episode_0230

“Good job, I’ll praise you~”

“……So, what business do you have with us?”

Kind and warm, a gentle voice, this time as cold as the pouring rain. Even someone as good-natured as Erina can’t get a good reaction if you keep rubbing her the wrong way like this. The group distances themselves from Piki, who suddenly appeared from behind.

Piki’s figure, appearing from the darkness, seems to show a will to completely disregard the atmosphere. The inky blackness hidden beneath his sly appearance threatens their survival instinct, deeper than the dimness.

“Hey. Don’t be so distant. We’re on the same side.”

“On the same side? I couldn’t even be friendly with you, even as a joke.”

With elegant black hair and soft tresses. Her eyes are endearingly down-turned, and two cute freckles are nestled near her right eye. At first glance, she appears full of charm. If I had met her on the street, I would have immediately overpowered her and impregnated her.

But the contents are so dark that even though she looks perfectly normal, my penis doesn’t respond. The words, “I’d rather get along with a demon,” almost slipped out. Realistically speaking, I could probably get along with demons more easily.

Didn’t someone say, humans are scarier than monsters?

‘Person… right…?’

An aura that even raises such doubts. How nice it would be if they could be purified with divine power.

“Anyway, you know why I called you, right? Yes. That’s why you came, right?”

Still treating everyone except Erina as if they don’t exist.

“I don’t know. I only came to capture you.”

“Why? I’m seriously asking. What did I do wrong to you? That’s strange.”

Erina is also dumbfounded by the bewildered reaction.

“You, you’ve done things! How can you say that?? The former lord of Harendel you harmed, and the fact that you were trying to harm us too, do you intend to deny remembering that?”

Hanna gently tugs on Erina’s nun’s habit from behind. It’s a gesture to calm down, but Erina is composed. She’s only slightly angry.

Harendel, the small northern village where her church was forcibly transferred. It’s currently ruled by a young lord, because the lord’s parents died due to Piki’s schemes. This is also why they’re tracking Piki.

“Ah, that. That was unavoidable, wasn’t it? And if I was going to harm you, I would have done it already.”

Suddenly, her hair stands on end. He’s just talking casually, yet she feels a distinct killing intent as if a blade is pressed against her throat.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Who is an ally and who is an enemy.”

“What exactly is your goal? You keep causing strife and chaos.”

Levi quietly looks for an opportunity. She’s ready to subdue Piki instantly if he makes any move toward Erina. Even though he isn’t looking at her, the pressure she feels makes her break out in a cold sweat.

“Haah. Hmm. You’re a servant of the Goddess, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Uh-huh. Still too early? No, you should know by now. I wasn’t this foolish. You’re really foolish, aren’t you?”

“What, what are you talking about??”

No matter how much she searches for answers, she can’t find them.

“Shall we change locations? This place is too gloomy.”

“…And you prepared this location?”

“Prepared, half right, half wrong. This is a kind of terminal. A terminal where countless times intersect.”

“Terminal?”

Erina unconsciously repeats the unfamiliar word.

“Like a… stable? That’s probably it.”

Hanna whispers the answer instead, tightly gripping the pistol tucked safely in her bosom, ready to shoot at any moment.

It wasn’t a proper explanation, but she gets the gist. The part about the intersection of time is also sensical. Even if she doesn’t understand what he means, it’s clear to her that time is strangely twisted.

“The location doesn’t matter. No matter what role this place plays….”

She agrees that it’s not a pleasant place, but she doesn’t want to get drenched in the rain.

“First, stop the rain. Why are you doing such a pointless thing?”

“What nonsense. That’s also… I’m not a goddess, so I can’t control weather phenomena.”

“…The discovery of this ruin and the heavy rain are almost simultaneous? Lying is not a good habit.”

“Rather, because of that phenomenon, no. You figure it out yourself. It’s better for you to realize it yourself.”

Erina tries to think as hard as she can, but because of the tension, she can hardly make a judgment.

“Magi.”

“Yes. It’s because of the Magi.”

