Ch.54Regular Meeting of the Gods (3)

In a universe filled only with starlight, planets, and the radiance of the sun, a person in a suit appeared, wielding a cane.

Despite the zero gravity and oxygen-free environment, this person moved naturally, swinging their cane. As they did so, a chair materialized around them, followed by a desk, claiming a space in this universe.

As if having completed everything, they smiled with satisfaction and clapped their hands.

*Clap clap—*

Suddenly, in this space where no one else had been present, living beings began to appear one after another, taking seats in the chairs that filled the space.

Once the seats were somewhat filled, the person spoke.

“Well! This is now our third round! Based on your recommendations, we’ve discovered new talent to chew on, tear apart, taste, and enjoy—our banquet has begun once again!”

*Clap clap clap clap—!!!*

The Host applauded, celebrating the opening of this banquet. Those seated merely stared blankly, but the Host continued speaking as if unbothered.

“Today, I’d like to make an announcement first! Recently, someone has been giving hints or controlling companions to get what they want! That’s fine, but don’t cross the line! If you provide hints or help that disrupts the game’s balance, all gods will immediately attack the god who provided such assistance. Understand? Helping is fine, but that help must not break the balance. Until now, I haven’t made this announcement so I’ll let it slide, but after hearing this announcement, there will be no forgiveness.”

The gods nodded at these words. Some looked away as if guilty… but since everyone had done it once or twice, they let it pass.

“Now! Today we have two individuals! Or should I say, one beast and one person!? Let’s start with the beast!”

With those words, screens appeared before the seated gods, displaying images.

* * * * *

*Neigh neigh!*

A horned, pure white horse was galloping across a meadow. The pure white horse ran wherever it wished. Some days across plains, other days across water.

After wandering wherever it pleased, the pure white horse arrived at a certain place.

A human city.

The fairly large human city was surrounded by high walls, and inside, the presence of numerous humans could be felt.

Looking at these walls, the horned pure white horse—a unicorn—was caught in nostalgia.

Its homeland didn’t have such walls, but rather a small village with a castle and windmill… Now that had become just a memory, and it had become a horned beast that craved purity.

Though lamenting this fact, after living six years in this beast form, it knew that lamenting wouldn’t change anything.

During these six years, born as the divine beast unicorn, it had been able to live in this world without much danger.

It could communicate with people through telepathy, and this body was powerful enough to kill monsters with a single strike, even when used by someone who couldn’t fight properly back on Earth.

While enjoying this carefree isekai life, when almost a year had passed living in this world…

It discovered this body’s disadvantage.

The divine beast unicorn was truly a “purity fanatic” in this era.

After living alone for nearly a year and feeling lonely, one day it finally discovered a village where humans lived.

Delighted, it entered the human village, but… from the humans’ perspective, it was nothing short of a disaster.

“Kyaaaah—!!! It’s a unicorn!!”

“Married people, non-virgins, hurry home! A unicorn has come!”

“Kyaaaah—!!!”

Its mere appearance turned the village upside down, and only children and those with pure bodies remained before it.

*Neigh—*

And its body, regardless of its will, began searching for those who weren’t pure with reddened eyes.

This hadn’t happened when meeting monsters, so it was confused… but what happened next was even more confusing.

*Neigh!!!*

As its body sniffed in front of a man, it suddenly began to glow.

“Aaaagh—!!! What, what is this!? I’m still clean…”

*Stab—!!!*

Apparently not a pure person, he ultimately ended his life on its horn. With a person impaled on its horn, its body, disliking the defiled corpse, shot light into the sky and burned the body away.

*Neigh!*

Still dissatisfied, its body pawed the ground with its hind legs. Those standing before it tensed at the sudden death, and children burst into tears, but the pure people around covered their mouths to avoid upsetting it.

The inspection of others ended quickly, and as the unicorn’s purity discrimination seemed to end, regaining its senses, it quickly turned and left the village.

Returning to the forest, it never went to human villages again. After all, going there only meant losing control of its body for human purity tests, and if someone wasn’t pure, it would stab and kill them with its horn—no different from a demonic beast rather than a divine one.

After living like this for six years, today it felt a strong sense of destiny from this city. When it first saw the city, it had intended to leave quickly, but…

Feeling a strong destiny, it unconsciously moved toward the city.

“Aaaah!!! It’s a unicorn!!”

“The purity fanatic has appeared! It’s the purity fanatic!!”

The guards at the city gate stood firm at their posts, presumably virgins, but among those waiting to pass through the gate, those who weren’t pure quickly vacated their positions.

*Clop clop clop clop*

It passed through the city gate very proudly, searching for the destiny it felt. Not knowing exactly what was drawing it, but without its eyes turning red for purity discrimination or losing control of its body, it simply searched for its destiny.

Entering the slums, it sensed a strong pure scent. Smelling this, its eyes rolled back and it began charging straight ahead.

