chapter 1 C A Dangerous Evil God Statue This is a story that takes place while the Black Rose Mansion was still being built. ** ** One day, the Pope called me out to the side of the Evil God Temple. In other words where a certain massive statue was being built. A massive statue that boasted the same five-story height as the temple, and that happened to look just like me. Right now it was being completely covered in cloth so you couldnt see inside, but once you removed the cloth, theres a good chance its dignity could even be seen from town. This guy just stirs up trouble. Well then, Anri-sama. Please have a look at the completed statue, said the Pope in gorgeous priests clothes, as he gripped the corner of the cloth with one hand. The reason I was called out here today was because he wanted me to be the first to see it finished. To be honest, I get the feeling that it should be the divine me that was called out here, but I guess Im here as the representative since it would be insane to call out a god. Really, I wanted to run, but since I owed him a favour for helping me with the house, I really couldnt refuse. Thats why, unwilling though I was, I forced myself to come. Now then, I shall unveil the cloth! This is the moment that the world will fall on its knees to the glory of our gods divine form! Nobody is kneeling to anything. I couldnt help but comment in my mind, but the Pope proudly unveiled it all the same. The white cloth fluttered in the air and exposed the giant statue to the light of day. On a pedestal of about a metre tall stood a collossal bronze figure. The form of the deity worshipped in this nationDDin other words, meDDstood as a massive bronze statue, reproduced so faithfully that an observer could see glimpses of the obsession that went into its creation. The figure was wearing the same black death rose dress that I was still wearing, and it was so realistic to behold that it seemed like not even a crease had been overlooked. And it was extremely embarrassing. Thank goodness I wore a mask. How is it, Anri-sama? I found the Pope staring my way with sparkling eyes. I know that he really wants to know. After all, hes the one who came up with the thing. But his enthusiasm is really troubling. I could feel my face cramping up, but at the very least I couldnt find fault with the statue itself. It was actually so flawless that I found myself wishing he would direct his talents somewhere less useless. Whats worse was that he was managing the country properly, so it made it all the harder to complain about this. But well, since it really was well done, I decided to give him a reply or so I was thinking, when I suddenly noticed one problem. ? Anri-sama? Is something the matter? Theres something I wanna check. ? The Pope stared at me in confusion, but I ignored him and approached the statue. What I wanted to check was none other than the dress that this statue, this Evil God Statue, was wearing. Ah, but I dont mean that the dress itself looked wrong. The problem went the other way. I was worried because it was so similar to my real one. The black death rose dress that I was wearing was sleeveless and jet black, with a rose pattern at its breast. It was originally a normal dress, but my divine protection dyed it black. Naturally its defensive power and resistances increased by shocking amounts too, but there was one last thing that changed about it. What was dangerous about it, was the design. There was a pretty deep slit cut into the skirt portion of the dress, and you could see my legs peeping through it. If I wasnt careful, youd get a shot of my panties too. And because of that same divine protection, even my underwear had changed to something dangerous. So dangerous that parts underwear were made to cover were laid bare instead. Definitely not something I could ever let people see. And so, you can see what I was worried about. The dress was perfectly replicated, and the slit was alive and well. Since its a statue Im not really sure if it counts as showing skin, but the point was that you could definitely see its legs. Well, that much could still be considered tame. I mean, its not as tame as Id like, but lets leave that for now. The real problem was what lay above it. It cant be that he actually replicated even my underwear, right? If he did, the problem would change to how on earth he saw it, but anyway, the point is, looking at the way the statue was made, you would expect the underwear to be done too. Feeling equal parts anxiety and curiosity, I walked up to its feet and looked right up. Looking up at it like this really drove in how huge it was. Because of how big just everything about it was, you could even climb in through the slit. Uh, no? I wont though. Only, even if you didnt climb in, as long as you stood right next to it, it was a simply matter to peer in. Uwah. What filled my vision as I looked upwards was a completely realistic upskirt. And although they were different to what I had on, the panties were still incredibly risqu. What on earth was he thinking when he decided to have the Evil God Statue wear these? I honestly wanted to question Why! Why! Why! at him for an hour. But well, it was obvious that whatever answer he gave would just confuse me more, so I decided I didnt want to ask after all. But wow, there werent any people here right now, so it was all well and good, but did this mean heaps of people were going to see this? That was a bit of a or rather, a huge embarrassment. I mean, it was just a statue so it wasnt like they were actually looking up my skirt. I knew that. I knew that, but it was just so realistic that it felt like my upskirt was being displayed to the world. Is there anything wrong with it? I couldnt help but stare when he asked me that again. But as usual, he showed no signs of flinching from my mystic eyes. Not only that, he didnt even seem to question my resentful gaze, and simply tilted his head in confusion. Damned pervert. But well, even if I call him that, he didnt see me as a woman at all. Its kinda rough to say this about myself, but I already knew that I had turned into a being way beyond that to him. You could say that the way he saw me was as safe as things got. But that just made it completely puzzling that he would choose such a thing. It was a bit scary to ask, but I couldnt help myself. Why, did you choose this kind of underwear? Huh? Underwear you ask? I asked him without beating around the bush, and after giving me a blank look, he replied, Naturally I could not ask you to model for it yourself, Anri-sama Well yeah. Modelling is a pain, and even if I did do it, theres no way Id let you peek up my skirt. And so because it could not be helped, I consulted your esteemed friend, Leonora-sama, on what kind of design would be best. LEONORAAAAAAAAAAAAA!? What on earth have you done. No, I mean, its true that my underwear is outrageous, and she knows that too. So well, maybe you could say that she was already picking a modest design for me, but to begin with its not like I wear these types of things because I want to, and she should know that too! Could it be that this is revenge because I forgot to dispel the cursed Tena doll? Ah, I mean, well, I do feel sorry about that, but Is there some problem about the design of the underwear? Its embarrassing to have people see. Hah I meant to object, but considering his half-hearted reply, I wasnt sure if I got the point across. It is my humble opinion that there is nothing to be embarrassed about at all, but may I ask what the problem is? Considering his serious expression, apparently he wasnt kidding. I guess he really didnt see me as a woman. But if I didnt make myself extremely clear, statue or not, there was a good chance that I was going to suffer the torture of having a giant upskirt view of me displayed to the masses. But it was already completed, so it would probably be difficult to close up the slit, or build a more modest statue. So at the very least, I wanted to avoid people peeking in from up close. I dont want people too close to it. !? I see. You certainly are an esteemed personage. It would not do to have people come too close. That wasnt exactly what I meant, but well, good enough. Build a fence around the thing, and please dont let people near its feet. I understand. I shall immediately set out to do so. Please. With that, the Pope bowed reverently to me, before hurriedly running off somewhere. Anyway, with a fence in place, at least they wouldnt be looking straight up at it. I guess thats good enough. But hm, since I may as well, perhaps I should make sure he builds it right. Volume 3, 2 - The Evil God Statue Has Activated! Volume 3, Chapter 2 C The Evil God Statue Has Activated! -clang clang clang- The sound of nails being hammered, rang out through the vicinity. Horizontal poles were being affixed atop stakes that stood at even intervals. It was the fence being built around the Evil God Statue. Heeey! Bring that stake to your right a bit more. Here? Thats left. So you mean your right!? Im watching over the construction of the fence from where Im sitting at the feet of the Evil God Statue. I just thought that I should make sure everything goes right. At first I was sitting on the pedestal it stood on, but it was a little bit too high for my feet to reach the ground, so I moved here instead. Sitting on its toes brings me to just the right height for my feet to touch the pedestal. To be honest, I think I should be helping out with something, but I would just be underestimating it and getting in the way. Not only that, the Pope told me to just sit and watch too, so thats why Im contenting myself to observation. Yup. Observation. Im definitely not just spacing out, okay? Although Im really just sitting here, not even saying anything. Anyway, with this fence in place, at least people wont be able to look up its skirt. Since thats the case, Ill just bear with people praying to it. To be honest, its still really embarrassing, which is why I didnt want it built in the first place, but theres not much I can do about it now short of destroying it. Phew. I guess were about ninety percent done? Sounds about right. Just a little more to go. Alright. Lets finish the last bit in one go. Yeah. But man. What great weather. The sunlight is warm. Theres a gentle breeze. Its just all so nice that Im getting kinda sleep- Whoa, not good, not good. I almost dozed off. Even if Im not doing anything, itd still be rude to sleep in front of people labouring away. But telling me not to take an afternoon nap on such a nice day feels basically like torture. Listening to the rhythmic hammering made me sleepy again. And a voice began to whisper in my head that nobody would know even if I slept with this mask on. A vicious battle between willpower and sleepiness unfolded in my mind. *C* *C* *C* *C* *C* ?Evil God Statue has been granted divine protection.? *C* *C* *C* *C* *C* *C* !? The sudden voice caused me to awaken with a start. Oh crap Ive really done it now Because of the time that passed as I slept, apparently I went and invoked my divine enchantment skill. When I looked up, I found a dark cloud enveloping the giant statue. I decided to evacuate from my position before the darkness reached its feet too. ? Oi, what the heck is? Mn? Wha-, oi, oi. Theres something black around the statue of Anri-sama What the heck is? Perhaps they noticed something was wrong because the labourers all stopped their work to look up. And while all of them gazed at the statue, the shadow began to fade away. And when it vanished, what remained was the same Evil God Statue as before. The only difference was that it was now jet black. And also, looking carefully, there was now an S shape carved into its forehead, just like on Tenas head. But well, there didnt seem to be anything too different? No, no, I cant let my guard down. Considering my past experiences with this skill, it wouldnt be strange even if it had some new effect of spreading miasma, or scaring people witless just by looking at it. After I came to that conclusion, I turned to look at the workers. But although they were all standing still, there didnt seem to be anything wrong with them. Was it just a needless worry? Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, my vision suddenly went dark. ? But when I looked more carefully, the area a bit further away was sunny as usual. ??? Wondering what was up, I looked up again to find a giant clump of metal slowly SWINGING TOWARDS ME!? UWAH!? Diving to the side in panic, I managed to escape the clump by a hairs breadth. No sooner had I done so, that metal lump or rather, the Evil God Statues right foot, came rumbling down on the pedestal. It happened so violently that cracks ran through it like a spiderweb. Oh crap, oh crap. I almost got turned into a pancake. But the situation didnt end there. This time it was the left leg that rose up, and stepped down onto the ground itself. The whole thing was so heavy that even the metal pedestal was cracked, so this time the foot sank into the ground and caused a tremor to spread beneath our feet. Youre kidding. With my butt still on the pedestal, I looked up in a daze at the giant me statue and finally understood what was going on. That massive Evil God Statue (E.G.S.) had started to walk. The situation had far exceeded just a statue that caused fear or miasma. What was happening was just way too insane. But unfortunately it didnt stop at just two steps, and continued walking ahead. R-, RUN FOR IT! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? JUST RUN! YOULL GET SQUASHED! UWAAHHHHHHHH!? Im not sure if they understood what was happening, but the frozen workers all dashed away madly. Only a few seconds later, one corner of the fence had been crushed flat by the E.G.S.. Having said that though, it didnt seem to be doing it on purpose, and all this was probably just a result of it trying to move forward. The reason I almost got crushed earlier was probably just because I was standing on the pedestal. As for how on earth it was moving, I still had no idea. The only visible change was its colour, so it shouldnt have had any joints. But that wasnt even my biggest concern. The biggest concern was obviously that a massive statue the height of a five story temple was walking about. And walking without stopping at all. At this rate, this thing was going to walk right out of the country. And I couldnt even imagine much trouble Id be in if that happened. But I didnt have any way to stop it either. OOH!? Anri-sama! Where are you going!? Nowhere, okay? To begin with, thats not even me. I wanted to hit this idiot Pope over the head after he started screaming nonsense at the statue, but I endured the urge and walked up to him to tug at his sleeve. Anri-sama? He turned around and then tilted his head in confusion. But this wasnt the time to nitpick at details. I cut straight to the point. Please have somebody chase after that statue. Understood. In order to form a plan to stop it later, I need to know where its going, and what its going to do. If we lose track of where it is, its going to become far harder to deal with it. Although the Pope had been excited by the moving E.G.S., my serious tone caused him to gasp and change his attitude. It seems that he understood that I was panicked. And in order to determine its destination, he quickly had the people around prepare to chase after it. I have sent a number of people to chase after the Divine Statue, so I expect a report will come to us shortly. Please stay in the Temple, Anri-sama. Thanks. But although I thanked him, I continued to stare anxiously at the E.G.S., which had now gotten so far away that only the head remained visible. Whats going to happen And although I wanted to hold my head in terror at how dark my future was looking, all I could do was continue to watch as it left. < | | Next Chapter> Volume 3, 3 - The Trampled World Volume 3, Chapter 3 C The Trampled World Three days had passed since the Evil God Statue had begun its rampage. In that time a great many nations had fallen into pandemonium about it. After all, the thing was the size of the damned temple, and it was running about doing whatever it liked. If you think about it from the perspective of civilians without context, its little wonder theyd be frightened out of their minds. Actually Im pretty sure youd be frightened even with the context. It just trampled down the castle ramparts in a kingdom to the east! The Pope was coordinating in the third floor of the Evil God Temple, receiving information from countless subordinates. Sitting in the same room, each time a bit of info came in I shrank further into my seat. In the centre of the large room was a fittingly large table. On top of it was a map of the world, centred on the Thearchy. We actually were kind of in the centre of the world though. Various notes about the movements of the Evil God Statue were filled in on top of it. According to the information, the Statue was heading north-east from our country. As for the report I heard earlier, thankfully it had just grazed the castle. The only serious damage was to the ramparts. I let out a sigh of relief for the lack of casualties. It just passed through the mountains to the north! Apparently it had changed directions, and had made some sort of arc, mowing down all of the mountain towns in its wake, but again there werent casualties. I wasnt sure if I was supposed to feel thankful or not. At the very least though, I was feeling relieved that it was moving away from population centres. It wasnt clear if the lack of casualties was intentional on its part or if it was simply all a big coincidence, but what was clear was that we had to stop it before anything serious did happen. The Holy Statue is moving towards the Demon Territory! Oh boy. If you ignored the size, the statue was the spitting image of me. Meaning that if you knew who I was, and then you saw that damned statue, even an idiot would realise that I was somehow involved. And the Demon Territory had plenty of people who knew me. If they were to see the statue Then, just as I expected, a black light suddenly flashed before my eyes, with a visual in the middle. Somebody had contacted me through a communications magic channel. Expecting what was to come next, I immediately clamped my hands on both my ears. Anri-sama? Tena and the other people in the room looked at me in confusion. Privately, I thought that if they had the time to look at me then it would be better spent blocking their ears as well. OOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIII! roared the voice from the transmission. A number of people crouched down with their ears covered as the voice seemed to shake the room. Thankfully I had the sense to minimise the damage. The blurry visual began to come into focus. Sitting there was just who I expected. A friend who had once lived in this country with us, and was now living in the Demon Territory, Leonora. Who would have thought wed be seeing each other so soon after she left. I bet that statue was your doing, wasnt it! What the hell are you even doing!? It couldnt be helped that she realised. She had already known we were building a bronze statue, and that one in her country right now was obviously a statue of me, so. And well, the one who enchanted the statue was obviously me too, so she had pretty much nailed it. Still, I didnt want her to think this was a weird plot or anything. Yes, I am the cause, but I didnt mean it. Nobody could have seen this coming, I made sure to emphasise, and then looked her straight in the eyes. It felt like it had been a while since we had last looked at each other like this. It was only possible this time because my eyes didnt have an affect on her through the screen. We continued to stare at each other for a while, but she seemed to believe me after a while. She knew the kind of person I was, after all, and that it wasnt my intention. Having said that though, not being my intention meant that it wasnt moving according to my intentions. Asking me to stop it was pointless. Leonora let out a sigh as she considered the trouble her future held. How bad is it over there? Thankfully, no damage to the castle and towns. It trampled some nests which sent monsters beyond their habitats, but things calmed down. The problem is Problem? I unconsciously held my breath as I waited for her to continue. With a statue of that size loitering around, its sure to catch attention. My entire country has been sent into a panic. Im really sorry about that. They came to wake me just as I was going to bed. Since then Ive been putting out fires all over. Looking carefully, she had bags under her eyes. If they had gone to get her just as she was about to head to sleep, then she hadnt slept at all. I was sorry about that. Worse yet, I had actually been sleeping just fine these days, reasoning to myself that I needed to be at my best to respond to emergencies. Well? Are you going to tell me how this happened? I began to tell her about the events leading up to it. The Evil God Statue had just been completed, and the Pope showed it to me. I realised that if you looked up from the foot of the statue, something family-unfriendly could be seen, which is why I panicked and quickly ordered them to build a fence at the base. Since I was the one who ordered this, I decided to sit around and supervise, which is when I accidentally blessed it with divine protection. And thats when it began to walk. As I was telling the story, I had this odd feeling that Leonora was completely unimpressed with me, but surely it was just my imagination. Looking back after recounting it, I once again reaffirmed that there was absolutely no way I could have seen this coming. Nobody could have. Nobody could have seen this coming. Just what part! She got mad at me. All well and good if you just want to build a fence, but how exactly was enchanting a giant statue completely unavoidable! My excuse didnt work on Leonora. She knew me too well. In my defence though, the sunlight was just so nice and warm, so in a sense falling asleep there was unavoidable. I actually blamed the sun for all this. Youre thinking something stupid again. Awfully sharp for the meathead of our group. What are you talking about? Also if you know which way its heading, tell me. Maybe the change in topic wasnt as natural as it could have been, but I honestly did need to know. Where the Evil God Statue was heading next was a very serious concern. I guess she agreed because her expression turned serious. The Statue was coming in from our north-east. It changed directions to cut right through the middle of our territory. We havent received news on its latest location, but I suspect that its a little north of the Demon Territorys centre. If Im right, then by this time tomorrow it will have reached the Human Territories. Actually, itll probably be back in your Thearchy. So basically its been cutting an oval in an anti-clockwise direction in the northern part of the continent. I was a little amazed at how fast it was going, but then I remembered how big it was. At that size, it could have been dawdling and it still would have been fast. It had really long legs. In any case, if it was really coming back here then that would be my chance. I had to think of a way to stop it. Hanging up for now, if thats all. I guess that was all she wanted to talk about. Leonora scolded me but she also gave me valuable information. Yeah, got it. Thanks for contacting me. Id appreciate it if you passed along any new info. Ill do the same. Got it. With that, she cut the line. Now then, it was time to sort out what I knew. And then, just as I was about to stand up to update the map, everything turned dark. A moment later my vision came back, and I found myself in a completely different room. This room was smaller than the previous one, but the ceiling was higher as well. More importantly, there were three desks in front of me, reminding me uncomfortably of a courtroom. I was standing on a dais right in the middle. Sitting at each of the three desks was a different person; to my right was a blonde woman in full-plate armour, to my left was a red-cloaked man with long green hair, and to the front of me was a black-haired girl wearing a dress with the same black rose motif as mine. Thanks to the heights of the desks, I ended up looking up at them. Surrounded by the three of them looking down at me, I have to admit, it was not a place Id like to be. The four of us maintained a tense silence as we stared. After a while, it was the girl who spoke first. We now begin the internal investigation. Memorial SS: The Sated Anri Memorial SS: The Sated Anri The Anri that was a divine being, squinted her eyes slightly in the faith that flows from all over. Faith is like nutrition for the divine beings and if it is satiated, a feeling close to the feeling in humans of having a full stomach can be obtained. Conversely, if one is lacking in faith, they will suffer severe hunger and because so, even if they eat and eat, they only will taste the suffering of hell. Originally, faith held by Anri, who had the authority of fear, was in great quantity but recently it was spurred to flow further. The reason is the autobiography written by Anri the human. The autobiography that she wrote was disseminated through the Pope, through which Anri became widely known, so the amount of faith which flowed increased. ? People will be happy if they have a full stomach. It was the same for the gods, who were not human beings. Anri, who usually walked in the corridor of the shrine so that she could dance with a feeling of floating, discovered that there was a shadow ahead. Is that you Anri? ? It seems that you are in a good mood. That shadow was Imperial Death, a steward for Anri at the evil temple. Originally, he was the boss of the 30th rank of the underground dungeon, but because he had no intruders that could reach there and because there was no other person that could do the housekeeping at the current evil god temple, ruling out a possible emergency need, he decided to serve by Anri. He extended the eternal Emperor courtesies, but he noticed that Anri s atmosphere was different from usual and has questioned. When Anri nodded, she explained why her own mood was good. Faith has increased, thanks to the book written by the human me Ha, that is wonderful. