Ch.8282. What Did You Say?

“Should I give her some dungeon experience too?”

I suddenly thought as I watched Black Sun splashing her feet in the swimming pool.

Am I being too generous with just carrots?

Throughout her time here, Black Sun has been directly experiencing things she never had before.

Eating delicious food, sleeping on soft beds, and playing excitedly again.

This Sanctuary had become the ultimate resort for Black Sun, and her previously negative reactions to various things had completely disappeared.

“Divine Manifestation. Not bad, right?”

“I… I think it’s not bad…”

She’d upgraded her evaluation from ‘absolutely hate it’ to ‘not bad.’

Since I knew this would happen from the beginning, I decided to move on to the next step.

“The other constellations will adapt well too.”

“Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, Black Sun carefully opened her mouth.

“Come to think of it, life in the Sanctuary might be too burdensome for them…”

“What? Why?”

“Um…”

Black Sun hesitated for a moment but couldn’t quickly provide an answer.

Something seemed off about the way she was speaking.

「Child of the Lost Star: Lie.」

‘What?’

「Child of the Lost Star: Right now, the Incarnation of the Black Sun is trying to prevent other constellations from setting foot in your Sanctuary.」

I felt momentarily dizzy at Star Child’s sudden intrusion.

‘Why?’

「Child of the Lost Star: I could tell because I was close to her.」

That doesn’t explain the reason.

“Absolute One…?”

Black Sun calls out to me with a trembling voice, growing anxious at my expressionless face.

“Oh, y-yes! It’s fine. Other constellations would surely like the Absolute One’s Sanctuary too…? Um, so… Divine Manifestation.”

After stammering incoherently, Black Sun awkwardly hurried away.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m suddenly feeling sleepy! Or wait? Absolute One, I’m hungry! Let’s go eat something delicious! I’m craving those meat skewers from before…!”

Watching Black Sun hastily change the subject, Star Child’s suggestion seemed eerily accurate.

‘…Why though?’

Why would she try to prevent other constellations from visiting?

I also don’t understand why she immediately denied her true intentions.

「Child of the Lost Star: You’re going to have quite a struggle.」

Star Child followed up with a meaningful comment.

‘Who are you talking to?’

「Child of the Lost Star: It’s nothing.」

After making another cryptic statement, Star Child stopped chatting.

#

“So this is…”

When I judged the time was right, I began inviting other constellations to my Sanctuary, starting with Black Sun.

You could call them the interns of the Father God Company.

These constellations needed to learn what it meant to be proper constellations here, then go out and make the world a better place.

‘That way I can find those bastards.’

After all, one needs a secure back before doing anything.

“Welcome.”

I welcomed the constellations who appeared quite tense.

Naturally, they were disguised as my new followers.

If their identities as constellation vessels were discovered, another commotion would surely break out.

“Father God.”

From a distance, the red-haired follower, our filial daughter Lisia, greeted me with sparkling eyes.

Despite having just returned from the Regalium Kingdom, there was no trace of fatigue in her eyes as she looked at me.

“Get some rest.”

“Seeing Father God is my rest…”

Lisia blushed as she delivered this touching line.

I couldn’t help but pat her head affectionately.

“Mmm…”

Seeing Lisia unable to contain her happiness, Vera gave her a cold look.

‘Your expression is scary, Vera.’

Anyway, I needed to proceed efficiently from now on.

“I’ll personally guide and teach these children.”

“F-Father God! If you entrust them to us, we will make them into followers who won’t bring shame to the order…”

A follower was startled by my words and tried to dissuade me.

They probably thought it would be harmful for a constellation to show excessive interest in mere mortals.

‘Those newcomers are receiving the Father God’s attention from day one?’

‘Argh! I liked him first…!’

Such feelings of opposition would surely arise.

「Child of the Lost Star: Isn’t that self-importance?」

‘You think so?’

Considering how our order’s children have behaved so far, such predictions aren’t far-fetched.

They might behave in front of me, but…

“It’s fine.”

I gently declined their consideration and led the invited constellations away.

The reactions of the constellations, including the Incarnation of the Sun, were similar to Black Sun’s initial response.

At first, they felt aversion to human culture, but gradually became captivated by it.

“It might… not be bad…”

“The taste of those meat skewers still lingers in my mind.”

“I want to visit that hot spring place again.”

I’m glad they each found something they liked.