Rushing through the slum area, mostly filled with shacks, following the pure scent, the smell grew stronger…

It arrived at a house emitting the pure scent. A small but clean house that didn’t fit the slum surroundings.

Like someone on a first blind date, it nervously raised its front hoof and knocked on the door.

“Yes~ Coming!”

The pure scent grew even stronger. As the scent intensified to the point where it couldn’t think straight…

“Who…?”

The person who appeared was an adult woman with blonde hair and freckles. Though wearing baggy clothes, she couldn’t hide her figure.

She was surprised to find a unicorn knocking at her door, and was surprised again when the unicorn knelt down as if gesturing for her to sit.

As she stood confused at the doorway, those around who witnessed the scene spoke with one voice.

“A Hero…”

“The Hero has appeared…”

“Equir’s daughter Lepin… has been chosen by the unicorn, the purity discriminator!”

By following my instinct, I was able to carry a Hero on my back.

* * * * *

“This one wasn’t particularly interesting… but still, a unicorn carrying a Hero born in Grancia! We should look forward to the future.”

As the Host suggested, it wasn’t very interesting, and half the gods in attendance were complaining about how boring it was.

“I understand. I’m just showing you one of the submissions… but it’s worse than expected. Well, I don’t expect much from the next one either, but let’s take a look.”

The screen that had been showing the unicorn switched to the next scene.

* * * * *

*Whoosh—*

A blizzard-swept snowfield. In this place where visibility was poor due to the blizzard, a figure with a massive body appeared.

As if unaffected by the cold of this snowfield, he wore no coat, only white leather armor and carried a single massive battle axe.

*Howl—!!*

Then, opening his mouth wide, he let out a sound like a wolf’s howl.

*Roar—!!!*

And a being that heard the howling roared back and revealed itself.

The master of this ice mountain range, the absolute ruler who had dominated this place for decades.

An Ice Drake.

As if carved from ice by someone, its body was made of massive ice, and the transparent ice clearly revealed its core, which was its weakness.

But despite clearly revealing such a weakness, the reason it could rule this mountain range as its master for decades was its overwhelming strength.

Before this Drake, the man took his stance.

Then, mana materialized from his body, and blue aura surrounded both blades of the battle axe, instantly making it enormous.

And then… that massive aura headed toward the Drake. The Drake swung its tail in response, sensing danger if hit, but…

*Slash—!!*

*Boom—!!!*

*Roar—!!!*

The massive aura could easily cut off the Drake’s huge tail as if slicing through butter.

But… cold energy gathered and regenerated the Drake’s tail, and it tried to drive the man away by swinging its tail.

*Whoosh—!*

*Whoosh—!!!*

Moving nimbly to avoid the tail attacks, the man dug into the Drake’s legs and first cut off its legs.

With a slashing sound, both legs were cut off, and while the Drake stupidly fell over.

The man escaped from under the Drake and ran toward its head.

The Drake, having given up on regenerating its legs after they were cut off, spewed a breath like a dragon. An ice breath that instantly freezes everything.

But the human swung his aura-surrounded battle axe, cutting the breath in two.

*Slash—!!!*

The Drake, not expecting its breath to be cut, instantly had its neck severed and met its end.

*Boom—!!*

It was an unexpectedly empty death for the ruler of the ice mountain range, but… as the human man was about to smash the core in the Drake’s chest without caring.

*Screech—!!!*

The core made an ominous sound and burst its ice body.

*Splash—!!!*

Like ice flowers blooming, the ice that flew as sharp thorns inflicted fatal wounds on the man. With his abdomen, arms, and legs blown away, he wouldn’t live long.

The core, floating as if it, not the body, was the Drake’s true form, became like a mosquito to suck the blood of the man who had defeated it.

The man who defeated the Drake but failed to destroy the core died that way, and the mountain range once again belonged to the core that had taken the form of the Ice Drake.

As the victorious core was about to take the Drake’s form to let out a roar of joy, it realized something strange about its body.

It couldn’t transform from a mosquito’s body to a Drake’s body. To find the cause, it quickly circulated mana to examine every corner of the core… and discovered a tiny insect that had entered the core.

The core tried to move mana to kill the insect, but the mana wouldn’t move… and the core, made only of mana, too easily had its internal mana stolen and lost control.

The insect that stole control of the core formed a human body made of ice, took the battle axe it had brought, and disappeared deeper into the mountains.

* * * * *

“I thought it was a human male… but it’s a parasite? Wow, I knew people were chosen by all sorts of things, but a parasite? That’s interesting.”

Some gods nodded in agreement and looked closely at the parasite.

Apparently according to their taste, they seemed to want to examine its actions over the past six years.

“So! The two individuals I introduced today were these two! Now only half of the survivors remain in this play, and I’m looking forward to seeing who will win! See you next time! Goodbye!”

With those words, the gods disappeared one by one.

The Host remained in that space until the end, simply staring intently at something until the last god left.