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you For Imperial Death who had absolute loyalty and faith in Anri, Anris joy was his own pleasure. Imperial Death did not have facial expressions, but from a red glint in his eyes, heartfelt joy was communicated. Anri caught this expressed thanks. When Anri separated from Imperial Death, she returned to her room as usual, walking with a dance Hmm While watching the retreating Anri, the immortal butler began thinking about something. Fuu Anri, who had come down to her room, threw a satisfying sigh, throwing herself onto the jet-black canopy bed. She was lying on her side for a while, when before long, she extended her hand to the side of the pillow, picked up a book that was there, gazing at it. That was aforementioned autobiography, which the human Anri had written. It is the autobiography published by the Pope, but the human Anri also gave one sample to the divine Anri, so she cherished it carefully. Anri of Humanity and Anri of the Divinity were the same person if you trace back. In other words, this autobiography was both the autobiography of the human Anri and at the same time, it was the autobiography in respect of the divine Anri. As Anri was filled with a pleasant feeling of satiety, she opened her autobiography while lying on her back and she looked back on her memories. Book Evil God Average was a short memo of memorial days. The book God of Average released on September 7, the other day, but I received a message saying that I could mass print. Thank you also for the ongoing support of everyone . Im really thankful to you. It would be greatly appreciated if, for those who have not read this yet, you hand this on. Evil God Average special page By the way, it is a secret that I had planned to write The Starving Anri instead depending on the sales. Chapter 3rd Commemoration SS: Uncommon Report ‘Christmas Ban’ 3rd Commemoration SS: Uncommon Report Christmas Ban Christmas, a festival for the christians on the previous world. What was supposed to be a day to celebrate the birth of Christ, became a day where one would be more excited to receive presents from Santa Claus. Well, it was more or less fine till that point. The problem is how such a dignified ceremony day became a day which endorsed illicit sexual relationships. It is beyond my knowledge how it became like that but, when thought about Christmas here, the public image was about two lovers spending a passionate night together. And at the same time, as that mood filled the whole city, for people who are not in such a relationship end up feeling embarrassed. For example, if someone doesnt have a lover but has a good group of friends, they could throw a party and live the day to its fullest but for someone like me who falls at the middle category, that is a dream within a dream. Pretending not to see the dazzling lights decorated all around the city, I miserably return home hurriedlyCthat was Christmas for me. Although, that is only applicable for the previous world. In the world I am at now, Christianity itself does not exist so there is no way Christmas would. And as such, I could say this as a light joke to vent up my anger for the previous world while having dinner. For this world, I shall ban Christmas. At that very moment, the air froze. ? I ended up tilting my head a bit as a result. I surely thought I would be asked What even is Christmas?. But among all of them, Sofia and Amber were clearly angry as they stood up. You have quite the guts. Yeah, she sure does. The two gods glared at me, releasing a dreadful amount of magic. Banning my birthday festival! Banning my birthday festival! Ah, they overlapped. I could hear a snapping noise. After listening to each others words, they stopped glaring at me and started glaring at each other. .What did you say just now? Whaddya say right now? With eerie voices, the two gods ask each other. The feeling of tension accelerated at a high rate and exploded before long. I just said Christmas was my birthday festival. Stop kidding around, it is my birthday festival. It is my birthday festival, dont come crashing in! Youre the shameless one! Stay out of this! What did you say?! Huhh?! The argument kept heating up. They still had not raised their hands but it was only a matter of time. But for now, being relieved that the spear head had turned away from me, I asked the others to try and understand the cause of the problem. What exactly is Christmas? ? Umm.. Its the Dark Gods birthday. Eh? What was supposed to be a day to celebrate the birth of Christ, became a day where one would be more excited to receive presents from Santa Claus. Well, it was more or less fine till that point. The problem is how such a dignified ceremony day became a day which endorsed illicit sexual relationships. It is beyond my knowledge how it became like that but, when thought about Christmas here, the public image was about two lovers spending a passionate night together. And at the same time, as that mood filled the whole city, for people who are not in such a relationship end up feeling embarrassed. For example, if someone doesnt have a lover but has a good group of friends, they could throw a party and live the day to its fullest but for someone like me who falls at the middle category, that is a dream within a dream. Pretending not to see the dazzling lights decorated all around the city, I miserably return home hurriedlyCthat was Christmas for me. Although, that is only applicable for the previous world. In the world I am at now, Christianity itself does not exist so there is no way Christmas would. And as such, I could say this as a light joke to vent up my anger for the previous world while having dinner. For this world, I shall ban Christmas. At that very moment, the air froze. ? I ended up tilting my head a bit as a result. I surely thought I would be asked What even is Christmas?. But among all of them, Sofia and Amber were clearly angry as they stood up. You have quite the guts. Yeah, she sure does. The two gods glared at me, releasing a dreadful amount of magic. Banning my birthday festival! Banning my birthday festival! Ah, they overlapped. I could hear a snapping noise. After listening to each others words, they stopped glaring at me and started glaring at each other. .What did you say just now? Whaddya say right now? With eerie voices, the two gods ask each other. The feeling of tension accelerated at a high rate and exploded before long. I just said Christmas was my birthday festival. Stop kidding around, it is my birthday festival. It is my birthday festival, dont come crashing in! Youre the shameless one! Stay out of this! What did you say?! Huhh?! The argument kept heating up. They still had not raised their hands but it was only a matter of time. But for now, being relieved that the spearhead had turned away from me, I asked the others to try and understand the cause of the problem. What exactly is Christmas? ? Umm.. Its the Dark Gods birthday. Eh? Lily tilted her head in confusion but it looks like opinions differed between Tena and Leonora. To Leonoras answer, Tena was clearly surprised. Is the Christmas Tena knows different? Yes, it is the birthday of Holy God Sophia. Tena is now an apostle but if I consider that she was a human before, it seems like among the humans, Christmas is known as Sophias birthday and among the demons it is Ambers birthday. However, do the births of the gods even matter? Sophia and Amber are gods born from the separation of the Creation God. In that sense, it isnt that strange that they both have the same birthday. But even if we say that is the case for arguments sake, why is their birthday called Christmas? I couldnt think up of anything so I decided to directly ask the two. Is Christmas the day on which you two separated from the Creation God? No, that is not quite right. Rather, I dont even remember the date. It seems like I was wrong. I dont know whats what anymore. If so, then why is it your birthday? Because the people who came from your world say it is the day god was born. I could guess the rest after hearing Ambers answer. I heard from Leonora before that there were people from my previous world who were summoned here as heroes. They are what you call summoned heroes. The moment these summoned heroes are brought to this world, they are given some sort of a strong ability which they use to conduct themselves as heroes. And that is probably also the Hero which come up in stories. Given their position, they must have surely been popular to the opposite sex. And so, to have an event to make out, they spread Christmas in this world.. U N F O R G I V A B L E!! And as such, Sophia and Amber being the gods of this world for humans and demons respectively, it became known as their birthday. But, if thats the case, then I am worried about the actual event details. Is it the same as my previous world, an event for the lovers? I had a bad hunch about it so I tried asking them. What do you do on Christmas? Its a day where the males give the females presents. A characteristic clothing of red and white with short bottoms called what was it again? Mini-skirt-santa-claus? Yes, and if she accepts and wears it, they become lovers. What should I do? It has turned into a far more weirder day. There are portions remaining like Santa Claus and presents but I kinda get a different feel from the short skirts and changing clothes to become lovers. Looks like the past heroes mixed their desires to various different customs. I do not know if it was intentional or it became like this as a result. 9 times of ten, I think it is the former. Or rather, where did Sophia and Ambers birthday celebration go? Are these two okay with that? But still, what do I do about this? I half-jokingly banned Christmas earlier but now I think I should return it to its original state. Mainly because of my mental stability. CAlright, I have decided. I can only exercise my influence in this country but, I feel like I should at least make this place celebrate Christmas properly. Now that its decided, I need to decide what to instruct the Pope. Firstly, for the name, I shall go with the Birth of the God. I want to avoid agitating Sophia and Amber for no reason and also I dont think anyone would understand if I said prophet or messiah or the sort. Secondly, I think I will keep the present part of it. It in itself isnt bad and after all, when you say Christmas, you think of presents. Thirdly, I will completely remove the Santa Claus part. It kinda feels wrong to not have it but I really want to remove the mini-skirt-santa the previous heroes spread. Lastly, and this is the most important part, on the very day, everyone will gather and celebrate grandly. No lovey-dovey nights for lovers or lonely nights for loners. It is by no means because of my convenience. For this country, Christmas will be a day where everyone gathers up and celebrates the birth of god while giving each other presents. I decided on it just now. At the center of the reception hall of the Evil Gods banquet, a cauldron was placed on top of a bonfire. From the cauldron, a light pinkish smoke went up which uplifted the peoples mood. In this space, where people from all over the country gathered up, a weird feeling filled the air. It was like a scene readapted from a long time ago. To get straight to the point, it was Sabbath once again. And like the Pope had raised his hand and declared before, Well then, we will now begin the ceremony of sacrifice to celebrate Anri-samas birth! CHow did it turn out like this? Mysterious Tradition ‘Happy New Year and Cultural Exchange’ (4th Commemoration ) Mysterious Tradition Happy New Year and Cultural Exchange (4th Commemoration Chapter) Well then, now we shall start the sacrificial ceremony to celebrate the new year! Enough of that already. Happy new year. Happy new year, Anri-sama. .Happy new year. Happy new year. I exchanged greetings with Tena, Lily and Leonara in the dining hall. This would be my first time experiencing a new year in this world. By the way, what do you guys do to celebrate the new year in this world? Hmmm.. Well, to start with, we all have osechi together. (*food served during the New Years Holidays) Osechi? You have those here? Suddenly hearing such a nostalgic word from Tena, I kinda got my hopes up. The food I normally have are good but I do occasionally want to have some Japanese food. I want to have a boiled taro. Yes, I have them prepared properly. Wait just a bit. I will help. Thank you, Lily. After Tena went down to the kitchen together with Lily, they soon came back with a few layered boxes. They put those on the table, opened the lids and lined them up, side by side. Please dig in. Inside the box, there were salmons, steaks and many other colorful food, all packed. Yep, it is great. It is great but. It is quite different from the osechi I know. Isnt this just packing what was called western food in the previous world into a box? Osechi is something the hero of the past had come up with for esteemed new year food. Ah, so thats why. The achievements of past summoned heroes just like the time with christmas. They probably werent able to explain much more than packing in good food into a multi-tier box. If they went to all that trouble then they could have introduced Japanese food too Well, the food is actually quite good so I guess it is okay. Lets dig in. Yep, these are delicious. What other things do you do? Hmmm. Otoshidama. You give special money to the children for the new year. (New years gift) Ah, they also have the custom of otoshidama. I stopped eating and was about to take out some silver coins from the item box to hand over to Tena and Lily but then, By the way, the custom is to drop it in front of their eyes, not hand it over directly. The hero who spread these customs, exactly what kind of person were they.? Well, I guess it is fine. I dont feel like going too deep with it so I just gave it to them like the custom. Thank you for everything. Ah, thank you very much! Thank you! I went over in front of them and dropped the coins in front of their eyes. The coins fell down due to gravity and landed on their hands. What about me? Leonara, youre not a child anymore. Leaving that aside, I looked sideways to face Sophia and Amber. The two were peacefully celebrating the new year, not joining in on the conversation. The two were already drinking by the time I woke up. Drinking from the morning? These hopeless humans Ah, they are not actually humans. Its okay, its the new year after all. Theres a custom of offering sake to the gods in the new year. So its our duty as gods to drink these sake. Surely, these are sake offered to the gods but to me, it just looks like they are using it as an excuse to drink. Well, I guess I will put that aside for now. su ? What is this hand? Of course, it is for otoshidama. Otoshidama. Please. I should have the right to receive some from these two veterans since I am just a beginner. You fool, why do we have to give you otoshidama? Seriously. I really dont think you will be doing something bad by showing your good sides as senpais to your cute kouhai. Say those things with a little bit more cuteness! OuchC my hand was slapped from above. In the first place, the Gods dont really have any money to begin with. Yea, its only you. Who is a God and is diligently earning money. Certainly, pure-borns like them would not need any money. They wont have a problem without the necessities of life and they dont also need to go shopping. It is only natural for them to not have any as they dont require any. In short, they are penniless. Poor guys. That kinda makes me angry though, oi. Well, it doesnt really matter. I wasnt really expecting anything from them in the first place so I had nothing to lose. I will just leave these drunkards alone. I gave up trying to get otoshidama from them and returned to Tena and the others. What else do you do? Umm, new years card? You report your recent condition to someone far way. I also just wrote a report to the demon territory a while ago. Is that really a new year card? I kinda feel the nuance to be different Why send something like that at this timing? No, well, I dont quite know why but it has been like this since long ago. Only once a year does not feel enough so I do send some periodically though. Not Sending reports of the new year but rather Sending reports on the new year., eh? This, is it not just that the hero who brought the custom of the new year was feeling it was bothersome to write reports so they struggled to make it only once a year? Well, at the very least, I do not have anyone to write reports to so I guess I will leave it as it is. And theres also the first shrine visit of year. It doesnt have to be today but it seems like they call the first visit of the year to the church that. First shrine visit, eh Come to think of it, I also went to the shrine on new years day and drew a fortune slip. The result of the slip is a secret. But, even if you talk of visiting a shrine C This is the shrine. Since I am the God. Who will I go to? Ahaha. Ri-right. When I said that, it looked like Tena also realized it and gave a bitter smile. But, in the next moment, she wore a serious face and started whispering something into Lilys ear. ??? When I was wondering what they might be talking about, both of them joined their hands before their chests. Wait, am I being prayed to now? What do I do? I kinda feel really embarassed. Incidentally, Leonara had gone to Ambers place to pray. To not let them know of my embarrassment, I patted their heads. I will be counting on you guys this year too. Yes! Yes! By the way, if there is the concept of first visit, is it really okay for us 3 Gods to be here? Last Commemoration SS: Other Traditions ‘Our Sublime God’ Last Commemoration SS: Other Traditions Our Sublime God . On the 30th layer of the Evil Gods Holy Castle dungeon, was a being silently lost in thought. His name is Imperial Death. He was summoned forth by the Evil God Anri, given her divine protection and was entrusted with the protection of the area as he was the strongest undead. That power, which cannot even be compared to that of a normal monster, is said to even reach the domain of the dark and light Gods. Far excelling the strongest class of people in this world, the hero and the demon lord, the only ones who are above him are the three Gods who manage the world. The cause of worry for someone with such immense strength lied in what his master, the one to whom he pledged loyalty, had said the other day. My followers have increased because of that book I wrote. His master, the Evil God Anri, had spoken of it happily. I see, I can understand that these followers mean a lot to them, the Gods. Her being happy because of it also makes me happy. However, at the same time, he also thought. Now, having known that, is it really okay for him to not do anything? .. The moment he had asked himself such a question, he probably realized the answer within him. Of course, there is no way that was good. If there is even the slightest thing he can do for his master, he should do it with complete devotion. And if that is the case, then there is only one thing to do. Fortunately, he had also heard that the book had contained only a portion of his masters exploits as a human. There are still many, many more large parts which have not been yet told. If he wrote all of those down, her followers would increase even more. And that, would lead to even greater happiness for his master. And as such. I shall write the continuation. And this is how, the thirtieth layer guardian-cum-butler, Imperial Death had set out on a new job, that of a writer. First, Imperial Death decided to finish the preparation for the writing. On the enormous table located in front of the throne, he had prepared the tools needed for writing: pen and paper, along with the book his master had wrote as a reference book. At first, he decided to read that book and understand its contents and plan how to go about writing. He thought the readers might get an uncomfortable feeling if the contents are too different from each other so he decided to match as much as he could. Silently reading through the book, he had finished it in three hours. Fumu, I understand. Not only did he grasp the contents of the book, but he also understood the writing style and got straight to work. For a being like him, who has been existing for a very long timeCpiling up experience, writing a book was an easy task. Having the whole plot arranged in his head, he built up the chapters and had completed a rough composition in a very short period of time. As he planned to leave the drawings and designs to the ones specialized in them, he devoted himself to constructing the sentences. Imperial Death, being an undead, didnt have the concept of exhaustion and could work for hours and hours at a steady pace. He did not need to sleep or eat. Of course, he could not afford to neglect his job as a butler so only stopping his hand during those times, he assigned himself to writing during all the other time he had. And thus, owing to that, he was able to proceed with speed a few times greater than the normal human. Having finished writing the book using all his free time, Imperial Death reread it three times to correct any misspelling. Then, he nodded in satisfaction. Hmm, with this, theres no doubt I can make Anri-sama satisfied. However, after thinking through all that, he again began to ponder again. Fumu. It would be really simple to show this completed book to the Evil God, Anri-sama. However, wouldnt she be surprised and even happier if he had published and produced results? Publishing the book secretly and spreading it, he would present his master with followers. Now isnt that a very clever thing to do? Now that that is decided.. Another being, who had also pledged loyalty to Evil God Anri. He shall contact the Pope and make the arrangements for the publication. Determined, Imperial Death stood up from the throne and went outside the dungeon. Oh my! That is a wonderful thought! Fumu, if so, then can I have your assistance? By all means! He secretly travelled to the Popes room and proposed his idea. His outer appearance was all skeletal. It would not be strange if one were to faint when someone like that visited but the Pope showed no signs of discomfort. The Pope does not need to close the doors to his quarters for the Evil Gods followers but even still, he had nerves of steel. Concerning the pictures and design, I know someone who knows how to go about doing sacred books so leave it to me. I also have a route I can use for distribution so you can also leave that to me. That is excellent. Ah, yes. I just thought of something good. Since we are going to all the trouble, how about we give the sacred books as a set? Fumu, that might be good. And this is how the second book extolling the Evil God Anri had been released to the world. Volume 3, 4 The Three Gods’” Hearing Volume 3, Chapter 4 The Three Gods Hearing The hearing. It is where the beings in the organization, who do injustice or commit big crimes, are called and interrogated. There, the person concerned is questioned and is judged, considering everything. However, it is of significance only inside the organization and to the beings within the organization and can be said to be unrelated to others. And related to that, at best, I am only enlisted on the adventurers guild in this world and am unrelated to all the other organizations. Thus, there is no reason for me to undergo a hearing But, I