episode_0071

While I stood there blankly for a moment, the druid girl bowed politely towards the two goddesses.

They nodded and accepted the greeting with a warm expression, like a mother looking at her cute daughter, and with a wave of their hand, they said they could rest for now and made the priest leave.

Then, the druid girl disappeared in an instant.

In the first place, this space itself may be the border between dreams and reality.

The thought made me wonder if it was right for me to stand guard, but I had more important things to do right now, so I pushed that thought to a corner of my head.

The gods were turning their eyes to me.

For a moment, the hand holding the spear was strained and I was very nervous, but fortunately, the emotions in that gaze seemed to be very favorable.

I felt somewhat reassured that at least I wouldn’t be cursed like Ale, but I soon began to have doubts.

So why did those gods appear in the middle of the night, even with their shamans?

And as if they had guessed my question, the two goddesses began talking to me at the same time.

“That’s great. Hunter of the Empire.

Even we did not expect that the day would come when that cursed abomination would be hunted and captured by humans, but you surprised us.

And to top it off, he even took that cunning spider into his hands and tamed it…

It is a feat comparable to that of our favorite warriors even in the long history of this land.”

I internally sighed with relief at the goddesses’ praise, but asked in as humble a manner as possible.

“…I did not accomplish this feat alone, but I will be grateful for the praise from the goddesses of this land.

Please forgive me for not being able to give you an honest answer because I do not know the names of the goddesses.”

The two goddesses smiled at those words and introduced themselves in turn.

“I am Kiyan, the god of magic and transformation.”

“I am East, the god of spring, rabbits, and war.”

The gods, who first revealed their own names and the areas of their power, then began to reveal the details of their visit together.

“I’m sorry for disturbing your rest when you were tired after a big hunt…

The prey you caught, that hideous creature, was created because of our curse in the first place, so I am here to meet you.”

“…Is there any problem with me getting Ale as loot?”

If the gods want ownership of the game I catch, how should I respond?

By successfully hunting, it could be said that the purpose of coming to Britannia had already been achieved.

In the initial plan, capturing the rumored monster alive was not even a consideration.

So, rationally, if the gods were to ask for Ale, it would have been appropriate to ask for some other reward instead of obediently complying.

But for some reason… I didn’t feel like it.

No… it’s not just that…

Contrary to the cold advice of reason, my passionate emotions instinctively felt a great deal of resistance to giving away this precious game that I had caught after all the hardships.

Even though I had hunted countless times until now, I was perplexed as to why I felt so obsessed with my prey.

And I was soon able to figure out the cause.

The connection between master and servant that was strengthened by giving Alle the name Alle had some influence on me as well.

As slaves were forced to obey their masters, the masters also made the slaves who obeyed them feel a strong obsession and possessiveness.

‘…the connection works this way too.

Did Alladih know this but deliberately did not say it?

Just because you thought it wouldn’t be a problem? Or is there already a plan set aside to take advantage of this?

No, I guess that’s not important anymore anyway.’

What was important now was whether I should let emotions, which I did not know were mine or the influence of magic, guide my actions.

To continue to own the slaves that are mine, to commit crazy acts against those foreign gods…

No, the question was, should I do such a crazy thing?

While I was frozen in worry about Hubris, the goddesses answered my questions.

And fortunately, the answer was one that could turn all my worries, worries, and madness into nothingness.

“Not at all. In fact, it’s completely the opposite.

We have come to praise you and give you a reward commensurate with your achievements.”

“That monster… was our sin and mistake.

We placed a fitting curse on the invader who dared to invade our land and demanded repentance.

That abomination refused to repent, and in its madness, it began to wield the curse as a weapon as if it were its own…

Our children have suffered so much and for so long, and even some poor children who have forgotten the truth have come to serve it as my messenger.”

The goddesses who pointed at the sleeping Alle seemed to have not let go of their anger and were glaring at her with a cold, stern expression that was completely different from when they were looking at me.

Alle gently smiles in front of those gazes…

Of course, it may have been a coincidence in a dream, but it seemed like he was laughing at those women.

For a moment, I was worried that the goddesses’ anger might explode, but they just sighed, looked at me again, and continued talking.

“How could I not be grateful that you, along with the warrior who received our trust, prevented that tragedy from repeating itself over time?

We have nothing to ask of you in this hunt, only things to give.”

“The same goes for Aladih. Although he is the leader of the cunning spiders who plotted evil plans against us…

We can’t break that evil plan and shamelessly take the loot from the hunter who hunted her.

Those rabbits and spiders are all completely yours.”

With the goddesses’ firm assurances, I felt the irrational anger brought about by my possessiveness quickly subside.

‘…I’m glad I was suppressing my emotions somehow. I almost did something really crazy.’

In fact, since they were goddesses, they might have read my feelings, which was the height of rudeness, but even if that were the case, they seemed to just be lenient.

“Of course, you can’t lie. Not everything worked out to our liking.”

It was difficult to associate the name of the best hunter in the empire, but you are a rare good person in these harsh times.

That’s why I will show undeserving kindness to those undeserving monsters.

However, I have no intention of shamelessly demanding more from the grateful person who is taking from our land the disaster brought about by our mistakes.”

“It is right to leave them entirely at your disposal, and it will be so because it is right.

This is a promise made in our name.”

As if responding to that promise, the radiance surrounding the goddesses radiated a dazzling radiance and drove away the darkness of the night, even if only for a moment.

I admired the sight and bowed my head to express my gratitude.

“So far, we’ve been talking about the loot you’ve earned…now we should discuss the reward you will receive.”

“I had a lot of worries about what to give you.

We hate to admit it, but it is not we who are leading the way in the world right now, but your country, the great empire.

And you are a hunter greatly favored by the emperor of that empire.

In the end, many of the things we can give are things that you can obtain with your own abilities. But…”

The goddesses, who were looking at me in silence, soon finished speaking with serious expressions on their faces.

It was also a word that sharply awakened my body, which had been trying hard not to relax and slacken.

“You can’t say you’re lucky…

By chance we have come into our hands the most valuable thing we can give you now. It’s a warning.

You may not know it yet, but it is what you and your empire need most urgently.”

…If it were a warning from the gods, it could never have been light.

I listened to their stories with a heavy heart…

As expected, it was a warning containing valuable information that could easily be called a gift from the goddesses.

“The great forest to the east and the children it contains are targeting your empire.

There will be a war on a larger scale than all the wars your empire has fought against the forest so far…

The forest burning with the flame of vengeance is advancing to trample your country.”

…In the great forest of the east… An enemy the Empire has fought many times, and if it’s revenge…

ah…

It looks like the damn elves are going to war on the empire.

And that on an unprecedented scale.

‘…I’m already tired of resting and slowly returning home.’

The warning of the goddesses had to be reported to the home country as soon as possible.