Piki begins to slowly walk around the group. Levi’s eyes follow his movements intently.

Erina’s thoughts are so complicated that she keeps losing sight of Piki. Her chest feels tight. The humidity around her seems to constrict her body like Magi.

‘Wait, wait a minute.’

She takes a deep breath. She almost fell for it again. Even though he holds the initiative, there’s no reason to obediently submit to everything he says. No matter how overwhelming the power he wields, as someone chosen by the Goddess, she can’t afford to lose.

In the Goddess’s way. Erina thinks of the Goddess and strengthens her faith. The light surrounding them begins to shine more brightly. The noble and pure body of the Goddess, an absolute, something she will never forget even after billions of years. And a beautiful petal, hidden very secretly.

The engine that still drives Erina.

I want to fuck the Goddess.

‘To do that… I need countless followers to serve the Goddess. Our numbers are steadily increasing, but…’

Things were going smoothly. She had received the power of the Skill Maker, and implanted skills solely for the purpose of sex into herself and other women. She had, quite coincidentally, received a few more divine revelations from the Goddess, but lately, even those hadn’t appeared.

But she doesn’t doubt the Goddess.

‘The overflowing number of monsters and demons. Surely, that’s why the Goddess’s power has diminished drastically.’

She needs to get rid of the demons as soon as possible. Even if not murder, she needs to subdue them. Since she can create a skill to seal Magi, it’s not impossible. The problem is the process of making contact.

Now is not the time to think about that.

‘This ruin is surely related somehow…, but first, in order to do that.’

Erina looks at Piki with a grave expression. Three against one. If they fight, can they win? The information remains full of black holes, making it impossible to gauge their chances of success.

“You’re looking like you’re thinking something interesting? We don’t have much time, you know?”

A tone that conveys mockery, provocation, worry, and apprehension simultaneously. Erina bites her lip slightly.

“Yes. We don’t, so let’s settle this quickly.”

“Settle this? Why?”

This is definitely a genuine question. He asks innocently with an innocent face.

“Erina, won’t it be dangerous?”

Levi asks worriedly. Her instincts as a hero are signaling danger. As a creature, it’s a dangerous being.

Even the power of the Skill Maker doesn’t work, but she must do it now. Now is the only time, because he’s probably letting his guard down. It’s dangerous, but she believes that the Goddess will protect her.

“No, no. You… you really are foolish. How much longer do you plan to remain deluded?”

“Deluded…?”

“Yes, yes. To put it simply, I’m on your side.”

She’s dumbfounded. On her side? The thought of a curse word briefly crosses Erina’s mind.

“Haah. I really, really, reeeeeaaaalllllly hate explaining things. So I won’t explain. Understand?”

“Wha, what nonsense is that? You have to explain before I can understand!! If you’re going to talk, do it properly.”

She’s excited. Erina strides toward Piki, arguing loudly.

“Hmm. The Goddess must have been in a rush too. This… fool. Well, her abilities seem good.”

“Hey, keep your thoughts to yourself.”

Levi glances at Hanna cautiously. Hanna looks back and forth between Erina and Levi, unsure what to do. Her hands tightly tucked into her bosom is slightly cute. But this isn’t the time to be at ease. She doesn’t know what will happen. She needs to concentrate.

The words of that tense young woman were not registering in her ears properly, even though she speaks diligently to Erina.

Hanna’s thoughts drifted to her former boss, a figure she had conveniently forgotten, due to Piki’s inability to communicate normally. She was restless, feeling nothing but apprehension. Everything felt like it could go wrong. Watching quietly was second nature, but right now, it was maddeningly so.

“Your situation, servant of the Goddess. …If that were all, I would have been fine too.”

Piki takes a deep breath and speaks. Then he shifts his gaze to Levi and Hanna, who he had avoided looking at until now. Erina quietly suppresses her anger and waits for his next words. Her features seemed to distort slightly, or was that just her imagination?

“I’m the same as you. I was chosen by the Goddess, too.”

“…?!”

Piki’s statement stunned everyone present.