understood the moment I got here that the fact was that such a sensible objection was meaningless over here. In front, on the right, sat the Light God, the blonde-haired woman, Sophia. And on the left, sat the Dark God, the long, light-green-haired man, Amber. And in the center, sat a young lady, the Evil God Anri. they are the three Gods who manage this world. Now that I think about it, in this world, maybe I would be the first one to experience being questioned by myself. The girl sitting in the middle the one appearing to be the person in charge based by her position is the Me I parted with the other day. I never thought we would be reunited in this manner. The invitation was a bit too forceful but, this place was probably the Evil God palaces 4th or 5h layer. It is a room I have no memory of so I assume they had it built quite recently. The subject which I would probably be questioned about, judging from the timing, can only be one thing. it is definitely about the Evil God Statue roaming around. Well, even though I separated, the other party is me and I do know the remaining two. They probably wont do anything too harsh. While I was having such naive thoughts in the back of my mind, the me in front of me said in cold voice, Seiza. (Seiza: The traditional way of sitting in Japan.) Eh? Being unable to comprehend the meaning of the words spoken to me, I ended up tilting my head a bit in confusion. The divine me kept glaring at me with disgusted eyes and said, once again, .Seiza. . Seiza. Feeling that the conversation would lead nowhere if I did not, and a part of me being somewhat overwhelmed, I sat down in seiza having no other choice. The wooden platform hurt my legs. Even still, I wonder why one just has to sit in seiza during the hearing. To begin with, if the matter is from the present or past, they, the Gods, can use their power to look for information regarding it, so there should be no need to formally question me like this. Therefore, having thought all that, I wondered, once again, why I was called here and realized that the situation was moving forward as if they were going to start lecturing me. The thought made me drip cold sweat. I am sure you are aware of why you are called, correct? Seriously, making us do all the bothersome stuff. Sophia and Amber started talking at once, not trying to conceal their irritation at all. Facing them, I nodded, and said, I am aware. It is about the Evil God Statue, right? Yes, exactly. The demons are filing a lot of complaints as well, you see. Why did you do something like that? For a moment there, I had thought It would be fine if you just check with Information Inspection but I soon realized. The information they could catch from the inspection is most likely only the fact that I had bestowed my divine protection on the statue and not the intention or thought process behind it. If thats the case, then I shall explain to their hearts content. And, I want them to understand that it was not on purpose. And so, I started narrating the whole sequence of events which led to how I granted my divine protection to it, just like I had done to Leonara. After going through all the details in general, Sophia and Amber were at their wits end. My head hurts. Mine too. It is amazing that the Gods have started to feel headaches too. It wont be an exaggeration to say that it is a major achievement. On the other hand, the me had agreed and was nodding. You cant help afternoon naps, after all. -Theres no way it is like that! -Dont kid around! Oohh? I had also agreed completely but it looked like the other two did not. Well, lets leave it at this for now. Right. I have quite a lot of things I still want to say but the containment of the situation comes first. Hoh. Sophia and Amber let it go for now, which clearly made me make an expression of relief. I wondered if they were meant the roaming Evil God Statue by the situation. If they, the Gods, were to do something about the situation then it would come under control quite easily. Youre making a face as if youre unrelated but you will be the one doing it. Ha? In reaction to Ambers words towards me, which I could not comprehend, I ended up leaking a stupid voice. It is your failure so it is only natural for you to clean up the mess. That might be true but. It is true that I was the one who ended up messing up. But, arent your respective races filing complaints? Just like Amber had said that the demons are filing complaints, I am sure the humans are also probably doing that same. Surely they wont ignore that. Well, yes. And so, we will lend you some personnel. Right. I should also arrange for that. Well, it sure feels like they really do not plan on interfering directly themselves. They will lend me some help but it seems like I will have to do something about the core of the problem. I guess they dont really have to go so far for situations like this. That reminds me, I wanted to ask something ? Nn? What is it? After having finished the hearing, we changed places and had idle talk, encircling a table while having tea. Amongst that, I remembered that I had something I wanted to ask them. This might be a bit late but, do you guys know anything about the mark on Tenas forehead? As I was asking, I drew the symbol with my finger on the table. It was like an S but horizontal. Ah, the kin mark. Kin mark? Feeling not used to the words coming out from Ambers mouth, I asked another question. Just like normal letters, they are given to the ones in a kin. The shape differs as the protection of the masters differ. Sophia explained it but I still did not quite understand properly. If thats the case then it would not be weird of Imperial Death to have a symbol too but I do not recall him having one. As I asked them that, they agreed and said, I did say it is a symbol given to a kin but not all the members are given one. Mostly the ones who are the first member or the ones who have a strong bond. If I were to explain it briefly, Id say it is something like a chief or head of the kin. I see, so Tena is one of my head retainers then. In terms of strength, Imperial Death is overwhelmingly higher but in terms of closeness, I guess it would not be weird for Tena to be the head. But, if thats the case then I wonder why it is also attached to the Evil God Statue. The same mark was on the Evil God Statue, though What?! What did you say?! Oho? Sophia and Amber reacted quite fervently to what I said but it looked like the divine me wasnt really interested. That thingC so it was your retainer. It isnt even a living thing so how is it a retainer in the first place? That, I do not know. I cant do anything about something which has already happened. From what you just said earlier, isnt it something which only gets attached to one person? Is it because you separated from me? Probably. As she went from being a God to a human, maybe it got reset? Certainly, if there was something happening which winds back race, it would not be odd for the First retainer to be winded back too. If that is so, then that Evil God Statue is the current mes first retainer. Well, if that is so, then you should be the one to do something about it even more. Thats right. If its your retainer, you should take the responsibility. .I understand. The conversation ended sort of in my defeat but it is true that I do have faults so I cant really say anything. After having conversed about that, I suddenly realized and muttered, Status. Name: Anri Race: Human Race Sex: Female Age: 18 Job: Mage Level: 1 Title: Evil Person of Fearful Trembling, Dungeon Master, Weirdo Mana: 3031504 Skills: C Evil God Aura (Lv.5) C Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5) C Divine Enchantment (Lv.7) C Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.6) C Darkness Magic (Lv.6) C Item Box (Lv.4) C Dungeon Create (Lv.7) Equipment: C Fan of Calamity C Dress of the Black Death Rose C Babydoll of Depravity C Scanties of the Succubus C Pumps of Darkness Kin: C Evil God Statue of Fearful Trembling [NEW] C Tena Ah, as I thought. Evil God Statue has been added as a kin. I had predicted this from the conversation we just had but this just supports that. I further concentrated on the Kin: C Evil God Statue of Fearful Trembling. Evil God Statue of Fearful Trembling An enormous statue which imitates the Evil God Anris appearance. As it was made so delicately and elaborately, a soul formed in it and it started moving. It does not have any unique abilities but has the enormous body and the absurd strength which comes along with it. Furthermore, it possesses intellect which would seem very unlikely, judging from its non-living structure. Once the Evil God Statue is activated, it can not be stopped by the hands of men and can lead to a national crisis. In Tenas case, her status was displayed but as the Evil God Statue is not a living thing, the explanation note was displayed instead. However, what I wanted to know was if it had any special skills or abilities, so knowing this much would be enough. I do feel that As it was made so delicately and elaborately, a soul formed in it and it started moving. is just too vague but, nobody really cares at this point. Being a little dumbfounded myself, I excused myself from the three Gods tea party. Volume 3, 5 Selected Members Volume 3, Chapter 5 Selected Members Having come out of the Hearing alive, I let my legs carry me back to the third level of the temple, to the meeting room I had been in until my impromptu summoning. Just as I had though, that room had been created as the fourth level to the Evil God temple. I should make it as soon as I went down the stairs. I wasnt sure what kind of method had been used to transport me to that room in the first place, but it wasnt hard to assume that I had been subject to some form of authority. Still, it must have seemed to the people there as if I had been erased from existence. It must have seemed the same way to Tena. Once I came back, they were sure to be surprised Anri-sama?! Thank goodness, youre alright You disappeared into thin air and left me wondering why youd left Once I had shown myself, Tena came and engulfed me in her embrace with wet eyes. I made her worry, did I? Sorry It was their fault, all of it. Sorry, I just got a call from up top. Up top? My finger pointed upward to consolidate my answer, and Tenas eyes followed the indicated path, tilting her head to the side once her eyes rested on the ceiling. Theyre lending out a few heads to stop the Idols. We can start planning our countermeasures when were all gathered. Um, alright. I understand. Tena really didnt seem as if she did, but she had accepted my explanation nonetheless. Also, just what kind of people will be coming? Well, thats Now that I thought of it, I never asked. I had no idea. Not even how many would come. Both Sophia and Anbar had gone to people over, so it was safe to assume that two newcomers would arrive, at the very least. Was that all of them, though? I couldnt afford to bide my time, either. Just when would they get here? I greatly doubted that they had much time to spare themselves, so Id like to have thought that they wouldnt be that late. Excuse me While I was immersed in my own thoughts, a somewhat reserved voice called out to me. I turned to the source, and was met with the sight of a young girl with light purple hair. It was Orlain, that carpenters apprentice Thats no it! Im not an apprentice carpenter! Im a hero, alright?! Im the Hero of the Holy Bow, Orlain! Damn it. Id thought out loud. Orlain showed her resentment to being called an apprentice by raising her voice and letting her face go red. Still, since she didnt have the proof of her position as a hero C the Holy Bow C on her person, coupled with the fact that I had seen her practice the art of carpentry, I didnt think that my initial impression was too far off the mark. Then again, I was the one who had the Holy Bow All that aside, the heroes C Orlain included C were supposedly assisting in the construction of my mansion. But why was she here? Depending on the situation, I may have to cut her pay Why are you here, then? Playing hooky? Orlain shook her head at my inquiry. Nothing like that. The Holy Goddess told me to come here. Sophia told her to come here? Then that meant You really are playing hooky, arent you? Whys that the first thing you come up with?! Well I was her employer, after all. If some other person C well, divine creature, but I digress C had given her reason to abandon her post, then what else could it be? But I supposed that the girl, hero of justice that she was, could do little to go against Sophias command. Timing and all considered, she was in all likelihood one of the new members of the Evil God Countermeasure team that had just come in conversation. There was little reason to hold it against her, then. Her reactions were hilarious, though. Just a but more teasing would be fine Youve gone and accepted the orders of someone not your employer. You left your position; thats just skipping out on work. It doesnt matter if the Goddess of Light herself ordered you to do that. Eh? Well, thats I could have called for you and given the Holy Bow back, but if you left your work on the side of the road, then T-Thats not fair! Orlain went pale at my words. Thinking that she may never get the bow back, the girl did her best to find a justification, already half panicked. P-Please, give me a second! Ill get back to work! So please, give back the Holy She waved about in a panic, flipping herself around and trying to depart. I was taken aback a little, admittedly. I may have laid it on a little too much. Shed really leave if I didnt pull myself together. Wai C Ill be right back C BUGYAH?!!! Not even perceiving my flustered voice, Orlain broke out into a run and headed outside, but never made it. An encampment created from magic emerged in the sky above her and something fell down, almost flattening her in the process. W-What was that?! What just happened?! What had crushed Orlain with their rear wasnt a thing, but a person. Her voice and features seemed rather familiar, too It was Leonora, who had gone her separate ways in demon realms not too long ago. As if chasing her, the cursed Tena doll jumped onto her head. While she had gone her ways a while ago, we had still been communication quite recently. It really didnt amount to much of tearful reunion. Anri? Why are you in the Demon Realms? Leonora had asked me directly, her eyes finally reaching me as they searched their surroundings. It didnt look as if she realised that she was in the Holy Lands. Short time no see, Leonora. And youre not in the Demon Realms anymore; this is a temple in the Holy Lands. Huh? Her mind was still on its way to catch up with what I had told her, and her mouth was wide open. Well, for now For now? I pointed my finger below her as she tilted her head and repeated my words. Dont you think you should move? For her sake? Huh? What the?! Finally noticing that she had crushed Orlain C whose eyes were still spinning C beneath her, she grew flustered and stood, immediately rushing to bring her back to health. That was awful Only a few minutes later, Orlain had somehow managed to come back to us thanks to Leonoras efforts. Sure, she was still clutching her hips and crying, but she had recovered. Mostly. Yeah, um Sorry about that. Huh? Oh, no, its not your fault Leonora tried to apologise by bowing her head, but Orlain stopped her short. True, Leonora had been dropped off here against her own will, so she really didnt hold any of the blame. Whoever dropped her in the first place was at fault, clearly. And there was more of a good chance of it being Anbar. In other words, just as Sophia had sent Orlain, Anbar had sent Leonora. It was a pretty lazy method of sending someone over, though But if I were to be honest, Id have to admit that I was grateful that they had decide to send them along. It was much easier to handle someone with a more familiar disposition. Leonora, do you know whats going on? No, I was dropped here without warning I cant tell left from right. They didnt even bother to explain. Ever heard of intentional negligence? Expecting an explanation from the slothful Anbar might have been too much to ask. With no other options, I opted to explain it all myself. It was a good thing that Leonora was already aware of the details concerning the Evil God Idols, that didnt put too much of a demand on detail. I explained that we had been tasked by the Three Gods to stop, that they had sent their chosen for this task, and that she herself was one of those people. I see. Then theres no reason why I shouldnt help, even less so if the Dark Goddess has ordered me to. Although I do wish she would have given me a warning, at the very least So thats whats going on, huh While Leonora gave a consenting nod, Orlain, who had been listening to our conversation at her side, nodded as well. Did she even get an explanation from Sophia? Did the Goddes of Light fill you in? Huh? Oh, no. The Holy Goddess only told me to come here, and that I was supposed to ask how things would go on from there Et tu? In any case, if Leonora and Orlain were chosen sent along, then wed have to make do with them to capture the Evil God Idols. Once again, I turned to them and spoke up. I know that the road may be tough, but please, lend me your stre C Anri-sama! Another voice from beside me cuts my own short. I turned to be greeted with the sight of a certain blonde youth, the Jolly Pope himself. What? Just as Anri-sama has ordered, I shall assist Anri-sama from here on out! ? What was he going on about? Please, command me as you see fit. Well, I couldnt say I knew what he was on about, but as long as he was willing to help Tena. Yes, Anri-sama? Make us some tea, please. Right away. Volume 3, 6 Counterplan Meeting Volume 3, Chapter 6 Counterplan Meeting Alright then, lets get this counterplan meeting started. Right, got it. Okay. You can count on me. Um Should I really be here? Once Id made my proclamation, each and every one of the counterplan members responded with a varied volley of answers. And since it was absolutely no exaggeration to call Tena the voice of reason for this place, yes. She really had to be here. But before we can begin ? Lets start by introducing ourselves. Since the members that had come to gather here were mostly made up of individuals that werent all too familiar with one another, I really wanted to start it all off by having each of them have a solid grasp of the others profiles. Well take turns, clockwise. Each of you can tell us their name and position, then you can tell the others which weapons or skills you specialise in. Having said my part, I turned the purple-haired girl sitting to my left at the round table. I stared at her for a bit. O-Oh, do I start?! Well, um My names Orlaine. The Holy Goddess gave me the Holy Bow, and Ive been a Hero ever since. Ive been directly ordered by the Holy Goddess to cooperate with you all. Im pretty skilled at marksmanship, and I can use Light Magic. Currently, shes without her bow. Shes working as a carpenters apprentice and is considering a change in occupation. With the apparent lack of information, I simply felt the need to add something from the sidelines. No Im not! Id never change jobs! And that reminds me, would you please give me back my bow?! For this plan, at least?! I cant really fight without it, you know She had a point. With her bow gone, it would be a stretch to say that she was even at half her full battle potential. I take the Holy Bow out of the item box. That was when Orlaines line of sight became completely glued to my hands. When I passed the Holy Bow from my right to my left some times over to verify my suspicion, I could see Orlaines gaze following it intently, moving as it did. It was a little fun to watch. Youre sure you wont just run away when I give it back? O-Of course I wont! Anyone whod call themselves a Hero would never toss a promise aside once theyve made it! But you did think about running away just a little bit, right? Just a little bit C No, no thats not true! I never thought that, ever! Please stop confusing me! Well, the construction work for this mansion wasnt really a piece of cake. If shehad wanted to run away, then I really wouldnt have blamed her for it. Well, whichever the case, the worth her battle skills could bring to the table were a matter of course. I thought it best to give her back her bow, at least for now. Here you go. Aaah, thank you so much! The second I held the Holy Bow out to her, she practically snatched it out of my hands and hugged it close, seeming almost adamant to never let go of it again. It was like looking at some beast that was hell-bent on protecting its child. Looking at her like this made the prospect of taking the thing back once the matter had been settled seem all the more heart-breaking Once Id spent enough time looking over her with warmth creeping into my eyes, I let my gaze fly to the next person in line. Im next, am I? My name is Leonora Romaliel. Im the daughter of his Majesty, the current Demon Lord. I was sent here by the will of the Dark Goddess. Im skilled at hand-to-hand combat, as well as Fire Magic and Dark Magic. Shes always holding her favourite doll close, and that earned her the nickname Doll Princess. I had no doubts that there were at least a few people curious about the doll on her lap, so I thought Id be nice enough to add a little to her introduction. Its not my favourite, and Im most certainly not keeping it close by choice! Which reminds me Get it away from me already! While I wasnt sure I could say the same for the divine me, there was little I myself could do about it. Hold on, are you Mr. Eligores daughter? Having found a point of interest in her introduction, Orlaine came at her with her own questions. Hm? Yes, that I am I see. If I recall, you were one of the members that accompanied either his Majesty or Lenarve when they took up the challenge of capturing a dungeon. Oh yes, they helped me out a lot back then. Is Mr. Eligore doing alright? If my memory wasnt too far off, Orlaine joined Leonoras father during the Three Gods War and helped him take on dungeons for the sake of conquest. While most circumstances would paint Heroes and Demon Lords as sworn enemies with no love lost between them, Id heard that the cultural integration with demons had already spread plenty of roots. In conclusion, there hadnt been much animosity, if any at all. But all those nuances aside, she should probably have been a little more careful with the way she looked at a certain part of Leonoras body like a foe of her fathers would. There was a huge dissonance between this and whatever constituted a calm meeting. I should have mentioned that Orlaines body type was on the slender side. That put her in the same boat I was in. Honestly, hes doing so well its worrying. He just keeps complaining that he never managed to conquer that dungeon. Hes even entertained the idea of deferring his position to me just so that he can try to challenge it again. Im doing my best to rein him in. A Ahaha Uncle, I really didnt expect you to be this much of a sore loser. Still, Leonoras presence among us meant that there wasnt anyone left to keep him in check. If she didnt hurry on back, then it might just have been possible that his abdication of the throne to her would become certain the minuted she got back home. I briefly played with the idea of telling Leonora just what her absence entailed, but the realised that the conquest of the Evil God Idol was much more pressing and needed our full attention. So I just deliberately swallowed what I had to say, deciding to keep quiet. My eyes wandered to the third person in line. The blonde young man clad in he most luxurious priestly robes responded to my gaze with an understanding nod mingled with great reverence. My name is Harvin, devout servant of the Divine Lady Anri. I am most humbled to carry the role of Pope to these, the religious lands of Lady Anri the Divine. By her will, I have been instructed to join you in the fray of battle. I specialise in any form of close combat that involves staves. Wile I am incapable of using sorcery, I have received Lady Anris divine protection. There is nothing for me to fear.. Once he had said his piece C amazingly in just a single breath C he decided to affix his gaze to me. For what reason, I couldnt say. His eyes glittered and glowed, almost as if he had high expectations for me. It could just be that he was expecting me to add something to his introduction, just like Id done with Orlaine and Leonora. Well Just what should I say? Hes a little reckless sometimes, so be careful. Just as I was about to question myself whether this was really enough, the Jolly Pope gave a happy nod in my direction. Seriously? He was fine with that? U-Um Mr. Harvin? Did you just say you were the Pope? Having heard his entire introduction, Orlaine couldnt help but pull a totally nonplussed