Each of these points would serve as a good foundation for “localizing” the constellations.

“Well then.”

Since I’ve already given them a general orientation, I planned to approach them individually to build more detailed awareness.

“I-I’ll show them around…!”

“…Huh?”

“You’re busy, Absolute One! I roughly know the layout of this area now, so I can help share the workload…!”

Black Sun suddenly volunteered, and after tilting my head in confusion, I accepted her offer.

There was no reason to refuse someone offering to share the work.

“I’ll leave it to you then. If there’s anything you don’t know, use ‘that’ to let me know.”

“That… Incarnation of the Black Sun…?”

“Yeah! Got it! Trust me!”

She answered confidently, then hurriedly grabbed a constellation’s hand and headed somewhere.

I watched the unusually enthusiastic Black Sun and decided to change my schedule to attend to other matters.

#

“W-wait…!”

Rough footsteps without hesitation.

Being dragged rather than guided, the constellation felt uncomfortable and stopped the Incarnation of the Black Sun.

“Let go of me!”

-Thwack!

She forcefully pushed away the hand that was pulling her.

Unable to use Divine Power in the middle of the street, she had no choice but to remove Black Sun using only her vessel’s physical strength.

“Why?”

Black Sun looked at the constellation with those words.

‘…!’

The Reassembler of Chaos.

Despite her considerable experience, she shuddered at the chilling sensation.

Black Sun’s gaze was far from ordinary.

“Suddenly appearing and what is this—”

“I told you earlier. I came here first, so I alone am perfectly capable of guiding you.”

“Even so! How can you just drag someone away so suddenly! There should be proper etiquette and procedure…!”

“Etiquette and procedure? Please.”

Black Sun raised the corner of her mouth in a sneer.

The Reassembler of Chaos glared at Black Sun, her face flushing with shame.

“Your words and attitude just now! Apologize immediately!”

“You seem to have forgotten where you are.”

-Grip.

Black Sun grabbed her slender shoulder and squeezed hard.

“Ugh..!”

“This is the Absolute One’s domain. And I am the constellation who received his first choice.”

Black Sun wanted to establish the difference in their positions first.

For some reason, seeing other constellations made her uncomfortable.

This wasn’t limited to the constellation before her.

Despite being in a position that could be replaced at any time, Black Sun felt a certain inferiority complex toward those who were simply enjoying the sanctuary they’d been given.

“Do you understand now? Between the two of us, whose words do you think hold more value?”

“What are you…!”

“If you understand, either keep causing problems in front of everyone, or shut up and follow me.”

Black Sun had been waiting for this, and thought this was a good opportunity.

‘Absolute One.’

Through their time together, she had been able to grasp fragments of the Absolute One’s character.

He tended to become somewhat lenient toward those in his faction.

The mercy he showed to other constellations, including herself whom he normally despised, supported this assumption.

That’s why here, Black Sun needed to firmly establish these rules.

-Step.

In a remote area with few people around.

Black Sun and the Reassembler of Chaos stopped, staring at each other with hostile gazes.

“So, what did you want to say?”

“Stop trying to maintain your pride.”

“…What?”

“Whatever constellation you were outside, however great your position was, it doesn’t matter anymore. Here, we’re all just constellations and workers.”

The Reassembler of Chaos’s face turned tomato-red at these insulting words she had never experienced before.

“You…!”

“You, and me. Not just us, but all the other constellations in his embrace. We’re all lives that have died once. So don’t challenge the Absolute One just to preserve your pride.”

“When did I ever challenge him…”

The Reassembler of Chaos was beside herself with indignation.

Throughout her time as a vessel, she had been mindful of the Absolute One’s mood but never harbored impure thoughts.

After their plan completely fell apart, the survival of all constellations depended on the Absolute One’s choices.

“What’s wrong with you?! How can a constellation take such a servile attitude? We are, we are…!”

“We are what?”

“The masters of lofty stars, ‘constellations’!”

“No.”

“What?”

“You’re a ‘tool.'”

-Thud!

At Black Sun’s indifferent treatment, the Reassembler of Chaos was completely stunned.

“A tool that can be replaced at any time, unable to survive without the Absolute One’s choice and mercy.”

At this devastating assessment.

“…Sob!”

“Huh?”

The Reassembler of Chaos could no longer hold back her accumulated sorrow and burst into tears.