expression as she timidly attempted to prod further. Wait, howd it go again? Orlaine had been pushed around a lot by the Jolly Pope Pardon, I meant to say that shed been assigned a carpentry job for the sake of supervision. Did she really have any questions left to ask him? Oh, thats right. I never did tell you, did I? Indeed, I am none other than the Pope of the Holy Lands of the Divine Lady, Anri. So you never even told them, huh? Orlaines features went beyond stiff. Well, she had just found out that the man she had been talking to with the utmost casualty was actually the head of state. Surprise was unavoidable. And besides, it wasnt exactly easy to grasp that the head of state himself would be working on the construction of a single mansion. Being left completely in the dark until someone decided to shed some light was, again, entirely warranted. While I did feel a twinge of sympathy for her plight, I thought it would be much better for everyone of them to work out the issues between them on their own terms and decided not to interfere. A-And This Lady Anri you keep talking about? Orlaine threw yet another question the Popes way, her eyes flitting to me every now and again. Since she hadnt been properly clued in just yet, it wasnt unthinkable for her to misconstrue what he had said. All the more so when I considered that any kind of explanation had been cut short when theyd been requested to make this building. It wouldnt have been easy to imagine that the deity with the title of an Evil God and I were, while one and the same, entirely different entities. Since he had the habit of addressing me the same way he would address my more divine counterpart, I had to admit that even I tended to become confused. Well, there was nothing else we could do. It was better for me to follow that up. It might be a little hard to understand, since the two of us have the same name But he just means that he received the orders of the deity thats worshipped here. Oh, so thats what he meant Since shed taken it well enough, I decided to move on. The fourth member in line is, of course, the blonde young girl that was my own attendant. Oh, right. Im Tena. Im Lady Anris attendant. I dont have much experience in fighting, but Leonora was kind enough to teach me some Dark Magic. Shes been showing signs of changing cliques. Pardon? Despite my supplementation, Tena cocked her head to the side, not even close to catching on to what I meant. Orlaine, on the other hand, seemed to do just that when she realised just where I was looking. She proceeded to look at Tenas bust with disbelief. With her astoundingly rapid growth, a sort of backlash from the time her growth had been halted when she had been an Apostle, it now appeared that she was well on her way to catching up with Orlaine, despite the latter technically being a few years her senior. Well, there was no catching up. Tena most definitely had the bigger chest. She was nowhere near the same level as Leonoras own monstrous class of endowment, but the fact that she had much room for development was a threat in and of itself. What about me, I hear you ask? Dont bother asking. U-Um? WhaC?! S-Sorry! Nothing, its nothing! Tena, who may or may not have picked up on the red-hot glare directed her way, spoke up with a lost tone that was enough to snap Orlaine back to her senses, whereupon she profusely apologised. It really seemed that the poor girl had some deep-rooted complexes. And finally, theres me. The chairman to this countermeasure meeting. My name is Anri. Im not much good at direct combat either, but I do know how to use Dark Magic. Well, the issue wasnt really that I had no skill in battle. I just never really had the chance to garner any experience in battle just yet. What about your occupation? Hmph. Of course theyd zoom in on that one. Even though Id gone out of my way to omit it by not saying anything. But now that they had asked, I really wasnt sure how to respond. After all, I didnt really have any sort of official occupation, and whatever social status I did have was fuzzy at best. There was no way around it. It was best to answer truthfully. Im dont have one. The stares of those around me grew warm with pity. Well, with all the introductions out of the way, it was about time for us to start the meeting. On top of the round table we all surrounded, I unfurled a map. On that map was a red line that sketched out the route the Evil God Idol would take. The line itself stretched all the way from the central Holy Lands to the far reaches of the continents Northwest, its path forming an ellipse. Currently, the Idol is in the Demon Territories. It should head back here from there, and its more than likely that itll arrive by tomorrow. Paying close attention to my words, the Pope fished a doll about the size of a human palm from his chest pocket and placed it were the Evil God Idol was thought to be. The thought then crossed my mind that I needed to have a word with him later For one thing, I needed to ask him just why hed taken the time to prepare a doll modelled after me. While I was at it, Id probably ask just why he could take it out of his pocket like it was no big deal. I probably had enough questions on my mind to pester him for the better part of an hour. Tomorrows our chance. The day it returns. I want to stop the Idol at all costs. Excuse me, may I? Leonora was the one who asked for the right to speak, her hand raised slightly. What is it, Leonora? Well, on the subject of holding it back Just how do we plan to do that? Can I just assume that were going to destroy it? Thats I object! Destroying an Idol of Lady Anri is nothing short of unspeakable! Just as I was about to give Leonora her answer, a voice emanating from her left cut me short. We really arent in a position to say that, are we?! But, you see A verbal assault broke out between Leonora as she pressed the matter of its destruction and the Pope, who was vehemently opposed to the idea. Orlaines opinion on the matter appeared to be more in line with Leonoras, while Tena just looked as if she was caught in the middle of it all. That was when I couldnt shake the feeling that the percentage of muscle-heads in our group might have been a bit overwhelming. Leonora was, well, a given. And from what little Id seen of Orlaines mannerisms during the recent dungeon conquest, she seemed to be the same type. While I wasnt all too sure if it was right to consider the Popes behaviour to just as meat-headed, he certainly didnt seem to bother with more than superficial planning. Oh no, only Tena was reliable in that regard. What about you, Anri?! What do you think, Lady Anri?! I really wished they wouldnt approach me in stereo like that. But anyways, my opinion on everything was This plan should prioritise capture. Hmph Oh! Everything I expect of you and more, Lady Anri! Leonoras expression was dissatisfied, while the Popes was all smiles and sunshine. But why? Please dont tell me that youre just against destroying the thing. No, thats not it. Theres a much more simple reason. What kind of Simple reason? Tena was the one to raise the question, her head titled to the side. I gave her a nod and responded. Well, just how were you planning on destroying it? With a clump of metal that massive, I strongly doubted that mere mortal hands would be enough to destroy it. Had it been a simple bronze statue, then there wouldnt be an issue. But the fact of the matter was that it had been altered, transfigured into an unknown metal through the blessings it received. While there was no certain way of determining its defensive capability, it was logical enough to assume that it wouldnt, at the very least, be more brittle than it used to be. My piece presented, Leonora and Orlaine let out simultaneous groans upon understanding what I wanted to say. Well I know, why dont we just borrow that Black Dragon again? The dungeon boss? She had a point. Throwing something huge at a huge enemy wasnt a bad train of thought. Unfortunately, it went without saying that it was impossible. Rejected. It might have enough power to shatter it to pieces, but just how much land around them do you think would be burned away? Vuni might have been able to use his breath attack from a high altitude and completely overwhelm the competition, but it was certain that their surroundings would take immense damage. If we were to consider that the Idol would have endurance as massive as its size would allow it to, just how much damage was needed was even harder to picture. You have a point there But wont that mean that capturing it might be just as difficult? I couldnt help but feel weak, hearing that. It was a strong argument. Capturing an Evil God Idol that was already hard enough to destroy was a challenge in a league of its own. Capture Do you mean as in catching it in a huge pit of sorts? Seated beside me, Tena offered her own suggestion. A pit, huh? It was a simple plan, certainly, but it just might have been the most appropriate. As long as were running out of time to prepare, there really isnt much else we can do. The only problem is if we can even make that sort of hole by tomorrow Oh, you can just leave that to me. If I assign a troop of followers to the task, Im sure theyll make it in time. With the pressing issue of time on our minds, being just a tad forceful by sending out waves and waves of people might be the only solution. Adding that to our train of thought, the Popes plan of mobilising the followers was our optimal answer to the issue. Please do that. One more thing. If that plan does fail, then well just resort to full-on destruction. Didnt we just say how thatd be difficult? That much was true, we had just discussed that. But it was always best to have the second best plan as a backup in case the first went awry, wasnt it? Destroying it completely might be out of the question. But if we can manage to, say, hurt its legs and slow its movements, we might lessen the damage. I see. That makes sense. Hm, that settles that. So were agreed? Taking in what I had to say, Leonora turned the Pope, who had until recently been so strongly against the destruction of the Idol. Urgh If Lady Anri says so, then I suppose we dont have a choice. While my suggestion was little more than a supplementary plan, a backup in case the first failed, even he had to concede, albeit with a hint of reluctance. Alright then. Everyone, make your preparations. Of course. I understand. Just leave it to me. Of course, Lady Anri. Volume 3, 7 The Trap Volume 3, Chapter 7 The Trap Here it comes! The Idols coming! I raised my head at Tenas voice. She was right; the shape of the titanic Idol Id seen not too long ago was clearly visible. The way it gradually grew in size made it just as clear that it was drawing closer. Everything going smoothly over there? My question was directed at Leonora, who was stationed right beside me, indulging in the view of the Idol just as I was. The countermeasure we chose to adopt C namely digging a giant hole for it to fall into C was meant to be a means of driving it into a corner, but the truth of the matter was likely not quite up to par. After all our target, despite its mobility, wasnt a simple living creature C it was an Idol. If we couldnt even compare this to shooing some beast until it was cornered and ensnared, we certainly couldnt say that we were hooking ourselves into it and spurring it on. To boil it all down, we were just digging a hole where the Evil God Idols route would move through and waiting for it to draw closer. Naturally, should the Idol decide to veer off course, then we would have dug the entire pit for no good reason and that would be the end of that. That made its trajectory all the more vital. Leonora took some time to mull the situation over, but was eventually able to muster her confidence. She gave me a nod. Yes, its going well. If things go on like this, it should definitely pass through the trap weve set. That was good to hear. If Id heard that the thing had gone off course, my mental state wouldve been drenched with icy sweat. I see. Could you do me a favour and tell him that? Oh, sure. Got it! I asked Orlaine, who was standing right next to me, to go and take up contact with the Pope, who was still in the middle of taking command, directing the progress of the traps construction. She nodded and ran for the area on the opposing side of the approaching Idol, to the area where the pit was being dug. By the way, Lady Anri May I ask a question? What is it? Tena decided to question me while I was still looking at Orlaines retreating figure. Lets say that the Idol does fall into the hole. What do we do then? Come to think of it, while wed already made the decision of capturing it by having it fall into that pit, wed left just about every other aspect vague and fuzzy. Before we could even go further, we had to ask ourselves whether having it fall in would even constitute as a capture. There was no point if it crawled out of there when it did fall in. First of all, no matter how many believers and followers were dispatched to dig the hole, there was a certain limit to how much could be done overnight. In any case, it was unlikely they could dig one of a size that would allow the Idol to just slip in without issue. It could gulp it up to its thighs at best. If we didnt have anyone who could utilise Earth Magic, then it was unlikely we could even get that far. Using my own body as a reference, it was clear to me that any obstruction that reached up to my own things wouldnt be overcome unless I raised my legs by a good portion or tried to use my arms to lift myself out. Since the Idol only seemed to ever move forward, I could imagine it being unable to proceed once it was buried up to its thighs. But I still couldnt count that as an absolute. It was just as possible that the Idol would, upon coming into contact with the pit, would just continue moving forward and destroy it all in the process. For now, well just bury it until it cant get out. That was why we had to have it fill up the hole in a way that would prevent it from escaping. That much should be enough to keep it from moving. But, since the Idols outer appearance was almost a carbon copy of my own, just the thought of that imagery was enough to make me feel off. Right. What do we do after that? I havent given it that much thought, but how about stopping it by looking into the mechanism behind the way it moves? Just what kind of principles did that Idol use to move? The way that clump of metal could walk forward without any real joints was a mystery beyond me. If we could just understand that much, we might become able to put a stop to it without too much of a fuss. If I was going to be honest, I didnt have high hopes for that. What if we cant look into it? I think the only thing we can do then is to destroy it. My reply to Leonoras query is immediate. If we were really unable to figure out how to stop it, then that would be our only option. Lady Anri I wondered if the worry etched into Tenas face was because the Idol looked just like I did. To tell the truth, the cold-blooded destruction of something that shared my looks certainly couldnt be described as a pleasant notion, but there was little I could do about that at this point. And besides, I hadnt put in all that much empathy for the thing. Id live. Well, youre not wrong. That really is our only option. That Pope might have a few things to say about it, though. Then I just have to convince him. Please do that. Also this place isnt safe anymore. While wed been busy with our conversation, the Idol had closed a huge gap between us. It was in a position close enough to make its entire being visible. Since it was quite likely that wed all be crushed under its feet, we decided to retreat. We had to hide close to the hole if we wanted to be sure that the Idol would fall inside. And in case it didnt fall in, then we had to make preparations for battle. Wed gone far out of our way to prepare an ace, but I really didnt want to use it if we didnt have to. Casting one final glance toward the direction of the Idol as it continued to draw closer, I could see that it was surveying its surroundings while walking at its leisure. What? Just then, I felt a draft of unease wash over me. Lady Anri? Hey, whats the matter? We have to get going now or we wont make it. Uh, right. Urged on by both Tena and Leonora, I followed after them as we all retreated to the back, my unease refusing to let up. The hole wed prepared was, admittedly, a bit shoddy. Then again, digging a hole that enormous in a single night and as quickly as possible didnt offer much leeway. The followers hadnt just been up working all night, they had spent the entire night on heavy work well removed from any city. Having come this far in spite of all that, I was nothing but thankful to the entire body of believers present. The top of the pit was covered by countless chopped down trees that had been laid on their side, and it was incredibly easy to deduce that they were covering an entire pit with just a single look. Well, that wasnt quite true. Anyone the size of the Idol would easily notice, but anyone the size of a regular human being wouldnt see much more than trees acting as bridges over a large ditch. To be blunt, this trap would only ever fool an enormous Idol that just moved forward like some sort of automaton. Do you think thisll work? Hidden in a thicket close to the pit and waiting for the Idol to fall inside, Orlaine turned to me and posed a question. There probably wasnt much sense in hiding from a non-living entity like the Idol, but it might have been more of a matter of the mood. Ill certainly be anxious if it doesnt Like Id mentioned earlier, this trap really fool anyone apart from that Idol with its robotic movement. To put a different spin on the subject, it would fall for the trap because it was little more than a mechanically moving Idol. It would be fine. It had to be. The issue now was that no matter what, I just couldnt shake the unease that had come over me earlier. Here it comes. Leonoras voice invited me to look toward the hole, and there I could see the Idol drawing much, much closer. It would only take a few more steps for it to be in a position where it could fall down the hole. The Idol approached slowly, while looking around?! It was looking around?! Even though it wasnt supposed to have any will of its own?! Now that I thought about it, it had been moving in a way that suggested it was taking in its surroundings earlier. That was why Id become so nervous, so uneasy. The first time Id ever seen it, it hadnt even seemed to be aware of its surroundings and had been content to just walk forward. Perhaps it had been in some half-lucid state due to the rather recent blessing it had received, or maybe it had gained sentience later on while it was walking about. That reminded me; there had been an interesting titbit of information included in the description Id seen in the Idols status. While it appears to have no life, it possesses an unimaginable well of intellect. While I hadnt paid much attention to that little aspect in favour of others, the word intellect had definitely been there in writing. That wasnt good. If we assumed that the Idol was capable of rational thought, then everything was going to fall into disarray. Lady Anri! The Idol, its Almost as if it was deliberately trying to cement my fears, the very Idol wed assumed would just move forward and fall into the hole stopped right in front of the pit and observed it, taking a good look at the trap wed set for it. From where it stood, it was more than obvious that it was being vigilant and weary, that it had indeed noticed the hole. We had failed. And to top it all off, Tenas earlier cry called attention to the way its head moved with a metallic screech to fixate on us. Its eyes shouldnt have been functional, and neither should its ears have been. Just what kind of mechanism was this thing operating under? Well, we certainly didnt have the spare time to try and puzzle out the secret behind that. Our first plan, our plan to have it fall into a hole could no longer be executed. Forget the first plan, were moving on to the second. Right. Understood. It cant be helped. Upon my declaration, Leonora, Orlaine, and the Pope darted out of the thickets and moved toward the Idol. Our second plan the plan to destroy the Evil God Idol was about to be put into action. Of course, having them fight on their own while I stood as a spectator on the sidelines just wouldnt do. Although I did have to admit that I personally leaned toward that idea. However, unlike the others that were fighters by nature, Tena and I really didnt have much in the way of battle experience. Charging in to face the Idol with the meagre experience we had was just unfair for everyone, and Id like if if others could grasp that. Tena. R-Right away! I understand! Seeing how nervous Tena was, I was half-tempted to say something to her. But, honestly, I was rather nervous myself. All things considered I was, after all, far less experienced than she was overall. But now that we were pressed with our backs against a wall, telling her that wouldnt do much good. That in mind, we raced toward the hidden ace wed prepared. Some distance behind the thicket wed been hiding in, a large, pitch black armour kneeled on the ground. That was the floor boss of the twelfth level of the dungeon aptly named the Evil Gods Sanctuary, the Anryl Armour. One of two, in fact. Thats right. Enshrined in front of us were two sets of armour, both black as night. Both were forged of orichalcum that had been blessed with divine protection that made them both an incredibly powerful pair of jet black living armour. There was one difference that set the two apart: one had been modelled for male use, while the other was an armour designed for females. The former was the aforementioned floor boss, and the latter was something that had been prepared only recently. The Anryl Armour was a type of armour that could move out of its own accord; it was a monster that would seek out any invaders and eliminate them. However, it also allowed a passenger to board it and pilot it from the inside. Regardless of that, it couldnt be controlled by any average Joe. The only individuals qualified to be passengers were those that were, in some manner, connected to the Evil God. The only ones in this world capable of meeting those qualifications were, I believed, Tena, Myself, Imperial Death, and my divine counterpart. Considering its relations, the Idol that was right in our field of vision was another possible contender, although I very much doubted that it could even enter the armour by virtue of its gigantic frame. That would make it the exception. When Orlaine and the others had gone to conquer the dungeon, Tena had even been instructed to wear the armour to cover them. When that had happened, the results she had reaped were enough to C temporarily C force the incredibly immature dream party of the Demon King, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and the hero into a bit of a dilemma. Also, just by allowing us to cover more ground without having to expose our defenceless bodies, even people who had next to no natural fighting prowess C such as Tena and I C could majorly soften the blows of any opposing forces. Conversely, it might have just made things harder for those people that didengage in battle on a day-to-day basis. Who knew. Lets go. Right! Tena saw that she boarded the male armour C now named Anryl Armour Mark I C as she had already made use of it in the past, while I made sure to slip into the Anryl Armour Mark II. Volume 3, 8 Retreat Volume 3, Chapter 8 Retreat By the time the two Anril Armours Tena and I had boarded reached the place, the fighting hadnt yet begun and both parties were just glaring at each other. No, after a good look, I understood it was just Leonara and Orlaine who were glaring. I couldnt quite understand the Evil God statues expression and the Pope was facing the other way. Sorry for the wait. How is the situation? I asked Leonara, while I was still on Anril Armor 2. It is different from a robot so I have to use magic to talk. You came at last. Its just as it looks. It wont come challenging so we were waiting for you people to come. Leonara answered, while staying cautious of the Evil God statue. Their battle formation consisted of the Pope being at the front line with a spear, Leonara behind him barehanded and Orlaine at the back with the holy bow. Even though Leonara was barehanded, she was in the middle because she could use magic. As one would expect, the doll occupying her hand was a hindrance so I put it into the item box for the time being. Although I do think it is only a matter of time till it slips out. And beside them, two Anril Armors took stance. I was on the left and Tena was on the right. The Anril Armor sure is huge when compared to humans or demons but the Evil God statue was even larger. Anril Armors height was at best upto the Evil God statues knees, so we were having to look up. I dont think we will be able to finish it off but lets focus our attacks on the legs to weaken its movement. Ah, got it. Leave it to us! Yes, Anri-sama. . Hm? There was no response from the Pope, who was at the front line. Thats rare. I wonder if he couldnt hear because he was concentrating too much on the statue. And so when I look towards him, I find him trembling for some reason. He didnt really look like it but was he perhaps afraid of the battle? If so then I feel sorry for dragging him into all this. I-I will Seeing his usual happy go lucky mood disappear and him trying to say something even while trembling, the feeling of guilt inside me kept growing. He doesnt look like he will able to fight at all. If he goes into battle like this, he will either be injured right away or even die. Fortunately, the Evil God statue still hadnt moved. It would be better to remove him from battle now. And just when I tried talking to him about it, he looked greatly perplexed. As I thought, I cant do it! I cant possibly attack Anri-sama! I was an idiot for worrying. I felt like even the heartless Evil God statue looked dumbfounded. Either way, it doesnt seem like he will be of any use. Giving up hope on him, I extended Anril Armors hand and grabbed his back. ? Anri-sama? In response to his dubious expression, I just briefly said. Off you go. Howaaaaaaaaa?!! He went flying towards the bush where we were hiding a while ago, producing a doppler effect of sound as he exited the battle. Oi oi. Y-youre quite rash. He cant fight, so he will only be a hindrance. And in reality, he would just get hurt if he stayed here without fighting. Or rather, in his case, worst case scenario, he might even assist the Evil God statue. Well, of course he probably wouldnt do that as long as I am here but its scary how I cant be completely sure. W-well, lets switch gears and attack! Perhaps it reacted to Leonaras voice, or the Pope flying back, I cant be certain of what but, the Evil God statue, which was still up till now, started closing in with his hands in front. Look out! We instantly went into attack stance as Orlaine warned. I controlled the right arm of the Anril Armor and Tena controlled the left. We matched the big shields on each hand and stopped the Evil God statues hand. Along with the high-pitched noise which came with the two metals colliding, we felt the terrifyingly huge pressure on the Anril Armors shield. As expected from its size, its weights force was also dreadful. A-Anri-sama! Endure it! I replied briefly. And in reality, if this went on, it was only a matter of time till we get crushed but I am sure the other two will make their move now. Yes! As if to answer to my hopes, several light arrows came flying from behind. Orlaine was supporting us from behind. All the arrows hit the statue on the head. But it doesnt seem like it dealt any damage. It doesnt work, eh Seems like her arrows arent enough to pierce the Evil God statues defense. If it was a living creature, we would have the option of aiming for the eyes but since it is completely made of metal, that was also not possible. But, this is fine. Although it did little damage, it was able to divert the statues attention elsewhere making other parts defenseless. I also felt the pressure on the shield decreasing and, above all, it didnt notice her stepping into range. Eat this! Leonara striked the Evil God statue with all her strength and dark magic on her fists. It made a resounding chime noise and the statue lost balance for a moment and stumbled a few steps back. Ouch! Having landed a direct hit on the statue, Leonaras face distorted and she grasped her hand. Seems like she hurt her hand in the process. Well, I guess that would happen when you punch someone all metal. It looks Leonaras attack didnt deal much damage but judging from how it broke the statues stance, it surely didnt deal no damage at all. Sorry, I probably wont be able to use it that much. Dont overexert yourself, Leonara-san. Much? She shouldnt be fighting with bare hands anymore. Just as Tena said, she shouldnt overexert herself. But if we do that, our method of attack Or so while I was thinking, I realized the existence of a certain thing. Right, if that is And so, I immediately thought of bringing out the item box. My item box is my own shadow, so while I was wondering where it would appear in this case, it came out of the Anril Armors shadow. Very convenient. I caught the thing which popped out from the shadow with two fingers of the Anril Armor and threw it to Leonara. Leonara, take this. ?! Th-this, fathers?! Leonara beautifully caught the thing with both hands and wore a surprised expression. Thats right. The thing I brought out was the demon sword her father, the demon lord, had used when conquering the dungeon. I dont know to what extent the fist warrior Leonara can use it but I hear this sword is passed down from demon lord to demon lord. Surely Leonara has the aptitude to use it as she will be the next demon lord. Having received the sword, Leonara took her stance, gripping the sword with both her hands. That form was so gallant that she seemed like a knight. Feel like you can do it? Leave it to me. I smiled at her reliable words and faced the Evil God statue once again with the Anril Armor. Leonaras attacks, now with the magic sword, were much stronger than when she was bare-handed and was now definitely causing damage to the statue. Tena and I also switched from defense to offense when we could. All four of us were concentrating our attacks on its feet. Our battle formation was appropriate and our tactics were also working. But in spite of that, defeat was surely crawling on to us. Haahaaa It it still doesnt fall? Our cause of defeat was that we misjudged the statues resistance. Of course, we could tell that it was very tough from its appearance and from the materials used to make it and, for that reason, we werent even trying to destroy it from the start. We thought it would at least be possible to make it immobile. But it was way tougher than we had thought. On top of that toughness, because the statue didnt wear out, its movements barely changed from the beginning. On the other hand, it wasnt the same for us. Tena and I were riding the Anril Armour so we were still better off. We hadnt even exhausted our mana yet. But Leonara and Orlaine were exhausted. Leonara, who was swinging a greatsword at the front line, was visibly tired. On top of using a weapon she wasnt used to, she wasnt even allowed to show the slightest of negligence. She was standing with willpower alone at this point. Orlaine was also intensely exhausted. The cause was her weapon. As her holy bow only needed light mana as arrows to shoot, she could keep firing without worrying about her ammo. However, obviously, each arrow would drain her mana. And as she was barraging the statue with arrows, her mana was drained real quick. As she had fought as the hero before as well, she was more than able to pace herself through a battle but since the opponent now was stronger than we had expected, she had to go all out from the start. Ah It looked like the fatigue had finally got Leonara she tripped over and lost her balance. She barely stopped herself from falling by thrusting the demon sword into the ground but under these circumstances, something like that would be fatal. Ah-ah, no Leonara! Leonara-san! Run! Either the Evil God statue was waiting for her to be exhausted or it was just pure coincidence, but it extended its arms and grabbed Leonara. The statue itself was huge so its hands were also huge. Leonara was completely unable to move, with only her head visible above the hand. All four of us would not be able to block the statues next attack. .But, nothing happened. When I looked towards the statue, I found it gripping Leonara and then slowly loosening up again. Even then, it didnt feel like it was trying to crush her because she was fine. The statues actions felt as if it was trying to get a feel of touch. Being unable to do anything about it, we just held our breath and watched. Without paying us any heed, the statue went on to poke Leonara on her chest with its right hand. Ah-waiCwhat are you doing?! Hey! St-stop! Stop itt!! In reaction to this absolutely unexpected action, Leonara kept shouting as her face turned red. Of course, it didnt comply to her requests. Nevertheless, why is the statue sexually harassing Leonara like that? I dont think the statue has such desires and even if it did, I would like it to stop doing it with that appearance. After doing that for a while, the statue now tried to touch its own chest. But naturally, it wouldnt shake. No, wait. Its metal so of course it wouldnt shake, no matter who the model of the statue is. Its definitely not my fault. Also, considering just bust size, as the statue was enourmous, its bust size was also more than Leonaras. However, it looks like that such a consolation didnt reach the statue as it threw Leonara and fell to its knees with both hands on the ground. I do kinda understand why it would feel depressed but this is our chance. As fighting any longer would just end in our defeat, we should take this chance to escape. I caught Leonara and picked up the demon sword from the ground and instructed Tena to get Orlaine. Retreat. Tena, grab Orlaine and lets run. Y-yes! Got it! And like this, first contact with the Evil God statue closed its curtains with us retreating. Volume 3, 9 Countermeasure Meeting, once again Volume 3, Chapter 9 Countermeasure Meeting, once again A day has passed since we retreated from the fight with the Evil God statue. There are many things that need to be done, such as revising the plan but for now Punishment time. Aahhhhh, I am sorryyy! I was punishing the pope as he lost his will to fight right in front of the enemy, but it didnt feel like it was working. I tried sitting on top of him while making him sit in seiza position. By the way, Tena and I had retreated with Leonara and Orlaine with us but we had completely forgotten about him. I had finally realized when he reached and thought to myself that I had done it this time but it was too late. Well, fortunately enough, the person concerned doesnt seem to be that affected after being left behind but it does feel a little awkward. And as such, I couldnt really strongly blame him for losing his will to fight at the beginning. Well, even then, when he blurts out something like he couldnt attack the statue because it looked like me, I couldnt help but blush a little and couldnt question him further. Stop messing around and lets begin the meeting already. Leonara told me with astounded eyes while I was sitting on the pope. Its not like I am fooling around Well, it doesnt seem like the punishment is working and I cant be doing this forever either so I stood up and sat down on the chair. Done with your punishment. B-but Why do you sound sad? Just hurry up and sit properly. As I urged him, he disappointedly sat down on the chair. First, lets start by reflecting on how we could have done better. Right. Evaluation, eh? Ummm What should we reflect on? You should reflect on everything. Well, leaving the pope aside for the time being, we should be reflecting most on the fact that we couldnt comprehend beforehand that the Evil God statue has intellect. Due to that, the pithole plan went to waste. Never thought the Evil God would be that smart. Certainly. I had completely thought it was something like a golem but it seems like I was too naive. Intellect it also seemed like it had feelings too. Sure did. It kinda got depressed at the end there too Remembering from Tenas words, I unconsciously ended up turning towards Leonara, who was the cause of it. Leonara, who was sitting to my left, was also looking at the weapon with shining eyes, as it made even the Evil God depressed. W-what?! Certainly, that isC A deadly weapon. A-ahaha. Unlike Leonara and me, who were glaring at each other, Tena just wore a bitter smile. Also, another point is that it was way tougher than we imagined. That was completely unexpected. Even if we were to battle, I had thought we could at least render it unable walk but we werent able to do anything, even with the 4 of us. Although the pope wasnt in battle the whole time, I doubt it would have made a difference even if he was. Seriously. I didnt think it would be that tough. Leonara said, rubbing her hands. The injuries she had received on her fist during the fight with the statue had already been healed by magic, but she could still remember the pain she had felt then. It also took my all just to divert its attention. That cant be helped. Orlaine was self-deprecating but Tena consoled her. And in fact, her diversions really helped so I also agree with Tena. I guess it wouldnt be an exaggeration to say its befitting of a Gods statue. Amazing, as expected of Anri-sama. This person is really happy for some reason. Is it okay if I smacked him? No, he might just like it so I guess I shall not. But the problem of deciding what we should do now. To be honest, I think it will always end like this if we challenged it at this rate. That is true. At the very least, we cant hope to win without increasing our fighting strength. It is certainly as the two had stated but I dont think it would do any good if we were to add half-hearted strength. For example, even if the knights squad were here, I cant imagine an outcome other than them getting annihilated in a moment. Just like we borrowed the anril armour, we could borrow the Beni or Imperial Death. However, if we were to do that, we couldnt avoid damage to the surroundings. It is a different case inside a dungeon, but we cant really have a monster fight on the surface. We are blocked in every direction. We dont have any means to defeat it, eh? This is troubling. What shall we do? Hmmm. It seems Leonara and the others couldnt come up with a good plan either. They were all sighing. Except the pope, who said this is troubling but doesnt look the slightest bit troubled. For the time being, just tell me about the statues actions after that. Understood. It wouldnt do us any good if we just keep on worrying like this so I decided to organize the information of what the statue did after the fight that day. After bowing respectfully, the pope started explaining by drawing symbols on the map on top of the round table. The pitfall trap we used is here. After that, the statue started moving towards the east. East thats the humans area. However, it seems that its progress is slow. Compared to the time it first started walking towards the east from this country, its speed is about one-third now. He said while drawing up the path the statue followed. That is true, in contrast with its movement before, its speed is exceptionally slow now and it somewhat feels like it is going left and right for no reason. Is it because of the damage from the last battle? Leonara asked. If it is due to the damage we inflicted on its leg during that fight, then, even though we fled, we achieved something. It would even be worthwhile for her to have fought to the point of damaging her hands. However, such hopes were cut off. No, as the speed its going at itself hasnt changed, that probably isnt the case. If the speed hasnt decreased, how is its progress slow? That is because it is sometimes lying around, sometimes going offroad after being distracted the time its spending walking itself has decreased. I see, if thats the case, then it explains how the progression speed is slow even though its walking speed hasnt decreased. In short, it has started procrastinating. It somehow feels like its actions have become very human-like compared to what we heard at first. That is true. Compared to before, when it kept progressing without paying heed to its surroundings, its actions now have turned very human-like. Rather than human-like Tena? I asked as Tena looked like she had realized something. I have no idea where we might find a breakthrough so I just want more info now. No, just that, it is more like Anri-sama now. Whaaaat?! To think Tena thought of me like that That is upsetting. I am not that lazy or so I would like to speak out but as Tena and the others know I had stayed indoors for close to a year, I shouldnt try to refute carelessly. I might bring unnecessary trouble to myself that way. I see, it does seem exactly like her. A-ahaha. For some reason, Leonara looked at me with scornful eyes. Tena gave a strained laugh, hearing her mutter. I see! And here, for some reason, Orlaine was really accepting the fact while looking at my breasts. I can mostly guess what she is thinking but let me just say this. I dont want to hear that from you. Hmm, Anri-samas statue and Anri-sama there might be some kind of a connection. Connection, eh? Although I dont really want to admit, I couldnt help but think that the evil god statues actions were being influenced by me. It looks exactly like me and since I had also bestowed my divine protection upon it so ah. What is it? Did you realize something? Wait a bit. Leonara came asking me but I need to sort things out in my head first. It seemed as if they were able to guess, as they were silently waiting for me to speak up. I remembered this one thing from the word- connection. The retainer symbol which came up on the statues forehead. Could it be that thats affecting it in some way? Tena. Y-yes? I told Tena about my speculations and asked her if she knew something about the symbol. Umm, I cant really say anything clearly but I think I know what you mean. Either way, it seems like we do have a connection through the symbol somehow. If so, then the fact that the statues actions are now becoming really close to mine must also be its effect. Although it seems like the statue is being far more influenced by it than Tena, it is also true that the statue doesnt have a self, while Tena does. In fact, it would be weird if there was no difference in the influence. As I explain my deduction to them, Leonara and the others nodded solemnly. I see, it certainly seems plausible. Right. It would be difficult to get positive proof, though. So this symbol had such an effect, huh? Hmm, hmm, I wonder if its like this For the time being, theres definitely no point in drawing the same shape on your forehead so you can stop, pope. Well, if that is actually the case, will it be a breakthrough or something? Wouldnt it be easier to come up with counter measures if we can understand its action pattern? But, even if you say action pattern, thats not its fighting action pattern. Even if that statue is lazy like Anri-sama, will that be of any use while fighting it? Wait, I feel like I was criticized quite casually just now. That is true, it might not be that helpful in fights. Ah, but Tena, did you get something? If there was something Anri-sama likes, we might be able to lead the statue with it? Thats it! Eh? Leonara shouted the moment she heard Tena speak. I wonder if they thought up of a good plan or something. We will bait it with Anris favourite things. Trap, eh. Again a pitfall No, we have already tried it once so it might be able to escape it. Yeah. Theres no way it will get caught in that obvious pitfall. We need a pitfall with more stealth and ability to seal off that statue. If we were to seal it, it would be best to use a sealing barrier. It falls in the light magic territory so I will try asking the holy goddess through the holy bow. Counting on you. The talk kept progressing between Orlaine and Leonara but Tena, the pope and I were left behind. I understand why you plan on chasing it to the sealing barrier but what do you plan on using to bait it? As I asked, Leonara answered full of confidence. However, I was kinda worried about the plan. Will that thing really be able to draw the statue in? Will that thing really work? It will be fine, it will definitely work. I would feel kinda complicated even if it did, though. .I understand, thank you very much! Orlaine said while talking to someone with the holy bow. She probably received revelation from Sofia. Did you understand anything? Yes. She gave me a sealing magic which would even work on that statue. However, if we are expecting to seal it completely, it would be better to gather the holy sword and the holy spear, as well. If Sofia said it would work then it probably will. She is the light god, for what its worth. All the holy weapons are here so thats fine. Alright, then thats fine for the trap. All thats left is the thing to draw the statue in. I shall take care of that. It would be quite difficult to replicate it materialistically, but I think I can do it if its just the outward appearance. That will be enough. Then I will leave that to you. And like this, the second plan against the evil god statue had begun. It doesnt really matter but it seems like Leonara completely took hold of the operation, even though I was the leader. Volume 3, 10 The important things Volume 3, Chapter 10 The important things I have heard people say money isnt everything or that there are things money cant buy. I dont really have any objections regarding that matter. There are many things money cant buy-like the bond with a special person, good health, life, etc. I think there is no lie in that. However, I also think this at the same time. That thats not everything and even if there are things money cant buy, money is definitely important. You cant buy lives with money but you would end up starving to death if you cant buy food to eat. You cant buy good health but you do need money to live a healthy life. You cant buy a connection with your special someone but you might end up separating because of a loan or something. Even if there are things other than money which are important, that doesnt mean one shouldnt value money. Yes, its just that I properly understand the value of money. There are times when I feel like Sofia, Amber, Leonara and the others think I am a miser or something but I firmly object to that. Its not like I have fun saving money or anything and I actually do use it properly when I need to. Obviously, I do think it is better to have more than less but I am sure there are others who also think so. I took away money and weapons from adventurers who dropped out of the dungeon? It wouldnt be weird if they had lost their lives in other dungeons so this is a small price to pay, it wouldnt even be an exaggeration to say that this is even being generous. I took entry fee from dungeon challengers? Compared to the nobles and royalties who take fine for every little thing, what is wrong with me taking a little fine from people entering my territory? I endorsed a business to take money from adventurers who visit the country? Its the countrys strategy to acquire foreign currency. In my opinion, Leonara and the others are off the point when the matter is related to money. Even still, I guess that isnt anything surprising either. Sofia and Amber are Gods so they dont really carry money neither do they use them. Leonara is a royalty so she probably never felt a shortage of money. I dont really know much about Orlaine but it seems like the Pope is a noble by origin too. Lily and Tena might be the only ones who agree with me. Either way, I know the value of money like anyone else and dont think there is any need to be ashamed of it. And so Its not really my fault that the Evil God statue is happily being lured in by gold coins and I want to express my dissatisfaction towards Leonara and the others looking at me dumbfoundedly now. This is that thing? These are the gold coins we will offer to the Evil God statue. The Pope handed out the gold coins. But the size of those coins were greatly different from normal ones. They were as big as my waist. Of course, they were specially made just for this operation. Counterfeit money? No, while I dont really know properly about the rules of this world, people probably wont mistake seeing a coin sized this differently so these cannot be called counterfeit money. It was too big to carry with one hand so I took them with both my hands but it was still profoundly heavy. Heavy. No, rather its light. It wouldnt be this light if it was made completely with gold. I guess thats true. Just as Leonara said, its not like these special coins were all made with gold. If we tried doing that, we would fall short on gold no matter how much we had. The shape was made with iron and gold was wrapped around it. Gilding, in short. We had them made in a hurry and as this worlds techniques arent that developed, there are some crude edges to it which cant be helped. And besides, it looks crude because of how big it is but if it were of the normal size, it probably wouldnt look as bad. Also, considering the Evil God statue, I think theres no need to worry about it. However, in the first place You really think we can lure that statue with this? Leonaras idea was to lure the statue into the sealing magic circle with these specially-made coins. We decided on making the sealing place be the pedestal the statue was originally on as it was just of the perfect size and the magic would work better with it. However, as the pedestal was close to the city, we would have the residents evacuate while executing the plan. As the statue was loitering around the human territory near the city, we put the coins at regular intervals leading to the pedestal and waited. But this all depended on the statue taking an interest in the coins. If it were to ignore the coins, the plan would be foiled and even if it did take an interest, the plan would also fail if it notices the trap. To be honest, I cant understand Leonaras confidence in this plan. If that statues movement pattern is based on you then it will go according to plan. Why? Why? Well, if there were gold coins lying on the ground, you would definitely pick them up, right? Thats rude. Even if its me, I wouldnt go picking up coins which are on the ground That You cant deny it, can you? I guess I can not deny it completely. I would probably pick it up out of interest. No, no, wait. I was about to get coaxed up by Leonara there. That should be true for everyone. Anyone would pick up coins if they were on the ground. I cant completely deny it but anyone would pick it up. Is that so? Well, even if it is, there should be no problem. Either way, if you were to pick it up, the statue would too. I feel like I am being deceived somehow. Anyhow, we cant go back now. Lets believe it is going to work and get on with it. Got it. That is true, now that weve come this far, theres no point in complaining. Its not like there are better plans anyway. The Pope, Leonara and I were in charge of setting up the coins. Orlaine was preparing the sealing magic circle and Tena was helping her. Even still, these coins are heavy. We have divided the work between the three of us but its still heavy labour. Heavy. Dont complain, hurry. We have to set it up before the statue gets here. I know. I kept setting them up while complaining. And, after setting them all up, I realized something. Couldnt I have just carried them with the item box instead of my hands? . I will pretend I didnt notice. Anri-san! Anri-sama. Mm? I looked towards the source of the voice to find Orlaine and Tena running towards me. Looks like they are done with the sealing circle. Are you done with your part? Yes, the magic circle is ready. We are ready to go anytime. Alright, our preparation is perfect. Just as Leonara said, our preparations are complete with this. All thats left is to wait for the statues arrival. We decided to take a short breather till the statue came. So, how does the sealing in the sealing magic work exactly? Although we had heard about the sealing magic, as no one among us knew about the details of the magic except Orlaine, I decided to ask her about it. When I imagine something being sealed, I normally think of it being trapped in a stone monument or being petrified. Ah, yes. It would be fine if you were to imagine something like a light barrier taking away energy from everything evil. If all goes well, it will turn back into a bronze statue like before. Orlaine told us about the details of the sealing magic she heard from Sofia. A barrier which takes away energy, eh? Scary stuff. Mm? Barrier? As I was bothered by that word, I tried recalling events from over a year ago. If I remember correctly, it was the day after I had come to this world, when I went to the Riemer citys church to get them to remove the curse of the robe and the dagger. I remember destroying the invisible barrier after poking it a bit. If that thing covering the church was some sort of barrier, then wouldnt I also fall in the evil category this light barrier seals? No, theres no doubt I would. Alright, I should be careful not to enter the magic circle. Although I didnt plan on entering in the first place. Tena, dont enter the magic circle, alright? Eh? Ah, yes. Got it. I would obviously fall into the category of evil being the Evil God so my retainers should also fall into the same category. It would be better not to go near it. There it is, just as expected. Leonara informed us, while we were taking a break after finishing the preparations. As we looked towards that way, the Evil God statue could be seen. This would be our third meeting. And hopefully our last as well. Lets hide. Got it. As we already know that the Evil God statue has intelligence, if it sees us, it might realize that theres a trap and not get close. And as such, the five of us hid ourselves behind a grove of trees nearby and observed the situation. The statue was staggering. It somehow feels unreliableCvastly different from its machine-like movements before. I wonder if I look like that while walking It slowly came close and noticed the extra large coin and stiffened. . . . . . As we were observing, holding our breath, the statue looked around restlessly. ? What is it doing? After surveying its surroundings, the statue slowly went close to the coin and quickly picked it up. It looked like the statue had a guilty conscience. Anri, you Its not me. Leonaras scornful eyes hurt. It picking the coins up is according to the plan but the way it did it Like I said, thats not me. Even though we only got to know each other recently, I feel like Orlaines impression of me decreased quite a bit. Anri-sama Please listen to me. To think even Tena would think like that. If you wish for gold coins, I could prepare them as much as you like. That is That is a very attractive suggestion but I feel like I will fail as a person if I do that so I held myself back tearfully. Not to mention that I am quite failing as a person already. As we were doing that skit, the statue noticed the next coin and wearily went towards it and picked it up. And after having moved that far, it noticed the next one and went on progressing. And like that, it slowly kept moving towards the pedestal. Although it was wary of its surroundings at first, halfway through, it just kept picking up the coins without paying any heed to the surrounding. Ah, this is bad. If it keeps going forward like this, we wont be able to activate the sealing magic. We have to arrive there before it. Thats right, lets hurry. It seems like the sealing magic doesnt activate automatically and Orlaine needs to do it when the target is in the circle. As such, we needed to be there before the statue reached. After all the trouble we went through to get it to the circle, it would be meaningless if it were to run away before we even activate the magic. Although the statue doesnt seem to be moving that fast at first glance, it actually was advancing quite fast because of its size. Lets run! Leonara urged. We started to run towards the pedestal. It might be a bit late to think this but wouldnt it have been better to standby somewhere closer to the pedestal? If we had, we wouldnt have had to panic like this. Dont make a hikikomori run like this. It seems like we might somehow make it there before the statue. It would be troubling otherwise. Fortunately, the coins werent set up as a straight line to the pedestal. It felt like we would reach there first as the statue was taking a detour to collect the coins. Alright, we made it! Quick, get to your positions! On the pedestal the statue was standing on yesterday, a magic circle was drawn. The holy sword, spear and arrow was put in such a way that they made an equilateral triangle. As the holy weapons were glowing brightly after receiving the divine protection of the light God Sofia, it looked like the perfect catalyst for the magic. Leonara, Pope and Orlaine picked up a weapon each and took on the responsibility to seal it while Tena and I got on the Anril armour to stop the statue from leaving the circle. However, there was a fear of the statue running away if it saw us so we decided to stay hidden until it came on top of the circle to pick up the last coin. And so, just as we hid ourselves, the Evil God statue appeared with a mountain of extra large gold coins. Volume 3, 11 Seal Volume 3, Chapter 11 Seal The Evil God Statue carried a pile of the large golden coins tightly with her left arm against her, and continued to walk towards the magical circle of sealing, all the while picking up more of the large golden coins. The five of us were waiting at separate positions in order to surround the Evil God Statue as soon as it entered the magical circle. I myself was in the Anryl Armour Mark II, further off in the direction that the Evil God Statue was headed. I lowered my head as I hid in the shadows of a house on the right side. Five coins left. Just on the other side of the magic circle, I could see that Tena was riding the Anryl Armour Mark I and waiting just like me. As I was not looking at her in the flesh, I could not make out her facial expressions, but I am sure she was holding her breath with nervousness. Four coins left. From the left side of where I was looking, Leonora held her holy sword while she stayed hidden. Now that I think of it, there was an irony that Leonora, who was the Demon Lords daughter and future Demon Lord, was using such a holy weapon that was originally supposed to be used against Demon Lords. Three coins left. Far to the left, Pope was standing with the holy lance in hand. Wait, why is she standing so confidently!? You have to hide. I hurriedly gave the signal to hide with my hands, and she reluctantly did so. Two coins left. To my right, past the direction that the Evil God Statue was headed, was Orlaine, who had perhaps the most important task for this operation. She carried her holy bow with her as she hid under cover. She was the only one within our group who could use light magic, and it was also she who had been given seal magic from Sofia. So of course, she would be responsible for operating the sealing magic. One coin left. The Evil God Statue had now collected all of the extra large golden coins that had been set around the outer rim of the magical circle, and now she began to climb back to the pedestal she had been standing on. The last remaining coin was of course, in the center of the magical circle. I was worried that she would recognize it as a trap as soon as she saw the magical circle, but perhaps because her vision was blurred by the gold coins, or she plainly did not under understand what it was, the Evil God Statue did not show any signs of being cautious. She continued on to the last large golden coin. As soon as the Evil God Statue picked up the last golden coin, we would be able to surround her, Orlaine would activate the sealing magic and this whole thing would be settled. However, the timing was very important for this. If we jump out too early, the Evil God Statue would notice the change before she reached the center of the magical circle, and there was a risk that she would run away. But if our timing was too slow, there was a risk that she would step out of the magic circle before the sealing magic could activate. It was decided that I would be responsible for determining this incredibly important timing. I raised the right arm of the Anryl Armour and waited for that moment. The Evil God Statue was walking towards the center of the magical circle Still too early. It was almost in the center Just a little more. Just as she began to reach out her hand to pick up the last large golden coin Now! As I swung the right hand of the Anryl Armour downwards, Orlaine, Leonora, and Pope all jumped out of their hiding places. They all stood at their designated positions around the magical circle and raised their holy weapons high above their heads. At the same time, I and Tena also ran as close as we could towards the magical circle, we stood ready in order to deal with whatever action the Evil God Statue decided to take. .? It was as if the Evil God Statue who had been distracted by the golden coins, finally realized that something was amiss as we reached the spot. There was an expression of confusion as she looked around at us as we surrounded her. However, it seemed that she had not yet realized it was a trap, she made no indications that she was attempting to leave the spot. Which was just perfect for us. I pointed the face of the Anryl Armour that I was controlling towards Orlaine, she nodded and stood ready. Here I go! Orlaine began to chant, the magical circle that had been drawn on the pedestal began to emit a bright light, a semi-transparent wall of light then appeared as if tracing the lines of the magical circle. Only the Evil God Statue was within that wall of light. Orlaine, Leonora, and Pope stood just outside of the circle, the Anryl Armours that I and Tena were controlling were outside of the wall. ..!? The Evil God Statue had still not comprehended what was happening. I could not read her expression as she was a statue, but I could still sense a feeling of surprise in her. If at that moment, the Evil God Statue had quickly grasped the situation and gone toward Orlaine who was the key to the sealing magic, -or to be precise, the holy weapons that she wielded- she could have disposed of the weapon and might have been able to run away from here. However, she could not react to it. Afterall, even if my patterns of movement are influencing it, it had only just recently gained a will of its own, it still greatly lacked the ability to make decisions in unpredictable situations. And that slowness to react would prove to be fatal. The seal magic robbed the Evil God Statue of energy, making her movements sluggish. Due to her slowness to react, the Evil God Statue now lost her ability to move and could no longer escape. It was as if some kind of pressure was being forced onto her, and I could see that she was desperately fighting it even as she nearly fell to the ground. In a way, it was impressive that in spite of all that, she was still tightly holding onto the gathered golden coins without dropping any. But there was still no room us to relax, as the ones using the sealing magic. Ah, its heavy. This will take its toll. Gg.uh. The power of the Evil God Statue was immense, an invisible tug of war was being waged between her and the sealing magic. The situation was so dangerous, that even a little slip could cause the spell to be broken. The three of them were being affected by the Evil God Statues retaliations as they raised their holy weapons, but they desperately bore the pressure. Orlaine, as the caster had an especially heavy burden, greasy sweat dripped down as she growled and attempted to maintain the spell. The invisible battle continued for quite some time, but finally, the scales began to tip in our favor. Perhaps it was because the Evil God Statue could bear it no more, but the large gold coins that she had so preciously clung onto until now began to slip and fall as she thrashed about as if in pain. We can do it, just a little bit more! Yes, yes! Orlaine replied to Leonoras encouragement as sweat dripped down her face. Im so sorry, Anri On the other hand, Pope was looking at the pained Evil God Statue and crying sorrowfully. It seemed like she alone wasnt struggling as much. Also, that thing is not me. The Evil God Statue had had her movements slowed down greatly, but she had still been trying to escape from the magical circle. Now it seemed like she could no longer even stand, both of her knees dropped to the floor of the pedestal and she stopped moving. If she did try to escape from the circle, it would have been in the direction that I was waiting, where I had set the Anryl Armour in order to intercept her, but it looks like I wouldnt have to worry about that anymore. The now motionless Evil God Statue was sitting down right in front of me. Now and again she would move as if struggling, but those movements became smaller and smaller. It was like seeing her in her death throes. Before I knew it, I was completely absorbed by the sight of the Evil God Statue that I was viewing through the Anryl Armour I was controlling. How she struggled to somehow remove herself from the sudden disaster that befell her, but not being able to and weakening. It would be a lie if I said that I felt nothing. Should we really continue to have her sealed Thinking back, it was not as if the Evil God Statue had had any ill intentions. She may have caused chaos to rain down on the surrounding countries, but that was the results, not her intentions. It was my mistake that granted her divine protection, implanted her with a will. She had just wandered around, not being able to understand her surroundings. Even the last time when we set the pitfall and attacked her, all she did was to sporadically fight back. Ah. As if realizing that I was looking at her, the fallen Evil God Statue began to stare right back at me. It was like she was asking me for help or maybe saying her farewells. ! There was something rising up within me that would not allow me to stay still any longer, and I got out of the Anryl Armour that I was in. Anri, what are you!? I understood it in my head. The Evil God Statue had already brought chaos to the humans and mazoku, her existence and potential danger were already recognized far and wide. Helping her now would only mean that I would be carrying an extra burden, if things went wrong I might even end up hurting the Thearchy. No, I would definitely be hurting it. Sealing it away right now would be the smart decision. I know that very well. Even so, I could no longer believe that sealing the Evil God Statue like this was the right decision. I impulsively reached out my hand towards the wall of light between me and the Evil God Statue that was created by the sealing magic. Of course, as the magic was meant to seal away evil, this was an incredibly dangerous action. If I made a mistake, I could end up being sealed away myself. But, somehow my instincts were telling me that this seal magic was not that dangerous. Even being this close, I do not feel afraid. It may be stronger than the barrier that was cast around the church in Riemel, but it was still not something strong enough to seal me. And as if to confirm this feeling, the surface of the wall of light that my fingers touched began to crack. While I felt power try to push me back in retaliation, it too, was not particularly strong. I determined that the magic in front of me was not something that I needed to be cautious of, and I boldly swung my right hand in a cutting motion. In an instant, cracks began to spread all over the wall of light, and after a short time lag, it burst like a balloon. The scattered light fell down like sparks, dancing before they disappeared. Like countless fireflies flying, it was a fantastical sight to see. At the same time that the wall of light went away, the glowing magical circle that had been on the pedestal also disappeared. And then I directly faced the Evil God Statue that sat crumbled and frozen on the pedestal where the magic circle had been. Anri!? Get away from there! Hurry up and run! As the sealing magic was gone, there was nothing between me and the Evil God Statue. On top of that, since I was no longer inside of the Anryl Armour, I was completely exposed. If the Evil God Statue wanted to, she could easily crush me. Perhaps they understood this too because Tena raised her voice like a scream, but I calmed her with a raise of my hand. This Evil God Statue in front of me would not harm me, I dont know why, but I believed it. I took one step forward and looked up at the Evil God Statue. Even though she was in a sitting position, her face still reached high above me. As we stared at one another, I began to talk in order to persuade her. If you can understand what I am saying, raise your right hand. That had been a gamble. If the Evil God Statue did not understand me, then there would be nothing that I could do. However, I had a certain conviction that I would be understood. As I and the statue faced each other like this, I was once again hit with the feeling that there was a special connection between us. This was likely related to the bloodkin symbol that was on the statues forehead. Even if it could not understand the words themselves, as long as there was a connection through the bloodkin symbol on her forehead, then my will should reach her. That is what I thought when I said the words, and the Evil God Statue now raised her right hand in reply. Wha!? It, it understood!? Leonora and the others had expressions of shock. In truth, none of our interactions up until this point had indicated that we would be able to have a mutual understanding, so their shock was to be expected. Even I wouldnt have believed that it was possible if I didnt know that my own patterns of movement were being reflected. If you will promise, upon hearing what I say, that you will not cause any inconveniences to the people around you, we will not hurt you any further. Raise your right hand if you understand. The Evil God Statue looked at me without moving for a short moment, eventually, it raised its right hand. Leonora and the others had stopped talking, they held their breaths and watched as I negotiated with the Evil God Statue. You will not hurt anyone other than in self-defense. The Evil God Statue raised its hand without hesitation. It seemed that it was an easily accepted condition. You will stay in a designated area, you will not leave it without permission. This time it did not react quickly, but after a while, it slowly raised its hand. The reaction made it obvious that it had reluctantly accepted this condition; it may be necessary to follow up on this later. You will obey me when I give an order. The hand immediately went up. The third condition was accepted without issues. Lastly, you will be careful to not allow others to look under your skirt. The hand remained down. But it did not seem as if it was unacceptable, but that its meaning was unclear. Her head tilted to the side. Hide it. I said as I held down the skirt of my own dress. Finally, it understood my meaning and the right hand came up. Thankfully, this could now wrap up in a peaceful manner. I let out a sigh of relief as if being freed of a heavy burden. And right then something started to poke my shoulder. I turned around to see what it was. And there behind me wasLeonora and Orlaine, standing with the biggest smiles on their faces. But what was scary was that their eyes were not smiling at all. And maybe it was just me, but it seemed like veins were popping out on their foreheads. And then, still smiling, the two let out a single word. Seiza. Volume 3, 12 Clean Up Volume 3, Chapter 12 Clean Up In the first place, you are always way too reckless in your actions. Cant you put yourself in our shoes, even a little! We put so much effort into activating that sealing magic, and you just had to go and waste it all!? What were you going to do if that statue went berserk!? About that, I do understand that it would be preferable if you can solve this without sealing her, but what about all our hard work? I was forced to sit in a seiza position on top of the pedestal that the Evil God Statue was on, as Leonora and Orlaine both lectured me from both sides at the same time. I admit it, I was in the wrong in this case. It might have been because of the bloodkin symbol, but there was a part of me that was acting rather impulsively. One mistake could have lead to a complete disaster, and so I couldnt quite blame these girls for seeing it as a betrayal. They had worked with me in order to deal with the Evil God Statue. And so I understood why they were angry. I couldbut I wished that they would at spare me this double lecture. I am not a saint. I cannot distinguish between the two voices when they talk to me at the same time. Are you listening, Anri! Are you listening to me, Anri! Im listening. I was listening. It reached my ears anyway. But even so, I would prefer it if theyd talk one at a time. By the way, the ones lecturing me were only Leonora and Orlaine. As for what the other two were doing, both Tena and Pope were with me, sitting in the seiza position at my side. There was no actual need for them to sit with me, but Pope had said: I will not allow Anri to take this penance alone! And he then began to sit next to me. Tena, who had overheard this said: In that case, I will sit in seiza as well. And so all three of us were now sitting. This was the second time that those two had to sit in seiza, and they seemed in a lot of pain from being unaccustomed to it. Along those lines, my own feet were starting to feel the pain as well. Behind us was the Evil God Statue that was being discussed, I have no idea what she was thinking, but she was sitting in seiza too, as if copying us. She was a person(?) who was concerned in this after all, so perhaps it was the proper thing. But seeing the giant Evil God Statue sitting down like this; she started to look a little cute to me. But since she was modeled after me, saying that comes off as a little self-congratulatory. Hm? I had a strong feeling of eyes on me, so I looked away from the Evil God Statue who I had been staring at and saw Leonora and Orlaine silently staring at me, their smiles were 20% bigger than the ones that they previously had. Oh, dear. They realized that I had been looking at someone else. Both of them continued their bright smiles, all the while exuding an air of intense anger. If I may make an excuse, those two were refusing to look directly into my eyes in order to avoid the influence of the evil eye, and so I ended up looking at other things. It seems that she is not yet repentant enough. Indeed. What shall we do? As this disturbing conversation took place in front of me, I timidly raised my hand without thinking and tried to interrupt them. Any room for excuses? No. None. They cut me off with a word. On top of that, Leonoras left hand and Orlaines right hand stretched out and each grabbed my cheeks and started to pinch and pull. Ou, ouuouu! Ouch, ouch! Im against this violence! Please dont be so cruel to Anri You shut up. Uh, dont you think thats enough Tena, you be quite as well, you hear? Pope and Tena who were also sitting with me, tried to remonstrate with them, but the two angry girls did not listen. Now you wont be able to look anywhere else. And now, let us start this again. It cant be helped. It is your fault for looking at other things and not listening. And so the nightmare began. For two hours after that, the two devils continued to lecture me, all the while pinching my cheeks. On top of that, if I tried to look away even a little, they would pull my cheeks hard. Well, perhaps well leave it at that. Indeed. My hands have grown tired, and my throat is dry from the continuous talking. I knew that opening my mouth again would only be the cause for yet another round of abuse, so I stayed still and waited for the storm to pass. My cheeks, which had been pinched for so long were finally released. I massaged them with my hands. Ouch. I couldnt see as I didnt have a mirror, but I was sure that they were about as red as they could possibly be. As a bonus, my legs were completely numb aside form a tingling sensation. Any quick movements now would have grave consequences, so I have to move slowly and allow the blood to circulate Cheeks aside, both Tena and Pope were in a similar state to me with regards to their legs. So, what are you actually planning to do with this statue? Leonora asked me as I moved my legs and tried to get rid of the numbness. First, I think I will give her a name. Huh? A name? I had called her an Evil God Statue all this time, but as she had a will, I didnt think that such a way of referring to her was still appropriate. And I didnt want to refer to her as that either. What name will you give her? Hmmm. It was an idea that had just come to me, so I didnt have any good names yet. But at that moment, the Anryl Armour that I had been in appeared in my vision. This was it. I stood up, ignoring the numbness in my feet and said to the Evil God Statue, who was even now, still sitting in seiza. From now on, your name is Anryl Keeper. The Guardian of the Theocracy, Anryl Keeper. What do you think? Hm? The reaction wasnt great. Not only the Evil God Statues but Tena and the others as well. Maybe it was because, in spite of saying that I didnt want to refer to her as if she were an object, I gave her a name that sounded more like a job title. But a name like Josephine or Charlotte for an Evil God Statue that looked like her, well, I felt that that would be awkward as well, I thought this was a nice compromise. But everyone should relax. I have an idea. Aki for short. I took the first characters from each word, Anryl Keeper and connected them to make Aki. Perhaps it sounds cheap, but now no one could say anything about objects or job titles. She seemed to be satisfied this time, and the Evil God Statue -now Aki, raised her right hand. It appeared like she was fond of the name. Aki then. I think that it is a good name, but what do you mean by Guardian of the Theocracy? Pope asked, appearing to still be fighting the numbness in his legs. I will have her remain and stand here, in times of need she can be part of my defense force. Though I said defense force, a statue of this size who was mobile was likely to prevent anyone from attacking by just standing there. So she might actually have more of an effect as a deterrent. This country, as it is now, has almost nothing that could be considered as a fighting force. Its made me quite wary of the possibility of an attack, so I would be quite relieved if Aki took this responsibility. I see, thats a great idea. That would help us a lot as well. If you require it, we will allot some of the defense budgets to this purpose. Dispatching fees can be discussed at a later date. Understood. As they would be dispatching one my own, it was only proper that I would receive the dispatching fee. And if necessary, I could use some of it to pay her a salary. But it was likely that Aki would not require food or anything that involved money, so she wouldnt need to be paid anything. However, she was no ordinary bronze statue, as she had a will. It would be necessary to lay out some labor conditions. Even if she wouldnt be paid, I think I could allow her rests and vacations at least. Though, after seeing her so happily collect those giant gold coins, there was a risk that she might start asking for money. Id have to negotiate when the time came. Right then Tena, who had finally recovered from her numbed feet, raised her hand and asked: Um, Anri? What? Uh, its about Akiif you had her stand here, wouldnt we start receiving complaints from other countries? Well In truth, it was something that I had considered but had pushed to the back of my mind. Aki had walked around in a wide area that included the domains of humans and mazoku, destroying buildings and wreaking havoc. Even if you ignored that, she had still unmistakably created chaos among the other countries. Saying that I will keep her installed here in the Theocracy was likely to be met with complaints. The only saving grace was that she hadnt hurt any people yet. However, as Ive already resolved to help her, there was nothing to do but for me to take responsibility, apologize and make reparations until they were accepted. What little amount of money I have will inevitably disappear. I looked at Leonora as if to check her mood. Our country has no intention of asking for reparations. While chaos may have been caused, no actual harm was done. Thank god, for now at least there would be no trouble with the mazoku. Now I could concentrate on dealing with the humans. I went over to Pope and made a single order. I need you to send a message to all of the countries. Tell them about the current situation, and that I am thinking about keeping Akias a Guardian Anryl Keeper for the Theocracy. Also that I am willing to make amends through financial means. Understood. I will do it immediately. Pope also seemed to have recovered from his numbed legs, as he got up, bowed and left in the direction of the Evil God Temple. Are you sure about that? About the money? Yeah, reparations between countries. Though you may have amassed some money the other day, I think the price may be too steep to pay by yourself. That may be true, but I have to settle this. Yes, in order for Aki to be able to be able to stay here, I had to settle this once and for all. I would have to accept a certain degree of monetary compensation. it may be a lot more than I expect, but its my responsibility as I made her my kin. I cant escape this, even if it means living in debt. Volume 3, 13 A Nightmarish Resolution Volume 3, Chapter 13 A Nightmarish Resolution Some time had passed since wed all found our admittedly grim resolve, and the Pope summoned us to his office where we reconvened. Apart from the Pope and myself, Tena, Lily, and Leonora were all present and accounted for. Orlaine, on the other hand, Id sent back to deal with the construction work; her role in Akis counter-plan had already been fulfilled. I couldnt even bring myself to part her from the Holy Bow again. While Id assumed that Leonora would leave too and that she would be on her way home, she had decided to stay with us and return once the dust had settled down completely. Did the nations respond? They did. The distance did result in a few gaps here and there, but I can safely say that the nations most likely to answer have responded. For the most part, at least. What do you mean by most likely? Were there even nations that wouldnt respond? Luxiria serves, as you well know, the headquarters for the Faith of Holy Light. It and whatever countries fall under its influence have seen fit to turn us away at the door, or so it would seem. Rather arrogant, if I do say so myself, to reject Lady Anri That made sense. The birthplace of the Holy Light Faith C considering the presence of the Origin Faction that had been established in the Foltera Kingdom, I thought it would be best to refer to its actual place of origin as its birthplace C was unwilling to accept the mere existence of the Holy Lands. That could only mean that they were just as unwilling to listen to anything they had to say. Lets leave it at that, then. As you command. While I doubted that we could paint this situation as a necessarily beneficial one, it stood itself to reason that an alliance with those lands would be challenging. Then again, we might just as well take solace in the fact that they had sent no direct objection. Well, what about the others? Wed stated that financial support would be given as a sign of good faith, so it was safe to assume that at least several demands addressing the quantity of wealth had piled up. I wondered just how much theyd ask for. My tension only increased, and a few drops of cold sweat ran down my back. The Pope simply lifted a large sack hed had lying at his side, hoisting it onto his desk. The bulging bag gave off the sound of metal hitting metal. It was clearly stuffed with large amounts of money. I opened the sack, peering in and confirming my suspicions. It was packed full of golden coins. ? Why all this cash? Was it supposed to be some sort of personal budget? I just didnt understand why hed gone out of his way to show us all of this. What, was he bragging now? The other nations sent this along with their replies. What you see here is just a fraction. ?! Wait, so they werent sending us invoices? They were sending us money? Howd that even happen?! Wait. Maybe this was supposed to be some sort of donation meant for a suffering country. There was no way the other nations hadnt had their own fair share of damage, but here they were, sending their support. They werent even demanding that they be compensated for the damage done against them. There really was some good left in this world, wasnt there? The responses themselves are, of course, varied. But they all seem to make the same point. And that would be? How do I put this Well, if I were to give a brief summary it would be something along the lines of, Heres the money you wanted, please dont hurt us. Something like that. Huh? Whatever words might have left my gaping mouth were immediately blocked. I just didnt get it. So, simply put, this money was supposed to act as some sort of payment for their own safety. Who was the idiot who thought this might have been donation money again? That still didnt explain what they meant when they said wanted. Really, the whole situation would imply that wed extorted money out of them somehow. Oh, do you think they mightve misinterpreted what you said about being willing to offer payment as a sign of good faith as pay us to show your good faith? Maybe they even thought that Aki parading around from nation to nation was some sort of demonstration. Something to coax money of of them, you know. How would that even happen, ever?! Well, if Leonoras guess turned out to be on the mark C although it was fair to assume it was, given all the money in plain sight C then not only would it seem as if wed sent out a huge statue to destroy the other nations, but that wed even added a nice little cherry on top by actually threatening to raid them if they didnt pay up. Theyd think we were the masterminds behind some evil political power move or something. I was fully prepared to pay for whatever damages caused and apologise, no duplicity intended. Treating us like this was a bit much, wasnt it? What do you suggest we do now? The Popes question forced me to weigh our options for a bit. There were to things we could do. We could either send all this money back and try our hand at apologising again, or we could leave the whole misunderstanding up in the air and just take the gold. Anyone would tell you that the right thing to do would be the former, but if we considered the image we already had, it wasnt too difficult to assume that it would sink even further if we did. If we managed to screw ourselves over, they might have just thought that we were asking for even more money. There was the legitimate threat of them getting desperate and revolting against us. The second option was the only one that seemed reasonable. As long as I didnt send Aki out past the Holy Land borders, we should be able to find a way to resolve this. I couldnt say that it felt good to be so stigmatised, but our hands were tied. We were already nose-deep in muck anyway. Respond to them. Tell them we received it with no issue. Right. That should have been the best way of keeping ourselves free from any more fuss. I had definitely, in no way, shape or form, been completely blinded by the sheer heaps of money. For the time, we decided to pour the money wed received into our national treasury, then decided to take a small cut to pay for the results of Aki being dispatched. When I woke, I found myself standing in the same room where Id taken part in the Three Gods Hearing not days ago. Mirroring the events prior, I was on a pedestal that had been erected in the middle of the room. In front of me were Sophia, Anbar, and my divine counterpart, all of them seated at a table. The report discussion meeting is now in session. My godly self was the one to declare so. But if you asked me, hearing any report from me was a little I guess you can put it that way if you want. But we all pretty much know whats going on, so True. I should admit that Ive seen the situation unfold with my own eyes. There you had it. These deities were perfectly capable of gathering intel on their own; it was exactly what made them able to know what was going on in the mundane world. There really wasnt much sense in reporting on something they already knew. Still, that hadnt stopped this from being the second time theyd brought me here. Were they going to give me an earful about how Id just used Aki as a sort of guardian deity for the Holy Lands without defeating and sealing her properly? They certainly didnt look like they were about too. The mood didnt feel particularly strict. Hey, no worries. We didnt call you over here just so we could point fingers. While we did instruct you to deal with the giant idol that was wreaking havoc across both demon and human territory, we never said that you had to defeat it, or even seal it. As long as it was kept from needlessly loitering about neighbouring lands, we would have deemed it a splendid resolution. Good work. With the Three Gods giving me their approval, I sighed and finally managed to calm down. Admittedly, Id have been a little worried if theyd told me to destroy it or seal it. But of course, they didnt just stop there. But heres the thing. That idol What was it called again? The Anryl Keeper? Anyway, we need to make sure it doesnt give us a repeat of what happened. That would be why we called you here. We have to be sure. They had a point. If I didnt actually defeat it or seal it away, then it would only be natural that they demand it never goes on a rampage again. That shouldnt be an issue. I already planned to keep a sharp eye on Aki, to make sure that she didnt leave the country and start giving other nations trouble. No argument there. But I had absolutely no idea how Id go about giving proof. So how do I prove it wont? There really wasnt that much I could guarantee. I could only offer verbal acquiescence, and that was something I could only keep under the pretence that Aki would continue listening to what I had to say. There really wasnt much to confirm that she would. Well, guess all we can do is trust in you and hope that statue hangs on to what you tell it. As long as it has the mark of a follower, it should be fine. At least, if things dont get too out of hand. Should you swear to continue observing it, then I will place my faith in you. Our own Anri will act as a guardian. Sure. Sophie shifted her jaw in my divine counterparts direction, who was still sitting at the middle of the table. Satisfied with what Sophia had said, she nodded. It looked like she was willing to clean up after me. I couldnt have been more grateful. Got it. Ill keep an eye out and make sure she doesnt cause trouble for other nations. Is that alright? Sure, I guess. It is. I wont argue. And that settles it. My relief until now had been the result of a muddled sort of joy, but now I could feel purely relieved knowing that everything had turned out for the best. Several days later, I decided to go out for a stroll and take the time to look over Akis movements, walking until I reached a spot closer to the temple. The fortification had been rebuilt after the prolonged misfortune that had befallen it, and countless faithful had come to gather in front. Adults at their peak were present, as were both the young and the elderly. Both men and women had come. They all prayed with great zeal. For a moment, I thought that I might have come to the wrong place. I let myself blend into the crowd and looked up. Finally, I was able to make out the shape of a statue that had eased itself into a position with its rear against the ground and its legs angled backwards but not supporting her from below, instead girlishly set at its sides. As it turned out, she had assumed this position when she had been asked to hide her underwear from view. On a side-note: while she did seem to be upright at noon, there was a rumour floating about that she would lie down on her side when night fell. I couldnt say for sure if that was the case, considering that I had yet to bear witness to that sort of thing. I waved at her softly, making sure that no one around me would notice. She waved back, apparently aware of my presence. The praying faithful were not at all taken back by Akis sudden movement. Quite on the contrary, they seemed absolutely excited to have seen it happen. They had already come to terms with the fact that an idol like her was capable of autonomous movement. The people of this country were, generally speaking, a bit on the bolder side of the fence. Happy to see that Aki was doing well for herself, I went back the way I came, walking beneath the clear skies. For the record, I did my best to ignore all the offering boxes that had been built around the area. And there you go, the story (?) of a daily lifestyle. The third volumes still being edited for publishing, and should be released by the twenty-fifth of May. Who knows, maybe it wont take long for it to be available in stores. Even taking the editing into account, volume three should have more renewed text in it than volumes one and two did. (About a third would be my guess. Maybe half if we include all the revisions to the perspectives.) Im sure that the people more familiar with the web-novel can still enjoy it a lot, so please, dont be afraid to take a look. Im also starting a new series to commemorate the third volume being sold, All-or-Nothing Pile Bunkerᡱ. Its the story of a young man who gets his hands on a cutting edge armament. Its a fantasy-comedy. Ill be updating it every single day until the stock runs out. Volume 3, 14 Lady Anri’s Diet Volume 3, Chapter 14 Lady Anris Diet Time to celebrate! Still pitching our protagonist! Theres a new serialisation thats going to have an entirely different, title, protagonist, and general perspective; Evil God at Random C A Fairly Average Evil God Girl and a Summoned Hero. Its going to go public by the twenty-fourth of October. Also, I know I just went on about still pitching for the protagonist, but this versions going to have a few revisions to Anris main character status. Ill use this opportunity for another announcement. Ive been told that, since its been over a year since the initial publication of Volume One, its a-okay to post the store-limited short stories. Which Im about to do. I found myself face-to-face with great misfortune. It wouldnt have been far-fetched to denote it as a tragedy, either. My stomach Its Just Squishy Uh-oh. I attempted to assuage my worries by giving my gut a light pinch, only to realise, and with utter horror and despair, that it was all too easy for me to grab a whole chunk between my fingers. If I had to find some sort of comparison that might adequately describe the way I felt, it would probably be something along the lines of realising that you were out of toilet paper while you were on the can. The assumption Id had, namely that I wouldnt lead any sort of luxurious lifestyle when I came to this world, had led to my own negligence. The general lack of physical activity on my part had been my downfall. I couldnt even recall any event in recent memory where Id become that active. Actually, that might have been an understatement. Ive barely even stepped outside the dungeon, not since Tena had come here. If I took all of that into account, it certainly wasnt difficult to imagine why Id gotten fat C pardon, I misspoke. Id just put on a teeny-tiny bit of weight, that was all. Regardless, now that Id finally taken notice, I really had no excuse. I had to take some counter-measures. I still considered myself a fine young maiden at heart, even if that wasnt always apparent. Maybe I should just start wearing loose robes. Maybe no onell notice Temptation whispered sweet words into my head, but I did my best to ignore it. This really wasnt a matter of being noticed or not; this was a matter of pride. A maidens pride. Exercise is such a bore, though True, that much I agreed with C no, stop. That was close. I couldnt give in to the temptation. I steeled my resolve, my mind completely set on seeing this through to the end. There were two specific ways, I thought, which would help me pull through this new dieting plan. The reason people got fat in the first place C sorry, misspoke again. The reason people put on a little weight could be traced back to the idea that some people took in more calories than they could burn off. Whatever remained in excess would turn into these sorry clumps of flesh that would stick to your body. Following that strain of logic, dieting could be divided into two rather broad definitions. One could either focus on burning away more calories, or one could try and tone down their calorie intake. Exercise is a definite no-go. It only took me two seconds to give up on the former. Id never been the type of person who moved around much. It didnt really matter how desperate I was to shave off the extra weight; forcing myself to dive into the deep end and start exercising on the spot was practically impossible. There was also another much more fundamental factor that played into all of this: spending all of my time holed up in a dungeon put a bit of a hamper on any exercise plans. I could therefore assume that the whole exercise idea had to be rejected. It definitely wasnt just because of how mind-numbingly tedious the whole process was, no sir. That was something I would stand by to my dying breath. Well then, what about my second option? As far as I was concerned, the idea of whittling down on the calories in my meals was much more doable, at least when compared to the alternative. I wasnt planning to overstep the limits of what I could handle, of course. It wasnt like I was about to start fasting or restricting how much I should eat, not at all. I planned on changing my menu to something more veggie-inclusive, and possibly eating fewer carbohydrates. Yep, that sounded just good enough to work. Lady Anri! Foods ready! Ill be there in a minute. Id been thinking well into dinnertime, it seemed. Tena was already calling for me. I washed my hands in the bathroom, then headed for the dining hall. Dinner had already been laid out on the table. ?! I was petrified when I saw what was on the days menu. Tena had always shown a sort of knack for home cooking, and most of her dishes were rather simple. You know, stew and the sort. However, for whatever reason, shed decided to break the norm today and placed C enshrined, rather C an extremely well-proportioned steak on the centre of the table. Why now? Why, of all times, did she have to pick today to make a whole steak? My face almost twitched, but I held myself back and asked Tena about this new ordeal. Is it just me, or does the food look a little more high-end than it usually does? It does! Its just that youve been so down lately, Lady Anri. I thought this might cheer you up, so I went ahead and made something just for you, extra-meaty! It took a lot of work. Well, she was definitely just being considerate, and that made me happy. Really, it did. But now I couldnt keep myself from imaging something adorably evil about Tena, as happy as she appeared when I went to pat her on the head. The dish in front of me, the very thing that was sure to only add to my overly plump problems almost made me sweat rivers. Um Is there something wrong? Tena couldnt help but deliver her question with a rather nervous undertone when she saw how stiff I looked, and how I didnt even let my hand wander near the food. I could already see it in my head, clear as day. I could already see myself gaining weight from this dish alone. This wasnt easy for me, but I had to put my foot down and C Uh Am I just being a bother? No, I was just a little surprised. Didnt think wed get to eat something like this. Down the hatch. I couldnt do it. Not with Tena looking up at me like that, not with her eyes tearing up. Telling her that I was on a diet and that I wouldnt eat this seemed nothing short of needless cruelty. Besides, telling Tena that I was going on a diet sort of felt as if I was already admitting to the world that Id put on just the tiniest bit of weight. I wanted to avoid that. I wanted to be a bit more nonchalant about the whole thing. Alright then, I could always start my diet tomorrow. It was just one day off, after all. It wouldnt change much. Starting tomorrow, I just had to take things more seriously. You know what, what ended up happening with me and the meat could just stay between us, couldnt it? But theres probably just one more thing I had to mention Tena may or may not have thought that the whole thing made me really happy, so shed come up with the idea to make steak our go-to main dish. It was a big miscalculation on my part, I had to admit. Please, just Just give me a break Id been stuck in plenty of binds even since I was chucked into this world. That didnt mean that I hadnt made any pleasant experiences, obviously. Among those pleasant experiences was the noticeable lack of that fiendish device that sunk women throughout the world into the deepest throes of despair. Yes indeed, the accursed device we knew as scales didnt even exist in this universe. And, in my humble opinion, any person who had the sheer gall to ask me what bathroom scales even were should fall prey to their reviled machinations. Anyway. Without bathroom scales, I had no way of measuring the minute fluctuations in weight I might have gone through. Even if I did gain a little weight, I had nothing beyond the scope of my own erroneous calculations to make use of. Which was why I really shouldnt dwell on the issue. Plump and round No. I couldnt do it. It still gnawed at me. The very next day, I finally swallowed my shame and asked Tena to stick to meals that would benefit my diet. And so began my dietary struggle. And there you have it, that ends the first of several special side-stories released with the publicised version of Volume One. I should mention that I wrote four different types of short stories. (Its the first time I write them out here, though). The publication of Evil God At Random is about four weeks away, so one short story every week seems sort of fitting. Yeah, I think thats the pacing Ill stick to when I upload these. Volume 3, 15 Tena and Culture Gap Volume 3, Chapter 15 Tena and Culture Gap Authors Pre-Chapter Note: This is the second chapter of special chapters in Evil God Average published book volume 1. By chronological order, this should happen between chapter 9-10 of the first volume. Although Tena has become used to living together with Anri, but the beginning of that livelihood wasnt entirely smooth. The cause being: the living circumstances that Anri prepared in the dungeon was, by this worlds standard or so to speak, it was extremely absurd. To begin with, if its a person possessing common sense, they would think that the residence is quite weird in many aspects that it is a dungeon. For arguments sake, if there are people leading a life in a residence like that, they would be magicians close to hermits who immersed themselves in a research away from the human habitation, or simply people who had to lead a life running away from any kind of circumstances. For Tena, just about everything was her first time, and she kept having various questions or even fright. First, what she questioned in the beginning was about the abnormality of the bright dungeon in each and every room inside, despite it being deep in the underground. Since it was almost as bright as it was normally outside, so obviously she couldnt refrain from wondering about it. When Tena looked around her surroundings and gazed at the light source, there was a small sun floating around. Uhm, why would there be a sun inside the dungeon? If there is no sun here, then our life rhythm would crumble. Also, if we dont have sunlight, we cant grow the crops. The problem wasnt that. What Tena wanted to hear wasnt the purpose of it, but how could such a thing be done? But then again, since Anri created the dungeon using her dungeon create skill, she implemented her other worlds knowledge combined with her idea. So, even if she was asked the real question, even Anri who prepared it herself wouldnt be able to answer. However, Tena was curious about something else from Anris answer, so she was more preoccupied with that compared to the false sun. Eh? Crops, you said? When you heard it from Anris words, it was as if it was possible to raise crops inside the dungeon. Dungeon and crops, it was difficult to guess their conection. Therefore, Tena raised her question. Anri who heard that, decided to lead Tena into an indoor vegetable garden. It was a rather large room. Particularly, if we were to compare it with the small house in the village where Tena was raised, that room could fit several houses. The room was divided into several divisions in which fruits and vegetables were planted. I, inside a dungeon, there is a field I think we can harvest them soon. To cultivate a field indoor in a world that doesnt have a plastic greenhouse, it was certainly an unimaginable thing for Tena who took care of the fields in her village, and her body hardened in surprise. However, since it was not a surprising idea for Anri, she didnt notice that. Nevertheless, even if Anri did plant the fruits and vegetables herself, the divisions of the indoor vegetable garden was within the feature of the Dungeon Create. It was a feature that existed from the beginning of this world, but there was simply no one able to do that. After that, the two of them headed towards the nearest kitchen from the indoor vegetable garden. So that the harvested vegetables could be cooked immediately, the kitchen was adjoined with the indoor vegetable garden. W, what an amazing kitchen! Is that so? You can use it as you like. From Tenas point of view, the facilities prepared here could be considered as a royal palaces kitchenTena has never seen a royal palaces kitchen, so it was just something inside her imaginationbut, from Anris point of view, if she were to compare it to the modern eras system kitchen, it was such an unfavorable comparison, so she couldnt understand what was amazing from it. Although her head understood how big the civilization gap between the two worlds is, she wasnt really able to experience it personally. Afterwards, Anri showed Tena the bathroom. When they opened the door, the bathtub had already been filled with hot water. The bath is over there, and it will always be filled. I, it will always be filled? To begin with, it was irrational for a personal residence to have its own bathroom in this world. Especially for people like Tena who originated from a village in the countryside, basically, you would use the water from the well, river, or the fountain to cleanse yourself, so it wasnt unusual for her to have never seen a bathroom before. In actuality, it was Tenas first time seeing a bathroom. Even for someone like her, if she were to compare the bathroom before her own eyes to the bathrooms she had heard before, she could comprehend that this bathroom was out of the standard. After she finished showing the bathroom, Anri showed the warehouse to Tena. Uhm, it seems like there is no food supply at all inside the warehouse. Its because I put them inside item boxes so they wont get damaged, and they can get taken out later on. I, item boxes?! By the way, since Item Box skill is not an unique skill, it doesnt mean that only Anri can use it in this world. However, it is indeed included in the rare category of skills. After feeling that not only the residence, but the master of this residence was out of the standard, Tena smiled stiffly. Astonishment is the kind of feeling that exhausts your physical strength and mental strength considerably. By the time the introductory trip around the residence ended, Tena who was surprised by everything she saw, became completely exhausted due to her fatigue. Are you okay? I, Im fine! I will definitely get used to it! In other words, she wasnt fine at the present time. Tena replied to Anri who asked her a question out of her concern, that there shouldnt be any worry at all for the future prospects. Anri also saw Tenas reaction during when she introduced her around, so she noticed the big gap between her and Tenas standard of living environment. However, she couldnt do anything even when she noticed that. She completely rejected the option of dropping the living standard level so it would match Tenas standard. You might not be used to it in the beginning, so feel free to ask me if theres something you dont understand. U, understood! Furthermore, as Tena grew accustomed to her living environment to some extent, she couldnt comprehend whether it was because of the high level of humans adaptation ability or if it was because she just gave up. Volume 3, 16 Teach Us, Ms. Leonora! Volume 3, Chapter 16 Teach Us, Ms. Leonora! (Chapter Three of the special series, published exclusively for the printed edition of Evil God Average Volume One. Takes place during the seventeenth chapter of the first volume.) Leonora had just decided to lecture Anri and Tena about the intricacies of Dark Magic. The girl stood atop a makeshift platform, her white lab gown fluttering behind her as she turned to face her two students. Shed even equipped herself with a teachers cane, although she abstained from wearing glasses for the added touch. So, you want to learn about Dark Magic, do you? Well Before we can begin, theres something I should ask. Can you two even use magic? Both Anri and Tena shook their heads in response. The two of them shared a more humble beginning as ordinary, everyday folk; magic might as well have been alien to them. I see. Well then, I suppose its best we start with the basics of magic. Allow me to explain just how magic is actually utilised. Leonora moved to a large sheet of paper that had been stuck to the wall, writing down two separate terms. There are, to put it simply, two requirements for making use of magic: Mana and Imagination. What about Skills? She met Anris question with a nod and a hum. A certain subset of those that roamed the world were blessed with what they called Skills, and skills based around sorcery were well documented. Anri, already familiar with that concept, had asked if those skills werent another prerequisite for the use of magic. If we ignore any of the more unique cases that allow someone to wield sorceries known to have a naturally limited set of users, as is the case with Light and Dark magic, then Skills really arent a necessity. Fire and Water Magic, for example, can be used naturally without the need for one. While it was known that Light and Dark Sorceries were limited to Humans and Demonkind respectively, there was nevertheless a handful of individuals that were either born with the capacity to invoke magic not available to their kind, or came to acquire them owing to unique circumstances. Those people were, without exception, gifted with a skill that pertained to these otherwise restricted feats. Both Anri and Tena were prime examples of such people. Do skills for Fire and Water Magic even exist? Oh, they do. Either can be used without the need for a skill, but those that do have them have a much easier time casting whatever type their skill leans towards. They also tend to be much more effective. Right. Anri appeared satisfied with the answer. Still, they dont come without their cons. For those that have a magic-type skill, using other types of magic becomes much more taxing. Its not that they cant be used, they just become harder to use. Thats why its so common for most of these skill holders to focus their efforts on what their Skill allows. And since you two have a Dark Magic skill, its better for you to turn that into your speciality. If, for the sake of argument, someone were to have a Skill pertaining to Fire Magic, then both their manipulation of mana and the maintenance of an image relating to that type of magic would be much more convenient thanks to the support provided by said skill. However, their natural predisposition to Fire Magic would affect their manipulation and whatever mental image they could conjure, which also meant that the same processes would become much more inhibited when using Water Magic. Um Ive got a question too, if you dont mind. Go ahead. Tena had spoken this time, her hand raised timidly. Dont you need something like a spell or a chant when you want to use magic? Many make spells and incantations out to be a necessity, that much is true. The truth of the matter, however, is that theyre not completely mandatory. Theyre more of a rite that makes magic easier to use. With enough mana and a clear enough mental image, its entirely possible to abridge them or leave them out in their entirety. Oh, I see. I get it now. Having talked for long enough, Leonora cleared her throat and brought them all back on track. Alright then, lets move on to something more practical. Well start with mana manipulation. Both of you, spread your legs to shoulder length, put your right hands in front of you and turn your palms upwards. Sure. Understood. Anri and Tena settled into their new position, just as Leonora had instructed them to. Now, curl your fingers a little and focus on the centre of your palms. Try to imagine the energy rushing around you slowly moving there. Graced with the view of two driven newcomers so intent on learning to manipulate their mana, Leonora simply crossed her arms and closed her eyes, seemingly reminiscing about the good old days. Its entirely possible that you wont be able to imagine the flow around you, at least not on your first try. Its just something you need to do over and over again until you get it right. Everyone moves at their own pace, but it still takes at least hours toD Done. I did it too. No, no, thats waytoo damn quick! Leonora, faced with the sight of the two mastering the skill with ease, could do very little but play the straight man. W-Well, no matter Thats what it feels like when you focus your mana. You can use that to create just the right quantity and density of mana, get the right image in your head, and then chant. Like I said, the better you get, the closer you are to not needing chants at all. Well, weve come this far. We might as well try out some beginner-level spells. Seeing them both master what had taken her hours and hours in a matter of minutes had been a great shock for Leonora, that much was true. She still looked past her own feelings on the matter and decided to move on to the next step, teaching the other two the incantation to a spell that would allow them to spew an orb of Dark Magic. Now that youre done gathering mana in your palms, face them towards the wall and imagine a ball or darkness. Just hold on to that picture in your heads and chant the spell I just taught you. Its a little challenging until you get used to it, especially since the incantation tends to distract you from the image. But if you keep practising over and over again, you should be able to get it right. It barely took a moment for two large orbs of darkness to spawn on their palms, each bigger than a persons head might be. They shot from their hands, charging into the wall and leaving behind a large, gaping hole. Huh, it worked. It worked for me too. Oh come on, thats still too quick! That made the second time Leonora was forced into the straight man role. It was bad enough for her that theyd taken an inordinately small amount of time to cast the spell, but the fact that the impact was so much more powerful that it should have been made it even worse. She was already sweating waterfalls, at least on the inside. To add insult to injury, the Dark Magic Skill they both possessed was clearly the main culprit behind their almost leisurely use of magic. W-Well How about this spell? Done and done. And that was when Leonora fell far enough to dish out much more complex spells, just to see if they could handle it. They also mastered those without breaking a sweat. Okay, how about this one?! Would you look at that, its done too. It didnt take long for her to to find herself bearing witness to every single Dark Magic spell shed ever learned, her spirit being beaten black and blue in the process. Finally, she moved in with her last resort. B-But this ones gotta be impossible, right?! Im begging you, say it is! Well, looks like I can use that too. Me too, but I cant say Im handling it all too well She attempted to teach them Dark Magic of the highest calibre, spells so difficult even she had yet to learn them. Those, she found, were cast so easily their expressions barely even twitched. And although it was rather obvious that Tena had only just barely been able to cast them, splitting hairs really wasnt enough to console her. Three hours went by and Leonora was, for one, utterly depressed. For another, her pride had been smashed to bits. Volume 3, 17 The Undead King Battles Boredom Volume 3, Chapter 17 The Undead King Battles Boredom (The long-awaited continuation, Evil God At Random C The Average Evil God and the Summoning Hero C its finally been launched; the webnovel title, protagonists, and even the point of views been entirely revised. With any luck, you can find it in stores starting tomorrow, maybe even today. I do hope youll treat me well.) Im bored. Those were the words so unwittingly sighed by the very same being that sat upon the throne of the tenth floor of the dungeon known as the Evil God Holy Ground. Though he spoke the same tongue as humans, he was far from it. No, the thing garbed in blue robes, the same creature whose head was adorned with a crown bore a much stronger resemblance to a skeleton. He was the one and only Boss of the Tenth Floor, summoned by none other than Anri herself: The No-Life King. The reason for his despondence wasnt too difficult to comprehend. It was quite simple, in fact; humans just refused to reach his floor. Hed had nothing but time on his hands for ages. Anri had given him the task of guarding the tenth floor, and he was in no way dissatisfied with his mission. But presently, with nary a single intruder reaching his floor, there hadnt been even one chance for him to shine. He was an undead, and therefore completely removed from the fatigue that accompanied the physical form. This, however, did little to stop the unending boredom that assailed him. Oh, if only there were something that might alleviate me of this tedium His eyes searched the room as he spoke, but apart from him and the throne he was sitting on, there was no one else. He could look as much as he wished to, but there was nothing that may have distracted him from his ennui. Hm. If only I had a board, then at least I couldC oh? While the No-Life King preoccupied himself with the memories of the fondness for board games hed had in life, an idea tickled his brain. Not that he actually had a brain per se, but you get the idea. I am a King. I am king of the undead, one who governs a fair number of retainers. The No-Life King slowly rose from his throne, lifted his hand towards the great room that expanded before him, and spoke solemnly. Come forth, my Underlings. Dozens of undead creatures appeared before him, all heeding his summons. Skeletons, Zombies, Wraiths, Dullahans The list went on for a quite a bit. The No-Life King let a keen gaze wander over them, then nodded to himself, satisfied. Then he gave the order. Divide yourselves into two factions and hold your stations. The undead obeyed his command, separating left and right, one side facing the other. They had made sure that the number of each undead type was split evenly among the two groups. If one had the means of turning the room into a square and subdividing said square further, they would have noticed that it it was strongly reminiscent of a classic board used for games. Alright then, let us begin. Whoever moves first is white. Strike that. Thats exactly what it was meant to be. That did nothing. Once some time had passed, the No-Life King let out another sigh. He had already commanded his retainers to take their leave. While hed separated them and used them as different pieces, trying his hand at quite the mockery of an actual board game, it became evident almost immediately that he had no opponent to face off against and that he would therefore only fall into even greater boredom. He had even matched their movements to those of actual game pieces, letting them attack each other without restraint. They were undead, after all, and would recover from whatever injuries they had if given time. Well, what to do next? His most recent attempt at entertainment had relied on having his retainers move about in accordance with his orders, a simple task given their rather feeble minds. As it turned out, however, it merely meant he would be controlling both sides equally. A downright mess, that. Moving both sides of his own accord turned the whole thing into a limited one-player game, and that was just no fun. He had therefore chosen something that might amuse him regardless of involvement. Music was something meant to be enjoyed for the sounds it produced. Whether he was or wasnt the one playing would surely do little to curb his enjoyment. That said, he had no instruments. Which, of course, meant he couldnt perform. With few options available, he decided to make do and play a tune using the bones of his underlings, occasionally asking them to scream so that he could conduct his music. Needless to say, the result barely outreached the musical limitations that came with the dissonant shrieks. Thats enough of that! Completely unable to produce anything remotely resembling enjoyable music, the No-Life King, irritated, ordered his retainers to retreat. This made the third time the No-Life King had risen from his throne, raised his hand towards the vastness of his room, and solemnly spoken. Come forth, my Underlings. The undead obeyed his commands, once against appearing before him. And although he was all too ready to consider it a fancy flight of his imagination, he could have sworn that his retainers, despite their lacking intelligence, appeared somewhat miffed at the idea of being here. This time, we shall attempt to dance. There had been no instruments, and so his attempt at music had ended poorly. Dancing, on the other hand, had no need for tools. By that logic, he was sure to experience some measure of enjoyment. Whatevers the matter? Show me how you dance. While his retainers didnt immediately jump into action, the No-Life Kings urging eventually impelled them to do so. When they did dance, they seemed almost reluctant. It was only when they had begun to dance that the No-Life King came to realise his blunder. Without music playing in the background, dancing just didnt look like it was supposed to. And while he was sure that a more nimble, flexible dancer would have caught his attention well enough, his own undead were woefully untrained in the art of dancing. In fact, they only seemed capable of cluttering about as they shook their arms, moving from one side to the other and then turning around and repeating the process. It looked more like a bizarre ritual than anything else. Youre all excused. The No-Life King spent the time that followed by calling for his underlings and trying to use them to stave off his boredom in many, many ways. Finally Come forth, my underlings. not one of them showed themselves. Apparently, theyd all decided to go on strike. (And there you have it, that was the fourth chapter of the special series released with the Volume One printed releases. This is also the final special chapter for Volume One.)